THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 20 JULY 2026: Papot Outpoints Eubank; Pacheco Stops Aleem; Suarez Smokes Avila in One Round
By Eric Armit
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 21 Jul 2026
Pacheco tags Aleem.
HIGHLIGHTS:
-David Papot floors and outpoints Harlem Eubank and there are wins for Kieran Molloy, Aaron Prospere and Jake Henty
- Diego Pacheco stops Immanuwel Aleem in the eleventh and there are wins for Andy Cruz, Albert Gonzalez and Bruno Rios
- Adelaida Ruiz retains the WBC super-fly title; Charly Suarez beats Manuel Avila in one rounds There are also wins for Bryan Flores and Joshua Anton and Tre’Sean Wiggins wins on a controversial first round disqualification against Ruben Aguilar
MAJOR SHOWS:
JULY 17
MUHLHEIM, GERMANY: LIGHT HEAVY: BADIEN HASSO (24-0) W TKO 2 DAVID KERKMANN (32-5).
HASSO moves to 24 wins with a second round stoppage of KERKMANN. Hasso needed two attempts to make the weight but successfully defended the WBC International title by flooring southpaw Kerkmann with a right in the second. Kerkmann made it to his feet but was in no condition to continue and the fight was stopped. Thirteenth inside the distance win for Hasson. He stresses his Kurdish roots distancing himself from representing Iraq, and hopes to be able to defend his title in front of his own people. Kerkmann, 42, had won 6 of his last 7 fights.
ASCOLI PICENO , ITALY: LIGHT HEAVY: EROS SEGHETTI (13-1-1) W RTD 7 ENID NUMANOVIC (25-12. FLY: AHMED OBAID (9-7-3) W PTS 10 MARCE DEMONTIS (5-0-1).
Seghetti vs. Numanovic
Home town fighter SEGHETTI beats Bosnian NUMANOVIC on a retirement. This was a snoozer over the first five rounds with neither pushing the pace or taking any chances. Seghetti changed things when he shook Numanovic with a left hook in the sixth. Seghetti scored heavily at the start of the seventh and a combination saw Numanovic drop to one knee. He beat the count but had to absorb more punishment before the end of the round and did not come out for the eighth. Seghetti wins the vacant European Silver title. Numanovic built a deceptional 23-0 record against mediocre opposition and is now 2-2 in his last 4 bouts,
Obaid vs. Demontis
Gaza-born Italian OBAID wins a unanimous decision over unbeaten DEMONTIS in an Italian title defence. Obaid outboxed Demontis using his superior skills and longer reach. Accurate counters had a swelling building over the left eye of Demontis. After seven rounds Obaid was five points ahead on all three cards and he swept the last three rounds to take the decision by 99-91 from the judges. Second defence of the title for Obaid. Demontis lacked the experience to compete.
NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND: SUPER WELTER: ETHAN JAMES (16-2) W PTS 10 HAMZA AZEEM (9-2).
Local fighter JAMES wins the vacant Commonwealth Boxing Council International title with a points victory over southpaw AZEEM. The referee scored this 98-92. Fourth win for James since losing to Constantin Ursu for the Commonwealth welter title. Azeem competed unsuccessfully at middleweight in the WBC Grand Prix last year.
JULY 18
LONDON, ENGLAND: WELTER: DAVID PAPOT (31-1-1) W PTS 12. HARLEM EUBANK(22-2). WELTER: KIERA MOLLOY (15-0) W TKO 8 SAM NOAKES (12-1). MIDDLE: JOEL BARTELL (10-1-1) DREW 10 KYRAN JONES (14-0-1). SUPER LIGHT: AARON PROSPERE (16-2) W PTS 10 MIKEY SAKYI (14-6). WELTER: JAKE HENTY (10-0) W PTS 10 FINLEY JAMES (9-1).
Papot and Eubank in action.
Papot vs. Eubank
PAPOT scores three knockdowns on the way to winning the decision over EUBANK. Eubank was relentlessly coming forward with tricky southpaw Papot circling the ring easily dodging Eubank’s attacks. A left knocked Eubank off balanced at the start of the second and as he continued to chase down Papot he was nailed by a left counter that dropped him to his hands and knees. After Eubank arose Papot fired a succession of rights and lefts but Eubank saw out the round. Eubank had same success over the middle rounds as he continued to rumble forward hunting down the ever retreating Papot. Eubank had a big seventh when he connected with two left hooks that sent Papot sprawling on the canvas. Papot was a not badly shaken and boxed his way through the rest of the round. Eubank was being frustrated in his efforts to close Papot down and over the eighth and ninth the Frenchman found Eubank an easy target for straight lefts and Eubank was showing cuts around both eyes. Frustration made Eubank careless and in the tenth as he stood in front of Papot with his hands down he was nailed by a left hook that sent him staggering back and down. He was up at six and when the action resumed Papot exploded with punches and Eubank went down again. He beat the count and made it to the bell. The effort may have tired Papot but he dredged up the strength to slug it out with Eubank in the last. Papot won on scores of. First fight for Papot since losing huis unbeaten label in a points defeat against Liam Paro in September. This win nets him the vacant IBF International title. Big setback for Eubank after his loss to Jack Catterall in July last year
Molloy vs. Noakes
MOLLOY floors and stops a gutsy NOAKES. Southpaw Molloy was looking to box at distance with Noakes applying plenty of pressure trying to get inside and deny Molloy punching room. Noakes looked to have a lead after a good third round driving Molloy back with right hooks. The fight changed in the fourth with Molloy cutting loose with hooks and uppercuts and making Noakes pay for his aggression. The speed and accuracy of Molloy’s hooks and uppercuts were breaking Noakes down. He kept trying to get forward but was taking some serious punishment from vicious body punches and had little left by the end of the seventh. A left hook from Molloy sent Noakes down hard in the eighth. He was up at eight but the referee rightly would not let him continue. Molloy weas defending the IBF European title for the first time. Noakes fought hard but found Molloy just too strong.
Bartell vs. Jones
A great little fight between BARTELL and JONES ends in a split draw and the Commonwealth International title remains vacant. Scores 96-93 Jones, 95-94 Bartell and 95-95. Bartell had problems with the height and reach of southpaw Jones but had the edge in the experience of having previously gone ten round and the contest was entertaining enough to call for a return.
Prospere vs. Sakyi
PROSPERE decisions SAKYI to win the vacant English title. This was a hard-fought contests. After a rocky first round Prospere had the better of the exchanges and won on scores of 97-92 on all three cards. Third victory in a row for Prospere. Sakyi had won 5 of his last six fights.
Henty vs. James
In a clash of unbeaten fighters HENTY gets a close decision over JAMES. This was Henty’s first fight for 16 months but he showed no signs of rust. Henty’s aggression impressed the referee more than the clever boxing on the back foot of James. Neither is a puncher and that allowed Henty to force the fight but James stuck to his boxing and it could easily have been scored a draw but the referee’s card was 96-94 for Henty who wins the vacant Southern Area title.
CARSON, CA, USA: SUPER MIDDLE: DIEGO PACHECO (26-0) W TKO 11 IMMANUWEL ALEEM (22-5-3).LIGHT: ANDY CRUZ (7-1) W TKO 3 ABRAHAM MONTOYA (24-8-1). FEATHER ALBERT GONZALEX (18-0) W KO 2 AARON LOPEZ (31-4). BANTAM: BRUNO RIOS Jr (9-0) W PTS 10 SAUL SANCHEZ (21-5-1). HEAVY: LEO ATANG (8-0) W TKO 2 GLEN WILLIAMS (2-2).
Pacheco vs. Aleem
PACHECO methodically breaks down ALEEM before stopping him in the eleventh round. The 6’4” height and 79 “ reach of Pacheco were just too much for the 5’10” and 70” reach of Aleem and Aleem never found a way to overcome those differences. Pacheco speared Aleem with jabs and straight rights doubling and tripling his jabs and adding hooks and uppercuts as Aleem over reached trying to score at distance. Pacheco was patient going for a gradual breakdown and takin no chances. In a brutal sixth Pacheco shook Aleem with vicious hooks and uppercuts and another hook and uppercut combination shook Aleem in the seventh as Pacheco hammered away at Aleem’s body. Aleem had only occasional successes with rights. The pace slowed in the eighth and Aleem managed to connect with some hooks inside. He landed a heavy right in the ninth but Pacheco continued to drive home vicious left hooks to the body. Pacheco again bombarded Aleem with straight rights, hooks and uppercuts in the tenth and there was very little coming back from a battered Aleem. A long right shook Aleem in the eleventh and he fell to the canvas under Pacheco’s punches. He got up and passed the referee’s tests and when the action resumed Pacheco drove him across the ring and when he dropped again the towel came in from Aleem’s corner just as he referee stopped the fight. Pacheco was defending the WBC Silver and WBO International titles and gets his nineteenth inside the distant finish. He is rated WBO 3, WBC 4, WBA 7 and is IBF 12-with positions 1 and 2 vacant. He turned down a chance to fight Hamza Sheeraz for the vacant WBO title earlier this year but hopefully will step up when given another chance. Aleem fought Lester Martinez for the vacant WBC Interim title in March and lost by big margins on all three cards.
Cruz vs. Montoya
Cuban CRUZ halts an overmatched MONTOYA in the third. Cruz boxed brilliantly in the first. Fighting on the back foot he blocked or slipped Montoya’s punches and fired back with lightning quick jabs, hooks and uppercuts. He changed and came forward in the second flooring Montoya with a right hook to the chin. Montoya saw out the round and passed a doctor’s check at the start of the third but with Montoya reeling and under fire the referee stopped the fight. First fight for Cruz since losing a majority decision against Ray Muratalla for the IBF lightweight title in January and he is now talking about moving down to super feather. First inside the distance loss for Montoya.
Gonzalez vs. Lopez
GONZALEZ gets his eleventh inside the distance win as he finishes LOPEZ in the second. Gonzalez was shadowing southpaw Lopez around the ring. Lopez was just stabbing out jabs and Gonzalez was waiting for an opening before committing himself. He backed Lopez to the ropes and unleashed a barrage of punches which Lopez managed to block. Action slowed as Lopez went back to occasional jabs and Gonzales was not forcing the fight but waiting to land one big right. Lopez was working with his jab in the second with Gonzalez again not throwing much just looking for an opening. Gonzalez then exploded into action forcing Lopez to the ropes and hammering him with lefts and rights until three right hooks to the body sent Lopez to the canvas in agony and he was counted out. Good win for Gonzalez over the more experienced Lopez who lost on points against Luis Nery in a fight for the WBA super bantam title and on a majority decision against former WBO super bantam champion Angelo Leo.
Rios vs. Sanchez
RIOS overcomes an early count to take a close unanimous decision over former title challenger SANCHEZ. Rios made a good start using his longer reach and landing sharp rights in the first. Sanchez had a bid second round firing a left hook which had Rois dropping into the ropes. The ropes stopped him going down and he was given a count. Rios recovered and clawed back the points from the 10-8 second by outscoring Sanchez in the third and fourth although both rounds were close. Sanchez picked up the pace over the fifth and sixth finding gaps in the defence of Rios and it looked as though Sanchez’s greater experience gave him the edge. Sanchez had that experience but Rios had the youth and power and battled his way back into the fight by outlanding Sanchez over the seventh and eighth. With the fight looking to be all square Rios staged the strong finish and took the decision on scores of 96-93 twice and 95-94. Rios, 20, a former top amateur, had only 14 rounds of boxing behind him as a professional and had never gone past four rounds before. Sanchez lost a majority decision against Jason Moloney for the WBO bantam title in 2024.
Atang vs. Williams
ATANG stops WILLIAMS in the second. It was one-way traffic from the start as Atang used his jab to open up William and hammered him with hard rights to the head and Williams was staggered badly by a right just before the bell. Williams pushed Atang to the canvas at the start of the second but he was pinned in a corner under fire later in the round and the referee stepped in and gave Williams a standing count. Williams showed no interest in continuing and the referee waived the fight over. This was never intended to be a test for Atang in his first fight in America and it was too easy to be useful. Atang, 19, a former World Under-19 and European Youth champion has won 9 of his fights by KO/TKO and has taken less than 16 rounds to win his 8 fights.
SAN BERNARDINO, CA, USA: SUPER LIGHT: BRYAN FLORES (29-1-1) W PTS 10 JONATHAN NAVARRO (18-3). SUPER FEATHER: CHARLY SUAREZ (19-0) W TKO 1 MANUEL AVILA (26-3-1). SUPER WELTER: JOSHUA ANTON (14-0) W PTS 10 VLADIMIR HERNANDEZ (17-8). WELTER: TRE’SEAN WIGGINS (18-5-4) W DISQ 1 RUBEN AGUILAR (24-1-1). SUPER FLY: ADELAIDA RUIZ (19-1-1) W PTS 10 GINNY FUCHS (4-0)
Flores vs. Navarro
FLORES keeps his hopes of a title fight alive as he outpoints useful NAVARRO. The pace of the fight was not fast as the temperature inside the Events Centre made both fighters cautious of fading late. Navarro had the additional problem of having failed to make the weight coming in 1 ½ lbs over the contracted 140 lbs. Both boxed cautiously over the first half of the fight. Flores had slight edges in height and reach and boxed well on the outside being quicker than Navarro and working the body. There were few sustained exchanges with Flores having the edge. Flores continued to take the fight to Navarro from the sixth. There was more close range work from both as they tired. Navarro had some success with counters but Flores continued to outscore him and emerged a good winner. Scores 98-92 twice and 97-93. WBC No 13 Flores retains the WBC Fecarbox title. The only defeat Flores has suffered is a split decision against unbeaten Lindolfo Delgado in 2024 and he has now scored three wins over respectable opposition since then. Third defeat in a row for Navarro .
Suarez vs. Avila
Impressive performance by Filipino SUAREZ as he demolishes useful AVILA in the first round and wins the vacant WBO International title. Suarez was looking to end this one early and he was quickly surging forward forcing Avila onto the back foot and firing shots to Avila’s body. Avila tried to keep Suarez off with jabs and quick combinations and it looked as though it might be a hard night for Suarez. That changed when Suarez drilled a straight right to Avila’s chin. Avila froze for a moment then dropped to a knee. He just beat the count but after examining him the referee decided he was unable to continue and the fight was over. Suarez, 37, challenged Emanuel Navarette for the WBO super feather title in May last. Navarette had a slim lead when a clash of heads saw Navarette suffer a cut and it was stopped in the eighth round and ruled a No Contest. Suarez is rated No 1 with the WBO so there could be a return later this year. For Avila this was only his fourth fight in the last three years.
Anton vs. Hernandez
Lanky southpaw ANTON gets a wide unanimous decision over experienced battler HERNANDEZ. The 6’3” Californian simply outworked the veteran., He set a ridiculous work rate that Hernandez just could not match in fact few could match, Hernandez hung tough as always but was never able to threaten Anton’s dominance. Scores 100-90 twice and 99-91 for Anton who was defending the WBC Continental Americas title.
Wiggins vs. Aguilar
WIGGINS gets a win as AGUILAR is disqualified for hitting on the break just one minutes into the fight. Aguilar was coming forward as they both just prodded with jabs. Wiggins backed into a corner as Aguilar threw a couple of punches. Wiggins ducked under the punches to get out of the corner then backed across the ring to the ropes on the other side. Agular followed him and Wiggins slid along the ropes to another corner. They exchanged punches as Wiggins spun out of the corner with Aguilar again following him. Wiggins grabbed hold of Aguilar then when he dropped his hands Aguilar connected with a right that dumped Wiggins on the floor. The referee was slow and two steps behind Aguilar but had called break just as Agular launched his right. The referee stopped the fight and helped Wiggins to his feet. Wiggins was very shaky so the referee asked the doctor to examine Wiggins and the doctor indicated Wiggins could not continue and Aguilar was disqualified for hitting on the break. It seemed unfair on Agular as his focus was on Wiggins and with the referee not in his line of sight it is highly possible he may not have heard the call. The result stands and Aguilar’s 25-bout unbeaten run is over.
Ruiz vs. Fuchs
RUIZ retains the WBC title and gains revenge for a 2024 defeat by Fuchs the only loss on her record. This was the Fuchs first fight since the win two years ago. Ruiz had been too aggressive in the first fight storming forward throwing punches and walking onto counters. This time she dialled the aggression back a trifle still taking the fight to Fuchs but with more control in her boxing. Southpaw Fuchs boxed with skill on the back foot but just could not match the strength of Ruiz. Fuchs relied heavily on her defence and accurate single shots with Ruiz outworking her with combinations. Both fighters were cut but none of the cuts were serious enough to affect the outcome of the fight and Californian Ruiz won on scores of 99-91, 97-93 and 96-94. Ruiz, 37, was making the first defence of the title. The first fight with Fuchs was for the vacant WBC Interim title and remarkably Fuchs fought from the first round with a dislocated thumb, Her sparse record is misleading as she had over 100 amateur fights.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: WELTER: MARCO ROMEO (10-1) W TKO 8 ABDULLAH MATTAR (10-1).
ROMEO beats local fighter MATTAR to retain the Australian title. Plenty of fierce exchanges but no knockdowns but with Romeo in front 69-64 on all three cards and Mattar pinned against the ropes with Romeo unloading on him referee made a good decision to stop the fight in the eighth. First defence of the national title for Romeo
SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: SUPER LIGHT: ALBERTO PUELLO (25-1) W TKO 3 MIGUEL BOLANO (10-5).
PUELLO stops an overmatched BOLANO in three. Southpaw Puello had considerable height and reach over the Colombian and used those to score well in the first and second. He connected with a left hook to the body in the third that had Bolano hurt. Puello unloaded punches with Bolano doubling over and pawing at his right eye. He was not fighting back and the referee stopped the fight. Puello lost the WBC super-light title to Subriel Matias on a majority decision in July last year but this fight was described as a keep busy effort as he prepares to challenge Dalton Smith for WBC title in October. Bolano had been stopped in six rounds by Gustavo Lemos in October.
PALMA DE MALLORCA, SPAIN: SUPER BANTAM: FARLIN CONDORI (11-2-2) W PTS 10 KIKE GARCIA (7-1).
Bolivian-born Spaniard CONDORI wins the vacant Spanish title as he outpoints Galicia’s GARCIA.
Condori scored a knockdown in the second and used his strength to control much of the action on the way to a unanimous verdict. Scores 98-91, 97-92 and 96-93. He is 5-0-1 in his last 6 fights. Garcia, a natural bantamweight, fought back hard after the early knockdown but came up short.
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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