Last night in Carson, California we saw a rare-all Filipino world title fight as WBC champion Nonito Donaire (42-6, 28) took on mandatory challenged Reymart Gaballo (24-1, 20) in a bout to unify the WBC regular and interim titles.
On paper this looked really interesting. Donaire, at the age of 39, is ancient for a Bantamweight and to be fighting at world level at such an advanced age is amazing at the lower weights. On the other hand Gaballo had looked explosive, exciting and was coming into his physical prime. It seemed like maybe Gaballo would be the right man, in the right place at the right time, or alternatively Donaire was going to add another big win to his record as he continues to push back father time. The opening round saw Donaire intelligent pressure his man, coming forward and making Gaballo fight off the back foot, something he has never been comfortable doing. Gaballo had moments where he came forward, and moments where he landed, but he looked constantly fearful of Donaire, and his timing and power. When Donaire landed it seemed to clearly take an effect on Gaballo, whilst Gaballo's shots never really phased Donaire. To his credit Gaballo was the quicker man, but and he had that edge, but that was neutralised by the timing of Donaire. In round 2 Gaballo, usually an aggressive and exciting fighter, was forced to over-think, and look for single shots when Donaire made mistakes. It was clear that Gaballo was losing his self belief, and his in ring identity, well before Donaire clocked him with a big right hand 2 minutes into the round. A right hand that forced Gaballo to hold. Gaballo had moments boxing, moving, moving, moving and jabbing, but it felt like their was an inevitability about things, given how timid he was becoming and how Donaire's pressure was taking a toll. Gaballo did have a good moment in round 3, getting Donaire's respect, and clearly having one of his best moments as he looked to kick start his effort, but it was merely a flash point in a round that quickly saw Donaire again force Gaballo on to the back foot, and again seemed to show the challenger being hurt. It was technical, tense, but the inevitability remained, and we got a reminder of that when Donaire landed some huge shots late in the round. It felt, sooner or later, like the power of Donaire was going to see off his man, unless Gaballo sold out and went for it. Donaire, who seemed to get tuned in at the end of round 3, started round 4 well, landing several big shots in the opening minute. Gaballo tried to respond but his successes were limited, hitting the guard or missing completely. Donaire then seemed to go into seek an destroy mode, walking down Gaballo, forcing him to fire back and stand his ground. That left Gaballo in position for a brutal right hand to the mid section with dropped Gaballo. Gaballo did seem to get to his feet, but quickly dropped back to his knees, realising he was in far too much pain to continue. Following the bout talk emerged of a rematch between Donaire and Naoya Inoue (21-0, 18) [井上 尚弥], who will defend his WBA "super" and IBF titles this coming Tuesday. Inoue and his promoter Hideyuki Ohashi have both mentioned the potential rematch, and if Inoue is successful next week it seems their focus will be on setting up this highly anticipated rematch.
0 Comments
Over in Russia earlier today we saw WBA Light Heavyweight "super" champion Dmitry Bivol (19-0, 11) retain his title as he easily over-came the bigger, but much more limited Umar Salamov (26-2, 19).
From the opening moments it was clear the two men didn't really belong in the ring together. Bivol, although visibly smaller, was so much quicker, sharper and cleaner with both his defense his offense. In fact he made Salamov look slower and clumsier than he actually is, and did saw whilst regularly standing just outside of Salamov's range, drawing right hands from the challenger for slip and counter. For the first half of the fight it was easy, simple dominant work from Bivol who seemed to be fighting within himself and still completely controlling Salamov, who was punished when he did land, with Salamov's rare connects just spurring on Bivol to hurt his man. In round 8 Salamov's face was clearly marking up and it was obvious he wasn't going to be able to turn this around. In fact if anything his corner should have been considering pulling him out of the bout. Instead they continued to leave him in the ring, hoping that he'd be able to land a fight changing shot. That resulted in him taking some really solid shots in round 9 as Bivol, for the first time, put his foot on the gas and looked for a finish, only for Salamov to see out the storm. In the final rounds Salamov had a little more success, and did manage to get Bivol to back up and get his respect, but that was about the best he had as he continued to be out landed, worked, out boxed, out skilled and made to come off second best. After 12 rounds we went to the score cards and all 3 judges scored it in favour of Bivol, though surprisingly all 3 judges managed to find sympathy rounds to Salamov, though that's all they were, late sympathy rounds for a man who had been well and truly beaten. For a Bivol this was actually quite entertaining, something that his recent bouts haven't been, though it was clear that Salamov was very out of his depth and didn't belong in a world title bout. Fingers crossed a unification bout is next for Bivol, as that's the type of bout we feel he needs to show what he can really do, and that bouts like this do little so bring the best out of a fighter like him. Just moments ago in Dubai we saw IBF Flyweight champion Sunny Edwards (17-0, 4) successfully retain his title, and record his first defense, as he out-pointed Filipino challenger Jayson Mama (16-1, 9) over 12 rounds in what was a messy fight, ruined further by some of the worst commentary we've heard in a long time.
The fight was really messy early on. It seemed Edwards was fighting the wrong fight and Mama was certainly not looking to keep the action clean. The messiness caused head clashes that left Edward cut on the hair line in round 2 and seemed to keep out of his usual gameplan in round 3, as he looked to punish Mama. The Englishman, a brilliant technical boxer with lovely speed, footwork and movement, began to really found his groove in round 4, making Mama look third rate as he landed at will against the Filipino, who followed him but had no real success. The skills of Edwards showed through the rest of the bout, and whilst he wasn't as flawless the commentary suggested, in what a laughable display of bum kissery, he was never in any real trouble, expect when he took a left hand to the body. That shot did more to keepo Edwards sharp afterwards than anything else, but it was a reminder that Mama was there to win, and was willing to throw shots, when he got close enough. In round 10 we saw the bouts only knockdown, as Edwards caught Mama off balance sending him to the canvas but not hurting him. That resulted in the only 10-8 round of the fight, and lead to Mama trying to turn things around late on. Though he failed. Given the messiness early on, and Mama having some success, it was clear this wasn't the shut out the commentary, who were gushing like Edwards' lover, were suggesting. But Edwards was the rightful, and very comfortable, winner, with scores of 118-109, twice, and 1117-110. Just moments ago we saw Japan's Kenichi Ogawa (26-1-1-1, 18) [尾川 堅一] put in a career defining performance as he beat up slick South African fighter Azinga Fuzile (15-2, 9) to claim the IBF Super Featherweight title, and score the biggest win over his career. By far.
The match up was one that was slow to get going, with both men fighting very technically early on. Fuzile, fighting out of the southpaw stance, took to the ropes early on, fighting on the back foot and trying to lure Ogawa in. Ogawa came forward, but did so at a very controlled, intelligent tempo, as he looked to show that he two was a cerebral fighter. In the first round there wasn't much landed by either man and that was the same through the first 4 rounds if we're being honest. Despite there not being a lot of action, it was high level chess and it was Ogawa who was getting the better of it overall. After the some what slow start that saw both have moments, not many of them, we saw the action really change in round 5, when an Ogawa right hand dropped Fuzile, hard. To his credit Fuzile got to his feet following the shot, which would have finished off most fighters, but he wasn't all there and he knew it as he got on the back foot and did what he could to survive the round. The middle rounds were all Ogawa, as he pressured intelligently, backing up Fuzile and landing shots regularly, unlike the earlier rounds where his success was limited. The middle rounds really saw Fuzile struggle to get anything going and instead he ended up having his face bursted up around the right eye and his nose, which was bloodied in round 2, was leaking over the ring. Unfortunately for Fuzile his best shots never had much of an effect on Ogawa, whilst Ogawa's shots were having an effect on Fuzile, and Fuzile wasn't throwing enough whilst he was taking a lot. In round 9 Fuzile's face got worse after a clash of heads left Fuzile with a bad cut over his left eye, which Ogawa jabbed repeatedly in the final rounds. To his credit however Fuzile had a very strong response to that cut, putting in fantastic efforts in rounds 10 and 11, as he appeared to throw caution to the wind and became the aggressor for the first time in the fight. It was nice to see him try something new, but it seemed like too little too late. Thinking he was behind came out aggressively for round 12, but it appeared that Ogawa had lulled him in a little bit in the previous 2 rounds, and in round 12 the Japanese finished big, dropping Fuzile twice in the round to put any dounbt about the winner to bed. The first knockdown came with over a minute left and Fuzile got to his feet, but was down again in the final seconds of the bout, securing Ogawa a 10-7 final round. After 12 rounds it seemed like Ogawa had clearly taken the win, but the judges, being judges, had the bout much closer than expected, scoring it 115-110, twice, and 114-111, a score that suggested Ogawa needed the big final round to win. For Ogawa this win is, understandably, a hugely emotional one. He had fought in one previous world title bout, winning a decision against Tevin Farmer before being stripped due to a drug violation. This win will help but the ghost of that bout behind him. As for Fuzile, we wonder just what he will have left after this beating which was painful, tough, and punishing. On Friday night fight fans saw IBF and WBA Super Bantamweight king Murodjon Akhmadaliev (10-0, 7) [Муроджон Ахмадалиев] retain his titles and score his second defense, as he defeated Chilean challenger Jose Velasquez (29-7-2, 19).
The bout, which was put together on about a week's notice after Ronnie Rios pulled out with Covid, lacked in terms of fan interest but managed to deliver pretty solid and entertaining action, with Velasquez massively exceeding expectations. Akhmadaliev got off to a great started, landing hard shots through out the first two rounds almost at will. Velasquez stood up to them however, and showed his desire, landing some shots of his own in rounds 3, with a good right hand that got Akhmadaliev's respect. The challenger also had some notable success in round 7, as he got inside with more consistency and forced the Uzbekistani fighter to fight the challenger's fight. Whilst under pressure the champion managed to show his dirty side, with some dark arts, and was flirting with a point deduction through out the final stages of the bout. He was however well in the lead, and could have afforded the point loss if he needed to, despite being forced to work for the win. He was landing the better quality shots and in many of the rounds he controlled the tempo, even if Velasquez was the one marching forward. After 12 rounds there was no doubting the winner, with Akhmadaliev taking the win 119-109 across the board, taking just his second 12 round decision win, and proving he doesn't have stamina, though he did seem happy to fight for the decision rather than follow Joel Diaz's advice of going for a stoppage late on. Earlier today in Thailand WBC Minimumweight champion Panya Pradabsri (37-1, 23) recorded his first defense of the title, as he over-came the gutsy and unheralded Danai Ngiabphukhiaw (9-3, 5) in Nakhon Sawan.
Panya, who famously upset Wanheng Menayothin a year ago, took the center of the ring very early on, whilst the challenger looked negative, worried and negative. Danai took a big body shot in the opening minute, and it was clear the champion had a gameplan in mind revolving around breaking down Danai with shots to the mid-section. To his credit Danai managed to show some fight as the round went on and had moments of offense, making the most of his speed, but his moments were few and far between. As the rounds went on the challenger had a growing amount of success, not just with his offense but also in neutralising the pressure of Panya, who looked flat footed and slow at times. Sadly for Danai his shots didn't seem to do much to get Panya's attention, but he was landing some really nice looking work, even if he was typically getting out landed. After 4 rounds it was clear the challenger was putting up a better effort than anyone would have expected, but he still seemed to be down, with his inexperience and lack of physical maturity being his major problems. It was like a boy fighting a man at times, and the champion simply wasn't phased by the challenger's shots. Surprisingly however Danai began to have growing success in the middle rounds, and the pressure of Panya, despite still being eye catching, wasn't having as much success as the champion would have wanted. On the subject of the middle rounds, it's worth noting just how exciting round 7 was, with Danai rolling the dice more than he had in the earlier rounds, giving us a show case of his skills, his counter punching, and shot selection as he had, arguably, his best round of the fight and seemed to be turning the tide at one point. Sadly for him Panya responded late in the round, but it was a genuinely brilliant 3 minutes of back and forth action with both having sustained success. Sadly in the later Danai's lack of experience over the longer distance showed, and whilst he continued to have moments he was regularly on the receiving end of the bigger, more meaningful shots. To his absolute credit however he continued to make a fight of things, whilst many, our selves included, expected him to have been stopped in the early rounds. Sadly for Danai his great effort wasn't enough, and lost a clear decision, by scores of 118-110 and 117-111, twice, but he genuinely impressed. He stepped up in a big way, and showed he belonged in, and around this level. As for Panya this was an underwhelming performance by the champion in his first defense, and we expect to see better from him in the future. After more than a year out of the ring WBA Minimumweight "super" champion Knockout CP Freshmart (28-0, 8) returned earlier today to record his latest defense as he easily beat fellow Thai Pongsaklek Sithdabnij (23-7-1, 13).
On paper this was hardly a match up, with the man many regarded as the best fighter at 105lbs taking on not even the best fighter to use the Pongsaklek moniker in recent years, though in fairness Wonjongkam will always be a legend. Sadly the bout ended up being an even worse mismatch than anyone had hoped, and did little more than allow Knockout some stat padding and a chance to shake some ring rust. The bout started slowly enough with both men looking to get their jabs into play in the early moments. It was obvious within a minute however that Pongsaklek lacked the accuracy, speed and crispness to be anything like a test for Knockout. Instead of landing shots he was falling short, looking unsure of himself and drawing smiles from the champion who looked super relaxed and comfortable. In fact this looked less like a world title fight and more like a sparring session with Knockout working on his jab through the entire of the opening round and throwing nothing else of note, though he never had to. And even the jabs seem to take a toll on Pongsaklek. In round two the challenger tried to up the ante and did get through with some body shots as he looked to take the fight to the champion. It was however a lot of effort for little notable success as he seemed to simply piss off the champion who moved from neutral to second gear, and began to try and land some heavier leather. The ring rust of Knockout showed as he struggled to land clean with his power shots, but did eventually connect, dropping Wonjongkam mid way through round 2 with a left hook. The challenger beat the count, but looked like he suddenly had the realisation that he was out of his depth. His confidence instant sapped away whilst Knockout slowly began to walk him down. Within seconds of round 3 starting Knockout landed a series of jabs, with one of them sending Pongsaklek down for the second time in the fight. Pongsaklek got to his feet again, but he was a man who about done, and within seconds Knockout unleashed a combination, sending the challenger stumbling and forcing the referee into to stop the action. For Pongsaklek this was a lesson, and showed the gulf between domestic level and world class. As for Knockout it perhaps leaves him open for another title defense later this year. He was cut during this fight, but it was little more than a nick, and certainly shouldn't keep him out of the ring for another 19 months or so, which was the break he had coming in to this bout. Earlier today in Kyoto boxing got a notable upset as long reigning WBC Light Flyweight kingpin Kenshiro Teraji (17-1, 10) [寺地 拳四朗] was dethroned in his 9th defense by fellow Japanese fighter Masamichi Yabuki (13-3, 12) [佐藤政道].
On paper the bout seemed like a routine defense for Kenshiro, who many including ourselves viewed as the best at 108lbs. It was however a bout that had a lot of substories going into it, including the fact that the bout had been delayed by 12 days after Kenshiro contracted Covid19 in August, pushing the bout from September 10th to September 22nd. The view, by Kenshiro and his team, was that he would have long enough to recover, and although his preparation was clearly damaged by the illness, he was still expected to be good enough and prepared enough to over-come the heavy handed, but flawed, Yabuki. As it turned out however, that was a huge mistake by the defending champion, who never quite looked his usual sharp, self. The first round saw Kenshiro showing some of his quality, but Yabuki was the one showing the more intelligent boxing, landing good counters and hard straight right hands through the opening stages. Kenshiro on the other hand pressed and used his jab, but was pretty ineffective with his his pressure. After 4 rounds we got the open scoring and the judges were not impressed by the come forward style of the defending champion, who was shut out on two of the scorecards, and even on the third. It was not the start he needed and not the start he wanted. Through the middle rounds Kenshiro managed to find some success, raising the tempo in round 6, and landing some good 1-2's, but couldn't really distinguish himself from Yabuki, who seemed to have an answer for almost anything the champion did. This was again shown on the scorecards after 8 rounds, with Yabuki up 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75. Essentially Kenshiro was going into the final 4 rounds knowing he needed something big. At the very least he needed to win all 4 rounds to retain his title. The champion attempted to turn the tables in round 9 but was left cut around the right eye from a straight right hand of Yabuki's, putting the champion in even more trouble than he had been in before the round started. He knew it and he knew he had 3 rounds to turn things around, and gave everything he had in round 10, however he couldn't take out the challenge who turned the tables late in the round and hurt Kenshiro, before tagging him against the ropes until the referee stepped in and saved him. Following the bout Kenshiro was taken to hospital. His father attended the press conference and while he didn't blame Kenshiro's battle with Covid, he did state his son's condition wasn't the best, and did suggest that maybe his son had run out of atamina before the finish. The plan now is for Kenshiro to take a break, and then it seems like he will make a decision on his future. As for Yabuki, he seemed really proud of his his performance and beating Kenshiro, though notable didn't seem like he was in a rush to take on a rematch, though didn't flat out rule it out. Notably he seemed to suggest that, had he lost, he may have retired here, which would have been a huge disappointment. Typically Japanese fighters have not travelled well over the years, and many lost world title bouts on foreign soil. Today however we saw WBO Flyweight champion Junto Nakatani (22-0, 17) [中谷 潤人] take his chance to shine on US soil as he stopped hard hitting mandatory challenger Angel Acosta (22-3, 21) in Tuscon, Arizona. In what was a show case of Nakatani's ability and Acosta's will to win through serious adversity.
The opening round saw Nakatani begin slowly, getting his jab into play early on, before opening up his arsenal, and shaking Acosta several times through the round. Acosta, to his credit, showed no quit, and landed some solid shots through the opening round, but looked under-sized, under-powered and like a man who was really going to struggle with the size and power of Nakatani. Despite this being his US debut, it was the perfect round for Nakatani, and it ended even better with Acosta suffering a suspect broken nose at the very end of it. That nose would be a major problem for Acosta was was a bloodied mess very early in round 2 as Nakatani continued to land big shots to both head and body. The left hand of Nakatani was a major weapon, landing clean, landing hard and really leaving Acosta in trouble time and time again, but it was the blood that was the major issue and part way through round 2 the doctor took a look at the challenger. After a long deliberation Acosta was allowed to fight on, and he knew he was in trouble, looking to land a hail Mary from when the bout continued. Sadly for him the urge to land something big saw him eating more big shots from Nakatani, who landed numerous big shots, and really didn't seem to feel the power of Acosta, when the Puerto Rican landed his shots. After Acosta was bloodied, beaten and battered in the first two rounds, it seemed like the bout wasn't going to last much longer. To his credit however Acosta fought like a man willing to give everything, even with a blood pouring from his nose. He looked to land bombs, and did land one or two very clean shots of his own. Shots that, at 108lbs, would have potentially swung the bout his way, or dropped a fighter. Nakatani tasted the power of Acosta and just came forward, looking to break down Acosta. The Puerto Rican managed to get through a second doctor's inspection, but was pouring blood over the ring, taking huge body shots, and not looking like he had what was needed to turn things around. He had the heart and the desire, but not the accuracy, power, skills, or size to get Nakatani's respect. At the end of round 3 it seemed clear the referee and doctor were both looking to stop the fight. Acosta was desperate for that not to happen and asked for more round. He was allowed out for round 4, but within seconds of the round starting blood was again pouring out of his nose forcing the doctor to say enough was enough, and stopped the bout. The stoppage was explained as having been due to blood loss, it was a strange decision, though in fairness it seemed like Acosta being stopped was inevitable. He had lost a lot of blood, he had been hurt numerous times and had put a lot into rounds 2 and 3 to no real success, whilst taking brutal body shots. He had the heart of a lion, and that will not be questioned, but he also looked out gunned here by a truly sensational 23 year world champion, who looked a natural in his US debut. Earlier today we saw WBO Super Flyweight champion Kazuto Ioka (27-2, 16) [井岡一翔] record his third defense as he defeated mandatory challenger Francisco Rodriguez Jr (33-5-1, 24) in a compelling 12 round bout that had a bit of everything, and turned out to be a very well contested, and exciting bout that saw both men needing to take some big shots.
The challenger was incredibly confident in his ring walk and it was clear from the energy and demeanour that he wasn't in Japan to make up the numbers. Ioka on the other hand looked like a man who who was missing the fans that he would have hoped would have been at the venue, though weren't due to the increasing number of Covid19 cases in Japan. He didn't look worried, but he didn't look as confident as we've seen him in the past. The confidence of Rodriguez wasn't just for show and he raced out to start the bout, putting Ioka under pressure and using a lot of movement to make Ioka feel uncomfortable. It was a close round overall but one where Rodriguez seemed to have the more eye catching moments and the best highlights, including landing a number of big right hands. Rounds 2 and three were quite similar to the opening round, with Rodriguez holding his own with Ioka, who was taking heavy right hands whilst looking to land left hooks to the body. The two men seemed to have very different tactics, with Ioka looking to take the legs of Rodriguez away, whilst Rodriguez wanted to fight in spurts, catch the eye and apply intelligent pressure. It was a very interesting start to the bout, and one that was genuinely very competitive. As the rounds went on the action kept picking up, and by the end of round 5 it seemed like Rodriguez had been the man getting the better of things. His aggression, his strength and his eye catching right hands up top were certainly impressing and it seemed like Ioka, who's well known for being an adaptable fighter, had got his gameplan wrong. The lack of fans perhaps leaving him just a touch flatter than we'd seen from him. In round 6 and 7 however Ioka began to find his range, his tempo, his counters and his space with more freque ncy. Rodriguez was still having moments, but the Mexican was slowing down, he had put a lot in to the early rounds, used a fair bit of energy, and was struggling just a little bit to close the distance for his bursts. The extra space allowed Ioka to show case his counter punching, and he was he who started to land the better shots, making Rodriguez pay for his aggression with more regularity. Round 7 was a real changing point and Ioka went on to take round 8 as well as he began to take slowly take control. The momentum the champion was building seemed likely to see him take the fight away from Rodriguez, however the Mexican bit down hard and had a stellar round 9, as he hurt Ioka, and showed the same energy he had shown earlier in the bout. The round saw Ioka holding quite a bit, something that Rodriguez complained about after the fight when talking about the result, and something that did go completely unpunished, though had seen both men holding at times on the inside earlier in the bout. Sadly for Rodriguez the round wasn't the start of a major fight back, and instead rounds 11 and 12 were both good ones for Ioka, as he got back to boxing, making Rodriguez miss, and spoiling when he needed to. It was something he needed to do to win, and something that did end up deciding the bout, with Ioka taking the last 2 rounds to secure a 116-112 win on all 3 cards. Talking about the scorecards, they were certainly interesting. Not a single round in the first half of the fight saw all 3 judges agree. The unanimous round was round 7, for Ioka, who also took rounds 8, 11 and 12 on all 3 cards. Rodriguez on the other hand took round 9 on all 3 cards. Other than that the results of the rounds were split on the cards. Amazingly however it was one of those fights where judging was tricky. Although both men had very good rounds, they also had a lot of competitive close ones, making this a really close fight, and a very hotly contested one. After the contest Rodriguez stated that he thought he'd won, and that he would have won had the bout been on neutral territory. He complain about Ioka holding and hitting behind the head, though in all honesty it was something both men were guilty of, and neither seemed to be doing it maliciously but more incidental shots up close. As for Ioka he seemed to accept his performance wasn't great, and that he couldn't fight the fight he wanted, but getting the win was key. He also stated that the bout he's going to try and get next is a unification bout with IBF champion Jerwin Ancajas, something he and his team are going to be trying to negotiate for the big New Year's Eve show that Ioka will be on. |
World Title Results
Whether you like them or not World Titles add prestige to any bout as a result we've included the results of world title bouts in this special section. Archives
October 2022
Categories
All
|