The Past Week In Action 16 November 2016
By Eric Armit
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 17 Nov 2016
November 10
Frenois vs. Ziani
In an all-southpaw, all French fight Frenois finally wins a major title as he gets majority decision over Ziani. Frenois made a good start boxing on the back foot and working well behind his jab and firing quick uppercuts. Ziani was able to get going from the second scoring with hooks inside and it was close after four rounds with two judges having them even at 38-38 with the third going for Frenois at 39-37. It continued to be a back and forth battle over the middle rounds with first one and then the other of the two well matched boxers having good spells. It was proving to be a finely balanced fight with two judges seeing them even at 76-76 and the third going for Frenois 78-74. Ziani?s pressure saw him matching the tiring Frenois but the more experienced Frenois had some left in the tank and he had a strong last round to just edge ahead at the final bell. Scores 115-113 twice for Frenois and 114-114 but really this one could have gone either way. The only loss for the 33-year-old Frenois was on points against Devis Boschiero for this same title in 2013 and he has won 11 in a row since then but a world title fight is probably beyond him now. French champion Ziani lost a very close decision to top ranked Richard Commey in neutral Denmark in 2014 with two of the judges giving it to Commey 96-94. At 26 he could easily return and yet claim the European title.
Zoulikha vs. Cojean
In another all-French contest Zoulikha wins the vacant European Union with all three judges giving the decision his way. After a messy start to the fight both settled down with Zoulikha taking the fight to Cojean and sweeping into an early lead being 2, 2 and 4 points up on the cards after four rounds. The strong if limited Cojean began to close the gap over the middle rounds putting Zoulikha on the back foot and under pressure but he faded badly over the vital last four rounds and Zoulikha took advantage and dominated the closing stages of the fight. Scores 116-112, 116-113 and 117-111 for the new champion Zoulikha. The 30-year-old from Villeurbanne, a former French champion, had won a close decision over Cojean in early 2014 but then lost four tough fights in a row to good quality opposition including Egor Mekhontsev and Sullivan Barrera. He bounced back this year with two wins. For French champion Cojean, 27, it was a similar story as after losses to Juergen Doberstein and Schiller Hyppolite he had scored a good win over big puncher Hakim Chioui for the French title and made two defences of the title.
Mendy vs. Ballisai
Mendy marches on. ?Le Lion? extended his winning run to six as he beat Italian Ballisai inside five rounds. Mendy was just too quick and accurate and after a cautious first round blood was already flowing for the nose of Ballisai in the second. Mendy continued the softening up process in the third and in the fourth a right forced Ballisai to take a knee. Mendy ended it in the fifth with a left hook. Mendy now has 18 wins by KO/TKO. He wins the vacant IBF Inter-Continental title and with a win over Luke Campbell already on his record will be hoping to improve in his No 11(9) ranking with the IBF. Former Italian champion Ballisai suffers his third loss by KO/TKO. He lost on points to Edis Tatli for the European title in his last fight in March.
Amghar vs. Garrido
Amghar wins the French title with split verdict over champion Garrido. This was a brutal battle with both handing out and taking lots of punishment. Garrido forced the fight but Amghar showed good movement and countering but the fight could have gone to either man without too much argument. Scores 96-94 and 97-93 to Amghar and 96-94 for Garrido. Amghar, 27, was moving up to ten rounds for the first time. Garrido, 33, had broken through recently with good wins over Olympic silver medallist Daouda Sow and Chaquib Fadli.
Washington, DC, USA: Feather: Daniel Franco (15-0-3) W KO 5 Derrick Murray (13-1-1). Franco overpowers Murray to remain undefeated. On paper this looked an even match and Murray was able to stay out of trouble for a couple of rounds but Franco turned up the pressure from the third. He was scoring with eye-catching and hurtful combinations and hard body punches. By the fifth Murray was ready to go and a big combination dropped Murray for the count at the end of the fifth round. The 24-year-old ?Twitch? from California was moving up to ten rounds for the first time and gets his tenth win by KO/TKO. He also collects the vacant IBF USBA title. Murray was also topping a show for the first time but was out-powered.
November 11
Lincoln, Argentina: Light Heavy: Ruben Acosta (32-14-5) W TKO 1 Mauricio Caceda (13-11). ?Siri? Acosta bows away Caceda inside a round to win the vacant South American title. Acosta came out firing and it was all over in 77 seconds with Caceda out on his feet and unable to defend himself. The 38-year-old from Mar del Plata is a former South American champion at super middle. He had beaten Caceda on points in a previous contest. Caceda has lost 3 of his last 4 fights.
Flemington, Australia: Super Middle: Ryan Breese (10-0) W PTS 10 Tej Pratap Singh (7-3-2). Southpaw Breese gets split decision over fellow-southpaw Singh. It was a close one all the way but Breese came out on top and collected the vacant IBF Australian title. The ANBF No 3 was returning after injury. Former Australian title challenger Singh, the ANBF No 7 was 3-1-1 going in and will be hoping for a rematch.
Zwevezele, Belgium: Light: Hedi Slimani (26-2) W PTS 10 Vicente Rodriguez (39-5-1). Cruiser: Yves Ngabu (17-0) W PTS 8 Alex Kubich (9-2).
Slimani vs. Rodriguez
?Hells Bells? Slimani gets unanimous decision over Argentinian. Slimani had trouble dealing with the experienced, ever pressing Rodriguez but the clean work was coming from the Belgian-based Tunisian. Rodriguez was dangerous with his head and his aggression won him a couple of rounds but Slimani moved to 18 wins on the bounce. Scores 98-92, 97-93 and 97-94 for Slimani. The 29-year-old Slimani, is No 13 with the WBC and has a win over former IBF champion Mzonke Fana but it will be hard for him to get a title shot. Rodriguez, 31, was knocked out in three rounds by Adrian Broner for the vacant WBO super feather title in 2011 but had won 5 of his last 6 fights.
Ngabu vs. Kubich
Ngabu wins but does not shine. This was a tougher fight than expected for Ngabu who performed below his usual level. He made heavy work of this one and was even briefly rocked in the sixth but by the end a tired Kubich was spitting out his mouthpiece which cost him a point deduction. Although he emerged a clear winner Ngabu should have done better against an opponent such as Kubich. Scores 79-72, 79-73 and 78-73 all for Ngabu. The EBU No 14 has 14 wins by KO/TKO including 12 in his last 14 fights going in. Russian Kubich gets his second loss in a row to unbeaten fighters having been stopped in nine rounds in May by Pole Michal Cieslak.
Kobe, Japan: Light: Masayoshi Nakatani (13-0) W TKO 7 Allan Tanada (14-6-3). Bantam: Mark John Yap (25-12) W TKO 5Takahiro Yamamoto (18-5). Minimum: Ryuya Yamanaka (13-2) W PTS 12 Merlito Sabillo (25-4-1). Super Bantam: Shun Kubo (11-0) W TKO 4 Jin Wook Lim (8-5-5).
Nakatani vs. Tanada
Nakatani retains the OPBF title with stoppage of Filipino Tanada. The taller Japanese fighter made use of his edges in height and reach to score on the outside. However it was sharp inside uppercuts that started the breakdown of Tanada. Nakatani handed out heavy punishment particularly in the third and sixth rounds and the referee finally stopped the fight in the seventh. The 27-year-old from Osaka was making the sixth defence of his title and now has 8 wins by KO/TKO. Despite an absence of any quality victims Nakatani is rated WBC 6, IBF 13(11) and WBA 15. Tanada, a former OPBF super bantam champion has now lost 4 of his last 5 fights.
Yap vs. Yamamoto
Yap springs upset as he beats world rated Yamamoto to lift the OPBF title. The Filipino was landing heavy counters over the first three rounds only for Yamamoto to fire back to take the fourth. In the fifth Yap put Yamamoto down twice. After the second knockdown a long right to the jaw from Yap staggered Yamamoto. The champion tried to fire back but was nailed with another right which sent him staggering and down again. He made it to his feet but Yap landed a whole series of head punches with Yamamoto being allowed to take too much punishment until he was sent staggering backwards into the ropes and the fight was stopped. The Osaka-based Filipino ?Journey Man? had rebounded from a 1-4 spell to register 5 wins in a row prior to this big win for him. Yamamoto, 25, was making the third defence of the OPBF title. Once again he was vastly overrated being IBF 4(3)/WBC 8.
Yamanaka vs. Sabillo
Yamanaka wins the vacant OPBF title with unanimous decision over former WBO champion Sabillo. The speed and ring skills of Yamanaka gave him the edge over the aggressive Filipino southpaw. Sabillo kept marching forward but Yamanaka used a stiff jab, straight rights and left hooks to pocket the rounds. Sabillo had a strong ninth round but was often confused and off balance due to the clever boxing of Yamanaka and never really got into the fight. Scores 119,109, 118-110 and 117-111 all for Yamanaka. The 21-year-old neighbourhood fighter is 9-1 in his last 10 fights. Sabillo, 32, won the WBO title and was 23-0-1 in his first 24 fights but is now 2-4 in his last six with two losses in a row against Japanese novice fighters.
Kubo vs. Lim
Kubo much too talented for limited Korean and retains OPBF title with stoppage win. The Japanese southpaw coolly dealt with the swarming Korean evading the charges and countering with straight lefts. In the fourth one of those put Lim down heavily and although he beat the count a cluster of punches from Kubo saw the referee halt the fight. Second defence of his OPBF title for 26-year-old Kubo rated WBC 8/IBF 11. Lim no real test was 3-1-2 going in.
Miami, FL, USA: Light Heavy: Yunieski Gonzalez (18-2) WTKO 1Maxwell Amponsah (11-2). Gonzalez blows away poor Ghanaian. The Cuban went straight after Amponsah battering him into a corner and blasting away until the referee stepped-in to stop the dismal match. The 31-year-old ?Monster? won his first 16 fights before losing back-to-back fights to Jean Pascal (a very controversial decision) and Vyacheslav Shabranskyy. He has won both of his fights this year inside a round. Former Ghanaian champion Amponsah is 0-2 in fights in the USA with both losses by KO/TKO.
Sloan, IA, USA: Super Feather: Hermonito Dela Torre (19-0) W PTS 8 Jose Luis Araiza (31-19-2). Filipino top prospect Dela Torre has yet to really spark in his USA campaign. He won this fight clearly but was unable to impress against an opponent who was there to survive and Araiza did just that. Scores 80-73, 79-73 and 78-74 all for Dela Torre. The 22-year-old Filipino had won 7 in a row by KO/TKO but in his other fight in the Sates only managed a majority verdict over mediocre opposition. Araiza is now 0-10-1 in his last 11 fights.
Philadelphia, PA, USA: Welter: Ed Brown (20-0) W PTS 8 Albert Mensah (29-6-1). Super Bantam: Adam Lopez (16-0-1) W KO 8 Carlos Valcarcel (14-9-4). Super Middle: Yeneal Goyco (9-9-1) W RTD 5 Jerry Odom (14-3-1). Middle: Derrick Webster (21-1) W TKO 5 Zoltan Sera (26-11).
Brown vs. Mensah
Brown wins easily over Ghanaian but in a fight that never catches alight. The fighter from Chicago looked to aiming for stoppage win as he dominated the first three rounds against a rusty opponent. Mensah has been in with some good opposition and never lost inside the distance and he had no real trouble staying in the fight. He battled back hard in the fourth, the one round that was close, and was competitive in the fifth and sixth. Brown handed out some punishment with hard rights in the seventh but Mensah was still there and trying to chase down an elusive Brown in the last. Scores 80-72 twice and 79-73 all for Brown. The 25-year-old ?Bad Boy? had a busy 2015 with 13 wins but has eased up as this is only his fourth fight this year. Mensah, 33, seemed to have broken through when he beat Mike Katsidis in 2012 but losses to Denis Shafikov and to Cesar Cuenca in an IBF eliminator derailed him. He had a couple of low level fights back home last year but this is his first fight for 19 months.
Lopez vs. Valcarcel
After a draw in his last fight Lopez gets back on track with a late kayo of oldie Valcarcel. Lopez took his time breaking down the experienced Puerto Rican with body punches gradually slowing Valcarcel. Things went downhill rapidly for Valcarcel after a punishing sixth round and with just over a minute to go to the bell in the last a left hook to the body put Valcarcel on the floor and he was unable to beat the count. The 25-year-old ?Mantequilla? from San Antonio gets his eighth win by KO/TKO. The draw was against Argentinian Ruben Reynoso 18-1-1 in July. Valcarcel, a 2004 Olympian, made a good start in the pros losing only once, to Erik Morel, in his first 18 fights but was inactive in 2013 and 2014 and is now 2-5 in his last 7.
Goyco vs. Odom
Goyco pus another loss on the stuttering career of former stellar amateur Odom. Over the first two rounds Odom was pressing the fight and getting the better of the exchanges scoring with some hard head punches and looking like the favourite that he was. Goyco just kept coming and slowly the fight drained out of Odom and Goyco was the one handing out the punishment and Odom began to buckle under the pressure. Goyco pounded away at a fading Odom in the fifth and Odom was pulled out of the fight at the end of the round. Despite a 2-7-1 run Goyco also sprang a surprise in November 2014 when he outpointed 16-1 Dennis Hasson. He was then inactive for 18 months before returning to the ring this year and being a modest 2-1 going into this one. Big win for the 35-year-old from Philadelphia. Odom, 23, was a silver medallist at the 2011 NGG?s and won the gold at the NGG?s in 2012 but failed to qualify for the US Team for the 2012 Olympics. After scoring 8 first round wins in his first 13 fights he then suffered a stupid disqualification loss and was halted in three rounds by modest 14-3 Sam Clarkson. He looked to be back on track this year with a draw against unbeaten Ronald Ellis and a stoppage of 19-1 Julius Jackson but this puts him back to square one.
Webster vs. Sera
Webster gets his second win of 2016. A right from Webster seemed to have floored Sera in the first 15 seconds of the fight but the referee ruled it a slip. The 6?4? (193cm) Webster had big physical advantages and had no trouble dealing with the wild uncoordinated attacks of the Hungarian. Sera was really just playing the role of anvil to Webster?s hammer. He was cut over the right eye in the second and took a beating in the third before being floored with a right in the fourth. In the fifth a left hook sent Sera tumbling almost through the ropes and the referee halted the one-sided fight. The 34-year-old ?Take it to The Bank? Webster from New Jersey lost a biggie when he was floored and widely outpointed by Arif Magomedov in July last year. He took eleven months out and this is his second win since returning. Sera just a travelling loser of the type we are familiar with in British rings. This is his eleventh loss by KO/TKO.
November 12
Monte Carlo, Monaco: Heavy: Luis Ortiz (26-0,2ND) W PTS 12 Malik Scott (38-3-1). Super Feather: Jose Sosa (20-1-4) W PTS 12 Stephen Smith (24-3). Bantam: Jamie McDonnell (29-2-1) W PTS 12 Liborio Solis (25-5-1). Super Middle: Martin Murray (34-4-1) W PTS 12 Nuhu Lawal (23-1). Middle: Adriani Vastine (2-0) W PTS 6 Antonio Di Mario (2-2-1).
Ortiz vs. Scott
As expected Scott was already in survival mode in the first round with Ortiz unable to cut off the ring and gesturing in frustration for Scott to stand and fight and the referee stopping the non-action to say let?s start fighting guys. The first time Ortiz did get in close Scott slipped to his knees to avoid the attack and at the bell the statistics showed that Scott had throw just three punches in the round. That set the pattern for the early rounds of the fight. Scott was not going to stand and trade, that would have been dumb tactics but neither was he there to please the crowd and it was up to Ortiz to deal with those tactics but he failed to do so. Scott threw a few more punches in some rounds alternated between running and holding and threw himself to the canvas when cornered and in the fourth pitched for an Oscar by falling to the floor after a couple of punches from Ortiz landed far back on his head. When he saw he was not going to get a disqualification win he reluctantly got up and was soon holding and getting a warning for that before throwing himself to the floor once more when Ortiz had him cornered. From the fifth Scott slowed. He still spent most of the rounds on the ropes but was using a high guard and some bobbing and weaving to block or avoid punches from Ortiz and scored with a few more sneaky counters. Ortiz finally managed to land something of substance early in the fifth when a left to the head dumped Scott on the floor in a corner. Once again he complained the punch had landed on the back of his head but after the eighth count he stayed out of trouble to the bell Ortiz was able to get through with some southpaw lefts later in the fight as Scott slowed . A ponderous left to the lower ribs put Scott down in the ninth but again he got up and survived and was never really in trouble again. Scores 120-105, 120-106 and 119-106 all for Ortiz but where the judge found a round to give to Scott I don?t know. The 37-year-old Cuban ?King Kong? wins the vacant WBA Inter-Continental title but little else. He is a powerful, devastating puncher but he looked slow and bereft of ideas here. After signing with Matchroom there is talk of him fighting Anthony Joshua for the IBF title. He is not in the IBF ratings but that is easily fixed and with his power he is a danger to any heavyweight. After his farcical 96 second collapse against Deontay Wilder in 2014 Scott, 36, had done some rebuilding with wins over Alex Leapai and Tony Thompson but he fought scared here and I can?t see any promoter wanting use him in a big fight again.
Sosa vs. Smith
Sosa retains his secondary WBA title with unanimous decision over Smith. Sosa took the first round he was quicker off with his punches and scored with a sharp left hook but Smith was working well with his jab before the bell. Sosa had a big second round. He shook Smith with a left to the head and scored with another that dumped Smith on his rump also landing a punch just as Smith touched down. Smith was up quickly and after the count of eight Sosa continued his attacks and had Smith hurt with another head punch at the end of the round. Sosa carried the impetus in to the third only for Smith to fight back strongly and take the fourth with a series of hooks, the first round in the fight he had won, but he was also now cut over his right eye. The scores after four rounds all had Sosa well in the lead with the cards reading 39-36 for the champion. They exchanged hooks and uppercuts for much of the fifth and sixth with Sosa just getting through with more punches to take the rounds as he pressed Smith back and ended each round strongly. Sosa was able to get past Smith?s jab in the seventh and eighth but Smith was making him pay as he came forward scoring with short uppercuts and straight rights. However on the official cards Sosa had built a considerable lead being 79-72 up on two cards and 78-74 on the third so already Smith needed some knockdowns or a stoppage to win. Smith took the ninth as he was forcing Sosa back scoring well on the inside and getting through with some hooks to the head. The tenth was close with Smith having to survive a doctor?s examination of the cut which was still sending a trickle of blood down his face. Sosa finished the round strongly to put the fight effectively beyond Smith?s reach. Both had good spells in the eleventh scoring with quality shots quick hard accurate hooks and uppercuts from two excellent little technicians and Sosa looked to have had a slight edge. Smith pressed hard in the last round spearing Sosa with jabs and banging home uppercuts and Sosa was not looking to play it safe so there was plenty of trading with Smith finishing the fight better and taking the last round. Scores a too wide 117-110,116-111 and 116-112 all for Sosa. The 28-year-old from Camden was making the first defence of the title he won with a surprise eleventh round stoppage of Javier Fortuna in June. Sosa was not even in the WBA 15 before fighting a draw with Nicholas Walters in December 2015 but one fight later was a WBA champion and a return with the current WBA no 1 Walters would be a good match. Smith, 31, also lost on points to Jose Pedraza for the IBF title in April and needed the help of the WBA ratings elevator to take him from unrated suddenly to No 7 without fighting. However he showcased his excellent skills, gave Sosa a tough night but came up short and it may be difficult to land a third title shot.
McDonnell vs. Solis
McDonnell stages a strong surge over the second half of a tough contest to retain his secondary WBA title. McDonnell had huge edges in height and reach, 5?10? (178cm) tall 72? 183cm reach X 5?4? (163cm) tall and 69 ?? (177cm) reach over Solis but the little Venezuelan made a fiery start trapping McDonnell on the ropes for much of the first round and scoring with body punches. McDonnell was having trouble finding the smaller challenger with his jab and at times in the second Solis was out-jabbing him and was again able to score well when he took McDonnell to the ropes. The third round was closer. McDonnell finally started to find the target with his jab, was on the front foot more and staying off the ropes but Solis was still sneaking home quick counters. McDonnell clearly took the fourth working hard with the jab and scoring with long rights and after four rounds had mostly cancelled out his slow start with two judges having it 38-38 and the other having Solis in front 39-37. Solis launched a ferocious attack at the start of the fifth piling past McDonnell?s guard and scoring with hooks to the head that had the blood dripping from the Englishman?s nose and he maintained that pace to take the sixth as well. With half the rounds gone McDonnell was letting this fight slip away. He started his recovery with a good seventh round making full use of his right jab to spear Solis at range and mixing in rights with Solis still getting home some fast counters but short with many of his punches. Solis went on the attack at the start of the eighth scoring with a good right to the head but over the last minute of the round McDonnell was pumping out his jab and firing straight rights to edge the round. With four rounds to go the scores showed how close the contest still was with one judge having it 77-75 for McDonnell, one having it 77-75 for Solis and the third sitting on the fence at 76-76. McDonnell took over in the ninth. Solis was still boring in landing hooks but the cleaner work and the more effective work was coming from McDonnell and a left hook had Solis wobbling just before the bell. McDonnell?s was continuing to bleed from the nose and he had a small cut over his left eye but he now knew he could hurt Solis and in the tenth whilst still using his ram rod jab he was mixing in left hooks to the body and rights to the head. Solis was finding it more difficult to get inside and his work rate dropped, Solis had a better eleventh but only in spells and McDonnell was outworking him and scoring with the cleaner shots. Two very tired boxers just kept chucking punch after punch for the final three minutes and again the clean, accurate scoring punches were mainly coming from McDonnell. Scores a far too wide 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 all for 30-year-old McDonnell as he retains his secondary WBA title for the fifth time and extends his winning run to 21 bouts. Solis, 34, a former WBA super fly champion, had lost only one of his last 16 fights and that loss was when he shared four knockdowns with Shinsuke Yamanaka before losing on points in a challenge for the WBC title in March. There were some questions over the decision but the story was in the score cards where all three judges gave McDonnell every one of the last five rounds.
Murray vs. Lawal
Murray gets unanimous decision over Lawal but in an uninspiring fight. Lawal, much the smaller man made a good start leaping in with quick punches from both hands as Murray took a while to adjust. In the second Lawal scored well with left hooks to the body but a straight right from Murray saw him badly staggered and another right late in the round again had him hurt. Lawal continued to rumble forward in the third but his punches were wild and Murray was digging in hurtful left hooks to the body but was warned for careless head work at the end of the round, Lawal continued to take the fight to Murray but he was hurt again in the fourth this time by a chopping right and a solid left to the body but he showed he could take a punch. Lawal had a better fifth scoring with some leaping hooks to the head but the Nigerian was tending to hold when he got inside instead of working and they both got a warning for wrestling. A messy sixth saw Murray having problems with the head down charges of Lawal but scoring with some hard counters to the body before Lawal got through with some uppercuts as they went toe-to-toe. Lawal took the fight to Murray in the seventh getting in close and scoring with hooks and uppercuts although when he missed with a punch he staggered across the ring looking exhausted. Murray scored with some crunching body shots in the eighth but Lawal was again able to land some hooks before becoming wild and throwing himself off his feet as he missed with a wide looping right. Murray landed some thudding body punches early in the ninth and then nailed Lawal with left hook and the Nigerian sagged at the knees. Murray piled on the punches driving Lawal to the ropes and bombarding him with more head punches until the bell saved Lawal who staggered on wobbly legs to his corner. The tenth saw two very tired boxers really just throwing their arms with no snap in their punches but the main scoring punches were hooks to the body from Murray. In the eleventh Murray had more left in the tank than Lawal and got the better of the exchanges but with a drained Lawal finding the energy to land some punches in the middle of the round, particularly a hard left hook, before fading again with Murray banging home a series of punches just before the bell. Lawal was just about drained of energy and was on unsteady legs as he walked back to his corner and it was worrying to see a boxer so totally drained as that can be such a danger. Murray had the better of the last round with Lawal almost falling over from exhaustion when he received or threw a punch but careless headwork from Murray saw the referee deduct a point as the fight ended. Scores 117-110 twice and 116-111. Murray wins the vacant WBA Continental title but this was a laboured unimpressive win over a less experienced fighter so not one of his best performances. German-based Lawal, 34, came in as a late replacement and proved a difficult tenacious opponent despite being much smaller than Murray. He has good wins over 23-1-1Ronny Mittag and 19-1-2 Istvan Szili but this was a huge step up in quality of opposition and a guy who has weighed as low as 154lbs was always going to struggle against a Murray
Vastine vs. Di Mario
The Monaco-based former French amateur star Vastine gets his second pro win as he takes every round against Italian Di Mari. Scores 60-54 from all three judges. Can?t help but feel that the 32-year-old six-time national amateur champion has left it too late to make an impression as a pro.
Philadelphia, PA, USA: Welter: Danny Garcia (33-0) W TKO 7 Samuel Vargas (25-3-1). Light: Javier Fortuna (31-1-1) W PTS 10 Omar Douglas (17-1). Super Welter: Jarrett Hurd (19-0) W TKO 6 Ionut Dan Ion (35-4). Super Light Milton Santiago (16-0) W PTS 8 Claudia Tapia (28-17-4).
Garcia vs. Vargas
Garcia has useful warm-up before his big fight with Keith Thurman. Vargas made a confident start coming forward behind his jab but the best punches in the opening round were the left hooks and a right cross from Garcia. Vargas again walked forward in the second. Neither man was finding the target until late in the round when a right from Garcia sent Vargas down and had him doing a complete somersault to end up one knee facing Garcia. He was up at eight but showing a bruise under his left eye where the punch landed and the bell went before any further action was possible. The third saw Vargas continue to come forward but he was rocked by another big right. Garcia let his hands go more in the third and fourth catching Vargas with quick hooks from both hands and again landing some long rights and catching Vargas with a long left hook at the end of the fourth. Vargas did better in the fifth coming forward again and scoring with body punches inside. Garcia connected with a big right in the sixth that put Vargas back on his heels and was again on target late in the round with left hooks and a long right. Garcia landed a teeth-rattling straight right at the start of the seventh and was hunting Vargas down. As they got in a clinch Garcia wrestled Vargas down to the canvas. Garcia was given a warning but Vargas was now bleeding from a cut on the bridge of his nose. A right sent Vargas staggering along the ropes. Garcia trapped Vargas on the ropes and landed a heavy left/right combination to the head and the referee stopped the fight just as the towel was about to come in from Vargas?s corner. The 28-year-old WBC champion will now fight Thurman in an unification fight after the WBA conveniently raised Thurman to super champion. Colombian-born Vargas had been stopped in four rounds by Errol Spence in April last year but had rebounded with five moderate level wins since then
Fortuna vs. Douglas
Fortuna climbs off the floor from a first round knockdown to outpoint the less experienced Douglas After a minute of study Fortuna flashed out a furious series of punches before going back to his boxing. Near the end of the round he tried the same tactic but Douglas caught him with a left to the head that sent Fortuna down and almost out under the bottom rope. He was up quickly shaking his head in protest at the count but it was a valid knockdown. Fortuna took the second and third rounds being quicker and more accurate with his punches and those rounds set the pattern for the rest of the fight. Fortuna is a quick, slick southpaw with plenty of skill but under pressure he holds and wrestles and his fights become untidy with more wrestling and clinching than open combat. Douglas kept pressing for the whole fight and was able to pin down Fortuna and take the sixth and seventh rounds but for most of the fight Fortuna was scoring with quick combinations and slipping around or under the punches from Douglas and when that did not work he played the wrestler role to stop Douglas working inside. The tactics have worked well for him and he was a clear winner here but in the last round we saw the good and bad of him as he had a brilliant spell of ferocious hooking from both hands that has Douglas almost overwhelmed and we also saw a wrestling section of his game where both fighters ended up on the floor. Scores 96-93 twice and 96-94 all for Fortuna. The 27-year-old Dominican Republic fighter gets his second win since losing his secondary WBA title on a surprise defeat against Jason Sosa in June. The 25-year-old Douglas has wins over Frank de Alba and Alex Collado and with a bit more experience can rebound easily from this loss.
Hurd vs. Dan
Hurd just too big and strong for Dan who is really a welter. Hurd let Dan make the running in the first round. The Romanian southpaw was following Hurd around the perimeter of the ring, letting punches go when he could stop Hurd?s movement with Hurd just looking to land counter rights. Dan was doing the scoring at the start of the second but there was no power in his punches. Hurd looked much bigger and stronger and a pair on left right combinations sent Dan stumbling back. He recovered and was forcing Hurd back and throwing lots of punches but every time Hurd landed Dan seemed to be shaken. In the third the sheer volume of Dan?s punches was giving Hurd problems. Dan was getting through with head punches but they still lacked real power. Near the end of the round Hurd landed a right that sent Dan to his knees in agony. It was so low that it had to be intentional. Dan got a rest and Hurd was lucky not to lose a point or even get disqualified. He was now showing a small cut outside his right eye from the head punches of Dan. The power in Hurd?s punches were taking effect in the fourth with Dan trying to get inside and deny Hurd punching room but being rocked again and again by crunching hooks from Hurd. A straight right from Hurd in the fifth had Dan floundering but the Romanian again managed to force Hurd back and was able to score to head and body until a right to the head late in the round again saw Dan backing off. Early in the sixth Hurd staggered Dan with head punches and as he was about to unload more shots Dan?s corner man climbed onto the ring apron to save their man. Hurd is an animal at this weight. Apart from his 6?1? (185cm) height he has an enormous 67 ?? (194cm) reach and real power. The 26-year-old ?Swift? has won his last five fight by KO/TKO and has 13 wins that way in all. At times he let the much smaller Dan bull him around and made this more difficult than it should have been. The 35-year-old Canadian-based Dan gets only his second loss by KO/TKO. The other was when he was floored four times and stopped in four rounds by Kell Brook for the IBF title in March last year. He had outpointed former European welter champion Rafal Jackiewicz in September last year so this was his first fight for 14 months.
Santiago vs. Tapia
?El Santo? much too good for Argentinian Tapia and wins every round. Scores 80-72 from all three judges The 20-year-old prospect turned pro at 17 and is being handled intelligently and not rushed. Tapia, 36, is 0-2 in his campaign in American rings.
Magdeburg, Germany: Light Heavy: Robert Stieglitz (50-5-1) W PTS 12 Mehdi Amar (33-5-2) . Middle: Domenic van Chrzanowski (18-0-1) W PTS 6 Norbert Szekeres (18-55-3). Light Heavy: Adam Deines (9-0-1) W KO 1 Janne Forsman (22-7).
Stieglitz vs. Amar
Stieglitz wins the European title with decision over champion Amar. Stieglitz took the first two rounds. He was on the front foot using a stiff jab and some hooks. Amar was looking to counter with his own jab and straight rights but dropped both hands to his side in the second and was wind milling his right whilst Stieglitz continued to work and pile up the points. Mehdi took the third finally bringing his own jab into play and catching Stieglitz with some sharp left hooks. The fourth went to Stieglitz as he was getting inside the jab of Amar and scoring to the body with Amar again doing some showboating and getting away with some punches to the back of Stieglitz?s head. The fifth started with Stieglitz nailing Amar with a long right to the jaw only for Amar to land a heavy right of his own and the champion just seemed to have edged a close round but there was now too much clinching going on. Amar scored with a couple of sneak rights in the sixth but again Stieglitz was getting past the jab of the Frenchman and scoring with hooks to take another close round. The seventh clearly went to Stieglitz. He was making good use of his jab to set up quick two-handed attacks with Amar just not throwing enough in return. The eighth was close with Amar on the front foot and scoring with his jab and long hooks and Stieglitz not making as much use of his own jab and probably ceding the round to Amar. Both fighters increased the pace in the ninth but it was Stieglitz who was getting the better of the exchanges and Amar got a severe warning for hitting on the break. With his title slipping away Amar tried to raise his game in the tenth getting on the front foot and snapping home jabs but Stieglitz was matching him with jabs of his own and there was not much between them in the round. The eleventh was Stieglitz?s round as he was quicker to the punch with Amar looking for a big punch to turn the fight his way but not finding it. Amar was slinging wild shots in the last with Stieglitz keeping his boxing together and stabbing home his jabs and quick combinations to provide a strong finish. Scores 116-112 for Stieglitz from all three judges as the 35-year-old Russian marks his entry as a threat in the light heavy division. He outworked Amar in a fight that was a very tactical battle almost totally devoid of any infighting or body punching. He is an upright fighter with a more open approach than the high guard walk forward tactics used by other some other German and German-based fighters. He is No 6 with the WBO and No 11 by the IBF so perhaps a future opponent for Sergey Kovalev, Adonis Stevenson or Andre Ward. Amar was making the second defence of his European title and was on a good run of 10-0-2 going in but just did not work hard enough here.
von Chrzanowski vs. Szekeres
Unbeaten von Chrzanowski returns with a win. There was a little rust for von Chrzanowski to shift after a 15 month absence due to a fractured hip and won every round against perennial loser Szekeres. Scores 60-54 from all three judges. The Berlin-based 25-yerar-old had just climbed to ten round level before the injury so is looking to get some fights under his belt and climb again. The 30-year-old Hungarian Szekeres usually goes the distance.
Deines vs. Forsman
German southpaw Deines gets this one over early. He put the Finn down for the first time just 27 seconds into the fight. Forsman got up but a series of head and body punches saw him on the floor again and he was counted out after 73 seconds. The 25-year-old German champion (BDB version) Deines gets his firth win by KO/TKO. Finn Forsman seems to be travelling down the anvil road, just there to be hammered, as he is now 1-5 in his last 6 fights with 4 losses by KO/TKO in that sequence.
Ciudad Valles, Mexico: Minimum Jose Argumedo (19-3-1) W TKO 3 Jose Antonio Jimenez (17-6-1). Argumedo retains the IBF title with stoppage of Colombian Jimenez. In the first round Jimenez was coming forward using his left jab and looking to score with hooks. Argumedo was a bit wild with his attacks but seemed to shake Jimenez with a leaping uppercut and with some hard swings late in the round with Jimenez willing to stand and exchange hard punches. In the second Argumedo marched forward head down swing wild but powerful shots. He bulled Jimenez along the ropes scoring with some head-snapping rights. Jimenez managed to escape and force Argumedo back with a series of punches but once again Argumedo was landing booming swings and also missing with a few and although Jimenez went down on his knees just before the bell it was a slip and not a knockdown. Jimenez went after Argumedo at the start of the third landing a good body punch. Argumedo shook Jimenez with a couple of rights and then a blistering straight right sent the Colombian staggering back into the ropes. He buckled at the knees then tottered forward falling down onto one knee. He was up at six and after the eight count Argumedo piled forward landing a big left that almost sent Jimenez out through the ropes. He got himself untangled but lefts and right from Argumedo again had him stumbling into the ropes. The referee gave him a standing count and then Argumedo landed some searing head punches and the referee stopped the fight. Second title defence for the 28-year-old Argumedo. There is nothing fancy about the little Mexican he comes out punching often wildly and just keeps going pretty well ignoring defence. He title win over Katsunari Takayama in December was a major shock as there was nothing in his record to say he was world champion material-but here he is. Jimenez, 33, showed guts but did not have the power to halt the attacks of the champion and his defence tended to disintegrate under pressure. This is his fourth loss by KO/TKO.
Boulogne-sur-Mer, France: Fly: Vincent Legrand (24-0) W PTS 12 Valery Yanchy (25-5-2). Middle: Kamel Abdesselam (16-10-1) W PTS 10 Davy Armand (21-5-2). Bantam: Omar Lamiri (18-2) W PTS 12 Anthony Buquet (13-8-2).
Legrand vs. Yanchy
Legrand wins the vacant European title with wide unanimous verdict over Yanchy. From the start the French fighter used his huge edges in height and reach to outbox the Belarus combatant. Yanchy?s hopes were not helped by a cut suffered in a clash of heads in the first round. However Legrand was in control all the way scoring with his long southpaw jabs, straight lefts and right hooks. The only thing missing were uppercuts which would have been the perfect shot to counter the pressing Yanchy. Another cut in the sixth made things even more difficult for Yanchy and his tricks to try to get inside rarely worked but he showed determination to keep coming despite the blood and he did enough to take a couple of rounds. Scores 119-109 twice and 118-110 all for Legrand. The 25-year-old 5?8 ?? (174cm) local fighter has looked a champion in waiting and now he has the crown and will be hard to beat. The 39-year-old Yanchy finally won the European title at his fifth attempt only to lose it in his first defence and is unlikely to get another chance.
Abdesselam vs. Armand
Abdesselam springs major surprise as he lifts the French title from champion Armand. Despite being the older fighter Abdesselam was the quicker man and his clever boxing and fast combinations were enough to get him the unanimous decision. Scores 97-93 twice and 98-92 all for Abdesselam. The 38-year-old new champion was given little chance after having had just one fight in 2014 and one in 2015, his last one in October that year, but he was sharp from the outset. Armand, 32, was making the second defence of his title and was 10-1-1 in his last 12 fights so naturally he is looking for a return match
Lamiri vs. Buquet
Lamiri retains his European Union title with unanimous decision in an all-French contest. Lamiri built a good lead over the first four rounds being 39-37 up on two cards and 40-36 on the third. He moved even further in front when he floored Buquet in the sixth. Buquet fought back hard to take the seventh and eighth but Lamiri slammed the door shut with a strong finish. Scores a too wide 119-108,116-111 and 116-112 all for Lamiri. He had beaten Buquet over ten rounds in 2012 and despite a big effort from the challenger he was again a clear winner. Lamiri, 27, was making the second defence of his title. He lost to Legrand in 2011 but has won 12 of his last 13 fights with the loss being to the now IBF champion Lee Haskins on a technical decision in February last year. This is his fifth win since then. Buquet, 36, a former French featherweight champion has also challenged for the French title at flyweight title and won the WBC Mediterranean super bantamweight title.
London. England: Bantam: Duke Micah (19-0) W PTS 12 Matthew Chanda (7-1). Super Middle: Jahmaine Smyle (14-4-2) W PTS 10 Leon McKenzie (8-1-1). Akeem Ennis Brown (7-0) W PTS 10 Freddy Kiwitt (11-1).
Micah vs. Chanda
Ghanaian Micah wins the vacant Commonwealth title with split decision over Zambian born Chanda. This was a great scrap between two well match fighters. After a careful feeling out first round they went to war. They continuously traded punches in exciting back-and forth action with Micah rarely making good use of his height and reach but preferring to toe-to-toe with Chanda as they both fired hooks to head and body. Most of the rounds were close with Micah having the higher work rate and more power but Chanda, despite being the smaller fighter, was able to force Micah to the ropes where he was most effective and work the body. The frantic pace began to tell on both boxers over the ninth and tenth rounds but they both put everything into the last two rounds and fought their way to the last bell with the crowd on its feet. Most rounds had been close and It was a pity there had to be a loser but Micah had just had a slight edge and deservedly took the decision. Scores 116-112 and 116-113 for Micah and 115-113 for Chanda. The 25-year-old Micah will now be looking to make the winning of this prestigious title a springboard to a world rating and a world title fight. Chanda, 30, although just 5?2? (157cm) had previously boxed as high as featherweight and had won the BBB of C Southern Area title at super bantam in March. He was strong enough at this weight and although unlikely to get a return match he raised his profile a long way with his showing in this fight.
Smyle vs. McKenzie
Smyle retains the English title in another top class close contest. Both were working everything off their jab in a close first round. There was controversy in the second as McKenzie tumbled into the ropes and was given a standing count although it was not clear if it was caused by a punch or a push. The 10-8 from that round proved crucial. Southpaw McKenzie was tending to make a strong start to the rounds behind his left jab with Smyle coming on strong over the middle/late portion. Smyle was just doing enough to edge the rounds but by the seventh his left eye was beginning to close. McKenzie made it a target and Smyle needed a strong last round to just take the split decision. Scores 97-92 and 95-94 for Smyle and 96-94 for McKenzie. Smyle, 30, had won the title back in March 2015 with a good victory over Lee Markham but was then inactive for a year and had not fought for eight months going into this one. He is now 6-0-1 in his last 7 fights. McKenzie, 38, did not turn pro until he was 35 and hopefully will get another crack at the English title early in 2017.
Brown vs. Kiwitt
Brown outpoints Kiwitt in yet another small hall classic. Brown?s movement gave Kiwitt problems from the outset. Kiwitt was pressing the fight but being caught by counters from Brown who was boxing coolly on the back foot. Kiwitt was supposed to be the puncher but a left from Brown put him on the floor in the fourth round. He survived the round but took another round to shake off the effects. Brown continued to outbox Kiwitt until the pace slowed and then Kiwitt was able to pick up some rounds as he tried to claw back the 10-8 from the fourth but he ran out of rounds. Referee?s score 96-93 for Brown. This was an English title eliminator so the 21-year-old Brown should be fighting for the title early next year. Liberian-born Kiwitt had won his last four fights by KO/TKO but found Brown too skilful in this one.
Ponce, Puerto Rico: Light Fly: Angel Acosta (15-0) W TKO 2 Luis Ceja (28-6-3). Super Bantam; Emanuel Rivera (17-1) W PTS 10 Josean Figueroa (10-4-2). Super Fly: Jose Martinez (18-0-1) DREW 8 Alejandro Santiago (22-7).
Acosta vs. Ceja
Acosta maintains his 100% record of wins inside the distance. Acosta landed a good left to the body in the first and then wobbled Ceja with a right just before the bell. He ended the fight late in the second. A big left hook put Ceja down heavily. He made it to his feet but another left put him down and the referee stopped the fight. The 26-year-old Acosta wins the vacant WBO Latino title. Acosta is promoted by Miguel Cotto. He is currently No 11 with the WBO but will now go higher. Ceja lost only one of his first 26 fights but then went 2-4 as the opposition got tougher. He had won his last 4 fights and this is his first loss by KO/TKO.
Rivera vs. Figueroa
Rivera extends his winning run to eleven fights with wide unanimous decision over fellow-Puerto Rican Figueroa. The scores were one-sided but the fight was a war. Rivera was always one step ahead but Figueroa never stopped trying and although a clear loser did better than the scores indicate. The judges saw it 98-92 twice and 99-91 all for Rivera. After a run of 8 wins by KO/TKO Rivera, 26, has had to go ten rounds for victory in each of his last two fights against moderate level opposition. Figueroa had been 2-1-1 going in including a good draw with 15-0 Jose Lopez last year.
Martinez vs. Santiago
Martinez is lucky to escape with a draw against Mexican Santiago. The Mexican came in as a late replacement and despite that he looked to have won the fight clearly. Martinez showed some good skills but Santiago dominated the exchanges and only some local judging prevented him getting the decision. Scores 76-76 twice and 79-73 for Santiago. This was the first real test for 24-year-old Martinez and he needs to take away some lessons from this lucky break. Santiago has a very modest record but he had shown he could be a handful by drawing with 16-0-1 Antonio Nieves in August and should have been a winner here.
Eatons Hill, Australia: Super Welter: Dennis Hogan (25-1-1) W TEC DEC 8 Yao Yi Ma (15-2). Light Heavy: Trent Broadhurst (19-1) W PTS 8 Michal Ludwiczak (14-5).
Hogan vs. Ma
The ?Kildare Hurricane? gets his third win this year as he takes unanimous decision over Taiwanese fighter Ma. Hogan was giving away a lot in height and reach to the slender Ma but just had too much strength. He was able to get past the jab of Ma and had him under pressure all the way. Ma was at his best when he could fight on the outside but that did not happen often. The difference in heights meant their heads banged together on occasion with both fighters cut. Hogan?s cut was the worse of the two and it became too bad for the fight to continue so it went to the cards. Scores 70-63 for Hogan from all three judges. He retains his WBO Oriental title as he rebuilds after losing a wide unanimous decision to Jack Culcay for the secondary WBA title in December. The WBA dropped him out of the ratings after the loss to Culcay so he has to stay busy and keep winning. Aussie-based Ma, 31, a former undefeated holder of this same title was unbeaten in his last 13 fights.
Broadhurst vs. Ludwiczak
Broadhurst has Pole on the floor twice but can?t keep him there. The local fighter made a good start and had Ludwiczak down in the second round. The Pole was then competitive for a couple of rounds but the pressure from Broadhurst made it simply a question of whether Ludwiczak could last the distance or not. The Slacks Creek scaffolder almost ended it with a body punch in the eighth but Ludwiczak showed real guts to get up any deny the Australian an inside the distance victory. Now 12 wins in a row for the 28-year-old Broadhurst the IBF No 12 . Ludwiczak, 22, was having his first fight in Australia.
Herault, France: Welter: Mohamed Kani (10-0) W PTS 10 Ricardo Silva (13-1). Super Bantam: Hugo Berrio (23-6-1) W TKO 10 Rafael Pujol (11-1).
Kani vs. Silva
Kani wins the vacant WBBC Mediterranean title with unanimous decision over Silva. The Monaco-based southpaw controlled the fight with his right jab with Silva having trouble getting inside Kani?s longer reach and Kani showing excellent defensive skills in an impressive showing in his first ten round fight. The only thing lacking is power. Cuban-born Silva, the Swiss champion kept pressing but was outboxed.
Berrio vs. Pujol
Colombian Berrio proves a tougher than expected opponent and upsets the local fans as he halts Pujol. The fight was a hard battle from the start. Berrio was down in the fourth and in trouble in the sixth but his extra experience proved vital. Pujol was well in front after eight rounds but then tired rapidly and was showing worrying signs of exhaustion. After being put down at the end of the tenth round he was unable to recover and needed urgent medical attention. He was rushed was to hospital but is now said to be recovering well. The 30-year-old Colombian wins the vacant WBA Inter-Continental title. Dominican-born, Spanish-based Pujol had never been past eight rounds before.
Kassel, Germany: Cruiser: Oezcan Cetinkaya (23-11-2) W TKO 3 Lukasz Rusiewicz (22-27). Cetinkaya wins the vacant German International title as Rusiewicz fails to come out for the fourth round. The 38-year-old Graciano Rocchigiani-trained German-based Turkish fighter (now there?s a mouthful) was making his second try at winning the title and now has 16 wins by KO/TKO. Rusiewicz is 2-4 in fights this year.
Szekszard, Hungary: Heavy: Zoltan Bogdan (12-0) W TKO 3 Revaz Karelishvili (7-1). Cruiser: Gabor Halasz (38-17) W TKO 3 Viktor Szalai (19-56-4). Light Heavy: Norbert Nemesapati (24-4) W TKO 2 Przemyslaw Binienda (2-7).
Bogdan vs. Karelishvili
Bogdan wins vacant Universal Boxing Organisation title with stoppage of Georgian novice Karelishvili. After a fairly even first round Bogdan went to work in the second and had Karelishvili on the back foot and under pressure. In the third a left hook put Karelishvili down. He made it to his feet but was in no position to continue. The 37-year-old Romanian-born Hungarian, who did not turn pro until he was 31, makes it 8 wins by KO/TKO but the only name on his record is Frenchman Jean Marc Monrose and he was way over the hill when Bogdan beat him in May last year. Karelishvili typical of almost all Georgian fighters and gets stopped inside the distance the first time he steps outside of Georgia.
Halasz vs. Szalai
Many Hungarian fighters are also just used as fodder around Europe but do better at home. Halasz handed out a beating to fellow Hungarian Szalai who retired at the end of the third round. Halasz, 38, wins the interim Slovakian title! Poor Szalai, also 38, is 1-16 in his last 17 fights including 15 losses by KO/TKO.
Nemesapati vs. Binienda
?Noble? Nemesapati pads out his record with stoppage of poor Pole Binienda. The 21-year-old Hungarian who turned pro at 16 now has 17 wins by KO/TKO. His management have taken a strange approach to building their man?s career giving him easy wins and overmatching him against fighters such as Schiller Hyppolite, Umar Salamov and Callum Smith. Now six losses in a row for Binienda.
Szekesfehervar, Hungary: Super Feather: Zoltan Kovacs (18-5-1) W PTS 10 Cosmas Cheka (17-7-5), Welter: Balazs Torteli (10-1) W PTS 10 Gyorgy Mizsei (24-20)
Kovacs vs. Cheka
Hungarian Kovacs wins the vacant WBO European title with a win over Tanzanian Cheka. In a fast-paced well contested fight Kovacs gets the decision but it was close enough for Cheka to feel he had been robbed of victory. Scores 96-94 twice and a ridiculous 98-92 all for Kovacs. Kovacs, 24, had lost a wide points division to Brit Mitchell Smith for this same title in 2014. Since then he had gone 6-0-1including a shock one round knockout of Marco McCullough last year. Russian-based Tanzanian Cheka, 26, had been stopped in five rounds by Paulus Moses five weeks before this fight but looked unlucky here.
Torteli vs. Mizsei
Torteli overcomes the more experienced Mizsei to win the vacant Hungarian title. There was plenty of action in this one pitting the aggression of Torteli against the better boxing skills of Mizsei. Torteli was storming forward throwing punches and often getting inside the guard of the much taller Mizsei. On other occasions Mizsei made good use of his left jab, straight rights and fine defensive work. In the end two of the judges were more impressed by the work rate of Torteli and he took the majority decision. Scores a too wide 98-92 and a more accurate 96-94 to Torteli and 95-95. This was a big leap for the 24-year-old Torteli who was jumping from 4 rounds to 10 for the first time. The loss spoiled the birthday celebrations for Mizsei who was 23 on the day of the fight. His biggest win came in 2014 when he beat world rated 25-1-2 Brunet Zamora to win the European Union title. He lost the title in his first defence and has twice challenged unsuccessfully for the European lightweight title.
Rome, Italy: Super Welter: Francesco Lomatso (11-1) W PTS 10 Francesco Acatullo (9-7-1). Lomatso wins the vacant Italian title with points victory over Acatullo. Although he had height and reach over his younger opponent Acatullo ignored those advantages and played in Lomatso?s hands by choosing to press the fight looking to make it a close quarters contest with Lomatso the one making use of his jab and boxing cleverly. The action was hot with plenty of action to please the fans. Acatullo was deducted a point in the fifth for a punch to the back of the head and Lomatso outworked Acatullo over the late rounds to get the unanimous decision. Scores 97-92 twice and 97-93 all for the new champion Lomatso. First ten round fight for the 26-year-old from Rome. After an early career loss he has now won ten on the bounce. Third unsuccessful shot at an Italian title for Acatullo, one at lightweight and now two at super light.
St John?s, New Zealand: Super Middle: Jonathan Taylor (5-3) W TKO 7 Jordan Tai (8-2). Heavy: Junior Fa (8-0) W TKO 1 Mohammed Hussain (0-1).
Taylor vs. Tai
Big surprise as Taylor halts Tai. Taylor made the perfect start flooring Tai in the first round. After that Tai took control and after flooring Taylor in the seventh round looked on his way to victory. Not to be. A big attack from Taylor in the seventh forced the referee to stop the fight. With this victory Taylor collects the vacant New Zealand title and the vacant IBO Oceania title. The 30-year-old Taylor was 1-3 in his first 4 fight with the losses all by KO/TKO but is now 4-0. Tai had knocked out unbeaten Joe Blackbourn in one round in his last fight and was a heavy favourite here.
Fa vs. Hussain
Abysmal bit of match making sees prospect Fa halt total novice Hussain in 30 seconds. Now five wins by KO/TKO for the 27-year-old 6?5? (196cm) Fa, all in the first round. He holds two wins over Joseph Parker from his amateur days and is too good for rubbish fights like this.
Bilbao, Spain: Super Welter: Javier Garcia Roche (18-5-1) W KO 10 Antonio Benitez (10-1). Super Light: Sandor Martin (28-1) W PTS 8 Valentyn Golovko (22-1,2ND). Welter: Kevin Lejarraga (18-0) W KO 4 Koba Karkashadze (20-13-2). Super Welter: Isaac Real (16-1-1) W TKO 5 Sandro Medrano (10-54-4).
Roche vs. Benitez
In a mixed boxing/martial arts show that drew a crowd of over 9,000 Roche wins Spanish title with dramatic last round kayo of Benitez. Benitez worryingly needed urgent medical attention. He was stretcher out of the ring but was conscious and was transported to hospital where he was operated on for a hematoma to the brain. Subsequently it was reported that he was not in a critical condition and was able to sit up and talk to his family and press the following day . The fight was a total contrast in styles. The reigning champion Benitez was a skilful boxer with an excellent jab and good movement. Roche just ploughed forward trying to take Benitez to the ropes and then swing away with both hands. Benitez was doing the cleaner work and shook Roche with a series of head punches in the fifth. However he lacked power and Roche was soon on the march again. Benitez built a big lead but from the eighth began to tire and was spending more and more time pinned to the ropes unable to counter the ponderous but dangerous swings from Roche. Benitez?s corner received warnings for delaying leaving the ring quickly enough as they tried to buy more time for their exhausted fighter. Benitez started the tenth and last round on his toes again getting his jab working. However Roche again bulled him to the ropes and a series of heavy head punches sent Benitez down flat on his back in his own corner and he was counted out. Catalonian Roche, 34, had said this was going to be his last fight. He had been stopped by Ivan Sanchez in 2013 for this title and was 2-3 going into this but achieved his goal here. Benitez was making the first defence of his title. He suffered a broken index finger early in the fight and fought from the second round with that handicap.
Martin vs. Golovko
Martin wins unanimous decision after good competitive fight with Golovko. With the Ukrainian having height and reach over the smaller Spaniard Martin used his speed and skill to win this one. Martin was boxing on the back foot drawing Golovko?s lead and then slotting home long southpaw lefts. Golovko pressed the fight trying to tie-down the quicker Martin but was continually caught by those lefts. Over the last three rounds the fight featured more clinches with Martin working inside more but he was a clear winner. The talented 23-year-old former European Union champion needs to move on and up now. ?The Sabre? Golovko,26, had his unbeaten run snapped at 22 when he was beaten on points by Jerry Belmontes in January so yet another setback.
Lejarraga vs. Karkashadze
Lejarraga batters down Georgian Karkashadze in four rounds. The unbeaten local fighter was landing big shots from the first bell with the Georgian using his experience to spoil and stay in the fight. Finally in the fourth a right saw him go down on one knee and he just sat out the count not arising until the ten was completed. The 24-year-old from Bilbao makes it 14 wins by KO/TKO including a fourth round stoppage of Brit Denton Vassell. Madrid-based Karkashadze has won only one of his last ten fights.
Real vs. Medrano
Real halts Medrano in one-sided battering. Real was landing heavy hooks from both hands with the courageous but limited Medrano soaking up the punishment and trying to punch with Real and losing out. The Nicaraguan was almost floored by a right to the head in the third and was brutalised by a sequence of head punches in the fourth which should have seen the fight stopped but instead Medrano went down on his knees and when he got up the bell went. A couple of body punches in the fourth sent Medrano staggering into the ropes and the fight was finally stopped. The 34-year-old former European champ[ion lost his title to Jack Culcay on a close decision in 2014 and this was a warm-up for his shot at champion Cedric Vitu in January. Medrano is 0-28-1 in his last 29 fights.
Brovari, Ukraine: Feather: Oleg Malinovski (19-0) W PTS 10 Eusebio Osejo (28-19-3). Light Denys Berinchyk (5-0) W PTS 8 Juan Ocura (11-8-1).
Malinovski vs. Osejo
In this all-southpaw contest Osejo tried to take the fight to Malinovski in the first round but was nailed by a short left/right combination and went down. He was up immediately and traded punches to the end of the round. The contest developed into a battle between the flashy right jab and defensive skills of Malinovski and the aggression and heavy lefts from Osejo. When Malinovski managed to get on the front foot he was slotting home jabs and straight rights but Osejo kept walking forward and was the stronger fighter. The downside was that he was being outworked and was not as accurate. The rounds were close with Malinovski showing a bump under his right eye and by the seventh he was leaking blood from his nose but he was sticking to his boxing. Osejo was stronger in the eighth and ninth but Malinovski counter punched well enough to take the tenth. Scores 98-91,97-92 and 96-93 with the last score looking the more accurate. Malinovski retains his WBO European title which gives him at No 11 rating with that body but he is yet to face a name opponent. Spanish-based Osejo is now 0-5-1 in his last 6 fights.
Berinchyk vs. Ocura
Southpaw Berinchyk gives one of his usual aggression, aggression, aggression performances. From the first bell he was rushing forward forcing Ocura to fight on the retreat with punches coming at him for three minutes in every round. He was setting a pace he could not maintain and too busy going for quantity to load up on this punches. By the fourth round he had slowed and Ocura started to come forward more and score with punches of his own. A chopping right from Berinchyk opened a small cut over the left eye of Ocura but later in the fourth Ocura had Berinchyk stumbling back under an attack and a left to the body sent Berinchyk stumbling into the ropes and almost down. Berinchyk started the fifth with a cracking right hook and was back on top
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