A huge thanks, as ever, to our good friend Eric Armit for his latest weekly review of the major results.
August 6 Los Angeles, CA, USA: Feather: Abraham Lopez (19-0-1) W TKO 9 Jorge Diaz (18-4-1). Super Bantam: Roy Tapia (11-0-2) W KO 3 Juan Luis Hernandez (18-6-1). Lopez vs. Diaz Lopez gets stoppage win over useful Diaz. Diaz came out pressing the action in the first only for a right from Lopez to put him off balance and down on one knee for a flash knockdown. Lopez had the strength and was the harder puncher but Diaz boxed well finding the target regularly with his rights. However Lopez was bossing the fight and landing the harder punches and slowly draining the energy out of Diaz. Lopez landed some vicious uppercuts in the seventh and although Diaz was still finding gaps with his counters he was not able to stop Lopez walking through his jab and dominating. It was all one way in the eighth and ninth with Diaz just soaking up punishment and between the referee and Diaz’s corner they decided that it was over at the end of that ninth round. “Chamaco” Lopez, 27, now has 14 wins by KO/TKO. He has beaten Gerardo Espinoza, Gabriel Tolmajyan and Alfred Tetteh and his draw was with Juan Carlos Martinez so a reasonable level of opposition to aid his development. Diaz, 27, a former US Under-19 champion, won his first 15 fights but is 3-4-1 in his last 8 as the opposition had gotten tougher Tapia vs. Hernandez Tapia was coming off a disappointing draw but he made no mistake here. Tapia’s body punches had Hernandez struggling in the first round and Tapia continued to bombard the body in the second with Hernandez driven to his knees. Tapia was scoring with thumping hooks again in the third and Hernandez went down for a second time and the fight was over. Tapia, 23, had knocked out Mexican veteran Luis Maldonado in November but only managed a draw with Ali Gonzalez (6-5) in March. Hernandez gets his fifth loss by KO/TKO. He is now 3-3 in his last 6 fights. The wins were over low level opposition but the other losses were against much tougher foes in Genesis Servania and Joseph Diaz. August 7 Buenos Aires, Argentina: Super Welter: Guido N Pitto (20-3) W PTS 10 Luis A Moreno (18-9-5). Pitto returns from having been based in Spain and gets win. “Chico” was outboxing Moreno for most of the way but just lacked the power to end it early. He was able to get through Moreno’s guard with punches to head and body and by the third Moreno already had a swelling on his left cheek. A series of hard punches in the fourth saw Moreno spit out his gumshield to get a breather and he was competitive in the middle rounds. Pitto kept up the pressure and a left hook in the ninth had Moreno stumbling. Pitto finished strongly with Moreno again spitting out his gumshield and this time it cost him a point but the brief stoppage allowed him to last the distance. Scores 98-91, 97-92 and 97-93. Pitto had a good campaign in Europe beating Reda Zam Zam and taking away the unbeaten record of Jack Culcay, the only loss on the record of the interim WBA champion. Culcay beat him in a return but even then only on a split decision. He had a title shot in April last year losing on points to Zaurbek Baysangurov for the vacant IBO title. Moreno was out of his depth and the scoring flattered him as he hardly did enough to win one round. He is 2-7 in his last 9 fights and this is the first time he has gone more than six rounds. Flemington, Australia, Super Light: Czar Amonsot (39-3-3) W TEC DEC 4 Rusmin Kie Raha (14-8-2). Super Bantam: Ibrahim Balla (8-0) W PTS 10 Roberto Lerio (16-22-1). Cruiser: Kane Watts (15-2) W KO 3 Emosi Solitua (5-2). Amonsot vs. Raha Amonsot wins vacant WBA Pan African title and makes the third defence of his PABA title with technical decision over Indonesian Raha. The 29-year-old Filipino southpaw the “Czar of Bohol” lost to Mike Katsidis for the interim WBO title in 2007 but since then is 11-0-2 in his last 13 fights and is at No 11 with the WBA. Raha, a former Indonesian light champion, is 2-6 in his last 8 fights. Balla vs. Lerio The talented former amateur star Balla wins the vacant Australian title with wide unanimous verdict over tough little Filipino Lerio. Scores 100-90, 98-92 and 97-97. The 24-year-old prospect is one of two boxing brothers with brother Qamil already holding the Australian super light title. They are only the fifth pair of brothers to hold Australian titles at the same time. Ibrahim was Australian amateur champion and won a gold medal at the Arafura Games and a silver at the Commonwealth Youth Championships as well as representing Australia at the World Youth, World Senior, Commonwealth Games and 2012 Olympics so a good track record there. “Hands of Stone” Lerio, 29, is the Australian bantam champion and former super bantam champion but is 2-8 in his last 10 fights. Watts vs. Solitua Watts wins the vacant Australian title with knockout of Solitua. Now 8 wins by KO/TKO for 33-year-old Watts. He lost to Daniel Ammann in April last year but has been busy with six wins since then. Samoan Solitua was having his first fight for almost 13 months. His other loss was a first round kayo by Brad Pitt in February 2014. San Antero, Colombia: Super Feather: Jose L Prieto (22-4) W TKO 7 Rodolfo Puente (16-2-2). Fly: Luis Diaz (15-2-1) W PTS 8 Gustavo Vera (3-3). Fly: Karluis Diaz (22-6) W PTS 8 Alfonso De la Hoz (13-54-6). Prieto vs. Puente “The Hammer” Prieto wins another inside the distance. Prieto was in charge from the start but a cut put his win in danger until he launched a furious attack in the seventh with a barrage of punches that forced the referee to stop the fight. The highlight of the fight was when the boxers were exchanging punches in a corner in the third round and the referee was floored by a loose punch. He got up and continued but sported a lump on his left cheek for the rest of the fight. The 30-year-old Prieto now has 14 wins by KO/TKO (not counting the referee) with his four losses against good quality opposition and he has won his last 9 fights. Puente, the Colombian feather champion, was unbeaten in his last 18 fights but very low level opposition. Diaz vs. Vera Colombian “Machete” Diaz gets unanimous decision over fellow Colombian Vera. The first round was even with little action. Vera was taking the fight to Diaz in the second and landed the telling punches in the round. Diaz finally got rolling in the third getting home with some good combinations and took the fourth. With Vera cut over his right eye and seeming to tire Diaz had his best round in the fifth looking to have Vera in some trouble and he also edged the sixth. Vera found some energy to make the seventh competitive and took the last but it was just not enough to swing the verdict his way scores 78-74, 78-74 and 79-74 for Diaz. The 22-year-old Diaz is 13-0-1 in his last 14 fights. Vera had lost a technical decision to Diaz in December. Diaz vs. De la Hoz Former WBA title challenger Diaz keeps busy with a wide unanimous decision over De la Hoz. Comfortable win for Diaz as veteran De la Hoz provides some entertainment and humour but just adds one more loss to his already burgeoning total. Scores 80-71, 80-72 and 78-72. Diaz, 28 has lost in title fights against Alberto Rossel for the interim WBA light fly and Hekkie Budler for the IBO and WBA minimum titles. First fight for a year for De la Hoz who last won a fight in 2007 but has only been beaten by KO/TKO 3 times in his 54 defeats. Mexico City, Mexico: Super Bantam: Alejandro Hernandez (30-11-2) W TKO 8 Humberto Morales (14-12-4,1ND). Hernandez comes from behind to force Morales out of the fight. The “Little Clown” made a slow start and Morales was getting through with hooks and uppercuts which quickly raised a bump under the left eye of Hernandez. Gradually Hernandez began to get into the fight punishing Morales with body shots and causing a swelling by the left eye of Morales. The body attack paid dividends as Morales quickly tired under the pressure but it was still a surprise when his corner climbed onto the ring apron to save their man half way through the eighth round. Hernandez, 29 wins the vacant Mexican title. He lost on points to Omar Narvaez for the WBO fly title in 2008, drew with Marvin Sonsona for the vacant WBO super fly title when Sonsona lost the title on the scales. He then won the interim WBO bantam title when beating Daniel Rosas in June 2014 only to lose to Tomoki Kameda for the full title in November. This is his second win this year. Fifth loss by KO/TKO for Morales who is now 4-1-2 in his last 7 fights against good level opposition. Panama City, Panama: Super Light: Alberto Mosquera (22-2-2,2ND) W PTS 11 Kelly Figueroa (8-3-3). Bantam: Liborio Solis (20-3-1) W KO 2 Jonathan Burgos (11-3-1). Super Feather: Joan Vasquez (15-1) W KO 4 Jose Forero (12-4-1). Light: Oliver Flores (27-1-2) W TKO 5 Julio Camano (10-16-1,1ND). Mosquera vs. Figueroa Morales wins the vacant WBA Fedelatin title with victory over Venezuelan Figueroa. Comfortable win for the local fighter on scores of 108-101,108-102 and 107-103. The 28-year-old southpaw was coming off back-to-back inside the distance losses to Charlie Navarro (nine rounds) and Sammy Vasquez (one round) so could not afford another loss. “Machine Gun Kelly” also a southpaw had lost on points to Darleys Perez in 2012 and then gone 5-0-1 before this fight. Solis vs. Burgos Venezuelan Solis makes it 11 wins on the bounce as he halts Burgos in two rounds. The difference in class and power meant this was always going to be a short fight. Solis had Burgos hurt in the first and then put him down with an uppercut to the body in the second and Burgos could not beat the count. The 33-year-old former WBA super fly champion beat Daiki Kameda in what was to be unification bout for the WBA and IBF titles but came in over the weight limit and lost his WBA title. He is rated WBA 3/ WBC 6/IBF 12 so may yet get a chance at one of the versions of the bantam title. Colombian Burgos had won 6 of his last 7 fights but at a much lower level. Vasquez vs. Forero Vasquez wins the vacant WBC Latino title as he destroys local fighter Forero. After a quiet first round Vasquez broke through flooring Forero in the second and putting him down twice in the fourth. Dominican Vasquez goes to 13 wins by KO/TKO. Once again impressive looking figures but typical Dominican with only one of his previous victims having a positive record-and he lost to him. His last four wins were over guys with combined records of 1-49-0. First loss in side the distance for Forero. Flores vs. Camano Nicaraguan southpaw Flores makes it 17 wins by KO/TKO as he halts Panamanian Camano in five rounds. The 23-year-old was knocked out in two rounds by Mexican banger Miguel Berchelt in two rounds in 2012. He was then inactive for ten months and this is his fourth win since returning. He turned pro at 15. “Dinamita” Camano is 2-14-1 in his last 17 fights so perhaps needs a new nickname something that reflects implosion rather than explosion. Bangkok, Thailand: Bantam: Pungluang (51-3) W KO 2 Ryo Akaho (26-2-2). Super Feather: Chonlatarn (56-2) W TKO 6 Boido Simanjuntak (18-29-1). Kwanpichit (32-1-2) W TKO 2 Thaminkhao (4-14-1). Pungluang vs. Akaho Pungluang regains WBO title as he beats Akaho in bed tempered contest for the vacant title. Both were looking to dominate from the start by using stiff jabs and right crosses. They got involved in a clinch and Akaho complained about a punch from Pungluang to the back of his head. When they resumed Akaho landed two sharp hooks, The Japanese fighter was getting his punches away quicker and when Pungluang landed a right to the side of his head Akaho again complained about a foul. Both landed some hard shots but then got mixed up in a clinch and Pungluang wrestled Akaho to the floor. At the start of the second round Pungluang launched a furious attack that saw Akaho under fire and then holding on to smother Pungluang’s work and getting a warning from the referee., Now the fight became bad tempered with Akaho landing a couple of low punches and then clinching with Pungluang using his strength to wrestle Akaho around and on to the ropes. Akaho turned things around so that he was holding Pungluang against the ropes with both holding and trying to land left hooks. Pungluang swung Akaho around and pushed Akaho into a corner by putting his glove on the back of Akaho’s head and thrusting. Akaho stumbled out of the corner backwards and he was off balance and put both arms out to steady himself. That left him wide open Pungluang then landed a right/left right series of punches to the head that put Akaho down. The referee started to count but could see that Akaho was finished and he waived the fight over. Some controversy over the finish based on that push to the back of Akaho’s head being a foul but Akaho was stumbling at the time and it was the final three punches that did the damage. The 27-year-old Pungluang from the strong Onesongchaigym Gym turned pro at 16 and now enters his second period as WBO champion. He won the vacant title in 2012 by beating AJ Banal but lost it in his first defence to Namibian Paulus Ambunda. He failed in a challenge for the title in 2014 being knocked out by Tomoki Kameda in July last year and this is his fifth win since then. Akaho was quick and aggressive and will feel aggrieved at the way the fight ended but he was outmuscled by the strong Thai. This is the second unsuccessful title challenge for the 29-year-old Akaho having lost on points to Yota Sato for the WBC title in 2012. Chonlatarn vs. Simanjuntak Chonlatarn dominated the first round with some stiff jabs and lefts to the body. Southpaw Simanjuntak got through with some thumps of his own but he was crude and often standing with his two feet square on to each other leaving him off balance. Chonlatarn bossed the second and third forcing Simanjuntak back with stiff jabs and banging in hard four/five punch combinations to head and body. Early in the fourth a right from Simanjuntak suddenly stopped Chonlatarn in his tracks and Simanjuntak stormed forward taking Chonlatarn to the ropes and seeming to have the Thai shaken. Chonlatarn punched his way out of trouble. Simanjuntak had another brief spell on top in the round but by the bell Chonlatarn was driving Simanjuntak around the ring and finished the round with a bunch of 15 consecutive punches. They went toe-to-toe through most of the fifth with Chonlatarn landing some serious shots and Simanjuntak trying to fire back but taking a beating. Chonlatarn surged forward in the sixth scoring time and again with hooks to the body and he was unloading on Simanjuntak on the ropes when the referee stopped the fight. The 30-year-old Thai lost on points to Chris John for the WBA title in 2012 and to Vasyl Lomachenko for the WBO title last November. This is his fourth win since then and win No 37 by KO/TKO. Indonesian Simanjuntak showed plenty of guts but not much technique. He has now lost his last 11 fights. Kwanpichit vs. Thaminkhao Kwanpichit wins with kayo of inexperienced Thaminkhao. Both were throwing left hooks to the body with Kwanpichit slowly forcing Thaminkhao to shut down his offence and concentrate on defence. After a couple more thumping left hooks Kwanpichit threw a straight right to the chin that sent Thaminkhao down against the ropes. Thaminkhao was up at six but the bell rang when the eight count was completed. Less than ten seconds into the second round Kwanpichit fired home a right uppercut that sent Thaminkhao down on his back and the fight was stopped without a count. Kwanpichit’s only loss was against Zou Shiming for the WBO International title in November and this is his third win by KO/TKO since then, but at 33 it will be difficult for him to get another title shot but as he is still rated at No 8 by the WBO it is not impossible. Thaminkhao a poor opponent. He showed some fire but is 1 -13-1 in his last 15 fights. (Ed Note-this was a rematch) Dubai, UAE: Welter: Jason Pagara (36-2) W TEC DEC 8 Ramiro Alcaraz (15-5-1). Super Bantam: Albert Pagara (24-0) W TKO 1 Jesus Rios (31-8-1,1ND). Super Light: Jimrex Jaca (40-8-4) W PTS 8 Pablo Montiel (21-6). Pagara vs. Alcaraz Pagara has to fight with the handicap of a cut but gets the technical decision. Things started badly for Pagara when he initially found southpaw Alcaraz an awkward opponent and also suffered a cut on his left eye lid in the first round. That was balanced out by the referee deducting a point from Alcaraz over the clash of heads that caused the cut. He settled down in the second hurting Alcaraz with left hooks. The cut was bothering Pagara and giving Alcaraz an edge in some of the action. Pagara survived a doctor’s inspection in the fourth and was again outscoring the Mexican in the fifth. The sixth was close with Alcaraz matching Pagara but the Filipino got a break when they both punched on after the bell but the referee only penalised Alcaraz so another point deduction against the Mexican. Early in the eighth the action was temporarily suspended after a low punch from Pagara but when it resumed the blood from the cut was affecting Pagara’s vision and the doctor advised the referee to stop the fight and it went to the score cards. Scores 78-72, 77-73 and 76-74 all for Pagara. Although he deserve the victory it looked much closer even with the deductions than the first two cards showed. The 27-year-old “El Nino” has lost only one of his last 25 fights, to Rosbel Montoya, and he got revenge with an inside the distance win in a return. He is No 2 with the WBO at light welter. With No 1 Lucas Matthysse fighting Viktor Postol for the vacant WBC title that will put him in line for a shot at champion Terrance Crawford. Alcaraz felt he was robbed in this one and the deductions were harsh but that won’t show on the records. He sprang a big upset when he beat Antonio Lozada (32-1) in 2013 but lost a still creditable split decision in a return fight. Pagara vs. Rios Younger brother Albert looks a great prospect and he blew away Rios in impressive style. Pagara was quickly stalking Rios and shook him with a right cross/left hook combination. Rios backed up to the ropes where Pagara nailed him with that right cross/left hook combination again and Rios slumped down to the canvas against the ropes. He got up but still looked very shaken. The referee had a good look at Rios then let the fight continue. Pagara stepped in and landed a series of head shots from both hands. Being pinned against the ropes Rios only went down slowly so took some of those punches on the way. Once down he was finished and the referee immediately stopped the fight without a count. Rios was in a distressed condition and needed medical help and some oxygen before recovering. The 21-year-old Filipino looks the goods and now has 17 wins by KO/TKO and is rated IBF 5/WBC 10. Difficult to know if he can go all the way as so far he has faced good but not dangerous opposition but he talent and power. The fight was to be a defence of his IBF Inter-Continental title for Pagara but Rios failed to make the weight and gave up trying when he finally managed to get down to 124lbs which was still 2lbs over the limit. Jaca vs. Montiel Jaca has to get off the floor to win this one. The Filipino veteran was doing as he pleased with Montiel for three and a bit rounds. In the fourth the Mexican landed a counter that put Jaca down. The referee did not have a god view and ruled it a slip. The downside of that for Jaca was that he did not get an eight count to help him recover and later in the round Montiel scored a genuine knockdown flooring Jaca with a left hook. Jaca was badly shaken and took the step of spitting out his gumshield three times to get a breather and was lucky not to be penalised. Despite the trouble he had in the previous round Jaca came out firing for the fifth and had Montiel in trouble at the end of the round. The sixth was about even but Jaca staged a strong finish over the last two rounds to earn the decision. Scores 78-74 twice and 77-74 for Jaca. The 32-year-olod Filipino “Executioner” was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez in a fight for the interim WBO feather title but then accumulated 11 wins in a row before hitting a bad patch and he was 0-2-1 going into this one. Montiel has only lost once by KO/TKO but this was his first fight for 14 months. Atlantic City, NJ, USA: Middle: Sergiy Derevyanchenko (6-0) W PTS 8 Elvin Ayala (28-7-1). Middle: Ievgen Khytrov (11-0) W TKO 8 Nock Brinson (17-4-2). Super Light: Regis Prograis (15-0) W PTS 8 Amos Cowart (11-1-1). Middle: Avtandil Khurtsidze (31-2-2) W TKO 1 Melvin Betancourt (29-3). Middle: Thomas Lamanna (17-1) W PTS 8 Joshua Robertson (7-9). Heavy: Joey Dawejko (15-4-2) W TKO 1 Robert Dunton (11-15-1). Derevyanchenko vs. Ayala Derevyanchenko gets some useful ring time and shows good technical skills and patience as he goes past the fourth round for the first time. The Russian used his jab both to keep Ayala on the back foot and to set up his attacks and you could see where his “The Technician” nickname came from. Ayala was almost permanently on the back foot and was unable to launch any sustained attacks as Derevyanchenko gradually beat him down. The Russian shook Ayala with some good combinations in the third and fourth. He increased the pace in the fifth and sixth looking to take Ayala out of the fight but the veteran although not doing much himself was hanging in there. Derevyanchenko came close to ending it in the last with a strong attack and it could have been stopped but Ayala hung on until the bell. The 29-year-old Brooklyn-based Russian won on scores of 80-71 twice and 80-72. A World Championships bronze medal winner he competed in the 2008 Olympics and in the World Series Boxing for four seasons and loss only once. He needs some more ring time as he had less than 13 rounds going into this one but he will be ready for a world rating in 2016. Ayala, 35, lost to Arthur Abraham for the IBF title in 2008. After losing inside a round to Curtis Stevens in 2013 he took a year out and in March this outpointed previously unbeaten Romanian prospect Ronald Gavril. Khytrov vs. Brinson Khytrov left it late to save his 100 % record. Brinson was quicker to the punch and using good movement and good counters to offset the aggression from Khytrov. When Khytrov did get Brinson to stand and trade Brinson was getting his punches off first and Khytrov was finding it hard to sustain his attacks and was showing a bruise under his right eye as evidence of the effective work from Brinson. Khytrov kept pressing but Brinson had a good fifth scoring with quick, accurate punches from both hands. Brinson continued to outbox Khytrov early in the sixth but at the end of the round the Ukrainian finally began slow Brinson with body punches. Brinson tried to fight on the outside in the seventh but again as the round progressed Khytrov was pressing hard with both fighter looking tired. At the start of the last round Brinson only had to survive to win as he was up 70-62 on two cards and level at 66-66 on the third. Khytrov drove Brinson to the ropes and trapped him there throwing punch after punch with Brinson covering up and blocking most of them. When Brinson escaped from the ropes Khytrov caught him with a left hook and Brinson’s knees dipped. Khytrov again forced Brinson back across the ring scoring with long left hooks to the head. The ropes stopped Brinson going any further and three punches from Khytrov each had Brinson’s head snapping back. Brinson took a pace back and went down on one knee holding on to the ropes with his other arm. At that point the referee stepped in and without a count waived the fight over with 33 seconds left in the round. Brinson protested that he had stepped back and taken a knee to escape the bombardment but was able to get up and fight on but Khytrov had landed some big head shots in his final attack and it was a good stoppage. The 26-year-old “Ukrainian Lion” goes to 10 wins by KO/TKO. He had won 9 in a row by KO/TKO until Aaron Coley took him the distance in April so he has started another streak. A European Junior gold and World Senior gold medallist he came so close to losing this one and there are lessons to be learnt about not giving away early rounds. Brinson, 27, now has three losses by KO/TKO but he came close to a big win. He had a bad 2014 losing consecutive fights against Dominic Wade and Andre Dirrell but had a win in June this year against low level opposition. Prograis vs. Cowart Prograis wins battle of undefeated fighters with wide unanimous decision over Cowart in an all-southpaw match. Prograis set a high work rate that Cowart just could not match. Prograis was also quicker and more accurate but Cowart was competitive over the first two rounds and had a good third. From there Prograis was in charge. He bloodied Cowart’s nose in the fourth and outworked him in the fifth. Cowart was walking in and taking punishment but also firing back and raisedc a lump under the right of Prograis. Over the last three rounds the pace of the fight and body punches from Prograis took their toll and saw Cowart fade out of the fight. Scores 80-72 twice and 79-71. The 26-year-old Texan was taken past the sixth round for the first time. He was a bronze medallist at the US Championships but did not make it through the final US Trials so missed out on a berth in London. Floridian Cowart, 25, just met a better fighter on the night. Khurtsidze vs. Betancourt Khurtsidze gets this one over quickly. The Georgian came out firing forcing Betancourt back. The Dominican tried to fight fire with fire but then it got too hot for him and it was one-way traffic. Khurtsidze just kept bombing away and put Betancourt down heavily with a left hook. Betancourt made it to his feet but was on shaky pins and the referee rightly stopped the fight. The 36-year-old pocket-sized (5’4” 163cm) Khurtsidze lost on points to Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam for the interim WBA title in 2010, his only loss in his last 24 fights, but at WBC7/IBF 13 it looks unlikely he will get another title shot. Betancourt was knocked out in two rounds by Gary O’Sullivan in Boston in May. His statistics look good but it is a typical Dominican republic record with 26 of his 29 opponents having negative records. Lamanna vs. Robertson Lamanna gets back into the winning groove after his first pro loss. The lanky middle had height and reach over the much smaller Robertson. Lamanna was able to use his jab to control the tempo of the fight and counter Robertson when he tried to come inside. Although Robertson never won a round he did make Lamanna work hard for his win but the physical advantages and the superior skill of Lamanna were too much for Robertson. Scores 80-72 from all three judges. Lamanna had his 16 bout winning streak ended when he was stopped in six rounds by Antoine Douglas in March so he has started his rehabilitation. Robertson had also lost every round against Lamanna when they fought in 2013. He is game but not in this class and is now 2-8 in his last 10 fights. Dawejko vs. Dunton This looked a poor match on paper and it proved to be even worse as Dawejko destroyed Dunton in 31 seconds. A right put Dunton down and although he climbed to his feet the referee stopped the fight. Dawejko also rebounding, in his case from a points loss to Amir Mansour in May. Prior to that the 25-year-old from Philly had won six in a row including a victory over experienced Derric Rossy. For Dunton it is now 9 losses by KO/TKO and 10 losses in his last 12 fights. August 8 Camaray, Australia: Super Middle: Faris Chevalier (9-1) W PTS 10 Tej Pratap Singh (4-1-1). Light Heavy: Kerry Foley (16-2-1) W TKO 4 Joel Casey (16-15-3). Super Middle: Jake Carr (11-0) W TKO 4 Togas Leota (16-17-1). Chevalier vs. Singh Brisbane-based Frenchman Chevalier wins the vacant Australian title with unanimous decision over Singh. Scores 100-90, 99-91 and 97-93. This was the first ten round fight for the ANBF No 5. Singh had been No 10 with the ANBF. Foley vs. Casey Foley retains the Australian title with knockout of veteran Casey. Foley had the fight well in hand and floored Casey twice in the fourth round. The second knockdown was spectacular leaving Casey spread-eagled on the canvas out cold. Foley, 27, making the first defence of his title now has 13 wins by KO/TKO. He had beaten Casey on points way back in 2007 but no judges were needed for this one. Southpaw Casey, 31, suffers his fifth loss in a row. Carr vs. Leota Carr gets win inside the distance as he halts Leota in the sixth. The ANBF No 2 was in charge from the start although Leota gave his usually gutsy display. It ended in the sixth when a left hook to the body from Carr put Leota down and the fight was stopped. Carr, 24, now has 4 wins by KO/TKO and is yet another good Australian prospect. Samoa Leota, 32, has a poor record but always come to fight and occasionally scores an upset. Savonlinna, Finland: Super Middle: Niklas Rasanen (10-0) W PTS 8 Geard Ajetovic (26-12-1). Super Light: Jarkko Putkonen (12-0) W PTS 8 Nordeen Toure (4-1). Super Welter : Jussi Koivula (18-2-1) DREW 6 Artem Karasev (7-20-1). Rasanen vs. Ajetovic “Drummer Boy” Rasanen continues his winning run as he uses his height and reach to win a unanimous decision over experienced Ajetovic. The Serb had some success over the early rounds as he was able to penetrate the Finn’s defence with ease. Rasanen was much better over the second half of the fight and deservedly took the unanimous verdict. Scores 78-74, 79-74 and 79-77. The Finnish southpaw is being sensibly matched and Ajetovic proved a useful opponent. Serbian Ajetovic, 34, who turned pro in Britain, lost only one of his first 18 fights but then hit a series of tough matches with fighters such as Daniel Geale who he challenged for the IBO middle title, Dmitry Pirog, Matthew Macklin and Max Vlasov. He is 8-8 in his last 16 fights but has never lost inside the distance. Putkonen vs. Toure The longer this one went the better were Putkonen’s chances of winning as all four of Toure’s wins had come in the first round. It was a close, tactical fight rather than an exciting scrap. Despite his lack of experience the Finnish-based Togolese boxer was competitive all the way and Putkonen just edged this on a split decision. Scores 78-76 and 77-76 for Putkonen and 77-76 for Toure. A return would be a just reward for Toure. Putkonen, 31, a former Finnish amateur champion, was given his roughest test so far. Good learning fight for 24-year-old Toure after not going more than 150 seconds in any of his other fights. Koivula vs. Karasev Koivula looks to have gone as far as he is going as he is held to a draw by Lithuanian-based Russian Karasev. Scores 60-56 to Koivula, 58-57 to Karasev and 57-57. The 31-year-old Finn won his first 13 fights but has not progressed from there losing to Lukasz Maciec and Marcello Matano with the loss to Matano a poor performance. Karasev had a 1-11-1 run but had won his last two fights. Gatteo-a-Mare, Italy: Middle: Matthew Signani (22-4-3) W TKO 8 Rafael Sosa Pinto (49-12).Super Bantam: Vittorio Parrinello (5-0) W TEC DEC 5 Daniel Lemon (13-4-1). Fly: Mohammed Obbadi (4-0) W TKO 2 Giuseppe Laguna (25-13-1,1ND). Signani vs. Pinto Signani wins the vacant WBA title as Pinto suffers a bad cut and is unable to continue. The Italian “Jaguar” takes the first three rounds using his longer reach to keep Pitto out and scoring with straight rights to build a lead. Pinto gets his kind of fight in the fourth and fifth as he draws Signani into a brawl where he can score with hooks and uppercuts inside. Signani back in charge in the sixth pressing Pinto taking him to the ropes and wearing him down and the seventh goes the same way with Pinto tiring. Late in the eighth after Signani landed a good left hook there was a clash of heads. Pinto went down and the referee started to count but then saw Pinto was badly cut over his right eye and stopped the count and asked the doctor to examine Pinto’s cut and the doctor advised the fight should be halted with Signani the winner. The 36-year-old local fighter a former undefeated Italian and EU champion has lost only one of his last 19 fights and is No 4 with the EBU with the hope of getting a shot at the title. Uruguayan Pinto, 34, a former Uruguayan super welter champion was 4-2 in his last 6 fights with the losses coming inside the distance against world rated fighters in Schiller Hyppolite and Callum Smith. Parrinello vs. Lemon Former top amateur Parrinello wins the vacant Italian title with technical decision over Lemon. Both were cautious in the first and not letting their punches go but taking time to study each other. From the second Parrinello’s class began to show. He used his speed of hand and foot to control the fight with Lemon trying hard to pin Parrinello down but just being outboxed and outscored. Parrinello increased the pace with each round doubling up on the jab and never letting Lemon launch and serious attacks. Finally in the fifth Lemon managed to draw Parrinello in close but a clash of heads leads to a severe cut on the right eyebrow of Parrinello and the fight is stopped with the score cards to decide the winner. Scores 50-45, 50-46 and 49-47 all for Parrinello. The 30-year-old Parrinello was a mainstay of the Italian team for many years being Italian champion four times getting a silver medal at the World Military Championships, competing at the European and World Championships and the 2008 and 2012 Olympics where he only lost by two points to gold medal winner Luke Campbell. Lemon, 30, a former undefeated Italian super bantam champion can at least claim they are 1-1 in their series as he beat Parrinello in the Italian Championships in 2006 but this is where he needed the win. Obbadi vs. Lagana There are not too many flyweights in Europe so Moroccan Obbadi has had to move up to eight round level quickly. He had no trouble here as he only had to go less than two rounds to halt the experienced Lagana. The promising 21-year-old has won all four of his fights inside the distance so is still short of ring time. Lagana, 43, a former Italian and EU champion has now lost his last four fights. Tokyo, Japan: Middle: Akio Shibata (26-8-1) W TKO 8 Yasuyuki Akiyama (10-5-1). Shibata retains the JBC & OPBF titles with stoppage of Akiyama. Shibata was a class above Akiyama being able to work his jab and slot home hard straight rights through the leaky defence of Akiyama. Knowing he was falling behind Akiyama took chances to try to turn the fight around which only left him open for more punishment. Shibata’s punches gradually had Akiyama looking the worse for wear and with his left eye swollen and his face distorted by other swelling the doctor finally advised the fight should be stopped. Shibata, 33, was stopped in two rounds by Olympic gold medallist Ryota Murata in the Olympian’s first pro fight in 2013 but has won five in a row since then. Akiyama, the JBC No 1, had won his last 4 fights but this was his first move up to ten round level. (Ed's note-Bout was scheduled for 12) Tecate, Mexico: Super Fly: Felipe Orucuta (31-3) W PTS 10 Roberto Pucheta (9-5-1). Welter: Carlos Ocampo (16-0) W PTS 10 Jhonny Navarette (29-7-1). Orucuta vs. Pucheta Orucuta overcomes a slow start to win unanimous decision over Pucheta. Over the first two rounds Pucheta was the quicker with Orucuta doing very little and falling behind on the cards. From the third Orucuta woke up and started banging home combinations to head and body with those body punches visibly slowing Pucheta. Orucuta had Pucheta on the verge of a knockdown a few times but just could not produce the big punch when it was needed and “Scorpion” Pucheta was always trying to fire back. The last round had the fans on their feet as Pucheta tried for the knockout and they treaded toe-to-toe to the bell. Scores 98-92 from all three judges. Orucuta is 13-2 in his last 15 fights with the losses controversial split and majority decision against Omar Narvaez for the WBO super fly title in Argentina. He is rated WBO 6/WBC 8 and is one of the best fighters in the division and can win the title if he gets another chance. Rucheta, 25 has yet to loses by KO/TKO and going in was 6-3 against reasonable level local opposition. Ocampo vs. Navarrete Prospect “Chema” extends his winning run with victory over experienced Navarrete. Ocampo made a good start putting Navarrete down with a right to the head in the first. Navarrete has a good chin and he was able to get up and get back into the fight but the younger Ocampo just kept pressing and although Navarrete had reach and height and reach over Ocampo and was always dangerous with one-off punches he only did enough to pick up a round here and there Ocampo outworked him and ran out a comfortable winner. Scores 100-89, 99-90 and 97-92. The young fighter from Ensenada had won 6 of his last 7 fights by KO/TKO so Navarrete was a good learning fight. Navarrete, 27, came in with a run of twelve wins behind him and has only been beaten inside the distance once. Mexico City, Mexico: Light: Dante Jardon (27-5) W KO 2 Jairo Lopez (18-3). Fly: Saul Juarez (22-4) W PTS 10 Adrian Hernandez (30-4-1). Welter: Reyes Sanchez (26-6-2) W PTS 8 Diego Cruz (13-3). Jardon vs. Lopez This was expected to be a fight that would produce fireworks and it did. Both fighters landed heavy punches in the first and the trading continued into the second. “Doberman” Lopez got his licks in first and floored Jardon with a right hook. When Jordan got up Lopez was storming in trying to finish off his hurt opponent. Jordan was hurt but not out and as Lopez came forward he nailed him with left which put Lopez down heavily. He made it to his feet but his legs were wobbling and the referee stopped the fight. “Crazy” Jardon, 27, retains his WBC International Silver title. He now has 17 wins by KO/TKO. A run of good wins with victories over Miguel Roman and Gamaliel Diaz earned Jardon a shot at Takashi Miura in December 2013 for the WBC super feather title but he was stopped in nine rounds and in his next fight lost a wide unanimous decision against Adrian Estrella in July last year. He had done some rebuilding with a couple of domestic victories but another loss here would have been a serious setback as he had already dropped to No 24 in the WBC ratings. Lopez had been going in the other direction being 13-1 in his last 14 fights with victories over Juan Carlos Salgado and Fermin De los Santos. Juarez vs. Hernandez Jaures beats Hernandez again but on a split decision. Hernandez had paid for a slow start the first time they met but this time he edged ahead by flooring “Baby” in the second round. Juarez then proceeded to outbox Hernandez as he had done in their last fight. Hernandez kept pressing with Juarez moving and countering. The fight was close and it helped Juarez when a clash of heads in the last saw him cut with Hernandez losing a vital point. Scores 96-94 and 96-93 for Juarez and 96-94 for Hernandez. In their first fight Juarez had won when a punch inflicted a cut on Hernandez which was too bad for the fight to continue with Hernandez claiming it was a butt and the fight should have gone to the scorecards. Juarez lost his big chance in November when he was beaten by Filipino Milan Melindo in an IBF light fly eliminator but his win over Hernandez in their first fight has seen him up at IBF 6(4) and WBC 12 so he may yet get another chance. “Confessor” Hernandez a former WBC champion had been looking to get back into contention after losing his title to Naoya Inoue in April last year so he will feel that a third fight is needed to settle his business with Juarez. Sanchez vs. Cruz Sanchez uses his experience to box his way to victory over dangerous youngster Cruz. In the first Cruz was throwing bombs and trying to live up to his “Demolisher” nickname. Sanchez rode out the storm and had a better second round. From the third the taller Sanchez used his jab, body punches and hard straight counters to take charge and over the late round Cruz had to soak up a lot of punishment. Cruz tried to land the big punch in the last but Sanchez took no chances and eased to victory. Scores 78-75 twice and 79-74 for Sanchez. This was the first fight for 14 months for Sanchez who has made a habit of losing the big fights. Cruz, 21, had scored 10 wins by KO/TKO but Sanchez was by far the best opponent he has faced. Caguas, Puerto Rico: Minimum: Janiel Rivera (13-2-3) W PTS 10 Israel Vazquez (9-3-2). Super Fly: Jose Martinez (15-0) W KO 3 Armando Vazquez (24-15-1,2ND). Light Fly: Angel Acosta (11-0) W KO 1 Luis Almendarez (3-4). Rivera vs. Vazquez Rivera wins the vacant WBC Silver title with unanimous decision over Vazquez. The young Rivera showcased some excellent skills, fast hands plenty of lateral movement. Vazquez claimed he had injured a hand in the second round but he was just not quick enough to catch Rivera. To a large extent the fight was already beyond the reach of Vazquez when he was floored in the fifth round allowing Rivera to open a wide gap in the scoring. Vazquez finished strongly but was well beaten. Scores 98-91, 97-91 and 97-92. The 23-year-old Rivera was No 19 with the WBC but because he has won the Silver title he will now shoot up the ratings. These two had fought a draw back in 2010 when they were both pro novices but Rivera had improved since then. Vazquez, the brother of Wilfredo Jr. and the son of the great Wilfredo Snr. has now lost three fights in a row and is rethinking his future. Martinez vs. Vazquez Martinez adds to his KO total and retains the WBC Latino title. The 22-year-old Puerto Rican was giving away height and reach but Vazquez did not have the punch to keep Martinez out and the local hope ended this one with just one second left in the third round and continues to make impressive progress. The former Puerto Rican amateur silver medal winner had 10 victories inside the distance. Mexican Vazquez has mixed in good company but is on the slide being 1-5 in his last 6 fights. Acosta vs. Almendarez Acosta blitzes Almendarez in just 30 seconds. The explosive prospect put Almendarez down with a body punch and although Almendarez got up he was in no condition to continue. The 24-year-old Acosta has won all of his fights by KO/TKO. He is a former Puerto Rican national champion and won a gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games. Almendarez just fodder really. Indio, CA, USA: Super Welter: Dmitry Mikhaylenko (20-0) W TKO 8 Johan Perez (20-2-1,1ND). Super Bantam: Manuel Avila (18-0) W TKO 6 Yoandris Salinas (21-2-2). Super Feather: Tevin Farmer (20-4-1) W KO 8 Daulis Prescott (30-3,1ND). Feather: Joet Gonzalez (11-0) W KO 3 Miguel Tamayo (17-15-2). Super Middle: Jason Quigley (8-0) W KO 2 Mike Faulk (3-3). Mikhaylenko vs. Perez Mikhaylenko grinds down Perez for stoppage win and collects the WBA NABF title from the Venezuelan. The power and strength of Mikhaylenko saw him dominate this one. Perez was always trying to come forward and was willing to trade but continually found himself being out-powered and forced to fight with his back to the ropes. The Russian was landing neck jarring shots and strength sapping body punches. By the eighth Perez was sporting a cut over his left eye and had run out of gas. Once again Mikhaylenko forced Perez to the ropes and was unloading with both hands when the referee stopped the fight to save an exhausted Perez. The 29-year-old Russian “Mechanic” wins the WBA NABA title and gets his ninth win by KO/TKO. He has wins over Sechew Powell and Ronald Cruz and with winning this WBA minor title will now get a rating. Perez, 32, a former Interim WBA champion, lost his title to Mauricio Herrera on a majority decision in July last year so an impressive performance by Mikhaylenko to get such a one-sided victory. Avila vs. Salinas Avila gets win but hand injury for Salinas takes the edge of it. Avila’s best punch throughout the fight was his right and it was that punch that put Salinas down in the second round. The former top amateur from Cuba got up and back into the fight. Salinas was competitive in the third and had a good fourth although by the end of the round he had injured his right hand. That made the end certain as Salinas had only limited use of the hand. Avila was in control of the fight in the fifth and sixth and at the end of the sixth Salinas was unable to continue due to the injury. Avila, 23, wins the vacant interim WBA NABF title and will also be hoping this gets him a rating. He has wins over Enrique Quevedo and David De La Mora. “El Nino” Salinas, 29, came close to a big win when he drew in London with Scott Quigg for the secondary WBA title in 2013 but next time out he was floored three times and stopped in five rounds by Quevedo. He was a regular member of the Cuban team at major competitions twice winning the national title and getting a silver medal at the PanAmerican Games. Farmer vs. Prescott They are starting to call Farmer the “Cinderella Man” because of the way he has turned his career around and arguably he got his best win so far with the kayo of Prescott. In fairness to Prescott he came in as a late replacement and although he made a fight of it over the first three rounds Farmer took over completely in the fourth. He floored Prescott late in the round with a vicious southpaw left and after Prescott got up he was again getting hurt and only just made it to the bell. Farmer continued the pressure in the fifth and dropped Prescott in the sixth with a right. Unfortunately he also threw a left which landed when {Prescott was down. The referee deducted a point for the foul and gave Prescott some recovery time. It did not help much as in the eighth a thunderous left from Farmer put Prescott down again and the referee waived the fight off without counting. The 25-year-old Farmer was 7-4-1 in his first 12 fights but has now won 13 in a row. Two of those early losses were to high quality opposition in unbeaten Kamil Laszczyk and Jose Pedraza. He has wins in that 13 bout streak over Emanuel Gonzalez and Viktor Chernous but this is his biggest win to date. Colombian Prescott, 28, the brother of Breidis, lost in seven rounds to Nicholas Walters for the secondary WBA feather title in 2012 and was then inactive until returning to action in November last year since when he had won 4 fights. His most recent win was three weeks ago so he was in some kind of shape but obviously not top shape with only one week’s notice. Gonzalez vs. Tamayo Gonzalez keeps his 100% record intact with crushing victory over Tamayo. Gonzalez was hunting Tamayo down from the opening bell and hurt Tamayo with a body shot in those first three minutes. In the second Gonzalez was still in control and he finished the job in the third. He floored Tamayo with a quick combination. Tamayo got up but another combination put him down for a second time and he was counted out. Now 5 wins by KO/TKO for the 21-year-old Californian a former US Junior champion and a silver medallist at the National Championships. He is yet another who did not make it through the final US Olympic Trials. Mexican Tamayo is 3-10 in his last 13 fights but all against good level opposition. Quigley vs. Faulk Quigley blows away another opponent. The brilliant Irish prospect was frustrated in the first wit the taller Faulk already in survival mode and trying to stay out of trouble forcing Quigley to make the fight. Quigley sorted out what he needed to do and went to work in the second flooring Faulk three times with the referee stopping the fight with one second left in the round. The 24-year-old Ballybofey fighter has won all 8 fights by KO/TKO taking a total of less than 14 rounds to get the jobs done but to date the opposition has been weak and he is ready for much stiffer challenges. First loss inside the distance for Faulk. Opelusas, LA, USA: Super Light: Cody Richard (17-2-1) W DISQ 4 Blake Franklin (12-8-2). Mason Menard (29-1) W KO 1 Jesus Lule (7-13-1). Richard vs. Franklin Richard returns to the winning ranks as Franklin is disqualified. Richard was in front having floored Franklin in the second with a body punch. Franklin was still competitive in the third but was floored again in the fourth. That led to some angry words between Franklin and the referee which resulted in Franklin being disqualified. Texan Richard was unbeaten in his first 15 fights but is now 3-2 in his last 5 with one of those loses being inside a round against former interim WBA title challenger Santos Benavides. Franklin, 20, was 9-3-1 in his last 13 fights going into this one. Menard vs. Lule Menard wipes out late selection Lule in first round. Menard was quick and accurate from the start. He took Lule out with a left hook to the body followed by a left hook to the chin and Lule was out. The was “Rock Hard Mighty” Menard’s first fight since July last year so he was hoping to get some rounds under his belt. It was hoped he might get some here but Lule disappointed as he goes to 1-9-1 in his last 11 fights St Louis, MO, USA: Heavy: Charles Ellis (10-3-1) W PTS 10 James Toney (76-10-3). What a sad sight as an old, fat Toney loses unanimous decision to Ellis. Toney had to get inside the reach of the 6’5” (196cm) Ellis but he no longer has the speed to achieve that and the fight therefore lacked any excitement or sustained exchanges. Ellis kept Toney out over the first half of the fight but as he slowed to Toney’s pace the once great Toney had a measure of success. Scores 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93. The 233lbs (105kg) Toney is a shadow of the great fighter of the 1990’s and shadow he casts now is a grossly fat one. At 46 for the sake of his health he should no longer be fighting. The 40-year-old Ellis is just a prelim fighter who had never previously been in a bout scheduled for more than six rounds which shows how low Toney has descended. Montevideo, Uruguay: Super Bantam: Roberto Vasquez (32-6-2) W TKO 4 Rafael Concepcion (18-8-1). Super Feather: Braulio Rodriguez (18-1) W TKO 2 Marcos Martinez (17-3). Welter: Azael Cosio (20-3-2,1ND) W TKO 5 Guillermo de Jesus Paz (24-27-4). Vasquez vs. Concepcion Vasquez beats fellow-Panamanian Concepcion to keep his career alive. This was a closely contested fight over the opening two rounds. Vasquez looked to be getting on top and landing the better punches in the third but it was a surprise when he landed a right in the fourth that saw Concepcion’s legs doing an involuntary dance. Vasquez followed up with a body punch which floored Concepcion and his corner threw in the towel. “The Spider” wins the vacant WBA Fedebol title The 32-year-old southpaw, a former WBA light fly and interim WBA fly champion, was having his first fight for two years and this win could see him get another title shot. Concepcion, a former interim WBA super fly champion had his last fight in October 2013 when he was stopped in two rounds by Genesis Servania so it is questionable whether he will fight on. Rodriguez vs. Martinez Rodriguez gets another inside the distance win but this one had a bad smell to it. The end came in the second round when the flashy Dominican threw a three punch combination at Argentinian Martinez. Martinez went down, rolled on to his back a slowly eased his gumshield out with his tongue. He then tried to rise but staggered across the ring and fell into the ropes and the fight was stopped. The only problem was that slow motion showed all three punches skimming over the head of Martinez and not landing. That Rodriguez must be some puncher if even the breeze from his punches can put someone down. The 26-year-old “El Chavo” has won 17 of his fights by KO/TKO and he wins the interim WBC Latino title. His lost was a wide decision against Carlos Diaz in Mexico in April. In his next fight he knocked out former interim WBC champion Francisco Lorenzo (although Lorenzo is not accepted as such by the WBC) inside a round. How good Rodriguez is has still to be proved. Very puzzling over Martinez. The 24-year-old insists it was a genuine knockout and he nothing to gain and a lot to lose from losing this one. In his last fight he had climbed off the floor in losing a majority decision to Daniel Brizuela which was a very creditable performance in domestic boxing and he is No 5 with the FAB so perhaps it was a genuine result but certainly did not look like one. Cosio vs. Paz Panamanian champion Cosio wins cuts victory over Paz. The styles did not mix well with Paz showing clever defensive moves but not opening up and Cosio doing all the work and all of the scoring. The boring spectacle ended in the fifth when a left from Cosio opened a cut on the right eyebrow of Paz and the fight was stopped. The 33-year-old Cosio has a good record and has beaten some reasonable opposition but has never hit the heights. Southpaw Paz, 34, the FAB No 8 super light has a spotty record but scored an upset win over Gumersindo Carrasco (22-2) in June. August 9 Bogota, Colombia: Super Middle: Alexander Brand (24-1) W PTS 12 Bernard Donfack (22-12-3). Brand keeps his name in the super middle mix with comprehensive victory over Donfack to win the WBFed title. The Colombian veteran had over 300 amateur fights so was vastly more experienced. He also had a big edge in skills and although Donfack stuck to his task he was never in the fight and did well to be credited even with one round. Scores 119-109 twice and 120-108. The 38-year-old native of Bogota lost a split decision to Badou Jack in 2012 and this is his seventh win since then. He is rated No 8 by the WBC. German-based Cameroon fighter Donfack, 36, was making the second defence of his title and had won 8 of his last 9 fights.
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Our good friend Eric Armit has again given us his take on the weeks most notable results. Huge thanks, as always, to Eric.
The Past Week in Action 4 August 2015 July 29 Loei, Thailand: Fly: Stamp Kiatniwat (14-0) W PTS 12 Gregorio Lebron (13-3). Thai Kiatniwat wins the interim WBA title but Dominican Lebron was robbed by a disgraceful decision. Lebron made a good start in the first round pushing the young Thai back and scoring with left jab/straight right combinations. That changed when Kiatniwat landed two heavy rights which sent Lebron tumbling to the side and down. He got up and was ready to fight on when the eight count was completed but it was a big first round for Kiatniwat. The second was fairly even and then Lebron took over. He gave the Thai a boxing lesson over the next seven rounds. Jab, hooks, uppercuts he could not miss Kiatniwat constantly driving him back around the ring slotting home jabs and banging home counters. Kiatniwat was throwing wild swings and every time he did he left himself open and off balance and Lebron was making it a one-sided fight. In the eighth and ninth it even looked as though Lebron might win inside the distance as he landed punch after punch with Kiatniwat getting driven back by and looking as though he was about to be overwhelmed. What kept him in the fight was Lebron’s lack of power and the Thai’s rock-hard chin. Kiatniwat landed a hard left hook/right cross early in the tenth but Lebron fired back. Suddenly a punch from Lebron when Kiatniwat was anticipating a break call stung the Thai into action. He landed a right cross and left hook which shook Lebron then landed two clubbing rights to the head which sent Lebron down on his back. The Dominican was up at six and survived to the bell by running and holding. Kiatniwat came out swinging wildly in the eleventh and scored with two head punches but once again Lebron was finding huge gaps in the Thai’s non-existent defence and rocked him with a peach of a right uppercut with Kiatniwat again eating jab after jab and being forced on the defence. Kiatniwat scored with some heavy punches early in the last but then again Lebron was forcing him back out-landing the Thai and already celebrating before the final bell. The Thai’s corner was very subdued but then came the ridiculous scoring giving Kiatniwat the decision on scores of 117-109, 116-112 and 113-113. Lebron was robbed. Kiatniwat had two 10-8 rounds and for me Lebron won the other 10 rounds clearly although I have to say that others who have seen the fight thought it was a good decision. At 17 Kiatniwat becomes the youngest ever Thai world champion. He is strong and has a great chin but seems to think de-fence is a French garden partition and is very crude. Dominican Lebron, 33, deserves a return but won’t get it. Pretoria, South Africa: Heavy: Danie Venter (20-7) W TKO 2 Vusumzi Mlindwa (3-5-1). Heavy: Khayeni Hlungwane (6-11) W TKO 1 Flo Simba (13-5). Super Welter: Hansie Carr (9-0) W KO 1 William Bankisi (2-3). Venter vs. Mlindwa Rumours of Venter’s retirement proved erroneous as he returned to action with an easy win. Fighting at heavyweight the tall South African found the blubbery Mlindwa an easy target and he was dishing out some serious punishment when the referee stopped the fight in the second round. The 36-year-old 6’3” (194cm) former WBFed and South African cruiser champion was having his first fight since being beaten in nine rounds by Olympic and World Championships gold medallist Olek Usyk ( he beat Artur Beterbiev in both tournaments) in December. He is rated No 2 cruiser by BSA but has some weight to shed as he was 198 ¾ lbs (90kgs) for Usyk but 233 ¾ lbs (106kgs) for this fight. Now 4 losses in a row for the grossly overweight Mlindwa who was BSA No 5. Hlungwane vs. Simba Difficult to know if Simba has a future as a boxer after being blown away by practically the first punch thrown by Hlungwane. Once world rated the DRC “Demolition Man” had faded away after suffering back-to-back first round losses to Thabiso Mchunu in 2012. It was later found that he was suffering from the severe effects of diabetes at the time. His manager Brian Mitchell, trainer Harold Volbrecht and promoter Rodney Berman stood by him and after 31 months out he returned with a win in April this year and was rated No 6 heavy by BSA. Hlungwane, the BSA No 4 cruiser, was 2-8 in his last 10 fights, had never fought in anything except 4 and 6 round fights had not fought for nine months and was giving away 31lbs in weight. Difficult to find any positives for Simba in there. Carr vs. Bankisi Carr looks one to watch. He knocked out Bankisi inside a round to register his seventh win by KO/TKO and his third first round victory in a row as he gets back in the swing. This is his second win after being inactive for 20 months. Bankisi way out of his class. 30 July Biefeld, Germany: Feather: Zoltan Kovacs (14-5-1) W TKO 1 Marco McCullough (12-2). Big shock as Kovacs batters McCullough to defeat inside a round. Both fighters were throwing quick, hard punches with Kovacs forcing McCullough onto the back foot. They traded punches and Kovacs landed a right to the side of the head and a left hook which McCullough partly blocked. It looked as though the right had done the damage as in a delayed action McCullough dropped heavily to the canvas on his back. He was up quickly and took the eight count. Kovacs was wild trying to finish it and was warned twice for pushing his elbow into McCullough’s face. He rocked McCullough with a right and the Belfast man was badly shaken again. Instead of trying to hold or get away he stood trading with Kovacs. A couple of right crashed home and McCullough was driven back taking head punch after head punch and had no defence. His corner threw in the towel as McCullough tumbled sideward’s to the floor. Despite the towel the referee started a count and continued the count even as McCullough staggered backwards on rubber legs to his own corner where his seconds were already on the ring apron and incredibly even then the referee did not stop but counted a totally unnecessary ten seconds. Huge win for Hungarian Kovacs, 22. He was not in the EBU/EU ratings had been stopped in one round by Phil Sutcliffe Jnr in Sutcliffe’s first pro fight, lost on points in Belfast to Danny McShane and thirdly in London last November to Mitchell Smith. On the plus side he had won his last fight inside a round but against poor opposition. Winning the WBO Europe title had given McCullough No 4 rating so he will have blown that. He had scored good wins over Willie Casey and Dmitry Kirilov and at 25 he has time to get over this. Kempton Park, South Africa: Cruiser: Kevin Lerena (13-1) W PTS 12 Deon Coetzee (11-6). Super Light: Grant Fourie (16-7-1) W PTS 12 Warren Joubert (22-4-5). Bantam: Ludumo Lamati (6-0-1) DREW 6 Cebo Ngema (9-4-2). Lerena vs. Coetzee Lerena wins the South African title with wide unanimous decision over Coetzee. Southpaw Lerena made a fast start shaking Coetzee in the first and second rounds. Coetzee was looking to let the storm blow itself out and then take over in the later rounds. It did not work that way. With Lerena showing good movement and a focused body attack early and then slowing his work rate and throwing single hard shots and also doing some holding to nullify Coetzee’s attacks. Lerena kept pressing and had Coetzee in trouble a few time in the late rounds as they both tired. The Harold Volbrecht trained Coetzee showed real courage and did well to last the distance in the end. Scores 117-111 twice and 118-110. The 23-year-old “Lean Machine” lost on points over ten rounds to the more experienced Johnny Muller in November and this is his second win since then. It is the first time he has gone twelve rounds and he paced the fight well. Coetzee, 29, was making the first defence of his national title. He had won his last seven fights but the opposition had not been strong but at least he kept his pride intact as he has yet to lose inside the distanced. He is the nephew of former WBA heavy champ Gerrie Coetzee, Fourie vs. Joubert Fourie saved the night for the Harold Volbrecht stable with a points win over Joubert that netted him the national title in a hard fought exciting contest. Due to injury Fourie was having his first fight for just under a year and was moving up a division but he showed no signs of ring rust. Fourie’s better boxing saw him build a lead over the early rounds but with Joubert competitive. From the eighth things changed.”Fireball” Fourie had Joubert down in the eighth from a hard right/left combination and came close to a stoppage in the ninth. Joubert did not give up but fought back hard but lost a point in the eleventh round for holding which swung things even further in Fourie’s favour and he ran out a comfortable winner. Scores 117-111, 116-110 and 114-112. The 29-year-old Fourie had been on a poor run and was 4-6 in his previous ten fights. He is the nephew of Pierre Fourie the former world light heavyweight title challenger who was unlucky enough to be around when there were some great light heavies and he lost twice on points to Bob Foster and twice on points to Victor Galindez in world title challenges. Joubert aptly nicknamed “ The Warrior” was coming up for 11 years as a pro. He had challenged for the national super feather title in 2010. After that a run of 6-1-3 in 10 fights culminated with him finally winning the South African super light title in April this year so after waiting all that time to win the title it was a pity to see the good pro only reign for just over three months. Lamati vs. Ngema Hot prospect Lamati will feel robbed over this one. The highly-touted 23-year-old looked to have outboxed and outpointed the more experienced Ngema but the judges did not see it that way with two of them scoring the fight 57-57 and the other somehow seeing Ngema the winner 59-55. A big blow for Lamati who had won his last five fights by KO/TKO. Hopefully he can shake this off and rebuild. Ngema , 25 had lost a split decision to Toto Helebe for the national title in February last year. July 31 Quilmes, Argentina: Middle: Claudio A Abalos (29-13-3) W PTS 10 Martin F Rios (15-5-3,1ND). Welter: Elias L Vallejos (17-4-1) W TKO 3 Juan A M Cuellar (8-8-1). Abalos vs. Rios Abalos retains South American title with unanimous verdict over Rios in front of his hometown fans. The challenger made the better start scoring with hard rights in the first. Gradually Abalos took over and began to utilise his southpaw jab to outbox Rios who was dangerous with his head and rapidly tiring. In the sixth Rios lost a point for trying to bite Abalos. In the seventh it was Abalos who lost a point for a butt only for Rios to get away with a butt of his own in the eighth. Abalos dominated the last three rounds being able to pick his spots and land punches with both hands as he cancelled out the good start by Rios and took the decision. Scores 95-93, 96-94 and 96-95. “El Chino” Abalos, 34, a former Argentinian champion, was making the fifth defence of his South American title and has won 5 of his last 6 fights with the loss being to world rated super middle Ezequiel Maderna. He is No 2 with the FAB. Rios, 23, also a former national champion, drops to 2-4-1 in his last 7 fights. Vallejos vs. Cuellar No sort of test for Vallejos as he puts Cuellar on the floor once in both the first and second rounds and a knockdown in the third saw the fight stopped. The 27-year-old local has won 4 of his last 5 fights. Three losses in a row by KO/TKO for Cuellar. Monteria, Colombia: Fly: Anuar Salas (18-3) W PTS 10 Jeyson Cervantes (7-13-1). Super Fly: Jesus Martinez (20-1) W KO 1 Michael Arango (35-22-3). Feather: Deivi Julio Bassa (17-0) W PTS 8 Edison Valencia (21-13). Salas vs. Cervantes Local fighter Salas gets unanimous verdict over Cervantes. Salas took the early rounds and put southpaw Cervantes down in the fifth. Cervantes fought back hard over the last four rounds but the gap was too big for him to close. Scores 97-92 twice and 95-94. Salas is 10-2 in his last 12 fights with the losses to Luis Concepcion for interim WBC Silver title in 2013 and to world rated Mexican David Sanchez in August last year. He has won his last four fights. Cervantes has lost three in a row all on points against very tough opposition including former interim WBA champion Alberto Rossel and Jesus Martinez (18-1). Martinez vs. Arango In a contest between two Monterianos Martinez blows away Arango inside the first round. Now 9 wins by KO/TKO for Martinez and 11 wins on the bounce. Arango, 36, has lost 11 of his last 12 fights so slipped a long way from when he challenged Julio Cesar Miranda for the WBO fly title in 2010. Bassa vs. Valencia Bassa remains unbeaten with wide unanimous decision over “Four Edges” Valencia. Basso handed out some severe punishment over the first seven rounds but Valencia soaked it up and landed some heavy shots of his own in the last and did well to take Bass the distance as Basses had won 7 of his previous 9 fights by KO/TKO. Valencia, 38, is coming up for 20 years as a pro. He lost to South African Lehlo Ledwaba for the IBF super bantam title back in 1999 but is now 4-9 in his last 13 fights. Bari, Italy: Super Welter: Soufiene Ouerghi (9-3) W KO 7 Francesco Lezzi (7-5-1). Even the local crowd could not lift Lezzi enough to give him a chance in this fight for the vacant IBF Mediterranean title. The fight started badly for Lezzi and did not get any better. Ouerghi floored Lezzi in the first and although Lezzi got up and saw out the round it was obvious that Ouerghi was the harder puncher. Lezzi tried to box on the outside and had some success but he was rocked a number of times. In the seventh Ouerghi dropped Lezzi again and after the Italian got up a thunderous right hook put him down and out. Tunisian Ouerghi, 27, had won 5 of his last 6 with the loss being a majority decision to Dominick Britsch in Germany. First loss by KO/TKO for the “Gladiator of Freedom” who is now 1-4-1 in his last 6 fights. Durango, Mexico: Feather: Saul Morales (13-3) W TKO 2 Victor Castillo. Super Light: Emanuel Colon (8-0-1) W KO 2 Ivan Zamorano. Morales vs. Castillo Local hero “Lightning” Morales makes it two wins since his recent return to the ring with stoppage of late substitute Castillo. The 28-year-old Morales now has 8 wins by KO/TKO. He was inactive in 2012 and 2013 and had only one fight in 2014. Colon vs. Zamorano Puerto Rican “Pinky” Colon was not looking to end this early but when the chance came in the second round he took it and knocked Zamorano out. The 23-year-old Buffalo-based Puerto Rican has 7 wins by KO/TKO including 5 first round finishes. Managua, Nicaragua: Fly: Yader Cardoza (16-7-1) W PTS 10 Alexander Taylor (11-6-1). Fly: Keyvin Lara (16-1-1) W KO 1 Martin Diaz (8-1-1,1ND). Cardoza vs. Taylor Cardoza took the unanimous decision in all Nica fight as he forced better boxer Taylor into a brawl and bullied his way to a clear win. Scores 100-90, 99-91 and 97-94. Cardoza, 26, lost to Adrian Hernandez for the WBC light fly title in 2013. He had picked up a reputation for poor training and weight problems but had the right tactics here. Taylor, 21, had beaten former interim WBC and WBA champion Juan Palacios two weeks ago. Lara vs. Diaz Lara retains his WBC Latino title with first round kayo of Diaz in clash of 20-year-old Nicas. Lara ended it with a right hook to the body and an uppercut to the chin. The body punch did the real damage and with Diaz doubled up on the canvas in agony the referee dispensed with the count. Lara started his career with a loss and a draw so now has 16 wins in a row but only 5 by KO/TKO. Diaz was a slight favourite going in. Former WBA minimum light fly champion Rosendo Alvarez the promoter of the show and of Diaz protested the failure of the referee to give his man the benefit of a count but it is doubtful if Diaz could have got up in time. Pasay City, Philippines: Super Bantam: Bernabe Concepcion (34-6-2) W TKO 2 Juma Fundi (27-13-3). Light Fly: Renren Tesono (15-6-3) W PTS 12 Bonjun Loperez (9-4-1). Fly: Renerio Arizala (13-2-1) W TEC DEC 6 Romnick Magos (11-5). Super Feather: Rogelio Jun Doliguez (20-3-2) W PTS 10 Jerry Nardo (21-7). Concepcion vs. Fundi One big right from Concepcion ends this one. Tanzanian Fundi was busy in the first round with quick jabs and rights but his punches had no power in them. Concepcion threw two quick jabs and then followed with a straight right that put Fundi down on his back. Fundi struggled to his feet but the referee got to nine and then just waived the fight over as Fundi was too wobbly to continue. The 27-year-old Filipino wins the vacant WBO Oriental title. He has failed in title shots against Steve Luevano and Juan Manuel Marquez. He was beaten by Mikey Garcia in 2012 then had only one fight in 2013 and one in 2014 and needs to be more active with Chris Avalos his next target. Sixth loss by KO/TKO for 28-year-old Fundi. Tesono vs. Loperez Tesono retains the Philippines title with a split decision over Loperez. Tesono, 23, was making the first defence of the Philippines title that he won with a majority verdict over Benezer Alolod in December. Loperez, 22, rated No 12 by the GAB, performed above expectations as he had lost 2 of his last 3 fights by KO/TKO. Arizala vs. Magos Arizala gets technical decision over Magos. The end came due to Magos suffering a bad cut on his right eyebrow after a clash of heads and it went to the scorecards. Scores 60-54, 59-55 and 58-56. “Amazing” Arizala, 21, went 11-0-1 in his first 12 fights but was derailed by losses to Ardin Diale for the Philippines title and to former WBC champion Toshiyuki Igarashi in Japan on a close technical decision. He was No 7 with the GAB. Magos, the GAB No 4, was 8-3 going into this one with all three losses in Thailand. Doliguez vs. Nardo After back-to-back losses Doliguez gets back on the winning track with unanimous verdict over Nardo. The 24-year-old southpaw was world rated on the strength of an unbeaten run of 20 fights but then went 1-3 in his next 4 with losses to Dennis Tubieron and Fernando Montiel in those three defeats. Nardo, who has twice challenged for the WBU (German version) in Australia, is an experienced fighter with a good chin. Tampa, FL, USA: Super Fly: Ricardo Rodriguez (12-2) W PTS 10 Daniel Lozano (13-3). Rodriguez gets a majority decision that should have been unanimous. The young Mexican used boxing smarts to befuddle Lozano who has problems with movers. Rodriguez chose to box and Lozano struggled with no plan B to implement. Rodriguez was busier and more accurate with Lozano scoring with some power shots but not throwing or landing enough of them. “Scorpion” Lozano tried to find a sting in the tail as he staged a strong finish but he left it far too late. Scores 98-92 and 97-93 for Rodriguez and a very generous (to Lozano) 95-95. Rodriguez, 25, has won 10 of his last 11 fights and in this one he retained his WBC Fecarbox title and added the vacant WBO Latino title and it is now three useful wins in a row for Rodriguez following his victories over unbeaten Edwin Rodriguez and Jonathan Vidal. Floridian Lozano, also 25, won his first 11 fights but has slipped to be 2-3 in his last 5. Delicias, Mexico: Super Light: Ivan Pereyra (20-5) W TKO 4 Raul Robledo (10-1). Pereyra goes into the lion’s den and comes away with a win. Pereyra was just supposed to be yet another victim for the hard punching local Robledo but things did not work out that way. Pereyra attacked the body over the first two rounds and then floored Robledo in the third. Robledo got up but was put down and out in the fourth. Now 14 wins by KO/TKO for 26-year-old “Russian” Pereyra and a much needed win after three losses in a row. Reportedly he won the belt designating him as WBO Mexican champion! Robledo the 19-year-old “Nino KO” was the one knocked out this time. August 1 Hull, England: Light: Luke Campbell (12-0) W TKO 10 Tommy Coyle (21-3). Super Welter: Brian Rose (27-3-1) W PTS 12 Carson Jones (37-11-3). Heavy: Dillan Whyte (15-0) W KO 1 Irineu Beato Costa Junior (17-5). Light Welter : Ricky Burns (38-5-1) W TKO 5 Prince Ofotsu (15-5). Super Bantam: Gamal Yafai (7-0) W PTS 6 Angel Lorente (6-9-1). Super Feather: Martin Joseph Ward (12-0-2) W PTS 10 Sergio Blanco (21-2-1). Super Bantam: Stuart Hall (17-4-2) W PTS 6 Edwin Tellez (9-19-5). Campbell vs. Coyle Campbell wins this battle of hometown fighter with impressive stoppage of Coyle. Campbell established his jab early and outworked Coyle in the first round. In the second a wicked southpaw left to the body put Coyle down in obvious pain. Coyne’s courage is well known and he got up and tried to take the fight to Campbell in the third but was warned over careless use of his head. Campbell had height and reach and was able to use stiff jabs to keep Coyle out. The fight was one-sided in the fourth, fifth, when the referee warned both fighters for rough tactics. In the sixth Campbell banged home jabs and body punches with Coyle again showing his resilience. Coyle finally got into the fight briefly in the seventh as got through with a good body punch and then was able cut off the ring and score to head and body at close quarters. Campbell took over again in the eighth scoring with eye-catching combinations from a variety of angles and another body punch looked to have hurt Coyle at the end of the ninth. Campbell was looking to end it in the tenth and he put Coyle down with another left to the body. A series of punches put Coyle down for a second time and after he got up he was trapped in a corner and looked about to go down again when the referee stopped the fight. The brilliant former Olympic and European gold medallist wins the vacant WBC International title. For me the 27-year-old from Hull is the best young prospect in British boxing and a future world champion. No pressure then Luke! The 25-year-old Coyle has been in some tremendous fights. He was on his way to a win over Derry Mathews for the vacant CBC title when a crunching punch from Mathews ended the fight in the tenth. After that he won 6 fights in a row including a war with Daniel Brizuela which saw both fighters down four times and victory over Mike Katsidis inside two rounds. He may never be able to beat Campbell but at 25 and with his exciting style he will be in more great fights. Rose vs. Jones Rose gets revenge for controversial first round stoppage loss to Jones in February. It was assumed that Rose would box a cautious fight but he quickly got himself on the front foot and landed some stiff jabs and uppercuts in the first round. Things did not look so good for the British fighter in an all action second when an uppercut from Jones left him with a bad nose injury, possibly fractured, but he stuck to his game plan slotting home jab after jab at the advancing Jones. Rose was winning the rounds with his better boxing, built around his jab, his speed and higher work rate and there was little Jones could do to change things and despite the result of the first fight he just did not have the power to turn things around and was lucky that Rose is also a bit short in the power department. The fight was bad tempered in the latter stages with both getting warning for hitting after the bell. Jones had a good tenth but Rose banged back with a right in the eleventh and although Rose had built a winning lead he refused to play safe and stood toe-to-toe in the last with Jones to cap an excellent performance. Scores 119-111, 117-112 and 116-112. “The Lion” is back in the mix. The loss to Jones saw him drop out of the world ratings but there are good domestic fights for him as he rebuilds. Jones can give anyone trouble on his night but does not seem to do well in return matches having taken Kell Brook to a majority decision in 2012 but being halted in eight rounds in their return bout in 2013. Whyte vs. Costa Junior Impressive kayo performance from Whyte. He was forcing Costa back with a stiff jab and trying a few rights. Costa was not letting his punches go and did not throw a single punch in the first half of the round. Suddenly Whyte stepped in with a left hook which landed high on Costa’s temple and sent him tumbling to the floor. He was up at six and when the fight restarted a right followed by a left hook put Costa down again and the fight was over. Now 12 wins by KO/TKO for the Jamaican-born Londoner including 11 in a row and all inside four rounds. With his win over Anthony Joshua in their early days as an amateur their proposed clash later this year will be a short and exciting one. Costa, 34, has lost 5 of his last 6 fights with 4 of those losses by KO/TKO. Burns vs. Ofotsu Burns returns with a win but with a strange ending. The Scot was outboxing the strong but limited Ghanaian and had built a big lead by the end of the fourth round. However he had not really punished Ofotsu severely yet in the fifth whilst they were about to trade punches the towel came flying from Ofotsu’s corner. Ofotsu actually caught the towel himself and just gazed at his corner bewildered by the action. The referee was also surprised but accepted the signal of retirement reluctantly. The fight was made at 137lbs so it looks as though Burns, 32, is aiming to challenge again for another title at lightweight and right now that is a strong domestic division so there are some good fight there if he wants them. Yafai vs. Lorente Yafai gets comfortable win over visiting Spaniard. The talented brother of Khalid was too quick and skilful for the willing but limited Spaniard and won every round. The Birmingham fighter had Lorente down late in the fifth but settled for a points win. Referee’s card 60-53. The 23-year-old was ABA champion a EU Cadets gold medallist and took a silver at the World Cadets so yet another young British talent to follow. Lorente, a former Spanish champion has lost 7 of his last 8 fights. Ward vs. Blanco Ward retains his WBC International title with unanimous decision over veteran Spaniard Blanco. Ward’s smart boxing gave him the edge over Blanco for most of the fight but Blanco had some success when he managed to get inside and forced Ward out of his game plan but generally the silky skills of Ward ensured he had the fight well in hand and he ran out a comfortable winner. Scores 97-93 twice and 98-93. Ward, 24, had to adapt to a late change of opponent. Currently he is No 29 with the WBC and will be looking to move up to higher class opposition helped by the prestige that the International title has with that body. Blanco, who turned 40 on the day of this fight came in as a late sub. He drew and lost in two shots at the European title and after the second loss against Oleg Yefimovych in 2008 he was out for 22 months before returning to the ring last October and this is only his third fight since then Hall vs. Tellez Hall came on this show at short notice to get in some rounds as he starts to rebuild in attempt to regain his IBF title. He had no trouble winning every round so got six rounds of work. Referee’s score 60-54. The 35-year-old former IBF bantam champion was having his first fight since losing to Randy Caballero for the vacant IBF title in October and is now hoping to challenge fellow Brit Jamie McDonnell for the secondary WBA title. Nicaraguan Tellez, 20 moves to 9 losses on a row. New York, NY, USA: Welter: Danny Garcia (31-0) W TKO 9 Paul Malignaggi (33-7). Middle: Daniel Jacobs (30-1) W TKO 2 Sergio Mora (28-4-2). Light Heavy: Travis Peterkin (15-0-1) DREW 8 Lenin Castillo (12-0-1). Feather: Rafael Vazquez (16-1) W TKO 1 Mario Macias (26-17,1ND). Super Welter: Prichard Colon (15-0) W TKO 2 Mike Finney (12-4-1). Garcia vs. Malignaggi Successful move up to welter for Garcia as he grinds down and halts Malignaggi in nine rounds. Both had good patches over the first two rounds with Malignaggi getting home with some quick, light punches and Garcia, normally a slow starter, with some hard rights. In the third Garcia was walking through Malignaggi’s punches and taking control of the fight and a left hook opened a cut over Malignaggi’s right eye. Although Malignaggi was showing his usual quick lateral movement and fine defensive work Garcia was beginning to grind him down and forcing Malignaggi back with stiff rights. Garcia had Malignaggi on the ropes at the end of the fourth round scoring with chopping rights but Malignaggi ducked, bobbed and weaved and even did his version of the Ali shuffle as the bell went. Garcia continued to dominate in the fifth and sixth with Malignaggi slotting home counters but they lacked the power to dissuade Garcia and by the end of the sixth Malignaggi was also cut under the right eye and beginning to fade. Garcia kept up relentless pressure. Malignaggi scored with a good right early in the seventh but it did not stop Garcia steadily breaking Malignaggi down with rights to the head and body. Garcia started the eighth with a pair of hard left hooks which fired Malignaggi up to bang back but it was a last fling with the end looking near. At that point all three judges had Garcia in front with the scores 79-73 twice and 78-74. The doctor examined Malignaggi’s cuts but allowed the fight to continue. Garcia brought it to an end as he sent Malignaggi stumbling back with a right and with Malignaggi on the ropes he fired four more head punches with the referee then stepping in to halt the fight. There are plenty of big fights for 27-year-old Garcia up at welter and he will be a good addition to an already competitive mix. Malignaggi should make this a last fling. At 34 he is no longer as slick and quick. Jacobs vs. Mora Jacobs gets win as Mora fractures his ankle when being knocked down. They traded quick knockdown in a frantic first round. Jacobs floored Mora with a short left only for Mora to get up and with Jacobs over-eager to follow-up on his success he walked onto a counter right from Mora which put him down. Jacobs got up and finished the round strongly. Jacobs came out aggressively in the second taking the fight to Mora who was frustrating him with some good defensive work. Jacobs bundled Mora towards the ropes and landed a four punch combination which sent Mora sideways and he went down awkwardly with his right ankle twisting under him. The referee began to count and Mora dragged himself up but was limping badly and when the referee completed the eight count Mora indicated he had suffered an injury and could not continue. Jacobs, 28, was making the second defence of his secondary WBA title and whilst not the way he would have wanted to win a win is a win and you take it any way that it comes. This was only his second fight in a year so he will be looking to get back in the ring again soon. For the unlucky 34-year-old Mora he faces a long injury lay-off and may not get another title chance. Peterkin vs. Castillo Peterkin throws away his chance to win this one and losses his 100% record. The Brooklyn southpaw looked to be on his way to victory after he edged the first two rounds and Castillo was fighting with the handicap of a cut over his right eye. From the fourth things changed. Castillo began to outwork Peterkin and his cause was helped when Peterkin was deducted a point in the fourth for landing a punch on the break and another in the fifth for a low punch. Peterkin struggled to recover those points with the busier Castillo looking to perhaps just having done enough to get the decision. Scores 75-75 twice and 76-74 for Peterkin. The 24-year-old Peterkin escaped with his unbeaten tag and will have better nights. Dominican Castillo, 26, will consider himself unlucky not to have won. Vazquez vs. Macias Brooklyn-based Puerto Rican Vazquez gets another quick win. He caught Macias with a right in the second round which floored the Mexican. Macias made it to his feet but was unsteady on his pins and the referee stopped the fight. Now 37 Vazquez did not turn pro until he was 32. He took a year out after a disappointing split decision loss to a 3-6-2 fighter in 2012. Since returning in 2013 with a win over Leon Moore (30-2) he is 8-0 with 7 wins by KO/TKO. Macias never got very far up the hill but he definitely on the down slope now being 3-10 in his last 13 fight including 5 losses in a row. Colon vs. Finney Former top amateur Colon continues to impress with his skill and power. The Puerto Rican hope took the first round scoring with quick combinations and some vicious hooks to the body. In the second he produced a thunderous right which had Finney staggering back across the ring in deep trouble. He followed up with some more heavy punches to drop Finney and although Finney made it to his feet the fight was over. Colon, 22, now has 12 wins by KO/TKO. Finney is now 0-4-1 in his last 5 fights but is being thrown in over his head as his last three opponents had combined records of 42-0. Morelia, Mexico: Super Feather: Jhonny Gonzalez (58-9) W TKO 2 Kazuki Hashimoto (11-5). Super Feather: Edgar Monarrez (20-3-1) W TKO 3 Ricardo Castillo (40-14-1,1ND). Light: Juan Jose Martinez (22-2) W Edgar Puerta (23-6-1). Super Welter: Mario A Lozano (29-6) W Manuel Mares (11-5). Gonzalez vs. Hashimoto Gonzalez wins his first fight at super feather. He was throwing bombs in the opening round and it was clear this was going to be a short fight. After scoring with some of those bombs in the first he used his jab to open Hashimoto’s defence in the second and then put the Japanese fighter down with a left. Hashimoto managed to get to his feet but was in no condition to continue and the fight was stopped. First fight for Gonzalez since looking an old man when losing his WBC feather title to Gary Russell Jr in March. Gonzalez wins the vacant WBC Continental Americas title. It will be interesting to see where he leaps into the ratings at super feather. It needs to be high because at 33 and after the Russell fight you wonder how long he has. Hashimoto not a tough test as he is just a prelim fighter and not rated in the top 15 by the JBC. Monarrez vs. Castillo Monarrez just too young and strong for veteran Castillo. Monarrez had Castillo down in the first and was teeing off on Castillo in the third when the referee stopped the fight to save Castillo from taking any more punishment. The 25-year-old Monarrez is a good level ten round fighter. He had lost last time out to world rated Romulo Koasicha in April when a single point deduction cost him a draw. Castillo, 36, had shots at the IBO, WBA and IBF super bantam titles but has announced his retirement. Martinez vs. Puerta Martinez gets a career best win as he takes a unanimous decision over former world title challenger Puerta. This one was a war from bell to bell with knockout puncher Martinez trying to beat down the experienced Puerta. It was an exciting punch fest with Martinez doing the pressing and Puerta banging home counters. In the end the power of Martinez won out and he took the deserved verdict. After losing his second pro fight Martinez has now lost only one of his last 22 fights and that was a majority technical decision to Rey Bautista in Dubai in September. This is his fourth win since then. Puerta, 33, had a run of 12 wins in a row which saw him climb to No 1 with the WBC but he was stopped in six rounds by Takashi Miura in a challenge for the WBC title in November and he was outpointed by Miguel Roman in his last fight in April. Fiumicino, Italy: Light: Emiliano Marsili (32-0-1) W PTS 12 Gamaliel Diaz (38-13-3). Cruiser: Mario Larghetti (24-1) W TKO 5 Marko Martinjak (5-15-2). Light: Heavy: Oriel Kolaj (16-5) W DISQ 2 Slobodan Culum (9-13). Light: Carel Sandon (18-1) W PTS 6 Dzemi Cosovic (3-5-3). Heavy: Matteo Modugno (17-0) W TKO 1 Hrvoje Kisicek (11-18). Marsili vs. Diaz Marsili wins the vacant WBC Silver title with unanimous decision over Diaz. Over the early rounds southpaw Marsili was piling up the points with his high work rate with Diaz competitive and going to the body in the hope those tactics would work in the long run. At the end of the fourth round Marsili was in front 40-36 and 39-37 with the third judge showing Diaz in front 39-38. Marsili edges the fifth and dominated the sixth with Diaz always trying to fire back. The Mexican was frustrated at the evasive tactics of Marsili and had been warned a number of time over being careless with his head. When he again committed that offence in the sixth it looked an obvious butt and the referee had no hesitation in taking away a point and Diaz was lucky as he could have taken two if Marsili had been cut, one for the foul and one for a cut under the WBC rules. That deduction was only delayed until the next round when a clash of heads saw Marsili cut on his forehead and the WBC rule was applied with the uncut Diaz losing a point. Diaz launched furious attacks to try a claw back those pints but at the end of the eighth round the Italian was now in front on all three cards by 78-72 twice and 77-74. Diaz was still strong and over the closing rounds Marsili faded but the Mexican could not do enough to close the gap. Scores 117-110, 116-111 and 115-111 with the last score the more accurate picture of the fight. The 38-year-old Italian, a former undefeated European champion is currently No 4 with the WBC and he will be hoping to move up after this win and get a shot at Jorge Linares. The 34-year-old Diaz , a former WBC super feather champion, is now 1-4-1 in his last six fights but his losses have been to quality opposition in Takashi Miura, who took his WBC title, Dante Jardon, Petr Petrov and Marsili and the draw was a technical one with Anthony Crolla. Larghetti vs. Martinjak The “Prince of Milan” gets another win. Larghetti had to make the fight as Martinjak was really just looking to survive. Larghetti was scoring with hard punches and coasting to victory when a clash of heads in the fourth round opens a bad cut by the left eye of Larghetti. The Italian enraged by the cut and hammered away at Martinjak until the bell and the Croatian decided not to come out for the fifth round. Third win for Larghetti since losing on points to Marco Huck for the WBO title in August last year. He is rated No 9 by the WBC and WBA and No 12 by the WBO. Kolaj vs. Culum Kolaj wins as Culum is thrown out for pushing the referee. Kolaj peppered Culum with punches in the first round. Culum decided that any method survival would do and was using wrestling holds and other smothering tactics. When the referee stepped in to break them up Culum pushed the referee away and was immediately disqualified. Not a satisfactory way to win for Kolaj the Rome-based Albanian “Eagle”. The Italian champion and former undefeated EU champion was 5-5 in his first 10 fights but now has 11 wins in a row and is the EBU No 12. Serb Culum is 4-5 in his last 9 fights but the guys he beat had only one win between the four of them. Sandon vs. Cosovic Sandon wins wide unanimous decision over young Serb. Sandon showed good skills, good movement and accuracy but Cosovic just soaked it up and stayed there to the final bell doing the job. A win for Sandon but it again highlights his lack of power. He is lucky to be alive. He attempted to commit suicide in 2011 but only succeeded in injuring himself in the resulting gas explosion. He was inactive for 19 months but has had only four fights in the two years since his return. Now Italian he was born in the DRC and is the nephew of former WBA middleweight champion Sumbu Kalambay. Cosovic, 20, is 0-4-2 in his last 6 fights. Modugno vs. Kisicek Modugno makes this quick. He stalked patiently ignoring some hopeful swipes from Kisicek and then found the opening for a solid right cross. Kisicek went down heavily and although he pulled himself up his legs were trying to go in different directions and the referee stopped the fight. Now 9 wins by KO/TKO for the 6’6 ½” (200cm) former undefeated Italian champion. He nickname is “Breadstick” but he was 261lbs for this fight so some breadstick. Croatian Kisicek, 35, goes to 6 losses by KO/TKO and is 3-8 in his last 11 fights. Tokyo, Japan: Fly: Yu Kimura (17-2-1) W PTS 10 Jesus Faro (14-10). Super Welter: Yuto Shimizu (10-2-2) W PTS 8 Yosuke Kirima (21-5-2). Kimura vs. Faro Kimura too quick for plodding Mexican Faro. Kimura made good use of his jab and scored heavily with straight rights. Kimura took the first six rounds and had Faro badly shaken in the seventh. The game Faro was looking to land just one big punch but never got the chance. He stuck to his task without ever really being in the fight and was still there at the bell. Scores 100-90 twice and 100-91. The 31-year-old former undefeated JBC champion relinquished his title to try to land a shot at WBC light fly champion Pedro Guevara. “Omar” Faro was 6-2 in his last 8 fights but against very modest opposition Shimizu vs. Kirima Shimizu wins this contest between two top rated JBC fighters as he outpoints the more experienced Kirima. Shimizu took the early rounds scoring well with his jab and particularly with long rights. Kirima started to roll over the late rounds having a dominant seventh round but he had left his rally too late and Shimizu got the deserved decision. Scores 79-74 twice and 78-75. Shimizu, 27, the JBC No 2 has won 7 fights in a row but is yet to climb to ten round status. Kirima, 30, the JBC No 3, lost in a challenge for the JBC super welter title in 2012 and after this loss seems unlikely to get another chance. Guadalajara, Mexico: Welter: Ivan Montero (18-0) W TEC DEC 9 Ramases Agaton (16-2-3). Super Light: Abraham Cordero (12-2-1) W PTS 8 Rafael Guzman (15-1-1,1ND).Bantam: Sergio Frias (17-5-2) W PTS 8 Dennis Contreras (19-5). Super Feather: Carlos Diaz (17-0-1) TEC DRAW 3 Willmark Cano (3-0-3). Montero vs. Agaton Montero gets technical decision after Agaton cut too badly for the fight to continue. The unbeaten fighter from Yucatan went in front early after flooring Agaton in the second. Southpaw Agaton got up and got back into the fight willing to trade with the harder puncher. Montero was scoring with the power shots but Agaton was the busier and it looked as though he might steal the decision until he started to tire. A clash of heads in the ninth saw Agaton suffer a severe cut on his right eyebrow and the result was then decided by the scores after eight rounds with the ninth not being scored. Scores 77-73 and 76-75 for Montero and 76-75 for Agaton with that second round knockdown vital. “Terrible” Montero was in his first ten round fight and a return would be justice for “The Pharaoh” Agaton who was 8-0-3 in his last seven fights going into this one. Cordero vs. Guzman Local fighter Cordero gets a split decision over Ensenada’s formerly unbeaten Guzman. The 20-year-old former WBC Youth Silver champion took the verdict on scores of 77-73 and 76-75 and a card of 76-75 for Guzman exactly the same scores as for the main fight. The 20-year-old “ Bombi” lost his WBC Youth title when he failed to make the weight for a defence in April in a fight with Ezequiel Avilez which ended in a draw. “Furioso” Guzman, also 20, probably was furious to lose his unbeaten record on a split decision in the other guy’s back yard. Contreras vs. Frias There was finally a unanimous decision as Frias outpointed Contreras in a contest between to fighters from Guadalajara but even then it was very close with Frias winning on scores of 77-75 twice and 77-76. The win was important for Frias, 24, as he had lost 2 of his last three fights. The opposition had been tough in Manuel Avila (15-0) and Ronny Rios (23-1). Contreras, 23, needed the win even more as he now goes to three losses in a row but again he has been thrown in against good opposition as his other two losses were to Jose Cayetano(16-2) and Edivaldo Ortega (20-0-1). Diaz vs. Cano Big local hero Diaz unluckily gets a blot on his otherwise 100% record due to a cut ending this fight in the third round. “Chuko” had taken the first round and put Cano down with a right uppercut in the second. Cano was getting in some punches of his own but under pressure when a clash of heads in the third saw Cano cut on his left eyebrow and the injury was too severe for the fight to continue. Diaz, 20, had scored a big victory when he knocked out former IBF and WBO super feather title challenger Miguel Beltran last year and looks a good prospect. Guadalajara-based Venezuelan Cano was coming off a ten round win in June so a fair test. Windhoek, Namibia: Super Bantam: Paulus Ambunda (23-1) W PTS 12 Lenadro Esperante (12-5). Welter: Bethuel Ushona (34-3-1) W PTS 12 Bongo Lipembo (7-3). Light: Paulus Moses (36-3) W PTS 10 Sadiki Momba (20-7-2). Middle: Welter Kuutondokwa (9-0) W TKO 3 Renson Hobyane (6-1). Fly: Japhet Utoni (10-1) W PTS 8 Khanyakude Mukansi (8-13-2). Welter: Sackey Shikikutu (20-3-1) W PTS 6 Limbani Masamba (4-4). Ambunda vs. Esperante Ambunda wins the vacant IBO title with split points victory over Argentinian Esperante. Esperante had the edge in height and reach and started well. He shocked the crowd and Ambunda by flooring the local hero with a left hook at the end of the second round with the bell going during the count. Ambunda made it to his feet and then got back into the fight. Both fighters had periods of dominance and there were plenty of fiery exchanges. The Argentinian’s main weapon was his jab and he also countered well as Ambunda looked to land the heavier punches. Ambunda shook Esperante with an uppercut in the ninth and they both staged strong finishes knowing the fight was close. Scores 115-113 and 114-113 for Ambunda and 115-114 for Esperante. The 34-year-old “Rock” a former WBO bantam champion, lost his title by a wide unanimous decision to Tomoki Kameda in 2013 and had a mixed 2014 beating Christian Palma but only just edging out Tshifiwa Munyai on a split decision. His promoter is looking for a fight with Leo Santa Cruz, Carl Frampton. Scott Quigg or Guillermo Rigondeaux but having a hard job getting by Esperante is not a good sign. The 26-year-old Argentinian, the WBO No 14 and FAB No 2 made a bad start to his career going 4-3 in his first 7 fights but then won 8 of his last 9 fights with the loss being a majority decision against Fabian Orozco for the Argentinian title in September. Ushona vs. Lipembo Ushona uses his good skills to outbox the hard punching Lipembo to win the vacant IBO African title. Ushona was quicker and busier scoring with accurate counters working the body well and occasionally choosing to stand and trade with the DRC fighter. Lipembo’s best round was the eighth in which he had Ushona rocking with hard hooks but Ushona weathered the storm and came out a comfortable winner. Scores 119-110 twice and 118-110. The 33-year-old local gets his second win since suffering shock stoppage loss against Dario F Pucheta in October. Lipembo has done nearly all his fighting in South Africa where he had amassed 7 wins in a row with good wins over Samuel Malinga and former IBF champion Isaac Hlatshwayo but this was his first fight for almost 2 ½ years. Moses vs. Momba Moses wins uninspiring fight. The former secondary WBA champion was up against an opponent whose skill levels were far below him so Momba decided that holding and wrestling were his best tactics. That made it hard for Moses to look good but he stuck to his task. He floored Momba in the fourth and did what clean work there was with Momba only just lasting to the final bell. Scores 100-89 twice and 99-90. Since losing his secondary WBA title to Miguel Acosta “The Hitman”, now 37, is 11-2 in 13 fights with the losses coming against Ricky Burns for the WBO title in 2012 and to South African Malcolm Klassen in March this year. Tanzanian Momba is a good enough domestic level fighter. He is 4-4 in his last 8 fights with 4 wins at home and 4 losses on his travels. Kuutondokwa vs. Hobyane “The Executioner” gets another inside the distance win. The 30-year-old Namibian hope put South African Hobyane down with a left hook to the body in the third and although Hobyane got up the fight was stopped as he was unable to continue. Kuutondokwa now has 8 wins in a row by KO/TKO but very low level opposition. Hobyane is No 1 super middle with the BSA but has also only met low level opposition. Utoni vs. Mukansi The “Namibian Lion” mauls another victim as Utoni gets comfortable unanimous decision over South African Mukansi. Scores 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74. It is a pity that the 36-year-old Utoni did not turn pro until he was 33. He was one of the most successful fighters in Namibian amateur boxing winning the African Championship, taking gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and silver at the 2010 Games. He also fought at the 2008 Olympics and won a bronze medal at the World Military Championships. Mukansi is 0-7-1 in his last 8 fights but maintained his record of never failing to go the distance. Really just a minimumweight he was at a big disadvantage against the 5’9” (175cm) Utoni who not surprisingly is also known as the “Thin Man”. Shikikutu vs. Masamba Southpaw Shikikutu wins a keep busy six rounder on unanimous decision over Malawian Masamba but has to work hard for the verdict. Scores 59-56, 58-56, 58-57. Second fight for “The Snake” since his loss to Frankie Gavin for the CBC title in March last year. Four losses in a row for Masamba. Invercargill, New Zealand: Heavy: Joseph Parker (15-0) W KO 1 Bowie Tupou (25-4). Welter: Jeff Horn (11-0-1) W TEC Dec 7 Viktor Plotnykov (32-3,1ND). Heavy: Izuagbe Ugonoh (13-0) W KO 2 William Quarrie (5-4). Cruiser: Jai Opetaia (1-0) W PTS 4 Isileli Fa (3-1). Parker vs. Tupou Parker takes only 63 seconds to end this one. Tupou came out with a rush trying to take Parker to the ropes. Parker backed-off prodding with jabs and trying to set Tupou up for the right. Tupou was coming in low and roughing Parker up inside. As Tupou moved forward Parker threw a left and a right. In slow motion it looked as though the right actually landed a glancing blow on Tupou’s temple but it seems it was enough to send Tupou face down out cold as shots to the temple can do. The 23-year-old New Zealander has now won 9 of his last 10 fights by KO/TKO. He is rated WBO 8/WBA 10 and his next opponent looks to be fellow New Zealander Kali Meehan. Tongan Tupou, 32, now has 4 losses by KO/TKO. Horn vs. Plotnykov “Hornet” Horn marches on with technical decision over Ukrainian Plotnykov. Despite giving away height and reach to the tall Plotnykov Horn had no trouble forcing his way inside. In the first he was slamming home punches from both hands and also switching guards. Plotnykov was in the fight early but by the fourth Horn’s pressure had him holding to survive. A clash of heads in the sixth opened a bad cut over Horn’s left eye and although he continued to fight in the seventh with Plotnykov targeting the cut with punches and with his head the doctor advised that the fight be stopped due to the severity of the cut which required six stitches after the fight. It went to the score cards and Horn won on scores of 68-63 twice and 68-64. The 27-year-old Brisbane school teacher represented Australia at the 2011 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics. He has struggled a bit with hand injuries but his WBO 10 and WBA 11 ratings are the least he deserves and Anthony Mundine is his next target. Plotnykov, 37-year-old and 5’11” (180cm) was impressive in outpointing Brit Denton Vassell in February so this was a real test for Horn. Ugonoh vs. Quarrie Ugonoh ends this with spectacular kayo of over matched Quarrie. Ugonoh was walking Quarrie down in a close first round without really landing a big punch. That could not be said about the ending. Ugonoh drove Quarrie into a corner and landed a tremendous right that saw Quarrie crash down suspended over the bottom rope with his head hanging off the ring apron-out cold. As spectacular a kayo as you can imagine. Now 10 wins by KO/TKO for the 28-year-old Pole a former world champion kick boxer.. British-born Quarrie was way out of his depth and has now lost 4 of his last 5 fights. Opetaia vs. Isileli New Aussie hope Opetaia with Jeff Fenech in his corner turns pro with unanimous decision. The 20-year-old 6’4 ½” 194cm) southpaw was Australian champion at schoolboy, Junior and Senior level he was World Junior champion and competed at the 2012 Olympics just one month after his 17th birthday. He added the Australian title in 2013 and 2014 to his tally before turning pro here. Great potential. Two points losses in a row for Fa. Chincha, Peru: Feather: Carlos Zambrano (26-0) W PTS 12 Jose Sanmartin (17-2-1). Zambrano retains interim WBA title with unanimous decision over Colombian Sanmartin. The challenger made a fast start and with Zambrano looking slow and static he built a lead over the early rounds. As the fight progressed Zambrano found his rhythm and he had Sanmartin in trouble in the sixth and in the end just did enough to edge out the Colombian in a hard close fight. The scores of 117-112 twice are not really representative of the action with the third score of 115-113 confirming Zambrano’s description of a very tough defence of his crown. First defence for “Mina” Zambrano, 31, who turned pro in the USA. He is the nephew of the great Peruvian fighter Mauro Mina and the fight was held in a stadium named after his uncle. After losing his first pro fight “General” Sanmartin was 17-0-1 going into this one. Banalmadena, Spain: Welter: Kerman Lejarraga (11-0) W TKO 2 Feliks Kleins (6-7). Spanish hope Lejarraga makes it 8 wins by KO/TKO as he floors and halts Kleins in two rounds. After taking the first round Lejarraga floored Kleins as they were trading in the second. Kleins made it to his feet but the fight was stopped. Subsequently it was found that Kleins had suffered a fractured cheekbone and damage to the eye socket. Now 8 wins by KO/TKO for the 23-year-old from Bilbao. Latvian Kleins has done all of his fighting in Spain. Belfast, NI: Cruiser: Tommy McCarthy (6-0) W PTS 8 Courtney Fry (19-8). Middle: Alfredo Meli (11-0) W PTS 8 Rhys Pagan (13-3). McCarthy vs. Fry McCarthy given eight good leaning rounds by veteran Fry. The Belfast fighter had Fry on the canvas in the second from a left hook. Fry got up and McCarthy then began to showcase his skills as he outboxed Fry and rattled home quick bursts of punching from both hands. Fry came into the fight more in the fifth finally getting some of his own punches on target. Fry was competitive in the sixth and his best round in the seventh when he was able to work on McCarthy on the ropes. However McCarthy was boxing well inside himself and was never in real trouble and always had control of the fight. Referee’s score 77-73. The London-born 24-year-old McCarthy showed good poise and maturity and paced the fight well in the end. As an amateur he was a World Junior bronze medallist and won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games. Fry, 40, had a win over Jon-Lewis Dickinson and in May came off the floor twice only to lose a very close decision in a British title eliminator to Craig Kennedy so he is far from finished. Meli vs. Pagan Meli wins decision clearly but Pagan makes him work hard. The bout was fast-paced with both fighters putting everything into an all-action frantic first round. Meli was the quicker and more accurate and he was doing enough to edge each round without ever being able to relax due to the constant pressure from Pagan. It was impossible to maintain the furious pace and as things slowed the superior southpaw skills of Meli saw him pocketing the rounds. Over the last two rounds the pace heated up again for a frantic finish but Pagan lost a point in the last with his hopes already having faded. Referee’s score 80-73. The lanky Belfast fighter is developing well and this was his second time at 8 rounds. Scot Pagan had won five in a row and at 22 has time to bounce back. Frisco, TX: Super Bantam: Chris Avalos (26-3) W PTS 8 Rey Perez (20-7). Super Feather: Casey Ramos (20-0) W PTS 8 Daniel Evangelista (17-6-1). Light: Erick De Leon (10-0) W RTD 3 Daniel Perales (5-3-1). Avalos vs. Perez Avalos gets back on the winning track with one-sided victory over Filipino Perez. He was quicker, busier more accurate than Perez and forced the fight the whole way. He kept Perez on the back foot scoring with short hooks inside to head and body. Perez tried to counter the attacks of Avalos but he could not find his way through the Californian’s guard. Perez staged a late rally briefly shaking Avalos in the last round but still being outworked. Scores 80-72 twice and 79-73 for Avalos. First fight for Avalos since being stopped in five rounds by Carl Frampton for the IBF title in February. He stepped in for this fight when Jesse Magdaleno had to pull out. Perez is now 3-5 in his last 8 fights including three difficult jobs in Mexico against Hugo Cazares, Andres Gutierrez (26-0-1) and Edivaldo Ortega (18-0-1). Ramos vs. Evangelista Texan prospect Ramos wins again but still seem to lack power. Ramos took the lead from the start slowly grinding Evangelista down with a stream of punches to head and body. His dominance increased more and more as the fight went on but his lack of power meant that Evangelista was never in real trouble and even managed a strong last round. Scores 80-72 from all three judges. The 26-year-old “Wizard” turned pro at 17 and although still unbeaten he has now had to go the full distance in 12 of his last 13 fights. Evangelista showed a good chin but suffered his third loss in a row. De Leon vs. Perales De Leon continues unbeaten with win over Mexican Perales. Southpaw De Leon had won all three rounds and was handing out a steady beating when the Mexican’s corner retired their man before the start of the fourth round. Twenty-three-year-old De Leon 23-year-old was born in Mexico but moved to Detroit as a young kid where he eventually came to the notice of Manny Steward and trained at the Kronk gym. He has 5 wins by KO/TKO. He was NGG champion in 2009, 2010 and 2011 but failed to qualify for London. He is making steady but slow progress as this is only his second fight in the last 12 months. Second loss by KO/TKO for Perales. Hobart, Australia: Feather; Luke Jackson (9-0) W TKO 3 Nouldy Manakane (29-18-2). Fighting in his home city Former top amateur “Action” Jackson disposes of Indonesian Manakane in three rounds to make it a family double for him. Jackson was in control all the way. He took the first round, opened a cut over Manakane’s eye in the second and put him down and out in the third. Jackson, 30, had just under 150 amateur fights , was Australian champion in 2006, 2011 and 2012, represented Australia at the World Championships in 2005 and 2011. He also competed at the 2006 Commonwealth Games where he won bronze medal and also fought at the same Games in 2010 and was the captain of Australia’s boxing team for the 2012 Olympics. Only 9 pro fights but a lot of ring time in the amateurs. He beat Manakane’s brother Ruben on points in December. Manakane, 31, lost on points to Koki Kameda for the secondary WBA bantam title in 2012. Banbury, Australia: Light: Brandon Ogilvie (12-1) W PTS 10 Andy Letding (9-4-4). Feather: Nat May (12-1) W PTS 10 Agus Kustiawan (13-4). Ogilvie vs. Letding Ogilvie wins the vacant WBO Oceania title with unanimous decision over Indonesian Letding. ” Brilliant” Ogilvie, 21, the West Australian State champion and ANBF No 4 moves to 7 wins in a row. Indonesian champion Letding was 5-0-2 in his last 7 fights. May vs. Kustiawan May makes it a double for young locals as he takes unanimous verdict over Kustiawan. Having been floored twice in his last fight May showed some caution but his victory was comfortable. The 20-year-old, the No 1 challenger for Luke Jackson’s Australian title, adds the WBA Oceania title to the WBO Asia Pacific Youth title he already holds. He has 8 wins in a row. Former Indonesian champion Kustiawan had a run of 9 wins in 10 fights but has now lost his last two. Tonight is set to be an interesting night in international boxing with arguably the pick of the bouts actually being a female world title unification contest between Edith Soledad Matthysse (13-7-1, 1) and Jelena Mrdjenovich (35-9-1, 19). Whilst we know many fans aren't supporters of female boxing this really is the best bout of the night and promises 10 very competitive rounds. A promise that no other bout of the night can make.
In the US fans will have the chance to see former unified Light Welterweight champion Danny Garcia (30-0, 17) take on former 2-weight world champion Paul Malignaggi (33-6, 7). On paper this looks to be an interesting match up but in reality it will be a mismatch with Garcia being too strong and too young for the battle worn Malignaggi. On the same card we'll see a WBA “regular” Middleweight title defense as the heavy handed Daniel Jacobs (29-1, 26) defends his belt against the frustrating and slippery Sergio Mora (28-3-2, 9). On paper this looks like a clear win for Jacobs however this is likely to be the second toughest bout of his career, only behind his loss to Dmitry Pirog. Mora, a former title holder at 154lbs, knows that this will likely be his last shot at the top but will be the big under-dog. In the UK we'll see Olympic champion Luke Campbell (11-0, 9) battle against local rival Tommy Coyle (21-2, 10) in what we suspect will be a mismatch in favour of the very promising Campbell. The bout is being sold as a major domestic showdown but the reality is that the men are on very different levels and it's hard to see anything that Coyle can do to really test his more impressive foe. The Past Week in Action 28 July 2015
July 23 Panama City, Panama: Super Feather: Jezreel Corrales (18-1,1ND) W TKO 2 Felix Sabez (17-2). Light: Ricardo Nunez (12-2) W TKO 2 Barnie Arguelles (11-5). Corrales vs. Sabez Southpaw Corrales wins the vacant WBA Fedecaribe with stoppage of Dominican Sabez. The 24-year-old Panamanian floored Sabez in the first and after two more knockdowns in the second the fight was stopped. Corrales is unbeaten in his last 18 fights with 17 wins and one no decision. He is rated WBA 4 and WBC 8. Nunez vs. Argüelles Nunez gets revenge for previous loss to Arguelles. The 21-year-old Panamanian “Scientist” had been knocked out in two rounds by Arguelles in January snapping his 10 fight winning streak with all ten wins by KO/TKO, now he is back on track. Arguelles, also Panamanian, has now lost 4 of his last 5 fights. July 24 London, England: Light Heavy: Frank Buglioni (17-1-1) W TKO 5 Fernando Castaneda (23-10). Light Heavy: Billy Joe Saunders (22-0) W TKO 4 Yoann Bloyer (17-28-2). Super Feather: Mitchell Smith (13-0) W KO 1 Dennis Tubieron (19-5-2). Heavy: Dereck Chisora (21-5) W TKO 1 Bega Lobjanidze (13-4). Super Welter: Gary Corcoran (13-0) W PTS 10 Rick Godding (21-1-1). Cruiser: Ovill McKenzie (25-12) W TKO 2 Janne Forsman (19-2). Super Bantam: Lewis Pettitt (17-1) W TKO 7 Antonio Horvatic (7-19). Super Middle: Jamie Cox (19-0) W TKO 1 Blas Miguel Martinez (21-8-1). Buglioni vs. Castaneda With his WBA title shot postponed Buglioni had to settle for facing Mexican Fernando Castaneda for the WBA International title. That was ruined when Castaneda came in 7lbs over the weight. It must have difficult for Buglioni to motivate himself but he easily outboxed Castaneda setting things up with a stiff jab and hard rights. He had controlled every round before landing a left hook and then a right which put Castaneda down face first on the canvas. He tried to get up but was in no condition to fight on. The 26-year-old “Wise Guy” goes to 13 wins by KO/TKO and will get his title shot against Fedor Chudinov in September. No one should be too surprised at Castaneda failing to make the weight. His weight record is unbelievable. In August last year he weighed 146 ½ lbs in losing to Silverio Ortiz and in November he fought for the vacant WBC Fecombox title and weighed 196lbs! Perhaps he has a removable third leg. Saunders vs. Bloyer Saunders takes a keep busy fight as a warm-up for his title fight with Andy Lee on 19 September and halts Frenchman and fellow-southpaw Bloyer in four rounds. Saunders allowed himself the luxury of coming in at 173 ¼lbs and naturally looked a tad fleshy. Saunders had too much class for the very poor French southpaw and it was really a case of how long Saunders wanted to let the fight last. Boyer had some success with rights in the second but that was as good as it got for him. In the third Saunders knocked Boyer down with a left to the head. Boyer made it to the vertical only to be laid horizontal again by another left. He made it as far as the fourth round but a hard right put him down on his knees in the fourth and the fight was stopped. Just some ring time for the talented 25-year-old although since Lee is a southpaw that might have made it worthwhile. Bloyer, 32, now has 11 losses by KO/TKO and is 2-10 in his last 12 fights. Smith vs. Tubieron Smith continues to impress as he dismisses experienced Filipino Tubieron late in the first round in defence of his WBO Inter-Continental title. A vicious right to the body saw Tubieron on the floor writhing in agony with a suspected broken rib. The Filipino had gone twelve rounds in losing a wide decision to Josh Warrington in April which could mean something or nothing. However it was a real show of power from the unbeaten 22-year-old “Baby Faced Assassin”. The 25-year-old Tubieron “The Shark” moves down to three losses by KO/TKO. He is a former WBC International champion and has mixed in good company with all five losses coming on his travels. Chisora vs. Lobjanidze Chisora does quick job on Georgian. Chisora followed Lobjanidze around the ropes trying a couple of jabs and then threw an overhand right which crashed onto the Georgian’s chin and he went down on his side. The referee started the count but quickly stopped and waived the fight over with Lobjanidze needing a whiff of oxygen to help him recover. All over in 29 seconds. The 31-year-old Zimbabwe-born Londoner was having his first fight since being halted in 10 rounds by Tyson Fury in November. He is looking to get back into the picture with a European title fight against Erkan Teper a possibility. He is rated No 5 in the latest EBU ratings but of those above him Fury, Alex Povetkin and Anthony Joshua all have other fish to fry and Kubrat Pulev has no plans for a fight at this time. The 6’4” (193cm) Lobjanidze has a typical Georgian record. Wins at home but has lost inside the distance on four tough overseas assignments. Corcoran vs. Godding Corcoran wins British title eliminator with unanimous decision over Godding. This was much closer than the scores make it look. Corcoran had to overcome a cut over his left eye caused by a clash of heads in the second round and a shaky fifth to come out the winner. Corcoran was coming forward from the first bell and his aggression netted him the first two rounds with Godding finally finding some room and doing enough clean work to take the third. Corcoran was just moving forward relentlessly denying Godding space and working inside to head and body and he swept the next five rounds with Godding countering when he could with some nice shots but too few to help him in the points scoring. Godding scored with a good uppercut in the ninth but still could not dissuade Corcoran who won the tenth. Scores 99-91, 99-92 and 97-93. The 24-year-old “Hellraiser” was in his first ten round fight but showed limitless stamina so that was no problem but he is in a tough division. Godding, 30, had turned in a great performance back in 2012 when he fought a draw with former European champion and world title challenger Rafal Jackiewicz in Poland but then had only one fight in 2013 and was inactive throughout 2014. This year he had taken part in just one four round fight and one six round fight so hopefully will be more active and come back stronger. McKenzie vs. Forsman McKenzie bludgeons Finn to defeat in two rounds to win the vacant WBA Continental title. The CBC and British champion floored Forsman in the first with a heavy right hook to the body. Forsman got up and struggled through to the bell. McKenzie finished it in the second as two thumping rights to the head put Forsman down for the second time. Forsman just made it to his feet but was wobbly and the referee rightly halted the fight. Now 13 wins by KO/TKO for the 35-year-old from Jamaica following on from good wins over Tony Conquest, Jon-Lewis Dickinson and Matty Askin and he is now No 13 with the WBA. Forsman, 32, had won his last 7 fights and this is only his second loss by KO/TKO. Pettitt vs. Horvatic Pettitt gets stoppage win. Pettitt is streets ahead of Croatian Horvatic in skill, power and speed. From the first round Pettitt showcases his excellent jab and is already cruising. He takes Horvatic to the ropes in the second and gets through with good punches to head and body. The pattern does not changed much over the next four rounds as Pettitt is scoring at will and getting home with uppercuts, hooks and always the jab. The one-sided fight is ended in the seventh as Pettitt traps Horvatic on the ropes and hammers home some hard punches that see the Croatian drop to the canvas and the fight is halted. Too easy for 25-year-old Pettitt as he goes to 8 wins in a row. Horvatic had lost 9 of his last 10 fights going in. Cox vs. Martinez Cox is starting to motor again as he continues his comeback from a long lay-off. Cox came out firing and Martinez never had a chance to get into the fight. Cox simple overwhelmed him with punch after punch until after a left hook Martinez went down on one knee to try to get out of the storm. Martinez got up but was shipping more punishment when his corner threw in the towel. The 28-year-old from Swindon, a former undefeated CBC champion, was inactive in 2012, had one fight in 2013 and none in 2014. This is his second win since returning in February. He wins the vacant WBO Europe title which will probably see him leap into the WBO top 15 for beating a guy who came in 8 ¼ lbs over the contract weight. Cox is in a tough division but he has power and skill. Although he is Swiss Martinez is the current Spanish super middle champion. Florencio Varela, Argentina: Light: Fernando D Saucedo (56-6-3) W PTS 10 Leandro Pinto (18-7-2). Saucedo outclasses Brazilian. This was too one-sided to be interesting. Hometown fighter Saucedo had won a unanimous decision over Pitto in February and this time won by an even larger margin. Saucedo controlled the fight with his jab and shook the Brazilian with a right in the second. The Argentinian rocked Pitto with a right cross in the fifth and hurt him with a body punch in the sixth but never looked like winning inside the distance and used the jab and cross throwing in some sharp uppercuts to shut Pitto out. Scores 100-90 twice and 99-91. The 33-year-old former WBA feather and IBF super feather champion wins the vacant interim WBC and WBO Latino titles. His title losses to Chris John and Rances Barthelemy are his only defeats in his last 42 fights. Pinto, 38, is 3-3 in his last six fights and had scored a useful win in Argentina in April. Orange, Australia: Super Welter: Sam Ah-See (13-0-1) W PTS 8 Arnel Tinampay (22-19-10). Heavy: Solomon Haumona (22-2-2) W TKO 4 Felipo Fonoti Masoe (3-9) Ah See vs. Tinampay Hometown fighter Ah-See returns with a good performance as he decisions Filipino Tinampay. In his first fight for nine months he took a round to get back in the groove and had a shaky third but then he had his southpaw jab working, in fact overworking as he had carried an injured left hand in to the ring so could only use left sparingly and only went through with the fight because it was in his hometown. Tinampay was taking the fight to Ah-See and forcing the pace but due to good body punching by Ah-See by the fifth Tinampay was slowing and by the sixth his right eye was almost closed. Scores 80-72, 78-74 and 78-76. The only blemish on the record of the 24-year-old former top amateur is a technical draw and he subsequently beat the same opponent to win the Australian title which he subsequently lost due to inactivity. Tinampay, 31, has yet to lose inside the distance but Australia is not a happy place for him as he has suffered six losses down under. Haumona vs. Masoe Veteran Haumona has his first fight since October 2013 and overwhelms Masoe in four rounds. The New Zealand-born Haumona had Masoe down twice and on shaky pins when the fight was finally halted. The 39-year-old goes to 20 wins by KO/TKO. He was 20-1-2 in his first 23 fights and won the Australian and OPBF titles before being stopped in ten rounds by Kevin Johnson in April 2013. He had one more fight in October that year and this was his first fight since then. Masoe, also from New Zealand, has now lost 8 of his last 9 fights. Mexico City, Mexico: Feather: Romulo Koasicha (25-4) W TKO 7 Guillermo Avila (15-3). Koasicha wins the vacant Mexican title with stoppage of Avila. For the first three rounds this was a hard, close fight with both fighters standing and trading hooks and uppercuts. From the fourth Avila suddenly tired, could be the Mexico City altitude, but whatever it was it signalled a turning point in the fight. Koasicha put Avila down with a hard combination late in the fourth but Avila got up and lasted to the bell. Koasicha kept up the pressure in the sixth and ended it in the seventh. A left to the body put Avila down and after the mandatory eight count Koasicha was punishing Avila again when the referee stopped the fight. Koasicha, rated WBC 10/WBO 14 makes it 14 wins by KO/TKO. He gets his third win since being outclassed and losing a wide unanimous decision against Lee Selby in May last year. Avila, 23, suffers his second loss by KO/TKO. All his losses have been against very good opposition East London, South Africa: Welter: Tsiko Mulovhedzi (10-7-3) W TKO 5 Ali Funeka (36-5-3). Super Fly: Lwandile Sityatha (20-3-1) W PTS 12 Gideon Buthelezi (14-5). Minimum: Daluxolo Mangcotywa (5-5) W TKO 8 Lonwabo Roboshi (8-3). Mulovhedzi vs. Funeka Mulovhedzi springs a big upset and win the IBO title as he stops Funeka who must now be near the end of his career. After a competitive first round with both boxers trying to gain the edge Mulovhedzi then took control. Despite giving away height and reach to the more experienced champion Mulovhedzi was able to use a sharp, accurate jab to open Funeka’s guard and bang home hard rights. Funeka just fell apart as Mulovhedzi scored three knockdowns in the third round and came close to finishing the fight in the fourth as Funeka’s legs had gone. A right put Funeka down in the fifth and although he beat the count another right had him on wobbly legs and the referee stopped the fight. After a poor start to his career that saw him go 3-7-1 in his first10 fights Mulovhedzi is now 7-0-2 in his last 9 including winning the South African title and making four successful defences. He had scored a good win by halting Mzolisi Yoyo in April but this fight was on a different level. His main delight in winning the title was that his 103-year-old father was alive to see him become a world champion. Funeka, 37, had reached the top in 2008, 2009 and 2010 beating Zahir Raheem and then losing a majority decision to Nate Campbell for the vacant IBF/WBA/WBO light titles, fighting a majority draw and then losing a split decision with Joan Guzman both fights being for the vacant IBF light title. He tested positive for the banned diuretic after the second fight and was suspended for nine months. He never really returned to those high level fights winning and losing against Zolani Marali for the IBO light title and winning the South African light and then IBO welter. After a 20 year career he seems finished. Sityatha vs. Buthelezi Sityatha retains the IBO title with very controversial split decision over Buthelezi. Sityatha, the hometown fight, looked to have been outboxed by the quick and clever southpaw Buthelezi but the judges did not all agree. Two gave the win to Sityatha by 117-111 and 115-113 and the third and more accurate had Buthelezi winning 115-113. Second successful defence for 27-year-old Sityatha and he will rarely be luckier. Buthelezi, 29, has had only 19 fights but has crammed a lot in. He is a three division IBO champion having held the minimum, light fly and super fly titles and is the only fighter to have beaten Hekkie Budler which he did in winning the IBO light fly title in 2011. On the down side he was crushed in two rounds by Adrian Hernandez for the WBC light fly title and after winning a split decision over Edrin Dapudong for the vacant IBO super fly title he was flattened inside a round in a return match. Hopefully the IBO will order a return after this controversial outcome. Mangcotywa vs. Roboshi Mangcotywa wins the vacant South African title with stoppage of Roboshi, First fight for the East London fighter for 16 months and sixth win by KO/TKO. Roboshi had won his last four fights. Tenerife, Spain: Light: King Daluz (11-2-2) W Felix Lora (18-16-5). Daluz keeps on track for a shot at the Spanish title with unanimous decision over experienced Lora. Daluz had Lora down in the fifth and Lora also lost two points for various infractions making the scoring very one-sided. Scores 59-52 twice and 60-51. The 27-year-old lanky local fighter has moved down after losing in a shot at the light welter title against Ignacio Mendoza in June last year. Dominican-born Lora, 31, has now lost six in a row but can be a difficult proposition on his night. Ontario, CA, USA: Super Bantam: Daniel Roman (16-2-1) W PTS 10 Daniel Noriega (28-10-1). Super Bantam: Isaac Zarate (12-1-1) W KO 4 Jesus Serrano (8-3-2). Roman vs. Noriega Roman wins wide unanimous decision but is forced to fight hard for the win. Noriega took the fight to Roman from the start and not being a big puncher Roman had trouble staying off the ropes and keeping Noriega out. Despite that it was Roman who was doing most of the scoring both outside and in and he constantly picked up the points with his counters and more than held his own on the infighting. Scores 100-90 twice and 98-92. A good learning fight for the 25-year-old Californian and he also wins the vacant WBA-NABA title. Now 7 wins in a row since his loss to Juan Reyes in 2013. He has useful scalps in Giovanni Caro and Chris Martin. Noriega, 30, had won his last three low level fights but has plenty of experience and tested Roman. Zarate vs. Serrano Zarate wins this all Mexican fight. Serrano was competitive early with Zarate disturbed by a cut suffered in a clash of heads in the first round and spending too much time with his back against the ropes in the second. Zarate gained control of the fight in the third by staying in ring centre and ended it in the fourth with a left to the body. Serrano made it to his feet but was still in some distress so the fight was stopped. The 23-year-old Zarate is 7-0-1 in his last 8 fights with the draw being against useful Juan Reyes. Second loss by KO/TKO for Serrano who had won 7 of his last 8 fights going in. New York, NY, USA: Feather: Yenifel Vicente (27-3-2,1ND) W TKO 3 Manuel de los Reyes Herrera (21-17-1). Second win in a row by KO/TKO for Vicente as he tries to rebuild after back-to-back losses in 2014. He nearly ruined the night for himself and any future sex life for Herrera when he slammed home a blatantly low punch in the first round. Herrera was in considerable agony and took a long time to recover which raised the prospect of a controversial ending. However Herrera finally was ready and able to continue and the round completed. Despite that first round incident Vicente did not change his tactics and continued to make the body his target, this time legally, and a weakened Herrera was floored late in the second. Vicente floored Herrera twice with a series of punches in the third round and although Herrera managed to get to his feet on each occasion he was on shaky legs and the fight was stopped. After being unbeaten in his first 28 fights the 29-year-old from the Dominican Republic then went 3-3 in his next six with a good win in there against Jorge Diaz (17-0) but losses to Chris Avalos, Juan Antonio Rodriguez and Eric Hunter. Colombian Herrera, 34, has lost 5 of his last 6 fights. 25 July Las Vegas, NV, USA: Light Heavy: Sergey Kovalev (28-0-1) W KO 3 Nadjib Mohammedi (37-4). Light Heavy: Jean Pascal (30-3-1,1ND) W PTS 10 Yunieski Gonzalez (16-1).Light Heavy: Sullivan Barrera (16-0) W TKO 8 Hakim Zoulikha (21-8). Super Feather: Joel Diaz (19-0) W TKO 4 Alejandro Rodriguez (24-18-1). Kovalev vs. Mohammedi Kovalev retains his IBF/WBA/WBO titles with stoppage of Mohammedi. A cautious opening saw both fighters probing with their jabs. Kovalev looked much bigger physically and Mohammedi was just sticking to his jab. Kovalev tried some overhand rights as the round ended but there had not been much action. Mohammedi came out aggressively in the second with a flurry of punches but Kovalev then came forward himself but missed with two rights and slipped over avoiding a couple of counters from Mohammedi. When the action resumed Mohammedi got through with a right but was then tagged by a right to the head and staggered back a couple of paces. Kovalev steamed forward following Mohammedi to the ropes and landing two more rights to the head with Mohammedi slumping down to his hands and knees. He arose at eight and Kovalev banged home some more rights and a left hook and then bundled Mohammedi to the floor with the referee rightly not counting it as a knockdown. Kovalev rushed in but they tangled and again Kovalev bundled Mohammedi to the canvas. The referee warned Kovalev for pushing before signalling for the fight to continue. Kovalev marched after Mohammedi landing three more rights but the Frenchman stepped inside and held until the bell. Mohammedi was forcing Kovalev back at the start of the third and Kovalev was only looking to land the right and not working openings so was missing with his heavy shots. With about 40 seconds left in the round Kovalev opened Mohammedi up with a right cross and then landed a crushing straight left to the head. Mohammedi tumbled to the canvas on his back. He was up at seven but rubbing at his left eye and would later say that he got thumb from Kovalev in the eye. He continued to rub the eye and ignored the count looking as though he did not intend to continueand the referee waived the fight off. The 32-year-old Russian was making the sixth defence of his WBO title and second defence of his IBF/WBA titles. He goes to 25 wins by KO/TKO including 11 in his last 12 fights with only Bernard Hopkins lastingf the full twelve rounds in that run. All sorts of speculation as to who will be next with Artur Bererbiev and Jean Pascal in the mix but not evidently Adonis Stevenson or WBA secondary champion Juergen Braehmer and any talk of a fight with WBO No 1 Dominic Boesel should be binned as he has typically never fought a “name” fighter. Pascal vs. Gonzalez Pascal looks lucky to escape from this one with a win on his record. Gonzalez started confidently putting Pascal under pressure to clearly take the first round. In the second Pascal decided to stand and trade and they exchanged hard shots with the round close but Pascal just doing enough to even things up. Gonzalez was working the body with good effect and looked to be doing the more effective work in the third with Pascal throwing plenty but not as accurate. Pascal improved his game in the fourth out landing Gonzalez with hard counters and the fifth could have gone either way as could the sixth. The seventh swung one way and then the other as Pascal started out aggressively but Gonzalez finished the round strongly to edge ahead. The eighth and ninth were Gonzalez’s rounds as he outworked Pascal and looked to have done enough to win the fight. Pascal tried to launch a big effort in the last but Gonzalez matched him punch for punch to maintain his winning position. The judges saw it differently as they all scored the fight 96-94 for Pascal. It wasn’t robbery as many rounds had been close but it was the wrong decision. The stats showed Gonzalez to be by far the busier and he also landed more but not by a big margin. The score cards showed that the judges only all agreed on four rounds giving the first to Gonzalez and the fourth, sixth and seventh to Pascal so plenty of controversy but the results says Pascal won and that’s what the records will say. It keeps Pascal’s hopes of a title fight alive. The 32-year-old Haitian-born former WBC/IBO light heavy champion is No 5 with the WBC, No 7 with the WBO, No 9 with the IBF and No 9 (8) with the WBA but it will be money that decides if and when he gets the title shot. Cuban Gonzalez, 30, had no “names” on his record and only the WBC had him rated and that down at No 13. In this crazy sport losing will probably now get him rated by some of the other bodies. Barrera vs. Zoulikha Barrera halts Frenchman Zoulikha in eighth but Zoulikha makes it a hard fight. Barrera opened the first round with a body attack with Zoulikha not intimidated and firing back with rights to Barrera’s chin. Both were trading hard punches in the second when a left hook landed and Zoulikha went down but although it was counted it looked dubious. Barrera hurt Zoulikha for real before the end of the round but a right from Zoulikha in the third had Barrera taking a more cautious approach. In the fifth a clash of heads saw Barrera cut over the left eye and Zoulikha having success with his rights whenever he could take Barrera to the ropes. Barrera handed out heavy punishment in the seventh and continued that into the eighth and a left hook put Zoulikha down for the second time in the fight. He got up but was taking heavy licks when the referee stopped the fight. The tall 33-year-old Cuban makes it 11 wins by KO/TKO. His only win over a “name” was a January stoppage of a washed-up Jeff Lacy but he is No 10 with both the WBA and WBO and No 9 with the IBF. As an amateur he scored wins over both Chad Dawson and Beibut Shumenov and was World Junior champion. Former French champion Zoulikha has lost his last four fights. Diaz vs. Rodriguez Diaz moves to 19 wins with stoppage of Rodriguez. After a quiet opening round Diaz went to work in the second flooring Rodriguez twice both times with left hooks. Rodriguez survived the third round but early in the fourth Diaz landed a right that sent Rodriguez down again and the fight was halted. The 23-year-old Californian has 14 wins by KO/TKO. No major tests but he has a win over useful Canadian Tyler Asselstine. Mexican Rodriguez was a late choice for opponent. He is now 3-5 in his last 8 fights and this was his ninth loss by KO/TKO. Hollywood, CA, USA: Fly: Brian Viloria (36-4) W TKO 1 Omar Soto (23-12-2). Feather: Guy Robb (16-1) W PTS 8 Edwin Solis (6-4-3). Super Light: Abner Lopez (23-4) W PTS 6 Daniel Calzada (11-15-2). Light: William Silva (22-0) W KO 5 Adam Mate (15-5). Viloria vs. Soto Viloria returns in top form as he blows away old foe Soto inside a round. The “Hawaiian Punch” took only 122 seconds to deposit Soto on the floor three times to force the stoppage. Back in 2010 Viloria had only just edged out Mexican Soto on a split decision but this job was finished much quicker. The 34-year-old former IBF/WBC light fly and WBA/WBO fly champion is now hoping to land a fight with Roman Gonzalez-be careful what you wish for. Fourth fight for Viloria since losing his WBA/WBO fly titles to Juan Francisco Estrada in 2013. He is No 1 with the WBO, No 2 with the WBC and No 3(2) with the IBF so either a return with Estrada or a shot at Gonzalez is a real possibility. Soto, 35, has had three world title shots and lost them all by KO/TKO. This was his first fight since September 2013 but Viloria gave him no time to shed any rust. Robb vs. Solis Robb survives a couple of cuts to get unanimous decision over Solis. The first cut on his right eyebrow came in the second round and was caused by a punch. At that point Solis was very much in the fight. From the third Robb took over and slowly began grinding Solis down. Robb was cut again in a clash of heads in the sixth but just continued unloading on Solis until the end of the eighth. Scores 79-73 from all three judges. Robb, 26, who recently signed with Top Rank, has won nine on the bounce since being stopped in 2012 by still unbeaten Joel Diaz in a fight which saw them both on the floor. Mexican Solis, 27, lost on points to Toka Kahn Clary in March but before that he had gone 3-0-3 against good level opposition. Lopez vs. Calzada Tijuana’s Lopez makes it 2-0 in fights north of the border as he outpoints Calzada. The tall 25-year-old dominated the fight and opened a cut over the right eye of Calzada with a punch in the last round and took the decision on scores of 59-55 twice and 60-54. He has won 11 of his last 12 fights losing only to Alejandro Barrera (25-2) in August last year and has scored four wins since then including a victory over Aik Shakhnazaryan (15-0) in January. Calzada, 24, has now lost 6 of his last 7. Silva vs. Mate Too many Brazilian fighters have record that flatter their ability but at first sight that does not apply to lanky William Dos Santos Silva. In his first fight under the Top Rank banner the Brazilian first outboxed and then halted Mate. The end came in the sixth round when a right to the body floored Hungarian Mate who was unable to rise within the allotted ten seconds. The 28-year-old 6’1” (185cm) “Baby Face” Silva has been a pro since 2006 and has 13 wins by KO/TKO. He actually had a couple of fights in Miami back in 2009. Before turning pro he represented Brazil at the 2003 Pan American and World Cadets, won a gold medal at the South American Juniors and a silver at the PanAmerican Juniors and also fought at the prestigious Jose Che Aponte and Batalla De Carabobo amateur tournaments. One to watch. Hungarian “Bad Boy” Mate, 24, was stopped inside a round by Stephen Ormond in 2013 but had won his last three fights. Las Vegas, NV, USA: Cruiser: Beibut Shumenov (28-0-1) W PTS 12 BJ Flores (31-2-1) Feather: Claudio Marrero (19-1) W KO 3 Rico Ramos (24-5). Cruiser: Isiah Thomas (15-0) W PTS 10 Jordan Shimmell (19-1). Heavy: Mike Hunter (9-0) W TKO 1 Mike Bissett (9-8). Shumenov vs. Flores Shumenov collects the interim WBA title with unanimous decision over Flores. Shumenov started out looking to trade with Flores but then showed boxing smarts by utilising skills he had not previously hinted at to outbox the aggressive Flores. It was a good fight but not an exciting one. Although it was close Shumenov was the busier letting his hands go whilst Flores was unable to cut off the constantly moving Shumenov and seemed to be looking to land single punches. He had expected a more aggressive approach from the Kazak but was being outworked by the quicker Shumenov who was using good lateral movement to nullify the attacks of Flores.. Shumenov built a lead early only for Flores to pocket a couple of the middle rounds before Shumenov took over again and built a winning lead. A right from Flores sent Shumenov into the ropes in the last but it was too late in the round for Flores to be able to capitalise on that punch and Shumenov was still there at the bell a clear winner. Scores 116-112 from all three judges. The 31-year-old Shumenov, a former WBA and IBA light heavy champion who lost his title to Bernard Hopkins in 2014, becomes the first Kazak fighter to win titles in two divisions but this is only an interim title. Flores, 36, had lost on points to Danny Green for the IBO title in 2010 but with no fights in 2013 he has totalled just eight fights in almost five years. He felt he won this one but was in the minority and it will be a struggle to get another title shot. Marrero vs. Ramos Marrero strengthens his case for a title fight as he blasts out Ramos in two rounds. After a first round without much action early in the second Marrero landed a thunderous southpaw left that flattened Ramos with the referee immediately waiving the fight over. The 26-year-old Dominican southpaw now has 14 wins by KO/TKO. He lost a close unanimous decision to Jesus M A Cuellar for the interim WBA title in August 2013 and has stayed active without the opposition being anything special and he is currently No 6 with the WBA. This is a huge blow to former WBA super bantam champion Ramos. He looked great when knocking out Akifumi Shimoda for the WBA super bantam title in 2011but the lost the title the following year when a body punch from Guillermo Rigondeaux ended his short reign. Since then he has now gone 4-4 in 8 fights and lost the important ones. He is only 28 but faces an uncertain future after this crushing loss. Thomas vs. Shimmell Thomas comes out on top in clash of unbeaten former top amateurs from Michigan and collects the vacant USBA title. Southpaw Thomas chose to fight on the outside and use his skills to avoid the more powerful Shimmell. The fight was much closer than the scores show but there was too much holding and wrestling with both fighters on the floor from those activities rather than from a punch. By boxing on the outside Thomas was forcing Shimmell to overreach with his punches and was able to counter but neither fighter had a high work rate. Although the statistics showed Shimmell had thrown and landed more punches he admitted to having an off night but was upset that the scores made it look as though he was never in the fight. Scores 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93. The 6’4” (193cm), 26-year-old Thomas who beat Shimmell as an amateur, was trained by Manny Steward and considered a hot prospect when he won a gold medal at the 2005 World Cadet Championships in Liverpool in 2005 but did not really kick on from there although he took a bronze medal at the 2007 NGG’s where he lost to Deontay Wilder. After nearly seven years as a pro he has not been active enough or fought at a high enough level for someone with his talent. Shimmell, 6’3” (191cm) also 26, and a former NGG champion and World Championships contestant had been a lot more active but not really tested but he had a bad night and will come again Hunter vs. Bissett Hunter gets another win as he halts Bissett in 71 seconds. Hunter shook Bissett early and then drove him to a corner and was banging home shots to head and body. Bissett was not punching back and the referee stopped the fight. Now 6 wins by KO/TKO for the 27-year-old former NGG and US National champion who went out at the 2012 Olympics only on count back after finishing 10-10 with Artur Beterbiev. Bissett is 4-5 in his last 9 fights but had won his last two. Derby, England: Middle: Nick Blackwell (18-3-1) W TKO 6 Damon Jones (13-1, 1 ND). Heavy: Hughie Fury (16-0) W PTS 10 George Arias (56-13). Welter: Lenny Daws (30-3-2) W PTS 8 Mikheil Avakyan (30-21-4). Blackwell vs. Jones Pressure finally pays off for Blackwell as he retains his British title with stoppage of Jones. For five rounds this was a fight southpaw Jones was winning. He boxed smartly on the retreat slotting home jabs and banging in hooks to the body from both hands. Blackwell was trying to walk the challenger down but smart lateral movement and well placed punches frustrated Blackwell’s efforts to trap Jones. Blackwell was banging home left hooks to the body when he occasionally managed to trap Jones on the ropes but was just not letting his punches go. Blackwell had some success half way through the fifth but Jones ended the round with a series of counters and at that stage I had him winning every round. Blackwell tried to up his pace in the sixth and although Jones was still getting through with right jabs and straight lefts he seemed to be slowing. Just when it looked as though Jones had pocketed another round Blackwell took him to the ropes and as they traded a thunderbolt right from Blackwell crashed into the jaw of Jones who went down heavily. The bell had gone a split second after Blackwell landed the punch and although Jones made it to his feet the referee stopped the fight and Jones did not dispute the referee’s call. First defence of his British title for 24-year-old Blackwell and his eighth win by KO/TKO. His losses have been to Martin Murray, Billy Joe Saunders and a close decision against Max Bursak so class opposition. He now has five wins and a draw in his last six fights with the draw against dangerous Sergey Khomitsky and he has a win over John Ruder (20-1) which netted him the title. Jones boxed with speed and skill for five rounds and 2:59 seconds of the sixth and the punch he took would have put most fighters down. He had the edge in skill but just did not have the power to keep Blackwell out. Fury vs. Arias A 6’6” (198cm) 20-year-old against a 5’ 11 ½” (181cm) 41-year-old fighter tells you all you need to know about this fight. Aging Brazilian Arias just kept plodding forward behind a high guard trying to catch the younger man but never coming near to succeeding. Fury was able to land jabs, hooks and uppercuts and slide away before Arias could launch any counters. Fury was moving too much to really sit down on his punches and at times just flapped either a long left or a long right and some quick follow-up punches which lacked real power. The pattern did not change for all ten rounds with Fury predictably winning them all but we learned very little we did not already know and this was just glorified sparring for Fury. Referee’s score 100-90. At 20 Fury is still very green but he will not have taken much of value out of this poor match. Arias was slow and ponderous and he lost on points to Johnny Nelson for the WBO cruiser title in 2001 that puts him into context. Daws vs. Avakyan Daws keeps busy with win over Georgian. Daws easily outboxed Avakyan and won every round but had a frustrating night as Avakyan was just focused on survival and as a result lost two points for holding. Referee’s scores 80-70. The 36-year-old Daws, twice a former undefeated European Union champion, has been kept waiting two years for a promised return fight with Michele Di Rocco who took a very controversial decision over Daws in June 2013 for the vacant European title. He is the mandatory challenger but there is no date set for the bout. Avakyan was an acceptable test having only lost on a split decision against Chris Goodwin for the vacant WBFed title in 2014 and going 5-4 in his 9 fights prior to this one with the four losses coming in four different countries. Mar del Plata, Argentina: Light Heavy: Roberto F Bolonti (36-3) W TKO 2 Williams Ocando (13-3). Bolonti demolishes overmatched Venezuelan in two rounds. Bolonti took control of the centre of the ring and of the fight in the opening round and punished Ocando with uppercuts and left hooks to the body. In the second Bolonti landed a series of lefts and right uppercuts and eventually a left hook to the body and a right to the head had Ocando out on his feet. The referee applied a standing count and then asked Ocampo to step sideward’s to him and it was obvious that Ocampo was too groggy to comply and the fight was stopped. The 36-year-old “La Bestia” now has 25 wins by KO/TKO. He lost to Juergen Braehmer for the secondary WBA title in June last year and then his fight with Jean Pascal in December ended in a controversial no decision. This is his first fight since then. Ocampo, 26, suffers his second loss in a row by KO/TKO. Narrabri, Australia: Welter: Cameron Hammond (13-0) W TKO 5 Sedat Tasci (8-2-4). Light: David Browne (22-1-1) W TKO 5 Tom Ford (7-5-2). Super Welter: Tommy Browne (29-6-1) W PTS 6 Pramool (1-17-1). Hammond vs. Tasci Hammond crushes Tasci in five. The WBA No 13 had his jab working early and Tasci had no answer, well no legal answer. Hammond took the first three rounds and then Tasci’s frustration showed as he was warned twice for rabbit punches. In the fifth Hammond used a couple of jabs to set Tasci up and then drilled home a right cross to the chin that put Tasci down. The Turkish-born fighter made it to his feet but a volley of hard accurate punches from Hammond were enough to see the referee stop the fight. Third win in a row by KO/TKO for 25-year-old Olympian Hammond and third defence of his WBO Oceania title. He competed at the 2010 Commonwealth Games where he lost to Callum Smith and the 2012 Olympics losing to Canadian Custio Clayton, both were close fights. Tasci, 30, represented Turkey with great success winning silver and gold at the World Cadet Championships and competing at the 2004 Olympics Browne vs. Ford Browne extends his winning run to seven with stoppage of Thai Ford. The 28-year-old Browne’s only loss was a technical decision against Billy Dib in March 2012. . He had one more fight in October 2009 and was then inactive until December 2013 but has been fighting regularly since then and winning. Ford, real name Weerachit Kitee, is 1-4-2 in his fights in Australia. Browne vs. Pramool Tommy, 32, the elder brother of David, lost on points to In-Jin Chi for the WBC feather title in January 2005 and for the WBA title to Chris John in August of the same year. He continued active until being stopped by Lenny Zappavigna in 2008 and was then inactive for five years. On returning he has had one fight in 2013 and one in 2014 so let’s hope he will be more active. All of Pramool’s fights have been in Australia Halifax, Canada: Super Bantam: Tyson Cave (27-3) W TKO 5 Antonio Olguin (9-5-1). Super Welter: Brandon Brewer (15-0-1) W PTS 8 Salomon Rodriguez (8-5-2). Cave vs. Olguin Cave climbs off the floor to halt Olguin. Cave did not let the knockdown or two very low punches in the second round blow him off course and he slowly eroded Olguin’s resistance flooring him in the fourth and then having him hurt and defenceless in the fifth when the fight was stopped. The 33-year-old local southpaw, the WBA No 7, makes it 10 wins by KO/TKO. He lost a very close decision to Oscar Escandon for the WBA secondary title in December and is hoping to get a shot at the title later in the year. Mexican Olguin has lost 3 of his last 4 fights. Brewer vs. Rodriguez Brewer easily outpoints poor Rodriguez but does not seem to be making any progress. Scores 80-72 twice and 80-73. At 31 he is short on time. He is No 2 in the NCC ratings but is yet to be matched with an opponent of any note. Mexican Rodriguez is 1-4-1 in his last 6 fights. Braamkamp, Germany: Super Middle: Rafael Bejaran (18-2) W PTS 8 Zura Mekereshvili (10-3). Super Middle: Juergen Doberstein (18-2-1) W TKO 3 George Aduashvili (19-15-1). Bejaran vs. Mekereshvili Bejaran gets unanimous decision in a real battle. Bejaran had the skills but Mekereshvili just marched forward behind a high guard and often managed to force Bejaran to just stand and trade. The exchanges were crude but exciting. Both fighters threw haymakers and mostly missed but kept swinging. What boxing there was came from Bejaran who had a stiff jab and kept switching guard and piling up the points but he could not stop Mekereshvili coming forward and was constantly being dragged into a brawl. The 33-year-old Bejaran, a Dominican Republic fighter based in Hamburg, is a former WBO Europe champion and was having his second fight after a break of two years. Georgian Mekereshvili, 21, has a good chin and had won his last three fights. Doberstein vs. Aduashvili Doberstein given an easy fight to get him back in the winning column. It was obvious from the start that Doberstein was in for an early night. He moved around the static Georgian slotting home fast jabs and right crosses with Aduashvili too slow to respond. The Georgian threw a wild punch and ended up on the floor and also tried dropping his hands to lure Doberstein in and received a right cross for his trouble. The second saw Doberstein driving Aduashvili back with his jab and firing long rights to the body with Aduashvili just trying inaccurate and slow counters and already looking exhausted. The third was target practice for Doberstein who scored with rights and lefts to the head sending Aduashvili down on one knee. Doberstein continued to hand out punishment and Aduashvili’s second climbed onto the rig apron with the towel but the referee signalled him away just as Doberstein landed two more head punches that put Aduashvili down and then the referee allowed the towel. Doberstein, 26, Kazak-born, German based gets only his fifth win by KO/TKO. He had a 13 bout unbeaten run ended in February when he lost to Cagri Ermis. Now 12 losses by KO/TKO for Aduashvili Los Mochis, Mexico: Super Bantam: Cesar Juarez (17-3) W PTS 12 Juan Carlos Sanchez (20-4-1). Fly: Moises Fuentes (22-2-1) W KO 6 Oswaldo Novoa (14-6-2). Juarez vs. Sanchez Juarez comes from behind to beat Sanchez. Despite suffering a one point deduction in the first round when Juarez was cut in a clash of heads Sanchez built a substantial lead over the first eight rounds. His southpaw skills allowed him to punish the less talented Juarez who found himself well behind and cut. However to compensates for his lack of technique Juarez attacked relentlessly in every round and Sanchez slowed and tired. The ninth saw Sanchez struggling to keep Juarez out and in the tenth he was exhausted and on shaky legs and floored at the end of the round by a overhand right with the bell saving him. Juarez continued to batter away at Sanchez who was shaken and needed all of his experience and courage to last out the round. Juarez tried desperately to put Sanchez away in the twelfth and after a series of punches Sanchez went tumbling out of the ring, off the apron and onto the floor. He was entitled to a 20 count under those circumstances and made it back into the ring at the count of 18 and survived the rest of the round. Scores 114-111 twice and 114-112. A stirring contest and a big win for Juarez with Sanchez rated No 2 by the WBO. Juarez was coming off a close points victory over former WBC title challenger Cesar Seda in March and he was rated No 6 by the WBO. Sanchez, 24, a former IBF super fly champion who lost his title for failing to make the weight in his first defence had been knocked out in ten rounds by Zolani Tete in an IBF eliminator in November 2013. He was then inactive before returning with a win over Colombian Luis Melendez in March this year. Fuentes vs. Novoa Fuentes halts Novoa in clash of former world champions. Flores got a great start flooring Novoa in the first round. However Novoa was far from finished and he went on the attack with Flores having problems countering Novoa’s attacks. The fight was anybody’s going into the sixth but it looked bad for Flores when he was deducted a point for a low punch. Undeterred Flores went to the body again and a hook put Novoa down and he was unable to beat the count. “Moi” a former WBO minimumweight champion drew with Donnie Nietes for the WBO light fly title. He then won the interim title before being knocked out by Nietes for the full title in May last year. This is his third win since then and he is now No 2 flyweight with the WBO. Novoa, 33, is a former WBC minimumweight champion but he could only manage a draw with Mario Andrade (6-5-4) in February. Managua, Nicaragua: Super Light: David Bency (6-5-1,1ND) W PTS 10 Junior Ramirez (12-1). Fly: Marvin Solano (13-0) W PTS 8 Carlos Rueda (23-9-2,2ND). Bency vs. Ramirez The plans went awry here as Bency outfought unbeaten Ramirez to revenge an earlier loss. There was very little action in the first two rounds but in the third a right from Bency put Ramirez down. When he got up Ramirez was there for the taking on very unsteady pins but Bency was too cautious and lost his chance. Southpaw Ramirez slowly fought his way into contention but Bency was the aggressor throwing bunches of punches and although Ramirez did enough to make it close he just failed to close the gap opened by that knockdown. Scores 96-93 and 95-94 for Bency and 95-94 for Ramirez. Bency, 26, wins the interim WBC Latino title. He had rebounded from a run of 0-4-1,1ND including a points loss to Ramirez, and had a run of three wins going in but was a big outsider. Ramirez, 20, the WBC Youth champion will want a quick return to erase this loss as he was well below form. Solano vs. Rueda Solano continues his winning run but has a tough night against more experienced Rueda. Solano had to survive a few rough rounds when the bigger, hard punching Rueda had him badly wobbled but he did survive and scored repeatedly with sharp counters in every round to earn the unanimous decision. Scores 77-75 twice and 78-74. Best win so far for the 24-year-old Solano. As an amateur he was Nicaraguan champion and won a silver and bronze medal at the Central American Games and represented Nicaragua at the Pan America Games. Rueda 31 lost to Cris Mijares for the IBF super fly title in 2011. Liverpool, England: Super Light: David Barnes (29-3-2) W PTS 10 Andy Colquhoun (13-1). Super Feather: Gary Sykes (28-4) W PTS Ibrar Riyaz (4-84-3). Barnes vs. Colquhoun Barnes earns another shot at a British title with razor-thin decision over Colquhoun. Referee’s score 95-94. The 34-year-old Manchester southpaw, a former British champion, lost to Frankie Gavin in 2013 for the British and CBC super light titles and was inactive for 18 months before returning with a win last March. “Chico” Colquhoun, 24, was in his first ten round fight and Barnes constituted a big step up in the level of his opposition but he showed he belongs at this level and his time will come. Sykes vs. Riyaz Sykes returns for the first time since losing to Liam Walsh for the British and CBC titles and as usual Riyaz did his job of giving Sykes six round of ring time. Former British super feather champion Sykes won 60-54 on the referee’s card and will be looking to climb back into contention and get revenge for his loss to Walsh in November. As usual Riyaz was a short-notice sub and went the distance. In fact out of his 84 losses he has only lost three times by KO/TKO. July 26/27 Lagos, Nigeria: Super Welter: Sule Olagbade WPTS 12 Rasheed Abolaji. Light Welter: Olaide Fijabi W PTS 8 Kazzem Ariyo. Light: Prince Nurudeen Fatai W PTS 8 Chibuzor T.Boy. Super Middle: Sunday Ajuwa W PTS 8 Olufemi Ajayi. Olagbade retains his national title with a split decision over Abolaji. Fijabi takes unanimous decision over Ariyo. Fatai wins split decision over T.Boy and Ajuwa gets split decision over Ajayi. The fights were held on the evening of 26 July and over into the early hours of 27 July. Three split decisions which shows good competitive matching. Former WBA light heavy title challenger Joe Lasisi was one of the judges. July 27 Tokyo, Japan: Super Light: Akihiro Kondo (22-6-1) W TKO 4 Patomsuk (30-3-1). Kondo outclasses a slow ponderous Patomsuk and halts him in four. The Japanese fighter was just too quick for the Thai veteran. Kondo was moving around the crude and almost static Patomsuk and scoring with stiff jabs and sharp rights. He rocked the Thai badly late in the first and unleashed a furious attack with the referee looking close to stopping the fight but the bell came to save Patomsuk. The Thai was badly cut on his left eyebrow and took heavy punishment in the second and third round being made to look slow and crude. Late in the fourth Kendo again shook Patomsuk badly and handed out heavy punishment as the Thai was trapped on the ropes. Patomsuk escaped but the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight. Former Japanese light champion Kondo gets a needed win and he is now 3-3 in his last six fights. Patomsuk, 32, looked a lot older tonight. He had been stopped in six rounds in March by Ik Yang in what was laughingly labelled an IBF eliminator. Tonight isn't the most exciting night in international boxing but there is still plenty to get excited about.
The highlight bout of the night comes from the Mandalay Bay where Light Heavyweight kingpin Sergey Kovalev (27-0-1, 24) defends his WBA/IBF/WBO titles against mandatory challenger Nadjib Mohammedi (37-2, 23). The challenger is seen as the proverbial “sacrificial lamb” but he is in great form having won his last 13 with 11 stoppages, including early victories over both Doudou Ngumbu and Anatoliy Dudchenko. Despite his run it;s hard to see Mohammedi surviving the “Krusher”. Across in another venue in Las Vegas we get a really tasty bout as Jordan Shimmel (19-0, 16) takes on Isiah Thomas (14-0, 6) in an excellent match up between unbeaten guys. Coming in both men will know that a win will put them in the conversation for a world title fight whilst a loss won't be the end of the road. A really good match up. In Mexico former IBF Super Flyweight world champion Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr (20-3-1, 9) will be up against Cesar Juarez (16-3, 13) in an intriguing Super Bantamweight clash. The winner of this one will claim the WBO International title and find themselves in the mix for a potential bout with Guillermo Rigondeaux. The Past Week In Action 21 July 2015
July 17 Ludwigsburg, Germany: Heavy: Erwin Teper (15-0) W KO 2 David Price (19-3). Heavy: Franz Rill (10-0) W PTS 8 Paul Butlin (16-22-1). Heavy: Christian Lewandowski (5-0) W TKO 4 Gabriel Enguema (5-2). Teper vs. Price Teper wins the vacant EBU title with crushing second round kayo of Price. Teper came out marching forward behind a high guard and immediately took Price to the ropes. The German landed a left to the chin and a right to the side of the head and as they came off the ropes he landed a big overhand right on Price’s jaw and got through with another couple of punches as Price tried to clinch. Price was pushed on to the back foot and fired a series of counters as Teper moved forward. Despite having height, reach and weight over Teper Price was just pushing with his jab and it was not enough to stop Teper coming forward and roughing up Price inside. Price ended a torrid first round with a cut over his left eye. Price was still on the back foot at the start of the second. Suddenly Teper step inside with a right to the side of the head and as Price tried to slid away from it he moved into a left hook which landed flush on the chin. Price was thrown down flat on the canvas with his head sticking out through the bottom rope. The referee started the count but Price was out from the moment that left hook landed and the referee quickly waived the fight off. Huge win for 33-year-old 6’5” (195cm) Teper and his tenth finish by KO/TKO. He was IBF No 10(9) but will climb much higher after this sensational win. A former World Military silver medal winner he is trained by Oktay Urkal the former EBU super light and welter champion and a former super light and welter world title challenger. It is difficult to see where Price goes from here. He was rated IBF 5(4)/WBO 11 and WBA 14 but will drop out of sight now. They say once can be bad luck, twice coincidence but three is a pattern and this is Price’s third loss by KO/TKO and at 32 it will be difficult to start over and even if he does those three losses put a question mark over how far he can hope to go. However his promoter is standing by him and they are prepoared to support Price if he decides to continue. Rill vs. Butlin Canadian-born Rill outpoints English veteran Butlin. Rill 6’4 ½” (194) had height and reach over Butlin and was able to score well to head and body. Butlin is a practised survivor and despite being shaken on a few occasions and suffering a cut over his left eye he did his job and took Rill the full eight rounds. The 27-year-old Rill is not yet in the EBU ratings where they rate 17 heavyweights but is just outside at No 17 in the EU ratings. Butlin, 39, has only been beaten nine times by KO/TKO in his 22 losses. Lewandowski vs. Enguema German prospect Lewandowski halts Spaniard Enguema in a battle of big men. The German had the better skills and was in control over the first three rounds before flooring Enguema twice in the fourth. The first came from a right and after the Spaniard got up a hard combination put him down again and the fight was stopped. The 6’7” (201cm) Lewandowski goes past the second round for the first time as he has two first round wins and two second round. The 22-year-old was twice German Under-21 champion and twice won bronze medals at the German Senior Championships. Enguema 6’ 5 ½” (197cm) had lost on points to Rill over eight rounds in March. Bethlehem, PA, USA: Middle: Antoine Douglas (18-0-1) W TKO 3 Istvan Szili (18-1-2). Middle: Arif Magomedov (16-0) W PTS 10 Derrick Webster (19-1). Super Middle: Sam Clarkson (15-3) TKO 3 Jerry Odom (13-2). Super Bantam: Adam Lopez (13-0) W PTS 10 Eliecer Aquino (17-1-1). Middle: Rob Brant (16-0) W TKO 3 Ernesto Berrospe (10-8). Douglas vs. Szili Dazzling display of power from Douglas as he blows away unbeaten Szili inside three rounds. Douglas made good use of his speed extra height and reach in the first scoring with stiff jabs but Szili was competitive letting go some quick combinations. Szili was trying to put pressure on in the second by getting close trying to use his strength. Late in the round as they were trading punches Douglas cut loose with two left hooks, a right uppercut and a left hook. Szili backed up badly shaken but Douglas closed in with four clubbing rights to the side of the head that saw Szili slump face down on the canvas. He was up at seven and the bell sounded just as the referee completed the eight count. At the start of the second Douglas landed a hard left hook and another clubbing right and Szili went down again. He was up immediately and took the eight count but when it was completed Douglas walked over and landed a right and a left to Szili’s head and as he slumped to the floor the referee stopped the fight. The 22-year-old “Action” Douglas goes to 12 wins by KO/TKO and collects the vacant IBO Inter-Continental title. The draw on his record was an excellent fight with new European champion Michel Soro. He is rated WBA 11and deserves to be in the other three ratings as well. He was a top rated amateur but lost out at the final US Olympic Trials for a berth in London. He has family pressure as his sister Tyrieshia qualified for the US Women’s Boxing Team for 2012. Swiss-based Hungarian Szili, 32, had over 200 amateur fights and won a pack of trophies from 51kgs upwards but did not turn pro until he was 26 and may now have gone as far as he is going Magomedov vs. Webster Magomedov impresses in win over previously unbeaten southpaw Webster. The fight was never a barn burner but Magomedov was always busy pressurising the much taller -6’4”- Webster who was relying on Magomedov to make mistakes that he could capitalise on. As a result Magomedov was doing most of the punching and most of the scoring keeping Webster on the back foot. The Russian found his way past Webster’s jab getting in close and working the body with Webster finding little room to punch. Webster looked to be getting into the fight in the fourth but from the fifth Magomedov was working in close again applying more and more pressure and seemed to have limitless stamina. In the seventh two rights put Webster down but he survived the round. Knowing he was losing the fight Webster finally began to let his hands go in the eighth but any thought of a come from behind win were blown away in the last when a Magomedov right floored Webster. Scores 99-89 from all three judges. Another good display from the 22-year-old Russian on top of wins over unbeaten fighters Alex Theran and Mike Zerafa. He wins the vacant NABO title and is already rated WBC 3/WBA 4/WBO 4 but a bit more realistic is EBU No 11 but a great prospect. “Take It to The Bank” Webster, 33, had only met relatively low level opposition and was moving up to ten rounds for the first time. Clarkson vs. Odom Southpaw Clarkson puts a big question mark over the potential of former amateur star Odom. They traded hard punches in the first with Odom’s body punching probably allowing him to shade the round. Odom was looking good early in the second and opening up on Clarkson. However he got overconfident and left himself open and Clarkson nailed him with a big uppercut late in the round to send Odom down for the first time as a pro. Odom was badly shaken but was up took the eight count and survived to the bell. Clarkson jumped on Odom immediately in the third and another right put Odom down. Again he was up and ready to continue but Clarkson put him down again. Odom got up but was then taking punishment when the referee stopped the fight. Big win for the 24-year-old Texan coming as it does after a split decision victory over former WBO title challenger Cedric Agnew in February. Now 8 wins in his last 9 fights for Clarkson with his loss in there being on points against unbeaten Jesse Hart. Odon, 22, “The King’s Son” had lost his unbeaten tag when he was disqualified for punching Andy Hernandez when he was down. This one is much more difficult to explain away for a guy who won both the NGG’s and the US National title as an amateur and he and his team have some serious thinking to do. Lopez vs. Aquino Lopez has to fight hard but get a deserved majority decision over Aquino. Lopez took the first round thanks to a flash knockdown but Aquino managed to finish the round strongly and by the second was working inside and forcing Lopez onto the back foot. Lopez had the skills to win this one on boxing alone but Aquino did not let him have the luxury of that type of fight. However even when it was an inside fight Lopez was showing he was more than a match for Aquino and getting the better of the trading. He shook Aquino in the fifth but Aquino just kept coming and kept punching and had a good sixth round and an even better seventh. Lopez showed his class as he regrouped got back on top and finished strongly to clinch the verdict. Scores 96-93 twice and 95-95. The 24-year-old Texan lifts the vacant WBC Latino and WBA Fedelatin titles and he paced the fight well never having gone beyond the sixth round before. “Mantequilla” (OK there is only one Jose Napoles) was US Under-19 champion and won a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships but like Odom he did not get through the US Olympic Trials. Dominican Aquino was having his first fight in the USA. His record is heavily laced with poor opposition but he has a couple of reasonable level wins and he showed he was for real here. Brant vs. Berrospe With fellow top amateur Odom losing inside the distance there was a brief scary moment for the favourite here also as Berrospe dumped “Bravo” Brant on the floor in the first. To Brant it was more insult than injury and he then proceeded to hand out a beating to the Mexican. He put Berrospe down in the second and again in the third and the fight was stopped. The 24-year-old from St. Paul makes it 10 wins by KO/TKO but no real tests so far. Brant was both a NGG and a US National Champion but as with Odom and Lopez fell by the wayside at the final US Trials. Berrospe is 2-7 in his last 9 fights. Tokyo, Japan: Bantam: Takuya Kogawa (24-4) W PTS 10 Hiorki Saito (9-5). Kogawa wins the vacant Japanese title with hard fought victory over Saito. It was Saito pressing the action with Kogawa forced to fight on the retreat using counters from both hands. The first round was close but edged by Kogawa and a right from Saito had Kogawa shaken in the second. From the third Kogawa stuck to his boxing using good movement fast hands and quick combinations to edge in front and also opened a cut on the left eyelid of Saito. At the half way mark the judges had it 49-46 twice and 48-47 for Kogawa. From there he was in control. Saito was trying to make up the leeway and piling forward with Kogawa able to box and pocket the rounds. By the start of the tenth Saito needed a knockout. He did manage to land a right that had Kogawa wobbling badly but by holding and boxing Kogawa survived the crisis. Scores 98-92 twice and 97-93. Former national champion Kogawa,30, has had two shots at winning a version of the world flyweight title losing to Pongsaklek Wonjongkam for the WBC title in 2011 and to Yodmongkol for the interim WBA title in March last year This is his second win since then. Saito, 28, had won his last three fights and was JBC No 2 but this was his first ten round fight and he did not pace it well. Rosarito, Mexico: Super Light: Antonio Lozada (35-2) W KO 3 Rafael Urias (22-27-3). Lozada returns with a win. These two just stood and exchanged over the first three minutes. Urias was scoring with hooks whilst the taller Lozada was banging home hard combinations from the outside. Late in the round Lozada scored with a left hook to the body which had Urias in some distress but the bell went before Lozada could capitalise on that advantage. Lozada was looking to end thing in the second but Urias used his experience to stay out of trouble until late in the round when a punch opened a big cut on his left eyebrow. At the end of the round his corner retired Urias and the cut required five stitches. The tall 25-year-old Lozada now has 30 wins by KO/TKO. He turned pro 16 and was 33-1 before losing to Ramiro Alcaraz in 2013. He beat Alcaraz in a return but after one more win was inactive for 14 months before returning with this victory. Urias is 0-10-2 in his last 12 fights. Nagarote, Nicaragua: Super Light: Jose Alfaro (28-9-1,1ND) W TKO 10 Gonzalo Munguia (18-14-3).Bantam: Jose Perez (16-0) W TKO 1 Rafael Castillo (12-21-3,1ND). Alfaro vs. Munguia Alfaro returns to action with a win. The former WBA secondary title holder showed plenty of rust but he wore down former victim Munguia in the tenth round which was better than he had achieved in their first fight. The 31-year-old Alfaro had just edged out Munguia on a majority decision when they met in 2012. He lost to Eduard Troyanovsky in October last year and this was his first fight on his return. He is now 5-4-1 in his last ten fights but all of the losses have been to high quality fighters. Fellow Nicaraguan Munguia, a former national champion, falls to 1-8 in his last 9 fights. Perez vs. Castillo Young Perez may be the next young star to come out of Nicaragua. The 19-year-old halted experienced Castillo inside the first round for win No 13 by KO/TKO. He has won 10 of his last 11 fights by KO/TKO with only Evereth Briceno taking him the distance and Briceno, who took Khalid Yafai the distance, was floored and only just lasted to the bell in their fight. Nicaraguan Castillo is 2-5-1ND in his 8 fights. Klongluang, Thailand: Fly: Nawaphon (29-0) W KO 2 Wiljan Ugbaniel (13-4-1). Super Fly: Pongsaklek Sithdabril (3-3) W PTS 6 Kongfah (22-1). Super Fly: Srisaket (35-4-1) W TKO 1 Jack Amisa (21-35-2). Bantam: Suriyan (44-6-1) W TKO 4 Ibuki Tanaka (0-2). Nawaphon vs. Ugbaniel Nawaphon easily disposes of Filipino Ugbaniel. The Thai was just too big and strong for the Filipino. A seriously low punch in the second badly hurt Ugbaniel and he was taking punishment in the third when he went down and was counted out. The 23-year-old WBC No 1 has 22 wins by KO/TKO and this was the 14th defence of his WBC ABC title but as with many Thai’s he has climbed up by fighting down with not a single rated fighter on his record. Ugbaniel had been knocked out inside a round by Melvin Gumban for the GAB title in January. Pongsaklek vs. Kongfah This is not the Pongsaklek who was such a great WBC fly champion. This one did not just fail to read the script he tore it up and threw it in the bin. He outboxed the house fighter and ended his unbeaten run. Pongsaklek turned pro in 2009 with a loss then had just one fight in 2010 and one in 2013 and lost them both. He returned to action last April and this is his third win since then but all of his 5 previous opponents had only 4 fights between them so it should have been an easy fight for the 22-0 Kongfah. However I have mentioned before how crude and wide open Kongfah is so this was always a possibility. Srisaket vs. Amisa Srisaket gets another inside the distance win as waits for a chance to regain the WBC title. He overwhelmed Amisa who protested the stoppage but was only going to get an even worse beating as the fight progressed. The 28-year-old Thai has lost only one of his last 35 fights and has 32 wins by KO/TKO. That loss was on a technical decision against Carlos Cuadras in May last year and it cost him his WBC title. He has kept busy with 7 wins in a row by KO/TKO including an impressive fourth round stoppage of Jose Salgado. Diminutive Indonesian Amisa is 1-22 in his last 23 fights. Suriyan vs. Tanaka Disgraceful mismatch sees Suriyan take a while to sort out the much taller Japanese novice who showed guts but little else before being halted in the fourth. The former WBC super fly champion makes it 7 wins in a row since losing to Shinsuke Yamanaka for the WBC bantam title in October. Tanaka 2 fights, 2 losses inside the distance nothing more to be said. Pais Vasco, Spain: Super Light: Sandor Martin (22-1) W Anzor Gamgebeli (22-9-3). Martin gets rid of poor Georgian opponent in quick time. Martin hunted down Gamgebeli and floored him with a left cross. Gamgebeli made it to his feet but Martin was landing more heavy punches when the referee intruded to save the Georgian. Just a pay day for the 21-year-old Spanish southpaw. The EU champion goes to 8 wins by KO/TKO. Gamgebeli has failed to last the distance in his last five fights outside of Georgia. Kiev, Ukraine: Fly: Artem Dalakian (11-0) W PTS 12 Angel Moreno (8-1-2). Feather: Oleg Yefimovych (26-2) W PTS 12 Tuomo Eronen (14-3). Welter: Vyacheslav Senchenko (37-2) W KO 5 Sergei Melis (25-19). Dalakian vs. Moreno Dalakian wins wide unanimous decision over Spaniard Moreno in a fast-paced but at times untidy fight. Both were unconventional adopting hands-down stances and piling in with short punches. Dalakian was making good use of his jab whilst Moreno was dangerous with wild rights. Moreno was relentless as he walked Dalakian down but time and again he was caught with hard counters particularly from Dalakian’s right. It was often messy with too much wrestling but they were fighting at a high pace. Moreno suffered a bad cut on his right eyebrow but it was not a factor. Dalakian had a big tenth as he forced Moreno back and was scoring with hooks from both hands to head and body with Moreno only able to cover up from the storm. Both were tired in the eleventh and Moreno just kept walking onto hard counters without being quick enough to score with his own punches but by the end of the round Dalakian was showing a small cut over his left eye. Dalakian tried to dance his way through the twelfth but Moreno forced him to trade and it was a hectic last round. Scores 118-110 from all three judges. Dalakian, 27, wins the vacant WBA Continental title. As an amateur he was World Military Champion and competed at the 2009 World and 2010 European Championships. He is a quick, slick little fighter and his speed and hands down style will give opponents plenty of trouble. Moreno never stopped coming. The 31-year-old Spaniard, the EBU No 4, was wild at times but dangerous and he too has an unorthodox style and great stamina. Yefimovych vs. Eronen Yefimovych gets wide unanimous decision over brave but limited Eronen. Yefimovych had the strength to bully the Finnish southpaw constantly forcing him to the ropes and scoring with left hooks to the body. Eronen was on the back foot and his attacks consisted of wild rushes to get inside but when he did he was holding and not punching. When he did come forward he was walking onto counter after counter. Eronen finally stopped retreating and was coming forward and forcing the fight. He had a good sixth and in the seventh he nailed Yefimovych with a hard left as Yefimovych came back up from ducking under a right. The punch drove Yefimovych back and he was under fire for the rest of the round. Yefimovych came out firing in the eighth but again Eronen forced him back. He drove Yefimovych to the ropes but he was wide open when he moved in and Yefimovych exploded vicious left hook on the Finn’s chin and he stumbled down to the canvas. Although he just touched down briefly it was rightly ruled a knockdown. Yefimovych tried hard to find another punch like that but Eronen was fighting back by the bell. Yefimovych controlled the remaining rounds as Eronen tired but the Finn was always competitive but catching too many left hooks to the body and counters to the head. Scores 119-108 twice and 120-107. The 34-year-old Ukrainian, a former European champion, wins the vacant WBA Continental title. He lost his EBU title on a split decision to Sofiane Takoucht in his fifth defence and that is his only loss in his last 23 fights, but he had only one fight in 2013 and one in 2014 so needs to be more active. Eronen, also 34, made more of a fight of it than the scores indicate and he showed resilience in soaking up the punishment Yefimovych handed out and he got better as the fight progressed. This is only his second loss in his last 14 fights with the other loss being to unbeaten Pole Kamil Laszczyk for the vacant WBFound title in November. Senchenko vs. Melis Senchenko continues his run of wins with stoppage of Melis. The Ukrainian boxed conservatively over the first round. Melis tried to force the action and Senchenko was using a sharp jab and long rights to the body to collect the points. Senchenko’s jab dominated in the second as he pierced the defence of Melis time and again and shook him with a right cross at the end of the round. The third was one-sided as Senchenko slammed home jabs and right crosses and throwing hooks and uppercuts into the mix. In the fourth Senchenko rocked Melis with rights to the head and then put him down. After the eight count Senchenko was battering home lefts and rights and the fight could have been stopped but at a crucial moment Senchenko landed a low punch and Melis got some respite. When they resumed a right to the body put Melis down for the second time. When he got up he was staggered again and again by hard rights but made it to the bell. A series of head and body punches put Melis down in the fifth but yet again he got up. Senchenko landed a series of seven punches and then a hard right to the head and Melis went down on one knee and was counted out. The 38-year-old former WBA champion who ended Ricky Hatton’s career and lost in four rounds to Kell Brook in an IBF eliminator in 2013 has won three in a row and was No 4 with the EBU but he declared that this was his last fight. Estonian Melis, 32, drops to 11 losses by KO/TKO. London, England: Super Middle: Tom Baker (12-0) W PTS 10 Darren Cruise (6-4,1ND). Baker wins every round in impressive decision over Cruise. Baker was generally in control using a strong jab, body punches and uppercuts and outboxing Cruise. His jab was dominant and although Cruise worked hard to get inside and put Baker off his game plan Baker remained clinical and slick. He peppered Cruise with jabs and used right uppercuts to bring Cruise up short when trying to get inside and gave a classy display. The tall Chingford 23-year-old, the Southern Area champion, only seems to lack power with only two wins by KO/TKO, but that can be worked on. Irishman Cruise has yet to lose inside the distance and had won his last three fights. Kissimmee, FL, USA: Welter: Daniel Rosario C (11-1) W KO 2 Aaron Garcia (14-4-1).Cruiser: Yunier Dorticos (20-0) W TKO 1 Galen Brown (43-31-1). Rosario vs. Garcia What looked an even money fight on paper ended in a crushing win for Rosario. The lanky Puerto Rican made a fast start and almost ended it in the first but Garcia survived. Not for long as Rosario scored two knockdowns in the second and the fight was stopped. Ten wins by KO/TKO for Rosario who wins the vacant WBO Latino title and he gets his third victory since losing a majority decision to Edgar Ortega in Mexico City last August. Chicago-born Mexican Garcia, 21, had won his last 9 fights against very low level opposition and now gets his second loss by KO/TKO. Dorticos vs. Brown Cuban Dorticos returns after a year of inactivity and brushes aside veteran loser Brown. Dorticos showed no sign of rust as he blasted Brown to the canvas three times for the win. The 29-year-old Dorticos won his first 18 fights by KO/TKO before having to go the full ten rounds to beat Edison Miranda in July last year. It looked as though he might became another Cuban to waste his talent when contract problems kept him out of the ring for a year but now he is back he could be a real force at cruiser. Despite not fighting for a year he is still rated No 2 by the WBA and is also WBO 11. “Bad Boy” Brown now has 20 losses by KO/TKO. Lincoln, RI, USA: Super Middle: Chris Chatman (13-5-1) W PTS 10 Vladine Biosse (15-7-2). Chatman climbs off the floor to outpoint Biosse. Chatman made a good start in the first scoring early with some meaty hooks only for Biosse to surprise him with a southpaw left that put Chatman down. He got up and made it to the bell without further trouble. From the second round Chatman used superior technique and speed to outbox Biosse and avoid any further trouble. Biosse was always dangerous and managed to be competitive and steal a couple of rounds but just a little too slow as Chatman gradually built a lead and staged a strong finish shaking Biosse in the last. Scores 97-92, 96-93 and 95-94. Californian Chatman, 30, had scored good wins over Charles Hatley and experienced Grady Brewer but was coming off consecutive losses to Ievgen Khytrov and Angel Camacho. Biosse, 33, drops to 5 losses and a draw in his last 6 fights but three of those losses were to world rated fighters J’Leon Love, Callum Smith and Andre Dirrell. 18 July El Paso, TX, USA: Super Bantam: Carl Frampton (21-0) W PTS 12 Alejandro Gonzalez (25-2-2). Super Fly: McJoe Arroyo (17-0) W TEC DEC 10 Arthur Villanueva (27-1). Super Middle: Julio Cesar Chavez (49-2-1) W PTS 12 Marcos Reyes (33-3). Heavy: Chris Arreola (36-4-1,1ND) DREW 10 Fred Kassi (18-3-1). Super Light: Amir Imam (18-0) W KO 4 Fernando Angulo (29-10). Light Heavy: Steve Lovett (13-0,1ND) W TKO 4 Jinner Guerrero (8-5). Frampton vs. Gonzalez Frampton overcomes first round shocks to outpoint Gonzalez and retain his IBF title. Within the first 40 seconds of the fight a left jab caught Frampton as he moved in and sent him back on his haunches with his gloves touching the canvas. He was up immediately but had to take the eight count. He then tracked the much taller Mexican around the ring scoring with some hard left hooks to the body and right crosses. As he was ducking and moving in to attack a downward chopping right from Gonzalez made Frampton dip at the knees with his right glove touching the canvas. He was up immediately but he had to take the second protection count in the round and the bell went as the count was completed. It was a great first round for Gonzalez and Frampton had a lot of ground to make up. The Belfast boxer went back to tracking Gonzalez and putting him on the back foot and in trying to counter a right from Gonzalez strayed very low and he was warned by the referee. The Mexican was trying to get on the front foot and use his jab to drive Frampton back but Frampton was again scoring with good hooks to the body. Gonzalez was warned twice in the third for low punches and deducted a point but had a good spell when they traded in mid round only for Frampton to use a stiff jab and left hooks to dominate the late stage of the round with Gonzalez landing another low punch right on the bell but this was a light glancing shot. Frampton began to dominate the rounds as despite giving away height and reach he was able to use the strength of his own jab to force Gonzalez back and was getting home with hard left hooks and he shook Gonzalez with a hard uppercut in the fifth and with a couple of right crosses in the sixth. Gonzalez was trying to stay busy and throwing lots of punches but Frampton was being more selective and was the harder puncher. He was standing in the pocket and scoring with hard combinations with Gonzalez only getting through with occasion shots and falling behind in the points. Frampton bossed the fight until the ninth when Gonzalez had his best round since the first. Knowing he was behind on points the Mexican was forced to come forward and take the fight to Frampton but any slight chance disappeared in the eleventh when he landed a low left hook and lost another point. In the last Frampton was content to let Gonzalez come forward and counter and he landed a good right cross which Gonzalez did well to absorb and it was the Frampton counters that took the last round. Scores 116-108 twice and 115-109. Frampton was defending his IBF title for the second time. He will not have been totally happy with his first USA fight but let’s not overegg the first round. Both punches owed something to balance and Frampton was not shaken or stirred by either knockdown and went on to win almost all of the remaining rounds. His jab was his major weapon driving through the Mexican’s defence and setting up the right crosses and left hooks that followed. It now looks as though the 28-year-old from Belfast is contemplating moving up to feather but “The Jackal” at 5’5” (165cm) might find it tough with bigger guys such as Nicholas Walters. The 22-year-old Gonzalez, a pro since he was 17, just lacked the power or experience to deal with the pressure put on him by Frampton. He has time and I can see him growing to feather or super feather in the future. Arroyo vs. Villanueva Arroyo wins the vacant IBF title with technical decision over Villanueva. This was one of those fights where styles don’t mix well and we get a messy untidy fight. The first round was close with Villanueva using his right as the standard response to a southpaw and Arroyo getting home with some hard hooks. There was not a great deal of action in the second and third with Villanueva just the busier and by the fourth the crowd was getting restive at the lack of action. They both tried to step up the pace in the fifth but heads were banging together and Villanueva was warned to watch his head work with Arroyo probably taking the round. They clashed heads again in the sixth and this time the referee deducted a point from Villanueva and the round turned nasty with both fighters roughing things up. A clash of heads in the seventh saw Villanueva cut above his right eye and he had to pass an inspection to let the fight continue. At this stage the fight seemed to be close and despite passing a couple oof inspections Villanueva realised that the cut would soon lead to an end of the fight so he tried to step up his aggression in the eighth and ninth but Arroyo was able to take advantage of the openings Villanueva was leaving . Villanueva started the tenth landing some hard punches but a couple of lefts from Arroyo brought the blood flowing from Villanueva’s cut and the fight was stopped and decided on the score cards. Arroyo was in front on all three cards by 98-91 twice and 97-92 which did not justice to the efforts of Villanueva or reflect the action and was booed long and loud by the crowd. The 29-year-old Puerto Rican Arroyo , one of pro boxing twins, has wins over Herman Marquez and Mark Anthony Geraldo but is still a low profile fighter at this time as these are not big wins. Strangely it was twin McWilliams who was the big star as an amateur but he lost a split decision to Amnat Ruenroeng for the IBF flyweight title in November so brother McJoe has beaten him to a title in the pros. Villanueva can feel aggrieved if not about the decision then definitely the scoring. The 26-year-old “King Arthur” has wins over Marco Demecillo, Henry Maldonado and Julio Cesar Miranda and once his cut heals he will be back pitching for another title shot. Chavez vs. Reyes Chavez wins but disappoints and fails to make the weight to add to the disappointment. The weight difference was a big factor. Reyes was busier and quicker but he could not hurt Chavez whereas Chavez was both able to rock Reyes and use his additional weight to bull his fellow Mexican around. Chavez took the first two rounds but looked listless in the third and Reyes dominated the fourth firing combinations through the guard of Chavez . The fifth saw Chavez come alive again as he was using his jab to open Reyes up for hard combinations and the sixth, seventh and eighth went to Chavez. Although Reyes was again throwing and scoring more the big punches were coming from Chavez. A clash of heads saw Chavez cut over his left eye and the referee harshly penalised Reyes with a point deduction and Reyes did not have the power to get the kayo he needed in the last round. Scores 98-91, 97-92 and 96-93 for Chavez. It was a winning performance from the point of view of the verdict but not when it comes to satisfying the critics. Being the son of the great Julio Cesar has mostly been a blessing for Junior but he is still being measured by his dad’s standards and is falling a long way short and showing a lack of discipline. He explained away an unimpressive performance by revealing he hurt his left hand in the third round. He made a mistake in going up to light heavy to face Andrzej Fonfara but he is not looking very convincing at super middle. He is still a big name but looking shop-worn. Reyes, 27, lost only one of his first 33 fights but lost a majority decision to Abraham Han in October at middleweight which is his true home. Arreola vs. Kassi Arreola just escapes with a draw but can’t have been happy with his performance. The virtually unknown Kassi was matching Arreola early absorbing some heavy shots from the former title challenger and getting home with enough meaty body punches to have edged in front after three rounds. Arreola stirred himself somewhat from the fourth and it was his body attacks catching the eyes but rights from Kassi were getting through to Arreola. Both continued to score with heavy clubbing punches but neither fighter seemed able to badly shake the other and it was a slugging match without much in the way of movement or defence on show. Arreola was both taller and heavier than Kassi but he did not make much use of either advantage. It was entertaining if slow paced fight and a fight that Arreola could not afford to lose. He did more pressing over the second half of the fight to perhaps have a slight edge but he did nothing to further his hopes of another title shot. Scores 95-95 twice and 96-94 for Arreola. The 34-year-old “Nightmare” is only rated by the WBC and then at No 11 so there are plenty ahead of him in the queue for a shot at Deontay Wilder. This was a big result for 35-year-old Kassi in his eleventh year as a pro. The fighter from Cameroon was having only his second fight in two years and last time out in 2013 he was knocked out in seven rounds by Amir Mansour so he looked a safe fight for Arreola but nearly proved to be a banana skin. He will have plenty of offers now. Imam vs. Angulo Imam knocks out Angulo to underline his talent and get close to a shot at the WBC title. The tall young fighter used his speed and height and reach edges to box on the outside . Angulo used his experience to keep pressing Imam trying to get within range to land one of his wild swings which made things interesting even if he was not having a great deal of success. He needed to get Imam on the ropes and keep him there but Imam was too smart and Angulo had to walk through some stiff counters for what little he did achieve. He was walking forward again in the fourth and as he leant in Imam landed a jab and then a chopping right which sent Angulo face down on the canvas and the referee waived the fight off without a count. The 24-year-old “Young Master” from Albany makes it 15 wins by KO/TKO. This was an eliminator to establish a challenger for the winner of the fight between Viktor Postol and Lucas Matthysse for the vacant WBC title with Imam being rated No 3 and Angulo No 8. Imam battled his way through a last chance qualifier to reach the US Olympic Trials but lost twice to Errol Spence and missed out on a berth in London. He was by no means the main attraction here but with wins over Yordanis Ugas, Santos Benavides, Fidel Maldonado, Walter Castillo and now Angulo he soon will be topping big shows. Angulo, 34, has been around the block a few times losing a wide decision to Juan Diaz for the WBA light title in 2006 and to Lenny Zappavigna for the IBO title in 2010 but had won his last five fights. Lovett vs. Guerrero Australian Lovett halts Guerrero to remain unbeaten. The fight was competitive early but then the strength and aggression of Lovett began to break Guerrero down. Lovett maintained the pressure and Guerrero had nothing left in the fourth and was put down by a hard punch and was in no condition to continue. The 30-year-old former Australian amateur champion has 11 wins by KO/TKO and has six inside the distance wins and a no decision in his last seven fights . Ecuadorian Guerrero, 32, is now 2-5 in his last 7 fights. Macao, S.A.R. China: Super Light: Cesar R Cuenca (48-0) W PTS 12 Ik Yang (19-1,1ND) .Super Bantam: Nonito Donaire (35-3) W TKO 2 Anthony Settoul (20-4). Light: Denis Shafikov (36-1-1) W TKO 3 Roy Mukhlis (27-5-3). Super Light: Jose Carlos Ramirez (15-0) W TKO 3 Ryusei Yoshida (26-8). Super Fly: Rex Tso (17-0) W TKO 4 Khunkhiri (21-12-1). Yang vs. Cuenca Cuenca spoils the show for the locals by comprehensively outpointing Yang to win the vacant IBF title. Southpaw Cuenca showed plenty of movement constantly shifting to Yang’s left making it difficult for the Chinese fighter to land right hands. He never presented a stationary target and Yang was either not letting his hands go or hitting fresh air when he did. Cuenca is by no means a power puncher but late in the first he landed a three-punch combination involving two hard lefts to the head that saw a partially off balance Yang stagger back and lightly touch the canvas. He regained his balance immediately but it was a valid knockdown and the bell went on the completion of the eight count. Yang came out firing in the second but quickly earned a stern warning for a low punch and Cuenca was again the one doing the scoring as Yang was unable to set himself to throw rights. Cuenca was finding gap after gap in Yang’s defence and the Chinese fighter ended up getting a second warning for another low punch. The speed, evasive skills and variety of punches from Cuenca dominated the third and fourth rounds and every time Yang missed with a punch, which was most of the time, Cuenca made him pay with quick counters. In the fifth a good right and a clash of heads, momentarily saw Cuenca lose his cool and trade with Yang with a straight right from the Chinese fighter which landed on Cuenca’s right shoulder sending Cuenca stumbling backwards. His gloves briefly touched the canvas and he was up immediately but it again it was a genuine knockdown and the bell went when the eight count was completed. Cuenca outboxed a fired-up Yang in the sixth as the Chinese fighter had no idea of how to cut off the ring as Cuenca kept moving to his right taking away Yang’s jab and nullifying his powerful rights. Yang got through with a hard left hook and couple rights late in the seventh which probably helped him edge the round. Yang roughed Cuenca up at the start of the eighth but was repaid by some sharp straight right jabs which the Argentinian slotted through his guard and they traded a bit more at the end of the round. Yang again had some success in the ninth but only a little as Cuenca continued his master class and ended the round with a lightning combination that typified the fight. Again in the tenth the Argentinian was thumping fast combinations through Yang’s guard and was nowhere around by the time Yang tried to counter and he finished the round with a flurry of shots to Yang’s head with the Chinese fighter not even seeing them coming. Yang tried turning south paw in the eleventh but it made no difference as Cuenca was still too quick for the Chinese fighter who went down late in the round but it was not due to a punch so not counted. A desperate Yang was throwing wild swings in the last and lost a point when he wrestled Cuenca to the canvas and for the first time in the fight Cuenca looked tired but he still ended the round with a stream of punches that penetrated the guard of Yang. Scores 117-108, 116-109 and 115-110 and those were generous to Yang who was outclassed. The 34-year-old Cuenca, the IBF No 1, was having his first fight for 14 months but there was no rust on show. His nickname now is “El Distinto” but in his early days it was “Fred Astaire” and he certainly showed class movement but also flashing hand speed and a good boxing brain. He is a master boxer and very difficult to nail so he may be the best Argentinian defensive boxer since the great “Untouchable” Nicolino Locche. However he sacrifices power for speed and as result has only two wins by KO/TKO and his 4% KO/TKO average must be the smallest ever for a world champion. He will give any super lightweight problems. Yang, 30, had no plan B and not much of a plan A and never really got to grips with how to tackle the little southpaw’s simple tactic of constantly moving away from Yang’s right hand and as a result he spent a frustrating twelve rounds chasing a shadow. Donaire vs. Settoul Predictable early win for the “Filipino Flash”. Both fighters started cautiously probing with jabs. Donaire scored the first real punch a quick overhand right and later landed a good left hook to the body. Settoul was staying centre ring and jabbing but he suddenly staged a quick lunging attack and as Donaire avoided the Frenchman’s punches the Filipino shot home a left hook to the body. In a delayed action Settoul stepped back four or five paces and then seemed to feel the full force of the punch and dropped to one knee. He was up at eight and then got on his bicycle and went backwards trying to stay out of trouble. With only a couple of seconds to go in the round Donaire again dug a left hook into the Frenchman’s body and Settoul went down on one knee again and was looking pleadingly at his corner. He again got up at eight and the bell rung. Settoul was trying to establish his jab in the second but there was no power to his punches and Donaire stepped in with an overhand right that sent Settoul down sideward’s to his knees. Settoul made it to his feet at eight but as the referee indicated for him to step forward he staggered back a couple of steps and the towel came flying in from the Frenchman’s corner. The 32-year-old Donaire, a four division champion, is starting to look a little rough around the edges but he had too much power for the Frenchman and his left hooks to the body were top drawer. He is still very much a major played back down at super bantam. Former EU champion Settoul, 28, was out of his league. He had nice skills but no power. He had won 11 of his last 12 fights but the opposition was nowhere near Donaire class. Shafikov vs. Mukhlis As usual the 5’5” Shafikov was giving away a lot in height and reach and the Indonesian tried to use those advantages to box on the outside. He showed plenty of movement and a quick jab but Shafikov just kept tacking him down and scored with some hard southpaw lefts before the end of the round. Mukhlis just could not stop the advance of Shafikov and the little Russian was ducking under the Indonesian punches and driving him back. A three punch combination landed from Shafikov but apart from the fist left to the body they did not connect fully but as Mukhlis was going back he was off balance and went down. Mukhlis bitterly disputed that it was a knockdown and it looked for a moment as though he was so disgusted he was not going to resume the action but Shafikov denied him that option by launching and attack the moment the eight count was completed. Shafikov drove Mukhlis back with hard punches to head and body with Mukhlis throwing sweeping lefts and rights but making no impression on the little “Djingis Khan”. In the third they exchanged vicious head punches with Mukhlis briefly driving Shafikov back. That was temporary and soon Shafikov was walking forward landing punch after punch to the head of Mukhlis and after a combination finished off with a left to the chin Mukhlis just raised an arm and walked away the referee followed him and asked him if he wanted to continue but Mukhlis was finished for the night. The 30-yerar-old Russian was supposed to have been challenging Mickey Bey for the IBF title but Bey relinquished the title and there was no way to arrange an alternative title fight. His only loss was to Miguel Vasquez for the IBF title in February last year and hopefully he will get a shot at the vacant title in his next fight. Mukhlis, 28, was stopped in five rounds by Takashi Uchiyama in a challenge for the WBA title in 2010. He had since gone 4-1-1 in domestic fights. Ramirez vs. Yoshida Ramirez extends his winning run with stoppage of JBC No 10 Yoshida. The US Olympian simply punished Yoshida throught the first three rounds and did such a good job that Yoshida’s corner retired their man after the third round ended. The tall 22-year-old from California has 12 wins by KO/TKO including 8 wins that way in his last 9 fights. He has oodles of talent and will be a force in the division next year. Yoshida, 31, is 4-5 in his last 9 fights and this is his sixth loss by KO/TKO. Tso vs. Khunkhiri Tso too good for poor Thai opponent. Over the first three rounds Tso was able to connect time and again with hard combinations and was just too fast and powerful. In the fourth he drove Khunkhir to a corner and unloaded to head and body. The Thai escaped but only briefly and another series of hard punches up and down from Tso saw the fight halted. The 28-year-old Hong Kong based southpaw is rated WBO 4/IBF 6(5)/WBA 7 despite the absence of anything remotely close to a rated fighter in his list of victim and last time out he in March he just squeezed by Filipino Mike Enriquez. Khunkhir is 4-7 in his last 11 fights. Manchester, England: Super Bantam: Scott Quigg (31-0-2) W TKO 2 Kiko Martinez (32-6). Light: Darleys Perez (32-1-1) DREW 12 Anthony Crolla (29-4-3). Welter: Sam Eggington (16-2) W TEC DEC 8 Glenn Foot (15-1). Super Light: Chris Jenkins (16-0-1) DREW 12 Tyrone Nurse (31-2-1). Super Middle: Martin Murray (31-2-1) W TKO 5 Mirzet Bajrektarevic (14-4). Quigg vs. Martinez Quigg makes successful sixth defence of his WBA secondary title as he destroys former champion Martinez within two rounds. Martinez easily took the first round. He was coming forward throwing jabs and left hooks to the body. Quigg seemed content to retreat around the ring rarely throwing a punch and never taking a forward step. By the end of the round Quigg face was reddened from the Martinez jab. The second round started with Quigg on the retreat again but things changed in a flash . As Martinez walked in he was nailed by a right uppercut that made him dip at the knees. Quigg saw he was hurt and landed a right to the body and a left hook to the head and Martinez went down. The Spaniard got up quickly and was ready to continue at the end of the eight count but Quigg leapt in landing clubbing rights and lefts again and again until he battered down Martinez’s defence and one more right to the now unprotected chin sent the former IBF champion sliding down to the canvas. He made it to his feet but the referee waived the fight off and Martinez did not protest. The 26-year-old from Bury makes it 23 wins by KO/TKO. If Carl Frampton moves it will rob Britain of a great fight and Quigg of a defining fight and the only big names currently left in the division will be Donaire and Leo Santa Cruz.. Former IBF and European champion Martinez has no reason to like fighting in Britain as 5 of his 6 losses have been in Britain against British fighters. At 29 there is no thought of retirement and he will still be a force at European level if not at world level. Perez vs. Crolla Perez retains his WBA title with majority draw against Crolla. The Brit made the better start getting through with some crisp lefts in the first round with Perez responding with a good uppercut. In the second Crolla looked sharp and was slotting home good counters and a right hook from Crolla rocked Perez who did well to stay on his feet but the bell came before Crolla could capitalise on that success. Although Crolla was forcing the pace the champion got into the fight in the third and fourth rounds showing good evasive skills and sliding home his trademark counters. Crolla produced a left hook in the fifth that shook Perez but the Colombian has a good chin. Perez was warned for a low blow in the sixth and Crolla was warned for the same offence in the eighth a round which Crolla finished with a cut under his right eye. These middle rounds were close with Crolla the busier and more accurate but Perez landing the heavier shots making them difficult rounds to score. Crolla got through with some hard shots in the tenth and Perez was warned again for a low punch. When he repeated the offence in the eleventh he was deducted a point and he went low again in the last for another deduction. It seemed certain with Crolla’s better boxing and busier style and those deductions that the title was about to change hands but it was not to be. One of the judges scored it 116-111for Crolla but the other two both scored it 133-113 making it a majority draw so Perez retains his title. The decision was loudly protested on the night, and since, and the WBA have said they will review the fight and hopefully they will order a rematch. The 28-year-old “Million Dollar” Crolla was due to fight Richar Abril for this same title in January but in December suffered a fractured skull and broken ankle when pursuing burglars who had raided his neighbours home. It has been an amazing recovery and there was a great deal of pro-Crolla feeling but he has a genuine case for claiming he should have been crowned champion. Perez, 31, was the WBA interim champion but was promoted to full champion when Richar Abril was injured a made Champion in Recess. His best wins are over Argenis Lopez (19-0), Jaider Parra (23-1-1) and in his last fight in January over Jonathan Maicelo (21-1). Eggington vs. Foot Eggington beats Foot on a technical decision as he retains the CBC title and wins the vacant British title. Eggington had the edge in reach and was using his jab to keep Foot on the outside and countering with good rights but Foot did plenty of effective pressing to earn a share of the first round. From then on although Foot kept coming forward he was just soaking up jabs as Eggington broke him down with cool clinical boxing. Eggington was in total control and Foot was never really in the fight. A clash of heads opened a bad cut over the left eye of Foot and at the end of the eighth round the cut was too severe for the fight to continue and the result was decided by the scorecards with Eggington winning on scores of 80-71, 80-72 and 79-72. The 21-year-old Midlander who is also the WBC International champion lost a split decision to Johnny Coyle in the 2014 Prizefighter but has now won his last 7 fights including good domestic wins over Denton Vassell and Shane Singleton and is one of the most improved fighters in Britain. He is rated No 8 by the EBU. Sunderland’s Foot, 27, a winner of the 2013 Prizefighter and former ABA runner-up met a better fighter on the night. Jenkins vs. Nurse The British title remains vacant after this majority draw. The early part of the fight saw Welshman Jenkins outworking Nurse and scoring well with quick light jabs and good body work whenever he took Nurse to the ropes. Nurse, the taller man, was doing steady work with counters and by the end of the fourth round Jenkins was showing a cut by his left eye and Nurse had a swelling under his right eye by the end of the fifth. Jenkins looked to have established a small lead but over the closing rounds he seemed to tire and Nurse took over landing some hard shots and although Jenkins was still very much in the fight a clash of heads in the ninth seemed to stun him. It was Nurse who had now built a small lead. Jenkins finished strongly but it was questionable as to whether he had done enough to take or share the decision. Scores 115-115, 114-114 and 117-112 for Nurse. Not surprisingly both fighters felt they had done enough to win and a return is promised. The 25-year-old Nurse turned pro at 18 and lost only one of his first 30 fights and that was in a Prizefighter. His other loss was when he climbed off the floor twice to lose a majority decision to Dave Ryan for the vacant CBC title in October. He has won two fights since then. Rock’nRolla” Jenkins, 26, a former undefeated WBC International champion had been inactive for nearly nine months due to injuries and postponements and in fact had managed only one round of action in 14 months as he won his October fight inside a round. As an amateur he was Welsh champion and fought at the Commonwealth Games and World and European Championships. Murray vs. Bajrektarevic Murray continues his super middle campaign with a stoppage of Croat southpaw Bajrektarevic. The former middleweight title challenger from St Helens was just too strong for the Croatian southpaw and although Bajrektarevic was not too badly beaten up and had not been floored he was on his way to a painful loss when the referee stopped the fight in the fifth. It looked a premature stoppage but there was only going to be one winner and it was pointless to let the Croatian continue to soak up Murray’s punches. The 32-year-old, a former interim WBA champion, had drawn with Felix Sturm and lost a controversial decision to Sergio Martinez in world title shots at middle before a stoppage loss to Gennady Golovkin made him take the decision to move up to super middle. With his strength and experience he has a better than even chance of landing a title shot in the higher division. Bajrektarevic, 36, had won 6 of his last 7 fights including three wins on the road. Halle, Germany: Super Middle: Arthur Abraham (43-4) W TKO 6 Robert Stieglitz (47-5-1). Middle: Mike Keta (19-3) W TKO 3 Aliklych Kanbolatov (12-3). Super Middle: Vincent Feigenbutz (20-1) W TKO 3 Mauricio Reynoso (15-2-1). Cruiser: Noel Gevor (18-0) W PTS 8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (20-21). Light Heavy: Enrico Koelling (18-1) W PTS 8 Vasyl Kondor (18-15-1). Middle: Anthony Ogogo (9-0) W PTS 6 Ruslan Schelev (11-5). Super Middle: Stefan Haertel (6-0) W PTS 6 Maurice Possiti (10-7). Abraham vs. Stieglitz Abraham stops Stieglitz and puts an end to their four bout series. The WBO champion employed his usual tactics of tucking up behind a high guard leaving very little target for Stieglitz and banging home left jabs and straight right counters whenever he saw an opening a combination he used often in the first round. Stieglitz was on the front foot and jabbing strongly but wild with his rights. In the second Stieglitz made a fast start taking Abraham to the ropes and the champion just covered up and hardly threw a single punch in the first minute of the round. Once he got into the round Abraham landed some clubbing rights which made Stieglitz stumble and again got through with his left jab straight right combinations. Stieglitz got a couple of warnings for being careless with his head and by the end of the round Abraham was pawing at his face and it turned out that he had suffered a fractured jaw and a broken tooth. Stieglitz was coming forward again in the third but Abraham’s high guard was frustrating his attempts to score. He got through with some punches when he had Abraham on the ropes but Abraham again had success with his left/right pairing although there was too much wrestling in the round and by the end there was also blood coming from Abraham’s nose. Stieglitz scored with some good punches to head and body in the fourth but as he moved in his feet slipped on the wet canvas in Abraham’s corner and he went down but the referee counted over the Russian. The referee had made Abraham’s corner sponge up water on a couple of previous occasions. No punch had landed and it was a clear slip. Stieglitz went forward but Abraham was again scoring with those left/rights through the middle of the Russian’s guard. In the fifth Stieglitz was advancing but was almost gun shy hesitant to let his punches go because of the hard counters Abraham was unleashing. Stieglitz scored a good left hook late in the round but the power was with Abraham. In the sixth two hard rights to the head sent Stieglitz stumbling back and Abraham scored with series of lefts and rights pushing Stieglitz back further. As Stieglitz prepared to throw a punch Abraham beat him to it with short right. Stieglitz took a step back and then collapsed on his hands and knees. The referee started the count and Stieglitz got up. The referee completed the eight count and signalled for the fight to continue as neither Stieglitz nor the referee had seen that Stieglitz’ corner man was standing waiving the white towel until Abraham pointed it out and the fight was stopped. Fifth defence of his WBO title in his second reign for Abraham and his 21st world title fight over a ten year period. The 35-year-old Armenian-born “King Arthur” looked strong in this one and his win was decisive enough to end his series with Stieglitz at 3-1 to Abraham. Former WBO champion Stieglitz, 34, loses inside the distance for the third time and this is his 14th world title fight. In his last fight in November he had fought a split draw with Felix Sturm and there are fights out there for him if he wants to continue. Keta vs. Kanbolatov Keta brawls his way to victory over Kanbolatov. Keta came out swinging from all angles and distances with Kanbolatov initially trying to use his height and reach to box only to get dragged into a brawl. Keta had Kanbolatov down twice in the first two rounds and then ended it in the third. Two thudding rights to the head put Kanbolatov down and after the eight count Keta drove Kanbolatov to a neutral corner and put him down with a big overhand right and the referee stopped the fight without bothering to count. Albanian Keta, 32, wins the vacant WBC EPBC title and has 16 wins by KO/TKO. He lost on a 55 second knockout against Andreas Reimer for the German BDB title in 2012 but has won 7 in a row since then against very modest opposition. Russian Kanbolatov, 25, had won his last 11 fights and collected the UBO title but his opposition would be flattered to be described awful. Feigenbutz vs. Reynoso Teenager Feigenbutz wins the vacant WBA interim title and the Global Boxing Union title with stoppage of Peruvian Reynoso. The Peruvian tried to jab and move early trying to keep the hard punching Feigenbutz out. It did not work as the young German got through with a hard right hook to the body that had Reynoso hurt. Feigenbutz was able to walk past the jab and work inside. The second round saw Feigenbutz put Reynoso down with a right hook to the head. Reynoso got up and managed to force Feigenbutz back to the ropes but was badly shaken and went down again for what looked a genuine knockdown but the referee decided it was a slip. Feigenbutz ended in the third flooring Reynoso with a series of punches rounded off with a left hook to the head. Reynoso made it up but a right to the head put him down again. He was trying to get up but a compassionate referee stopped the mismatch. The 19-year-old German turned pro at 16 and lost his second fight inside the distance. Since then he has won 19 fights in a row, 18 of them by KO/TKO. How the WBA came to select Reynoso as an opponent or to accurate how they came to accept the victim the promoter picked is a mystery. A 38-year-old fighter with only one four round fight in over two years and somehow these clowns had him rated No 8! Gevor vs. Rusiewicz Gevor given eight good rounds of work by late substitute Rusiewicz. The Armenian-born Gevor outboxed Rusiewicz over the first two rounds and then Rusiewicz had the better of the third landing some good combinations. Gevor took over again in the fourth and had Rusiewicz hurt in the fifth. Early in the sixth Rusiewicz landed a good body punch and carried that good work over into the seventh. Gevor finished the stronger and again had Rusiewicz hurt late in the final round. Scores 77-74 twice and 78-73 all for Gevor. The 24-year-old Hamburg-based fighter is WBO 7/IBF 14(12)/WBA 14 but a more realistic rating by assessment of his opposition is his No 16 position with the EBU. Pole Rusiewicz, 33, is a durable survivor. He has only lost inside the distance twice and one of those was due to a cut. Koelling vs. Kondor Koelling outpoints Kondor. The German was giving away height and reach to the Ukrainian but was able to get inside early and used a concerted body attack to clearly win the first four rounds. Over the remaining four rounds Koelling had Kondor wobbling but he is not a puncher and had to settle for a points victory. Scores 80-71 twice and 80-72. The 25-year-old former World Youth silver medallist, WSB competitor and 2012 Olympian had lost his unbeaten tag when he was outpointed by Italian Ricci in February and this is his second win since then. They were taking no chances here as Kondor has now lost 9 on the bounce. Ogogo vs. Schelev Ogogo finally returns to the ring but bad luck strikes again. The British Olympian showed fast hands and some classy boxing but from the third round late substitute Schelev was able to put Ogogo on the back foot where he was less effective. There was too much clinching for the fight to be entertaining although any ring time would be a bonus for Ogogo. Scores 58-56 twice and 59-55. Unfortunately the 26-year-old Ogogo injured his shoulder late in the fight and could face another long period of inactivity. The Olympic bronze medallist beat current pros Jason Quigley, Damien Hooper, Vijender Singh, Ievgen Khytrov, Stefan Haertel and Frank Buglioni as an amateur but has been hit hard by injuries. Ukrainian Schelev, 26, has now lost 4 of his last 5 fights. Haertel vs. Possiti Former top amateur Haertel outboxes Frenchman Possiti. The classy German was just too skilful although Possiti pressed hard but had a bad habit of leaving his left hand down at waist level and a left from Haertel put him down in the second. Haertel looked to be coasting at times which allowed Possiti a foot hold in the fight and he tried hard in the last to turn the fight his way but Haertel had already done enough to take the decision. Scores 58-55 twice and 59-54. The tall 27-year-old German continues his winning way but he is yet to stop an opponent which shows a worrying lack of power. Italy: Welter: Charles Manyuchi (17-2-1) W TKO 6 Gianluca Frezza (23-3-2,2ND). Super Feather: Mario Pisanti (15-2-1) W PTS 10 Alessandro Balestri (9-1). Manyuchi vs. Frezza After this win over Frezza in Italy Manyuchi is starting to emerge as a very good fighter a “dark horse” if you’ll pardon the pun. Frezza starts the first round brightly but emerges with a cut on his left eyelid. Manyuchi is both taller and stronger than the Italian and starts to boss the fight in the second and despite his best efforts Frezza just can’t handle the African or get close enough to be effective. Manyuchi loses a point in the third for a couple of low punches but he finishes the round strongly with Frezza under considerable pressure. In the fourth Manyuchi’s superiority is evident and the round is so one-sided that Frezza’s corner is asking their man if he wants to continua. By the fifth Manyuchi is playing with Frezza but also slamming home a variety of hooks and uppercuts. The African continues to punish Frezza in the sixth until the referee has seen enough and halts the action. The Zimbabwean retains the WBC International title for the second time and has 10 wins by KO/TKO. Since 2012 he has had to be a boxing gypsy doing most of his fighting in Zambia due to the lack of any action in Zimbabwe. He won the ABU title with a stoppage of Petrice Sou Toke (17-1) in Burkina Faso and won the WBC International title with a stoppage of Patrick Allotey (30-0) and now has beaten a good quality Italian in Italy. He has 11 wins by KO/TKO including 7 in a row now. First loss by KO/TKO for the former Italian champion who was unbeaten in his last 17 fights. Pisanti vs. Balestri Pisanti wins the vacant Italian title with points victory over the much younger Balestri. Both fighters are cautious at the start with both waiting for the other to make a mistake but the better work is coming from southpaw Pisanti. In the fifth Pisanti slams home a big right hook that floors Balestri and also opens a cut on his left eyebrow. The cut worries Balestri and affects his form over the next three rounds as his work becomes ragged in his attempts to pull back the lost points from the knockdown. Over the last two rounds Pisanti knows he has the fight won and although tiring he is the more accurate with his punching and Balestri just can’t nail him down. Scores 97-92 twice and 97-93 all for Pisanti. Former Italian feather champion Pisanti is 11-1-1 in his last 13 fights with the loss being a challenge for the vacant Italian feather title in his last fight in October. Balestri, 25, was in his first ten round fight and will be back for another title shot in years to come. Bath, England: Super Light: Joe Hughes (12-1) W PTS 10 Tony Hardy (7-1). Local West Country fighter Hughes wins the vacant English title with split decision over North East rival Hardy. Hughes was the boss inside scoring with hooks and body punches with Hardy more effective at range using quick accurate southpaw jabs. As the fight progressed Hughes was able to work inside more but did not really start to take control until the sixth round. From then it was Hughes forcing the fight with Hardy boxing on the back foot and countering when he could. Both fighters tired over the last two rounds with Hughes looking to have done enough to win it but Hardy having done some good early work and the judges not of one accord. Scores 99-92 and 98-92 for Hughes and 97-95 for Hardy. Now 7 wins in a row for the 24-year-old Hughes the Southern Area champion. Hardy, 23, came in as a late substitute and was in his first ten round fight and felt he had done enough to get the verdict. Sheffield, England: Middle: Adam Etches (19-1) W TKO 3 Victor Rosales (11-1). Local favourite Etches returns with a win as he floors and halts Argentinian Rosales in three rounds. Etches made a careful start taking his time and trying to work openings. Rosales was occasionally dangerous with overhand rights but it was clear he lacked the power to trouble the Sheffield fighter. By the second Etches was letting his punches flow and Rosales looked too fragile to last long. In the third Etches was stalking Rosales and drove him to a corner where he landed a left and right that put Rosales down on his knees. He got up and after the eight count tried to fight back but was again cornered and Etches slammed home a couple of punches to the head. Rosales managed to escape to the other side of the ring but a thunderous right cross put him down on his hands and knees and although he was up before the eight count was completed the referee stopped the fight. Etches, 24, was flying along until Sergey Khomitsky put him down and out cold in their fight in March. He has work to do to rebuild his confidence but at least he has started on that road. Rosales, 29, holds a generally unrecognised version of the national title. He was unbeaten going in but his opposition has been abysmal with eight of his opponents having total records of 1-33 and the other three having negative records. Presidencia Roque Saenz Pena, Argentina: Cruiser: Patricio V Pitto (9-2-2) W PTS 10 Walter G Sequeira (14-2). Pitto comes in way over the weight and wins but title not at stake. The big weight difference was a factor in the fight with the better skills of Sequeira nullified by his inability to hurt the heavier man. After an even first round Pitto scored with two hooks to the body and a right to the head which had Sequeira in trouble and the referee applied a standing count. Sequeira had a better third staying in ring centre and outscoring Pitto. The fourth saw tactics evolve where Sequeira would use his speed and work rate to collect the points with Pitto looking to score with hard counters and try to force Sequeira to the ropes. Both had good spells in the following four rounds with lateral movement and hand speed Sequeira’s strengths and Pitto countering and forcing the action with hard shots to the body. Sequeira started the ninth with some nice combinations but a punch from Pitto sent Sequeira’s mouthguard flying. They both put everything into the last round with Pitto just having the edge. Scores 96 ½-94 and 97-96 for Pitto and 96 ½-94 ½ for Sequeira. Pitto, 31, a natural cruiser hit the scale at 185lbs and initially had an 11lbs advantage although that was reduced later. He has 5 wins and a draw in his last six fights and this was only his second ten round fight. Sequeira’s WBC Latino light heavy title was not on the line as a result of the weights but he had 14 bout winning streak broken. We've had a few quiet days in boxing recently but over the next few hours the sport really comes alive in explosive and exciting fashion.
The first of the major bouts is expected in the UK where British fighter Anthony Crolla (29-4-2, 11) looks to complete a remarkable comeback and claim the WBA Lightweight title as he takes on Colombian Darleys Perez (32-1, 20). Both fighters have great back stories and both will be looking to score a major win here in a bout that is certainly charged with emotion. On the same British card we'll also see a mouth watering bout at 122lbs as WBA champion Scott Quigg (30-0-2, 20) defends his belt against former IBF champion Kiko Martinez (32-5, 24). This is the first really big test for Quigg since claiming the title in strange circumstances more than a year ago. Whilst this is a great test for Quigg it does need saying that Martinez has twice been beaten by Quigg's public rival Carl Frampton. Having just mentioned Carl Frampton (20-0, 14) it's worth noting that he'll be defending his IBF title in Texas as he takes on Alejandro Gonzalez Jr (25-1-2, 15), who is best known for stopping the once touted Hanzel Martinez. This has been widely criticised as a mismatch though interesting we know that Shingo Wake will be in attendance with the intention of scouting the winner, for whom he'll be the mandatory challenger. Also in Texas we'll see former Middleweight title holder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (48-2-1-1, 32) take on Marcos Reyes (33-2, 24) in a bout that saw Chavez fail to make weight, not for the first time in his career. Chavez is coming back following his first stoppage loss and he really does need a win here or his career will effectively be over. We also get two more bouts of note in Germany, both at 168lbs. The first of those sees touted puncher Vincent Feigenbutz (19-1, 18) battling against inactive veteran Mauricio Reynoso (15-1-1, 11) for the WBA “interim” title, in what really seems like a joke bout to hand Feigenbutz a belt. The other bout will see WBO champion Arthur Abraham (42-4, 28) defending his title against nemesis Robert Stieglitz (47-4-1, 27), in what will be a 4th meeting between the two men. The loser of this rematch, of a rematch, or a rematch, will almost certainly be looking at retirement whilst the winner may get another big payday due to their title. A huge thanks as always to Eric Armit for his latest weekly review
July 8 San Jorge, Argentina: Super Welter: Marcello Coceres (18-0-1) W PTS 10 Claudineli Lacerda (17-11-1). Hometown fighter Coceres has no trouble retaining his IBF Latino title. From the outset Coceres was just too big and too good for Brazilian Lacerda. He made a fast start and for a while it looked as though he was going to end it quickly. However he just could not find the punch and he then cruised through to the seventh round. From the eighth Coceres again put on more pressure but Lacerda hung on to last the distance. Scores 99-91 twice and 100-90. Third defence for the 24-year-old FAB No 5. Lacerda, 35, is1-4-1 in his last 6. New York, NY, USA: Super Feather: Bryant Cruz (15-0) W TKO 4 Martin Cardona (19-6). Super Welter: Patrick Day (11-1-1) W PTS 8 Lenwood Dozier (9-8-1). Welter: Sergey Lipinets (7-0) W TKO 3 Kendal Mena (20-2). Cruz vs. Cardona “PeeWee” Cruz muscles Cardona out of the fight inside 5 rounds. Cruz had Cardona on the back foot for most of the fight scoring with heavy body shots whenever he had Cardona on the ropes. The action was one-sided with Cruz banging home overhand rights and left hooks with Cardona taking beating. The Mexican “Marciano” was retired by his corner at the end of the fourth round. Cruz, a 25-year-old from Port Chester is a former NGG silver medallist. This was his first scheduled ten round fight but ended up as win No 8 by KO/TKO. Day vs. Dozier Former top amateur Day is rebuilding after losing his unbeaten record. Day used a well tested method for victory opening up with the stiff jab/right cross approach and as the fight progressed went more to the body. Dozier never got a foothold in the fight and was slowly broken down. He rallied briefly in the sixth but not enough to take the round and Day handed out more punishment in the seventh and the eighth without being able to put Dozier away. Scores 80-72 from all three judges. Day, 22, another former NGG silver medallist, and at one time the top rated American amateur at his weight, lost a majority decision to unbeaten Alantez Fox in January and this is his second win since then. Lipinets vs. Mena Lipinets blows away Mena inside three rounds. The Kazak-born Russian floored Mena heavily at the end of the second round and another knockdown in the third saw the referee stop the fight. The 26-year-old former Wrld Full Contact and MMA champion goes to 6 wins in a row by KO/TKO. He already has useful wins over Daniel Lomeli and Cosme Rivera. Dominican Mena’s is a testimony to the abysmal matching in his home country with only two of his victims having positive records and 11 of his opponent never having won a fight. July 10 Lanus Oeste, Argentina: Super Light: Xavier L Castillo (14-4) W TKO 1 Mauro M Godoy (19-1). Castillo springs major upset as he stops formerly unbeaten Godoy inside a round to win the national title. Castillo came out swinging and hurt Godoy early. He then surged forward thumping home a series of rights which drove Godoy to the ropes and he was still unloading rights as the referee stepped in and pulled Castillo off to apply a standing count. After the count Castillo jumped on Godoy and drove him to the ropes again and landed a couple more rights with the referee leaping in to stop the fight. Godoy had not been off his feet and protested the stoppage which did look a tad premature. Castillo, rated No 5 by the FAB gets his fifth win by KO/TKO and in addition to winning the Argentinian title he has also halted the WBO No 9. He is now 5-1 in his last 6 fights with the loss being a very creditable majority decision against Australian Josh King in September. Godoy, 25, was making the second defence of his national title and will be looking for a chance for revenge. Malvern, Australia: Super Welter: Ben Capps (12-3-2) W TKO 10 Mike Esgandari (6-2). Light Heavy: Steve Ma (7-6-1) W PTS 8 Manny Vlamis (13-4). Capps vs. Esgandari Capps wins the vacant WBC ABC Continental title with late stoppage of Esgandari. In a tough hard-fought match Capps just proved too strong in the end and forced the referee’s intervention less than a minute from the bell in the last round. The Melbourne 22-year-old was rebounding from a second loss to Anthony Buttigieg. He is ANBF No 7. Victoria State champion Esgandari, the ANBF No 10, had won his last three fights. Ma vs. Vlamis Ma gets surprise win over more experienced Vlamis. The New South Wales fighter and Australian No 14 at super middle won clearly over the formerly world rated Vlamis. Scores 787-73 twice and 79-71. Vlamis had blown his rating when he was stopped by journeyman Togasilimai Leota in March 2012 and was then inactive until March 2014. He had won his last two fights. Berlin, Germany: Middle: Huhu Lawal (20-0) W PTS 12 Ronny Mittag (23-2-1). Nigerian Lawal remains unbeaten with split decision over local favourite Mittag. It was a hard fought close fight with Mittag getting home with the harder single punches but Lawal just the busier. Mittag was handicapped by bad cuts over both eyes. Punches played a part in those cuts but so too did careless headwork from Lawal. The 33-year-old Nuremburg-based Lawal had built his record on at best modest opposition so this was his first real test and best win. Mittag, 26, is unbeaten in his last 21 fights but again not strong opposition. He had only one fight in 2014 but is aiming to be more active. Ensenada, Mexico: Light Fly: Maximino Flores (17-2,2ND) W PTS 10 Josue Portales (10-3-1). Light Heavy: Julio Cesar Ortega (7-1) W TKO 6 Francisco Rios (11-6-3). Flores vs. Portales Local hope Flores boxes his way to points win over Portales. A clash of heads in the third saw Flores suffer a deep cut on his left eyebrow but it did not become a factor as Flores extended his current unbeaten run to six fights. Portales had lost only one of his last 12 fights. Ortega vs. Rios Ortega was giving away a lot in weight so he chose to stay on the outside and outbox Rios. Ortega found plenty of gaps in the defence of Rios and although too quick for Rios he did not have the power to seriously shake the heavier man. The end came after the sixth round when the corner of Rios pulled their man out due to a cut. Ortega gets his fifth win by KO/TKO in his first scheduled eight round fight. Rios came in 3kgs overweight. Benalmadena, Spain: Welter: Kelvin Dotel (9-1) W TKO 8 Jorge Fortea (13-1-1). Cruiser: Cesar Cordoba (9-0) W TKO 4 Arturs Kulikauskis (16-26-5). Dotel vs. Fortea Dotel finds the punch to win a fight he was losing and lifts the vacant Spanish title. Fortea, the bigger fighter physically, was on his way to a convincing points win after dominating the first six rounds. In the eighth he decided to go for an inside the distance win and left himself open. Dotel crashed home a counter and with Fortea suddenly on shaky legs Dotel kept punching until the referee had no choice but to stop the action to save Fortea from punishment. The Mallorcan-based Dominican-born Dotel, 24, was No 7 super light in unofficial Spanish ratings and had lost on points to unbeaten Nicolas Gonzalez in March so he was the outsider in the betting here. Fortea, also 24, the Spanish No 3 will want a return as he threw this title fight away with carelessness. Cordoba vs. Kulikauskis Local fighter Cordoba hits too hard for Latvian southpaw Kulikauskis and halts him in four rounds. Now 8 wins by KO/TKO for the 34-year-old former Spanish amateur champion who was good enough to beat Brit Callum Johnson on his way to winning the prestigious BoxAm amateur tournament. Kulikauskis is 1-4-1 in his last 6 fights. Barcelona, Spain: Super Feather: Juli Giner (17-1-1) W TKO 4 Ivan Ruiz Morote (17-6-1). Super Welter: Isaac Real (12-1-1) W TKO 6 Michael Mora (11-3).Light: Jerobe Santana (7-0) W PTS 6 Innocent Anyanwu (22-12-3). Super Welter Julio Garcia Roche (16-4-1) W PTS 6 Miguel Aguilar (11-17). Giner vs. Morote Giner win the vacant EU title with stoppage of fellow-countryman Morote. Giner came close to ending it in the first when he scored with a hard right that had Morote struggling and only the bell prevented a quick finish. Giner was much too fast-handed for Morote and continued to score with quick combinations in the second and third rounds. In the fourth a series of punches put Morote down and although he climbed to his feet he was still very shaken and the referee stopped the fight. The 31-year-old “The Rock” a former top amateur had drawn with Ruddy Encarnacion for the Spanish title and then lost to Encarnacion for this same EU title which Encarnacion has since relinquished. He is now hoping for a shot at the European title but is behind Encarnacion in the queue. Morote, 35, was rated No 1 feather in Spain and has had a tough road recently with losses to Kid Galahad, Encarnacion and Dennis Ceylan. Real vs. Mora Real wins the interim WBC Latino title with stoppage of Nicaraguan Mora. Real took a round to study Mora then brought his skills into play in the second clearly outboxing Mora. Real was still showing his superior skills in the third and fourth and now targeting Mora’s body. The Nicaraguan was becoming desperate and lost a point for a deliberate butt. Real turned up the heat in the fifth and by the end of the round Mora was soaking up continuous punishment. His corner wisely retired their man at the end of the round. The 33-year-old former undefeated Spanish champion had pulled off a major upset when he halted Italian Emanuele Della Rosa (33-1) in May last year to win the vacant European title. He lost the title in August to German star Jack Culcay but ran Culcay close. This is his second win this year. Mora, just 19, had a good run back home as he won six on the bounce but in April last year was knocked out in ten rounds by Edwin Palacios for the national title and this was his first fight since then. Santana vs. Anyanwu Santana remains unbeaten with easy decision over Nigerian-born Anyanwu. Santana had a big edge in skill boxing cleverly and scoring with quick accurate punches whilst Anyanwu fought only in spurts and was wild at times. Santana took the unanimous decision. The clever 22-year-old from Las Palmas, the Spanish No 7, looks promising. Anyanwu, 36, looked to have real potential when he went 20-0-2 in his first 22 fights but 2-12-1 tells a story of a lack of dedication and wasted talent. In fairness he came in as a very late substitute for this fight. Roche vs. Aguilar Roche gets revenge for split decision loss in February. Aguilar started as though he was going get a repeat win as he edged the first two rounds with some clever boxing. From the third Roche took over forcing Aguilar on to the back foot pressurising all the way. Aguilar made a big effort in the last as they swapped punches but Roche had the edge and got his revenge. The 33-year-old from Barcelona, the Spanish No 7, had lost to Roberto Santos in December so snapped a two bout losing run. Nicaraguan Aguilar, 28, is 1-13 in his last 14 so his win over Roche in February was quite an upset. Chaiyaphum, Thailand: Feather: Thong Sithluangphopun (13-0) W KO 5 James Mokoginta (27-17-3). Thong retains PABA title for fifth time but given a quartet of tough rounds by Mokoginta. Both fighters established their jab in the first round with Thong mixing his work with good combinations to head and body and Mokoginta scoring with a couple of good right crosses. The second round went to Mokoginta after he landed a long hard right cross and right uppercut and drove Thong to a corner and kept the Thai trapped there until the bell. The third was also a close round with Thong going for left hooks to the body but again rights from Mokoginta had the Thai on the back foot for most of the round. In the fourth they were toe-to-toe with both scoring with hard shots Thong going to the body and Mokoginta using right uppercuts. Thong was getting on top in the fifth getting through with double left hooks to body and chin and suddenly a long straight right to the body sent Mokoginta down on his hands and knees in agony. He just looked at his corner and shook his head and the referee stopped the count and waived the fight over. Now 9 wins by KO/TKO for the 22-year-old Thai. Indonesian Mokoginta loses inside the distance for the ninth time. He is 24 and turned pro at the age of 13. July 11 Tandil, Argentina: Feather: Matias C A Rueda (23-0) W TKO 5 Jimmy Aburto (16-6-2). Light: German A Benitez (12-0,1ND) W TKO 3 Diego Baez (9-6). Rueda vs. Aburto Rueda goes to 23 wins on the bounce as he halts Nicaraguan Aburto in five rounds. This was almost over in the first round when “Cobrita” Rueda floored Aburto twice with left hooks to the body. Rueda then seemed to go off the boil in the second and third but blasted back in the fourth to put Aburto down again from a left hook to the body. In the fifth a straight right unhinged Aburto’s legs and he was badly shaken with the referee stepping in quickly to save him from further punishment The 27-year-old hometown fighter, the Argentinian champion, makes it 20 wins by KO/TKO including 14 in his last 15 fights and retains his WBO Latino title. He is No 5 with the WBO. Aburto. 23, loses by KO/TKO for the fourth time and is 2-4 in his last 6 fights. Benitez vs. Baez Benitez hits too hard for Baez and hands him his first loss inside the distance. From the opening action Benitez was a class above Baez and easy cruised through the first two rounds. A right cross floored Baez early in the third and the fight was virtually over. Baez made it to the vertical but a series of head and body punches had the referee stepping in to give Baez a standing count. A couple of hefty thumps to the head saw Baez slump down on to the second ropes and the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight. Fifth win by KO/TKO for 24-year-old Benitez who needed an impressive win after just scraping by with split decisions in his last two fights. Fourth loss in a row for Baez. Woden, Australia: Heavy: Peter Graham (9-3-1) W PTS 10 Ben Edwards (5-1-1). Graham wins the Australian title with a split decision over Edwards. Graham did not seem to be effected by ring rust in his first fight since February 2013 and ran out the winner on scores of 97-93 and 97-94 to 97-95 for Edwards. Graham, 39, who over an extended period is now 9-0-1 in his last 10 fights, had spent some time in MMA action before returning to boxing. Edwards, 30, was making the first defence of the title he won by beating Hunter Sam in February. Magdeburg, Germany; Heavy: Ruslan Chagaev (34-2-1) W KO 1 Francesco Pianeta (31-2-1). Heavy: Mike Wallisch (15-0) W TKO 2 Fabio Tuiach (27-5). Heavy: Apti Davtaev (9-0-1) W KO 2 Jakov Gospic (15-13). Heavy: Edmund Gerber (25-2) W KO 5 Lubos Suda (33-10-1). Heavy: Tom Schwarz (13-0) WPTS 8 Konstantin Airich (21-12-2). Heavy: Alex Dimitrenko (36-2) W TKO 2 Zoltan Csala (8-3). Chagaev vs. Pianeta Chagaev retains the WBA secondary title as he clubs a disappointing Pianeta to defeat inside a round in a battle of southpaws. A cautious start from Pianeta who was trying to use his advantages in height and reach to keep Chagaev out. Pianeta scored with quick short right and then went back to boxing on the retreat. Chagaev bulled him to the ropes and landed two chopping lefts to the side of the head and Pianeta slumped to the floor on his hands and knees. Up at 5 he was bouncing on his toes and stepped forward when asked to do so by the referee. For a short while Pianeta seemed to have recovered as he tied Chagaev up inside and landed a couple of light rights but Chagaev again bundled Pianeta into a corner and landed a clubbing left which saw Pianeta drop to the canvas on his side. He tried to get up by grabbing the rope and pulling himself but the referee waived the fight off as Pianeta was still struggling to rise. First defence of the WBA title for the 36-year-old Uzbek “White Tyson” and win No 21 by KO/TKO. Chagaev’s two losses have been a stoppage by Wlad Klitschko in 2009 for the IBF/WBO/IBO titles and Alex Povetkin for this same WBA title in 2011. He won this WBA title with a hotly disputed decision over Fres Oquendo last July and as a result of a court judgement Chagaev is now obliged to give Oquendo a return. Thirty-year-old Italian born Pianeta had just take out a German passport and was hoping to be the first Germany to win a heavyweight title since Max Schmeling 85 years ago but was crushed here. His only other loss was also to Wlad Klitschko in six rounds in 2013 and this was his fourth fight since then. Wallisch vs. Tuiach Wallisch wins the vacant WBO Europe title with early stoppage of Italian Tuiach. Wallisch put Tuiach down twice in the first and another knockdown in the second round ended it. Local resident Wallisch, 29, a 6’5” (196cm) is continuing to rebuild after being released from prison after a 26 month sentence for assaulting three Dutchmen. His SES team stuck by him and he is now hoping this WBO title title will give his career a big boost. This is his tenth win by KO/TKO. Former Italian champion Tuiach, 35, lost in two rounds to Marco Huck for the EBU cruiser title in 2008 and is now 2-3 in 5 fights at heavyweight also losing to Matteo Modugno and Salvatore Erittu in Italian title fights. He came in as a substitute for Steffen Kretschmann who pulled out with an injury. Davtaev vs. Gospic Davtaev easily disposes of Gospic inside two rounds. In the second with Gospic on the ropes the Russian landed a series of hard punches which saw Gospic sink to the bottom rope which was holding him up. The referee started to count and Gospic got up just before the eight but was cut over his left eye and started walking to his corner on unsteady legs and as he had turned his back the referee rightly continued the count to the out. The 26-year-old Russian has 9 wins by KO/TKO as he tries to put behind him a split draw with Ante Verunica (3-1) in his previous fight in October. Croatian Gospic has lost 6 of his last 7 fights so a safe choice. Gerber vs. Suda Gerber just too big and heavy for the Czech veteran. The size and weight differences had Suda on the back foot from the start. He used his considerable experience to survive the first four rounds but Gerber cornered him in the fifth and two heavy rights put Susa down and he stayed there for the count. The 26-year-old Kazak-born Gerber has 15 wins by KO/.TKO. He had his balloon punctured somewhat in losing to Mike Sprott and Dereck Chisora and was then inactive for almost a year before returning with a win in July last year. This is his first fight since then. He is No 14 with the EBU. Suda, 39, had won his last two fights but is too small for these big guys. Schwarz vs. Airich Germany’s heavyweight prospect Schwarz has a good learning fight as he outpoints experienced Airich. The tall (6’ 5 ½” 197cm) German had Airich on the back foot for most of the fight scoring with jabs and straight rights and pocketing the rounds. Airich came to life briefly in the seventh but was always second best. Scores 80-72 for all three judges. The 21-year-old Schwarz has 7 first round wins so gets some much needed ring time out of this one. Airich, 36, has lost his last four fights with Denis Bakhtov, Anthony Joshua and Mariusz Wach his other conquerors. Dimitrenko vs. Csala Dimitrenko halts Csaba in two rounds. There was a great disparity in height here. Csaba’s tactics in the first round were to rush in like a bull with his head down. Dimitrenko needed a cape sword but in the absence of those it was an untidy mauling round with the best punches being a double left hook to the body and right uppercut from Dimitrenko. More bull rushes and wrestling from Csaba in the second round until Dimitrenko landed a left uppercut to the body of Csaba. The Hungarian was bent double and the referee gave him a standing count. As the action continued a shot from Dimitrenko landed low and Csaba was given time to recover and then Dimitrenko shoved Csaba over backwards to the canvas. The end when it came was the one real mome4nt of quality as a straight right from Dimitrenko landed flush on Csaba’s chin and left the Hungarian spread-eagled on the canvas as the referee needlessly counted ten. The 33-year-old giant lost two big fights to Eddie Chambers and Kubrat Pulev and was inactive for just over two years returning in March with a victory. He gets win No 23 by KO/TKO but still looked the same fighting by numbers Dimitrenko who just does not have what it takes to be a real threat. Csaba was halted in four rounds by Gary Cornish in May. Kingston, Jamaica: Middle: Kemahl Russell (7-0) W TKO 4 Richard Holmes (9-5). Russell beats Holmes to claim the title of Jamaica’s Ultimate Middleweight Contender Champion and takes the prize of JMD 2 million ($17,000). Russell was stronger faster and more skilful than Holmes. After dominating the first two rounds Russell really poured on the punishment in the third and late in the fourth Holmes corner threw in the towel. Holmes took the second prize of JMD 500,000 ($4,000). Now 5 wins by KO/TKO for Russell who has won 7 of his last 8 fights. Second loss by KO/TKO for Holmes. Tijuana, Mexico: Light: Armando Robles (29-4-2,1ND) ND 1 Carlos Parra (14-11-2,1ND). Former Mexican super light champion Armando Robles was hoping to use this fight to put the nightmare of a 44 seconds kayo loss to Jesus Zepeda behind him but it was not to be. A clash of heads in the first round saw Robles suffer a bad cut and the fight was over as a no decision. The 37-year-old Mexicali southpaw had a 21-0-2 run at one time but is 5-3-1ND in his last 9. Parra was having his first fight since August 2013. Acapulco, Mexico: Super Light: Marcos Villasana Jr (16-6) W TKO 3 Jesus Cruz Bibiano (15-11). Super Feather: Andres Gutierrez (32-0-1) W PTS 10 Jhon Gemino (12-4). Super Feather: Juan Jose Martinez (22-2) W TKO 1 Juan Aparicio (27-10). Villasana vs. Bibiano Villasana wins this battle for local bragging rights with stoppage of Bibiano. This was a wild scrap from the outset. Both exchanged hard punches in the first round with little to separate them. Bibiano came out fast in the second but left himself open and a series of hard punches from Villasana put him down. He was up quickly and went back to the attack only to by floored by a hard right. He stood up and the bell went before Villasana could follow up his advantage. Villasana scored another knockdown in the third and although Bibiano made it to his feet the fight was halted. Gutierrez vs. Gemino Gutierrez keeps on track for a world title fight as outpoints Gemino over ten hard rounds. The Filipino visitor made a promising start scoring with uppercuts and hooks and a hard left which immediately started a swelling by the left eye of Gutierrez. By the start of the second round that left eye was almost closed but Gutierrez landed a right to the chin that put Gemino down. The Filipino got up and lasted out the round but was outboxed by the “Jaguar” in the third. The fourth and fifth were close rounds but Gemino had a good sixth slamming home shots to the chin due to the restricted vision of Gutierrez. Gutierrez went back to basics over the remaining rounds using a stiff jab and quick combinations and took the deserved decision. Scores 97-92 twice and 98-91. Tough night for the 22-year-old Gutierrez (he turned pro at 15) the WBC No 7. His draw was with experienced Jesus Ruiz and he has wins over Salvador Sanchez and Ray Perez. Gemino, 23, the GAB champion, had good domestic wins over Rey Juntilla and JR Magboo and made it an uncomfortable night for Gutierrez Martinez vs. Gonzalez Martinez blows away Aparicio inside a round. Aparicio came in as a very late substitute and never had a chance as Martinez jumped on him quickly and hurt him early to force the stoppage. The 29-year-old from Mexico City has 17 wins by KO/TKO, six in the first round. After an early career loss he is 21-1 in his last 22 fights with the loss being a split technical decision against Rey Bautista in Dubai in September. Now 4 losses in his last 5 fights for Aparicio. Cebu City, Philippines: Light Fly Donnie Nietes (36-1-4) W PTS 12 Francisco Rodriguez (17-3-1). Feather: Mark Magsayo (11-0) W TKO 5 Rafael Reyes (16-5). Feather: Roli Gasca (23-6-1) W KO 2 Rasmanudin (19-10-3). Nietes vs. Rodriguez Nietes retains the WBO title with points win over Mexican Rodriguez. The challenger tried to set a fast pace and take the fight to Nietes. The Filipino star is a great counter puncher and was scoring with counter hooks and uppercuts. Rodriguez had the edge in hand speed but Nietes was more accurate and more powerful. Rodriguez continued to come forward in the second and scored with some good punches of his own but it was Nietes who was impressing with his counters and Rodriguez ended the round with a small cut by his left eye. The pattern remained the same over the next three rounds with Nietes piling up the points with a sharp jab and hooks and uppercuts but Rodriguez battled back to make the seventh close. It was in this round that Nietes said he damaged his right hand but he was still in control. The punches from Nietes were starting to distort the features of Rodriguez but the Mexican kept battling back although Nietes was slowing him with body punches. Rodriguez put in a big effort over the last three rounds to try to turn the fight around but apart from opening a cut over the right eye of Nietes in the eleventh when the Filipino slowed he was unsuccessful and he paid for his efforts as Nietes had the challenger bleeding from the nose and mouth and chasing in vain in the twelfth. Scores 119-109, 118-110 and 115-113. The first two were too wide and the third too close but Nietes was the clear winner. Fourth defence of his WBO title for Nietes who is 25-0-3 since losing a split decision in Indonesia against Angky Angkotta in 2004 a fight in which Angkotta came in 6lbs over the contract weight. The 33-year-old “Ahas”-that nickname comes from him being given the job of looking after the gym’s pet python when was the junior member in the gym-made seven defences of his WBO minimumweight title and sits up there just behind Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire as top boxer in the Philippines. Rodriguez, 22, will probably win this title or another in a few years. He relinquished his IBF/WBO minimumweight titles due to weight problems and his only other loss in his previous 12 fights was against the great Roman Gonzalez. Magsayo vs. Reyes Prospect Magsayo gets another inside the distance win as he floors and halts Mexican Reyes. Magsayo was willing to stand and trade with Reyes in the first round with both having some success. From the second Magsayo used quick movement and fast hands to score and get away before Reyes could fire off any effective counters. Magsayo scored a knockdown in the third when Reyes momentarily dropped his guard to complain of a low punch and Magsayo threw a quick punch that put Reyes down. Magsayo was gradually eroding the Mexican’s resistance and when a hard combination put Reyes down in the fifth Reyes spat out his mouthguard and the referee stopped the fight. Now 7 wins by KO/TKO in his last 8 fights for the 20-year-old “Magnifico” the GAB No 8 who wins the vacant IBF Youth title. Reyes drops to 2-4 in his last 6 fights. Gasca vs. Rasmanudin Gasca gets welcome win over experienced Indonesian. The hard puncher from Cebu City took the first round and then ended it early in the second with a thunderous left hook to the chin. The 26-year-old “Zuma” was coming off back-to-back losses to South Africans Thabo Sonjica for the vacant IBO super bantam title and Lusanda Komanisi for the IBO feather title. Rasmanudin, 28, now has 6 losses by KO/TKO and is 1-6-1 in his last 8 fights. Mandaluyong City, Philippines: Super Fly: Jonas Sultan (9-2) W PTS 12 Rene Dacquel (14-5-1). Light Fly Richard Claveras (13-1-2) W PTS 12 Benezer Alolod (16-8-5). Super Fly: Michael Dasmarinas (21-2) W PTS 10 Jhalel Payao (11-1). Fly: Ardin Diale (29-9-3) W TKO 6 Heri Amol (35-24-4). Sultan vs. Dacquel Sultan wins the GAB title with unanimous decision over champion Dacquel. The Cebu fighter won clearly. A stunning overhand right in the third forced Dacquel to hold on to the ropes to keep himself up and the referee gave him a standing count. Dacquel escaped a point deduction in the seventh round when a clash of heads left Sultan with a small cut. Apart from that the fight was quite close but a clash of heads in the ninth caused a cut by Sultan’s left eye and that was spotted by the referee and as Sultan was cut a point was deducted from Dacquel. With the standing count and the deduction for the cut Dacquel had a mountain to climb but did not make it. Scores 117-109, 115-111 and 114-111. “Zorro” Sultan 23 was the GAB No 5 going into this one and has now won his last 5 fights. His two losses were both split decisions. “Commander” Dacquel, 24, was making his first defence having won the title in April with a good win over Melvin Gumban (19-0). Claveras vs. Alolod Claveras gets down to domestic business again as he gets unanimous decision over fellow-Filipino Alolod. Once again the WBC style rule regarding cuts in head clashes came into play with Alolod losing a point in the second round after a clash of heads saw Claveras emerge with a cut. Claveras went on to take the decision on scores of 117-112, 116-111 and 115-112. First fight for Claveras, 26, the GAB No 3 since losing inside a round to Pedro Guevara in a WBC title fight in April. He retains his WBC ABC title. Southpaw Alolod, a former GAB champion has lost his three fights this year all on points. Dasmarinas vs. Payao Dasmarinas wins the WBC Youth title with victory over fellow-southpaw Payao. Dasmarinas outboxed the unbeaten Payao comprehensively over the first four rounds to be 40-36 up on all three cards and although Payao had more success in the middle rounds Dasmarinas always had his nose at least a couple of rounds in front.. Again the WBC head clash rule came into force when a clash of heads in the sixth saw Dasmarinas suffer a cut on his right eyelid he comfortably boxed his way to the unanimous decision. Scores 96-93 twice and 97-93. The 22-year-old Dasmarinas, the GAB No 2, has lost only one of his last 19 fights which was a split decision to Lwandile Sityatha for the IBO title in December. Payao, 21, was making the first defence of the title he won by outpointing Dacquel in December. He has 15 wins by KO/TKO. Diale vs. Amol Diale continues his good run as he forces a sixth round retirement by an outclassed Amol. The 26-year-old Jackal, a former GAB fly champion lost to Julio Cesar Miranda for the WBO title in 2011. He has now won 8 of his last 9 fights with the loss being to IBF No 3 Koki Eto in June last year. Amol on the slide with 10 losses in a row. Las Palmas, CI, and Spain: Welter: Ceferino Rodriguez (18-1) W Aitor Nieto (17-3). Rodriguez wins this battle between the two top welters in Spain and collects the vacant WBC Latino title. Rodriguez, known as “Ferino V” was in charge from the start as he used an educated jab to and superior technique to control the fight. Nieto was never in the fight over the first six rounds and although over the last six he threw more punches he was in contention only on rare occasions and had to fight with the handicap of a cut on his left eyebrow, Rodriguez boxed sensibly taking no risks and with Nieto forced to be more aggressive Rodriguez was able to land hard counters as Nieto left gaps in his defence. Scores 120-108, 119-109 and 118-110. The 26-year-old from Las Palmas, a former undefeated EU champion, slipped up badly in April when he lost every round against Frenchman Mohamed Mimoune. That saw the Sergio Martinez managed fighter fall to No 9 with the EBU but a European title fight is his aim now. Nieto, 31, lost to Ahmed El Mausaoui for the vacant EU title in December and had run up two wins since then. Manchester, England: Light: Terry Flanagan (28-0) W TKO 2 Jose Zepeda (23-1). Light: Liam Walsh (19-0) W KO 6 Isaias Santos Sampaio (23-11). Super Fly: Paul Butler (18-1) W TKO 5 Gustavo Molina (19-7). Heavy: Alex Ustinov (31-1) W TKO 2 Travis Walker (39-14-1). Super Light: Jack Catterall (12-0) W TKO 6 Gabriel F Punalef C (22-6-3). Super Light: Thomas Stalker (10-1-1) DREW 8 Tommy Carus (7-2-1). Super Feather: Jon Kays (21-4-1) W TKO 3 Mike Stupart (4-26-2). Flanagan vs. Zepeda Flanagan wins the vacant WBO title as Zepeda is forced to retire with a shoulder injury. The first round saw Zepeda showing a quick jab and Flanagan looking to counter. There were a couple of bouts of trading but it was a close round with Zepeda’s jab probably giving him the edge. In the second Flanagan was timing his shots better and Zepeda was reaching with his jab and Flanagan was quick to counter. As the round progressed Zepeda stopped using his left completely and gave it a shake but did well not to show any other sign of the problem before the bell. However as he returned to his corner he was holding his left shoulder awkwardly obviously hurt and it was quickly established that he was unable to continue. “Turbo” Flanagan, 26, wins a world title. Not in the way he would have wished but that’s not his fault and in boxing you take any break you can get. The local fighter, a former British champion will now be looking forward to some defences in his home city. Unlucky Zepeda, 26 will have to wait until his shoulder heals and then try to fight his way back into contention. Walsh vs. Sampaio Walsh has too much of everything for Brazilian Sampaio. From the opening bell Sampiao was in full retreat circling the perimeter of the ring and only stopping occasionally to throw an ineffectual jab. Walsh patiently stalked after Sampiao and you knew that once Walsh cornered him it would be over. It is difficult to fight someone who only has one gear and that is rapid retreat so after four rounds of being patient Walsh switched to southpaw. Sampiao was now tiring and holding more. Walsh was just as comfortable as a southpaw and a confused Sampiao was getting caught by hard punches from both the Cromer fighter’s left and right and to confuse him even more Walsh effortlessly switched back to orthodox before the end of the round. In the sixth Walsh was back to southpaw and digging into Sampiao’s ribs with hard right hooks. In close Walsh landed a couple of body punches and as Sampiao slumped forward Walsh helped him down to his knees. The Brazilian was up immediately and protested the eight count. Walsh walked Sampiao to the ropes and landed a left hook to the chin and then to the body and Sampiao was down and counted out. Walsh, 29, wins the vacant WBO Inter-Continental title and makes it 13 wins by KO/TKO. The British and Commonwealth champion has wins over Scott Harrison, Gary Sykes and two victories over Joe Murray. He is rated WBO 3/IBF 10(9) and joins Flanagan, Derry Matthews, Anthony Crolla, Kevin Mitchell, Tommy Coyle, Ricky Burns, Luke Campbell and Scott Cardle in a sparkling list of British lightweights. Sampiao, who came in as a late substitute, had won his last 4 fights but both Jack Asis and Billy Dib beat him inside two rounds last year and this is his tenth loss by KO/TKO. Butler vs. Molina Butler showed no ill effects from his crushing loss to Zolani Tete as he overcame an aggressive start from Molina to win inside the distance. Butler was happy to get in some rounds and looked sharp scoring with a variety of punches to head and body with his usual dazzling hand speed but Molina gave him an uncomfortable first two rounds before Butler got into the groove. He shook Molina with a left in the third but chose to box on the back foot and counter as Molina came forward. In the fifth a right counter stunned Molina and then Butler poured in some flashing left hooks that saw the referee stop the fight to save Molina. Now 9 wins by KO/TKO for the 26-year-old former undefeated IBF bantam champion the “Baby Faced Assassin”. He has started his rebuilding and I can see him fighting for a title again in 2016 although at domestic level there are real challenges available in Khalid Yafai and Jamie Conlan. Mexican champion Molina had won his last 3 fights and this is his fifth loss by KO/TKO. Ustinov vs. Walker Too easy for Ustinov as Walker looks like he would rather be somewhere else. The big Russian towered over Walker and had a big advantage in weight. He used that to bull Walker to the ropes and landed two clubbing rights to the chin that put Walker down. He got up and tried to hold and wrestle but he was on the ropes again and two cuffing rights to the side of the head put him down for the second time. Again he got up and was in survival mode trying to get inside and grab the towering Ustinov and as he did so he went down for a third time but it was from a push. In the second round Walker was lunging and holding with Ustinov using his weight to push the American around. A left hook from Ustinov sent Walker staggering back into the ropes and the refereed had seen enough and immediately waived the fight over. The 38-year-old 6’7 ½” (202cm) Russian-born Belarus fighter has 22 wins by KO/TKO. His only loss was an eleventh round knockout defeat against Kubrat Pulev in 2012 for the EBU title. After easily outpointing David Tua in November 2013 he did not fight again until decisioning Chauncy Welliver last December and this was his first fight since then. He is big and strong but fast-no! “Freight Train” Walker 36 has now lost 7 fights in a row. Catterall vs. Punalef Catterall retains his WBO Inter-Continental title in bad tempered foul-filled win over Punalef (that’s his designation in the FAB ratings not Calfin). Catterall had a big edge in skill and Punalef was doing everything he could to stop Catterall using that advantage. Catterall quickly lost his temper with the holding and spoiling tactics of Punalef and he lost a point in the second round for a blow to the back of Punlalef’s head and another in the third for trying to launch Punalef out of the arena. As Catterall settled down he began to slot home hard punches from both hands. Punalef’s spoiling increased and he was deducted a point in the fourth and for dangerous use of the head in the fifth. Catterall’s punches were on target now which rapidly lead to Punalef’s right closing. The doctor took a look at Punalef’s eye injury before the start of the sixth and again early in the round but let the fight continue then Catterall launched a furious attack landing a series of hard lefts. With Punalef trapped on the ropes and being punished the referee stopped the fight. The 22-year-old Chorley southpaw will want to forget this one but he came through a messy fight with a spoiler and finished it well. The WBO No 10 has 8 wins by KO/TKO. Punalef, the FAB No 2 lightweight was 13-1 in his last 14 fights but could not handle the classy skills of Catterall. Stalker vs. Carus Despite outstanding amateur credentials Stalker just can’t seem to get his pro career off the launch pad. This should not have been too tough a test but he was unable to convince the referee that he had done enough to deserve the verdict. Carus showed good movement and good stamina but Stalker had big rounds in the fourth and fifth and seemed to have done enough to just edge the fight. At 31 the Liverpool southpaw, a former captain of England’s amateur team is running out of time to break through. Fellow southpaw and fellow scouser Carus had won 3 of his last 4 fights. Kays vs. Stupart Kays halts Stupart in three rounds for rare inside the distance win. Kays used a vicious body attack to weaken and then stop Stupart. Those body punches accounted for two knockdowns which saw the fight stopped. The 32-year-old Kays a former English champion now has four wins by KO/TKO. He has lost inside the distance to Liam Walsh for the CBC title and twice, once on points and once inside the distance, to Gary Sykes in English and British title fights. Scot Stupart goes to 12 losses by KO/TKO Cannock, England: Welter: Rob Hunt (22-3-2) W TKO 3 Amir Unsworth (15-9-1). Hunt halts Unsworth but Unsworth comes in overweight so no title on the line. Hunt had height and reach over the heavier Unsworth and worked the jab well. Unsworth had some success in the second when he jumped in and landed a hard overhand right that shook Hunt but other than that Hunt was in control. In the third Hunt’s stiff jab had opened a cut over the left eye of Unsworth who was fading quickly. Hunt took Unsworth to the ropes and was driving in punches when the referee stopped the fight. Now four wins in a row for the 29-year-old Midlands Area champion. Unsworth, 34, a former Midlands Area light champion, gets his fourth loss by KO/TKO. Los Angeles, CA, USA: Super Light: Mauricio Herrera (22-5) W TEC DEC 5 Henry Lundy (25-5-1). Feather: Joseph Diaz (17-0) W PTS 10 Rene Alvarado (22-5). Light: Michael Perez (23-1-2) W KO 6 Luis Sanchez (17-4-1). Super Middle: Jason Quigley (7-0) W TKO 3 Tom Howard (8-4). Herrera vs. Lundy Herrera gets technical decision over Lundy in bloody battle. Things started badly for Herrera when he was cut over his right eye in the first round in a clash of heads. That may have thrown him out of his stride as Lundy was banging home hard counters as Herrera tried to get in close to work. It looked even worse for Herrera in the second when another head clash opened a cut over his other eye. It was obvious the fight was not going to go the distance and Herrera upped his punch rate and was working Lindy’s body. Lundy was still getting through with some good punches but Herrera was simply outworking him. Herrera had survived a couple of inspections by the doctor but in the fifth round Herrera’s cuts had worsened and this time when the referee consulted with the doctor the fight was stopped and went to the scorecards where two judges had Herrera in front 48-47 and the third had it even at 48-48 so Herrera gets the majority decision and wins the vacant NABF title. Herrera 35 is a former interim WBA champion who seems destined to be in close fights with a majority decision loss to Danny Garcia for the WBA/WBC titles, a majority decision win over Johan Perez for the interim title and a close but unanimous decision loss to Jose Benavidez which cost him the title. This one was also very close but the win preserves Herrera’s WBO 3/WBA 6 rating and keeps him in the title picture. Former NABF and NABO champion Lundy, 31, could also do with some luck as he has lost big fights to Ray Beltran-majority decision-and Thomas Dulorme-split decision with both of those fighters going on to challenge for the world title. He is at No 10 with the WBC but a long way from even a sniff of a world title fight. Diaz vs. Alvarado Diaz gets controversial verdict over Alvarado. The former Olympian seemed on his way to a win when he put Alvarado down in the first with a left hook but the Nicaraguan veteran was by no means finished and got up and started taking the fight to Diaz in the second and third rounds. As the fight progressed it was a case of the speed and skill of the younger man allowing Diaz to find a home for his southpaw jabs and right hooks but Alvarado forcing the fight and employing a higher work rate although no so accurate. That was making it a hard fight to score as despite that first round knockdown neither man seemed to have the power to take out his opponent. Diaz was doing the more eye-catching and cleaner work countering the aggression of the Nicaraguan but Alvarado was just walking forward and throwing lots of leather. Any lead Diaz had was endangered over the late rounds as he seemed to be feeling the pace more than a still strong Alvarado and an upset seemed a possibility. The Judges did not see it that way giving Diaz the decision on scores of 98-91, 96-93 and 95-94 which Alvarado had a right to feel aggrieved about and was not popular even with Diaz’s local fans. The 22-year-old “JoJo” has an impressive amateur background twice being US national Champion, competing at the 2012 Olympics and in the WSB and having a victory over Oscar Valdez. This tough, close fight will be a valuable lesson for the pro game. Alvarado, 26, a former WBC Silver title holder had been knocked back by losses to Rocky Juarez and Eric Hunter and his showing here was in line with his record of never losing by KO/TKO and fighting hard all the way. He deserved a better outcome. Perez vs. Sanchez Perez gets stoppage win in a messy fight. The styles did not gel here and despite having height and reach over Sanchez Perez did not really make full use of those advantages. He was doing enough to keep Sanchez out but was hurt by a left in the second round and also suffered a cut in a clash of heads. The fight never caught fire and a restive crowd was showing its displeasure. Perez was winning but not impressing and he suffered another cut in the fifth and only then started to let his hands go and take full command. The end in the sixth was a puzzle as Sanchez went down from an innocuous looking jab and although he made it to his feet he was on unsteady pins and the referee stopped the fight. The Roberto Garcia trained Perez, 25, wins the vacant NABO title and now has 11 wins by KO/TKO. He was beaten by Omar Figueroa in 2012 and is now 8-0-1 since then including victories over Jorge Romero and Miguel Acosta and is rated WBA 8. Sanchez had won his last 6 fights including a victory over previously unbeaten Adan Mares in April. Quigley vs. Howard Hot Irish prospect Quigley crushes Howard inside two rounds. Quigley had Howard hurt and cut in the first round and wasted no time in finishing the fight in the second. A right hook accounted for the first knockdown and although Howard got up and tried to bang back he was nailed by another right which sent him tumbling into the ropes. He again made it to his feet but a couple more bombs from Quigley and the fight was stopped. The 24-year-old Californian-based fighter from Ballybofey had won all 7 of his fights by KO/TKO talking less than 12 rounds to blow the opposition away. For me he is a sure fire future world title contender. Three losses in a row for Howard and his first loss by KO/TKO. Tampa, FL, USA: Welter: Keith Thurman (26-0) W TKO 7 Luis Collazo (36-7). Middle: Willie Nelson (24-2-1) W TKO 9 Tony Harrison (21-0). Super Light: Walter Castillo (26-3) W KO 3 Ammeth Diaz (32-12). Light: Edner Cherry (34-6-2,1ND) W KO 9 Luis Cruz (21-4). Super Light: Anthony Peterson (35-1) W TKO 6 Ramesis Gil (8-12-5). Super Welter: Patryk Szymanski (14-0) W TKO 1 Maurice Louishomme (8-3-1). Thurman vs. Collazo Thurman retains WBO title but not before being shaken and stirred. Thurman was in charge for most of this fight although a brave Collazo showed good skills to offset Thurman’s dominance. Thurman was tracking Collazo who was fighting conservatively against the much younger champion but the speed and variety of Thurman’s combinations soon began to mark up Collazo’s face with the challengers left eye swelling. In the third and fourth Thurman was shifting from side to side and slotting home shots to head and body and looking comfortable if not spectacular. The fifth was going the same way when near the end of the round Collazo hooked a left around Thurman’s right arm and the punch thudded into the champion’s ribs. The effect was immediate. Thurman shrank away doubling up in obvious pain and backed around the ring on the ropes with Collazo in pursuit. When Collazo caught up he was looking to get home with another rib bender but the bell went. Who knows if Thurman could have survived if that punch had landed early in the round? Collazo went to the body again at the start of the sixth but near the end of the round Thurman landed a couple of hard rights and a clash of heads also opened a cut over the right eye of Collazo. Thurman was in total control in the seventh scoring with a variety of punches which worsened Collazo’s cut. At the end of the round the referee went to Collazo’s corner and asked the challenger if he wanted to continue. When Collazo said he could not see clearly the referee accepted that and the fight was over. First defence of the WBA secondary title for Thurman. He got his 22nd win by KO/TKO but we also saw in the fifth round the first chink in his armour. Former WBA light welter champion Collazo, 34, was probable having his last fling at a world title and it was typical of the WBA that he was able to get the title shot after losing by a mile against Amir Khan last May. Harrison vs. Nelson Nelson come from behind to score dramatic stoppage win over Harrison. The first two rounds were close with Harrison just having the edge after getting through with some tasty body punches. Despite his big height advantage Nelson was not able to use his jab to keep Nelson out and the Detroit fighter established a useful lead with some smart counters. The level of activity dropped over the middle rounds with Harrison still doing the better and more varied work and Nelson doing very little and there were some boos from a dissatisfied crowd. Harrison looked to have the decision in the bag at the start of the ninth but still chose to trade with Nelson as nothing in the earlier rounds had indicated Nelson had the power to hurt him. He was wrong. As they exchanged shots a right cross from Nelson stunned Harrison. He took a couple of steps back obviously badly shaken and Nelson pounced slamming home a series of shots to the head and then a crushing right which sent Harrison flying back down by the ropes. He climbed to his feet well before the eight but turned away from the referee walking to a corner looking out into the crowd and shaking his head and the referee waived the fight over with just three seconds left in the round. The 28-year-old 6’3” (191cm) Nelson gets his 14th win by KO/TKO as he rebounds from losing to Vanes Martirosyan in October. Wins over Yudel Jhonson, Mike Medina and Luciano Cuello had seen him climb to No 5 with the WBC but he was dropped after the Martirosyan loss. He will now be hoping to be back in the ratings. Harrison 24 paid the price for a momentary lack of focus. He had won his last 10 fights by KO/TKO and climbed to No 6 with the IBF but will slide down after this loss. Castillo vs. Diaz Castillo wins clash of Central Americans with third round kayo of Diaz. The 26-year-old Nicaraguan now has 19 wins by KO/TKO. He had a nine fight winning streak ended in April when he lost a wide decision to unbeaten Amir Imam. Diaz, 32, was having his first fight since knocking out Brit Martin Gethin in an IBF final eliminator in May 2103 and drops to 8 losses by KO/TKO. Reportedly he left Panama for this fight without getting clearance from the Panama Commission or taking their medicals but he was OK’d after having the tests done in the US. Cherry vs. Cruz The “Cherry Bomb” explodes again. The banger from the Bahamas had the speed and the power and out landed Cruz over the first two rounds. There was a break in the action in the third when Cruz landed a punch after the instruction to break and Cherry was given time to recover. He hammered Cruz with left hooks in the fourth and fifth but then both fighters let their work rate drop over the next two rounds. Cruz had a slight advantage in the eighth after the fighters became entangled and tumbled to the floor with Cherry coming off worst. That allowed Cruz to apply some pressure but he lacked the power to really turn the fight. In the ninth Cherry put Cruz down heavily with a right. Cruz beat the count but was in a bad way and another right put him down and out. The 32-year-old Cherry lost on points to Tim Bradley for the WBC super light title in 2008 but is 9-0-1ND since then with wins over Vicente Escobedo and Osumanu Adama. He just fights too rarely and this was his first fight in nine months. Puerto Rican Cruz, 29, won his first 19 fights but is 2-4 in his last 6 and this was his first fight for eleven months. Peterson vs. Gil Peterson makes one of his all too rare appearances and halts Gil in six. Peterson took a couple of rounds to get into the groove and Gil made things uncomfortable for him over those early rounds. Peterson soon found the range and began working Gil’s body. He floored Gil in the fourth and put him down again in the sixth with some vicious body punches and the referee stopped the fight. The 30-year-old brother of Lamont has 23 wins by KO/TKO. When the brothers started out it was Anthony who initially was seen as the most promising but after he loss on a disqualification against Brandon Rios in 2010 he just faded out of the picture and this is only his fifth fight in almost five years. Now 8 losses in a row for Gil. Szymanski vs. Louishomme Polish prospect Szymanski takes only 105 seconds to end this one. A straight right put Louishomme down and out in the first round. The promising 22-year-old who shares his fighting time between Poland and the US now has 9 wins by KO/TKO including 7 in his last 7 fights with experienced fighters such as Francesco Di Fiore and Andrei Abramenka in his list of victims. He is a former World Youth Champion and worth watching. Louishomme, 37, has now lost his last three fight by KO/TKO. El Paso, TX, USA: Super Light: Miguel Roman (51-11) W TKO 3 David Martinez (18-6-1). Poor match sees Mexican warrior Roman just too strong for Californian Martinez. Roman just kept forcing and forcing breaking Martinez down and the referee halted the fight in the third when Martinez had nothing left. The 29-year-old “Mickey” goes to 38 wins by KO/TKO. A true road warrior who will fight anyone anywhere. Martinez had wisely retired in 2008 after back-to-back inside the distance losses to Antonio Escalante and Yohnny Perez and this was his first fight in almost seven years-why bother? Medford, OR, USA: Cruiser: Mike Wilson (12-0) W KO 2 Juan Reyna (5-5-1). Wilson continues his comeback with second round kayo of Reyna. Wilson found Reyna troublesome in the first as the smaller man was ducking under Wilson’s jab and scoring with rights. One of those punches opened a cut below Wilson’s left eye. Wilson got his jab working in the second pushing Reyna back to the ropes and landing a right hook to the body that saw Reyna fall to his knees and stay there for the full count. The 32-year-old 6’3” (191cm) hometown fighter was twice US Under-19 Champion, US National Champion in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and competed at the World Championships but lost at the US Trials for both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. He was inactive from August 2013 until returning with a win in April. Now 5 losses by KO/TKO for Reyna. July 11th-Thurman Vs Collazo in the US and Flanagan Vs Zepeda in the UK provide title action!7/11/2015 Although for us the highlight on July 11th was the Philippines it's not the only place where their is notable fights with a trio of noteworthy contests stateside as well as a world title fight in Europe.
The US highlight of the night will see the charismatic Keith “One Time” Thurman (25-0-0-1, 21) defending his WBA Welterweight title against veteran Luis Collazo (36-6, 19). The bout is a disappointing match up considering the hype and talk that we hear about Thurman and we;d be very surprised if this was even competitive, especially considering the manner in which Amir Khan dominated Collazo just last year. Although the main event of the show is disappointing we do like the co-feature on this show which will see the unbeaten Tony Harrison (21-0, 18) taking on Willie Nelson (23-2-1, 13) in what looks to be a great test for the unbeaten Harrison. This is a real fight and one that will tell us a lot about both guys. A really good looking match up. A second US card will see a really intriguing bout between two fringe contenders each looking to put themselves immediately back into the mix at 140lbs. One of those fighters is the really unlucky Mauricio Herrera (21-5, 7), who really has been unlucky in his last two bouts, whilst the other is the confident and brash Henry Lundy (25-4-1, 12). Given that both men are now in their 30's this really is a must win bout for both men. Arguably the most interesting bout of the even is a WBO Lightweight title fight in the UK between Britain's very own Terry Flanagan (27-0, 10) and Puerto Rican slugger Jose Zepeda (23-0, 20). Although both men are unbeaten coming into this one neither is really “known” above their regional level and this will tell us a lot about men, both of who will be hoping to open the door to big fights in the division. Of the two Zepada is the more notable puncher but Flanagan is certainly a busy and energetic fighter who could be a real handful for many of the top guys in the division. A huge thanks, once again, to Eric Armit
The Past Week In Action 6 July 2015 July 2 Los Angeles, CA, USA: Super Light: Gilberto Gonzalez (25-3) W KO 3 Hevinson Herrera (18-11-1). Feather: Diego De La Hoya (11-0) W KO 4 Jose Estrella (14-7-1). Super Bantam: Oscar Negrete (10-0) W PTS 8 Ramiro Robles (12-3-1) Gonzalez vs. Herrera Gonzalez gets early win but late sub Herrera gets in his share of hard punches. No preliminary sparring here as both fighters were looking to beat down the other and there were fierce exchanges from the start. In the second Herrera landed a big right that looked to have stunned Gonzalez. Herrera went for broke throwing a barrage of punches only for Gonzalez to bang back with even more power and shake Herrera before the end of the round. Gonzalez had a scare in the round when he slipped to the canvas and seemed to injure his knee. It was not counted as a knockdown but instead Gonzalez was given time to recover before the fight continued. Unperturbed by that in the third Gonzalez was again unloading bombs but Herrera seemed to have punched himself out with that effort in the second. A Gonzalez 5-punch series with nothing coming back from Herrera saw the referee stopped the fight. Now 21 wins by KO/TKO for the 27-year-old Mexico City “Thin Man” who was having his first fight in the US. He lost on points to Ric Dominguez in 2012 and this is his seventh win since then including useful victories over Saul Carreon and unbeaten Jeff Fontanez. Colombian Herrera, 30, goes to 7 losses by KO/TKO. He was 2-3 in his last five going into this one but matched tough as he lost to Abner Cotto, Jose A Gonzalez and Diego Magdaleno. De La Hoya vs. Estrella De La Hoya continues to win and to handle the pressure the name brings. He outboxed Estrella comprehensively over the first three rounds showing impressive smooth skills being too quick and accurate for Estrella. He also showed power in the fourth with an over-hand right that sent Estrella tumbling into the ropes. Estrella grabbed the rope to stop himself falling on to the ring apron. Estrella was up and when the fight resumed De La Hoya unleashed a salvo of punches and the referee stepped-in to sane Estrella. The 20-year-old hope now has 7 wins by KO/TKO. He is a former Mexican amateur champion and won and lost in a couple of fights with Oscar Valdez so he has good credentials. Tijuana’s Estrella goes to three losses by KO/TKO in a row with the others being against Luis Nery and Jamie Conlan so also three unbeaten opponents. Negrete vs. Robles Negrete gets wide unanimous decision but Robles gives a creditable and gutsy performance. Negrete started fast trying to blow Robles away but the Mexican had a very solid chin and also withstood some punishing shots to the body. The fight was fast-paced with furious exchanges in every round but with Negrete always having the edge in speed and power but Robles never backing away and absorbing the punishment without ever looking in real trouble. Scores 79-73 twice and 80-72. Useful experience fight for the 27-year-old Colombian who was a very successful amateur being former national champion at both 48kg and 52kg, winning silver and bronze medals at the Central American and Caribbean Games, a bronze at the South American Games and representing Colombia at the 2007, 2009 and 2011 World Championships so as with De La Hoya he has form. Robles has shown his toughness by taking Joseph Diaz, De La Hoya and now Negrete the distance. Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand: Minimum: Knockout CP Freshmart (11-0) W TKO 4 Alexis Diaz (16-1). I refuse to continue to use the silly trade name in the report so from here in he is Newlukrak his real first name. The Thai retains the interim WBA title with stoppage of Venezuelan Diaz. Newlukrak boxed well over the first two rounds sorting out the Venezuelan‘s weaknesses. He went to work in the third cutting down the ring and flooring Diaz twice with body punches. Diaz came out for the fourth but it was all over very quickly when another body punch put Diaz down and the referee stopped the fight. Second defence of the interim title for 24-year-old Newlukrak and sixth win by KO/TKO. After an extensive Muay Thai career he went straight into ten round fights as a pro and won the WBC Youth title in his first fight. Diaz 28 was Venezuelan amateur champion and reigning WBA Fedelatin champion with a good win over Luis De la Rosa who had twice challenged for the WBO interim title. July 3 Northbridge, Australia: Light Heavy: Luke Sharp (13-2-3) W KO 2 Marlon Alta (12-7). Middle: Sam Hogan (10-0) W PTS 8 Franko Valenzuela (3-2-1). Sharp vs. Alta Sharp wins the vacant Western Australia State title with kayo of Alta. Sharp boxed intelligently behind a high guard and slotted home body punches in the first round. In the second one of those body punches saw Alta collapse in agony and he was unable to beat the count being down for more than a minute. Now 4 wins and a draw in his last 5 fights for 26-year-old Sharp rated No 6 super middle by the ANBF. Filipino Alta, 25, now goes to 5 losses in a row. I guess his decline and fall is a reflection of his increasing weight. He turned pro as a super bantam, was Philippines champion at super welter and is now fighting at light heavy. Hogan vs. Valenzuela Southpaw Hogan has to fight hard to get the decision over clever Valenzuela. Hogan found Valenzuela an elusive target and was often caught with sneaky right counters. However Hogan stuck to his boxing and just did enough to deserve the decision. Scores 58-56 twice and 58-57. Hogan is the ANBF No 7 at super welter. Chilean-born Valenzuela seems to make a habit of close fights as he has two majority decisions and two split decisions in his other fights. Guiyang, China: Super Welter: Yao Yi Ma (15-1) W PTS 10 Patrice Sou Toke (21-4). Ma wins the vacant WBO Oriental title with unanimous decision over Toke. The Australian-based Taiwan-born Ma floored Toke in the eight on his way to extending his winning run to 13 fights. Toke from Burkina Faso has yet to win outside his home country. Barranquilla, Colombia: Super Light: Israel Luna (11-0) DREW 10 Nelson Suarez (3-1-2). Luna and Suarez meet in a return with the result another close fight. When they met in April Luna just edged his way to a close decision but this time the judges could not separate them. Scores 94-94 twice and 95-93 for Suarez. The 20-year-old “Kid Izzy” Luna is based in Tuscaloosa. Both fighters were moving up to ten rounds for the first time. Dieppe, France: Bantam: Giodi Scala (8-1) W KO 3 Anthony Buquet (12-7-2). Scala wins the vacant European Union title with crushing kayo of hometown fighter Buquet. Over the first two rounds things looked promising for Buquet as he moved nicely and used a stiff jab to score against the smaller Italian but the fight was close as Scala was constantly switching guard and targeting the body . The roof fell in on Buquet in the third in the form of a thunderous right which sent him sprawling on his back. He beat the count and after a careful look the referee let him continue. Buquet was shaken by another punch. He held trying to clear his head but another powerful right sent him down heavily again and the referee immediately stopped the fight without a count. Big win for 25-year-old Scala the Italian bantam champion. His only loss was against Emiliano Salvini last year for the Italian super bantam title. This is his third win by KO/TKO. Buquet the former unbeaten French feather champion had won his last 4 fights. Auch, France: Light Heavy: Mahdi Amar (31-4-2) W PTS 12 Adasat Rodriguez (10-4-2).Light: Guillaume Frenois (37-1) W TKO 3 Alika Vakhtangashvili (19-9-1). Super Bantam: Omar Lamiri (14-2) W TKO 5 Saul Tejada (6-5-2). Amar vs. Rodriguez Amar wins the vacant EU title with unanimous decision over Spaniard Rodriguez. The local boxer had height and reach over Rodriguez who followed his usual all-out attacking style to try to break through the defences of Amar. The Frenchman made good use of his jab and physical advantages to keep Rodriguez out and scored with hard counters. Amar was in control at the start and at the end but Rodriguez had some success in the middle rounds having Amar hurt in the sixth with a left hook and being on top in spells as Amar seemed to tire. The experience of Amar came into play as he had actually paced the fight just right and swept the closing rounds to seal the decision. Scores 118-111, 116-112 and 115-113 with the middle score looking about right. Now just one loss in his last 15 fights for 33-year-old Amar and that was to current IBF No 1 Nadjib Mohammedi. Spanish champion Rodriguez, 28, just did not have the skills or experience to win this one. Frenois vs. Vakhtangashvili Frenois gets a rare inside the distance win as he halts Vakhtangashvili in three round. The French southpaw floored Vakhtangashvili in the first round and three more times in the third . Sixth win for 31-year-old Frenois since losing to Devis Boschiero for the EBU super feather title in 2013 and only his eighth win by KO/TKO. Nine fights outside Georgia for Vakhtangashvili and 9 losses by KO/TKO. Lamiri vs. Tejeda First fight for Lamiri since losing to Lee Haskins for the vacant European bantam title in February. He was much too good for Tejada and after Tejada was forced to take a standing count in the fifth his corner wisely threw in the towel. Apart from the Haskins loss the only other defeat suffered by Lamiri was against fellow-countryman Vincent Legrand in 2011 but he had rebounded well from that with six wins and by collecting the EU title. Third loss by KO/TKO for Tejada. Voghera, Italy: Light: Francesco Acatullo (7-3-1) W Pasquale Di Silvio (18-7-1). Di Silvio wins the vacant Italian title with stoppage of Acatullo. Di Silvio the more experienced fighter was willing to allow Acatullo to come forward forcing the fight and wait for openings. One came along in the second round and a straight right sent Acatullo crashing to the canvas. He beat the count and saw out the round. The fight fell into the same pattern again with Di Silvio letting Acatullo come forward and looking for an opening to counter. In the seventh lightning struck again as a right down the pipe crashed into Acatullo’s chin and he went over again. He made it to his feet but another series of punches from Di Silvio saw the referee stop the fight. The 35-year-old “El Puma” from Rome makes it six wins by KO/TKO as he regains his old title. He is 2-5-1 in 7 Italian title fights. Local fighter Acatullo had lost in a fight for the vacant national title at super light in January and then moved down to try his luck here. Suwannakhet, Laos: Super Fly: Petchbarngborn (33-7-1) W PTS 10 Frans Damur Palue (11-8-2). Petchbarngborn makes routine defence of his WBO Asia Pacific title with unanimous decision over Indonesian Palue. No real problems for Petchbarngborn as he moves to 11 wins in a row. He had stopped Palue in 8 rounds in a defence of his PABA title in March. Former Indonesian fly champion Palue is 3-4 in his last 7 fights with all three losses on his travels. Monte Carlo, Monaco: Light: Patrick Kinigamazi (23-2) W PTS 8 Sylvain Chapelle (14-20-2). Rwandan Kinigamazi has to fight hard for victory over experienced Chapelle. The 32-year-old set too fast a pace for the younger fighter with constant pressure and a high work rate. Scores 79-75, 78-75 and 77-75. The Swiss-based fighter had won his last 5 fights and his management’s aim as a shot at the WBC ABU title in Carouge in Switzerland late this year or early in 2016. Frenchman Chapelle, 28 has lost his last 4 fights on points including a good performance last month when he only lost on a split decision to unbeaten former amateur star Daouda Sow. Bangkok, Thailand: Fly: Kwanpichit (31-1-2) W TKO 4 Ramadhan Kumbele (20-9-2). The strength and body punching of the Thai too much for Tanzanian Kumbele who is halted in the fourth as Kwanpichit retains the WBO Oriental title. Kwanpichit just walked the African down until Kumbele was trapped and taking punishment when the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight. Now 16 wins by KO/TKO for the fighter from the Onesongchaigym team. He is currently No 8 with the WBO but looking to work his way to a title fight. Kumbele had won his last 6 fights in domestic action. July 4 Beccar, Argentina: Super Fly: Roberto D Sosa (26-2-1) DREW 10 Javier N Chacon (20-3-1). Sosa retains the interim WBO Latino title in draw with Chacon but looks lucky to do so. It was a close fight but Chacon was showing the better technique taking possession of the centre of the ring and countering Sosa’s aggression with hard punches from both hands. In the end the result hinged on a moment in the fourth round when Sosa went down on one knee from what looked to be a punch but it was not counted. They fought on even terms the rest of the way and in an unusual occurrence all three judges scored it 95-95 allowing local fighter Sosa to hold on to his title. Sosa lost to Juan Carlos Sanchez for the IBF super fly title in 2013 having beaten South African Zolani Tete on a controversial split decision to get the shot. Chacon, 34, the brother of former WBO feather champion Julio Pablo Chacon had two title shots last year losing to Anselmo Moreno for the WBA bantam title and to Jamie McDonnell for the WBA secondary title. Singleton, Australia: Super Welter: Rocky Jerkic (11-0) W PTS 10 Arnel Tinampay (22-18-1). Jerkic extends his winning run and collects the vacant IBO Inter-Continental title with unanimous decision over Tinampay. The 27-year-old Australian already holds the IBO Asia Pacific title and in going the distance this time he had a six-fight streak of inside the distance wins snapped. Filipino Tinampay had lost to Damien Hooper and San Ah See in other fights in Australia but was coming off a good win in Japan. Munich, Germany: Light Heavy: Dariusz Sek (23-2-1) W TKO 8 Shefat Isufi (17-3-2). Sek wins the vacant WBCEPBC title with stoppage of Serbian. Southpaw Sek was the better boxer and showed those skills in the first round. Isufi showed his strength as he battled back over the next three rounds to establish a lead. However, Sek had been working the body and this started to have an effect after the half way mark. The Pole was grinding Isufi down and starting to dominate. Isufi was in trouble but it was made much worse in the seventh when a left hook from Sek broke Isufi’s nose. The doctor examined Isufi at the end of the round but allowed the fight to continue. Sek continued his attacks in the eighth and with Isufi exhausted and bleeding heavily from the nose his corner threw in the towel. The 28-year-old Sek, a former top amateur who represented Poland at both the European and World Championships has only lost to very good quality opposition in Robert Woge and Robin Krasniqi and is No 6 with the EBU. Isufi, 25 had won his last 5 fights by KO/TKO. Dublin, Ireland: Super Fly: Jamie Conlan (14-0) W PTS 10 Junior Granados (13-3-1). Middle: Tommy Langford (13-0) W TKO 4 Julio C Avalos (15-5). Middle: Anthony Fitzgerald (18-7) W PTS 8 Kieron Gray (8-41-1). Bantam: Ryan Burnett (10-0) W TKO 2 Csaba Kovacs (7-6). Light: Stephen Ormond (18-2) W TKO 2 Jacek Wylezol (12-10). Light: Declan Geraghty (8-1) W TKO 3 Dinars Skripkins (2-3). Conlan vs. Granados Conlan survives near disaster to just edge out Granados in an exciting scrap. Conlan had big advantages in height and reach and was trying to box over the opening rounds with Granados fighting his way inside and giving Conlan some problems. In the fourth a right from Granados badly shook Conlan but Conlan boxed his way out of trouble. Over the fifth and sixth Conlan used his superior skills and physical advantages and was countering strongly whenever Granados tried to move in. However Granados had landed enough punches to start a swelling under Conlan’s right eye and bring blood from Conlan’s nose. The seventh was near disaster for Conlan. He was put down by a wicked body punch and after the Belfast fighter made it his feet and the eight count was finished he was bombarded along the ropes and put down again and only just survived to the bell. In the eighth it became apparent that Granados had punched himself out with that big effort in the seventh and Conlan was able to get back to basics and outbox and outscore the Mexican over the remaining rounds to take the close decision. Scores 95-93 twice and 96-92. The 28-year-old Conlan whose nickname is “The Mexican” retains his WBO Inter-Continental title but it must be cause for concern that the 22-year-old Granados came so close to an inside the distance victory as after winning his first 16 fights he then went 1-2-1 against very modest level opposition and is only listed as No 23 in BoxRec’s Mexican ratings. Langford vs. Avalos Langford wins the vacant WBO Inter-Continental title with stoppage of Mexican Avalos. The Birmingham fighter used his height and reach to box on the outside constantly forcing Avalos back with his stiff jab. He was boxing conservatively and taking no chances. Avalos came awake a bit in the second but working off the jab Langford was slotting him hooks and uppercuts and had things well in hand. He racked up the pace in the second and Avalos was starting to come apart. Langford cut loose in the fourth getting through with a succession of hard punches and with nothing coming back from Avalos the referee stopped the fight. First fight for 25-year-old Langford since suffering a punctured eardrum in his win over Wayne Reed in February. Avalos a long step below Langford in class even though he was 4-2 in his last 6 fights. Fitzgerald vs. Gray Fitzgerald wins but give a hard fight by journeyman Grey. The Dublin fighter looked to be on his way to an easy win as he made a good start and built a lead. He was hoping for an inside the distance finish but Grey is made of stern stuff and suddenly came into the fight in a big way from the fifth with Fitzgerald’s work becoming untidy. Grey was still plugging away in the last and the scoring was made close when Fitzgerald was deducted a point for a low blow and a rabbit punch. Referee’s score 77-75. Second win for Fitzgerald since disastrous 75 second stoppage loss to Gary O’Sullivan in November. The 30-year-old Fitzgerald has taken Andy Lee, Eamonn O’Kane and Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam the distance and will have many nights better than this. Gray, 37, is a fully paid up member of the British journeyman club and it again shows you can’t give these experienced guys a sniff of a chance. Burnett vs. Kovacs Unsatisfactory win for Burnett. The Belfast fighter handed out enough punishment in the first round to indicate this would not last long. Burnett underlined that by flooring Kovacs early in the second so it was disappointing when Kovacs stopped fighting half way through the round complaining of a shoulder injury and was unable to continue. The 23-year-old is yet another of the fine crop of young boxer coming out of Belfast. Romanian-born Kovacs, 20 had taken useful Jason Cunningham the distance in February. Ormond vs. Wylezol Ormond overwhelms Pole inside two rounds. Ormond started the first at a frantic pace throwing bunches of punches for the whole three minutes with the Pole unable to do more than retreat and cover up. He could not retreat far enough of fast enough in the second and was pinned on the ropes with Ormond slamming home punches when the referee stopped the fight. The 32-year-old Dublin fighter was on an impressive six fight winning streak lifting the WBO Europe title, beating Derry Matthews clearly and stopping useful Karim El Ouazghari. That saw him climb to No 5 in the WBO ratings. He lost his WBO Europe title in February and has dropped right out of the top 15 so needs some big fights to climb back. Now 5 losses in his last 6 fights for Wylezol. Geraghty vs. Skripkins Dublin southpaw prospect Geraghty disposes of Latvian inside three rounds. The classy young Geraghty was clinical and slick in the first round easily outboxing the Latvian novice. The only down side was a cut suffered by Geraghty in a clash of heads. He dominated the second and then floored Skripkins three times in the third to end the fight. Twenty-five-years-old “Pretty Boy” is a former Irish champion and European Union silver medal winner. His loss was pretty stupid rather than pretty boy as he was disqualified for dangerous use of the head in a fight he was two minutes away from winning. A real talent if he keeps his head ( to himself). Skripkins just fodder and not very good fodder at that. His other two fights outside Latvia both ended in losses inside the first round. Milan, Italy: Fly: Vincent Legrand (17-0) W TKO 6 Andrea Sarritzu (34-8-5). Welter: Alessandro Caccia (14-1) W KO 1 Giacomo Mazzoni (11-4-1). Legrand vs. Sarritzu Legrand retains the European title with stoppage of veteran Sarritzu. The very tall French fighter was almost a full head taller than Sarritzu and was able to score easily with his southpaw right jab. He was also showing good movement with Sarritzu unable to get near him over the first two rounds. The challenger did a bit better with a choice uppercut in the third being his best punch in the fight. That was good as it got for Sarritzu. Legrand’s right was the dominant punch in the fourth and fifth. In the sixth a straight right followed by a left hook put Sarritzu down and out. The 15 years and 6” (14cm) height difference were just too much for Sarritzu to overcome. With his height, power and southpaw skills Legrand, 24, will be a difficult opponent for any European flyweight and a world title shot could be within his reach for 2016. Sarritzu, 39, got near a world title when challenging Omar Narvaez for the WBO title losing a split decision and then drawing in a return match. He subsequently lost in seven rounds to Moruti Mthalane for the IBF title in 2011. Caccia vs. Mazzoni Caccia destroys Mazzoni to win the vacant Italian title. Just 80 seconds into the fight Caccia landed a hard hook the sent Mazzoni down. Mazzoni got up but after the eight count a right from Caccia floored Mazzoni and the fight was over. The tall 27-year-old new champion has six wins by KO/TKO. His single loss was down to carelessness when in September last year he let his focus slip and he was knocked out in two rounds by travelling Latvian loser Ivans Levickis. Mazzoni was 4-1-1 in his last 6 fights and this is his first loss by KO/TKO. Chiapas, Mexico: Super Fly: David Carmona (19-2-5) DREW 12 Warlito Parrenas (24-6-1). Super Fly: Hernan Marquez (39-5-1) W TKO 8 Jose A Tirado (27-16). Super Welter: Ramon Alvarez (21-4-2,1ND) ND 4 Richard Gutierrez (28-16-1,1ND). Super Bantam: Emanuel Navarette (11-1) W TKO 6 Enrique Bernache (21-8). Carmona vs. Parrenas The WBO interim fly title remains vacant after this fight ended in a split draw. After a cautious first round Filipino Parrenas put Carmona on the canvas in the second with a right to the chin. Carmona made it to the vertical and stayed that way until the bell despite ferocious efforts from Parrenas to end the fight early. Carmona did most of the scoring in the third getting through to head and body with fast combinations and in the fourth a punch from Carmona had Parrenas on unsteady legs with the bell saving the Filipino from a bad situation. Parrenas was doing the forcing from the fifth with Carmona on the back foot and scoring with counters. Parrenas had the better of the seventh and eighth rounds but they were close and Carmona made the strong effort over the last four rounds with his punches causing swelling by the left eye of Parrenas which was totally closed by the end. Scores 115-112 Carmona, 115-113 Parrenas and 114-114. Carmona 24 has lost only one of his last 19 fights and that came in an overly ambitious challenge to Omar Narvaez for the WBO super fly title in 2013. He was No 2 with the WBO. Parrenas, 31, had won his last 7 fights, 6 by KO/TKO and he was WBO No 1. Marquez vs. Tirado Marquez looking to establish his credentials as a challenger hits too hard for plucky Tirado. The former WBA fly champion had Tirado on the floor in the opening round with a southpaw left to the jaw. He also had Tirade rocked badly twice in the second but Tirado hung on. Marquez handed out serious punishment in each of the subsequent rounds with Tirado showing real guts in standing up to the beating and firing back when he could. By the eighth although Marquez was cut in a clash of heads the punishment had taken its effect and twice when under pressure Tirado slipped to the floor and the referee stopped the fight after Tirado only got up reluctantly after the second slip. Marquez, 26, had lost his WBA title to Brian Viloria in a unification fight in 2012 and then been knocked out in 12 rounds by Giovani Segura in a non-title fight in 2013. In 2014 he was halted in 11 rounds by McJoe Arroyo in an IBF eliminator and at the end of the year held to a draw by a guy with a 9-5-2 record so he badly needed a win. Tirado, 34, now has 4 losses by KO/TKO. He has lost 5 of his last 6 fights but all of the losses to very high class opposition. Alvarez vs. Gutierrez This one ended in a no decision due an injury suffered by Gutierrez. Alvarez had made a confident start going forward and landing with punches to head and body with Gutierrez struggling to get into the fight. In the fourth a clash of heads left Gutierrez with a deep gash on his lip and the doctor ruled him unfit to continue so with only three rounds completed it was a no decision. Big disappointment for Alvarez who looked to be in control of the fight. The brother of Saul, he is 14-1-1 and 1 ND in his last 17 fights with wins over Omar Chavez and Vivian Harris. Colombian Gutierrez, 37, is now 2-12,1ND in his last 15. Navarette vs. Bernache Impressive win for prospect Navarette over more experienced Bernache. Navarette used a strong jab and right hooks and had already caused a swelling by Bernache’s left eye in the first round. He again made good use of that jab in the second and opened a cut under Bernache’s right eye. It continued to be a one-sided fight with Bernache’s team throwing in the towel in the sixth. The 20-year-old “Cowboy” Navarette lost out in the final of the Cinturon de Oro to unbeaten Daniel Argueta but was declared champion as Argueta had not weighed in for the fight. He has won his last 6 fights and has 10 wins by KO/TKO. Bernache won 15 of his first 16 fights but has struggled as he has moved up. Mazatlan, Mexico: Light Fly: Pedro Guevara (26-1-1) W PTS 12 Ganigan Lopez (25-6). Alberto Guevara (21-2) W TKO 3 Oscar Blanquet (32-11-1). Guevara vs. Lopez Guevara retains WBC title with unanimous decision over fellow-Mexican Lopez. Both are good technical boxers and showed excellent skills but the fight was a disappointment as far as entertainment and excitement went. Both started cautiously stabbing out their respective jabs, Guevara orthodox and Lopez southpaw but neither really opening up. Guevara scored with some good right counters and Lopez responded with accurate lefts with the champion just being the busier. After four rounds Guevara was ahead 39-37 on two cards and the third had it 38-38. The pattern remained the same over the second stage with Guevara having a good sixth landing a series of hooks and being just too quick for Lopez to counter successfully and he also clearly took the eighth with hard rights and strong hooks driving Lopez back. With two-thirds of the fight complete Guevara was already in a winning position with all three cards having him comfortably ahead 79-73 twice and 78-74. Guevara used his superior speed to take the ninth meaning that Lopez need at least a knockdown or two to swing it his way. He landed a powerful left in the tenth that had Guevara staggered, back peddling and in trouble for the first time in the fight. Guevara did go over in the eleventh but it was a slip and he then forced Lopez back with hooks to take the round. Lopez went for broke in the last with Guevara forced to defend but the champion was never in real trouble and had comfortably retained his title. Scores 116-112 twice and 117-111. Second defence of his WBC title for 26-year-old Lopez who had won the vacant crown with an upset kayo of Akira Yaegashi in Tokyo. His only loss was a split decision in a challenge to John Riel Casimero for IBF title in 2012. Lopez 33 got his title shot a bit late in his career but he had lost only one of his previous 13 fights and was a worthy contender. Guevara vs. Blanquet Alberto joins brother Pedro in making it a family double as he also gets a win. Guevara was a heavy favourite with Blanquet’s career on the slide. Guevara started with a ferocious bombardment to the body and head but Blanquet had to come to fight and he would not take a step backwards. As a result he took a hiding in each of the first two rounds. Guevara lost a point in the second for ducking too low but ended the fight in the third. A straight right put Blanquet down and when he got up and the eight count was completed a salvo of punches from Guevara saw the referee halt the fight. The 24-year-old Guevara has had two unsuccessful shots at winning a title losing to Leo Santa Cruz for the IBF bantam title in 2012 and to Shinsuke Yamanaka for the WBC title in 2013. He was inactive for a year after the loss to Yamanaka and dropped out of the ratings. This is his third fight since returning. Now 7 losses in a row for the once promising Blanquet. Rotherham, England: Middle: Lewis Taylor (17-1-1) W TEC DEC 5 Grant Cunningham (10-2). Super Welter: Navid Mansouri (15-1-2) W PTS 10 Sam Sheedy (15-1). Taylor vs. Cunningham Taylor wins the vacant English title with technical decision over Cunningham. This bout started well and was building to an enthralling contest when a clash of heads saw Taylor suffer a bad gash over his right eye and it went to the score cards. Scores 49-47, 48-47 for Taylor and 48-48 which showed how close the fight was with Taylor’s body attack just giving him the edge. The Derbyshire 25-year-old only lost on a majority decision over twelve rounds to Eamonn O’Kane in May and now O’Kane is close to a world title fight. Plenty of depth in this division in Britain. The 31-year-old Cunningham can’t get a break. That’s two losses in a row on a technical decision as he lost by just one point to Damon Jones on a technical decision in February. Mansouri vs. Sheedy Mansouri makes a successful third defence of his English title and the only down side to this fight is that someone had to lose. It was great battle from first bell to last. Southpaw Sheedy made the better start and build a lead by the half way mark. Mansouri was the stronger over the second half of the fight and both the judges and the crowd were split over whether the champion had done enough to overtake Sheedy’s lead. Scores 97-94 and 96-95 for Mansouri and 97-94 for Sheedy. Mansouri, 26, lost a contest in the 2012 Prizefighter Tournament but has since amassed 6 wins and a technical draw. Sheedy, 27, was in a great fight and he has the talent to rebound and climb. Philipsburg, Sint Marten: Super Bantam: Miguel Cartagena (14-2) W PTS 10 Javier Franco (23-14-4). Cartagena wins the vacant IBO International title with unanimous decision over Franco. Cartagena badly in need of a win as he had been knocked out in 109 seconds by Emmanuel Rodriguez in his last fight in October. The 23-year-old Philadelphian had won his first 12 fights but then went 1-2 with the other loss being to Timur Shailezov. Cartagena came in as a late substitute for Karim Guerfi as this show simply disintegrated and probably did great damage to any chance of boxing taking off in Sint Marten. Mexican Franco was 3-1-2 going in with a creditable draw with Sebastien Gauthier in Canada last year. The Manuel Gonzalez Garcia vs. Leon Moore fight did not take place but in the other main event Gwendolyn O’Neil won a split decision over Sonya Lamonakis for the UBF title. |
InternationalWe know that not every fight involves an Asian fighter but a lot of fights do affect Asian fighter. As a result we've decided to add this new section to Asian boxing where we look at selected International bouts. Archives
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