The Past Week in Action 7 June 2016

(Fotos: Suministradas)

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 boxing for the past week.

The Past Week in Action 7 June 2016
June 2

Moscow, Russia: Cruiser: Max Vlasov (35-2) W TKO 3 Ismayl Sillah (23-3).
Vlasov continues his cruiser campaign climbing off the floor to beat Sillah. After some cautious sparring Vlasov landed a quick left hook to the chin. When he tried to follow-up that success he was nailed by Sillah with a short right hook that put Vlasov down on his knees. He was up quickly but after the eight count Sillah scored with more head punches forcing Vlasov to come inside and try to hold. Twice Vlasov went down. Neither flooring came from a punch but it was a bad round for Vlasov. He turned the tables completely in the second. Sillah had advantages in height and reach but Vlasov managed to get inside and landed a right cross that knocked Sillah to the ropes. Vlasov kept him there banging home rights and lefts to head and body. Sillah managed to get off the ropes but was hurt by two more rights and was in trouble at the bell. With about 15 seconds gone in the third Vlasov landed a cracking right cross that unhinged Sillah’s legs. He fell back to the ropes and Vlasov piled in with more rights. With Sillah starting to slide down the ropes the referee jumped in and stopped the fight. The 29-year-old Russian suffered important losses to Isaac Chilemba and Gilberto Ramirez at super middle but has scored four wins at cruiser and is No 14 with the WBO. Ukrainian Sillah, 31, blew his chance of an early world title chance shot at light heavy when he lost in eight rounds against Denis Grachev. When he did get his shot in 2013 he was knocked out in two rounds by Sergey Kovalev and moved up to cruiser where he won two fights last year.

June 3

Hollywood, FL, USA: Light: Rances Barthelemy (25-0,1ND) W PTS 12 Mickey Bey (22-2-1,1ND). Super Bantam: Emmanuel Rodriguez (15-0) W PTS 10 Alberto Guevara (24-3). Super Middle: Caleb Plant (13-0) W KO 4 Carlos Galvan (12-5-1). Light: Gervonta Davis (16-0) W KO 1 Mario Macias Rorozco (28-18,1ND). Cruiser: Steve Geffrard (14-2) W KO 1 Samuel Miller (31-15). Super Feather: Dat Nguyen (19-3) W PTS 6 Jesus Lule (8-18-1).
Barthelemy vs. Bey
Barthelemy retains his IBF title with split decision over former unbeaten champion Bey. Barthelemy was much the bigger man and was coming forward behind a strong jab in the first with Bey on the back foot and looking to counter but not taking any chances as Barthelemy edged the round. In the second as the fighters came together there was a clash of heads that put Barthelemy down. It had happened quickly and the referee assumed it was a punch and started to count. Barthelemy got up quickly but his legs were unsteady and it was as well that it came late in the round but with the referee applying a count it was a 10-8 to Bey. In the third Barthelemy was on the front foot using his jab as a range finder and scoring with some hard left hooks to the body. Bey showed good defensive skills and had success with quick attacks. Bey was using a very side-on stance which effectively took Barthelemy right out of the fight as there was no target to aim at so the tall Cuban was using his jab and left hooks. Bey remained mainly on the back foot launching quick one or two punch attacks whereas Barthelemy was throwing more combinations and occasionally switching to southpaw. Barthelemy clawed back the 10-8 from the second round by winning the third and fourth. Bey took the fifth with a flurry of head shots that had Barthelemy shaking his head but he felt them and Barthelemy did enough to pocket the sixth. In the seventh it was Bey making use of the jab even through Barthelemy had the longer reach and after a few jabs Bey would move in quickly and hold smothering Barthelemy’s work. Bey was warned twice in the round for holding but had done enough to take the round. Barthelemy continued to come forward and Bey was working less and holding more as Barthelemy took the eighth. He had good spell when he switched to southpaw and was able to score with his left hooks. Bey was coming forward for once in the ninth but that was giving Barthelemy a target and he was getting the better of the exchanges dropping both hands and then flashing out quick shots to add that round to his collection. Barthelemy continued walking Bey down in the tenth and as Bey’s work rate dropped Barthelemy was building an unassailable lead. Bey knew he could not win the fight by going backwards so he stayed ring centre for most of the eleventh actually out-jabbing Barthelemy and it took a while for Barthelemy to adjust to the switch but again he did enough to win the round. As they went into the last the only signs of battle were a small cut on the left eyelid of Bey and a bump over the right eye of Barthelemy as neither had really had to soak up much punishment so far. There was no storming finish from either fighter with Barthelemy again walking Bey down and winning the round. After the final bell Barthelemy was celebrating by jumping on the ropes in the corners but there was no celebrating in Bey’s corner as they knew there man had lost. That made the score by one judge of 117-110 for Bey all the more shocking. Thankfully the other two judges scored it 117-110 and 116-111 for Barthelemy. The 29-year-old Cuban was making the first defence of his IBF title. Ghanaian Raymond Commey 24-0 was in the audience. He hopes to be next for Barthelemy. The first two spots in the IBF ratings are “vacant” and Commey is in the No 3 spot (he can’t be 1 or 2 because he has not beaten a rated fighter!). Despite the vocal support of Floyd Mayweather Jr Bey let this fight get away from him from the mid-point onwards and never raised his game to counter that. Bey, 32, relinquished the IBF title last July rather than defended it for what he considered a derisory purse but it might be a while before he sees a big purse after losing this one.
Rodriguez vs. Guevara
Rodriguez gets wide unanimous decision over Guevara. The young Puerto Rican prospect was coming forward throughout the fight. In the first he established a fast jarring jab that dominated the action. Guevara was also open to flashing quick and solid right crosses. However it was a left hook that shook Guevara although Rodriguez also scored with his right cross at the end of an opening round he dominated. It was more of the same in the second as Rodriguez stunned Guevara early with a right. The Mexican was trying to get on the front foot but Rodriguez was using his jab to prevent that. Rodriguez continued to boss the fight in the third with his jab although Guevara had a good patch late in the round. A clash of heads in the fourth saw Guevara suffer a cut over his left eye which bled throughout the rest of the fight. Over the middle rounds Guevara came into the fight more. He was drawing the lead from Rodriguez and jumping in with combinations but the power shots were coming from Rodriguez. Over the eighth Rodriguez’s jab was nowhere to be seen and it was Guevara fighting in bursts and scoring with combinations. Rodriguez was warned for a low punch in the ninth but scored with two good rights to the head. Guevara was throwing more and getting through with some of the combinations but they lacked the power of Rodriguez’s shots. Guevara started the last round with busy attacks and although Rodriguez again got through with rights Guevara looked to have done enough to win the round but was too far behind to win the fight. Scores 99-91 twice and 100-90 all for Rodriguez. He was the clear winner but the scores were a little unkind to Guevara. Rodriguez, 23, impressed with his strong jab and his power. He has a tight compact stance and rarely wastes a punch. He is rated IBF 4(3)/WBA 5/WBO 6/WBC 8 at bantam. He has made an amazing recovery from a car accident which left him with severe burns over much of his lower body. Guevara, 25, is the younger brother of former WBC light fly champion Pedro. His other two losses have been against Leo Santa Cruz for the IBF title and Shinsuke Yamanaka for the WBC title so a tough test passed by Rodriguez.
Plant vs. Galvan
Plant makes it ten wins by KO/TKO. Plant has an eccentric style but real talent and power. Over the first three rounds Colombian Galvan kept coming forward but could not figure out the crouching and eccentric movements of Plant who kept his hands low and constantly changed direction with exaggerated movements. When Plant was actually fighting he showed a strong jab and looked dangerous but did not throw enough punches. Galvan did some clowning of his own but at least he kept coming forward and throwing punches. We saw the best of Plant in the fourth as he fired a left which started at about knee level and thudded into the body of Galvan. It was a fight finisher. Galvan went down in agony and rolled on the canvas groaning with pain and the fight was immediately stopped with Galvan needing help to get on to the stool provided. The tall 23-year-old “Sweet Hands” from Tennessee gets his tenth win by KO/TKO. A former NGG champion he competed at the US Olympic Trials but lost out to Jeff Spencer and Siju Shabazz. It was Marcus Browne who eventually beat them all with Plant being named as alternate (reserve). Up until the finish Galvan was giving Plant a good test just as he did last year in only losing on split decisions against unbeaten prospects Javontae Starks and Immanuwel Aleem.
Davis vs. Rorozco
Davis gets this one over in double-quick time. He needed one short right hook and just 47 seconds to force the stoppage against the experienced but very limited Mexican. Part of Floyd Mayweather’s team Davis is an outstanding talent and much too good for opponents like this. The 21-year-old Baltimore southpaw has 15 wins by KO/TKO and this is the sixth first round win. Poor Rorozco gets his twelfth loss by KO/TKO and is 2-7 in his last 9 fights.
Geffrard vs. Miller
Now that he has found his feet in the pro ranks Geffrard is really rolling as he knocks out Colombian Miller inside a round. It was Miller who looked like the hot prospect at the start. As Geffrard came forward Miller caught him with a right that sent Geffrard back a couple of steps. He recovered but Miller landed three hard left hooks and as Geffrard continued to press Miller banged home another three lefts hooks and a right cross. Geffrard walked through the punches and then landed two left hooks to the body, the second of which forced Miller to go down on one knee. He got up and after the eight count Geffrard forced Miller around the ring, shook him with a left to the head and two rights and Miller slumped to the canvas. He was on one knee until the count reached eight and then slid down to lie flat on the canvas. The 25-year-old from Boca Raton had a stellar year in 2010 completing the triple of winning the US National, NGG and National PAL titles and was voted Amateur Boxer of the Year by USA Boxing. However he failed to get through the US Olympic Trials and when he turned pro in 2013 he lost his first two fights to very low level opposition. That’s behind him now as he has 14 wins in a row 9 by KO/TKO. Colombian-born Miller (original surname Mahiiz) gets his ninth loss by KO/TKO with the last two being first round defeats.
Nguyen vs. Lule
Nguyen gets his second win in less than a month as he takes unanimous decision over Lule. Lule was competitive all the way but Nguyen was more accurate and had the harder punch. The Vietnamese-born 33-year-olf Nguyen turned pro back in 2004 after failing to win a place on the US Olympic squad. He went 17-1 in his first 18 fights though to 2009. He was then inactive in 2010, lost his only fight in 2011 to Luis Orlando Del Valle and did not fight again until losing in 2013 to Jayson Velez. He retired but returned in May this year with a win. Lule, 32, gave Nguyen six rounds of work but he falls to 1-8-1 in his last 10 fights.

New York, NY, USA: Light: Richar Abril (20-3-1) W PTS 10 Jerry Belmontes (21-9). Super Welter: Yuri Foreman (34-2,1ND) W TKO 2 Jason Davis (13-12-2,1ND). Light Heavy: Mike Lee (17-0) W PTS 8 Mike Snider (10-4-3).
Abril vs. Belmontes
Abril gets by Belmontes but in close fight. Abril made a good start flooring Belmontes with a right in the first round. Belmontes has a good chin and recovered. From the second Abril was happy to box on the outside effectively letting Belmontes into the fight. Abril had the edge in skill and built on that good start by outboxing Belmontes. Although he was not as sharp or accurate as Abril the Texan was also picking up rounds to make it close. After his battle with dengue fever and his long time out of the ring it was going to be interesting to see if Abril would run out of gas late in the fight but he came off his toes and battled Belmontes over those rounds to keep the lead he had built. Scores 96-93 twice and 95-94 all for Abril. The 34-year-old Cuban was having his first fight since his successful defence of his WBA title in September 2014. He will be back in the ratings now and hoping to get support for a fight with Anthony Crolla to get back the title he did not lose in the ring. Belmontes, 27, has now gone 4-8 in his last 12 fights but had won his last two including a victory over unbeaten Valentyn Golovko (21-0) in January.
Foreman vs. Davis
Foreman gets the second win since his comeback as he beats Davis in two rounds. Forman had Davis on the back foot for the first three minutes. In the second a left put Davis down. He beat the count but was put down twice more and taking more punishment when the fight was stopped. The 35-year-old former WBA super welter champion, now an ordained Orthodox rabbi, was inactive from November 2013 until returning with a win last December. Davis falls to 2-10-1,1No Decision.
Lee vs. Snider
Lee continues to do good work inside and outside the ring. The Notre Dame graduate had too much skill for Snider. He outboxed Snider in every round and used a left hook to put Snider down in the fourth. Lee continued to pile on the pressure but Snider proved tougher than expected and lasted out the full eight rounds. Scores 80-71 twice and 79-72 all for Lee. The 28-year-old from Illinois has a foundation which has raised a great deal of money both for a mission in Bangladesh and other causes in the USA. Snider, 35 has lost 3 of his last 4 fights with all three losses to unbeaten fighters.

Los Angeles, CA, USA: Feather: Ronny Rios (26-1) W TKO 2 Efrain Esquivias (17-5-1). Super Light: Zach Ochoa (15-0) W KO 8 Luis Joel Gonzalez (11-4-1).
Rios vs. Esquivias
Rios overwhelms Esquivias in less than four minutes. Rios was on fire from the outset going straight after Esquivias. He had Esquivias rocking badly and put him down late in the round. The one minute break did not help Esquivias as Rios went after him immediately and unleashed a barrage of punches that saw the referee stop the fight just 37 seconds into the round. Rios won his first 23 fights in a row before suffering a shock stoppage loss against Robinson Castellanos in 2014. He has worked his way back with useful wins over Sergio Frias and Jayson Velez (23-0-1) and is now rated WBC 4/IBF 7(5). Esquivias has been a infrequent performer recently with just one fight in each of years 2014 and 2015 and this was his first fight for 13 months and his first loss by KO/TKO.
Ochoa vs. Gonzalez
Ochoa comes through with a win in a competitive scrap with both willing to swap hard punches. Ochoa had the better of the first two rounds but southpaw Gonzalez put him down in the third only for it to be ruled a slip. Gonzalez kept forcing the action with Ochoa having to use all of his skills to stay out of trouble. He looked to be in front going into the eighth and last round but one huge right put Gonzalez down and out cold with no count required. “Zungry” Ochoa, a 23-year-old from Brooklyn, now has 7 wins by KO/TKO. Puerto Rican Gonzalez, 26, drops to three losses in a row.

Bankstown, Australia: Super Feather: Billy Dib (41-4,1ND) W PTS 12 Pharanpetch (17-1). Super Welter: Ahmed Dib (20-0) W KO 2 Chingchai (8-7). Light: Billel Dib (20-1) W TKO 2 Petchthongchai (6-8).
2
Dib vs. Pharanpetch
Dib has to work hard to outpoint Thai opponent. After the hugely emotional night in February when Billy returned to the ring for the first time since the death of his young wife it was back to business. Dib had promised a knockout and was looking for it early as they entered into some fiery exchanges with the occasional low punch added to the mix. Dib was the more accurate and rocked the Thai a few times but Pharanpetch was competitive with some strong hooks. Dib had the better of most rounds but had to survive a doctor’s inspection of a cut over his left eye in the eleventh on his way to a wide unanimous decision. Scores 118-110 twice and 118-111 all for Dib. The 30-year-old Australian, a former IBF feather champion, is rated WBO7/IBF 11((10) at super feather so if he gets a chance at a title in this division it will be as a voluntary challenger. Pharanpetch, 28, put up a good fight but his record was flattering as of his 17 victims 7 had never had a fight, 2 had never won a fight and the rest were low level opponents.
Dib vs. Chingchai
On a good night for the Dib family Ahmed rose to 11 wins by KO/TKO with a knockout of yet another Thai import. Ahmed, the ANBF No 5 has yet to move up to ten rounds but that can’t be far away. Southpaw Chingchai now has six losses by KO/TKO.
Dib vs. Petchthongchai
Billel “Baby Face” Dib, moved on to 10 wins by KO/TKO as he halted Thai Petchthongchai in two rounds. The Sydney 27-year-old is a former undefeated Australian champion and currently No 2 with the ANBF. Petchthongchai, 34, has now lost 6 of his last 7 fights.

Grosseto, Italy: Feather: Nicola Cipolletta (12-4-2) W TEC DEC 5 Michele Crudetti (8-2-1). Cipolletta retains his national title with technical verdict over Crudetti. Cipolletta was able to control the early action by staying outside and using his reach to outscore Crudetti. The challenger was more effective on the inside but a clash of heads in the second saw Cipolletta cut over his left eye. When heads clashed again in the third it was ruled that Crudetti was to blame and was deducted a point. In the fourth Crudetti was throwing wide hooks which Cipolletta was able to block but again there was a clash of heads and this time it was Crudetti who was cut. Crudetti continued to have the better of the action in the fifth but the cut over his left eyebrow was bleeding heavily and the doctor said the wound was too bad for the fight to continue. It went to the cards and the judges had it 50-47, 49-47 and 48-47 all for Cipolletta. The 27-year-old from Naples was making the first defence of his national title after going 0-2-1 in three shots at the super feather title. Crudetti, 29 is a former Italian super bantam champion.

June 4

Carson, CA, USA: Super Feather: Francisco Vargas (23-0-2) DREW 12 Orlando Salido (43-13-4). Feather: Abraham Lopez (21-0-1) W PTS 10 Julian Ramirez (16-1). Middle: Gabriel Rosado (23-9) W PTS 10 Antonio Gutierrez (20-2-1). Light: Christian Gonzalez (14-0) W PTS 8 Jhon Gemino (13-7-1).
Vargas vs. Salido
Vargas retains his WBC title in controversial draw against Salido which was hard enough to take something out of both of them. Both were using lots of jabs in the first round with Vargas scoring with some left and rights to the head and Salido working inside with some of his body punches, very borderline. At the end of the round Vargas was showing a small cut over his left eye. Vargas forced Salido to work with his back to the ropes for much of the second scoring with scorching body punches with Salido getting through with right counters and not a jab in sight from either of them. Salido stayed off the ropes in the third taking the fight to Vargas and firing hooks from both hands mainly to the body but the punch of the round was a right hook to the head from Salido. Salido was again working the body in the fourth and although Vargas was again firing effective counters to the body Salido looked the stronger. Vargas got back on top in the fifth as they fought at close quarters for the whole three minutes just using hooks and uppercuts but Vargas was cut over his left eye in a clash of heads. Salido’s body punches were going low again in the sixth. Vargas fired home two uppercuts the second of which had Salido hurt and he backed into a corner where Vargas worked him over until Salido was able to fight his way out but the sixth was a good round for Vargas. The champion began to try to box on the outside in the seventh using his footwork and slotting home jabs but Salido was relentless and Vargas had a hard time keeping him out. Vargas was repeating the boxing tactics in the eighth and scoring well from distance but not being able to keep Salido out and being dragged back into the brawl. There was a clash of heads that saw Vargas suffer a bad cut over his right eye and there was a break in the action for the doctor to examine a cut over the left eye of Vargas but the fight continued. It was back to resting each other’s head on the opponents shoulder in the ninth as they just brawled for three minutes throwing hooks and uppercuts inside both showing some signs of tiredness. Vargas looked the liveliest in the tenth. This time he was going to the head and a couple of uppercuts had Salido hurt and retreating to the ropes with Vargas on top. Vargas again switched tactics in the eleventh and used his jab trying to avoid the brawl but Salido was walking through the punches to work inside. No frills in the last as they just stood in close and punched away. Both were exhausted after such a brutal scrap and the crowd gave them a well deserved standing ovation. Scores 114-114 twice and 115-113 for Vargas making it a majority draw with Vargas retaining his WBC title. Neither fighter deserved to lose but in effect Salido did as he did not finish the night as champion. The work rate of both fighters was enormous with Vargas throwing 1,184 punches and landing 386 and Salido 939 and landing 328. You have to wonder how many fights like this Vargas can have before it catches up with the 31-year-old “El Bandido” Vargas. His title winning effort against Takashi Miura saw both fighters take huge amounts of punishment and this one was a twelve round war and as in the Miura fight he also suffered lots of facial damage. At 35, Salido, who has been in more than his share of wars, seems as strong as ever and the former two-time IBF and WBO feather and former IBF super feather champion deserves and will hopefully get a return, but not too soon as both will need a lot of recovery time.
Lopez vs. Ramirez
In a small scale replica of the main fight Lopez gets a not too popular decision over southpaw Ramirez. Both fighters had periods of dominance and both had to fight through injuries. Lopez laid down a marker early in the second when he had Ramirez hurt with an uppercut but a clash of heads in the third saw him emerge with a cut over his left eye in a round where Ramirez had the better of the exchanges. Lopez was scoring with some good power punches in the fourth but Ramirez was busier making it a hard fight to score. The sixth saw another clash of heads with Ramirez cut over his right eye with the dripping blood affecting his vision but to level things up Lopez now had a bump over his right eye. Ramirez continued to press the fight to the end but could not overcome the early lead built by Lopez. Scores 97-93 twice and 98-92 all for Lopez who wins the vacant WBA-NABA title although the scores did not reflect just how close this was. Lopez, 28, adds this to a good win over Jorge Diaz and marches on with his 0 in the loss column intact. Ramirez, 23, losses his 0 but he has time to rebuild.
Rosado vs. Gutierrez
Rosado edges out youngster Gutierrez on a unanimous decision that was not unanimous with the crowd. Neither fighter waited for a formal invitation to meet and greet and went straight to war. Over the early rounds both were targeting the body in furious exchanges with Rosado getting the better of the trading over the first two rounds. Gutierrez started to have some success in the third and in the fourth a right dropped Rosado. He was up quickly and did not seem badly hurt and was going toe-to-toe with Gutierrez until the bell. Gutierrez continued to press the fight getting the better of the close work. Rosado was forced to change his strategy and he began to box on the outside. The crowd was being robbed of the all-action brawling they wanted but they were sensible tactics as Rosado was losing the war. Gutierrez kept up the pressure to the finish and seemed to have done enough to take the decision but that’s not how the judges saw it and they gave an unpopular decision to Rosado. Scores 95-94 twice and 96-93 all for Rosado. The 30-year-old from Philadelphia had looked to be on the road to nowhere when he had five losses on the bounce against Gennady Golovkin for the WBA title, J’Leon Love (later changed to a no decision due to Love testing positive for a banned substance), Peter Quillin, Jermell Charlo and David Lemieux which would be a tough dance card for any super welter/ middleweight. He took a year out after the loss to Lemieux and returned last December with a win over Joshua Clottey and is No 3 super welter with the WBA. Tough loss for 22-year-old Gutierrez from Tijuana. He had been carefully matched and had his status as a prospect questioned when he lost on points to 8-1 Paul Valenzuela in May last year but this was a much more impressive showing and should get him plenty of work.
Gonzalez vs. Gemino
Gonzalez adds to his winning total with a wide points victory over game Filipino Gemino. Gonzalez towered over Gemino but chose to take the fight to Gemino and trade punches. That gave Gemino the chance to score with hooks and uppercuts but Gonzalez was out-landing the Filipino and his punches carried more power. Despite his modest record Gemino is the GAB champion and has only lost to some top quality fighters and he let Gonzalez know he was in a fight by closing his left eye with counters. Scores 80-72 twice and 79-71 all for Gonzalez. The 20-year-old Gonzalez is finally getting some ring time after winning all of his first 7 fights in first round and all inside two minutes. Gemino, 24, has lost 3 of his last 4 fights, all in Mexico and against tough foes in Andres Gutierrez, Daniel Rosas and Juan Carlos Sanchez.

Liverpool, England: Super Welter: Liam Smith (23-0-1) W KO 2 Predrag Radosevic (30-2).Bantam: Karim Guerfi (24-3,1ND) W TKO 3 Ryan Farrag (15-2). Bantam: Zolani Tete (24-3) W TKO 7 Victor Ruiz (21-6). Light: Thomas Stalker (11-1-3) W PTS 10 Antonio Joao Bento (30-16-2). Super Welter: Liam Williams (14-0-1) W TKO 3 Gustavo Sanchez (12-13-1). Bantam: Kevin Satchell (16-0) W PTs 6 Brett Fidoe (6-25-2).
Smith vs. Radosevic
Smith makes successful second defence of his title against poor challenger Radosevic. Smith was letting Radosevic come forward behind his jab and firing counters. Smith landed a trademark long left hook to the body which hurt Radosevic. The challenger replied with a couple of rights but there was no power in his punches and every punch Smith threw was loaded with danger for the fragile looking Montenegrin. A couple of rights at the end of the round shook Radosevic. In the second Radosevic was forced to stand and trade with Smith and again Smith dug in some hooks to the body. Radosevic threw and landed some punches but Smith walked through them took Radosevic to the ropes and landed a combination with the last punch-a left hook to the body naturally-forcing Radosevic down on one knee. He had no intention of getting up and watched the referee count to ten and then arose. The 27-year-old from Liverpool has won his last 8 fights by KO/TKO and to keep knocking the opposition over as you move up through the levels is the sign of a quality puncher. There are better fights than this out there for him. Radosevic’s only other loss was a stoppage against Felix Sturm in 2013. He had won three fights since then but with typical WBO stupidity he was put in their ratings for winning their European title against 38-year-old Giuseppe Lauri who was at the time 2-7 in his last 9 fights.
Farrag vs. Guerfi
Farrag loses his European title as overconfidence sees him try to blow away Guerfi only to succumb to the greater accuracy and power of the Frenchman. Farrag came out quickly and almost too confidently taking the fight to Guerfi but showing some fancy but un-necessary footwork and arm circling. When he went to work he was forcing Guerfi back and scoring with hooks to head and body. Guerfi was more cautious working behind his jab and countering. It was a round full of action and Farrag ended it landing some more hooks as Guerfi was against the ropes. No way was this one going to go the distance. Farrag continued to come forward in the second but Guerfi was catching him more and more with short counters and was beginning to dominate behind a hard jab and right crosses with Farrag now on the back foot for much of the time. Farrag went on the attack briefly when Guerfi seemed to slip on the canvas but Guerfi quickly responded with a left to the body and a long right with Farrag now backing up. Guerfi was mixing shots to the body and Farrag was less confident when coming forward as he kept running into counters. It had been Guerfi’s round by a mile. Farrag showed some eccentric foot work early in the third but when they stood and traded a left hook from Guerfi sent him back on his heels. Curiously Guerfi then went into full retreat with Farrag chasing him. When Guerfi stood and traded he forced Farrag back to the ropes with a left hook which went low and then threw a four-punch combination ending with a left to the chin that saw Farrag pitch face forward onto the canvas. Somehow he made it to his feet and with the referee counting walked back to his corner looking out into the arena. He did not turn when the referee asked him to and the referee waived the fight over. The 29-year-old Frenchman, a former French flyweight champion and French and European bantam champion, lost a close decision to Juan Carlos Reveco for the interim WBA fly title in 2012. He lost his European bantam title when he was knocked out by Zhanat Zhakiyanov in 2014 but had won three fights after that including an impressive victory in November last year in Texas climbing off the floor to beat Mexican Alejandro Gonzalez. Local fighter Farrag, 28, was making the second defence of his European title and he can rebound from this.
Tete vs. Ruiz
Tete ends frustrating evening with stoppage of Ruiz in all-southpaw contest and retains his IBF International title. Ruiz was far removed from the typical Mexican boxer as he never really tried to take the fight to Tete but spent almost every round in full survival mode. Tete was hunting Ruiz down but the Mexican showed plenty of movement without really throwing any punches. Tete continued his hunt in the second. Ruiz was slightly more adventurous but the only punches that were connecting came from Tete in long lefts and hooks to the body with Ruiz restricting himself to some wild swings. The best punches of the third were a left from Tete which clipped Ruiz on the chin and a right hook that made the Mexican stumble. Ruiz was still going backwards in the fourth with Tete just not finding a clear target until a couple of long lefts knocked Ruiz into the ropes but he quickly recovered and went back to his survival course. Ruiz tried to stand and trade in the fifth but strong jabs from Tete had him off and running again with Tete landing a beautiful left uppercut inside but not being able to capitalise on it. Tete came out with a real sense of purpose in the sixth obvious frustrated at literally being given the run around. Ruiz tried a few attacks but they were wild lunges and held no danger for Tete and when Ruiz was in any danger he ducked low and dived inside and clutched Tete. At the start of the seventh Tete drove Ruiz to a corner and landed a left and a right to the body. Ruiz went down on one knee but got up before the eight count was complete only for the referee to waive the fight off. Ruiz protested and indeed he had not really shipped much punishment but he was never going to win. The 28-year-old southpaw is far too good for opposition like this and with the negative tactics of Ruiz it was difficult for him to look good. Tetteh is rated WBO 2/WBC 3/WBA 8 at super fly and IBF 11(10) at bantam. Ruiz had lost inside the distance to world class opposition in Francisco Rodriguez and McWilliams Arroyo but had taken former world champion Daiki Kameda to a split decision in September.
Stalker vs. Bento
Walker wins wide unanimous decision over Portuguese veteran Bento. Walker dominated this fight with his southpaw skills and rarely let Bento into the fight although Bento never stopped trying. Stalker had taken the first three rounds and in the fourth things got even worse for Bento as he suffered a deep cut over his left eye after a clash of heads. Stalker continued to outbox Bento and scored a knockdown with a left in the sixth round. Poor Bento was out-reached, outboxed and out-classed but kept trying. He got some encouragement in the eighth when it was Stalker’s turn to be cut as a clash of heads saw an injury over his right eye. Encouragement was all he got as Stalker continued to dominate with his superior skills and won a wide unanimous decision. Scores 100-89 twice and 99-90. Stalker wins the vacant WBO European title and gets a world rating and becomes a contender for a shot at WBO champion Terry Flanagan. Giving ratings on the basis of the title won without any consideration for the opponent beaten becomes ludicrous when you realise that Bento is rated No 312 in the BoxRec world ratings but it could give the 31-year-old former top amateur Stalker the chance he has been looking for since turning pro. Bento, 39, had won his three fights in 2015 and even won the World Pugilism Commission world title but the opposition had been a very low level.
Williams vs. Sanchez
Easy win for Williams as he floors Argentinian Sanchez in the second and third rounds with the referee stopping the fight after the second knockdown. The 24-year-old Welshman was inactive for almost 13 months before returning in December with a second round stoppage of Kris Carslaw in a defence of his CBC title. Now nine wins by KO/TKO for 24-year-old Williams who has a tough defence of his CBC title coming up in July against unbeaten Gary Corcoran. Poor Sanchez is 2-9 in his last 11 fights.
Satchell vs. Fidoe
Satchell wins keep busy fighter over durable Fidoe. It gave Satchell six rounds of work so Fidoe did his job and even did enough to take a round on the referee’s card which read 59-55. Satchell, a former undefeated British, CBC and European flyweight champion, is still rated No 5 flyweight by the WBO even though he has been just over 118lbs in his last two fights. Fidoe, 25, comes to fight even if he does not win often and his only loss by KO/TKO is against great prospect Andrew Selby.

Montreal, Canada: Light Heavy: Artur Beterbiev (10-0) W TKO 4 Ezequiel Maderna (23-3). Welter; Bryant Perrella (14-0) W TKO 2 David Grayton (14-1). Heavy: Oscar Rivas (19-0) W TKO 1 Jeremy Bates (26-18-1).
Beterbiev vs. Maderna
Beterbiev brushes aside a very disappointing Maderna in a contests between two former Olympians. Beterbiev was walking Maderna down in the first round trying to trap the Argentinian on the ropes. Maderna kept moving only stopping occasionally to throw some out of distance punches and neither fighter landed a punch of consequence. Maderna was trying to stay inside in the second but Beterbiev threw him off and almost down. It got untidy as Maderna ducked very low and a punch from Beterbiev hit him on the top of the head with Maderna being warned about ducking too low. Beterbiev took Maderna to the ropes and was getting through with left hooks to the body and rights to the head. Maderna spent the remainder of the round on the retreat with Beterbiev stalking him. In the third Beterbiev finally caught up with Maderna and two clubbing rights to the head put the Argentinian down on one knee. He was up at eight and had spit out his mouthpiece so a few seconds were wasted whilst it was replaced. Beterbiev chased the retreating Maderna and two more rights saw Maderna go down again. He was up at nine and –surprise, surprise-his mouthpiece had to be replaced again and the referee deducted a point for that. Beterbiev went right after Maderna and scored with a right to the head. Maderna lurched forward and a left to the side of the head helped him down to the floor. He was up immediately and after the eight count Beterbiev threw a bunch of punches the last of which curved around Maderna’s guard and landed on the side of his head. Maderna just sat down and signalled for his corner to throw in the towel and when it was slow coming in he just sat out the count. Beterbiev retains his WBA-NABA title. The 31-year-old Montreal-based Russian has yet to be taken the distance in any fight as a pro. He is IBF No 2, is No 4 with both the WBC and WBA and is No 7 with the WBO. A match with Sergey Kovalev would be huge draw but he could equally go for Juergen Braehmer or Adonis Stevenson and they would all be big fights. Maderna, 29, fought a scared fight. When he did throw punches he did not follow through not wanting to trade punches with Beterbiev and he could have got up from the last knockdown but chose not to as he gets his first loss by KO/TKO.
Perrella vs. Grayton
Very impressive win by Perrella as he knocks out Grayton in this clash of unbeaten southpaw fighters. Perrella had height and reach in his favour and that dictated the tactics with Grayton having to take risks to get inside. Although Perrella scored the best punch of the first round, a left to the head, Grayton was having some success with his own right. Perrella looked to have a slight edge but he magnified that in the second scoring a flash knockdown with a straight right. That was not a game changer but a right had Grayton stumbling and another right hook and a straight left put him in a corner. Perrella followed up with a series of hard punches and with Grayton not throwing anything back the referee stopped the fight. The 27-year-old “Goodfella” from Fort Myers has 13 wins by KO/TKO with five first round endings. A bronze medal winner at the National PAL tournament Perrella lost out to Errol Spence and Sammy Vasquez at the US Olympic Trials. Grayton’s father fought as a pro back in the 1980’s but an eye injury cut his career short and it made him determined that his son would not go into boxing. His father eventually relented but Grayton was 18 before started boxing. He went on to win the NGG’s beating Errol Spence in the final.
Rivas vs. Bates
This was awful. Bates was old, hugely over weight fat and slow. A series of punches put Bates down early. He got up but was put down again. The third knockdown came from a three punch combination rounded off by a left to the head which sent Bates down on his back and the fight was stopped after just 107 seconds. A sparring session would have been of more benefit to Rivas who is just too strong a puncher for this very low level of opposition. The 28-year-old Colombian makes it 8 on the bounce by KO/TKO. Bates, 44, had actually won his last four fights buts it is scary to think there are four worse heavyweights around than him.

Cancun, Mexico: Feather: Cris Mijares (54-8-2) W PTS 12 Andres Gutierrez (34-1-1). Bantam: Edgar Jimenez (22-11-2) W KO 1 Jovylito Aligarbes (12-4). Super Welter: Jose Lopez (26-4-2) W PTS 8 Ivan Alvarez (23-8).
Mijares vs. Gutierrez
Mijares wins war of attrition against previously unbeaten Gutierrez as he seeks another title shot. The classy southpaw style of Mijares gave him the edge in the first two rounds as he countered the advancing Gutierrez with jabs and body punches. Gutierrez kept coming and was scoring well to the body in the third with the fourth an even round. By now that battle scars were appearing with Gutierrez sporting a swelling on his left cheek. The scores at this point showed how close the fight was with one judge having it 39-37 for Mijares, one scoring it 39-37 for Gutierrez and the third reading 38-38. The fifth was again a close round but the all-out pressure from Gutierrez was forcing Mijares to fight with his back to the ropes but Mijares continued to score with hard counters. The six was another round that could have gone either way but the strength and pressure from Gutierrez saw him take the seventh and eighth although a right hook from Mijares rocked Gutierrez in the eighth. Mijares had a swelling under his right eye and he had to survive a doctor’s examination. It was still hard to split them with two judges having Mijares in from 77-75 and the other going for Gutierrez by the same score. In the ninth Mijares realised from the doctors inspection that the fight could be stopped and despite also suffering a cut on his right eyebrow he took the ninth and tenth by standing back and boxing taking advantage of mistakes that Gutierrez was making to try to close the gap. In typical Mexican fashion were booing Mijares for not just standing still and throwing punches. They were two very tired boxer in the eleventh but Mijares kept his better boxing going to get in front and they just traded punches for the last three minutes of the fight to a standing ovation. Scores 116-112 and 114-113 for Mijares and 114-114 with the 116-112 card actually being booed with the fans seeing it as a poor return for the work Gutierrez had put into the fight. Mijares, 34, wins the WBC Silver title which will help his chances of a fight with Gary Russell for the Green belt. He has won 7 of his last 8 fights with the loss being a wide unanimous decision against Leo Santa Cruz for the WBC super bantam title. “Jaguarcito” Gutierrez, 22, but already a pro for 7 years, formerly held the WBC Silver title at super bantam and will surely rebound from this and fight for a title within the next two to three years.
Jimenez vs. Aligarbes
Jimenez wins this one early against Filipino Aligarbes. It was the visitor who made the better start and he seemed to be in control until a huge left put him down and he was counted out just two seconds from the end of the opening round. “Power” Jimenez, 23, certainly lived up to his nickname and now has 16 wins by KO/TKO. He had a spell of 5 losses in a row but has recovered and this win makes him 7-1-1 in his last nine and he subsequently beat both the man who beat him and the one who held him to a draw. Aligarbes, 22, the GAB No 12, had won 5 of his last 6 fights but this is his fourth loss by KO/TKO.
Lopez vs. Alvarez
Lopez gets good win after tough battle against Alvarez. Lopez was taller but Alvarez is a southpaw so they both had puzzles to solve. Neither was willing to back down from the fight so it was an exciting contest with plenty of furious exchanges making it hard to separate them. In the end it was the greater accuracy and harder punching of Lopez that just gave him the edge and he took the split decision. It was a real grudge match as these two had clashed at the weight-in. “Piston” Lopez, 25, had an 8-bout winning streak snapped when he was stopped in five rounds by Sammy Vasquez in September and had to suffer a technical draw in his next bout in March so this is a much needed win. Alvarez, 28, had won his last 10 fights on the bounce against some useful opposition but now has to start again.

Mansfield, Australia: Cruiser: Aaron Russell (8-3) W PTS 10 James Porter (8-5). Heavy: Mark Flanagan (19-4) W KO 1 Jack McInnes (0-1).
Russell vs. Porter
Russell wins this battle of local fighters and the vacant Australian title. Russell was the clear winner with all three judges giving him the win by scores of 97-93. The 27-year-old former Queensland State champion has now won his last four fights. New Zealand-born locally-based Porter, 33, drops to 3 losses in his last 4 fights.
Flanagan vs. McInnes
Predictable quick win for Flanagan as he knocks out novice McInnes in 81 seconds. The 26-year-old “Bam Bam” a former Australian cruiser champion is trying his hand out at heavyweight and gets his second quick win after being out for 15 months

Roeselare, Belgium: Light: Hedi Slimani (24-2) W KO 6 Sergio Gonzalez (29-18-4,1ND). Cruiser: Yves Ngabu (16-0) W PTS 8 Isossa Mondo (7-9). Light: Jean Pierre Bauwens (39-2-1) W TKO 2 Anzor Gamgebeli (28-14-3).
Slimani vs. Gonzalez
Slimani continues his winning streak with kayo of Argentinian Gonzalez. The visitor put up a game show but Slimani just wore him down. The Tunisian who carries the nickname of “Hells Bells” is the WBC Francophone and ABU champion and has now won his last 15 fights. Gonzalez, 38, is 4-5 in his last 9 but had a win over 34-2 Matias Gomez last July.
Ngabu vs. Mondo
Ngabu remains unbeaten but has to go the distance. The 27-year-old Roeselare fighter dominated this one all the way and had Mondo badly shaken in the seventh. Despite a clear victory it was a pedestrian performance from Ngabu. Scores 80-71 from all three judges. Ngabu, the WBC Francophone champion, had won his last 5 fights by KO/TKO but the 37-year-old Frenchman Mondo resisted to the end.
Bauwens vs. Gamgebeli
Bauwens disposes of overmatched Georgian in the second round. Both started brightly over the first round. In the second Gamgebeli landed a hard right but then the roof fell in. Bauwens went to work and a series of punches put Gamgebeli down. He got up but was put down twice more and the fight was stopped. The 28-year-old “Junior” is a former EU champion who lost his title on a split decision against Italian Manuel Lancia in Rome in October. He is No 8 with the EBU. Gamgebeli now has 9 losses by KO/TKO.

Cold Lake, Canada: Cruiser: Rob Nichols (9-3-1) W PTS 10 Frank White (10-10-2). Nichols retains the Canadian title with repeat victory over veteran White. The local fighter was able to set a high work rate which White struggled to stay with. White continually piled forward but was outboxed and lacked the punch to turn things his way with Nichols being the harder puncher of the two. Despite this White never stopped trying but never looked like winning. Scores 98-92 twice and 97-93. The 36-year-old Nichols won the title from White with a unanimous decision in December and has won his last four fights. White, 44, twice a holder of the Canadian title, has lost his last three fights.

Frederiksberg, Denmark: Super Middle: Lolenga Mock (35-14-1) W PTS 10 Patrick Mendy (17-11-1). Mock wins to keep his career alive but has to settle for a majority decision. Mock was pressing the action but Mendy made the better start working well with his left jab over the first two rounds. Mock edged the third although there was not a lot of clean work from either fighter. Over the middle rounds Mock was again doing just enough to take them but they were close. The seventh was one of the best in the fight as they stood and traded punches. Mendy needed a strong finish if he was to claw back Mock’s lead but Mock did enough to emerge a clear winner. Scores 98-92 and 97-93 for Mock and 95-95 which illustrates how close some of the rounds were. The win keeps the 44-year-old DRC-born Mock in with a chance of a big fight with Patrick Nielsen. British-based Gambian Mendy, 25, is 2-4 in his last six fights with all of the losses on the road and he showed again just how difficult an opponent he can be.

Bruay-la-Buissiere, France: Vincent Legrand (23-0) W KO 4 Jose Aguilar (16-24-4). Fighting in his hometown the EBU No 1 flyweight Legrand makes it 14 wins by KO/TKO with stoppage of Nicaraguan Aguilar. With his height and southpaw stance he will be a danger to any European flyweight and is the mandatory challenger for the winner of Thomas Masson’s defence against Valery Yanchy. Now 9 losses in a row for Aguilar.

Kassel, Germany: Cruiser: Karo Murat (29-3-1) W TKO 1 Esteban Tababary (30-19-2). Heavy: Adrian Granat (13-0) W TKO 1 Saul Farah (59-21-3). Heavy: Manuel Charr (29-4) W TKO 7 Andrei Mazanik (12-8). Cruiser: Firat Arslan (37-8-2) W TKO 2 Claudio Morroni Porto (10-2-1).
Murat vs. Tababary
Difficult to know which was the worst fight on this show. Murat got an easy win as the Bolivian was awful. He hardly took a step forward, had little idea of how to throw a punch or guard himself. After chasing Tababary Murat landed an overhand right to the face of Tababary. He promptly turned and walked to his corner. He had suffered a cut over his left eye and the doctor ruled him unfit to continue. Armenian-born Murat lost on a tenth round stoppage against Nathan Cleverly in a WBO eliminator in 2010. He scored a useful win against Gabriel Campillo in 2011 but then lost on points to Bernard Hopkins for the IBF title in 2013 before being knocked out in five rounds by Sullivan Barrera in December last year. This is his second easy win since then. Tababary, 34, now has 15 losses by KO/TKO.
Granat vs. Farah
This one was actually worse. The 6’7 ½” (202cm) Granat was literally head and shoulders above Farah who is 5’10” (178cm). What made it even worse is that Farah was 14lbs heavier than Granat. The Bolivian’s style, and I use the word very loosely, was to put his head down and walk forward wind-milling his arms with no idea where he was going or where Granat was. It was pathetic but at least he took his lumps. A right to the body put Farah down the first time and he spat out his gumshield to get additional recovery time. A left hook put him flat on his back for the second knockdown and again he needed to have his gumshield replaced. The last knockdown came from a chopping right and the fight was stopped. The 25-year-old Swede looked suitably embarrassed as he made it 12 wins by KO/TKO. Farrah, 35, weighed 180lbs in one of his early fights. He was 80lbs heavier than that here.
Charr vs. Mazanik
Charr returns to the ring for the first time since a knockout loss to Mairis Breidis and a near fatal shooting. The Lebanese-born “Diamond Boy” was given just the right opponent in Mazanik. The fight was fought at walking pace with Charr getting some useful ring time. He was always in control but Mazanik soaked up whatever Charr threw and was always trying to punch back. Body punches from Charr finally took effect with Mazanik only just surviving the sixth round and the referee halted the one-sided action in the seventh. It was the first fight in ten months for the 31-year-old Charr and he will rebuild slowly. Mazanik, a 31-year-old from Belarus, had won 7 of his last 8 fights but all against relative novices but did his job here.
Arslan vs. Porto
Another farcical fight. I don’t know if there is a world record for the fastest ten laps of the square ring running backwards but if not then Porto’s performance here could set the standard. Arslan just trailed Porto around the ring perimeter as Porto went backwards at speed occasionally pushing out a jab or some light combinations. It was over a minute into the round before Arslan threw a punch in anger and when he did it landed low and he got a warning. Arslan then scored with two left hooks and a left to the head which put Porto down. Porto got up and rumbled forward throwing punches until another left to the body put him on the floor. He again got up and tried to walk forward but a three-punch combination put him down on his back and the fight was waived off. No sense of achievement and no useful ring time in this farce for the 45-year-old former WBA cruiser champion. Arslan took eight months off after losing a split decision to Yoan Pablo Hernandez for the IBF title and this is his third win since returning. In fairness to Porto he came in as a very late replacement. This was the second fight in a row outside Brazil and the second first round loss in a row.

Magdeburg, Germany: Heavy: Agit Kabayel (15-0) W KO 7 Christian Lewandowski (9-1). Heavy: Tom Schwarz (17-0) W PTS 10 Dennis Lewandowski (9-1).
Kabayel vs. Lewandowski
Kabayel wins the vacant EU title with stoppage of Lewandowski. The 6’7” (201cm) Lewandowski had a big edge in reach but Kabayel was walking through Lewandowski’s jab to work inside with the tall Lewandowski throwing lots of counters but Kabayel was blocking most of them. Kabayel was working the body and despite having won all of his fights by KO/TKO Lewandowski was having trouble getting any leverage into his punches as he was constantly being pressed back. Kabayel was relentless and Lewandowski was holding more and more as he tired. In the sixth Lewandowski was stumbling around the ring completely exhausted and it was only because Kabayel was also very tired that he made it to the bell. Early in the seventh Kabayel cornered Lewandowski and a series of head punches saw him go down on one knee and he was counted out there. The 23-year-old German has 12 wins by KO/TKO. Lewandowski, also 23, had won his other nine fights by KO/TKO but against very low level opposition.
Schwarz vs. Lewandowski
Schwarz easily outboxes ,limited Lewandowski to make it a bad night for the brothers. Schwarz was able to box on the back foot using his edges in height and reach to keep poking out his left jab and throwing rights with Lewandowski just following him around but not cutting the ring down or throwing many punches. Occasionally Schwarz would let fly with a series of punches with Lewandowski leaving too many gaps and being caught by hooks and uppercuts. Lewandowski’s tactic was to try to get close enough to land wild swinging lefts and rights which Schwarz had no trouble dodging although one right did set Schwarz back on his heels in the fourth. In the fifth Schwarz chose to just stand and trade with Lewandowski which allowed Lewandowski to land more but he was coming out from behind his guard to do so and Schwarz was banging home hooks, uppercuts and clubbing rights. The pattern for the rounds changed little with both tiring over the late stages. Schwarz was hardly able to keep his hands up but kept punching and Lewandowski kept walking forward throwing an occasional jab and some hit and hope swings. Scores 100-90, 99-91 and 99-92 all for 23-year-old Schwarz who keeps his WBO Youth title and wins the WBC Youth title. Schwarz reportedly suffered a hand injury in the eighth round. At 6’5 ½” Schwarz has the right physique for today’s heavyweight but has been carefully matched and will have to face a real test soon. Lewandowski was going past the sixth round for the first time. The 22-year-old German is strong but very limited.

Tokyo, Japan: Super Feather: Daiki Kaneko (23-5-3) W PTS 10 Ribo Takahata (12-7-1). Kaneko gets needed win as he decisions Takahata. The former WBA title challenger had to overcome the height advantage of the very tall (5’11” 180cm) Takahata. He had Takahata on the floor in the second round and dominated the fight but just could not find a punch to finish things early. Scores 98-91for Kaneko from all three judges. The 27-year-old from Yokohama put together an unbeaten run of 17 fights to earn a shot at Takashi Uchiyama for the WBA title in 2013 but lost on points. He made a bad start to 2015 losing consecutive bouts to Jomthong Chuwatana for the OBPBF title and to Masao Nakamura. This is the second win for the JBC No 5. Takahata, 37, is Mr Consistency. His sequence over his last 13 bouts goes: L/W/L/W/L/W/L/W/L/W/L/W/L. So he is due a win now.

Davao City, Philippines: Welter: Adones Cabalquinto (23-1) W PTS 10 Rodel Wenceslao (11-12-1). “Iron Man” Cabalquinto gets unanimous decision over Wenceslao. After a feeling-out first round despite getting cut in a clash of heads Wenceslao shook Cabalquinto in the second with a combination followed by a right and he also took the third as Cabalquinto was still feeling the power of those punches from the second round and he did a lot of holding to survive. Southpaw Cabalquinto recovered and he pressed hard in the fourth and fifth as the battle went into overdrive. The sixth round was critical. Cabalquinto scored heavily and opened a cut over the left eyebrow of Wenceslao and took charge of the fight. He was pressing Wenceslao through the remaining rounds scoring with hard combinations right up to the final bell to take the decision. This was a non-title fight for the 27-year-old Philippines champion as he rebuilds after a shock kayo loss to Al Rivera in November. Wenceslao had won his last three fights.

Torrelavega, Spain: Super Welter: Sergio Garcia (21-0) W PTS 12 Pavel Mamontov (11-2-2). Hometown fighter Garcia wins the vacant WBC International title with unanimous verdict over Mamontov. In the first three rounds Garcia went for an all-out attacking start and after a good fourth he was in front on two cards 40-36 and 39-37 but the third judge had it all square at 38-38. Garcia had been a bit open over those first three rounds but he tightened his defence and boxed on the back foot countering the Russian. Mamontov kept ploughing forward scoring with hooks and keeping the rounds and the fight close. After eight rounds Garcia had pulled in front on all cards at 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75. Over the closing rounds Garcia dominating the action from the centre of the ring and at the end Mamontov was spending more and more time with his back to the ropes and the Spaniard ran out a clear winner. Scores 118-110, 117-111 and 115-113 all for Garcia in another sparkling WBC International title fight. The tall 23-year-old “El Nino” was going twelve rounds for the first time but paced the bout well. Former Russian champion Mamontov, 33, was fighting outside Russia for the first time and was unbeaten in his last 11 fights.

Bilbao, Spain: Welter: Kerman Lejarraga (15-0) W TKO 4 Denton Vassell (23-4). Super Light: Sandor Martin (27-1) W PTS 6 Ivans Levickis (23-22). Bantam: Saul Tejada (9-6-3) DREW 10 Javier Diaz (5-12-2).
Lejarraga vs. Vassell
Lejarraga gets best win so far in his career as he beats Brit Vassell on a controversial stoppage. Both were cautious in the first with Lejarraga forcing the fight and Vassell working well with his jab. Lejarraga stepped up the pace in the second with his aggression but with Vassell using good skills to avoid trouble. In the third Lejarraga was landing some heavy punches and had Vassell under pressure. In the fourth Vassell missed with a wild right thrown from a crouch. As he straightened up Lejarraga landed a big left hook that sent Vassell stumbling across the ring falling back with only the ropes stopping him from going down. He rebounded off the ropes and the referee stepped in and stopped the fight over protests from Vassell. The stoppage was questionable but it stands. The 24-year-old tall local fighter, a former EU champion, retains his WBA International title and has 11 wins by KO/TKO. Vassell, 31, a former CBC champion won his first 20 fights but then lost 3 of his next 4 to Frankie Galvin, Sam Eggington and Viktor Plotnykov. He steadied the ship with a couple of wins in 2015 but this was his first fight for 11 months.
Martin vs. Levickis
Martin takers a keep busy fight and wins every round against Latvian Levickis. Referee’s score 60-54. The 22-year-old southpaw from Barcelona, a former undefeated EU champion, has won 12 on the bounce including victories over Samuele Esposito and Steve Jamoye. He is rated No 14 by the WBC. Levickis loses outside Latvia as usual.
Tejada vs. Diaz
Tejeda holds on to his Spanish title with exciting draw against Diaz. Neither fighter is remotely near world class but they put on a fierce battle. It was difficult to split them over the first two rounds as Tejeda was busiest and Diaz the more accurate. Diaz took the third only for Tejeda to increase his work rate and take the fourth. They fought on even terms over the middle rounds but by the end of the ninth Diaz looked to have edged in front. Tejada put everything into the last round and deserved to hold on to his title. Scores 95-95 twice and 96-95 for Tejada. The 31-year-old from Leon was making the first defence of his title and goes 1-0-2 in three fights with Diaz who is hoping for a return.

Montevideo, Uruguay: Light: Daud Yordan (36-3) W PTS 10 Cristian Coria (24-5-2). Bantam: Caril Herrera (37-2) W PTS 10 Guillermo Soloppi (20-10-1,1ND).
Yordan vs. Coria
Yordan wins the vacant WBA International title with points victory over Coria. The former IBO champion had the shock of finding himself on the floor in the first round against Coria. He recovered from that and went on to take the unanimous decision on scores of 97-92 twice and 96-93. The 28-year-old Indonesian held IBO titles at both feather and light and his only losses have been to Celestino Caballero, Chris John and Simpiwe Vetyeka. He is No 5 with the WBO. Argentinian Coria, 33, the Argentinian No 4 was 3-0-1 in four bouts leading up to this.
Herrera vs. Soloppi
Local fighter Herrera also has to climb off the floor to win. He was put down in the second round but he battled back to force Soloppi to take a standing count in the fifth. His case was also helped by Soloppi losing two points for head butts. Scores 85-81 from all three judges for Herrera who wins the vacant WBA Fedebol title. The 35-year-old from Montevideo rarely strays outside Uruguay and the two losses he has suffered have been against AJ Banal in the Philippines and Oscar Gonzalez in Mexico. The Gonzalez defeat is his only loss in his last 17 fights. At 5’1” (155cm) he always has to give away height and it puzzles me how Soloppi managed to get down low enough to butt him. Soloppi, 30 is OK if he can avoid fighting for a title he is batting 0-8 in fights for various title.

Lille, France: Super Middle: Mohamed El Achi (8-0-3) W PTS 12 Jose Manuel Iglesias (11-5-1).
Hometown fighter El Achi wins the vacant IBF Mediterranean title with split verdict over Spaniard Iglesias. The visitor looked unlucky to lose this one. He had El Achi down in the third and looked to have done enough to take the decision but the scores went against him. Scores 115-112 and 114-113 for El Achi and 115-114 for Iglesias. After starting his pro career with three draws El Achi now has eight wins in a row. “The Punk Prince” Iglesias, the Spanish champion, had been 3-0-1 in his last 4 fights.