Today's Closet Classic sees us roll back to 2001 and gets a very over-looked thriller from Tokyo. The bout doesn't get the attention it deserves, but was a genuine gem of the early part of the decade, and is well and truly worth being considered as a Closet Classic. The Fight Takanori Hatakeyama (24-1-2, 19) vs Rick Yoshimura (38-5-1, 20) In the late 1990's and early 00's there was a number of must watch fighters from throughout Asia. Among those was 2-weight world champion Takanori Hatakeyama, who you knew was always going to give fans a thrilling bout, no matter who he was in with. Win or lose the exciting Hatakeyama was never going to go into the ring with intention of giving fans anything but their money's worth. As a result he put on thrillers with the likes of Yong Soo Choi, Koji Arisawa, Lakva Sim, Hiroyuki Sakamoto and Rick Yoshimura, in the bout we're going to talk about today. Although not the most skilled, or the biggest puncher Hatakeyama was was a talented, exciting warrior, with incredible heart and determination and a style that improved as his career went on. Win or lose he was always looking to learn from fight to fight, and as a result he was a true fighting champion. Whilst Hatakeyama was a proven world class fighter Yoshimura wasn't proven at that level, however he was proven at Japanese level. He was a 2-weight Japanese champion and had enjoyed a second reign as the Japanese Lightweight champion. That second reign had seen Yoshimura holding the Japanese title from January 1995, when he reclaimed the title, to the end of 2000, by which he had ran up a staggering 22 straight defenses of the title. Yoshimura was born in America but had adopted Japan, where he had managed to make a name for himself. He wasn't as popular as Hatakeyama, who was a damn star, but was still very well liked in Japan and a win here, over Hatakeyamma, would see him become the WBA Lightweight champion, and give his career a huge boost! Given the styles of the two men there was no surprise that the action was hot from the off. Straight from the opening bell Hatakeyama started to apply the pressure, forcing his fight on to Yoshimura. To his credit the challenger soaked up the pressure well, but was very much on the back foot from the off, relying on his footwork against the aggression and pressure of the champion. Yoshimura began to find his room and distance in round 2, but that merely spurred Hatakeyama to press harder. As the fight went on Hatakeyama's pressure began to drag Yoshimura into more and more of a fight. The challenger continued to box and move, soaking up the pressure, but the pressure began to pay off and forced Yoshimura to fight fire with fire. Holding and spoiling from Yoshimura couldn't stop Hatakeyama from marching forward and letting his hands go as he looked to break down the challenger. Despite pressing forward Hatakeyama was forced to take some huge shots on the way in, swelling his face up badly in what ended up being a genuinely brutal clash.
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By Eric Armit
Highlights: -Two-division champion Jose Pedraza returns to action and outpoints Mikkel LesPierre –Alex Saucedo continues to rebuild with win over Sonny Frederickson -Albert Bell, Josue Vargas, John and Jose Enrique Durantes victorious in ten round action 30 June Las Vegas, NV, USA: Super Light: Alex Saucedo (30-1) W PTS 10 Sonny Fredrickson (21-3). Super Light: Josue Vargas (17-1) W PTS 10 Salvador Briceno (17-6). Super Light: John Bauza (14-0) W PTS 8 Larry Fryers (11-3). Saucedo vs. Fredrickson Saucedo gets wide unanimous decision as he dominates fight against Fredrickson. Saucedo was in control from the first and never let Fredrickson get a toehold in the fight. Saucedo shook off a hard right in the first to hurt Fredrickson with a left and then forced him to the ropes and had him rattled with a left. The pattern was the same in the second and third rounds with Saucedo’s aggression taking him past the taller Fredrickson’s jab. Fredrickson made a promising start to the fourth but then pressure from Saucedo again had him backing to the ropes and taking punishment. Saucedo was throwing more and landing more and although Frederickson had the longer reach he could not keep Saucedo out. Despite the occasional right hand counters from Fredrickson Saucedo was busier over the middle rounds. Saucedo had never gone past the eighth round in a fight whereas Fredrickson had gone ten in two of his last three fights but Saucedo had paced the fight well and finished the stronger to emerge a clear winner. Scores 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92 for Saucedo who gets his second win since being stopped in seven rounds by Maurice Hooker in a WBO title challenge in November 2018. This was a competent performance from Saucedo but he has a lot of work to do before he gets anywhere near a title shot again. Second loss in a row for Fredrickson who had dropped a majority decision to unsung Samuel Teah in November. He does not look capable of progressing further. Vargas vs. Briceno Puerto Rican southpaw Vargas extends his winning run to eleven as he outpoints a combative Briceno. The speed and accuracy of Vargas were just too much for Briceno as he constantly rocked the slower Mexican with rapid-fire combinations. Briceno pressed hard all the way and had some success when he worked his way inside or when Vargas chose to stand and trade but other than that it was one-sided. A clash of heads in the sixth opened a cut on the left eyelid of Vargas and in the eighth Briceno was cut over his right eye but neither cut was serious. Vargas continued to outscore a tiring Briseno in the ninth and then held off a desperate finish from the Mexican in the last. Scores 100-90 twice and 99-91 for Vargas. The 22-year-old “The Prodigy” has been matched sensible and was coming off a ten round win over Ireland’s Noel Murphy in December. His only loss was a disqualification. In the amateurs he won a bronze at the National PAL Junior Championships and silver at the USA Youth Championships so worth following. Briceno was 3-2 in his 2019 contests with the losses being on points against unbeaten fighters Gabriel Flores and Yomar Alamo. Bauza vs. Fryers Bauza made it a double for Puerto Rico as he took the points against Ireland’s Fryers. The young “El Terrible” had the better skills and boxed on the back foot spearing the aggressive Fryers with right jabs and counter lefts. Fryers did his best to drag Bauza into a brawl but had very little success as Bauza used clever lateral movement, well placed right jabs and sharp uppercuts to frustrate the Irishman’s attacks. Fryer was never able to apply enough pressure to throw Bauza off his game plan as Bauza showcased some excellent skills. Scores 80-72 twice and 79-73 for Bauza. Now based in New Bergen Bauza went one better than Josue Vargas by winning a gold medal at the USA Youth Championships. He has an abundance of skill but six points wins in a row indicate he needs to build more power. Fryers had considerable amateur experience but at 29 and after two losses in a row may have reached his ceiling. 1 July Kiev, Ukraine: Super Welter: Stanyslav Skorokhod (20-2) W TKO 5 Vlad Tantsiura (2-6). Super Light: Aram Fanilan (17-1) W TKO 1 Nadzir Bakhshyieu (5-10-3). Heavy: Igor Shevadzutskiy (4-0) W TKO 1 Igor Pylypenko (5-50-2) Skorokhod vs. Tantsiura Skorokhod racks up his third inside the distance win on the bounce as he stops inexperienced Tantsiura in five rounds. Skorokhod had won every round before the fight was halted in the fifth with Tantsiura’s face a mask of blood from cuts. The 31-year-ols US-based Ukrainian had two fights in Canada last year winning both and collecting the interim NABA title. Southpaw Tantsiura has lost his last five contests. Fanilan vs. Bakhshyieu Fanilan gets only his second inside the distance win as a body punch finishes overmatched Bakhshyieu in the opening round. The left hook almost cut Bakhshyieu in half. The Ukrainian’s only defeat is a points loss against Mexican Rene Tellez for the WBC Youth title in 2018 and he has now rebuilt with four wins. Third TKO loss in a row for Bakhshyieu. Shevadzutskiy vs. Pylypenko Shevadzutskiy gets his third first round win as floors and halts poor Pylypenko. Shevadzutskiy is a Ukrainian version of Andy Ruiz. He plodded after the reluctant Pylypenko before knocking him off balance with one left hook and putting him down with a second. Pylypenko managed to drag himself to his feet but the towel had come in and the referee waived the fight off. The 30-year-old South African-based Shevadzutskiy is 6’3” but weighed in at 293lbs for this his fourth win by KO/TKO. He is a former Ukrainian champion and European Championships quarter-finalist. The 6’5 ½” Pylypenko has now lost 27 in a row including all ten of his fights last year. 2 July Las Vegas, NV, USA: Super Light: Jose Pedraza (27-3) W PTS 10 Mikkel LesPierre (22-2-1). Light: Albert Bell (17-0) W PTS 10 Mark Bernaldez (20-4). Feather: Jose Enrique Durantes (19-1) W PTS 10 Carlos Jackson (16-1).Feather: Robeisy Ramirez (4-1) W PTS 6 Adan Gonzalez (5-3-2). Super Light: Elvis Rodriguez (7-0-1) W TKO 1 Danny Murray (5-4,1ND). Pedraza vs. LesPierre Masterful first round from Pedraza as his movement and hand speed saw him piercing the slower LesPierre’s defence with flashing combinations. Pedroza kept changing guards in the second. He pinned Les Pierre against the ropes bombarding him with punches. LesPierre managed to get off the ropes but Pedraza continued to find gaps for hooks and uppercuts until Les Pierre rallied at the end of the round. The early part of the third was fairly even but Pedraza shook Les Pierre with an overhand left and finished the round with a series of quick, accurate shots. The fourth was a better round for LesPierre. He was on the front foot putting pressure on Pedraza who was off target with many of his punches. Pedraza looked comfortably in charge in the fifth until a straight left to the body from LesPierre dumped him on his butt. He was up quickly and later in the round put LesPierre down with a solid right and a left hook to the head. Les Pierre easily beat the count and boxed his way to the bell. At the start of the sixth the referee sent both fighters to a neutral corner after he was asked to review the knockdown of Pedraza. Replays showed LesPierre landing a punch and as Pedraza moved back he tripped over Les Pierre’s foot and went down. It was decided that it was a trip and not a knockdown making it a 10-8 round for Pedraza. The sixth, seven and eighth rounds saw Pedraza’s punch output drop but he outboxed a plodding LesPierre without really dominating the action. Pedraza upped his pace in the ninth shaking Les Pierre with a left hook and letting fly with some sharp combinations. Early in the tenth Pedraza dropped LesPierre with a counter left. LesPierre made it to his feet and Pedraza tried to finish it but then backed off and settled for going the distance. Scores 99-89 twice and 100-88 for Pedraza. The two-division world champion was having his first fight since losing on points to Jose Zepeda in September. He has dropped out of the ratings but is of course still a very marketable fighter so a shot at a third world title is a possibility. Trinidadian LesPierre lost heavily to Maurice Hooker in a challenge for the WBO title in March last year but was coming off a win over a reasonable level opponent in Canadian Roody Pierre Paul. Bell vs. Bernaldez These two were mismatched physically and also in talent and Bell did pretty well whatever he liked on the way to winning every round on the cards. Bell had a 6” edge in height and a much longer reach forcing a determined but limited Bernaldez to chase the fight. For a fighter with the boxing skills of Bell he has somehow managed to make progress under the radar but that can’t go on much longer. In a faultless display he picked Bernaldez apart at distance and slipped and slid around Bernaldez punches to score with strong rights inside. Bernaldez applied continuous pressure but Bell was threading punches through the brave Filipino’s guard and raking him with long rights. The only downer for Bell came in the ninth round. He clouted Bernaldez with a straight right and then stepped back from the action shaking his right hand which he had injured when landing the punch. Despite the injury he was able to outbox a tiring Bernaldez in the last round. Three scores of 100-90 for Bell. A former National Golden Gloves and National Police Athletic League gold medal winner the 27-year-old from Toledo had scored good wins over 22-0-1 Andy Vences and useful Frankie De Alba last year and is rated No 13 by the WBC. This was literally too big an ask for Bernaldez but the only guys to have beaten him are all high quality fighters. Ramirez vs. Gonzalez Ramirez gets revenge win over Gonzalez who ruined the former amateur star’s pro debut with a points victory in August. The brilliant Cuban southpaw had been floored in the first round of their previous fight but took no chances in this one. He used his superior skills and speed to control the action. Gonzalez pressed hard and was busier but not as accurate with his punches in this bad tempered match. The Cuban southpaw never quite subdued Gonzalez who swung desperately in the last trying to find a winning punch but the tight guard and precision work from Ramirez saw him take every round. Scores 60-54 for Ramirez from all of the judges. Revenge was important for the 26-year-old Ramirez and now he can continue to build his career. The two-time Olympic champion scored victories over Shakur Stevenson, Michael Conlan, Andrew Selby and Tugstsogt Nyambayan in international competitions and world leaders Lazaro Alvarez and Andy Cruz in Cuban national tournaments and has immense potential. Gonzalez goes back to bread-and–butter fights but no one can erase his win over Ramirez from the records. Rodriguez vs. Murray Dominican prospect Rodriguez pulverises Murray in the first round. Murray flitted around the ring circling Rodriguez pushing out tentative jabs and rights that fell short. Rodriguez was stalking Murray and suddenly uncorked an explosive southpaw jab that sent Murray back and down out through the bottom rope. Murray struggled back in to the ring but was on his back pawing at what might have been an orbital bone injury and the fight was stopped. The 24-year-old Rodriguez looked impressive. The draw on his record was a technical draw and his seven wins have all come by KO/TKO. Murray way out of his league. Durantes vs. Jackson “Executioner” Durantes gave a good solid performance in decisioning Jackson. The young Californian-based Mexican had to work hard for his win but was clearly the better fighter. Scores 97-93 for Durantes on all three cards. The only loss for this Mexican Championships silver medallist is a unanimous decision against unbeaten Ruben Villa which snapped a seventeen bout winning start for Durantes. Jackson has a couple of decent wins but has done most of his fighting in the Dominican Republic where the matching making is pretty horrible. To put it into context if it was a dating agency you could end up having dinner with Quasimodo’s twin sister. 3 July Moscow, Russia: Middle: Magomed Madiev (14-0-2) DREW 10 Artur Osipov (16-2-1). Super Middle: Pavel Silyagin (3-0) W TKO 7 Artysh Lopsan (2-1-1). Welter: Shakhabas Makhmudov (7-0) W TKO 1 Fedor Glazkov (4-1-1). Super Feather: Albert Batyrgaziev (1-0) W RTD 8 Armen Ataev (5-2-1). Welter: Sergey Vorobyov (10-1) W TKO 5 Pavel Mamontov (12-10-2). Cruiser: Shigabudin Aliev (9-0) W TKO 2 Artush Sarkisyan (6-8), Madiev vs. Osipov Madiev retains the Russian title with draw against Osipov. It was a difficult fight to score with Madiev the aggressor but not really working hard enough when he got inside. Osipov was more accurate and the harder punches and he had Madiev rocking badly in the sixth. One judge had it 96-95 for Osipov, one scored it 95-95 and the third was on another planet giving it to Madrimov 100-90. The 25-year-old Madiev’s other draw was against useful Argentinian Guido Pitto. In the amateurs Madiev, twice Russian Youth champion, won silver medals at the European and World Youth Championships and a bronze at the World Military Championships but was not impressive here. Osipov lost in domestic matches in his two fights in 2019 but had registered a low level win in March. Silyagin vs. Lopsan Former outstanding amateur Silyagin was a few classes above novice Lopsan. All Lopsan had going for him was his 6’2” height but he was dropped in the first, down twice in the fourth and after a further knockdown in the seventh the fight was stopped. Silyagin, 27, was Russian champion and won bronze medals at the European Games and the World Championships. He was a regular member of the Russian Patriotic Boxing Team in the WBS putting together a 11-1 score and registering a win over currently unbeaten Joshua Buatsi. This win nets him the WBA Asian title. Lopsan just cannon fodder. Makhmudov vs. Glazkov Heavy-handed Makhmudov blows away Glazkov in two rounds. Glazkov managed to survive the first round but a wicked left hook to the body forced him to go down on one knee in the second. He managed to get up but was driven to the ropes and a crushing right to the head sent him tumbling to the canvas and the fight was over. The 23-year-old Makhmudov makes it six wins by KO/TKO. He turned pro in May 2018 but also continued to box in amateur competitions and won the Russian national title in 2019. A university student he is another former member of the Russian Patriotic Boxing Team. Glazkov was never in with a remote chance. Batyrgaziev vs. Ataev Batyrgaziev collects a title in his first pro fight as he beats Ataev in seven rounds. A star in the amateurs Batyrgaziev took his time and broke down fellow southpaw Ataev with powerful jabs and straight lefts. He varied his attack and was equally comfortable on offence and defence. Ataev absorbed a solid beating until finally with their man bloody and just soaking up punishment his corner pulled him out before the start of the eighth. The 22-year-old Batyrgaziev started out in kick boxing and did not turn to boxing until after watching the 2016 Olympics and deciding he wanted to try to qualify for Tokyo. He was Russian champion in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and was a quarter-finalist at the World Championships. The rescheduling of the Tokyo Olympics has seen him turn pro. Ataev had won his last three fights by KO/TKO but all he showed here was courage. Vorobyov vs. Mamontov Vorobyov overcomes Kazak Mamontov. Vorobyov won every round and it was really just a case of how long it would take him to catch up with a reluctant Mamontov. The end came in the fifth when a body punch sent Mamontov down on one knee. He managed to clamber to his feet but the fight was stopped. Russian champion Vorobyov gets win No 7 by KO/TKO. He broke through in 2018 with a victory over 34-0 Konstantin Ponomarev. Mamontov is now 1-8 in his most recent outing but usually goes the distance. Aliev vs. Sarkisyan Tall cruiser Aliev uses the punch of the night to flatten Sarkisyan in the sixth round. Aliev took Sarkisyan to the ropes and then exploded a right cross to the jaw that sent Sarkisyan to the canvas and it took a long time before Sarkisyan was in any condition to get up. In his last fight in July last year Aliev outpointed oldie Kevin Johnson. Sarkisyan was coming off a kayo win over 9-0 Ualikan Bissengulov. 4 July Mexico City, Mexico: Super Feather: Mauricio Lara (19-2) W TKO 1 Alejandro Palmero (8-6-1). Super Feather: Irving Turrubiartes (23-0) W TKO 5 Hector Colin (9-13). Bantam: Joel Cordova (12-5-2) W PTS 8 Martin Tecuapetla (15-13-4). Lara vs. Palmero Lara continues his good run as he stops Palmero late in the first round. A left hook from Lara unhinged Palmero’s legs and a burst of head punches had Palmero turning away and staggering on stiff legs into a neutral corner with the referee stopping the fight. The 22-year-old “Bronco” makes it eight wins in a row seven inside the distance. Only the third fight in four years for Palmero. Turrubiartes vs. Colin Turrubiartes marches on with fifth round stoppage of Colin but it was not smooth all the way. Both fighters were on the floor in the first three rounds before Turrubiartes power proved the differences and he forced the stoppage in the fifth. No names on the record of the 22-year-old from Monterrey so real test yet to come. Former Mexican title challenger Colin suffers his seventh inside the distance defeat. Cordova vs. Tecuapetla In the best fight of the night Cordova and Tecuapetla went to war over eight rounds. It was back-and-forth action with a decision that could have gone either way with the three judges favouring Cordova. Scores 77-75 twice and 79-74. Cordova is now 6-0-2 in his last 8 bouts and turning his career around with wins over 20-2-3 Jose Quirino and former WBC flyweight champion Juan Hernandez. Tecuapetla is capable of giving anyone trouble on a good night. He has wins over Saul Juarez and Dwayne Beamon and only lost on a split verdict when he challenged Akira Yaegashi for the for the IBF light fly title in Japan. Fight of the week (Significance): Jose Pedraza’s win over Mikkel LesPierre adds another factor to a talent-heavy super light division Fight of the week (Entertainment): Only eight rounds but Joel Cordova vs. Martin Tecuapetla was action all the way. Fighter of the week: Albert Bell’s classy display against Mark Bernaldez impressed Punch of the week: The right from Shigabudin Aliev that blasted out Artush Sarkisyan was tops just ahead of the right jab from Elvis Rodriguez that finished Danny Murray and the body punch from Aram Fanilan that left Nadzir Bakhshyieu writhing on the canvas in agony. Upset of the week: None Prospect watch: Dominican super lightweight Elvis Rodriguez looks good. Observations: Top Rank is showing the way for shows in this time of COVID-19 with their “bubble” formula and protocols with those involved tested and then “quarantined” on the designated hotel floor. Two weeks ago the positive test for Mikkel LesPierre’s manager saw the fight against Jose Pedraza cancelled and all of LesPierre’s team having to leave the bubble and when the father of Josue Vargas exited quarantine to stroll around the MGM Grand on Tuesday he was not allowed back in and could not work his son’s corner. The use of action replay to review the “knockdown” suffered by Jose Pedraza in the fifth round of his fight with Mikkel LesPierre is an innovation that may well now become standard for fights in Las Vegas-and perhaps elsewhere. For me not reviewing the replay until the start of the sixth round raises some questions. Referee Kenny Bayliss sent both boxers to a neutral corner and then left the ring to view the replay which took two minutes and resulted in a three minute break between the end of the fifth and the start of the sixth. It might have been better if Bayliss had left the ring during the regulation one minute break as an extra one or two minutes recovery time could be vital in a fight. The Mexican DF Commission again refused to recognised or appoint representatives for the show yesterday in Mexico City so the results will be shown as No Contest on the fighter’s records in BoxRec. The main supporting bout between Carlos Ocampo and Jorge Luis Garcia was cancelled because Garcia’s trainer tested positive for COVID-19. By Eric Armit
Highlights: -Miguel Berchelt returns with a stoppage over Eleazar Valenzuela in anon-title fight -Joshua Franco wins the secondary WBA title at super fly with graphite-thin unanimous verdict over Andrew Moloney -Jason Moloney looks good with retirement victory over Leonardo Baez -Abraham Nova makes it 19 wins as he decisions Avery Sparrow -Chris Diaz impresses as he outscore Jason Sanchez June 23 Las Vegas, NV, USA: Super Fly: Joshua Franco (17-1-2) W PTS 12 Andrew Moloney (21-1). Feather: Chris Diaz (26-2) W PTS 10 Jason Sanchez (15-2). Moloney vs. Franco Moloney loses the secondary WBA title in his first defence as Franco stages a strong finish to take a very close unanimous decision. Moloney made a fast, confident start in the first. He was on the front foot stabbing out jabs and firing straight rights and mixing in left hooks. Franco was cautious and throwing very little. The second round was more even. Franco was on the front foot more and letting his punches go rocking Moloney with a left uppercut. Moloney continued to work well with the jab and ended the round with a series of hooks. Franco was the aggressor for much of the third as he landed with jabs and sweeping hooks at distance. Moloney again finished the round strongly but Franco had done enough to make it his round, Franco was the aggressor throughout the fourth but Moloney was boxing neatly on the back foot finding gaps with his jabs and banging home left hooks. Scores: Judge Patricia Morse Jarman 39-37 Moloney, Judge Julie Lederman 39-37 Moloney, Judge Dave Moretti 40-36 Moloney The fifth was Franco’s best round so far. He was strong with his jab, crowding Moloney and moving forward with hooks and uppercuts as he upped his work rate. Moloney was less accurate and being outworked. The champion forced his way back into the fight in the sixth. He was getting his punches off first and then moving to deny Franco a chance to connect with his long hooks. In the seventh Maloney alternated between getting inside and working to the body and standing off and beating Franco to the punch and he was more accurate with his punches. The eighth was close. Franco pressed hard letting fly with hooks from both hands and started the round well. Moloney then used speed movement and accuracy to pick up the points and his better finish gave him the round. Scores: Judge Jarman: 78-74 Moloney, Judge Lederman 77-75 Moloney, Judge Moretti: 78-74 Moloney. Franco’s round. The fight had been fought at a fast pace and now in the ninth Moloney looked to be tiring. He was throwing less and being caught with punches he had slipped before as Franco applied more and more pressure. The tenth was a good round for Franco. He was again coming forward throwing long swinging hooks looking stronger and rattling punches off Moloney’s head. Moloney went down briefly but it was more of a slip/push and there was no count. Suddenly an overhand right from Franco opened a cut over the left eye of Moloney. That fired up Franco and he was raking Moloney with punches at the bell. In the eleventh Franco forced Moloney to the ropes and connected with a series of head punches. They caused Moloney to overbalance and he put his gloves on the canvas to avoid toppling forward. That resulted in a count which proved to be the moment that decided the result. When the standing eight count was finished Franco pursued Moloney around the ring connecting with some heavy head shots. Moloney was mostly using his left glove to protect the cut that was bleeding again and that opened him up to right hooks over the last minute of a punishing round. Franco pressed hard in the last. Moloney boxed and moved but it was Franco who was doing the scoring and he took the round. Scores Judge Jarman 114-113 Franco, Judge Lederman 115-112 Franco, Judge Moretti114-113 Franco. In the end it was that time moment in the eleventh when Moloney’s gloves touched the canvas that cost him his title. Franco paced the fight better and was much stronger over the closing rounds. He had Moloney reeling in the eleventh and the champion might well have gone down anyway. Texan Franco was an outsider . He had gone 1-0-2 in three tough bouts with former WBC bantamweight title challenger Oscar Negrete and outpointed 17-2 Mexican Jose Burgos. With the real WBA champion being Ramon Gonzalez and Juan Francisco (WBC), Jerwin Ancajas (IBF) and Kazuto Ioka WBO) holding the other versions of the title he still has to prove he is worthy of a place alongside them but at 24 he has time to develop further. Moloney complained of feeling dizzy and nauseas after the fight and was taken to the hospital for examination where he was diagnosed as having suffered two perforated eardrums which must have affected him in the fight and as his nose was also broken he had some serious handicaps to overcome. Although it was closed Moloney stated he thought Franco was a worthy winner but the 28-year-old Australian will still be a threat in this division. Diaz vs. Sanchez Puerto Rican “Smurf” Diaz continues his rebuilding process with a unanimous decision over Sanchez. Diaz was in charge from the outset. He was quick off the mark with his jabs and his fluid movement gave Sanchez problems. He built an early lead with Sanchez not really able to get into the fight until after the half way mark when he upped his work rate. Even then the better, quicker and more accurate work was coming from Diaz as he shook Sanchez late in an impressive performance. Scores 98-92 twice and 97-93 for Diaz. He has lost badly in fights against Masayuki Ito for the vacant WBO super feather title and Shakur Stevenson for minor IBF and WBO titles. There are indications that he may decide to drop down to super bantamweight in the future. Sanchez was also aiming to put some bricks back in his career wall after being floored and outpointed by Oscar Valdez in a challenge for the WBO feather title in June last year. June 25 Las Vegas, NV, USA: Bantam: Jason Moloney (21-1) W RTD 7 Leonardo Baez (18-3,1ND). Light: Abraham Nova (19-0) W PTS 10 Avery Sparrow (10-2,1ND. Feather: Orlando Gonzalez-Ruiz (15-0) W PTS 8 Luis Porozo (15-3). Moloney vs. Baez After twin brother Andrew lost his WBA title two days before it was up to Jason to restore family pride and he did so in style forcing a tough Baez to retire after seven rounds. Moloney looked composed in the opening round. He was getting his punches off first and mixing in some crisp hooks. Baez the bigger man was strong but slower and advancing in a straight line whereas Moloney kept using plenty of lateral movement. Baez pressed hard at the start of the second and connected with a couple of rights to the head. Moloney continued to be quicker to the punch and late in the round stood inside and outworked Baez. It had been a close round and Baez complained after a clash of heads saw him cut over his right eye. After Baez scored with some clubbing shots in the third Moloney went inside again in the fourth and looked stronger forcing Baez back with hooks and uppercuts. Baez landed heavily in the opening exchanges in the fifth before Moloney took control going toe-to-toe with Baez and getting the better of the trading inside. After an even start in the sixth Moloney was hammering home straight rights. Baez tried to walk through the punches but was taking punishment. In the seventh Baez put in a big effort but a cut was opened over his left eye and Moloney pounded him to head and body. Baez looked spent and his corner retired him in the interval. At the end Moloney was up by five points on two cards and three on the other. The 29-year-old Australian’s only loss was a split decision to Emmanuel Rodriguez in a challenge for the IBF bantam title in a WBSS Tournament fight in 2018. This is his fourth win over good level opposition since then and he is rated WBA 3/IBF 4/WBC 4/WBO 5. This win is No 18 inside the distance and he should get another title shot late this year or early next once the WBSS Tournament is completed. Mexican Baez, 24, had won 11 of his last 12 fights including a victory over unbeaten Argentinian Alberto Melian and former WBA Interim champion 25-2 Moises Flores so a demanding test for Moloney. Nova vs. Sparrow Nova retains his 100% record with unanimous decision over Sparrow. The cagey, slick Sparrow gave Nova plenty of problems over the early rounds. Although this was Sparrow’s first fight for fifteen months he showed no rust. Not a noted puncher Sparrow found the target with light, quick jabs and used plenty of movement to frustrate Nova. Sparrow had taken the fight at just three weeks notice and Nova attempted to slow him by working the body but Sparrow was throwing more and looked to be in front after five rounds. Nova increased his punch output over the second half of the fight and finally began to use his edges in height and reach. A right to the head rattled Sparrow in the eighth and Nova built on that success to stage a strong finish sweeping five of the last six rounds. Scores a too wide 99-91, 97-93 and 96-94 all for Nova. A good learning fight for Nova against a difficult opponent. The 26-year-old Nova is Puerto Rican-born of Dominican parents and was US National Champion in 2014 but failed to make it through the US Trials for the 2016 Olympics. His father and four of his brothers also boxed. He has split his fighting time between the USA and Belgium. He is No 7 with the WBO but needs some more fights before he is ready to tackle such as Miguel Berchelt or Leo Santa Cruz. Despite his lack of experience Philadelphian Sparrow has already scored upset victories over 19-1-1 Jose Lopez and Hank Lundy. On the debit side an inside the distance win over Jesus Serrano in 2018 was changed to a No Decision as Sparrow tested positive for a banned substance. Gonzalez-Ruiz vs. Porozo As with Nova Gonzalez also found himself in a testing fight against an awkward opponent. It looked as though Gonzalez might add to his ten inside the distance wins when he floored Porozo with a peach of a southpaw left hook in the second round. Luckily it came late in the round as Porozo was badly shaken. Porozo has a good chin and beat the count. From there Gonzalez had problems landing cleanly on the Ecuadorian who used a crouching, forward leaning style to befuddle Gonzalez. After Gonzalez took the third Porozo got into the fight and was clawing back Gonzalez’s lead over the fourth and fifth. There were breaks in the action in the fifth, sixth and seventh due to low punches from Gonzalez but he put the fight beyond Porozo’s reach with a knockdown in the seventh and a strong eighth. Scores 77-73 twice and 76-74 all for Gonzalez. The 24-year-old with the “Golden Left Hand” is one of the hottest prospects around but Porozo was a difficult opponent to look good against. Gonzalez is being matched sensibly and will have better nights. Porozo had a wealth of amateur experience having represented Ecuador at the 2008 Olympics and 2009 and 2011 World Championships and former WBA super featherweight champion Alberto Machado is the only one to have beaten him by inside the distance. 27 June Mexico City, Mexico: Light: Miguel Berchelt (38-1) W TKO 6 Eleazar Valenzuela (21-14-4,1ND). Super Light: Omar Aguilar (18-0) W TKO 1 Dante Jardon (32-7). Feather: Rafael Espinoza (15-0) W TKO 2 Luis Guzman (8-15). Feather: Alan David Picasso (14-1) W PTS 8 Florentino Perez (14-6-2). Berchelt vs. Valenzuela Berchelt overpowers and breaks down a gutsy Valenzuela. In the first they traded jabs until late in the round when Berchelt let his hands go connecting with long rights and left hooks to the body. Surprisingly the bell went twenty-five seconds early and the action stopped until the mistake was realised and the fight continued. Just before the bell a left hook from Berchelt floored Valenzuela. He was up quickly and the bell went to end the round. In the second Berchelt battered Valenzuela to the ropes and landed vicious hooks to the head and body. Valenzuela took the punishment and then walked though Berchelt’s punches putting Berchelt on the back foot until Berchelt cut loose with more hooks and uppercuts before the bell. Valenzuela took the fight to Berchelt in the third and was getting throught with jabs and hooks. A left from Berchelt landed on Valenzuela’ thigh and Valenzuela was given a short break to recover and then was again forcing Berchelt back. It looked as though he might win the round until Berchelt cut looses with a volley of punches. He staggered Valenzuela with a left uppercut and as he continued to rock Valenzuela with head punches the referee looked on the point of a stoppage but Valenzuela gustily lasted to the bell. In the fourth Berchelt snapped Valenzuela’s head back with hooks and handed out a savage beating. Valenzuela refused to take a step back and continued to walk through Berchelt’s punches scoring with some hard jabs and body shots. Berchelt’s punch output dropped at the start of the fifth allowing Valenzuela some success but by the end of the round Valenzuela looked worn down and exhausted. Valenzuela bravely walked forward in the sixth. Berchelt shook him with hooks and then sent him into a corner with a long left hook and the referee sensibly stepped in to save Valenzuela. Some useful ring time for Berchelt as he looks forward to a fight against former undefeated WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez, the No 1 challenger for his WBC title. Valenzuela made Berchelt fight hard for his win and showed real courage to keep taking the fight to Berchelt. He suffers his fourth inside the distance defeat. Aguilar vs. Jardon Aguilar blasts out veteran Jordan in 57 seconds. A left hook shook Jardon badly and two rights to the head had him stumbling backwards. Aguilar followed him connecting with left hooks and as Jardon reached the ropes two thunderous head punches had Jardon reeling and the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. Both fighters looked surprised at the stoppage and Jardon protested it vigorously but it was a justified stoppage. The 21-year-old Aguilar has 17 wins by KO/TKO 13 of them in the first round but his opposition has been very modest. Jardon, a WBC title challenger at super feather, looked very fleshy at 141lbs and a bit shop-worn but with his experience he was a reasonable test for young Aguilar Espinoza vs. Guzman Espinoza makes it thirteen wins by KO/TKO as his fight with Guzman is stopped in the second round. A left hook from Espinoza opened a severe cut on the right eyebrow of Guzman and the doctor ruled that the cut was too bad for Guzman to continue. At 6’1” the 26-year-old from Guadalajara may not be able to stay at super feather for long. Sixth loss in a row for Guzman Picasso vs. Perez Teenager Picasso boxes his way to victory over “Violento” Perez. The first round was painful for Picasso as Perez connected with a low punch which could have resulted in castration. Perez did enough to win that round but then Picasso used his skill and speed to win the rest. The much smaller Perez rolled forward making life difficult at times for Picasso but had to take heavy punishment in the seventh and eighth. Scores 79-73. 79-74 and 78-74 for Picasso. Tenth win on the bounce for the 19-year-old Picasso who turned pro at 16. He is progressing well having beaten some good level opposition last year. Perez keeps his record of never losing inside the distance. Plant City, FL, USA: Super Light: Ryan Martin (23-1) W RTD 6 Carlos Velasquez (27-37-2). Super Welter: Cecil McCalla (22-4) W TKO 1 Matias Garcia. Martin returns to the ring with a win. Martin was finding gaps for his jabs and right crosses in the first. Oldie Velasquez had little to offer and Martin was in full control over the second and third. He upped the pressure in the fourth and handed out some severe punishment in the fifth with Velasquez buckling under the barrage of punches. The sixth was another painful round for Velasquez as Martin drove him back with straight rights and although Velasquez finished the round on his feet he had nothing to offer and his corner retired him before the start of the seventh. First fight for Martin since losing to Josh Taylor in the WBSS Tournament in November 2018. He tested positive for a banned substance and is recorded as being under suspension until May 2021 but this is boxing and Ohio (where he is licensed and Florida (where he fought) don’t seem to care about things like that. Thirteenth win by KO/TKO for “Blue Chip” Martin. Nicaraguan Velasquez, 40, has lost 4 of his last 5 fights. McCalla vs. Garcia In his first fight in almost a year McCalla has no trouble in brushing aside poor Nicaraguan Garcia. McCalla stalked the pathetic Garcia scoring two knockdowns with clubbing head punches. Garcia just managed to struggle to his feet after the second knockdown but the referee waived the fight off. After going 20-0 at the start of his career McCalla lost to Chris van Heerden, Ishe Smith and Tony Harrison in 2015 and has only fought sporadically since then with this being his third fight almost five years. For Garcia this was his thirteenth loss in his last fifteen fights. WORLD TITLE SHOWS Fight of the week (Significance): Joshua Franco vs. Andrew Moloney as Franco adds his name to the super flyweights roster Fight of the week (Entertainment): Franco vs. Moloney was a close hard-fought match Fighter of the week: New super flyweight champion Joshua Franco with honourable mention to Jason Maloney Punch of the week: The left hook from Miguel Berchelt that put Eleazar Valenzuela down in the first round was a beauty Upset of the week: Franco was an outsider against Moloney Prospect watch: Super Lightweight Omar Aguilar 18-0 is worth following Observations The Federal Commission in Mexico City refused to provide supervisors for the Berchelt vs. Valenzuela show so BoxRec will register all of the fights as No Contest and not as wins/losses. Mixed fortunes for the Moloney twins but they both put on impressive performances. Disappointing to see Ryan Martin being allowed to fight despite a ban for doping which will not expire until May 2021. For today's Closet Classic we're going to be doing something a little bit different as we look at an amateur fight. For those who don't follow amateur boxing this will be something a little bit different, whilst those who follow amateur boxing will know what an incredible was this bout was, and why it is worth time, of any fan, to watch. The Fight Ryota Murata Vs Ievgen Khytrov As we write this, with Coronavirus essentially putting sport on ice in mid March 2020, Ryota Murata is the WBA Middleweight champion, one of the major faces of Japanese boxing and one of the most fun to watch fighters out there. Sure Murata might not be technical genius but the tough, powerful and physically imposing Japanese fighter is always a fun go to watch, with his pressure style guaranteeing action, no matter what. For fans who have followed him since he turned professional his technical flaws have been evident, but yet he was still a solid amateur, with big power and an exciting power-based style. At the 2011 World Amateur Championships he was a dark horse who had made his was to the final with a string of solid wins, stopping Abbos Atoev and beating Stefan Haertel, Darren O'Neill and Esquiva Falcao. Highly established Ukrainian amateur Ievgen Khytrov went in to the tournament as an outsider himself. Although more established on the international scene than Murata he wasn't seen as one of the top 8 seeds. He had looked good in the tournaments earlier in the year and had reached the final thanks to wins over the likes of Nursahat Pazzyyev, Aleksandar Drenovak and Bogdan Juratoni. He was part of a very strong emerging Ukrainian team and whilst not regarded as one of the absolute sensations of the team, such as Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk who were both seeds, he was still seen as one to watch following a win over Abbos Atoev at a tournament just a few weeks earlier. Like Murata he was seen as an aggressive, exciting fighter, but he was more polished and set a brilliantly high work rate. From the opening moments it was clear that we were set for something special as the two men met head to head in the center of the ring and began to let their shots go. It was clear that Khytrov was the more natural boxer, and the more active, but Murata was looking to make his physical strength pay as he applied some basic but strong pressure. The bout continued to be a thrilling toe to two battle from the opening bell right through, with Murata trying to land his booming right hand whilst Khytrov out worked and outshined Murata with his crisp punching and smart footwork. For those who think amateur fights are all touchy, tappy stuff this is something totally different and something well and truly worth a watch. |
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