This coming Wednesday sees boxing returning to ESPN for a special one off show which features a sensational Middleweight bout as well as one or two interesting undercard bouts.

For us the most interesting of the undercard contests will be the only involving former Ukrainian amateur star Sergiy Derevyanchenko (1-0, 1). Derevyanchenko looked sensational as an amateur, fantastic in the WSB competition and like a star in the making on his professional debut. Rather than wasting time with record padding wins we will see the Ukrainian in with the upset minded Lekan Byfield (5-5-2) who is much, much better than his record indicates. Last time out Byfield defeated the once touted Jason Escalera and if he's on that form here he could give the Ukrainian a very good test.

A second notable under-card bout here will see the unbeaten Miguel Marriaga (18-0, 16) put his impressive record on the line against the tricky, though often frustrating, Christopher Martin (28-3-3, 9). Marriaga, from Colombia, hasn't beaten many fighters of note, though he does hold a win over former Koki Kameda rival Mario Macias. As for Martin he defeated the then unbeaten Chris Avalos, though has failed to really move his career on wards following that victory way back in 2010. When on song Martin is very good though all too often he sleep walks through bouts, Marriaga will know this is his chance to make a name for himself though it is a big step up in class.

Despite the interesting under-card it is the main event that steals the show and and means a lot in the short term. That bout will see former WBO Middleweight champion Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam (30-1, 18) battle against the hard hitting an exciting Curtis Stevens (27-4, 20) in an IBF title eliminator. N'Dam N'Jikam has won 3 straight fights since losing WBO title to Peter Quillin around 2 years ago and he'll be hoping to move one step closer to re-capturing a world title. As for Stevens he'll be looking to get himself a chance at a world title having previously fallen short in a shot against Gennady Golovkin.

The winner of the N'Dam N'Jikam/Stevens bout will face the winner of the upcoming contest between Sam Soliman, the current IBF Middleweight champion, and Jermaine Taylor. Those two are set to meet on October 8th.

(Image courtesy of http://roundbyroundboxing.com)

Saturday's most interesting fights, on paper, were in Russia. They weren't the only bouts of note however and in Germany we saw a bout that got massive attention in the UK and Germany. The bout in question saw WBO Super Middleweight champion Arthur Abraham (41-4, 28) successfully defend his belt against a very spirited effort form British fighter Paul Smith (35-4, 20) in what turned out to be a much, much more competitive contest than many had expected. In fact we'll admit we expected Abraham to stop Smith, probably in the middle stages.

What was saw from Smith was a determined effort as he went to the lion's den and really gave his all. It was a sterling performance from the Englishman though one that wasn't as good as the English commentary team of Nick Halling and Jim Watt had tried to paint through the course of the fight. The commentary really gushed over every thing Smith did, whether it was a clean hook to the body or a jab to the elbow they swooned like a love struck teenager in a sickening and misleading manner. A manner the misled those watching the fight and made a competitive bout seem like a dominant performance.

Although Halling and Watt were swooning their eyes had belied them. Their "excellent work" comments often followed a Smith flurry that landed on the gloves and arms of Abraham. The tight defense and effective aggression of Abraham, who was his typical conservative self for the most part, was essentially the difference between the two men with Abraham winning his rounds fairly clearly whilst Smith had to work incredibly hard to win rounds. At times it looked like Smith was clearly out working Abraham though landing on the guard is of course not clean work, despite what the commentary were proclaiming in their almost cheer-leader like sense of fandom.

We don't mean to take anything away from Paul Smith, his effort does deserve another notable opportunity, though in our eyes he was the correct loser. Unfortunately though he didn't lose as widely as the scores cards of 117-111, 117-111 and 119-109 suggested. He was competitive and genuinely exceeded expectation with a fantastic performance, but not a winning one.

For all the fans who were declaring a robbery we suggest you await the upcoming article by @thefightscore who will be publishing his findings on Monday. For us this wasn't a robbery but the cards were terrible and we suspect many cards will suggest the same.

Note:
The article by @fightscore can now be found here: http://www.boxingnewsonline.net/arthur-abrahams-wide-points-win-over-paul-smith-puzzles-boxing-media/

Boxing regularly gives it's self a black eye with poor matches, crazy officiating and awful world rankings. Sadly this week we saw Fox Sport 1 in the US give it's self a black eye as it shamefully dropped a world title fight from it's schedule at late notice leaving fans who had expected to see the fight unable to watch it. What didn't help matter was the fact that the bout would then end in controversy leaving us all wondering what exactly went on.

The bout in question was the WBA Bantamweight "super" title bout between long time champion Anselmo Moreno (35-3-1, 12) and unbeaten challenger Juan Carlos Payano (16-0, 8). On paper it was a really interesting bout, in fact it was up there with the most significant bouts Fox would have covered this year. Sadly due to Panamanian TV channel PRC TV not streaming the fight live it left many unable to watch the fight, compounding the issue Fox Sports had caused.

The major talking point occurred in round 2 when a clash of heads in round opened up a cut over Payano, a cut that ultimately ended the bout after round 6. The cut wasn't the most fight threatening and it seemed even Payano knew he was going to need to fight to win the title. The challenger showed his fighting spirit in round 3 and 5 as he put his foot on the gas and clowned the champion who had taken rounds 1 and 2 with out too many problems, and round 4 with his body shots. The 6th round however was competitive and left some debate on whether the bout looking interesting as we thought we were set to enter the second half of the fight.

Sadly Payano made an issue of the cut, which had worsened as the fight had gone on, and the doctor bought it calling the fight to a halt to the contest and ruling the bout a technical decision. Amazingly all 3 judges had given it to Payano who was crowned the new champion much to the disgust of Moreno who we suspect may appeal the decision or attempt to get a rematch. 

Sadly whilst Fox Sports gave it's self a black eye, boxing didn't help it's self either. Very disappointing night for all concerned, including Mike Tyson and his "Iron Mike Productions" who were the promoter of the card and of course managed to have their TV date fall through very late on.

For the second successive weekend the US lacks any notable fight though thankfully we're not with out at least 1 fight worth talking about as German promotional power house Sauerland Event put on a very interesting WBO Super Middleweight title fight, and a fight that has major implications for the rest of the division.

The defending champion Arthur Abraham (40-4, 28) was once viewed as one of the sports hardest hitters. He was, as the IBF Middleweight champion a destructive force who needed just 1-punch to render iron chinned fighters void of their senses. Sadly though for Abraham things haven't been the same since he moved to Super Middleweight where fighters have been able to take his power and came him handcuffed behind his own turtle defense.

Although we certainly wouldn't like to be hit by Abraham he doesn't look like the fighter who was a monster at Middleweight.

Whilst Abraham isn't what he once was he will still be clearly favoured over Britain's experienced Paul Smith (35-3, 20) who has failed to prove he belongs in this level. In fact in many ways Smith has nothing to lose but everything to gain from this fight that could see him in a position to earn huge money early next year, if he can win.

Smith is best known internationally for appearing in reality TV show "The Contender" though has been a staple on the British scene for several years. Unfortunately though Smith is probably better known for being 1 of 4 fighting brothers than his own talent. That's not to say he's a bad fighter, far from it, but he has come up short against the two world class fighters he has faced, George Groves and James DeGale, both of whom have stopped him.

From what we've seen of both we need to favour Abraham, even if he's not the fighter he was. If Smith wins we expect he'll be fighting in a huge money British domestic clash with someone like Carl Froch, in a 3 title unification bout, or a rematch with either Groves or DeGale. For Abraham a defense will likely see him continue to defend his title against abject foes in Germany. Soon or later however there will be an interesting WBO mandatory against someone like Gilberto Ramirez Sanchez.

(Image courtesy of Sauerland Event)

The Bantamweight division is one of the most interesting in Asia right now with the likes of Shinsuke Yamanaka, Tomoki Kameda, Suiryan Sor Rungvisai and Ryosuke Iwasa. Sadly outside of Asia it's not a great division with only a small handful of fighters really worthy of attention.

Of that hand there is one man that really, really stands out. Anselmo "Chemito" Moreno (35-2-1, 12) the current WBA "super" champion and one of the truly elite boxer in the sport today. 

Moreno will be defending his title this coming Friday when he takes on unbeaten Dominican challenger Juan Carlos Payano (15-0, 8) in what looks to be a very good bout on paper. 

Moreno is a pure boxer with fantastic movement, a brilliant judge of distance and timing and a sharp and busy jab that keeps opponents at bay whilst also opening up opportunities for his heavier shots. Although not a puncher Moreno is sharp enough when he connects to keep opponents honest and he does connect a lot.

As for Payano he's a less known and less respected fighter though is talented, an intelligent boxer and when he connects clean, as he did against Filipino Jundy Maraon last year, he can render opponents unconscious. Sadly for him though he's not shown the skills, class or anything else that would make us favour him over the slippery Panamanian champion who is probably the only man in the division who could could give Yamanaka and Tomoki a competitive contest.

The bout will be televised in the US and we suggest that if you enjoy pure boxers you should tune in for this one, it's certainly the biggest fight of the day and one that could help shape the Bantamweight division over the next few years.

(Image courtesy of http://www.ironmikeproductions.com)

This past Saturday may not have had a lot of bouts in the US though it was still a major weekend of fights with some fantastic contests across the globe.

The first world title of the day was in Finland of all places as WBA Lightweight champion Richar Abril (19-3-1, 8) retained his belt with a majority decision over local favourite Edis Tatli (23-1, 7). On paper the bout was a contest between a proven world class operator and a promising, though untested, prospect. As it turned out it was the proven fighter that would have that bit too much class and although one judge had the bout even at 114-114 the right man got the win. Sadly we would like to question what Carla Caiz was watching though lets not dwell on what now seems to be the token bad card. With this win Abril ended a break of more than a year between fights and will now likely be a target for Takahiro Ao among others.

Although not a world title bout there was another major bout in Europe as 2-time world title challenger George Groves (20-2, 15) claimed the European Super Middleweight title and became the WBC mandatory challenger courtesy of a clear decision over Frenchman Christopher Rebrasse (22-3-3, 6). Although the win was well deserved from Groves he did appear to be lucky in that he was face a light punching fighter who was more concerned with defense than offense. This was Grove's return to the ring following a nasty KO at the hands of Carl Froch earlier this year and the result should set Groves up another world title bout bout between with a contest against Anthony Dirrell, the current WBC champion, the supposed reward for this win though with the way boxing works you never can be sure about these things.

Next the attention turned to Mexico where there were several major bouts.

In the Super Flyweight division fans saw WBC champion Carlos Cuadras (30-0-1, 24) make the first successful defense of his title as he scored a 4th round technical draw with fellow Mexican Jose Salgado (34-2-2, 27). The bout saw Cuadras in action for the first time since his technical decision win over Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, a decision that won him the belt. Sadly however a headclash, which looks to have been a complete accident on replay, left Salgado unable to go on. Their was talk of a rematch after the fight though we'll be honest and admit we'd rather see Cuadras give a rematch to Srisaket.

The bout looked really exciting on paper and came just a day after Omar Andres Narvaez retained his WBO title. Sadly the early conclusion left wondering about what could have happened.

On the same card in Mexico fans saw WBA female Bantamweight champion Irma Garcia (11-1-1, 2) retain her world title with a decision win over Brazil's Simone Da Silva Duarte (14-7, 6) in what really was a poor excuse for a world title fight. We like Garcia though have no idea how Da Silva Duarte continues to get high profile bouts like this, she has proven she isn't good enough to compete at this level so lets stop having her in this type of bout! The two traded through out the bout but there was a clear gulf in class between the two.

On a separate Mexican card, televised on BeIN sports Espanol, we saw Javier Mendoza (22-2-1, 18) battle incredibly hard with Ramon Garcia Hirales (20-5-1, 12) for the previously vacant IBF Light Flyweight title. The bout was a war from the opening bell with both throwing heavy leather at each other. The fire power of Garcia seemed to shake up Mendoza in round 3 though the best shot of the round was landed too late for Garcia to make the most of it, just a few rounds later it was Garcia Hirales who was hurt, and in fact dropped after some big body shots from his fellow Mexican. From then on Mendoza continually went to the body and round by round Garcia Hirales wilted, he did his belt to fight back but the body shots took all the steam out of him. In round 10 Garcia Hirales was down for the second time in the fight. Amazingly Garcia Hirales rallied strongly in round 11 as Mendoza seemed to begin struggling with the pace though he managed to see out the small scare and had done enough to take a clear decision after the bell to end round 12.

At the end of 12 rounds it was amazing that both men had managed to see out the 12 rounds in what was one of the best fights this year. Truly a sensational fight and well worth checking out if you didn't get to see it live. We imagine now that Mendoza, with his new IBF title, will be targeted by both Ryo Miyazaki and Akira Yaegashi, who are both looking to claim Light Flyweight titles in the near future, and we'd imagine either of those bouts would be another FOTY contender courtesy of the styles of the fighters.

(Image, from the Mendoza/Garcia bout, courtesy of Katsuo Miura/boxingnews.jp)

Whether you like him or hate him, WBO Super Flyweight champion Omar Andres Narvaez (43-1-2, 23) is an extremely talented and skilled fighter who has remained a world champion constantly over the last 12 years. That is despite the fact that the Argentinian is now 39 years old, in Super Flyweight terms that makes an antique. 

Narvaez retained his title once again this past Friday night with an excellent victory over Mexico's young, bigger and fresher challenger, Felipe Orucuta (29-3, 24).

The men were meeting for the second time after Orucuta had given Narvaez an incredibly tough test back in 2012, pushing Narvaez to a controversial split decision. This time however the only controversy was whether or not Pat Russell had been wearing classes or had a drink prior to the fight.

Narvaez started well and seemed to be clearly in charge through 5 rounds as he used his speed to gain a notably lead on the scorecards. Orucuta, to his credit, was trying but seemed to be well out classed by the talented and diminutive Argentinian who used his high guard and counter left hands to great effect. At many times early in the bout it seemed the men were in different leagues.

Through the middle rounds Orucuta managed to put his foot on the gas and for a few rounds managed to do enough enough to silence the champion who was put under serious pressure and seemed to struggle to reply. For a few moments it looked like the 39 year old champion was struggling with the pace, much like he had in their first meeting. The comeback looked possible all of a sudden.

Orucuta's success however was short lived and in round 10 Narvaez took over again winning the final 3 rounds clearly as a tired looking Orucuta struggled to mount any sort of a sustained attack. On our card it was a clear, though well fought, win for Narvaez though somehow all 3 judges had it as a thoroughly competitive bout with scorecards of 116-112 to Narvaez, twice, and a frankly laughable 114-114 scorecard from the previously mentioned Pat Russell who appeared to have been watching something different to everyone else.

Although this was a majority decision in the record books it really wasn't that close and Narvaez didn't deserve to have anything but a unanimous decision.

It's worth noting that Narvaez looked much better than Srisaket Sor Rungvisai did some 20 or so hours earlier. Srisaket, a former WBC champion at Super Flyweight, looked somewhat rusty in his bout with Zoren Pama. Although we'd like to see the Thai battle against Narvaez, today's performance would suggest that the Argentinian would be a clear favourite.

(Image courtesy of the 13th round)

We know many boxing fans focus on what happens in the US and Europe whilst ignoring many bouts outside of those two areas. That was part of the reason that we began this site last year and we hope that we've managed to bring some attention to new fighters, fighters like Kosei Tanaka and Sho Ishida, who are both very under-the-radar of the typical western boxing fan.

This coming weekend is one where many western fans will end up missing out on some fantastic fights as Mexico really takes a hold of boxing for a night of great action and big fights.

For us the most exciting bout comes in Sinaloa as WBC Super Flyweight champion Carlos Cuadras (30-0, 24) defends his belt against compatriot Jose Salgado (34-2-1, 27). This will be Cuadras's first defence since winning the belt with a technical decision against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and it the potential to be a very interesting bout between two heavy Mexican handed fighters. This really could end up a slug fest if the machismo of both men drags them into a war.

On the same card in Sinaloa fans will also see a female world title bout between WBA female Bantamweight champion Irma Garcia (10-1-1, 2) and Simone Da Silva Duarte (14-6, 6). It's hard to see anything but a win for the champion but she does tend to be in action-packed fights courtesy of her style which is all about activity.

A third interesting bout on the same show will see highly ranked Light Flyweight Pedro Guevara (22-1-1, 14) fight in a stay busy contest with Alejandro Morales (14-4, 7). Guevara is likely to be in a world title fight at 108lbs next year so should be viewed as a possible opponent for someone like Akira Yaegashi, Ryo Miyazaki or Jonathan Taconing and we'll be honest any of those men against Guevara would be great to see.

Another notable Light Flyweight bout takes place on a second show in Mexico as the heavy handed Javier Mendoza (21-2-1, 18) battled against Ramon Garcia Hirales (20-4-1, 12) in a contest for the currently vacant IBF Light Flyweight title. This is a genuinely interesting bout and against should be viewed as a bout that could see the winner matched with a top Asian fighter in 2015. For those who remembered correctly this title was stripped from Johnriel Casimero earlier this year after he failed to make weight for his bout with Mauricio Fuentes.

The Mendoza/Garcia Hirales bout comes on the same card as Terdsak Kokietgym's world title bout against Orlando Salido.

Over in Europe we do have two notable bouts. The high profile of those is in the UK as former world title challenger George Groves (19-2, 15) attempts to get his career back on track after back-to-back stoppage defeats to compatriot Carl Froch. Groves will be fighting European Super Middleweight champion Christopher Rebrasse (22-2-3, 6) in what is really a make-or-break fight for both men. On paper Groves should be the big favourite though his clean KO loss to Froch last time out may have a lasting effect and Rebrasse will know he's being over-looked by many. 

The only other European bout of note takes place in Finland of all places. This bout will see tricky Cuban Richar Abril (18-3-1, 8) defending his WBA Lightweight title against the unbeaten Edis Tatli (23-0, 7). For Abril this will be his first bout in 19 months, following a decision over Sharif Bogere whilst for Tatli this will be his first world title bout and in fact his first major bout. Abril is a tricky, frustrating but highly skilled fighter who can make anyone look bad, including himself. As for Tatli he's looked decent in recent bouts though hasn't fought anyone near this level before. It's possible that the winner of this bout may face Takahiro Ao next year and in fact Abril was set to fight Jorge Linares last year so this bout does have some significance to Asian boxing fans.

(Image courtesy of notifight.com)

WBO Super Flyweight champion Omar Andres Narvaez (42-1-2, 23) has held world titles for well over a decade. He's now 39 but he is still one of the sports most hidden fighters, despite a high profile, though dull, loss to Nonito Donaire back in 2011. In his long reign as WBO Flyweight and Light Flyweight champion very few fighters have managed to really test the Argentinian who is often a wonder to watch, especially given his age.

The one man who has ruffled Narvaez's feathers and given him a very tough night in the ring is Mexico's big, strong and heavy handed Felipe Orucuta (29-2, 24). 

The two men met back in May 2013 and for one of the first times in his career Narvaez was forced to really dig deep to retain his title. He was pushed all the way by a hungry young lion ready to take his crown.

This Friday the two men meet for the second time in what is the day's stand out bout, by a huge margin. 

Since their first fight Narvaez has gone 3-0 (3), including a victory over Japan's Hiroyuki Hisataka. Despite being 39 he does look a "young" 39 in the ring, still capable of throwing sharp and long combinations with blurring speed. As for Orucuta he has gone 2-0 (1) and although his wins have lacked any sort of name value he will still be the younger, bigger, fresher fighter. At 28 he is more than a decade younger than the champion and he will have several inches of height and reach advantage over over Narvaez.

Whilst we won't pick a winner for this one we do need to say that this looks like a great fight and if you can watch it, we advise you do. It may be the end of Narvaez or further proof of what the "Hurracan" can do, and just how much he deserves a place in the HOF after he retires, it may be the crowning glory of a fun to watch Mexican warrior or it may be the last stand of an aging great. Fantastic bout, just a shame there are no other bouts of note.

(Image courtesy of http://fecorbox.blogspot.co.uk)

It's very rare in boxing that we see the fighters regarded as the male and female pound-for-pound #1's in action on the same day though that's exactly what we got this Saturday and although both won their bouts they each did so in distinctly different ways.

The first pound-for-pound ruler to be in action was boxing queen Cecilia Braekhus (26-0, 7) who made history by becoming the first ever female fighter to unify the so-called "Big 4" world titles. Braekhus's was as dominant as they come as she thoroughly out boxed, out punched and out classed Ivana Habazin (13-2, 5) to add the IBF female Welterweight crown to her collection of the WBA, WBC and WBO belts. Whilst we know female boxing is the "second class citizen" of the boxing world Braekhus still deserves full credit for achieving something only previously done by Bernard Hopkins, who did the same in the Middleweight division. Universally regarded as the #1 pound for pound fighter without a "Y" chromosome Breakhus is a genuinely special fighter who really has no equal in, or around, her division. 

Several hours after Braekhus had shown off her skills to her loyal Scandinavian fans we then got the chance to see the male pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather (47-0, 26) in action. Mayweather was fighting just his second ever rematch as a professional and was battling against Argentina's Marcos Maidana (35-5, 31). The first fight between the two had been great, competitive and exciting with both showing their dirty sides in what was a genuinely good bout. This time around however the fight lacked something as referee Kenny Bayless became too involved, breaking the men repeatedly through the course of 12 rounds. The breaking was not only killing any chance of Maidana making the bout competitive but also breaking any flow of the bout which was haunted by holding throughout. Over the course of the 12 rounds Mayweather did more than enough to retain his WBA and WBC Welterweight crowns and even hinted at a Pacquiao bout next time out, it was clear however that he is not the fighter he once was.

We'll be controversial and state that we don't think Mayweather actually is the #1 any more, in fact we tend to feel that Nicaraguan sensation Roman Gonzalez is the top fighter irregardless of weight. If you've not seen the little Nicaraguan terror you're really missing out on one of the sports truly terrific offensive fighters.

Prior to the Mayweather bout there had been 4 televised bouts, 3 of which were part of the pay-per-view broadcast. 

The first of the televised bouts from the card saw the show's most exciting bout as former world champion Humberto Soto (65-8-2-1, 35) out pointed the all-action John Molina (27-5, 22) in a thoroughly fun, though foul filled, bout. The fight saw Soto using his experience and edge in skills to clearly win a number of rounds against the one dimensional Molina however the bout also saw numerous low blows. The low blows saw deducted 2 points and Soto deducted 1 point. Despite the low blows and deductions the bout was really good and a brilliant way for Soto to prove he is still relevant on the world scene.

The first of the PPV bouts again saw low blows as James De la Rosa (23-2, 13) scored a career defining victory over the now shot looking Alfredo Angulo (22-5, 18). We loved watching Angulo in the past though he looked a shadow of his former self and was dropped in round 2 by De la Rosa en route to a relatively one sided loss. Angulo was deducted a point for low blows in round 7 and although he made a strong comeback in the final rounds he was a clear, clear, loser of the 10 round non-title bout. Although we did love watching Angulo in his prime we really wish to see him, and for what it's worth Juan Manuel Lopez, retire before taking more punishment. "El Perro" is no longer a marauding beast of a man and is actually going to take a lot of damage if he continues to get in the ring, even against limited fighters.

Sadly the second bout on the PPV was among the worst bouts we've seen this year. The bout saw Mickey Bey (21-1-1-1, 10) take a very controversial split decision win over Miguel Vazquez (34-4, 13) to claim the IBF Lightweight title. The bout a real stinker and we'd suggest using it as a cure for insomnia, or a torture method for captured enemy spies, trust us they would break if you showed them this fight on a loop. Although the bout was a stinker it's action, or rather lack of, was massively over-shadowed by the frankly disgusting card of Robert Hoyle who awarded the bout to Bey with a score of 119-109. The bout had been close and although we felt Vazquez had won it was close. To hand in a score of 119-109 for the bout isn't just questionable but it looks as close to corrupt as any card in recent memory. Genuinely atrocious bout with an atrocious score card.

The penultimate PPV bout, prior to the Mayweather/Maidana bout, saw WBC Super Bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (28-0-1, 16) make very light work of the over-matched and under-sized Manuel Roman (17-3-3, 6). Roman was stopped in the second round of what was really a farce.

For those who paid the PPV price for the Mayweather show, we feel really sorry for you and hope that the American scene will wake up and realise it's killing it's own fan base. PPV it's self isn't terrible but a poor quality product at an over-inflated price, as we had tonight, is awful for the sport and we'd not be surprised if this PPV seriously failed to deliver the numbers hoped for. Hopefully a poor number of sales will help either reduce the cost of the sport or even help move bigger fights back to the cable networks, afterall the sport is growing in countries where the fights aren't on PPV, countries like Germany and Japan being notable examples and both being able to interest a huge fan base.

As well as the action in Denmark and the US we also had action from the UK as WBA Super Bantamweight champion Scott Quigg (29-0-2, 22) successfully defended his title with a 3rd round stoppage of Belgium's Stephane Jamoye (26-6, 16). Jamoye, known for his relatively recent loss to Shinsuke Yamanaka, took the fight to Quigg though was out muscled, over-powered and eventually stopped with a sickening body shot. On paper a 3rd round TKO over Jamoye does look impressive for Quigg, though Jamoye was a late replacement for Paulus Ambunda and got only around 3 weeks notice for the fight. Quigg seemed to hint at a possible clash with Carl Frampton though in all honesty we'd steer Quigg away from that fight as we'd strongly favour the Northern Irishman who looks the more complete fighter by far. Saying that there are plenty of interesting fights Quigg could have, such as a battle with Leo Santa Cruz, Chris Avalos or Shingo Wake, all of which would be very good bouts.

(Image courtesy of Badlefthook.com)