Eric Armit's weekly review (PT3)

December 18
East London, South Africa: Super Fly: Gideon Buthelezi (17-5) W PTS 12 Makazole Tete (14-2-1). Light: Mzonke Fana (37-9) W TKO 8 Xolani Mcotheli (13-3). Bantam: Lwandile Sityatha (21-3-1) W PTS 12 Ernesto Saulong (18-2-1). Super Fly: Zolani Tete (22-3) W PTS 12 Jether Oliva (23-4-2). Welter: Ali Funeka (37-5-3) W TKO 4 Gideon Agbosu (12-3). Super Feather: Aphiwe Mboyiya (12-2-1) W TKO 7 Abraham Osei Bonsu (10-1-1).
​Buthelezi vs. Tete
Buthelezi takes the unbeaten tag from Tete and wins the vacant IBO title to become a three division champion. Tete had weight problems and it showed as he was tentative and after a decent first round allowed Buthelezi to boss the fight. Buthelezi simply outboxed a sluggish Tete being too quick of hand and foot and Tete never seemed to have a plan for dealing with Buthelezi’s southpaw stance. The fight was one-sided with Tete unable to raise his game despite the exhortations from his brother at ringside. His performance was so insipid that despite fighting in front of his own crowd over the late rounds it was Buthelezi who was getting all of the cheers. Scores 119-109, 118-110 and a very strange 116-113 which was way too generous to Tete. Buthelezi, 29, is one of the lower profile boxers in South Africa despite having won IBO titles at minimumweight and light flyweight and being the only fighter to have beaten Hekkie Budler. When he challenged for the WBC fly title in 2011 he was destroyed in two rounds by Adrian Hernandez and he lost his IBO super fly title with a one round kayo loss to Edrin Dapudong in 2013. He bounced back in December 2014 with a win over world rated Namibian Immanuel Naidjala, but lost a split decision to Lwandile Sityatha for the IBO super fly title in July. Tete, the brother of Zolani, was unbeaten going in but may have been weight weakened so he can bounce back from this.

Fana vs. Mcotheli
Former IBF super feather champ[ion Fana gets his career off the rocks with a stoppage of Mcotheli in eight rounds for the interim WBO Africa title. The 42-year-old “Rose of Khayelitsha” won the IBF title twice but on the second occasion just gave it up without making any effort to defend it. He had scored a good domestic win over Sipho Taliwe in October but last month was beaten on points by Tunisian Hedi Slimani for the ABU title in Belgium so could not afford another loss. Local fighter Mcotheli, the SABC No 4 lightweight had won his last two fights inside the distance and his other losses had been to very good opposition in Jasper Seroka and Malcolm Klassen.

Sityatha vs. Saulong
Sityatha wins the vacant WBO International title with unanimous decision over Filipino Saulong. The South African was shaken by a big right hook in the first round but quickly recovered and took control with a stiff, accurate jab and plenty of lateral movement leaving the aggressive Filipino swishing air. After that brief success in the first Saulong was never really in the fight and when a straight right to the jaw dropped him in the seventh it looked like the end but he survived. Saulong came out swinging in the eighth but in vain as over the remaining rounds the defensive skills and fight controlling jabs from Sityatha made it one-sided. Scores 118-109 twice and 119-109 for Sityatha. The South African gave up his IBO super fly title due to problems making the weight. He is 11-1-1 in his last 13 fights. Saulong had won the WBC International title in May and was No 13 with the WBO.

Tete v. Oliva
Tete saved the night for the family with a comprehensive unanimous verdict over Oliva to win the vacant WBO African title. The brilliant former undefeated IBF champion won ever round as he outboxed and out fought a good level opponent all the way. He had Oliva down from a left hook in the fourth but the Filipino has only lost inside the distance once and had taken Moruti Mthalane to a split decision for the IBO fly title last year. There was never a chance he would get anywhere near a share of the decision here as he took a one-sided beating but stayed the course although he was probably helped in that achievement by the fact that Tete was carrying a shoulder and hand injury into the fight. Scores 120-107 twice and 120-108. The 23-year-old Tete gave up his IBF title rather than defend it for a small purse and has been removed from their ratings and is rated WBC 6/WBA 12 and would give either Carlos Cuadras or Kohei Kono a tough night. This was the first time the Tete brothers have appeared together on the same show. Oliva, 28, was unbeaten in his first 18 fights until he lost to Ulises Soto for the IBF light fly title in 2011

Funeka vs. Agbosu
Funeka gets another inside the distance victory as he halts Ghanaian Agbosu in four rounds. For the vacant WBO Africa title. The former IBF/WBA/WBO lightweight title challenger now has 30 wins by KO/TKO. It seems incredible to think that the 37-year-old 6’1” (185cm) fighter was a flyweight when he turned pro in 1995. He had no luck in three world title fights losing a majority decision to Nate Campbell for the three titles, fought a draw with Joan Guzman for the IBF title and in the return match lost a split decision. Plenty of controversy as well of course as Campbell failed to make the weight for their fight and Guzman failed to make the weight in their second fight with Funeka also serving a ban for using a banned substance. This wins saves his career which looked over when he lost his IBO welter title being floored four times and stopped in five rounds by lowly rated fellow-South African Tsiko Mulovhedzi in July. Records show Agbosu was having his first fight since November 2013 but a problem with records from Ghana means that not all results are being reported widely.

Mboyiya vs. Bonsu
Former South African feather champion Mboyiya gets his fourth victory in a row with stoppage of unbeaten Ghanaian fighter Bonsu and wins the vacant WBO Africa title. The Eastern Cape southpaw now has six wins by KO/TKO. Only the second fight in two years for Bonsu.

Indio, CA, USA: Feather: Joseph Diaz (19-0) W TKO 2 Hugo Partida (21-7-2). Feather: Andrew Cancio (16-3-2) W TKO 8 Rene Alvarado (23-6).
Diaz vs. Partida
Diaz crushes Partida inside two rounds. The unbeaten southpaw put pressure on Partida from the first bell scoring with good body shots and keeping on top of Partida who was too busy fending off Diaz’s punches to mount any offensive of his own. In the second Diaz caught Partida early with a right that had the more experienced Mexican hurt. He slammed home a series of southpaw lefts and with Partida caught on the ropes and shipping punishment the referee stopped the fight. The 23-year-old “JoJo” wins the vacant NABF title and although not yet rated he is ready to step up to much tougher opposition. Fourth loss by KO/TKO for Partida and third loss in a row.

Cancio vs. Alvarado
Cancio continues his seesaw series of fights with stoppage of Alvarado. Over the first four rounds Alvarado was doing the better work being more accurate with his punches and blocking most of those coming from Cancio as they fought toe-to-toe. In the fifth a left hook from Cancio unhinged Alvarado’s legs and he floundered around the ring with Cancio in pursuit but when Cancio was unable to capitalise on his success Alvarado was banging back at the end of the round. The intensity dropped in the sixth and seventh with Alvarado recovered and Cancio looking to have tired himself with his attacks in the fifth. In the eighth Cancio again landed a heavy left hook and again Alvarado was badly shaken and as more punches from Cancio landed the referee gave Alvarado a standing count. When the count was over Cancio again unleashed a volley of punches and the referee stepped in to save Alvarado. Cancio, 27, was having his first fight for 20 months. In a four-fight sequence he had beaten Rocky Juarez, lost to Rene Gonzalez, beaten Jerry Belmontes and then lost to Ronnie Rios so this win sees him on the top of the seesaw sequence. Nicaraguan Alvarado, 26, a former WBC Silver champion loses by KO/TKO for the first time having gone ten rounds with Diaz in July. He is also on a switchback going W,L,W,L,W,LW,L in his last 8 fights.

Las Palmas, Canary Isles, Spain: Welter: Nabil Krissi (10-0) W KO 1 Ignacio Mendoza (40-12-2). Light: Jerobe Santana (10-0) W PTS 6 Kakhaber Avetisian (42-34-1).
Krissi vs. Mendoza
Krissi finished off experienced Mendoza in first. After shaking Mendoza with a head punch late in the end of the round he ended the fight with a body punch that put Mendoza down and he was unable to beat the count. The local “Sultan”, 31 has five sins by KO/TKO. This was supposed to be his first ten round fight. Colombian-born Mendoza who has mixed in good company in the past drops to six losses by KO/TKO and is 2-5 in his last 7 fights.

Santana vs. Avetisian
Santana makes it a local double with a unanimous verdict over Georgian Avetisian. Santana won every round and had Avetisian in trouble a few times but lacked the power to finish the fight early. The 23-year-old Santana gets his seventh win in 2015. For Avetisian it is his twelfth fight of the year, 5 home wins and 7 away losses