The Past Week In Action 8 September 2015
September 4
Los Angeles, CA, USA: Super Bantam: Diego De La Hoya (12-0) W PTS 10 Jesus Ruiz
(34-7-5). Super Light: Everton Lopes (4-0) W PTS 8 Omar Tienda (13-1). Super
Feather: Christian Gonzalez (11-0) W TKO 2 Luis Ruiz Lizarraga (5-6-1).
De La Hoya vs. Ruiz
De La Hoya come through his first big test and first ten round fight with wide unanimous
decision. De La Hoya boxed his way to victory and overcame a couple of facial injuries on
the way. He controlled the fight on the outside exhibiting good skills and punch selection.
Ruiz fought hard but was never really in the fight even though De La Hoya looked the worst
for wear at the end. De La Hoya shook Ruiz with a left in the ninth and ran out a clear
winner. Scores 100-90 twice and 99-91. De La Hoya had a cut by his right eye from the
seventh and a swelling under his right eye from the same round but neither hampered him
noticeably. The 21-year-old from Mexicali wins the vacant WBC Youth title. Ruiz, 25, had
won 6 of his last 7 fights with the loss being against Leo Santa Cruz in a challenge for the
WBC title in January so a notable win for De La Hoya.
Lopes vs. Tienda
Welcome to the pros Everton. The former star member of the Brazilian amateur team had to
climb off the floor twice to get an unpopular majority verdict over unsung Mexican Tienda.
Lopes looked comfortable in taking the first round on the strength of an educated left jab. The
Brazilian but paid his first visit to the canvas in the second round but it was a questionable
knockdown and he quickly recovered. His superior skills and speed saw him reassert himself
late in the third and take the fourth. He was thrown out his stride again in the fifth when a
right put him down and this time there was doubt about it being genuine. After that he had to
fight hard to maintain his unbeaten record and just scraped through on scores of 76-74 twice
and 75-75. Lopez, 27, was a World Championships and World Military gold medallist and
beat guys such as Jose Pedraza, Jeff Horn and Anthony Yigit. Tienda was a good test as he
had been in ten round bouts in Mexico.
Gonzalez vs. Lizarraga
Californian teenage hope Gonzalez gets another inside the distance win. In the second
Gonzalez dropped Lizarraga with a left hook to the body. Lizarraga made it to his feet but
another series of hooks put him down again and although he got up his second climbed into
the ring and the fight was over. The 19-year-old Gonzalez has 10 wins by KO/TKO including
a run of seven first round finishes in his first seven fights. Mexican Lizarraga has lost four in
a row now all to unbeaten fighters.
East London, South Africa: Light Fly: Nkosinathi Joyi (25-4,1ND) W TKO 5
Sinethemba Magibisela (8-7-2). Super Fly: Zolani Tete (21-3) W TKO 8 Diuhi Olguin
(11-3-3). Middle: Giovanni Bushby (7-4-2) W PTS 12 Johannes Salie (12-6-1). Light:
Xolisani Ndongeni (19-0) W KO 2 Miguel A Escalada (12-7).
Joyi vs. Magibisela
Joyi keeps his career alive with stoppage of felloe South African Magibisela in an allsouthpaw contests. The former IBF minimum champion made a slow start with Magibisela
finding a home for some sharp punches. Once Joyi started to attack the body the fight became
one-sided with Joyi putting Magibisela down twice on the fourth and again in the fifth and
the fight was stopped. Joyi, 32, had lost his IBF title on a knockout against Mario Rodriguez
and also lost a split decision against Hekkie Budler in a challenge for the IBO title. He then
went into free-fall with crushing consecutive inside the distance losses to Filipino Rey
Loreto. This was his first fight since the second of those losses when he failed to even last
two minutes against Loreto in March AND LORETO IS STILL WAITING TO BE PAID!!!
Magibisela, the BSA No 4 was 2-0-2 in his previous four fights and this is his second loss by
KO/TKO.
Tete vs. Olguin
Southpaw Tete takes a while to wear down Mexican prelim fighter Olguin. Tete had speed,
power and experience over Olguin and after hurting Olguin in the second he put him down
twice in the third. That should have been the end of it but Tete then stopped going to the
body. Although he was still receiving heavy punishment and although never in the fight
Olguin managed to survive until the eighth round when Tete trapped him in a corner and was
scoring with punches up and down until the towel came in from Olguin’s corner to save their
man. The 27-year-old former undefeated super fly champion was having his first fight since
relinquishing the IBF title rather than fight McJoe Arroyo for a ridiculously low purse. He
has 18 wins by KO/TKO and is a classy fighter who has now formed his own promotional
group. Olguin, 26, had only appeared in supporting bouts and had only once gone past six
rounds.
Bushby vs. Salie
Busby wins the vacant WBA Pan African title with wide unanimous decision over Salie. The
fight lacked any real highlights with Busby controlling the action. He had Salie in deep
trouble in the sixth but let him off the hook and had to settle for the points win. Scores 119109, 118-111 and 118-112. Local fighter Busby, 29, the BSA No 5 fought a draw for this title
in March but against another opponent. He took almost 4 years out of the ring between 2009
and 2013 and is 5-2-2 since his return. Salie “The Pride of Paarl” the BSA No 5 but at welter
was having his first fight since August last year.
Ndongeni vs. Escalada
Escalada no real test for rising star Ndongeni but no need to rush this young talent. Ndongeni
floored the Argentinian with a flashing right in the first and then put him down and out in the
second with another stunning right. The former undefeated South African feather and current
light champion has nine wins by KO/TKO and just may be the next star from down there.
“The Magician” Escalada needed more than a magic wand in this one but he had won 7 of his
last 8 fights with a 7 wins by KO/TKO.
Buenos Aires, Argentina: Middle: Martin F Rios (16-6-3) W PTS 10 Jose C Paz (17-4).
Rios wins by building a lead and then holding off a late surge from Paz to take the unanimous
decision. Rios made good use of his height and reach setting a fast pace and controlling the
action with his jab and adding right uppercuts inside. He rocked Paz with a left in the third
and although in trouble Paz stayed on his feet. Rios had Paz bleeding from the nose and
raised a swelling under his right eye. Over the second half of the fight Rios started to tire
from the pace he had set and Paz was able to get inside and work the body slowing Rios even
more. Rios rallied in the seventh but Paz took the eighth and ninth before Rios rallied again in
the last to clinch the decision. Scores 98-94, 98 ½-95 ½ and 96-94. Former Argentinian
champion “El Terrible” Rios, 23, gets revenge for a points defeat in May and a much needed
win after going 0-3-1 in his previous four fights. After an early loss, Paz, 24, the FAB No 6,
had run up a 15 bout winning streak but is now 1-3 in his last 4 fights.
Dusseldorf, Germany: Super Feather: Sebastian Tlatlik (9-0) W TKO 2 Sandro
Bordewick (3-3). Welter: Aria Najafi (3-0-1 W PTS 10 Dominic Tietz (3-1). Super
Middle: Jay Spencer (10-0) W TKO 1 Suleyman Dag (10-66).
Tlatlik vs. Bordewick
Tlatlik brushes aside poor Bordewick inside two rounds. Tlatlik was coming forward
stabbing out a stiff jab and scoring with rights. Bordewick was much taller but was just skin
and bones and had only very basic technique. The end came in the second with a piece of
incompetent refereeing being on display. Tlatlik hurt Bordewick with a body punch he
followed that up with a right cross and a left hook to the body. Bordewick was looking
distressed and after another stiff jab from Tlatlik he turned his back on Tlatlik putting his arm
in the air in surrender. As the referee had not said for the action to stop Tlatlik looped a right
around Bordewick on to his chin. Bordewick slumped to the canvas. The referee sent Tlatlik
to a corner but did not start a count. Instead he helped Bordewick up and escorted him to the
opposite corner and signalled them to box on. Bordewick came out of the corner threw a
couple of jabs from out of distance and before Tlatlik could even throw a single punch of any
significance the referee stopped the fight ! The 27-year-old Polish-born Tlatlik was making
the first defence of his German International title. He has 8 by KO/TKO including 7 in his
last 8 fights but abysmal opposition. His brother Robert is also unbeaten as a pro. German
Bordewick had somehow won his last two fights by KO/TKO but was outclassed here
Najafi vs. Tietz
This all-German contest was a much better fight as Najafi wins the vacant German
International super welter title on a unanimous decision. Najafi, a small southpaw was up
against the much taller Tietz and they gave three minutes of action in every round. Najafi was
quicker and able to get inside Tietz’s guard but also took some punishment getting there. He
scored the only knockdown but it also transpired that he had suffered a fracture of his left
hand in the fifth round. Although he only had less than six rounds of boxing as a pro he paced
the fight well. Tietz, 18, was in a similar position with less than seven rounds behind him but
he tired badly and only just survived a torrid ninth round but went the distance. Scores 99-90
from all three judges which did not accurately reflect Tietz effort who whilst clearly beaten
had made look a lot closer. Neither Najafi nor Tietz will get far they did OK here where they
stepped up to ten rounds due to the main event falling out.
Spencer vs. Dag
This was farcical. Ghanaian Spencer was head shoulder above Dag who had rolls of fat
around his midriff and no idea of how to fight. Spencer floored Dag with a left and after Dag
got up he took his time before sending Dag down again with a flurry of light punches. Again
Dag got up and saw out the round and then retired claiming an injury to his right arm. That
developed into an argument first with the referee who wanted Dag to fight on and then with
the promoter and then to an exchange of punches between Dag and the promoter with
Spencer and a few other joining in. Order was eventually restored. Seven wins by KO/TKO
for Spencer who wins the vacant German International title but his opposition has been at
best inept. Turk Dag, if it was Dag as he had a lot more fat and a lot less hair and looked
nothing like his BoxRec photo, had lost on points over four rounds against Spencer in 2012
and this was his 45th loss by KO/TKO. The title fights were under the German GBA body.
Bangkok, Thailand: Iwan Zoda (7-1) W KO 12 Petchchorhae (13-1).
Zoda gets revenge for previous loss as he hands out a terrifying beating to Petchchorhae.
Both started confidently with southpaw Petchchorhae just getting the better of the exchanges.
They swapped head-jarring punches in the third and fourth with Petchchorhae throwing more
and landing more but also using up too much energy with flashy moves to please the crowd.
The sixth was a turn around as Zoda forced Petchchorhae back and handed out a solid beating
for the whole three minutes with Petchchorhae already looking tired. His work was ragged
and Zoda landed so many clean head shots on Petchchorhae that the fight could have been
and should have been stopped. The seventh eighth and ninth were worse with Petchchorhae
hardly able to lift his hand and Zoda able to use the Thai as a punch bag driving him around
the ring and even being able to steady Petchchorhae’s head with a left so he could slam home
a right. Petchchorhae was reduced to wild swipes which when they landed had no effect and
when they missed left him wide open. In the ninth I counted over 40 clean head shots landed
by Zold not counting jabs and that was not the worst round for Petchchorhae. Amazingly he
rallied at the start of the tenth and for two minutes was on his toes and moving well but by the
end he was soaking up head punch after head punch with even Zold. He was still banging
home punches in the eleventh but looking arm weary. In the twelfth Petchchorhae could
hardly lifts his hands and Zold was snapping his head back time and again with hooks and
uppercuts. A left drove Petchchorhae’s head back and as it snapped forward a right to the
chin saw Petchchorhae pitch forward face down on the canvas and thankfully the fight was
finally over. Indonesian Zold, just 18, had lost over six rounds to Petchchorhae in his second
pro fight in October but this was brutal. He wins the interim WBO Asia Pacific title.
Petchchorhae showed remarkable courage but should have been saved from his own bravery
by his corner or the referee at any time from the sixth round onwards. I have never seen
anyone take the beating that Petchchorhae had to endure and I hope I never see it again. The
referee should never referee another fight.
Glasgow, Scotland: Light: Charlie Flynn (5-0) W TKO 5 Sylwester Walczak (4-17-2).
Former top amateur Flynn gets his first win inside the distance with stoppage of Pole
Walczak who retired at the end of the fifth round of their fight. The 21-year-old mailman
Flynn won a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and is one of the best young
prospects in Scotland. Walczak just a travelling loser and is 0-13-1 in his last 14 fights.
Walsall, England: Super Light: Andy Keates (10-2) W PTS 10 Luke Paddock (12-1).
Keates wins the BBB of C Midlands Area title with paper thin points victory over local
fighter Paddock in a great little scrap. Champion Paddock had the skill and Keates the
aggression so their respective strengths made for a good fight. Keates won by making
Paddock fight his fight with both men looking to constantly exchange punches in every
round. Paddock was cut on his left eyebrow in the seventh and seemed to fade a little as a
result. In the end it was Keates’ aggression that won out with the referee scoring the fight 9695 for Keates but the verdict could have gone either way and in such an exciting contest it
was a pity either boxer had to lose. Keates, 24, won his first 7 fights and then went 2-2 in his
next four so this victory nets him a title and gets him a needed win. “Cool Hand” Paddock,
23, was making the first defence of his title and will be looking to get back in the winner’s
ranks once his cut heals.
September 5
Leeds, England: Feather: Josh Warrington (22-0) W PTS 12 Joel Brunker (28-2). Super
Middle: Martin Murray (32-2-1) W TKO 5 Jose Miguel Torres (31-7). Super Feather:
Andy Townend (14-3) W KO 7 Lee Glover (9-3). Feather: Isaac Lowe (11-0) W TKO 9
Jamie Speight (13-8). Cruiser: Tony Bellew (25-2-1) W TKO 5 Arturs Kulikauskis (1626-5). Super Fly: Khalid Yafai (16-0) W KO 1 Aron Juarez (6-3-1,1ND). Super Fly:
Jason Cunningham (17-2) W PTS 6 Marlon Prado (6-2-1). Bantam: Stuart Hall (18-4-2)
W PTS 6 Arnoldo Solano (14-11).
18
Warrington vs. Brunker
Both fighters got into their stride quickly with Brunker coming forward and both looking to
exchange from the off a with Warrington just edging the round. Brunker was on the front foot
again in the second but Warrington scored with quick punches including a hard straight right
that momentarily halts Brunker’s forward march. It was Warrington’s round again and in the
third he started to put pressure on the Australian and scored with some quick combinations
and finished the round strongly. The fourth saw less action with Warrington getting home
some good counters against the advancing Brunker with the challenger not able to score with
any consistency. Brunker was still coming forward in the fifth and a clash of heads saw him
cut on his left temple. Brunker was getting home with occasional punches but Warrington
was dominating the action with his left jab and left hooks. The sixth followed a similar
pattern with Brunker coming forward and landing a few punches only for Warrington to fire
back harder and a left to the body stopped Brunker in his tracks. Warrington turned it on in
the seventh lashing out with fast combinations of punches from both hands with Brunker
unable to do much to counter or halt the pressure and seeming to be tiring. The eighth saw
Brunker revived and having a good round letting his punches go but with Warrington again
stealing the points with great left hand work and more accuracy. Brunker just never stops
coming even though he is walking into counters and that is the pattern in the ninth with the
Australian making some rounds close but never doing enough to win the round. The tenth
was painful for Brunker. His cut worsened and Warrington just seemed to be getting stronger
The Leeds man was peppering Brunker with fast, accurate if not heavy shots in the eleventh
and opened up in the twelfth trapping Brunker on the ropes and letting fly looking to try and
get the stoppage but Brunker was never in real trouble even though losing by a mile. Scores
120-108 from all three judges as Warrington again signals that he is a force to be reckoned
with in this division. He was making the third defence of his CBC title and the first defence
of his WBC International title. The fast rising Leeds 24-year-old dental technician is rated
WBC 5/IBF 8(6)/WBA 9 with a world title shot in 2016 looking a good bet. Brunker, 29, the
IBF No 9, was stopped in nine rounds by Lee Selby in October but had returned with a win in
February. Now he has to start again.
Murray vs. Torres
Murray wins the vacant WBA Inter-Continental title with stoppage of Torres. Confident start
from Murray as he had a tight guard and was sticking out a stiff jab and keeping Torres on
the back foot. He drove Torres to the ropes and landed a right cross which sent the
Colombian down on his knees. Torres was up at nine and Murray was unable to find a
finishing punch. In the second Torres came out more aggressively and was forcing Murray
back. He went down twice in the round. Each time it was partially because Torres was
stooping low when he came in and the combination of being unbalanced and a light punch
put him down both times although he was up immediately and protested. Murray ended the
round with a series of hurtful left hooks to the body. Torres was lively again in the third with
Murray finding him an elusive target as he ducked under Murray’s punches but the local
fighter was still scoring with a stiff jab and yet another knockdown came although again it
was questionable as Torres sunk to his knees avoiding a punch. Murray was finding it
frustrating with Torres ducking low and almost touching the canvas but when there was
action it was Murray doing the scoring with jabs and long rights. Torres went down twice in
the round the first from a right uppercut when again he was so low he just dropped to his
knees and the second after a right to the body that sent him stumbling into the ropes with a
glove touching down. In the fifth Torres was given a severe warning about constantly
dropping to his knees but continued to do it and after he went down once more the referee
stopped the fight as Torres was turning it into a farce. Murray, 32, is looking strong at super
middle as he gets his third win since his loss to Gennady Golovkin. This is a very strong
division in Britain and Murray will want to be in the mix with James DeGale, Geroge Groves,
Callum Smith, Rocky Fielding, Luke Blackledge and Frank Buglioni. Torres, 36, was once a
good level fighter and had won 10 of his previous 11 fights but here he went on his knees
more often than a certain White House internee and it was farcical.
Townend vs. Glover
Townend overcomes slow start to halt Glover and retain his English title. Both were working
their jabs over the first three rounds with Glover being quicker to the punch and getting
through with good hooks to the body and Townend showed a cut by his right eye from a clash
of heads in the first round . Townend upped the pace in the fourth and shook Glover with a
couple of overhand rights. He kept up the pressure finding the target again with rights. One
landed on the back of Glover’s head and as he stumbled forward Townend crashed home a
right cross that put Glover down on his hands and knees. He was up immediately but shaken
and Townend went a bit right hand but and managed to shake Glover again before the end of
the round. Glover boxed his way through the fifth with Townend again too anxious to throw
rights rather than working his openings. Townend dominated in the sixth forcing Glover back
and although Glover scored with some good counters those rights from Townend were the
eye-catchers. The end came in the seventh. Ironically after throwing so many rights it was a
vicious left hook to the body that put Glover down his hands and knees in agony and he was
unable to beat the count. The 26-year-old “KO Kid” makes it 10 wins by KO/TKO and
extends his current winning run to 7 contests. Glover 28 was making his second try at
winning the English title. He had won his last two fights and has only lost to good quality
opposition.
Lowe vs. Speight
Lowe wins vacant English title with stoppage of Speight. Lowe was the more skilled of the
two and boxed his way to a lead over the first three rounds. Speight came into the fight more
in the fourth and fifth rounds before Lowe took over again in the sixth and was in charge in
the seventh and eighth. His pressure paid off in the ninth as a tiring Speight was not able to
hold off the furious attack of Lowe’s and the referee made a timely intervention to save
Speight further punishment. Lowe, 21, makes it four wins by KO/TKO. He was stepping up
to ten rounds for the first time and impressed. Southern Area champion Speight is 2-6 in his
last 8 fights but was coming off a win
Bellew vs. Kulikauskis
Bellew wins a keep busy fight against limited Latvian. Bellew had little to fear from the
Latvian’s power and was able to come forward and in the first opened up Kulikauskis with a
stiff jab and staggered him with a right. Bellew kept pressing in the second but with southpaw
Kulikauskis going into survival mode it was difficult for Bellew to nail him with any big
punches. In the fourth Bellew began to widen his punch selection and work the openings and
the Latvian spent most of the fourth round soaking up punishment on the ropes. Bellew
continued to pound away at Kulikauskis in the fifth until the referee had seen enough and
stopped the unequal contest. A world title fight must be on the books for the 32-year-old
Bellew in 2016. Since losing to Adonis Stevenson for the WBC light heavy title in 2013
Bellew has moved up to cruiser with good wins over Valery Brudov and Nathan Cleverly and
is rated in the top ten by all four sanctioning bodies at WBO 3/IBF 7(5)/WBA 9/WBC 10.
Kulikauskis, 24, was giving away height and weight to Bellew so was never going to be a
threat. He has won only one of his last seven fights.
Yafai vs. Juarez
Yafai destroys Juarez inside a round. The young Brummie star only needed two left hooks to
the body to end this with Juarez failing to beat the count. The 26-year-old former undefeated
CBC champion has 11 wins by KO/TKO and two first round finishes in a row. He will face
Jason Cunningham next month for the vacant British title. Southpaw Juarez, a 20-year-old
from Nicaragua, had won 6 of his last 7 fights but this was his first contest outside Nicaragua.
Cunningham vs. Prado
Cunningham wins a warm up fight. The Doncaster fighter was a comfortable winner taking
every round but picked up a small cut over his right eye in the second round which hopefully
will not affect his fight with Yafai. Referee’s score 60-54 for CBC champion Cunningham. ,
25, beat Tanzanian Nasibu Ramadhani for the CBC title in May and is No 11 with the EBU.
Prado, yet another Nicaraguan have gloves will lose fighter was also having his first fight
outside Nicaragua.
Hall vs. Solano
Former IBF champion Hall stays busy whilst waiting for another big fight. He took every
round against the overmatched Nicaraguan Solano with the referee’s score 60-54. At 35 Hall
needs to get that big fight soon. Spanish-based Solano has lost 7 in a row, 6 on points and 1
on a disqualification.
Dresden, Germany: Light Heavy: Juergen Braehmer (47-2) W TKO 7 Konni Konrad
(22-2-1). Cruiser: Mateusz Masternak (36-3) W TKO 2 Carlos Nascimento (12-2).
Cruiser: Noel Gevor (19-0) W PTS 10 Daniel Sanabria (20-5). Cruiser: Agron Dzila (221) W RTD 1 Grigol Abuladze (21-9). Super Middle: Stefan Haertel (7-0) W PTS 6 Ivan
Jukic (21-6,1ND). Super Middle: Leon Bauer (3-0) W TKO 1 Darko Knezevic (7-9).
Braehmer vs. Konrad
Comfortable defence for Braehmer as Konrad has little to offer and retires at the end of the
seventh round as he complains of an eye injury, not due to a cut or swelling but a punch to
the eye seriously affecting his vision. Braehmer made a good start getting the better of a
frantic exchange and then sending Konrad stumbling across the ring with southpaw straight
right and scored with a couple of left uppercuts as the round ended. There was more sparring
than fighting in the second but again Braehmer was the only one landing scoring punches and
he fired home some straight lefts just before the bell. Braehmer started the third with a couple
of quick attacks before settling to stalking the retreating Konrad. The challenger finally threw
a flurry of punches near the end of the round but as the round ended it was again Braehmer
scoring with left hooks. Braehmer took a breather in the fourth but Konrad was hardly
throwing any punches and Braehmer easily took the round again using his straight left and
left hooks to score. The fifth followed the same pattern. One left uppercut from Braehmer
was the best punch of the round and Konrad’s contributing was a couple of right swings that
missed the target. In the sixth Konrad decided to be more aggressive and paid for it. He
caught Braehmer with a left hook but in coming forward ran onto a short right hook that sent
him stumbling forward to the canvas. He indicated he had stumbled but it looked a genuine
knockdown and the referee applied the eight count. Brahmer tried hunting down the
retreating Konrad but apart from a couple of uppercuts had no success. Braehmer dominated
the seventh and near the end of the round Konrad was worrying at his right eye rubbing it and
after the bell he decided not to continue possibly having suffered a corneal injury. Now five
successful defences of his WBA secondary title for Braehmer and win No 16 in a row. He
seems content to continue to defend his title and has shown no interest in fighting the real
WBA champion Sergey Kovalev or WBC champion Adonis Stevenson and at 36 time is
running out for that to happen. Next up is Thomas Oosthuizen in Monaco in November.
German-based Montenegrin Konrad, 30, turned pro in 2002 but after losing to Denis Inkin in
2006 had only one fight in the next 6 years. His WBA rating was down to him winning the
WBA International title but he really had no other qualification for rating and was out of his
depth here.
Masternak vs. Nascimento
Masternak gets a win to rehabilitate himself after controversial loss to Johnny Muller in June.
In the first round Nascimento had height and reach over Masternak but no real leverage in his
punches. Masternak was walking down the retreating Nascimento. but only let his punches
flow over the last 30 seconds. Early in the second Masternak shook Nascimento with a left
hook and then landed a thunderous right cross that put Nascimento down heavily on his side.
He made it up before the end of the eight count and walked a step forward when asked to but
the referee had a hard look at the Brazilian and waived the fight off. Nascimento protested
but was very shaky as the referee led him back to his corner. Now 26 wins by KO/TKO for
the 28-year-old Pole, a former EBU champion. He won his first 30 bouts but losses to
Grigory Drozd, Youri Kayembre Kalenga for the interim WBA title and that disputed
decision against Johnny Muller in June have left him with some rebuilding to do. He wins the
WBA Inter-Continental title and is rated WBO 7/IBF 10(8)/WBC 14. Second loss by
KO/TKO for Nascimento who was having his first fight outside Brazil.
Gevor vs. Sanabria
Gevor wins the WBO International title with unanimous decision over Sanabria. Gevor
started confidently forcing the action with a strong jab and some good rights. Sanabria had a
height and reach advantage and showed a good jab but was mainly fighting on the back foot.
Gevor was dominating the action for the first three rounds but in the third a left hook from
Sanabria opened a bad cut on the right eyelid of Gevor. This gave Sanabria some confidence
and he was coming forward more with Gevor not wanting to take too many chances of the
eye injury worsening but still mainly being in charge out-jabbing the taller man and working
Sanabria over on the ropes. The Argentinian was looking tired in the seventh and Gevor hurt
him with a couple of right crosses and thumped home a left uppercut with Sanabria glad to
hear the bell. Sanabria started the eighth brightly but Gevor was quicker to the punch and
confident enough to be boxing with a low guard and was scoring with left hooks to the body
but a clash of heads saw Gevor with a bruise high on his forehead. Sanabria came forward
through the ninth and had some success when they traded punches but leaving himself open
to counters with Gevor alternately dancing around the ring with his hands down and firing
quick burst of punches. Gevor finished the last round in style slamming home hooks and
uppercuts at a very tired Sanabria. The 24-year-old Armenian-born German-based Gevor won
on scores of 100-89, 99-90 and 98-91 and preserves his WBO 6/IBF 10(8)/WBA 12 ratings.
The cut he suffered was in a bad place and I have seen fights stopped for less but he took it in
his stride and gave a solid performance. Argentinian and South American champion Sanabria,
32, was slow but showed a good jab and did much better than some other South American
imports to Europe have.
Dzila vs. Abuladze
Dzila retains his GBU title as Abuladze retires at the end of the first round with an elbow
injury. Based in Switzerland but licensed elsewhere the 27-year-old Macedonian Dzila has
won 12 of his last 13 fights inside the distance but this one hardly counts. Georgian Abuladze
has lost four times this year, all four inside two rounds.
Haertel vs. Jukic
Haertel extends his winning run but again shows a lack of power. Haertel controlled the fight
with his jab and mixed in a variety of hard, accurate combinations. Jukic’s only taste of
success came in the third when a punch made Haertel stagger but he recovered quickly and
continued to outbox the experienced but limited Croatian southpaw and took the unanimous
verdict. The 27-year-old German took bronze medals at the European Union and World
Military Championships but has yet to win a fight inside the distance as a pro. Both Chris
Eubank Jr and Frank Buglioni disposed off Jukic inside a round.
Bauer vs. Knezevic
Bauer gets another quick win. The youngest pro boxer in Germany destroyed Serb Knezevic
with three knockdowns in the opening round and Knezevic retired at the end of the round.
Bauer only turned 17 last month and needed special dispensation when he turned pro at 16 in
April. He has ended his three bout so far in a total of less than four rounds. He is a former
German youth champion and turned down a chance to qualify for the Rio Olympics so worth
watching. Knezevic now has 8 losses by KO/TKO.
Csomor, Hungary: Light Heavy: Norbert Nemesapati (19-2) W KO 7 Jacob Maganga
(6-3-3). Middle: Ferenc Albert (19-7) W KO 2 Adam Mezner (3-2).
Nemesapati vs. Maganga
Hungarian hope Nemesapati wins the vacant GBU title with kayo of Maganga. Nemesapati
made a slow start but did some good work inside over the first two rounds. Tanzanian
Maganga fought back hard and the third and fourth rounds were fairly even. Nemesapati did
most of the scoring in the fifth and six with Maganga tiring. Nemesapati ended it in the
seventh with a body punch that put Maganga down and he was unable to beat the count. The
20-year-old suffered back-to-back losses to Jason Escalera in the USA and Schiller Hyppolite
in Canada in 2014 but has rebounded with four wins and is a big draw in Hungary. First loss
inside the distance for Maganga the UBO African champion.
Albert vs. Mezner
Albert wins the Hungarian Youth title with kayo of Mezner. Albert had Mezner down in the
first and down and out in the second. The 22-year-old Romanian-born Albert has 9 wins by
KO/TKO and has won his last 9 fights but against weak opposition. Hungarian Mezner, 20, a
novice in over his head.
Tokyo, Japan: Super Light: Masanobu Nakazawa (18-1-1) W PTS 10 Masayoshi
Kotake (9-10-2). Nakazawa wins the interim Japanese title with close decision over Kotake.
Nakazawa had big edges in height and reach but it was the busy southpaw attacks of Kotake
that showed prominently over the early rounds and at the end of the fifth round he was in
front on two of the three cards 49-47, 48-47 and 47-48. Nakazawa increased his work rate
from the sixth and had Kotake hurt with a series of rights in the seventh as he swept the
closing rounds to take the decision on scores of 96-95 twice and 97-95. The 33 year-old
Nakazawa, he did not turn pro until he was 26, was rated No 1 by the JBC but this was his
first ten round fight and he has now won 15 in a row. Kotake, 28, the JBC No 6, was having
his second shot at winning the title. He is now 3-6-2 in his last11 fights and was also in his
first ten round fight.
Mexico City, Mexico: Bantam: Daniel Rosas (19-2-1) W TKO 8 Jhon Gemino (12-5-1).
Rosas overcomes a cut to halt Filipino. The early rounds were even but Rosas suffered a bad
cut over his left eye in the second round. As the fight progressed Rosas got stronger but
Gemino was staying in the fight. He finally began to crack in the seventh and in the eighth a
couple of head punches and a hook to the body put a tiring Gemino down. He made it to the
vertical but the fight was stopped. The 25-year-old Mexican “Bad Boy” was beaten twice in
2014. He was halted in seven rounds by Rodrigo Guerrero and lost on points to Alejandro
Hernandez for the interim WBO title. He also ended the year on a low note when he only
squeezing past novice Mario Villella on a majority decision. This is his first fight this year
and win No 12 by KO/TKO. Filipino champion Gemino suffers his second loss in two
months in Mexico and his second career loss by KO/TKO.
Metepec, Mexico: Super Bantam: Rey Vargas (24-0) W PTS 8 Lucien Gonzalez (21-9-2).
Vargas has to climb off the canvas to beat late substitute Gonzalez. Vargas took the first
round but was put on the floor by a right in the second. He was not badly hurt and soon took
control of the fight. He was scoring freely with fast combinations and shook Gonzalez a few
times with uppercuts as he boxed his way to the unanimous decision. Scores 78-73, 78-74
and 77-76. “King” Vargas, 24, is currently rated IBF 4(3)/WBC 4/WBO 7 and provided he
can avoid any banana skins he should get a title shot next year. Gonzalez from the Dominican
Republic came in as a late choice and was more dangerous than his small total of 5 wins by
KO/TKO suggested.
Auckland, New Zealand: Super Welter: King Davidson (18-1,1ND) ND 2 Joseph
Kwadjo (21-10,1ND). This one was all over before it even had time to warm up as Kwadjo
suffered a dislocated shoulder in the second round and the fight was ruled a no decision.
Nigerian Davidson was looking to get some much needed action as he had not fought since
December 2013. Fijian-based Ghanaian Kwadjo had lost 7 of his last 8 fights so needed a
win. Nobody got what they wanted!
Edinburgh, Scotland: Cruiser: Stephen Simmons (12-1) W PTS 8 Jiri Svacina (12-16).
Super Middle: Dave Brophy (14-0-1) W PTS 6 Dan Blackwell (6-46). Middle: John
Thain (13-2) W PTS 4 Lewis van Poetsch (4-23).
Simmons vs. Svacina
Simmons returns with a win. The local fighter was the only one making this fight as Svacina
was only there to survive and collect a pay day. Simmons had trouble nailing down the
elusive Czech but had no trouble winning every round. Referee’s score 80-72. First fight for
31-year-old Simmons since losing his WBC International Silver title to Jon-Lewis Dickinson
in April and he hopes to be in action again in Edinburgh in December. Now 9 losses in a row
for Svacina, six of those losses in the UK.
Brophy vs. Blackwell
Brophy remains unbeaten as he eases to unanimous decision over Blackwell. Referee’s score
60-54. Brophy, 25, is known as the “Miracle Man”. The 25-year-old Scot was on his way to a
career as a pro footballer with Dundee United until a serious injury almost caused him to
have a leg amputated and he was told he might never walk again. Twelve losses in a row for
Blackwell but he has only failed to go the distance once so gives value for money.
Motherwell, Scotland: Light: Jordan McCrory (9-1-1) W TKO 3 Sean Watson (4-3-1).
McCrory wins Scottish Area title with stoppage of Watson. Second win by KO/TKO for 24year-old from Cambuslang as he rebounds from loss to Fife-based Latvian Andrei Podusov in
February. Second loss inside the distance for Watson.
Hollywood, FL, USA: Heavy: Shannon Briggs (59-6-1,1ND) W KO 2 Mike Marrone
(21-5). Briggs gets another win as he knocks out pathetic Marrone. Biggs had Marrone down
late in the first. In the second Marrone was leaning against the ropes as Briggs patted out a
couple of rights that fell short and then landed a right to the body. Marrone stood there
waiting for the next punch. Briggs scored with a left hook to the head and one to the body and
Marrone collapsed to the canvas. Some were impressed by this but they shouldn’t be. Yes it
is win No 52 by KO/TKO for Briggs but Marrone had been inactive for almost one year and
had only one fight in almost four years. He was 30lbs heavier than when he faced Guillermo
Jones for the WBA cruiser title in 2011and that extra 30lbs was all on his waistline. Rating
wise BoxRec has Briggs rated No 47 and Marrone No 272. IBO Ratings have Briggs at 45
and only list 100 so Marrone does not even figure in their list. Still impressed? The WBA are
they have Briggs at No 5! Briggs policy is shout loud and fight low and hope no one looks at
the quality of the opposition. Only idiots are taken in by that-which brings us back to the
WBA.
Peyrano, Argentina: Super Bantam: Alan Castillo (16-3) W TKO 4 Guillermo Soloppi
(19-7,1ND). Castillo retains the interim WBC Latino title with inside the distance win over
Soloppi. Although there was not a lot of action over the first two rounds Castillo made good
use of his longer reach to dominating them. In the third he went to the body and a series of
hard punches saw the referee give Soloppi a standing count. In the fourth a right from
Castillo opened a gash on the left cheek of Soloppi and then Castillo landed a couple of
uppercuts that saw Soloppi going down again just as the towel came flying in. The 24-yearold Castillo, the FAB No 1 bantam, has 7 wins by KO/TKO and has won 7 of his last 8
fights. Soloppi, 29, the FAB No 4 super bantam is 1-3 in his last 4 fights.
Heubach, Germany: Super Welter: Kasim Gashi (6-0) W TKO 2 Adnan Oezcoban (610-2). Gashi collects the vacant GBA version of the German title with second round win over
ancient Oezcoban. Fighting in his adopted home town Gashi floored poor Oezcoban twice in
the second round and the Turk decided he had had enough and retired at the end of the round.
The 25-year-old Kosovo-born Gashi now has four wins by KO/TKO and was in his first ten
round fight. Oezcoban, 49, “The Last Ottoman” came into this one at short notice and this is
his sixth loss in a row. A poor title fight.
September 6
Corpus Christi, TX, USA: Bantam: Jamie McDonnell (27-2-1) W PTS 12 Tomoki
Kameda (31-2). Super Middle: Anthony Dirrell (28-1-1) W PTS 10 Marco A Rubio (598-1). Super Fly: Victor Ruiz (20-5) W PTS 8 Daiki Kameda (29-5). Super Feather:
Mario Barrios (11-0) W KO 4 Jose Cen Torres (13-9).
McDonnell vs. Kameda
McDonnell retains WBA secondary title with repeat points win over Kameda. These two are
so well matched that they could fight half a dozen times and they would all be close fights.
How you saw this one depended on whose style you preferred and what you felt counted
most in scoring a round and although the judges saw McDonnell a clear winner the media and
fans were much more split on whether the right man won. The first round saw both fighters
using a punch that would be their most effective weapon in the fight. McDonnell with a big
edge in reach was pumping out his jab and Kameda firing home left hooks. Kameda got that
left hook home in the second with McDonnell doing most of the pressing adding his own left
hook to his work with the jab. Both men were scoring with a variety of punches over the
early rounds with neither clearly dominating making the rounds close. The punch stats
showed that after five rounds Kameda had thrown more and landed more than McDonnell
and did look to have built a small lead. However McDonnell’s punches saw Kameda sporting
a swelling under his right eye although the Japanese fighter probably did enough to take the
sixth with his left hook and showing good movement to counter the reach advantage of the
champion. Both scored with good punches to head and body as they traded shots in the
seventh, eighth and ninth all of which could have been scored either way but with Kameda
just doing enough to be in front. McDonnell turned up the heat over the championship rounds
pressing hard, scoring with his stiff jabs and getting home good combinations but Kameda
was countering well and was just that bit quicker although Mc Donnell took the round and
had shortened or eliminated Kameda’s edge. McDonnell’s jab again bossed the eleventh as
Kameda showed signs of tiring but going into the last it seemed as though the fight could go
either way. McDonnell wrapped up the decision by flooring Kameda with a right with
Kameda’s leg slipping out from under him at the same time but it was a legitimate
knockdown. If the fight had been close on the scorecards it could have been important but as
it was the judges had McDonnell far enough ahead after eleven rounds for the knockdown in
the last to not be a factor in the outcome. Scores 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112 all for
McDonnell who was defending his title for the third time. The tall 29-year-old Doncaster
fighter has taken the hard route beating Stuart Hall and Julio Ceja on his way to the IBF
bantam title only to be unfairly stripped off the title just five months after winning it. His
route to the WBA title has seen him beat Tabtimdaeng, Javier Chacon and Kameda in their
first fight with those three having combined records of 103-4 when he beat them. Now he is
looking to challenge Scott Quigg for his WBA title at super bantam. If he keeps beating
quality opposition and winning overseas he could soon don the mantle relinquished by Carl
Froch of taking tough fights. OK a long way to go yet but some great performances. Kameda
was sure he had won this one and a lot of people agreed with him but importantly the judges
did not. Kameda, 24, the youngest member of the Kameda clan, will get another chance to
win a world title and is a good bet to do so.
Dirrell vs. Rubio
Dirrell wins one-sided victory over Rubio but fails to sparkle. Dirrell was just too quick and
slick for Rubio who has fought as low as welter and occasionally at super middle but recently
at the top level at middle. The 169 ½ lbs he weighed here was a career high so the Mexican
was carrying some spare poundage and has never been the quickest of fighters. Dirrell swept
the first three rounds moving around Rubio and peppering him with fast combinations. Rubio
was unmoved but his arm were also unmoving as he was not letting his punches go and
Dirrell was having it easy. Rubio came to life in the fourth momentarily shaking Dirrell with
a left hook but not following up and Dirrell was back in control in the fifth. Dirrell was
banging home body punches in round after round beating Rubio to the punch and showing a
tight guard whenever Rubio tried to counter. Rubio’s only chance was to take Dirrell to the
ropes but he did not achieve that often and when he did Dirrell would cover up, turn off the
ropes and bang home fast combinations. Rubio was never quick enough to be competitive but
Dirrell was unable to get Rubio out of there and it was a wide unanimous decision but not an
impressive one. Scores 100-90 from all three judges. Dirrell is looking to get right back into
the title picture to regain the crown he lost to Badou Jack on a majority decision in April but
he has dropped down to No 5 in the WBC ratings so he will have to fight his way back to
contention. The 35-year-old Rubio was having his first fight since being blasted out in two
rounds by Gennady Golovkin in October and this is the first time he has lost consecutive
fights since way back in 2006. He is no longer rated but still a name and there a few young
rising fighters who would fancy having his scalp on their belt so there are fights there and he
will probably continue.
Kameda vs. Ruiz
It was a bad night for the Kameda family as elder brother Daiki lost a split decision to
Mexican Ruiz. This was not intended to be a tough test for Kameda as it was his first fight
since losing a split decision to Liborio Solis in a unification fight in December 2013. He
looked on his way to victory when he put Ruiz down in the second but Ruiz got up and
fought back hard with Kameda tiring and finally losing the spilt decision. Scores 77-74, 7675 for Ruiz and 78-75 for Kameda. Big win for Ruiz over a former double world champion
so he can expect quite a few offers on the back of this after having been stopped in three
rounds by McWilliams Arroyo in March. Discipline has never been Kameda’s strong point
and he failed to make the weight for this fight.
Barrios vs. Torres
Highly touted prospect Barrios makes it six wins by KO/TKO with knockout of Torres. The
20-year-old from San Antonio is tall for his weight at 6’0” (183cm) and he had a big edge in
reach which he used over the first three rounds with Torres in survival mode from the start. In
the fourth a combination of punches to head and body put Torres down and out. “Golden
Boy” Barrios, a former PAL and Silver Gloves champion has 6 wins by KO/TKO. Mexican
Torres, 24, is 2-8 in his last 10 fights.
General Santos City, Philippines: Super Bantam: Drian Francisco (28-3-1) W KO 1 Jilo
Merlin (13-24-2).
Predictable win for Francisco as he moves up to super bantam. A left hook and a right to the
body were all that was required to add another kayo to Francisco’s record and a sixth loss by
KO/TKO in a row for Merlin. Last time out in May the former WBA interim super fly
champion was caught cold, floored three times and stopped inside a round by Jason Canoy so
an easy first step back. Nine losses in a row for Merlin so no magic there.
Takaoka, Japan: Light Fly: Juan Landaeta (27-8-1) W TKO 9 Walter Tello (21-9).
Landaeta gets a win as he halts Panamanian Tello. Lacking some of the speed he had in
earlier days Landaeta boxed conservatively against a defensive minded Tello. Once he was in
his stride he was scoring with southpaw right jabs, hooks and uppercuts and clearly
outboxing Tello. Landaeta had a winning lead going into the ninth but he made the judges
superfluous. A body shot hurt Tello and the referee gave him a standing count. When the
action started again Landaeta landed a series of punches that had Tello defenceless and the
fight was stopped. The 36-year-old Venezuelan a former interim WBA minimum champion
has failed in two attempts to win the full WBA light fly title. He was inactive for almost 5
years before returning with a win in Venezuela in December but then lost clearly on points
against Filipino Mark John Yap in June so needed to win this one. Tello, 28 had lost in four
tries at winning a world title.