By Eric Armit
Highlights:
-Gervonta
Davis destroys Hugo Ruiz inside a round in WBA super feather title defence
-Andrew
Cancio pulls of huge shock win as he stops unbeaten Alberto Machado to win the
secondary WBA super featherweight title
-Jose Carlos
Ramirez retains the WBC super light title with a majority verdict over Jose
Zepeda in an entertaining fight that was close all the way
-Rey Vargas
gets off the floor and outpoints challenger Franklin Manzanilla in defence of
his WBC super bantam title despite cuts over both eyes
-Erickson
Lubin stops Ishe Smith and sends the former IBF super welter champion into
retirement
-Ray Beltran returns
and stops unbeaten Hiroki Okada
-Javier
Fortuna outpoints Sharif Bogere in a disappointing match
-Mario
Barrios goes to 23 wins with stoppage of Richard Zamora
WORLD TITLE
SHOWS
February 9
Carson, CA,
USA: Super Feather: Gervonta Davis (21-0) W KO 1 Hugo Ruiz (39-5). Super
Welter: Erickson Lubin (20-1) W RTD 3 Ishe Smith (29-11). Light: Javier Fortuna
(34-2-1) W PTS 10 Sharif Bogere (32-2,1ND). Super Light: Juan Heraldez (16-0) W
KO 7 Eddie Ramirez (17-3). Super Light: Mario Barrios (23-0) W KO 4 Richard
Zamora (19-3). Light: Ladarius Miller (19-1) W KO 1 Daulis Prescott (32-11,3ND
).Feather: Angelo Leo (16-0) W PTS 8 Alberto Torres (11-2-3). Fly: Genesis
Libranza (18-1) W PTS 8 Gilberto Mendoza (11-7-2).
Davis vs.
Ruiz
Davis retains the WBA title as he obliterates Ruiz who never
managed to land any punch of note before a stunning combination dropped and
finished him just one second from the end of the opening round
Davis was shadowing Ruiz probing with his right jab as Ruiz slid
around the ropes. Davis tried a couple of quick lefts to the body. Ruiz was
just poking out his jab and tried a right but was short. Davis backed Ruiz into
a corner and leaped in with a quick right followed by a left then backed off and
Ruiz advanced to the center of the ring. Davis backed Ruiz into a corner again
and banged home a solid right jab followed by a powerful right to the side of
the head. Ruiz took a step forward and then wobbled badly took a step back and
dropped to one knee. He was in some distress but climbed to his feet at eight.
There was blood pouring from what was probably a broken nose. He looked
unsteady and when he failed to respond the referee’s questions the fight was
stopped.
That makes twelve wins in a row
for Davis who has that deadly combination of speed and power. Ruiz was a very
late substitute after Abner Mares had to withdraw with a detached retina but he
was in some shape as he was due to fight Filipino Jhack Tepora on 19 January
but instead outpointed Alberto Guevara who stepped in after Tepora was
overweight. There is a WBA eliminator on
2 March between Edner Cherry and Ricardo Nunez but with Cherry having had only
one fight in two years and Nunez never having faced a name fighter they pose no threat to Davis who plans to have
another three or four fights this year. We will have to wait to see what
develops. Former WBC super bantam champion Ruiz gets his fourth loss by KO/TKO
and has said he will look to move down to feather.
Lubin vs.
Smith
Lubin destroys Smith and sends the former IBF super welter
champion into retirement. Lubin dominated the first and then really went to
work in the second. Initially he used his longer reach to keep Smith out and
then connected with a couple of head punches that did not seem heavy but sent
Smith down and onto his back. He slowly made it up just in time. Lubin chased
Smith along the ropes and Smith fell to his knees although again it did not
seem that Lubin had landed anything particularly heavy. He was up quicker this
time but as the action restarted he went down again to his knees whilst ducking
under Lubin’s punches. This time after the count he used some fast movement and
punched back to survive to the bell. Lubin was chasing Smith
down in the third and just before the bell Smith went down from a right to the
head. He beat the count and the bell went and Smith’s corner pulled him out of
the fight. Second fight for the 23-year-old Lubin since his first round kayo
loss to Jermell Charlo in October 2017.
With a couple more wins he should be in position to challenge for a
title again. Good decision by Smith’s corner. The former IBF champion suffers
his third loss in a row. He only lost on a split decision to now WBC champion
Tony Harrison in May but looked all of his 40 years here. His punch resistance
looked to have gone and it is a sensible retirement.
Bogere vs.
Fortuna
Fortuna gets the unanimous decision but this was a poor fight
which neither deserved to win. There was just some hesitant prodding of jabs in
the first and although they did swap a few punches in the second, the best was
a right from Fortuna which had Bogere holding on, but in fact there was more
holding and wrestling than fighting and already the crowd was booing. The
third, fourth and fifth were no better. When they did trade punches the
exchanges were untidy and ineffective. It was a simple case of the two styles
not mixing well. Both are good fighters but just not against each other.
Things
livened up in the sixth as at the start of the round they stood and threw hooks
and uppercuts. They were just swinging wildly and Fortuna seemed to get the
better of the exchanges. They went wild again at the end of the round throwing
looses punches. They both tumbled to the floor but the referee decided that an
left uppercut from Fortuna has put Bogere down and gave a protesting Bogere a
count and he was showing a cut over his right eye at the bell. Bogere had
probably been just in front before the sixth but the knockdown put Fortuna
marginally ahead.
The seventh round saw too much untidy mauling with Fortuna
doing what clean work there was. Fortuna was firing body punches in the eighth
with Bogere not able to counter. The referee stopped the action to get the
ringside doctor to examine the cut over Bogere’s right eye but he was allowed
to continue and Fortuna attacked the body again to take the round. Bogere
staged a strong finish over the ninth and tenth but it was not enough. Scores
96-93 to Fortuna from the three judges. The 29-year-old Dominican is a former
holder of the secondary WBA super feather title. He challenged Robert Easter
for the IBF lightweight title but blew his chance by not making the weight and
lost the fight on a split decision anyway. This is his first outing since
falling through the ropes in his fight against Adrian Granados in June last
which resulted in Fortuna being taken to hospital and the fight being declared
a No Decision. Ugandan Bogere had a shot at the vacant secondary WBA light
title in 2013 but lost on points. He was 9-0,1ND going into this one. Both will
have better nights.
Heraldez vs.
Ramirez
Good test for Heraldez and he passes with flying colours. Ramirez
constituted his toughest fight on paper but he dominated the action putting
Ramirez down in the fifth and again in the seventh with the count being waived
on the second knockdown. Californian-born Heraldez, 28, a member of Floyd Mayweather
Jr’s team, has ten wins inside the distance. No names yet but useful victories
over unbeaten Jose Borrego and Kevin
Watts. Third loss on the bounce for Ramirez having been knocked out by Antonio
DeMarco and outpointed by Argenis Mendez.
Barrios vs.
Zamora
Barrios stops Zamora in the
fourth. After a cautious opening they traded quick punches with Barrios scoring
with a sharp left hook inside but it was an otherwise slow opening. The 5’10”
Barrios had lots of height and reach over Zamora but the Mexican showed a
useful jab. As Barrios began to open up in the second Zamora was being rocked
by right hand counters. They both landed some good punches but a left hook from
Barrios staggered Zamora at the bell. Barrios upped the pace in the third
forcing Zamora back with a strong jab and Zamora fired back and landed a strong
three-punch combination. That made Barrios a bit more cautious but again he
landed a heavy right at the bell. Barrios rammed home a strong right early in
the fourth but when he tried to follow that up Zamora ducked and dived and then
held on tight with a frustrated Barrios tossing him to the floor. Barrios
landed a series of rights to the head and Zamora visibly weakened. Barrios
bombarded Zamora with head punches and although Zamora kept swing in hope he
was taking too many head shots and the referee stopped the fight. The
23-year-old “El Azteca” the WBA No 1 has 15 wins by KO/TKO but has yet to face
a name opponent and yet to be really tested. With typical WBA shenanigans he
went from unrated to No 3 super light for winning their Inter-Continental welterweight title and from there to No
1 without fighting! The young Texan has talent and could be fighting for the
title next year. Zamora had won his last five fights.
Miller vs.
Prescott
A very quick win for Miller. Not a noted puncher southpaw Miller
put a very over the hill Prescott down and out after just 57 seconds. “Memphis”
Miller is on a ten bout winning streak including convincing victories over
Jamel Herring and Dennis Galarza. Colombian Prescott was a late choice as
Miller’s opponent and eight losses in his last nine fights, six by KO/TKO tells
its own story.
Leo vs.
Torres
Leo goes to 16 wins with points victory over Torres. Leo forced
the fight from the first bell and scored knockdowns in the second and fifth
rounds but Torres survived going on to lose by wide margins on all three cards.
Scores 79-71 for Leo. Leo, 24, another Mayweather Team member, reportedly won
65 of his 75 amateur fights and is making
steady progress. Torres only other loss was a split decision against useful
17-1-1 Erick Ituarte.
Libranza vs.
Mendoza
Filipino champion Libranza gets his eighth win after taking the
decision over Mendoza in a competitive contest. Libranza had expected to face
an aggressive Mendoza but instead it was Libranza who had to force the fight
with Mendoza cagey and countering. Libranza’s pressure paid off with a
unanimous decision. Scores 78-74 on the three judges’ cards for Libranza. He
made an ambitious challenge to South African Moruti Mthalane for the IBO flyweight title in Johannesburg in 2017 and
was knocked out in four rounds. He has rebuilt with seven wins back home in the Philippines. Mexican Mendoza
had won his last four fights.
Indio, CA, USA:
Super Bantam: Rey Vargas (33-0) W PTS 12
Franklin Manzanilla (18-4). Super Feather: Andrew Cancio (20-4-2) W TKO 4
Alberto Machado (21-1). Feather: Joseph Diaz (28-1) W PTS 10 Charles Huerta
(20-6). Light: Adrian Estrella (29-3) W PTS 10 Oscar Duarte (15-1-1). Super
Feather: Azat Hovhannisyan (16-3) W KO 5 Lolito Sonsona (22-3-4). Super Middle:
Tureano Johnson (20-2-1) DREW 8 Fernando Castaneda (26-13-1).
Varga vs.
Manzanilla
Vargas gets off the floor in the second round and survives two
doctors inspection of cuts over both eyes to retain the WBC title with wide points decision over determined but limited Manzanilla.
Round 1
Vargas took control immediately. With his height and long reach he
was able to slot home his jab and score with right crosses. Manzanilla tried
some rushing attacks but Vargas was able to take long steps back and either
catch Manzanilla coming in or tie him up inside
Score: 10-9
Vargas
Round 2
Vargas was again bossing the action behind his jab mixing in
straight rights and left hooks to the body. It was too easy and that made
Vargas careless and as he stood in front of Manzanilla preparing another attack
the Venezuelan landed a sweeping left that dropped Vargas on his back. Vargas
did not look badly shaken. After the count Manzanilla was desperately throwing
hooks but Vargas was holding inside and smothering Manzanilla’s attacks. A
frustrated Manzanilla wrestled Vargas to the floor which resulted in a bit more
recovery time for Vargas who made it comfortably to the bell.
Score: 10-8
Manzanilla Manzanilla
19-18
Round 3
Vargas was back in charge. He was again spearing Manzanilla with
jabs at distance and dropping in straight rights. Manzanilla was restricted to
charging forward chucking hooks but Vargas was tying him up inside as the fight
got messy.
Score: 10-9
Vargas Tied 28-28
Round 4
Vargas was now on the front foot. Manzanilla had no answer to the
champion’s jab and Vargas was going to the body with some wicked left hooks. A
clash of heads saw Vargas suffer a small cut over his right eye.
Score: 10-9
Vargas Vargas 38-37
Round 5
Vargas just kept sticking his jab in Manzanilla’s face and the
challenger had no answer to it. Vargas was also countering when Manzanilla
rushed in and instead of holding was pumping punches to the body. Manzanilla
did go down but it was ruled a slip.
Score: 10-0
Vargas Vargas 48-46
Round 6
Manzanilla launched some fierce attacks at the start of this round
and connected with a few hooks. Vargas saw out the storm and then went to work
with his jab and straight rights before moving in with blazing combinations.
Manzanilla continued his rushing attacks but with his long legs Vargas was able
to move back out of range and then step in quickly with counters.
Score: 10-9
Vargas Vargas
58-55
Round 7
A clash of heads at the start of the round had blood dripping from
the cut over the right eye of Vargas. Vargas lost his composure briefly but then punished Manzanilla with hard
counters and connected with left hooks to the body. A wild Manzanilla was
deducted a point for one of many punches to the back of the head. Vargas
outscored Manzanilla and with the deduction that made it a 10-8 round.
Score: 10-8
Vargas Vargas
68-63
Round 8
A messy round as Manzanilla became more desperate with his attacks
and again was penalised a point this time for hitting on the break. Vargas did
what clean scoring there was so another 10-8 round for the champion.
Score: 10-8
Vargas Vargas 78-71
Round 9
A clash of heads in this round saw a cut opened over the left eye
of Vargas and it was serious enough for the referee to have the doctor inspect
it. Vargas was allowed to continue but he now had blood trickling down his face
from both cuts. He began to keep his gloves high to protect the cuts and had
more trouble dealing with the attacks of a fired-up Manzanilla who just did
enough to take the round.
Score: 10-9
Manzanilla Vargas
87-81
Round 10
Manzanilla stormed forward for much of the tenth and managed to
land some hooks. Vargas had his composure back and was connecting with jabs,
straight rights and hooks and was the one coming forward at the bell.
Score: 10-9
Vargas Vargas
97-90
Round 11
Vargas boxed intelligently
in this one. Manzanilla was flying in head first but Vargas was landing
chopping rights and tying Manzanilla inside. Again Manzanilla had some success
with hooks and rocked Vargas with a right to the head but was clearly
outscored.
Score:10-9
Vargas Vargas
107-99
Round 12
Manzanilla piled forward for the whole three minutes but was
wayward with his punches. Vargas boxed mainly on the outside letting Manzanilla
walk onto counters and firing quick combinations as took the round.
Score: 10-9
Vargas Vargas
117-108
Official
Scores : Judge Lou Moret 117-108, Judge Dennis O’Connell 117-108 and Judge Pat
Russell 117-108 all for Vargas.
The 28-year-old champion was making the fourth defense of his WBA
title. Manzanilla could never find an answer to the height and reach advantages
of Vargas who outworked and outscored him all the way. Jessie Magdaleno is No 1
in the WBC ratings but Vargas is a Golden Boy fighter and Magdaleno is with Top
Rank so that might be a difficult match to make and with his height Vargas
might be more comfortable at feather where there are some good fights to be
made. Colombian-based Manzanilla landed the title shot on the basis of a shock
four round victory over Julio Ceja but he was outclassed by Vargas. The two deductions did not help his cause but
he was lucky not to lose more points for punches to the back of the head and
kidney punches. He is strong, aggressive but limited
Cancio vs.
Machado
Cancio climbs off the floor in the first round to steamroller
champion Machado to defeat with four knockdowns in the fourth.
Round 1
Machado had plenty of height and reach over Cancio and as Cancio
came forward he was caught by a couple of straight southpaw lefts from Machado.
Cancio continued to advance and he was able to get past the jab and score with
hooks. As Cancio moved in he ducked under a right and into the path of a short
left hook that dropped him to the floor on his side. He was up at eight and
Machado was throwing slashing hooks trying to repeat his success but Cancio was
getting inside again and finished the round strongly.
Score: 10-8-
Machado
Round 2
Machado was looking to box on the outside and land more left
hooks. Cancio was walking through the punches and hooking to the body with both
hands. The ferocity of Cancio’s attacks had Machado retreating and Cancio was
doing the better work inside. Just before the bell Cancio rocked Machado with a
series of hooks and took the round.
Score: 10-9
Cancio Machado 19-18
Round 3
A painful round for Machado. Cancio kept marching forward throwing
hooks and uppercuts and Machado could do nothing to keep Cancio out. He was
brushing aside Machado’s counters and rocked Machado’s head back and forth with
a volley of punches. During the interval the referee was concerned enough to
come to Machado’s corner to check he was OK.
Score: 10-9
Cancio Tied
28-28
Round 4
Somehow Cancio seemed to have defused El Explosivo’s bombs and
there was no power in the champions punches. Cancio was hunting him down and a
long right to the body saw Machado take a step away and go down on one knee. He
had his head bowed and looked a dispirited and beaten fighter. He reluctantly
got to his feet at nine and as Cancio threw a couple more body punches, most of
which seemed to be blocked, Machado dropped to the floor again. He was up at
nine and hesitated before raising his gloves when asked to do so by the
referee. The fight continued but only for a few seconds and as Cancio was
throwing s few more body punches Machado dropped to the floor and the fight was
stopped.
Huge upset as Cancio wins the secondary WBA title. Cancio had been
in erratic form losing to Ronny Rios and Joseph Diaz but beating Rene Alvarado
and Hugo Cazares. He was inactive in 2017 and had two modest wins in 2018 but
here his ferocious onslaughts just blew Machado away. Puerto Rican Machado had
scored 17 wins by KO/TKO but he just seemed to have lost his power and when
Cancio attacked the body he buckled then broke. Cancio may now defend against
former conqueror Rene Alvarado who is rated No 1 and Machado may now move up to
lightweight.
Diaz vs.
Huerta
Diaz moves up to super feather and looks sharp in win over useful
Huerta. Diaz controlled the action with a sharp strong southpaw jab and
impressed with some flashing combinations. Huerta just could not get into the
fight in any meaningful way but apart for a rocky time in the fifth he was
never in any real trouble. Unanimity from the judges who all saw Diaz winning
99-91. Diaz had good and bad in 2018. He knocked out former WBC champion Victor
Terrazas in February but then lost a unanimous decision to Gary Russell Jr for
the WBC title in May. In August he outpointed Jesus M Rojas but had failed to
make the weight for this challenge for the secondary WBA title so no title for
Diaz. He was rated No 2 feather by the WBC and No 5 with the WBA but now it
looks like he will move up and forfeit those spots. Huerta was having his first
fight since beating 21-2 Miguel Angel Gonzalez on a technical decision in
August 2017.
Estrella vs.
Duarte
Estrella wins a split decision over unbeaten Duarte to breathe
some life back into a career that seemed to be going nowhere. Duarte was
quicker and more accurate and built a substantial lead. Estrella put in a
strong finish and managed to claw back some of that deficit but did not seem to
have done enough but the judges decided otherwise. Scores 98-92 and 96-94 for
Estrella and 97-93 for Duarte. There was a time not that long ago when Estrella
was the hottest prospect in Mexico. He won his first 22 fights 18 by KO/TKO
beating Dante Jardon and former champion Ernesto Caballero along the way. His power
was camouflaging some serious deficiencies in his defence and his run was
broken by a crushing loss to Filipino Eden Sonsona. Estrella continued to win
but he was no longer the hot prospect and losses last year to unbeaten fighters
Subriel Matias and Alex Duran seemed to indicate a serious decline so he badly
needed a win here. Duarte had shown promise in wins over Juan Jose Montes, Rey
Perez and Roger Gutierrez so hopefully this will be a temporary blip.
Hovhannisyan
vs. Sonsona
The aggression of former WBC title challenger proves too much for
Filipino Sonsona. Hovhannisyan’s fierce attacks particularly his left hooks to
the body had Sonsona on the back foot from the off. He strayed low a few times
but the body attack weakened Sonsona. In the fifth a right put Sonsona down. He
was up but looked shaky and Hovhannisyan forced him to the ropes. Sonsona threw
a weak left and Hovhannisyan came over the top with a stunning right and two
more rights to the body saw Sonsona drop to the canvas and he was counted out. A win over Ronny Rios in March last year saw
Hovhannisyan pitched in against Rey Vargas in a challenge for the WBC title in
May but he lost a unanimous decision. He bounced back in October with a
stoppage of 24-4 Jesus Martinez. He is No 8 with the WBC and with a couple more
impressive wins such as this could yet land another title chance. Sonsona lost
by a large margin against Jason Moloney in 2017 and this is only his second
fight in eighteen months and his first loss by KO/TKO.
Johnson vs.
Castaneda
Disappointing performance and disappointing result for Johnson.
This was the first fight in eighteen months for Bahamian Johnson but he looked
sharp enough at the start. He had a much better skill set than the Mexican
“Hurricane” and outboxed him early. Castaneda kept pressing and got into the
fight more and more. Johnson probably had a slight lead going into the last but
Castaneda staged the stronger finish and that was enough to get him a share of
the decision. Scores 77-75 for Johnson, 77-75 for Castaneda and 76-76. A last
round stoppage loss to Sergey Derevyanchenko in August 2017 in what was
virtually and IBF eliminator cost Johnson the chance of a title shot and he
will now have to fight his way back into the ratings but at 35 he is on the
clock. Castaneda had a title shot in 2011 down at super light when he was
stopped in four rounds by Johan Perez but he is 24lbs heavier and at 4-6-1 in
his last 11 fights a long way down the road from that high point.
February 10
Fresno, CA,
USA: Super Light: Jose Carlos Ramirez (24-0) W PTS 12 Jose Zepeda (30-2,1ND).
Super Light: Ray Beltran (36-8-1) W KO 9 Hiroki Okada (19-1). Feather: Carlos
Castro (22-0) W PTS 10 Genesis Servania (32-2). Super Feather: Andy Vences (22-0-1)
W PTS 8 Dardan Zenunaj (14-6). Light: Saul Rodriguez (23-0-1) W TKO 5 Aelio Mesquita (17-4). Super Light: Cristian
Coria (29-7-2) W KO 3 Joel Diaz (24-2).
Ramirez vs.
Zepeda
Ramirez holds on to the WBC title with majority verdict over
Zepeda in a fight that was too close to call until Ramirez settled it over the
championship rounds. Zepeda found the range early with his southpaw jab with
Ramirez tending to ignore his own jab. Ramirez was taking the fight to Zepeda
but the speed and accuracy of Zepeda’s work saw him take the first two round.
In what was to be the pattern for much of the fight. Ramirez then had a good
couple of rounds finally using his jab and getting inside with some effective
body punches and rocking Zepeda with rights in the fourth. At that stage the
judges all had identical 38-38 scores and had all scored every round the same.
Ramirez kept the imitative over the fifth and sixth. He was still under using
his jab but was making up for that with sustained pressure that was forcing Zepeda onto the
back foot and allowing Ramirez to do some hurtful body punching when he pinned
Zepeda to the ropes. The fight swung
back to Zepeda over the seventh and eighth with his jab constantly getting past
the guard of Ramirez and smart footwork allowing him to find the space to
counter the attacks of Ramirez. After eight rounds there was very little
between them with two judges having them level on 76-76 and the other giving
Ramirez the edge at 77-75. The body punching from Ramirez finally began to
bring rewards over the closing rounds. Zepeda was still jabbing well and moving
skilfully but also being forced to stand and trade more which favored Ramirez.
Critically the champion’s pressure earned him the points in the ninth and tenth
and it looked as though the fight was going all his way. Zepeda was not
finished and he stormed back to take the eleventh and put the result in the
balance again.
They both fought fiercely in the last and it was a late burst
from Ramirez that made the difference and he took the round and the decision.
Scores 116-114 and 115-113 for Ramirez and 114-114. Ramirez was making the
second defence of his WBC title and is now looking to unify the titles but the
position there won’t be clear until the fate of the WSSB tournament is decided
as the WBC “Diamond” champion Regis
Prograis and No 1 challenger Josh Taylor are still waiting to fight in the WSSB
semi-finals. Zepeda came so close. Close enough to deserve a return but Ramirez
may not want to take that step back. I have some sympathy for Zepeda. He fought
Terry Flanagan for the vacant WBO lightweight title back in 2015 but dislocated
his shoulder in the second round of that fight and had to retire. It has taken
him almost three years to get another title shot.
Beltran vs.
Okada
It is rarely boring when Ray Beltran fights and it was no
different in this one as he stopped the previously unbeaten Okada in the ninth
round. Okada was looking to fight this one from the outside and avoid getting
dragged into a close quarters brawl which is where Beltran is most effective.
However with typical Japanese fighting spirit Okada was willing to trade if he
had to. The action was hot from the opening round. In an amazing second Beltran
made a big statement flooring Okada with a left hook. Okada beat the count and
then showed fighting spirit in spades as he staggered Beltran with a right and
then proceeded to batter Beltran for the rest of a frantic round.
The fight
calmed a little after that and gradually Okada began to find the target with
his long range punches. Beltran kept ploughing forward and did his best work
when he could pin Okada to the ropes. The Japanese fighter looked to have edged
in front and Beltran seemed to be tiring. That changed in the ninth when
Beltran connected with a right to the head that put Okada down. He made it to
his feet but Beltran drove him to a corner and rained punches on Okada until he
went down again and Okada’s corner immediately asked the referee to stop the
fight.
Now at supper light Beltran collected the WBC Continental and WBO
Inter-Continental titles which should put him in the ratings. Nothing is
straightforward with Beltran. In world title fights he has lost to Terrence
Crawford for the WBO lightweight title then beaten Takahiro Ao in what was to
be a fight for the vacant WBO lightweight title but he had failed to make the
weight and tested positive for a banned substance. He finally won the WBOI
title by beating Paulus Moses in February 2018 but lost it in his first defense against Jose Pedraza in August. The super light situation is muddied but
Beltran will be looking for a title shot. Okada had halted 40-2-1 Jason Pagara
and a few reasonable but not outstanding opponents and was floored in taking a
split verdict over Cristian Coria so he will have to fight his way back to get
another shot.
Castro vs.
Servania
Big win for Castro as he decisions former WBO featherweight title
challenger Servania and hands the Filipino his second loss. Castro simply
outboxed Servania he was too quick for the Filipino and won by a wide margin on
all cards. Servania was cut over his right eye in the second round which did
not help his cause but hard as he chased he just could not pin Castro down and
kept eating fast accurate counters. Score 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92 all for
Castro. The 24-year-old from Phoenix wins the vacant WBC Continental Americas
title in what was only his second ten round fight. After winning his first 29
fights Servania had Oscar Valdez on the floor before losing to him for the WBO
title in February 2017. He has won three fights since then including a inside
the distance victory over former WBC bantamweight title challenger Carlos
Carlson but with this defeat Servania has blown his WBO No 1 position.
Vences vs.
Zenunaj
Local fighter Vences returned to action and gets eight rounds of
work as he outpoints Kosovon-born Albanian Zenunaj . “The Shark” was having his
first fight since scoring a good win over Frank De Alba in July. Vences won
every round with the three wise man all seeing Vences the winner by 80-72. A
draw with unbeaten Erick de Leon is the only slight blemish on Vences record.
Three losses in a row for Zenunaj but one of those over ten rounds against
Andrew Cancio with one judge seeing it a 96-94 fight.
Rodriguez vs.
Mesquita
Rodriguez rolls on with stoppage of Brazilian Mesquita. That makes
it seventeen wins in a row for Rodriguez
and he has a total of seventeen inside the distance victories. The draw on his
record was a technical one. Mesquita has lost 4 of his last 5 fights but all
against opposition he would be expected to lose to and all on the road.
Coria vs.
Diaz
A wow! here as Coria beats once world rated Diaz in three rounds. No sign of the upset to come as Diaz seemed to be controlling the fight over
the first two rounds. In the third Coria blitzed Diaz with a shower of punches
and Diaz went down under the barrage. He arose but seemed unsteady. Coria then
landed a ferocious left hook that put Diaz down on his back. He scrabbled
around trying to get up but the referee waived the fight off. This should have
been a routine win for Diaz. The 36-year-old Argentinian Coria was down at No
10 in the Argentinian ratings with an unthreatening 12 wins by KO/TKO. He had
been floored and lost every round against Canadian Custio Clayton in 2017 but a
much better result is his only losing on a split decision against unbeaten
Hiroki Okada in September. Diaz’s only other loss was a two round stoppage by
Regis Prograis in 2017 and he took fourteen months out after that before
returning with a win in October last year.
February 8
Sydney,
Australia: Super Welter: Tim Tszyu (12-0) W TKO 2 Denton Vassell (25-6). Super
Middle: Rocky Jerkic (17-1) W PTS 8Mark Lucas (9-1). Super Middle: Cesar Tapia
(9-0) W PTS 8 Adam Copland (4-1). Heavy: Paul Gallen (9-0) W TKO 2 John Hopoate
(12-6).
Tszyu vs.
Vassell
Tszyu blows away a faded Vassell inside two rounds. The young
Australian found his range early and scored well over the first round. There
was a brief stoppage in the second as Vassell had left his corner without his
mouthguard but when the action resumed a series of punches floored Vassell. He
beat the count but Tszyu drove him to the ropes and a left uppercut followed by
a right to the head saw Vassell staggering along the ropes with his guard down.
Tszyu followed him along the ropes raining punches to the head until the
referee stepped in to save Vassell. Tenth win by KO/TKO for the 24-year-old son
of the great Kostya Tszyu. He collects the interim WBA Oceania title as he
prepares to head out to the USA for sessions at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym
and Floyd Mayweather Jr’s Boxing Club. Former Commonwealth champion Vassell,
34, was 20-0 at the start of his career but is now 5-6 in his last 11 which
tells his own story but in fairness to Vassell he took this fight a short
notice and his other losses have also been against tough opposition.
Jerkic vs.
Lucas
Jerkic just gets by Lucas on a split decision. Scores 78-73 and
77-75 for Jerkic and 78-76 for Lucas. Both fighters had the effects of
inactivity to shake off. Former undefeated Australian super welterweight
champion Jerkic was having his first fight for six months and only his second
fight since losing to Anthony Buttigieg for the Vacant Commonwealth title in March
2017. Former Australian amateur champion Lucas had run up nine wins and then
surprisingly retired in 2017 and this is his first fight since then.
Tapia vs. Copland
Mexican youngster proves much too good for Copeland and takes wide
unanimous decision. Scores 80-72, 79-72 and 78-73 all for Tapia. The
20-year-old MTK Global boxer has done all of his pro boxing in Australia and is
making good progress. Copeland, a top level amateur, was moving up to eight
rounds for the first time. He is just 23 so can rebound from this.
Gallen vs.
Hopoate
Gallen halts former Australian champion Hopoate in rubbish
match-up. Gallen was too strong and fit for oldie Hopoate. After pounding on
Hopoate for two round Gallen cornered Hopoate and banged away to head and body
as Hopoate tried to hide behind a high guard. Eventually Hopoate dropped his
hands to punch back which left him open and Gallen stunned him with a left hook
and then connected with a series of head punches that had Hopoate falling
forward and face down on the canvas with the referee immediately ending the
fight. At 37 Gallen is probably going nowhere but as a former professional
Rugby League player and Australian international he is news and sells tickets.
His first eight opponents had just twelve wins between them and Hopoate, 44,
was having his first fight for nine years which says it all.
Philadelphia,
PA, USA: Bantam: Victor Ruiz (23-10) W KO 2 Christian Carto (17-1). Heavy:
Darmani Rock (14-0) W KO 4 Steven Lyons (5-4).
Ruiz vs.
Carto
Local hope Carto doing OK until a thunderbolt from Ruiz puts him
down and out.. The Philly prospect was boxing well and took the opening round
of the fight against limited Mexican southpaw Ruiz. In the second as Carto was
just short with a jab Ruiz stepped inside and landed a booming left to the
head. Carto went down heavily on his back with his head slamming onto the
canvas. The referee instantly waived the fight over and the ringside doctor and
other medical aides climbed into the ring to attend to Carto. He was given
oxygen and taken from the ring on a stretcher and to hospital. No news yet of
his condition although he was said to be alert as he left the arena so let’s
hope it is not too bad. Huge shock for the fans of the 22-year-old former
National Golden Gloves champion. Ruiz had lost his last four fights against
relatively modest opposition but with 15 wins by KO/TKO he was a dangerous
opponent.
Rock vs.
Lyons
Rock gets another win but in a dull and uninspiring fashion. Lyons
was never in with a chance against the former Elite level amateur star. He was
smaller with very limited technique and giving away 63lbs in weight. There was
very little in the way of excitement and it was embarrassing that Rock could
not get Lyons out of there. Finally in the fourth he took Lyons to a corner and
unloaded a few head punches and Lyons slid down and then just took the full
count whilst on one knee and showed no inclination to get up. Rock,22, is 6’5”
and was 273 ¼ lbs for this fight. That is some way below the 315lbs of the 6’4”
Jarrell Miller but is a heavy burden to carry for ten rounds and he does not
seem to have the punch power to blow away better class opposition. He was outstanding as an amateur He was US, Pan American and World
champion at Youth level and won gold medals at both the US National
Championships and the National Golden Gloves. An inside the distance loss to Marlo Moore cost him a place in the
US Team for the 2016 Olympics so he has great credentials. Heavy or not he has
to be respected. Second loss inside the distance for the 209 ¾ lbs Lyons.
Lautaro, Chile:
Feather: Cristian Palma (30-10-1) W PTS 10 Ernesto Franzolini (8-9-1).
Home town fighter Palma extends his winning run to ten with
unanimous decision over Argentinian prelim fighter Franzolini. A left hook from
Palma dislodged Franzolini’s mouthguard in the first round as he was getting
past the jab of the taller man and working inside. Franzolini lost a point in
the second for a punch to the back of Palma’s head and a point in both the
third and the fifth for the same offence. Palma was scoring repeatedly with his
jab and left hooks but Franzolini fought hard, if wildly, in every round. An
already lost cause disappeared completely when he was again penalised for a
punch to the back of Palma’s head. It began to look as though if he wasn’t
careful Franzolini would finish up with a minus score. Palma was streets ahead
in technique. Franzolini never gave up charging forward but lost every
round-plus a few points. The Chilean was
making the second defence of his South American title. Franzolini was having his
first fight outside of Argentina.
Bangkok,
Thailand: Super Bantam: Saenganan (23-1) W PTS 10 Noldi Manakane (33-28-3).
Easy night for teenager Saenganan as he wins every round against
experienced but long since faded Manakane. Saenganan was too quick and too busy
for the 35-year-old Indonesian. Scores 100-90 for Saenganan from all three
judges. He wins the interim WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver title (so not even
the interim title but the Silver interim title). The 19-year-old 5’2” Thai has
been confined to strictly substandard opposition since being floored twice and
knocked out by Filipino no-hoper Edison Berwela in January last year. Manakane
is now 1-7-1 in his last 9 fights.
February 9
Paris,
France: Super Welter: Souleymane Cissokho (8-0) W KO 3 Romain Garofalo (14-4).
Bantam: Elie Konki (6-0) W PTS 10 Anthony Chapat (5-1-1). Super Light: Yazid Amghar (22-0) W
TKO 4 Oszkar Fiko (32-27-1).
Cissokho vs.
Garofalo
Cissokho wins the vacant French title against seriously
overmatched Garofalo. Cissokho started the first round cautiously but before
the bell was already connecting with powerful uppercut. In the second he had
Garofalo in trouble from a left hook but Garofalo did not crumble. It ended in
the third as Cissokho put Garofalo down. He connected with a wicked right to
the body followed by a left hook and another body punch which dropped Garofalo.
He made it to his feet but a right to the body almost cut him in half and he
went down in agony and was counted out. Senegalese- born Rio bronze medalist
Cissokho, 27, was returning after eight months of inactivity due to an operation
to repair a rupture of a tendon in his left bicep. He registers his sixth win
by KO/TKO. Garofalo was having his second shot at winning a French title but
was never in with any sort of a chance against the talented Cissokho.
Konki vs.
Chapat
Konki, another former top amateur, made a successful first defense of the French title with points victory over flyweight champion Chapat.
Konki used his longer reach and some fierce counters to control this one Chapat
kept trying to get close but the speed and accuracy of Konki had him
floundering at times. Konki began to load up on his punches in the ninth to try
to end the fight early and dropped Chapat with a crunching left hook to the
body in the tenth but Chapat beat the count and was saved by the final bell. Scores
99-90 for Konki on the three cards. Konki, 26 was French champion in
2012,2013,2104 and 2015 and fought at the Rio Olympics. Chapat showed guts but
was in against a fighter several classes above him in ability.
Amghar vs.
Fiko
Amghar overcomes awkward Romanian Fiko and finishes in impressive
style. Amghar was careful early as the head down rushes of Fiko could have
caused injury but once he settled it was just a matter of time before he ended
things. He rocked Fiko with a right and a left hook in the third then finished
the job in the fourth. A left hook to the head and a left to the body sent Fiko
down. He beat the count but another left hook had him rolling in agony on the
floor and the fight was waived off. Ten wins by KO/TKO for the undefeated former
French champion. He was an outstanding performer at French boxing where both
fists and feet are used but then
switched conventional boxing before eventually turning pro. He is No 13 with
the EBU. Now thirteen defeats by KO/TKO for Hungarian-based Fiko.
Berlin, Germany:
Light Heavy: Nick Hannig (7-0) W PTS 12 Ryan Ford (15-4). Super Middle: Yusuf
Kanguel (18-3-1) W PTS 10 Vartan Avetisyan (18-1-2). Welter: Rico Mueller (25-2-1)
W PTS 8 Bethuel Ushona (36-8-1).
Hannig vs.
Ford
Hannig won the vacant WBC International title with close
unanimous decision over Canadian Ford. The local fighter dominated the early
rounds. He took control of the centre of the ring and outboxed the slower but
strong Ford. After four rounds Hannig was way in front at 40-36 on all three
cards. Hannig built on his lead over the fifth and six but gradually the
strength of Ford began to tell and he pushed strongly over the seventh and
eighth but importantly Hannig had a strong ninth which left Ford with a big gap
to bridge. Ford began to get through with some heavy head punches over the last
three rounds against a tired Hannig. Ford came close but it was just too big a
deficit to claw back. Scores 115-113 twice and 117-112 all for Hannig. The 32-year-old “Mr Business” is reported to
have ended his amateur days after 100 fights with 79 wins before turning pro at
30. He had never gone past eight rounds before so the experience of goiung
twelve will have helped his confidence. The “Mr Business” is because he owns a
security company and a gym and the money from this fight will help him build
his collection of vintage Harley Davison’s. Ford, 36, a former MMA campaigner,
has lost 4 of his last 5 fights but they have all been on points in the other
guy’s backyard and he is one tough customer.
Kanguel vs.
Avetisyan
Kanguel won the vacant WBC Mediterranean title in a fight that
was close from first to last. Kanguel tactics were to march forward behind a
high guard with Avetisyan moving and countering. As expected Kanguel was most
effective when he could take Avetisyan to the ropes and work the body.
Avetisyan did his scoring at distance and neither was really dominating. The
scores after four rounds reflected this at 39-37, 37-39 and 38-38. Kanguel was finding plenty of gaps in the
defence of Avetisyan as he ploughed forward but
Avetisyan was throwing more and the judges were still having difficulty
splitting them. The position had not really changed after eight rounds with two
judges carding 76-76 and the third just giving Kanguel the edge at 77-75.
Kanguel had a big ninth having Avetisyan shaken and in trouble and although
Avetisyan fought hard in the last it was not enough. Scores 96-95 twice for
Kanguel and 95-95. German Kanguel had won this same title in March last year
but did not defend it. He has won 11 of his last 12 fights with the loss being
to world rated Vincent Feigenbutz.
Armenian-born Avetisyan, 29, came
to Germany at the age of five as a
refugee but has retained his Armenian nationality. Kanguel was a step up in the
quality of his opposition but he made it close here.
Mueller vs.
Ushona
Mueller beat Ushona again and as in their first fight wins every
round against the Namibian veteran. The 30-year-old German has won 17 of his
last 18 fights including a points victory over Ushona in August. A ninth round stoppage by Jeff Horn in 2016 is
only loss in that run but his opposition has been pretty non-threatening. At 36
Ushona is on the downward path with just two wins in his last seven fights.
Manila,
Philippines Bantam: Reymart Gaballo (21-0) W TKO 2 Yuya Nakamura (9-3-1). Light:
Romero Duno (19-1) W KO 2 Kuldeep Dhanda (7-2).
Gaballo vs.
Nakamura
Another power showing from outstanding Filipino Gaballo. He almost
ended this one in the first three minutes putting his Japanese opponent down
twice. Nakamura survived to hear the bell for the second round but was
annihilated by crunching shots from Gaballo. A right sent Nakamura to the
ropes. He tried to punch with Gaballo but was rocked by a right to the head and
hurt by a left to the body before a wicked left hook to the chin saw him drop
to his knees with his head touching the canvass. He grabbed the ropes and clung
to them as he made it to his feet but the referee waived the fight over. The
22-year-old “Assassin” is living up to
his nickname. He has won 13 of his last 14 fights by KO/TKO in a total of 18
inside the distance victories. He won the interim WBA title with a points
decision over unbeaten Stephon Young in March last year. Second loss by KO.TKO
for Nakamura who was overmatched here.
Duno vs.
Dhanda
Not to be outdone “Ruthless” Duno scored an even more spectacular
kayo over Indian novice Dhanda. Duno had the outclassed Dhanda down in the
first and then crushed him in the second. Dhanda scored with a sharp straight
right then Duno connected with a couple of jabs and landed a fearsome overhand
right that sent Dhanda face down on the canvas out cold. Ten wins in a row for
23-year-old US-based Duno and his fifteenth victory by KO/TKO. In fights in the
USA Duno has scored useful wins over unbeaten Christian Gonzalez, Yardley
Armenta Cruz and Gilberto Gonzalez. He is not in the ratings but he won the
vacant WBA Asian title in this fight and in the twisted WBA figuring beating an
eight fight novice for this minor title will count for more than the victories
over much better opposition in the USA. The WBA
got a sanctioning fee for this one-that’s their ranking criteria right
there. First fight outside India and first loss by KO/TKO for Dhanda.
Korbach,
Germany: Mario Jassmann (18-0) W TKO 5 Mika Joensuu (15-11). Ilja Mezencev (19-1,1ND)
W TKO 2 Jan Hrebik (1-12).
Jassmann vs.
Joensuu
Too easy for Jassmann as he stops overmatched Finn Joensuu in five
rounds. Joensuu tried to come forward behind a high guard so Jassmann was able
to slot home jabs and rights to the head. Joensuu was too slow and had no power
so was never really in the fight. In the fifth Jassmann had Joensuu on the
ropes and after landing a series of head punches he connected with a left to
the body that dropped Joensuu to his knees. The Finn made it to his feet but
another left to the body saw him turn away badly hurt and the referee halted
the fight. Jassmann, 31, makes it 15 wins by KO/TKO and retains the German
International title but his opposition has been strictly low grade. His father
Reinhard was a good level amateur and uncle Manfredo a Germany light heavy and
heavy champion who fought for the European title at light heavy, cruiser and
heavyweight titles but I can’t see Mario going that far. Fifth defeat by KO/TKO
for Joensuu and fifth loss in his last six fights.
Mezencev vs. Hrebik
No surprise here as German-based Kazak goes to 17 wins by KO/TKO
with stoppage of poor Hrebik in some abysmal matchmaking. The 23-year-old
Mezencev has fed on some very substandard opposition. The only decent fighter
he has faced is unbeaten Tom Schwarz who kayoed him in seven round s. He is
young so could improve. Tenth inside the distance loss for Czech Hrebik.
Belfast, Northern
Ireland: James Tennyson (23-3) W TKO 2 Garry Neale (10-1). Light: Feargal McCrory (10-0) W TKO 9 Karl Kelley
(2-3). Light: Paul Hyland Jr (20-1) W PTS 8 Miroslav Serban (10-2). Cruiser:
Tommy McCarthy (13-1) W PTS 8 Jiri Svacina (13-33).
Tennyson vs.
Neale
Tennyson much too big a step up for Neale. Tennyson had his jab
working well in the first and was already connecting with body punches.
Southpaw Neale was forced onto the back foot but tried to counter when he saw
an opening. In the second Tennyson again took the fight to Neale and put him
down with rights to the head. Neale arose and tried to fight back but was down
again under a series of punches and was counted out. The 25-year-old “Assassin from Belfast goes
to 19 wins by KO/TKO . This is his first fight since a fifth round stoppage
loss against Tevin Farmer for the IBF super feather title in October. None of
Neale’s victims had a positive record so this was a too ambitious fight for
him.
McCrory vs.
Kelley
McCrory gets late win against Kelly in a hard-fought contests.
Southpaw McCrory made a good start behind his jab and staggered the aggressive
Kelly with a left in the opening round. Kelly was walking through McCrory’s
punches over the next two rounds but a clash of heads saw both fighters cut
over the left eye. His better boxing saw McCrory winning the rounds and Kelly
was a wide open target as he marched forward. Pressure from Kelly increased and more and more McCrory was
being forced to fight inside as Kelly began to eat into McCrory’s lead. The
eighth was close but McCrory broke through in a big way in the ninth. He trapped Kelly in a corner and blasted away
until with Kelly not firing back the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.
McCrory wins the vacant Boxing Union of Ireland title. Dubliner Kelly had
earlier lost in a fight for the BUI super light title.
Hyland vs.
Serban
Hyland given a tough night and a scare by inexperienced Serban.
Hyland boxed well over the first four rounds. Serban was pressing hard and
looked dangerous at times but Hyland was slotting home jabs and landing with
power shots to the body. Both Hyland and the crowd were shocked in the fifth
when a head punch from Serban put Hyland down. He made it to the vertical but
was unsteady. Serban’s inexperience saw him throw away his chance of victory as
he launched wild punches trying to nail Hyland again and the local fighter
survived. Hyland was staggered again by
left hook in the sixth but boxed his way through the seventh and eighth to take
the decision. Referee’s score 78-74 for Hyland.
Second win for Hyland as he rebuilds after losing inside a round to
Lewis Ritson for the British title in June last year. Czech champion
“Lumberjack” Serban had won his last six fights. This was his first outing
since December 2017 but by flooring Hyland he might have earned himself some
more paydays.
McCarthy vs.
Svacina
McCarthy took every round against survivor Svacina. McCarthy fed
Svacina a steady diet of punishment but the ancient Czech just soaked it up.
McCrory scored heavily in the fifth and sixth but Svacina refused to cave in
and McCarthy had to settle for a points win. Referee’s score 80-72 for McCarthy
whose only loss is a points decision against then British champion Matty Askin
in 2016. This is win No 4 since then. The 41-year-old Svacina has only lost eight
times by KO/TKO in his 47 fights.
Buenos Aires,
Argentina: Cruiser: Marcos Aumada (21-6) W TKO 4 Carlos Nascimento (16-7).
Aumada had no trouble holding on to his WBC Latino title against
poor Brazilian Nascimento. Aumada was able to walk past the jabs of the 6’4”
Nascimento and score with hooks and uppercuts. A fearsome southpaw left uppercut put Nascimento down in the
first and he showed guts to get up and survive. Aumada continued to punish the
Brazilian in the second and third. In the fourth Aumada used a series of
straight lefts to force Nascimento to the ropes and the landed a another left
that staggered Nascimento and the referee had seen enough and stepped in.
Aumada, 32, the Argentinian No 1 has 16 wins by KO/TKO . Sixth inside the
distance defeat for Nascimento.
Halifax, Canada:
Super Bantam: Tyson Cave (33-4) W PTS 12 Humberto de Santiago (16-6-1).
Local fighter Tyson won a unanimous verdict over de Santiago in IBA
title fight. The 37-year-old southpaw handled de Santiago well but was hampered
late in the fight by a calf injury that limited his mobility. Scores 120-107,
117-110 and 116-111 for Cave. The
Halifax fighter lost to Oscar Escandon for the interim WBA super bantam title
in 2014. He has now won nine in a row but against modest level opposition. Mexican
de Santiago was having his first fight since December 2017.
Peterborough,
Canada: Super Welter: Cody Crowley (17-0) W PTS 12 Stuart McClellan (25-3-3,1ND).
Super Light: Steven Wilcox (20-3-1) W
PTS 8 Javier Mercado (25-14-2).
Crowley vs.
McClellan
This looked a very even match on paper but in the event local
southpaw Crowley outclassed the more experienced former champion and retained
the Canadian title. Crowley was quicker, busier, punched harder and floored
McClellan on the way to a wide unanimous decision. McClellan did well to stick
in there to the final bell. Scores 120-107 for Crowley from the three judges.
The 25-year-old Crowley, a bronze medal winner at the Commonwealth Youth Games,
is ready to step up to tougher competition.
McClellan, 32, was 13-0,1ND in his last 14 fights.
Wilcox vs.
Mercado
A breeze turned into a tornado for Wilcox as he only just survives
a late surge by Mercado. Wilcox outboxed the limited Mexican and was coasting
to victory with a good lead strengthen by Mercado losing a point for a low
punch. It was near disaster for Wilcox in the seventh. A big punch from Mercado
dropped Wilcox and he was in serious trouble. He was floored for a second time
and there could haven been a third knockdown as a punch buckled his knees and
his glove brushed the canvas but it was not spotted by the referee. Wilcox
survived the round and despite being staggered again he fought hard in the eighth
and took the decision. Scores 77-73 twice and 76-74 for Wilcox. Now 5 wins in
his last 6 fights for the Canadian No 3. Mercado has now won only two of his
last seven fights but with 22 of his 25 wins coming inside the distance he had
a punchers chance and nearly brought it off.
Nadi, Fiji:
Joseph Kwadjo (24-11,2ND) ND 6 Savenaca Naliva (9-2-1,1ND).
A wild and wet night in Fiji as the fight between Kwadjo and
Naliva was halted twice before being abandoned. The first stoppage came in the second
round when a brawl broke out between the rival fans and the police had to
intervene to quell the trouble. The fight restarted but rain had made the
canvas slippery and even after both fighters shed their footwear they still had
problems keeping their balance with Kwadjo sliding to the floor six times and
the fight was abandoned. Kwadjo is a Ghanaian who now lives in Fiji and he and
local fighter Naliva will have to meet again as this was for the Fijian title
and that remains vacant.
Estosadok, Russia:
Light Pavel Malikov (14-1-1) DREW 10 Vage Sarukhanyan (19-2-2). Super Welter:
Olek Ivanov (17-4) W PTS 10 Konstantin
Ponomarev (34-2). Light: Denis Shafikov (40-4-2 )DRE W 10 Gaybatulla
Gadzhialiev (6-0-1) . Super Welter: Alex Sharonov (12-3-2) W PTS 8 Akhmed
Khapachev (3-2-1).
Malikov vs.
Sarukhanyan
Malikov and Sarukhanyan drew in a close fight that saw both
fighters on the floor. Malikov was the aggressor and the busier fighter early
with Sarukhanyan showing some nice skills but just not working hard enough over
the first three rounds. Sarukhanyan eventually began to pick up rounds but was
floored in the eighth. He took the ninth and put Malikov down in the tenth to
even things up. Scores 96-92 Malikov, 96-92 Sarukhanyan and 94-94.This was a
quarter-final of a tournament so there had to be a winner and a fourth judge
had Malikov 95-93 in front so he goes through to the lightweight semi-finals.
Reportedly the 32-year-old Russian Malikov was defending the oddly named
Eurasian Parliament title. Armenian Sarukhanyan, 28, is now 11-1-1 in his last
13 fights.
Ivanov vs.
Ponomarev
Ivanov pushed the once promising Ponomarev a little further down
the slope with a wide unanimous decision. Ponomarev did plenty of attacking but
with a very leaky defence and Ivanov’s jab was the dominant punch in the fight.
Ponomarev was bereft of any idea on how to turn things around and seems only
half the fighter he was when campaigning in the USA and earning a world rating.
Scores 100-90, 98-92 and 97-93 for Ivanov. Ukrainian-based Russian Ivanov makes
it 7 wins in his last 8 fights and he also goes through to the semi-finals at
super welter. Ponomarev looked a top prospect when he was beating Mikael Zewski
and Brad Solomon but after 34 wins in a row he lost a split decision to
unbeaten newcomer Sergey Vorobiev for the vacant Russian title in July last
year.
Gadzhialiev
vs. Shafikov
Disappointing performance from Shafikov. The
former three-time challenger for the IBF title made a slow start and Gadzhialiev used speed and skill to work on
the outside countering Shafikov’s usual forward march. Gadzhialiev built a good
lead in the early rounds but Shafikov kept coming and looked to have edged in
front only for Gadzhialiev to find another gear late. The judges scored this 96-96, 95-95 and 97-94 for Gadzhialiev.
Again a result was needed and it was decided that whichever fighter the judges
scored the last round for would go through to the semi-finals and that was
Gadzhialiev. Although he has had only seven pro fights Gadzhialiev (Hajialiyev)
was a high level amateur being Azeri
national champion, winning a bronze medal at the European Championships and
competing at the 2011 and 2013 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics. He
also fought for the Azerbaijan Baku
Fires team in the World Series of Boxing. It remains to be seen how badly this
draw affects Shafikov’s chances of getting a fourth world title fight but it
must be a heavy blow to them.
Sharonov
vs. Khapachev
Sharonov went through to the semi-finals with
Gadzhialiev as he gets majority decision over Khapachev. The fighters in this
one were a class or two behind Gadzhialiev and Shafikov but their contrasting
styles produced a competitive and close fight. Scores 77-76 and 77-75 for
Sharonov and 76-76. Four wins in a row for Sharonov. Southpaw Khapachev was in
his first eight round fight.
Port-of-Spain,
Trinidad and Tobago: Light: Prince Lee Isidore (17-3-1) W PTS 10 Antoni Armas
(9-4).
Local fighter Isidore overcame a
slow start to outpoint Venezuelan Armas.
In his first fight since December 2017 Isidore took a few rounds to get
into his stride and Armas connected with some heavy body punches in the second.
The visitor looked to have edged the first three rounds. From the fourth
Isidore took control and outboxed Armas. The young Venezuelan had never gone
past six rounds and he tired late in the fight allowing Isidore to put the
verdict beyond doubt and Isidore took the unanimous decision. This marked the
first time that the 33-year-old Isidore had had to go the distance for a win.
He collects the vacant WBFoundation International title. Armas, 22, had won 4
of his last 5 fights.
February 10
Pretoria,
South Africa: Heavy: Elvis Moyo (9-5-2) W PTS 10 Ruann Visser (14-1).
If these two are among the best heavyweights in Africa then the
Africa is in sore need of some new faces. This contest was fought at a pedestrian
pace. The 6’9 ½” tall Visser towered over the 6’1” Moyo who just kept plodding
forward. There was no power in Visser’s jab and he was sloppy with his right so
Moyo was able to walk the big man down. Moyo would work Visser to the ropes and
launch himself forward firing hooks past the porous guard of Visser. Visser was
slightly more active than the 282 ¼ lbs Moyo and landed enough to win a round
here and there but other than that it was Moyo who did most of what scoring
there was and was a deserving winner. Scores 98-95, 97-93 and 96-94 all for
Zimbabwean Moyo. He has won his last six fights but against strictly low level
opposition and at 6’1 and over 280lbs he makes Jarrell Miller look almost
svelte. South African champion Visser had won his last nine fights but is going
nowhere.
Fight of the
week (Significance): Gervonta Davis
has opened some exciting possibilities at super feather.
Fight of the
week (Entertainment): Ray Beltran vs.
Hiroki Okada had plenty of action on show and the Jose Carlos Ramirez vs. Jose
Zepeda fight was in the balance all the way.
Fighter of
the week: Gervonta Davis for his
obliteration of Hugo Ruiz.
Punch of the
week: So many to choose from. The left
hook from Victor Ruiz that flattened unbeaten Christian Carto. A left hook from
Reymart Gaballo that obliterated Yuya Nakamura and on the same show the overhand
right that Romero Duno used to put away Kuldeep Dhanda also the lightning
uppercut from Marcos Aumada that wiped out Carlos Nascimento all great punches
but I go for the left hook from Cristian Coria that laid out favoured Joel
Diaz.
Upset of the
week: Ruiz vs. Carto, Cancio Coria vs.
Diaz
Prospect
watch: I will go with 24-year-old Tim Tszyu
who is 12-0 with 10 wins by KO/TKO-it’s in the blood.
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