SPORTS SHORTS 276: BOXING YEARENDER 2021 PART I
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 26 Dec 2021
The year 2021 is about to end and it is marked by the conquest of the Covid-19 pandemic due to the massive vaccination program and the destruction brought by super typhoon Odette, the third most devastating typhoon in the country's history. And here are some significant boxing stories this writer has followed in 2021.
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Dustin Poirier avenged his first loss to Conor McGregor via TKO after destroying him with a battery of punches at 2:32 of the second round in the main event of UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
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“Vicious” Vic Saludar becomes a world champion again, winning the World Boxing Association (WBA) world minimumweight title after beating Robert “Super Inggo” Paradero via split decision in an all-Filipino world title fight in Biñan, Laguna.
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Saul "Canelo" Alvarez remained the WBC and WBA super middleweight champion as he dominated challenger Avni Yildirim by way of a third-round TKO win in Miami.
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Rene Mark Cuarto dethroned countryman Pedro Taduran via a close 12-round unanimous decision at the Bula Gym in General Santos City. Cuarto wrested the International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight title belt and became the 45th world boxing champion of the Philippines.
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Juan Francisco Estrada retained his WBC and The Ring super flyweight titles and annexed the WBA (Super) title to his belts with a split-decision win over Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The dream rematch took more than eight years to make after Chocolatito defeated Estrada in 2012.
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Marvelous Marvin Hagler died at the age of 66. He was undisputed middleweight champion from 1980 to 1987, defended successfully his title twelve times, and held the highest knockout percentage among all undisputed middleweight champions at 78 percent, and reigned as the third-longest unified champion in boxing history.
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Donnie "Ahas" Nietes made a successful ring return when he grabbed a unanimous decision victory against Pablo Carrillo of Colombia at the Caesars Palace in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
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Jerwin Ancajas successfully made the ninth defense of his IBF world junior bantamweight title when he defeated Johnathan Javier Rodriguez by unanimous decision at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.
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Featherweight contender Mark Magsayo has not shown the effects of one year of inactivity. He has shown great progress while trained under head coach Freddie Roach when he scored an amazing fourth round knockout of Pablo Cruz at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.
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Champion Luis Nery was dethroned by challenger Brandon Figueroa by stoppage to win the WBC and WBA "regular" world super bantamweight championship at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
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Josh Taylor joined an exclusive group of undisputed champions in boxing’s four belts of the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO, beating Jose Ramirez by unanimous decision to totally unify the light welterweight division in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Nonito Donaire is back on top of the world again in his legendary career, when he stopped Nordine Oubaali in the fourth round to win the WBC world bantamweight title, becoming at 38 the oldest world bantamweight champion in boxing history.
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The exhibition between Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida ended in a draw after eight rounds. The draw was met with some boos from the audience. The audience wanted an exciting finish via knockout, but that kind of action never happened.
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Unified IBF and WBA bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue dropped Michael Dasmariñas three times enroute to a knockout victory in the third round at the Virgin Hotel in Las Vegas. Inoue landed 17 body punches on Dasmariñas which sent the Filipino to the floor in the third prompting referee stop the bout.
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The exhibition bout between Julio Cesar Chavez and Hector Camacho Jr. headlined the "Tribute to the Kings" at Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico. It was a tribute to the 58-year-old Chavez and to Camacho Jr. ’s father, then WBO light welterweight champion Hector "Macho" Camacho Sr. who fought against each other in 1992.
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WBO Asia Pacific junior lightweight champion Joe Noynay makes the Philippines proud and works his way towards a chance for the world title when he destroyed previously unbeaten Australian Liam Wilson at the Newcastle Entertainment Center in New South Wales, Australia.
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In the Tokyo Olympics, Carlo Paalam won 4-1 over Irish Brendan Irvine, and 5-0 win over Mohamed Flissi of Algeria. He upset 2016 Olympic gold medalist Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan, 4-1, and defeated Japanese Ryomei Tanaka by 5-0. He lost to British Galal Yafai in the men's flyweight finals by 4-1 and got the silver.
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Nesthy Petecio won 5-0 against Marcelat Sakobi Matshu of Congo, defeated Lin Yu-ting of Chinese Taipei, 3-2. She dominated Yeni Arias of Columbia, 5-0, She defeated Irma Testa of Italy, 4-1, in the semifinals. She lost to Sena Irie of Japan in the final, by unanimous decision 5-0 to capture the Olympic silver medal.
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Eumir Felix Marcial won by TKO against Algerian boxer Younes Nemouchi in the Round of 16. He stopped Armenian boxer Arman Darchinyan by a KO in the quarter finals. He faced Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Khyzhniak in the semifinals and lost by a 3-2 split decision and brought home an Olympic bronze medal.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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