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.
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By Eric Armit:
Highlights: -Puerto Rican hope Danielito Zorrilla crushes Pablo Cano in two rounds and Nahir Albright, Miguel Madueno and Yunieski Gonzalez all score inside the distance wins in Hollywood Florida -Super Welterweight Serhii Bohachuk and Super Middleweight Ali Akhmedov win in Montebello - Jessie Hart returns with a points win over Mike Guy. -In Female action Hyun Mi Choi retains her WBA super featherweight title, Juliana Basualdo scores upset win over 36-1 Yessica Bopp, Elhem Mekhaled knocks out Pasa Malagic in a European title fight and Delphine Mancini wins the French title September 14 Hollywood, FL, USA: Super Light: Danielito Zorrilla (16-0) W KO 2 Pablo Cano (33-8-1, 1 ND). Super Light: Nahir Albright (14-1) W RTD 6 Michael Dutchover (15-2). Super Light: Miguel Madueno (25-0) W TKO 10 Sonny Fredrickson (21-5).Cruiser: Yunieski Gonzalez (21-3) W KO 2 Tommy Karpency (30-7-1). Zorrilla vs. Cano Big win for Puerto Rican Zorrilla as he beats Cano in two rounds. Cano was the aggressor in the first taking the fight to Zorrilla and firing shots to the body. Early in the second Zorrilla scored with a heavy right to the head and another that landed on the side of Cano’s neck. Cano threw a left hook but then in a delayed action response from those rights backed to a corner and went down on one knee. He got up but promptly dropped down again and was counted out. Zorrilla, 27, an outstanding amateur, retained the WBO NABO title with his twelfth win by KO/TKO. Former interim WBA title holder Cano had won his last three fights including a first round stoppage of Jorge Linares. Albright vs. Dutchover Albright demolishes Dutchover in six one-sided rounds. Albright scored knockdowns in each of the first three rounds. Dutchover was cut over his left eye in the fourth and dropped again in the sixth and after a doctor’s inspection was pulled out of the fight at the end of the round. Since losing his first pro fight Albright has put together a 14-bout winning streak including seven early finishes. Disaster for Texan Dutchover as he suffers his second loss by KO/TKO and he was taken transported to the hospital for checks. Madueno vs. Fredrickson Madueno continues his winning streak with late stoppage of Fredrickson after a stirring scrap. Madueno outscored Fredrickson over the first four rounds connecting with hard shots from both hand. Fredrickson had been competitive and began to roll from the fifth hurting Madueno with a body shot to take the round. With Madueno losing a point in the sixth for pushing Fredrickson’ s head down Fredrickson was eating into Madueno’s lead. He took the seventh and eighth but a stronger Madueno came back to shake Fredrickson in the ninth and landed a series of heavy punches which brought the referee’s intervention in the tenth. The 22-year-old Mexican has won 23 of his 25 fights by KO/TKO against very modest opposition so Fredrickson was a step up for him even though it was Fredrickson’s fourth loss in a row. Gonzalez vs. Karpency Cuban Gonzalez destroys Karpency with body punches. Gonzalez was rumbling forward through the first digging in body punches and hooks to the head. Karpency was forced to stand and trade until in the second and vicious left to the body dropped Karpency to his hands and knees. He literal crawled along the ring from one corner to another but once getting there was unable to get up and was counted out. Gonzalez, 36, has lost big fights against Jean Pascal, Vyacheslav Shabranskyy and Olek Gvozdyk but after three years out has come back with three quick wins. Former WBC light heavyweight title challenger Karpency is entertaining but loses inside the distance when he steps up. September 15 Aguascalientes, Mexico: Super Feather: Karla Ramos (7-9) W PTS 10 Liliana Palmera (29-14-3). Local boxer Ramos wins the vacant WBA Fedelatin Female title with comprehensive verdict over Colombian Palmera. It was a close, competitive fight over the first three rounds but then the younger Ramos took charge of the action as the older Palmera tired and Ramos emerged a clear winner. Scores 100-91, 99-91 and 98-92 for Ramos. September 16 Montebello, CA, USA: Super Welter: Serhii Bohachuk (20-1) W RTD 6 Raphael Igbokwe (16-3). Super Middle: Ali Akhmedov (17-1) W RTD 3 David Zegarra (34-5). Bohachuk vs. Igbokwe Bohachuk wins in his usual style as he uses unrelenting pressure to bulldoze Igbokwe to defeat. A confident Igbokwe stood and exchanged shots with Bohachuk in the first but things changed in the second as Bohachuk began to target the body. As Bohachuk piled on the liver shots Igbokwe started to fade. It was then one-way traffic until with Igbokwe being overwhelmed his in team in consultation with the doctor retired him at the end of the sixth round. Second quick win for the Ukrainian since his stoppage loss against Brandon Adams in March. All twenty of his wins have come by KO/TKO. Houston southpaw Igbokwe’s previous losses had both been split decisions. Akhmedov vs. Zegarra Akhmedov bloodies and beats Zegarra over four rounds. Things started badly for Zegarra as a punch brought blood pouring from his nose in the first-and then things got worse. He just could not keep the bigger and stronger Kazak out and as he tried to use footwork to stay out of trouble he found Akhmedov doing a good job of cutting off his escape routes. Akhmedov shook Zegarra with a left hook in the second and pounded him throughout the third and with Zegarra taking a beating and still bleeding heavily from his nose injury he retired in his corner. Akhmedov was returning to action for the first time since his upset stoppage loss against Carlos Gongora for the vacant IBO title in December. Peruvian Zegarra went 30-0 against low grade opposition but is 4-6 since he started to play with the big boys. September 17 Posadas, Argentina: Super Welter: Alejandro Silva (17-0-1) W KO 4 Maico Sommariva (9-4). Bantam: Juliana Basualdo (5-2) W PTS 6Yessica Bopp (36-2). Silva vs. Sommariva Silva retains the Argentinian title in his fourth defence as he scores two knockdowns on his way to victory over Sommariva. Silva was on target with punches upstairs and down but it was the body punches that brought him victory. He put Sommariva down in the second with a left to the ribs and finished him in the fourth with a right to the body that had Sommariva writhing in agony. Fourteen wins in a row for Silva and he now has twelve victories by KO/TKO. Sommariva is 2-4 in his last 6 fights. Basualdo vs. Bopp Southpaw Basualdo scores split decision over Bopp in a huge upset. Basualdo was just too big for the 5’0” Bopp who is WBA Super title holder at 108lbs. Basualdo was able to use her longer reach and strength to force Bopp to fight on the back foot for much of the time. There were plenty of fiery exchanges but Basualdo bossed most of them and was a clear winner. Scores 59 ½ -56 and 59-57 ½ for Basualdo and a dissenting 59-55 for Bopp. Fourth consecutive victory for Basualdo. Bopp. 37, had not fought since June 2019 so may have taken this fight just to get in some ring time but she was 107 ½ in her title defence in June and 115 ½ for this one. Monterrey, Mexico: Bantam: Rashib Martinez (17-2) W PTS 10 Ivan Meneses (19-21-2). Local prospect Martinez takes wide unanimous decision over grizzled veteran Meneses. Martinez dominated the fight with powerful jabs and thunderous straight rights. By the fifth Meneses was cut over his left eye and had a cut above his hair line on the left side of his face which bled heavily. Martinez continued to connect with savage rights but Meneses took the punishment and fought back hard. In the last round Meneses finally crumpled. Martinez had him against the ropes and was snapping his head around with rights and lefts when the referee stepped in. That happened just as the bell rung and for a few seconds it was not clear if it was a stoppage or not. It turned out that the referee had jumped in because of the bell so it went to the cards with Martinez winning on scores of100-90 on all three cards. Just one loss in his last 17 fights for Martinez now. Some hard fights are catching up on Meneses who is 0-7-1 in his last 8 contests. London, England: Light: Connor Marsden (5-1). W TKO 6 Ben Jones (22-8-1,1ND). Marsden wins the vacant BBB of C Southern Area title with stoppage of experienced Jones. Both men had some rust to shed but it did not show as this was a war from the outset with both connecting with hard punches in every round. Marsden was effective with his jab and long rights and Jones was always dangerous with right crosses. After four hard rounds Marsden took charge in the fifth and had Jones pinned to the ropes and taking serious punishment in the sixth when the referee stepped in to halt the fight. In his first fight for eighteen months Marsden racked up his second inside the distance win. Jones was having his first fight since February 2018. Norwich, England: Welter: Liam Goddard (8-0) W RTD 4 Justin Menzie (5-5-1). Goddard delights his home fans with victory over Menzie in a battle of southpaws. Goddard controlled the fight from the start and after a one-sided fourth round Menzie retired. Goddard collects the vacant BBB of C Southern Area title. Four of Menzie’s eleven fights have been ten round contests that went the distance. Philadelphia, PA, USA: Light: Samuel Teah (18-4-1) W TKO 1 Larry Fryers (11-5). Super Middle: Jessie Hart (27-3) W PTS 8 Mike Guy (12-7-1). Teah vs. Fryers Teak wipes out Fryers in just 44 seconds. Teah floored Fryer with a right to the head and although Fryers made it to his feet the follow up attack from Teah had him in trouble and the fight was stopped. That makes it eight wins by KO/TKO for the 34-year-old Liberian-born “Tsunami” as he sets out to rebuild after a third round kayo loss against Brandon Lee in March. Four defeats is a row for Irish southpaw Fryers. Hart vs. Guy In his first outing for 21 months Hart returns to his home city with a win but in a poor contest. Hart was seven inches taller than Guy which allowed him to control most of the action. He was connecting with jabs and catching Guy with uppercuts when Guy tried to move inside. When he did get inside Guy was holding rather than punching. Hart’s output dropped over the sixth and seventh but he came back to take the last. Scores 79-73 twice and 80-72 for Hart. It has been a bit of a switchback period for Hart. He lost to Gilberto Ramirez for the WBO super middle title then beat Sullivan Barrera but in his last fight in January 2020 was floored and decisioned by Joe Smith Jr. He was 169 ½ lbs for this fight so could be looking for another title chance at super middle. Third tough fight and third loss in a row for Guy. Ciudad Acuna, Mexico: Super Light: Breyon Gorham (10-0) W TKO 1 Omar Reyes (7-12). Houston’s Gorham floored Reyes three times for a first round ending. For the 20-year-old, who had done most of his fighting in Mexico. this is his sixth first round victory but the opposition has been abysmal with Reyes now suffering his fifth loss in a row. September 18 Ingeniero Maschwitz, Argentina: Sebastian Aguirre (18-3) W KO 1 Sergio Rosalez (13-3). Aguirre blows away Rosalez in two minutes. Aguirre was hunting down Rosalez and shook him badly with a left to the head which knocked Rosalez into a corner. Aguirre then bombarded Rosalez with punches until Rosalez slid to the floor. He staggered to his feet at seven but the referee could see he was stunned and counted him out. First fight since March 2019 for Aguirre and his tenth win by KO/TKO. Second defeat in row for Rosalez after an unbeaten streak of 13 fights. Santa Fe, Argentina: Super Bantam: Diego Ruiz (23-3) W TKO 7 Juan Jurado (15-4-3). Ruiz breaks down and halts Jurado in seven rounds. Ruiz had a 6” height advantage and was a natural super bantam fighting a former Argentinian flyweight champion. Ruiz made good use of his longer reach and greater strength to take charge of the fight. He was banging home hard jabs and putting Jurado on the back foot. Jurado was spending more and more time pinned against the ropes with Ruiz showering him with a plenitude of punches including strength sapping body shots. Jurado replied with short bursts of punches but was soaking up too much punishment. He came out of his corner when the bell sounded to start the seventh but his corner immediately threw in the towel before the action started. Second win in fifteen days for Ruiz. His only loss in his last 13 fights was a stoppage against Michael Conlan in 2019. Fourth defeat in his last four fights for Jurado. Feyzin, France: Super Feather: Elhem Mekhaled (15-0) W KO 1 Pasa Malagic (15-8). If you blinked you might have missed this one. European champion Mekhaled landed a heavy right to the head and a left hook as Malagic was on her way down. Malagic struggled to her feet but was counted out. All over in 30 seconds. Home town fighter Mekhaled was making the first defence of the European title and in her first fight for 21 months certainly showed no rust. Bosnian Malagic’s third inside the distance loss. Vigneux, France: Bantam: Delphine Mancini (4-0) W PTS 8 Melanie Mercier (2-12-1). Fighting in front of her own fans Mancini wins the vacant French Female title with a unanimous decision over Mercier. All three judges gave Mercier all eight rounds scoring it 80-72. Mancini only turned pro in April but apart from her brief professional record she was an eight-time French amateur champion and a double European Championships medallist. Mercier is certainly a trier having already lost in three shots at the French light flyweight title and two at flyweight. Hamburg, Germany: Heavy: Albon Pervizaj (16-1) W KO 1 Habib Vugiterna (6-2). Local fighter Pervizaj knocks out inexperienced Vugiterna in the first round to win the vacant German International title. A body shot had Vugiterna hurt then Pervizaj measured him with a jab and put him flat on his back with booming right. Seventh first round finish for former German Youth, Under-21 and Senior champion Pervizaj but his opposition including the fighter who outpointed him, have all been sub-standard performers. Vugiterna just a four and six round novice. Trieste, Italy: Super Feather: Hassan Nourdine (13-5) W PTS 10 Michele Broili (13-2-2). Nourdine floors and decisions Broili to left the vacant Italian title. After a couple of cautious rounds the fight started in earnest from the third. Nourdine took charge after flooring Broili with a right in the fourth. The bell went before Nourdine could build on that and Broili took the fight to Nourdine trying to claw back the points with Nourdine boxing cleverly. Broili had a good ninth but Nourdine finished strong and was a good winner. Some disagreement between the judges as two saw Nourdine the winner b98-91 and the third had it 96-95 for Broili. Moroccan-born Nourdine had come down a couple of divisions have failed in a shot at the super lightweight title in 2019. Broili was 7-0-1 going in but losing is not the end of his troubles. During the fight it was noticed that Broili had some tattoo’s which it is said were “praising Nazism” so the Italian Federation and other bodies are investigating but it seems silly that none of the supervisors or officials saw these in all of the pre-fight activities. Siena, Italy: Feather: Davide Tassi (12-0) W PTS 10 Davide Tiberi (7-1). Tassi gets off the floor to win the vacant national title. A left from Tiberi dropped Tassi in the first but he failed to finish the job and paid for it. Taller southpaw Tassi used his better skills and plenty of clever movement to win the rounds. Tiberi was never able to repeat that early success and Tassi was a good winner. Scores 97-92 twice and 98-91 for Tassi. He is champion for the second time having won the title in October but relinquished it to look for other fights which did not happen. Tiberi was moving up to ten rounds for the first time. Punta Hermosa, Peru: Welter: Jonathan Maicelo (27-3) W TKO 4 Jeffrey Quintero (11-13). Feather: Carlos Zambrano (27-2) W PTS 6 Luis Colmanares (8-7). Maicelo vs. Quintero Maicelo comes out of retirement with a win. The former WBA interim title challenger at lightweight outscored Venezuelan southpaw Quintero over the first three rounds and then finished him with a body punch in the fourth. First fight for the 38-year-old Maicelo since December 2017. Maicelo is going to be looking for some overseas assignments at welterweight. Seventh consecutive loss by KO/TKO for Quintero. Zambrano vs. Colmanares Zambrano eases his way back into the winning column with unanimous decision over Colmanares. No scores given but Zambrano a wide winner. In his last two fights the former WBA interim featherweight champion Zambrano, 37, lost his title on a first round kayo against Claudio Marrero and last March was knocked out by Bryan Chevalier. The 5’3” Colmanares was too small to trouble Zambrano. He had recorded six first round wins in a row before being knocked out by Starling Martinez in his last fight in February 2020. Tolyatti, Russia: Light: Aik Shakhnazaryan (25-4-1) DRAW 10 Avak Uzlyan (5-0-1). Shakhnazaryan retains the Russian title with draw against Uzlyan. The challenger was short of experience and came in as a short notice substitute but was worthy of the draw in a close contest. First defence for Shakhnazaryan. Uzlyan had never travelled past six rounds before so did well here. Dubai, UAE: Heavy: Martin Bakole (17-1) W TKO 1 Haruna Osumanu (11-3). 21 Whoever made this “match” should be ashamed of their self. Bakole blasted out a hapless Osumanu late in the first round. That gives the Scots-based Congolese his fifth consecutive win since a tenth round stoppage loss against Mike Hunter in 2018. Victories over Mariusz Wach, Kevin Johnson and Sergey Kuzmin have seen him rated No 15 by both the WBA and IBF and he should not be wasting his time on rubbish like this. The 41-year-old Ghanaian Osumanu is 6’0” to Ilunga’s 6’ 6” and yet weighed the same as Makabu and was obese. Seoul, South Korea: Super Feather: Hyun MI Choi (19-0-1 W TKO 9 Simone Aparecida da Silva (17-17). Choi retains the WBA Female title as she floors and halts da Silva in the ninth round. Choi was in charge for most of the fight and gradually beat down da Silva. A left hook to the body put da Silva down min the ninth and although she beat the count and tried to fight back Choi pounced and sent her down again with another left hook and the fight was stopped. Sixth defence of the WBA title for Choi. The experienced da Silva, 38, is a former Brazilian and South American champion but Choi was too strong for her. Sheffield, England: Fly: Tommy Frank (14-2) W PTS 12 Matt Windle (6-4-1). Heavy: Kash Ali (20-1) W RTD 7 Roman Gorst (7-2) . Frank vs. Windle Frank gets a much needed win and the vacant British title with decision over Windle. After a scrappy first round Frank floored Windle with a right in the second. Windle survived the crisis but had to take more punishment over the succeeding rounds and was staggered by a left hook in the sixth. Windle got into the fight more over the second half and had a good tenth but Frank was back on top over the last two rounds and Windle did well to last the distance. Scores 118-109, 117-110 and 117-111 for Frank. First step on the road to recovery for the former Commonwealth champion after back-to-back losses to Mexican Rosendo Guarneros. Windle was coming off an upset twelve round victory over Neil McCubbin in June. Ali vs. Gorst Heavy punching Ali retains the IBF European title with retirement victory over German Gorst. Ali had a five inch height edge and was 17lbs heavier and too strong for the visitor. Ali won the early rounds rocking Gorst with hard rights. Gorst had a slight edge in the fifth but Ali again landed some crunching rights in the sixth and seventh and Gorst’s corner pulled their man out with a suspected fractured jaw. Fifth inside the distance win in succession for Ali with his only loss being a disqualification against David Price. Gorst had lost on points against German prospect Peter Kadiru over ten rounds in October. Bakersfield, CA, USA: LIGHT: Jose Valenzuela (10-0) W PTS 10 Deiner Berrio (22-4-1). Valenzuela too busy, too aggressive and too accurate for Colombian Berrio. He dominated until late when Berrio landed some useful body punches but by then Valenzuela had an unassailable lead. Scores 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92 for Valenzuela. The 22-year-old Mexican had won his last five fights by KO/TKO but got some useful rounds of work here. At one time Berrio was 20-0-1 but better opposituion has led to a worse record. Fight of the week (Significance): Nothing hugely significant but Danielito Zorrilla showed in his crushing of Pablo Cano that he could be a threat at super lightweight Fight of the week (Entertainment): Miguel Madueno vs. Sonny Fredrickson provided plenty of action. Fighter of the week: Danielito Zorrilla for his impressive win against Pablo Cano Punch of the week: The body punch from Alejandro Silva the almost cut Maico Sommariva gets the vote with either of the two rights from Zorrilla that started Cano’s crumble are worth an honorary mention Upset of the week: Juliana Basualdo with her 4-2 record was not supposed to beat 36-1 Yessica Bopp Prospect watch: Super lightweight Nahir Albright 15-1 looked good in stopping highly touted Michael Dutchover. Observations One of the quietest weeks I can remember. Even as the restrictions were slowly relaxed there were bigger fights on the schedule than this week’s offering. Liliana Palmera, 39, a former WBA super bantamweight title holder who lost to Karla Ramos at the weekend has done a “reverse Pacquiao” . She started out as a super lightweight and worked her way down to compete as low as super bantam. She should start a slimming club. Nice to see the heavyweight fight between Albon Pervizaj and Habib Vugiterna in Hamburg was a charity event to raise funds to subsidise children whose parents could no longer raise the fees for the local boxing clubs due to the pandemic. A 6’6” 28 year-old Martin Bakole vs. an obese 41-year-old 6’0” is a disgrace to boxing. The worst thing is that it is not rare and that there are actually people responsible for administering the sport who are quite happy to approve these matches. 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. 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 By Eric Armit
Highlights: -Daniel Dubois knocks out Joe Cusumano in his US debut - Armando Serrano retains the WBC, WBO and IBO Female titles at featherweight and Montana Love scores upset victory over former IBF super light title holder Ivan Baranchyk. -Sam Maxwell gets controversial win over Akeem Ennis Brown to collect the British and Commonwealth super lightweight titles, Anthony Yarde wipes out Alex Theran in one round, Anthony Cacace outpoints Leon Woodstock to retain the British super feather title and Ijaz Ahmed finish all even in a fight for the vacant British super flyweight title. -Cesar Juarez outpoints rated Dennis Contreras -Mexican veteran Dante Jardon scores kayo victory over unbeaten Anthony Tomlinson World Title/Major Shows 28 August Birmingham, England: Super Light: Sam Maxwell (16-0) W PTS 12 Akeem Ennis Brown (14-1). Super Feather: Anthony Cacace (19-1) W PTS 12 Leon Woodstock (12-3). Super Fly: Ijaz Ahmed (8-2-1) DREW 12 Quaise Khademi (8-1-1). Light Heavy: Anthony Yarde (21-2) W KO 1 Alex Theran (23-6). Middle: Nathan Healey (13-0) W KO 5 Konstantin Alexandrov (10-49-4). Liam Davies (10-0) W TKO 2 Raymond Commey (19-12-1). Maxwell vs. Ennis Brown Maxwell wins the British and Commonwealth titles with controversial victory over champion Ennis Brown. This was a poor fight with few highlights. Ennis Brown has an awkward style but an effective one. The onus was on Maxwell to solve that puzzle and the judges felt he did. Ennis Brown was utilising lots of eccentric movement, scoring with punches from some unorthodox angles and holding when Maxwell worked his way inside. That made it difficult for Maxwell to settle into the fight. Heads clashed often and Ennis Brown suffered a cut over his right eye in the fourth. Another clash in the ninth saw Maxwell cut over his left eye. Most rounds were close and the disjointed action made them difficult to score but Ennis Brown looked to have just done enough to retain his titles but not in the eyes of the judges who scored it 116-113 twice and 115-114 all for Maxwell. The former elite level amateur has said he is willing to give Ennis Brown a return. Cacace vs. Woodstock Cacace proves too good for challenger Woodstock and eases his way to victory in the first defence of his British title. The Belfast southpaw was in the ring for the first time since November 2019 but was sharp from the start. He outscored Woodstock in the first and then upped his pace from there. He rocked Woodstock with an uppercut in the third and floored him with a left hook in the fourth. Woodstock came through that crisis and attacked hard but the clever and cagey Cacace showed excellent defensive skills and countered accurately with Woodstock doing just enough to edge a couple of rounds but being under heavy fire late in the fight and doing well to last the distance. Scores 117-110 twice and 117-111 for Cacace. The only loss on Cacace’s record was put there by Martin Ward in a fight for the British and Commonwealth titles in 2017. Woodstock was having his first fight since losing to Zelfa Barrett for the Commonwealth title in June 2019. He fought with determination and bravery here but Cacace was just too good for him. Ahmed vs. Khademi Ahmed and Khademi serve up a tremendous scrap for the vacant British title with the result a split draw and a return would be welcome. The first round was fought at a suicidal pace as they both fired punches for the whole three minutes with both being shaken. The pace did not drop one iota in the second Ahmed was marching forward and was more accurate but Khademi was firing fast bunches of punches. They both boxed a bit more in the third with Khademi just having the edge as they traded hooks, uppercuts and straight shots. They were both throwing quality punches with lots of body shots and you felt one had to fade from the pace. Ahmed had good rounds in the sixth and seventh. The eighth was a messy round as tiredness began to show and Khademi boxed cleverly on the back foot in the ninth and tenth but suffered a bad cut over his right eye. Ahmed pressed hard over the last two rounds with Khademi boxing and trying to avoid any further damage to the cut. They continued to trade punches fiercely to the final bell in what has to be a candidate for British Fight of the Year. Scores 115-113 Ahmed, 115-114 Khademi and 114-114. Ahmed had taken a majority verdict over Khademi in February which shows just how well-matched these two are. Yarde vs. Theran Yarde brushes aside Colombian southpaw Theran inside a round. Yarde shadowed the retreating Theran scoring with long rights to the body and thumping punches to the head. Yarde connected with a left to the body and Theran went down. He beat the count but a left to the ribs saw Theran fall to the canvas on his hands and knees and he was counted out. First fight for Yarde since losing a split decision to Lyndon Arthur in December. Sixth loss by KO/TKO for Theran. Healey vs. Alexandrov Healy proves too big and too strong for Alexandrov. Healy used his longer reach to score from distance and pounded Alexandrov with straight rights and lefts to the body. Alexandrov was really focused on survival from the start only looking threatening with an occasional overhand right. Healey stepped up the pressure round by round before finishing the fight in the fifth. He landed tow heavy rights and then a left to the body and Alexandrov dropped to his knees and was counted out. Fifth victory by KO/TKO for Healy. Alexandrov falls to 0-9-1 in his recent bouts with this the only inside the distance loss in that run. Davies vs. Commey Davies stops Ghanaian Commey in an embarrassing mismatch. Davies was a whole head taller than the diminutive Commey. He was able to tee-off on Commey at distance and fed the gutsy Commey a diet of hooks and uppercuts as Commey came forward. Commey just could not get past the jab of Davies and took heavy punishment. In the second a right to the head from Davies had Commey’s legs doing a little dance and Davies moved in and floored Commey heavily with a right and the fight was stopped. Fifth inside the distance win for the English champion. Commey suffers only his third inside the distance defeat. 29 August Cleveland, OH, USA: Heavy: Daniel Dubois (17-1) W KO 1 Joe Cusumano (19-4). Feather: Armando Serrano (41-1-1) W PTS 10 Yamileth Mercado (18-3). Welter: Montana Love (16-0-1) W RTD 7 Ivan Baranchyk (20-3). Super Welter: Charles Conwell (16-0) W TKO 3 Juan Rubio (19-0). Dubois vs. Cusumano Dubois crushes Cusumano inside a round. Cusumano landed flush with a right early but Dubois shrugged it off and used his jab to put Cusumano on the back foot. Dubois landed a series of rights to the head and Cusumano went down. He was up at nine and tried to punch with Dubois but was dropped again by rights. He beat the count but fell down again under more clubbing rights and the fight was stopped. It was obvious that Dubois was out to make a statement in his first fight in the USA and he got the job done handing Cusumano his first stoppage loss but there are tougher tests ahead. Serrano vs. Mercado Serrano successfully defends her WBC/WBO and IBO Female titles with unanimous decision over Mexican Mercado. Serrano made good use of her right jab and constantly attacked Mercado’s body and pocketed the first three rounds. Mercado was more competitive in the fourth but Serrano controlled the fifth with her jabs and by the sixth Mercado’s left eye was being affected by a swelling. The pace dropped in the seventh and Mercado had some success in the eighth as she moved inside to nullify Serrano’s jab. Serrano scored well in the ninth and with Mercado bleeding from a swollen cheek Serrano went looking for an inside the distance finish in the tenth but Mercado made it to the bell. Scores 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93 for Serrano. The 32-year-old Puerto Rican has won her last 27 contests and has to be one of the great female fighters. Mercado came into the fight as WBC super bantam title holder and had won her last six fights. Love vs. Baranchyk Local fighter bats Baranchyk a win that moves him to a whole new level. Love boxed and countered as Baranchyk followed his typical tactics of storming attacks. They both landed good punches in the first. Love was finding the oncoming Belorussian an easy target and rocked Baranchyk in the second. Baranchyk attacked strongly in the third and had Love under fire against the ropes but just before the bell a short left unhinged Baranchyk’s legs. Baranchyk continued to barrel forward with Love connecting with corrosive counters. Love landed heavily in the seventh and just before the bell as Baranchyk came forward again a short left put him on the floor. He made it to his feet but was unsteady. The referee signalled for the fight to continue but the bell went and Baranchyk did not come out for the eighth. Big win for local fighter Love. He suffered a number of family tragedies and served a short spell in prison for theft and drugs offences but that is now behind him. This was a huge step up in the quality of his opposition. Former IBF super light title holder Baranchyk was coming off a fifth round kayo loss to Jose Zepeda in October. A fight that saw nine knockdowns and Baranchyk being stretchered from the ring. He was not seriously injured but that brutal battle may have contributed to this loss. Conwell vs. Rubio Former Olympian Conwell has been flying below the radar so far but his clinical destruction of Rubio might get him noticed more. Conwell put Rubio on the canvas in the second and was unloading on Rubio in the third when the referee stopped the fight. Conwell, 23, was US Youth champion in 2015 beating Edgar Berlanga in the final and also won a gold medal at the National Golden Gloves. He won his way through the US Trials and the America’s Qualifier but failed to medal at the Rio Games. Mexican Rubio’s record heavily padded with very modest opposition. 26 August Humble, TX, USA: Super Feather: Eridson Garcia (14-0) W PTS 10 Armando Fraysto (9-2-1). Middle: Winfrid Harris (19-1-1) DREW 8 Vaughan Alexander (15-6-1). Light: Luis Acosta (12-0) W TKO 1 Christian Guido (4-22-2). Garcia vs. Fraysto Garcia wins the vacant NABF title with unanimous decision over Californian Fraysto. Scores 98-91, 97-92 and 96-93 for Garcia as the Dominican keeps his 100% record going. Both fighters were moving up to ten rounds for the first time. Fraysto was unbeaten in his last four. Alexander vs. Harris Alexander snaps his losing run with a well deserved split draw against 6’2” Detroit prospect Harris. Scores 78-74 for Alexander, 77-75 for Harris and 76-76. Alexander, the brother of Devon Alexander, was stopped in two rounds by Zach Parker in March. Harris is 2-0-1 as he gets back on track after losing a split decision to Dorrell Van Horn . Acosta vs. Guido Acosta gets his eleventh win by KO/TKO as he stops Guido in the first round. Ten of his victories have come in the opening round and so far he has fought less than eighteen rounds to get to his twelve wins. But his thirteen victims have amassed only eighteen wins between them. Italian-born Argentinian-base Guido is 1-11 in his last 12 fights. 27 August Sheffield, England: Welter: Dante Jardon (34-7) W KO 9 Anthony Tomlinson (13-1). Super Middle: Mark Jeffers (13-0) W PTS 8 Michal Ryba (6-5). Heavy: David Allen (19-5-2) W TKO 2 Andrea Pesce (7-14-3). Jardon vs. Tomlinson Jardon gets late win as he scores a ninth round kayo of Tomlinson. There was a huge gap in experience here but Tomlinson was never out of his depth. He worked well with his jab and constantly took the fight to Jardon. The Mexican was looking to counter and was always dangerous with rights but Tomlinson was willing to trade shots and they both landed heavily. A frantic fifth round saw Jardon landing right after right and possibly breaking Tomlinson’s nose only for Tomlinson to fire right back and rock Jardon. The pace remained high and both were landing big shots but by the eighth Jardon looked to be in control. Jardon landed two heavy left hooks in the ninth and then staggered Tomlinson with two rights to the head. Tomlinson banged back but was doing so by instinct only and a right to the head put him down and he was counted out. Unfortunately a Tomlinson fan climbed onto the ring apron and threw a punch at Jardon. By choosing to stand and fight with Jardon Tomlinson played his part in a vibrant contest but mixing it with a guy who had 24 inside the distance wins did not make sense. Jardon will be hoping to use this win as a springboard to more fights and Tomlinson can come again Jeffers vs. Ryba Jeffers outpoints late choice Ryba. Jeffers won every round and floored Ryba to take the decision on the referee’s card 80-71. No tests yet for the 23-year-old but he is making steady progress. Czech Ryba has yet to lose inside the distance. Allen vs. Pesce Allen returns with a win. In his first fight for eighteen months Allen floors and stops an obese Pesce in the second round. In his first fight for eighteen months the “White Rhino” found the elephantine body of Pesce impossible to miss and scored two knockdowns. In the second it was a series of head punches that finally did for Pesce as he dropped to his knees and the fight was stopped. Allen is giving it another try. There are good fights for him out there but he found his ceiling in the loss against David Price. The 36-year-old Italian Pesce is 5’9” tall and weighed 261lbs so plenty of target there for Allen. Plant City, FL, USA: Feather: Cesar Juarez (27-10) W PTS 10 Dennis Contreras (24-10-1). Heavy: Stephan Shaw (15-0,1ND) W KO 1 Nick Davis (6-3). Juarez vs. Contreras Juarez ends the small run of impressive victories for Contreras with a close unanimous decision in a battle of phone booth brawling. Contreras survived a torrid second round and fought well enough to edge the third and fourth but was shaken again in the fifth. Contreras had his best round in the sixth and the seventh was close but Contreras scored heavily in the eighth. Juarez then turned the fight his way with a strong finish over the last two rounds. Scores 96-94 twice and 97-93 for Juarez. Contreras had put together a run of four good wins scoring victories over unbeaten Fernando Garcia, stopping 20-2-1 Belmar Preciado, 20-0 Carlos Flores and 23-1-3 Hairon Socarras to get a No 8 rating from the WBA. Juarez had suffered three losses in a row against Angelo Leo, Carlos Castro and Jordan Gill so will be hoping to get a rating out of this win. Shaw vs. Davis Shaw obliterates Davis in the first round. Shaw drove Davis to the ropes and then dumped him on the canvas with a left hook and Dais was counted out after just 102 seconds. The 28-year-old from St Louis makes it eleven KO/TKO wins. He has a No Decision where he won a fight in New York but tested positive for a banned substance. He is a former US National and US Police Athletic League gold medal winner and National Golden Gloves bronze medallist. Davis improved over a performance in February when he was knocked out in twenty seconds. Juarez, Mexico: Super Feather: ,Miguel Roman (63-14) W TKO 4 Sergio Puente (28-11). In a typical Roman fight “Micky” attacked from the start and Puente found himself pinned with his back against the ropes under the hurricane-like attacks from Roman. Puente was eventually broken down by the relentless pressure and was floored in the third. He went down again in the fourth under a barrage of hooks and uppercuts again and the fight was halted. Local hero Roman seemed on his way to 100 fights but this is his first fight since being stopped in nine rounds by O’Shaquie Foster in November and only his second fight in almost two years. Eighth loss in a row for “Dandy” Puente. San Pedro, Argentina: Middle: Gerardo Vergara (14-0) W TKO 9 Emiliano Pucheta (14-5). Vergara wins the Argentinian title with ninth round stoppage of champion Pucheta. Vergara dropped Pucheta with a right in the second and had him staggering under fire in the fifth. It was not all one way and although Pucheta was in trouble again in the eighth Vergara’s face was a bloody mess due to a nose injury. A series of head shots in the ninth saw the referee step in and stop the bout. First fight for eighteen months and ninth victory by KO/TKO for Vergara. Pucheta was making the first defence of the national title. Mexico City, Mexico: Jose Sanmartin (32-5-1) W PTS 10 David Carmona (22-9-5). Colombian Sanmartin scores two knockdowns on the way to victory over Carmona on a unanimous verdict. Carmona boxed well and took the first two rounds. The fight changed in the third when a strong right put Carmona down. Sanmartin won the fourth and then floored Carmona in the fifth with another powerful right. From there Sanmartin handed out steady punishment with Carmona getting busted up and never being in the fight. Scores 98-90, 97-91 and 97-92 for “El General” Sanmartin who wins the vacant WBA Fedecentro title. He has won 12 of his last 13 fights with the loss being a twelfth round stoppage against Emanuel Navarrete. In title shots at Carmona lost on points to Naoya Inoue for the WBO belt and Khalid Yafai on a stoppage for the WBA belt. Cuernavaca, Mexico: Super Light: Steve Claggett (30-7-2) W WKO 4 Emanuel Lopez (30-14-1). Despite not making the weight and having to forfeit 20% of his purse Canadian Claggett looks sharp as he knocks out Lopez in four. Claggett outscored Lopez in the first and shook him badly with a right in the second. Claggett continued to boss the close-quarters action in the third and ended it in the fourth. He rocked Lopez with a couple of uppercuts and then put him down with a lightning right to the body left the head combination with the referee immediately stopping the contest. Twentieth inside the distance win for Claggett who had lost a split decision to Mathieu Germain in May. Lopez, a former WBA interim title holder at super featherweight, suffers his fourth inside the distance loss in a row. 28 August Mragowo, Poland: Cruiser: Mateusz Masternak (45-5) W KO 3 Felipe Nsue (4-2). Super Middle: Kamil Bednarek (9-0) W PTS 8 Javier Maciel (33-14). Super Welter: Przemyslaw Zysk (17-0) W TKO 5 David Bency (14-24-1,1ND). Masternak vs. Nsue Easy task for Masternak in his fiftieth fight as he disposes of overmatched Nsue in three rounds. Nsue connected with a couple of good punches at the start of the opener but Masternak landed two good rights and first the ropes and then the bell saved Nsue. Masternak staggered Nsue a couple of times in the second and then ended the fight in the third. A straight left followed by a right to the chin put Nsue down and out. Masternak will just stay busy hoping for a title shot. Nsue from Equatorial Guinea but based in Spain was way out of his league. Bednarek vs. Maciel Bednarek comes through a useful learning fight against experience Argentinian Maciel and take the unanimous decision. Bednarek made good use of his southpaw jab and controlled the action over the early rounds. In the fifth a right hook from Maciel shook Bednarek but the Pole recovered well and upped his pace and floored Maciel with a left hook in the seventh. Maciel survived and had Bednarek in trouble briefly in the last with a solid left to the body but Bednarek saw out the round. Scores 78-73 twice and 79-72 for Bednarek who is shaping up well. Maciel, who challenged for the WBO title in ten years ago, is in a losing rut with eight defeats in a row suffered in six different countries. Przemyslaw vs. Bency Przemyslaw logs another victory as he floors and stops Bency. Bency constituted no threat and Przemyslaw had him on the floor late in the third. Bency beat the count but after more punishment in the fourth the fight was stopped at the start of the fifth with Bency claiming an injury. Sixth inside the distance victory for Przemyslaw and fourteen consecutive losses for Spanish-based Nicaraguan Bency. Brandsen, Argentina: Light: Claudio Daneff (12-2-1) W PTS 10 Juan de Leon (13-4). Southpaw Daneff wins the Argentinian title as he takes unanimous decision over champion de Leon. Daneff used his longer reach to score on the outside and floored de Leon with a right in the second. At the end of the third de Leon landed a punch to the back of Daneff’s head after the bell and was deducted a point for that as the fourth round started. Daneff continued to outscore de Leon who survived a torrid ninth to go the distance. Scores 98-90 twice and 98 ½-90 for Daneff who has won nine of his last ten fights. De Leon had won his last nine fights and was making the first defence of the title. Ingeniero Maschwirz, Argentina: Welter: Jonathan Jose Eniz (26-15-1,1ND) W TKO 2 Hernan Comenzana (7-3). Eniz floors and halts Comenzana in two rounds. After dominating the first round Eniz floored Comenzana twice in the second to bring the stoppage. Eleventh inside the distance victory for southpaw Eniz and a needed one after he had lost 4 of his last 5 fights. Second inside the distance defeat for Comenzana. Vienna, Austria: Light Heavy: Mansur Elsaev (14-0) W TKO 6 Yosko Stoychev (13-1). Elsaev retains the WBC Asian title with stoppage of previously unbeaten Stoychev. The fight began badly for Elsaev as he was floored by a right in the first round but he survived that torrid start. He slowly beat the resistance out of Stoychev and then landed a barrage of punches in the sixth which saw Stoychev slump to the floor with the fight being halted. Russian-born Elsaev makes it twelve wins by KO/TKO. Bulgarian Stoychev was in his first ten round fight. Montreal, Canada: Light Fly: Kim Clavel (14-0) W PTS 10 Maria Vargas (15-4-1). Super Welter: Mikael Zewski (35-2) W PTS 8 Dilan Loza (15-5-1). Clavel vs. Vargas Local boxer Clavel wins the vacant WBC Silver Female title as she takes unanimous decision by a wide margin on the three cards. Vargas was competitive over the first three rounds but then faded out of the fight under strong pressure from Clavel who won on scores of 99-91 twice and 98-92. Clavel will now be looking to challenge the WBC title holder Yesinia Gomez. Mexican Vargas, a former challenger for the WBC Atom title, was unbeaten in her last eight fights. Zewski vs. Loza In his first fight since a stoppage loss against Egidijus Kavaliauskas in September and his first fight at super welter Zewski was given a real test by Loza. In a scarp largely fought inside Zewski won well enough but Loza found plenty of gaps in the Canadian defence and Zewski had to come through a rocky eighth to get the verdict. Scores 78-73, 78-74 and 77-74. A winning start for Zewski in his new division but there are tougher hurdles ahead. Loza falls to 0-3-1 in his four recent contests. Loir-et-Cher, France: Light Fly: Joana Suarez (6-1-1) W PTS 10 Marie Connan (4-2). In a twice-delayed fight Spanish southpaw Suarez scores two knockdowns on the way to victory over London-based French champion Connan. The first round went to Connan but a left from Juarez floored Connan in the second. Connan went down again but it was ruled a slip. Connan made the third close but another left from Juarez put her down in the fourth. Once again Connan fought her way back into contention but Juarez boxed well and Connan was unable to claw back the effect of those two knockdowns. Scores 96-93 and 95-93 for Juarez and 94-94. Connan works as a language teacher in England. Hermosillo, Mexico: Super Light: Pedro Campa (33-1-1) W TKO 6 Abimael Cruz (5-1). Campa grinds down and stops Cruz in six rounds. The fight started badly for Campa as a punch and a clash of heads almost closed his right eye in the first round. Campa fought back strongly handing out plenty of punishment to southpaw Cruz in the second but Cruz kept marching forward pumping out the punches in a close third. By the fourth Campa’s body punches and more accurate work had Cruz fading and taking punishment. In the fifth Campa kept bombarding Cruz with hooks, uppercuts and straight punches until the bell. In the sixth with his right eye nearly closed and with a gash on his cheekbone and being belted with punches the referee stepped in to save Cruz. Twenty-two inside the distance wins for Campa but he is not being asked to step up and they are taking no chances after he was stopped by 11-8-1 Carlos Jimenez in 2017. Cruz just a 4 and 6 round prelim fighter who showed plenty of guts but was out of his depth. Panama, City, Panama: Super Fly: Orlando Penalba (11-0-1) W PTS 8 Gilberto Pedroza (18-7-2). Feather: Jaime Munoz (11-1-1) W TKO 5 Tony Gomez (13-8-2). Super Bantam: Leonardo Carrillo (14-0-1) W TKO 5 Nixon Ankuash (7-1-1). Penalba vs. Pedroza Penalba wins the vacant Panamanian title with split decision over Pedraza. In a fight of two halves in which heads kept banging together Pedraza swept the early rounds but the less experienced Penalba surprising paced the fight better and took the decision with a strong finish. Scores 78-74 and 77-75 for Penalba and 77-75 for Pedraza. Munoz vs. Gomez “Lethal Kid” Munoz lifted the vacant national title with a fifth round stoppage of Panamanian-based Venezuelan Gomez. The 27-year-old Munoz has seven quick wins. Carrillo vs. Ankuash Carrillo halts inexperienced Ecuadorian Ankuash in five rounds. The Panama-based Colombian collects the vacant WBA Fedelatin title with his fifth win in a row and seventh by KO/TKO. First fight outside of Ecuador for Ankuash. Zhukovka, Russia: Light Heavy: Yusup Kediev (8-0-1) W Gasan Gasanov (17-9-1). Super Welter: Aslanbek Kozaev (33-3-1) W Viktor Plotnikov (33-12, 1ND). Gasanov vs. Kediev Gasanov knocks out previously unbeaten Kediev in the first round. Gasanov floored Kediev early in the round and then put him down and out cold with a right. Kediev required medical assistance and was taken from the ring on a stretcher but no update on his condition. Southpaw Gasanov was defending the Russian title. Something of an upset as Gasanov had lost two of his last three fights by KO/TKO. Fribourg, Switzerland: Welter: Oshin Derieuw (14-0) W PTS 10 Olivia Belkacem (10-2). In a fight rescheduled from June Belgian Derieuw wins the vacant European Female title with a close verdict over Belkacem. Scores 96-94 twice and 97-93 for Derieuw, 34, a former WBFoundation champion. French-born Swiss Belkacem’s other defeat came 2011 when she lost in fights for the vacant IBA and WBFederation titles. She was then inactive for eight years. 29 August Brussels, Belgium: Light Heavy: Malik Zinad (18-0) W TKO 3 Almir Skrijelj (13-3).Super Welter: Anass Messaoudi (11-0) W PTS 8 Pablo Mendoza (10-9). Zinad vs. Skrijelj Zinad wins the vacant WBC Mediterranean belt with victory over Skrijelj. Zinad scored two knockdowns on the way to a third round stoppage. The Libyan-born Zinad is based in Malta. After losing his first two fights Montenegrin Skrijelj had won thirteen in a row but his victims had “amassed” just nine wins between them Messaoudi vs. Mendoza Promising Belgian Messaoudi rolls on. The former Elite level amateur outpointed Mendoza on scores of 79-72 twice and 78-73. Spanish-based Nicaraguan Mendoza had won only one of his last eight fights. Fight of the week (Significance): In a very quiet week Daniel Dubois quick win may open the American market for him. Fight of the week (Entertainment) Ijaz Ahmed and Quaise Khademi fought a furious pace in their twelve round draw. Fighter of the week: Armanda Serrano. The Puerto Rican retained her three titles and extended her winning streak to 27 contests. Punch of the week: The right from Gasan Gasanov that flattened unbeaten Yusup Kediev was fearsome. Upset of the week: Montana Love was an outsider against Ivan Baranchyk but did the business Prospect watch: Super Welter Charles Conwell (16-0) is worth following Observations This must have been one of the quietest weeks this year without a mega show in sight and the only major show in the USA was headlined by a Puerto Rican Female fighter and a British heavyweight. Mexican Dante Jardon illustrated the benefit of experience in his kayo of Anthony Tomlinson. Jardon’s recent form had not been impressive but never bet against a puncher-particularly a Mexican one. Heavyweight hope Stephen Shaw (15-0,1ND) won a super heavyweight gold medal at the 2013 US National Championships-but so did Cam Awesome! In 2013 they had a championship for fighters wearing headguards and one for those not wearing headguards- an experiment not repeated. Never ever forget how dangerous our sport is. At the weekend both Russian Yusup Kediev and Mexican female boxer Jeanette Zacarias were stretched out of the ring and taken to hospital. No update on their condition just prayers for their safety. By Eric Armit
Highlights: -Yordenis Ugas takes unanimous verdict over Manny Pacquiao in WBA welterweight title defence -Robert Guerrero outpoints Victor Ortiz in clash of former title holders -Carlos Castro and Mark Magsayo score dramatic inside the distance victories -Melvin Lopez, Andrey Mangushev and Romero Duno score wins in Miami and Avni Yildirim, Jose Larduet and Zhan Kossobutskiy get inside the distance victories in Germany World Title/Major Shows 19 August Bella Vista, Panama: Super Feather: Jaime Arboleda (17-2) W TKO 4 Jonathan Barros (43-78-1). Light: Humberto Galindo (14-1-1) TKO 1Darvin Galeano (10-1). Arboleda vs. Barros Arboleda stops Barros in four rounds. Arboleda was the bigger, younger and stronger man here and dominated the first three rounds. In the fourth Arboleda landed a right to the head and Barros stopped boxing and dropped his hands to protests that the punch had landed to the back of his head. Arboleda drove Barros to the ropes and kept him pinned there whilst he poured on the punches. Barros was taking punishment but bobbing and weaving but not punching back and the referee steeped in and stopped the fight. An enraged Barros pushed the referee a couple of times and stormed around the ring protesting but the fight was over. Panamanian Arboleda, 26, collects the vacant WBA Fedebol title in his first fight since losing to Chris Colbert for the interim WBA title in December. Barros, 37, a former holder of the WBA Secondary title, lost to Lee Selby in a challenge for the IBF feather title in 2017 but was coming off a win over Jorge Barrios in a domestic clash of former champions in February. Galindo vs. Galeano Californian Galindo made it an early night as he dropped Colombian Galeano twice for a first round stoppage. The 21-year-old Galindo wins the vacant WBC Fecarbox belt with his eleventh inside the distance finish. Galeano kisses his unbeaten tag goodbye. 20 August Mexico City, Mexico: Light: Alberto Ruiz (11-3) W KO 5 Jair Valtierra (15-1). Something of an upset as Ruiz kayos previously unbeaten Valtierra. Ruiz was forging forward from the start putting Valtierra under pressure and scoring well to the body. Valtierra traded punches with Ruiz trying to get control of the fight but after four rounds Ruiz was 40-36 ahead on the three cards. Valtierra launched a big attack in the fifth forcing Ruiz to the ropes but Ruiz unleashed a left hook that put Valtierra flat on his back and he was counted out. Ruiz had been knocked out in one round by unbeaten Ruben Aguilar in September but this victory gives him the WBC Latino belt. Crushing blow for Valtierra, 19, who had knocked out former interim WBA super feather title holder Emanuel Lopez in May. Dar-Es-Salaam: Tanzania: Super Middle: Twaha Kasim (18-8-1) W PTS 10 Abdallah Paziwapazi (29-11-1, ND). Super Middle: Selemani Kidunda (6-0) W TKO 7 Geoffrey Kamata (9-8). Kassim vs. Paziwapazi Kassim overcomes a disastrous first round to decision Paziwapazi. In that opening session Paziwapazi landed a brutal straight right that dumped Kassim on the canvas on his back. He struggled to get to his feet and was still in a daze as Paziwapazi forced him to the ropes and unloaded with punch after punch until the bell saved Kassim. From there Kassim was in charge. He was rolling forward landing rights to the head and left hooks to the body and although Paziwapazi fought back in occasional bursts Kassim bossed the action and won the wide unanimous decision on scores of 98-91 from the three judges. Kassim is now 2-0-1 in three fights with Paziwapazi who was knocked out in two rounds by Rocky Fielding in 2019. No title at stake but Kassim won a new car. Kidunda vs. Kamata Kidunda retains the Tanzanian title with stoppage of Kamata. Kidunda had no trouble outboxing the limited Kamata and ground him down before finishing it in the seventh. A right to the head had Kamata reeling and Kidunda poured on the punches until Kamata slid to the canvas. He made it to his feet but the referee stopped the fight. First defence of the national title for Kidunda and his sixth inside the distance win in six fights. Kamata had won 4 of his last 5 fights but was well beaten here. Dubai, UAE: Light: Apichet Petchmanee (10-0) W PTS 10 Phumiritdet Chonlathondamrongkun (7-1). Super Middle: Welter: Faizan Anwar (8-0) W PTS 8 Ricky Sismundo (35-16-3). Super Feather: Hasibullah Ahmadi (13-0) W PTS 10 Rauf Aghaev (31-11). 5 Petchmanee vs. Chonlathondamrongkun Petchmanee makes a successful first defence of the WBC Asian Boxing Council belt with unanimous verdict over fellow Thai Phumiritdet (Chonlathondamrongkun). Petchmanee made a fast start against a taller but hesitant Phumiritdet connecting with deft jabs and some hard body shots. Phumiritdet was a bit more competitive over the late sessions but never enough to win a round as Petchmanee was connecting with hooks and uppercuts bringing blood from Phumiritdet mouth and all three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Petchmanee. First fight outside Thailand for the former Muay Thai exponent Petchmanee. It is not surprising Phumiritdet was undefeated as the seven fighters he has defeated had only ten wins in total but at 19 he has time to improve. Anwar vs. Sismundo India’s Anwar gets decision over Sismundo but looks a lucky lad to do so. Sismundo was giving away height and reach against Anwar. The Filipino was storming his way forward and after initially trying to box Anwar found himself dragged into a brawl. Sismundo floored Anwar with the first punch thrown in the fourth but the right hook landed as Anwar was going back so lost some of its power. Sismundo tried desperately to finish the fight but too desperately. He was winging wild punches and Anwar survived. With Sismundo’s head down rushing attacks it was not too surprising that Anwar was cut under his left eye in the sixth. Sismundo continued to lunge forward throwing punches most of which were off target or blocked. Although Anwar was not throwing enough to counter the volume from Sismundo somehow the judges gave him a unanimous decision. No scores announced. Anwar was moving up to eight rounds for the first time. Sismundo suffers his fifth consecutive defeat. Ahmadi vs. Aghaev Ahmadi made a strong start knocking Aghaev’s mouthguard flying with an olverhand right in the second and almost sending him out of the ring through the ropes but Aghaev used his experience to stay in the fight and made the young Afghan work hard for his win. Scores 98-91, 98-94 and 97-93 for the 21-year-old “Kalashnikov”. Azeri Aghayev, 38, had lost his last three fights by KO/TKO. El Cajon, CA, USA: Super Light: Kali Reis (18-7-1) W PTS 10 Diana Prazak (14-4). Bridgerweight: Elvis Garcia (12-0) W RTD 3 Joel Shojgreen (10-3). Reis is still the WBA Female champion but her majority decision win over Prazak was far from popular. The smaller Prazak knew she had to take the fight to Reiss and she did so. At distance Reis was able to box but Prazak was getting past Reis’ jab and scoring inside. Reis had good spells but it was the aggressive attacks of Prazak that impressed the fans most but not the judges and the decision for Reis was badly received. Scores 97-93 and 96-94 for Reis and 95-95. US-based Australian Prazak, 42, a former WBC super featherweight champion, was inactive from November 2014 until returning with a win in March this year. She deserves another shot. Garcia vs. Shojgreen Mexican Garcia gets a win over Brooklyn’s Shojgreen. Garcia won the first two rounds before flooring Shojgreen three times in the third with Shojgreen not coming out for the fourth. Ninth inside the distance victory for Garcia. After almost six years out Shojgreen had returned in March with two wins. Miami, FL, USA: Super Bantam: Melvin Lopez (26-1) W KO 5 Daniel Lozano (15-12-1). Heavy: Andrey Mangushev (5-0) W TKO 3 Ismayl Sillah (27-7). Light: Romero Duno (23-2) W RTD 1 Ramon Esperanza (22-20-1). Heavy: Istvan Bernath (6-0) W PTS 6 Tom Hawkins (4-7). Lopez vs. Lozano Lopez floors Lozano three times on the way to a fifth round stoppage. Lopez dropped Lozano in the first round but was then deducted two points for hitting Lozano when he was on the floor. Lopez continued to batter a smaller, sliding Lozano until the fifth. Lopez put Lozano down twice with a left to the body brining the second knockdown and Lozano being counted out. Seventeenth inside the distance wins for Nicaraguan Lopez the WBA No 4. Once a reasonable test Lozano has fallen to 0-8-1 in his last 9 fights. Mangushev vs. Sillah The 6’7” Mangushev was able to use his height, reach and a 62lbs weight advantage to control this one. Sillah just could not get close enough often enough to threaten Mangushev. In the third Mangushev landed a straight right that staggered Sillah and then forced him back to the ropes with more rights. With Sillah under fire the referee stopped the fight. The 23-year-old Russian wins the vacant NABA title with his fourth victory by KO/TKO. Ukrainian Sallah, 36, went 17-0 at the start of his career but has faded since then. Duno vs. Esperanza Unfortunate ending to this one as after taking punishment from Filipino Duno Esperanza retired at the end of the first round with an ankle injury. Duno is rebuilding after a first round kayo loss against Ryan Garcia in November 2019. Esperanza came in as a late substitute. Bernath vs. Hawkins Former top level amateur Bernath remains unbeaten after a points victory over Texan Hawkins. Hungarian Bernath used Hawkins as a punch bag for six rounds but the heavier Hawkins managed to stay on his feet to the end. The 6’4” 32-year-old Bernath was Hungarian champion four times but had no luck against British fighters losing to Tyson Fury in both the World Junior Championships and finals of the European Youth Championships and being beaten by Joe Joyce in the European Qualifier for the 2016 Olympics. Seventh consecutive loss for Hawkins. 21 August Los Hornos, Argentina: Super Feather: Ayrton Gimenez 11-0,1ND) W TKO 7 Nicolas Herrera (7-3-2). Gimenez stops Herrera in seven rounds in defence of the WBA Fedebol title. Gimenez was fighting on the back foot letting Herrera lunge forward and catching him with long left hooks and uppercuts. Herrera just kept walking onto the punches being rocked time and again. He was cut over his left eye in a clash of heads and with Gimenez pouring on the punches in the seventh the referee came in to save Herrera. The 22-year-old Gimenez gets only his second inside the distance win. The No Decision came when a riot erupted in his fight with Franco Sotelo in 2019 and the fight was suspended in the fifth round. Herrera game but out of his depth. Hamburg, Germany: Heavy: Zhan Kossobutskiy (16-0) W KO 2 Joey Dawejko (21-9-4). Heavy: Jose Larduet (6-0,1ND) W KO 4 Santander Silgado (30-9). Middle: Avni Yildirim (22-4) W KO 1 Slavisa Simeunovic (37-52). Kossobutskiy vs. Dawejko Kossobutskiy beats Dawejko in two rounds. The 6’3” Kossobutskiy failed to make use of his physical advantages. He jabbed weakly but was able to score with body punches as Dawejko chose to lean against the ropes behind a high guard and lunge forward occasionally with a punch. In a messy second round Dawejko twice complained about punches to the back of his head but was ignored. It was target practice for a while as Dawejko just stood against the ropes covering up. When he moved off the ropes Kossobutskiy came forward and landed a body punch and Dawejko turned away bent double with Kossobutskiy following still punching with one punch seeming to land behind Dawejko’s left ear. Dawejko fell into the ropes and then went face down on the canvas. He staggered up leaning against the ropes protesting about being hit to the back of the head but the referee just counted him out. Fourteenth inside the distance win for Kossobutskiy who retains the WBA International title but he has plenty of flaws to be ironed out. Second inside the distance loss for Dawejko. Larduet vs. Silgado As with Kossobutskiy, 6’4 ½” Cuban Larduet had huge physical advantages over modest Colombian Silgado. Larduet was in charge over the first three rounds and ended it with a left hook in the fourth. The 31-year-old former star of the Cuban amateur ranks gets his fifth win by KO/TKO. The No Decision came when Larduet injured his knee in a fight and was unable to continue. Larduet wins the vacant WBC Latino title. Fifth inside the distance loss in his last seven fights for Silgado with all the losses by KO/TKO and all inside four rounds. Yildirim vs. Simeunovic Yildirim gets his first win for three years as he floors perennial loser Simeunovic three times with Simeunovic being counted out at the third knockdown. Losses in fights against Anthony Dirrell, Saul Alvarez and Jack Cullen have left Yildirim with a lot of work to do if he is going to get back into the big fights. Bosnia Simeunovic has lost by KO/TKO thirty-nine times. Gdansk, Poland: Super Feather: Radomir Obrusniak (4-0) W PTS 10 Piotr Oudel (10-6-1). Southpaw Obrusniak collects the vacant Polish title with unanimous verdict over Oudel. The fight was very balanced over the first three rounds but Obrusniak took the lead from there and floored Oudel in the seventh. Oudel kept in the fight and scored heavily in the eight with Obrusniak going down on one knee under the pressure. Obrusniak beat the count and went on to take the ninth and tenth and the decision. Scores were all over the place at 99-90, 96-92 and 95-94 for Obrusniak. Las Vegas, NV, USA: Welter: Yordenis Ugas (27-4) W PTS 12 Manny Pacquiao (62-8-2). Feather: Mark Magsayo (23-0) W KO 10 Julio Ceja (32-5-1). Feather: Carlos Castro (27-0) W KO 10 Oscar Escandon (26-6). Welter: Robert Guerrero (37-6-1) W PTS 10 Victor Ortiz (32-7-3). Light Frank Martin (14-0) W PTS 10 Ryan Kielczewski (30-6). Light: Jose Valenzuela (9-0) W TKO 4 Donte Strayhorn (12-4). Ugas vs. Pacquiao Ugas takes unanimous decision over Pacquiao to retain the WBA title as he finishes strongly after a close, tactical fight. Round 1 Pacquiao set the pace in the first round taking the fight to Ugas and putting the Cuban on the back foot. Pacquiao was scoring with body punches and uppercuts with Ugas countering and defending cleverly. Pacquiao was pushed to the floor by Ugas so no count. Score: 10-9 Pacquiao Round 2 Ugas brought his jab into play. He was finding the target and Pacquiao was having trouble getting past the jab. Ugas was scoring to the body and landing clever counters but was warned for holding late in the round and twice for low blows. Score: 10-9 Ugas TIED 19-19 Round 3 After an initial attacking burst from Pacquiao the pace slowed slightly. Pacquiao was still taking the fight to Ugas punching in bursts. Ugas was defending well and countering accurately but Pacquiao ended the round strongly. Pacquiao was showing a swelling by his right eye. A close round. Score: 10-9 Pacquiao Pacquiao 29-28 Round 4 Pacquiao lead the action again and Ugas was given another warning for a low blow. Both had their good moments with Pacquiao fighting in bursts and Ugas countering to the body and doubling up on his jabs. Ugas touched the canvas with a knee but it was ruled a slip and Ugas just did enough to take the round Score: 10-9 Ugas TIED 38-38 Official Scores: Judge Dave Moretti 38-38, Judge Steve Weisfeld 38-38, Judge Patricia Morse Jarman 39-37 Pacquiao Round 5 Pacquiao moved up a gear. He was throwing lots of punches with Ugas throwing less but being more accurate. Pacquiao continued to fire in bursts and despite good work from Ugas Pacquiao stayed busier and just took the round. Score: 10-9 Pacquiao Pacquiao 48-47 Round 6 The pace slowed in this one which suited Ugas. He was blocking most of Pacquiao’s punches and connecting with rights to the body as they traded punches and Pacquiao was again frustrated by good defensive work from Ugas. Score: 10-9 Ugas TIED 57-57 Round 7 Ugas boxed his way through the round. He was landing jabs and scoring to the body. Pacquiao’s output dropped and he was having trouble getting through the guard of the Cuban who was setting the pace of the fight. Score: 10-9 Ugas Ugas 67-66 Round 8 A good round for Ugas. He was blocking many of Pacquiao’s punches and countering with accurate rights to heads and body. Pacquiao continued to try to press his attacks but Ugas has a solid defence and looked to be taking over the fight. Score: 10-9 Ugas Ugas 77-75 Official Scores: Judge Dave Moretti 77-75 Ugas, Judge Steve Weisfeld 77-75 Ugas, Judge Patricia Morse Jarman 77-75 Ugas Round 9 Ugas was warned for pushing Pacquiao over. Pacquiao did a little better here in a quiet round. He was still having trouble with rights from Ugas but the Cuban was not throwing enough punches and the busier Pacquiao took the round on effort alone. Score: 10-9 Pacquiao Ugas 86-85 Round 10 Ugas just edged this one. After being caught with a left early he was backing Pacquiao up with his jabs and scored with a couple of hard rights at the close of the round. Score: 10-9 Ugas Ugas 96-94 Round 11 Ugas controlled the action. Pacquiao was still piling forward but having trouble finding a way past the guard of Ugas. The Cuban was continually getting through with his rights and fighting with confidence even slipping in one or two shimmies. Score: 10-9 Ugas Ugas 106-103 Round 12 Ugas put in an impressive last round. Once again Pacquiao had no defence against the rights from Ugas and was cut over his left eye. Pacquiao rallied late but it was not enough. Score: 10-9 Ugas Ugas 116-112 Official Scores: Judge Dave Moretti 116-112 Ugas, Judge Steve Weisfeld 116-112 Ugas, Judge Patricia Morse Jarman 115-113 Ugas It remains to be seen whether at 42 Pacquiao’s glorious career is at an end a career spread over 26 years that has seen him win world titles in six divisions. I hope he now retires as he has nothing to prove. He has given us some cherished memories and has always been a credit to the sport and to the Philippines. Ugas took this fight at only eleven days notice after an eye problem caused Errol Spence to withdraw. He showed the sort of skills that are the trademark of those who have come through the Cuban amateur ranks. Unifications fight with Spence or Terrence Crawford would be big paydays and a return match with Shawn Porter who beat him on a split decision in March 2019 would be interesting whereas a defence against WBA No 1 Eimantas Stanionis would be a very hard sell and a huge comedown from this famous victory. Magsayo vs. Ceja One bright spot in the evening for Pacquiao was the victory for his protégé Magsayo in a war with Mexican Ceja which saw both fighters on the floor. Magsayo got the perfect start flooring Ceja with a neat left hook in the first round. Ceja made it to his feet and was fighting back hard at the end of the round. Ceja took the fight to Magsayo in the second with a focused body attack but Magsayo boxed cleverly. Ceja continued to attack the body in the third and fourth with Magsayo seeming to slow. Ceja looked to have taken control in the fifth dropping Magsayo with a left hook. Magsayo made it to his feet and the bell went before Ceja could capitalise on that success. Ceja continued to come forward attacking with Magsayo boxing and countering. Magsayo needed to do something to get back into the fight and he produced the perfect response in the tenth. He came forward throwing punches and forced Ceja to the ropes then landed a devastating right that had Ceja virtually out on his feet and he added another as Ceja pitched forward landing face down on the canvas with the referee stopping the fight without bothering with a count. Ceja needed medical attention and was taken to the hospital as a safety measure where he was diagnosed with a fractured cheekbone but no brain injury. Magsayo, 26, makes it 17 wins by KO/TKO. He is rated WBO 3/IBF 5(4)/WBC 5 and is heading for a title shot late this year or early next. Ceja, a former WBC interim super bantam title holder, was having his first fight since fighting a split draw with unbeaten Brandon Figueroa in November 2019 when Ceja failed to make the weight. Castro vs. Escandon Castro takes another step towards a title fight as he halts Escandon in the last round. Escandon is naturally aggressive but he had no choice but to drive forward punching in this fight as he was six inches smaller than Castro and had to take chances to get to where he could do some damage. That he could do some damage was evident late in the first when a left hook sent Castro tumbling into the ropes. The ropes held him up so it should have resulted in a count but that was overlooked and Castro was unsteady as he walked back to his corner. Castro started to make use of his reach edge and was scoring heavily as Escandon continued to fight his way inside. Castro rocked Escandon with a right in the fourth and hammered away at Escandon when he had him pinned to the ropes in the sixth. Escandon just kept coming and there were plenty of frantic exchanges. It looked as though Castro had scored a knockdown in the seventh but after viewing a video at the end of the round it was rightly ruled a slip. Escandon had a good eighth but the punishment was taking its toll. A fierce attack by Castro in the tenth blasted Escandon to the canvas. He started to rise but then dropped to a knee and the fight was stopped. Mexican-born Castro was defending the WBC Continental Americas title for the third time. He is in the top five with the WBC, WBO and IBF. Colombian Escandon is a former interim WBC featherweight title holder and in his last fight in December 2019 knocked out 23-0 Jhack Tepora in ninety seconds. Guerrero vs. Ortiz Guerrero comes out on top in a scrap between two veteran southpaws. This was mainly a close-quarters battle which started at a rattling pace and then settled down to a gruelling contest. Heads banged together regularly with Guerrero rocked but not cut in a clash in the opener. Guerrero was particularly ineffective with uppercuts in the second. When heads banged together again in the third Ortiz suffered a cut over his right eye as they continued to fight inside exchanging body shots. More damage in the fifth as a swelling grew under Guerrero’s left eye. There really was not much between them in any round with Guerrero’s aggression giving him a slight edge as they fought hard over the closing rounds with all three judges seeing Guerrero the winner at 96-94. At 38 Guerrero is probably looking for one more title shot but it might be a hard sell. Former WBC welter title holder Ortiz was having his first fight since February 2018 so will probably continue his career. Martin vs. Kielczewski Impressive display by the “Ghost” from Indianapolis as Martin takes every round against more experienced Kielczewski who constituted a step-up in opposition for Martin. There was some early success for Martin as his accurate jabbing started a swelling over Kielczewski’s right eye in the first round. Martin’s hand speed and movement saw him edging the early rounds and from the halfway mark he was constantly popping Kielczewski with jabs and outworking Kielczewski in each round. Martin applied strong pressure over the last two rounds looking to get his fourth inside the distance win in a row but Kielczewski has never lost inside the distance and he preserved that record here. All three judges score it 100-90 for Martin. In the amateurs Martin beat Vergil Ortiz in the final of the 2016 National Golden Gloves and won a silver medal at the National Championships later that year. “The Polish Prince” Kielczewski was 22-0 at the start of his career but tougher opposition has put a dent in those figures. Valenzuela vs. Strayhorn Valenzuela gets another inside the distance win as he halts Strayhorn in the fourth. Valenzuela was credited with a knockdown in the first when a long right sent Strayhorn back off balance and he put his glove on the canvas. Over the second and third Valenzuela stood right in front of Strayhorn as they swopped heavy punches. He was connecting with hooks to the body and uppercuts and sent Strayhorn’s mouthguard flying but also had to show a good chin as Strayhorn landed flush with some right crosses. By the fourth Valenzuela had beaten the fight out of Strayhorn and when he unleashed a barrage of punches that had Strayhorn stumbling the fight was stopped. Fifth consecutive inside the distance victory for Valenzuela. At this time his claim to fame is dropping Teo Lopez with a body punch when they sparred a while back. First stoppage loss for Strayhorn his previously losses came in the form of two majority decision and one spilt. Fight of the week (Significance): In beating Manny Pacquiao Yordenis Ugas may have opened the door to some big paydays and ended the great career of Pac Man. Fight of the week (Entertainment): Mark Magsayo vs. Julio Ceja staged a fierce battle with both on the floor and Magsayo scoring a dramatic kayo. Fighter of the week: Yordenis Ugas Punch of the week: The dreadful right from Mark Magsayo that rendered Julio Ceja unconscious whilst still on his feet was fearsome. Upset of the week: After coming in at only eleven days notice Yordenis Ugas was a rank outsider Prospect watch: Lightweight Jose Valenzuela 9-0 (6) looked good at the weekend Observations -The Ugas vs. Pacquiao saw some great scraps apart from the battles between Magsayo and Ceja and Castro vs. Escandon the fights between Guerrero and Ortiz and Martin and Kielczewski provide plenty of entertainment so a good show all the way down the list. - It seems to me that Thai newcomer Phumiritdet Chonlathondamrongkun might just have the longest name in boxing. I gave it to Google translate to come up with an alternative and one of the suggestions was “Dictatorship GPP pearl sailboat” so I will go with Phumiritdet as Thais tend to stick with their first name no matter how often they change sponsors, gyms etc. -Will there ever be another fighter like Manny Pacquiao. He turned pro as a light flyweight-in fact just 1lb over the minimumweight division. In a twenty-six year + career he has fought across twelve weight divisions and won ten titles, six of them in different divisions. I doubt if we will see that bettered. By Eric Armit
Highlights: - John Riel Casimero retains the WBO bantamweight title with split decision over Guillermo Rigondeaux in a fight to forget -Virgil Ortiz records an important and impressive win as he floors Egidijus Kavaliauskas five times -Joshua Franco stages a strong finish to outpoint Andrew Moloney and retain the secondary WBA super flyweight title but twin brother Jason Moloney outpoints Michael Greer at bantamweight and Arnold Barboza goes to 26-0 with decision over Antonio Moran -Roger Gutierrez retains the secondary WBA super featherweight title with points victory over former champion Rene Alvarado -Bantam eliminator between Gary Antonio Russell and Emmanuel Rodriguez ends after just sixteen seconds as Rodriguez is cut in a clash of heads in the first round resulting in a No Decision. -Joshua Buatsi knocks out Ricards Bolotniks in eleven rounds to move close to a shot at a version of the light heavyweight title -Karim Guerfi wins the European featherweight title with victory over champion Andoni Gago World Title/Major Shows 14 August Frisco, EX, USA: Welter: Vergil Ortiz (18-0) W KO 8 Egidijus Kavaliauskas (22-2-1). Super Feather: Roger Gutierrez (26-3-1) W PTS 12 Rene Alvarado (32-10). Super Light: Alex Martin (17-3) W PTS 10 Josec Ruiz (23-5-3). Light Fly: Felix Alvarado (37-2) W TKO 1 Israel Vazquez (10-5-2). Super Light: George Rincon (12-0) W PTS 8 Nikolai Buzolin (8-4-1). Super Welter: Alex Rincon (9-0) W PTS 8 Sanny Duversonne (11-4-2). Ortiz vs. Kavaliauskas Staggered early Ortiz goes on to floor Kavaliauskas five times. Both used plenty of jabs in the opening round with Ortiz just that bit sharper and Kavaliauskas looking to counter with rights. They both scored with sharp rights in the second with Ortiz bringing his left hook to the body into play. As they traded punches a right from Kavaliauskas suddenly had Ortiz staggered and hurt. He held on desperately with Kavaliauskas throwing punches in a frenzy trying to put Ortiz away. Ortiz looked to be in deep trouble holding desperately and he went down but it was rightly ruled a slip. When he got up Ortiz turned things around with sweeping hooks driving Kavaliauskas back and now it was Kavaliauskas under fire at the bell to end a dramatic round. Kavaliauskas took the fight to Ortiz in the third getting through with jabs and rights. Ortiz weathered the storm and then just before the bell he landed a straight right followed by a left hook that dropped Kavaliauskas. The Lithuanian was up at five and when the eight count was completed the bell went before Ortiz could do any more damage. Ortiz took the fourth and fifth with some strong jabbing on the back foot. Kavaliauskas attacked fiercely in the sixth getting through with some powerful rights but Ortiz went onto the front foot in the seventh scoring with quick jabs and landing two hefty rights just before the bell as Kavaliauskas showed signs of tiring. It was all Ortiz in the eighth. Kavaliauskas was trying to stay inside but he was driven back and dropped to one knee after a stiff jab to the body from Ortiz. Kavaliauskas was up at eight but looked a beaten fighter and a left hook from Ortiz saw Kavaliauskas drop to one knee and bounce up again. After the count Ortiz put Kavaliauskas down twice more and the fight was stopped. Impressive performance by Ortiz against a very tough opponent. Ortiz retains the WBO International title and is their No 1 so a mandatory challenger to Terence Crawford. The only fight the Lithuanian had lost was a ninth round stoppage against Crawford for the WBO title in December 2019. Gutierrez vs. Alvarado Venezuelan Gutierrez holds on to the secondary WBA title with unanimous decision over former champion Alvarado. This was the third meeting of the two Latin Americans and familiarity led to caution as neither wanted to commit himself too much too soon. Gutierrez came to life in the fourth scoring well with counters and he also took the fifth with the same tactics. Alvarado found his fighting spirit in the sixth connecting with a good left hook and some overhand rights and they traded heavy punches in the seventh. Gutierrez swung the fight back his way in the eighth catching Alvarado with series of rights and landed a heavy right in the ninth. A cut and tiring Gutierrez then faded allowing Alvarado to close the points gap but then after opening a bad cut on Alvarado’s left eyebrow Gutierrez just did enough to win the last round. Scores 116-112 twice and 115-113 for Gutierrez. He had been knocked out in seven rounds by Alvarado in 2017 but gained revenge when a fight-saving last round knockdown saw him win on scores of 113-112 to lift the secondary WBA from Alvarado in January. It took eleven years for Alvarado to win a title then he lost it in his first defence. He will be looking to work his way back to another title shot but hopefully he won’t have to wait eleven years. Martin vs. Ruiz Southpaw Martin boxes his way to winning every round against Ruiz. Ruiz hunted in vain for the quick and elusive Martin. Ruiz never stopped coming forward but Martin fed him a diet of right jabs and straight lefts and used clever footwork to stay off the ropes and out of trouble. When Martin chose to trade his quicker hand speed and upper body movement gave him the edge and he was getting his punches off and blocking or slipping those from Ruiz and the 100-90 scores from the three judges showed his dominance. Three losses in a row in 2017 and a blank 2018 set Martin’s career back but he is on track again with four victories on the trot. Honduran Ruiz had a 16-bout unbeaten streak ended by a loss to Gabriel Flores last year but had scored two wins over reasonable level opposituion this year. Alvarado vs. Vazquez Alvarado gives another punch-power demonstration as he demolishes Vazquez in the first round. A sustained body attack had Vazquez wincing in pain. He tried to fight back but a left hook to the body sent him back to the ropes and a right to the head sent him down. He made it to his feet but after the eight count the referee saved him from further punishment by stopping the fight. Some consolation for the Alvarado twins after Rene lost to Gutierrez. Felix, the IBF light flyweight champion has scored 32 of his 37 wins by KO/TKO. He is on a 19 fight winning run with 17 of those wins coming inside the distance. Fifth loss in his last six fights for Puerto Rican Vazquez. Rincon vs. Buzolin On a good night for the Rincon brothers elder brother George had trouble in making his fight with awkward Russian Buzolin entertaining but Rincon was busier and worked well with his jab to score at distance on the brawling Buzolin. Scores 80-72 on the cards for Rincon. The Texan southpaw is a former National Golden Gloves champion. Buzolin was having his first fight in almost two years. Rincon vs. Duversonne Brother Alex also recorded a win but one of the judges actually found a round to give to Floridian Duversonne. This was a more entertaining contest with plenty of fiery exchanges as Duversonne took the fight inside to counter the reach advantage of the 6’2” Rincon but had limited success. Scores 80-72 twice and 79-73 for Rincon. As with George Alex is a southpaw and a former top level amateur. Fourth defeat in a row for Duversonne Tulsa, OK, USA: Super Fly: Joshua Franco (18-1-2,1ND) W PTS 12 Andrew Moloney (21-2). Super Light: Arnold Barboza (26-0) W PTS 10 Antonio Moran (26-4-1). Bantam: Jason Moloney (22-2) W PTS 10 Joshua Greer (22-3-2). Super Feather: Andres Cortes (15-0) W KO 1 Genisis Servania (34-3). Super Feather: Abraham Nova (19-0) W PTS 8 Richard Pumicpic (22-12-2). Super Feather: Albert Bell (19-0) W PTS 8 Julio Cortez (15-3). Super Feather: Carlos Balderas (10-1) W TKO 2 Fidel Cervantes (9-2-1). Heavy: Trey Lippe Morrison (18-0) W PTS 6 Don Haynesworth (16-7-1). Super Middle: Nico Ali Walsh (1-0) W TKO 1 Jordan Weeks (4-2). Franco vs. Moloney The pace in this fight was fast from the start. In the first Franco was advancing behind a high guard spearing Moloney with jabs and putting together some flashy combinations with Moloney countering but it was Franco’s round. Moloney was rocked by a right at the start of the second but then took over. He boxed cleverly on the back foot raking the oncoming Franco with counters and outworking Franco inside. Franco did a bit better in the third landing some clubbing rights but once again it was Moloney’s round. He was controlling the fight with his jab and getting off his punches and moving before Franco could counter. Despite constant pressure from Franco Moloney boxed coolly to pocket the fourth. Franco got back into the fight in the fifth. He upped his tempo and Moloney seemed to slow as Franco worked to the body and forced Moloney to stand and trade more. The sixth was close and a better round for Moloney. He scored well at distance and was given a warning as held on the inside to smother Franco’s attacks. After six rounds I had Moloney in front 58-56. Franco was on top in the seventh and then Moloney looked to have made it a big round for him. He threw a right and Franco went down. Franco protested that he had slipped but the referee gave Franco a count and Franco dominated the rest of the round. In the interval the referee asked for a reply of the knockdown and it was clear that Franco had slipped so what might have been a 10-8 round for Moloney turned into a 10-9 for Franco. That was a turning point in the fight as Franco got stronger and Moloney slowed. Franco was landing punches that Moloney would have slipped earlier and Franco upped the pressure in round after round. Moloney was able to find gaps for his jab but the combinations he had been throwing earlier were absent. Moloney did enough to make the eighth a close round and put in a big effort in the eleventh but Franco won both rounds sweeping the last six rounds to take the decision. Franco retains the secondary WBA title and goes 2-0, 1ND ahead in his three-bout series with Moloney. Former WBA interim champion Moloney will be back fighting for a title in 2022. Barboza vs. Moran Barboza outclasses Moran in defence of his WBO International belt. Barboza controlled this one from the start. He boxed with real skill opening up Moran with jabs and then landing strongly to head and body. A punch in the second saw Moran nursing a heavy nose bleed and it was subsequently confirmed his nose was broken. Barboza rocked Moran in the third and fifth rounds. Despite the nose injury Moran fought back hard but the speed, accuracy and power of Barboza was joist too much for him. Moran was in trouble in the ninth as Barboza landed a huge right but he survived and held out against strong attacks from Barboza in the last. Scores 99-91 twice and 100-90 for Barboza. He is rated WBO 3/WBC 5 so in the queue for a shot at Josh Taylor. Mexican Moran had drawn with unbeaten Yomar Alamo and won his last two fights but Barboza was at a different level. Moloney vs. Greer Jason Moloney made sure one of the Moloney twins came away with a win as he outboxed Greer. As with Andrew Jason was content fighting on the back foot countering Greer’s attacks and scoring with hurtful body shots. Greer looked to have taken the first two rounds and the third was close but Moloney had a big fourth as he dazed Greer with a right and then had Greer pinned to the ropes and was unloading punches for the last minute of the round. Greer was showing a swelling by his right eye. Moloney built on that success in the fifth and by the sixth Greer’s right eye began to close due to the swelling. Moloney took over outscoring Greer and despite an attempt by Greer to claw his way into the fight over the closing rounds Moloney was a clear winner. Scores 98-92 twice and 96-94 for Moloney. This is Moloney’s first fight since being knocked out in seven rounds by Naoya Inoue in October. He is still in the ratings so will be hoping to work his way into another title shot-but not against Inoue. Cortes vs. Servania Unbeaten Las Vegas fighter Cortes gets a big win as he stops Servania. The more experienced Servania was confident in the first taking the fight to Cortes and landing some crisp shots. Cortes was relying heavily on his jab but with less than ten seconds to go in the round Cortes landed a solid right to the head that saw Servania half turn away and Cortes dropped him with a fearsome left hook. Servania was lying on his side half way out under the ropes and after starting the count the referee wisely waived the fight over. No names on Cortes’ record and he had won three of his last four fights on points making this a surprise ending. Filipino Servania had gone the full twelve rounds when losing to Oscar Valdez in a challenge for the WBO feather title in 2017 and had rebuilt solidly since then Nova vs. Pumicpic Nova gets back into action with unanimous decision over Filipino Pumicpic. It looked as though Nova might make it an early night as he staggered Pumicpic in the first round. Pumicpic has never lost inside the distance and he showed his resilience here by staying on his feet and then giving the 5-inch taller Nova some useful ring time. Scores 79-73 twice and 78-74 for Nova. First fight for Nova since June last year due to both the pandemic and a torn Achilles. Pumicpic has done most of his fighting in Japan recently and in an early bout there he scored a win over current WBO No 5 Joe Noynay. Bell vs. Cortez Bell just too big and too good for Ecuadorian Cortez. Bell used his 7-inch height advantage and 8-inch longer reach to control the fight. There was already swelling around Cortez ‘s right eye in the second round and as Bell constantly raked Cortez with punches Cortez left eye also showed damage. Bell tried to finish the fight over the sixth and seventh but Cortez has a good chin and Bell settled for boxing his way through the eighth to earn scores of 80-72 from the three judges. The 28-year-old from Toledo already has wins over Andy Vences and Frank De Alba and is coming along strongly under the radar. Not surprisingly Cortez never managed to get even a toe-hold in the fight. Balderas vs. Cervantes Balderas impresses as he stops Cervantes in his return to the ring. Cervantes made a busy start in the first throwing plenty of punches as he drove forward. Balderas was scoring with stiff jabs, short rights and left hooks to the body. As Cervantes went to throw a right Balderas beat him to it was a brutal left hook that sent Cervantes down on his back. He made it to his feet and was exchanging punches until another left hook turned his legs to rubber. He was staggering and stumbling but the bell went before Balderas could finish the job. To his credit Cervantes took the fight to Balderas again in the second until Balderas unleashed a series of head punches that staggered Cervantes and the referee made a good stoppage. Balderas was a member if the USA team for the 2016 Olympics and showed real promise in winning his first nine fights. He then suffered a shock kayo defeat against Juan Tellez in December 2019. He is re-launching his career under the Top Rank banner and he showed real power in this fight. Cervantes was brave but outclassed. Lippe vs. Haynesworth Lippe scores a points win over Haynesworth. Although both fighters are 6’3” Haynesworth was 59lbs heavier than the 229lbs Lippe. The pace was slow with Lippe showing what skill there was. Haynesworth used his weight advantage to force Lippe back at times but was clumsy with his punches. Haynesworth suffered a gash on his forehead in the third round and shook Lippe at the end of the fourth but other than that Lippe was the one doing the scoring and he was a clear winner with all three judges scoring for him at 60-54. Lippe is the son of the late former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison but is unlikely to reach the heights his father did. Haynesworth, 38, just too fat and too slow. Walsh vs. Weeks Walsh, 21, the grandson of Muhammad Ali floors and stops Weeks in just 109 seconds . Walsh will be under the limelight whenever he fights so plenty of pressure but he got the job done here. Carson, CA, USA: Bantam: John Riel Casimero(31-4) W PTS 12 Guillermo Rigondeaux (20-2). Bantam: Gary Antonio Russell (18-0,1ND) ND 1 Emmanuel Rodriguez (19-2,1ND). Bantam: Rau’shee Warren (19-3,1ND) W KO 2 Damien Vazquez (16-3-1). Super Light: Brandun Lee (23-0) W KO 1 Ezequiel Fernandez (28-5-1,1ND). Bantam: Jonas Sultan (17-5) W TKO 7 Sharone Carter (12-5). Bantam: Juan Carlos Payano (23-5) W RTD 5 Ray Tabugon (22-13-1). Alan Castano (14-1) W TKO 3 Christian Aguirre (8-8). Casimero vs. Rigondeaux Casimero retains the WBO bantam title with split decision over Rigondeaux. This was a terrible fight with very little in the way of highlights and which set a new CompuBox record for the least punches landed in a fight. From the first it was evident that if there was going to be a fight Casimero was going to have to make it. In his too familiar style Rigondeaux spent twelve rounds trying to avoid trading punches with Casimero and Casimero was not quick enough to close Rigondeaux down. Casimero’s irritation showed early as he was warned twice in the opening round. The crowd was already booing over the lack of action by the third round as Casimero pursued Rigondeaux in vain. Rigondeaux was able to spear Casimero with right jabs and skip away before Casimero could counter. Casimero managed to score on the occasions when he caught up with Rigondeaux but the CompuBox statistics showed that neither fighter managed to land fifty punches over the twelve rounds. Casimero threw more and showed what aggression there was and that was enough to get him the decision. Scores 117-111 and 116-112 for Casimero and 115-113 for Rigondeaux. Casimero will now be looking to face either Nonito Donaire or Naoya Inoue. Rigondeaux felt he won this one and in response to the criticism of his tactics not unreasonable said that is the way he fights and he can’t change. So much talent and so little entertainment value. Rigondeaux did not just lose this fight but also made it harder to sell him in other big match. Russell vs. Rodriguez Disappointing end to what looked to be a very good fight on paper as a cut caused by a clash of heads sees the fight end after just 16 seconds. The clash sent a dazed Rodriguez to the floor and the cut was too bad for him to continue. This fight was for the WBA interim title which remains vacant. Warren vs. Vazquez Unusual show of power from Warren as he floors and stops Vazquez. Warren came close to ending it in the first as he sent Vazquez down twice. Vazquez made it to the bell but a powerful straight left in the second sent Vazquez staggering back and he dropped to his haunches with a glove on the canvas to stop himself going down but the referee immediately stopped the uneven contest. Only the fifth win by KO/TKO for former IBO and WBA bantam champion Warren. Vazquez had lost on a tenth round stoppage against Brandon Figueroa for the secondary WBA super bantam title last September. Lee vs. Fernandez Lee annihilates Argentinian Fernandez. Lee blasted Fernandez to the floor three times in the 100 seconds the fight lasted. The tall 22-year-old Californian has put together some impressive looking statistics with twenty-one wins by KO/TKO including a current run of fourteen in a row and has eight first round finishes. There are a couple of creditable opponents in his list of victims and this is the first time Fernandez has been stopped but Lee needs to step up before we can really judge his worth. Sultan vs. Carter Filipino Sultan overcomes some tough resistance from Carter before stopping him in the seventh round. Sultan was the one coming forward with Carter holding his left low and shooting sharp jabs and they both landed with strong punches. As Sultan increased the pressure and was connecting with left left hooks to the body Carter started to fade and was deducted a point for holding in the fourth. Sultan continued to break Carter down over the fifth and sixth and in the seventh under an array of punches from Sultan Carter slumped to a sitting position against the ropes and he was counted out. Sultan’s biggest achievement to date is a points win over John Riel Casimero in 2017, the last time Casimero lost a fight, but Sultan lost a wide unanimous verdict to Jerwin Ancajas for the IBF super fly title in 2018. First inside the distance loss for Carter who dropped a decision against Rau’shee Warren in February. Payano vs. Tabugon In his second fight in five weeks Payano stops Filipino Tabugon in five rounds. Payano was finding the target with southpaw lefts from the first bell. Tabugon was lunging forward with his attacks and when he went down it was ruled a slip but just seconds before the bell a left from Payano put him down for a legitimate knockdown. The fighters had been warned to watch their heads in the first and as their heads banged together in the second Payano was cut over his right eye. Payano handed out punishment to Tabugon over the third and fourth. In the fifth it was one-way traffic with Tabugon being driven around the ring as Payano connected with hooks and uppercuts and when Tabugon returned to his corner they promptly retired their man. Consecutive losses to Luis Nery, Daniel Roman and Gary Antonio Russell put question marks over 37-year-old Payano’s future but he looked in good form here. Tabugon falls to 2-6 in his last 8 fights. Castano vs. Aguirre Castano stops Aguirre in three rounds. Castano just punched too hard for Aguirre. He scored with scorching body shots in the first and second rounds and had Aguirre hurt in the third when the referee hated the fight. First fight since February 2019 for Castano who is the younger brother of WBO super welter champion Brian Castano. He gets win No 9 by KO/TKO. Five consecutive inside the distance defeats for Aguirre. Brentwood, England: Light Heavy: Joshua Buatsi (15-0) W TKO 11Ricards Bolotniks (18-6-1). Welter: Michael McKinson (21-0) W PTS 10 Przemyslaw Runowski (19-2). Bantam: Ukashir Farooq (16-1) W PTS 10 Luis Castillo (28-3). Feather: Ray Ford (9-0-1) W TKO 3 Reece Bellotti (14-5). Super Feather: Joe Cordina (13-0) W KO 1 Joshua Hernandez (10-4). Super Feather: Zelfa Barrett (25-1) W RTD 4 Viorel Simion (22-7). Feather: Hopey Price (5-0) W PTS 6 Claudio Grande (5-1). Buatsi vs. Bolotniks Buatsi floors brave Bolotniks twice and stops him in the eleventh round. Buatsi quickly took control in the first. He was finding gaps in Bolotniks guard for his jab and landing rights. Bolotniks was not looking to engage but he showed he could be a danger landing a heavy right to the head. There was real power behind Buatsi’s jab in the second and he had Bolotniks backing up although again Bolotniks got through with a sneaky right. Buatsi was putting his punches together well in the third and although Bolotniks was more adventurous than in the opening rounds it was Buatsi doing the scoring particularly with his potent jab. Buatsi really let his punches flow in the fourth with Bolotniks under heavy fire and being rocked by a right but doing some clowning on his way back to his corner to show he was not hurt. Buatsi kept up the pressure in the fifth and then floored Bolotniks with a sizzling left hook. After the count Buatsi drove Bolotniks around the ring bombarding him with punches. He then seemed to back off and Bolotniks scored with a good uppercut before the bell. Surviving the sixth seemed to put more heart into Bolotniks and he came forward throughout the seventh and eighth with the snap gone from Buatsi’s jab and Buatsi was deducted a point for a low punch in the ninth. Buatsi handed out some savage punishment to head and body in the tenth with a brave Bolotniks taking it and trying to fire back when he could. A huge right hand from Buatsi floored Bolotniks heavily in the eleventh and the fight was stopped. Buatsi is No 2 with the WBA and the second highest ranked fighter with the IBF so a title shot next year has to be on the agenda. Latvian Bolotniks came to prominence by beating Steven Ward, Hosea Burton and Serge Michel in the MTK tournament and put up a resolute fight here but Buatsi was just too good for him. McKinson vs. Runowski McKinson easily outpoints Pole Runowski in a WBO Gold title defence. McKinson has an unusual and awkward style but is very quick with his hands and his wide stride helps him step back from his opponents attacks. Runowski never came near to working out how to fight McKinson. A straight left from McKinson almost put Runowski down at the end of the fourth round. For the remaining rounds McKinson’s right jabs and straight lefts kept Runowski on the back foot and when he did attack he was often swinging wildly. Luckily for Runowski McKinson is not much of a puncher-only two wins by KO/TKO- so apart from that time at the end of the fourth he was never in any serious trouble. Scores 99-91 twice and 98-92 for McKinson. The Gold title has given McKinson a No. 4 rating with the WBO. Runowski won his first 17 fights against very modest opposition and when he stepped up against in April 2019 against Josh Kelly he lost every round and was counted three times. Farooq vs. Castillo Another brilliant display of boxing skills from Farooq as he out classes Mexican Castillo. Over the early rounds Farooq was just too quick for the mechanical Castillo. Farooq was slotting jabs through Castillo’s guard and moving inside to score with hooks. Castillo was just too slow to block Farooq’s jabs and too slow to land counters. From the fourth Farooq chose to stand and trade with Castillo which allowed Castillo some success but Farooq was scoring with crunching rights to the head which Castillo took well. To his credit Castillo marched forward relentlessly and Farooq had to fight hard for three minutes in every round and in the end Farooq seemed to be the tired one. Scores 100-90 twice and 99-91 for Farooq. He wins the vacant WBC International title and hopefully he will get the chance to gain revenge for the split decision loss to Lee McGregor on November 2019. Castillo was raw and strong and never took a backward step. Ford vs. Bellotti Ford stops Bellotti in three rounds. Bellotti was storming forward blazing away with punches from both hands. He forced Ford onto the back foot but despite the pressure Ford stayed cool and fired back. When the storm subsided in the third Ford was the one bombarding Bellotti with punches and as Bellotti floundered under the barrage the fight was stopped. Southpaw Ford from Newark New Jersey wins the vacant WBA Continental title. He was US National Golden Gloves champion in 2018 and was having his first fight in the UK. Former Commonwealth champion Bellotti made a good start to his career but is now 2-5 in his last 7 fights. Cordina vs. Hernandez Cordina blasts out Hernandez in less than one minute. Cordina scored with a sharp right early in the first round. He followed that with a couple more rights to the head and as Hernandez tried to move inside Cordina connected with a savage straight right that put Hernandez down heavily. He struggled to rise but was counted out. All over in 53 seconds. Eighth inside the distance win for Cordina who looked very sharp. Second loss by KO/TKO for Hernandez Barrett vs. Simion Barrett much too slick and quick for timeworn Romanian Simion. Barrett sent Simion down in the first with a series of body punches but Simion got up and fought on. It was target practice at times as Barrett danced around Simion jarring him with jabs and flashing combinations. Simon was just following Barrett around the ring and launching wild attacks that Barrett skipped away from. Barrett really began to string together some classy combinations in the third and although Simion showed some fire in the fourth he was taking a beating and wisely retired. Just a keep busy fight for Barrett with talk of a return with Spanish veteran Kiko Martinez over whom Barrett took a controversial decision in February. Now 39 Simion competed at the Olympic Games in Athens 17 years ago. Price vs. Grande Southpaw prospect Hope is made to work hard against unbeaten Italian Grande. Price had a much longer reach and used his southpaw jab and straight lefts to pile up the points. Grande kept taking the fight to Price who had to use his skills to avoid the Italian’s attack. Price put the verdict beyond doubt as he floored Grande with a perfectly timed left counter. Perfectly timed in its delivery and also as it was the last punch of the fight. Grande made it to his feet. The referee scored the fight 58-55 for the 21-year-old from Leeds who in 2018 won a silver medal at the Youth World Boxing Championships and gold at the European Youth Championships and the Youth Olympics . 13 August Dubai, UAE: Super Middle: Anthony Sims Jr (21-1) W TKO 9 Hernan Perez (8-4). Cruiser: Mike Perez (25-3-1) W TKO 3 Tony Salam (14-3). Super Welter: Austin Trout (34-5-1) W PTS 10 Alejandro Davila (22-3-2). Super Feather: Ramiro Cesena (14-0-1) W PTS 8 Bekman Soylybayev (12-1). Super Fly: Fernando Martinez (13-0) W TKO 4 Gonzalo Garcia (18-22-2). Sims vs. Perez Sims gets back in the ring for the first time since losing his unbeaten record against Romero Angulo in January 2020. Sims staggered Perez in the second and third and then floored Perez with a left in the fourth. Perez was down again in the fifth and was bleeding heavily from the nose. Sims continued to pound on Perez until the ninth when he put Perez down for the third time and the fight was stopped. Sims gets his nineteenth inside the distance victory and wins the vacant WBA Inter-Continental title. South American champion Perez had won his last three fights. Perez vs. Salam Cuban southpaw Perez re-launches his career with a third round stoppage of Tony Salam in a fight for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental belt. Perez was just too big and strong for Salam whom is really just a beefed up light heavyweight. Perez pounded Salam over the first two rounds and then trapped Salam in a corner and sent him down and out with a clubbing right to the head in the third. A first round loss to Alexander Povetkin and a points defeat to Mairis Breidis for the WBC cruiser title derailed Perez. He had started his recovery with two wins in 2018 but this fight is first in almost three years. Nigerian southpaw Salam was coming off three inside the distance victories. Trout vs. Davila Seasoned pro Trout keeps his faint hope of a title shot alive as he decisions Davila. It was Davila who made the better start taking control from the centre of the ring against a static Trout. From the fourth Trout began to put his skill and experience to use. He was finding the target with jabs and long rights and constantly switching guards to bemuse Davila and boxed his way to a comfortable victory. The scores from the three German judges differed ridiculously at 100-92, 97-94 and 96-95.After losses to both Jermall and Jermell Charlo and Jarrett Hurd Trout, 35,has scored three wins and fought a draw with Terrell Gausha. He is No 6 with the IBF. Mexican Davila went 19-0-2 at the start of his career but with losses to Mikael Zewski and Serhii Bohachuk and now Trout he is having a tough time. Cesena vs. Soylybayev Young Mexican Cesena extends his winning run to thirteen as he gets a close majority decision over Kazak Soylybayev. Scores 78-76, 77-76 and 76-76. Good win for 22-year-old from Baja California but this was Soylybayev’s first fight almost four years. Martinez vs. Garcia Argentinian Martinez adds another win as he stops Mexican Garcia in four rounds. WBC Silver super fly champion Martinez used a focused body attack to break down Garcia and the referee stopped the one-sided beating in the fourth. A 2016 Olympian Martinez gets his eight inside the distance victory. Garcia has won only 2 of his last 10 fights. Kissimmee, FL, USA: Super Light: Yomar Alamo (20-0-1) W PTS 10 Adrian Yung (28-7-2). Super Feather: Otar Eranosyan (9-0) W TKO 4 Juan Pena (32-4). Welter: Mekhrubon Sanginov (12-0-1) W KO 4 Jesus Beltran (17-5-2). Super Bantam: Jorge De Jesus Romero (21-0-1) W PTS 8 Jesus Martinez (30-14-1). Alamo vs. Yung Alamo retains the WBO Latino title with comprehensive victory over Yung. Alamo had been taken the distance in his last five fights but he looked as though he might be on his way an early finish when he floored Yung in the first. Yung managed to get up and stay up and tried to put Alamo under pressure. Alamo boxed skilfully and countered well with his accurate shots almost closing Yung’s left eye by the middle rounds. Yung just could not catch the elusive Alamo and tired from his efforts but Alamo did not have the power to end the fight early. Scores 100-89, 99-90 and 98-91 for Alamo. After a disappointing draw against Antonio Moran Alamo has registered wins against acceptable level opposition in Kendo Castaneda and Jesus Beltran. Mexican Yung (Young)was stopped in five rounds by Luke Campbell in 2019. Eranosyan vs. Pena Georgian Eranosyan made it six wins so far in 2021 with a stoppage of former victim Pena. Eranosyan put Pena down twice in the third before the fight was stopped in the fourth. Eranosyan had knocked out Pen in four rounds in January. Sanginov vs. Beltran Tajik Sanginov not really tested by Beltran and stops the tall Mexican in four rounds for his ninth inside the distance finish. Sanginov turned pro in 2016 after failing to win his way through the World Qualifier for the Rio Games. Beltran had put up a good performance when being outpointed by Alamo in March. Romero vs. Martinez The last time Cuban Romero fought in Kissimmee he felt he was given a bad deal when his fight with Daniel Lozano ended as a majority draw. He had made a slow start in the Lozano fight and was determined that would not happen this time and went out and dominate every round on his way to a unanimous verdict over Martinez. Despite his impressive looking statistics Romero, 27, has yet to move up to ten rounds or meet a real test. Martinez, 40, had won three easy fights back home in Colombia Marbella, Spain: Feather: Karim Guerfi (30-5,1ND) W PTS 12 Andoni Gago (24-4-4). Super Middle: Ronny Landaeta W PTS 6 Nizar Trimech (8-2). Frenchman Guerfi wins the European title with a split decision over champion Gago. The fight started badly for the champion as he was cut over his left eye in the first round. From there Gago applied his usual aggressive approach but Guerfi was moving cleverly and connecting with hard, accurate counters. Gago continued to force the fight all of the way but Guerfi managed to score at distance and with enough counters to deserve the split verdict. Scores 116-112 and 115-113 for Guerfi and 115-113 for Gago. Guerfi rebounds well from a first round loss to Lee McGregor in March which cost him his European bantamweight title. Gago was making the second defence of the title Landaeta vs. Trimech Experienced former European Union champion Landaeta outpointed Frenchman Trimech. After a lively start Body punches slowed Trimech but the visitor was always competitive. Landaeta took the decision but a draw would have been no more than Trimech deserved. Scores 58-56 twice and 58-57 all for Landaeta. Trimech fought for the French Roosters in the WSB where he beat Filipino Olympian Eumir Marcial a bronze medallist in Tokyo. Moscow, Russia: Heavy: Vitaly Kudukhov (5-0) W PTS 8Guillermo Jones (41-4-2,1ND). Kudukhov hustles and bustles his way to victory over Jones. The 18-year-younger Kudukhov bulled his way inside from the start roughing Jones up and using his head literally. Jones managed to work on the outside in the second and also tried turning southpaw but Kudukhov was doing most of the scoring. Jones did enough to edge the seventh but was a clear loser. Kudukhov, 31, had his first three pro fights on the same night winning a heavyweight competition in June last year and then scored a very modest win in November. Former WBA cruiser title holder Jones, 49, was having his first fight since November 2017. 14 August Corona, CA, USA: Super Light: Ruben Torres (16-0) W TKO 5 Richard Zamora (19-5). Torres gets another inside the distance victory as he halts Zamora in five rounds. The hard-punching Torres was landing heavily from the start and wore Zamora down before finishing him with a body punch in the fifth. The tall 23-year-old from Santa Monica makes it 13 wins by KO/TKO and 6 in his last 7 fights. Mexican Zamora just could not figure out a way to combat the longer reach of Torres and suffers his second loss in a row by KO/TKO. Orlando, FL, USA: Bantam: Ramon Cardenas (20-1) W TKO 3 Marvin Solano (24-7). Texan Cardenas stops a sliding Marvin Solano in three rounds. Whilst Cardenas moves to nine wins in a row Nicaraguan Solano drops further with his fifth loss in his last eight fights. Atlanta, GA, USA: Light: Noel Echevarria (19-7) W PTS 12 Rodrigo Guerrero (26-13-2). Puerto Rican-born southpaw Echevarria wins the vacant UBO title with unanimous decision over veteran Guerrero. The fight was close with two points deductions for low blows costing a majority draw. Scores 114-112 twice and 116-111 for Echevarria. Now eight wins and a No Decision in his last nine fights for Echevarria. Former IBF super fly title holder Guerrero just failed to break a six bout losing streak. Worcester, MA, Heavy: Cassius Chaney (21-0) W PTS 10 Shawndell Winters (13-5) Unbeaten Chaney goes ten rounds for the first time in outpointing Winters. Scores 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 for Chaney. At 34 the 6’6” 260lbs Chaney will have to move up to better opposition soon. Winters, 40, was giving away around 50lbs. He was stopped in four rounds by Alen Babic last August Portland, ME, USA: Light Heavy: Charles Foster (20-0) W KO 2 Jaime Barboza (21-18). Southpaw Foster returns to action after two years out and knocks out Costa Rican Barboza in two rounds. Foster had scored wins in a series of fights against credible opposition before the pandemic curtailed his activity. After a run of nine losses Barboza, 43, had returned home to get two low level wins. Savonlinna, Finland : Super Middle: Sanna Turunen (7-4-1) W PTS 10 Elene Sikmashvili (9-10). Welter: Oskari Metz (15-0) W PTS 8 Emanuele Cavallucci (12-4-1). Turunen vs. Sikmashvili Local fighter Turunen wins the vacant IBF female title with unanimous decisioin over Sikmashvili. An entertaining, competitive fight saw Turunen have early difficulties with the longer reach of Sikmashvili but by the third she was getting past the jab. She scored well in the fourth and fifth and took the sixth. Sikmashvili then got back into the fight but Turunen was stronger and boxed her way to a well deserved victory. Scores 98-92, 97-94 and 97-96 for Turunen. All four of Turunen’s loses have come in title fights for a variety of bodies so nice to finally have a belt at the age of forty-six. Georgian Sikmashvili has lost in shots at both WBC and IBO titles. Metz vs. Cavallucci Finn Metz remains undefeated but only just. Italian southpaw Cavallucci proved a clever boxer with plenty of movement. He was constantly changing angles and Metz did well to stay balanced and focused. Metz exerted heavy pressure over the sixth and seventh with Cavallucci strong in the eighth making it very close and Metz just edged it on a split decision. Scores 78-75 and 78-76 for Metz and 78-75 for Cavallucci. Good learning fight for Metz and former Italian champion Cavallucci will feel he was worth at least a draw. Fight of the week (Significance): Virgil Ortiz win over Egidijus Kavaliauskas with fights against Terence Crawford or Errol Spence possibilities in 2022 Fight of the week (Entertainment); Plenty of action in Ortiz vs. Kavaliauskas Fighter of the week: Virgil Ortiz for his blast out of Kavaliauskas Punch of the week: The left hook from Joshua Buatsi that put Ricards Bolotniks down in the sixth was spectacular Upset of the week: Andres Cortes first round stoppage of Genisis Servania was a re3al shock Prospect watch: Early days but Leeds super bantamweight 5-0 Ivan “Hopey” Price was outstanding in International Youth tournaments Observations Once again Guillermo Rigondeaux loses and faces criticism for his jab and run, run style. I have some sympathy for him He said that this is how he fights and he can’t change. He had 386 fights as an amateur and lost only 12. For almost 400 fights entertainment was not even in his dictionary and the only requirement was that he win for Cuba-boringly or not. Changing a style that deeply engraved in his psyche is never going to be easy and he will be 41 next month so he is never going to change. It was interesting that in the Franco vs. Moloney fight after giving Franco a count in the seventh round the referee at the end of the round asked to see the replay of the incident and saw that Franco had slipped and no punch was landed so a 10-8 for Moloney ended up as a 10-9 for Franco so I guess the judges would have had to adjust their score cards even if they had already marked the round 10-8. Messy but a good call. By Eric Armit
Highlights: Kid Galahad stops Janes Dickens in eleven rounds to win the vacant IBF featherweight title -Michael Conlan outpoints JT Doheny to collect the vacant WBA interim featherweight title and Lee McGregor and Tyrone McKenna score victories on the Belfast card -Gabriel Maestre gets heavily criticised verdict over Mykal Fox to pick up the vacant WBA interim welterweight title and on the same show Eimantas Stanionis vs. Luis Collazo ends as a Technical Draw and Lucas Santamaria gets points win over Devon Alexander -Mike Hunter, Chris Algieri and Ivan Golub return to action with wins. -Unbeaten heavyweight hopefuls Fabio Wardley and Alen Babic score inside the distance victories World Title/Major Shows 6 August Belfast, NI, Feather: Michael Conlan (16-0) W PTS 12 TJ Doheny (22-3). Bantam: Lee McGregor (11-0) W KO 4 Vincent Legrand (32-1). Super Light: Tyrone McKenna (22-2-1) W PTS 10 Jose Felix (39-5-1). Super Middle: Padraig McCrory (12-0) W TKO 5 Sergei Gorokhov (11-3-2). Light: Sean McComb (12-1) W PTS 8 Vicente Rodriguez (39-7-1). Conlan vs. Doheny Conlan collects the vacant WBA interim belt with unanimous decision over Doheny in a fiercely fought contest. There was lots of prodding and probing over the first two rounds with Conlan using a southpaw guard and doing the better work in the first and Doheny bringing his left into play and edging the second. Doheny applied plenty of pressure in the third but Conlan worked well with his jab and scored with some good counters and all three rounds had been close. Conlan clearly took the fourth working hard with his jab and clouting Doheny with a left with Doheny not throwing enough punches and he was showing a swelling below his left eye. The fifth saw the first sustained exchanges with Conlan scoring well with right hooks to the body. He drove Doheny to the ropes and connected with a right hook to the body that saw Doheny drop to one knee. He was up immediately and given a count. Doheny buckled at the knees under more body punches but then fired back and Conlan was forced to retreat but a 10-8 round for Conlan. A low punch from Conlan in the sixth saw him get a warning and then Doheny dominated the round with Conlan spending much of the time pinned to the ropes. Doheny pressed hard in the seventh but Conlan, switching guards, was working well with his jab throughout the round and landed lefts to the body to outwork Doheny. It was a similar story in the eighth as Conlan boxed orthodox scoring consistently with his jab and he took the round although buzzed by a right before the bell and was showing a cut on his left cheek. The ninth was close with Doheny attacking hard early and late and Conlan doing the scoring boxing on the outside and taking the points with his cleaner work. The tenth was another close round with Doheny managing to turn it into a brawl which suited him better and he attacked hard throughout the eleventh to take that one. Conlan had more left and he outlanded Doheny in the last, Scores 116-111 twice and 119-108 for Conlan. A bit of a confidence boost after he only just squeezed past Ionut Baluta on a majority decision in April but that is the past. There may be interest in a fight with Leigh Wood who won the secondary WBA title last week or even the new IBF champion Kid Galahad. Doheny gave it a good shot here but was lucky to be fighting for the title having lost over eight rounds to Baluta-but this is the Worst Boxing Association and both Conlan and Doheny were unrated until suddenly being parachuted in at Nos 4 and 5 in the Worst Boxing Association rating of 31 July! McGregor vs. Legrand McGregor is still European champion after coming off the floor to break down unbeaten Legrand and finish him with a body punch in the fourth. Both fighters settled quickly. McGregor was coming forward jabbing well and finding the target with rights and southpaw Legrand had success with left hooks to the body. McGregor was scoring well with rights in the second and looked to be on the way to winning the round when a combination of punches sent him down. When he arose and the action resumed Legrand fired a barrage of punches but the bell went before he could do any more damage. McGregor came forward behind a high guard throughout the third. He was getting through with uppercuts from both hands and left hooks to the body and Legrand looked to be wilting. McGregor continued to buzz Legrand with uppercuts in the fourth and then dug in a vicious right to the ribs and Legrand dropped to one knee. Although he tried to rise he couldn’t beat the count. First defence of the European title for McGregor and his second impressive win over French opposition. He is rated No 3 by the IBF. However the title holder Naoya Inoue knocked out No 1 Michael Dasmarinas in June and the No 2 slot is vacant. McGregor can’t go to the No 1 spot as he has not beaten an opponent in the IBF ratings. The bantams are strong in the UK with Charlie Edwards, Khalid Yafai, Paul Butler and Ukashir Farooq all attractive domestic matches if they could be made and former WBC champion Nordine Oubaali is another possibility. Since relinquishing the European flyweight title in 2018 Legrand had scored five wins but all in six round fights showing a lack of ambition-or opportunity. McKenna vs. Felix McKenna floors Felix early and is floored himself on the way to a unanimous decision in an exciting scrap. McKenna went in front early being credited with a knockdown in the opening round that looked more like a slip. McKenna seemed to have scored a genuine knockdown in the second but it was not counted. Felix put McKenna down with a body shot in the third. The action was even hotter over the middle rounds with McKenna making full use of his edges in height and reach to punish Felix both a distance and on the way in. He rocked Felix in the seventh Felix was taking punishment but was not deterred and kept taking the fight to McKenna and McKenna had to fight hard to stay in front making for an entertaining scrap. McKenna was cut over his right eye and Felix had heavy swelling around his right eye McKenna was winning the rounds but not by much. Felix put in a strong last round but by then McKenna had the fight won. Scores 99-91, 97-91 and 97-92 for McKenna. Good bounce-back victory for McKenna after losing a majority decision to Ohara Davies in September. He wins the vacant WBO Inter-Continental belt. At one time Felix was 35-1-1 with the loss being to Bryan Vazquez for the interim WBA super feather title in 2014 but he is now 4-4 in his last 8 fights. McCrory vs. Gorokhov McCrory stops Gorokhov in five rounds. Russian Gorokhov outworked McCrory in the first but McCrory began to find his range from the second. He was feeding the oncoming Gorokhov left jabs and connecting with hurtful rights. In the fourth a punch opened a gash on Gorokhov’s nose and he was under heavy fire for the rest of the round. Gorokhov was dabbing at the injury in the fifth and the referee called the doctor to examine it and he ruled it was too serious for Gorokhov to continue. McCrory wins the WBC International Silver title from Gorokhov. McComb vs. Rodriguez McComb gets back into the winning column as he takes every round against seasoned Argentinian pro Rodriguez with the judges all turning in cards of 80-72. McComb had been halted in seven rounds by Gavin Gwynne in a fight for the vacant Commonwealth title in February. Rodriguez had lost to Adrien Broner for the vacant WBO super featherweight title in 2011. 7 August Brentwood, England: Feather: Kid Galahad (28-1) W RTD 11 James Dickens (30-4). Heavy: Fabio Wardley (12-0) W TKO 1 Nick Webb (17-3). Heavy: Alen Babic (8-0) W RTD 5 Mark Bennett (7-2). Galahad vs. Dickens Galahad wins the vacant IBF title as a bloody Dickens retires after the eleventh round. Round 1 A lively opening round saw both fighters have some success, Galahad switched guard at times with Dickens sticking to his southpaw stance and connecting with good straight lefts but with Galahad that bit quicker and just taking the round. Dickens was cut over his left eye in a clash of heads. Score: 10-9 Galahad Round 2 Galahad dominated the second. Again he was constantly switching guard but whichever way around he was quicker and more accurate and put together some crisp combinations forcing Dickens on to the back foot. Score: 10-9 Galahad Galahad 20-18 Round 3 Dickens was jabbing strongly at the start of the round but gradually Galahad took control. He was finding gaps for both his right and left jabs, outworking Dickens and connecting with some strong body punches. Score: 10-9 Galahad Galahad 30-27 Round 4 A better round for Dickens. He worked hard with his jab throughout the rounds and knocked Galahad off balance with a left. Galahad was coming up short with his punches and Dickens landed a sharp right uppercut late in the round. Score: 10-9 Dickens Galahad 39-37 Round 5 Galahad’s round. He was jabbing quickly and accurately with either hand and scoring to the body. He was putting together bursts of punches forcing Dickens onto the back foot and the pressure saw Dickens work become ragged under the speed and variety of Galahad’s punches. Score: 10-9 Galahad Galahad 49-46 Round 6 The sixth was one-sided. Galahad was picking Dickens off at distance with jabs and hooks and punishing Dickens when he came forward. No matter what Dickens did Galahad was finding him an easy target, He was constantly moving around Dickens landing punches from different angles and with different hands and blood was seeping from Dickens’ nose. Score: 10-9 Galahad Galahad 59-55 Round 7 Dickens found a way into the fight in the seventh managing to land a series of good punches. Galahad looked to be taking a breather in what was quiet round for him which allowed Dickens to claw back a point. Score: Dickens 10-9 Galahad 68-65 Round 8 A bit of a messy round with too many clinches as a tiring Dickens found it hard to get away from Galahad’s jab. Galahad was able to thread punches through Dickens’ guard and keep control of the action with Dickens face a bloody sight. Score: 10-9 Galahad Galahad 78-74 Round 9 Galahad rocked Dickens with a left in the ninth and continued to rack up the points as he slotted jabs through Dickens’ guard. Dickens tried hard to get inside but was taking too much punishment and was on the ropes under heavy pressure at the end of the round. Score: 10-9 Galahad Galahad 88-83 Round 10 Dickens got through with a hard left in the early action but again was continually under fire from Galahad’s jab and did not look to have much left as Galahad piled on the punishment shaking Dickens with a body shot. Galahad had been warned a few times for stepping on Dickens’ foot and when he did it again the referee deducted a point. Score: 9-9 Galahad 97-92. Round 11 Dickens fought bravely through a painful eleventh doing what he could to stay in the fight but his face was a mask of blood. He had nothing left to give and his team retired him at the end of the round. Galahad gets his second win over Dickens having stopped him in two rounds for the British super bantamweight title way back in 2013. There might be some interest in a return match with Josh Warrington who won a split decision over Galahad in an IBF title defence in June 2019 or even with Leigh Wood now the holder of the secondary WBA title. Dickens had earned his place in this title fight with a run of eight wins including victories over Nathaniel May, Leigh Wood and Ryan Walsh. He will look to regroup and find his way to another title chance. Wardley vs. Webb Wardley survives a frantic start from Webb to batter Webb to defeat after 2:30 of the opening round. Webb went straight after Wardley jabbing and moving in to throw right crosses. Webb continued to come forward throwing punches with Wardley being backed up and on the defensive and looking to be in trouble as Webb unloaded chopping rights. Wardley suddenly went on the attack and shook Webb and forced him to the ropes. Wardley pounded Webb with a barrage of punches with Webb floundering and after a couple of neck-snapping shots from Wardley the referee jumped in just as Webb fell to the canvas. For a while it looked as though Wardley might be in serious trouble but he comes away with his eleventh win by KO/TKO. Webb had scored an impressive stoppage of unbeaten German Erik Pfeifer in March but found that Wardley had a stronger chin and a harder punch. Babic vs. Bennett Babic beats Bennett in five rounds. Babic was connecting with heavy punches from the start and Bennett lost his mouthguard twice in ten seconds late in the opening round and almost went down just before the bell. The fight turned into a bar room brawl with lots of head down wild punching with Bennett shipping heavy punishment but staying upright marching forward as he had promised and banging back. Babic was in danger of punching himself out and he tired in the third but over the fourth and fifth he handed out a savage beating and the fight should could have been stopped during either round but wisely Bennett retired after the fifth. All eight of the Croatians’ wins have come inside the distance and he is ready to step up. Bennett showed incredible courage. After the fight Babic proposed to his girlfriend and she accepted so a win/win night for him. Minneapolis, MN, USA: Welter: Gabriel Maestre (4-0) W PTS 12 Mykal Fox (22-3). Welter: Eimantas Stanionis (13-0, 1ND) ND 4 Luis Collazo (39-8,1ND). Welter: Lucas Santamaria (12-2-1) W PTS 10 Devon Alexander (27-7-1). Bantam: Joahnys Argilagos (8-0) W KO 1 Luis Valdes (7-10-1). Super Light: Ryan Karl (19-3) W PTS 8 Edgar Ramirez (18-17-1). Maestre vs. Fox Maestre wins the vacant WBA interim title with a unanimous decision over substitute Fox a decision widely described as disgraceful. Fox was 5” taller than Maestre and that difference dictated the tactics with Maestre rolling forward trying to get past Fox’s jab to work to the body or trap him against the ropes. That aggression saw Maestre get past Fox’s jab enough to edge the first. Maestre continued to come forward in the second but overreached himself when throwing a right and a left hook counter from Fox put him down. Maestre was up immediately and landed a good body punch later in the round. Fox stuck to his boxing and Maestre continued to march forward with both having success over the third and fourth which were close but were pocketed by Fox. At the end of the fourth Fox was in front on all three cards 38-37 twice and 39-36. Maestre managed to get inside to score to the body in the fifth and sixth and although Fox was still landing his right jab and straight lefts Maestre looked to have taken both close rounds. Fox dominated the seventh and eighth as he moved and jabbed frustrating Maestre’s attempts to land anything significant. The judges were now seeing Maestre’s aggression as the deciding factor with two having Maestre in front 76-74 and 76-75 with the third card reading 76-76. Fox boxed cleverly in the ninth continually spearing Maestre with right jabs, snapping his head back with a left hook and landing right hooks inside. Maestre put in a big effort in the tenth and eleventh to take those rounds but Fox boxed his way through the last and looked a clear winner. The judges did not see it that way as they scored the fight 117-110, 115-112 and 114-113 for Maestre bringing down on themselves a whole chorus of dissent. Lou DiBella was incensed to the point of demanding an investigation into boxing and the WBA. Fox certainly looked to have won this one but Maestre is the now the holder of the interim WBA title. The 34-year-old Venezuelan double-Olympian said he was willing to give Fox a rematch. Maestre won a slew of medals as an amateur so his short record as a pro is deceptive. Fox came in as a substitute after Cody Crowley, the intended opponent for Maestre, tested positive for COVID-19. Despite having been floored and outpointed by Lucas Santamaria in his last fight Fox was parachuted into the Worst Boxing Association ratings for 31 July at No 12. He did not deserve the title shot but he deserves a return. Stanionis vs. Collazo Stanionis looked to be too strong for veteran Collazo. Stanionis took the fight inside from the first bell going to the body with hooks from both hands. Collazo tried to punch with him but was outworked. Stanionis used the same tactics in the second looking to tire the 40-year-old Collazo. In the third Collazo made a fast start but was being hurt by body punches and was rocked by a right. Collazo banged back hard but Stanionis was landing heavy rights and Collazo had a swelling under his left eye. They were trading punches in the fourth when their heads clashed. Collazo took a step back and went down pawing at a cut near his right eye. Initially it seemed as though the fight would be stopped in the Lithuanian’s favour but then realising Collazo was dazed from the head clash the referee gave Collazo time to recover and when Collazo was still unable to continue and with the fourth round not completed it was declared a No Decision. Wins over Thomas Dulorme and Justin DeLoach have seen Stanionis rise to No 1 with the WBA and he looked on his way to a win here. Collazo, a former holder of the WBA secondary title, sees his second consecutive fight end due to his suffering a cut. However in that fight against Kudratillo Abdukakhorov in October 2019 as the fight was not stopped until the tenth round and as Abdukakhorov had built a big lead Collazo lost on a technical decision. Santamaria vs. Alexander Californian Santamaria achieves a career best win as he gets a wide unanimous verdict over Alexander. The younger man used plenty of movement circling a static Alexander and darting in with jabs and quick rights. Alexander was tending to hold his gloves at thigh level and throw jabs up from there. He had a slightly higher work rate but the pace was slow. It looked a close fight until Santamaria upped the pace over the late rounds. On punches landed there was not much of a gap between them but it was Santamaria throwing the harder punches who impressed the judges more although the fight looked much closer than the scores suggest. The judges gave the decision to Santamaria 98-92 twice and 97-93. The seesaw swings up again for Santamaria. He had floored and outpointed Mykal Fox in August 2020 but then lost to Paul Kroll in October so he will be hoping to build on this win. This was Alexander’s first fight for over two years and he was nowhere near meeting the contract weight and had to do a deal to get accepted at 154lbs to Santamaria’s 148 ½ lbs and stated that he had injured his right bicep in the first round. He needs a win as he is now 1-5-1 in his last seven fights. Argilagos vs. Valdes Former amateur standout Argilagos destroys Valdes in quick time. He dropped Valdes with a right to the head and a left hook to the body. Valdes initially arose but promptly went down on one knee beating the canvas in agony and was counted after just 35 seconds. Cuban Argilagos, 24, is shaping up to be a real player at bantamweight as he settles into the pro ranks. He was a 49kg gold medallist at the 2015 and 2017 World Championships and defeated Toyo Olympic champion Galal Yafai on the way to a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics. Mexican Valdes a lamb to the slaughter. Karl vs. Ramirez Karl gets back to work with a unanimous verdict over Mexican Ramirez. Karl was rocked early and Ramirez suffered considerable pain from a low punch taking five minutes to recover. Karl dictated the action being too strong and fighting his usual battle of attrition to take the points. Scores 79-71 twice and 80-72. Karl was having his first outing since losing on a sixth round knockout to Mario Barrios in a challenge for the secondary WBA super light title in October. Ramirez is 1-5-1 in his last seven bouts. 3 August New York, NY, USA: Heavy: Michael Hunter (20-1-1) W TKO 4 Mike Wilson (21-2). Welter: Chris Algieri (25-3) W PTS 10 Mikkel LesPierre (22-3-1).Welter: Ivan Golub (20-1) W PTS 10 Eric Walker (20-4). Light Heavy: Joe Ward (4-1) W PTS 6 Troy Williams (5-1-1). Hunter vs. Wilson Hunter stops a brave Wilson in the fourth. Wilson took the fight to Hunter in the first and Hunter let him come and tagged him with some hefty left hooks to the body and rights to the head. Wilson continued to come forward in the second and third but Hunter was raking him with punches and Wilson was floundering under the punishment at the end of the third. Hunter blasted Wilson with punches in the fourth landing some neck-snapping uppercuts before dropping Wilson with a beautifully timed right counter which put Wilson down. He made it to his feet but was unsteady and bleeding heavily from his nose and the fight was stopped. A good run including victories over Fabio Maldonado and Sergey Kuzmin and a split draw with Alexander Povetkin has seen Hunter reach No 6 with the WBA. This was posted as a WBA eliminator but who knows which version of the four WBA titles it was an eliminator for. Wilson, 38, had lost to Hunter in the final of the 2007 US National Championships. He had weighed 198 ½ lbs in his last fight in September 2019 but was somehow rated No 14 heavyweight by the WBA. Hunter was 217 ¼ lbs for this fight which would put him comfortably inside the WBC’s Bridgerweight division which might suit him better. Algieri vs. LesPierre No sign of rust as former WBO super light champion Algieri outpoints LesPierre in his first fight for over two years. Algieri looked sharp from the start outboxing and outworking LesPierre. Algieri scored with scorching body punches in every round with LesPierre never able to pose a threat. Algieri dealt out unrelenting punishment over the sixth and seventh and although LesPierre had his moments he had to survive a savage onslaught from Algieri in the ninth to last the distance. Scores 100-90 twice and 99-91 for Algieri. He lost big fights against Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan and Errol Spence but has won his last four fights and was impressive here although at 37 time is running out for him. Trinidadian-born southpaw LesPierre went 21-0-1 at the start of his career but was outclassed and decision by Maurice Hooker in a WBO super light title challenge and was floored twice in losing on points to Jose Pedraza in his last fight in July 2020. Golub vs. Walker Ukrainian southpaw Golub comes away with a unanimous verdict against a competitive Walker. It was Walker who settled first and looked to have pocketed the first two rounds with Golub getting into the fight over the third and fourth. The fight turned Golub’s way when he dropped Walker late in the fifth. They both landed well over the next three rounds with Golub putting the decision beyond doubt by flooring Walker in the ninth. Scores 98-90, 97-91 and 96-92 for Golub. He wins the vacant USBA belt with his seventh victory since losing on points to Jamontay Clark in 2017. Walker, 38, suffers his second loss in a row having dropped a decision against WBA No 1 Israil Madrimov in August last year. Ward vs. Williams Irish southpaw Ward remains active with a decision over unbeaten Williams. Ward won all six rounds but suffered a cut in the fifth that may keep him out for a while. Scores 60-54 from the three judges. The 27-year-old Ward was World Junior and Youth champion and a three-time European Championships gold medallist as well was winning two silvers and a bronze at the World Championships. His loss was brought about by a knee injury in the second round of his first pro fight. Williams was having his first fight for two years. 6 August Stintino, Italy: Bantam: Vincenzo Picardi (4-0) W PTS 10 Cristian Zara (7-1). Picardi retains the national title with a unanimous decision in a fast-paced fight against a competitive Zara. Picardi was storming forward throughout the fight chasing down the retreating Zara who boxed with real skill on the back foot. Picardi switched guard occasionally and also looked a little crude at times but despite being fourteen years older than Zara he set the pace. The canvas was very slippery with both fighters going over at times and although the relentless aggression of Picardi gave him the edge Zara’s boxing skills made it close. Scores 96-94 twice and 97-94 for Picardi in his second title defence. Picardi did not turn pro until he was 35 after a successful time in the amateurs which in over 200 fights saw him score wins over Michael Conlan, Rau’shee Warren, Juan Carlos Payano, Robeisy Ramirez, Vladimir Nikitin and current WBA flyweight champion Artem Dalakian and take bronze medals at the Olympic Games and World Championships. Former Italian Youth champion Zara, 23, has the talent to go far. Windham, NH, USA: Welter: Travis Castellon (17-4-1) W PTS 10Brandon Berry (22-6-2). Floridian Castellon upsets the odds and the local fans as he outpoints Maine’s Berry. Castellon boxed cleverly on the back foot as Berry marched forward trying to cut off the ring and slow down southpaw Castellon so he could work inside. Castellon kept moving and jabbing and was able to score with straight rights and left hooks and then slide away from Berry’s attacks. Castellon was docked a point in the ninth for pushing Berry away but it made no difference as he had already built a big lead. Scores 99-90, 98-92, 96-93 for the visitor. Castellon had lost his last four fights on early round stoppages and Berry had won his last nine so something of an upset. 7 August Ekaterinburg, Russia: Light: Fedor Papazov (22-4) W KO 9 Arslan Magomedov (7-2-1). Super Bantam: Narek Abgaryan (16-1) W PTS 8 Sabelo Ngebinyana (13-6). Middle: Mikalai Vesialou (11-0-12) DREW 8 Artur Osipov (17-3-2). Super Light: Oganes Ustyan (7-0) W PTS 8 Oleksandr Abramian (5-2-1). Papazov vs. Magomedov Papazov scores spectacular ninth round kayo victor over Magomedov. Papazov had problems early with the height and reach edges Magomedov enjoyed. In the first as Papazov over reached himself with a jab a left counter sent him back and his knee touched the canvas but the referee did not give a count. Papazov had success with over hand rights landing heavily in the fourth and opening a cut over the left eye of Magomedov. Papazov tired over the second half of the fight and was caught with heavy rights in the eighth. Magomedov continued to take the fight to Papazov and he became over confident standing and exchanging at short range and a savage straight right from Papazov sent him crashing to the canvas and out. A valuable win for Papazov as he had lost two of his last three fights. Magomedov was 6-0-2 going in but he showed his inexperience in standing and trading with Papazov. Abgaryan vs. Ngebinyana Armenian Abgaryan rebounds from his first pro defeat with points win over South African Ngebinyana. Abgaryan floored Ngebinyana early but could not finish the fight and Ngebinyana fought back hard trading punches with Abgaryan all the way. Abgaryan took a deserved unanimous decision but former South African super fly champion Ngebinyana gave a creditable display. Abgaryan had dropped a decision against useful Eduardo Baez in Los Angeles in December. Vesialou vs. Osipov Vesialou and Osipov fight to a split draw. The WBA No 8 Vesialou looked very lucky to escape with a draw. Osipov forced the fight and looked to have outworked Vesialou who tired over the late rounds but Osipov had to settle for a draw. Score 78-74 for Vesialou, 78-74 for Osipov and 76-76. First fight for 22 months for Belarusian Vesialou who had scored a useful win over 18-2-1 Abdul Khattab in that last fight. Russian Osipov has had a bumpy ride being 2-3-2 in his last 7 fights. Ustyan vs. Abramian Ustyan gets points victory over an unlucky Abramian who injured his left hand in the first round. Despite the handicap Abramian managed to score with jabs and overhand rights but eventually he could not hold his left hand up and had to survive using upper body movement and good footwork. Ustyan was able to take advantage of Abramian’s problems but still had to fight hard to get the decision. Scores 79-73 twice and 77-75. Georgian-born Russian Ustyan, 23, wins the vacant IBNF Youth belt. Ukrainian Abramian, 21, showed courage in continuing despite that handicap. Springfield, MA, USA: Super Middle: Kendrick Ball Jr (17-1-2) W PTS 8 Tyi Edmonds (14-4,1ND). Ball continues his good run as he outpoints Edmonds. Ball used his height and reach to outbox Edmonds and then finished strongly flooring Edmonds in the eighth round. Scores 80-70, 79-71 and 76-74 for Ball who was defending the WBC US title. Edmonds was 9-0,1ND in his last ten fights. Heredia, Costa Rica: Minimumweight: Yokasta Valle (22-2) W PTS 10 Debora Rengifo (14-8-1). In a non-title fight IBF Female champion Valle extended her winning run to nine as she outpointed Venezuelan Rengifo over ten rounds. Scores 100-89 twice and 100-90. The 28-year-old Nicaraguan-born Costa Rican is a former undefeated IBF Jr minimum flyweight title holder where the weight limit is 102lbs. Six of Rengifo’s losses have come in world title shots. Pec, Kosovo: Super Middle: Kamer Maloku (15-2) W TKO 3 Bosko Misic (22-16). Kosovon Maloku wins the vacant UBO title with early victory over Misic. Despite giving away height and reach three knockdowns in the third by Maloku were enough to end this one. Maloku lost his first two pro fights so is 15-0 with 12 wins by KO/TKO now-but don’t look too carefully at his opposition. Of Croatian Misic’s 16 losses 14 have come by KO/TKO. Fight of the week (Significance): Kid Galahad’s victory over James Dickens should open the door to some big money outings for Galahad. Fight of the week (Entertainment): Tyrone McKenna and Jose Felix provided ten rounds of action. Fighter of the week: Kid Galahad the new IBF featherweight title holder Punch of the week: The right cross from Fedor Papazov that finished Arslan Magomedov was fearsome. Honourable mention to the right from Michael Hunter that floored Mike Wilson which was perfectly timed and executed. Upset of the week: The points win for Lucas Santamaria over Devon Alexander was a bit of surprise as Santamaria was coming off a loss Prospect watch: Irish light heavyweight Joe Ward is finally getting fights following a fourteen month layoff and he has a long list of outstanding achievements as an amateur behind him. Observations -The fight for the Worst Boxing Association interim featherweight title between Michael Conlan and TJ Doheny featured cynical behaviour so typical of the WBA. In their ratings published 30 June neither Conlan or Doheny appeared anywhere. In the 31 July ratings Conlan suddenly popped up at No 4 and Doheny at No 5 even though Doheny lost his last fight to Ionut Baluta who is not in the rankings. Timing is everything. Eduardo Ramirez sent an email to the WBA relinquishing the interim title on 2 August and suddenly Conlan vs. Doheny is for the interim title. Wow that was quick. Imagine Conlan and Doheny managing to be fit and ready at only four days notice! Believe that if you like. Additionally Mykal Fox having lost his last fight did not stop the WBA from popping him in at No 12 one week before he fought Gabriel Maestre for the interim welterweight title. Timing is everything. At a weekend when there were two WBA interim title fights up pops Gilberto Mendoza-the President of the Worst Boxing Association- to tell the world that his organisation intends to reduce the number of titles in each division. President Mendoza filled me with hope. They are going to “gradually eliminate this flexibility we have with titles” I know that I said earlier (2016) that I intend to reduced the numbers of titles and did not do it” Wow we didn’t notice that-what a surprise! “I am not saying we intend to keep only one champion in each weight category but in most weight categories. I do not know in which categories the interim champion title will be removed” Which means they will be retaining interim titles. Cross your fingers Conlan and Maestre that your titles don’t become redundant and if your fighter is offered a chance at a WBA interim title ask for a two year warranty. “and in what divisions the titles of regular (secondary) and super champions will remain. We intend to add value to our Gold belts” So to sum up the Worst Boxing Association President stated they will still have Super, Secondary, interim and Gold titles and he called a press conference to announce this momentous decision and the plan to implement it will be in place-soon! -I love one promoter’s attempt to solve the problem of a wet and slippy canvas. In a professional show in Egypt on Friday after lots of slipping and sliding they stopped the show and covered the ring in Persian carpets held in place by duct tape. Unfortunately it did not work and had to be ripped up later but you have to give him an ‘A’ for effort. Two female bouts at the weekend were fought over three minute rounds which seems to be the way things will go. I don’t know enough about any additional health hazards for female boxers in fighting three minute rounds but if they can run marathons and competed in a decathlon why should three minute rounds be too much for them? I guess they could take a gradual approach and replace 10 x 2 minutes with 8 x 3 initially - One of the fighters going three minutes at the weekend was IBF minimumweight champion Yokasta Valle. She has been by his father that she is the inspiration for his six-year-old son Emiliano Herrera who is battling against leukaemia. Yokasta invited him to the fight and made a present to him of her gloves in what was a very moving moment. There are plenty of wonderful people in boxing. By Eric Armit
Highlights: -Joe Joyce strengthens his claim to a world title shot with stoppage of Carlos Takam -Murat Gassiev returns to action and stops Michael Wallisch in a heavyweight contest -Alberto Puello and Eric Rosa win in WBA interim title fights in the Dominican Republic - Fifty-year-old cruiserweight Firat Arslan keeps his dream of becoming the oldest fighter to win a world title as he gets an easy win over Ruben Acosta World Title/Major Shows 24 July London, England: Heavy: Joe Joyce (13-0) W TKO 6 Carlos Takam (39-6-1), Welter: Ekow Essuman (15-0) W TKO 8 Chris Jenkins (22-4-3). Super Welter: Hamza Sheeraz (13-0) W KO 5 Ezequiel Gurria (15-2). Super Bantam: Chris Bourke (10-0) W PTS 10 James Beech (12-2). Heavy: David Adeleye (7-0) W TKO 4 Mladen Manev (3-10). Super Light: Sam Noakes (7-0) W RTD 2 Naeem Ali (2-71-1). Joyce vs. Takam Joyce retains the Commonwealth, WBC Silver and WBO International titles as he stops Takam in the sixth. Takam was giving away height, weight and reach against Joyce and his tactics were to keep moving and throw overhand rights. Joyce was padding forward as usual in the first stabbing out jabs and throwing straight rights. It was Takam who was catching the eye as he scored early with a strong right and ended the round connecting with four more. Joyce continued to come forward in the second landing some clubbing shots and a couple of rights to the body. Takam connected with a left hook to the head and again banged home some right crosses. The punches just bounced off Joyce. The third saw Takam’s pace drop as Joyce began to find a home for more of his powerful jabs and heavy rights but Takam threw himself forward on the attack late in the fourth again getting through with rights to the head. The body punches started to take their toll on Takam who slowed in the fifth. Joyce was landing heavily but Takam again attacked fiercely at the end of the round. In the first few seconds of the sixth a left hook from Joyce sent Takam stumbling back across the ring on rubbery legs. Joyce followed him landing a whole series of head punches. Initially Takam was punching back but then after a few more head punches from Joyce he stopped doing that and just covered up as Joyce bounced punches off his head/gloves and sent him reeling. The referee came in and stopped the fight only for Takam to pop his head over his high guard shouting in protest at the stoppage. He continued to berate the referee but with his experience he must have known that by letting Joyce throw almost thirty punches without throwing a single punch back he was leaving the referee little choice but to stop the fight. Joyce is rated WBO 2/WBC 5/IBF 10(9) and was calling out Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury but he probably have to wait until next year before he gets a title shot. Takam was enraged by the stoppage and has demanded a return but Joyce will be looking forward and not back. Essuman vs. Jenkins Essuman wins the British and Commonwealth titles as after a high action competitive fight he overwhelms and injured Jenkins in the eighth round. They are well-schooled fighters and from the start both men showed well with their jab. Jenkins took the first round just winning the duel if the jabs but Essuman seemed to take the second with more variety in his work. He landed some hard body punches and it later transpired that one of those punches had broken a rib in the left side of Jenkins. Both scored well in the third and the fourth swung one way and then the other. Essuman started with a fierce attack and had Jenkins reeling. Jenkins steady himself and then fired back and dominated the second half of an excellent round with his jab. Essuman outworked Jenkins in the fifth and sixth. He was coming forward throwing punches with Jenkins no longer as strong with his jab. Essuman also took the seventh with Jenkins constantly on the back foot and off target with his jab and Essuman getting through with hard punches from both hands. Essuman launched a furious attack at the start of the eight and suddenly Jenkins was in trouble being caught with heavy punches and just covering up under fire and the referee made a timely stoppage. Botswana-born Essuman gets his sixth inside the distance win. Welshman Jenkins was having his first fight for twenty months and will be hoping for a return match when his injury heals. Sheeraz vs. Gurria Sheeraz grinds down and stops Spaniard Gurria in the fifth round. Sheeraz had huge edges in height and reach and he used those to put Gurria under pressure over the first two rounds but the pace was slow. Sheeraz increased the tempo in the third driving Gurria back across the ring with a series of punishing jabs. He continued to put his punches together well in the fourth and then floored Gurria with a left hook to the body. Gurria made it to his feet but when he was dumped on the canvas again with right to the body and a left to the head the fight was stopped. Seventh consecutive early win for the 6’1” 22-year-old Shiraz who was putting the WBO European belt on the line for the third time. Former Spanish champion Gurria was just not big enough to trouble Sheeraz. Bourke vs. Beech Bourke boxes his way to a clear decision over Beech in a fast-paced match. Bourke took control of the centre of the ring in the first round and never relinquished that control. He used sharp accurate right jabs and straight lefts to scores at distance and when Beech did try to come forward Bourke met him with hard, accurate counters. Beech just could not get a foothold in the fight. He made the seventh and eighth rounds close but took heavy punishment in the ninth and was out boxed by Bourke in the last. Scores 100-90, (99-91 and 99-92. First defence of the WBC International belt for Bourke. Second defeat in a row for Beech who lost a decision against Brad Foster for the Commonwealth and British titles in July last year. Adeleye vs. Manev Adeleye stops Manev in four rounds. The Bulgarian was carrying lots of extra weight around his middle and Adeleye was able to land body punches with both hands in the first. Manev was cut over his left eye in a second round which saw little action. Adeleye upped his pace notably in the third scoring with clubbing head shots and some spectacular uppercuts. Adeleye was in control in the fourth and when he landed another uppercut Manev back away to a corner and then confusion reigned. Manev seemed to be indicating a problem with his left eye. He started to drop looking to take a knee so the referee could step in. He did not go all the way down but dropped his hand and the referee did not step in so Adeleye connected with a heavy right on Manev who was in a semi-crouch. Manev was so enraged over that punch that he went wild throwing punches resulting in a wild brawl before an uppercut did put him down. He beat the count but went down again from a left to the body with the referee ending the fight immediately. Sixth win by TKO/TKO for the 24-year-old Londoner. Manev was a top level amateur but he competed at 75kg (165lbs) and 81kg (178lbs) then and he was 228lbs here in losing the fifth of his last six fights. Noakes vs. Ali Noakes gets another inside the distance victory but the real surprise was Ali being stopped. Noakes usually comes out firing punches but he took a more measured approach here against survival expert Ali. Noakes landed some stiff body shots in the first but Ali blocked most of the shots and was not in any real trouble. In the second Noakes began to find the target with some vicious uppercuts but Ali made it to the bell. There was blood coming from Ali’s nose which seemed to be broken and he retired in the interval. Noakes has won all of his fights by KO/TKO but the real news was that this is the first time in 74 fights-including 71 losses- that Ali has failed to last the distance 21 July Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Super Light: Alberto Puello (19-0) W PTS 12 Jesus Rubio (13-4-1). Minimum: Eric Rosa (4-0) W PTS 12 Ricardo Astuvilca (21-1). Light Heavy: Lenin Castillo (21-3-1) W RTD 4 Ronald Gonzalez (8-1). Puello vs. Rubio Puello remains unbeaten and retains the interim WBA title as he takes wide unanimous verdict over Mexican Rubio. Puello put Rubio down with a right just before the bell to end the first round and was in control from there. He used his superior skills and accurate southpaw straight lefts with the strong but limited Rubio out of his depth. Puello cruised over the middle rounds before trying to put Rubio away in the last with a barrage of body punches but Rubio just made it to the final bell. Scores 120-107 on the three cards for Puello. With the WBA loading this division with super, world and Gold title holders Puello is a long way down the pecking order but ” The Wasp” is a quality fighter too good to be left down the blind alley of an interim title. Rubio was a very ordinary level challenger and no real threat to Puello. Rosa vs. Astuvilca In only his fourth fight Dominican hot prospect “Mini Pac-Man” Rosa outpoints Peruvian Astuvilca to collect the vacant WBA belt in an entertaining scrap. Southpaw Rosa had height and reach over Astuvilca and comfortably outboxed the little Peruvian over the first three rounds. Astuvilca was credited with a questionable knockdown in the fourth and carried that momentum into the fifth. Rosa then took the next four rounds but then had to fight hard to hold off a fierce finish from Astuvilca over the closing rounds but was a clear winner. Scores 117-110 twice and 114-113 for Rosa. The new title holder is still a work in progress but has plenty of talent. Astuvilca has very little skill but plenty of energy and aggression but his record has been built on very modest opposition. Castillo vs. Gonzalez Castillo gets a win as Gonzalez retires at the end of the fourth round due to a swelling over his right eye hampering his vision. Castillo had no real problem here in piercing the Venezuelan’s guard or dealing with Gonzalez’s crude attacks. A clash of heads in the first saw a swelling developing over the right eye of Gonzalez. Castillo handed out plenty of punishment over the second and third rounds and staggered Gonzalez a couple of times in the fourth leading to the doctor examining the swelling in the interval and indicating the fight should be halted. The 21-year-old 6’2” Castillo lost to Dmitry Bivol in a shot at the secondary WBA in his last fight in October 2019. Venezuelan Gonzalez has a very padded record with his eight victims having only one win between them. Tokyo Japan, Fly: Seigo Akui (16-2-1) W TKO 10 Taku Kuwahara (8-1). “Yuri” Akui retains the Japanese flyweight title with a tenth round stoppage of “Ioka II” Kuwhara. Akui put Kuwahara down in the opening round but Kuwahara fought back hard enough for it to be close going into the last round. In the tenth Akui floored Kawahara again with a heavy right and the fight was stopped. Eleventh inside the distance victory for Akui. His “Yuri” nickname is a tribute to former flyweight title holder Yuri Arbachakov and Kuwahara’s nickname is “Ioka II” after four-division title holder Kazuto Ioka. 22 July Moscow, Russia: Heavy: Murat Gassiev (28-1,1ND) W TKO 4 Michael Wallisch (22-5). Super Fly: Mikhail Aloyan (7-1) W PTS 10 Mchanja Yohana (12-3). Feather: Andranik Grigoryan (14-0) W PTS 10 Nathaniel Kakololo (11-3-1). Vladimir Nikitin (5-1-1) W RTD 3 Raul Aghayev (31-10) Gassiev vs. Wallisch Now campaigning at heavyweight Gassiev stops Wallisch in four rounds. Gassiev landed a hard right in the first that started a bruising under the left eye of Wallisch but apart from that one punch for three rounds Gassiev just tracked Wallisch around the ring hardly throwing a punch. Wallisch landed a right in the third which was the best punch to that point. Gassiev finally showed some fire in the fourth using his jab and throwing some hooks. Wallisch already looked to be tiring and went down heavily from a hard right. Wallisch made it to his feet and Gassiev then had him reeling under a barrage of punches and the referee stopped the fight The former IBF/WBA cruiserweight champion looked slow but as this is only his second fight in three years (and one day) that was understandable but he needs to improve from this showing. Wallisch is now 3-5 in his last 6 fights with all of the losses by KO/TKO against tough opposition. Aloyan vs. Yohana Aloyan outpoints Tanzanian Yohana. Aloyan was just too quick for Yohana. He was able to score with his jab at distance and get inside and land a punch before Yohana could counter. Yohana came forward for much of the fight and although he made Aloyan work hard he just lacked the speed and accuracy of Aloyan. Scores 99-91 for Aloyan on the three cards. Armenian-born Aloyan was World amateur champion in 2011 and 2013 and a gold medallist at the European Championships. He scored wins over Khalid Yafai, Nordine Oubaali, Andrew Selby, Rau’shee Warren and Tugstsogt Nyambayan in the amateurs but lost to Zolani Tete for the WBA bantam title in 2018. Yohana did not have the power or the experience to threaten Aloyan. Grigoryan vs. Kakololo Armenian-born Grigoryan takes unanimous decision over Namibian Kakololo. The 5’4” Grigoryan chased down the taller Namibian over the full ten rounds. Kakololo showed some good skills but not much power and Grigoryan was able to get inside and score constantly. He is no puncher himself and never had Kakololo in any trouble. Kakololo had shown well in his last fight in Russia only losing on a majority decision against WBO No 6 Oleg Malinowski. Nikitin vs. Aghayev Nikitin batters Azeri Aghayev to defeat in three rounds. Nikitin came out throwing punches from the first bell and never stopped. He hustled and harried late substitute Aghayev around the ring in the second and third and at times only the ropes held Aghayev up. Aghayev gave it everything in the third standing and trading with Nikitin but he was rocked a few times and retired at the end of the round. Nikitin’s loss came against Michael Conlan who gained revenge for a controversial loss to Nikitin in the Rio Olympics. 23 July Panama City, Panama: Welter: Johan Gonzalez (28-1) W KO 2 Likar Ramos (30-11). Super Bantam: Liborio Solis (32-6-1, ND) W PTS 8 Marlon Olea (14-8). Feather: Yonfrez Parejo (24-4-1) W RTD 3 Jordan Escobar (16-13-2). Feather: Rafael Pedroza W KO 2 Mauricio Martinez (15-22-2). Gonzalez vs. Ramos Venezuelan Gonzalez knocks out Colombian southpaw Ramos early in the second round. All 28 of Gonzalez’s victories have come by KO/TKO. His loss was a split decision against Charlie Navarro in July 2019. Former WBA interim WBA super feather title holder Ramos has won only one of his last six fights Solis vs. Olea Seasoned pro Solis floors and outpoints Colombian Olea. Scores 80-71 twice and 79-72 for the 39-year-old Venezuelan a former holder of the WBA super flyweight title. He is 7-1 in his last 8 fights with the loss being a split decision to Guillermo Rigondeaux for the vacant secondary WBA bantam title in February last year. Olea falls to 1-7 in his most recent activity. Parejo vs. Escobar Parejo handed out some severe punishment and Nicaraguan Jordan Escobar did not come out for the fourth round. The 34-year-old Parejo lost to Ryan Burnett in a challenge for the WBA bantamweight and Brandon Figueroa for the interim secondary WBA super bantamweight titles. Escobar drops to 1-6 in his last 7 fights. Pedroza vs. Martinez Panamanian Pedroza makes it ten wins by KO/TKO in his eleven fights as he puts Colombian Mauricio Martinez down and out in the second round. Pedraza, 24, is No 15 super bantamweight with the WBA. Poor Colombian Martinez has lost 14 times by KO/TKO. Grand Island. NE, USA: Super Middle: Isaiah Steen (16-0,1ND) W PTS 10 Kelvin Henderson (14-1-1). Welter: Janelson Figueroa Bocachica (17-0-1) DREW 10 Shinard Bunch (15-2,1ND). 12 Steen vs. Henderson Steen wins a unanimous verdict over Henderson in a clash of unbeaten fighters. Henderson made a promising start connecting with rights in the first and doing enough to share the second. When heads banged together in the second Henderson was cut over his left eye and from there Steen took control. He outlanded Henderson in the fourth and rocked him with a right in the fifth. Henderson did enough to take the sixth but Steen banged back hurting Henderson with rights in the seventh. Henderson took the fight to Steen over the eighth and ninth but Steen boxed well behind his jab and edged the tenth to take the decision. Scores 97-93 twice and 95-94 for Steen. Good win for Steen, 24, the brother of unbeaten former Olympian Charles Conwell. Texan Henderson will rebound and if that does not work then he can fall back on his bachelor’s degree in music education. Bunch vs. Bocachica This contest between Bunch and Bocachica ends as a draw although Bunch looked a clear winner. From the start Bunch had his jab working well and was on target with long rights. He was using good upper body movement to bob and weave under Bocachica’s punches and landing jarring shots from both hands. Bunch looked to have swept the first six rounds and although Bocachica shook Bunch a couple of times in the seventh and eighth Bunch scored well in the ninth and then boxed his way through the last. The judges came up with scores of 97-93 for Bunch 96-94 for Bocachica and 95-95. Boujan-sur-Libron, France: Super Light: Bastien Ballesta (23-0-1) W RTD 6 Hedi Slimani (33-7-1). Local fighter Ballesta wins the vacant WBC Francophone belt with injury victory over Hedi Slimani. It was Slimani who took the first crowding Ballesta and scoring with strong rights. Ballesta settled into the fight in then boxed cleverly over the second and third. Slimani was dangerous with his power in the fourth but Ballesta was defending well and countering accurately. Ballesta dominated the action in the fifth and sixth as Slimani showed signs of a shoulder injury and retired after the sixth. Former French champion Ballesta drew his first pro fight so this is win No 23 in a row. Slimani was 26-2 but after a points loss to Richard Commey in 2017 has fallen away. Maccarese, Italy: Super Welter: Mirko Di Carlantonio (11-7-1) DREW 10 Marco Papasidero (9-2-4). Super Welter: Mirko Natalizi (11-0) W PTS 8 Dmytro Shcherbyna (10-1-1). Feather: Mauro Forte (16-0-1) W KO 3 Romic Airapetean (9-2). Di Carlantonio vs. Papasidero The Italian title remains vacant as Di Carlantonio and Papasidero fight to a draw. Papasidero dropped Di Carlantonio with a right in the opening round and used all-out aggression and effective body punching to move into a clear lead. Di Carlantonio, 40, fought back hard and produced the stronger finish to earn a share of the points. Scores 95-94 for Papasidero, 95-94 for Di Carlantonio and 95-95. A good fight and they will have to go up against each other again. Natalizi vs. Shcherbyna Good test for Natalizi against Ukrainian Shcherbyna. Natalizi scored heavily over the middle rounds but Shcherbyna did not crumble and remained competitive until Natalizi floored him in the last to cement his victory. Natalizi 26yo based Rome, 5’ 11 ½” 7 wins id, Shcherbyna 25yo Ukrainian, 6’0”, 3 wins id 0 losses id, Forte vs. Airapetean Unbeaten southpaw Forte blows away Moldovan Airapetean in three rounds. Forte floored Airapetean in the first and continued to ram home heavy punches in the second. Airapetean survived but was floored twice in the third and counted out. European Union champion Forte is waiting for a date for his title defence against Francesco Grandelli. Osaka, Japan: Light Fly: Riku Kano (18-4-1) W TKO 9 Takumi Sakae (22-4-1). Middle: Yuki Nonaka (35-10) W PTS 12 Koki Koshikawa (9-3). Kano vs. Sakae Kano has to get off the canvas twice against heavy puncher Sakae to retain his WBO Asia Pacific title. It looked early as though Sakae was on his way to victory when he put Kano down in the second and fourth rounds. He failed to finish the champion and over the second half of the fight Kano’s body punching wore-down Sakae and with Sakae reeling under an array of punches in the ninth the fight was stopped. Fifth consecutive win for the WBO No 6. First inside the distance defeat for Sakae. Nonaka vs. Koshikawa Age no barrier as 43-year-old Nonaka returns to action with a successful defence of the WBO Asia Pacific belt on a unanimous decision over Koshikawa. Nonaka comfortably outboxed the young challenger slotting punches through Wahiawa’s guard and banging home straight lefts. Koshikawa tried to take the fight to Nonaka but by the middle of the fight he was bloody and bruised. He survived some doctor’s examinations but was never able to match Nonaka for skills. This was Nonaka’s first fight since September 2019 Scores 119-109 twice and a confusing 115-113 all for southpaw Nonaka who turned pro back in 1999. Cuernavaca, Mexico: Heavy: Arslanbek Makhmudov (12-0) W TKO 1 Pavel Sour (13-5) Canadian-based Russian Makhmudov gets another quick win. After a first exchange of punches Makhmudov landed a booming right to Sour’s temple that sent him down heavily with the referee immediately waiving the fight over after just 33 seconds. The 32-year-old 6’5 ½” Makhmudov has won all of his fights by KO/TKO with eight first round finishes. Czech Sour suffers his fourth inside the distance loss. 24 July Brisbane, Australia: Super Light: Liam Paro (21-0) W PTS 10 Steve Gago (12-2). Super Welter: Tysinn Best (14-2) W PTS 10 Adrian Rodriguez (13-4-2). Cruiser: Floyd Masson (10-0) W TKO 4 Joseph Liga (6-3-1). Paro vs. Gago Paro much too good for limited but willing for fellow southpaw Gago in a slow-paced uninspiring fight. He outboxed Gago and sent him down in the fifth with a left to the head. Gago was going back at the time so it wasn’t a heavy knockdown and Gago got up quickly and back into the fight but found the skills of Paro too much. Scores 99-90 twice and 100-89. Paro is No 2 with the WBO and No 3(2) with the IBF so like all super lightweights he is waiting to see what happens with Josh Taylor. Best vs. Rodriguez Superior skills and a higher work rate won for Best here. He worked everything off his jab and although Rodriguez was dangerous with rights he was leaving himself open and Best was able to slot home jabs and connect with straight rights. Neither was hurt and with his aggressive approach Rodriguez made Best work hard. Scores 97-94 twice and 98-92 for Best. The former Australian welter champion wins the vacant Australasian title. Rodriguez is a former Australian champion. Masson vs. Liga New Zealand-born southpaw Masson proves just too strong for Liga and wins the vacant Australasian title. Masson was in charge from the start with Liga willing to stand and trade with the stronger man. Masson was cut in the second round but slowly broke Liga down before flooring him with a series of vicious head punches in the fourth with the fight being stopped. Seventh inside the distance victory for Masson Guarulhos, Brazil: Cruiser: Yamaguchi Falcao (17-1-1,1ND) W TKO 1 Clebson Tubarao (3-2-1). 13 A In a disgraceful mismatch Falcao jumps up three divisions and stops Tubarao in the first round to win the vacant Brazilian cruiserweight title. This was a massacre as Falcao put the bigger Tubarao down four times before the fight was mercifully stopped. Falcoa, 33, is the elder brother of unbeaten Esquiva Falcao and won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics. This was his first fight since drawing with D’Mitrius Ballard in December 2019. Tubarao was having his first fight for over two years. Agde, France: Super Feather: Florian Montels (21-2-2,1ND) W PTS 10 Carlos Cossio (8-8-3). Home town fighter Montels hold on to the WBC Francophone title with unanimous decision over Peruvian Cossio. Scores 100-90, 98-92 and 97-93 for Montels who registers his eighth victory on the bounce. French-based Cossio without a win in his last four fights. Goeppingen, Germany: Cruiser: Firat Arslan (49-9-3) W KO 4 Ruben Acosta (38-18-4). Cruiser: Huseyin Cinkara (16-0) W RTD 6 Erdogan Kadrija (16-4). Heavy: Ali Kiydin (15-1) W KO 2 Dorde Tomic 3-3). Arslan vs. Acosta Farcically easy win for Arslan in a show staged in his own gym. Over the first two rounds Arslan was walking forward behind a high guard with a tubby Acosta just circling the perimeter of the ring. Arslan trapped Acosta in a corner in the third and landed a right to the body that saw Acosta take a count on one knee. He made it through the round but went down twice more from body punches in the fourth and was counted out. The 50-year-old Arslan wins the vacant WBA International title. He is No 5 with the WBA even though he has done nothing of consequence since losing to Kevin Lerena in February last year. His aim is now to challenge for the WBA title to become the oldest fighter to win a world title beating Bernard Hopkins record of winning the WBC light heavyweight title at the age of 46 but to gain recognition he will need to win the real WBA title. Argentinian Acosta, 43, weighed 152lbs at the start of his career and he was more than 40lbs heavier for this fight. Cinkara vs. Kadrija German Cinkara wins the vacant IBO Continental title. He floored Kadrija early and Kadrija retired at the end of the sixth round. Twelfth win by KO/TKO for 36-year-old Cinkara. Kosovo-born Kadrija had won 5 of his last 6 fights. Kiydin vs. Tomic Kiydin crushes novice Tomic in two rounds. He floored Tomic twice with body punches in the first and put him down with a savage combination in the second. Kiydin has 14 wins by KO/TKO but was knocked in 66 seconds by unbeaten New Zealander Hemi Aho in 2019. Konigsbrunn, Germany: Minimum: Tina Rupprecht (10-0-1) W Kalia Gutierrez (23-7). Fourth successful defence of the WBC Female title for Rupprecht as she takes a split decision over former IBF champion Gutierrez. Despite Gutierrez having, the longer reach Rupprecht controlled the fight from the centre of the ring constantly forcing Gutierrez on to the back foot with Gutierrez looking to counter punch. The fight was close all the way and at the end of the seventh round Rupprecht was in front on two cards and behind on the other. Rupprecht held on to her lead with her more aggressive approach. Scores 97-93 and 96-94 for Rupprecht and 96-94 for Gutierrez. Gutierrez came into the fight as the holder of the WBC Silver belt. Fight of the week (Significance): Joe Joyce’s win over Carlos Takam puts him in line for a shot at the heavyweight title next year. Fight of the week (Entertainment): The Eric Rosa vs. Ricardo Astuvilca provided plenty of entertainment Fighter of the week: Joe Joyce as he marches on towards a title fight Punch of the week: The right cross from Arslanbek Makhmudov that finished Pavel Sour was a blaster Upset of the week: None Prospect watch: Super Bantamweight southpaw Chris Bourke put on an impressive display in outpointing James Beech Observations Records can be so deceptive. Take Nassem Ali who before his fight this week had a 2-70-1 record with all of his 70 losses on decisions. It is an awful record but it conceals the fact that Ali actually has quite a few skills and could have a better record. However he can make more money from taking short notice fights or going in against rising prospects. He cannot afford to be stopped and suspended as he always has to be ready and available-and he if he started to win he might even find the fights drying up. If in trouble and looking for some recovery time it can be a good idea to spit out your mouthguard. The referee will then stop the action to recover it and then take you to a corner to get it a quick wash and then restart the fight. That trick did not work for Michael Wallisch. He “lost” his mouthguard after being floored by Murat Gassiev but the referee just picked up the mouthguard and stuck it back into the German’s mouth-not hygienic but it might make Wallisch think again before using that ploy. Dominican Eric Rosa won the interim WBA minimumweight title in only his fourth pro fight. In fact all four of his fights have been for a title. In this age of multi-titles that is not the achievement it used to be and it distorts the level of his achievement as the WBA have four title holders at minimumweight in a super, secondary, gold and now interim. I can’t think of any other sport where the major bodies have damaged the standing of their sport as the sanctioning bodies have to boxing with now over 1.000 titles and more to come. By Eric Armit
Highlights: Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano fight to a controversial draw in a fight that was supposed to unify the four super welterweight belts- so nothing unified -Ryad Merhy makes a successful defence of the secondary WBA heavyweight title with eighth round stoppage of Chinese challenger Zhaoxin Zhang -Lourdes Juarez gets a split verdict over Diana Fernandez in a WBC Female super flyweight title defence -Former cruiserweight title holder Krzys Wlodarczyk returns with a victory and in domestic action Mattia Faraoni and Vairo Lenti win in Italian title fights, Yves Ulysse stops fellow-Canadian David Theroux and red hot Japanese prospect Ginjiro Shigeoka stops Toshiki Kawamitsu World Title/Major Shows 16 July Ciudad Juarez, Mexico: Super Fly: Lourdes Juarez (32-2,1ND) W PTS 10 Diana Fernandez (23-4). Super Light: Bryan Flores (30-2-1) W TKO 4 Otto Gamez (19-6) Juarez vs. Fernandez “Lulu” Juarez retains the WBC title with a split decision over local fighter Fernandez. The split decision was a strange one. After Fernandez edged the opening round Juarez took over. She was on the front foot taking the fight to Fernandez landing with power and speed and looked to have swept the next four rounds. Fernandez got back into the fight by taking the sixth but then Juarez staged a strong finish over the last three rounds. The judges scored this 96-95 and 95-94 for Juarez and 96-94 for Fernandez! After a couple of defeats early in her career Juarez is now unbeaten in her last 29 fights. Fernandez lost a split decision to Lourdes in November 2017 and was beaten by Mariana Juarez, the elder sister of Lourdes, for the WBC female bantam title in 2019. Flores vs. Gamez Juarez-based Flores batters Gamez to defeat in four rounds. Flores led all the way before driving Gamez to a corner in the fourth and dropping Gamez with a right with the fight being halted. Flores is 19-0-1 in his last 20 outings but against carefully vetted opposition. Venezuelan’s Gamez’s recent form has him 1-4 in his last five fights. 17 July San Antonio, TX, USA: Super: Jermell Charlo (34-1-1) DREW 12 Brian Castano (17-0-2). Light: Ronald Romero (14-0) W TKO 7 Anthony Yigit (24-2-1). Middle: Amilcar Vidal (13-0) W PTS 10 Immanuwel Aleem (18-3-2). Super Welter: Bakhram Murtazaliev (19-0) W PTS 8 Khiary Gray (16-6). Charlo vs. Castano A unification fight that does not unify as Jermell Charlo, the IBF, WBA and WBC title holder and WBO title holder Castano fight to a controversial draw. Round 1 Castano was jabbing well and tried an early right as Charlo was on the back foot. Castano was walking forward behind a high guard and he took Charlo to the ropes and connected with a sharp right to the chin. Charlo continued to retreat and Castano showed quick hands and scored with another two rights. Score: 10-9 Castano Round 2 Charlo stood his ground using his longer reach to get through with jabs and fired rights. Castano worked Charlo to the ropes and fired a series of punches but a solid left hook had Castano backing off with Charlo in pursuit firing punches. He had hurt Castano but then Charlo went on to the back foot again and did not capitalise on that left hook. Score: 10-9 Charlo TIED 19-19 Round 3 This round was boring until the last ten seconds. Neither fighter was committing himself merely prodding with jabs. Just before the bell Castano cut loose with a barrage of punches landing two great left hooks the second of which sent Charlo slumping to sit on the bottom rope and nearly going down. Score: 10-9 Castano Castano 29-28 Round 4 A good round for Castano. He had Charlo pinned to the ropes for most of the round. He was choosing his moment to dart inside throwing bursts of punches connecting with some good head shots. Charlo was too busy defending himself to counter effectively. Score: 10-9 Castano Castano 39-37 Official Scores: Judge Tim Cheatham 39-37 Castano, Judge Nelson Vazquez 39-37 Charlo, Judge Steve Weisfeld 39-37 Castano. Round 5 A much better round for Charlo. He jabbed and moved and scored with long rights. He stayed off the ropes and bobbed and weaved under Castano’s punches whilst raking Castano with shots from distance. Score: 10-9 Charlo Castano 48-47 Round 6 Charlo was jabbing but one punch at a time. Castano was circling Charlo looking for a chance to throw himself in to the attack. He gave up waiting and over the last minute stormed forward throwing punches. Not all landed but Charlo was throwing very little in return. Score: 10-9 Castano Castano 58-56 Round 7 Castano’s round again. He was swarming forward forcing Charlo to the ropes and throwing punches. He was going for volume rather than accuracy but he was throwing punches and landing some including a sharp left hook with Charlo not firing enough back. Score: 10-9 Castano ` Castano 68-65 Round 8 Charlo was fighting a dumb fight. He was constantly retreating just firing his jab and not putting his punches together. Castano was prowling after Charlo choosing his moment to plunge in and landed some hard overhand rights. If Charlo had a plan there was no evidence of it. Score: 10-9 Castano Castano 78-74 Official Scores: Judge Tim Cheatham 77-75 Castano, Judge Nelson Vazquez 78-74 Charlo, Judge Steve Weisfeld 78-74 Castano. Round 9 Castano was again in control. He was hunting Charlo around the ring launching swinging attacks firing hooks and uppercuts and having success with overhand rights. Charlo was only using his jab and was unable to keep Castano out or to score with his own punches Score: 10-9 Castano Castano 88-83 Round 10 This fight was not following the script as Charlo was a heavy favourite but it looked as though some Argentinian fans were going to make serious money. Half way through the round everything changed. Charlo connected with a left hook and suddenly Castano was sent backwards on shaky legs. Charlo chased Castano down and rocked him a couple more times but Castano danced around the ropes and recovered enough to swap punches with Charlo before the bell. Score: 10-9 Charlo Castano 97-93 Round 11 This one was close with Castano still coming forward but Charlo jabbing with more purpose. He landed a good right hook and late in the round as Castano was busy firing punches a left hook from Charlo stunned him and sent into hasty retreat with Charlo landing some heavy shots. Score: 10-9 Charlo Castano 106-103 Round 12 Charlo finally started using his right. He was jabbing strongly and every jab was followed by a straight right. That helped Charlo dominate most of the rounds with Castano attacking hard before the bell but it was Charlo’s round. Score: 10-9 Charlo Castano 115-113 Official Scores: Judge Tim Cheatham 114-114 TIED, Judge Nelson Vazquez 117-111 Charlo, Judge Steve Weisfeld 114-113 Castano.* Judge Weisfeld scored the tenth 10-8 for Charlo. No one is sure what fight Judge Vazquez was watching having Charlo the winner by six points. Both fighters are interested in a return and hopefully it will happen. I have been underestimating Castano since he first turned pro just seeing him as a wild slugger but he showed great heart, a tremendous work rate and clever use of a cross-arm defence. Charlo was disappointing never showing any real form or sustained aggression until the last three rounds. It will be interesting to see if Charlo has a better plan next time. Castano was unlucky here. He should have got the decision. Romero vs. Yigit Romero halts Yigit in seven rounds in defence of his WBA interim belt. Yigit was a short notice substitute and came in 5 ½ lbs over the limit so could not win the title. Yigit started well swopping punches with Romero. He suffered a gash on his left cheek from a Romero elbow in the third and by the fourth Romero was staring to land some heavy shots and was in control. In the fifth Romero used a wrestling hold to throw Yigit to the canvas and was then deducted a point for hitting Yigit after the break call. He then landed a series of punches that sent Yigit to the canvas. Yigit struggled to beat the count and he was saved by the bell. An exhausted Yigit soaked up punishment in the sixth and a left and right floored him in the seventh. When the action resumed Romero bundled Yigit to the floor but it was from a push so no count. Yigit was finished. He tried to walk through Romero’s punches but as he stumbled forward a left hook sent him down heavily and the fight was stopped. Romero, 25, was making the first defence of the interim belt. Yigit was obviously not in condition and was too brave for his own good. He hasn’t looked the same fighter since the savage beating he took in losing to Ivan Baranchyk for the vacant IBF super light title in 2018. Vidal vs. Aleem Vidal gets a majority decision over Aleem. There was a nice mix of styles here with the bigger stronger Vidal walking down the clever, quick-handed but light-punching Aleem. Vidal kept up the pressure and rocked Aleem with a right to the head in the second. Aleem was spearing Vidal with punches as the Uruguayan came forward and firing rapid combinations inside but not having the power to dissuade Vidal. There were plenty of exchanges in what was warming into an entertain match as they traded punches inside at the end of the fourth. Since he could not keep the power punching Vidal out Aleem stood and scrapped with Vidal. A series of crunching left hooks to the body had Aleem hurt in the sixth but he bounced back to outscore Vidal in the seventh and rocked him in the eighth with a left hook. It was toe-to-toe through the ninth and tenth with the result seemingly in the balance but the judges came down on the side of Vidal with two judges seeing it 97-93 for Vidal and the third turning in a 95-95 card which looked the better measure of the fight. Vidal, 25, shows promise. He is lucky to be boxing as he was struck by a lorry when doing road work in 2015 and suffered a broken pelvis and needed surgery to an injured arm. Aleem has no luck in close fights as in his last three contests he has drawn with Matt Korobov and lost to Ronald Ellis and Vidal with all three results being majority decisions. Murtazaliev vs. Gray Murtazaliev was looking to showcase his power and move a step closer to a fight with Charlo for the IBF title. He succeeded in the power aim as he rocked Gray on various occasions but could never totally subdue Gray who took the licks and fought back enough to garner some respect from Murtazaliev even though losing clearly. Scores 79-73 twice and 78-74 for Russian Murtazaliev. He is No 1 with the IBF but after the draw between Charlo and Castano and the possibility of a return it seems he is further away and not closer to a title fight. This is the first fight for Gray since being stopped in six rounds by Gary O’Sullivan in March 2019. Brussels, Belgium: Cruiser: Ryad Merhy (30-1) W TKO 9 Zhaoxin Zhang (10-2-1). Super Light: Hovhannes Martirosyan (12-0) W RTD 8 Renald Garrido (25-29-3). Super Light: Antoine Vanackere (17-1) W PTS 10 Nazri Rahimov (9-3). Cruiser: Steve Eloundou Ntere (5-0) W PTS 10 Zura Mekereshvili (16-30-1). Super Light: Mohamed El Marcouchi (28-2) W PTS 6 Gary Abajyan (26-42-1). Super Feather: Miko Khatchatryan (13-0) W KO 3 Michael Pappoe (26-8). Super Middle: Kevin Lele Sadjo (16-0) W PTS 8 Javier Maciel (33-13).Cruiser: Samuel Kadje (16-1) W KO 3 Vukasin Obradovic (6-18-1). Cruiser: Youri Kayembre Kalenga (27-6) W KO 1 Mikheil Khutsishvili (31-44-6). Merhy vs. Zhang Merhy makes a first defence of the secondary WBA title with stoppage of inexperienced Zhang. In the first Zhang made an assured start using his longer reach firing jabs and trying right hands. He was flat-footed and showed no upper body movement and Merhy was able to score with jabs of his own. In the second a jab from Merhy sent Zhang down . He was up quickly indicating it was a slip. He was not too shaken but Merhy dominated the round as he threaded jabs though Zhang’s guard. A big left hook from Merhy floored Zhang in the third. The challenger made it his feet and despite a couple of heavy rights from Merhy survived to the bell. Merhy was landing strongly again in the fourth and fifth but Zhang showed a good chin. The pace dropped in the sixth allowing Zhang to work his jab and he even had Merhy trapped against the ropes and under fire for a spell. Merhy picked up the pace again in the seventh scoring with his jabs and long rights on a visibly tiring Zhang. Merhy was following Zhang around the ring in the eighth loading up on his punches and when Zhang prodded out a tame right Merhy came over the top with a solid left hook that dumped Zhang on the canvas on his side. Zhang got up but after the eight count the referee made a good decision to stop the fight. Ivory Coast-born Belgian Merhy makes it 25 inside the distance finishes. He was to have defended against Kevin Lerena but COVID restrictions meant Lerena could not get to Belgium. Hopefully that fight can be made as it is a hard one to call and it would be a treat for the fans. Zhang was called in at just five weeks notice with the task of getting a visa giving him little time to prepare for the fight. He had plenty of flaws but as he had no amateur background it was understandable and he was not disgraced. Martirosyan vs. Garrido A rarity here as for the first time in 57 fights Garrido fails to go the distance. Belgian champion Martirosyan used better skills to outbox the ever aggressive Frenchman. It looked as though Garrido was on his way to another points defeat but an injury to his jaw was too serious for him to continue. Martirosyan wins the vacant BeNeLux title for fighters from Belgium Netherlands (Holland) and Luxemburg. Garrido will be back in action as soon as his jaw heals. Vanackere vs. Rahimov Southpaw Vanackere wins the vacant IBO Continental title. This was a close one with Rahimov spoiling his own chances by some infractions that cost him a point deduction in the second and tenth rounds. Scores 95-93 twice and 95-94 for Vanackere. Now nine consecutive wins for the Belgian champion. Ukrainian Rahimov, 20, was 6-1 going into this one. Ntere vs. Mekereshvili Cameroon-born Ntere collects the vacant Belgian title as he outclasses Georgian Mekereshvili. Ntere made good use of his edges in height and reach to control the fight with Mekereshvili never really a threat. Scores 99-91 twice and 100-90 for Ntere who was in his first ten round fight. Mekereshvili extends his current losing streak to seven. El Marcouchi vs. Abajyan (Marco) El Marcouchi has one of the best records of active Belgian boxers but needs to start moving up as at 33 his youth is behind him. The Miami-based fighter easily handled late substitute Abajyan and eased to a points victory. His only loss in his last 23 contests was a disqualification. Georgian Abajyan, 47, slides a little further down the slope with his thirteenth loss in a row. Khatchatryan vs. Pappoe Belgian prospect Khatchatryan gets another win under his belt with stoppage Ghanaian Pappoe. Khatchatryan sent Pappoe to the boards in the second and then finished him in the third with a body punch. Although he is the Belgian lightweight champion this win gave him the IBO International super featherweight belt. Pappoe went twelve rounds with Isaac Dogboe back in 2016. Sadjo vs. Maciel “KLS” Sadjo may be a little old at 31 to be deemed a prospect but he is a former undefeated French champion and experienced Argentinian Maciel is only the second fighter to take him the distance. Sadjo floored Maciel in the first but Maciel did not buckle and made Sadjo work hard over the remaining seven rounds. Scores 79-72, 79-73 and 78-72 for Sadjo. After 14 consecutive inside the distance wins that’s now two points wins in a row. At one time Maciel was 27-2 but now he is just in it for the money he can get as a travelling trial horse and this is his seventh loss in six different countries with six of his opponents being unbeaten. Kadje vs. Obradovic Former Belgian cruiserweight champion Kadje punches too hard for Obradovic. After handing out punishment for two rounds Kadje landed a vicious right uppercut that dropped the Serbian to his knees and he sat out the ten count. Frenchman Kadje has 13 inside the distance finishes. Obradovic no real test. Kalenga vs. Khutsishvili Farcically easy for Kalenga. The fight had only just started when Khutsishvili flopped to the floor from a phantom punch and was counted out. The 33-year-old former interim WBA title holder Kalenga had lost big fights to Yuniel Dorticos, Kevin Lerena, Mateusz Masternak and Michal Cieslak so has work to do to get another title chance. A very predictable result as Khutsishvili has now lost by KO/TKO twenty-four times. 13 July Fontenay-sous-Bois, France: Welter: Mehdi Mouhib (19-2) W TKO 4 Yahya Tlaouziti (18-5-3). Super Light: Massi Tachour (16-4,1ND) W RTD 4 Luciano Randazzo (15-4-4). Mouhib vs. Tlaouziti Mouhib blows away Tlaouziti to win the vacant European Union title. Mouhib sent Tlaouziti down in each of the first two rounds. Tlaouziti banged back to take the third but a left to the head put him down again in the fourth and the fight was stopped. Twelfth win by KO/TKO for Mouhib. First inside the distance loss for former French champion Tlaouziti Tachour vs. Randazzo Home town fighter Tachour retains the European Union title with victory over Italian Randazzo, The challenger started aggressively but powerful hooks and uppercuts from Tachour soon had Randazzo going backwards. Tachour scored heavily in the fourth and Randazzo retired at the end of the round citing an injury to his left shoulder which had affected his performance in the fourth. Algerian-born Tachour was making the first defence of the EU title and has won his last thirteen fights. Former Italian champion Randazzo was 5-0-1 going into this fight. 14 July Tokyo, Japan: Minimumweight: Ginjiro Shigeoka (6-0) W TKO 2 Toshiki Kawamitsu (6-1). The latest Japanese prodigy Shigeoka stops Kawamitsu in two rounds in a WBO Asia Pacific title defence. The 5’0” tall Shigeoka was giving away 4” in height and immediately took the fight to Kawamitsu who was forced to stand and trade punches in an exciting first round. It was all over in the second as Shigeoka floored Kawamitsu with a right hook. Kawamitsu beat the count but was stunned by another right hook and a straight left and the referee stopped the fight. The 21-year-old Shigeoka was 56-1 as an amateur and is being tipped as a future star in Japan. (The loss came when he was to have fought his brother in a tournament final and although he entered the ring when the gong went his corner threw in the towel so Shigeoka “lost” the fight). Kawamitsu never in with a chance. 16 July Shawinigan, Canada: Super Light: Yves Ulysse Jr (20-2) W TKO 5 David Theroux (16-5). Ulysse crushes Theroux in five rounds. Ulysse took control in the first and then put Theroux down heavily with a short right hook in the second. He continued to punish Theroux in the third and fourth. In the fifth a right which landed high on the side of Theroux’s head sent him down on his hands and knees. He spun around and eventually made it to his feet but was walking towards his corner as the referee stopped the fight. Ulysse wins the vacant NABA title. He lost a razor-thin decision against Ismael Barroso for the WBA Gold title in December 2019 but had come back well with a stoppage of fellow Canadian Mathieu Germain in November. Second consecutive inside the distance loss for Theroux who retired after six rounds against Steve Claggett in November. Ladispoli, Italy: Cruiser: Mattia Faraoni (7-1-1) W RTD 5 Francesco Versaci (21-4-1). In a return match Faraoni wins the Italian title with injury victory over champion Versaci. The challenger looked to have built a lead over the first four rounds. Versaci gave it a big try in the fifth but then retired due an injury to his right shoulder. These two had met in March with the fight ending after just one round when Versaci was unable to continue due a punch to the back of the head. It was a winning double for Faraoni. He did go down once but it was after the fight when he proposed marriage to his girl friend and she accepted. Versaci was making the second defence of the title. Grosseto, Italy: Light: Vairo Lenti (9-4-1) W PTS 10 Luca Maccaroni (16-7-4). Lenti outboxes perennial challenger Maccaroni. Lenti constantly found opening for his jab and used some slick footwork and accurate counters to pile up the points. Maccaroni had a good fifth but other than that despite Maccaroni’s constant pressure Lenti never lost control of the fight. Scores 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93 for Lenti in his first defence of the national title. His lack of power will be Lenti’s biggest problem against better quality opponents. Maccaroni was trying to win a national title for the fourth time having lost twice at super lightweight and now twice at lightweight. Talisay City, Philippines: Minimum: Melvin Jerusalem (17-2) W PTS 12 Tito Landero (11-6-2). Fly: Dave Apolinario (15-0) W TKO 4 Charlie Malupangue (9-5-3). Light Fly: Christian Araneta (20-2) W TKO 1 Richard Claveras (19-7-2).Super Fly: KJ Cataraja (13-0) W TKO 7 Cris Alfante (17-9-1).Feather: Jeo Santisima (21-3) W TKO 1 Alan Alberca (11-5). Jerusalem vs. Landero Former WBC title challenger Jerusalem outpoints former WBA and IBO title challenger Landero. Jerusalem boxed for most of the fight on the back foot scoring well with his jab at distance and countering the advancing Landero who never stopped walking forward. His pressure gave Landero a couple of rounds but he was outboxed and outscored by Jerusalem. Scores 118-110 twice and 116-112 for Jerusalem who snaps up the vacant OPBF belt with his sixth win in a row. He had scored a wide unanimous decision over Landero in 2018.He looked unlucky to lose to Wanheng in Thailand for the WBC title in 2017 with two judges giving Wanheng the win by 114-113 and the other by 115-113. Landero, who lost to Knockout CP Freshmart for the WBA minimum title 2018, is on the slide having now lost 5 of his last 6 fights. Apolinario vs. Malupangue In a clash of southpaw’s Apolinario gets his tenth inside the distance victory as he stops Malupangue in the fourth. Apolinario was landing heavily from the start. He rocked Malupangue in the third and in the fourth after a punch sent Malupangue’s mouthguard flying Malupangue indicated he was finished and the fight was stopped. Apolinario wins the WBA Asian title. Malupangue had won 4 of his last 5 fights. Araneta vs. Claveras Araneta wipes out Claveras in 91 seconds. With Claveras against the ropes Araneta landed a series of bombs that sent Claveras down heavily and the referee immediately stopped the fight after just 91 seconds. Sixteenth inside the distance win for the Cebu City southpaw. Cataraja vs. Alfante Cataraja moves to thirteen wins as he stops a too brave Alfante in the seventh. Southpaw Alfante just kept rolling forward and landed enough to keep Cataraja busy. Too often Alfante was walking onto left hooks to the body and straight rights but he persisted in trying to trade punches. He was shaken in the sixth and walked onto a right in the seventh which sent him stumbling to the ropes and down. He was up early but when the referee reached eight Alfante just shook his head and the referee waived the fight over. Only two opponents have managed to last the distance against Cataraja. Alfante was a useful 6-2 going in. Santisima vs. Alberca Santisima punches too hard for Alberca. He floored Alberca with a left hook to the body and then put him down and out with a left hook to the head. All over in 101 seconds. Santisima’s only loss in his last 20 fights is an eleventh round stoppage by Emanuel Navarrete for the WBO super bantam title in February last year. Four quick defeats for Alberca 17 July Magdeburg, Germany: Light Heavy: Michael Eifert (8-1) W PTS 10 Tom Dzemski (17-1). Cruiser: Juergen Uldedaj (14-0) W TKO 7 Dmytro Serguta (7-2). Heavy: Peter Kadiru (11-0) W TKO 2 Adnan Redzovic (21-6). Cruiser: Adam Deines (20-2-1) W RTD 4Bernard Donfack (23-27-4). Eifert vs. Dzemski Eifert gets revenge as he takes majority verdict over Dzemski. It was Dzemski who made the more confident start but he was staggered by a left from Eifert in the third. Eifert built on that success to take the fourth but Dzemski settled again to edge the fifth. Eifert’s harder punching saw him take the sixth and he looked to have taken the close seventh and eighth and landed heavily in the ninth. Dzemski threw everything into then tenth but it was not enough. Scores 97-93 twice for Eifert and 95-95. Eifert wins the WBC , IBF and WBO Youth titles and reverses his majority decision loss against Dzemski in August last year. Dzemski will be rebuilt. Uldedaj vs. Serguta Albanian Uldedaj lifts the vacant WBC Youth title, He put Ukrainian Serguta on the floor in the second round but Serguta recovered to fight back hard until a left hook sent him tumbling to the canvas in the seventh and the fight was stopped. Uldedaj gets his fifth win by KO/TKO. Serguta had lost to Leon Harth on points in April. Kadiru vs. Redzovic Kadiru gets his sixth victory by the short route. He dropped Bosnian Redzovic late in the first and when he staggered Redzovic in the second the referee halted the action. The German champion is going to be working as a sparring partner with Anthony Joshua. Third loss in a row for Redzovic against tough opposition. Deines vs. Donfack Deines returns with a win as he floors Donfack in the first and fourth rounds and Donfack does not come out for the fifth. First fight for southpaw Deines since losing on a tenth round stoppage against Artur Beterbiev for the IBF and WBC light heavyweight title in March. Just one win in his last thirteen fights for Donfack. Suwalki, Poland: Cruiser: Krzys Wlodarczyk (59-4-1) W PTS 8 Vadym Novopashyn (6-3). Middle: Fiodor Czerkaszyn (18-0) W TKO 1 Damian Bonelli (24-8). Light Heavy: Marek Matyja (20-2-2) W TKO 2 Maksym Miszczenko (7-2). Wlodarczyk vs. Novopashyn In his first fight for 20 months Wlodarczyk took a couple of rounds to find his range. The pace was slow with Wlodarczyk not throwing many punches but he was accurate. Novopashyn found gaps when Wlodarczyk was careless with his guard but he tired and faded out of the fight. Wlodarczyk scored heavily over the late rounds staggering Novopashyn with a left in the fifth but other than that he never really had Novopashyn in any trouble. Scores 79-73 twice and 80-72 for Wlodarczyk. Not an impressive showing from former IBF and WBC title holder Wlodarczyk who is aiming to be busier and fight his way to another title shot but at 39 he needs to hurry. Novopashyn gave Wlodarczyk some useful rounds of work. Czerkaszyn vs. Bonelli Czerkaszyn wipes out Bonelli inside a round. A huge left hook flattened Bonelli. He made it to his feet but Czerkaszyn had him pinned to the ropes and was bombarding him with punches bringing the referee in to stop the massacre. The 25-year-old Ukrainian-born Pole makes it twelve inside the distance wins. Argentinian Bonelli is 0-3 in fights in Poland. Matyja vs. Miszczenko Matyja produces a one-punch finish to stop Ukrainian Miszczenko. The first round was even with Miszczenko taking the fight to the local fighter. In the second Miszczenko went down from a low punch and was given a chance to recover. Later in the round he threw a lazy jab and Matyja came over the top with a right that sent Miszczenko down heavily. Miszczenko struggled to his feet but did not respond to the referees instructions and the fight was over. Ninth win by KO/TKO for Matyja. Lesniki, Ukraine: Super Welter: Dymtro Mytrofanov (11-0-1) W PTS 10 Rilliwan Babatunde (13-1).Middle: Khasan Baysangurov (21-1) W RTD 1 Berikbay Nurymbetov (7-4-1).Welter: Khuseyn Baysangurov (19-1) W TKO 3 Nika Gvajava (12-22-3). Mytrofanov vs. Babatunde Oxnard-based Ukrainian Mytrofanov retains the WBO Oriental title with unanimous decision over Babatunde. Mytrofanov was conceding height and reach to the Nigerian but rumbled forward throughout the fight. Babatunde showed some useful skills and counterpunched well causing Mytrofanov some problems. He just did not have the power to keep Mytrofanov out and was under heavy pressure in every round. Scores 99-90, 99-91 and 98-92. Mytrofanov was defending the title he won by decisioning Asinia Byfield in December. First fight outside of Nigeria for Babatunde and at 25 he will only get better. Baysangurov vs. Nurymbetov Early finish for Baysangurov as Kazak Nurymbetov retires at the end of the first round with a hand injury. Baysangurov lost on an eleventh round stoppage against Rob Brant for the secondary WBA middleweight title in February 2019 and this is the fourth win for him as he rebuilds. Nurymbetov is 2-4-1 in his most recent contests. Baysangurov vs. Gvajava Elder brother Khusein bounced Gvajava off the floor six times before their fight was stopped in the third round. Five inside the distance wins in a row for Baysangurov who rarely needs the full distance to win as he has beaten 17 of his opponents by KO/TKO. Georgian Gvajava falls to1-10-1 a bad dozen. Rock Rapids, FL,USA: Middle: Serhii Bohachuk (19-1) W KO 1 Brandon Baue (16-24)). Welter: Ronald Cruz (18-1) W PTS 8 Chris Gray (13-23-1). Bohachuk vs. Baue Lanky Bohachuk ended this one early. After hurting Baue with a uppercut Bohachuk landed a left hook to the body dropping Baue to one knee and he was counted out. First fight for Bohachuk since being stopped by Brandon Adams in March. All 19 of Bohachuck’s wins have come by KO/TKO. Baue was a substitute and suffers his sixteenth loss by KO.TKO. Cruz vs. Gray Cruz gets unanimous verdict over a very rusty Gray on scores of 78-74 twice and 79-73. The 29-year-old Californian extends his winning run to 16 fights. Gray, 45, was having his first fight since December 2015. Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina: Middle: Juan Taborda (16-0) W PTS 10 Abraham Buonarrigo (9-2). Taborda wins the vacant WBO Latino title as he outpointed Buonarrigo. After two fairly even rounds Taborda’s power put him in command. He had Buonarrigo in trouble in the fourth and seventh round. Taborda coasted through the eighth and swept the last two rounds to cement his victory. Scores 97-93 twice and 98-92 for Taborda who was having his first fight since December 2019. Berlin, Germany: Super Bantam: Michael Kannier (12-3-1) W PTS 12 Jozsef Ajtai (22-18). Super Light: Zapir Rasulov (36-1) W PTS 8 Nestor Faccio (18-13-2,1ND). Kannier vs. Ajtai German Kannier wins the vacant Global Boxing Council belt with points victory against little Hungarian Ajtal. Kannier was just too big for the 5’2 ½” Ajtai. Scores 118-110 twice and 120-108 for Kannier who has won 9 of his last 10 fights with the loss coming against Zapir Rasulov. Ajtai, a former Hungarian light flyweight title holder is 1-9 in his last ten outings. Rasulov vs. Faccio Rasulov seems to be taking a long time to get nowhere. He outpointed Uruguayan Faccio but despite the scores made heavy work of winning. Faccio was competitive all the way but the judges saw Rasulov the winner on scores of 79-74, 78-74 and a more realistic 77-75. Russian Rasulov, 34, celebrated 17 years as a pro this month but is still fighting six and eight round contests. Faccio had lost his last three fights which is typical of the level of risk Rasulov is willing to take. Fight of the week (Significance): Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castano. Must lead to a return to get those four titles unified. Fight of the week (Entertainment): Amilcar Vidal vs. Immanuwel Aleem an inspired bit of matching which produced a great scrap. Fighter of the week: He may not have won but for me Brian Castano should have now been holding the four belts. Punch of the week: Some beauties. The left hook from Ryad Merhy in the eighth round was a classic and Yves Ulysse produced a great right to stop Theroux but I will go for the perfectly timed left hook from Pole Fiodor Czerkaszyn that put Damian Bonelli down. Upset of the week: No shockers Prospect watch: Japanese minimumweight Ginjiro Shigeoka 6-0 and 56-1 as a amateur looks a cert with only his 5’0” height limiting the divisions he could span Observations The Juarez family has produced two outstanding talents in female boxing. Mariana “Barbie”-real name Maria Anastasia Trejo, now 41, is a former WBC flyweight and bantamweight title holder and is 17-2 in title fights with an overall record of 55-10-4. Despite the scarcity of female boxers younger sister Lourdes had 33 fights over seven years as a pro before getting a title shot last December when she won the WBC female super flyweight title. Some family. There are many areas of the world where being around 5’0” tall and weighting around 103lbs does not hamper you in finding fights. That’s not the case in Europe. Take Hungarian Jozsef Ajtai. He is 5’2 ½” and weighed as low as 101lbs in a fight at the start of his career. Gradually he was taking on opponents such as Andrew Selby, Shiming Zou, Khalid Yafai, Artem Dalakian and 5’9 ½” Gavin McDonnell and is tackling super bantamweights and even super featherweights to get fights. There’s vertically challenged and just too small. Belgian fans certainly got their money’s worth in Brussels as the Merhy vs. Zhang card had sixteen fights scheduled ranging from twelve rounds to four rounds and not one Belgian loser on the night. |
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