The Past Week in Action 23 June 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.

June 17

 

Tokyo, Japan: Fly: Koki Eto (15-3-1) W TKO 8 Ardin Diale (23-9-3).

Eto wins vacant OPBF title after climbing off the floor twice to halt Filipino Diale. The fight was an exciting slug fest. Eto had big edges in height and reach but too often elected to stand and trade with Diale. The Filipino was able to get inside and score with hooks from both hands. In the third Diale cornered Eto and floored him with a short right. Eto was up quickly but under pressure when a low punch put Diale down and the action was suspended whilst Diale recovered, but had lost his impetus. From the fourth it was Eto’s fight. He was finally using his jab and could not miss Diale with following right crosses and left hooks. Diale was still dangerous but his workrate dropped and Eto was working him over. At the start of the seventh Eto decided to stand and trade and almost paid the price. Three left hooks and a straight right put Eto down. He was up immediately but had to survive a furious assault from Diale. By the end of the round the Filipino seemed to have punched himself out and Eto was on top. A dramatic eighth saw both fighters tired and just standing toe-to-toe and slugging. Eto put Diale down with a left hook but the Filipino was up at four and suddenly Eto was staggered and looked to be about to go down only for him to slam home shots with both hands and put Diale down with another left hook.  Another attack from Eto saw Diale unable to defend himself and about to slump to the canvas and the referee stopped the fight. First fight for WBA No 14 ETO, 26, since losing his interim WBA title to Yodmongkol in November. GAB champion Diale had won 5 of his last 6 fights with all five wins by KO/TKO and he came near to making it six but just ran out of gas.

 

June 18

 

Kingston, Jamaica: Welter: Tsetsi Davis (12-3) W PTS 8 Howard Eastman (49-13).

Davis gets through to the final of this Jamaican Contender series with unanimous decision over oldie Eastman. Last year’s beaten finalist used an effective jab/right hook combination and swept the first six rounds. Eastman staged a strong finish looking for the kayo he needed but Davis was never in trouble. Scores 79-72, 79-73 and 78-74. The local fighter Davis has won 8 of his last 9 fights with the loss being to Devon Moncrieffe who he could meet in the final again. Former world title challenger Eastman, 43, has fought as high as light heavy and he had trouble making 147lbs for this fight.

 

June 19

 

Bayamon, Puerto Rico: Fly: McWilliams Arroyo (15-1) W KO 2 Froilan Saludar (19-1-1). Super Bantam: Cesar Seda (26-2) W PTS 10 Alex Rangel (15-3-2). Light Middle: Prichard Colon (10-0) W TKO 5 Carlos Garcia (7-13-1).

Arroyo vs. Saludar

McWilliams makes it a big week for the Arroyo twins as he flattens useful unbeaten Filipino Saludar. It was Saludar who made the better start throwing quick jabs and combinations with Arroyo keeping a tight, high guard and not letting any meaningful punches go. That changed early in the second when a right shook Saludar. Arroyo then opened up and they traded hard shots. Arroyo hurt Saludar with a left hook and then nailed him with a second one that put him down and out. The 28-year-old Puerto Rican, the IBF No 8, has 13 wins by KO/TKO and has won his last 12 fights after an early upset defeat. He is a former World Amateur and Pan American Games winner. His twin brother McJoe scored his biggest win as he halted former WBA flyweight champion Herman Marquez on June 14.

Seda vs. Rangel

Southpaw Seda returns to action with a points win over game Mexican. The Puerto Rican had a big edge in speed and skill but Rangel stood his ground and tried to make a fight of it without ever being competitive. Scores 99-91 twice and 100-90. The WBC No 6 has had shots at the WBO super fly title, losing to Omar Narvaez, and the WBC super bantam, losing in his last fight in December to Leo Santa Cruz. Rangel was halted in nine rounds in Phoenix by Alexis Santiago in his only other fight outside Mexico

Colon vs. Garcia

Colon maintains his 100% record of wins by KO/TKO. In an all-Puerto Rican battle he staggered Garcia with a jab in the first round, but Garcia fought back hard. It was Colon’s turn to get hurt by combinations in the second round which saw him bleeding from the nose by the end of the round. Colon was in control in the third and floored Garcia with a right. Garcia survived but took more punishment in the fourth until the end of the round when he landed a hard left to ease the pressure. In the fifth Colon dropped Garcia twice with rights and the fight was stopped. Ten wins in a row by KO/TKO for the 21-year-old former Puerto Rican amateur champion and World Youth Championships contestant. He has six first round wins. Garcia has lost 6 of his last 7 fights.

 

Buenos Aires, Argentina: Heavy: Marcelo Dominguez (47-7-1) W TKO 2 Javier Corrales (11-3-2). Heavy: Gonzalo O Basile (63-8,1ND) W PTS 10 Victor D Gimenez (22-7-1).

Dominguez vs. Corrales

Easy for former WBC cruiser champion Dominguez. After a round of little action a hard combination to head and body finished off by an overhand right put Corrales down on his knees. He made it to his feet but another volley ending with a left hook to the body put Corrales down again and the fight was stopped. Six wins a row and 25 wins by KO/TKO for the 44-year-old FAB No 2 heavy. Third loss by KO/TKO for Paraguayan Corrales and only his third fight outside his home country.

Basile vs. Gimenez

Basile retains his IBF Latino and interim WBC Mundo Hispano titles with a wide unanimous decision over limited Gimenez. The 6’6” (198cm) “El Paton” used his height and reach to control the fight with his jab and right crosses. No real highlights with Gimenez landing enough rights to stay in the fight but never really troubling the big man. Scores 97-93 twice and 99-91. Eight wins in a row for 40-year-old Basile who halted Gimenez on an eye injury in June last year. Paraguayan Gimenez, 37, was 7-3 in 10 fights in the USA back in 2001/2002.

 

June 20

 

 

Belfast, NI: Feather: Marco McCullough (10-0-1) W PTS 10 Martin Parlagi (14-1). Super Fly: Jamie Conlan (12-0) W TKO 3 Gabor Molnar (15-6). Feather: Willie Casey (15-3) W PTS 6 Krzys Rogowski (7-9).

McCullough vs. Parlagi

McCullough gets unanimous decision over dangerous Czech-based Slovakian and wins the vacant WBO European title. McCullough found the Slovakian an awkward opponent with his busy, busy style and lunging two-handed attacks. The Slovakian had a good first round throwing a storm of punches and not giving McCullough any room to work. In the second McCullough began to use his jab more and was scoring with fast combinations. As Parlagi lunged in a left hook sent him stumbling to the canvas but he was up immediately and fought back hard after the eight count. The third again saw McCullough working the jab and combinations with Parlagi still dangerous with his swings. In the fourth Parlagi landed some good body shots and then landed a left which clipped McCullough on the side of his head. McCullough’s legs shook and Parlagi followed-up and half punched/half wrestled McCullough over. McCullough was up at three and by the end of the round was again scoring with fast combinations. The fifth saw McCullough outboxing Parlagi. The Slovakian’s work rate dropped but a clash of heads opened a bad cut on the nose of McCullough and Parlagi received two more warning for heads clashes in the round. From that point despite heavy bleeding from the cut on his nose McCullough stuck to his boxing whilst Parlagi became wilder with his rushes and swings. Parlagi was given a last warning in the eighth for his headwork and McCullough dominated the last two rounds with some sharp boxing skills as Parlagi was reduced to head down lunges. Scores 98-92, 97-71 and 95-93. The 24-year-old Belfast fighter did well against an awkward, dangerous opponent and also to keep his boxing together despite a cut that bled heavily over the last 5 rounds. The WBO title will probably get him a high rating, but he needs more experience against better opposition to really get to that level. Neither fighter was in the EBU top 14 in the division. Parlagi, 26, was very limited in technique but gave McCullough an uncomfortable night.

Conlan vs. Molnar

Conlan retains WBO European title with stoppage of late choice of challenger Molnar. Conlan was trying to walk down the young Hungarian throughout the first. Molnar showed his inexperience when after a clash of heads he turned to complain to the referee and as a result got nailed by a right smash. In the second Molnar showed some good skills but had a poor defence and his punches were swings rather than straight shots. Conlan was relentless with his pressure and as Molnar tried to get inside Conlan nailed him with a right cross which dumped the Hungarian on the seat of his pants. Molnar got up and tried to fight back but he was lucky that the knockdown came late in the round. He was still walking onto hard punches in the third and Conlan was throwing bombs. A right to the top of the head and a left hook to the chin put Molnar down. He got up at three and was given the eight count but in another exchange a right to the chin dumped him against the ropes and the referee halted the fight. The Mexican” Conlan makes it eight wins by KO/TKO the last four in a row. He is WBO No 10 and a good prospect. Hungarian champion Molnar, 21, is 2-3 in his last five fights including a first round kayo loss to Iain Butcher and to Frenchman Yoan Boyer who halted him in two.

Casey vs. Rogowski

Casey gets hard earned win against Pole Rogowski. The Pole had come to fight and was willing to trade with southpaw Casey in every round even forcing Casey to fight on the back foot and off the ropes. It looked an even fight after four rounds but Casey had the superior strength and won the last two rounds as Rogowski tired. Referee’s score 59-55 which did not reflect how hard Rogowski made this for Casey. The 32-year-old southpaw was 3-3 in his previous six fights with losses to Guillermo Rigondeaux, Andreas Evensen and McCullough. Rogowski, also 32, has lost 6 of his last 7 fights. He was Polish amateur champion five times and runner-up twice.

 

Perth, Australia: Light Welter: Darragh Foley (3-0) W TKO 2 John Ford (6-4-1). Super Middle: Wes Capper (5-0) W PTS 8 Steve Ma (5-4). Cruiser: Damien Hooper (8-0) W TKO 3 Josh Webb (6-3-1). Middle: Luke Sharp (9-1-2) W PTS 6 Wade Ryan (5-1).

Foley vs. Ford

Kent-born Dubliner Foley makes it three wins inside the distance. Both fighters took something from the first round. Ford was able to score with counters as southpaw Foley piled forward but more important Foley opened a cut over Ford’s left eye with a punch. Ford had the better of the second staggering Foley with a right and opening a cut on the cheek of the English-born fighter. However Ford’s cut had worsened and the doctor advised the fight should be stopped. Foley, 25, collects the vacant Western Australia Sate title. Australian-based 23-year-old Thai Ford (real name Nawakon Kitee), the ANBF No 7, is 2-3-1 in his fights in Australia

Capper vs. Ma

Accomplished Capper boxed his way to victory over Ma. The Perth fighter dominated the fight and floored Ma with a right in the last. The 25-year-old local won in his USA debut in April. He did not fight at all in 2013 but from now on will drop his MMA and Kick-boxing to focus on boxing. Ma had won 5 of his last 6 fights.

Hooper vs. Webb

Hopper floors and cuts Webb on the way to stoppage victory. This was not the main bout, but any fight featuring Hooper is a big event. A member of Ricky Hatton’s team he is a great prospect. He scored with strong jabs in the first and then put Webb down with a straight right in the second. Webb was already showing a large mouse under his left eye and leaking blood from his nose. Hooper handed out more punishment in the third and Webb’s corner retired him at the end of the round. Now 7 wins by KO/TKO for the Brisbane 22-year-old. He was rated No 2 in the world at 81kg as an amateur and was a World Youth Champion. Webb, the ANBF No 9 light heavy had a good edge in height and was unbeaten in his last 7 fights but Hooper is a different class.

Sharp vs. Ryan

Local fighter Sharp got back into the winning column with a unanimous decision over Ryan. Scores 59-55, 59-56 and 58-56. The tall 25-year-old had lost his unbeaten tag against another unbeaten fighter Mike Zerafa in February. He is ANBF No 8 and Ryan is No 14.

 

Ghent, Belgium: Light: Jean Pierre Bauwens (34-1-1) W TKO 5 Gyorgy Mizsei (19-10). Cruiser: Joel Tambwe Djeko (7-1-1) W KO 1 Frank Bluemle (9-1-2)

Bauwens vs. Mizsei

Belgian “Junior” Bauwens wins EU title at second attempt with kayo of champion Hungarian Mizsei. With two earlier fight ending inside the first round neither fighter had time for a proper pre-fight warm-up. Despite this the action was hot from the first with Bauwens pressing the action and Mizsei trying to match him. Bauwens was always in control and in the fifth three jabs and a hard right put Mizsei down and the referee stopped the fight with the Hungarians protesting their man could have continued. The 26-year-old local, the EBU No 4, makes it 21 wins by KO/TKO. He lost a majority decision to Ruben Nieto for the then vacant EU title in April last year and this was his seventh win since then, six by KO/TKO. Mizsei, 20, won the EU title in April with a huge upset win over world rated Brunet Zamora (25-1-2) but had previously lost to Ghislain Maduma, Belgian Steve Jamoye and Brits Tom Stalker, Bradley Saunders and Terry Flanagan.

Djeko vs. Bluemle

“Big Joe “ Djeko destroys unbeaten Bluemle inside a round to win the vacant IBA Intercontinental title. One right flattened the German with ten seconds left in the round. The 6’6” 24-year-old Belgian is 4-0-1 in his last 5 fights and has three wins by KO/TKO. Bluemle had won his last 4 fights by KO/TKO but against fighters with combined records of 4-93-2!

 

Piacenza, Italy: Welter: Antonio Moscatiello (17-2-1) W KO 3 Paolo Lazzari (15-1-2). Light: Massimiliano Ballisai (17-2) W PTS 6 Francesco Acatullo (5-2-1). Super Bantam: Vittorio Parrinello (1-0) W TKO 3 Ambroz Horvath (0-30-2).

Moscatiello vs. Lazzari

Moscatiello win the vacant Italian title with kayo of hometown fighter Lazzari. The first two rounds were level with Moscatiello busier but Lazzari more accurate. In the third a left hook from Moscatiello had Lazzari badly shaken and another left hook sent him down heavily with no chance of beating the count.” Big” Moscatiello, 31, makes it 12 wins by KO/TKO and wins the national title at his second attempt. He was kayoed by Leonard Bundu for the EBU title and lost to Gianluca Frezza for the Italian title in 2012. He had former WBC cruiser champ Giacobbe Fragomeni in his corner. Lazzari, 31, was stepping up from four rounds.

Ballisai vs. Acatullo

Ballisai gets win but Acatullo makes him work hard. Ballisai was working the body and taking an early lead with Acatullo showing more speed. In the middle rounds Acatullo was using that speed to even out the scores. Ballisai was sporting an ugly bump on the right side of his face but a left hook had Acatullo reeling and hanging on as the strong finish got Ballisai the decision. The Turin 29-year-old had lost 2 of his last 3 fights inside the distance being kayoed by Felix Lora and also by Brunet Zamora in a EU title fight in his last fight in July. A big step up in level of opposition for Acatullo but he performed well.

Parrinello vs. Horvath

Two-time Olympian Parrinello turns pro with easy win over long term loser Horvath. Parrinello was just too quick for the Slovakian. The Italian put Horvath down early in the third and when a solid right hook put Horvath down again the fight is stopped. The 30-year-old Italian was national champion four times competed at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and won bronze medals at the European Championships and the World Military Championships. Horvath still looking for his first win after 32 fights.

 

Ensenada, Mexico: Super Feather: Omar Estrella (19-6-2,1ND) W PTS 10 Joksan Hernandez (23-6-1). Fly: Angel Ramos (8-0) W TKO 5 Francisco Landeros (1-4).

Estrella vs. Hernandez

Estrella gets a good win as he takes split decision over Hernandez. The hometown fighter Hernandez built a slight lead over the first six rounds but Estrella staged a strong finish having Hernandez in deep trouble in the eighth and just doing enough to get the decision. “Dinamita” Estrella, a 27-year-old from Tijuana, was 3-3 in his last 6 going in but the losses were against Daniel Ponce De Leon, Robinson Castellanos and Miguel Berchelt. “Torito” Hernandez, also 27, is now 2-4-1 in his last 7 but for him also the losses have been against world rated fighters.

Ramos vs. Landeros

Southpaw Ramos managed one win for the locals as he halted Landeros. The “Little Devil” floored Landeros in the first round and also in the third with Landeros also sporting a cut on his left eyebrow by the end of the round. Ramos handed out more punishment in the fourth and a crunching left floored Landeros for a third time in the fifth. He made it to the vertical but the fight was stopped. Five wins by KO/TKO for Ramos.

 

 

June 21

 

Carson, CA, USA: Feather: Vasyl Lomachenko (2-1) W PTS 12 Gary Russell Jr (24-1). Welter: Robert Guerrero (32-2-1,2ND) W PTS 12 Yoshihiro Kamegai (24-2-1). Welter: Devon Alexander (26-2) W PTS 10 Jesus Soto Karass (28-10-3). Light Heavy: Chad Dawson (32-3,2ND) W KO 1 George Blades (23-6). Heavy: Dominic Breazeale (11-0) W TKO 3 Devin Vargas (18-4). Heavy: Mike Hunter (5-0) W PTS 8 Jerry Forrest (7-2). Light: Sharif Bogere (25-1) W TKO 3 Miguel Zamudio (29-5-1). Light Heavy: Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (9-0) W PTS 6 Mike Gbenga (19-15).

Lomachenko vs. Russell

It has taken almost 39 years but finally someone equaled the record set by Thai Saensak Muangsurin of winning a world title in his third fight. It was no real surprise that the man achieving this was Vasyl Lomachenko as his outstanding achievements as an amateur marked him out as someone special. The 26-year-old Ukrainian southpaw won the vacant WBO title with a majority verdict over fellow-southpaw and fellow-Olympian Russell. A decision which should have been unanimous. Lomachenko showed great skills, a sound defence, great punch angles, good footwork, hard punching and tactical nous. Russell had the superior hand speed and a higher punch ratio but was landing less and being out-powered and eventually that began to tell. Russell was in the fight over the first four rounds. He edged the first and probably the fourth but Lomachenko used a body attack to take the second and third. From the fourth Lomachenko was staying inside and working the body. The scores at that stage were 39-37 twice for Lomachenko and 40-36 for Russell. Lomachenko took the fifth with his shots to the body. Russell came back into it in the sixth and Lomachenko scored well in the seventh, Russell had a good eighth and after that round the scores were 77-75 twice for Lomachenko and 78-74 for Russell. The American edged the ninth but the heavy body punches from Lomachenko were taking their toll and the Ukrainian swept the last three rounds on all cards having Russell badly hurt by a ferocious set of punches late in the last round. Scores 116-112 twice and 114-114 although Lomachenko was a clear winner. The 26-year-old new champion overcame his disappointment of a split decision loss to Orlando Salido for this same title which would have given him the outright record for winning a world title in the least number of fights and looks like a champion who could rule for a long time. Russell, 26, the WBO No 1 had scored good wins over medium level opposition in Robert Castaneda and Vyacheslav Gusev but lacked the strength and the power to match Lomachenko.

Guerrero vs. Kamegai

This was supposed to be a reasonable level test for Guerrero in his first fight since losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May. Instead, despite the scores showing Guerrero a comfortable winner, it was all-out war. The sort of fight that the fans love but can take too much out of a boxer and shorten their career. Southpaw Guerrero started the fight in command using his jab to control the fight keeping Kamegai out and giving himself room to scores with combinations, but Kamegai was having some success in working the body. In the third Guerrero gave up all ideas of boxing his way though the fight as Kamegai drew him into a brawl and they started trading heavy shots with no pretence of defence. It was the same in the fourth with the fighters toe-to-toe Guerrero scoring to the head and brining blood from Kamegai’s nose and Kamegai continuing his body attacks. Guerrero tried to go back to his boxing at the start of the fifth but Kamegai was staying on the inside and Guerrero was soon in the trenches again. Guerrero was just getting through with the better shots, but Kamegai was absorbing them and banging back. The signs of battle began to show in the sixth when an uppercut from Kamegai opened a cut over Guerrero’s left eye and also started a swelling which would become a big problem for Guerrero. That gave Kamegai some encouragement and he had his best period in the middle rounds getting through with more body punches. However, Guerrero upped his workrate and was more accurate and was utilising what defence either bothered with to collect the rounds. Guerrero is not a natural welterweight and Kamegai was able to rake Guerrero’s punches and stay in front of the American as they continued to batter away at each other. Despite his left eye being almost closed Guerrero scored the higher volume of punches in the tenth and Kamegai the heavier shots in the eleventh. The last finally saw the pace tell on Kamegai and Guerrero came close to flooring the Japanese fighter. A candidate for fight of the year. Guerrero won on scores of 117-111 twice and 116-112. Guerrero has captured a bucket full of titles, IBF feather, interim WBA and WBO lightweight and interim WBC welter but at 31 “The Ghost” will not want too many this tough. OPBF champion Kamegai, 31, showed the aggression that had cornered him 21 wins by KO/TKO and can only have heightened his profile. He does not seem to like California having drawn with Jorge Silva and lost a wide points verdict to Johan Perez in previous visits to the State. He was IBF 7/WBC 13 going in.

Alexander vs. Karass

Alexander gets a needed win as he outpoints the always tough Karass. The former WBC/IBF light welter and IBF welter champion used superior hand speed to pile up points over the first two rounds, and effective counters to take the third. He scored with a series of southpaw rights in the fourth and by the fifth Karass had changed to southpaw to try to stem the tide and turn things his way. The Mexican got through with some hard body punches in the fifth and sixth and seemed to outscore Alexander with a higher work rate in the seventh. The eighth saw Alexander back on top as he scored with right hooks and uppercuts and he also took the ninth with his better skills. Karass gave it a big try in the last and Alexander punched with him rather than try to coast to victory. Scores 99-91 twice and 97-93. First fight for Alexander since losing his IBF title to Shawn Porter in December. With his only current rating being No 6 with the IBF Alexander has work to do to get back in the title picture. Karass was trying to get back to winning ways after being stopped in nine rounds by Keith Thurman for the interim WBA title in December.

Dawson vs. Blades

“Bad” Chad Dawson gets a win over out of his class Blades. Dawson was content to let Blades lead and look to counter. He hurt Blades with a left to the body and as Blades continued to come forward a long left to the body put him down. He was up at seven, took the eight count and tried to take the fight to Dawson. A right to the chin had Blades staggering and a couple more shots put him down. He got to his knees then just watched the referee count to ten. The former WBC/IBF/IBO champion was coming back after traumatic losses to Andre Ward and Adonis Stevenson. He weighed 182 ¾ so hopefully is looking to get back to light heavy. Blades, 39, a former WBO light heavy title challenger has had just 3 fights in the last 5 years with the most recent being back in September.

Breazeale vs. Vargas

Breazeale just too big and too powerful for Vargas. The unbeaten 6’7 ½ “ (202cm) Breazeale had Vargas on the floor in the second and was getting through with hard punches in the third when after receiving a punch to the side of the head Vargas just turned away and surrendered. The 28-year-old “Trouble” has 10 wins by KO/TKO. A 2012 Olympian he is trained by former Olympic gold medallist Henry Tillman who beat Mike Tyson out of a berth on the 1984 Olympic team but lost to Tyson as a pro. Vargas, 32, was also an Olympian being Tillman’s Team Captain in 2004 but did not medal. After winning his first 17 fights he is now 1-4 in his last 5 with all four losses by KO/TKO.

Hunter vs. Forrest

Former top amateur Hunter has no trouble boxing his way to victory over southpaw Forrest in his first eight round fight. Scores 80-72 from all three judges. The 25-year-old 6’2” (188cm) son of Mike “Bounty” Hunter was NGG champion 2007 and 2009, US champion in 2011 and competed at the 2012 Olympics. All at 91kgs and is small by today’s standards for a heavyweight. Forrest, 26, was coming off a second round kayo loss to Gerald Washington.

Bogere vs. Zamudio

The Ugandan “Lion” punched too hard for Mexican Zamudio. Bogere hurt Zamudio with body punches in the first two rounds and switched to the head in the third. Zamudio shipped heavy punishment and the doctor ordered the fight stopped at the end of the third round. The 25-year-old Bogere makes it two wins this year after 13 months of inactivity following his loss to Richar Abril for the WBA light title last year.

Shabranskyy vs. Gbenga

Two for the kings of the jungle as “Lion Heart” Shabranskyy struggles to look good against the negative Gbenga but comes away with a win. It looked as though Shabranskyy was on his way to another quick win when he floored the Nigerian in the first, but after that Gbenga clinched his way through the next five rounds to still be there at the final bell. Scores 60-52 twice and 59-53. The 27-year-old Ukrainian is yet to be really tested. Gbenga is 2-9 in his last 11 fights.

 

Monte Carlo, Monaco: Straw: Hekkie Budler (26-1) W KO 8 Pigmy Kokietgym (52-7-2). Cruiser: Youri Kayembre Kalenga (20-1) W PTS 12 Mateusz Masternak (32-2). Middle: Martin Murray (28-1-1) W PTS 12 Max Bursak (29-3-1). Light Heavy: Doudou Ngumbu (33-5) W PTS 10 Johnny Muller (16-4-2).

Budler vs. Kokietgym

Blue-haired Budler “The Hexecutioner” retains his WBA and IBO titles with stoppage of Thai Kokietgym. Budler was pressing the action with Kokietgym showing clever movement and a strong jab. Budler made a break through in the fourth when he floored the challenger with a right. Kokietgym boxed his way out of trouble, but Budler had put down a marker. Late in the seventh a left hook to the body from Budler put Kokietgym down again. The bell came before Budler could take advantage of the knockdown but he came out to finish the job in the eighth and another left hook put the Thai on the floor. Although Kokietgym got up he was soon down again from another body punch and he was counted out.  The 26-year-old South African retains his WBA title for the first time and the IBO title for the fifth time. Not a noted puncher he showed real power here. Kokietgym, 32, lost a split decision to fellow Thai Kwanthai for the WBA title in 2010, his only loss in his last 42 fights.

Kalenga vs. Masternak

Kalenga wins the vacant interim WBA title with a split decision over Pole Masternak. The DRC fighter set a fast pace and was outworking Masternak from the start. Kalenga “The Bull” was pressinjg hard scoring to head and body with Masternak spending too   long posing and not enough time punching. The stronger man Kalenga was able to outmuscle the Pole and his relentless pressure saw him build a big lead. Eventually he tired and Masternak was able to get into the fight but his strong finish came too late to make any difference with Kalenga looking a clear winner. Scores 116-112 and 115-113 to Kalenga and 115-113 for Masternak. The 26-year-old French-based Kalenga was lucky to get the title shot as he had done nothing of note since losing to Arturs Kulikauskis in October, but now he is the champion-well interim champion anyway. Masternak, 27, was halted in 11 rounds by Grigory Drozd for the EBU title in October and had won only two minor fights since then.

Murray vs. Bursak

Impressive result but medium performance for Murray. The Brit quickly adapted to the crude awkward style of Ukrainian and then proceeded to outbox the former European champion never really letting Bursak into the fight but also not producing any fireworks. Murray showed his excellent skills just being too quick and clever for Bursak but both fighters did too much clinching. The cleaner, accurate punching was coming from Murray with Bursak scoring with occasional swings. It was difficult for Murray to look good but he did the job he was there to do. He beat Bursak by a much wider margin than Jarrod Fletcher which took the Australian to WBA No 2. Despite being IBF No 3(1) the 31-year-old Murray is hoping for a shot at WBA champion Gennady Golovkin and this win keeps him in the picture. Bursak, 29, has fallen away badly going from 24-0-1 in his first 25 fights to 5-3 in his last 8 contests with the losses all being big fights.

Ngumbu vs. Muller

The clever and experienced Ngumbu just too smart for South African champion Muller. A clash of heads saw Muller suffer a bad cut over his left eye in the first round and despite his best efforts he was unable to overcome the handicap and the DRC fighter won the unanimous decision on scores of 99-91, 97-93 and 96-94. Ngumbu, 32, is 6-2 in his last 8 fights including a win over world rated Vyacheslav Uzelkov. Muller took this fight at short notice and that plus the early cut made it an uphill struggle for 23-year-old Muller. He is 7-2 in his last 9 fights with the two losses to unbeaten prospect Ryno Liebenberg. He is maturing as a fighter and can come back strongly from this loss.

 

Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA:  Light Heavy: W Nadjib Mohammedi (35-3) W TKO 7 Anatoliy Dudchenko (19-3). Light: Karl Dargan (16-0) W TKO 5 Tony Flores (11-4-1).

Mohammedi vs. Dudchenko

Frenchman Mohammedi wins this IBF eliminator as his constant pressure breaks down the big Ukrainian. Mohammedi was giving away a lot in height (5’11 ½” (181cm) to 6’3” (190cm) and reach but was able to get inside and work on the body of Dudchenko. Mohammedi’s workrate and accuracy were higher and Dudchenko was finding himself caught on the ropes and with no punching room. The fight quickly became one-way traffic with Mohammedi hurting Dudchenko with an overhand right in the fourth and landing a series of shots at the end of the round. It was all Mohammedi in the fifth and sixth as he found Dudchenko an easy target for right hands. At the end of the round the doctor checked on Dudchenko to see if he was able to continue. Mohammedi kept up the pressure opening a cut on the nose of Dudchenko and scoring heavily with both hands in the seventh when the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight. The win should get the 29-year-old Frenchman the mandatory spot in the IBF ratings but champion Bernard Hopkins may have other plans for a title defence. Mohammedi lost a close decision to Nat Cleverly for the interim WBO title in 2010 and was stopped in two rounds by Dmitry Sukhotsky in 2011 but had run up 11 wins including victories over Doudou Ngumbu, Hakim Chioui and Olek Cherviak. Dudchenko “The Gladiator”, 35, never got into the fight and spent too long looking for one big punch. After going 3-2 in his first 5 fights he then ran up 16 wins but none against world class opposition.

Dargan vs. Flores

Dargan again shows class in stopping Flores in five rounds. The former top amateur was too quick-handed for Flores and was landing fast, hard combinations from the outset. By the second Dargan’s shots already had a swelling forming under the right eye of Flores and Flores was finding it hard to get off with any of his own punches. Those quick combinations continued to find a home on the face and body of Flores in the third and fourth. In the fifth Flores landed a hard right but Dargan fired back with a series of shots which sent Flores down. He got up but another combination from Dargan saw the referee stop the fight. The 29-year-old Phillly fighter makes it 7 wins by KO/TKO but 15 fights in 6 ½ years is not a good return and hopefully a more active Dargan will fulfill the promise he showed when winning two US amateur titles and a gold medal at the Pan American Games. After three losses in a row Flores, 26, took almost three years out but was coming off a very good win over Mike Faragon (19-0) in April.

 

Cancun, Mexico: Super Fly: Jose Salgado (34-2-1) W PTS 12 Oscar Blanquet (32-8-1). Super Bantam: Cris Mijares (50-8-2) W TKO 7 Sebastian D Rodriguez (20-7-1). Super Feather: Juan Pablo Sanchez (28-11) W KO 9 Onalvi Sierra (26-8-1).

Salgado vs. Blanquet

Salgado gets by Blanquet with unanimous decision.  The first two rounds were a bit of a switchback for Blanquet. He floored Salgado in the first with a right, but in the next round lost a point for a butt that saw Salgado cut on his left eyebrow. Worried about the cut which was dripping blood for much of the fight Salgado forced the action coming forward and throwing plenty of leather with Blanquet trading but getting the worst of things. Salgado shook Blanquet with a left hook in the fifth and with his corner doing a good job of controlling the eye injury Salgado was fighting with more confidence and pocketing the rounds. At the end of the eighth he had built a good lead with two judges having him in front 77-72 and the third seeing it 76-74. Salgado took the ninth. Knowing he was behind and with Salgado’s cut again bleeding heavily Blanquet put in a big effort in the ninth, tenth and eleventh but Salgado kept his boxing together and was able to stay out of trouble in the last knowing he had the fight won. Scores 116-109, 115-110 and 118-117. The 25-year-old “Sugar” Salgado retains the NABF title for the fourth time. He lost a split decision to Liborio Solis for the interim WBA title in 2011 but has seven wins and a draw since then. He is WBA 3/WBC 4/IBF 14(15) so another title shots could come his way. Blanquet, 29, has now lost four in a row. He was moving up from flyweight where he lost on points to Akira Yaegashi for the WBC title in August and was halted in two rounds by Roman Gonzalez in November

Mijares vs. Rodriguez

After a slow start Mijares powers up to halt Rodriguez. Over the first two rounds southpaw Mijares was using his height and reach to hold off the attacks of Rodriguez who kept pressing to get inside. From the third Mijares opened up more and caught the oncoming Argentinian with hard counters. Rodriguez was having some success by cornering Mijares, but was paying for it by eating more counters. The fifth and sixth saw Mijares scoring with heavy shots from both hands with Rodriguez just having to soak up the punishment. Late in the seventh a left hook from Mijares put Rodriguez down. The Argentinian gamely made it to his feet but was floored with a right and the fight was stopped right on the bell. Now 25 wins by KO/TKO for the 32-year-old former super fly champion. This was his first fight since losing a wide unanimous decision to Leo Santa Cruz for the WBC super bantam title in March. Argentinian “Chucky” Rodriguez, 30, holds a version of the South American title. He is 3-5-1 in his last 9 fights.

Sanchez vs. Sierra

Sierra recovers from a bad start to halt Colombian Sierra. A left hook from southpaw Sierra put Sanchez on the floor in the first and the visitor kept up the pressure in the second with Sanchez still shaky. Sanchez was more in the fight in the third and fourth going to the body but being caught with hard counters. Sanchez continued the body bombardment and Sierra was showing signs of tiring and was caught on the ropes more often. Sanchez was now in control and in front on all three cards at the end of the eighth with Sierra flat-footed and exhausted. In the ninth Sanchez launched a sustained attack and Sierra was trapped on the ropes, taking punishment and not fighting back when the referee halted the fight. Sanchez, 26, collects the vacant Silver WBC International title and makes it six wins in a row. Sierra, 26, is 5-4 in his last nine fights with all four losses coming in fights for a variety of titles.

 

Lichtervelde, Belgium: Cruiser: Yves Ngabu (9-0) W TKO 2 Chris Dufaux (14-10). Light: Hedi Slimani (17-2) W PTS 8 Kakhaber Avetisian (34-23-1).

Ngabu vs. Dufaux

Belgian Ngabu continues his run of inside the distance wins. The 25-year-old local floored Dufaux in the first and another knockdown in the second saw the fight stopped. The 25-year-old lifts the vacant Belgian title and makes it 7 wins in a row by KO/TKO. Dufaux, 31, a former Belgian champion, has now failed in two attempts to regain the title.

Slimani vs. Avetisian

Lichtervelde-based Tunisian Slimani made it a double for the local boxing club as he looked to have won 7 of the 8 rounds and took the decision on scores of 78-72 twice and 79-71. Nine wins in a row for the 27-year-old WBC Mediterranean champion. Georgian Avetisian had boosted his standing with a win over former WBO title challenger Andreas Evensen in April last year.

 

Cebu City, Philippines: Light Welter: Jason Pagara (34-2) W TKO 4 Mario Meraz (20-4). Super Bantam: Albert Pagara (21-0) W TKO 1 Hugo Partida (21-5-2). Super Bantam: A J Banal (31-2-1) W TKO 2 Defry Palulu (10-1). Light Welter: Jimrex Jaca (39-7-4) TEC DRAW 3 Masayoshi Kotake (9-8-2).

Pagara vs. Meraz

Pagara halts Meraz in a “take no prisoners” war. They exchanged hard rights early in the first round before the local hero put Meraz down briefly with a right uppercut. Meraz was ready to go toe-to-toe in the second and again had some early success before Pagara had him hurt with a left hook and a right late in the round. More of the same in the third with Pagara scoring with uppercuts and Meraz banging back with his own uppercuts and hooks. After a furious exchange in the fourth a series of hard head jerking shots from Pagara floored Meraz. Meraz was hurt but made it back to his feet and when asked to raise his gloves to show he was okay did so, but the referee felt his walk forward was unsteady and chose to stop the fight. It seemed to be a premature call, but Pagara looked to be on his way to a win. The 25-year-old “Nino” retains his WBO International title for the fourth time and makes it 21 wins by KO/TKO. He has lost only one of his last 23 fights and reversed that loss. “Rocky” Meza had won 7 of his last 8 fights, his three other losses were all inside the distance against very modest opposition.

Pagara vs. Partida

“Prince” Albert made it a family double as he destroyed the Mexican in 78 seconds. A right put Partida down at the start of the round and when Partida got up another volley had him slumped over with the ropes holding him up so he was given another count. It took just another devastating left hook to the chin to put Partida down again and the fight was stopped. The 20-year-old Filipino has 15 wins by KO/TKO and collected the vacant IBF Inter-Continental title. Partida, 26, had won 6 of his last 7 fights and his recent losses have generally been to good level opposition such as Andres Romero (18-1) and former WBA super bantam champion Akifumi Shimoda.

Banal vs. Palulu

Having tipped Banal as a future world champion way back it has been disappointing to see him lose the big fights. However, he is again winding his way along the winning trail hopefully towards another title fight. This night started badly in this all-southpaw fight as unbeaten Indonesian Palulu floored the local southpaw with a left hook early in the first round. It was not a heavy knockdown and Banal was soon unloading with his own punches. In the second round Banal was on the offensive again and near the end of the round he landed two crunching body punches which left the young Indonesian writhing in agony and unable to beat the count. The 25-year-oold “Bazooka” has 22 wins by KO/TKO. His losses were a tenth round stoppage against Rafael  Concepcion for the interim WBA super fly title in 2008 and a ninth round loss against Pungluang for the vacant WBO bantam title in 2012. He is now up at super bantam and has scored three useful wins. Palulu, the 23-year-old “Indonesian Hammer”, the national champion had won 9 of his fights by KO/TKO, but Banal was in a different class.

Jaca vs. Kotake

“The Executioner was looking to get back to winning ways but a clash of heads saw the local southpaw cut badly over his left eye and the fight was declared a technical draw. The 31-year-old Jaca had started well flooring the Japanese fighter in the first round so the outcome was a big disappointment for Jaca who had an eleven bout winning streak broken in February with a loss to Shinya Iwabuchi in Japan. Kotake, 27, and also a southpaw, is now 3-5-2 in his last 10 fights.

 

Cluj-Napoca, Romania: Welter: Florin Cardos (12-0) W Bogdan Mitic (19-5,1ND).

Hometown fighter Cardos remains unbeaten with points win over Serb Mitic. Cardos outboxed and floored Mitic on the way to a points verdict on scores of 100-90, 99-92 and 99-93 and wins the WBC CISBB title. First ten round fight for the 26-year-old former three-time national junior champion a veteran of over 200 amateur fights. Mitic, 30, having his second shot at this title, was 2-3 going in but his conquerors, Anton Novikov, Konstantin Ponomarev and Balazs Kelemen had combined records of 56-0, so tough matches.

 

Barcelona, Spain: Light Welter: Sandor Martin (19-1) W PTS 10 Mikheil Avakyani (24-14-4). Martin delights home fans as he wins the vacant WBO Youth title with wide unanimous decision over Avakyan. The young Spaniard had the superior technique and with a bit more punching power could have ended this one early. As it is he settled for the one-sided points victory on scores of 100-89 twice and 99-90. The 20-year-old Spanish champion from Barcelona, the EBU No 15, scores his fourth win after losing his unbeaten tag against Frenchman Alex Lepelley in December. Georgian Avakyani, 22, was halted in two rounds by Kevin Mitchell in March.

 

June 23

 

Tokyo, Japan: Feather: Satoshi Hosono (26-2-1) W RTD 6 Gosuke Seki (15-1-2). Fly: Ryuji Hara (18-0) W PTS 10 Faris Nenggo (8-5-3)

Hosono vs. Seki

Hosono retains his JBC title as challenger with win over previously unbeaten southpaw Seki. It was an even fight over three rounds but in the fourth a punch opened a bad cut over Seki’s eye and at the end of the sixth it was decided that the cut was too bad for Seki to continue. In WBA title shots Hosono lost on points to Celestino Caballero for the secondary WBA title in 2011 and fought a technical draw with Chris John for the full WBA title in April last year. The 30-year-old “Bazooka” is WBA 2/WBC 14/IBF 16(15) so another shot at the WBA title is a high possibility. Seki was JBC No 2.

Hara vs. Nenggo

OPBF champion Hara keeps his hopes of a world title shot alive with a unanimous decision over Indonesian Nenggo. The 23-year-old’s OPBF title was not on the line. Scores 99-91, 99-92 and 98-92. He is WBO 3/IBF 4(2)/WBA 4(3)/WBC 7 so he too could get a title fight in the near future.

 

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 by 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

GBC= Global Boxing Council a sanctioning body

IBA=International Boxing Association a sanctioning body

IBF=International Boxing Federation a sanctioning body

IBO=International Boxing Organisation a sanctioning body

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

UBF=Universal Boxing Federation a sanctioning body

UBO=Universal Boxing Organisation a sanctioning body

USBA= United States Boxing Association, an IBF affiliate

USBO=United States Boxing Organisation an WBO affiliate

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.