The Past Week In Action 1 January 2016

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 1 January 2016

December 25

 

Morogoro, Tanzania: Middle: Thomas Marshali (17-3-1,1ND) W PTS 10 Francis Cheka (31-9-2)

Marshali gets revenge for a previous loss to Cheka with a unanimous decision.  Marshali went into an early lead as he was too quick for a rusty Cheka. He had to stave off some frantic attacks from Cheka who managed to shed some ring rust and put on some pressure but Marshali matched him and took the unanimous decision on scores of 97-93, 96-93 and 96-94. The 26-year-old winner from Dar-Es-Salaam had lost on a tenth round knockout when he fought Cheka in 2013. He now has 7 wins and a No Decision. The ND was what you might call an RSF –riot stopped fight. Cheka, 33 had not lost to a fellow-countryman since 2003 but a recent spell in jail might have slowed him.

 

December 26

 

La Falda, Argentina: Light: Fernando Saucedo (58-6-3) W PTS 10 Jorge Luis Rodriguez (19-11-1, ND). Welter: Guillermo de Jesus Paz (25-27-4,1ND) W PTS 6 Xavier Lucas Castillo (15-5)

Saucedo vs. Rodriguez

Saucedo ends the year on a winning note with unanimous decision over Rodriguez. In a forgettable fight Saucedo was not at his best forsaking his jab and deciding to working inside with hooks and uppercuts against a much less skilled opponent. Rodriguez tested the referee’s patience with holding and careless use of his head but escaped any penalty. The third was the only round where Rodriguez showed well with Saucedo dominating the others but not impressing. Scores 100-93 twice and 99.5-93.5. Sixth win in a row for the 33-year-old Saucedo, the WBO No 10. It is almost 12 years since he lost a fight in Argentina. Rodriguez, 34, a former Argentinian feather title challenger, had won 4 of his last 5 fights.

Paz vs. Castillo

Veteran Paz springs a surprise as he beats Argentinian champion Xavier Luques Castillo on a split decision in a non-title fight in front of the champions home fans. The 35-year-old southpaw got the decision on scores of 59-58 from two judges with the other going for Castillo 59-58. Paz had a win in July over Gumersindo Carrasco (22-2) so capable of an upset. Castillo, 27, was 6-1 his last 7 fights with the loss being a majority decision against Josh King in Australia.

 

Accra, Ghana: Bantam: Duke Micah (14-0) W TKO 8 Ekow Wilson (15-2). Feather: Isaac Dogboe (12-0) W TKO 8 George Krampah (13-3).Welter: Isaac Aryee (21-8) W TKO 3 Justice Addy (13-2-1). Super Feather: Kpakpo Allotey (6-0) W PTS 8 Abdul Aziz Quartey (4-1). Feather: Felix Williams (19-1) W PTS 8 Kamarudeen Boyefio (7-5). Light Heavy: Maxwell Amponsah (11-1) W TKO 4 Stephen Abbey (13-10). Super Middle: Emmanuel Anim (8-0) W TKO 2 Nana Yaw Afriy (3-2).

Micah vs. Wilson

Ghanaian prospect Micah wins a CBC eliminator and the vacant WBO African title. The young Olympian just punched too hard for former victim Wilson. Wilson was in the fight early but the speed and accuracy of Micah plus some wicked body punches soon had Wilson wilting. In the seventh a right hook to the ribs put Wilson down and although he made it to his feet at the end of the round his corner pulled him out of the fight. The 24-year-old Micah represented Ghana at the 2012 Olympics at flyweight but lost to current world amateur champion Michael Conlan in the second series. He had knocked Wilson out in three rounds for this title in March 2013 but lost the title through inactivity. This was only his second fight in 21 months and his first for 9 months let’s hope he is more active in the future. All of his wins have come by KO/TKO but apart from Wilson his 12 opponents had combined records of 26-76. All of Wilson’s wins have come inside the distance but again the information behind the 15 wins is not impressive as his 15 opponents had combined records of 13-82. Both are good fighters, particularly Micah, but without better opposition it is impossible to judge how good.

Dogboe vs. Krampah

Dogboe wins the WBA and WBO African titles with stoppage of Krampah. Dogboe made a fast start flooring Krampah in the first. However Krampah was far from finished and in each round managed to score with some good counters of his own. Dogboe kept the pressure on and put Krampah down in the sixth and handed out more punishment in the seventh with Krampah retiring at the end of the round. The 21-year-old Dogboe makes it 8 wins by KO/TKO. He represented Ghana at the 2012 Olympics and was ABA champion in Britain in 2013. His published record is short of inside the distance wins this year over Aminu Turkson, John Oblitey Commey and Joe Adu. Ghanaian feather champion Krampah was a real test with the only other fighter  to halt him being South Africa Thabo Sonjica.

Aryee vs. Addy

The lanky Aryee wins the vacant Ghanaian title with a third round stoppage of Addy. The 22-year-old has 20 wins by KO/TKO with tough on the road losses to Konstantin Ponomarev, Anges Adjaho and Brit Jimmy Kilrain Kelly. Addy the Ghanaian No 5 was having his first fight 22 months. His other loss was early in his career to world rated Rafael Mensah.

Allotey vs. Quartey

Twenty-one-year-old Allotey wins this contest of unbeaten fighters but has to work hard to get the split decision. Scores 78-75 and 77-75 for Allotey and 77-75 for Quartey.

Williams vs. Boyefio

Ghanaian No 2 feather Williams makes it three wins in a row with wide unanimous decision over Boyefio. Scores 80-72 twice and 79-73. Williams had his unbeaten run ended with a majority decision loss to Benin’s Fatiou Fassinou for the vacant WBC Silver International title in June last year. Local fighter Boyefio losses when he tries to step up.

Amponsah vs. Abbey

Amponsah makes it 10 wins by KO/TKO with stoppage of Abbey. Amponsah was to have fought for the vacant Ghanaian title but when his opponent dropped out Abbey stepped in at short notice. Former national champion Amponsah’s only loss was a crushing one round defeat against Ebenezer Tetteh in December last year and this is his third win since then. First traceable fight since November 2013 for Abbey.

Anim vs. Afriy

Ghanaian super middle champion “Horse Power” Anim gets his second win in a row over Afriy. Anim first won the light heavy title and then moved down to win the super middle by stopping Afriy in two rounds in March and has 8 wins by KO/TKO.

 

Kumasi, Ghana: Cruiser: Braimah Kamoko (29-0) W TKO 6 Ayitey Powers (21-26-1). Super Welter: Obodai Sai (26-2) W TKO 3 Gabriel Adoku (14-23). Super Middle: Isaac Ekpo (29-2) W TKO 3 David Okine (1-1).  Super Bantam: Fatiou Fassinou (25-4-2) W PTS 8 Malik Jabir (19-12). Light: Maxwell Awuku (42-3-1) W TKO 5 Nazaire Kpadonnou (6-8). Welter: Patrick Allotey (32-2) W TKO 3 Fuseini Ahmed (11-13). Light: Rafael Mensah (26-0) W PTS 8 Justin Savi (28-4-1).

Kamoko vs. Powers

Nothing draws like a bit of local rivalry spiced with a dose of menace and reportedly 25,000 watched this one as Kamoko bludgeoned Powers to defeat. After a slow first round the pace got even slower but Kamoko totally dominated the fight. He was able land thumping jabs, uppercuts and hooks with Powers not really being able to launch any attacks of his own other than some slow slung hooks which had no effect on Kamoko. By the sixth Kamoko was marching Powers backwards around the ring and using him as a punch bag. Powers was given a stern warning for holding with the referee having trouble prising him off and the fight was one-sided until Powers refused to come out for the seventh round. This was a return bout after Kamoko won a wide decision over Powers in May last year. Powers had talked his way into a lucrative return but was outclassed. The 35-year-old “Bukom Banku” was having his first fight since beating Powers in May 2014. He was talking about a world title fight (he needs updating as he mentioned Nathan Cleverly as the guy he was going to fight) but has never fought outside Ghana for a good reason. He was well paid for this fight and also won a new Range Rover. Although Powers had won his last three fights all you have to know about 35-year-old Powers conditioning is that he challenged for the CBC title at 152 ½ lbs and weighed 205lbs for this one.

Sai vs. Adoku

“Miracle Man” Sai, 28, makes it 19 wins by KO/TKO with stoppage of poor Adoku. The former CBC champion is rebuilding after a one round loss to Derrick Webster in Philadelphia in November last year. Six losses in a row by KO/TKO for Adoku.

Ekpo vs. Okine

Former undefeated CBC champion Ekpo disposes of Okine. The 33-year-old Nigerian has 22 wins by KO/TKO. His only loss in his last 25 fights was on points against Robert Stieglitz for the WBO title in 2013. He has seven wins since then against modest opposition. Okine just a novice.

Fassinou vs. Jabir

Benin southpaw Fassinou wins unanimous verdict over experienced Jabir. Scores 79-71, 78-72 and 77-73. The 29-year-old Fassinou is a former WBC International Silver champion. Jabir is a former Ghanaian super bantam and CBC super feather title challenger.

Awuku vs. Kpadonnou

Southpaw Awuku much too god for Benin’s Kpadonnou. Awuku, one of the best fighters in Ghana makes it 28 wins by KO/TKO. He has lost only two of his last 41 fights to Liam Walsh for the CBC title in 2010 and former IBO champion Daud Yordan  in June this year with one judge having the score just 114-113 to Yordan. Kpadonnou out of his class.

Allotey vs. Ahmed

Allotey makes it two wins as he rebuilds. After winning his first 30 fights he then suffered back-to-back losses to Charles Manyuchi and Patrick Teixeira. He is another former WBC International Silver champion. Ahmed no test as he has now lost 7 of his last 8 fights.

Mensah vs. Savi

“Sweet Pea” Mensah remains unbeaten with decision over useful Savi. As with Awuku he is one of the best fighters in Ghana having been a good class amateur. He now has 20 wins by KO/TKO. Savi, from Benin, only lost one of his first 23 fights but is 6-3-1 in his last 10. He won the WBC Silver feather title with an upset victory over Frenchman Cyril Thomas in 2010 but losses to Alberto Garza, Angelo Santana and Malcolm Klassen have dropped him back into the pack.

 

Lagos, Nigeria: Feather: Edward Kakembo (10-0) W PTS 12 Waidi Usman (10-2). Super Light: Olaide Fijabi (4-0) WKO 4 Sadiq Ahmed (5-0). Welter: Stanley Eribor (13-0) W TKO 9 Sunday Olalekan (1-2-1).

Kakembo vs. Usman

Ugandan Kakembo gets an away win as he decisions local fighter Usman to collect the vacant ABU title on a split decision. Although the fight was close Kakembo had the edge in speed and the tighter defence. Good win for former amateur international Kakembo, the former Ugandan super bantam champion, as this is his first fight outside Uganda and he came in at late notice after Kenyan Francis Kimani withdrew. Also he made the trip on his own as his manager could not get a visa. Usman, the Nigerian and West African champion had won 8 in a row, 7 by KO/TKO so was favoured to win.

Fijabi vs. Ahmed

Fijabi wins this contest between inexperienced pros to collect the Nigerian title from champion “Police Machine” Ahmed. Fijabi handed out steady punishment and the referee stopped the fight half way through the fourth round. Fourth fight this year for Fijabi which is encouraging that he is getting some experience. Ahmed, 36, suffering from inactivity as this is his first traceable fight since winning the title in 2012.

Eribor vs. Olalekan

“ Edo Boy” Eribor wins the interim Nigerian title with stoppage of novice Olalekan. Eribor used his longer reach to control the fight and continually scored with hard counters to outclass Olalekan. Eribor who has fought under the name of Johnson had his first 10 fights in Ghana against poor opposition with his ten victims having only four wins between them so he is largely untested but picked up a prize of approx $7,500 as the best boxer on the night. Olalekan again really just a novice.

 

27 December

 

Kyoto, Japan: Light Fly: Shiro Ken (6-0) W PTS 10 Kenichi Horikawa (30-14-1).

Prospect Ken wins the JBC title with unanimous verdict over champion Horikawa. Ken went in front early scoring with good straight right counters and body punches. Horikawa rallied late as Ken tired and his work rate dropped but the points gap was too wide and the former Japanese amateur champion took the title. Scores 98-93 twice and 97-93. The 23-year-old WBC Youth champion fighting as Kenshiro Terachi won a bronze medal at the 2012 Japanese championships and a silver at the 2013. He was rated No 1 with the JBC going into the fight. Horikawa, 35 was making the first defence of his title. A bit cruel that after finally managing to win the national title at the fourth attempt he loses it so soon.

 

Osaka, Japan: Feather: Hiroshige Osawa (29-4-4) W KO 2 Khunkhiri (23-14-1). Fly: Pablo Carrillo (18-4-1) W KO 4 Jaipetch (5-5).

Osawa end the year with a win. The former OPBF champion used a still jab and worked the body with Thai Khunkhiri trying to counter but having no success. Late in the second Osawa drove Khunkhiri into a corner and then landed a straight right that put the Thai down for the count with just one second left in the round. The 30-year-old local fighter is in good form with 7 wins in a row by KO/TKO and only one loss in his last 22 fights. He is No 5 with the WBO. Now 8 losses by KO/TKO for Khunkhiri who is 3-6 in his last 9 fights.

Carrillo vs. Jaipetch

Colombian Carrillo gets knockout win over Thai novice. The 27-year-old “Little Train” had fought in Japan previously losing on points to Kazuto Ioka over ten rounds in September last year. This time the opposition was not so tough and he put Jaipetch away in the middle of the fourth round. Apart from his loss to Ioka he has also lost twice to current WBA interim champion Luis Concepcion so tough opposition. Four losses by KO/TKO for Jaipetch.

 

Osaka, Japan: Super Welter: Yuki Nonaka (28-8-3) W PTS 10 Koshimaru Saito (22-8-1).

Nonaka vs. Saito

Southpaw Nonaka retains the JBC title with close decision over his No 1 challenger Saito. Nonaka built a lead early outboxing Saito with Saito losing a point for ducking too low trying to get under Nonaka’s punches. The champion was still in the lead after five rounds but Saito had a good sixth hurting Nonaka with a left hook to the body. Saito kept up the pressure with Nonaka using smart footwork to offset the aggression and retain his title. Scores 97-93,97-95 and 95-94 all for Nonaka.  The tall, 38-year-old local fighter was making the third defence of his title in his second reign as champion and is 9-0-1 in his last 10 fights. Saito, 36, fails in his fifth attempt to win a national title.

 

December 29

 

Tokyo, Japan: Super Fly: Naoya Inoue (9-0) W TKO 2 Warlito Parrenas (24-7-1). Light Fly: Akira Yaegashi (23-5) W PTS 12 Javier Mendoza (24-3-1). Feather: Satoshi Hosono (30-2-1) W PTS 10 Akifumi Shimoda (30-5-2). Super Fly: Takuma Inoue (6-0) W PTS 12 Rene Dacquel (15-6-1). Super Bantam: Ryo Matsumoto (17-0) W TKO 2 Jestoni Autida (9-4).

Inoue vs. Parrenas

Inoue retains the WBO title as he destroys Filipino Parrenas inside two rounds. Inoue was just too quick for the Filipino. Inside the first ten seconds Inoue flashed home a jab/hook/uppercut combination with Parrenas unable to block them. Inoue kept moving changing angles and spearing Parrenas with jabs. Another combination featuring rapid uppercuts left Parrenas trying to smirk in a show of nonchalance but he had not been able to land a clean punch over the three minutes and already Inoue was doing a little showboating. Early in the second as Parrenas moved out of a clinch a right to the head had his legs wobbling just a bit. Inoue realised Parrenas was hurt and jumped on the challenger and took him to the ropes. Parrenas jabbed his way off the ropes only to be nailed with another right to the head which threw him back into the ropes and down. As Parrenas was getting up and taking the mandatory count a cocky Inoue was windmilling his right fist round and round. When the count was over Parrenas tried to fight his way out of trouble but a left to the head again had him staggering and he went down under a right and two lefts to the head. He tried to rise but  could not make it and the fight was over. Just 22 and already a two-division champion after just 9 fights leaves you wondering just how far this precious talent can go. His nickname is “Monster” and he is a monster talent. However, Parrenas, 32, is a good level fighter but a long way from being a top fighter as he was held to a draw by David Carmona in his last fight in July and in a previous visit to Japan in 2012 he was flattened in 33 seconds by Mexican Oscar Blanquet, one of four previous losses inside the distance. He was never given a chance to show anything here.

Yaegashi vs. Mendoza

Veteran Yaegashi becomes a three-division champion with wide unanimous decision over Mendoza. Despite bleeding from the mouth from the opening round Yaegashi swept the early rounds using fast foot work and quick combinations against the slow starting champion. He staggered Mendoza with a right uppercut in the second and outpunched him in the third. To make matters worse a right in the fifth opened a cut over Mendoza’s left eye. Mendoza had got rolling and although Yaegashi was the busier and more accurate southpaw Mendoza was getting home with combinations of his own and making the rounds close. Mendoza seemed to be finally rolling in the seventh as he took Yaegashi to the ropes and worked him over to head and body. The challenger was now showing bad swellings over both eyes. The eighth was critical. If Mendoza could take charge he would be in a position with a big finish to retain his title. Mendoza did have a good eighth against a tiring Yaegashi but the challenger scored repeatedly with right counters to steal the round. From there Yaegashi found the strength and stamina to match Mendoza over the ninth, tenth and eleventh and wrapped up the decision in style catching Mendoza with a stunning right that suddenly had Mendoza rocking badly and Yaegashi cut loose landing right after right on his tottering opponent trying to end the fight but the Mexican made it to the final bell. Scores 120-107, 119-109 and 117-111 for the new champion. After winning the WBA minimum and WBC fly titles he suffered  back-to-back inside the distance losses to Roman Gonzalez and Pedro Guevara raised questions as to whether Yaegashi’s career was over but at 30 he has answered the doubters. Mendoza, 24, was making the second defence of his IBF title. He had good level wins over Ramon Garcia to win the vacant title, Mauricio Fuentes in a non-title fights and a defence against Filipino Milan Melindo but the jury was still out on how strong a champion he was. I guess Yaegashi has given us the answer.

Hosono vs. Shimoda

Hosono retains the JBC title with split decision over Shimoda. This fight was close all the way with Hosono making good use of his jab and Shimoda pressing hard. After five rounds two judges had Hosono in front 48-47 with the third judge having Shimoda in front 49-47. Realising from the open scoring that he was behind Shimoda became a little wild trying to cut the deficit but went too far and had a point deducted in the eight for a low punch and although he dominated the rest of the round because of the deduction it was a round he could not win without a knockdown. They both fought hard over the last two rounds with Hosono holding onto his lead and his title. Scores 97-92 and 96-93 for Hosono and 96-95 for Shimoda. The 32-year-old Hosono was making the fifth defence of his national title. His two losses came in world title challenges to Poonsawat for the secondary WBA super bantam title and a wide points loss to Celestino Caballero for the secondary WBA feather title. A third title shot ended in a technical draw against Chris John for the real WBA feather title. He is rated WBA 3/IBF 5(3)/WBO 6/WBC 11 so another title shot is not out of the question. Shimoda, 31, is a former WBA, OPBF and Japanese super bantam champion but his stock fell when he was knocked out by Filipino Marvin Sonsona in 2014 and he exited the ratings.

Inoue vs. Dacquel

Inoue makes it a family double as he outpoints Filipino Dacquel to retain the OPBF title. The champion used quick combinations and hooks to the body to establish an early lead. Dacquel was in the fight more in the middle rounds as he was able to cut the ring off a bit more but after eight rounds Inoue was in front 78-74 on all three cards. The champion staged a strong finish in the last flooring the challenger with a left hook but Dacquel made it to the final bell. Scores 117-109 twice and 118-109. Inoue, 22, is the younger brother of Naoya and was making the first defence of his OPBF title which he won  in his fifth fight. He is rated WBC 5/WBO 13/IBF 15(13) with the scalps on his belt of Fahlan  (23-2), Nestor Narvaes (20-2-2) and experienced Filipino Mark Anthony Geraldo (31-5-3). Former GAB champion Dacquel was a step down in the level of opposition but retains his record of never losing by KO/TKO.

Matsumoto vs. Autida

Matsumoto continues to look a top prospect as he destroys Filipino Autida inside two rounds. A cut on his right eyelid did not worry Matsumoto as he floored Autida with his trademark left hooks and when another left hook to the body had Autida crouching in agony the fight was stopped. The lanky 21-year-old from Yokohama has won 15 of his 17 fights by KO/TKO including his last 7 in a row. Autida, 24, usually durable but out of his class.

 

Bethlehem, PA, USA: Super Feather: Omar Douglas (16-0) W PTS 10 Frank De Alba (17-2-2). Super Middle: Denis Douglin (20-4) W TKO 8 Marcus Upshaw (18-15). Welter: Milton Santiago (13-0) W PTS 8 Angel Hernandez (17-17-1). Welter Miguel Cruz (12-0) W TKO 7 Virgil Green (11-4).

Douglas vs. De Alba

“Super O” Douglas passes his biggest test to date with a majority verdict over De Alba. After edging the first round Douglas pocketed the second with some good body punches only for southpaw De Alba to rebound to take the third with some of his trademark counters. That is pretty much how the fight went over the first four with each round close. Douglas had the better of a fiery fifth round with good work to the body but the sixth and an exciting seventh were again close before Douglas rocked De Alba with a left in the eighth and did some good body work to just get his nose in front. Douglas kept pressing over the closing two rounds and had a big last round to hold off any attempt by De Alba to swing things his way. Scores 97-93 and 96-94 for Douglas and 95-95. The 24-year-old Douglas, a 5-time Pennsylvania State Golden Gloves champion was going ten rounds for the second time in a row so plenty of good experience for him. Big set-back for De Alba. The 28-year-iold from Reading lost his first pro fight so he had a 20-bout unbeaten streak going in. This one was close enough for him to shrug it off and he has a big following.

Douglin vs. Upshaw

After a promising start Douglin has to wait to the last round for victory. Douglin had Upshaw down in both the first and second rounds but Upshaw is a difficult guy to blow away and showed good survival skills. Douglin settled for slowly wearing Upshaw down and a big attack in the eighth forced the referee to step in to save Upshaw. Southpaw Douglin, 27, has 13 wins by KO/TKO and has won 6 of his last 7 fights. The loss was a seventh round stoppage defeat against George Groves in November last year. He is a former NGG and PAL champion. His nickname of “Momma’s Boy” comes from the fact that he is trained by his mother. With his 6’4” (193cm) height Upshaw can be a real test on his day as early career results such as draws with James McGirt and Aaron Pryor Jr and a win over Renan St Juste show. He has only 4 losses by KO/TKO and has gone the distance with punchers such as Gilberto Ramirez, David Lemieux and Marco Antonio Rubio shows

Santiago vs. Hernandez

Philadelphian Santiago gets another decision win but is run close and has to settle for a majority verdict. In a crowd-pleaser Santiago managed to build a good lead over the first half of the fight but had his hands full as Hernandez came on strong but ran out of rounds. Scores 78-74 and 77-75 for Santiago and 76-76. Santiago, just 19, shows plenty of promise but seems low on punch power with only three wins by KO/TKO . His last 9 fights have all gone the distance. Texan Hernandez, 24, is now 1-5-1 in his last 7 fights but has yet to lose inside the distance

Cruz vs. Green

Cruz gets the win but the styles don’t go well together. After taking the first three rounds Cruz broke through in a big way in the fourth almost putting Green down with a left hook. From that point Cruz was in charge of the fight rocking Green badly in the fifth and ending it in the seventh flooring Green with a body punch. After Green got up a series of head punches saw the fights stopped.  The 25-year-old Cruz has 11 wins by KO/TKO including 9 in his last 9 fights. Second loss by KO/TKO for Green who had won 6 of his last 7 fights.

 

Regensburg, Germany: Light: Yavuz Ertuerk (21-1) W TKO 4 Eduardo Pereira dos Reis (24-3). Light Heavy: Shefat Isufi (19-3-2) W TKO 3 Slavisa Simeunovic (18-13).Light Heavy: Alem Begic (11-0) W TKO 4 Giorgi Aduashvili (22-18-1). Light Heavy: Petar Maukovic (11-0) W RTD 2 Aleksandar Jankovic (10-40). Light Heavy: Denis Simcic (30-3-1) W TKO 2 Aleksandar Golic (0-1).

Ertuerk vs. dos Reis

Ertuerk wins the vacant IBF Inter-Continental title with strange stoppage of dos Reis. For three rounds this was a close, competitive match Brazilian dos Reis was mostly the man coming forward and throwing punches. Ertuerk was less busy but his punches were harder with dos Reis flurrying with both hands but no real power. Ertuerk started to score with the better punches in the third as both got careless and were just slinging punches with no defence on show. In the fourth both fighters has scored with good punches but whilst Ertuerk was throwing a series of light body punches the towel suddenly came in from the Brazilian corner. Both fighters and the referee showed surprise as dos Reis was not in any trouble but the fight was over. Cologne-born Ertuerk,28, now has 9 wins in a row the last 8 all coming by KO/TKO but against poor opposition. dos Reis had won 9 of his last 11 fights by KO/TKO but showed no real power.

Isufi vs. Simeunovic

Isufi wins the vacant IBF East/West European title with stoppage of late substitute Simeunovic. Isufi was countering the advancing B & H fighter in the first landing quick left/right combinations with Simeunovic swinging to the wind. In the second a right uppercut put Simeunovic down and although he beat the count he slumped to the floor again not from any visible punch. He stayed to the bell but in the third Isufi scored two more knockdowns and after administering the eight count the referee waived the fight off. The 25-year-old German-based Serb has 14 wins by KO/TKO and has won 6 of his last 7 fights that way with the loss being to Dariusz Sek in July. Simeunovic, 36 now has 12 losses by KO/TKO.

Begic vs. Aduashvili

Begic wins vacant UBF European title with stoppage of Georgian. Begic was neat and tidy and punching straight whilst Aduashvili had a messy style and threw wide punches. After trying to walk Aduashvili down in the first Begic put the Georgian down in the second with a right to the body. Aduashvili was up quickly and not in more trouble until the third round when he was floored twice, the first with a right to the head and the second a series of body punches. It was all over in the fourth when a left hook to the body put Aduashvili down again and the referee stopped the fight without a count. No test for the 28-year-old German as he gets his tenth win by KO/TKO but his first ten victims had combined records of 24-78-2. Aduashvili, 35, now has 15 losses by KO/TKO.

Maukovic vs. Jankovic

Maukovic wins the vacant WBFound Inter-Continental title. This was a poor fight with Maukovic bigger and heavier than late substitute Jankovic. The big Serb was able to push Jankovic around but his attacks were sloppy and with Jankovic ducking away or lunging inside it was a one-sided scrappy bout. Although on top Maukovic seemed wide open to the occasional counter from Jankovic. No real punches of note had been landed but Jankovic just retired at the end of the second round. All of the 32-year-old Maukovic’s wins have come by KO/TKO but Jankovic had more wins that the other 10 opponents combined whose records added up to 5-80. Slovenian Jankovic falls to 28 losses by KO/TKO.

Simcic vs. Golic

Simcic halts poor Golic in a pathetic excuse for a fight. The former WBO European champion was against a rank novice, a guy having his first pro fight after some brief kickboxing background. Simcic had Golic down three times in the first round and twice in the second and the referee waived the fight over just as the towel came in.  First fight for 34-year-old Slovenian Simcic since November last year. He lost only one of his first 29 fights but is now 2-2-1 in his last 5. First pro fight for Golic.

 

Budapest, Hungary: Light Fly: Szilveszter Kanalas (8-0) W PTS 12 Jozsef Ajtai (12-2). Cruiser: Tamas Kovacs (27-1) W TKO 2 Miklos Kovacs (1-1)

Kanalas vs. Ajtai

A ,lively little fight between two very young Hungarian’s sees Kanalas win the vacant WBFed title with split decision over Ajtai. It was an all-action fight with Kanalas having the harder punch and rocking Ajtai a couple of times but with Ajtai staging a strong finish. Some strange refereeing saw both fighters harshly penalised for infringements that only the referee saw Kanalas twice and Ajtai once but they did not affect the result of an entertaining fight. Scores 115-110 and 114-110 to Kanalas and 113-112 for Ajtai. Kanalas, just 17 was going past the sixth round for the first time. Ajtai, 18, was stopped in two rounds by British prospect Andrew Selby in November and is Hungarian light fly champion.

Kovacs vs. Kovacs

Tamas Kovacs halts novice Miklos in a terrible mismatch. Tamas was much the bigger fighter and although Miklos gave it a try and scored with a good body punch in the first Tamas was scoring with a solid jab and body punches of his own. In the second a right uppercut and bludgeoning shot to the side of the head had Miklos in trouble and a wicked left hook to the body had him backing off as his corner threw in the towel. Tamas, a 38-year-old from Slovakia, has 16 wins by KO/TKO. His only loss was a third round stoppage by Beibut Shumenov for the WBA and IBA light heavy titles in December 2013. This is his fourth win since then. Miklos tried but was way out of his class.

 

December 31

 

Tokyo, Japan: Super Feather: Takashi Uchiyama (24-0-1) W TKO 3 Oliver Flores (27-2-2). Light Fly: Ryoichi Taguchi (23-2-1) W RTD 9 Luis de la Rosa (24-6-1).

Uchiyama vs. Flores

Uchiyama again blows away a contender. The hard punching Japanese fighter rocked the outclassed Flores in each of the first two rounds and started a swelling under the right eye of the challenger. Flores had managed a few licks of his own but was out-gunned. In the third a sickening left to the body saw Flores end up face-down on the canvas and had no chance of beating the count. The 36-year-old “KO Dynamite” has 20 wins by KO/TKO. This was his 11^th title defence and he has won nine by KO/TKO, one on points and had one technical draw. Nicaraguan southpaw Flores had done nothing of note since being knocked out in two rounds by Miguel Berchelt in 2012.

Taguchi vs. de la Rosa

Taguchi retains the secondary WBA title with stoppage of de la Rosa. The little challenger was giving away a lot in height and reach and had to get inside to work. That’s just what he did swarming forward scoring with hooks on the inside. Taguchi was countering with straight rights but de la Rosa was walking through them. He paid a penalty as Taguchi began to get into the fight more and wearing de la Rosa down with those straight rights and body punches. By the seventh de la Rosa was tiring and over the eighth and ninth  the traffic was one-way with a tiring de la Rosa taking punishment and he retired at the end of the round. At the end of the fight the early work of de la Rosa had him in front 87-84 and 86-85 on two card with Taguchi ahead 87-84 on the third. Second successful defence for 29-year-old Taguchi and tenth win by KO/TKO. His only loss in his last 16 fights was to Naoya Inoue in 2013. Colombian de la Rosa had lost in fights for both the WBO minimum and light fly titles his getting another title shot after losing 2 of his last 3 fights was a WBA joke.

 

Nagoya, Japan: Minimum: Kosei Tanaka (8-0) W KO 6 Vic Saludar (11-2). Super Bantam: Genesis Servania (27-0) W PTS 8 Hendrik Barongsay (29-24-3).

Tanaka vs. Saludar

Tanaka overcomes a slow start to put out Saludar with one body punch. Saludar was coming forward and finding the target with punches from both hands with Tanaka retreating and only throwing occasional counters. In the second Tanaka landed a couple of good body punches but again Saludar was outscoring him and got through with a hefty long right cross to the head to take the round. Tanaka changed his tactics in the third walking forward behind a high guard and forcing Saludar onto the back foot. The Filipino was still in control easily finding gaps for his jab and using plenty of foot and upper body movement to change angles and he finished the round scoring with three thumping rights to the head. Tanaka continued to press the action hard in the fourth. He was letting his hands go more but Saludar was getting through with jabs and long rights with Tanaka scoring with three lefts to the body to make it a close round. In the fifth the incessant pressure was telling as Saludar was looking tired his work rate dropped and he was less accurate. Tanaka scored with a couple of sharp left hooks to the body and it was looking a good round for him until with 40 seconds to go as Tanaka threw a weak jab Saludar came over the top of it with a long right to the side of the head which sent Tanaka down on his back. He was up at four and Saludar tried desperately to get home another right and one shook Tanaka just before the bell. At that point Saludar was in front 50-44 on two cards and 49-45 on the other. Tanaka came forward in the sixth landing two left hooks to the body. They traded punches with Saludar again on the back foot and suddenly a left hook to the ribs saw Saludar go into a half crouch and then down on his knees. He turned so that he was sitting on the canvas and then extended both arms along the ropes gasping for breath and was still in that position when the count reached ten. Dramatic come from behind win for the 20-year-old Japanese starlet making the first defence of his WBO title. He won the OPBF title in his fourth fight and in May title two weeks before his 20^th birthday  he won the WBO title. He will probably move up now to light fly. The 25-year-old Saludar fought well but did seem to be fading. Other than winning the WBO Asia Pacific title over a guy with a 6-3 record he had no qualifications for this fight but that’s the WBO.

Servania vs. Barongsay

World rated Filipino Servania wins every round against Indonesian Barongsay. From the start Servania had Barongsay in survival mode as he scored heavily to head and body but the Filipino is not a big puncher so Barongsay was able to stay in the fight. Things turned ugly for Servania when he cut over the left eye in a clash of heads in the fourth which gave Barongsay some encouragement but Servania protected the cut and was a clear winner. Scores 80-72 from all three judges. Despite having won two minor WBO Regional titles he is still only No 7 with them and his only other rating is IBF 8(7) which does not seem much return for 27 wins. He was No 3 with the WBO but is in dispute with his promoter and that can have as much effect as losing a fight.

 

Osaka, Japan: Fly: Kazuto Ioka (19-1) W TKO 11 Juan Carlos Reveco (36-3). Minimum: Jose Agumedo (16-3-1) W TEC DEC 9 Katsunari Takayama (30-8). Bantam: Takahiro Yamamoto (17-4) W TKO 2 Yuki Strong Kobayashi (9-5). Super Fly: Sho Ishida (21-0) W TKO 4 Ryuta Otsuka (15-9-2).

Ioka vs. Reveco

Ioka retains the secondary WBA title with late stoppage of former champion Reveco. When these two fought in April Ioka won the title with a hotly contested majority decision over Reveco in the same city. This time Ioka was clearly the better fighter outboxing the Argentinian easily. Ioka used his jab more this time and he was mixing in hooks and uppercuts as Reveco was slow out of the blocks. Ioka took the first four rounds and also opened a cut under the left eye of Reveco. Ioka seemed to lets his work rate drop over the middle rounds but he was back in charge in the ninth. An exciting round saw Ioka trapping Reveco on the ropes and battering away only for Reveco to fight his way out of trouble but he walked  into an uppercut which saw him on unsteady legs.  With the challenger tiring Ioka was looking to take the fight out of the judges hands. He took the tenth round and in the eleventh a vicious combination of body punches saw Reveco go down. Somehow he bravely made it to his feet but the pain was too much for him to straighten up and the fight was stopped. The 26-year-old Japanese fighter was making the second defence of the title and has 11 wins by KO/TKO. He is a former undefeated WBA/WBC minimumweight title holder and also won the secondary WBA title at light fly. His only loss was a challenge against Amnat Ruenroeng for the IBF fly title in May 2014. Reveco, 32, gets his first loss by KO/TKO. He is a former WBA light fly and fly champion both being secondary titles. Apart from his two losses his only other defeat was against Brahim Asloum for the WBA fly title in 2007.

Agumedo vs. Takayama

Mexican Agumedo gets the lone win for the visitors in this one week orgy of world title fights. Little was known about Agumedo but he lifted the IBF title with a split technical decision that should have been unanimous. Agumedo was fired up and took the first two rounds. The second was close but rights from Agumedo saw him pocket that round as well and he also opened a cut over the left eye of the champion. Non-stop punching saw Takayama even things up as he outworked Agumedo over the third and fourth rounds. At the end of the fourth round they were all square on two cards but with the Mexican judge having Agumedo ahead 39-37. The doctor had examined Takayama’s injury in the fourth round and with both fighters realising the fight might be stopped and go to a technical decision they both banged away at each other through a wild fifth round with Agumedo finally using his longer reach to take the round. Takayama fired back in the sixth showing his usual high work rate and he also clearly won the seventh. Agumedo knew he had to get back into the fight and in the eighth he scored time and again with hard punches and opened two cuts over the right eye of the champion. Now it was obvious that a stoppage was near and they both threw everything into the ninth. Agumedo went down and although Takayama threw his arms up in celebration it was premature as the referee ruled it a slip and Agumedo did enough to take the round. Takayama’s cuts were too bad for him to continue and the fight went to the scorecards with Agumedo winning on scores of 87-84 twice to a 86-85 for Takayama. The 27-year-old new champion does not have an impressive record but two of his losses have been split decisions and one a majority decision. For 32-year-old Takayama it may be the end of the line. A former WBC and interim WBA minimumweight champion he looked to be on the way out when he had a 1-3-1No Decision spell but he finally won the IBF minimum title at the third attempt. He lost his title in a unification fight with WBO champion Francisco Rodriguez but last December won both of those then vacant titles but subsequently vacated the WBO title.

Yamamoto vs. Kobayashi

Yamamoto retains the OPBF title with stoppage of Kobayashi. In the first round Kobayashi scored with a good left hook but later in the round left hooks from Yamamoto put Kobayashi down twice. In the second a straight right put Kobayashi down again and when he went down for a fourth time the fight was stopped. The 25-year-old local fighter was making the first defence of his OPBF title and he has won 11 of his last 12 fights by KO/TKO. Kobayashi, also from Osaka, is now 3-4 in his last 7 fights and was not even rated in the OPBF top 15.

Ishida vs. Otsuka

Ishida has too much power for challenger Otsuka and retains his JBC title with stoppage. A right from Ishida floored Otsuka in the first and he almost finished the fight in the second when a right hook forced Otsuka to take a standing count. More punishment in the fourth saw Otsuka’s corner throwing in the towel just as the referee was about to stop the fight. The tall 24-year-old lanky Ishida was making the fourth defence of his title and has 11 wins by KO/TKO. He is rated WBA3/IBF 6(4)/WBC 7/WBO 9 and is looking to fight for the world title this year. Otsuka, 30 the JBC No 5 was having his second shot at winning a national title.

 

To save my sore two typing fingers I use abbreviations so to start the year her is a list of them:

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

NCC=National Championships of Canada

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.