The Past Week in Action 15 November 2017 -- Part II
By Eric Armit
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 16 Nov 2017
Jacobs tags Arias with a right.
Newcastle, England: Super Welter: Liam Smith (26-1-1) W PTS 12 Liam Williams (16-2-1). Super Bantam: Thomas Patrick Ward (22-0) W PTS 12 Sean Davis (13-2). Super Light: Josh Leather (13-0) W PTS 12 Glenn Foot (21-3). Heavy: Nathan Gorman (11-0) W TKO 5 Mohamed Soltby (13-1). Super Middle: Mark Heffron (18-0) W TKO 7 Lewis Taylor (19-5-1). Super Light: Jeff Saunders (12-0) W PTS 10 Steven Lewis (14-1).
Smith vs. Williams
Smith takes a well deserved majority decision over Williams in a WBO eliminator. It was unlikely that this effort could provide the same excitement and controversy of their first fight when Smith came from behind to stop Williams on a cut. However with these two it was also always going to be an interesting and competitive fight. Williams started on the front foot. He has a strong jab and Smith was on the back foot but firing in his trademark left hooks to the body. Smith had started too slowly in the first fight but here he picked up the pace in the second and was showing a good jab of his own. Williams had his jab working and they both landed some quality punches in an excellent round of box/fighting. The third again saw Smith using his jab well and Williams was constantly pressing with each man landing hurtful hooks and uppercuts. It was punch for punch over the fourth with Smith probably a bit sounder in defence and more accurate but Williams took the fifth with some hefty combinations. Williams had a good spell at the start of the sixth but Smith came back with a vengeance landing hefty hooks and straight rights to take the round. Smith also took the seventh as he boxed behind his jab and scored with straight rights and hooks to the body. They both put in some excellent work in the eighth which Smith looked to have edged but Williams fired back in the ninth and tenth. Smith clearly took the eleventh. He was now the one on the front foot and was scoring with thudding jabs and rights and lefts to head and body and he carried that momentum over into the last round and took that one as well. Scores 117-111 and 116-112 for Smith and 114-114. The 29-year-old “Beefy”, a former WBO champion showed boxing smarts here to fight a more controlled fight than the first time. His only loss was a ninth round kayo by Saul Alvarez in September last year that cost him his WBO title. His hope is a fight with Miguel Cotto if Cotto beats Sadam Ali next month and decides to continue fighting. If Cotto wins but retires then Smith will be in the mix for the vacant title. Welshman Williams has only heightened his profile with his showing in the two fights with Smith and could still end up fighting for a title next year-perhaps against Smith again.
Ward vs. Davis
Ward shows classic boxing skills to decision the aggressive and determined Davis. Ward boxed much of the fight on the back foot using a stabbing jab, quick footwork and some classy left hooks. Davis tried to establish his own jab but he needed to crowd the quicker champion and get him trapped on the ropes. Davis was not having much success in that and Ward was picking him off with some hooks and uppercut from distance and skipping put of the when Davis tried to close the distance. Ward was picking his punches and firing long rights but there was no way he could keep Davis out for the whole twelve rounds and Davis did some good work when he did get inside. The fight was fought at a very fast pace with Davis looking to work the body to slow Ward over the late rounds. Ward was boxing with real class scoring with eye-catching straight right/ left hook combinations but his lack of power meant that Davis was always able to walk through the punches. Ward had built a big lead but by the sixth he was showing a cut over his right eye and standing and trading a bit more. Davis continued his relentless pressure over the middle rounds but was also showing a small nick outside his right eye. He was able to land with his right more often and catch Ward on the ropes. Ward was back in charge in the ninth staying off the ropes and scoring with accurate jabs and short, quick counters as even Davis was finding the pace hot. Davis found the energy to step up the pace in the tenth and eleventh but the skills of Ward were giving him the rounds. Before the start of the last round the referee and the crowd applauded both boxers for the quality of the fight they had put on. Davis tried desperately to find a big punch in the last but Ward boxed his way to victory. Scores 118-112 twice and 117-112 all for Ward. The 23-year-old from County Durham was making the first defence of the British title and showcased his outstanding skills. The cut over his right eye needed 15 stitches after the fight which was a testament to some high quality work in Ward’s corner. He is No 12 with the WBO and No 3 with the EBU. Former English and WBC International champion Davis played a big part in making this such an entertaining fight. His only other loss was a stoppage against unbeaten Gamal Yafai in May which cost Davis his WBC International title.
Leather vs. Foot
This was one of the best fights on a night of good quality action as Leather wins the IBF East/West Europe title. Foot took charge early crowding Leather in the first with Leather looking a bit off with his timing. These two had to be separated at a press conference before the fight and they squared up to each other again at the end of the first round. The referee had to warn them again early in the second to behave themselves. Foot had scored with some good rights in the round and he looked to have finished the fight in the second round. He drove home a right that was reminiscent of the one Dmitry Bivol used on Trent Broadhurst and it put Leather down on his back. Somehow Leather got up and did not look too badly shaken and despite Foot’s best efforts he made it the bell without any further scares. After that early drama it turned into a hard fought close contest. Leather had the longer reach and quicker movement and was firing jabs constantly and landing right hand as Foot moved in. Foot was launching rapid raids getting past the jab and scoring with hooks inside. He was also looking to get home that right again and was dangerous all the way and he never stopped pressing. A left jab from Leather knocked out Foot’s mouthguard in the sixth and in the same round the referee deducted a point from Foot for hitting on the break. When hostilities restarted Foot pressed harder trying to compensate for that point deduction. Foot had a strong ninth as he was able to get inside and bang away at Leather’s body to move into a slender lead and the needle was still there as they again had a face off after the bell. The referee again warned them to behave themselves at the start of the tenth and a Leather punch again dislodged Foot’s mouthguard. There were some exciting exchanges in the round with Leather just having the edge but he got a bonus point as Foot lost his mouthguard again and this time the referee deducted a point making it effectively a 10-8 round for Leather. Despite the fast pace they both put everything into the last two rounds which could have been scored either way. Scores 115-110, 114-111and 113-112 all to Leather. Leather, 25, was coming off a good win over Phil Sutcliffe Jr and will be looking to go for another title as he progresses. Former English champion Foot lost his title to Akeem Ennis Brown in July but both fights were so close that Foot could have walked away as the winner in both and will be looking to rebound.
Gorman vs. Soltby
Gorman gets another win in an untidy fight against Soltby. Gorman was showing good hand speed and movement and had Soltby backing up from the start. Soltby tended to leap in with his attacks and hold when inside which led to too many clinches. Gorman was doing the better work but being frustrated by the tactics of Soltby but he also was also tending to hold rather than work inside. Soltby was a little more positive in the fourth but not much. It was still Gorman forcing the fight and doing the cleaner work but his frustration was showing in some wild swipes. Gorman pressed even harder in the fifth. He had Soltby trapped on the ropes but Soltby escaped and Gorman followed him across the ring. Soltby had turned his back so Gorman threw a couple of left hooks that curved around the fleeing German and Soltby fell across the top rope and then went down on one knee. After the eight count Soltby tried to survive by holding but Gorman got through with some hooks to the head and with Soltby not punching back the referee stopped the fight. The 21-year-old 6’3” (191cm) Gorman, who is trained by Ricky Hatton, wins the vacant WBC International Silver title and has now won of his last 8 fights by KO/TKO. He is far from being one of the sculptured heavyweights but he is strong and has good hand speed. German-based Russian Soltby was facing his first real test and found Gorman much too good for him.
Heffron vs. Taylor
Heffron was also facing a tough test in Taylor. The former top amateur made it a double for Ricky Hatton fighters as he slowly broke Taylor down. The fight was competitive early but soon Heffron was in total control and floored Taylor with a body punch in the fifth. Heffron continued to press looking to be the first man to stopTaylor inside the distance. He reached that goal in the seventh round with a right uppercut that put Taylor down and brought the stoppage. The 25-year-old “Kid Dynamite” who turned pro at 18 now has 14 wins by KO/TKO Between 2013 and 2016 due to contract problems he had a spell of just three fights in three years but this is his sixth fight in the last 12 months. As an amateur he won a silver medal at the European Schoolboys Championships and a silver at the European Juniors and a gold at the British Youth Championships, he is one to watch. Taylor, a former English champion and Commonwealth title challenger has gone the distance with Eamonn O’Kane losing a majority decision and to Tommy Langford and a technical decision to Jamie Cox.
Saunders vs. Lewis
Saunders outpoints Lewis in a British title eliminator. Both were letting their punches go from the first round. Both had good jabs and were looking to impose themselves. Saunders had the higher work rate and was more accurate. He was scoring well at distance with straight rights and left hooks and using more combinations than Lewis. It was a bit untidy at times with too much clinching. Lewis was generally the one pressing the fight and he had success when he could work inside and score with left hooks to the body but he was waiting too long to get his punches off and not throwing enough. Saunders built a lead early but Lewis came back to take the sixth and have a strong seventh. Lewis was on the floor but it was a result of a shoulder charge and not a punch. Both had good spells in the eighth with Saunders probably just edging it and they both fought like tired man in the ninth before Saunders outlanded Lewis in the tenth. Scores 98-93 twice and 96-94 all for Saunders The 26-year from County Durham, the brother of former Olympian Bradley Saunders,. will now be hoping to get a shot at British champion Jack Catterall. Lewis failed to make the weight for the fight so blew his chance of a British title challenge for a while but he will be back.
Edinburgh, Scotland: Super Light: Josh Taylor (11-0) W KO 9 Miguel Vazquez (39-6).Super Light: Jason Easton (11-0) W PTS 12 Josef Zahradnik (9-1). Heavy: Martin Ilunga (10-0) W KO 1 Ali Baghouz (10-1-1).
Taylor vs. Vazquez
A couple of firsts here as Taylor becomes the first man to beat Vazquez inside the distance and gets his first experience of fighting with a serious cut. From the start Vazquez showed his experience as he slotted quick ,light punches through the Scot’s guard and slipped and blocked many of Taylor’s punches. The Scottish southpaw was trying to land his trade mark body punches but Vazquez showed some clever defensive work to blunt those attacks. In the second round a clash of heads saw Taylor suffer a bad cut over his left eye which silenced the patriotic crowd. Taylor then tried to force the pace almost too much leaving gaps for Vazquez to work on. The Mexican was not throwing hard punches but he was getting through with quick short hooks in bursts which saw him edge into the lead. Good work in the corner prevented the cut from becoming a problem and Taylor continued to press and work the body. Slowly Vazquez’s work rate dropped as he was forced onto the defensive with Taylor taking over the fight with his focused body attack. In the eighth Taylor was in control with Vazquez spending more time with his back to the ropes and unable to keep Taylor out. In the ninth Taylor hurt Vazquez early with body punches and kept throwing them as Vazquez wheeled away trying to escape until a rib bending right sent Vazquez down to his knees and he had no chance of recovering and was counted out. The 26-year-old “Tartan Terror” , the Commonwealth champion was making the first defence of his WBC Silver title and he now has 10 wins by KO/TKO. The suggestion is that he might chase a shot at the European title and he would start a favourite against the current champion the unbeaten Swede Anthony Yigit. He is No 7 with the WBC and No 11(10) with the IBF. The super light division is wide open with Terrence Crawford moving up. and other than Mikey Garcia, if he moves up, Taylor looks a match for any of the other pretenders. Vazquez, 30, was a very good IBF light champion making seven defences of the title and he had won his last four fights.
Easton vs. Zahradnik
Easton continues his progress with impressive win over unbeaten Czech. Zahradnik managed to be competitive over the first three rounds but once Easton got into his stride Zahradnik was strictly second best. The unbeaten Scot bossed the fight with his jab and was slotting jarring rights through Zahradnik’s guard. The only downside was a clash of heads in the fifth which saw Easton suffer a bad cut over his left eye but it did not derail him. At times it seemed as though the Czech had to crumble under the punishment but he didn’t and took Easton into the twelfth round for the first time. Scores 120-108,118-110 and 117-111 all for Easton. The 26-year-old from Edinburgh was making the first defence of his IBO Inter-Continental and is improving all the time. Czech champion Zahradnik did his job here.
Ilunga vs. Baghouz
Ilunga gets this one over in the first. After using a strong jab to put Baghouz on the back foot he continued to back Baghouz up into a corner. Once there Ilunga fired home a body punch that put Baghouz down and the fight was over. The DRC-born Ilunga, the younger brother of Ilunga Makabu who lost to Tony Bellew for the vacant WBC cruiser title, has seven wins by KO/TKO. He has fought in four different countries but he is now trained by Billy Nelson and his last five fights have all be in the UK. Baghouz’s record has been built on some very poor opposition and he was out of his class here.
Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France: Super Middle: Hadillah Mohoumadi (23-4-1) W PTS 12 Christopher Rebrasse (25-6-3). Light Heavy: Nadjib Mohammedi (39-5) W PTS 10 Hakim Zoulikha (24-10). Heavy: Raphael Troche (9-0) W PTS 10 Cyril Leonet (12-9-3).
Mohoumadi vs. Rebrasse
Mohoumadi proves he is still too good for his domestic opposition as he retains the European title with unanimous verdict over fellow Frenchman Rebrasse. Aggression is Mohoumadi trade mark and that did not change here as he stormed forward from the first bell. Rebrasse was forced onto the back foot and too often caught on the ropes as Mohoumadi raked him with jabs and hooks to the body. Rebrasse suffered a cut over his left eye in the second and Mohoumadi took the third. Rebrasse managed to get into the fight in the fourth but already had some catching up to do. After four rounds the champion was up 40-36 and 39-37 with the third judge having them even. Mohoumadi was back in charge in the fifth and sixth. However the frantic pace he had set started to affect him and he slowed and was leaving gaps in his defence with Rebrasse taking advantage to win the seventh round but again Mohoumadi battled back to edge the eighth. Mohoumadi was now in front on all three cards at 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75. Rebrasse changed tactics and started to stand and trade with Mohoumadi and neither fighter was willing to take a step back. They fought hard over the closing rounds with Rebrasse coming on strong to take the tenth and eleventh but Mohoumadi getting his second wind in the last and although still inaccurate he was throwing more and landing more and he took a well deserved decision. Scores 117-111 twice and 115-113 all for 37-year-old Mohoumadi. He was making the first defence of the European title in his second spell as champion. He is 9-1 in his last 10 fights with the loss being a first round stoppage by Callum Smith in April last year. It is his only loss inside the distance and it cost him his European title. He regained it in May with a win over Mariano Hilario. . Rebrasse, 32, a former French and EU champion was 3-3 going into this one with the losses being points defeats against George Groves, Callum Smith and Rocky Fielding. That perfidious Albion again (it means you can’t trust the English).
Mohammedi vs. Zoulikha
Mohammedi put on the best show of the night as outboxed the dangerous Zoulikha. The former undefeated French champion gave a master class to the more aggressive Zoulikha. Mohammedi showcased his collection of skills with Zoulikha struggling to pin him down and avoid the fast accurate punches coming his way. The class gap was highlighted in the fourth round where Mohammedi stayed in the pocket slipping and blocking Zoulikha’s punches and slotting home hooks and uppercuts from both hands .Zoulikha stuck to his task and landed enough to win a round but he was never in the hunt and clearly outclassed. Scores 100-91, 99-92 and 98-92 for Mohammedi. The 32-year-old Mohammedi lost to Nathan Cleverly for the interim WBO title in 2010 and was knocked out by Sergey Kovalev for the IBF, WBA and WBO titles in 2015. A worse defeat was his second round kayo loss against Olek Gvozdyk last year but he had bounced back with a good win over Roman Shkarupa in his last fight in October 2016. Inactivity cost him a place in the EBU ratings but with Zoulikha No 6 he should be back in the mix. Zoulikha,31, a former French and European Union champion has had some tough fights lately and is now 3-6 in his last 9 fights.
Troche vs. Leonet
Minor upset as Troche wins the French title with victory over champion Leonet. This was not a classic but it was a close hard fought scrap where strength played a bigger part than skill. Leonet set the scene with a couple of good left hooks in the first and over the early round crowded Troche by marching forward behind a high guard and built a good lead. Troche was having his first fight for almost 13 moths and the rust slowed him but he changed tactics and increased his work rate from the fifth. Troche was scoring with the tried and trusted left jab/right cross combination and Leonet was finding himself fighting off the ropes more and having to clinch to blunt Troche’s attacks. Leonet recovered to take the tenth with a big effort but it was not enough. Scores 96-94 twice and 97-93 all for Troche. The 28-year-old Troche, a former undefeated WBC Mediterranean champion, will be hoping to move up to get a shot at the EU title but this was close enough for Leonet to have a good case for a return fight. Leonet was making the fifth defence of the French title and had turned his career around with a 6-0-1 run in his last 7 fights.
Chihuahua, Mexico: Welter: Carlos Ocampo (22-0) W TKO 7 Dario Ferman (14-4). Super Bantam: Jose Quirino (16-2-2) W PTS 8 Victor Olivo (14-2-1).
Ocampo vs. Ferman
Ocampo was in charge from the start. He was catching Ferman with stiff jabs and firing lefts hooks to the body with Ferman too slow to respond. Ocampo stepped up the pressure in the second. Ferman was often trapped on the ropes as Ocampo scored with hurtful combinations. Ocampo had Ferman in a corner and was firing punches when Ferman went down. He was up immediately and claimed it was a slip but the referee gave him a count. Ocampo handed out punishment in the third and in the fourth he had Ferman in a corner again and Ferman went down. This one looked like a slip but the referee gave him another count. Ocampo rocked Ferman with a straight right in the fifth but Ferman got through with a couple of rights of his own as they worked inside. In the sixth Ocampo was teeing off on Ferman with jabs, straight rights and left hooks to the body and Ferman was fading fast under the punishment . At the end of the round Ferman was shaking his right hand as if he had a problem. Early in the seventh Ferman threw a right and then retreated into a corner grasping his right arm and bending over in pain. The referee stopped the fight whilst he established if Ferman could continue and then waived the fight over. Ensenada’s Ocampo now has 13 wins by KO/TKO. He has useful wins over Jorge Paez jr, Charlie Navarro and Daniel Echevarria and is the top rated welter with the IBF at No 3. He will now meet Konstantin Ponomarev in an IBF final eliminator to decide who gets a shot at Errol Spence. Ferman has now lost 4 of his last 5 fights.
Quirino vs. Olivo
Southpaw Quirino gets past Olivo in a very competitive fight. It was close all the way with the stronger finish from Quirino just getting the nod from the judges. Scores 77-75 for Quirino from all three judges. The Tijuana boxer is now 11-0-1 in his last 12 fights including a draw with former WBA champion Herman Marquez. Olivo, 21, has no luck when the fight is close as he dropped a split decision to Milan Melindo in 2015.
Belem, Brazil: Light Welter: Acelino Freitas (40-2) W Gabriel Martinez (29-10-1). A very plump Freitas still showed flashes of his old skills as he outpointed Mexican Martinez, Although Martinez had the longer reach Freitas timing and accuracy saw him scoring well with his jab and countering Martinez with short hooks. If anything Martinez probably showed Frietas too much respect in the first round as he just did not throw enough punches, but at the end of the second he did put together a good combination. Freitas ducked under a left but was caught by a right which dislodged his mouthguard and put him down. He was up at six and the bell went when the eight count was completed. That boosted the Mexican’s confidence and from there it was a much better fight. For me Martinez bossed the action over the remaining rounds. He constantly forced Freitas to the ropes and although Freitas showed some excellent defensive work Martinez was outscoring him. He had Freitas in trouble late in the sixth trapping him on the ropes and keeping him there for a whole minute as he rained punches on Freitas but he would have done better to gone for power instead of quantity. Ridiculously before a punch had even been thrown in the eighth the referee deducted a point from Martinez for a punch to the back of the head! Freitas boxed cleverly in the eighth but was staggered by a left hook and Martinez finished the fight strongly. This was supposed to be a ten round fight and as late as the eighth it was still being shown that way on the broadcast but it only went eight rounds. Scores 75-74 twice and 76-73 for Freitas but for me Martinez won this one. Hopefully the 42-year-old former champion will now put his gloves away. Martinez had won his last two fights against low level opposition but that came after a run of nine losses in a row and this was his first fight since March 2015.
Brampton, Canada: Welter: Samuel Vargas (29-3-1) W PTS 10 Jussi Koivula (23-5-1). Super Feather: Alex Dilmaghani (16-1,1ND) W PTS 8 Tuomo Eronen (19-5). 14
Vargas vs. Koivula
Vargas gets controversial split decision over Finn Koivula. Vargas worked well to the body early but was given a first warning for being dangerous with his head. Both were landing good punches but also using some questionable tactics and they were both warned by the referee to clean up their act and cut down on the holding. Koivula was forcing the fight with Vargas countering well. The incidents continued with Vargas floored and Koivula losing a point only for Vargas to lose one as well. In between the incidents it was a good close fight with Vargas scoring well to the body and Koivula coming on strong at the end with the fight in the balance. Scores reflect an incident packed fight at 97-90 and 95-92 for Vargas and 94-93 for Koivula. Vargas, 28, a Colombian based in Toronto has lost to Danny Garcia and Errol Spence but in August took a majority verdict over former IBO champion Ali Funeka. Koivula, 33, has had shots at both the European and European Union titles and had won 4 of his last 5 fights and looked worth at least a draw here.
Dilmaghani vs. Eronen
Dilmaghani outboxes Finn Eronen and takes every round to improve to 11-0,1ND in his last twelve fights. Dilmaghani was particularly effective with hooks to the body but Eronen stood up to the punishment well in a fight fought mostly on the inside. Scores 80-72 for Dilmaghani from all three judges. The British-born Dilmaghani is based in Mexico and has useful wins over reasonable level opposition in Cecilio Santos, and Miguel Angel Gonzalez. Southpaw Eronen, 36, came in with five wins in a row.
Gaillard, France: Heavy: Newfel Ouatah (15-1) W PTS 6 Jakov Gospic (17-18).
Frenchman Ouatah returns with a win as he takes unanimous decision over Croat Gospic. The former undefeated French champion was having his first fight for 22 months. The only loss for the 32-year-old 6’6 ½” (200cm) Ouatah was against Erkan Teper for the vacant EBU title in June 2014 and he will be looking to regain his national title and go on to get another shot at the EU or EBU titles. Gospic was having his first fight for 11 months and is 2-9 in his last eleven bouts.
Neukoelln, Germany: Cruiser: Tervel Pulev (5-0) W TKO 3 Artem Redko (21-9-3). Pulev makes it five by KO/TKO/ The Bulgarian was already landing clubbing rights and left hooks early in the first. Redko tried to keep Pulev out with his jab but it was too weak to be effective. Redko tried some showboating and switched to southpaw in the second but was promptly nailed by three rights that sent him staggering to the ropes. Redko had some success with his jab but was then back to eating jabs and booming rights from Pulev. In the third Pulev was again landing thumping shots to head and body and the referee stepped in and stopped the fight just as Redko slid to the floor. The 34-year-old younger brother of Kubrat has won his five pro fights in a total of less than 12 rounds but the opposition has been carefully selected. As an amateur he was twice a silver medallist at the European Championships and won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics. Ukrainian Redko, 35,is 1-7-2 in his last ten fights and this is his fourth loss by KO/TKO.
Tokyo, Japan: Minimumweight: Tsubasa Koura (12-0) W PTS 12 Masataka Taniguchi (8-2). Koura retains the OPBF title but only just. Both champion and challenger had good spells over the first four rounds. Taniguchi scoring with straight lefts and then Koura coming back with some tasty left hooks. The scores at that stage showed how tight it was at 39-37, 39-38 for Koura and 38-38. Taniguchi had a big fifth where he had Koura in trouble with a thudding left and over the next three rounds both fought more cautiously with Taniguchi putting on the stronger show to cancel out the small lead Koura had enjoyed earlier with two judges now having it even and the third with Taniguchi 77-76 in front. They fought furiously over the last four rounds with Koura just doing enough to claw his way in front and retain his title but it was might close. Scores 115-113 and 115-114 for Koura and 114-114. The 23-year-old from Yokohama was making the first defence of the OPBF title but had never been past the fifth round before so showed maturity in pacing the fight. He is rated WBC 11/WBA 12 and IBF 13(11) so some distance from a world title shot. Taniguchi’s other loss was a majority decision against unbeaten Reiya Konishi for the vacant Japanese title in April and he must be hoping for another shot at Koura.
Irapuato. Mexico: Super Bantam: Aaron Alameda (21-0) W TKO 2 Juan Jimenez (25-13). Alameda punches too hard for experienced Jimenez. Despite giving away height and reach it was southpaw Alameda who was coming in behind his jab a firing lefts to the body. Jimenez allowed himself to be taken to the ropes and then fired a flurry of quick right hooks which led to both fighters trading hooks and uppercuts to the bell with Alameda landing enough to take the round. Alameda was forcing Jimenez back with the jab again in the second. Jimenez let fly some hooks but Alameda suddenly unleashed a volley of left hooks that shook Jimenez. He continued to bang home punches snapping Jimenez head with uppercuts and drove Jimenez along the ropes landing more damaging hooks and uppercuts. Jimenez dropped to one knee to escape the punishment The referee studied Jimenez for a few seconds without taking up the count and then signalled the fight was over. The 24-year-old from Nogales now has 11 wins by KO/TKO. He is yet to move up from eight rounds but has beaten a few experienced fighters and should move soon. Jimenez was 3-3 in his last six fights with two losses to Filipino Arthur Villanueva and one to Felipe Orucuta.
Bilbao, Spain: Welter: Kerman Lejarraga (24-0) W PTS 10 Jose del Rio (26-7).
Lejarraga wins national title as anticipated but despite what the scores might indicate del Rio fought hard to defend his title. Although both fighters boxed cautiously over the first two rounds this turned into a fast, open fight with hardly a clinch in the ten rounds. Lejarraga had the power and del Rio the speed and by the fourth Lejarraga was showing bruising by his left eye. Despite that he was getting through with strong jabs and heavy punches from both hands and in the fourth del Rio looked to be badly shaken but survived the round. Lejarraga was again scoring heavily in the fifth but in the sixth a clash of heads opened a cut over Lejarraga’s left eye. He survived a doctor’s inspection and the referee deducted a point from del Rio. Lejarraga also had a swelling under his left eye. He was winning the rounds with his power and del Rio was trying to get in and land a couple of punches and get out because of Lejarraga’s heavy hands. Lejarraga was looking to finish this inside the distance but del Rio showed excellent defensive work until the last when he stood and traded in the centre of the ring as the fought fiercely to the bell. Scores 99-90, 99-91 and 98-92 all for Lejarraga. The new national champion was fighting in his home city and it is a mark of his growing popularity that a crowd of around 11,000 turned out for this fight. Lejarraga is promoted in the US by DiBella so his future will probably lie there. If he wants it there is a good ,local fight to be had against EBU No 4 Ceferino Rodriguez (24-2) or a challenge to European champion Mohamed Mimoune who beat world rated Sam Eggington for the European title last month. Whatever he decides the amazing 11,000 crowd shows what an impact a winning and exciting fighter like the “Basque Revolver” can have. He is No 5 with the EBU and No 6 with the WBA. Southpaw Del Rio had won his last 8 fights and is still a quality fighter who has some good domestic and European fights in him if he chooses to continue.
Portland, ME, USA: Middle: John Thompson (18-3) W PTS 8 Russell Lamour (15-3,1ND). Thompson ruins the hopes of the home fans as he takes deserved split decision over neighbourhood fighter Lamour. Despite giving away height and reach the speed and accuracy of Thompson’s jab enabled him to get out in front over the early rounds. Lamour was able to put on more pressure over the second half of the fight but Thompson finished strongly to protect that early lead. Scores 79-73 and 78-74 for Thompson and 77-75 for Lamour. Newark’s Thompson was coming off consecutive losses to Liam Smith and Willie Monroe Jr. Lamour was 3-0,1ND in his last four bouts.
Rinconde Milberg, Argentina: Cruiser: Jose Ulrich (17-0,1ND) W DISQ 9 Marcos Aumada (17-6). Ulrich keeps his WBC Latino title with disqualification win over Aumada. The fight was a poor one ruined by too much clinching. It was fairly even early with neither fighter performing well and neither really dominating the action. Southpaw Aumada was slightly ahead after six rounds but was tiring. He had the better of the seventh but ruined his work and after he spat out his mouthguard a couple of times the referee deducted a point. The eighth was a close round that could have gone to Aumada but this time he was holding too much and lost another point. The referee finally tired of Aumada’s infractions and disqualified him in the ninth. Ulrich, 25, the Argentinian champion, was making the fourth defence of his WBC Latino title but he is yet to face any real tests even in domestic fights. Aumada falls to 3-5 in his last 8 fights. When Aumada challenged for the national title in 2014 he was disqualified for simulating a low blow.
Fight of the week: Yuandale Evans vs. Luis Rosa for excitement with honourable mention to three fights on the excellent Newcastle show in Liam Smith vs. Liam Williams, Thomas Ward vs. Sean Davis and Josh Leather vs. Glenn Foot quality fights on a quality show
Fighter of the week: Juan Carlos Ramirez for brushing aside unbeaten Mike Reed with honourable mention to Liam Smith and Josh Taylor
Punch of the week: .The first round right from Cletus Seldin that put Roberto Ortiz down and honourable mention to the Andy Vance right that ended Jairo Ochoa’s interest for the night
Upset of the week: Unsung Namibian Lukas Ndafoluma for his win over Craig Cunningham
One to watch: Russian Alex Besputin 8-0
Click here for Part I.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eric Armit.
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