This coming Saturday is a less than exciting day in international boxing. Much of the action is taking place in Europe, though there is some notable female action in Mexico.
The only male world title fight of the day takes place in Germany, however it's a less than exciting title bout that really shows how farcical the WBA are. The bout in question sees the very talented WBA “regular” Light Heavyweight champion Juergen Braehmer (46-2, 34) defending his belt against Konni Konrad (22-1-1, 11). Breahmer is talented, but he's a league lower than WBA “super” champion Sergey Kovalev. Konrad on the other hand is a pitiful challenger who is ranked #133 by boxrec.com, an accurate ranking showing just what a joke he is as a challenger. The German card does feature some interesting hopes, such as Cruiserweight Noel Gevor (18-0, 10) and Super Middleweight prospect Stefan Haertel (6-0), both of whom should continue their perfect runs. The other European card of note comes from Leeds where fans get the chance to see a number of notable fighters, though unfortunately the bouts are, on the whole, horrible mismatches. On paper the most interesting of the bouts will see the unbeaten, and hugely popular, Josh Warrington (21-0, 4) take on Australian Joel Brunker (28-1, 16). This looks a good bout on paper but Brunker has got a padded record and Warrington has been relatively over-hyped, based on his fan base. It should be an entertaining fight but one that won't really effect the world scene. One fighter who may be eyeing up a future world title fight is former IBF Bantamweight champion Stuart Hall (17-4-2, 7) who takes on the horribly matched Arnoldo Solano (14-10) in what is a farcical mismatch. Another terrible mismatch will see former world title challenger Tony Bellew (24-2-1, 15) take on Arturs Kulikauskis (16-26-5, 8). Another former world title challenger on this card is Martin Murray (31-2-1, 14) who faces Jose Miguel Torres (31-6, 27). On paper the Murray bout looks good but the reality is that Torres is a limited opponent who was beaten black and blue by David Lemieux not too long ago. The most notable action in Americas comes from Mexico where fans will get a couple of female world title fights. On paper the most exciting of those comes at 108lbs where Ibeth Zamora Silva (23-5, 9) will defend her belt against Esmeralda Moreno (31-7-1, 10). On paper this could actually be the fight of the day. On the same card fans will also get the chance to see the much touted Rey Vargas (24-0, 20), who many are tipping to become a world champion. Another female title fight set to take place in Mexico will see WBA female Minimumweight champion Anabel Ortiz (17-3, 3) defending her title against the once beaten Sandra Robles (11-1, 5). This will be Ortiz's first bout since defeating Nana Yoshikawa back in April and we don't expect to see her struggle with Robles, despite the fact Robles is on a 9 fight winning streak.
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This past Saturday was a very busy day in the boxing world with numerous world level fighters in action around the globe. It was, in some ways, one of the most interesting days of the year for boxing fans despite a lack of elite level fights or huge name fighters. One of the key bouts was a Middleweight clash between former world title challenger Martin Murray (29-1-1, 12) who scored a technical decision win over Italian tough guy Domenico Spada (39-6, 19). The bout, for the WBC silver Middleweight title, was certainly not the best fight of the weekend but was a very important one and it seems likely the winner , Murray, will be facing Gennady Golovkin next February, also in Monaco. That bout looks like one of the best that can be made in the division but can see past a Golovkin stoppage against the game British fighter. Another bout on the same show saw Unbeaten Light Heavyweight contender Eleider Alvarez (16-0, 9) score a statement win by stopping previously unbeaten South African Ryno Liebenberg (16-1, 11) in 7 rounds. Liebenberg was attempting to defend the WBC silver Light Heavyweight title for the first time however the win for Alvarez is likely to put him right in contention for a WBC world title fight. For us however the most interesting bout, both in the ring and in terms of general significance, was a Bantamweight bout between the unbeaten Randy Caballero (22-0, 13) and former champion Stuart Hall (16-4-2, 7). The bout was a very competitive and exciting one as both men gave their all, sadly for Hall his all wasn't enough to over-come the more technically capable Caballero who scored a second round knockdown and just edged the contest. For Caballero this opportunity was a well deserved one following his win in an eliminator against Kohei Oba earlier this year and now we're hoping Caballero will be considering a unification bout with Shinsuke Yamanaka. In Montenegro we saw two other fringe world class fighters in action. One of those two fighters was Dejan Zlaticanin (20-0, 13) who dropped the teak tough Alex Bone (10-19-3, 4) twice on route to a very wide decision victory. Zlaticanin is a world ranked fighter and is best known for his upset win over Ricky Burns though it does seem likely that he could struggle to find other big fights due to a lack of a major backer. The other man on the card was Super Middleweight contender Nikola Sjekloca (28-2, 8) who out pointed Jorge Rodriguez Olivera (25-10, 12) in a clear cut 8 round bout. Unlike Zlaticanin it's fair to say that Sjekloca isn't struggling to get big bouts and has fought both Sakio Bika and Arthir Abraham recently and will be back in the ring on November 22nd to fight Callum Smith. One final bout of note was a female on in Mexico as Yazmin Rivas (31-8, 9) defended her WBC Bantamweight title with a 10 round decision over Australian veteran Susie Ramadan (23-2, 8). (Image courtesy of http://www.goldengloves.co.za) This Saturday is a great day for boxing fans with a genuinely brilliant card coming from Monaco which is developing a real niche position in European boxing circles for some interesting international shows that show case many interesting fighters, some of which are getting their main exposure via these shows. The headline bout here will see Middleweight hopeful Martin Murray (28-1-1, 12) battle against former contender Domeico Spada (39-5, 19) in a WBC Silver Middleweight title bout. In theory, and lets be honest boxing never does what it should, the winner of this bout should face the winner of a contest between Miguel Cotto, the WBC world champion, and Gennady Golovkin, the WBC interim world champion. We're hoping to see Spada and Murray put on a great fight but we do feel that Murray has been over-rated for a decent showing against a badly damaged Sergio Martinez and that Spada has had more chances than he actually deserves. In a second Middleweight bout Britain's Nick Blackwell (15-3, 6) will be battling the under-rated Sergey Khomitsky (29-11-2, 12). This is a great bout even if no titles are on the line and we actually prefer it to the other Middleweight bout despite this bout being a level lower, that's because it's a more competitive match up. At least to us. At Light Heavyweight we get another WBC silver title bout as Ryno Liebenberg (16-0, 11) faces fellow unbeaten fighter Eleider Alvarez (15-0, 8). This is a genuinely great bout between two top 15 Light Heavyweights and it's hard to call either way. Both men are looking for the "big win" to get them into the mix and a win here could well be that big one that they so desperately want. Another bout on this card that looks very interesting will see the IBF Bantamweight title up for grabs as Randy Caballero (21-0, 13) battles against former champion Stuart Hall (16-3-2, 7). The belt, which was vacated by Paul Butler, was held by Hall earlier this year and we had hoped to see Caballero fighting Hall for the belt when Hall held it. Instead Caballero gets his chance now, a chance he earned when he went over to Japan and stopped Kohei Oba. We suspect this could be a good fight but we can't hide the fact that we are Caballero fans and hope that he can pick up the win here. One other bout on this card will see China's Xiong Zhao Zhong (24-5-1, 14) battling against Hekkie Budler (26-1, 9) in a WBA Minimumweight title bout. Whilst this is in Monaco it does feature an Asian fighter and we have fully previewed this bout here. As well as the action in Monaco we also have a very notable female title fight in Mexico as the very talented Yazmin Rivas (30-8, 9) battles the once beaten Susie Ramadan (23-1, 8) in a very interesting contest for the WBC female Bantamweight title. Both of these women are top tier fighters and both will come in to this bout with serious confidence and self belief. In many ways it's the bout of the day and we're expecting a very memorable contest between two equally talented fighters. (Image courtesy of http://www.goldengloves.co.za) 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) |
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
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