The Past Week in Action 24 October 2023: Santillan Crushes Rocha in 6; Fundora Stops Mucino in 5; Catteraal Decision Linares
By Eric Armit
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 25 Oct 2023
Santillan connects at Rocha.
Highlights:
-Giovani Santillan crushes WBO No 1 welterweight Alexis Rocha in six rounds
-Gabriela Fundora stops Arely Mucino in five rounds and wins the IBF flyweight title.
John Ramirez wins in four rounds over Ronal Batista in WBA super flyweight eliminator and Ricardo Sandoval outpoints Victor Sandoval at flyweight.
-Jack Catterall decisions Jorge Linares and Reece Bellotti beats Aqib Fiaz in eight rounds for the vacant Commonwealth super featherweight title
-Adriano Sperandio regains the Italian light heavyweight title with points victory over Dragan Lepei
-Marcel Braithwaite wins the British and Commonwealth super fly titles as he stops Ijaz Ahmed in nine rounds
-Firat Arslan wins the WBO Gold cruiser title with a sixth round stoppage of Edin Puhalo in what he says is his last fight
-Isaac Chamberlain outpoints Mikael Lawa to win the British and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles. Sam Gilley decisions champion Louis Greene and collects the Commonwealth super welterweight title
World Title/Major Shows
October 21
Inglewood, CA, USA: Welter: Giovani Santillan (32-0) W TKO 6 Alexis Rocha (23-2). Super Fly: John Ramirez (13-0) W TKO 4 Ronal Batista (15-4). Fly Ricardo Sandoval (23-2) W PTS 10 Victor Sandoval (37-4). Fly: Gabriela Fundora (12-0,1ND) W TKO 5 Arely Mucino (32-4-2). Joeshon James (8-0-2) W TKO 1 Super Middle: David Stevens (13-1).
Santillan vs. Rocha
Santillan dismantles Rocha in six rounds. In the first Santillan took the initiative moving forward with his jab and firing rights behind the jab. He had Rocha on the back foot and was hunting him around the ring and scoring with overhand lefts. Rocha could not get any space to use his jab and seemed to have no answer to the overhand lefts from Santillan. He already had blood dripping from his nose. Rocha tried to stay inside and trade hooks at the start of the second and both scored with useful shots. It was a closer round with Rocha landing sharp jabs and lefts to the body and Santillan clubbing shots from both hands and winning the round. Santillan was forcing Rocha back in the third again landing clubbing shots from both hands Rocha tried to box behind his jab but the heavier single shots from Santillan had Rocha under pressure throughout the round.
In the fourth Santillan was in total control. He was scoring with hooks from both hands with very little coming back from Rocha who was starting to wilt under the continuing pressure. When Rocha did counter Santillan was walking through them forcing Rocha to the ropes and bombarding him with hooks and the blood was now flowing freely from Rocha’s nose. Santillan landed a series of combinations late in the round and Rocha was visibly weakening .A bundle of head punches at the start of the fifth sent Rocha down. He made it to his feet and Santillan ponded him with hooks from both hands until Rocha’s feet slipped out from under him and he went down. It was rightly ruled a slip and when the action resumed Rocha threw a cluster of punches. Santillan just waited until the storm abated and attacked again. Rocha was given some respite when Santillan was being given a last warning for punches to the back of the head. Santillan then hammered home five consecutive right hooks sending Rocha down. He beat the count but was under fire again to the bell. In the sixth Rocha was reeling under a hail of punch until he finally dropped down to his hands and knees and the referee stopped the fight. A huge win for Santillan as Rocha was No 1 with the WBO so this win will put him in the mix if/when Crawford relinquishes the four belts. A huge gamble by Rocha in taking this fight against a fighter with a 31-0 record when he did not have to.
Ramirez vs. Batista
Ramirez beats down Batista in four rounds. The first two rounds saw Ramirez coming forward behind a high guard and Batista on the back foot sticking out jabs to head and body. Ramirez blasted past Batista’s jab and landed a couple of hooks but otherwise the activity level was low. Ramierz picked up the pace in the third. He was driving Batista around the ring landing short jabs and hooks and uppercuts from both hands, Batista was forced the stand and trade and was taking lots of punishment. Ramirez jumped on Batista in the fourth again driving home hooks and uppercuts. Batista tried to fire back but a left to the body sent him down. He was up eight and immediately under fire being driven along the ropes. Eventually Ramirez pinned him against the ropes and Ramirez clouted him with punch after punch until he collapsed to the canvas with the referee just waiving the fight over without a count. With this win Ramirez becomes the mandatory challenger for WBA champion Kazuto Ioka. Panamanian Batista had lost on an eleventh round stoppage against Julio Cesar Martinez in a challenge for the WBC fly title in May.
Sandoval vs. Sandoval
A great little scrap between two Sandoval(s) saw Ricardo come out on top with a unanimous decision. It was a battle all the way with both scoring heavily in each round. Ricardo seemed to edge the opening round but Victor rebounded surging forward to take the second. Victor continued to take the fight to Ricardo but Ricardo’s better boxing and accuracy saw him taking the third and fourth, He won the rounds but paid a price in the form of a swelling around his left eye. Victor rebounded to score well in the firth although Ricardo landed a big left hook too late to shade the round which Victor earned with his earlier work. The pattern of the fight saw the aggressive Victor with higher punch output but the harder single shots from Ricardo were more eye catching. The pace was brutal and both were marking up from the exchanges as they fought tigerishly over the later rounds. Victor’s face was a mess of blood from injuries to his nose and mouth and Ricardo was cut on the left eyebrow. Luckily the injuries did not cause a stoppage and the war continued to the final bell. Scores 97-93 twice and 96-94 for Ricardo. Ony one loss in his last 19 fights now for WBO No 5 Ricardo. Victor had a 25-bout winning streak snapped by this loss.
Fundora vs. Mucino
Fundora stops experienced Mucino after five one-sided rounds to win the IBF title. The 5’9” tall southpaw had a 6” advantage with a similar edge in reach. Fundora was able to box at distance when she chose but her size advantage and a higher punch output also helped her overwhelm Mucino. Over the first two rounds she pounded Mucino with punches with Mucino unable to compete. Mucino did a bit better in the third but was unable to stay inside long enough to do any useful work. Fundora continued to dominate the action in the fourth and then floored Mucino with a left early in the fifth. Mucino beat the count but Fundora drove home a left that sent Mucino back into the ropes. With the ropes holding Mucino up the referee started a count but already Mucino’s corner were signalling defeat and the referee stopped the count and ended the fight. First major title for 21-year-old Fundora but almost certainly not the last. Mucino a former WBC fly and undefeated WBO fly title holder was making the first defence of the IBF title in her second reign as champion
James vs. Stevens
James gets this clash of unbeaten fighters over in quick time. After connecting with a hard right James put Stevens down with a left. Stevens beat the count but was down twice more and the fight was stopped. James is now 2-0-2 in his last four fights all against unbeaten opponents. Stevens had scored nine wins by KO/TKO but he was the victim here.
Liverpool, England: Super Light: Jack Catterall (28-1) W PTS 12 Jorge Linares (47-8).Super Bantam: Peter McGrail (7-0) W Fran Mendoza (17-0). Super Feather: Reece Bellotti (17-5) W RTD 8 Aqib Fiaz (12-1). Super Light: Campbell Hatton (15-0) W DIS 8 Jamie Sampson (9-3). Super Light: Khaleel Majid (12-0) W TKO 6 Tom Farrell (21-8).
Catterall vs Linares
Catterall gets a comfortable unanimous decision over a badly faded Linares. Both fighters were cautious in the opening round. Catterall was on the back foot sticking out right jabs and Linares was coming forward firing an occasional right. Both landed late with a left to the head from Catterall the best punch. The cautious approach continued in the second with Catterall still on the back foot continually stabbing out his jab and regularly getting through with lefts. Linares looked dangerous with rights but found Catterall a difficult target and ended the round with a cut on the bridge of his nose from a clash of heads. Catterall continued to box on the outside in the third and fourth picking Linares off with right jabs and straight lefts and it was only at the end of the fourth that Linares broke through and landed a series of rights. Linares was becoming frustrated at not getting past Catterall’s jab and in the fifth he switched off and was caught by a straight left that shook him and sent him back across the ring to the ropes. Catterall followed and landed a series of punches and things looked bad for Linares until he managed to escape and see out the round. Catterall stuck to his back foot boxing over the sixth and had a good seventh closing the round by landing a succession of hurtful lefts on a disorganised Linares. It was a similar pattern in the eighth. Linares was fired up but not able to really threaten and Catterall ended the round scoring with a burst of lefts. Linares just could not get any sort of foothold in the fight and Catterall continued to box behind a strong right jab and accurate lefts. Linares just was not throwing enough punches or putting Catterall under any serious pressure and Catterall was able to box with reasonable confidence over the closing rounds as a tired Linares was feeling his age and unable to up his pace. Scores 116-112 twice and 117-111 for Catterall. He was out of action for fifteen months after losing to Josh Taylor and paid for that in the form of relegation in the ratings. He is still in the top 10 of the four major bodies but his highest position is No 5 so not in pole position. He was defending the WBA Inter-Continental belt he won on his return to activity in May but that is unlikely to get him into a mandatory spot. Linares, 38, has seen better days and this is his fourth loss in a row. it is a pity to see such a once outstanding fighter reduced to just being a high level journeyman.
McGrail vs. Mendoza
McGrail collects his first pro title as he outpoints unbeaten Mendoza to win the vacant WBA Continental title. McGrail took the fight to Mendoza in the first using flashing southpaw jabs to put Mendoza on the back foot and he scored with upper cuts and hooks with Mendoza connecting with a solid right at the end of the round. McGrail’s hand speed and footwork were just too much for Mendoza to match and McGrail boxed his way in great style to take the second and third rocking Mendoza with a left in the third. Speed, precision great footwork were all on show with Mendoza always on the back foot and never quick enough to be a threat as McGrail swept up round after round. Mendoza stood up to the punishment well but that does not win fights. McGrail found the target with some good shots in the seventh and a punch opened a cut under the right eye of Mendoza. The only question was whether Mendoza could last the full ten rounds. McGrail landed good rights in the ninth and rattled Mendoza’s teeth with an uppercut. He went looking for a finish in the tenth and as they traded punches Mendoza showed his resilience by getting home with some hard shots of his own. Scores 99-91 twice and 97-93 for McGrail. The 27-year-old from Liverpool won gold medals at the European championships and Commonwealth Games and won bronze medals at the World Championships-twice-and the European Games. Spanish-based Colombian Mendoza provided McGrail with a reasonable level test.
Bellotti vs. Fiaz
Bellotti stops Fiaz to win the vacant Commonwealth title. This was a fairy even fight over the early rounds. Bellotti was the harder puncher and pressed the fight landing some good shots over the first two rounds. Fiaz boxed and countered well and looked to have outboxed and outscored Bellotti over the third and fourth keeping the fight close. Bellotti’s power saw him start to get on top in the fifth and he scored heavily at the end of the sixth bombarding Fiaz with punches. Bellotti was on top again in the seventh with Fiaz slowing and holding to smother Bellotti’s punches. In the eighth a left hook had Fiaz dropping to a knee. He was up quickly but he was being pounded by punches just before the bell and his corner threw in the towel. The referee checked with Faiz corner that they were pulling their man out and by that point the round had ended so it counted as a retirement. Bellotti, a former Commonwealth featherweight champion, had come through a rocky period of three consecutive losses then rebounded with two wins to fight his way back to this title victory. Set-back for Faiz caused by his lack of power.
Hatton vs. Sampson
Hatton continues his progress with a win over southpaw Sampson. A win but not how Hatton would have wanted it. His aggression was just too much for Sampson to deal with. Hatton won every round and the chance of an inside the distance win was only scuppered by persistent holding by Sampson. The referee deducted a point for holding in the fifth and sixth and when Sampson was holding again in the eighth the referee disqualified him. A few more rounds of experience for the 22-yeaer-old son of Ricky. Sampson retired in 2014 and did not fight again until returning with a loss in June this year.
Majid vs. Farrell
Majid halts Farrell in six rounds. Majid made the better start landing with some good body punches and putting Farrell under pressure in the first. He went to the body again in the second but Farrell fired back and landed a good uppercut in a closer round. Majid scored well again in the third but was warned for a low punch as he again focused on Farrell’s body. After taking the fourth Majid found the target with his body punches in the fifth and put Farrell down with a right. Farrell got through the round but he was down twice more from body punches in the sixth and the fight was stopped. Good win for Majid over his most experienced opponent to date. Farrell, a former Commonwealth title challenger, has lost his last three fights, two by KO/TKO.
London, England: Cruiser: Isaac Chamberlain (16-2) W PTS 12 Mikael Lawal (17-1). Feather: Karris Artingstall (5-0) W RTD 2 Vanessa Bradford (7-5-2). Super Welter: Sam Gilley (17-1) W PTS 12 Louis Greene (16-4). Super Welter: Joe Laws (14-2) W PTS 8 Michael Hennessey Jr (11-2-1).
Chamberlain vs. Lawal
Chamberlain wins a unanimous points decision over a disappointing Lawal. Chamberlain established his jab early and outworked Lawal in the first then pinned him against the ropes and unloaded punches for much of the second. Lawal had a better third as he managed to stay off the ropes and scored with his own jab. Chamberlain was back in control in the fourth. He was jabbing to head and body and muscling Lawal to the ropes where he could work him over and had no difficulty dodging Lawal’s counters. The pace slowed in a close fifth but Chamberlain scored well with hooks inside. Lawal boxed well at the start of the sixth but Chamberlain ended the round with a burst of hooks and uppercuts. Chamberlain took the eighth and ninth. He kept getting home with jabs to head and body and then scoring with bursts of hooks and uppercuts. He was smothering much of Lawal’s efforts inside and Lawal just was not throwing enough punches. Lawal was slowing by the tenth and Chamberlian was on his toes working with his jab and he caught Lawal with some crisp uppercuts. Over the last two rounds Chamberlain was confident enough of victory to just circle Lawal choosing his moment to dart in with an attack and Lawal was too slow to cut off the ring and came nowhere near scoring the knockout he needed. Scores 118-111 twice and 119-111 for Chamberlian. He wins the British title by beating champion Lawal and wins the vacant Commonwealth title. Chamberlain’s losses have come against the very toughest opponents in Lawrence Okolie and Chris Billiam-Smith. His only rating before this fight was N.10 with the IBF (8th highest as slots one and two are vacant) so some work to do to land a title shot. Lawal was never a force in this fight so has to go back to basics and start again.
Artingstall vs. Bradford
Artingstall gets her first inside the distance win as she forces Canadian champion Bradford out of the fight after two rounds. A left sent Bradford down in the first minute of the fight and although she made it to her feet and survived to the bell it was clear she was out of her depth. Artingstall dealt out steady punishment in the second and her corner retired her at the end of the round. The Olympic bronze medallist is sure to make an impact next year. First loss by KO/TKO for Bradford.
Gilley vs. Greene
Gilley outpoints Greene to win the Commonwealth title. In the first Gilley settled quickly boxing neatly and scoring with left hooks to the body but Greene landed a hard left hook just before the bell. Gilley took the second working hard to repel Greene’s attacks and despite steady pressure from Greene he did enough to edge the third and fourth. In the fifth clever boxing by Gilley saw him using his superior speed and skill to keep the fight at a distance and then he showed some power by landing a left which saw Greene go down on one knee. He easily beat the count and although Gilley outboxed him in the sixth Greene finally found some purchase and scored well over the seventh and eighth and the ninth was close. Greene slowed in the tenth allowing Gilley to take back control and although he shook Gilley with a right in the eleven Gilley looked to have edged the round. Greene threw everything at Gilley in the last as he tried to save his title. He landed some heavy rights but did not get the knockout he needed. Scores 118-110, 117-110 and 116-111 for Gilley. He had lost a very close decision against Danny Ball in 2021 but rallied to score six wins including collecting the English title and defending it twice. Greene was making the second defence of the Commonwealth title.
Laws vs. Hennessey
Substitute Laws springs a surprise as he beats Hennessey. The first half of the fight saw Hennessey boxing with style using his height and reach to outscore Laws. Over the second half of the fight Laws forgot he had a jab and attacked strongly boring forward firing hooks and uppercuts. Hennessey began to look unsettled by the change of tactics by Laws and his output slowed with Laws finishing strongly and just doing enough to get the decision with the referee scoring it 77-75. Now five wins in his last six fights for Laws. There are some lessons from this loss for Hennessey and at 23 he has time to absorb them and rebound.
OCTOBER 19
Perm, Russia: Light: Albert Batyrgaziev (10-0) W TKO 5 Ender Luces (20-1). Super Welter: Pavel Sosulin (8-0) W RTD 4 Bakhromjon Fozilov(10-3-3).
Batyrgaziev vs. Ender
Batyrgaziev knocks out Ender. Batyrgaziev took control in the first using fast hands to put the taller Ender on the back foot and scoring with jabs. Ender landed a sharp right hook but was shaken by a left from Batyrgaziev. The second saw lots of fiery exchanges with Batyrgaziev outlanding Ender. In the third a relentless Batyrgaziev was scoring with jabs, left crosses and right hooks and by the end of the round Ender was falling apart. The fourth saw Ender caught by a short right hook that sent him sprawling on the canvas. He made it to his feet and survived to the bell. Batyrgaziev ended it in the fifth driving a stumbling and reeling Ender around the ring before flooring him with three lefts and Ender was counted out. Seventh inside the distance win for the Tokyo gold medallist. He has quick hands, fast footwork and power and is yet another talent in a talent-rich division. Ender’s opposition had not been strong and he quickly fell apart under the sustained attacks from Batyrgaziev.
Sosulin vs. Fozilov
Sosulin hammers Fozilov to defeat in four rounds. After a slow start Sosulin came alive in the second round. He was walking forward banging home left hooks to the body and straight rights. A series of body punches put Fozilov down in the third and Sosulin dished out more pain before the round ended. A one-sided fourth saw Fozilov under constant pressure being blasted with hooks to head and body. He could not keep Sosulin out and lost a point for continually shoving Sosulin off. He took more punishment and did not come out for the fifth round. Third stoppage win for Sosulin who was Russian champion and competed at both the 2023 World championships and the World Series of Boxing. Second loss in a row for Uzbek Fozilov.
OCTOBER 20
Birmingham, England: Super Fly: Marcel Braithwaite (16-3-1) W TKO 9 Ijaz Ahmed (10-3-3). Welter: Ben Vaughan (7-0) W TKO 4 Jimmy Cooper (10-2-1).
Braithwaite vs. Ahmed
Braithwaite stops Ahmed in the ninth to win the vacant British title and retain the Commonwealth title. This was a fast-paced battle between contrasting tactics with Ahmed marching forward putting Braithwaite under pressure and Braithwaite gliding around the ring sliding away from Ahmed’s attacks and firing bursts of hooks. There were periods when Ahmed’s pressure would pay off as he would pin Braithwaite against the ropes or in a corner and work him over with hooks to the body. There were some periods when snappy foot work and fast hands would see Braithwaite darting in scoring and getting out before Ahmed could counter. It began to look as though the solid, accurate work from Ahmed was giving him the edge and Braithwaite was tending to rely on single big shots. Both showed the effects of the pace in the eighth as they slowed. In the ninth Braithwaite landed some of those single big shots. Ahmed seemed to take them well but then a three-punch combination dropped him on his back. He rolled over and got up but his legs were shaky. When the action resumed Braithwaite drove Ahmed across the ring and landed some more punches. Ahmed started staggering and sliding along the ropes on his way down and the referee came in and stopped the fight. Braithwaite and Ahmed had fought to a split draw in March for these two titles. Before that Ahmed had fought two draws for the British title.
Vaughan vs. Cooper
Vaughan punches too hard for Cooper and stops him in the fourth round. Vaughan took control of the fight from the first round using left hooks to force Cooper onto the back foot pinning him to the ropes and unloading with both hands. Vaughan continues to walk down Cooper in the second and third. He dropped Cooper early in the fourth with the towel coming in as the referee was applying a count. First inside the distance victory for Vaughan. Cooper had won his last four outings.
Guidonia Montecelio, Italy: Light Heavyweight: Adriano Sperandio (16-2) W PTS 10 Dragan Lepei (22-7-2).
Former unbeaten Italian champion Sperandio regains the national title with a unanimous points victory over Lepei. Sperandio made good use of his longer reach in the first to take an early lead. Lepei had a good second But from the third Sperandio again dominated the action with his jabs and better skills. Lepei kept attacking as Sperandio is not a heavy puncher but by the sixth Sperandio’s accurate punching had a swelling growing under Lepei’s left eye. Sperandio continued to outbox Lepei and when Lepei did rock Sperandio it was in the tenth and too late for Lelei build on it. No scores available. Sperandio had won the title in 2020 and made one defence in 2021 but did not defend it again. Lepei was making the first defence having won the vacant title in April.
Fresnillo, Mexico: Super Bantam: Bryan Mercado (27-1) W RTD 6 Mzuvukile Magwaca (22-2-3). Bantam: Martin Tecuapetia (17-17-4) W PTS 8 Luis Arellano (12-1-2). Fly: Lourdes Juarez (35-4,1ND) W PTS 10 Mayela Perez Mercardo settled quickly using a strong jab to have Magwaca going backwards and stepping in with straight rights and left hooks. Magwaca showed a good jab but did not seem to have the power to keep Mercado out. He was too predictable only ever circling to his left and being caught by rights from Mercado. Mercado dominated the second which ended early due to a time keeping error and the third saw Mercado increasing the pressure closing Magwaca down and scoring with rights and lefts. Magwaca was cut over his left eye in the fourth and soaked up more punishment in the fifth and sixth and was sent reeling by head punches. He made it to the bell but his corner pulled him out. Now seven inside the distance wins in a row for Mercado and 22 in all. He is No 14 with the WBC. South African Magwaca was never in the fight being on the back foot and under fire all the way. First inside the distance loss for Magwaca.
Tecuapetia vs. Arellano
Tecuapetia upsets the odds with a points win over unbeaten Arellano. Tecuapetia went in front from the start dropping Arrellano in the first round and then built on the success to win the unanimous decision. No scores available. Tecuapetia had lost 7 of his last 8 fights so Arrellano was a heavy favourite.
Juarez vs. Perez
Juarez beats inexperienced Perez. Juarez tried to make it an early finish but Perez refused to crumble and fought hard all the way despite losing every round with all three judges scoring it 100-90 . Now 36 ”Little Lulu” , a former WBC super flyweight champion, lost a couple of early bouts then put together an unbeaten run of 36 fights which must be one of the longest in female boxing. Fifth consecutive defeat for Perez.
Tijuana, Mexico: Super Bantam: Jose Santos (14-0) W PTS 10 Florentino Perez ( 14-9-2). Fly: Yesica Bopp (38-3) W PTS 8 Graciela Cortes (4-7-2).
Santos vs. Perez
Santos outpoints Perez. Santos had no trouble with the willing but limited Perez. Santos scored a knockdown in the sixth but failed to find the punch for an early finish and had to be content with all three judges scoring the fight 100-89 for Santos. He has scored a couple of good wins this year beating 23-1 Prince Danzie and Aston Palicte who in WBO super fly title fights drew with Donnie Nietes but lost against Kazuto Ioka. Five losses in a row for Perez.
Bopp vs. Cortes
Just a keep busy fight for Bopp. She had too much skill and too much experience for Cortes. Bopp looked to have won easily and two judges scored it 79-73 and 78-74 but the third somehow scored it a ridiculous 76-76. Now 39, Bopp is a former WBA light fly and WBO flyweight champion and is 27-1 in title fights for those two bodies.
OCTOBER 21
Goeppingen, Germany: Cruiser: Firat Arlan (55-9-3) W TKO 5 Edin Puhalo (23-2). Cruiser: Huseyin Cinkara (21) W KO 1 Reinaldo Gonzalez (20-11). Light: Heavy: Adrian Krasniqi (7-0) W KO 1 Norbert Szekeres (19-99-4)
Arslan vs. Puhalo
In what was publicised as his last fight Arslan floors and halts Puhalo in the sixth round. Puhalo took the fight to Arslan in the first with Arslan under fire but using his trade mark tight guard. Puhalo was marching forward putting Arslan under pressure in the second but was put down by a left to the head late in the round. Arslan went onto the front foot in the third, fourth and fifth scoring with right jabs and lefts to the head. Puhalo was throwing plenty of punches so there were some good exchanges. Arslan ended it in the sixth. He floored Puhalo with a left hook. After the count Puhalo tried to punch his way out of trouble but was floored twice more and the fight was stopped. Now 53, and a pro for 26 years Arslan, a former holder of the secondary cruiserweight title, signs off by winning the vacant WBA Gold title but presumably he won’t defend it if he goes through with his decision to now retire. Bosnia Puhalo 35, has dined on a diet of modest opposition and will probably go back to doing more of the same.
Cinkara vs, Gonzalez
Cinkara finishes substitute Gonzalez in the opening round. A body punch sent Gonzalez down and out. Too easy for the 6’3 “ 38-year-old Turkish-based German who gets his seventeenth inside the distance win. No test so far and not likely to be any in the future for Cinkara. Tenth loss by KO/TKO for Venezuelan Gonzalez
Krasniqi vs. Szekeres
Krasniqi puts Szekeres down and out with a left hook to the head in the first round. Seventh inside the distance victory for the German champion Krasniqi who is the nephew of former European heavyweight champion and WBO title challenger Luan Krasniqi. His seven wins have taken less than eleven rounds. Hungarian Szekeres is just one ioss short of his century of losses. Whatever cake they get to celebrate the ”achievement” will almost certainly be passed its use by date.
Melbourne, Australia: Super Light: John Mannu (9-1-1) W PTS 10 Blake Minto (15-5-2).
Mannu wins the vacant Australian title with a unanimous points victory over more experienced Minto. Southpaw Mannu had big edges in height and reach and that proved decisive. No scores available. Mannu recovering well with his second win since a crushing second round loss against Kurt Scoby in February. Former World Boxing Foundation champion Minto lost only one of his first sixteen fights but is now 1-3 in his last four .
Pickering, Canada: Welter: Josh Wagner (17-0) W TKO 8 Abraham Juarez (21-12-1).). Super Middle: Shakeel Phinn (26-3-1) W KO 1 Rafael Sosa (63-19)
Wagner vs. Juarez
Wagner outclasses Juarez. The Canadian was too quick and too slick for the limited Mexican. He dropped Juarez early and simply bamboozled him with skill. Wagner kept circling Juarez constantly changing direction and darting in to land punches from different angles. Juarez weas never able to come to terms with Wagner’s mobility or his hand speed. Wagner choose his moments to stand and trade and quicky dominated those exchanges slamming home hooks to the body and shaking Juarez with crisp hooks to the head. In the eighth, with Juarez against the ropes and Wagner ripping him with punches, the referee stepped in to save Juarez. The Mexican was outclassed but even under those circumstances Wagner showed excellent skills in attack and defence in his ninth inside the distance finish. Juarez is 0-5 in invasions of Canada with all five losses by KO/TKO.
Phinn vs. Sosa
Phin blasts out Sosa in the first round. One booming right to the head and down went Sosa on his back and he was counted out. Seventeenth win by KO/TKO for the “Jamaican Juggernaut”. Uruguayan Sosa,43, and in his nineteenth year as a pro suffers his ninth inside the distance loss .
Pertuis, France: Super Welter: Reda Kham (14-1) W PTS 10 Mahmoud Taha (10-11-3).
Fighting in front of his home fans Khan retains the French title with a unanimous decision over Taha. Khan’s tactics were to be constantly circling and shifting his attacking angles to tire the slower Taha and then move to the attack over the second half of the fight and the plan worked well. Score 100-90.99-91 and 97-93. First defence for Khan and thirteenth consecutive win. Second unsuccessful title challenge for Taha.
Kaiserslautern, Germany: Cruiser: Michael Seitz (12-0) W PTS 10 Steve Ntere (8-1).
Home town fighter Seitz wins the vacant IBO European title with a dubious decision over Belgian champion Ntere. Scores 96-94 twice and 95-94. Seitz had won his last seven fights by KO/TKO. Cameroon born Ntere could consider himself unlucky.
Novosibirsk, Russia: Super Middle: Varazdat Mkrtchyan (16-0) W TKO 4 Dmitry Mikhaylenko (23-15).
Mkrtchyan registers another win as he stops a poor Mikhaylenko in four rounds for his fifth inside the distance victory. Now twelve losses in a row and his tenth by KO/TKO for Mikhaylenko
Montevideo, Uruguay: Middle: Amilcar Vidal (18-1) W KO 1Victor Pinango (12-3). Light: Claudio Daneff (19-3-1) W TKO 3Luis Torres (18-1) .
Vidal vs. Pinango
Vidal end this one early with a body punch. Just one minute into the fight as they traded body punches a left from Vidal saw Pinango freeze and then drop to the canvas and he was counted out. Second win for Vidal since losing his unbeaten tag when suffering a fourth round kayo against Elijah Garcia in March. First inside the distance defeat for Venezuelan Pinango.
Daneff vs. Torres
Torres looked to be a tough test against fellow-southpaw Daneff but the former Argentinian’s power won the day. After two rounds of fierce exchanges Daneff exploded in the third. He shook Torres with a right to the head then landed two more and a cracking left hook sent Torres to the canvas. He beat the count but was blasted to the canvas twice more and the referee waived the fight over. Daneff was coming off a split decision defeat against Axel Isla which cost him his national super light title so a good rebound. Torres had beaten some reasonable level opposition but was crushed here.
Fight of the week: (Significance): Santillan’s win over WBO No 1 Rocha adds another factor to the welterweights
Fight of the week: (Entertainment) The scrap between Ricardo Sandoval and Victor Sandoval supplied ten rounds of sustained fury
Fighter of the week: Santillan for his crushing win over Rocha
Punch of the week: The huge overhand right from Shakeel Phinn that sent Rafael Sosa down and out gets my vote with honourable mentions to the left hook with which Claudio Daneff demolished Luis Torres and the body punch from Amilcar Vidal that finished Victor Pinango in the first round.
Upset of the week: Martin Tecuapetia 16-17-4 with 7 losses in his last 8 fights was supposed to be an easy win for unbeaten Luis Arellano but Tecuapetia tore up the script
Prospect watch: Featherweight Karris Artingstall (5-0) is making steady progress. She was English champion and won silver at the European championships and an Olympic bronze medal so some good credentials
Observations
Rosette: To the Commonwealth Boxing Council with four good quality title fights spread over three big shows. In fact, British boxing remains strong with ten shows at the weekend, three of which as above were high level. That provided income for 134 boxers and also for referees, judges, supervisors etc.
Red Card: To the management of Alexis Roch. When you are No 1 in the ratings it is dumb to risk that against a boxer with 31-0 record
Observations
-How about Firat Arslan retiring at the age of 53 after a 26-year career in which he won eleven different titles with the secondary WBA the highest profile belt. He beat some good opposition but lost important fights in challenges for the full WBA, IBF and IBO titles. He also promoted many of his fights so providing work for other pros.
- Nearly there. Hungarian light heavyweight Norbert Szekeres lost at the weekend his eighteenth defeat in a row and loss number ninety-nine. At 37 he will hit No 100 for sure. He has the valuable asset of consistency as a promoter likes a sure fire loser so he will never be out of work until he hangs up his gloves.
- With Szekeres you can look at his record and what you see is what you get. Not all records are like that. Venezuela Reinaldo Gonzalez was knocked out in the first round by Huseyin Cinkara at the weekend. He had won 20 of his 30 fights so not good but not too bad either unless you look at his record in detail. Of his twenty victims sixteen had never won a fight and the other four had won just eight fights between them. The devil’s in the detail but sometimes it is where the truth is found.
About the Author
Born in Scotland, Eric Armit started working with Boxing News magazine in the UK in the late 1960’s initially doing records for their Boxing News Annual and compiling World, European and Commonwealth ratings for the magazine. He wrote his first feature article for Boxing News in 1973 and wrote a “World Scene” weekly column for the magazine from the late 1970’s until 2004. Armit wrote a monthly column for Boxing Digest in the USA and contributed pieces to magazines in Mexico, Italy, Australia, Spain, Argentina and other countries. Armit now writes a Weekly Report covering every major fight around the world and a bi-weekly Snips & Snipes column plus occasional general interest articles with these being taken up by boxing sites around the world. He was a member of the inaugural WBC Ratings Committee and a technical advisor to the EBU Ratings Committee and was consulted by John McCain’s research team when they were drafting the Ali Act. He is a Director and former Chairman of the Commonwealth Boxing Council. Armit has been nominated to the International Boxing Hall of Fame the past two years (2019 and 2020) to which he said, “Being on the list is an unbelievably huge honour.”
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eric Armit.
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