By Eric Armit

Highlights:
-Oleksandr Usyk wins the IBF/WBA/WBO and IBO titles with points win over Anthony Joshua
-Lawrence Okolie knocks out Dilan Prasovic in three rounds in WBO cruiser title defence
-Masamichi Yabuki wins the WBC light flyweight title with upset stoppage of unbeaten champion Kenshiro Teraji
-Callum Smith scores scary kayo over Lenin Castillo in the second round
-Arslanbek Makhmudov and Christian Mbilli score quick wins in Quebec

World Title/Major Shows

September 22

Kyoto, Japan: Light Fly: Masamichi Yabuki (13-3) W TKO 10 Kenshiro Teraji (18-1).
 Unfancied Yabuki spoils the home coming party for WBC title holder Teraji as he stops him in the tenth. Assured start from Teraji in the first with plenty of movement and plenty of probing jabs but he was off target and short with his jab. Yabuki landed a couple of punches late to steal the round. Teraji was still throwing lots of jabs in the second and but again although he was throwing less it was Yabuki who was connecting and he was out jabbing Teraji in the third. Teraji could have worn just one glove as he hardly used his right at all. Yabuki had a good fourth knocking Teraji back on his heels with a right and connecting with good counters. After four rounds two judges had Yabuki up 40-36 and the other had it 38-38. The rounds had been close but Teraji’s jab was too often just an ineffectual prod. The fifth saw Yabuki score repeatedly with rights to the head knocking Teraji off balance. Teraji upped his pace in the sixth. He was moving in behind his jab and bringing his right into play and looked on the point of taking the fight over. Teraji kept up the fast pace in the seventh but was only throwing jabs and it was Yakubu who was connecting with the more impressive single shots. The eighth was a good round for Yabuki. Teraji was following him around the ring jabbing but time and again was caught with rights from Yabuki one of which sent Teraji staggering and after the eighth Yabuki was ahead 79-74, 78-74 and 77-75. In an exciting ninth Teraji came forward throwing punches but suddenly Yabuki fired a series of shots that had Teraji reeling and a punch opened a bad cut over the left eye of the champ. Yabuki then had Teraji under severe pressure. Teraji forgot his boxing and now went toe-to-toe slugging with Yabuki. He looked to have Yabuki rocking only for Yabuki to fire back with two huge rights that shook Teraji at the bell. Teraji went for broke at the start of the tenth forcing Yabuki to the ropes and letting fly with hooks and uppercuts from both hands. He landed a couple of sweeping hooks to the body and snapped Yabuki’s head back with a right. Yabuki shoved Teraji to the canvas but Teraji got up and was assaulting an exhausted looking Yabuki with body punches but also leaving himself open and Yabuki connected with some blazing head punches that had Teraji reeling across the ring to the ropes and Yabuki kept pounding on a Teraji who was ready to drop when the referee stopped the fight. Teraji had tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of August and this fight was put back seventeen days but Teraji did not have a negative result until 3 September so he could not have been in top condition for this fight. 
September 25
London, England: Heavy: Oleksandr Usyk (19-0) W PTS 12 Anthony Joshua (24-2). Cruiser: Lawrence Okolie (17-0) W KO 3 Dilan Prasovic (15-1). Light Heavy: Callum Smith (28-1) W KO 2 Lenin Castillo (21-4-1). Welter: Florian Marku (9-0-1) W PTS 10 Maxim Prodan (19-1-1). Middle: Christopher Ousley (13-0, 1ND) W PTS 10 Khasan Baysangurov (21-2).
Usyk vs. Joshua
Usyk collects four title belts as he matches Joshua and then finishes the fight strongly sweeping the late round to emerge a clear and deserved winner. 
Round 1
Usyk was quicker and more mobile. He landed first getting through with a straight left. Joshua connected with a right later but another left and a shot to the body were enough to give Usyk the round. He was constantly circling Joshua and changing direction with Joshua looking slow by comparison.
Score: 10-9 Usyk
Round 2
Joshua kept popping Usyk with jabs . Not all were landing but he was using the jab to keep Usyk at distance. Usyk could not get past the jab and Joshua took the round with his work with his jab.
Score: 10-9 Joshua                    Tied 19-19
Round 3  
A much better round for Usyk. He was able to dart past Joshua’s jab and connected with a good combination to the head. Late in the round a big left from Usyk visibly shook Joshua and Usyk fired more punches trying to capitalise on that but Joshua recovered.
Score: 10-9 Usyk                        Usyk 29-28     
Round 4
Usyk’s quick footwork and hand speed were allowing him to connect with right jabs over the top of Joshua’s left and he was also able to get through with his punches and get out before Joshua could counter.
Score: 10-9 Usyk                        Usyk 39-37
Official Scores: Judge Viktor Fesechko 39-37 Usyk, Judge Howard Foster 38-38 TIED,  Judge Steve Weisfeld 39-37 Usyk.
Round 5
The pace speeded up in this round mainly because Joshua was more positive and Usyk had to move more. Joshua again kept popping Usyk with his jab and landed a couple of rights with Usyk connected with a left late.
Score:10-9 Joshua                    Usyk 48-47
Round 6
The pace was very fast for heavyweights. Joshua was stabbing out his jab and putting Usyk under more pressure. Neither scored with any big punches but Usyk was being caught with the jab and was set back by a straight right and not managing to get on the front foot.
Score: 10-9 Joshua                    TIED 57-57
Round 7
A good round for Usyk. He was getting through with his jab and straight rights. Joshua was throwing single punches whereas Usyk was starting to fire combinations and a left to the head sent Joshua staggering back across the ring.
Score: 10-9 Usyk                        Usyk 67-66
Round 8
Joshua used his right a lot more in this round and found the target but was reaching with the punch which lost some of its force. Usyk sparked to life late in the round but then Joshua scored with two thumping body punches.
Score: 10-9 Joshua                    TIED 76-76
Official Scores: Judge Viktor Fesechko 77-76 Usyk, Judge Howard Foster 77-75 Joshua,  Judge Steve Weisfeld 76-76 TIED.
Round 9
Usyk was just too fast for Joshua in this round. He was sliding his jab over the top of Joshua’s and coming in with straight lefts. Joshua just could not find the target and Usyk scored with a heavy left at the bell
Score: 10-9 Usyk                        Usyk 86-85
Round 10
Usyk was confident enough to stand inside and slip Joshua’s lead and slot home fast rights and lefts. He was again putting his punches into small bursts with Joshua just firing one shot at a time looking static and slow there was swelling around his right eye.
Score: 10-9 Usyk                        Usyk 96-94
Round 11
Joshua tried to raise his game but could not match the movement or hand speed of Usyk. The challenger was getting past Joshua’s jab and driving Joshua back with a series of punches and then moving out of range before Joshua could counter.
Score: 10-9 Usyk                        Usyk 106-103
Round 12
A one-sided last round saw Usyk outthrow and outland Joshua and he finished the fight with a whole series of punches that had Joshua reeling against the ropes a well beaten fighter.
Score:10-9 Usyk                        Usyk 116-112
Official Scores: Judge Viktor Fesechko 117-112 Usyk, Judge Howard Foster 115-113 Usyk,  Judge Steve Weisfeld 116-112 Usyk.
A brilliant display of box/fighting from Usyk. He was too quick 
and too clever for a pedestrian Joshua who with his cautious, no risk approach  seemed to think he was fighting the Andy Ruiz from their second fight again instead of one of the most accomplished big men in the sport. Usyk has said he will give Joshua a return-in Ukraine! Whether that will be made or not should become evident soon. The position with the heavyweights is wide open right now. Obviously it would be good to think that Usyk vs. Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder would follow as it would unify the heavyweight titles but it’s early to say how any negotiations for that might go. The WBA ratings have Trevor Bryan as secondary title holder and Mahmoud Charr as “Champion in Recess” and Daniel Dubois as No 1. I wouldn’t watch Usyk against Bryan or Mahmoud if you paid me and it might be a bit early for Dubois who is yet to face a real test since his loss to Joe Joyce. The No 1 spot in both the IBF and WBO ratings is vacant  so Usyk has at this time no mandatory fights. Usyk was totally the wrong kind of opponent for Joshua and it was strange as there was a constrained way about how he fought as if he believed he could outbox Usyk. There was little “fire” in his performance. He will return but will have to change his whole game plan if he is to have a chance of beating Usyk in a return fight.
Okolie vs. Prasovic
Okolie destroys Prasovic in a totally predictable ending. Okolie was finding Prasovic with jabs in the first and then dropped him late in the second. A right which looked to land at the back of Prasovic’s head had him staggering and another right floored him. Prasovic made it to his feet and although Okolie landed a couple more head shots Prasovic survived the remaining seconds. In the third a body punch sent Prasovic down in agony and he was counted out. First defence of the WBO title for Okolie and he got the job done in probably the easiest defence he will have. Prasovic’s No 1 rating with the WBO was ridiculous and even his No 27 rating by Box Rec flatters him. 
Smith vs. Castillo
If there was any question over whether Smith would be able to retain his power punching at light heavyweight this fight answered that question. Smith was on target in the first jabbing strongly and scoring with his trade mark left hooks to the body. Castillo showed a useful jab but Smith was curving rights around Castillo’s guard to the head. In the second as they traded punches a thunderous right from Smith sent Castillo down heavily on his back. His legs twitched uncontrollably and he was quickly given medical attention before leaving the ring on a stretcher and taken to hospital with the information later being that he had recovered and was not in danger. Smith will be looking to get at least another couple of fights at light heavy and then seek a title chance. First inside the distance loss for Castillo who had taken Dmitry Bivol the distance in a challenge for the secondary WBA title and also Marcus Browne.
Marku vs. Prodan 
An Albanian vs. a Ukrainian does not seem very logical for a big show in London but that’s what we had here. Albanian Marku, who has fought almost exclusively in the UK, boxed cleverly over the early rounds with quick hands, plenty of movement and switch-hitting. Prodan came into the contention more over the second half of the fight rocking Marku who let his punch output drop as he tired. Despite that his early work earned him a deserved split decision on scores of 97-93 and 96-94 with the third card somehow reading 99-91 for Prodan ! Marku wins the IBF International title. Prodan was making the second defence of the IBF belt.
Ousley vs. Baysangurov
Big win and something of an upset as Ousley just gets by former WBA title challenger Baysangurov on a majority decision. Scores 97-94 twice and 95-95 for Chicago’s Ousley. Bulgarian Baysangurov was stopped in eleven rounds by Rob Brant for the secondary WBA belt in February 2019 but had come back with four wins over modest opponents. 


September 23

Quebec City, Canada: Heavy: Arslanbek Makhmudov (13-0) W RTD 1 Erkan Teper (21-4). Super Middle: Christian Mbilli (19-0) W TKO 3 Ronny Landaeta (18-4).
Makhmudov vs. Teper
 Makhmudov crushes Teper who dips out after three knockdowns in the opening round. Teper found gaps for a straight right and a couple of jabs before Makhmudov connected with a series of hefty rights that put Teper down on his hands and knees. Teper beat the count but was put down twice more and retired at the end of the round. Now thirteen fights and thirteen wins by KO/TKO for the 6’5” 260lbs Russian and his fourth one round finish in a row. He certainly has power but is a bit crude. I was going to say he has very little head movement and whilst that is true with regard to that movement as a defence he constantly shakes head from side to side in what seems to be an involuntary twitch. In the World Series of Boxing he scored wins over Mihai Nistor, Jose Larduet and Guido Vianello. Teper, rated No 58 by Box Rec, and in his first fight since February 2020, looked all of his 39 years and proved no test for Makhmudov who has done all that has been asked of him but is yet to meet a threatening opponent.
Mbilli vs. Landaeta
Mbilli marches on with third round victory over Landaeta. Mbilli quickly put Landaeta under pressure in the first with stabbing jabs, hooks to the body inside and some fast rights to the head. Landaeta tried to trade with Mbilli but lacked the power to do so. Landaeta was down in the second but complained he had been punched on the back of the head. He made it to his feet but was shaken later by two uppercuts. In the third Mbilli connected with two rights to the head that had Landaeta reeling and he was pinned to the ropes under fire when the referee stopped the fight. Mbilli wins the vacant WBC Continental Americas title. The 26-year-old “Solide” Mbilli has won 18 of his fights by KO/TKO and is ready for rated opposition. To his credit despite the punishment Mbilli was dishing out Landaeta never stopped trying to trade with Mbilli and this is his first inside the distance defeat.

Dominican Republic: Feather: Fency Fortunato (12-1) W TKO 7 Cristian Avila (16-5-1) W. Super Welter: Ismael Villarreal (10-0) W KO 2 Thomas Mendez (24-13).
Fortunato vs. Avila 
Fortunato snaps the winning run of Venezuelan Avila with a seventh round kayo. In an incident filled- bad tempered fight Fortunato boxed on the back foot for the first two rounds and then set to work. He almost decapitated Avila with an uppercut in the third, was warned for a low punch in the fourth and deducted a point in the fifth for another below the belt shot. They then taunted each other through the fifth before Fortunato floored Avila at the end of the sixth and again in the seventh and the fight was stopped. Tenth inside the distance victory for Fortunato as he rebounds from loss to Alberto Melian in March. Avila had won his last twelve bouts but his opposition had been dire with only eight wins between them.
Villarreal vs. Mendez
Bronx-born Villarreal, 24, gets his sixth KO/TKO victory as he knocks out Mendez in two rounds. Villarreal scored with a couple of heavy rights at the end of the first. He continued to hammer Mendez with punches in the second. Mendez had to hold twice to avoid going down but a blistering series of head and body punches saw him drop to the canvas and he was counted out. Second win in seven weeks for Villarreal but fourth consecutive stoppage loss for Dominican Mendez.

September 24

Broken Arrow, OK, USA: Bantam: Saul Sanchez (17-1) W TKO 1 Jarico O’Quinn (14-1-1). Middle: Timur Kerefov (12-0) W PTS 10 Devaun Lee (10-8-1). Feather: Luis Nunez (12-0) W PTS 10 Jayvon Garnett (10-1). Super Feather: Otar Eranosyan (10-0) W PTS 8 Alejandro Guerrero (12-2). Middle: Hugo Centeno Jr (28-3-1,1ND) W TKO 2 Kenneth Council (11-5-1). 
Sanchez vs. O’Quinn 
In something of an upset Sanchez destroys O’Quinn inside a round. A left hook put O’Quinn on the canvas just one minute into the fight. Quinn managed to get to his feet and tried to hold but was quickly down again from a right to the head. Quinn got up but was trapped on the ropes and twice almost slid to the canvas until the referee came in and pulled Sanchez off stopping the fight. Tenth inside the distance win for Californian Sanchez. Detroit’s O’Quinn was having his first fight since January 2020 but never got a chance to shake off any dust.
Kerefov vs. Lee
Russian Kerefov puts in ten rounds of work in outpointing Lee. Kerefov had a big edge in skills finding gaps for his jabs and changing angles to get through Lee’s defence. Although Lee was competitive the quicker, slicker Kerefov was never any serious pressure and boxed his way to winning every round. Scores 100-90 on the judge’s cards. Kerefov was a good level amateur but the claim of a 298-12 record is an example of a PR man feeding information and hoping no one will get off their bum and check despite that bit of PR licence he looks good and is worth watching. Sixth loss in a row for Lee.
Nunez vs. Garnet
Nunez outpoints Garnett over ten slow paced rounds. Nunez will have been looking to impress in his first fight outside of his native Dominican Republic but it was hard work against a largely negative Garnett. Nunez had the better skills and a lot of height and reach over Garnett and there was never enough coming back from Garnett to raise the tempo of the fight and Nunez had to settle for a comfortable win. Scores 100-90 for the winner on all cards. Nunez’s record is not as padded as some Dominican’s so it will be interesting to see how he goes against a more energetic opponent.
Eranosyan vs. Guerrero
Georgian Eranosyan continues his busy schedule with wide unanimous decision over Texan Guerrero. The early rounds were competitive with Guerrero taking the fight to Eranosyan but the Georgian was that bit more accurate and had the edge. Over the second half of the fight Eranosyan dominated the action and fitted in some showboating but Guerrero stuck to his game plan and attacked to the end. Scores 78-74 twice and 79-73 for Eranosyan who was scoring his ninth win in the last twelve months. Guerrero had won his first twelve fights but dropped a majority verdict against 19-2-1 Abraham Montoya in February.
Centeno vs. Council
Centeno returns to the ring for the first time fighting a split draw with Juan Macias Maciel in December 2016 and blows away an overmatched Council. Centeno towered over the 5’8” Council and wrapped this fight up in the second round dropping Council and then after the eight count continuing to bombard him with punches until the fight was halted. After going 24-0 Centeno lost big fights against Maciej Sulecki, Jermall Charlo  and Willie Monroe so he is facing a long haul back to the top. Fourth defeat by KO/TKO for Council.

Hurlingham, Argentina: Super Middle: Ramon Lovera (15-1-1) W DISQ 1 Rolando Mansilla (16-9-1). Feather: Sebastian Pedroza (13-0-1) W TKO 3 Jose Garcia (7-10).
Lovera vs. Mansilla
This fight was over in 54 seconds. A butt from Mansilla in the first round rendered Lovera unable to continue and Mansilla was disqualified. Lovera retains the Argentinian title in his first defence. First round endings seem to haunt Mansilla as he lost to Kevin Lele Sadjo in one round in Germany when he fractured his leg.
Pedraza vs. Garcia
In a battle of southpaws Pedraza retained the South American title with stoppage of Garcia. After winning the first two rounds Pedraza scored three knockdowns in the third to end the fight. Now eleven consecutive victories for 24-year-old Pedraza. Garcia had won 3 of his last 4 outings.

Charlottenberg, Germany: Super Welter: Jama Saidi (20-2) W PTS 12 Howard Cospolite (19-9-3). Super Welter: Haro Matevosyan (14-0,1ND) W RTD 8 Zino Meuli (14-1). Light Heavy: Armenak Hovhannisyan (13-1-1) W PTS Timo Laine (29-17)Super Feather: Beke Bas (14-0) W Marina Sakharov (5-12-2).
Saidi vs. Cospolite
Typically classic boxing light punching display from Saidi as he outpoints Frenchman Cospolite to win the vacant European Union title. Saidi’s footwork and hand speed were just too much for Cospolite. To win he had to put Saidi under pressures but too often he stood off and allowed Saidi to pick his spots. When Cospolite did come forward that same Saidi footwork and some sharp upper body work kept Saidi out of danger as he boxed his way to a comfortable victory. Scores 120-108 twice and 119-109. Saidi will be looking for a shot at the European title now. His losses have come on points against Vincent Feigenbutz and Jack Culcay.
Matevosyan vs. Meuli
Matevosyan grinds down and stops Meuli in eight. Southpaw Matevosyan  was giving away a little in height and reach  but he kept Meuli under pressure being quicker getting his punches off first scoring well with hooks to the body. Meuli hardly took a step forward being short with his jabs and not having the power to get Matevosyan’s respect. A series of punches dropped Meuli to one knee just before the bell to end the third Meuli arose but was cut over his left eye and had to survive a doctor’s examination. Matevosyan upped the pressure and in the eighth was raking Meuli with punches. There was confusion as Meuli twice bobbed at the knee as if about to go down but then stood up. The referee gave him a standing count then Meuli tried one last attack without success and retired at the end of the round. Armenian-born Matevosyan was defending the IBF Inter-Continental belt. Swiss Meuli was having only his second contest in the last three years and was never really in this fight.
Hovhannisyan vs. Laine
Hovhannisyan takes the twelve round decision over Laine in fight for the vacant WBA Continental title. Hovhannisyan was too strong for the taller and more mobile Laine and continually found the target with his jabs and thudding body punches. A left from Hovhannisyan saw Laine drop to one knee in the third and he was also cut over his left eye. Hovhannisyan was driving forward throughout the fight with Laine tiring from the fourth and resorting to only fighting in bursts. Hovhannisyan varied the pace of the fight and worked well to the body to slow Laine. Despite tiring Laine kept darting forward with an occasional fierce attacks to edge a couple of rounds and came though some sticky patches to make it to the final bell. Scores 119-109, 117-112 and 116-112 for Hovhannisyan . His only loss was on points against Serge Michel in 2018 and he is now9-0-1 since then. Laine has taken the role of road loser  against some very useful opposition. 
Bas vs. Sakharov
Bas gets unanimous decision. Sakharov was taller with a longer reach but very little power. The 5’2” Bas just walked through Sakharov’s punches scoring with shots from both hands outworking and outscoring her although Sakharov refused to cave in and made Bas work hard. All three cards read 60-54 for Bas.

Tijuana, Mexico: Super Light: Jesus Angulo (15-0) W PTS 10 Diego Santiago (18-2). Middle: Francisco Veron (5-0) W PTS 8 Augustin Rodriguez (11-13-3)
Angulo vs. Santiago 
In his first ten round fight teenager Angulo maintains his 100% start to his pro career with unanimous points win over his toughest opponent to date in Santiago.
Veron vs. Rodriguez
Argentinian hope Veron has his first pro fight outside of his native land and outpoints Mexican Rodriguez. The 22-year-old had taken less than seven rounds to score his four wins in Argentina so he doubled his pro ring time in this bout. He took a break from his pro career to compete in Tokyo but did not medal. Eighth loss on the trot for Rodriguez.

Michoacan de Ocampo, Mexico: Middle: Carlos Molina (38-12-2) W PTS 10 Juan Raygosa (17-18-3).
Molina makes it nine+ wins in his last ten fights as he outpoints Raygosa. If you can fight in front of your own fans and are also the promoter your chances of winning are doubled but Molina was too good for Raygosa. He was coming off a loss to Sam Eggington in England in May in a fight that must have a chance of being voted the Fight of the Year in the UK. Three losses in a row for Raygosa.

Oborniki, Poland: Super Middle: Robert Parzeczewski (27-2) W TKO 5 Sahan Aybay (10-1).
Parzeczewski demolishes Aybay in five rounds. Parzeczewski floored Aybay with a left hook to the body in the third and then put him down three times in the fifth and the fight was stopped with one second remaining in the round. Parzeczewski wins the vacant Polish International title with his seventeenth win by KO/TKO. German southpaw Aybay had won his last seven fights inside the distance.

Hartford, CT, USA: Super Welter: Greg Vendetti (23-4-1) W PTS 10 Jimmy Williams (18-6-2,1ND). Middle: Chordale Booker (17-0) W PTS 8 Silverio Ortiz (37-28).
Vendetti vs. Williams
 Vendetti’s experience against better opposition stands him in good stead as he takes a split verdict over Williams in another example of the madness that is the scoring of fights. Two judges had Vendetti winning 99-91 and 97-93 and the third had it for Williams 96-94. Three different sides of the ring three different fights it seems. First fight for Vendetti since losing on points against Erislandy Lara for the secondary WBA super welterweight title in August last year. He wins the WBC USNBC belt. Williams had decisioned Yuri Foreman in June.
Booker vs. Ortiz
Local southpaw Booker wins wide unanimous decision over Mexican veteran Ortiz on scores of 80-73 on the cards. Ortiz was twice deducted a point for infractions of the rules. A former US National champion Booker just failed to make it through the final US Olympic Trials for Rio. The 39-year-old Ortiz is 1-9 in his last 10 fights but shows no sign of putting the gloves away.

Miami, FL, USA: Cruiser: Siarhei Novikau (7-0,1ND) W TKO 2 Kevin Brown (2-16). Light: Romero Duno (24-2) W RTD 2 Jonathan Perez (38-28,1ND). Super Welter: Elias Espadas (22-4,1ND) W PTS 8 Marcus Willis (20-9-2).
Novikau vs. Falliga
In a farcical bout the 6’5” Belarusian Novikau was several classes above the crude swinging Brown and in the first connected with hard shots from both hands staggering Brown a few times and hurting him with hooks to the body. Brown was so inept it was pitiful and a series of punches saw him go down twice in the second round and finally the referee stopped the fight. Novikau, a former European Championships bronze medallist who lost to Joshua Buatsi in the European Qualifier for the 2016 Olympics, is much too good to be fighting the likes of Brown who has lost 13 of his fights by KO/TKO and should not have a licence.
Duno vs. Perez
Disappointing ending to this one. Duno outscored Perez over the first round and was connecting with power shots in the second. Perez complained of an injury to his left arm and did not come out for the third round. Just a single loss in his last 16 fights for Filipino Duno which was a one round stoppage against Ryan Garcia. Colombian Garcia has won only one of his last eleven fights,
Espadas vs. Willis
Espadas outpoints Willis. Espadas had the longer reach and more power. Willis scored with some sharp counters but Espadas was dangerous with long rights and he shook Willis up in the fourth and fifth with left hooks to the body and head. The paced slowed over the sixth and seventh and Espadas chose to dance his way through the last and took the decision. The 30-year-old Mexican is 13-1, 1ND in his last 15 fights with the loss coming against Yamaguchi Falcao. The recent form of Floridian Willis is four losses in his last six fights.

Dedham, MA, USA: Light: Rayjay Bermudez (14-0) W TKO 2 Philip Adyaka (7-16). 
Bermudez gets his eleventh inside the distance victory as he stops Adyaka in the second round. Bermudez dominated the action in the first and then stunned Adyaka with a right in the second. After that Bermudez unloaded a bunch of punches until the referee came in to save Adyaka. Seventh consecutive inside the distance victory for the 23-year-old from Albany. Ugandan-born Adyaka has lost eight in a row.

Mexico City: Mexico: Fly: Cristian Gonzalez (14-1) W TKO 2 Kenny Cano (14-4).
Gonzalez scores second round win over Venezuelan Cano in a WBC Silver Fecarbox title fight. Gonzalez softened up Cano with body punches in the first and then landed a rib-bender in the second that sent Cano down in agony and he was counted out. Eighth win in a row for the 22-year-old Mexican. Local sources have his record as 16-1 with six inside the distance victories. Third consecutive inside the distance defeat for Cano.

Tolu, Mexico: Light Heavy: Arturo Leyva (10-0) W PTS 12 Deivis Casseres (26-13).
Leyva wins the vacant UBO title with close unanimous decision over Casseres. Scores 115-113 twice and 116-112 for Colombian-born Leyva, a former Colombian champion who is now based in Miami. Colombian Casseres makes his money as a travelling loser who goes back home when he needs a win.

Merida, Mexico: Super Bantam: David Picasso (18-0-1) W PTS 10 Alfredo Mejia (15-4-3). Feather: Rafael Espinoza (17-0) W KO 1 Aramis Solis (14-13). Fly: Miguel Herrera (22-3-5) W PTS 8 Maximino Flores (26-5-2,2ND).Super Bantam: Cristian Olivo (18-0-1) W PTS 8 Jonathan Aguilar (20-11).
Picasso vs. Mejia
Mexico City’s Picasso, 21, outclasses Mejia outworking and outscoring him all the way. Scores 99-90 twice and 100-89 for Picasso who extends his winning run to 14 fights. “Rambo King” Mejia suffered tough losses in 2019 against Alex Santiago and Miguel Marriaga.
Espinoza vs. Solis
Espinoza continues to show real power but this was quick even for him as he put Solis down and out after just twelve seconds. Fourteenth inside the distance win for Espinoza and ninth in his last ten fights. Aramis recent record is a disaster area with eight losses in a row by KO/TKO and a No Decision when he was unable to continue after just 22 seconds due to a punch to the back of the head.
Herrera vs. Flores
Important win for Yucatan’s Herrera as he outpoints Flores. Herrera outboxed Flores at distance with Flores getting the better of the exchanges inside. The speed and accuracy of Herrera gave him the edge and he took the unanimous verdict on scores of 78-73, 77-74 and 76-75. Herrera is now on an eleven bout winning streak. Flores had drawn with Dewayne Beamon and beaten Carlo Penalosa in a 3-0-1 series before this fight.
Olivo vs. Aguilar
WBC Youth champion Olivo, 22, moved up in class to tackle more experienced Aguilar and came away with the unanimous decision with the judges scoring 80-72 twice and 80-71. Olivo registers his thirteenth win in a row and looks ready to move up to ten rounds. Angular is 4-4 in his last eight contests.

September 25

Maschwitz, Argentina: Super Bantam: Edith Matthysse (16-11-1) W Laura Griffa (18-5).
In her first fight since losing a split decision to Ewa Brodnicka for the WBO Female super feather belt in October 2019 Matthysse, 41, keeps up the family tradition as she takes a unanimous verdict over Griffa. Matthysse was able to box at distance and outscore Griffa over the first half of the fight. Griffa came into the fight more in the second half being able to get past Matthysse’s jab to work to the body. Her second half improvement did enough to make the fight close but Matthysse took a deserved decision. Scores 96-94 twice and 97-93 for Matthysse who retains the Argentinian title. A former holder of the WBA and WBC Female belts at bantamweight she is the sister of Lukas and Walter Matthysse. Griffa, a former South American and Argentinian title holder, had lost on points to Matthysse in 2017.

Concordia, Argentina: Light Fly: Leandro Blanc (5-0) W TEC DEC 11 Junior Zarate (14-4).  Feather: Marcela Acuna (50-7-2) W PTS 6 Natalie Alderete (3-4).
Blanc vs. Zarate
Home town fighter Blanc wins the battle for three belts as he takes a very disputed technical verdict over Zarate. Being smaller and giving away some reach Blanc pressed the action hard from the start but Zarate’s speed and accuracy saw him picking up the points. Blanc finally got into the fight over the middle rounds but a punch from Zarate in the seventh opened a cut over Blanc’s right eye. Blanc shook Zarate with a couple of rights in the ninth and Zarate was cut in a clash of heads in the tenth. Zarate just seemed to hold the lead going into the eleventh and last round when in a clash of heads Blanc suffered a bad cut over his left eye and the fight was stopped with the decision being decided on the scorecards with two judges giving it to Blanc 105-104 and the third to Blanc 107-102. Southpaw Blanc retains the South American title and wins the Argentinian and WBA Fedelatin title. Second loss in a row for Zarate. Both were top level amateurs with Zarate twice scoring wins over Blanc who competed at the 2016 Olympics and Zarate at the World Championships and the PanAmerican Games.
Acuna vs. Alderete
“The Tigress” hunts again as Acuna returned to action for the first time in over two years with a unanimous decision over novice Alderete. Acuna was in charge all the way winning on scores of 59-55, 59 ½ -57 and 59 ½ -56. Now 44 Acuna is a former WBA, WBC and WBO belt holder at super bantam and Argentinian champion at super bantam and feather with a 15-2-1 record in title fights. Four losses on the trot for Alderete.

Dancy, France: Super Welter: Milan Prat (12-1) W TKO 6 Mathias Lourenco (8-4-3).
French prospect Prat makes a successful first defence of his national title with sixth round stoppage of Lourenco and collects his ninth win by KO/TKO. First inside the distance loss for Lourenco.

Cergy-Pontoise, France: Light Heavy: Nadjib Mohammedi (43-8) W TKO 4 Artem Karasev (14-39-3).
Former light heavyweight title challenger Mohammedi continues to ease his way back to business as he halts Russian Karasev in four rounds for his second win in two months. Eighth defeat by KO/TKO for seasoned loser Karasev.

Hamburg, Germany: Light: Artem Harutyunyan (11-0) W KO 5 Samuel Molina (16-1,1ND). Welter: Freddy Kiwitt (19-3) W PTS 8 Johan Perez (26-9-2). Avni Yildirim (23-4) W PTS 8 Dominik Ameri (14-22).
Harutyunyan vs. Molina
Harutyunyan wins the vacant WBC International title with dramatic kayo of Molina. Harutyunyan built an early lead but Molina made him work hard. Things looked bad for the young Spaniard in the fifth as he was cut over his right eye and under pressure. Although not rated as a big puncher Molina landed a hard left hook counter that staggered Harutyunyan. Molina piled on the punches driving Harutyunyan around the ring . He landed with hooks to head and body but suddenly Harutyunyan uncorked a left hook to the chin that put Molina down heavily and he was counted out. Seventh inside the distance victory for Olympic bronze medallist Harutyunyan. The celebrations from his team after the knockout showed how much of a scare Molina’s left hook gave them. Molina, 22, showed plenty of promise. The No Decision is on his record as he was suspended after a positive test for a banned substance in December 2019. He had scored three wins since returning
Kiwitt vs. Perez
Liberian-born German Kiwitt makes it 7 wins in his last 8 fights with points victory over former interim WBA super light title holder Perez.
Yildirim vs. Ameri
In his second fight in a month Yildirim continues his middleweight campaign with a unanimous decision over Argentinian Ameri. No risk taking here as Ameri has won only one of his last seven outings.

Zinnowitz, Germany: Welter: Sebastian Formella (23-2) W TKO 2 Gabor Kovacs (7-15). Super Light: Volkan Gokcek (8-0) W KO 2 Szilveszter Ajtai (13-20-1)
Formella vs. Kovacs
Formella returns to the ring with a fourth round stoppage of very late stand-in Kovacs. First fight for Formella since losing to Connor Benn on points in November. He had been inactive due to suffering two herniated discs in his back. Hungarian Kovacs replaced fellow countryman Ferenc Hafner who had tested positive for COVD-19. Kovacs not so much in the groove as in a rut with fourteen losses in a row.
Gokcek vs. Ajtai
Turkish prospect Gokcek knocks out Hungarian Ajtai in the second round. A former Turkish champion and European Under-22 bronze medallist Gokcek gets his sixth early win. Poor Ajtai, who started out as a light flyweight, has lost his last nine fights by KO/TKO.

Madrid, Spain: Fly: Angel Moreno (21-4-3) DREW 12 Juan Hinostroza (10-9-2). Middle Sergio Martinez (54-3-2) W PTS 10 Brian Rose (32-7-1).
Moreno vs. Hinostroza
The vacant European title remains vacant as Moreno and Hinostroza battle to an exciting draw. “Golden Boy” Moreno made the better start driving forward with constant attacks targeting the body. Hinostroza weathered the storm and slowly fought his way into contention and his cause was helped by a flash knockdown in the sixth when Moreno’s gloves touched the canvas. They continued to trade punches fiercely with all of the rounds being close. Moreno was boxing with skill on the back foot wary of the Peruvian-born Hinostroza’s power and with the fight obviously close they both put in a huge effort over the closing rounds to try to swing the decision their way but it ended as a very creditable draw in another excellent EBU title match. Scores 115-113 Moreno, 114-113 Hinostroza and 114-114 which was a fair representative of the fight. Moreno has lost to Charlie Edwards for the WBC title and to Thomas Masson and Jay Harris in previous European title fights. Hinostroza had won the European title in March 2019 but did not defend it.
Martinez vs. Rose
Martinez continues his comeback with win over Rose but has a scare on the way. Martinez boxed sensibly on the back foot in the first and seemed confident-too confident. In the second a huge right from Rose suddenly had Martinez in desperate trouble and he had to use all of experience and a lot of holding to come through the crisis. In the third a clash of heads saw Rose cut on his left eyebrow which was a drawback through the whole fight. Martinez boxed more cautiously after that second round scare and in his first fight for nine months it was clear he was rusty as his distance judgement was out at times. As he settled into the fight Martinez was picking up rounds being busier and finding his range and he paced the fight well finishing the stronger to take the decision. Scores 97-94 twice and 96-94 with the second score perhaps the most accurate. Now 46 Martinez is determined to fight his way back to a title shot. Rose gave Martinez a wake-up call and felt he had done enough to win but when you are fighting in the other guys territory and he is the promoter you need to that bit more for victory.

Kempton Park, South Africa: Super Welter: Shervantaigh Koopman (8-0) W KO 7 Simon Dlada (6-2). Super Middle: Cowin Ray (7-0) W TKO 9 Frank Rodrigues (7-4). 
Koopman vs. Dlada
Koopman wins the South African title with dominant display against title holder Dlada. Koopmans controlled the action all the way with Dlada unable to find a way to make any impression in the fight. Koopman ended it in the seventh as he floored Dlada heavily with two rights and Dlada was counted out. Sixth KO/TKO victory for Koopman. Dlada had been knocked out inside a round by Roarke Knapp in a non-title fight in December.
Ray vs. Rodrigues
Ray wins the vacant South African title with stoppage of Rodrigues. Ray was just too quick and too clever for Rodrigues. He dropped him in the third and handed out steady punishment. He was pounding on Rodrigues in the ninth when the towel came flying in to save Rodrigues further punishment. It was Ray’s first fight scheduled for more than six rounds and he managed the leap with comfort and gets his fifth inside the distance win. Former national light heavyweight title challenger Rodrigues was outclassed. 

Pico Rivera, CA, USA: Super Fly: Adelaida Ruiz (10-0-1 ) W TKO 9 Nancy Franco de Alba (19-15-2).
21A
Californian Ruiz picks up the WBC Silver Female title with late stoppage of de Alba. Fifth victory by KO/TKO for Ruiz who saw her challenge for the WBC interim title against Sonia Osorio in March end on a technical draw in the second round. Mexican de  Alba suffers loss No 3 by KO/TKO. 

Fight of the week (Significance): Oleksandr Usyk’s win over Anthony Joshua causes a seismic shift in the heavyweight scene
Fight of the week (Entertainment): Usyk and Joshua 
Fighter of the week: Oleksandr Usyk
Punch of the week: The left hook from Artem Harutyunyan that knocked out Samuel Molina was perfection in timing and accuracy.
Upset of the week:  Masamichi Yabuki stopping unbeaten WBC light flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji was a shock result
Prospect watch: French super welterweight Milan Pratt is one of their big hopes for the nurture

Observations
-The WBA may be dealing with their ridiculous interim titles but they need to do something about their ratings. Looking at the heavyweight picture after Usyk’s win you have to ask how Daniel Dubois can be their No 1 and Joe Joyce who beat him in November is not even in their top 15!!
-The WBO are in the same boat. How they came to put Dilan Prasovic at No 1 is something only they know-or perhaps even they were surprised to find him there as they don’t seem to pay much attention to their own ratings. Prasovic climbed from No 12 to No 3 for beating Juan Basualdo (11-3-1), Rad Rashid (17-6) and Jackson Dos Santos (22-13). A promoters dream a No 1 who has never faced anybody remotely near the ratings in fact the only fighter in the WBO top 15 Prasovic has beaten is Edin Puhalo who “earned” his top 10 rating by beating 44-year-old Kai Kurzawa who had lost 2 of his previous 3 fights. Rubbish in rubbish stays in and some fans and streaming company pay good money for a farce of a title fight. 
-It seems we get more strange scoring every week. This week Florian Marku took a split decision over Maxim Prodan with one judge scoring it 96-94 for Marku and another 99-91 for Prodan and in a mirror case one judge had Greg Vendetti beating Jimmy Williams 99-91 and another judge scoring 96-94 for Williams.
-It may not get voted the Round of the Year but the ninth round of the fight between Kenshiro Teraji and Masamichi Yabuki was three minutes of total war-it might lose out to the tenth round which had both fighters in deep trouble a couple of times before Masamichi ended it. It lets fans in Japan see what they have been missing due to the pandemic. 
It was good to see young Chordale Booker winning at the weekend. He is one of the young men who owe a lot to boxing. He was given probation after being charged with gun and drugs offences and has stayed out of trouble ever since. His mother wanted to understand what attracted Chordale to boxing so she took the logical step of getting Chordale to train her up and then went and had one amateur fight so he can’t say my mother does not understand me. Well done Mum.​

For today's Closet Classic we are bending the definition a little bit on what really counts as a "Closet Classic" and instead looking at a bout which is more of an "instant classic", but it's such a good bout that we can't help but include it in this series. For one it's an amazing bout, with great back and forth action and for two it feature two absolute legends of the sport, albeit with one coming to the end of his career and one still on their way to all time great status.
 
This is a bout we expect many of you have seen, but one that is always worth a re-watch, and is genuinely a brilliant battle and the second chapter if an iconic rivalry.

​The fight
Manny Pacquiao (40-3-2, 31) vs Erik Morales (48-3, 34) II
In one corner was 27 year old Filipino southpaw Manny Pacquiao, who was well on his way to establishing himself a special, once in a life time fighter. He had already scored wins against a who's who of who, with victories over the likes of Chatchai Sasakul, Lehlo Ledwaba and Marco Antonio Barrera. He had however suffered a loss in 2005 to Erik Morales, with the Mexican turning southpaw in round 12 to go to war with Pacquiao and make a statement of his machismo.
 
That was Pacquiao's first loss in the US and his first loss since he was a Flyweight, and suffered a TKO loss in 1999 to Medgoen Singsurat in Thailand, and was seen as an upset for the rampaging Filipino.
 
As for Morales the win over Pacquiao further showed that he was a modern day great and a true warrior, with his 12th round display becoming an iconic stand by a man who was told not to do anything stupid before going to war. Following that win however Morales had suffered a massive upset loss to Zahir Raheem, in what was the 2004 Ring Magazine upset of the Year. That loss had seen some suggest that Morales was on the slide, whilst others suggested it was a freak result, or a case of a fighter not being focused.
 
What both men had in common is that they were entertainers in the ring. Pacquiao was a whirling dervish as a fighter. He was crude at times, wild at others, but hugely entertaining with scary power in his left hand and a high work rate. Morales on the other hand was a polished boxer, with a good jab, and good technical skills, but seemed to prefer to ignore that and prove he had balls the size of melons, and was almost always happy to have a war, rather than using his skills.
 
Both men also had points to prove. Pacquiao had to prove the loss to Morales was a fluke, a one off, and not the end of his rise. He also had the chance to prove that the first bout was decided by gloves, as this time he was wearing his prefered Cleto Reyes gloves. Morales had to prove he wasn't done after the loss to Raheem. Both men came into the ring with hunger to make a statement and a hunger to prove they were still one of the best.
 
We also had two rabid fan bases, giving us an amazing atmosphere. It had Mexican fans there to support Morales, Filipino fans there to support Pacquiao and boxing fans there to watch chapter 2 of the Pacquiao Vs Morales story.
 
This started tactically, it was round 1 of fight #2 and not round 13 of Pacquiao Vs Morales, and as a result it was the clean, effective jabs of Morales that were key in the first minute or two. Within the final minute of the opening round however the two men picked up the pace and both managed to land some solid shots with their power hand. It was glimpse of what was to come later in the bout and saw that both men had quickly begin to settle down and get to work. Although the commentators praised a lot of Pacquiao's work it was certainly not a clear round, with Morales have plenty of success himself.
 
In round 2 we saw the action continue to pick up, with Pacquiao pressing more and Morales playing the role of smart counter puncher. The handspeed and aggression of Pacquiao saw him catching Morales clean repeatedly, but his crude, march forward also saw him eating some huge counters from Morales. Pacquiao almost dropped Morales in the final minute of the round, though it drew the machismo from Morales who decided to go to war in an attempt to get Pacquiao's respect. A tactic that didn't really work. Despite the success of Morales's counter he couldn't avoid Pacquiao's straight left hand, which was catching him time and time again.
 
Morales looked to create some distance in round 3, using his jab and footwork early on, though it wasn't long before he tried to get Pacquiao's attention again with a flurry of shots. It was a brilliant attempt to rebound after the previous round, but Pacquiao continued to have success with the straight left hand, and no matter how much success Morales had he was still eating the bigger shots and the more painful combinations.
 
As we entered round 4 Pacquiao's right eye was starting to swell, a result of Morales's long rangy jab, and Morales was starting to time Pacquiao more often with the Mexican starting to use more polished technical skills to take advantages of Pacquiao's flaws. Pacquiao on the other hand was becoming more and more reliant on the left hand, rather than landing his jab. The left hand had had success in rounds 2 and 3, but in round 4 Morales was starting to take it away and with Pacquiao not using his jab it allowed Morales to take some control of the contest and build some momentum.
 
It was a smart technical change from Morales who came out in round 5 and landed some eye catching leather early before Pacquiao came back as the round went on. Strangely, given the first 4 rounds, this one seemed a lot quieter than the earlier rounds, it was however the calm before the storm and in round 6 Pacquiao's pace increased, as he began to turn the screw and did some damage to Morales part way through the round. Morales tried to respond but was taking more and more punishment, with his face showing the damage from Pacquiao's shots. It was a huge round from Pacquiao and he seemed to send Morales stumbling right on the bell.
 
Entering round 7 we had already seen the momentum of the bout shift one way, then back and again and again. We had seen both men show some facial damage, both have success and both need to make adjustments. Amazingly we continued to see the momentum shift, with Morales have a great round 7, unleashing his arsenal on Pacquiao as he looked to re-establish himself. It was an amazing start to the round from Morales, but by the end of the round Pacquiao looked to have taken the best from Morales and was punishing the Mexican, who looked like a man fighting on heart and desire alone.
 
We'll leave the bout here for you to enjoy, and seriously it is one you will enjoy! A fantastic clash of legendary fighters both giving everything they had.

By Eric Armit

Highlights:
-Oscar Valdez comes from a long way behind to successfully defend the WBC super featherweight title with controversial points victory over Robinson Conceicao
-Junto Nakatani stops Angel Acosta in four rounds in WBO flyweight title defence
- Mathieu Bauderlique beats Igor Mikhalkin on a seventh round retirement to win the vacant European light heavyweight title
-Olympic medallists Tony Yoka and Souleymane Cissokho score inside the distance victories as heavyweight Yoka stops Peter Milas in seven and super welterweight Cissokho forces Ismail Iliev to a fourth round retirement
-Kevin Lejarraga wins the vacant European super welterweight title with technical verdict over Dylan Charrat and Spain’s Mary Romero retains the EBU Female super bantamweight title on retirement against England’s Amy Timlin
-Sam Eggington outpoints Frenchman Bilel Jkitou in a WBC Silver middle weight title defence
-Heavyweight Filip Hrgovic returns to action with a stoppage of Marko Radonjic in Austria and John Ryder halts Joszef Jurko on the same card
-Zaur Abdullaev outpoints Dejan Zlaticanin at lightweight and Evgeny Tischenko decisions Dmitry Kudryashov at cruiserweight on massive show in Ekaterinburg featuring nine ten round fights relating to seven different titles
- Aidos Yerbossynuly knocks out Lennox Allen in ten round to win WBA super middleweight eliminator

World Title/Major Shows

September 10

Tucson, AZ, USA: Super Feather: Oscar Valdez (30-0) W PTS 12 Robson Conceicao (16-1). Fly: Junto Nakatani (22-0) W TKO 4 Angel Acosta (22-3). Super 
Feather: Luis Lopez (23-2) W PTS 10 Gabriel Flores Jr (20-1) . Super Feather: Juan Tellez (16-1) W TKO 7 Eduardo Garza (15-5-1). Super Light: Omar Aguilar (22-0) W KO 2 Carlos Portillo (22-4). Welter: Lindolfo Delgado (13-0) W TKO 2 Miguel Zamudio (45-17-1). Super Welter: Xander Zayas (10-0) W PTS 6 Jose Sanchez (11-2-1)
Valdez vs. Conceicao
 Valdez has to come from behind to retain his WBC title. Conceicao the bigger man made a confident start. He made good use of his longer reach to score at distance and Valdez had difficulty landing anything of consequence. Conceicao dominated the second again getting through with jabs and landing with some strong body punches. Valdez’s face was already marking up. Valdez connected with a big right at the start of the third but again the more effective work was being done by Conceicao and he shook Valdez with a big uppercut in the fourth. Jarring jabs from Conceicao had Valdez head jerking back and he landed a powerful left hook. Conceicao’s confidence was high enough for him to make fun of a wide miss by Valdez. With his title slipping away Valdez finally found his rhythm in the sixth he was getting inside and working to the body and he also outscored Conceicao in the seventh. Conceicao showed signs of tiring and Valdez was on top in the eighth. Conceicao rallied in the ninth but lost a point for a punch to the back of Valdez’s head which cost him a round he looked to have won. Both were hurt by shots in the tenth with Valdez now bleeding from a gash on his left cheekbone but he just edged the round. The eleventh was a close round but Valdez just came out on top in the exchanges and Valdez took the last as Conceicao held and fiddled as if he only needed to get to the bell to be the winner handing the round to Valdez who retained his title. Scores 115-112 twice and 117-110, for Valdez with the latter score not doing justice to Conceiaco’s early dominance and many feeling Conceicao should have been the winner. Valdez was making the first defence of the WBC title in a sub-par performance as he had trouble dealing with the longer reach of the 5” taller Conceicao. He will now be looking to face either WBO title holder Jamel Herring or Shakur Stevenson who clash on 23 October. Brazilian Conceicao performed above most expectations but having only once gone past eight rounds he faded late in this fight.
Nakatani vs. Acosta
Nakatani bloodies and beats Acosta in four rounds. The tall southpaw was quick and accurate with his jabs in the first and landed some powerful lefts. Acosta managed to get past the jab a couple of times but his problem was already evident. Uppercuts from Nakatani had Acosta bleeding heavily from the nose early in the second. Nakatani continued to find the target with lefts and the fight was halted as a doctor inspected the damage to Acosta’s face. The fight was allowed to continue but Acosta was bleeding heavily. Acosta put in a big effort in the third and landed some heavy punches but so did Nakatani. Again the fight was stopped so that a doctor could check the damage to Acosta. Both the doctor and the referee visited Acosta’s corner at the end of the round and Acosta pleaded to be given one more round. He came out for the fourth but after just 32 seconds with Acosta’s face a mask of blood the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight. Nakatani was making the first defence of the WBO title that he won with an eighth  round kayo of Giemel Magramo in November. Also Nakatani’s first fight in the USA. There is a dearth of talent at flyweight so Nakatani’s aim may be to go for a unification fight and then move up to super fly. He has won 17 of his fights by KO/TKO. Acosta was just too small to pose any problems for Nakatani.
Lopez vs. Flores 
Although with their individual records a win for Lopez was a possibility that he should score a shut-out on two cards was a suprise. The pattern was established in the opener with Lopez storming forward into the much taller Flores throwing punches forcing Flores on to the back foot and he shook Flores with a big right late in the round. Flores had landed some good shots of his own in the first but Lopez just kept coming. Lopez hustled Flores out of his stride in the second and was throwing more and landing more. A body shot in the third had Flores backing off and although Flores landed plenty in the fourth Lopez just walked through his punches and was connecting with hooks and uppercuts. He was throwing his shots from strange angles but connecting. The incessant pressure from Lopez continued over the middle rounds and Flores was taking plenty of punishment with his face swelling. Lopez scored heavily in the seventh and eighth and through a one-sided ninth. With his son showing a huge bump under his left eye it was natural that Flores’ father wanted to pull him out at the end of the ninth but Flores insisted on continuing with the result that he suffered more unnecessary pain. His father tried to stop the fight late in the tenth but the referee did not see him signal so the round continued to the bell. Scores 100-90 twice and 98-92 for Lopez. The 28-year-old Mexican had lost a decision to Ruben Villa in May 2019 but bounced back with five victories including a split verdict over Andy Vences. Flores had beaten some good level opposition but Lopez proved just too strong on the night. At 21 Flores has plenty of time to do his own bit of rebounding.
Tellez vs. Garza
After six rounds of like for like exchanges Lopez proved the stronger and stayed the course better under the strength-sapping heat before ending the fight with a left to the body in the seventh. Tellez’s ten inside the distance victories includes a sixth round kayo of prospect Carlos Balderas. Third consecutive loss for Garza.
Aguilar vs. Portillo
Unbeaten Mexican Aguilar demolishes Portillo in two rounds. Aguilar sent Portillo down in the opening round but Portillo got and made it to the bell. Aguilar then put Portillo down twice in the second and the Paraguayan was counted out. Twenty-first victory by KO/TKO for 22-year-old Aguilar and eleventh in a row including a first round stoppage of Dane Jordan. First fight for 22 months and third loss by KO/TKO for Portillo. 
Delgado vs. Zamudio
Delgado overwhelms Zamudio in two rounds. Zamudio did well to get through a torrid first round but was floored in the second and the fight was over. Mexican Delgado, an Olympian and Pan American Games silver medal winner, has twelve wins by KO/TKO. Fifteen of Zamudio’s defeats have come by KO/TKO.
Zayas vs. Sanchez
Zayas gets six rounds of useful work against Sanchez. Zayas had Sanchez shaken early but Sanchez fought his way through the crisis and competed hard for the rest of the contest. Scores 60-54 from the judges for Zayas. Sanchez was 9-0-1 in his last 10 bouts.

Klagnefurt, Austria: Heavy: Filip Hrgovic (13-0) W RSF 4 Marko Radonjic (22-1). Super Light: Dalton Smith (10-0) W PTS 10 Brian Pelaez (10-6). Super Middle: John Ryder (30-5) W TKO 5 Jozef Jurko (8-3). Super Middle: Abass Baraou (10-1) W KO 1 Jay Spencer (11-3).
Hrgovic vs. Radonjic
Hrgovic obliterates a hapless Radonjic in three rounds. Hrgovic used his longer reach to score and followed his jab with straight rights to the head. Radonjic was boxing southpaw and trying to catch Hrgovic with left counters but was too slow and crude. Hrgovic was tracking the retreating Radonjic in the second. As Radonjic lunged forward a right to the top of his head put him down. He was up at nine but on shaky legs. He was floored again by a right. He beat the count but another head punch sent him down for the third time. A fourth knockdown came from a body punch and a fifth saw him dumped into the ropes and down. He saw out the round but was down again in the third and when he came out for the fourth the referee immediately stopped the fight. Hrgovic retains the IBF International title with his eleventh victory by KO/TKO. He is No 4 with the IBF but as he has never faced anyone remotely near the rating he can’t fill the vacant No 1 spot. Montenegrin Radonjic had won all 22 of his fights by KO/TKO. A “miracle fighter”-it is a miracle his management managed to find 22 opponents that he could beat inside the distance. He tried hard but seemed to have no punch resistance.
Smith vs. Pelaez
Smith much too classy for Pelaez. He was able to outbox Pelaez all the way with Pelaez having occasional success but not enough to win a session. Pelaez tried switching guards a few times but it made no difference. Smith handed out severe punishment in every round. Pelaez was cut over both eyes but  never looked to be in trouble. Scores 99-91 for Smith on the three cards. Surprising lack of power from Smith who had won his last seven fights by KO/TKO. Spaniard Pelaez had won his last two fights.
Ryder vs. Jurko
Ryder stops Jurko in five rounds. Weighing 173 ¼ lbs for this one Ryder was testing the waters at light heavyweight. He scored heavily over the first two rounds then dialled things up bit by bit drawing blood from Jurko’s nose until the referee stepped in to save Jurko in the fifth. Although the WBA’s No 3 super middle Ryder has his eyes on the WBA light heavyweight title held by Dimitry Bivol. Jurko had won his last three contests
Baraou vs. Spencer
Baraou demolishes a reluctant Spencer in the first round. Baraou was connecting with stiff shots to head and body with little coming back from Spencer. Baraou landed a fierce body punch and a right to the head and Spencer went down. He was up before the eight count was completed and the referee made the decision to stop the fight. First outing for Baraou since losing a split verdict to Jack Culcay in August last year.

Paris, France:  Light Heavy: Mathieu Bauderlique (21-1) W RTD 7 Igor Mikhalkin (24-3). Heavy: Tony Yoka (11-0) W TKO 7 Petar Milas (15-1). Super Welter: Souleymane Cissokho (14-0) W TKO 5 Ismail Iliev (13-3-1). Heavy: Vladyslav Sirenko (18-0 W TKO 1 Aleksandr Ustinov (36-5-1). Super Light: Volkan Gokcek (7-0,1ND) W TKO 4 Kaoussou Cisse (5-1).
Bauderlique vs. Mikhalkin 
Bauderlique wins the vacant European title as Mikhalkin retires at the end of the seventh round with a suspected fractured jaw. After a cautious start from both southpaws Bauderlique began to take control. He was quicker with his jab and finding Mikhalkin with long lefts. Mikhalkin tried to put some pressure on over the second and third but again Bauderlique was jabbing strongly and was dangerous with his left crosses. Mikhalkin had a good fourth he was getting through with lefts to the head and body and moving constantly instead of standing and punching with the stronger Bauderlique. Mikhalkin was lively at the start of the sixth but the power and accuracy of Bauderlique’s punches was having their affect and Mikhalkin was slowing and had a swelling under his right eye. Bauderlique continued to find the target in the seventh and at the end of the round Mikhalkin retired. Twelfth win by KO/TKO for Bauderlique who will be hoping to get a shot at a version of the light heavyweight title next year. Mikhalkin was stopped in seven rounds by Sergey Kovalev in a challenge for the WBO title in 2018. 
Yoka vs. Milas
After an indifferent performance Yoka whacks out Milas in the seventh. Yoka began by prodding out his jab and tracking Milas around the ring. Milas was switching guards and darting in to throw hooks with neither fighter landing anything of note. Milas was orbiting the ring but Yoka managed to find the range with a couple of jabs in the second and ended the round with a burst of body punches. Yoka continued to track down the speeding Milas in the third and connected with some strong punches to head and body. Milas threw a lot more punches in the fourth and fifth and Yoka was just not cutting the ring off or throwing enough punches in a very pedestrian performance. Milas continued to trot around the ring but looked to be slowing in the sixth. Even then Yoka was hardly throwing more than one punch at a time. Milas was dancing confidently in the seventh until a blazing left hook from Yoka sent him staggering back to the ropes and a clubbing right to the head sent him down on his hands and knees. He got up but was chased across the ring and although no heavy punch was evident he slumped to a sitting position in a corner. He made it to his feet but the referee waived the fight off. Ninth victory by KO/TKO for Yoka who showed real power at the finish. He still seems too mechanical and does not show a lot of head movement but it is time for a test against a rated fighter to justify his top ten ranking by the IBF and WBC. Yoka dedicated his win to the recently deceased French film star Jean-Paul Belmondo. 
Cissokho vs. Iliev
Cissokho beats Iliev who retires after the fourth round. There was plenty of movement and jabbing from Cissokho as he spent the first round boxing on the back foot. Cissokho brought his right hand into play in the second landing some belting body shots and he also found the range with stinging jabs. Iliev tried to put on some pressure but Cissokho just shimmied away from his attacks. He comfortably outboxed Iliev in the third and rocked him with some heavy rights late in the round. A right in the fourth sent Iliev tumbling back and he put both gloves on the canvas to stop himself going down and with that knockdown and blood coming from a cut over his left eye Iliev’s team pulled him out of the fight. Senegalese-born Cissokho, a bronze medallist in Rio, had struggled in getting a split decision over Kieron Conway in May but was back to his best form here. Russian Iliev pursued in vain but kept trying. His other two losses have come against Patrick Day and Magomed Kurbanov.
Sirenko vs. Ustinov
Sirenko blast out Ustinov inside a round. Sirenko tracked Ustinov around the ring with Ustinov just prodding out jabs. With Ustinov having his back against the ropes Sirenko stepped in and landed a booming overhand right that sent Ustinov pitching into the ropes. With Ustinov propped up by the middle rope Sirenko landed another right that sent Ustinov face down on the canvas with the referee waiving the fight off after 2:08 of the first round. Fifteenth win by KO/TKO for the 26-year-old Ukrainian who was defending the WBC Asian Boxing Council title. At 44 it really is time Ustinov retired.
Gokcek vs. Cisse
Turkish hope Gokcek halts Cisse in four rounds. It was the harder punching of Gokcek that won him this one. Cisse was competitive but a succession of left hooks to the body in the fourth put him down and although he beat the count and fought back more body shots proved too much for him and the fight was stopped. Fifth inside the distance victory for Gokcek who was a bronze medallist at the European Under-22 championships. Frenchman Cisse fought well but could not cope with Gokcek’s power.

Coventry, England: Middle: Sam Eggington (31-7) W PTS 12 Bilel Jkitou (15-1). Welter: Kaisee Benjamin (13-1-1) W KO 3 Jarkko Putkonen (17-8-2). Middle: River Wilson Bent (10-0) W PTS 10 Gabor Gorbics (26-21-2).Light Heavy: Shakan Pitters (16-1) W PTS 8 Farouk Daku (21-19-1). Cruiser: Isaac Chamberlain (13-1) W RTD 1 Ben Thomas (2-7-3).
Eggington vs. Jkitou
This was the type of fight that begs the statement “it is a pity there had to be a loser”. Eggington and Jkitou engaged in twelve rounds of street warfare. Eggington has good boxing skills but somehow always ends up in a no quarter battle. They both had their jab working at the start of the first but then stood and exchanged hooks and uppercuts. Just moments into the second round they went toe-to-toe swapping punches and it stayed like that for the full three minutes. In the third. Eggington was landing more but Jkitou was not rattled. Eggington tried to box in the fourth but quickly went back to trading punches and for the last two minutes of the round they stood with their heads touching firing hooks and uppercuts with both scoring heavily and both rocked. Jkitou was coming forward throughout the fight behind a high guard. Eggington was able to find gaps for his jabs and body punches but once Jkitou got in range it was bombs away and both were throwing accurate, quality shots. Eggington looked to be a couple of rounds in front going into the second half of the fight but he is more prone to facial damage and looked the worse for wear. The seventh was another brutal round as they fired missiles at each other. Eggington had the edge as he was working throught the round but Jkitou was firing bursts of punches and then going back behind his guard. Jkitou’s output dropped a little over the eighth and ninth but he was back in Eggington’s face as they fought hard all the way to the final bell of a tremendous scrap full of power and precision. Scores 117-111 and 117-112 for Eggington and 116-112 for Jkitou. “The Savage” retains the WBC Silver title but you have to wonder when the constant warfare will catch up with him. Whilst the first two scores might be a tad unkind to Jkitou’s performance it is difficult to understand the score for Jkitou. Eggington had been cut over his right eye and his face was badly marked but he was a good winner. You could argue that there are no losers in a fight this good as Eggington was a huge step up in quality of opposition for Jkitou and on this performance he should be able to climb from his current EU No 12 rating with a bit more activity.
Benjamin vs. Putkonen
Superior skills and faster hands saw Benjamin bossing this fight from the off. He was scoring with precise jabs and easily avoiding the rushing attacks from Putkonen. The Finn had to soak up tremendous punishment in the second as Benjamin dug in left nooks to the body and heavy head punches. Putkonen was staggered a couple of times but bravely kept trying to fire back. Benjamin ended it in the third with a right to the body that sent Putkonen down and he was counted out. BBB of C Midlands Area champion Benjamin is now 8-0-1 in his last 9 fights with four inside the schedule victories. Four stoppage suffered by Putkonen.
Bent vs. Gorbics
Bent has no problems winning every round against the much smaller Gorbics. Bent jabbed well and scored with straight rights but as Gorbics was in survival mode for most of the fight. Gorbics launches the occasional wild attack but other than that it was Bent hunting Gorbics down but finding the Hungarian a difficult man to hurt so the fight went the distance. The referee had Bent winning 100-90 marking the first time Bent has gone the full ten rounds so a useful exercise. Gorbics is without a win in his last 11 fights with figures of 0-9-2
Pitters vs. Daku
Pitters floors and outpoints Daku. With Pitters being 6’6” and Daku 8 inches smaller this was never going to be a difficult fight for Pitters. He was able to spear Daku with jabs and connect with long rights. When Daku rushed forward Pitters had such as long stride that he was able to move out of range and he found Daku and easy target for hooks when Daku made his rushes. Pitters raised his pace over the second half of the fight and put together some impressive combinations. He came near to ending it in the seventh. A right staggered Daku badly and a volley of punches dropped him. Daku only just beat the count but survived and made it to the final bell. The referee scored it 80-71. Former British champion Pitters will be hoping for another chance at the title he lost to Craig Richards in December. Ugandan-born Dutchman Daku drops to 1-10 in his last 11 fights.
Chamberlain vs. Thomas
Chamberlain wipes out Thomas in the first. Thomas was circling the ring never being farther than a stride from the ropes. Chamberlain took his time to set Thomas up and then pounced with a stunning right and a big left hook that sent Thomas down heavily. He only just made it to his feet and was on very shaky legs but the bell had gone. He made back to his corner but his team pulled him out of the fight. A real power show from Chamberlain in his seventh quick win. His lone loss was on points to current WBO cruiser champion Lawrence Okolie in  2018. Six consecutive losses for Thomas.

London, England: Feather: Louie Lynn (10-0) W TEC DEC 9 Amin Jahanzeb (8-1). Light: Mark Chamberlain (9-0) W RTD 4 Benjamin Lamptey (11-5-1).
Lynn vs. Jahanzeb
In a contest shortened due to a cut Lynn gets a close split decision over Jahanzeb. Lynn took the fight to Jahanzeb in the first but clever counter punching gave Jahanzeb the edge. Lynn pressed his attacks hard to edge the second and third but Jahanzeb swung the fight back his way with some sharp boxing and he shook Lynn with a left hook in the fifth. Lynn outscored Jahanzeb in the sixth only for Jahanzeb to impress with some effective hooks in the seventh and eighth. With the fight slipping away Lynn hit back strongly in the ninth shaking Jahanzeb with a right but a clash of heads opened a gash over Lynn’s right eye and the fight was stopped at the end of the round. Lynn took the technical decision on scores of 87-84 and 86-85 for Lynn and 86-85 for Jahanzeb but the decision could have gone either way. Lynn, a former English and Great Britain champion in the amateurs, wins the WBC International Silver title. Jahanzeb was going past six rounds for the first time.
Chamberlain vs. Lamptey
Portsmouth prospect Chamberlain decks Lamptey in the second and fourth rounds and Lamptey does not come out for the fifth. Sixth inside the distance victory for the former English Youth and Senior champion. His other five KO/TKO wins were all first round finishes. First fight in Britain for former Ghanaian champion Lamptey.

Delray Beach, FL, USA: Light Heavy: Robin Sirwan Safar (13-0) W PTS 8 Denis Grachev (20-14-1). Light: Antonio Williams (15-0-1) W PTS 8 Harry Gigliotti (8-3).
Safar vs. Grachev
Tall Swede Safar takes unanimous verdict over Russian oldie Grachev which breaks Safar’s six-fight run of inside the distance victories. Scores 80-72, 78-73 and 78-74 for the 6’3” Swede. Grachev, 39, has won only one of his last eight fights. 
Williams vs. Gigliotti
Williams very lucky to get a split verdict over Gigliotti. In a close fight it was a sixth round knocked down scored by Williams with a body punch in the fourth round that just gave him the edge in the scoring at 77-74 and 76-75 for Williams and 76-75 for Gigliotti. Sixth win on the trot for the 24-year-old Texan. Gigliotti had won 7 of his last eight contests.

Philadelphia, PA, USA: Bantam: Christian Carto (18-1) W KO 1 Yeison Vargas (17-8).
Carto shakes the dust from a long period of inactivity with first round blow out of Vargas. Carto dropped Vargas early in the first and then ended the fight with a left hook to the body later in the round.  First fight for Carto, 25, since losing to Victor Ruiz in February 2019 and twelfth win by KO/TKO. Eighth defeat in his last nine contests for Colombian Vargas.

Gomez Palacio, Mexico: Super Bantam: Yulihan Luna (22-3-1) W TKO 4 Karla Valenzuela (3-23-3). 
Luna please her home fans with fourth round stoppage of Valenzuela to register her fourth win by KO/TKO and her sixth consecutive victory. Valenzuela came in at very short notice when Luna’s defence of her WBC bantamweight title fell through. Valenzuela is a depressing 0-9-1 in her last ten outings.

Houghton-le-Spring, England: Super Fly: Craig Derbyshire (8-28-3) W PTS 10 Joe Maphosa (10-0).
 A minor upset as Derbyshire outscores previously unbeaten Maphosa. Derbyshire put Maphosa down in the first and then sheer aggression gave Derbyshire the advantage over the longer reach and better skills of Maphosa who was docked a point in the seventh for holding as he tried to cope with the fierce attacks of Derbyshire. A split decision 97-92 and 96-93 for Derbyshire and 95-93 for Maphosa.


September 11

Barcelona, Spain: Super Welter: Kevin Lejarraga (33-2) W TEC DEC  10 Dylan Charrat (20-1-1). Super Bantam: Mary Romero (7-2) W RTD 8 Timlin (4-1-1). Super Feather: Moussa Gholam (17-0) W TKO 8 Mauro Perouene (12-4-1). Feather: Kiko Martinez (42-10-2) W PTS 8 Jayro Duran (14-10). Super Feather: Cristobal Lorente (13-0-1) W PTS 8 Anuar Salas (21-11-1).
Lejarraga vs. Charrat
Lejarraga becomes a European champion again as he takes a technical decision over Frenchman Charrat. From the start Charrat used speed, movement and quick hands to frustrate the stronger but slower Lejarraga. He was darting in to score and Lejarraga was finding him a difficult target. The fight changed over the middle rounds as pressure from Lejarraga and some hefty body punches began to take the spring out Charrat’s steps and he was standing and trading punches more.  By the end of the eighth it was clear the fight had swung Lejarraga’s way. In the ninth when their heads banged together Lejarraga suffered a gash on his cheekbone and the injury was ruled too severe for the fight to continue and it was decided on the cards with Lejarraga the winner by a majority verdict on scores of 96-94 twice and 95-95. The 29-year-old “Revolver “ is a former European welterweight champion but lost the title to David Avanesyan and was stopped in one round in a return contest. Charrat was having his first fight for twenty months so should work to get some fights under his belt and come looking for a return.
Romero vs. Timlin
Romero is still European champion after England’s Timlin retired at the end of the eighth round of their fight for the Female title. Timlin was fighting with a handicap from the first round when what looked like an accidental elbow opened a cut over her left eye. Although that affected Timlin Romero was the better fighter on the night. She scored well to the body and was more accurate with her punches. The cut worsened and at the end of the eighth round in agreement with the doctor Timlin’s team pulled her out of the fight. Sixth consecutive win for Romero who will now look to go for a world title. Timlin had fought a draw for the vacant Commonwealth title in October and at 21 she has time to take on board the lessons from those two title fights and rebound.
Gholam vs. Perouene
Second quick win this year for Moroccan Gholam. He started slowly then gradually wound up the pressure with Perouene forced to take heavy punishment. His team could have pulled Perouene out earlier but finally threw in the towel in the eighth round. After eighteen months of inactivity Gholan is looking to move up to some stiffer challenges. First inside the schedule defeat for Argentinian Perouene.
Martinez vs. Duran
Just a keep busy fight for Martinez. He was his usual aggressive self outscoring Honduran Duran and decked him in the fifth one the way to a comfortable victory. Scores 79-72 twice and 80-71. Martinez is hoping to get a return fight with Zelfa Barrett who scored a very controversial victory over Martinez in February. Fifth loss on the trot for Spanish-based Duran.
Lorente vs. Salas
Fighting in his home city Spanish champion Lorente takes a unanimous verdict over Salas. Lorente dropped Salas in  the first and fourth rounds and won the decision on scores of 80-70, 80-71 and 79-72 for his twelfth consecutive victory. Poor Colombian Salas is now 1-8-1 in his recent activity.

Ekaterinburg, Russia: Light: Zaur Abdullaev (14-1) W PTS 12 Dejan Zlaticanin (24- ). Cruiser: Evgeny Tischenko (9-1) W PTS 10 Dmitry Kudryashov (24-5). Super Feather: Ruslan Kamilov (11-0-1) W PTS 10 Stanislav Kalitskiy (11-2). Super Bantam: Mukhammad Shekhov (10-0-1) W PTS 10 Asror Vokhidov (9-1). Super Feather: Mark Urvanov (20-2-1) W PTS 10 Otto Joseph (17-1). Super Feather: Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov (18-0) W RTD 4 Cristian Palma (31-11-2). Bantam: Jessica Gonzalez (8-5-2,3ND) W PTS 10 Tatyana Zrazhevskaya (11-1). Super Middle: Artysh Lopsan (7-1-1) W TKO 7 Oleg Misiura (7-1). Super Feather: Dmitrii Khasiev (12-2-2) W TKO 2 Rofhiwa Maemu (19-13-3).
Abdullaev vs. Zlaticanin 
Russian Abdullaev wins the vacant WBC Silver title with comfortable points victory over former champion WBC title holder Zlaticanin. Abdullaev made a cautious start letting Zlaticanin bring the fight to him and utilising a high guard to block Zlaticanin's punches. From the third Abdullaev used his 5” height advantage and longer reach to control the fight. He was connecting with precise jabs and hurtful straight rights and Zlaticanin faded out of the fight over the closing rounds with Abdullaev strong to the finish. Scores 119-109, 118-110 and 117-111 for Abdullaev who is fighting his way back into contention having lost on a fourth round retirement against Devin Haney for the interim WBC title in September 2019. Zlaticanin, 39, just did not have the reach, speed or power to really compete.
Tishchenko vs. Kudryashov
Tischenko floors Kudryashov in the first and outboxes him in every round. Tall southpaw Tischenko had been getting through the jabs and straight lefts in the opener and with twenty seconds remaining in the round he fired a left hook that dropped Kudryashov on his posterior. Kudryashov was up quickly and Tischenko did not really put him under any pressure.  Tischenko was able to take charge of the fight with Kudryashov rolling forward but too slow to cut off the ring and rarely getting past Tischenko’s jab. Kudryashov was cut over his right eye early and Tischenko stayed at a steady pace content to box his way to victory and taking no chances. Kudryashov resorted to wild swipes with his right which Tischenko easily blocked or dodged and made Kudryashov pay for his rash approach with some hard uppercuts as he eased his way to a win. Scores 100-89 twice and 99-91 for Tischenko. He picks up the vacant WBC International title. He had lost a wide unanimous decision against Thabiso Mchunu in a fight for the WBC Silver title in March and largely dropped out of the ratings so has work to do if he is to get a title chance. Third loss in his last four fights for Kudryashov who seems to have found his ceiling.
Kamilov vs. Kalitskiy
WBO No 8 Kamilov makes successful defence of the WBO Inter-Continental belt with a decision over Kazakhstan’s Kalitskiy. A poor fight but Kalitskiy a clear winner though no scores posted. Second defence for the 33-year-old Russian who has extensive amateur experience behind him. 
Shekhov vs. Vokhidov 
Uzbek-born southpaw Shekhov holds on to the WBO European belt as he outpoints Tajik southpaw Vokhidov. Shekhov was making his first defence and is No 11 with the WBO. Vokhidov was No 15. 
Urvanov vs. Joseph
WBO Gold champion Urvanov decisions Nigerian Joseph in a non-title fight- again no scores to hand. The 25-year-old Russian has won some reasonable level bouts but his No 2 with the WBA is ridiculous. Big disappointment for unbeaten Joseph.
Yaqubov vs. Palma
Highly rated Yaqubov handed out punishment to overmatched Palma and the Chilean retired after the fourth round. The Tajik southpaw was making the fifth defence of the WBC International title. He is No 1 with the WBO and No 3 with the WBC although both ratings seem a bit too generous. Palma was unbeaten in his last 12 fights but against some very mediocre opponents. 
Gonzalez vs. Zrazhevskaya 
Quite an upset here as Mexican Gonzalez scores split decision over favourite Zrazhevskaya. Scores 98-93 and 96-94 for Gonzalez and 96-94 for Zrazhevskaya.  Gonzalez wins the interim WBC Female title. She had not fought since October 2018 when she was beaten on points by Chandelle Cameron. She was 0-4-1 in title contests and had not won a fight since 2014.Kazak-born Zrazhevskaya, a former WBC Silver female title holder, was making her initial defence of the interim title. 
Lopsan vs. Misiura 
Lopsan gets his second good win in a row as he stops Misiura in seven rounds. Misiura was a slight favourite here but Lopsan had an edge in reach and power. Misiura was cut and fading badly at the end of the sixth. In the seventh Lopsan forced Misiura to the ropes and landed a series of crunching left hooks the put Misiura down. He made it to his feet but the fight was halted. The 6’3” Russian wins the vacant WBO Oriental title. In his last fight in March he stopped unbeaten Indian hope Vijender Singh in five rounds. This is his fourth win in a row. Russian champion Misiura had won 6 of his 7 fights inside the distance.
Khasiev vs. Maemu  
In another WBO Oriental title fight Russian southpaw Khasiev stopped South African Maemu in two rounds for his fourth consecutive stoppage victory. The title had been vacant. Maemu is now 0-5 in visits to Russia.

Krasnoyarsk, Russia: Welter: Alexander Besputin (15-0,1ND) W KO 5 Mauricio Pintor (24-4-1). Middle: Albert Khamkhoev (6-0) W PTS 10 John Bopape (9-8). Super Welter: Edgard Moskvichev (14-1-2) W PTS 8 Damian Bonelli (24-10).
Besputin vs. Pintor
Besputin proves too strong and too talented for Pintor. Besputin was too quick for Pintor. He was landing with solid lefts from the start and had Pintor under heavy fire in the third and fourth. Besputin ended the fight impressively. Two solid lefts put Pintor down spread-eagled on the canvas. Besputin was celebrating victory but somehow Pintor beat the count. Besputin bombarded him with punches but then Pintor fought back until a thumping left to the head put him down again and this time he was counted out. Second win for Besputin since returning from a ban arising from a positive test for a banned substance after beating Radzhab Butaev for the vacant secondary WBA welterweight title in November 2019. Pintor, the nephew of the great Lupe Pintor, suffers his first inside the distance defeat. 
Khamkhoev vs. Bopape
Russian southpaw Khamkhoev outpoints Bopape but has to climb off the floor for victory. Khamkhoev boxed his way to a lead but was floored in the ninth which allowed Bopape to make it close but Khamkhoev’s early work saw him get the decision.
Moskvichev vs. Bonelli
Moldovan-born Russian Moskvichev took a unanimous decision over Argentinian oldie Bonelli. Eleven wins in a row for southpaw Moskvichev. Bonelli, 43, has won only one of his last ten outings.
Hollywood, FL, USA: Super Feather: Jono Carroll (19-2-1) W PTS 10 Andy Vences (23-3-1). 
Southpaw Carroll continues his rebuilding project with a majority decision over Vences in a great scrap. Carroll established an early lead being busier and more accurate with Vences struggling to get into the fight. From the fourth Vences began to find the range and was scoring well to the body over the middle rounds as they were both winging punches with abandon. Carroll was cut and after surviving a doctor’s inspection he put in a, huge effort in the ninth and then matched Vences in the last. Scores 97-93 twice for Carroll and 95-95. Both fighters needed a win as Carroll had lost to Maxi Hughes in August last year and Vences had lost two of his last three outings.

Leicester, England: Super Welter: Kyle Haywood (9-1) W PTS 10 Alex Fearon (9-3).
Local fighter Haywood wins the vacant BBB of C Midlands Area title with very narrow verdict over Fearon. After a closely contested ten round the referee saw Haywood the winner 96-95. Success at the second attempt for Haywood who lost a decision for this same title in his last fight in March 2019. No third time lucky for Fearon who has challenged unsuccessfully for both the super light and welter Area titles.

Heubach, Germany: Light Heavy: Kasim Gashi (15-2) W PTS 8 Michael Obin (5-10). 
Gashi extends his current winning run to five with a very close majority decision over Obin. Scores 77-75 twice for Gashi and 76-76. Ugandan-born Swede Obin looked worth a draw at least but this was a Gashi promotion.

September 12

Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan: Super Middle: Aidos Yerbossynuly (16-0) W KO 10 Lennox Allen (22-2-1). Super Middle: Bek Nurmaganbet (5-0) W TKO 1 Bruno Sandoval (21-4-1). Super Bantam: Yevgeniy Pavlov (5-0) W TKO 4 Isaac Sackey (25-2-1). 
Yerbossynuly vs. Allen
Yerbossynuly wins a WBA eliminator with kayo of Allen. Yerbossynuly was quicker and busier than Allen working well with fast, accurate jabs and then getting the better of the exchanges inside. Allen was cut over his left eye in the fourth and was already tiring by the fifth. Allen rallied briefly in the seventh but lost a point for a low punch in the eighth. Yerbossynuly forced Allen into a corner in the tenth and bombarded him with punches until Allen dropped to his hands and knees and was counted out. As WBA No 1 the tall Kazakh is nominally the official challenger to Saul Alvarez but don’t hold your breath over that coming off soon-or at all. Allen’s last fight was a points loss to David Morell for the interim WBA secondary title in August 2020.
Nurmaganbet vs. Sandoval
Nurmaganbet floors Sandoval twice in the first for a quick victory. Southpaw Nurmaganbet was hunting down Sandoval from the start and caught him against the ropes and put him down with a series of punches including one that landed when Sandoval had a knee on the canvas. The Mexican beat the count but Nurmaganbet drove him along the ropes before putting him down for a second time-and landing a punch when Sandoval was technically down again. Sandoval managed to get to his feet but was unsteady and the fight was stopped. The 23-year-old Nurmaganbet wins the vacant WBA International title. He is a former World Youth silver medallist. Sandoval has lost inside the distance in all four of his foreign trips. 
Pavlov vs. Sackey
Pavlov ended this clash of southpaws in the fourth . He connected with a left to the side of the head in the third that sent Sackey stumbling across the ring and down. Sackey was up quickly. He was very shaky but was saved by the bell. A left from Pavlov in the fourth had Sackey’s legs shaking and Sackey took refuge in a corner until a series of head punches from Pavlov had the referee jumping in to stop the fight. Pavlov also picks up a WBA International title. Ghanaian Sackey fought as a flyweight in his last fight in March and was much too small to match Pavlov.

Fight of the week (Significance): Oscar Valdez win mover Robinson Conceicao is a WBC title defence opens the way for a unification match against the winner of WBO title holder Jamel Herring and Shakur Stevenson
Fight of the week (Entertainment): Sam Eggington vs. Bilel Jkitou was a war story that will be retold many times
Fighter of the week: Junto Nakatani for an impressive first showing in his first fight in the USA 
Punch of the week: Either the right or the left hook from Isaac Chamberlain that put Ben Thomas down qualify this week with honourable mention to the single right from Vladyslav Sirenko that demolished Alexandr Ustinov
Upset of the week: Mexican Jessica Gonzalez out of the ring for almost three years and without a win since 2014 was not supposed to lift the WBC bantamweight title against Tatyana Zrazhevskaya but she did.
Prospect watch:  None I have not already named.
Loser of the Week: Dzambas 16 losses row

Observations
-If you want to become a ringside reporter there is now a new test you have to pass and that is to have the capacity of your bladder tested. The show in Ekaterinburg had 92 rounds of boxing scheduled on the same night and in Krasnoyarsk there were eleven bouts but the Tucson show had a paltry 74 rounds listed. In addition to a black plastic bag to protect them from the rain reporters will now have to add a milk bottle for emergencies.
-Ekaterinburg is an illustration of how boxing has changed and spread. Who would have thought there would be professional shows in Ekaterinburg, the site of the murder of the Russian royal family, Vietnam and Afghanistan. It would have Lenin and Ho Chi Minh spinning in their graves.
-When you have spent years covering male boxing it can be difficult to adjust to the different standards to be applied to Female boxing. The lack of depth in Female boxing makes Mary Romero (6-2) vs. Amy Timlin (4-0-1) perfectly acceptable for a European title fight and Jessica Gonzalez (7-5-2) vs. Tatyana Zrazhevskaya (11-0) for an interim WBC title. The only thing that would change that is a sudden explosion of Female professional boxing but that may never happen so you work with what you have
Interim titles! Invented by Jose Sulaiman and still in the WBC list of goodies. Who would have thought that the World’s Worst Boxing Association would be the good guys-give them up Mauricio they add nothing to boxing except sanctioning fees
-Must have been something off a reunion weekend in Paris three of France’s medallists from Rio- Tony Yoka (gold),Mathieu Bauderlique (bronze) and Souleymane Cissokho ( bronze) all fought on the same card-and all won inside the distance.

​

In recent years Western boxing fans have started to take note of the lower weight classes, and a lot of that is thanks to Tom Loeffler and his fantastic series of shows under the "Super Fly" banner. Those shows really opened the door for US fans in particular to enjoy some of the smallest men in the sport and enjoy some of the most exciting fighters out there. Today we look at one of the key fighters from Tom Loeffler's attempts to bring the little men to the attention of American fans, and it just so happens to have been one of the very best fights of 2017.
 
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (42-4-1, 29) Vs Roman Gonzalez (46-0, 38) I
The bout in question was a WBC Super Flyweight title bout that took place at Madison Square Garden. It pitted one of the best fighters of the last 20 years against one of the most fearsome little men in recent memory. It was a bout that hardcore fans knew would be something special and the casual fans, who tuned into to Gennady Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs, got to enjoy with out massive amounts of expectations.
 
Heading in to the Nicaraguan sensation Roman Gonzalez was the WBC Super Flyweight champion and the man many regarded as the best pound for pound fighter on the planet. He had moved through the weights, moving from Minimumweight to Super Flyweight, and found success at every weight to become a 4-weight world champion. In fact he was only the second fighter in history to win world titles at the 4 lowest weights, following in the footsteps of Leo Gamez.
 
Fans who had followed the lower weights knew that Gonzalez was a special fighter. He was an aggressive pressure fighter who had already beaten a who's who of the lower weights. He had already over-come the likes of  Yutaka Niida, Katsunari Takayama, Ramon Garcia Hirales, Juan Francisco Estrada, Francisco Rodriguez Jr, Akira Yaegashi, Edgar Sosa, Brian Viloria, McWilliams Arroyo and Carlos Cuadras. In many cases Gonzalez hadn't just beaten opponents, but had beaten them up with incessant pressure, combination punching and clean, heavy, accurate shots.
 
Many hardcore fans knew Gonzalez. Far, fare fewer knew Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, a Thai who had previously held the WBC title, but was almost unknown outside of the East. His record had a few marks on it, though following a 1-3-1 start to professional boxing he had gone 41-1, with his only loss being a technical decision to Carlos Cuadras, in Mexico. Many who followed the lower weights were expecting Srisaket to be the next victim of the sensational Gonzalez, though few were totally aware of who, or what, Srisaket brought to the ring.
 
Those who had followed Srisaket would have known what to expect. He was big, strong, powerful, aggressive fighter. His 2013 win over Yota Sato had seen him fighting like a terminator, breaking down the then Japanese world champion. After winning the title he was avoided, and would only make a single defense before facing Cuadras a year after winning the title. Despite losing to Cuadras we saw Srisaket earn another shot at the title with a beat down of Jose Salgado, though politics had seen him take a back seat in his attempt to reclaim the belt, and he had had to wait almost 2 years for this shot.
 
Those who were just being introduced to Srisaket quickly got introduced to him as he came out and after a few seconds of feeling out he began to take the fight to Gonzalez, landing short left hands up top and some sneaky body shots. He was getting Gonzalez's respect in the first 2 minutes of the fight before dropping the Nicaraguan with a right hook to the body. Gonzalez's experience showed, he got to his feet and saw out the rest of the round as Srisaket went out seeking a finish.
 
From there on everyone knew Srisaket was a dangerous fighter, including Gonzalez. Gonzalez however wasn't intimidated, despite Srisaket starting round 2 with bad intentions. This saw Srisaket coming forward, somewhat clumsily, whilst Gonzalez looked to box and move, using his silky skills. Against an energetic Srisaket early on it was the Thai who seemed to land the much heavier blows, forcing Gonzalez back, but Gonzalez certainly had moments himself, landing the cleaner blows. The lead to some sensational back and forth action as both men looked to force their well on the contest during a brilliant 3 minutes of action.
 
Round 1 and 2 had shown that Srisaket was able to land a shot, take a shot and was big, strong and aggressive. The questions however mounted up. Could he continue to do it over 12 rounds? Could Gonzalez take his pressure? And could Gonzalez hurt him as the rounds went on?
 
Round by round we found the answers to those questions, and we found that both men were solid, both men could take the power of the other and both men were willing to risk it all, with bout getting better and better through the middle rounds, then reamping up again as we began to head into the final stages, both men aware that the were little between.

By round 3 Gonzalez was starting to get his engine going, he was starting to outland Srisaket and the difference in skill levels was showing. Gonzalez was using smart footwork, good combinations and landing solid blows with regularity, whilst making Srisaket miss. Srisaket however wasn't going to go away. He was a big, strong lump and had waited 2 years for this fight. He wasn't there to roll over to Gonzalez and he began to fight back himself, using his size and power and try and neutralise the  quickness and skills of Gonzalez.

As well as the amazing back and forth action there was also controversy in the bout, from the accidental headclashes that occurred regularly. Gonzalez was cut in round 3 from an accidental clash, and they became a regular issue within the bout. It wasn't anything deliberate, from either man, but a result of both men being aggressive fighters and the two men letting shots go whilst fighting out of opposite stances. The southpaw stance of Srisaket and the orthodox stance of Gonzalez lead to headclashes becoming a common thing, and a very painful thing for the naturally smaller Gonzalez.
 
With great tempo through out, fantastic 2-way action, a sense of controversy and heavy shots landed round after round, by both men, we really were treat to an instant classic here. The bought might only be 4 years old, but this is a definitive classic, and a must watch for every fight fan.
 
As usual in this series we won't ruin the result, for those who haven't seen the bout, but this is just a tremendous bout, and a brilliant war that really did help put the Super Flyweight division on the map in the US, and in Europe.

By Eric Armit

Highlights:
-Kazuto Ioka retains the WBO super fly title with points win over Francisco Rodriguez
-A clash of heads sees the return fight between Mauricio Lara and Josh Warrington end in a NO Decision after just two rounds
-Maxi Hughes wins the IBO lightweight title as he outclasses champion Jovanni Straffon over twelve rounds
-Katie Taylor successfully defends her IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO female lightweight titles as she outpoints Jennifer Han
-Connor Benn marches on with a points victory over Adrian Granados
- Tanzanian Hassan Mwakinyo stops former super light title holder Julius Indongo in four rounds


World Title/Major Shows


September 1


Tokyo, Japan: Super Fly: Kazuto Ioka (27-2) W PTS 12 Francisco Rodriguez (34-5-1).
Ioka retains the WBO title with a unanimous decision over Rodriguez. The challenger made a good start finding a home for some hefty rights to the head. Ioka was using a long term strategy attacking the Mexican’s body to slow the quicker man and pave the way to a strong finish. Both had their moments and the rounds were close with the scores after four rounds at 39-37 for Ioka, 39-37 for Rodriguez and 38-38 and the three judges had not all agreed on the score for a single round. Rodriguez landed the better punches in the fifth but Ioka took over from the sixth. He was countering heavily and Rodriguez seemed to lose some of his steam as Ioka pocketed the next three rounds to move in front on all three cards with two judges having him 77-75 in front and one 78-74. Rodriguez rallied briefly in the ninth rocking Ioka with some hard rights but the earlier body attacks by Ioka paid there dividend and if Rodriguez did try to raise his game Ioka was able to hold and smother his attacks. Ioka swept the last three rounds on all three cards and came out on top with the judges turning in identical cards of 116-112 . Ioka, 32, was making the third defence of the title. His two losses were both on split decisions against Amnat Ruenroeng and Donnie Nietes. Rodriguez, 29, is a former undefeated IBF and WBO minimumweight champion and had a 15-bout winning streak before this fight.


September 4


Leeds, England: Feather: Mauricio Lara (23-2-1) TEC DRAW 2 Josh Warrington (30-1-1). Light: Maxi Hughes (24-5-2) W PTS 12 Jovanni Straffon (24-4-1). Welter: Connor Benn (19-0) W PTS 10 Adrian Granados (21-9-3,1ND). Light: Katie Taylor (19-0) W PTS 10 Jennifer Han (18-5-1,3ND). Super Bantam: Hopey Price (6-0) W TKO 2 Zahid Hussain (16-2). Super Bantam: Jack Bateson (14-0) W PTS 6 Felix Garcia (7-3-1). Bantam: Ebanie Bridges (7-1) W PTS 8 Mailys Gangloff (5-3).
Lara vs. Warrington
A clash of heads in the second round sees Lara suffer a cut that the doctor rules too serious for the fight to continue. Warrington was coming forward behind a high guard and stabbing out fast jabs. When Lara came forward throwing punches unlike in the first fight instead of standing and trading Warrington was backing off out of range. Both landed good rights and Warrington took Lara to the ropes and fired a salvo of punches at Lara at the end of the round. Their heads clashed in the second and Lara backed off. The referee stopped the fight and gave Warrington a warning. There was swelling around Lara’s left eye and a small cut but the fight continued. Blood began to leak from that cut on Lara’s left eyelid and he attacked fiercely to the bell. In the interval the doctor examined the cut and decided it was too serious for the fight to continue. A frustrating NO Decision ending for both fighters and it is confirmed there will be a third meeting.
Hughes vs. Straffon
Hughes boxes his way to victory in this clash of southpaws. Hughes was boxing cleverly on the back foot. He was threading jabs though the guard of Straffon and then banging straight lefts which Straffon was too slow to block. Straffon’s footwork was terrible and he couldn’t close Hughes down. He landed a brace of good shots in the second but Hughes fired back with more and better. Saffron was walking in in a straight line with very little head movement and he paid for that in the third when Hughes connected with a thumping straight left. Hughes came close to victory in the fifth when a clubbing left unhinged Straffon’s legs. He was in deep trouble and Hughes drove him around the ring. Straffon was staggering and stumbling and there for the taking but Hughes was over anxious to finish it and was wild with his punches. The referee looked poised to step in but Straffon somehow managed to push out a punch at a vital moment and lasted to the bell. Hughes had Straffon reeling again in the seventh and eighth but somehow Straffon stayed up. Those rounds had taken a lot out of both boxers and the pace slowed with Hughes standing and trading more but with his better skills always giving him the edge. Straffon never stopped rolling forward but he was too predictable and not quick enough to put Hughes under pressure and Hughes won by a mile. Scores 120-107 twice and 119-109. Good to see an experienced battler such as Hughes get a big win. He has only lost to the very best of the domestic opposition and scored recent good victories over Jono Carroll, unbeaten Viktor Kotochigov and Paul Hyland Jr. He wins the IBO title and the talk is now of a fight with Devin Haney which would be a just reward for a battler such as Hughes.Mexican Straffon had won the IBO title with a first round blast out of James Tennyson in May. That fight showed his strengths as a puncher this showed his weaknesses as a boxer.
Benn vs. Granados
Benn wins a wide unanimous verdict. Benn was forced to chase a quick moving Granados who was circling the ring and pushing out jabs. Benn had trouble pinning Granados down and was often off target but was throwing more and landing more than Granados. As the fight developed Granados chose to strand and exchange punches more but Benn was getting the better of the exchanges sending Granados on the retreat again. Benn kept up the pressure in every round scoring well with hooks to the body. Granados had a good sixth when he took the fight inside and the seventh was close but Benn was the one doing the scoring in the eighth and ninth. The tenth saw Granados fighting hard for two minutes and then taunting Benn to the bell. Scores 100-90, 99-91 and 97-93 for Benn. A frustrating night for Benn who had to chase the fight but he was a clear winner against a fighter with good credentials. Fifth defence of the WBA Continental title for Benn who is rated WBC 11/WBA 12/IBF 13. Granados has been in with Adrien Broner, Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia and Robert Easter with Garcia the only one to stop him but he was coming off a disappointing draw with 11-1 Jose Luis Sanchez in May.
Taylor vs. Han
Taylor scores a knockdown on the way to winning every round against challenger Han. Taylor was tracking a retreating Han in the first. Taylor was scoring well to the body with Han quick but looking to lack power. Taylor continued to hunt Han down over the second and third and was getting through with strong jabs and uppercuts. Han shows a useful jab but was being outlanded. Han chose to stand and trade in the fourth and it was a messy round with both fighters landing punches to the back of the head. Han was the one coming forward over the sixth and seventh but Taylor was landing the harder and cleaner punches. Han was down in the eighth from a series of punches from Taylor but Han strenuously argued that it had been from a push and it did not look to have been from a punch. Taylor put together a strong finish over the ninth and tenth but Han fought hard to the bell. All three judges had Taylor winning 100-89. Taylor retains the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO titles. Texan Han had won her last eight fights but was having her first outing since February 2020.
Price vs. Hussain
Price wins his first pro title as he floors Hussain twice and stops him in the second round. A right from Price dropped Hussain just before the bell in the first. Hussain was badly hurt and only just staggered to his feet. By then the bell had gone which saved Hussain. Both fighters were cut when their heads clashed in the second. Price then attacked strongly and floored Hussain and although he made it to his feet the fight was stopped. The 21-year-old Leeds southpaw collects the vacant IBO International title and continues to shine. Hussain never in with a chance.
Bateson vs. Garcia
Bateson was much too quick for Garcia and staggered him with a right hook on the first. He began to put his punches together well in the second but as he was backing away a right to the chest knocked him off balance and down. He was up immediately and the bell had rung. Bateson switched guards often, found plenty of gaps for his jabs and landed straight shots and hooks to the body. Garcia pressed hard but Bateson was too slippery and Garcia was often left swishing air. Referee’s score 58-56 for Bateson. In the amateurs Bateson won a bronze medal at the European Championships and was a successful member of the British Lions team in the WSB. Third loss in a row for Spanish-based Nicaraguan Garcia.
Bridges vs. Gangloff
Australian Bridges just squeezes past French champion Gangloff on the referee’s card who saw it 77-76 for Bridges. The only loss on the record of Bridges is a decision in a challenge to Shannon Courtenay for the WBA Female bantam title in April. Gangloff was 3-1 in her last 4 fights and looked unlucky to lose here.


September 3


Budapest, Hungary: Super Welter: Balazs Bacskai (15-0) W PTS 10 Guido Pitto (27-9-2). Middle: Peter Kramer (11-3-3) DREW 10 Gabor Gorbics (26-20-2). Super Welter: Laszlo Toth (30-5-2) W PTS 8 Francesco Lezzi (14-19-2).
Bacskai vs. Pitto
Bacskai continues victorious with a unanimous decision over experienced Pitto. No scores given but Bacskai dominated every round in this WBO Inter-Continental belt defence. Bacskai is now 33. It is a pity that the 8-time Hungarian champion and European gold medallist left it so late to turn pro. Spanish-based Argentinian Pitto hit his peak when he outpointed Jack Culcay back in 2013.
Kramer vs. Gorbics
These two are very well matched with the result that as in their first fight in June this fight also ended up as a draw so the national title remains vacant with a third fight to follow.
Toth vs. Lezzi
Like others before him Toth found Italian Lezzi a difficult, awkward opponent and had to settle for a narrow points victory. Toth was 19-0-1 at the start of his career but has lost fights on the road since then. Two wins in his last seven fights for Lezzi


Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania: Super Welter: Hassan Mwakinyo (20-2) W TKO 4 Julius Indongo (23-4). Super Bantam: Bongani Mahlangu (23-8) W TKO 12 Tony Rashid (12-2-2).
Mwakinyo vs. Indongo
Mwakinyo’s power proves too much for Indongo. In the first Indongo’s hand speed and movement saw him scoring easily but one left from Mwakinyo rocked Indongo. Indongo again controlled the action in the second until a left caused Indongo to touch the canvas with both gloves. The referee was too slow to move in and Mwakinyo landed more punches on the rising Indongo and almost sent him through the ropes. Indongo outboxed Mwakinyo in the third but was wrongly given a count in the fourth when he slipped avoiding Mwakinyo’s punches. Indongo stupidly then tried to swap punches with Mwakinyo and was badly shaken by a right and Mwakinyo cut loose with an array of punches and with Indongo reeling the referee stopped the fight. Mwakinyo retains the ABU title with his tenth win in a row and thirteenth victory by KO/TKO with Indongo his biggest scalp so far. Now 38 Indongo looked fragile but the former holder of the IBF,WBO and IBO super light titles had only previously lost to Terrence Crawford, Regis Prograis and unbeaten Daniyar Yeleussinov
Mahlangu vs. Rashid
South African Mahlangu comes through with a very late stoppage of local fighter Rashid to win the ABU title. As Rashid was giving away 4” in height and a lot in reach for eleven rounds Rashid pursued and Mahlangu ran. Mahlangu showed plenty of skill but was under relentless pressure. He rocked Rashid a couple of times early but then Rashid had no trouble walking through Mahlangu’s punches. Mahlangu was cut over his left eye in the tenth and it looked as though the home fighter’s pressure would get him the win. He continued to come forward in the twelfth but an uppercut from Mahlangu stunned Rashid and a series of punches floored him. He beat the count but was trapped in a corner and taking heavy punishment and the referee stopped the fight. As he is 42 and had not fought since December 2019 it was amazing that Mahlangu stood the pace as he been constantly on the run and it looked a lost cause for him until he connected with that uppercut. “AK 47” Rashid was 8-0-2 in his last 10 fights.


Belle Ville, Argentina: Light: Juan Carrasco (11-1) W PTS 10 Gerardo Perez (9-2). Super Bantam: Diego Ruiz (22-3) W TKO 1 Miguel Salazar (8-12-2).
Carrasco vs. Perez
Carrasco puts in a solid workman-like performance as he outboxes and outpunches Perez in an IBF Latina title defence. Carrasco constantly found the target with strong rights but Perez showed a good chin. Scores 97-93 twice and 98-92 for Carrasco who is trained by former WBO featherweight title holder Julio Pablo Chacon. Perez had won his last 5 fights.
Ruiz vs. Salazar
“Prophet” Ruiz returns to action with a first round destruction of Salazar. Three knockdowns in the first round brought the stoppage. This is the first fight for Ruiz since a ninth round stoppage defeat against Michael Conlan in August 2019. Poor Salazar has won only one of his last eleven fights.


Hermosillo, Mexico: Light Fly: Daniel Valladares (25-3-1) W PTS 10 Jose Javier Torres (15-2).
Valladares comes out on top in an entertaining scrap with Torres. Valladares applied constant pressure with Torres trying to box at distance and connecting with some choice uppercuts when Valladares made it inside. Valladares was just edging the exchanges but Torres kept it close. Torres lost a point in the ninth for hitting on the break and Valladares was helped by that in a close fight. Scores 97-94, 96-94 and 95-94 for Valladares who wins the vacant NABF title. Torres sees his four-bout winning streak ended.


Bialystok, Poland: Super Middle: Przemyslaw Gorgon (14-7-1) W PTS 10 Karol Welter (8-1).
This was a close fight all the way and difficult to score but even that hardly explains the judge's cards. Two had Gorgon winning 96-94 which looked about right but the other gave it 99-91 for Welter. Gorgon wins the vacant Polish title. A rematch is on the cards.


Nolda, India: Super Welter: Sagar Narwat (13-1-1) W PTS 8 Rahul Kumar (7-5-1).
Narwat gets his fourth consecutive victory and collects his first pro title as he wins unanimous decision over Kumar on scores of 80-72, 79-74 and 78-73 to lift the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council title. Kumar falls to 2-4 in his last six contests.


September 4


Hurlingham, Argentina: Welter: Christian Andino (16-1-1) DREW 10 Yoel Peralta (8-2). Light Fly: Ayelen Granadino (6-1-3) DREW 10 Jazmin Villarino (4-1-2).
Andino vs. Peralta
Andino looks fortunate to get a draw out of this fight. Although Andino seemed to build an early lead he was floored by a right to the head in the fourth. Peralta dominated from there and was unlucky to have what looked like a genuine knockdown in the last rules a slip. Scores varying greatly at 96-93 Andino, 98-91 for Peralta and 94-94. The WBC Latino title remains vacant.
Granadino vs. Villarino
Another title fight and another draw. Granadino had a slight advantage in reach and made use of it to box cleverly on the outside. Villarino pressed hard but Granadino jabbed accurately and scored with strong body punches and despite a late effort from Villarino Granadino looked to have won clearly. Scores 95-95 twice and 97-93 for Granadino who retains her national title.


Inngeniero Maschwitz, Argentina: Super Light: Nicolas Demario (15-4-3) DREW 10 Emiliano Dominguez (25-9-1).
A great little contests ends in a draw. It was the rugged aggression of Dominguez against the accurate jabbing and fast combination punching from Demario. It was close all the way and the draw looked the right call. No scores available and no title at stake but a good fight does not need one.


Oncativo, Argentina: Super Welter: Rodrigo Coria (10-3) W PTS 10 Adrian Sasso (16-3).
Something of an upset as in a clash of local southpaws Coria outpoints Sasso. Scores 95 ½-94 and 96 ½ -95 for Coria and 95-94 for Sasso. Coria collects the South American title with his fifth win in a row. Champion Sasso was rated No 1 in the Argentinian ratings so a double blow for him.


Ostrava, Czech Republic: Declan Geraghty (19-5) W RTD 5 Richard Walter (9-20-1).
Geraghty has his first fight for two years as he beats Walter in five rounds. Geraghty was to have fought South African David Rajulli for the vacant UBO title but just before the fight was due to start Rajulli reportedly did not like the gloves that were to be used and refused to fight. Czech Walter was to have fought a four round bout on the card but instead stepped up to face Geraghty. The fight ended in the fifth round with Walter’s team retiring their man after a one-sided contest. Dublin southpaw Geraghty lost his WBO European belt and his world rating when he was stopped by Archie Sharp in September 2019. Walter suffers his fourteenth loss by KO/TKO but saved the show.


Luebeck, Germany: Light Heavy: Shefat Isufi (32-4-2) W PTS 10 Tomas Adamek (29-20-2).
Isufi floors and outpoints ageing Czech Adamek. Isufi pressed the fight from the start. Adamek went onto the back foot and stayed there for the full ten rounds. Isufi was scoring with clubbing shots to head and body but the pace was slow. A clash of heads in the fifth saw Adamek cut over his right eye but he was allowed to continue after a doctor’s inspection. Adamek was down late in the tenth but made it to the final bell. No scores available but Isufi won every round. Fifth low level win for Isufi who lost on points to Billy Joe Saunders for the vacant WBO super middle title in May 2019. Adamek, 41, was having his first fight since December 2019.


Accra, Ghana: Super Feather: Alfred Lamptey (9-0) W TKO 10 Iddi Kayumba (13-4-2). Super Fly: John Chuwa (21-5) W TKO 7Aliu Bamidele Lasisi (14-1-1
Lamptey vs. Kayumba
Ghana’s teenage prospect Lamptey adds another belt to his collection with win over Tanzanian southpaw Kayumba. Lamptey floored Kayumba with a left hook in the second and dominated the fight. In the tenth he blasted Kayumba with a torrent of punches driving him across the ring to the ropes and with Kayumba’s head being snapped about by hooks and uppercuts the referee came in to save Kayumba. The 19-year-old Lamptey gets his seventh victory by KO/TKO and collects the vacant WBO Youth and WBC Youth Silver titles to go with the West African and UBO African titles he already holds-all meaningless and although Lamptey has impressive talent he is yet to face a real test. Fourth inside the distance defeat for Kayumba.
Chuwa vs. Lasisi
Tanzanian Chuwa springs an upset as he stops unbeaten Lasisi in seven rounds. Win No 11 by KO?TKO for Chuwa. In his last fight in July in London he was stopped in two rounds by unbeaten Dennis McCann so it looked a sure win for Lasisi who had drawn with world rated Norberto Jimenez in his last fight in March 2020


Sora, Italy: Heavy: Ivan D’Adamo (8-1-1) W PTS 10 Paolo Iannucci (4-6).
D’Adamo retains the Italian title with a unanimous verdict over Iannucci. The champion was bigger, heavier and slower. The challenger made the better start and built a lead. D’Adamo picked up rounds over the middle sessions and then just did enough to earn the decision over the late rounds but it was close. Scores 97-93, 97-94 and 96-94 for the champion. The 41-year-old D’Adamo gets his sixth consecutive win in his first title defence. The scores were a bit harsh on Iannucci who is 1-6 in his last 7 outings.


Urdaneta City, Super Feather: Charly Suarez (8-0) W KO 4 Lorence Rosas (9-6-2).
Suarez brushes aside Rosas. He dropped Rosas in the first and then had him in pain in the second-but from a low punch. Rosas was given some recovery time. Suarez scored well in the third and then used another body punch to put Rosas down for the count in the fourth. The 33-year-old “King’s Warrior” gets his sixth quick win. An Olympian he won a bag full of medals but did not turn pro until he was 31. Fifth loss in a row for Rosas.


Birmingham, England: Light: Tion Gibbs (8-0) W PTS 10 Jack O’Keeffe (10-1).
In a battle for Birmingham bragging rights Gibbs wins the BBB of C Central Area title with hair’s breadth victory over O’Keeffe. The defining moment came early when Gibbs floored O’Keeffe in the first. O’Keefe fought back strongly and looked worth a share of the decision but that knockdown cost him the fight with the referee scoring it 96-95 for Gibbs. First fight since June 2019 for Gibbs. O’Keeffe was defending the Area title for the second time.


September 5


Minneapolis, MN, USA: Super Welter: Jesus Ramos (17-0) W PTS 10 Brian Mendoza (19-2). Middle: Mark Hernandez (15-4-2) W PTS 10 Jose Resendiz (12-1). Light: Sparkinson Castillo (16-0) W PTS 10 Juan Burgos (34-6-2). Heavy: Iago Kiladze (27-5-1) W TKO 2 Matt McKinney (8-4-2). Super Middle: Kyrone Davis (16-2-1) W PTS 8 Martez McGregor (8-5).
Ramos vs. Mendoza
Dominant victory for southpaw Ramos. He was outlanding Mendoza who started well but then faded with Ramos having him in trouble in the eighth and easing his way to the unanimous decision on scores of 98-92 on all three cards. The 20-year-old from Arizona had beaten 24-2 Jesus Bojorquez and former Olympian 22-4 Javier Molina. After going 18-0 Mendoza has now lost two of his last three fights.
Hernandez vs. Resendiz
Hernandez takes decision over previously unbeaten Resendiz. Hernandez scored a flash knockdown in the first and outlanded Resendiz over the first six rounds. Resendiz finished strongly but Hernandez’s early work earned him the decision. Scores 96-93 twice and 97-92 for Hernandez. A much needed win as he was 1-3-1 going in. Mexican Resendiz at 22 can rebound from this loss.
Castillo vs. Burgos
Castillo gets decision over seasoned pro Burgos. Plenty of action as Burgos stormed forward and Castillo showed plenty of movement accurate jabbing and fast hands. Burgos kept up the pressure and Castillo stood and traded more over the late rounds to seal the win. Castillo took the verdict with the judges cards reading 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 for Dominican Castillo who shows promise. At 33 Burgos has seen better days drawing with Roman Martinez for the WBO super featherweight title in 20132
Kiladze vs. McKinney
Georgian Kiladze punches too hard for overmatched McKinney, Kiladze dropped McKinney twice in the second round and the fight was halted. Kiladze badly needed to win a fight as he had lost three and drawn one of his four fights before being inactive since December 2019. McKinney, 40, had won his last three fights by KO/TKO but against very mediocre opposition in Mexico.
Davis vs. McGregor
Davis scores unanimous decision over McGregor. This was a close, competitive fight more so than the scores show. Davis won on his higher work rate but was helped by McGregor being deducted two points for the use of an elbow in the sixth and another point for hitting on the break in the seventh. The judge’s cards read 75-74 twice and 77-72 for Davis. Davis fought a split draw with Anthony Dirrell over twelve rounds in February. Now four consecutive losses for McGregor.


Fight of the week (Significance): Kazuto Ioka’s win over Francisco Rodriguez could lead to a unification match with IBF title holder Jerwin Ancajas.
Fight of the week (Entertainment): Plenty of good quality but nothing that had me jumping up and down in excitement
Fighter of the week: Maxi Hughes-so good to see such an admired craftsman getting his rich reward. Honourable mention to Katie Taylor who again showed her dominance over the lightweights.
Punch of the week: The uppercut from South African veteran Bongani Mahlangu that snatched a last gasp victory when a loss looked inevitable.
Upset of the week: Tanzanian John Chuwa was 4-4 in his last 8 fights and had fought at everything from 107 to 121lbs in those fights. He was a rank outsider against unbeaten Aliu Bamidele Lasisi but came away with a stoppage win.
Prospect watch: Ghana’s super featherweight Alfred Lamptey 9-0 with 7 wins by KO/TKO is the top prospect there.


Observations
Last week I reported that young Mexican female fighter Jeanette Zacarias Zapata had been stretchered out of the ring after being stopped in the fourth round of her fight in Montreal on 28 August. I had no update at that time but Jeanette did not recover and died on 2 September. Obviously the family of the eighteen-year-old Jeanette are devastated by her loss. The ripples from that tragedy have also affected deeply Yvon Michel and his team who promoted the fight and Marie Pier Houle who was Jeanette’s opponents that night. There was mention of Jeanette having been knocked out in six rounds on 4 May 2021 but she was suspended for sixty days after that loss and in fact had not fought for 106 days. There will be a full investigation and any findings will be shared with the whole sport to see if in any way the tragedy was avoidable but the tragic fact is that in a sport as dangerous as ours tragedy is inevitable and it is the duty of everyone involved in the sport to do all they can to minimise the risk. RIP Jeanette.
Debate about scoring and criticising the current method is a weekly pastime. As long as you have humans involved that debate will rattle on. In this week’s fights in Argentina we had one judge scoring a fight 96-93 and another scoring the same fight 91-98 and in Poland we had two judges scoring fight 96-94 and the third 91-99. It makes no sense but very little does when human beings are involved. You can’t cure it because judging in boxing is pure perception with no science involved and tinkering will not help. All any Board or Commission or Sanctioning body can do is ensure that any officials employed are trained, experienced and monitored and avoid any knee-jerk reaction to controversy from armchair experts.
Waiting for the result of a close fight must be stressful for any boxer so spare a bi of sympathy for Argentinian Female light flyweight champion Ayelen Granadino. So far Ayelen has had ten fights. She won her first two by unanimous decision. Seven of her other fights have produced three majority wins, two majority draws , one split decision win and one split draw and in the eighth which she lost two of the judges had her down 96-94 so just one round away from another majority draw. If she wasn’t wearing gloves when waiting for the referee to raise a hand her fingernails would be non-existent by now.
A foul is a foul whether committed by a male boxer or a female boxer. In the Katie Taylor vs. Jennifer Han fight both boxers repeatedly landed punches to the back of the head. We have already seen the effect these can have in the cases of Prichard Colon and Magomed Abdusalamov neither of whom will fully recover. The old saying –if you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem- applies to every organisation that fails to take action to stamp out these fouls

Back in the late 00's the Welterweight division had so many things going for it. It had the best fighters in the sport, it had the biggest names, and more amazingly than anything else, the top guys seemed to be fighting each other regularly. Time after time we were getting amazing match ups, between top fighters who seemed happy to face each other in an attempt to prove they were the best. Today we get to share one of those in this week's Closet Classic.

​The fight
Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2 37) vs Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27)
By November 2009 Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao had gone from boxing star to global sporting star, thanks to massive, high profile wins over Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. Those wins had turned Pacquiao from a star that every boxing fan knew to a man that everyone knew. It had also sown the seeds for "Pacman" to move to Welterweight, where there was a lot of interesting match ups there for him, including a bout with Miguel Cotto.
 
Aged 30 at this point Pacquiao was now longer the scrawny but imposing fighter he had been at Flyweight, or the one handed destroyer he had been at Super Bantamweight. He was now a highly experienced, round swarmer, able to unload power shots with alarming speed from both hands. His straight left hand was still a murderous weapon, but his lead hand had been developed excellently by Freddie Roach and he was now an all round offensive machine with terrifying speed and power.
 
Puerto Rican star Miguel Cotto was one of the biggest draws in the sport, and had a huge and loyal Puerto Rican fan base. Like Pacquiao he had fought a genuine who's who of who with wins against the likes of Carlos Maussa, Rendall Bailey, DeMarcus Corley, Pau Malignaggi, Zab Judah and Shane Mosley. He had been an offensive fighter himself, with heavy hands, crunching body shots and a technically intelligent boxing brain. He was a man fans loved and with good reason.
 
Not only did fans love Cotto and his in ring mentality, but they had also had a huge amount of sympathy for him following a 2008 loss to Antonio Margarito, in a sensational fight. That was a loss that had doubt cast over it in 2009 when Margarito was found to have tried to enter the ring with a plaster like substance in his gloves for a bout against Shane Mosley. That had essentially excused the loss in the eyes of many who saw Cotto as essentially unbeaten, with an asterisk next to the "1" in 34-1.
 
Coming in to the bout Cotto was the WBO Welterweight champion and a man many regarded as a top 10 pound for pound fighter. For Pacquiao this was his chance to claim a ABC title at a fifth weight, adding the Welterweight title to world title fights at Flyweight, Super Bantamweight, Super Featherweight and Lightweight. for both men it was a chance to further enhance their already impressive legacies.
 
With anticipation high for the fight we had expected something enthralling. This was two brilliant warriors clashing. It was a test of Pacquiao at a new weight and it was a chance for Cotto to face a naturally smaller man. The only mark on the fight going in was the fact it was at a catchweight, and wasn't at the Welterweight limit. Instead being fought at 145lbs.
 
Unlike some fights in this series this had the big fight feel. This had the mega fight build up, this had everything going for it, with hype and anticipation all over it. And it damn well delivered.
 
From the opening moments we saw both men looking to establish themselves, with Pacquiao's speed looking like the difference maker very quickly. Cotto however wasn't intimidated by the speed and looked to press forward, using his jab and left hook to the body to try and get Pacquiao's respect. Right at the end of the round Pacquiao began to dip into his bag of tricks as his confidence began to soar. It was as if he'd taken a few from Cotto, realised he could take the power, and began to move through the gears.
 
In round 2 we saw Cotto again showing confidence, trying to boxing behind his strong jab and pressure Pacquiao, but he struggled to cope with the speed of Pacquiao, who found his grove by the mid-way point of the round. From there on it was a question of whether Cotto could impose his strength, his power and his physicality on Pacquiao, or slow him down with body shots. It seemed like Cotto really couldn't handle the speed and that was shown again in round 3, when Pacquiao dropped Cotto with a right hook. The knockdown wasn't a bad one, but would be the first of two for the Filipino, with Cotto going down a second time in round 4.
 
Despite the knockdowns Cotto was still hungry and valiant, fighting back through the middle rounds as the bout continued on. Pacquiao putting on a great showcase of his ability, and Cotto showing the hunger, desire and warriors mentality that had made him a fan favourite.
 
We'll leave most of the bout unspoiled here, but if you've never seen it before make time to enjoy it in amazing HD thanks to Top Rank. This is a great fight, and a great reminder of recent history, and a time when two true stars of the sport clashed in a sensational bout.
 
For those wondering, this isn't the best bout we'll feature here in out Closet Classic series. It's certainly not the most competitive or even match up, but it's one of the rare big fighters that lived up to all expectations. It was a virtuoso performance at times, possibly Pacquiao's most complete performance, and one that is, sadly, now often over-looked. ​