THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 2 June 2025: Takei Stops Tongdee in 1; Nunez Defeats Rikiishi; Melikuziev Outpoints Fulghum; Resendiz Upsets Plant; Charlo Stops LaManna
By Eric Armit
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 03 Jun 2025
Resendiz (R) and Plant in action.
HIGHLIGHTS
-Yoshiki Takei blows away Yuttapong Tongdee in one round in WBO bantamweight title defence and Edgar Nunez spoils the night for Japanese fans as he outpoints Masanori Rikiishi to win the vacant IBF super featherweight title
-Bektemir Melikuziev outpoints Darius Fulghum in WBA super middleweight eliminator and there are wins for Eric Priest and Santiago Dominguez,
-Jose Resendiz scores upset win over Caleb Plant and Jermell Charlo stops Thomas LaManna
-WBA interim super bantamweight title holder Murodjon Akhmadaliev stops Luis Castillo in eight rounds and light heavyweight Khalil Coe gets revenge against Manuel Gallegos with a fifth round stoppage.
-Diego Natchoo retains the EBU Silver middleweight title as Giovanni Rossetti is disqualified in the eleventh round.
-Armando Casamonica wins the EBU Silver super lightweight title as he takes a split verdict over Charlemagne Metonyekpon
MAJOR SHOWS:
MAY 28
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN: BANTAM: YOSHIKI TAKEI (11-0) W TKO 1 YUTTAPONG TONGDEE (15-0). SUPER FEATHER: EDUARDO NUNEZ (28-1) W PTS 12 MASANORI RIKIISHI ( 16-2). SUPER FEATHER: TSUBASA NARAI (16-2) W TKO 8 YUNA HARA (14-4-2). LIGHT FLY: KAZUMA ARATAKE (1-0) W TKO 2 KITIDECH HIRUNSUK (16-8).
TAKEI stops Thai YUTTAPONG in the first round in defence of his WBO title. Southpaw Takei made a fast start landing a left to the body then a left hook to the chin that dropped Yuttapong heavily. The Thai was shaken but made it to his feet only to get caught with another left that put him down for the second time. A shaken Yuttapong was floored by another left and after beating the count backed to the ropes and tried to trade punches with Takei but was being overwhelmed and the referee stopped the fight. Takei was defending the title for the second time and was returning to action after a lay-off caused by an injury to his right arm. Yuttapong had been an Elite level amateur winning a gold medal at the World University Championships and scored a win over Robeisy Ramirez in Cuba.
NUNEZ wins the vacant IBF title with a unanimous decision over RIKIISHI. Relentless pressure from Nunez won this one. He marched forward over the first three rounds firing punches to head and body. Southpaw Rikiishi showed good defensive skills and got through with counters but Nunez stepped up the pace from the fourth. He kept coming pumping out punches and built a good lead. Rikiishi had a successful eighth in which he shook Nunez with a straight left and scored well in the ninth but a hard right in the tenth was the basis for a strong finish from Nunez who was a clear winner. Scores 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 for Nunez.First time Mexican Nunez had had to go the distance for a winand 18 inside the distance victories in a row but no real quality in his list of victims. Rikiishi had won his last 14 including a victory over 23-1 Michael Magnesi in Italy.
NARAI halts HARA in the eighth round in a successful defence of the national title.Narai dictated from the first. He was scoring easily mixing attacks from head to body and hammering home left hooks. Hara tried to turn the fights his way from the fourth but Narai was comfortable on the back foot landing counters and was up on all three cards after the fifth. Narai put Hara down with a right in the eighth and after the count he had Hara under fire when the referee stopped the fight. Second defence of the title and eleventh win by KO/TKO for Narai who had won the title with a fifth round stoppage of Hara in April last year.
ARATAKE turns professional with a second round crushing of HIRUNSUK. A left hook from Aratake in the second flattened Hirunsuk and the referee did not bother with a count.Another star in the making? The 22-year-old southpawAratake won eight national titles and had a 58-7 record as an amateur.
MAY 30
LAS VEGAS, NV, USA: SUPER MIDDLE: BEKTEMIR MELIKUZIEV (15-1) W PTS 12 DARIOUS FULGHUM (14-1). MIDDLE: ERIC PRIEST (16-0) W PTS 12 LUIS ARIAS (22-5-1,1ND). WELTER: SANTIAGO DOMINGUEZ (28-1) W TKO 1 JOHN MORALDE (27-6). HEAVY: JOSHUA EDWARDS (2-0) W TKO 1 ALEXANDER RHODES (2-2). HEAVY: FEDERICO PACHECO Jr (9-0) W PTS 6 CALVIN BARNETT (5-3). WELTER: CAYDEN GRIFFITHS (5-0) W KO 4 EDGAR GUTIERREZ (3-3). LIGHT: DANIEL GARCIA (12-0) W PTS 8 GEORGE RODRIGUEZ (10-4).SUPER WELTER: GRANT FLORES (10-0) W TKO 5 BRANDON DIAZ-CAMPOS (6-1).
MELIKUZIEV wins this WBA eliminator as he floors FULGHUM in the last round on the way to a unanimous decision.Fulghum had 5” in height and 5” in reach over Melikuziev but rarely made good use of those advantages and too often chose to take the fight to Melikuziev and get involved in close-quarters exchanges. Over the first two rounds Melikuziev used plenty of movement and changes of angles and was getting his jabs off first. Fulghum just could not his jab to work well and in the third he was forced to the ropes under fire and was too busy defending to do much offensive work and looked shaken. Melikuziev continued to get his jabs off first in the fourth although Fulghum picked up the pace and put together some good combinations. Fulghum followed that impetus into the fifth and sixth forcing Melikuziev onto the retreat letting his hands go and had Melikuziev bleeding from the nose. The seventh saw Melikuziev lose a point for holding but Melikuziev started the eighth better He missed Fulghum with a punch and his impetus took him into a corner but when Fulghum tried to follow up a right snapped Fulghum’s head back and Melikuziev scored with lefts as he drove Fulghum across the ring. Fulghum rebounded late in the round but it was a good round for Melikuziev. The ninth saw Melikuziev forcing forward throwing lefts and he dominated the action in the tenth and eleventh as Fulghum slowed and threw very little in response. Melikuziev put the fight beyond Fulghum’s reach when he dropped Fulghum with a left hook in the last. Scores 114-112 for Melikuziev on all three cards making the last round knockdown the decider. Melikuziev now goes to No 1 with the WBA but a fight with Saul Alvarez is probably no closer. Fulghum will take lessons from this loss an come back stronger.
PRIEST marches on with a unanimous decision over ARIAS. The first round was fairly even as both fighters tried to establish their jabs in the first with Arias coming forward and Priest on the back foot. Priest was quicker and more accurate in the second and Arias stupidly lost a point for hitting on the break. Priest upped his work rate in the third and opened a cut by the left eye of Arias with a punch. He began to dominate the exchanges and was on the front foot more. Arias tried to grasp the initiative but Priest continued to outland Arias over the fifth and sixth and scored heavily in the seventh. The pace dropped in the eighth but Priest was stronger over the last two rounds with Arias forced to fight off the back foot and Priest easing his way to win. Scores 99-90 twice and 96-93 for Priest. No name opponents yet for Priest but he is No 13 with the WBA. Arias was an outstanding amateur twice winning the US National title. He went 18-0 as a pro but tougher opposition and periods of inactivity has him fail to fulfil his potential.
Mexican DOMINGUEZ returns to action with a win as he finishes Filipino MORALDE in the first. A shot to the body late in the opening round ended this one. Dominguez had lost on points to Alexis Rocha in July last year but is back on track with win No 21 by KO/TKO. Moralde had failed to make the original contract weight and this was his first night since October 2022.
Olympian EDWARDS wipes out RHODES in the first round. Edwards was far too fast for Rhodes. He was sliding jabs through the guard of Rhodes and then connected with a hard right to the head that staggered Rhodes and sent him to the ropes. Edwards followed up and landed two more rights to the head that dropped Rhodes to his knees. The referee counted to seven and saw Rhodes was not getting up so waived the fight over. The 6’3” 25 year-old Texan is too good for opposition such as Rhodes but is too valuable to take any risk with at this stage.
PACHECO Jr overcomes a slow start to outpoint a strong and excentric BARNETT. Barnett looked to have outworked Pacheco over the first two rounds as Pacheco had trouble dealing with the wild, eccentric attacks from Bennett. The third saw Barnett slow down and Pacheco was then able to control the fight working his jab and heavy rights. Bennett lost a point in the fourth for savagely twisting Pacheco’s arm and trying to push him out through the ropes. Pacheco boxed solidly with Bennett only fighting in short bursts and Pacheco was a clear winner. Scores 58-55 for Pacheco on the three cards. He is the younger brother of unbeaten Diego Pacheco but he was unimpressive here. Barnett had been knocked out in one round by unbeaten Devon Young in January.
GRIFFITHS has too much talent for the unschooled GUTIERREZ. He used a strong jab to put Gutierrez on the back foot from the start and almost dropped Gutierrez with a jab in the first. Griffiths found the target with left hooks to the head and body throughout the rounds. A booming left hook sent Gutierrez flying down heavily in the fourth and he was counted out. Fifth win by KO/TKO for the promising 19-year-old Griffiths. Third loss in a row for Gutierrez.
GARCIA wins every round against RODRIGUEZ. It waseight rounds of work For Garcia as he takes the unanimous decision over Colombian Rodriguez. All three cards read 80-72 for Garcia who had won his last four fights each inside three rounds and he continues to show good progress. Just one win in his last four fights for Rodriguez.
Another impressive performance from 20-year-old FLORES as he halts unbeaten DIAZ-CAMPOS in five rounds. Flores used his longer reach to outbox Diaz-Campos at distance and produced power when needed. Diaz-Campos made the first two rounds competitive but was already slowing and taking punishment in the third. The doctor examined Diaz-Campos before the start of the fourth but allowed the fight to continue. In the fifth a hurtful left hook to the body had Diaz-Campos retreating to the ropes and as Flores bombarded him with punches the referee stopped the fight.
MAY 31
LAS VEGAS, NV, USA: SUPER MIDDLE: JOSE RESENDIZ (16-2) W PTS 12 CALEB PLANT (23-3) . SUPER MIDDLE: JERMALL CHARLO (34-0) W TKO 6 THOMAS LaMANNA (39-6-1). MIDDLE: YOENLI HERNANDEZ (8-0) W PTS 10 KYRONE DAVIS (19-4-1). SUPER WELTER: ISAAC LUCERO (17-0) W TKO 2 OMAR VALENZUELA (23-1). LIGHT: CURMEL MOTON (8-0) W PTS 8 RENE VIAMONTE (4-2-1). SUPER BANTAM: CARL MARTIN (26-0) W PTS 8 FRANCISCO PEDROZA (19-13-2,1ND).
11
RESENDIZ comes from behind to battle his way to victory over the second half of the fight and take a split decision over PLANT to cause a huge upset and win the WBA interim title.
Plant immediately employed his jab to take control. Boxing on the back foot he used his quick hand speed to feed Resendiz jabs over the first two rounds connecting with left hooks and straight rights. The third was closer. Plant was still having success with his jabs and long rights but Resendiz landed a hard left that forced Plant to the ropes and Resendiz followed that with a right to make it a tight round. The fourth was also close. Resendiz was forcing the fight hard putting Plant under plenty of pressure but Plant was still working his jab and had success targeting the body. Plant looked to have built a lead but Resendiz had his best round so far in the fifth. He was forcing his way inside and firing body punches and Plant looked to have been hurt by a pair of body shots. The sixth was a big round for Resendiz. Both had early success and it looked to be a close round until in the dying seconds. Resendiz landed a booming right cross to Plant’s head. Plant buckled and staggered back then lunged forward desperately grabbing Resendiz and was caught by another right as the bell went. Resendiz took encouragement from his success in the sixth and the momentum was now with him. Plant was still trying to hold Resendiz off but Resendiz was marching forward and scoring inside with Plant’s output falling. Resendiz shook Plant with a left hook at the start of the eighth and then landed heavily throughout the round. It was the same in the ninth and tenth with Plant struggling to stay in the fight as Resendiz bombarding Plant with body punches. It was more of the same in the eleventh and twelfth with Resendiz powering past the jab of a tiring Plant to outscore him over both rounds. Scores 116-112 twice for Resendiz and 115-113 for Plant but Resendfiz was a clear winner. He scuppered the plan for a Plant vs. Charlo fight and has a seat at the top table at super middleweight. Plant is not totally out of the picture but he will need a big one to bounce back.
CHARLO scores three knockdowns on the way to a stoppage of LaMANNA.
Charlo quickly established his jab and had LaManna on the back foot. He maintained the pressure connecting with straight punches with LaManna trying to jab to the body without success. LaManna pinged Charlo with a couple of jabs early in the second. Charlo kept walking LaManna down and began to let his hands go over the last minute landing a left to the body and a right to the head and then landing a right as he trapped LaManna against the ropes. Charlo stepped up the pace in the third and clipped LaManna with an overhand right that staggered LaManna and then another right which saw LaManna dropped to one knee. He was up immediately but after the count Charlo banged home some jabs and connected with another right but LaManna jabbed and moved to avoid further trouble. Charlo continued to hunt LaManna in the fourth and landed a series of hard jabs that shook LaManna. Just before the bell a right sent LaManna back and almost down. In the interval the video showed LaManna had put a knee briefly on the canvas on the canvas to steady himself and it was counted as a knockdown. Charlo continued to pierce LaManna’s guard with solid jabs in the fifth and then drove a right through the middle of LaManna’s guard and LaManna’s was down again on his hands and knees. LaManna got straight back up and moved and connected with a good right late in the round only for Charlo to again rock him with a jab. The bell went to start the sixth but the ringside doctor had recommended the fight be stopped and it was over before a punch was thrown in the sixth. The win by Resendiz may have put an end to a proposed fight between Charlo and Plant but not necessarily as it would give Plant a way back into the reckoning and be a good win for Charlo. This was Charlo’s first fight for 18 months and he may want to look at other options
Cuban HERNANDEZ floors and outpoints DAVIS in an impressive show of power. Hernandez took control in the first jabbing strongly and firing some hard shots to head and body. He was bigger and stronger and Davis circled the ring trying to avoid Hernandez’s attacks and a frustrated Hernandez threw Davis to the canvas. Hernandez seemed content to let Davis get on the front foot in the second before he unleashed a combination of hooks, uppercuts and straight shots that floored Davis late in the round. Davis beat the count and Hernandez fired more heavy rights and lefts but Davis made it to the bell. From the third Hernandez adopted the tactic of letting Davis come forward at the start of each round and generally just hiding behind a high guard or leaning with his back against the ropes letting Davis fire punches. Davis did not have the power to hurt Hernandez and Hernandez would erupt into action loading up on every punch and scoring heavily to head and body. The only variant in each round was how long Hernandez would let Davis force the action and how much punishment he would hand out when he decided to take over again. That meant that Davis had good spells in every round but won none of them as the three cards all read 100-89 for Hernandez. The 6’2” Hernandez has won all eight of his fights by KO/TKO and showed brutal power but there are stiffer tests ahead. Davis was coming off a win over 16-0 Elijah Garcia in June and soaked up some hellacious punishment with David Benavidez the only fighter to have beaten him inside the distance.
LUCERO stops VALENZUELA in the second round. The sound of the bell to start the first round had only just faded when Lucero landed a left to the body and a right to the head. They then traded punches with Lucero driving Valenzuela back with rights to the head. It was toe-to-toe with both landing hooks and Lucero made southpaw Valenzuela take a step back with a right. Valenzuela twice forced Lucero to the ropes in the second and connected with a burst of punches. They swapped punches without pause with both landing well to the body and Valenzuela just seeming to have the edge. When Valenzuela moved to come inside Lucero nailed him with a straight right that floored Valenzuela heavily. He made it to his feet but was stumbling under a storm of punches and the referee stopped the fight with Valenzuela protesting he was able to continue. Thirteenth win by KO/TKO for Lucero. Valenzuela’s opposition had been mediocre at best.
MOTON solves the challenge of giving away so much height and reach to outpoint VIAMONTE. The Cuban
had 7” in height over Moton (5’11” x 5’4” although it looked less) but that was more than offset by the hand speed and footwork of Moton. He was darting forward to land jabs to the body or ducking under Viamonte’s jabs and straight rights to get inside and bang home hooks. Moton was so quick that he was getting in landing hooks and getting out before Viamonte could counter. Viamonte tried dropping his guard to lure Moton onto counters but Moton took advantage of the open target to land overhand rights. Moton’s pressure kept Viamonte on the back foot or against the ropes and when Moton did stand in front of Viamonte he was putting together some sparkling combinations. Although he never had Viamonte in any trouble Moton won every round with ease. Scores 80-72 for Moton from the three judges. Still only 18 Moton looks a certain future champion but at 5’4” he is small for a lightweight. Cuban Viamonte was 3-1-1 against unbeaten fighters.
Filipino MARTIN celebrates his arrival on the US scene as he floors and takes a unanimous decision over PEDROZA
Pedroza came forward for all eight rounds putting southpaw Martin under pressure with Martin using nifty foot work to evade Pedroza’s attacks and countering with hard lefts. When they did stand and trade Martin was quicker and more accurate. The fight changed in the sixth round as Martin dropped Pedroza with a shorts left hook. Pedrosa beat the count and survived some strong pressure as Martin tried for a stoppage. From that point Martin began to come forward and take the fight to Pedroza which saw some furious action over the last two rounds as Martin finished strongly and Pedroza battled all the way. Scores 78-73 twice and 79-72 for Martin. The WBO have Martin at No 2 and it is unusual to see someone that highly ranked fighting in an eight round fight down a card but Martin needs to raise his profile outside of the Philippines to have any realistic hope of a title shot. Mexican Pedroza has gone the distance with Gary Antonio Russell and Jason Moloney and made Martin fight hard for the win.
MAY 28
AGDE, FRANCE: MIDDLE: DIEGO NATCHOO (31-3-5) W DISQ 11 GIOVANNI ROSSETTI (14-4).
Hometown fighter NATCHOO retained the EBU Silver title with an eleventh round disqualification victory over Italian ROSSETTI. It was a hard-fought match but Rossettiwas deducted a point in the sixth after losing his mouthguard three times and then another point for losing it three times in the eleventh. When he lost it yet again he was disqualified. At the time of the disqualification Natchoo was ahead 97-91, 96-92 and 95-93. First defence of the title for Natchoo who lost on points to Bruno Surace in 2021 but is 10-0-1 since then.Cuban-born Rossetti is a former Italian champion.
RANGSIT, THAILAND: MINIMUMWEIGHT KNOCKOUT CP FRESHMART (27-1) W PTS 10 ROLAND TOYOGON (8-1-1). SUPER FLY: KONGFAH CP FRESHMART (48-7-2) W TKO 8MOHAMMADJAVAD MOZAFARIKHOSRAVI ( 0-2).
CP FRESHMART (Thammanoon Niyomtrong) Wins the vacant WBC Asian belt with a unanimous decision over Filipino TOYOGON. CP FRESHMART marched forward putting the inexperienced Toyogon under pressure from the start. Toyogon boxed cleverly with plenty of southpaw jabs and lots of movement but had never gone past eight rounds before and he lacked the power and the stamina to keep CP FRESHMART out and faded late in the fight. All three judges scored bit 97-93 for CP FRESHMART. The former WBA champion lost his title in a unifier against WBO champion Oscar Collazo in November. This was far too ambitious a fight for relative novice Toyogon but he showed good skills and fast hands.
KONGFAH CP FRESHMART (Jakrawut Majungoen) halts Iranian novice MOZAFARIKHOSRAVI in the eighth in an Asian Boxing Federation title defence. Kongfah fought this at a walking pace with Mozafarikhosravi showing good skills but no power. Kongfah upped the pace in the seventh flooring Mozafarikhosravi with three hooks to the body. Kongfah went out to finish it in the eighth. He again hurt Mozafarikhosravi with left hooks to the body then forced Mozafarikhosravi to a corner and hammered him with punches until Mozafarikhosravi slumped down against the ropes. Mozafarikhosravi made it to his feet but another fierce attack from Kongfah saw the referee stop the fight. Win No 28 by KO/TKO Kongfah He was 41-1-1 at one time but never landed a title shot. Mozafarikhosravi had lost both of his fights inside the distance.
MAY 30
GUADALAJARA, MEXICO: SUPER BANTAM: MURODJON AKHMADALIEV (13-1) W TKO 8 LUIS CASTILLO (34-2-6). LIGHT HEAVY: KHALIL COE (10-1-1) W TKO 5 MANUEL GALLEGOS (21-3-1). SUPER LIGHT: GABRIEL GOLLAZ (31-4-1) W PTS 10 MANUEL MEDINA (7-4-3). SUPER FLY: ADRIAN CURIEL (26-6-1) W PTS 10 JOHN RUBIO (8-3-2)
BANTAM: CHRISTIAN MEDINA (25-4) W TKO 2 JUIAN RAMIREZ (16-10).
AKHMADALIEV wakes up after a slow start to wear down and stop LUIS CASTILLO. The first two rounds saw little sustained action and both were rounds were close with some sign that Akhmadaliev might have injured his left hand but if so he shook that off. Body punches from Akhmadaliev had Castillo hurt in the third and fourth and Castillo was off with his counters under the pressure. Akhmadaliev was walking Castillo down and Castillo lacked the power to keep Akhmadaliev off. Castillo did land a couple of useful body punches in the fifth but paid for that when Akhmadaliev drove home a left to the body at the bell which sent Castillo to his knees but he beat the count. Akhmadaliev hunted Castillo down in the sixth but Castillo fired back until another left hook to the head floored him. He was up at nine and fought his way to the bell. Akhmadaliev looked to have scored a knockdown at the start of the seventh but the referee ruled it a slip. Castillo survived some torrid pressure in the round but was still fighting. There was more punishment for Castillo in the eighth and his corner finally threw in the towel. Akhmadaliev holds the WBA interim super bantamweight title and is hoping to land a shot at champion Naoya Inoue later this year. Castillo fought hard but did not have the power to keep Akhmadaliev out.
COE gets revenge for a defeat at the hands of GALLEGOS as Gallegos retires after the fifth round.
Coe worked cleverly circling Gallegos and using his quicker hands to spear Gallegos with jabs and bobbing and weaving away from Gallegos’ attempted counters. Gallegos kept trying to pin Coe against the ropes but Coe either slid away or moved inside and tied Gallegos up. Gallegos was marching forward in a straight line making him an easy target for Coe’s jabs and in the second a series of jabs had Gallegos backing up and bleeding heavily from the nose. From then Coe was the one coming forward and Gallegos retreating. Coe maintained the pressure in the third and with Gallegos also having swelling around his eyes Coe was in command and Gallegos already looked a beaten fighter. He tried to come forward in the fourth and had some success as Coe was now confident enough to stand and punch with him but Gallegos was walking onto fast, accurate shots from Coe and was sporting a huge bump under his right eye. Coe was picking Gallegos off with jabs in the fifth and landed two rights that rocked Gallegos and his corner did the sensible thing in pulling him out of the fight. Gallegos had stopped Coe in nine rounds in November but Coe had taken on board the lessons from that and wins the WBC USA belt.
Hometown fighter GOLLAZ gets a points win over inexperienced MEDINA but looks fortunate to do so.
Medina had the faster hands and was willing to stand and trade punches and Gollaz struggled to find any rhythm and was often outworked. Much of the fight was inside work from both and even there Gollaz failed to take control and looked sluggish. It was a gruelling fight and that gradually worked in Gollaz’s favour. Medina had come in as a late selection and had set a fast pace and Gollaz staged a strong finish but even then he did not seem to have done enough to overcome the higher work rate Medina had shown over the first eight round. Scores 96-94 twice and 98-94 for a fortunate Gollaz. Gollaz had been stopped in eight rounds by Subriel Matias in March and may have been feeling the after effects of that beating. Second consecutive loss for unlucky Medina.
WBO No 1 bantamweight MEDINA stops overmatched RAMIREZ in two rounds.
Medina boxed well behind his strong jab. He used his longer reach to keep the less skilful Ramirez out and was connecting with sharp left hooks. Ramirez kept driving forward trying to get inside but Medina either side stepped and countered or fired home a couple of hooks and swayed back out of range. A clubbing right to the head floored Ramirez in the second. Ramirez managed to get up but after the count Medina unleashed a barrage of punches and as Ramirez dropped to his knees the referee stopped the fight. Now 18 wins by KO/TKO for Medina who is now hoping for a shot at WBO champion Yoshiki Takei who defended the title on Thursday. Ramirez a no hoper here.
CURIEL takes wide unanimous decision over a gutsy RUBIO. It was Rubio who looked sharper in the first but the Curiel took over landing hard to the body and taking the next three rounds. Rubio had a good fifth matching Curiel all the way and the sixth was close. Curiel was back in control in the seventh landing some hard counters and Rubio’s lack of experience began to tell he had never gone past eight rounds before and tired badly. Curiel won on scores of 99-91 twice and 98-92. Former IBF light flyweight champion Curiel had lost his title on a tenth round stoppage against Sivenathi Nontshinga in February last year and dropped a technical decision to Sunny Edwards in June but had outpointed Cuban Damien Arce in December. Local fighter Rubio, 21 was competitive until he ran out of gas late.
VIENNA, AUSTRIA: CRUISER: FRANKLIN ARINZE (10-0) W PTS 10 KEVIN MELHUS (13-1). HEAVY: AGRON SMAKICI (21-2) W KO 2 LASZLO IVANYI (10-21-1).
ARINZE wins the vacant IBF European title with a majority decision over MELHUS. Forget the “majority” UK-based Nigerian Arinze won this one clearly. His aggression and power proved too much for Melhus. Arinze slowly broke Melhus down and he battered a tired Melhus over the eighth and ninth. In the tenth a left hook from Arinze unhinged the legs of Melhus and had him staggering across the ring. Arinze chased Melhus landing more heavy punches but Melhus survived. Scores 98-92 twice for Arinze and a ridiculous 95-95. Second win in Europe for Arinze. Norwegian Melhus could not handle the stronger Nigerian.
Croat southpaw SMAKICI disposes of an obese IVANYI in the first round. The 6-6”Smakici towered over the 5’11 ½” Hungarian and after connecting with some strong jabs sent Ivanyi down to his knees with a left hook and the referee signalled the end of the fight just as Ivany made it to his feet. Smakici has 19 wins by KO/TKO. He lost on a third round stoppage against Agit Kabayel for the vacant European title in March 2023 and this is his first fight since September 2023. Fourteenth loss by KO/TKO for Ivanyi
ROME, ITALY: SUPER LIGHT: ARMANDO CASAMONICA (15-1) W PTS 12 CHARLEMAGNE (16-2)
Challenger CASAMONICA wins the EBU Silver title with a very close split decision over champion METONYEKPON. Plenty of mutual respect led to a close start to this fight with Metonyekpon taking the fight to Casamonica and local boxer Casamonica countering. The pace picked up from the fourth as Casamonica started to drive forward to overcome Metonyekpon height and reach advantages. Casamonica lost his mouthguard twice in the seventh and was deducted a point. Metonyekpon built on that with a strong eighth and looked to have edged the ninth. Casamonica fought back to take the tenth but still seemed to have ground to make up. The eleventh was close and although Casamonica scored better in the twelfth it did not look quite enough to claw back Metonyekpon’s lead and it was desperately close. Casamonica won on scores of 114-113 twice and 114-113 to Metonyekpon. Casamonica was rebounding from a majority decision loss against unbeaten Canadian Lucas Bahdi on the undercard of the Mario Barrios vs. Abel Ramos WBC title fight in Arlington in November. Benin-born Metonyekpon had won the title with a split decision over Mohamed Kani in January.’
MAY 31
MEXICALI, MEXICO: BANTAM: GABRIEL VALENZUELA (13-4-1) W TKO 8 JULIO CESAR MARTINEZ (20-4-3). SUPER FEATHER: ANGEL GARCIA (19-1) W KO 2 KEVIN SANCHEZ (7-1-1).
VALENZUELA gets a win as MARTINEZ is forced to retire in the eighth round due to an injured left arm. Valenzuela was around 6” taller than Martinez and was able to spear Martinez with punches from distance. Martinez marched forward behind a high guard and then launched fierce two-handed attacks firing bunches of hooks and uppercuts. In between Martinez’s attacks Valenzuela worked at distance and was finding plenty of gaps for jabs and straight rights. Martinez took the first two rounds but Valenzuela scored well in the third. Again Martinez’s attacks saw him outscoring Valenzuela in the fourth and Valenzuela was deducted a point in the fifth as he lost his mouthguard three times. Some of the fire seemed to go out of Martinez in the sixth and seventh and both rounds were close. As Martinez surged forward in the eighth he threw a left hook and then backed away from the action with his left arm hanging at his side. He looked to have damaged the arm and the doctor examined him and Martinez was unable to continue giving Valenzuela the win. Valenzuela only came in at 24 hours-notice and gave Martinez some tough moments. Martinez was having his first fight since his WBC title defence against Angelino Cordova which he won on points only to have the result changed to No Decision and be stripped of his title after he tested positive for a banned substance.
GARCIA scores a second round kayo oflate substitute SANCHEZ. Too easy for Garcia who gets his fifteenth win by KO/TKO with the quick dismissal of young Colombian Sanchez
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA: FLY: TOBIAS REYES (17-1-1) W KO 3 JEANFRAN MEDINA (13-5). LIGHT: CARLOS ALANIS (15-2) W PTS 10 DANIEL COMBI (12-10).
REYES puts away Venezuelan MEDINA in three rounds to win the vacant WBO Latino title. Reyes found Medina an easy target and scored heavily over the first two rounds. Two lefts hooks to the body in the third put Medina down and the fight was stopped. First fight for Reyes since losing a majority decision to Felix Alvarado in an IBF eliminator in December. Medina had won 10 of his last 11 fights.
ALANIS boxes his way to victory over COMBI to win the vacant national title. Alanis boxed with skill using smart foot work to keep Combi out and was able to pile up the points with jabs and long rights. Combi tried hard to take the fight inside but Alanis slid away from Combi’s attacks and was accurate with his counters winning on scores of 99-91 twice and 97-93. Alanis is now 3-2 in his last 5 fights. Combi had won 3 of his last 4 fights
FIGHT OF THE WEEK: Bektemir Melikuziev vs. Darius Fulghum a tough battle of contrasting styles
FIGHTER OF THE WEEK: Jose Resendiz for his upset win over Caleb Plant
PUNCH OF THE WEEK: The booming left hook from Cayden Griffiths that finished Edgar Gutierrez with an honourable mention to the right cross from Isaac Lucero that dropped unbeaten Omar Valenzuela
UPSET OF THE WEEK: Jose Resendiz was supposed to be just a warm-up fight for Caleb Plant
ONE TO WATCH: Only eight fights but Cuban middleweight Yoenli Hernandez has real power
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.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
RING III: TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR THRILLING JULY 12 NEW YORK DOUBLE HEADER FEATURING STEVENSON-ZEPEDA AND BERLANGA-SHEERAZ
Thu, 05 Jun 2025Unbeaten Middleweight Sebastian Juarez Faces Power-Punching Shaquille Cameron on Most Valuable Prospects 13, Live on DAZN
Thu, 05 Jun 2025IIEE National Chess Olympiad
By Marlon Bernardino, Thu, 05 Jun 2025Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaimàn: Mental Health & Mental Wellness
By Mauricio Sulaimán, Wed, 04 Jun 2025Inaugural AFBC Normalisation Committee meeting sets vision for strategic reforms and collaboration
Wed, 04 Jun 2025PACQUIAO AT L.A. PRESSCON: "I'M BACK!"
By Dong Secuya, Wed, 04 Jun 2025Preparation and Planning are Keys to Pacquiao’s Success
By Ed de la Vega, DDS, Wed, 04 Jun 2025THURSDAY: Albert Ramirez-Michael Flannery Battle of Unbeatens to Stream LIVE in the U.S. on ESPN+
Wed, 04 Jun 2025Is Martin next Manny?
By Joaquin Henson, Wed, 04 Jun 2025AMMO LANDS IBF WORLD TITLE FINAL ELIMINATOR AGAINST OLIHA ON BAM-CAFU SHOW
Wed, 04 Jun 2025Bree Howling Ready to Shine in Battle of Undefeated Bantamweights on Most Valuable Prospects 13 June 7th
Wed, 04 Jun 2025HALL OF FAME FIGHT NIGHT FIGHT WEEK NEWS AND NOTES
Wed, 04 Jun 2025THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 6 - ALI KNOCKS FOREMAN OUT IN RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE
By Maloney L. Samaco, Tue, 03 Jun 2025WEIGHTS FROM NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
Tue, 03 Jun 2025CSAC Overturns Navarrete-Suarez Result, Orders Immediate Rematch
Tue, 03 Jun 2025