The Past Week in Action 17 February 2014

Miss any of this week’s action in the sport? Get caught up with “The Past Week in Action” by Eric Armit; with a review of all major cards in the sport.

                       

February 12

 

New York, NY, USA: Light Middle: Boyd Melson (14-1-1) W PTS 8 Don Ward (6-4). Light Heavy: Joe Smith Jr. (14-1) W PTS 6 Otis Griffin (24-15-2).

Melson vs. Ward

Southpaw “Rainmaker” Melson wins but again fails to impress. The former Army amateur star outboxed modest Ward over the early rounds but then faded badly due to an arm injury and had to settle for a majority decision. Scores 79-73, 78-74 and 76-76. Melson is a publicists dream through his fund raising for research on spinal cord injuries and being one of the few Jewish boxers around today. He had a stellar amateur time but did not turn pro until he was 30. As an amateur he was a multi-US Inter Services champion, World Military champion, lost to Erislandy Lara in the World Championships quarter-finals, competed at both the 2004 and 2008 US Olympic trials and won and lost with Keith Thurman in a couple of tournaments. Ward, 24, was coming off a second round stoppage loss against Tony Harrison in November.

Smith vs. Griffin

Smith extends his winning streak with wide unanimous decision over sliding veteran Griffin. “Irish” Smith was just too young and strong and Griffin was under pressure for most of the fight. It did not help Griffin’s cause when he was cut over the left eye in the third as the injured continued to shed blood for the remainder of the fight. Smith had Griffin hurt on a few occasions but Griffin knew enough tricks to last the distance. Scores 60-54 twice and 59-54. Long Islander Smith, 24, has won his last eight and this was a big step up in level of opposition. The 36-year-old Griffin has now lost 10 of his last 11 fights.

 

Monterrey, Mexico: Fernando Torres (14-9-1) W TKO 7 Eliud Melendez R (8-5-1). Feather: Omar Tienda (10-0) W TKO 2 Lizardo Moreno (41-14-2).

Torres vs. Melendez

“Little Bull” again shows his power with stoppage of Melendez. Both fighters forgot defence and just went toe-to-toe. Torres does not have a great chin but he can punch and slowly ground Melendez down. In the seventh a hard combination sent Rocha into the ropes and down to the canvas. He made it to his feet but could not continue. Now 12 wins by KO/TKO for Torres, but he also has 7 losses that way. Melendez had turned his score around with a run of six wins. He loses inside the distance for the third time.

Tienda vs. Moreno

The punch of Tienda proved more than a match for the experience of “Pajarito” Moreno. The local “Heroe” made it six wins by KO/TKO as he matched Moreno blow for blow and then put the veteran down with the fight being stopped. Best win so far for the young hope in his third ten round fight. Moreno, 34, is a former national champion but is now 4-7 in his last 11 fights.

 

February 14

 

Calais, France: Super Feather: Romain Jacob (21-0) W PTS 12 Devis Boschiero (34-2-1). Super Feather: Karim Chakim (26-9) W PTS 6 Yordan Vasilev (16-34-2).

Boschiero vs. Jacob

In front of his home fans Jacob wins the European title from WBC No 1 Boschiero. For the French it was an epic victory, for the Italians Boschiero should have been declared the winner. Whichever view you took it was a great little fight and a very close verdict. The Italian made the better start in the first round getting through with his jab and good punches to the body that had Jacob on the back foot. The second saw the action heating up with both trying to impose themselves on the fight and with plenty of hard exchanges with Boschiero getting the best of them. The Frenchman has the better of the third with the use of a hard right hook to head and body which hurt Boschiero. Again in the fourth Jacob is on top with Boschiero now fighting on the back foot. At this stage the scores were 38-38 twice and 39-37 to Boschiero.  The sixth sees the stronger Italian scoring with combinations to head and body only for Jacob to blast back at the end of the round. It was a similar situation in the seventh with the start delayed as Jacob did not have his mouthpiece in, and then Boschiero doing the better work at the start of the round and Jacob after absorbing some punishment firing back before the bell. At the end of the eighth which Boschiero seemed to edge it had been all even with one judge seeing it 77-75 for Jacob, one having it 77-75 for Boschiero and the third having it 76-76. Both fighters have good spells in the ninth as the battle goes back and forth but now Jacob seems to be taking control. In the tenth a clash of heads sees a bad cut opened over the right eye of Jacob. Boschiero takes advantage of Jacob’s worry over the cut to hurt the challenger with a hard right. Jacob also has a swelling under his left eye but fires back in the eleventh. The challenger is exhausted in the last and slips to the canvas twice. The decision could have gone either way but it went to Jacob on scores of 115-113, 115-114 and 115-113 to Boschiero. It could be argued that with the points difference being so narrow, and Boschiero being the champion, that the decision might have gone the other way if the bout was held in Italy but Jacobs, 25, showed he belonged in this class and it was too close to be called a robbery. The Jacob’s dynasty continues with Romain’s grandfather being a pro and four uncles having won French titles. Boschiero, who was making the fourth defence of his EBU title, could have ducked this one by relinquishing and protected his WBC No 1 rating but he took the brave decision to put his title on the line in the challenger’s backyard and paid the price. The only other defeat suffered by the 32-year-old Italian was a split decision against Takahiro Ao for the WBC title in 2011-again in the other man’s backyard. Following the excellent Marcus Nader vs. Emanuele Blandamura EU title fight last month this fight shows the exceptionally high quality of the EBU/EU title fights.

Chakim vs. Vasilev
Chakim shows ring rust and is caught cold and floored by Bulgarian in the first round. It is the third before Chakim gets his act together. Going forward as usual he has Vasilev hurt on occasion from the fourth and runs out a clear winner. The 37-year-old former undefeated French and EU champion suffered back to back losses to Romain Jacob and Ermano Fegatilli and this was his first fight since losing to Fegatilli in March last year. Bulgarian Vasilev, 30, is 3-6 in his last 9 fights.

 

Huntington, USA: Light Welter: Chris Algieri (19-0) W PTS 10 Emmanuel Taylor (17-2). Light Welter: Jeremy Bryan (17-3) W PTS 8 Issouf Kinda (16-2).

Algieri vs. Taylor

This was always going to be about the skill of Algieri and the pressure of Taylor. Algieri won out as he was faster and busier than the highly rated Taylor and made good use of his advantages in height and reach. Both were trying to get their jab working early and Algieri had more success mixing in uppercuts and doing enough to pocket the first four rounds. Taylor was finding Algieri just that much too quick for him and was having to ship some hard hooks and uppercuts. Taylor came into it more in the fifth as he was able to land hard shots of his own. Over the next two rounds Taylor was getting closer to the quicker Algieri although both were scoring in good exchanges and the rounds could have been scored either way. Taylor was starting to eat into Algieri’s big lead, but still lagged behind. Algieri put that right in the eighth as he scored with punches to head and body and pocketed a decisive round putting Taylor into a position where he needed a stoppage to win. Algieri dominated most of the ninth only to be pegged back by a left from Taylor late in the round. Algieri then boxed his way through the last as Taylor tried hard for a kayo. Scores 97-93 twice and 98-92.  Biggest win so far for the “Pride of Huntington” Algeria as he again showed excellent skills and the ability to trade when he had to. The 29-year-old, a former kickboxing world champion, turned pro at 23 with only a modest amount of amateur fights behind him, now the win over an IBF top 10 rated fighter will push him high in the ratings. “Tranzformer” Taylor, 23, was rated No 6(5) by the IBF following wins over Ray Serrano and Victor Cayo and will come again. He won a batch of medals as an amateur including three national PAL titles.

Bryan vs. Kinda

Bryan gets a very much needed win with close unanimous decision over Kinda. The former amateur star was just that much busier and did the cleaner work in a messy fight where the styles did not gel. Kinda suffered with the handicap of a cut under his right eye from the third but was just outworked in this his second loss in a row. Scores 77-75 twice and 78-74. “Hollywood” Bryan, 28, twice a NGG champion who lost to Danny Garcia in the US Olympic trials for the 2008 Olympics, had started well enough as a pro winning his first 13 fights but had been 3-3 in his latest 6 with the three losses being by KO/TKO. Similar experience for 26-year-old Kinda. He represented Burkina Faso at the 2007 World Championships and won his first 16 pro fights before losing a technical decision against Chris Howard in May.

 

New Plymouth, New Zealand: Heavy: Billy Wright (43-4) W TKO 5 Chauncy Welliver (55-8-5). Cruiser: Sam Rapira (6-0) W TKO 2 Kashif Mumtaz (8-38-1).

Wright vs. Welliver

Any pretence that this was a serious fight disappeared at the weigh-in as Wright hit the scales at 322lbs (146kg) and Welliver at 280lbs (128kg) . Neither fighter bothered with the pretence of footwork or jabs but just plodded forward pushing ineffectual clubbing shots. The fight was effectively over in the second when Welliver suffered a break to his right arm but fought on. He was hardly able to use the right arm at all but even then the ponderous Wright was not able to dominate the fight and eventually the “action” was loudly booed by the crowd. In the fifth the referee halted the fight and spoke to Welliver’s corner as Welliver was obviously in pain, but the New Zealand-based American refused to have the fight stopped and insisted in continuing. Welliver draped his right arm outside of the ropes to keep it out of the way of Wright and just fought with his left. Welliver’s corner retired him at the end of the round. “Bronco” Wright, 49, fought his age, and despite his 14 wins in a row cannot be taken seriously. Welliver was in no kind of condition for this fight and losses to Sherman Williams and novice Kyotaro Fujimoto show he is way past his best.

Rapira vs. Mumtaz

Local Taranaki fighter “Terror” Rapira kept his streak going as he hurt Mumtaz in the first before staggering him in the second. Mumtaz crumple under the pressure and was down on one knee when the referee stopped the fight. The 30-year-old has won all six of his fights by KO/TKO and all inside three rounds. Pakistan-born Mumtaz, 36, has lost 18 of his last 19 fights.

 

Eatons Hill, Australia: Cruiser: Mark Flanagan (15-4) W KO 1 Andrew Green (11-1-1). Middle: Mike Zerafa (14-0) W PTS 8 Luke Sharp (8-1-2).

Flanagan vs. Green

Big right hand puncher Flanagan gets win with just one second left in the first round. Looking confident Flanagan saw his chance and landed a thunderous right which put previously unbeaten Green down and out. The 23-year-old “Bam Bam” makes it 10 wins by KO/TKO. He has now won 10 of his past 11 fights, losing only to Daniel Mackinnon in that streak. The right thrown as an uppercut or a cross is his trademark. He is ANBF No 2. Green, 30, the ANBF No 8, was having his first scheduled ten rounder.

Zerafa vs. Sharp

Zerafa gets unanimous decision over Sharp in battle of unbeaten fighters. The 21-year-old from Melbourne was in command from the start and ran out a clear winner on scores of 79-73 twice and 80-72. Zerafa is WBC ACC champion and ANBF No 6. Sharp, 25, was ANBF No 4 and IBO Asia Pacific champion.

 

February 15

 

 

London. England: Heavy: Dereck Chisora (20-4) W PTS 12 Kevin Johnson (29-4-1). Heavy: Tyson Fury (22-0) W TKO 4 Joey Abell (29-8,2ND). Super Middle: Frank Buglioni (12-0) W TKO 5 Gaetano Nespro (21-10-1). Welter: Bradley Skeete (15-0) W PTS 12 Chris Sebire (22-8). Heavy: Hughie Fury (13-0) W TKO 2 Matt Greer (16-12). Light Welter: Thomas Stalker (6-0) W PTS 6 Dan Carr (3-52-2).

Chisora vs. Johnson

The win was what was important here and Chisora got that by a mile. It was always going to be hard to look good against Johnson who has limited ambition but plentiful survival skills. Johnson showed some boxing in the first round as he had his jab working and took the round. When Chisora got serious in the second Johnson lost his ambition and the fight. The Brit kept the pressure on and Johnson had nothing to offer. Chisora had a big fifth round when he floored Johnson with a heavy right, something the neither Vitali Klitschko or Tyson Fury managed. After that Chisora boxed his way to victory with Johnson staging a bit of a recovery as Chisora tired in the last couple of rounds but Johnson never threatening to win. Scores 118-109 twice and 118-110. “Del Boy”, 30, retains his WBA and WBO International titles and leaves the door open for either a fight with Fury or with Alex Povetkin. His wins over Malik Scott, Edmund Gerber and Ondrej Pala have helped him put his 2012 loss to David Haye behind him and he is now WBO 2/IBF 7(6)/WBC 7/WBA 13 (12). Johnson, 34, was coming off a loss to Christian Hammer (14-3) in December so was no longer considered a major test but in wins against Alex Leapai (now WBO No1) and Solomon Haumono he had shown he can be dangerous when in the mood.

Fury vs. Abell

Fury floors Abell four times on the way to victory.  As usual Fury had height and reach over his opponent but as usual managed to mix in the odd thrill rather than jab his way to victory. The first minor thrill came in the second when a southpaw left from Abell seemed to shake Fury but it looked more as though Fury went backwards into the ropes to avoid the punch. Abell’s head then caught Fury by the right eye and the fight was halted whilst the referee warned Abell. Fury was content to let Abell make the pace and just prod out his long left and mix in the odd right hand. In the third Fury floored Abell but the punch was thrown on the break and Abell was given time to recover and Fury given a warning. At the end of the round a clubbing straight right put Abell down. He got up and as the bell had gone went back to his corner. Abell’s last fling saw him hurt Fury with a right in the fourth but as he came forward to take advantage of the shot Fury turned Abell onto the ropes and floored him with four or five head shots. Abell got up at 9  and as Fury came looking for the finish he walked onto a left from Abell but fired back with  three head shots which sent Abell slumped down in a corner. He again got up at 9 but the fight was stopped. In his first fight since beating Steve Cunningham in April Fury was carrying a bit of extra weight but could afford to do so against a fighter of Abell’s quality. However he was also caught with some hard lefts which he cannot afford against better opposition. The American has lost 4 of his last 5 fight by KO/TKO but in fairness to quality opposition in Chris Arreola, Fres Oquendo, Kubrat Pulev and now Fury.

Buglioni vs. Nespro

Buglioni too young and strong for experienced Nespro and easily retains his WBO Europe title. With a 4” height advantage Buglioni was able to score on the outside whilst Nespro tried unsuccessfully to counter. Buglioni stayed on top of the Italian throughout the first three rounds and closed the distance in the fourth. He floored Nespro with a right but the challenger got up and fought back with a hard counter. Buglioni was not going to be denied and floored Nespro with a right early in the fifth. Nespro got up only to be knocked down by a left hook. He made it to his feet again but a right to the head put him down and the referee promptly stopped the fight. First defence of his WBO European title for the 24-year-old “Wise Guy” and his eighth win by KO/TKO. Winning the WBO title got Buglioni a No 12 rating from that body. Nespro, 34, a former Italian champion does not make it into the EBU ratings and was down at No 23 in the European Union ratings. This is his third loss by KO/TKO.

Skeete vs. Sebire

Skeete made excellent use of his physical advantages to box his way to victory over former French champion Sebire. He had Sebire rocking from a right in the first but the Frenchman has a good chin and never again looked in trouble. Skeete was able to use his reach to control the action and Sebire could do little to close the gap. He picked up one or two rounds at the most with occasional attacks but Skeete finished the fight strongly and won a comfortable victory. Scores 120-108, 119-109 and 117-111. Skeete, 26, wins the vacant WBA Inter-Continental title but had been hoping for a higher profile fight against former WBA light welter champion Vivian Harris, but Harris reportedly failed the medical so Skeete had to adjust to a new opponent. Sebire, 28, had lost on points to Chris Jenkins two weeks ago so although coming in as a substitute was in fair condition.

Fury vs. Greer

Predictable win for Fury over journeyman loser Greer. After settling from probing with his jab and throwing the odd right Fury got the job done in the second. Greer came out firing but Fury dug to the American’s body and after the third knockdown Green’s corner threw the towel.  Now 9 wins b y KO/TKO for the 6’6” (198cm) Fury who at 19 does not need to be rushed. Greer, 36, is 2-6 in his last 8 fights with all of the losses being by KO/TKO and all to undefeated fighters.

Stalker vs. Carr

No trouble for southpaw Stalker here as he wins every round against very late fill-in Carr. The 29-year-old captain of the British boxing team at the London Olympics was able to control the fight with his right jab but never quite get into position to take the experienced survivor out. Referee’s score 60-53. Stalker has talent but at 29 needs to move up quickly. Carr lost inside the distance in his third fight, the only time he has been stopped in his 57 fights.

 

Hawaiian Gardens, CA, USA: Light: Diego Magdaleno (25-1) W KO 4 Jorge Pazos (14-7-1). Super Bantam: Jessie Magdaleno (18-0) W TKO 5 Roberto Castaneda (20-6-1). Light Heavy: Trevor McCumby (14-0) W TKO 1 Chris Eppley (10-4).

Magdaleno vs. Pazos

Now up at lightweight Magdaleno quickly disposed off outclassed but feisty Pazos. After two rounds of pounding the body Magdaleno put Pazos down in the third with a flurry of shots finished off with a right to the chin. Pazos survived to bear more punishment in the fourth. Again Magdaleno threw fast, hard combinations and a final left hook to the body and right to the jaw put Pazos down for the full count. Second win for the 27-year-old southpaw since losing a split decision to Roman Martinez for the WBO super feather title last April. He has 10 wins by KO/TKO. Mexican Pazos, 24, has lost 5 of his last 6 fights, but all too very good quality opposition.

Magdaleno vs. Castaneda

Castaneda might have thought he was doing well in this fight as Magdaleno spent most of the fight with his back to the ropes and countering. Unfortunately that was Magdaleno’s game plan and he constantly caught Castaneda with hard shots as the experienced Mexican tried to move in. A fast combination floored Castaneda in the second and he was floored again late in the round by another volley of punches. Castaneda kept walking in over the next two rounds and was constantly being caught with hard counters. Magdaleno closed the show in the fifth with a southpaw right/left pair of slammers and Castaneda was down and out. The 22-year-old southpaw has 14 wins by KO/TKO and although his WBO No 6 rating flatters him for beating Henry Maldonado, Luis Maldonado and Raul Hidalgo they are useful scalps and it is only a matter of time before he rises to a world title shot. Now 5 losses in a row for 22-year-old Castaneda but against class such as Felipe Orucuta, Chris Martin, Gary Russell and Roman Morales.

McCumby vs. Eppley

Yet another first round finish for hard punching McCumby as he halts Eppley. The 21-year-old former US Under-19 amateur champion now has11 wins by KO/TKO with 8 coming in the first round. Eppley’ s last fight was a points loss to Nick Cook in April 2013 and before that in 2011 so no sort of test for McCumby.

 

Albertslund, Denmark: Middle: Patrick Nielsen (22-0) W KO 2 Tony Jeter (16-4-1,2ND). Cruiser: Micki Nielsen (13-0) W PTS 10 Gogita Gorgiladze (17-4). Light Welter: Anthony Yigit (9-0-1) W PTS 6 Ryan Fields (2-2). Heavy: Otto Wallin (6-0) W TKO 4 Ladislav Kovarik (10-16). Middle: Abdul Khattab (6-0) W PTS 6 Aleksei Tsatiasvili (5-6).

Nielsen vs. Jeter

Too easy for young Nielsen as he halts vastly overrated Jeter in two rounds. Nielsen floored Jeter with the first decent punch of the fight. It was partially a stumble but the second knockdown in the round came from a left to the chin which put Jeter down. He survived to the end of the round but a body punch early in the second sent Jeter into the ropes down again and he did not seem interested in getting up. Win No 11 by KO/TKO for the 22-year-old heavily-tattooed southpaw. He wins the vacant WBC Silver title and already holds the WBA and WBO Inter-Continental titles. He was rated WBO 3/IBF 4(3)/WBA 5 and will now get a WBC top 15 ranking but the EBU No 9 rating is much more representative of the opposition he has fought. Fellow-southpaw Jeter, 38, losing inside the distance for the third time, was a ridiculous No 14 with the WBC for twice beating Tyrel Brown (7-3) for the WBC Fecarbox title.

Nielsen vs. Gorgiladze

Younger brother Micki won his first pro title as he laboured to a points victory over Georgian Gorgiladze. Nielsen boxed more than usual but put that down to injuring his left hand in the second round. He probably showed too much respect to the modest Georgian and was also concerned to pace himself in his first ten round fight and having one eight rounder behind him. With his big edge in height and reach he was able to outbox and outscore the durable Gorgiladze who only managed to get through with the occasional counters. Scores 100-90, 100-91 and 99-91. The 20-yearold, 6’3” (190cm) southpaw wins the vacant WBC Youth title and beats his third Georgian in his last four fights. Gorgiladze, 20, wins inside Georgia and loses outside. His only inside the distance loss came against Ilunga Makabu last February.

Yigit vs. Fields

Swedish southpaw Yigit gets six good rounds of work against useful British novice Fields. Scores 59-55 twice and 58-56. The 22-year-old former amateur champion was having his second fight in two weeks. His draw was with Tony Pace, another Brit. The lanky 21-year-old Fields came in as a late sub and he was having his second fight in eight days.

Wallin vs. Kovarik

Predictable win for Swedish heavy Wallin over travelling loser Kovarik. The 23-year-old southpaw makes it 4 wins by KO/TKO. As an amateur he was runner-up in the Swedish and Nordic Championships but failed to win his way through the European 2012 Olympic eliminators. Now 11 losses in his last 12 fights for the 38-year-old Czech Kovarik.

Khattab vs. Tsatiasvili

Top prospect Khattab dominated this one. He had some rust to shed but was able to use a fast, accurate jab to set up the Estonian for a range of left hooks and rights. Tsatiasvili is a good survivor he lasted through a rocky fifth round and despite all of the efforts of Khattab he was there at the end and even convinced one judge he had taken a round. Scores. 60-54 twice and 59-54. The 20-year-old Khattab has been called the best prospect since Mikkel Kessler-no pressure then! This was Khattab’s first fight for nine months but he showed enough to prove he is one to watch. The 26-year-old Estonian has gone the distance with Adam Etches, Torben Keller and Ahmad Kaddour.

 

Saladillo, Argentina: Welter: Diego Chaves (23-1) W TKO 3 Juan A Godoy (31-14-1).

Chavez was walking Godoy down from the first bell. Godoy was going backward for all of the first three minutes. He prodded with his left but lacked any power. Chaves was forcing Godoy back with a stiff jab and throwing long left hooks to the body. In the second Godoy was more active throwing light flurries. Chaves was simply ignoring anything Godoy threw and was now mixing in straight rights with his jabs and hooks. In the third Chaves was loading up on his punches. Godoy chose to stand and trade and was driven back to the ropes. Chaves let go punch after punch from both hands with a right to the chin, the strongest punch in the bunch, saw Godoy bobbing, ducking and weaving. Most of the shots from Chaves missing but those that got through drove Godoy along the ropes to a corner where the referee stepped-in and gave Godoy a standing count. Godoy tried to fight back but was trapped on the ropes and under pressure again when the referee stopped the fight. Godoy protested but the end was inevitable. Now 18 wins by KO/TKO for “La Joya” and his first fight since losing his interim WBA title to Keith Thurman in July. “Maravilla” Godoy, 34, the FAB No 2, had won 9 of his last 10 fights.

 

Lakemba, Australia: Super Feather: Billel Dib (13-1) W PTS 8 Mike Correa (3-8-3). Australian champion easily outscores Filipino southpaw in his second fight in 17 days. Scores 80-72 twice and 80-73. “Baby Face” the 24-year-old brother of Billy, has reversed his only loss with a stoppage. Six losses in a row for Australian-based Correa.

 

Mississauga, Canada: Cruiser: Denton Daley (12-0) W PTS 12 Andres Taylor (21-6-2). Light Middle: Sammy Vargas (16-1-1) W PTS 8 Lyes Chaibi (11-6-1).

Daley vs. Taylor

Daley retains his NABA title winning every round against Taylor. Daley has been troubled with injury to his right hand in his last two fights and took few chances with it here. He easily outboxed the less skillful Taylor throughout without really impressing. He used the right sparingly except in the sixth when he shook Taylor badly with it and came close to forcing a stoppage. After that Taylor was just looking to survive and showed a good chin and some clever tricks but never threatened to make a fight of it. Daley was letting his right hand go at the end trying for a stoppage, but Taylor was still there at the bell. Scores 120-108 from all three judges. Before the fight Daley had said he was taking a chance in fighting as he has suffered tissue damage affecting his performance against both Faisal Ibnel Arrami and Jean Marc Monrose. The 31-year-old Canadian is WBA7/WBC15 but will now need some time off to let the hand heal properly. The 34-year-old Taylor has lost 5 of his last 6 fights.

Vargas vs. Chaibi

Vargas found this hard work against French No 9 Chaibi. The Colombian-born Vargas had plenty of height and reach over the French southpaw but most of the fight was contested at close quarters where he failed to make those advantages pay. It was fairly even over the first four rounds and it was really decided over the closing rounds where Vargas dominated in a messy, untidy ending. Scores 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75. Vargas was rebounding from losing his unbeaten record to Pablo “Gravedigger” Munguia in December. Chaibi, 30, won his first 7 fights but is 4-6-1 in his last 11.

 

Paris, France: Super Middle: Mariano Hilario (10-2) W TKO 8 Samy Anouche (15-2-1). Spanish champion Hilario wins vacant EU title with one punch finish against Frenchman Anouche. This was supposed to be a sure fire wins for Anouche and that’s how it looked for most of the fight. The French southpaw swept the first four rounds finding Hilario an easy target for hooks from both hands. The score after those four rounds was 40-36 from all three judges. Hilario fought back to be competitive to take the fifth and sixth but Anouche was on top again in the seventh and had Hilario on the verge of a stoppage. The scores at that point were 68-65 on all cards. Anouche was going for the finish in the eighth when he was nailed by a thunderous right hook to the chin and went down for the first time in his career. He made it to his feet but the referee decided he could not continue and the fight was stopped. The French corner disputed the stoppage as it came so close to the end of the round, but Anouche was badly hurt. Spanish-based Dominican Hilario, 26, was not considered a puncher with only three wins by KO/TKO prior to this, but he produced the thunder when he needed it. He also collects the vacant WBC Mediterranean title. Southpaw Anouche, 28, who holds a win over George Groves from the amateurs, had won 6 of his last 7 fights and was a heavy favourite in front of his home fans.

 

Dublin, Ireland: Middle: Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (29-1) W TKO 4 Ricardo Ramallo (15-5-1,1ND). Cruiser: Youri Kayembre Kalenga (19-1) W KO 3 Cesar Crenz (21-8). Middle: Mark Heffron (9-0) W PTS 8 Mateo Veron (19-10-2,2ND).

N’Jikam vs. Ramallo

N’Jikam disposes of Argentinian in four rounds. The former interim WBA and WBO champion took the first round with fast jabs and left hooks. The gap in class showed in the second as left hooks from the Cameroon-born N’Jikam had Ramallo badly hurt. N’Jikam kept pressing for the finish and floored Ramallo twice in the fourth with the referee stopping the fight. Second win for N’Jikam since being floored six times in losing to Peter Quillin for the WBO title in 2012. The 29-year-old had outpointed Irishman Anthony Fitzgerald in December and promoter Gary Hide will be looking to get N’Jikam another title shot. Ramallo, 30, the FAB No 5(3), had only previously lost inside the distance to Marco A Rubio and Mateo Veron.

Kalenga vs. Crenz

The danger signs were there for Crenz when the Argentinian was staggered by a right in the first round. It looked to be all over when another right put Crenz down heavily in the second but Crenz banged back to stagger the over eager Kalenga with a right of his own. It was another right that ended it in the third as Kalenga crashed home a straight right which put Crenz down and the fight has stopped immediately. The 25-year-old DRC-born Kalenga can punch as his 13 wins by KO/TKO and his two round destruction of Iago Kiladze (20-0) shows, but a wide points loss in September to Latvian Arturs Kulikauskis (11-18-3) indicates that he lacks the skill to go with the power. Former Argentinian champion “El Ruso” Crenz, 34, and 6’5” (195cm), is currently FAB No 2. He has been in with good opposition in Yoan Pablo Hernandez, Dymtro Kucher and Pawel Kolodziej but is 3-5 in his last 8 fights and this is his fifth loss by KO/TKO.

Heffron vs. Veron

Strangely it was Heffron who faced the toughest Argentinian opponent on the night and he was given eight good learning rounds by the FAB No 2 light middle. The tall 22-year-old Oldham-born Heffron found the experienced Veron a difficult target but managed to get through with hard body shots and did enough to win every round without really shaking Veron. The former British Youth gold and European Youth silver medallist who was also ABA champion in 2009 is finally getting regular action after having only one fight in 2011 and one in 2012. “El Chino” Veron, 24, had won 6 of his last 7 fights including a stoppage victory over Ramallo and a points win over former interim WBC middle title challenger Jorge Heiland.

 

Tapachula, Mexico: Fly: Roman Gonzalez (38-0) W TKO 6 Juan Kantun (21-6-3). Bantam: Rodrigo Guerrero (20-5-1) W TKO 7 Daniel Rosas (17-1-1).

Gonzalez vs. Kantun

Kantun in way over his head against one of the best pound-for-pound fighters active today. Gonzalez was relentless in his attack in the first round throwing hook after hook from both hands and forcing Kantun to stand and trade when it would have been smarter for the Mexican to try to use his jab. However, Kantun was getting through with shots of his own and the round was fairly even. Kantun came forward at the start of the second and for the first 20 seconds forced Gonzalez back with a steady stream of hooks. Once Gonzalez got started he was doubling and tripling his hooks and uppercuts with Kantun standing toe-to-toe but getting the worst of it. Gonzalez just kept marching forward in the third. Now he was throwing the left hook to the body followed by straight rights to the head and Kantun was unable to match the Nicaraguan’s power and spent the last thirty second being pounded on the ropes. Kantun again started fast in the fourth and it was 30 seconds before Gonzalez threw his first punch. Again he was curving hooks into the body of Kantun and the Mexican spent most of the round with his back to the ropes and with rights and lefts jerking his head back. He was not ready to fold and the last 30 seconds of the round were Kantun’s as he moved around a static Gonzalez throwing hooks and straight shots with nothing coming back from Gonzalez. In the fifth Gonzalez was breaking the Mexican down hounding him from one side of the ring to the other and scoring with punch after punch to head and body. Kantun never stopped trying to throw his own shots but Gonzalez was just walking through them. Gonzalez jumped on Kantun at the start of the sixth and the Mexican was thrown back into the ropes with his glove briefly touching the canvas. He was given a standing eight count. Gonzalez took him to the ropes again and a volley of punches ending with a straight right to the body put Kantun down on his knees. He barely made it up at nine and the referee stopped the fight. The undefeated double world champion again showed his relentless savagery as he walked through Kantun and destroyed the game Mexican with a unending battering of hooks and uppercuts. The 26-year-old makes it 32 wins by KO/TKO. He has been dominant at strawweight and light flyweight and looks capable of sweeping all before him at flyweight. Kantun was as game as can be but just out-gunned. He has lost 3 of his last 4 fights but the other losses were to world rated opposition in Rocky Fuentes and David Sanchez.

Guerrero vs. Rosas

This was a war from the start with Rosas wounded early when he was floored in the first and a clash of heads left him with a bad cut on his right eyelid. However he got home shots of his own and rocked Guerrero twice in the round. They continued to trade bombs over the next five rounds with Guerrero switching guards and scoring heavily with both hands and Rosas trading him punch for punch. Something had to give and Rosas eventually began to wilt and Guerrero took command. He was well on top and with Rosas shipping punishment and bleeding heavily in the seventh the referee halted the fight. The 26-year-old former IBF super fly champion was having his first fight since losing to Daiki Kameda for the vacant version of his old IBF title in September. He is No 6(5) with the IBF. The 24-year-old “Bad Boy” Rosas, the WBO No 2 bantam holds wins over Fernando Vargas, Roberto Castaneda and Juan Alberto Rosas and can come again.

 

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: Feather: Rene Alvarado (20-2) W TKO 9 Robinson Castellanos (19-10). Light: Robert Manzanares (26-1) W KO 2 Carlos Rodriguez (8-1). Bantam: Luis May (14-7-1) TEC DRAW 4 Noe Martinez Raygoza (16-5-1).

Castellanos vs. Alvarado

A big upset sees Nicaraguan “Twin” Alvarado halt WBC No 2 Castellanos to win the WBC Silver title. The fight started badly for Castellanos as, a clash of heads say the Mexicans/ a straight right say the Nicaraguans, saw him suffer a cut on his right eyebrow in the first round. Castellanos recovered to score heavily in the second and visibly hurt Alvarado with a left hook to the body at the close of the third. From the fourth Alvarado just kept blasting forward attacking the body and having Castellanos hurt and on the defensive. The Nicaraguan continued the assault for round after round and Castellanos began to wilt under the pressure. A concerted attack by Alvarado in the ninth saw Castellanos just slump down in a corner with his back against the ropes and sit out the count. Despite his impressive figures and having won 6 of his last 7 fights the 25-year-old Nicaraguan, his birthday was on the same day as this fight, was not considered a big threat as his losses had been to low level opposition. However, he rose to the occasion here and his 14^th win by KO/TKO will get him a high rating with the WBC after beating the No 2. His twin brother Felix lost on points to Kazuto Ioka for the WBA light fly title in December. Castellanos, 31, had turned his career around. This was his 9^th defence of his Silver title and he had won 11 fights in a row including victories over Alberto Garza, Omar Estrella and Celestino Caballero. It will be a long way back for “Robin Hood”.

Manzanares vs. Rodriguez

Teenage terror “Tito” destroys Rodriguez inside two rounds. After a first round of study Manzanares floored Rodriguez with a vicious hook to the body. Rodriguez got up and took the eight count but was in considerable pain. Manzanares switched his attack to the head and a hard combination put Rodriguez down for the count. The 19-year-old Phoenix-born Manzanares, he turned pro at 15, retains his WBC Youth title and makes it 22 wins by KO/TKO. He reversed his sole loss with a kayo win. “Coreano” Rodriguez was stepping up and found the difference in class too much.

May vs. Raygoza

May retains his NABF title as clash of heads in the fourth round sees Raygoza badly cut on his left eyebrow and the fight declared a technical draw. May seemed to be having the better of the action and was hoping a win would get him a place in the world ratings but it was not to be. “Duro” May a former undefeated NABF fly champion was making his first defence. Southpaw Raygoza, 20, was 4-5 in his last 9 fights and was having only his second ten round fight.

 

Panama City, Panama: Light Welter: Kelly Figueroa (5-2-3) W PTS 9 Augusto Pinilla (16-10-1,1ND). Super Banta: Liborio Solis (17-3-1) W KO 1 Alex Olea (10-7). Bantam: Yonfrez Parejo (15-1-1) W PTS 8 Rafael Castillo (9-15-3).

Figueroa vs. Pinilla

Venezuelan Figueroa overcame the height and reach advantages of Pinilla to win a close decision and lift the WBA Fedebol title. Figueroa needed a good result after winning only one of his last four fights. Local fighter Pinilla needed the win even more and is now 2-9 in his last 11 fights

Solis vs. Olea

Terrible match sees former WBA super fly champion Solis force Colombian Olea to retire at the end of the first round. The 31-year-old Venezuelan lost his title on the scales in December when failing to make the weight for a unification fight with IBF champion Daiki Kameda but went on to win the fight. Olea, 36, is 2-4 in his last 6 fights.

Parejo vs. Castillo

Parejo makes it a trio for Venezuela as he easily outboxes Nicaraguan Castillo. Scores 79-73 twice and 80-72. The 27-year-old “El Verdugo” now has four wins since losing to Hugo Ruiz for the interim WBA title in 2012. Castillo, 21, had won his last three fights including a victory over former WBO super fly champion Adonis Rivas.

Abbreviations

ABC=Asian Boxing Council an affiliate of the WBC

ABF=Asian Boxing federation. I assume this is an affiliate of the IBF

ABU=African Boxing Union an affiliate of the WBC

ACC=WBC Asian Council Continental title

ANBF=Australian National Boxing Federation who administer Australian titles

BBB of C=British Boxing Board of Control

BBB of C Southern/Central/Midlands/Scottish Area etc. British Area titles

BDB= Bund Deutscher Berufsboxer one of the German boxing bodies

B & H=Bosnia & Herzegovina

BSA=Boxing South Africa responsible for administering boxing in South Africa

CBC=Commonwealth Boxing Council a sanctioning body for titles competed for citizens of Commonwealth countries

CISBB-WBC title covering the rump of the USSR and the Slovenian Boxing Board

DRC=Democratic Republic of the Congo

EBU=European Boxing Union

FAB=Argentinian Boxing Federation

FFB=French Boxing Federation

GAB=Philippines Games & Amusement Board responsible for administering boxing in the Philippines

IBA=International Boxing Association a sanctioning body

IBF=International Boxing Federation a sanctioning body

IBO=International Boxing Organisation

JBC =Japanese Boxing Commission

NABA=North American Boxing Association, a WBA affiliate

NABF=North American Boxing Federation a WBC affiliate

NABO= North American Boxing Organisation, a WBO affiliate

NGG=US National Golden Gloves

NZPBF=New Zealand Professional Boxing Federation a national sanctioning body

OPBF=Orient & Pacific Boxing Federation

PABA=Pacific & Asian Boxing Association, a WBA affiliate

PBF=Philippines Boxing Federation, a sanctioning body in the Philippines

UBO=Universal Boxing Organisation a sanctioning body

USBA= United States Boxing Association, an IBF affiliate

USBO=United States Boxing Organisation

WBA=World Boxing Association a sanctioning body

WBC=World Boxing Council a sanctioning body

WBFed=World Boxing Federation, a sanctioning body

WBFound=World Boxing Foundation, a sanctioning body

WBU=World Boxing Union, a sanctioning body

IBF WBA Rating=Both bodies leave vacancies in their ratings so when showing a IBF or WBA rating for a fighter where there is a vacant position ahead of them in the rankings which affects his rating I will put his numerical rating i.e. No 6 and in brackets and his rating based on the number of fighters ahead of him so IBF 6 (5) shows his numerical position is 6 but there are in fact only 5 fighters listed ahead of him due to one or more of the higher rating positions being vacant.