The Past Week in Action 21 December 2020: Canelo, Golovkin, Ramirez Register Wins in Busy Yearend Fights (Part I)
By Eric Armit
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 22 Dec 2020
Highlights:
- Saul Alvarez becomes a four-division champion with wide unanimous decision over Callum Smith to unify the WBA and WBC titles
- Gennady Golovkin returns to action and retains the IBF and IBO middleweight world titles as he forces a retirement against Kamil Szeremeta
-Ilunga Makabu makes successful defence of the WBC cruiserweight title with knockout of Olanrewaju Durodola
-Gilberto Ramirez continues his light heavyweight campaign with tenth round stoppage of Alfonso Lopez
- Reymart Gaballo wins the interim WBC bantamweight title with hotly disputed points win over Emmanuel Rodriguez
-Albert Puello retains the interim WBA super light title with kayo of Christian Coria
-Carlos Gongora give Ecuador a champion as he halts Ali Akhmedov in the twelfth round to become IBO super middle champion
-The IBO welterweight title remains vacant after a clash of heads ends the fight between Jaron Ennis and Chris van Heerden in the first round resulting in a No Decision
-Tim Tszyu continues his march to the top with first round victory over Bowyn Morgan
-Gamal Yafai wins the European super bantam title with points victory over champion Luca Rigoldi
-IBO cruiserweight champion Kevin Lerena eases his way back with stoppage of Patrick Ferguson
The two Sergio’s Martinez and European Champion Garcia win in Spain
-Felix Sturm returns to the ring for the first time in almost five years with points victory over Timo Rost
-Craig Richards wins the British light heavyweight title with stoppage of champion Shakan Pitters
-John Ryder, Mike Hunter, David Light, Frank Sanchez and Gary Antonio Russell all record wins.
World Title/Major Shows
18 December
Hollywood, FL, USA: Middle: Gennady Golovkin (41-1-1) W RTD 7 Kamil Szeremeta (21-1). Super Middle: Carlos Gongora (19-0) W KO 12 Ali Akhmedov (16-1). Super Middle: John Ryder (29-5) W PTS 10 Mike Guy (12-6-1).
Golovkin floors Szeremeta.
Golovkin vs. Szeremeta
Golovkin floors Szeremeta four times before the challenger from Poland decides he has had enough and retires at the end of the seventh round.
Round 1
Both jabbing at the start probing for openings. Both fired rights but Golovkin was finding the range with the right and with left hooks to the body. With just seconds remaining in the round Szeremeta threw a lazy left and Golovkin came up inside and connected with a left hook to the head that sent Szeremeta to the floor. He was up quickly and walked back to his corner after the eight count.
Score: 10-8 Golovkin
Round 2
Golovkin was aiming to land with his right at the start of the round and Szeremeta was jabbing strongly. A right from Golovkin made Szeremeta buckle at the knees but the Pole steadied himself and went back to jabbing. Golovkin finally found a gap and connected with a hard right that had Szeremeta staggering forward and going down. He was up at three then tried to stay inside and hold but was rocked by another right before the bell.
Score: 10-8 Golovkin ` Golovkin 20-16
Round 3
Szeremeta boxed steadily behind his jab in the third. He was countering well evading Golovkin’s rights. It looked as though it would be a good recovery round for Szeremeta but Golovkin shook him connecting with a left uppercut and a right to the head.
Score: 10-9 Golovkin Golovkin 30-25
Round 4
Golovkin was advancing throwing punches and putting Szeremeta under pressure. Szeremeta responded with a heavy right to the head but Golovkin continued to find openings and a right to the side of the head followed by a left hook dropped Szeremeta. Again he was up quickly and made it to the bell without any further trouble.
Score: 10-9 Golovkin Golovkin 40-34
Round 5
Golovkin was trying to put Szeremeta away firing plenty of jabs, landing left hooks to the body and connecting with clubbing rights to the head. Szeremeta stuck to his jab and landed a couple of uppercuts and Golovkin’s punch output dropped as he was going for big single shots.
Score: 10-9 Golovkin Golovkin 50-43
Round 6
The pace slowed in the early part of the round which allowed Szeremeta to get on the front foot and score with his jab. Golovkin connected with some uppercuts and then put together a series of punches before the bell.
Score: 10-9 Golovkin Golovkin 60-52
Round 7
Eight points behind after six rounds is not a nice place to be but things worsened when after landing some heavy rights to the head Golovkin actually sent Szeremeta back and down on his rump with two left jabs. To his credit although getting caught with more punches Szeremeta boxed his way to the bell. He would have not done that against a younger Golovkin who would have bombarded Szeremeta with punches until he dropped. Now Golovkin was firing four or five punches and then taking a step back and regrouping before attacking again.
Score: 10-8 Golovkin Golovkin 70-61
Szeremeta retired after the end of the seventh.
Golovkin was defending the IBF and IBO titles for the first time since taking a close verdict over Sergiy Derevyanchenko in October last year. He still has fast hands and top level power but some of the fire seemed to be missing and at 38 he looks to be passed his peak. Other than a third fight against Saul Alvarez or a clash with unbeaten Jaime Munguia there does not seem to be any big pay days out there. Former undefeated European champion Szeremeta had performed well in European matches but his rating flattered him as there was a total absence of any world class opposition on his record. He will start again but may not have what it takes to win a world title.
Gongora vs. Akhmedov
Ecuadorian Gongora outlasts Akhmedov and comes from behind to score a last round victory. After a slow first round Akhmedov went to work in the second. He was piling forward behind his jab and forcing Gongora to fight on the back foot. He was crowding hard and the balding Gongora was struggling to keep Akhmedov out but his wealth of experience from around 300 amateurs fights meant he was always finding ways to slot in counters. Gongora stayed in the centre of the ring over the middle rounds and that led to plenty of heavy exchanges with Gongora rocking Akhmedov in the eighth. Akhmedov was still doing most of the throwing and the landing and had built a good lead. They traded punches through a hectic ninth which seemed to go Gongora’s way and Akhmedov had a gash under his right eye. The tenth saw Gongora in charge and he was the one landing the harder shots with Akhmedov’s output dropping. Feeling the fight might be getting away from him Akhmedov put in a huge effort in the eleven but Gongora was never troubled and Akhmedov looked exhausted. Akhmedov attacked hard in the last but as they exchanged punches a left uppercut dumped him on the floor. He got up but was still much very unsteady and another left uppercut sent him down flat on his back and he was counted out. Big win for Gongora, 31, which nets him the IBO title which was vacant. His fourteenth by KO/TKO. Kazakh Akhmedov, 25, was favourite here but he now has plenty of work to do to get back into the world ratings.
Ryder vs. Guy
Ryder gets unanimous decision over an overcautious Guy. From the outset Ryder was prowling after Guy who circled the perimeter of the ring lunging forward occasionally with a series of wild flapping punches. Ryder was doing what clean scoring there was but was not doing much of a job of cutting off the ring. When Guy did lunge forward he was holding and doing very little work so there were no highlights at all over the ten rounds. Ryder did up his pace over the last three rounds pressing harder and cutting down the ring forcing Guy to stray from the ropes to exchange punches and when that happened Ryder was able to land heavily with right hooks. The result of all this was a boring fight which is the last thing Ryder wanted as he needed to impress to get big fights in the USA. Scores 100-90 and 99-91 and a very different 96-94 all for Ryder. He had given Callum Smith a hard time in losing on points to Smith for the WBA title in November and he may find it hard to get another title shot. Guy, 39, was in reasonable form having outpointed Denis Douglin and lost a split decision to Demond Nicholson.
Galveston, TX, USA: Light Heavy: Gilberto Ramirez (41-0) W TKO 10 Alfonso Lopez (32-4). Heavy: Michael Hunter (19-1-1) W KO 4 Shawn Laughery (10-4).
Alfonso Lopez raises the hand of Zurdo Ramirez.
Ramirez vs. Lopez
In his second fight at light heavy Ramirez outboxes and outpunches Lopez before ending the fight in the tenth round. In the first round it was Ramirez shadowing a retreating Lopez but from the second Lopez decided to stand and trade with Ramirez. It was obvious that Ramirez had the faster hands and was more controlled with his punches. Lopez was relying on little bursts of punches without a great deal of power. Ramirez began to pile up the points with his jab and quick hooks to head and body. Lopez had some success when he could wrestle Ramirez to the ropes and try to pound him with hooks but Ramirez had no trouble outfighting Lopez inside. Lopez forced Ramirez to the ropes a couple of times in the fourth but when they moved to the centre of the ring Ramirez was using his faster hands to plaster Lopez with punches. Lopez continued to try to bully Ramirez against the ropes in the fifth and sixth but Ramirez was finding the target with his jabs and hooks and often turning his way off the ropes and banging home punches as Lopez was now the one pinned there. Ramirez was in total control in the seventh and in the eighth a tiring Lopez was shipping some heavy punishment. By the end of the ninth it was target practice for Ramirez as he teed-off on Lopez and dug in vicious body shots. Lopez had swellings around both eyes and the referee asked the doctor to examine Lopez before the start of the tenth. Lopez gave it one last shot at the start of the tenth as he walked forward throwing punches. He was walking into some punishing counters and was already stumbling when a volley of punches ending with a big right to the head sent Lopez down on his back with the referee just waiving the fight ended. Ramirez wins the NABF title. The former undefeated WBO super middle champion is No 1 in the WBC cruiser ratings so a fight with the unbeaten Russian Artur Beterbiev, who also holds the IBF belt, should not be too hard to make in 2021 although he is not rated by the IBF at this time. He is also No 4 with the WBA so may prefer going after Dmitry Bivol or Jean Pascal the holder of the WBA secondary title . Lopez proved tough and durable but never really threatened Ramirez’s domination.
Hunter vs. Laughery
Ring time more important than impressing as Hunter knocks out Loughery after an indifferent showing. Neither fighter looked in good shape with Hunter slow and southpaw Laughery even slower. Hunter floored Laughery in the first with a succession of head punches and had him in trouble again later in the round. Hunter constantly switched guard to no real effect but he had Laughery under fire again at the end of the second. The third was a slow prodding rather than punching round. A low punch from Hunter hurt Loughery in an exchange and then Hunter cut looses with a bombardment with Loughery going down on one knee and Hunter adding a punch when Laughery had a knee on the floor. Laughery just watched the count without making any attempt to get up. Wins over Martin Bakole and Sergey Kuzmin and a draw with Alexandr Povetkin have seen Hunter ranked in the top ten by the WBA,WBC and WBO so he is on the fringes hoping somehow to get a title shot. Laughery strictly backwoods circuit level.
Uncasville, CT, USA: Welter: Jason Ennis (26-0,1 ND) ND 1 Chris van Heerden (28-2-1,1ND). Bantam: Reymart Gaballo (24-0) W PTS 12 Emmanuel Rodriguez (19-2). Welter: Brandun Lee (21-0) W TKO 3 Dakota Linger (12-5-2). Bantam: Gary Antonio Russell (18-0) W TEC DEC 7 Juan Carlos Payano (21-5).
Ennis vs. van Heerden
The vacant IBO title remains vacant as a clash of heads in the first round sees van Heerden suffer a bad cut over his right eye. Ennis came out throwing punches trying to blow van Heerden away and it looked as though he might succeed, He was connecting with punches to head and body. van Heerden was looking flustered as the punches came thick and fast and he was rocked on a couple of occasions until with about twenty second remaining in the round they clashed heads. Disappointing end for both boxers but in the time the fight lasted things looked good for Ennis so he will be hoping to get another shot at the IBO title but van Heerden will need quite a bit of recovery time from such a serious cut.
Gaballo vs. Rodriguez
Gaballo wins the interim WBC title with hotly disputed split decision over Rodriguez in a clash of contrasting style with the aggression of Gaballo and the skills of Rodriguez. Gaballo was coming forward putting pressure on Rodriguez but Rodriguez was boxing slickly slipping Gaballo’s punches and slotting home counters, Gaballo did a little bit better in the second using his jab more and scoring with a good right but was still being outboxed. The third was close with Rodriguez again having the edge due to his accurate leads and counters and he knocked Gaballo off balance with a right in the fourth but had suffered a cut over his left eye in a clash of heads. Both had good spells in the fifth but a late finish from Rodriguez that saw him rock Gaballo with a right gave him the edge. Gaballo pressed hard with hooks to the body in a close sixth which could have been scored either way and he connected with enough rights to take the seventh. In the eighth Gaballo was throwing plenty and exerting pressure with Rodriguez keeping things tight and countering and moving. Gaballo continued to storm forward in the ninth but as he marched in during the tenth a stiff jab had him staggering back unsteadily. He was hurt but Rodriguez failed to follow-up on his success. Gaballo continued to hunt Rodriguez down over the last two rounds but had difficulty finding the target on the slippery Rodriguez and was being caught by accurate counters as Rodriguez boxed his way to what seemed a clear victory. Scores 116-112 and 115-113 for Gaballo and 118-110 for Rodriguez. My view leant a lot closer towards the last score than the other two but it is the score from the judges that decide a fight and they obviously saw a lot more in Gaballo’s aggression than the skills and countering of Rodriguez and the Philippines have another champion. Quite a bit of shuffling before this fight came about. Rodriguez was to have fought Nonito Donaire but Donaire tested positive for COVID-19 so Gaballo came in instead. That coincided with the WBC declaring bantamweight champion Nordine Oubaali “champion in recess” due to testing positive for COVID-19 so this fight then became for the interim WBC title. Gaballo, 24, had scored wins over Stephon Young, Yeison Vargas and Kongfah but was only No 26 in the WBC ratings. Rodriguez was having his first fight since losing his IBF title on a second round kayo against Naoya Inoue in May 2019. Hopefully he will get another title shot as he was so unlucky here.
Lee vs. Linger
Linger showed he came to fight as he rocked Lee with a right to the head in the first twenty seconds. Lee then took over forcing Linger back with his long leads and then pounding on Linger with hooks. Linger was crude with his attacks in the second and Lee was scoring easily with his jab and countering the wild swinging attacks from Linger but Linger looked dangerous on occasion. Lee had shaken Linger with a couple of head punches in the third when the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. It looked a premature stoppage with neither fighter quite sure why the fight had been stopped. Lee now has 19 inside the distance wins including 13 in a row. He has a few wins over reasonable level opposition but is ready to move up. Linger was crude with a capital “C” but game enough. He has lost 4 of his last 5 but two of the losses were majority decisions
Kinshasa, DRC, Cruiser: Ilunga Makabu (28-2) W TKO 7 Olanrewaju Durodola (34-8).
Makabu vs. Durodola
Makabu remains WBC champion as he floors and stops Durodola in the seventh round.
Round 1
Lots of caution in the opener. Both fighters really just probing with their jab and a pair of body punches from Makabu were enough to give him the round
Score: 10-9 Makabu
Round 2
Durodola had a good round. He ploughed forward driving Makabu to the ropes and throwing lots of punches. His accuracy was low but he was throwing and landing more than Makabu.
Score: 10-9 Durodola TIED 19-19
Round 3
A better round for Makabu. He was much more active reaching the taller Durodola with southpaw jabs and landing with strong body punches. Durodola had some success when he pinned Makabu to the ropes but even inside Makabu was the one landing the better punches.
Score: 10-9 Makabu Makabu 29-28
Round 4
Makabu. He was getting his jabs home and scoring with left hooks and firing hard lefts to the head. When Mabao dropped his pace Durodola was able to rumble forward with some success but was being caught by counters.
Score: 10-9 Makabu Makabu 39-37
Round 5
After a bright start Makabu fell away in this round. Durodola was marching forward throwing punches and although many were off target he was connecting with rights to the body. Makabu was on the back foot chucking hard counters but not enough.
Score: 10-9 Durodola Makabu 48-47
Round 6
Makabu’s best round. He was finding gaps for strong jabs and scoring with clubbing lefts to the head. He was landing heavy at one time getting through with four consecutive lefts and just before the bell he wobbled Durodola with a left.
Score: 10-9 Makabu Makabu 58-56
Round 7
Both were landing heavy shots in the eighth when Makabu connected with a straight left that sent Durodola staggering back and another left sent him into a corner and down. Durodola made it to his feet but when the referee asked him to step forward he did not do so and the referee waived his arms to end the fight.
First defence for Makabu and 25th win by KO/TKO. Durodola was competitive all the way but Makabu’s power proved too much for him. His mandatory challenger is Thabiso Mchunu who he knocked out in eleven rounds back in 2015. Nigeria Durodola, 40, was ridiculously flattered by his No 3 rating by the WBC and has usually been stopped inside the distance whenever he meets a quality opponent but he fought hard here until those two lefts from Ilunga.
19 December
San Antonio, TX, USA: Super Middle: Saul Alvarez (53-2-1) W PTS 12 Callum Smith (27-1). Heavy: Frank Sanchez (17-0,1ND) W TKO 7 Julian Fernandez (14-3).
Alvarez vs. Smith
Alvarez takes wide unanimous decision over Smith to win the WBA title and as the WBC agreed this could be for their vacant title he now holds both belts.
Round 1
Both fighters were cautious. Smith was on the back foot stabbing out his jab with Alvarez coming forward behind a high guard. Smith’s jab was coming up short and Alvarez was not throwing many punches but a couple of body punches just gave Alvarez the edge.
Score 10-9 Alvarez:
Round 2
Smith was on the back foot jabbing again. Alvarez blocking most of Smith’s punches and came forward quickly to score to the body. That fired Smith to a response and he advanced behind his jab getting through with some following punches and just did enough to earn the round.
Score 10-9 Smith tied 19-19
Round 3
These rounds so far had been close as neither fighter was letting their hands go. It was the same in this one as Smith was stabbing his jabs without conviction and Alvarez was unable to hunt Smith down effectively. A few body punches from Alvarez were enough to give him the round.
Score: 10-9 Alvarez Alvarez 29-28
Round 4
Alvarez started to let his punches fly in this round and was cutting the ring off more effectively. He was quick with his jab and able to land to the body and connect with rights to the head. Smith was still relying heavily on the jab and trying some uppercuts but Alvarez was doing more scoring.
Score: 10-9 Alvarez Alvarez 39-37
Round 5
A good round for Smith. He was throwing plenty of jabs and then putting together hooks and uppercuts and working for the full three minutes. Alvarez had some success when he did manage to catch up to Smith but was outlanded.
Score: 10-9 Smith Alvarez 48-47
Round 6
Another close round. Alvarez upped his pace and was doing better at cutting down on Smith’s space. He was not throwing a lot of punches but he was accurate and putting real power in those he was landing. Smith was still going back and sticking to the jab which Alvarez was blocking or dodging.
Score: 10-9 Alvarez Alvarez 58-56
Round 7
Smith started the round well with plenty of jabs and some crisp uppercuts. Alvarez then began to press harder and Smith was having trouble keeping him out and Alvarez was landing hard body punches, straight rights and uppercuts.
Score: 10-9 Alvarez Alvarez 68-65
Round 8
Alvarez was relentless. He kept marching forward pressurising Smith forcing him to the ropes and then clubbing him with hooks to the body. A right uppercut had Smith hurt and he had almost abandoned his jab.
Score: 10-9 Alvarez Alvarez 78-74
Round 9
Clearest round yet for Alvarez. He was hunting Smith around the ropes pounding him with hooks to the body and head. Smith was not moving as much or jabbing as much and when he did fire a burst of punches Alvarez was weaving around them and then landing punches of his own.
Score: 10-9 Alvarez Alvarez 88-83
Round 10
Hunting time again for Alvarez. He kept trapping Smith against the ropes and landing series of rib-bending hooks and straight rights. Smith was really just looking to survive and was bleeding heavily from his nose and cut over his right eye with little movement left in his legs and no snap in his punches.
Score : 10-9 Alvarez Alvarez 98-92
Round 11
Smith sparked briefly at the start of the round jabbing again and connecting with a couple of uppercuts but gradually Alvarez forced him back to the ropes. Alvarez harassed and harried Smith loading up on body punches and clubbing rights to the head and was just walking through Smith’s punches.
Score: 10-9 Alvarez Alvarez 108-101
Round 12
Alvarez landed some brutal body shots in the last. Smith fired briefly a couple of times but was soon driven back to face more crunching lefts and rights but managed to stay the distance.
Score: 10-9 Alvarez Alvarez 118-110
Official Scores: 119-109, 119-109 and 117-111 for Alvarez.
Apart from a few early rounds Smith was never really in this fight with a chance. Alvarez just walked Smith down and beat him to the body to break Smith’s resistance. It was too one-sided to be a thriller. The WBC will now want him to face either Avni Yildirim or David Benavidez but in the end who he fights next will be for Alvarez and DAZN to decide. This victory make Alvarez a genuine four-division champion as the version of the WBA title he held was the secondary title. Smith has options and I would give him an excellent chance against any super middleweight except Alvarez.
Sanchez vs. Fernandez
Sanchez was throwing bombs at the outset with Fernandez skipping around the ring getting caught occasionally and firing a few jabs. Sanchez was landing some booming head punches in the second with Fernandez looking badly shaken but he moved and clinched to get through the round. Sanchez continued to bring some pain to Fernandez in the third and fourth but Fernandez managed to stay out of serious trouble and at the end of the fifth was against the ropes taunting and goading Sanchez to do his worst. Fernandez managed to get through the sixth with quick footwork and was actually taking the fight to Sanchez at times. A little success was dangerous and a too confident Fernandez was going back with his hands down with a thunderous right sent him flying into the ropes and another sent him out through the ropes onto a ringside table with blood pouring from his nose. The referee immediately ended the fight. Thirteen inside the distance wins by the 28-year-old Cuban who is No 7 with the WBO. Mexican Fernandez paid the price for overconfidence. He has previously lost inside the distance to Tom Schwarz and Arslanbek Makhmudov
16 December
Sydney, Australia; Super Welter: Tim Tszyu (17-0) W TKO 1 Bowyn Morgan (21-2,1ND). Super Feather: Paul Fleming (26-0-1) TEC DRAW 3 Bruno Tarimo (25-2-2). Super Light: Darragh Foley (19-4-1) W PTS 10 Ty Telford (6-1-1).
Tszyu vs. Morgan
Tszyu destroys Morgan inside a round. After a couple of probing jabs Tszyu connected with a chopping right hand. Morgan went down to his knees but the referee decided Tszyu had pushed him down so did not apply a count. Morgan looked unhurt but Tszyu landed with more rights to the head and then exploded with a burst of punches getting through with uppercuts and rights to the head to send Morgan to the floor. Morgan was up quickly but after the count Tszyu connected with a single clubbing right that sent Morgan down on his side with his head out under the ropes and the referee immediately waived the fight over after just 114 seconds. Impress power show from the 26-year-old Tszyu who retains the WBO Global title with his thirteenth win by KO/TKO. Dad Kostya won the IBF super light title in his fourteenth fight. Tim is a bit behind Dad but if as being suggested WBO champion Patrick Teixeira is unable to travel due to COVID-19 regulations in Brazil and can’t make his mandatory defence against Brian Castano then the WBO may either strip Teixeira and put Tszyu in with Castano for the vacant title or leave Teixeira as champion and have Tszyu and Castano fight for the interim title. New Zealander Morgan looked a genuine test having won his last fourteen fights but was blown away.
Fleming vs. Tarimo
Disappointing end as the fight is stopped after three rounds due to a cut suffered by Fleming on his forehead above his right eye. Australian-based Tanzanian Tarimo (he did box as Bruno Vifuaviwili when he first arrived in Australia) was giving Fleming real trouble with his all-out aggression before they clashed heads. First fight in two years for southpaw Fleming. Tarimo has lost only one of his last 21 fights which came when he won and then lost in fights against Billel Dib.
Foley vs. Telford
Foley’s deeper experience saw him take a split decision over Telford. Neither had defence on their mind and set about knocking lumps off each other from the opening bell. Both were shaken on numerous occasions and Telford knocked Foley through the ropes but Foley climbed back and fought back. It was excitement all the way and a pity there had to be a loser. Scores 97-93 and 95-94 for Foley and 96-93 for Telford. Kent-born southpaw Foley collects three belts as the WBA Oceania, IBF Pan Pacific and IBO Asia Pacific titles were all vacant. Local hope Telford had drawn with Jack Brubaker in May and his performance here boosted his standing further.
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Minimumweight: Erick Rosa (2-0) W PTS 10 Byron Castellon (15-14-3,1ND).Super Light: Juan Zegarra (16-0,1ND) W Jovanie Santiago (13-0-1).
Rosa vs. Castellon
Flashy young southpaw Rosa outpoints more experienced Castellon. Rosa was too quick for Castellon and had the Nicaraguan under pressure for the whole fight sometimes he was overconfident and too showy and took chances and that let Castellon have some success but not a lot as Rosa was a few level above Castellon when it came to skill and hand speed and was a comfortable winner. Scores 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93 for Rosa who retains the WBC Latino and WBA Fedelatin belts that he won in his first pro fight. A former Dominican Youth champion and Independence Cup gold medallist he is being fast—tracked to a world title shot next year and is already rated No 14 by the WBA. Castellon had lost a split decision to current WBA No 2 Byron Rojas last year.
Santiago vs. Zegarra
Santiago too strong for Zegarra and wins inside a round. Santiago quickly forced Zegarra onto the defensive and was connecting with left hooks to the body. Zegarra fired back until a right to the body saw him go down on one knee and he was counted out. Ten wins by KO/TKO for Puerto Rican Santiago who was defending the WBA Fedelatin title. Peruvian southpaw Zegarra had won his last twelve fights.
Astana, Kazakhstan: Super Middle: Aidos Yerbossynuly (15-0) W TKO 3 Issah Samir (19-1).
Kazakh Yerbossynuly halts Samir in a confused ending. Yerbossynuly was in control from the start and over the first two rounds was landing strong rights to the head and left hooks to the body. Samir is really only a middleweight and was slow carrying 7 ½lbs more than in his last fight but showed some fire at times. In the third after Yerbossynuly had scored with some heavy punches Samir tried to hold. Yerbossynuly swung him round and into the rope. With Samir side on to him Yerbossynuly reached around and connected with left hooks to the body and a right to the head. As Samir dropped to his haunches Yerbossynuly landed a right to the head. Samir got up and complained about the punches then ignored the referee stalking up and down beside the ropes whilst the referee counted to eight and with Samir still refusing to acknowledge the count the referee waived the fight over. A confused ending but Yerbossynuly was on his way to a win. He retains a whole slew of titles in the WBC Asian, WBA International and WBO Global. First fight outside Ghana and first fight for 16 months.
Continue Reading for Part II
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