This weekend we had a busy weekend in world boxing, especially on Saturday which featured a host of major bouts involving both top male fighters and top female fighters. The most notable bout was a male world title fight in the US that pitted two unbeaten fighters against each other in a contest that had genuine intrigue. Both men had their share of backers, both had their share of doubters and both went in with questions to answer. As it turned out the defending WBO Lightweight champion Terence Crawford (24-0, 17) was the one who was more able to answer the doubters than his Cuban opponent Yuriorkis Gamboa (23-1, 16). The bout between Crawford and Gamboa was interesting from the moment it was signed with people asking how would Crawford cope with a man quicker than himself and how would Gamboa cope with the size disadvantage against Crawford. At the end of the day however Gamboa's problem wasn't actually the size difference but was his recklessness which saw him getting dropped 4 times with the referee finally waving off the contest after a monster uppercut sent Gamboa down hard in the 9th round. The result, the first loss of Gamboa's career, saw Crawford proclaimed as an American star though in honesty he still has some way to go to live up to that sort of praise. Crawford wasn't the only man retaining his world title as Mexico's Oswaldo Novoa (14-3-1, 9) retained his WBC Minimumweight title, also for the first time. Novoa was taking on the challenge of Nicaragua's Alcides Martinez (12-3-8-1, 6) and managed to do as he wished against an over-matched and under-qualified challenger who was mercifully saved by his corner who refused to let him take too much of a beating. For Novoa, who won the title by stopping Xiong Zhao Zhong earlier this year, this was a perfect home coming though won't have been the best preparation for looms ahead of him, a likely mandatory defence against Thailand's talented and unbeaten Wanheng Menayothin. In a third male "world" title bout we did see a new champion crowned as Darleys Perez (30-1, 19), himself a former Yuriorkis Gamboa victim, picked up the WBA "interim" Lightweight title. Perez was battling against the little known and unbeaten Argenis Lopez (19-1, 7) and managed to secure himself the belt with a clear decision on foreign soil. Sadly despite the win it seems to be a result that tells us more about the loser than the winner and Perez did little to convince the top Lightweights that he's a real threat to them. In fact the key think Perez did was secure himself a bigger payday when he returns to the ring to defend his "world" title. On the same show as Perez's victory home town fans got to see Dahiana Santana (33-6, 14) successfully claim the WBA interim female Featherweight title as she clearly out pointed Colombian foe Francia Elena Bravo (16-4-2, 9). Santana is a former IBF champion at the same weigh though seemed to set her focus on getting herself a bout with WBA regular champion Edith Soledad Matthysse. A bout between Matthysse and Santana is a bout that would be a lot more competitive than the records of the fighters would suggest and in fact we'd rather look forward to that one if it could be made. Back in Mexico, on the same card as the Novoa/Martinez card, there was two other female bouts. The most notable of those saw the highly skilled Zulina Munoz (42-1-2, 27) defending her WBC female Super Flyweight title against the over-matched Renata Domsodi (12-5, 5) who was stopped in the 6th round. Munoz, arguably the only fighter who would give Naoko Fujioka a real test, was in charge from the off and Domsodi really didn't belong in there with her. In the other female contest Yazmin Rivas (30-8-0-4, 9) claimed the WBC female Bantamweight title as she over-came Alesia Graf (26-5, 11) via 10 round decision to record her biggest victory. (Image courtesy of Top Rank)
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Whilst this Saturday is basically revolving around Russian's and Filipino's for us there are numerous fights, around the globes, with some value, including several world title fights and numerous female world title fights. Of those fights the most notable is in the US and headlines the show that will also see Matt Korobov fighting against Jose Uzcategui. The bout in question is a WBO Lightweight title fight between Terence Crawford (23-0, 16), the reigning champion, and Cuban sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa (23-0, 16). Both men have identical records on paper but a lot separate them with Gamboa having been out of the ring for over a year and being the naturally smaller man. It really is a great match up and one that will see the winner really elevating themselves in the world of boxing. One of the other male "World title" bouts will see Darleys Perez (29-1, 19), himself a former Gamboa opponent, facing off against the lesser known Argenis Lopez (19-0-0-1, 7) for the interim WBA Lightweight title. Perez suffered his sole professional defeat at the hands of Gamboa in a genuine stinker of a bout last year and since then has only beaten a very poor opponent that has some how qualified him for this bout. As for the unbeaten Lopez this is his first bout of note and it's hard to really rate his chances here. The only other male world title bout is in Mexico where WBC Minimumweight champion Oswaldo Novoa (13-4-1, 8) will be defending his title against Nicaragua's Alcides Martinez (12-2-8-1, 6). Novoa came to the attention of the boxing world earlier this year when he beat up and stopped Xiong Zhao Zhong in very impressive fashion to claim the WBC world title, this will be his first defence of that title. As for Martinez this will be his big chance to make a name for himself though he is being given no chance at all of scoring the upset, similarly like Novoa. From what we understand the winner of this contest will be facing Thailand's unbeaten Wanheng Menayothin in a mandatory later this year or very early next year. Whilst the three male world title bouts are the most notable bouts there are actually a host of notable female bouts. One of those female bouts is on the same show as the Perez/Lopez bout as Dahiana Santana (33-6, 14) will be battling against Francia Elena Bravo (16-3-2, 9). It's hard to see anything but a Santana win here but we really don't rate her very highly and view her record as a padded one more than a genuine one with a lot of her recent opponents being very limited. The better female bouts are in Mexico with the most interesting of those being a WBC female Super Flyweight title fight between defending champion Zulina Munoz (41-1-2, 26) and Hungarian challenger Renata Domsodi (12-4, 5). Munoz is the only fighter at Super Flyweight that we think could test the exceptional Naoko Fujioka though even then we'd have to favour the Japanese fighter. With that in mind we don't imagine Munoz, a talented, experienced and battle hardened fighter, will struggle much with the 35 year old Domsodi. Another of the female title fights will see Yazmin Rivas (29-8-0-4, 9) taking on the talented Alesia Graf (26-4, 11) in a battle for the WBC female Bantamweight title. Graf is the only fighter to have beaten the aforementioned Munoz and we'd be shocked if she didn't give Rivas a very tough contest here. We certainly expect this to be a better bout than the bout for the interim version of the same title which will see Jessica Gonzalez (4-1-0-3) taking on Yulihan Luna Avila (10-1, 1). Back to male action for a moment, we're expecting to see the big punching Ilunga Makabu (16-1, 15) taking on former world champion Glen Johnson (54-18-2, 37). Johnson, a true veteran, has been stopped just once in his 74 fight career but we honestly fear for him here against Makabu who looks like a future world champion. (Image courtesy of Top Rank) This past Saturday was one of the best days this year for boxing fans who really had a day to remember with some great fights, high octane action and real excitement. For us the most exciting bout came from the US and was the Yoshihiro Kamegai Vs Robert Guerrero bout, but that's mentioned on other parts of the site. That was a really amazing brawl between two men who seemed happy to put on a show and just unleash power shots on one another from close range. It was the perfect ending to a fantastic day. Prior to the Kamegai/Guerrero bout we had previously had two other televised bouts on the same show. The most notable of those was the WBO Featherweight title contest between former amateur standout Vasyl Lomachenko (2-1, 1) and the previously unbeaten, and very highly regarded, Gary Russell Jr (24-1, 14). The bout was Lomachenko's second successive title bout, following a controversial loss to Orlando Salido, and he took the lessons from his loss last time out and looked an improved fighter. Sadly for Russell Jr his string of limited opponents prior to this bout did him no favours and he seemed to lack a plan B choosing to just throw a lot of flurries from out of range rather than work his way towards the Ukrainian. Although the scorecards were read out as a majority decision for Lomachenko it seemed a clear victory for the Ukrainian who made Russell Jr miss repeatedly. Despite the win, which sees Lomachenko tying the long standing record of Saensak Muangsurin, there were flaws in what he did and he seemed to only show flashes of his true talent, hopefully he'll manage to fight at a higher pace for longer in fights rather than just a few bursts. Also if Lomachenko can find a real killer instinct he will be genuinely phenomenal. The opening bout from the broadcast on Showtime was another excellent match up as former 2-weight world champion Devon Alexander (26-2, 14) beat up the brave but limited Jesus Soto Karass (28-9-3-1, 18) in what was a very entertaining contest. Soto Karass did as he usually does and brought the action though Alexander was equal to it using his boxing, movement and han speed to land near enough at will with power shots. To his credit Soto Karass never stopped trying but he was the clear loser in what was an entertaining show opener. Prior to the US action there was also a televised card from South Africa that was headlined by a contest between Middleweight contenders Martin Murray (28-1-1, 12) and Max Bursak (29-3-1, 12). The bout, for the WBC Silver Middleweight title wasn't particularly enjoyable to watch, in fact it was a gruelling hard bout to watch though one that was clearly won by Murray who will likely be hoping to set up a world title fight later this year. Unfortunately for him a bout with WBC champion Miguel Cotto seems very unlikely instead he'll likely have to chase after the IBF title currently held by Felix Sturm, though we'd love to see him share the ring with Gennady Golovkin. On the same card in South Africa fans also saw a Cruiserweight battle to remember as Youri Kayembre Kalenga (20-1, 13) took the fight to Poland's Mateusz Masternak (33-1, 23) from the off. After 6 rounds it appeared to be all Kalenga though he then started to slow and the final few rounds were certainly more competitive, however the fight should never have been a split decision as it was scored, thankfully however the judges gave the right man the win. Interestingly this was for the WBA interim Cruiserweight and in theory Kalenga should be fighting Denis Lebedev in an up coming fight that could well be an absolute thriller. Also on the South African card was the WBA Minimumweight title fight between Hekkie Budler and Pigmy Kokietgym. One other bout of note, which took place on a smaller American card the one we've already mentioned, was an IBF Light Heavyweight eliminator between Nadjib Mohammedi (35-3, 20) and Anatoliy Dudchenko (19-3, 13). We were expecting this to be a competitive contest but Mohammedi just dominated the contest and forced the referee to save Dudchenko in the 7th round. This result makes Mohammedi the #1 contender to Bernard Hopkins and we'll admit that could be an interesting contest, at least more so that some of Hopkins's other recent bouts. (Image courtesy of Shwotime) This coming Saturday is a big one for a number of Asian fighters such as Yoshihiro Kamegai, who battles Robert Guerrero in a huge bout Stateside, and Pigmy Kokietgym, who will be hoping to win the WBA Minimumweight title, but it's not just Asian's in big fights. The Kamegai/Guerrero bout is part of a high profile triple header in Carson, California. Whilst it's technically the main event more fans are interested in the shows sole title bout which will see former amateur sensation Vasyl Lomachenko (1-1, 1) battle against the unbeaten Gary Russell Jr (24-0, 14) for the vacant WBO Featherweight title. Lomachenko lost in his first attempt at the title, losing to an over-weight Orlando Salido, though will feel confident that the experiences from that fight will help him here as he attempts to tie the long standing record of Saensak Muangsurin. For Russell Jr this is finally a chance to prove that he's as good as he, and the American media, proclaim him to be. We tend to feel Lomachenko is the more skilled, stronger, more physically imposing and, despite the records suggesting otherwise, the more experienced. Russell Jr is the faster of the two and is "the home fighter" but that is pretty much all of his advantages. The other part of the triple header will see former multi-weight title holder Devon Alexander (25-2, 14) battle against the brave but limited Jesus Soto Karass (28-9-3, 18). Karass is a genuine warrior but has a lot of limitations and we feel Alexander will make him pay for those limitations, however Alexander himself looked like a broken man last time out when he was bullied, battered and beaten by the rough house tactics of Shawn Porter and if Soto Karass saw that fight he will fancy his chances against the more skilled fighter. Although not part of the main broadcast this same American show will also include the return to the ring of former Light Heavyweight champion Chad Dawson (31-3-0-2, 17) who will be fighting against the limited George Blades (23-5, 16). The 39 year old Blades has been hand selected as the fall guy for Dawson who comes into this bout on the back of back-to-back stoppage defeats, including an opening round blow out loss to Adonis Stevenson. Although Dawson is expected to win this bout, it's more about the performance than the result and anything but a shining performance will see Dawson cast aside as a "shot" fighter. Whilst not a major bout this show is also expected to feature the debut of Fabian Maidana (0-0), the younger brother of Macos Maidana. Maidana will be fighting against Alejandro Artiaga (3-8, 1) in a bout that is expected to make Fabian look like a star despite it only being his debut. We know it's early but we're going to be following this young man carefully over the coming years. Over on a card in Monaco, which includes the Pigmy Kokietgym fight, we again get several other notable bouts. Arguably the pick of those is a WBA interim Cruiserweight title fight between the once beaten Polish fighter Mateusz Masternak (32-1, 23) and the heavy handed French based Congolese fighter Youri Kayembre Kalenga (19-1, 13). Kalenga may have a loss on his record, a huge shock loss at that, but we've been very reliably informed that it was a home town robbery that could well have done more harm for Latvian boxing than good. Both guys here can punch, both can fight and both have plenty of question marks leading us to feeling that this could be the fight of the night. We know many fans are favouring Masternak but for us this is a 50-50 bout and we'd actually sway in favour of Kalenga. The other major bout on this Monaco show will see Britain's Martin Murray (27-1-1, 12) battling against Ukrainian Max Bursak (29-2-1, 12) in a very interesting bout for the WBC Silver Middleweight title. Some fans feel that Murray was hard done by when he fought Felix Sturm and Sergio Martinez whilst other feel he was very fortunate to remain a contender after his contentious victory, late last year, over Sergey Khomitsky. Likewise many felt Bursak was unfortunate against Jarrod Fletcher, earlier this year, whilst people also though he was fortunate against Nick Blackwell. We don't mean to sound nasty but we'd suggest both of these fighters stay away from Gennady Golovkin if they wish to remain top contenders as their inconsistencies could really bite them. As for the fight with each other it should be an entertaining back and forth affair though we'd not be shocked by any result at all. A final bout of note, which will be in the US, will see Anatoliy Dudchenko (19-2, 13) battle against Nadjib Mohammedi (34-3, 20). We believe the winner of this contest will be a mandatory for American legend Bernard Hopkins though neither man would be likely to give "B Hop" a tough night at the office. (Image courtesy of WBANews) In a night dominated by world cup football it was easy to overlook the boxing that took place around the world. Thankfully the fighters themselves didn't forget about their jobs and a number of them put on genuinely sensational performances as they showed that, even when boxing takes a back seat, it's still the live action theatre of dreams, excitement and action. Of course not all dreams end with a fairytale ending and for Englishman Brian Rose (25-2-1, 7) he got a very painful lesson as he fought in his long awaited WBO Light Middleweight world title fight against the unbeaten Demetrius Andrade (21-0, 14). Rose was made to look like one of the weakest mandatory challengers in a long time as he was battered from pillar to post. Although brave Rose had nothing to trouble the American who teed off at will with power shots before referee Michael Griffin stepped in to save the out matched Brit. Although Rose failed in his dream of becoming a world champion the fight was on the same show as Chris Algieri's fight with Ruslan Provodnikov which saw Algieri's dream of becoming a world champion and, with the performance he gave, becoming one of the few guys who is must watch despite lacking real power. Staying on the subject of WBO title fights there was also one in Mexico as Alejandro Hernandez (28-10-2, 15) upset the much touted and highly entertaining Daniel Rosas (17-2-1, 11) to claim a WBO title at Bantamweight. Sadly we're confused as to what what title Hernandez actually won as it appears to have been the "vacant" WBO Bantamweight title, according to the WBO's own website, yet the WBO have also got a listed mandatory title fight between Tomoki Kameda and Pungluang Sor Singyu. Tomoki is still listed on the WBO's "our champions" page though that's little help to us given that Provodnikov is also listed. We were assuming that the bout was an interim title fight but will be awaiting verification one way or another from the WBO. As for the actual bout it was Rosas's second loss in succession, having previously been stopped in a thrilling encounter with Rodrigo Guerrero in what is still one of the best fights of the year so far. Sadly that fight appears to have left Rosas looking like half the fighter he once was. As for Hernandez this was a great win and his second notable win this year having previously beaten Marvin Mabait. On the same show as Hernandez's win there was also a foul filled victory for Mexican legend Jorge Arce (64-7-2-1, 48) who defeated Jorge Lacierva (41-10-6, 27). From what we understand Lacierva damaged his clavicle and was forced to retire in the corner, prior to that the bout was a street fight and looked more like pub brawl than a boxing contest. The victory for Arce should lead him to a fight with WBC Featherweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez and if that fight is made it really won't be a tough one for Gonzalez who should flatten Arce with ease. The best performance on the same Mexican show wasn't a title fight but was instead an IBF Super Flyweight title eliminator between former world champion Hernan "Tyson" Marquez (37-5, 26) and former world amateur champion McJoe Arroyo (15-0, 8). Arroyo, stepping up in a big way, dominated Marquez who was dropped 4 times before eventually being stopped in round 11 as Arroyo confirmed his potential in a big way. This was MArquez's 3rd stoppage loss in 5 fights and it appears his wars have caught up with him. Arroyo's next assignment will be watching his twin brother McWilliams Arroyo battle against unbeaten Filipino Froilan Saludar. Following that McJoe will be turning his attention too Japan ahead of Teiru Kinoshita's bout with Zolani Tete for the vacant IBF Super Flyweight title. The winner of that bout, at the Portopia Hotel, will have McJoe as their mandatory challenger and that's a daunting proposition for which ever man wins the title on July 18th. One other bout of note took place on a second Mexico card and saw former multi-weight world champion Humberto Soto (64-8-2, 35) out point Wilfrido Buelvas (15-2, 9). Buelvas was dropped in the opening round and never really managed to make the bout look competitive as Soto took a clear decision victory. To go full circle Soto continues to chase his dream of claiming a world title at Light Welterweight and appears likely to get an opportunity sooner rather than later. (Image courtesy of notifight.com) Whilst the highlight of the weekend is clearly the WBO Light Welterweight bout in New York between Ruslan Provodnikov and Chris Algieri we do actually get several very interesting bouts in Mexico and the US The most exciting looking of the Mexican bouts will see the always fun to watch Hernan Marquez (37-4, 26) battling against the unbeaten, but untested, McJoe Arroyo (14-0, 7) in an IBF Super Flyweight title eliminator. Effectively the winner of this bout becomes the top contender to the excellent match up between Teiru Kinoshita and Zolani Tete on July 18th and would make for another very interesting match up no matter who wins. On the same show as the Marquez/Arroyo bout we get another interesting looking bout as Alejandro Hernandez (27-10-2, 15) battles against Daniel Rosas (17-1-1, 11) in a bout that looks likely to be very entertaining. Rosas will be looking for a bounce back win following his loss to Rodrigo Guerrero in what was one of the best fights of the year whilst Hernandez will be looking to build on his victory, last time out, against Marvin Mabait. This has the potential to be the fight of the weekend. There are conflicting reports as to how significant this bout is with reports that it's a bout for the WBO Interim Bantamweight title, whilst the poster it's self states it's only a 10 round contest. If it's a WBO interim title bout then the winner will be set to face the winner of the upcoming Tomoki Kameda/Pungluang Sor Singyu contest. This same Mexican card also features the return to the ring of the always entertaining Jorge Arce (63-7-2-1, 48) who will be fighting against Jorge Lacierva (41-9-6, 27). Although not a great bout it is one with real star power courtesy of Arce and, as is always the case when "Travieso" steps in the ring, this should be entertaining. On a separate show in Mexico fans will get the chance to see the highly regarded Humberto Soto (63-8-2, 35) battle against Wilfrido Buelvas (15-1, 9) in what will be Soto's 3rd defence of the WBC International Silver Light Welterweight title. Over in the US, on the same show the Provodnikov/Algieri bout we get another world title contest as WBO Light Middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade (20-0, 13) defends his belt against mandatory challenger Brian Rose (25-1-1, 7). We'll admit it's hard to see Rose winning but we've also got to concede we don't rate "Boo Boo" Andrade particularly highly and think this is a "second tier" world title bout due to the fact the WBO want a champion at the weight. Should be a decent contest but nothing compared to the Provodnikov which has the potential to be a really fun to watch contest. (Image courtesy of notifight.com) Cotto claims Middleweight crown, Butler beats Hall, Breahmer retains and Breakhus looks sensational6/8/2014 Some weekends are busy without really being busy. They aren't weekends with legions of fights but yet they are weekends with enough notable action to look back and go "that was an interesting day or two in world boxing". We've had one such weekend this week with Saturday boasting more than the typical weekend's worth of fights with a trio of male world title bouts, a female world title bout and a slew of other intriguing contests. We'll start with the biggest fight of the weekend which took place in the legendary Madison Square garden and featured a boxer who could very well describe the place as a second home, in fact there is every chance the venue will begin charging him rent if he keeps returning. That man is Puerto Rican super star Miguel Cotto (39-4, 32) who put on one of his most sensational performances to date to claim the WBC and Lineal Middleweight title with an awe inspiring victory over Argentina's Sergio Gabriel Martinez (51-3-2, 28). Cotto started like a man possessed and dropped Martinez 3 times in the opening round. Unfortunately whilst it was the perfect start for Cotto it was a nightmare start for some who realised immediately that this was just a shell of Martinez. The Argentinian showed great heart to not just get back up but also fight on until being retired in his corner at the start of round 10. The win for Cotto reaffirms his position as the king of MSG and one of the truly elite fighters of his generation. It's a win that gives him a lot of options as to who he will be fighting next. Sadly however the result likely sends Martinez into retirement on what can be described as a humiliating contest for the Argentinian who never got the chance to really show his skills. He was admittedly 39 and physically a broken man but he'll have hated going out like this. This result also moves us all a step further from Gennady Golovkin getting a chance to prove he's the Middleweight on the planet as we cannot see any possible way in which Cotto and Golovkin get in the ring together. On the same card as Cotto's victory we had a little bit of everything. In the first bout of the main broadcast fans saw a KO of the year contender as Andy Lee (33-2, 23) landed saved his career with a perfect right hand that knocked the promising John Jackson (18-2, 15) out cold. Jackson had dropped Lee earlier in the bout and seemed to be going for the kill before being sent to the canvas from a single shot that instantly ended the bout. John Jackson, the son of famed puncher Julian Jackson, will have been feeling exactly the same as Herol "Bomber" Graham was when Graham fought John's father and was seemingly on the way to winning a fight before being caught by one of the greatest KO punches of all time. Another of the bouts on the same card saw exciting Argentinian Javier Francisco Maciel (29-3, 20) score an excellent victory over Puerto Rican puncher Jorge Melendez (28-4-1, 26). Maciel had only taken the bout on a few weeks notice but took his opportunity and really impressed fans who hadn't seen him before. Although, from the reports available, he was paid very little there are hopes that he will be invited back to the US for a more notable bout. Interesting a bout between Maciel and Lee would be something we'd love to see if Top Rank want to put that one one. The same card also saw Marvin Sonsona avenge his sole career defeat as he out pointed Wilfredo Vazquez Jr in a bit of a stinker. The most relevant world title fight for many Asian fighters took place in the UK as the unbeaten Paul Butler (16-0, 8) narrowly over-came Stuart Hall (16-3-2, 7) and claimed the IBF Bantamweight title in a very close bout that one judge, some how, saw as a dominant victory for Butler. Although Butler looked very classy at times he was unable to hurt Hall who came on very strong in the second half of the fight and in all honesty it could have gone either way. Although their was talk of a rematch between Hall and Butler it does seem likely that Butler will be forced to fight IBF mandatory challenger Randy Cabellero next. Cabellero, who travelled to Japan and beat Kohei Oba in an IBF eliminator, has been left waiting longer than expected and will be rearing to go at Butler who is skilled but is more of a natural Super Flyweight than Bantamweight. Despite what British TV suggest Butler would not be eligible to immediately move down and fight for the IBF Super Flyweight title with a bout for that belt now set for month at the amazing Protopia hotel in Kobe between Teiru Kinoshita and Zolani Tete. On the same British card we've got to admit we were very impressed by Bradley Saunders (10-0, 8) who looked sensational in an 81 second blow out of the usually durable Ville Piispanen (18-5-3, 6). This victory saw Saunders winning the WBO Inter-continental Light Welterweight title and at 28 years old we'd expect him to be put on a relative fast track for a British fighter. The other world title action was in Germany where we had both a male world title fight and a female world title bout. The male bout saw the talented but controversial heavyweight Juergen Braehmer (44-2, 32) retain his WBA Light Heavyweight title with a decision victory over Argentina's Roberto Feliciano Bolonti (35-3, 24). Braehmer, although not a spectacular fighter, is experienced skilled, and the sort of fighter who will never be an easy opponent for anyone at Light Heavyweight. Sadly he's also not a big traveller meaning that he's almost certainly not going to get in amongst the divisional elite, such as Sergey Kovalev, Bernard Hopkins or Adonis Stevenson. Instead the WBA title is likely to remain in Germany until someone surprises Braehmer. Whilst Breahmer will never be the best in his division it's almost ludicrous to deny that Cecilia Braekhus (25-0, 7) is the best female Welterweight on the planet. She again showed her class as she defended her WBA, WBC and WBO female titles in impressive fashion clearly defeating the out-classed Jessica Balogun (24-4-, 12) in a masterful performance. At 32 years old there is little out there for Braekhus though there is a mooted super-fight with Christina Hammer, that's almost the only bout that anyone wants to see her in, though contests with Delfine Persoon or Erica Anabella Farias might do if a contest with Hammer can't be organised. (Image courtesy of Top Rank) The most significant fight for us on Friday was in Argentina as Juan Carlos Reveco (34-1, 18) successfully defended his WBA Flyweight title with a very, very hard fought victory over Felix Alvarado (18-2, 15). The bout was almost everything we enjoy, it had action, it had both men unloading, it had exchanges and it had momentum shifts that saw the bout swinging one way and then the other.
Unfortunately for Alvarado he wasn't quite able to over-come Reveco's home field advantage and, after having 2 points deducted, he fell just short of the victory that would have boosted him into the mix at the top of the division. Alvarado, who had previously lost in a world title fight last year to Kazuto Ioka, looked an improved fighter to the one who fought Ioka. Whilst still overly aggressive Alvarado seemed more refined here as he took the fight to Reveco and hurt him several times in a fight that will see some Nicaraguan fans calling for a rematch. For Reveco however a rematch will be the last thing on his mind and he has already been linked to fights with Kazuto Ioka, Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep, Noknoi Sithipraset and Suguru Muranaka. Certainly some options out there for the defending champion. Whilst the Flyweight title bout was the most significant it was far from the only on of note with a notable Heavyweight bout taking place in France. This bout, for the WBC Heavyweight Silver title, saw the French based Carlos Takam (30-1-1, 23) announcing himself on the world stage with a very impressive victory over former 2-time world title challenger Tony Thompson (39-5, 26). Takam should the advantages of youth and aggression as he out worked Thompson who really did look his age for the first time. Thompson, who came into this bout on the back of a victory over Odlanier Solis, will now likely forget his dream of having another world title fight and instead look to get the best paydays before he waves good buy to the sport. One other bout that caught our eye was in the US as former amateur stand out Ievgen Khytrov (5-0, 5) stopped Chris Chatman (12-4-1, 5). The knockout was a thing of beauty from the highly Khytrov, though we can't help but think he's regressed since turning professional. He still appears to be a very physically strong fighter but his skills have certainly gone backwards since his days of winning the 2011 World Amateur Champions, incidentally beating Ryota Murata in the final. We hope his team can work on his defensive flaws which are becoming more apparent after every fight. When we look at big weekends in the boxing world we tend to speak about weekends which are busy with numerous would title fights across all sorts of divisions. We do have numerous world title bouts this Saturday but we've got to admit that all the excitement surrounds just one of those world title contests with the others coming as more of a pleasant distraction whilst we wait. The big fight is in New York as two of the sports genuinely big names collide in a bout for the WBC Middleweight title. This will see defending champion Sergio Gabriel Martinez (51-2-2, 28), fighting for the first time in over a year, battling against Puerto Rican superstar Miguel Cotto (38-4, 31). For Cotto this is a chance to become a 4 weight world champion, for Martinez it's a chance to return to the ring and try and claim another notable victory. Although Martinez/Cotto fight is the main event in Madison Square Garden it is just one of a number of bouts that we feel is of interest. Another of those bouts is obviously the rematch between Marvin Sonsona and Wilfredo Vazquez Jr whilst another is a brilliant Light Middleweight contest between the huge puncher Jorge Melendez (28-3-1, 26) and former world title challenger Javier Francisco Maciel (28-3, 10). This is one that has split us over who will win and looks like a really exciting contest between two men who really can bang. A 4th bout of interest here will see see the popular Andy Lee (32-2, 22) take on the big punching John Jackson (18-1, 15). Jackson is the young son of former world champion Julius Jackson and numerous people from the media are very high on the kid and Lee should be able to give him a genuine test here. One of the few "other" world title buts takes place in the UK where IBF Bantamweight champion Stuart Hall (16-2-2, 7) takes on the promising and unbeaten Paul Butler (15-0, 8). We think this chance really should have gone to Randy Caballero, who beat Kohei Oba in an eliminator earlier this year. We do like the fight in terms f what it should say about both though aren't convinced either man is even the best Bantamweight in the UK so we do feel a little annoyed at the IBF more than the men involved. In Germany we get the two remaining big bouts. The first will see female pound-for-pound queen Cecilia Braekhus (24-0, 7) defending her collection of titles against against the tough but limited Jessica Balogun (24-3, 12). We expect Braekhus to show off her skills here but it's as good a match as you can make for the Welterweight queen who really is untouchable at times. Unfortunately the other bout, which sees WBA Light Heavyweight champion Juergen Braehmer (43-2, 32) defending his belt against Roberto Feliciano Bolonti (35-2, 24) looks like a major mismatch, despite the similar records of the men involved. The only other bout real note is in Mexico where the big punching former world champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (45-6, 35) takes on the tough Miguel Roman (45-11, 34) in a bout that could turn out to be a slug fest of the highest order. (Image courtesy of Top Rank) Weekends in boxing are often strange things. Sometimes, as with last week, they are packed with more fights than we can possibly remember. Other weekends only a few bouts stand out as being genuinely significant. This weekend certainly falls between the two with very little of note on Friday and only one or two really interesting bouts on Saturday. The only world title bout on Friday night takes place in Argentina as WBA Flyweight champion Juan Carlos Reveco (33-1, 18) takes on the exciting Felix Alvarado (18-1, 15). Reveco, who is somewhat known to Asian fans due to his victories over Nethra Sasiprapa and Masayuki Kuroda. Although not one of the elite Flyweights he is a very capable fighter with a nice body attack and he does a lot of things well without being exceptional at many things. As for Alvarado he's well known to Japanese fans for his loss, late last year, to Kazuto Ioka in a bout that was thoroughly compelling viewing. Of the two we tend to feel Reveco is the better all round boxer but Alvarado has the style in which he could make life difficult for the champion in what could be a thrilling contest. As well as the world title bout we do have some very interesting contests, including a Heavyweight bout in France that will see the promising Carlos Takam (29-1-1, 23) taking on former 2-time world title challenger Tony Thompson (39-4, 26). Thompson is going though a bit of an Indian summer in his career with victories over David Price and Odlanier Solis in the last 18 months. As for Takam he proved his skills when he fought Mike Perez last year and was very unfortunate not to come away with a victory. With the merits of both men we cannot disagree with the way the WBC have put their "Silver" title on the line for this bout and we hope it will create a genuine contender for the WBC title. In South Africa we get two IBF international title bouts with some significance. One of those bouts will see former IBF Super Featherweight champion Malcolm Klassen (27-6-2,14) battling against compatriot Jasper Seroka (23-4, 10) whilst the other will see emerging Cruiserweight contender Thabiso Mchunu (16-1, 11) fighting against Brazilian Julio Cesar Dos Santos (26-2, 23). Whilst Klassen has to be favoured over Seroka we think this should be the more competitive bout and with the winner likely to get a fringe world ranking the bout could prove to be significant to a number of Asian fighters in and around the 130lb weight class. As for Mchunu and Dos Santos it's hard to see Dos Sanots winning but he'll likely throw plenty of shots playing into the counter-punching ability of Mchunu who many are tipping as a future world champion in the Crusierweight division. We do like Mchunu a lot and think this really is little more than a showcase bout for him. One bout in the US that we're interested in will be a Middleweight contest between former world amateur champion Ievgen Khytrov (4-0, 4) and Chris Chatman (12-3-1, 5). We were big fans of Khytrov when he was as wrecking ball amateur and he looked sensational when he beat Ryota Murata in the 2011 World Amateur Championships but we feel he has regressed since turning professional. This bout however is his first real test as a pro and should tell us a lot about where he's going in the future. He should beat Chatman but it's a very credible step up in class. (Image courtesy of boxrec.com) |
InternationalWe know that not every fight involves an Asian fighter but a lot of fights do affect Asian fighter. As a result we've decided to add this new section to Asian boxing where we look at selected International bouts. Archives
December 2015
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