Snips and Snipes with Eric Armit

By Eric Armit

It looks as though Anthony Joshua’s first fight in the USA will be against Jarrell Miller in New York on 1 June and confirmation of that is imminent. Reportedly Joshua’s purse will be his highest yet at $32 million. 

The WBC pushed the date for the purse bids for Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury back to 12 February with the parties said to be near to reaching an agreement. If the purse bidding does go ahead it will be interesting to see whether, as has been claimed, Wilder vs. Fury is a bigger fight. It is to the credit of the fighters and the Wilder/Fury people if they can come to an agreement in such a relatively short time. 

With the possibility of Dereck Chisora vs. Joseph Parker, Dillian Whyte vs. Dominic Breazeale on the cards, Joe Joyce vs. Bermane Stiverne on 23 February, and Daniel Dubois and Nathan Gorman all scheduled to fight in the next two months, I can’t remember the last time there was so much happening for British heavyweights. Definitely not the “horizontal heavyweights” of the past. 

It is not just British heavyweights keeping busy with Agit Kabayel 18-0 defending the European title against Andriy Rudenko 32-3 on 2 March in Magdeburg and fellow SES heavyweight unbeaten Tom Schwarz 23-0 facing 17-1 Croatian Kristijan Krstacic on the same show. 

With Alex Povetkin likely to return to action in April and Kubrat Pulev facing Robert Helenius in the USA on 23 March (but that may fall through as the main event was to be Miguel Berchelt defending the WBC super feather title against Francisco Vargas and that fight has had to be put back to May due to Berchelt injuring his left hand. 

Romanian heavyweight Christian Hammer is going where others fear to tread by taking on Luis Ortiz on 2 March it is a busy time for the heavyweights.

The WBSS is still limping along. It is a bit like a wounded animal. Is it going to be able to limp safely to the end of the current rounds involving the cruiserweights, super lightweights and bantamweights, or is it fatally wounded and destined to die out? It has been announced that the cruiserweight semi-final between Krzys Glowacki and Mairis Breidis will take place in Riga, Latvia, on 15 June but no date or venue yet for Yunier Dorticos vs. Andrew Tabiti has been announced. 

At super light, Josh Taylor vs. Ivan Baranchyk has an 18 May date in Glasgow but no information is available for Regis Prograis vs. Kiryl Relikh. 

At bantamweight, nothing advised for Zolani Tete vs. Nonito Donaire or Naoya Inoue vs.  Emmanuel Rodriguez. The quarter finals were held in October so you are looking at a gap of seven and eight months between even those fights already scheduled. It is encouraging that a couple of the six semi-finals have a date but the longer it is before the other four  are schedules the more it looks like the wound is fatal.

Gilbert Ramirez has thrown his hat into the light-heavyweight mix indicating he is targeting Sergey Kovalev and it is a sensible move as there is very little for him in staying at super middle as the WBO ratings offer very little for Ramirez in the way of a challenge. In another move he is reported to have changed his manager and his trainer.

Rob Brant is set to make the first defense of the secondary WBA middleweight title on 15 February in Hinckley against unbeaten 17-0 Russian Khasan Baysangurov. Brant will be back in his home State of Minnesota where he turned pro and had most of his early fights.

Originally set for 6 February, the WBA has reset the date for purse offers for three of their titles. Bids were due for Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Anthony Crolla at lightweight, Beibut Shumenov vs. Arsen Goulamirian at cruiser and Daniel Roman vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev at bantam but they have delayed the purse opening to 13 February. You can be sure Top Rank will decide who Lomachenko fights in April and not the WBA. 

Shumenov vs. Goulamirian will be between their secondary champion and their gold champion as they continue to try to sort out the mess they made by having more champions than titles. They solved the Denis Lebedev problem by just making him disappear. As he is not in their ratings he is probably back in the recess they put him in before. You can be sure that the gold title they invented for Goulamirian will not disappear because there are sanctioning fees to be made from it. There was a faint hope that Roman might be allowed to fight IBF champion TJ Doheny in a unification fight but that looks unlikely.

Roman vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev? If you have never heard of Murodjon Akhmadaliev let me say that he was a top level amateur but has only been a professional for less than a year. How did he become the WBA No 1 super bantamweight? Well this is another case where paying the sanctioning fee for one of their obscure minor titles can reap such rich rewards. After three six round fights in August last year, Akhmadaliev beat world No 266 Ramon Contreras from Chile for the WBA Inter-Continental title and was parachuted into the WBA ratings at No 6. In November be beat Isaac Zarate rated No 66 or 70, depending on which independent ratings you go by, and beating the No 66/70 was enough for Akhmadaliev to rise to the No 1 spot in the WBA ratings. That abomination makes a complete mockery of the very principles that should underpin ratings. In the WBA ratings a sanctioning fee trumps a win over a rated opponent every time.

Olek Gvozdyk will put his WBC light heavyweight title on the line against Doudou Ngumbu in Philadelphia on March 30. It seems that Adonis Stevenson who had to be put in an induced coma after losing the WBC title to Gvozdyk is making slow progress but it is progress. At the start of the year, he was able to speak for the first time since being hospitalized and at the end of last month he took his first unaided steps. He has a long journey and I am sure he will tackle it with the same dedication and courage he showed as a fighter. That is one journey he won’t have to make unaided as his family his team at Group Yvon Michel and his fans will all be supporting him. If Gvozdyk gets past Ngumbu there will be pressure for him to fight Marcus Browne who beat Badou Jack in a final eliminator.

Miguel Cotto is going to be busy this year. He has said that he plans to have ten shows in Puerto Rico to develop more talent.

With Saul Alvarez set to fight Daniel Jacobs in a unification match on 4 May in Las Vegas, it is obvious that the secondary WBA super middle title will fall vacant. British fighter John Ryder is rated No 1 by the WBA with Fedor Chudinov No 2 and Chris Eubank Jr No 3. Chudinov would seem the most likely opponent although there has been a suggestion that David Lemieux could be in the other corner against Ryder.

The AIBA are fighting it but it seems that the IOC’s decision to cut the number of divisions to be competed for at the Olympics is going to stand. It is a blow to the lower divisions. The weight divisions will be: 52kg, 57kg, 63kg, 69kg, 75kg, 81kg, 91kg and +91kg. That means that instead of the four lighter divisions, 49kg, 52kg, 56kg and 60kg, there will now only be two divisions in that range.  That will be a blow to the little guys as they will all have to compete at a higher weight than in the past. That will mean a natural 49kg fighter having to compete in his national qualifiers at 52kg. It also means that there will be fewer medals available and often national funding is based on medals won previously or potential returns. It is yet another blow to boxing at the Olympics.

The Oubaali’s are another of boxing’s fighting families. Not surprising in their case. Nordine who won the WBC bantamweight title last month is the 13^th of the 18 children in the family. Elder brother Ali lost only three of his 29 fights but unfortunately they were all in title fights. Now younger brother Messaoud is turning pro with his first bout scheduled for April. Ali and Nordine founded and run a gym in Deauviller with Olympic champion Estelle Mossely being one of their discoveries.

There are still rumors of a return to action by Marcos Maidana. A few weeks back he seemed to indicate he was about to return but then he indicated he was only joking. Now he says there have been people talking about fights for him and he is training. What is certain is that Omar Narvaez will return to the ring. Now 43 he is targeting March for his first fight.

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Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 Presents Figueroa vs. Escandon Recap

Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 emanated this evening from the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, CA for a rare Sunday event. The card was originally supposed to be headlined by a special attraction pitting Victor Ortiz against John Molina Jr., a resident of nearby Covina, CA. The clash between Ortiz and Molina was cancelled Wednesday after Ortiz turned himself into police as a result of felony warrant that was issued for his arrest. The warrant stemmed from an investigation by police that lead to Ortiz being charged with three counts of sexual assault. Ortiz was released after he posted the $100,000 bail, however, PBC still elected to remove him from the card. This proved to be a disappointing turn of events for Molina, who after an intense training camp, was primed to come into Ontario with his eyes set on defeating Ortiz and potentially propelling himself back into the title conversation.

With the cancellation of the feature bout, lightweight contenders Brandon Figueroa and Oscar Escandon were promoted to the main event of the evening, with heavyweights Joe Joyce and Iago Kiladze slotted in the co-main event.

James DeGale (24-2-1, 14 KOs) vs. Fidel Monterrosa Munoz (39-18-1)
Eight Rounds, Light Heavyweights
Decision: James DeGale via KO in Round Three.

DeGale entered this contest on the heels of a unanimous decision victory over Caleb Truax back in April. This victory, however, was preceded by back to back fights where the judges’ scorecards left much to be desired from DeGale’s perspective as he lost a majority decision to Truax in December 2017, and fought to a majority draw with the fierce Badou Jack back in January of 2017.

Viktor Slavinskyi (6-0, 3 KOs) vs. Mike Fowler (6-17, 2 KOs)
Six Rounds, Super Featherweights
Decision: Viktor Slavinskyi via RTD in Round Three

Something I discovered noteworthy prior to this bout was that it marked the seventh time (yes you read that correctly) Mike Fowler fought this year and he is scheduled to fight again on October 20.  As anticipated, Slavinskyi dominated this bout with punishing blows for all three rounds.  Fowler was unable to mount any offense as he was continuously walked down and his corner elected not to continue after round three.

Live on FS1:

Arnold Alejandro (7-0, 6 KOs) vs. Francisco Camacho (7-8-1, 3 KOs)
Six Rounds, Featherweights
Decision: Arnold Alejandro via KO in round Five

Camacho came out in round one with a game plan to use his slight reach advantage and establish the jab early. Unfortunately for Camacho, the more polished southpaw, Alejandro brought his power game frequently and accurately. Camacho displayed a strong jaw as he was the recipient of several jarring shots, but finally a stiff left from Alejandro dropped Camacho to his knee at which point the ref had seen enough.

Omar Juarez (debut) vs. Matt Gaver (0-1)
Four Rounds, Super Lightweights
Decision: Omar Juarez via UD (39-37, 39-37, 40-36)

These competitors appeared to be shot out of a cannon as they virtually sprinted at each other at the sound of the opening bell. Gaver appeared to be more aggressive as he continued to come forward for much of the contest. However, for as many punches he threw, he did not land many as he missed badly at times leaving himself exposed. While Juarez was not as busy, he landed more of his shots, and this is what counted to the judges in the end.

Kody Davies (7-0, 3 KOs) vs. Jerhed Fenderson (4-6, 2 KOs)
Eight Rounds, Light Heavyweights
Decision: Kody Davies via UD (80-72, 80-72, 80-72)

There isn’t much to say about this bout. Davies didn’t mount much offense, but it was more than Fenderson. Fenderson shook off everything Davies threw at him and survived all eight rounds. The few times he attempted any offense, he telegraphed it. 

Jesse Rodriguez (6-0, 4 KOs) vs. Edwin Reyes (8-3-3, 5 KOs)
Eight Rounds, Light Flyweights
Decision: Jesse Rodriguez via UD (80-72, 80-72, 79-73)

This fight headlined the prelims telecast on FS1, and pitted undefeated prospect Jesse Rodriguez against Edwin Reyes.

Reyes did a nice job of preventing Rodriguez from gaining a little space to work in rounds one through four. However, in rounds five and six Rodriguez was able to land some nice combos and establish his dominance in the ring. Reyes would storm back in round seven as the two stood toe to toe in the center of the ring exchanging blows until the sound of the bell. The eighth and final round saw Reyes attempt to go back to his comfort zone of close quarter fighting. However, Rodriguez, who appeared much fresher at this juncture, was able to land several punishing blows with pinpoint accuracy.

Stephen Fulton (13-0, 6 KOs) vs. German Meraz (61-49-2, 38 KOs)
Eight Rounds, Featherweights
Decision: Stephen Fulton via UD (80-71, 80-71, 80-71)

It was apparent that this fight was intended to test Stephen Fulton by matching him up with a fighter who would be difficult to put away, and potentially take him the distance. Meraz entered this contest with 112 fights already under his belt, so there was no question of his toughness. The polished Fulton was able to cut off the ring and land clean shots through all eight rounds, so this one was really a no doubter for the judges at ringside.

Efe Ajagba (6-0, 5 KOs) vs. Nick Jones (7-0, 5 KOs)
Six Rounds, Heavyweights
Decision: Efe Ajagba via KO in Round One

The towering Efe Ajagba entered this fight with an unblemished record in his fourth contest of the year. Ajagba’s most recent “fight” back in August drew mainstream media attention because he won by DQ in a record ONE SECOND after his opponent, Curtis Harper, immediately walked out of the ring following the opening bell because of a dispute over his pay. Ajagba, like Joe Joyce featured on this PBC card in the co-main event, competed in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro games for his native Nigeria, albeit an effort that saw him fall short of a medal after he was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Ajagba’s opponent, Nick Jones, also entered with an unscathed record but it was apparent from the opening bell that he was overmatched. The 6’5” Ajagba continued to walk Jones down and size him up before he finally landed a devastating right to end this bout in the first round.

Jose Balderas (4-0) vs. Ivan Martino (3-2, 3 KOs)
Four Rounds, Bantamweights
Decision: Jose Balderas via UD (40-36, 40-37, 39-37)

Both fighters went toe to toe for the entire four round affair, and while Balderas appeared to be more disciplined, Martino landed the heavier shots. The judges and the fans in attendance seemed to share a difference of opinions as the decision was announced for Balderas, and  accompanied by a shower of boos.

Joey Spencer (4-0, 4 KOs) vs. Cory Macon (0-2-1)
Four Rounds, Middleweights
Decision: Joey Spencer via KO in Round One

Spencer embarked on a full throttle assault from the get go, and quite honestly, Macon didn’t stand much of a chance. Spencer staggered Macon with a couple left hooks, and like a shark smelling blood in the water, he sealed the deal with a straight right that Macon could not recover from.

Joe Joyce (5-0, 5 KOs) vs. Iago Kiladze (26-3, 18 KOs)
Ten Rounds, Heavyweights
Decision: Joe Joyce via KO in Round Five

This bout was only the sixth professional fight for 33-year-old British fighter Joe Joyce. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist squared off with 29 fight ring veteran Iago Kiladze. Kiladze, competing for the third time in 2018, entered on a two fight losing streak-both knockout losses to Adam Kownacki and Michael Hunter.

Joe Joyce certainly looked every part of the Olympic silver medalist in this bout. Making his United States debut, Joyce put on a clinic for the fans in attendance as Kiladze lost by KO after being knocked down for the third time.

Brandon Figueroa (16-0, 11 KOs) vs. Oscar Escandon (25-4, 17 KOs)
Ten Rounds, Super Bantamweights
Decision: Brandon Figueroa via KO in Round 10

This 10 round contest marked the first time Figueroa was scheduled to fight more than eight rounds, and was his third fight of 2018. Figueroa last stepped into the square circle on August 4th when he defeated Luis Roy Suarez Cruz by first round TKO. Oscar Escandon on the other hand, had not tasted victory since he became interim WBC World Featherweight Champion with a seventh round KO of Robinson Castellanos back in March of 2016. Since then, he suffered consecutive setbacks to Gary Russell Jr. in May 2017 by seventh round TKO and Tugstsogt Nyambayar in May 2018 by third round KO.

Both of these fighters came prepared for an all out war. Despite the close proximity these pugilists maintained as they went to round 10, this was a very entertaining fight. It also appeared that Escandon came in with a bit of a chip on his shoulder as he was repeatedly warned by the referee through the first half of the bout for low blows and throwing punches after the bell. When Figueroa was finally able to create a little space between Escandon and himself with his jab in round 10, he slipped in a devastating uppercut that dropped Escandon to the canvas. Escandon attempted to get back to his feet but as he staggered and fell back down, the ref called a stop to the action. This fight was a strong conclusion to the PBC on FS1, and was a more than suitable replacement for the main event.

-Steve Ward

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