The Past Week in Action 15 April 2014

ERIC ARMIT | April 15, 2014 | 0 Comentarios/ Comments

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.

The Past Week in Action 15 April 2014

April 9

Newcastle, Australia: Light Middle: Joshua Clottey (38-4,1ND) W PTS 12 Anthony Mundine Jr. (46-6). Cruiser: David Aloua (11-1) W TKO 4 Brad Pitt (15-1). Light Middle: Cameron Hammond (9-0) W PTS 6 Pramool (0-4). Light Middle: Ahmed Dib (13-0) W TKO 2 Dennapa (12-31). Super Middle: Renold Quinian (8-0) W Dechapon (6-27).

Clottey vs. Mundine

Clottey proves too strong for Mundine and outclasses “The Man” to win a wide unanimous decision. Mundine just about edged the first round but Clottey increased the pace in the second scoring well with left hands to even things up. Clottey was scoring with left hooks at the start of the third but it was a right at the end of the round that put Mundine down. A slower fourth round saw Mundine on the defensive trying to get his act together after a disastrous third which Clottey adds to his collection. Of all things Mundine’s shoe comes off at the end of the round. Unbelievable that a top class boxer is wearing trainers instead of boxing boots! Mundine seems to have recovered and boxes his way to edging the fifth. The wheels come off again in a big way for Mundine in the sixth. The aggressive Ghanaian floors the Australian twice but just can’t close things out as Mundine survives to the bell. Mundine is making the mistake of trying to trade with Clottey instead of using his skills and pays for it again in the seventh as he spends time on the ropes and is floored for the fourth time in the eighth round. Mundine is still trying to get back into the fight but Clottey is relentless and on a roll and takes the ninth. Mundine is down again in the tenth from a left hook and seems to have no punch resistance. Clottey content to breeze through the last two rounds allowing Mundine to go the distance and make the score look slightly more respectable. Only one winner and Clottey takes the decision on scores of 116-108 twice and 115-109. The 36-year-old Grand Master, a former IBF welter champion, rated No 14 by the WBA, wins the WBA International title and will now climb in all of the ratings. Coming in he had had only one fight in the previous 31 months but was just too strong for Mundine. The Australian probably paid the price for constantly changing weight divisions having had his best years at 168lbs, but he just could not handle the hooks and uppercuts from Clottey. Mundine, 38, is not yet talking retirement with Danny Green anxious for a chance to reverse a 2006 defeat.

Aloua vs. Pitt

Huge upset as New Zealander Aloua produces a kayo punch to flatten unbeaten Pitt. Pitt takes the first two rounds by being busier whilst Aloua was looking for openings but not finding many. Pitt has his best round so far in the third as he brings blood from Aloua’s nose and starts a swelling under the New Zealander’s left eye. In the fourth Aloua got through with a good combination to the body and then a right hook that puts Pitt down face first. Somehow Pitt makes it to his feet but is finished and when the eight count is over Aloua lands again and the fight is over. Aloua, 27, the ANBF No 4 wins the vacant WBA Pan African and WBO Asia Pacific titles and the OPBF crown so should climb in the ratings of the WBA, WBC and WBO. He had looked a safe opponent for Pitt after losing a wide points decision to Daniel Ammann in January last year. He has 8 wins by KO/TKO. “Hollywood” Pitt, 32, the former undefeated Australian champion and a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, was having his second fight after being inactive for 15 months and was ANBF No 2.

Hammond vs. Pramool

Prospect Hammond boxes his way to victory over Thai novice Pramool. The 24-year-old, a member of Ricky Hatton’s team, had outpointed Pramool in January. Hammond boxed at both the Commonwealth Games and the London Olympics.

Dib vs. Dennapa

Dib keeps the family tradition going as he halts experienced Thai in two rounds. The younger brother of Billy has won 6 of his last 7 fights by KO/TKO. Poor Thai Dennapa, 36, has lost his last 8 fights and has 17 losses by KO/TKO.

Quinian vs. Dechapon

Quinian maintains his good form with kayo of Thai Dechapon. In his last two outings the 24-year-old from Redfern has beaten previously world rated fighters Joseph Kwadjo and Joel Casey. Dechapon had won 9 of his last 10 fights.

April 10

Tokyo, Japan: Fly: Suguru Muranaka (20-2-1) W TKO 10 Masayuki Kuroda (21-5-3). Muranaka retains his JBC title with late stoppage of former WBA title challenger Kuroda. Six wins by KO/TKO for the 28-year-old WBO 6/WBA 7/WBC 10. Kuroda, moving up from light fly, loses inside the distance for the first time.

New York, NY, USA: Light Welter: Erick Bone (14-1) W TKO 5 Francisco Figueroa (20-7-1). Impressive US introduction for Ecuadorian Bone. He slowly wore down the resistance of the more experienced southpaw Figueroa to force the stoppage. Figueroa had some success with right hands early but Bone almost had him down with a left hook in the second. Bone’s pressure was telling by the fifth and he had a wilting Figueroa under pressure when Figueroa’s corner threw in the towel. The 25-year-old Bone holds a version of the South American title and only lost to WBC No 6 Alberto Mosquera on a split decision in October. Bone grew from 48kgs to 60kgs in his time as an amateur competing at the 2009 World Championships. Bronx-based Puerto Rican Figueroa, 35, loses by KO/TKO for the third time. He had five losses and a draw in his last six fights but has been matched tough in that run against Randall Bailey, Alex Perez (15-0), Breidis Prescott and Thomas Dulorme.

April 11

Las Vegas, NV, USA: Super Middle: Gilberto Ramirez S. (28-0) W TKO 5 Giovanni Lorenzo (33-7). Super Middle: Jesse Hart (13-0) W PTS 8 Sam Clarkson (10-3). Light Heavy: Egor Mekhontsev (3-0) W TKO 3 Dwayne Williams (5-2).

Ramirez vs. Lorenzo

Young Mexican southpaw Ramirez marches on with crushing win over former middleweight title challenger Lorenzo. Despite his edge in height it was the body attack of Ramirez that dominated this one. He was ruthless in his approach getting through with hurtful body punches from both hands in every round. He looked close to finishing the fight in the third as he landed a series of body punches which saw Lorenzo drop down on one knee. After Lorenzo got up one body punch from Ramirez landed south of the border and that gave Lorenzo a welcome hiatus. The barrage continued in the fourth and the end looked near. Once again a body punch put Lorenzo down in the fifth. He got up only to be knocked down with a left to the head which had him touching the canvas with his glove. He was forced to touch down with a glove for a second time in the round at which point Lorenzo’s corner team had seen enough and threw the towel in. Still just 22, the 6’2 ½” (189cm) Mexican will soon have the rest of the super middleweights looking over their shoulder and he has his eyes on Sakio Bika’s WBC title. At times Ramirez looks predictable in his style and is not yet the finished product. Rated WBC 4/IBF 8 Ramirez wins the vacant NABF title and gets win No 22 by KO/TKO. Only the second time that the 33-year-old Lorenzo has lost by KO/TKO in a career that includes shots at the IBF and WBA titles.

Hart vs. Clarkson

Hart rolls on with wide unanimous decision over Clarkson. Hart was always in charge in this one but Clarkson was an awkward opponent and the fight got messy and dirty at times. Hart came close to ending things in the fourth when he floored Clarkson twice but then seemed to take his foot of the pedal and box his way to a wide unanimous decision. Scores 80-73 from all three judges. Hart, 24, is going to be a big threat in the division by late 2015 but he has work to do before then. Texan Clarkson had won 4 of his last 5 fights but against low level opposition.

Mekhontsev vs. Williams

Russian Olympic gold medal winner Mekhontsev makes it 3 from 3 by KO/TKO. The hard punching southpaw floored Williams in both the second and third rounds with the referee stopping the fight after the second knockdown. His great amateur credentials of the 2012 Olympic gold, 2009 World gold and gold at the European Championships in 2008 and 2010 make the 29-year-old Mekhontsev one to follow. Williams out of his league.

Berlin, Germany: Light Heavy: Igor Mikhalkin (15-1) W TEC Dec 8 Mohamed Belkacem (21-7-1). Heavy: Christian Hammer (16-3) W PTS 10 Konstantin Airich (19-8-2). Cruiser: Nuri Seferi (35-6) W PTS 8 Gusmyr Perdomo (21-4).

Mikhalkin vs. Belkacem

A poor and one-paced EBU title fight sees Russian Mikhalkin win a technical decision over Belkacem. The Russian southpaw was in charge of the action in every round. He kept Belkacem on the back foot and scored with straight lefts and hooks. Belkacem was just not doing enough. He was allowing Mikhalkin to back him up and was restricted to rare bursts of action and wild in those. There were very few sustained exchanges and each round followed the same pattern with Mikhalkin pacing forward and scoring with his right jab. Mikhalkin had Belkacem in trouble at the start in the sixth and seventh but did not sustain his attacks. Suddenly in the eighth Belkacem emerged with a gash below his left eye. There was no indication of it being a clash of heads at the time. The fight continued until the referee took Belkacem over to the doctor. As the cut was below the eye there seemed no danger and the fight continued. Mikhalkin landed some more shots and the referee again called the doctor who this time ruled Belkacem was unfit to continue. The referee obviously decided the cut had been caused by a clash of heads and it went to the score cards. Mikhalkin was a clear winner on scores of 80-72 twice and a generous-to Belkacem-79-73. The 28-year-old German-based Russian was very lucky to have found himself in the official challengers spot. He had only one bout in almost 19 months and had not fought for nine months. Algerian-born, Swiss-based Belkacem came in as a late substitute. Going he had fought only once in the last 21 months and that was a win over a fighter with a 15-22-3 record. He was only rated FFB No 13 but he was slipped into the EBU ratings to let the fight take place and save the show.

Hammer vs. Airich

Hammer retains his WBO Europe title with uninspired unanimous decision over Airich. After a first round of feeling each other out Airich took the second round with some left hooks which had Hammer on the defensive. From the third Hammer was concentrating on the body knowing that Airich had lost inside the distance twice due to a weakness there. Some of those body shots strayed low. From the fifth round Airich noticeably tired and Hammer built a clear lead. Airich tried to stage a rally over the last two rounds but it was not enough. Hammer, 26, wins the unanimous decision but no scores available. Third defence for Romanian-born Hammer (real name Cris Ciocan. Under that name he was European Junior champion). He has nine wins in a row including victories over Leif Larsen and Kevin Johnson and is WBO No 6. Kazak-born Airich, 35, was having his first fight since December 2012 and has lost his last four fights.

Seferi vs. Perdomo

Seferi has problems with the tall, long-armed Venezuelan southpaw but was able to get inside enough to collect the rounds. It was close early but the “Albanian Tyson” was stronger over the late rounds and got the unanimous decision. The former undefeated WBO European champion Seferi, 37, was born in Macedonia but is now based in Switzerland so a bit of a United Nations. He lost to Herbie Hide for the WBC International title in 2008 but has won 14 in a row since then against hand-picked opposition. Perdomo, 36, based in Spain, is really just a pumped-up super middle who lost to Mikkel Kessler for the WBA title in 2009. He has managed just one fight a year since then and lacked the strength over the closing rounds.

Caseros, Argentina: Welter: Ramon de la Cruz Sena (17-11-2) W TKO 10 Ricardo R Villalba (12-1-1,1ND). “El Corrientes” Sena wins the WBO Latino title with late stoppage of champion Villalba. The champion made the better start being the aggressor and setting the pace. Sena was being forced to fight on the ropes and taking shots to head and body. Gradually Sena was getting through with his counters and being more accurate and Villalba was running out of ideas. Sena was slowing Villalba and hurting Villalba with body punches. In the tenth Sena was deducted a point for hitting after the break. He then floored Villalba with a right cross. Villalba made it to his feet but was floored again by a left to the body and a left/right to the chin and the fight was over. Sena, 27, was coming off two losses Konstantin Ponomarev in Russia and a split decision to Gabriel Calfin. He was FAB No 5 but will move up this win over No 3 Villalba.

Prague, Czech Republic: Middle: Anatoli Hunanyan (4-0) W KO 2 Stepan Horvath (11-3). This was a double win for Armenian-born Hunanyan. Firstly he won the vacant Czech title and then in the ring he proposed to his girlfriend who agreed to marry him. As for the fight the first round was fairly even but in the second Hunanyan produced a right cross which put Horvath down and he was unable to beat the count. The 31-year-old Hunanyan makes it three wins by KO/TKO. He is a former domestic and world K1 champion. Horvath, also 31, has now lost three on the bounce following tough defeats against Michel Mothmora on a split decision and Frank Buglioni for the vacant WBO Europe title.

Douai, France: Light Heavy: Mohamed Merah (10-1-3) W TKO 2 Jose C Rodriguez 13-8-2). Light Welter: Farid Chebebha (14-2-4) W PTS 10 Michal Dufek (11-6-1).

Merah vs. Rodriguez

Not known as a puncher but nevertheless home base fighter Merah retains his UBO International title for the second time with stoppage of Mexican Rodriguez. The 26-year-old FFB No 9 is undefeated in his last 11 fights with 10 wins and a draw, but the opposition has been poor hence is relatively low FFB ranking. “Ugly” Rodriguez, 29, was in reasonable form and is now 9-3-2 in his last 14 fights.

Chebabha vs. Dufek

Local fighter Chebabha used his big height and reach advantages to box his way to a unanimous decision. He was able to keep the fight open and use his jab to control the action. Dufek had some success when he could get inside but the cleaner and more impressive work was coming from the Frenchman. Chebabha gets the decision and wins the vacant WBFed International title on scores of 97-93 twice and 100-91. Chebabha, 28, the FFB No 3, has 11 wins and 3 draws in his last 14 fights, but again very soft opposition. Czech Dufek is 2-6 in his last 8 fights but maintains his record of lasting the distance even when losing

Vesoul, France: Super Feather: Yoann Portailler (17-3) W PTS 10 Leonus Marie Francoise (8-10-1). Portailler retains his French title in his first defence but is given a tough time by a fit and focused Francoise. This was supposed to be a warm-up for his fight with his official challenger Samir Ziani in June but this was too hot a warm-up. Portailler had to overcome a couple of rocky rounds but he did so and got a well deserved majority decision. Scores 96-94, 96-95 and 95-95. The 27-year-old local has 10 wins in a row and is EBU 13. Francoise, 27, was having his second shot at the French title. He is FFB No 3 and a much better fighter than his record indicates.

Nonthaburi, Thailand: Feather: Chonlatarn (50-1) W KO 6 Nouldy Manakane (25-15-1). Fly: Kwanpichit (26-0-2) W KO 3 Khunpol (0-1).

Chonlatarn vs. Manakane

Chonlatarn retains his WBO Asia Pacific title with kayo of tough Indonesian Manakane. Now 6 wins by KO/TKO in a row for Chonlatarn as he keeps alive his hopes of another title shot having lost a wide decision against Chris John for the WBA title in 2012. The 29-year-old Thai is rated IBF 4(5)/WBA 11 so has some way to go. Manakane, 30, lost on points to Koki Kameda for the secondary WBA bantam title with one judge only giving it to Kameda 115-113.

Kwanpichit vs. Khunpol

Another of these Thai ridiculous mismatches sees WBO Orient champion Kwanpichit kayoing a total novice. A disgrace. The 32-year-old WBO No 4 has 11 wins by KO/TKO but incredibly this is the 13^th time he has fought someone with no traceable record.

Maasin City, Philippines: Light Welter: Albert Pagara (20-00 W TKO 2 Skak Max (6-14). Jason Pagara (33-2) W KO 7 Rusmin Kie Raha (12-4-2).

Pagara vs. Max

The less said about this the better. Indonesian Max was in way over his head. Pagara found him an easy target and the referee halted the massacre in the second round. Pagara admitted he could have ended it in the first but this is the town he was born in and carried Max into the second to let his fans see more of him. The 20-year-old top prospect “Prince Albert” does not need walkovers like this. He has 14 wins by KO/TKO. On paper Max did not look too bad with 6 wins in his last 7 fights but the six guys he beats had amassed only two wins between them.

Pagara vs. Raha

Raha was made of sterner stuff altogether and Jason had a tougher time than younger brother Albert. Pagara was doing the pressing from the start but Raha was willing to trade and was an effective counter puncher. Pagara was concentrating on the body and took the first three rounds. Raha fought back hard to clearly win the fourth. The fifth and sixth saw Pagara continue his body bombardment with Raha firing back in some stirring exchanges. The body attack finally paid off in the seventh with a wicked shot putting Raha down in agony and he was counted out. “El Nino”, 25, the WBO No 3 makes it 20 wins by KO/TKO and he has wins over both of the fighters to have beaten him. Three losses in a row by KO/TKO for Raha but he earned his money in this one.

Oviedo, Spain: Welter: Aitor Nieto (12-2) W Daniel Rasilla (27-6-2).

An excellent little title fight sees Nieto retain his national crown for the first time with a decision over Rasilla. The strength and skill is with Nieto but Rasilla has the experience and stays competitive. Too competitive a couple of times as he loses a point in both the third and fifth rounds for careless use of the head. Nieto keeps it simple with a strong jab and right cross and has Rasilla rocking in the sixth. Rasilla rallies over the closing rounds but is too far behind to close the gap. “The Diamond” Nieto, 30, fighting in front of his home crowd, wins on scores of 99-89, 98-90 and 99-92. “Cobra” Rasilla, 33, a former Spanish light and light welter champion was trying to win a national title in a third division but came up short.

Colne, England: Welter: Shayne Singleton (17-0) W PTS 10 Laszlo Fazekas (19-14-1). Super Middle: Luke Blackledge (15-2-2) W PTS 6 Jody Meikle (7-51-2).

Singleton vs. Fazekas

Local favourite Singleton has to adjust to a substitute but wins comfortably. “The Pain” commanding the centre of the ring with the Hungarian “Bulldog” forced to fight on the back foot and up against the ropes for most of the fight. Although Fazekas had some success causing a large swelling under the right eye of Singleton in the fourth round and opening a small cut on his left eyebrow in the seventh Singleton’s speed, excellent footwork and fast hands were too much for the Hungarian and the decision was a formality. Scores 100-90 twice and 100-91. The light-punching Colne 24-year-old was to have faced a southpaw opponent but he pulled out and he found himself facing an orthodox fighter but had no trouble adjusting. Singleton wins the vacant WBC International Silver title. Fazekas did what was expected of him as a substitute and has only been beaten inside the distance once.

Blackledge vs. Meikle

“Robbo” Blackledge, 23, returns to action and gets six rounds of work against perennial loser and in fairness perennial substitute Meikle. He wins every round as the referee scores it 60-54. First fight for Blackledge since losing inside a round to Rocky Fielding for the CBC title in November. He needs to get back to the form that saw him lose a narrow decision to Erik Skogland last April. Meikle, 33, is an excellent survivor with only three losses by KO/TKO but not sure about his “One Man Riot” nickname.

Tampa, FL, USA: Heavy: Shannon Briggs (52-6-1,1ND) W KO 1 Maurenzo Smith (12-9-3). Briggs wins in a farce ended by a right to the body that sees poor Smith scooting back to the ropes and flinging himself to the canvas. This was the first “fight” since October 2010 for the 42-year-old Briggs and proved nothing except how bad Smith is. He is 1-7-1 in his last 9 fights.

San Diego, CA, USA: Light: Mercito Gesta (27-1-1) W TKO 8 Edgar Riovalle (37-18-2). Gesta takes a while shake of accumulated rust but then finishes in style. The Filipino was having his first fight in 16 months and the experienced Riovalle was able to fight on even terms over the first three rounds. From the fourth Gesta was warmed-up and letting his hands go. Riovalle survived until the last round. In the eighth during a heated exchange a shot from Gesta put Riovalle down. The Mexican made it to his feet only to be floored again and the fight was stopped. Useful few rounds for Gesta who had lost a wide decision to Miguel Vazquez for the IBF title. The 26-year-old Filipino has 15 wins by KO/TKO. Riovalle is 3-6-1 in his last ten and loses inside the distance for the ninth time.

April 12

Las Vegas, NV, USA: Welter: Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2) W PTS 12 Tim Bradley (31-1,1ND). Light Ray Beltran (29-6-1) W PTS 12 Arash Usmanee (20-2-1). Light Welter: Jesse Vargas (24-0) W PTS 12 Khabib Allakhverdiev (19-1). Super Feather: Bryan Vasquez (33-1) W PTS 12 Jose Felix Jr (26-1-1). Light Heavy: Sean Monaghan (21-0) W TKO 5 Joe McCreedy (15-7-2). Feather: Oscar Valdez (10-0) W KO 4 Adrian Perez (10-5-1). Middle: Esquiva Falcao (2-0) W PTS 6 Pubilo Pena (2-1,1ND). Light Heavy: Olek Gvozdyk (1-0) W KO 1 Mike Montoya (4-3-1).

Bradley vs. Pacquiao

Pacquiao gets revenge with clear unanimous decision over Bradley. The Filipino rocked Bradley in the second and won the first three rounds by standing in front of Bradley but using clever side-to-side movement to give Bradley no target whilst scoring with his own shots. In fairness to Bradley at the end of the first round he had told his second that he had pulled a muscle in his hamstring and that might have been affecting his mobility. Despite the injury Bradley again showed his ability to adapt his tactics and he took the fourth and fifth rounds scoring with good rights and at the end of the sixth two judges had them level at 57-57 with the third judge having Pacquiao in front 58-56. That was as good as it got for Bradley as Pacquiao made adjustments of his own. He had Bradley hurt again in then seventh and Bradley became wild with his punches leaving himself open to hard shots from Pacquiao. Bradley fought back hard in then eighth to keep himself in contention but Pacquiao outworked a ragged Bradley in the ninth. At the end of that ninth round two judges had Pacquiao only one point in front at 86-85 with the other seeing it 88-83 for Pacquiao. From there Pacquiao swept the last three rounds clearly on all three cards as he outboxed and out sped a fading Bradley. Scores 116-112 twice and 118-110 although the last seemed harsh. There was no doubt about who was the better man on the night and although not back to his pre-Bradley I level Pacquiao showed again why he has been an elite fighter for so long. Unfortunately a clash of heads in the last left the Filipino star with a gash on his forehead which required over 30 stitches to close so he will be inactive for a while. Bradley admitted he lost to the better man and did not attempt to use that early leg injury as an excuse. He loses his WBO welter title and disgracefully had to put up with boos from a pro-Pacquiao audience. Bradley’s record speaks for itself. His style may not be as viewer friendly as Pacquiao, Marquez and Mayweather but he deserves respect. Pacquiao gets a guaranteed $20 million and Bradley $6 million and I guess that there will be calls for a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight down the line but don’t bet on it happening.

Beltran vs. Usmanee

Beltran wins a tough battle against late substitute Usmanee. The Mexican took the early rounds with constant pressure and some stinging left hooks and getting through with a hard overhand right in the second. Usmanee was landing left hooks of his own once he got into his stride but had already conceded those opening rounds and never really caught up. Beltran was the bigger and stronger fighter and his constant body attacks kept Usmanee on the defensive for much of the fight. The Afghan-born Canadian showed some good defensive work and was picking up points with his jabs but from the middle rounds decided he had to try to match Beltran in close. That tactic did not work and by the eighth he was back to trying to find space to box. Both fighters tired over the closing rounds, Beltran from the pace he had set and Usmanee from the body shots. The Canadian tried hard but could do nothing to bite into the Mexican’s lead. Scores 117-111 twice and 118-110 for Beltran. The 32-year-old wins the vacant WBO NABO title and the right to a shot at WBO champion Terry Crawford where he will hope to go one better than his controversial draw against Ricky Burns for the title in September. Usmanee, also 32, came in as a late substitute when Rocky Martinez dropped out and may have paced himself too cautiously at the start, and also he a natural super feather. He must be hoping that this loss does not ruin his chance of another shot at the IBF super feather after his draw with Argenis Mendez in August.

Vargas vs. Allakhverdiev

Vargas wins the secondary WBA title with a very close unanimous decision over champion Allakhverdiev. Neither is a big puncher so there was plenty of jabbing and some heated exchanges as they both went for quantity rather than power. Most of the rounds were very close with Vargas scoring with fast jabs and uppercuts and southpaw Allakhverdiev responding with his right jab and left cross. Vargas got through with a good left hook in the second and Allakhverdiev repaid him with straight left in the third. Vargas just had the edge in the fifth with Allakhverdiev coming back to take the sixth. Vargas was back to his jab in the seventh. The Russian suffered a cut by his right eye in a clash of heads in the ninth which made a useful target for shots from Vargas. With the fight in the balance both fought hard over the last three rounds with Vargas the busier and just deserving the close decision. Scores 115-113 twice and 117-111 all for Vargas, but this was a very close fight and Allakhverdiev claims there is a return clause in the contract. The 24-year-old Las Vegas native Vargas makes it eight points wins in a row. He also wins the IBO title. Allakhverdiev, 31, was making the second defence of his WBA title and the third defence of the IBO crown. He deserves a return

Vasquez vs. Felix

Vasquez retains his interim WBA title with a narrow decision over Mexican youngster Felix. True to his style Vasquez was a little bulldog coming forward and pressurising Felix from the start. Felix was able to score with classy and hurtful counters as the much smaller Vasquez rumbled forward and took the first round but the sheer punch rate of Vasquez was soon forcing Felix to fight off the ropes too often. Vasquez was having to eat counters but he constantly switched guards and kept coming forward. Felix had good periods in the fourth and fifth rounds when the pace from Vasquez dropped but he was also warned in each round for low blows. It got messy in the sixth with Vasquez throwing Felix to the canvas but this round and the seventh saw a concerted body attack from Vasquez keeping the Mexican on the back foot. In the ninth a stupid and probably frustrated Felix lost a vital point for kneeing Vasquez in the groin, a point that was the difference between a loss and a majority draw in the final scoring. Vasquez had the better of the closing rounds as he kept the fight in close and Felix seemed to be tiring. Scores 114-113 twice and 117-110. The aggressive little 26-year-old Costa Rican’s only loss was a stoppage in eight rounds against Takashi Uchiyama for the WBA title kin 2012 and this is his fourth win since then. “Josesito” Felix is still only 21 and had only two ten round fights before this. He can learn from the loss and come again

Monaghan vs. McCreedy

Easy night for Monaghan against Mickey Ward trained McCreedy. Monaghan made a patient start using the jab to create openings for his rights and body shots and comfortably took the first two rounds. He got serious in the third flooring McCreedy with a left to the body late in the round but McCreedy got up and survived. Monaghan was handing out a beating in the fourth and ended it in the fifth by flooring McCreedy twice with body punches. The New Yorker retains his WBC continental Americas title and makes it 14 wins by KO/TKO but at 32 he is either ready for bigger tests than this or going nowhere. “Irish Joey” McCreedy, 29, is just a good level 6 or 8 round fighter and not bad at that level.

Valdez vs. Perez

Valdez continues to look the goods. The young Mexican double Olympian wins his first title with a fourth round victory over modest Perez. From the outset the skill and power gap was obvious with the youngster from Nogales scoring with fast jabs and hitting hard to the body. Perez tried to bang back but was just getting hurt. A body punch had Perez hurt in the third and in the fourth the body shots were breaking Perez in half when one more left to the body from Valdez put Perez down. He was in agony and unable to beat the count. The 23-year-old, a former World Youth Champion who won the Mexican amateur title as a 16-year-old and competed at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics just looks like a “can’t miss” future world champion. Perez, 33, strictly a 4 and 6 round fighter was no real test.

Falcao vs. Pena

Brazilian Olympian Falcao gets an easy points win over Pena. The Brazilian showed fast hands and quick combinations but seemed to be not really sitting down on his punches. Pena was outboxed in every round and continually caught by southpaw straight lefts but never really seemed in trouble. A classy show by Falcao who has bags of skill and will improve his power with more work. Scores 60-54 twice and 60-53. The 24-year-old Falcao won a bronze medal at the 2011 World Championships where he beat Anthony Ogogo but lost to Ryota Murata and a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics-where he beat Anthony Ogogo and lost to Ryota Murata. His brother Yamaguchi won a bronze medal in London, but he has reportedly joined Golden Boy instead of Top Rank. Pena just a 4 round prelim fighter.

Gvozdyk vs. Montoya

Ukrainian Olympic bronze medallist wastes no time in registering his first win. The tall Gvozdyk patiently walked down a rapidly retreating Montoya and then nailed him with a long straight right that nearly took Montoya’s head off. The referee immediately stopped the fight without even bothering with a count. Difficult to tell how he will develop but he showed impressive power.

Esbjerg, Denmark: Light Heavy: Erik Skogland (20-0) W TKO 9 Danilo D’Agata (12-2-1). Light Welter: Anthony Yigit (10-0-1) W TEC DEC 6 Kasper Bruun (19-1-1). Heavy: David Price (17-2) W KO 3 Ondrej Pala (33-5). Light Middle: Torben Keller (10-0-1) W TKO 4 Travis Hartman (12-11-1). Middle: Andy Lee (32-2) W PTS 8 Frank Haroche Horta (34-12-5). Cruiser: Mateusz Masternak (32-1) W PTS 8 Stjepan Vugdelija (8-3). Feather: Dennis Ceylan (11-0) W PTS 8 Ivan Ruiz M. (16-5-1).Super Feather: Kakhaber Avetisian (33-21-1) W PTS 8 Andres Evensen (17-4-1). Middle: Abdul Khattab (7-0) W TKO 5 Chris Jenkinson (6-13-1). Light: Rashid Kassem (5-0) W KO 6 Goga Koshkelishvili (2-1).

Skogland vs. D’Agata

Skogland retains his EU title with stoppage of game but limited Italian. Skogland had the superior skills and had no real problems in penetrating the Italian’s porous defence. The Italian was willing to plow forward and engage the Swede but was paying for it with hard shots to the chin and body. Skogland had pocketed the first five rounds against the awkward challenger but his work rate dropped in the sixth, which D’Agata won clearly, and the seventh which one judge gave to the Italian. Skogland stepped-up the pace in the eighth and opened a cut over the eye of D’Agata and then floored D’Agata heavily in the ninth. The Italian’s corner threw in the towel (actually and ice pack for some reason) but the referee kicked it away, abandoned the count and stopped the fight. Second successful title defence for the 22-year-old Swede and Win No 11 by KO/TKO. He was ahead 80-72, 79-73 and 78-75 on all three cards. He is rated IBF 6 (5)/WBO 9/WBA 12. He is No 4 with the EBU. D’Agata, 30, a former Italian champion, was way down at No 25 in the EU ratings which was an accurate reflection of his ability but he fought a game fight.

Yigit vs. Bruun

For many Danes this was the big fight. Swedish southpaw Yigit came out the winner in a match-up of two skillful prospects with a return possible. Bruun took the first round clearly only for Yigit to even things up forcing Bruun to fight off the ropes for much of the second round. Bruun fired back in the third and put Yigit down with a right. In the fourth it began to looks as though Bruun had been setting too high a pace and in the forth and fifth it was the pressure fighting of Yigit which gathered the points In the sixth a clash of heads saw Bruun badly cut over his right eye. The doctor examined the cut but allowed the fight to continue. Yigit did enough to win this round and at the end of the round another examination by the doctor saw the fight stopped and go to the scorecards. Scores 58-56 twice and 58-55 all for Yigit. The 22-year-old Yigit was jumping from six rounds straight up to ten. He wins the vacant WBC Baltic title. As an amateur he was a quarter-finalist at both the 2010 and 2011 European Championships and represented Sweden at the 2011 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics. A tough way for 27-year-old Bruun to lose his unbeaten tag. The EU No 17 was also fighting at ten rounds for the first time but had more experience and the home crowd behind him.

Price vs. Pala

Price on the floor in the first but gets up to destroy Pala in the third. The difference in height and reach meant that Pala was limited to leaping in with wild swinging punches. In the first round one of those put Price down. However it was not a reflection on the chin of Price but on his balance as the punch landed round behind the left ear of Price and with the open glove. Price got up and Pala had the big Brit back-peddling as he lunged forward with his swings. Price had still not really settled in the second and was just prodding with his left with Pala again bustling forward with ever wilder swings. Near the end of the second Price finally let his hands go and shook Pala with a hard series of shots which had the Brit finally looking pleased with his work. Irrespective of what had gone before Price closed the fight in impressive fashion. Early in the third he nailed Pala with a left jab followed by a straight right that sent Pala backwards to the canvas. The Czech got up but was badly shaken and when another hard right put him down again the referee stopped the fight immediately. Price showed what we already know, that he has a hard punch, but Pala never really tested his chin and at times Price looked over cautious and was still dropping his hand after the jab which is a bad fault. The 30-year-old Brit makes it 15 wins by KO/TKO as he rebuilds his confidence after those losses to Tony Thompson. The 29-year-old Pala had been stopped in three rounds by Dereck Chisora in November.

Keller vs. Hartman

Keller has to overcome a shock in the first round to force the retirement of Hartman. A right from Hartman in the first round had Keller badly shaken but Hartman was inaccurate with his follow-up shots and the Dane did enough to edge the round. Keller dominated the second and third rounds. At the end of the third Hartman retired citing a hand injury. Keller, 27, the EBU No 14 is not a power puncher but is making steady progress and was coming off a useful win over Bradley Pryce in October. He was a World Championships quarter-finalist. Hartman is 2-6 in his last eight fights.

Lee vs. Horta

Lee got a lot more than he bargained for in this one and was lucky to escape with a paper thin majority decision in a very good scrap. Horta is a strong, experienced fighter and a tough battler and he forced Lee to fight hard for three minutes in every round. Horta was taking the fight inside whenever he could with Lee trying to establish his southpaw jab and score with the cleaner work. Most of the rounds were very close but neutral viewers thought that Horta, also a southpaw, had done enough to win. The judges did not agree. Scores 77-76 twice for Lee and 76-76. The scores tell just how hard a night this was for the world rated Irish fighter. He had a big edge in height and reach and Horta is really just a built-up welterweight. Lee will have to do better than this to stay at world level. Now four wins for Lee since being stopped in seven rounds by Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for the WBC middle title in 2012. He is rated WBC 8/WBA 11/WBO 12/IBF 15 (14). “FH2” Horta, 33, a three-time French welter champion, loses for the third time in a row but the other two losses were to Sasha Yengoyan (25-1-1) and a split decision in November against Ahmed El Mousaoui (17-1-1) for the French welter title.

Masternak vs. Vugdelija

Just a work-out for former European champion Masternak. The Polish “Master” won every round without really looking as though he was going to finish this one early. It was a one-paced performance from Masternak as he wins on scores of 80-72 twice and 80-70. Second win for 26-year-old Masternak since blowing his European title and world title chance when being stopped by Grigory Drozd in October. He is rated WBA6/IBF 9(8)/WBC 12. Croat Vudgelija, 28, has also lost on points to Belgian veteran Ismail Abdoul and to Italian Mirko Larghetti for the EU title.

Ceylan vs. Ruiz

Frustrating night for Ceylan against a negative opponent who makes it impossible for the young Dane to shine. Ceylan had the advantages of height and reach and more importantly skill. Ruiz showed very little in the way of aggressive intent over the early rounds but did a lot of complaining over imagined misdemeanors by Ceylan. The Dane made what fight there was and although Ruiz seemed to wake-up over the closing rounds Ceylan looked to be a clear winner-for two judges. Scores 80-72 twice and a much closer 77-75. The 25-year-old Ceylan lacks real punching power and this was an awkward fight for him. Spaniard Ruiz, 34, a former Spanish feather champion has been unsuccessful in three shots at the EU title and was halted in four rounds by Kid Galahad in 2012.

Avetisian vs. Evensen

Georgian Avetisian gets split decision over former WBO title challenger. The Norwegian was having his first fight in 14 months but did not seem to be too affected by the rust. In a close, hard-fought match he was the busier fighter. The Georgian made the better start bloodying Evensen’s nose early and although not as busy his shots were the harder. He took enough of the early rounds to hold off Evensen when the Georgian began to fade. Scores 78-74 and 77-76 for Avetisian and 78-74 for Evensen. Only the second win outside the borders of Georgia for the 24-year-old Avetisian, the other one being in France over Guillame Salingue who was 29-0 at the time! For the 28-year-old Colombian-born Evensen his future is in the balance. He lost on points to Ricky Burns for the WBO super feather title in 2010 but had rebounded well with 4 wins and a technical draw beating Willie Casey. He then lost on a last round stoppage to Alex Miskirtchian for the EBU title when two judges only had the fighters one point apart. Now he has lost to a fighter he should have been able to beat with ease.

Khattab vs. Jenkinson

Khattab stay unbeaten with win over Brit. Already in the first round Khattab was able to get through with hard shots from both hands to take the round. It was more of the same in the second until a left hook had Khattab stumbling. He was not badly hurt but toned-down his attacks for a while. Khattab was less aggressive in the third but still doing the cleaner scoring and winning the round. Khattab was on top again in the fourth and mid round either a clash of heads or a left hook, reports differed, saw Jenkinson cut high on his head. Khattab was getting through with hard punches at the end of the round and Jenkinson’s corner team pulled their man out in the interval. The 21-year-old Dane is not a big puncher but is progressing well. Jenkinson, 30, is 2-7 in his last 9 fights but this is only the second time he has failed to last the distance.

Kassem vs. Koshkelishvili

Another young Danish talent registered a win as Kassem halted Georgian novice Koshkelishvili. The Dane won every round in this one up to the finish and gave the Georgian a torrid time in the second round. Koshkelishvili survived and with Kassem trying too hard for a kayo it looked as though a competitive Koshkelishvili would make it to the final bell. However in the last round the Georgian suddenly collapsed to the canvas in pain and was counted out. It appeared he had suffered a dislocated shoulder and was unable to continue. The 22-year-old “The Dream” looks a very good prospect. He was Danish amateur champion in 2009/2010/2011. Spanish-based Koshkelishvili was willing if limited.

London, England: Super Middle: Sergey Khomitsky (29-10-2) W TKO 6 Frank Buglioni (12-1). Cruiser: Ovill McKenzie (22-12) W KO 5 Tony Conquest (13-2). Super Bantam: Lewis Pettitt (14-1) W TKO 5 Emerson Santos Carvalho (12-5-1). Welter: Bradley Skeete (16-0) W TKO 7 Tobia Giuseppe Loriga (27-4-2). Middle: Chris Eubank Jr. (14-0) W TKO 2 Sandor Micsko (22-6-2). Heavy: Eddie Chambers (38-4) W TKO 1 Moses Matovu (5-40-4).

Buglioni vs. Khomitsky

Khomitsky looked a tough opponent on paper and that’s how he turned out, too tough. Buglioni edged the first round with some neat jabbing but in the second and third Khomitsky was able to find the target with his rights. Buglioni steady himself in the fourth again using his skills to pick up points but it was worrying that Khomitsky was still finding the target. The fifth was Khomitsky’s round as he was able to penetrate Buglioni’s defence too often. A right from Khomitsky in the sixth had Buglioni in deep water and the referee stepped-in to give him a standing count he was badly shaken and Buglioni’s corner pulled their man out of the fight. Big disappointment for Buglioni who loses his WBO European title and his unbeaten record. He showed courage in firing back even when hurt and at 24 has time to lean from this and come back stronger. Belarus fighter Khomitsky, 39, gave both Ryan Rhodes and Martin Murray good fights, only losing by 77-75 against Murray in December. He has been in with Gennady Golovkin, Max Bursak, Lukas Konecny and twice with Murray so had a huge edge in experience. This was win No 12 by KO/TKO.

Conquest vs. McKenzie

“The Upsetter” McKenzie does it again as he kayos champion Tony Conquest to become CBC champion for the third time and earn a third CBC belt. Conquest was boxing well over the first two rounds but McKenzie was always dangerous and shook Conquest with a right in the second. Conquest was again showing good skills in the third only to be nailed with a right and floored at the end of the round. Conquest seemed to have recovered in the fourth and the feeling was that McKenzie had let his big chance go as his stamina is suspect over the distance. McKenzie dismissed those doubts in the fifth as he landed a clubbing right which put Conquest down. He was on one knee but could not make it rest of the way up and was counted out. The 34-year-old McKenzie starts his third reign as champion. He only got this chance as a substitute but took it in typical McKenzie style. In his eleven year career he has yet to win a fight that went beyond the sixth round and is now 4-4 in eight CBC title fights. Conquest, 29, was making the first defence of the title he won by outpointing Aussie Daniel Ammann in February. His only other loss was a first round kayo by Neil Dawson.

Pettitt vs. Carvalho

Impressive first championship fight for prospect Petit. He gave the limited Brazilian a beating scoring heavily with punches to head and body in every round. Carvalho managed to get home the occasional right but it was generally one-way traffic with the body shots from Petit particularly vicious. A sustained barrage from Petit in the fifth saw the referee halt the fight over the protests of the Brazilian but it was a well timed stoppage. Petit, 23 wins the vacant WBA International title and makes it five wins by KO/TKO. Carvalho, 30, is 2-5 in his last 7 fights and like many Brazilians his record flatters him and he has yet to win a fight outside Brazil.

Skeete vs. Loriga

Skeete goes from strength to strength as he retains his WBA Inter-Continental title with a stoppage of Italian battler Loriga. The tall youngster used a fast, accurate jab to open Loriga up over the early rounds with Loriga coming forward and getting through with right counters. Skeete’s accurate punching was slowly making a mess of the Italian’s face and Loriga began to wilt as the punishment mounted. In the fourth a punch from Skeete opened a cut over the right eye of Loriga and Skeete increased the pressure. By the seventh Loriga was finished. Skeete was scoring with both jabs and hard rights and with Loriga’s work rated reduced to almost nil the referee halted the one-sided fight. The 26-year-old English champion has beaten Colin Lynes and Frenchman Chris Sebire in successive bouts and continues to improve. Loriga, 37, a former Italian light middle champion, lost on a ninth round kayo to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in 2008 and is now 3-3 in his last 6 fights.

Eubank vs. Micsko

It seems to have taken Eubank Jr. a while to find his punch, but he certainly has it now. He showed menacing skills in the first round then in the middle of the third landed a thunderous left uppercut that left the Hungarian flat on his back. The referee did not even bother to count. Now six wins in a row by KO/TKO for the 24-year-old Eubank who looks a tremendous prospect. Micsko’s only other visit to Britain saw him kayoed in two rounds by John Ryder.

Chambers vs. Matovu

A bit of rubbish sees “Fast” Eddie quickly dispose of hapless British-based Ugandan. One right hand ended this after just 70 seconds. After fighting Wlad Klitschko, Tomasz Adamek and Thabiso Mchunu you have to wonder why he bothers with farces like this. Now 20 wins by KO/TKO for Chambers and one win in his last 28 fights for Matovu. If anything had gone wrong I would have been interested to hear the BBB of C say why they thought it was an acceptable match.

Bonn, Germany: Heavy: Manuel Charr (26-1) W PTS 10 Kevin Johnson (29-6-1). “Diamond Boy” Charr outpoints Johnson in a fight of few highlights. It was a typical Johnson performance as he mainly stuck to jabs and rarely threw more than one punch at a time. Charr forced the action from the start with Johnson going in reverse behind his jab and covering up when trapped on the ropes, Johnson occasionally lifted himself to throw combinations and in those instances Charr seemed willing to let Johnson fire off some shots whilst he hid behind a high guard. Johnson did enough to leave a few marks on the visage of Charr, but this happened too rarely. Charr was making the fight and was able to get through with some shots when he cornered Johnson but then it was usually back to the one-paced plodding win for Charr. Scores 97-93 twice and 98-92. The 29-year-old Beirut-born Charr, the WBC No 6, has won 5 in a row since losing on a cut stoppage against Vitali Klitschko for the WBC title in 2012. He also promoted this show and was rewarded with a crowd of about 5,000. Now 4 losses in his last 5 fights for 34-year-old Johnson.

Cancun, Mexico: Light Welter: Roberto Ortiz (31-0-1) W TKO 5 Ramiro Alcaraz (14-4-1). Welter: Silverio Ortiz (30-14) W TKO 8 Ivan Pereyra (19-3). Super Fly: Ivan Morales (25-0) W PTS 10 Jose A Tirado (27-14). Super Feather: Daniel Ruiz (32-7-2) DREW 8 Mario Sanchez (32-7-2). Fly: Cesar Gandara (23-4) W PTS 8 Irving Requena (7-9-3). Light: Robert Manzanarez (27-1) W TKO 6 Luis Gonzalez (16-6-1). Light: Juan Pablo Sanchez (27-11) W PTS 8 Jesus Cruz Bibiano (12-8).

Ortiz vs. Alcaraz

Ortiz retains his WBC Silver title for the tenth time with stoppage of Alcaraz. “Massa” was pressing from the start but Alcaraz was doing some effective counter punching. Despite winning the early rounds Ortiz suffered a bleeding nose and a cut on his left cheek. However, the aggression and body punching by Ortiz was having its effect. Alcaraz was down in the fourth and despite his protestations that it was a slip he had to take the eight count. Alcaraz was also showing a swelling by his left eye which was hampering his vision. Ortiz continued to work the body and Alcaraz was slowing. In the fifth Ortiz found time from his body bombardment to switch to the face and open a bad cut on the left eyelid of Alcaraz. A few more shots from Ortiz opened the cut wider and the doctor examined the cut and said it was too bad for the fight to continue. Now 24 wins by KO/TKO for Ortiz the WBC’s No 4, but no chance of a title shot with Danny Garcia looking elsewhere. Alcaraz was a late replacement. He had won and lost in two fights with world rated Antonio Lozada, so a live opponent

Ortiz vs. Pereyra

Ortiz, no relation to Roberto, continued his fine form with a stoppage of “El Ruso” Pereyra. “Chamaco III”, yes there have been two others before him, gradually broke down Pereyra and was well on his way to a win when as they were trading shots a left hook from Ortiz took the legs away from Pereyra. Although he made it back to his feet the fight was halted. The 31-year-old from Merida makes it 14 wins by KO/TKO. He has won 10 of his last 11 fights losing only to Humberto Soto in that run and scoring wins over Fernando Angulo, Mahonri Montes (25-0-1) and Armando Robles (23-1-2). Pereyra had won his last six fights.

Morales vs. Tirado

Morales moves closer to a world title shot with a unanimous decision over seasoned pro Tirado. Scores 98-92, 98-93 and 96-95. The 22-year-old “Nino Maravilla”, the WBC International Silver champion, is No 9 with the WBC and hopes to follow brothers Diego and Erik in becoming a world champion. Tirado, 34, has lost his last three fights but one of those was to double world title challenger Alberto Guevara.

Ruiz vs. Sanchez

Ruiz forced the action in this but southpaw Sanchez matched him with superior boxing. It was a close fight all the way and the judges could not separate them. Scores 78-74 to Sanchez, 77-75 for Ruiz and 76-76. “Butcher” Ruiz had won 4 of his last 5 fights and faced tough opposition in Will Tomlinson, Rey Bautista and Abner Cotto. Sanchez was 8-2 in his last 10 fights so both were in good form.

Gandara vs. Requena

“Gandartita” had too much skill for late stand-in Requena and boxed his way to victory. Requena made a fight of it all the way and did enough to convince one judge he had edged the verdict but two others went for Gandara. Scores 80-72, 78-74 and 76-77 to Requena. Gandara, 25, is looking for a return with Ivan Morales after losing a very close decision to the unbeaten “Nino Maravilla” in October. Now 6 draws and 2 losses in his last eight fights for Requena but he has yet to lose inside the distance.

Manzanares vs. Gonzalez

“Tito” Manzanares gets another win inside the distance. The 19-year-old banger won all of the completed five rounds and then produced a preach of a left hook to put Gonzalez down. Gonzalez made it to his feet but was defenseless against the follow-up attack and the fight was halted. Manzanares retains his WBC Youth title for the fourth time and makes it 23 wins by KO/TKO. The Phoenix-born fighter has revenged himself his only loss and has won 13 of his last 14 fights by KO/TKO. Gonzalez is 3-6 in his last 9 fights and this is his 4^th loss by KO/TKO.

Sanchez vs. Bibiano

“The Lizard” makes it 8 wins in his last 9 fights with unanimous decision over Bibiano. Sanchez almost ended it when he put Bibiano down with a right hook in the second but the bell went to save Bibiano. After that Sanchez continued to collect the points but although they both slugged it out in every round he could not find that big punch again. Scores 78-73 twice and 79-71. Good win for Sanchez who has beaten useful opposition in Jorge Ibarra and Raul Hinojosa last year. Bibiano, a former WBFed champion, had won his last three fights.

Brovari, Ukraine: Light Middle: Zaurbek Baysangurov (29-1) W TKO 12 Guido Nicol Pitto (18-3). Light Heavy: Geard Ajetovic (25-9-1) W PTS 8 Vyacheslav Uzelkov (30-4). Light Heavy: Olek Cherviak (14-3-1) W PTS 8 Artem Redko (20-4-3). Cruiser: Iago Kiladze (22-1) W TKO 2 Attila Palko (17-13).

Baysangurov vs. Pitto

Baysangurov gets back into the action with win over Argentinian Pitto. This was Baysangurov’s first fight in 18 months so he took a little time to get rolling. Pitto was competitive over the early rounds but Baysangurov was just too strong and soon took over the action. From the third the Russian had his southpaw jab working and was slamming home hooks to the body. Round after round went to Baysangurov and he had Pitto hurt in the sixth and eighth rounds. The fight became one-sided and it was just a case of how much punishment Pitto could take. The Argentinian was bravely fighting back but just did not have the power to match the Ukrainian. The fight could and probably should have been halted from the tenth but Pitto was too brave for his own good and despite constantly being staggered was allowed to continue until late in the twelfth. Baysangurov floored Pitto with a hard combination and the Argentinian went down. Somehow he managed to regain his feet but was unsteady on his legs and the fight was stopped with just a few seconds left. Baysangurov, 29, wins the vacant IBO title. Now he will be looking to regain the WBO title that he lost due to 18 months out with an injury. “Chico” Pitto, 26, based in Spain, had broken through with an upset victory over German prospect Jack Culcay last year and did himself no harm in putting up a great effort in losing a close decision to Culcay in a return fight in October. This is the first time he has lost by KO/TKO.

Ajetovic vs. Uzelkov

Ajetovic gets an important victory as he takes a split decision over Uzelkov. The British based boxer won by being the busier fighter and fighting hard in every round. The same could not be said for a listless Uzelkov who despite having advantages in both height and reach allowed himself to be outworked time and again. Ajetovic was coming forward behind a high guard and the firing hooks and uppercuts in close. Uzelkov was too often retreating, just pushing out his jab without effect spending too long on the ropes and waiting too long to fire off punches. Ajetovic was drawing the jab and then coming inside and was walking Uzelkov down. Uzelkov finally came forward and threw plenty of punches in the last round but it was not enough. Although the decision was split there was no doubt about who was the winner. After losses to Daniel Geale, Dmitri Pirog and Matt Macklin the 33-year-old Ajetovic had become an in-and-out performer but this was a good win. Uzelkov had failed to make the contracted weight for this one. The 35-year-old Ukrainian lost to Beibut Shumenov for the WBA title in 2007 and had also lost important fights to Eduard Gutknecht and Doudou Ngumbu, but had won his last two fights.

Cherviak vs. Redko

In a battle of Ukrainians Cherviak got back into the winning column with a wide unanimous decision over previous victim Redko. Cherviak forced the fight all the way with Redko using his skill to blunt the Cherviak attacks. Scores 80-73, 79-73 and 78-74. The 33-year-old Cherviak had beaten Redko on a majority decision in 2009. Cherviak had a good win over Dustin Dirks (27-0) in April last year but was then knocked back by a stoppage loss to Nadjib Mohammedi in November. Redko, 32, has two draws and two losses in his last four fights.

Kiladze vs. Palko

Kiladze overwhelms poor Palko for quick win. The Donetsk-based Georgian put Palko down twice in the first round and after another knockdown in the second the fight was stopped. First fight for the tall Kiladze since upset loss to DRC fighter Youri Kayembre Kalenga in Germany in June which cost him his WBA No 8 rating.

Palko

Chester, England: Light: Chris Goodwin (18-2-1) W PTS 12 Oisin Fagin (27-9). Super Bantam: Paul Economides (14-5) W TKO 2 David Kanalas (14-11).

Goodwin vs. Fagin

A good twelve round fight sees local favourite Goodwin win the vacant WB Fed International with wide unanimous verdict over Fagin. The 40-year-old Irishman made Goodwin fight hard with his aggression, but Goodwin was younger, quicker and more accurate with his counters. Scores 119-111, 118-111 and 118-112. The 25-year-old home town fighter, a former full WBFed champion, had been inactive from August 2012 due to injury but had then returned in March this year. After losing his first pro fight he has never really looked back. The experienced Fagin had lost a split decision to Paul Spadafora and been halted in two rounds by Amir Khan but had won 4 of his last 5 fights.

Economides vs. Kanalas

Quick win for Economides as he overwhelms young Hungarian. Economides was hitting too hard for Kanalas in the first round and it was clear that the fight would not last long. Economides continued to score heavily with both hands and when a left hook put Kanalas down in early in the second the fight was stopped. Much needed win for the 27-year-old “Spartan” who had lost 3 of his last 4 fights. Kanalas, 21, is 2-6 in his last 8 fights with 6 of those 6 losses by KO/TKO.

Atlantic City, NJ, USA: Super Feather: Jason Sosa (12-1-3) W KO 9 Mike Brooks (10-2-1). Middle: Thomas Lamanna (14-0) W PTS 8 Ahsandi Gibbs (10-4).

Sosa vs. Brooks

Both fighters set out their stall over the first two rounds with Sosa the puncher and southpaw Brooks the boxer. Sosa broke through in the third flooring Brooks heavily with a right. Brooks did well to get back into the fighter over the next two rounds with sharp counters but the strength and body punching of Sosa saw him in control and although Brooks was still scoring regularly he lacked the power to deter Sosa. Sosa took the eighth and Brooks was being forced to trade. The end came in the ninth when a right from Sosa landed flush on the jaw of Brooks and the referee stopped the fight as Brooks hit the canvas. The 26-year-old Sosa has 8 wins by KO/TKO and has 9 wins and 2 draws in his last 11 fights. First loss inside the distance for 26-year-old Brooks.

Lamanna vs. Gibbs

Lamanna almost threw this one away by going off his game plan in the middle rounds. Over the early rounds the 6’2” (188cm) Lamanna used his height and reach to control the fight and had Gibbs rocking badly in the second. Lamanna took the third but was already giving Brooks a foothold by allowing the smaller man to work inside. Lamanna had to stage a strong finish to make sure he took the decision. Scores 77-75 twice and 78-74. The 22-year-old “Cornflake” Lamanna was having his second eight round fight. Brooks, 35, was having his first fight since being kayoed in 34 seconds by James Kirkland in March 2011.

Accra, Ghana: Welter: Richmond Djarbeng (17-2-1) W RTD 3 Stephen Okine (12-12-1). Djarbeng wins the Universal Boxing Federation African title and the vacant WBA Pan African title as he crushed Okine in two rounds. Djarbeng was in control from the start and by the third was toying with Okine and landing punches at will. Okine’s corner did the sensible thing and retired their man at the end of the third round. After two losses and a draw in his first three fight Djarbeng has won 17 in a row, 13 by KO/TKO. The 35-year-old Okine is 2-8 in his last 10 fights.