The Past Week in Action 1 September 2015

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 September 2015

August 27

 

Oceanside, CA, USA: Super Middle: Roamer Angulo (16-0) W PT 8 Izaak Cardona (14-2). Super Welter: Dashon Johnson (17-19-3) W PTS 8 Elias Espadas (9-2).

Angulo vs. Cardona

Colombian Angulo impresses in his first fight in the USA with unanimous verdict over Cardona. Angulo took the lead from the bell getting his punches off quicker than Cardona and easily took the first three rounds. His work rate dropped in the fourth which allowed Cardona to score with some good counters. Angulo picked up the pace again in the fifth and dominated the rest of the way against a tiring Cardona. Scores 80-72 twice and 79-73. The 31-year-old Angulo, a South American Games silver medallist, did not turn pro until he was 26  and has been a bit of a gypsy with bouts in Dominican Republic, Argentina, Germany, Turkey and of course Colombia. Cardona, 23, had won his last 5 fights. Although a good class amateur he failed to qualify for the Olympics losing out in a “Last Chance Qualifier” tournament.

Johnson vs. Espadas

“Fly Boy” Johnson again shows that he is not a reliable loser. The experienced Californian looked to be on his way to another loss as Espadas had the better of the first three rounds. Johnson needed to turn the fight around and he did it in the fourth round flooring Espadas with a right. From then on it was Johnson’s fight as he got stronger whilst Espadas gradually faded. Scores 77-74 twice and 78-73. Johnson, 27, was 1-8 in his last 9 fights going in but has wins over Adam Trupish and Craig McEwan which shows he can be a good fighter on his night. Mexican Espadas had won his last 8 fights but against modest opposition.

 

Costa Mesa, CA, USA: Super Welter: Terrell Williams (14-0) W PTS 8 John Williams (15-4-1). Light: Victor Betancourt (20-1,1ND) W PTS 8 Jose Esqivel Porras (9-4).

Williams vs. Williams

Williams-Terrell that is- extends his unbeaten run but has to go the distance. Terrell had height and reach over John W and used those edges well. Both landed some hard rights but Terrell was the busier and more accurate and got the unanimous decision but was pressed hard. Scores 79-73 twice and 77-75. The 31-year-old from LA had won 12 in a row by KO/TKO including six in the first round and without having to go past the third round for victory so this a tougher test. He was inactive for two years before returning to action in May. John’s only loss inside the distance came at the hands of Demetrius Andrade in the last round of a fight in 2009. He had won 8 of his last 9 fights.

Betancourt vs. Porras

Mexican Betancourt wins wide unanimous decision over fellow-countryman Porras. Scores 80-72 twice and 78-74. The 24-year-old from Mexicali had a 17 bout unbeaten streak broken in a loss to Sergio Lopez in August last year but has rebounded with 4 wins. Three losses in a row for Porras.

 

Houston, TX, USA: Light Heavy: Cedric Agnew (28-2) W PTS 6 Kevin Engel (20-13). Light Heavy: Cornelius White (22-4) W TKO 2 William Johnson (10-42-1),

Agnew vs. Engel

Agnew gets much needed win but only after a big scare. The former WBO title challenger had this fight well in hand over the first three rounds and looked to be just one punch away from victory when he dropped experienced Engel with a body punch in the fourth. The St. Louis fight has lost ten times by KO/TKO so it looked like No 11 coming up. That’s what Agnew decided and almost paid the price for over confidence. As he moved in to finish it a right from Engel, who has won 16 of his 20 victories by KO/TKO, crashed into Agnew’s jaw and Agnew went down badly hurt. He was shaky when he got up and only the bell saved him from certain defeat. Agnew managed to recover well enough to see out the last two rounds and take the unanimous verdict. After losing by kayo against Sergey Kovalev in March last year the 28-year-old southpaw was back with a win two months later. He was then inactive until February this year when he suffered an upset defeat against Sam Clarkson in February so could not afford another loss. The 35-year-old Engel had lost 6 in a row, 5 by KO/TKO so looked a safe pick.

White vs. Johnson

Johnson also needed a win and his came much easier than that of Agnew. The 6’2” local hunted Johnson down in the first and ended it in the second. He took Johnson to the ropes and unleashed a volley of punches forcing the referee to step in to save Johnson. Wins over Yordanis Despaigne and Dmitry Sukhotsky earned 33-year-old White a shot at Kovalev but he only lasted three rounds and then went on to lose to Thomas Williams inside a round and Marcus Browne. Now 12 losses in a row for Johnson and 19 losses by KO/TKO.

 

August 28

 

Las Vegas, NV, USA: Heavy: Trevor Bryan (16-0) W PTS 10  Derric Rossy (30-9). Super Middle: Decarlo Perez (15-3-1) W PTS 10 Juan Ubaldo Cabrera (23-1). Heavy: Joey Dawejko (16-4-2) W TKO 1 Natu Visina (11-2).

Bryan vs. Rossy

Don King’s heavyweight hope Bryan gets good win over experienced Rossy. Bryan got a great start hurting Rossy in the first with left hooks before putting him down with a right. Rossy was up quickly and not badly hurt. He took the fight to Bryan and they traded to the bell. They continued the high level trading in the second and third with both getting home some good punches. It looked set to be a classic but Rossy started to tire after the fourth. Bryan had a big fifth with Rossy not going down but in deeper trouble than he was in the first. Despite tiring Rossy was still competitive and even though the pace had dropped there was still plenty of action but with Bryan having the edge and being the busier in round after round on his way to a deserved unanimous decision. Scores 98-91 twice and 97-92 for Bryan. The 24-year-old 6’4” (193cm) Bryan a former PAL gold medal winner just came up short in other major amateur tournaments losing in the quarter finals of both the NGG’s and the US Championships. He has been carefully protected but showed real promise in this win which gives him the Junior NABF title. Rossy, 35, showed all of his experience as he came in to this fight with only one weeks’ notice and fought back hard after the early knockdown with the wider scores being a bit hard on the veteran. He beat Joe Hanks on majority verdict but was less lucky in losing a split decision to Joey Dawejko and very unlucky in losing a majority verdict to unbeaten Vyacheslav Glazkov.

Perez vs. Cabrera

Yet another upset as late sub Perez ruins the unbeaten record of Dominican Cabrera. The Dominican was the favourite and that held up for three rounds. Despite suffering a cut over his right eye in the second round Cabrera had the fight under control. From the fourth Perez was timing his shots and countering well and gradually taking over the fight. Cabrera seemed to tire and could not match the work rate of the Atlantic City fighter. Frustration/desperation saw Cabrera losing a point in the seventh for holding and Perez cruised to a clear victory. Scores 98-91 twice and 97-92. The 24-year-old “3mendo” Perez came in with only a  week to prepare but he had won 8 of his last 9 fights beating reasonable opposition in Tyrone Brunson and Jessie Nicklow in his last two fights. Cabrera, 36, had been considered a good prospect when he turned pro after winning gold medals at the Central American and Caribbean Games and the Pan American Games (where he beat Jean Pascal) and competing at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. However he had only one fight in each of 2010, 2011 and 2012 and was inactive in 2013.

Dawejko vs. Visina

Dawejko gets his second one round win in a row as he crushes Visina in 76 seconds. Dawejko came out firing and put Visina down from a series of punches just 30 seconds into the fight. Visina got up only to run into another storm of punches and he was wobbling badly and not punching back when the referee stopped the fight. Dawejko, 25, is 8-1 in his last 9 fights with the loss being in a tough contest against Amir Mansour in May. Six of his eight wins in that sequence have all been one round finishes. It’s a pity that at 5’10” (178cm) and with a relatively short reach Dawejko is at a disadvantage when he faces many heavyweights. He would be better suited to cruiser but the lightest he has weighted is 230lbs. Samoan Visina loses inside the distance for the second time. He had Steve Cunningham on the floor in their fight in October but was pulled out of the fight at the end of the seventh round. He was 73lbs heavier than Cunningham and had 37lbs over Dawejko.

 

Washington, DC, USA: Light: Jonathan Maicelo (22-2,1ND) W PTS 10 Brandon Bennett (19-2) . Super Middle: Phillip Jackson Benson (16-2) W TKO 3 Jinner Guerrero (8-6). Light: Jamel Herring 13-0) W TKO 3 Ariel Vasquez (12-9-2,1ND). Light: Robert Easter (15-0) W TKO 6 Osumanu Akaba (32-9-1). Welter: David Grayton (12-0) W TKO 6 Jose M Valderrama (4-11). Light: Raynell Williams (8-0) W TKO 2 Jose Miguel Castro (5-6).

Maicelo vs. Bennett

Maicelo returns with a win as he takes unanimous decision over Bennett. Maicelo easily took the early rounds. Showing plenty of quick movement and scoring with fast, accurate combinations he effectively shut southpaw Bennett out of the fight. Bennett came into it over the middle rounds as Maicelo’s work rate dropped. The local fighter was now the one throwing combinations and he looked to be on his way to victory. Maicelo found another gear over the ninth and tenth  and swung the fight his way to get a fairly comfortable victory in the end. Scores 97-93 twice and 99-91 with the first two score being a better reflection of Bennett’s efforts in the middle rounds. Maicelo, 32, a North Bergen-based Peruvian, was floored and lost by a wide margin against Darley’s Perez for the interim WBA  title in January so a good first step as he builds towards another title match. Bennett, 27, gets blown off course in his rehabilitation plan. After 16 wins on the bounce he was well beaten by Mexican Francisco Vargas in 2013. Since his return he had scored three wins.

Benson vs. Guerrero

Benson yet another boxer on a rebuilding course. He got off to a good start with a win over very modest Guerrero. Benson bossed to fight from the early action scoring two knockdowns in the first two rounds. In the third he was hammering Guerrero against the ropes when Guerrero’s corner threw in the towel. The 30-year-old from New York had a run of 13 wins with 12 of those victories by way of KO/TKO then he ran into the totally unpredictable Darnell Boone in April and was stopped in six rounds. Boone has a stoppage win over Adonis Stevenson, a split decision loss against Sergey Kovalev and a win over Willie Monroe Jr as well as his victory over Benson. Ecuadorian Guerrero now has 5 losses by KO/TKO.

Herring vs. Vasquez

Olympian Herring keeps his winning streak going. This was as one-sided as a fight can get. The talented Herring was too quick, too accurate and too powerful for southpaw Vasquez. A body punch put Vasquez down in the first and Herring had him on the deck again in the second. A desperate Vasquez lost two points in the third for holding and was taking a beating when the referee stopped the fight. The lanky 29-year-old “Semper Fi” Herring a former national and armed forces champion represented the USA at both the 2011 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics. He has 8 wins by KO/TKO. Nicaraguan Vasquez, 28, was having his first fight in the USA. He is now 1-5-2 in his last 8 fights.

Easter vs. Akaba

Easter overcomes some problems set by Akaba to force the finish in the sixth round. Easter had height and reach over Akaba and made good use of his jab to give himself punching room so that he could slowly pick Akaba apart. However it was not all one way with Akaba, an awkward southpaw showing good movement and scoring enough to be competitive over the five completed rounds. By the fifth Easter’s tactics were proving successful with Akaba fading fast and when Akaba went down from a series of punches his corner signalled that they wanted the fight stopped. The unbeaten 24-year-old from Toledo has been matched with some experienced if fading pros. Unlike Herring Easter did not win his way to the 2012 Olympics but was an alternate (reserve) in case someone fell out. He has 12 wins by KO/TKO. Ghanaian Akaba ,35, lost to Paul Truscott and Ricky Burns in CBC title fights and has now lost 4 of his last 5 fights against some tough opposition.

Grayton vs. Valderrama

Another former top amateur, another unbeaten fighter, and another win. Grayton almost finished this in the first round when he floored Valderrama with a body punch but the Puerto Rican got up and fought on. Grayton was winning the rounds but Valderrama some good skills but his lack of power meant that Grayton could let his punches go freely. By the sixth Valderrama was tiring and Grayton put him down twice with the referee stopping the fight after the second knockdown. “Day Day”, 28, is a former NGG champion and scored a win over Errol Spence in the amateurs. He has 9 wins by KO/TKO. His father, also David, was a pro who ran up a 17-5 record in the 1980’s. Valderrama, 27, has now lost 11 of his last 12 fights.

Williams vs. Castro

Williams completes the quartet of former top amateur winning on this show. The Cleveland fighter had a slight edge in the first round but exploded in the second. He put Castro down early in the round with a left to the body only for Castro to beat the count and try to survive the remaining time. He was unsuccessful as a head shot from Williams put Castro down again with the fight being stopped.  Now 5 wins by KO/TKO for Williams. As an amateur he was US Champion and represented the US at the World Championships and 2008 Olympics but lost out to Juan Carlos Ramirez at the US Trials for the 2012 Olympics. He scored a win over Carl Frampton in a USA vs. Ireland match. Puerto Rican Castro  is 1-5 in his last 6 fights with all of the losses being against unbeaten fighters.

 

San Miguel, Argentina: Light:  Jonathan Chavez (14-1-1) W PTS 10 Damian Yapur (11-1-2).  Chavez wins the vacant WBO Latino title with majority decision over Yapur. This was a disappointing fight with neither at their best. Chavez showed his normal neat boxing with a stiff jab and good accurate right crosses and Yapur was presenting too static a target. A right from Chavez opened a cut high on the left side of Yapur’s forehead but the doctor allowed the fight to continue. Chavez had built a commanding lead over the first six rounds but he faded out of the fight from the seventh to the ninth but finished strongly in the tenth  to take the decision. Scores 98-92 twice for Chavez and 95-95. Good result for the 27-year-old from Buenos Aires who now has 8 wins in a row. This should get him a FAB rating. “El Chino” Yapur, also 27, was 5-0-2 in his last 7 fights and was FAB No 5.

 

Perth, Australia: Super Middle: Rohan Murdock (18-1) W PTS 10 Jorge D Caraballo (13-5-1). Super Middle: Wes Capper (11-1) W DISQ 3 Joe Rea (10-22-5).

Murdock vs. Caraballo

Murdock wins every round but gutsy Caraballo refuses to fold. The local fighter handed out a steady diet of punishment with punches from both hands to the head and body of Caraballo. Body shots, head shot, jabs, hooks and uppercuts Caraballo absorbed them all. He also managed to score with a few punches of his own but never came near winning a round. The fight could have been stopped in any of the last three rounds but Caraballo stayed the full route. The 23-year-old Murdock, a former top amateur, dropped from No 6 to No 9 in the latest WBO ratings but is hoping for a world title fight next year. Caraballo, 26, a former Argentinian and South American title challenger, is now 5-5 in his last 10 fights and is not rated by the FAB but did his job here.

Capper vs. Rea

Capper makes it a winning double for the locals as he beats Rea on disqualification. Capper had Rea down in each of the three rounds. In the third Rea put in a low punch to get a break only for Capper to repay him in kind and put Rea on his knees with a low punch of his own. When action resumed Rea stuck an elbow in Capper’s face and the referee disqualified him. The 27-year-old Capper lost a majority verdict to more experienced Tony Hirsch in Las Vegas in March but has now scored two wins since returning home. Rea, from Ballymena, has now gone 0-8-4 in his last 12 fights.

 

Ancona, Italy: Feather: Nicola Cipolletta (11-4-2) W TKO 5 Antonio Cossu (12-3-2).

If at first you don’t succeed then try, try, and try again. Finally Cipolletta wins an Italian title at the fourth attempt. The Naples veteran boxed cleverly over the opening rounds keeping Cossu on the outside and not allowing the Sardinian to get close. Cossu had to force the fight and when boring in was dangerous with his head. Cossu did enough to share the third round but otherwise it was Cipolletta doing most of the scoring. In the fifth Cossu was trying to thrust his way inside when Cipolletta landed a solid right. Cossu was badly shaken and a series of hard punches including three cracking rights had Cossu in deep trouble and very groggy and the referee stopped the fight. Cipolletta had managed a loss and two draws in national title fights at super feather so dropping down to feather was a smart move. He gets his third win by KO/TKO. Cossu, 41, was having his second shot at the feather title and this is his first loss by KO/TKO.

 

Kobe, Japan: Light: Masayoshi Nakatani (11-0) W TKO 5 Kazuya Murata (11-5).

Easy night for Nakatani as he retains his OPBF title. The tall, 5’11 ½” (182cm) champion was able to keep Murata at arm’s length and on the end of his jab. After comfortably taking the first three rounds Nakatani unloaded some heavy hits to head and body in the fourth and by the end of the round Murata’s right eye was almost closed. Further punishment from Nakatani in the fifth saw the eye totally closed. The doctor took a look at Murata’s eye at the end of the round and the injury was too bad for the challenger to continue. Murata may have suffered a broken orbital bone. Fourth defence of his OPBF title for the 26-year-old WBC No 14 and his sixth win by KO/TKO. Murata, the OPBF No 4 had won his last 6 fights.

 

Tijuana, Mexico: Middle: Tony Hirsch (19-6-2) W PTS 10 Roland Paredes (9-3-2).

Hirsch makes it 2 wins in 2 outings in Tijuana. The Californian made a slow start and was hampered by a cut from the first round. It was the fourth before he began to eat into the lead Paredes had built. Hirsch took the fifth with some stiff jabs combined with right hooks and uppercuts.  The sixth was close with Hirsch just edging it but the seventh could have been scored to either fighter as there was very little clean work. Paredes was tiring and that helped Hirsch to collect the eighth and ninth with the last again a close round. Scores 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 all for Hirsch. He wins the vacant IBU title- whatever that is? Hirsch, 31 has been in some tough fights losing to Shawn Estrada, Dmitry Chudinov-a majority decision-and John Jackson but now has 5 wins and ND in his last 6 fights. Mexican Paredes must have a detachable leg. He was 191 ¼ lbs for his last fight in March.

 

Telcor, Nicaragua: Fly: Felix Alvarado (21-2) W TKO 1 Guillermo Ortiz (13-9-3,1ND). Super Bantam: Orlando Rizo (19-6) W PTS 8 Rafael Castillo (12-22-3,1ND). Light: Winston Campos (22-3-4) W TKO 4 Leonel Hernandez (9-8-2,1ND). Feather: Miguel Corea (4-12,3ND) W KO 2 Lester Medrano (15-6-2).

Alvarado vs. Ortiz

This looked a poor match and obviously Ortiz also thought so. He was like a rabbit in the headlights before the fight started and went downhill from there. Alvarado did not need to land any big punches as Ortiz was ready to go down at any excuse. After two knockdowns a quick combination ending with a right to the chin saw Ortiz go down again and just sit out the count. The 26-year-old “Gemelo” –it means twin as his twin brother Rene is also a pro-lost back-to-back fights for the WBA light and light fly titles in 2013/2014 but has rebuilt with three wins in a row by KO/TKO. Fellow Nica Ortiz had scored a big win by beating Juan Palacios in March but just wanted to be somewhere else on this night.

Rizo vs. Castillo

Rizo just edges out the younger but more experienced youngster Castillo. This really was a very close fight with each fighter having good spells and in the end the split decision could have gone either way but two judges went for southpaw Rizo and he got the decision. Scores 77-75 twice for Rizo and 77-75 for Castillo. Both fighters were in need of a win. The 30-year-old Rizo was 4-4 going in including a split decision loss to Castillo. The 23-year-old Castillo was 2-5-1ND. This was the third fight between these two and Rizo is 2-1 up now and the first fight in 2012 was also a split decision.

Campos vs. Hernandez

Campos makes it 7 wins in his last 8 fights with stoppage of Hernandez just 10 seconds into the fourth round of another all-Nica fight.  The 23-year-old southpaw has 13 wins by KO/TKO. Third loss by KO/TKO for Hernandez.

Corea vs. Medrano

They were looking to get a win for Medrano here but Corea had other ideas. The fight went to script over the first round and for about 45 seconds of the second. Medrano was controlling the fight and looking to be on his way to his second quick win over Corea who was just throwing wild swings. All of that changed in the first minute of the second round when Medrano walked onto an overhand left that put him down and out. It was a bad knockout and Medrano was out for some time but eventually recovered. Only the second win by KO/TKO for Corea, 22, who was knocked out in three rounds by Medrano in 2013. Medrano had a good run of 8 wins before losing to Chris Mijares over ten rounds in November. He then went an uneven 1-2-1 in local fights. Now he is 1-3-1.

 

Galati, Romania: Heavy: Christian Hammer (18-4) W PTS 10 Sherman Williams (37-14-2,1ND). Heavy: Adrian Granat (8-0) W TKO 3 Konstantin Airich (21-13-2). Light: Viorel Simion (19-1) W TKO 3 David Kis (10-19-2).

Hammer vs. Williams

Hammer gets wide unanimous decision over Williams. Over the first three rounds the fight was close with Williams landing some meaty rights and left hooks and doing enough to be in front. From the fourth Hammer was the busier fighter with Williams slowing and eating jabs. By the late rounds Williams was a static target with Hammer able to work the jab and bang home body punches with Williams too slow and tired to respond. Scores 98-92 twice and 100-90. The 27-year-old German-based Hammer –real name Cristian Ciocan-was fighting in his hometown for the first time in two years. This is his first fight since losing to Tyson Fury in February. “Tank” Williams, 42, has only lost by KO/TKO once and that was way back in 1999 against then unbeaten Robert Davis.

Granat vs. Airich

Giant Swede Granat was just too big and too young for a very faded Airich. It was a one-sided fight. Granat’s inexperience showed with his defence far from tight but Airich just could not capitalise on those errors. Granat shook Airich with a right in the third and Airich’s corner had seen enough and threw in the towel. The 24-year-old 6’7 ½” (202cm) Swede also had a 22lbs edge in weight and used that to help him get his 7^th win by KO/TKO. He was twice Swedish amateur champion but is still largely untested.  Airich came in as a late sub. At 36 that is his future, a late fill-in to get the local prospect a win over a “name”. He is 2-9 in his last 11 fights and also lost to Anthony Joshua in three rounds.

Simion vs. Kis

Former amateur star Simion has no trouble in stopping young Hungarian. The 33-year-old Romanian “Bombardierul” forced the referee’s intervention late in the third round. Simion’s only loss was on a unanimous decision against Lee Selby in July 2013. This is only his third bout since then but he looks to be serious about his career again. Kis, just 20, has lost his last 10 fights

 

Secunda, South Africa: Light: Mzonke Fana (35-8) W PTS 12 Said Zungu (14-10-1).

Fana wins vacant WBFed International title against mediocre Tanzania’s Zungu. Fana had too much skill and experience for Zungu but looked jaded and although winning every round laboured and looked a shadow of the fighter he was. Scores 100-90 from all three judges. Now 41, “The Rose Khayelitsha” twice an IBF super feather champion, who simply never bothered to defend his title the second time and was stripped, is now 4-4 in his last 8 fights but the big fights have been the four that he lost. Zungu was inactive from December 2012 until returning with a loss in a four round fight in July.

 

Puerto Banus, Spain: Middle: Matthew Macklin (33-6) W KO 1 Chris Hermann (19-7-1). Macklin needs only 104 seconds to end this one. A couple of left hooks to the body put Hermann down and he could not beat the count. It looked to be the end of the career of the former undefeated European champion and world title challenger when he suffered a knockout at the hands of Jorge Heiland in November but the 33-year-old from Birmingham is slowly rebuilding. This is his second win this year and he  has a third fight scheduled for October. German Hermann (just trips off the tongue that) has lost three in a row by KO/TKO.

 

Mdantsane, South Africa: Super Fly: Rene Dacquel (15-5-1) W PTS 12 Thembelani Nxoshe (13-6-1). He came he saw he conquered. Filipino Dacquel upset the odds as he scored two knockdowns on the way to a split decision over local fighter Nxoshe. He came close to getting an inside the distance win when Nxoshe wanted to quit after being floored by a body punch in the sixth but his trainer Dudu Bundu talked him into continuing. Dacquel got the deserved decision. The 24-year-old from Manila had lost his national title in a twelve round fight on 11 July so has wasted no time in rebounding. Nxoshe had achieved a career best win in November when he outpointed the more experienced Doctor Ntsele to win the national flyweight title but the South African Board have withdrawn recognition of him as champion so he has a battle outside the ring as well.

 

Bangkok, Thailand: Minimum: Jaysever Abcede (10-3) W TKO 11 Pigmy Kokietgym (57-8-2). Filipino springs major upset with kayo of world rated Thai. From the opening round southpaw Abcede showed good movement and fast hands. He was also taller with a big edge in reach and was content to box on the retreat and fire quick combinations one of which sent Kokietgym stumbling into the ropes. Kokietgym just kept trying to walk Abcede down but the Filipino was too quick and was catching Kokietgym with counters from both hands with Kokietgym getting frustrated and stumbling into punch after punch. The local fight had a better fifth round landing some hard rights but Abcede never looked troubled. In the sixth round Kokietgym tried staying back and luring Abcede in but again the hand and foot speed of the Filipino were more than a match for the local and again he landed a left that made Kokietgym stumble. In the eighth and ninth Abcede’s confidence was growing and he was standing and trading more and one choice uppercut in the ninth snapped Kokietgym’s head back. In the tenth the Filipino was taking pot shots at a static Kokietgym who was missing badly whenever he lunged forward trying to hit his tormentor. In a frantic eleventh Kokietgym was just swing wild punches and leaving himself wide open. The Thai had some success but Abcede landed some thumping counters to head and body and as Kokietgym drew back his left to throw a punch Abcede beat him to it with a straight right that crashed into Kokietgym chin. The Thai went down heavily. He tried to get up at six but fell into the ropes and the referee waived the fight over. Huge win for the 20-year-old Abcede as he lifts the vacant WBO Oriental title. He has now won his last 7 fights, including 5 wins by KO/TKO in that run. He was No 2 light fly with the GAB. Kokietgym, 33, never really got into the fight as Abcede was just too quick for him. It may be the end for the former WBA and IBO title challenger.

 

Hinckley, MN, USA: Cruiser: Phil Williams (15-7-2) W TKO 2 Al Sands (15-2). Middle: Rob Brant (17-0) W TKO 3 Lekan Byfield (6-10-2). Romon Barber (5-9) W TKO 5 Cerresso Fort (18-4-1). Welter: Mohammed Kayongo (18-4-1) W KO 1 Raul Munoz (23-20-1).

Williams vs. Sands

Williams springs upset and wins contest for local bragging rights with quick stoppage of Sands. Williams came out pressurising the taller Sands and they traded hard punches. A short southpaw left hook from Williams staggered Sands who backed up to the ropes. Williams followed and landed two more left hooks and a right that sent Sands into a corner. Two more rights had Sands stumbling forward and Williams thundered home some more head punches as Sands sprawled across the ring and down. He was up at five then walked to a corner and stood with both arms resting on the ropes. The referee had a good look at Sands and waived the fight off over the protests of Sands but it look a good stoppage. The 38-year-old Williams had a spell of poor results and was coming off a stoppage loss against Jordan Shimmell in December but was a known punches with 13 wins by KO/TKO in his previous 14 victories. Sands “The Haitian Sensation”, 28, had won 13 in a row 11 by KO/TKO and he lost his State title in this fight so you can be sure he will want a return and soon..

Brant vs. Byfield

Brant continues his climb with stoppage of Byfield. Brant was walking Byfield down over the first two rounds with Byfield showing some good survival skills. He ran out of ring in the third and a series of hard accurate punches from Brant brought the referee’s intervention. The 24-year-old “Bravo” is ready for some higher level exposure. He has good amateur credentials having represented the USA at the World Junior and Senior Championships and taking gold at both the US Nationals and the NGG. He has 11 wins by KO/TKO with all of those wins coming inside the first three rounds. Now 6 losses in a row for Byfield.

Barber vs. Fort

This was just as big an upset in local terms as the Williams win. Barber looked a safe record padder for Fort. Barber shook Fort early and the local fighter never really recovered. Instead of going into his shell until he had recovered Fort chose to trade with Barber but still looked unsteady. Barber had a big fifth bombarding Fort with heavy punches and at the end of the round  the doctor examined Fort and recommended the fight be stopped. Prelim fighter Barber, 33, should not have been in with a chance having gone 2-9 in his last 11 fights including 6 losses by KO/TKO but he will get plenty of work on the back of this upset win. Fort had won his first 17 fights but then stumbled as the opposition got tougher losing to John Jackson, Caleb Truax and Vitaliy Kopylenko who had combined records of 59-2-1, but he had won his last fight.

Kayongo vs. Munoz

Ugandan Kayongo returns from a two-bout losing streak with kayo of Munoz. The “African Assassin” slammed home a body punch in the first round and Munoz went down in agony and stayed there throughout the count. Now 13 wins by KO/TKO for the locally-based Kampala-born Kayongo. He had lost consecutive fights to unbeaten fighters in Jamal James and Frederick Lawson and had then been inactive for 17 months. Mexican Munoz has now lost 7 of his last 8 fights with all seven losses by KO/TKO.

 

August 29

 

Los Angeles, CA, USA: Feather: Leo Santa Cruz (31-0-1) W PTS 12 Abner Mares (29-2-1). Super Bantam: Julio Ceja (30-1) W TKO 5 Hugo Ruiz (35-3). Light: Alejandro Luna (19-0) W TKO 4 Sergio Lopez  (19-9-1). Super Middle: Alfredo Angulo (24-5) W TKO 5 Hector Munoz (23-16-1). Middle: Brian Castro Castano (10-0) W DISQ 5 Jonathan Batista (14-7). Super Middle: Paul Mendez (19-2-2,1ND) W TKO 2 Andrik Saralegui (8-3,1ND). Welter: Jessie Roman (20-2) W PTS 8 Hector Serrano (18-4). Middle: Alan Castano (9-0) W TKO 4 Tom Howard (8-5).

Santa Cruz v. Mares

Santa Cruz wins the vacant real WBA title with majority decision over Mares that should have been unanimous. Mares came out firing in this one going straight into Santa Cruz taking him to the ropes and working away to the body. The taller Santa Cruz was firing counters but the frantic attacks from Mares were pushing Santa Cruz back and giving him no chance to work his jab. It was the same picture in the second with Mares working inside and throwing combinations at a pace which he could not hope to sustain over twelve rounds. In the third Santa Cruz was on the front foot and catching the on-rushing Mares with sharp hooks and uppercuts and not allowing himself to be pushed back. Mares was still throwing more punches but Santa Cruz was picking and placing his punches much better. A clash of heads in the third saw Santa Cruz cut over his right eye and Mares cut over his left eye. From the fourth Santa Cruz started to dominate the action. He was throwing Mares out of his stride with stiff jabs and when Mares did rush forward he was countering with hooks and uppercuts inside. Mares was doing more wrestling than punching in the fifth as he tried to take Santa Cruz from ring centre to the ropes an hold him there whilst he punched away with hooks inside but as the round progressed Santa Cruz again created some space and worked his jabs and counters. Mares’s tactics were now to back up trying to draw a lead from Santa Cruz and then leap in with his combinations but Santa Cruz was too smart and was taking a step back after the jab and then had room to catch the incoming Mares with counters. Mares was still throwing lots of punches but the more accurate and harder shots from Santa Cruz were winning the rounds. Over the seventh, eighth and ninth the pattern remained the same with Santa Cruz taking centre ring, spearing Mares with jabs and straight rights and gladly trading in the many exchanges with Mares usually being the one to break off the action and go onto the back foot before plunging forward again. Santa Cruz also dominated the tenth. His jab was stifling many of Mares attacks before they even got going and not allowing Mares to get close. Mares staged a big effort in the eleventh just walking forward throwing punches as in the first round but Santa Cruz finished the round stronger. Both were tired in the last and were trying too hard with not much in the way of skill but plenty of effort and it was a close round with Santa Cruz a clear winner of the fight. Scores 117-111 twice and 114-114. Santa Cruz, 27, becomes a three division champion and his management were talking a fight with Vasyl Lomachenko which would be a great match but Al Haymon and Bob Arum are not on the best of terms. The WBA have said that Santa Cruz has to defend against the holder of their secondary title Jesus Cuellar-but within 18 months! Cuellar and the holders of the other versions of the title Lee Selby and Gary Russell would not have the same attraction as a Lomachenko fight but Nicholas Walters would be an attraction if Walters could make feather.  The loss was obviously a big set-back for Mares. His tactics were not working but he had no plan B. He had recovered well from his first round kayo against Jhonny Gonzalez in 2013 scoring wins over good level opposition in Jonathan Oquendo, Jose Ramirez and Arturo Santos Reyes. He felt he won this one and is still a top level fighter so will probably get another title shot next year.

Ceja vs. Ruiz

Ceja comes off the floor and wins interim WBC title. Both fighters started cautiously probing with jabs with Ceja coming forward and Ruiz countering. Ceja scored with a good left hook but Ruiz shot back a right and edged the round. Ceja forced the pace in the second but Ruiz was boxing coolly getting his punches off first and was quicker and more accurate. The third started to deliver more of the same with Ceja pressing and pressing but with Ruiz now letting his own punches go more banging home a stiff jab and catching Ceja every time he left an opening. Ceja forced Ruiz back to the ropes and as he moved in Ruiz caught him with a short left hook that put Ceja down. He was up at five and after the eight count was completed Ruiz punched away catching Ceja with some hard head punches but Ceja survived to the bell. Ceja continued his forward march in the fourth but Ruiz was giving him a boxing lesson threading his left jab through Ceja’s guard and jerking Ceja’s head with straight rights. Ceja was ignoring his own jab and just throwing quick four-punch combinations but rarely getting through and Ruiz’s punches seemed to have more venom. In the fifth Ruiz was finding the target with jabs and rights and Ceja was scoring with hooks inside. As they traded punches in mid ring Ruiz fired a right and started a left hook only for Ceja’s left hook to land first and put Ruiz down flat on his back. Ruiz was badly hurt but stumbled up at six. When the fight resumed Ceja jumped on Ruiz driving him to the ropes and landing a series of head shots and as a left uppercut sent Ruiz tumbling backwards into a corner the referee stopped the fight. Still only 22 “Little Chicken” Ceja gets a version of the title at the second attempt. He had lost a majority decision to Jamie McDonnell for the vacant IBF title in 2013. He was losing this one but he always had a puncher’s chance as his 27 wins by KO/TKO attest. “Little Twin” Ruiz, 28, had been boxing beautifully until the Ceja left hook exploded. A former interim WBA champion Ruiz had lost only one of his last 27 fights and that was a close decision against Koki Kameda for the secondary WBA title in 2012. He can come back as he has the skill to match any in the division.

Luna vs. Lopez

Luna’s pressure wears down a gutsy Lopez in four rounds. No cautious start here as they both came out looking to establish dominance and were throwing hard combinations from the first bell. Lopez was throwing more punches but Luna’s punches were shorter and more accurate. A clash of heads saw Luna cut over his left eye but it was not serious. In the second. Lopez was coming forward again throwing lots of leather but a left hook and right cross combination had Lopez backing up and Luna was on top. Luna was again the man in charge in the third and he was loading up on his punches driving Lopez along the ropes and scoring with hard straight rights. Lopez banged back bravely at the end of the round scoring with a couple of good rights. Luna just walked through Lopez in the fourth again forcing Lopez to the ropes. He unleashed a series of punches that saw Lopez’s head snapping and with Lopez not punching back the referee stopped the fight over protests from Lopez. The 23-year-old “El Charro”  now has 14 wins by KO/TKO. He has wins over some reasonable tests coming off a decision victory over a fading former IBF feather champion Cristobal Cruz in June. He has quick hand speed and real power. Lopez came in at very short notice but was just out-powered by Luna. He was 5-1-1 coming in and in his last two fights had stopped Victor Betancourt (16-0) and drawn with useful Joksan Hernandez but had been inactive since the Hernandez fight in December.

Angulo vs. Munoz

Angulo gets the win but looks to have the same strengths and the same weaknesses. “The Dog” had said he was going to box more and use his jab but from the start he was getting caught with too many punches and relying heavily on hooks to the body. Munoz had decided that attack was the best form of defence so he just chugged forward into punishment. Angulo was grinding Munoz down. He opened a bad cut over the right of Munoz with a punch in the fourth and  floored the Albuquerque fighter in the fifth. At the end of the round the cut was too bad for the fight to continue and Munoz retired. The 33-year-old former interim WBO super welter champion now has 20 wins by KO/TKO. He took nine months out after losses to Erislandy Lara, Saul Alvarez and James De la Rosa but returned with a low level win in June. The 37-year-old Munoz is 3-9 in his last 12 fights but is only ever brought in to fight hard-and lose.

Castano vs. Batista

Argentinian hope Castano gets painful victory over Batista. Castano floored Batista in the second and from then on Batista was just looking to survive. His tactics were to slow Castano with body punches but instead he kept landing punches a lot lower than that. The referee deducted two points for low punches in the third round and another in the fourth. Batista was unable to kick the habit and more punches below the belt in the fifth saw him disqualified. A disappointment for the 25-year-old from Isidro Casanova as he had won his last 6 fights by KO/TKO and was hoping to make it lucky 7. A former South American Games gold medallist he scored wins over Errol Spence and Esquiva Falcao as an amateur but lost to Oscar Molina at the America’s Olympics Qualifier so did not make it to London. Six losses in a row for Dominican Batista

Mendez vs. Saralegui

Quick win for Mendez as he extends his current unbeaten run. Mendez was just too young and too quick for Mexican Saralegui. He floored him with a right in the second and also opened a cut over Saralegui’s right eye with a punch. The Mexican retired at the end of the round. After a couple of close decision losses early in his career the 26-year-old “El Gallo Negro” is now unbeaten with 14 wins and 2 draws in his last 16 fights. Saralegui, 34, was 6-1, 1ND in his last 8 going into this fight with the loss being a stoppage against Ricardo Mayorga in December.

Roman vs. Serrano

Roman makes it three points victories in a row as he eases to win over useful Serrano. He was too slick for Serrano outboxing him all the way and scoring a knockdown in the seventh to punctuate the victory. Scores 79-72 from all three judges. The tall 24-year-old from Santa Ana won his first 16 fights but then lost two very close decisions to modest opposition but has rebuilt with three wins this year. Serrano was also on a rebuilding process. He had won his first 13 fights and then lost three on the bounce. His recovery had seen him scores 5 wins but it is back to start all over again for him.

Castano vs. Howard

Castano makes it a family double as he halts Howard. The Argentinian was handing out a hiding from the start with Howard bravely soaking up the punches. One of those punches opened a cut over Howard’s left eye in the second and with Castano pouring on the punishment if the fourth the referee stopped the fight. Alan, the younger brother of Brian, was having his first fight in the US and gets his sixth win by KO/TKO. Four losses in a row for Howard.

 

Inglewood, CA, USA: Super Welter: Shane Mosley (48-9-1) W KO 6 Ricardo Mayorga (31-9-1,1 ND). Light: Joel Diaz Jr (20-0) W TKO 4 Luis Areco (28-14-4). Super Middle: Ronald Ellis (12-0,1ND) W TKO 2 Jas Phipps (5-6-2).

Mosley vs. Mayorga

Mosley took the first round scoring with a couple of good overhand rights and a left hook to the body. Mayorga had said he would knock Mosley out in the first round but apart from a brief flurry late in the round he hardly threw a punch. At the start of the second Mayorga came out in a rush throwing wild punches getting through with a couple of rights. Mosley then drove Mayorga back and nailed him with a big right cross. Mayorga backed up to the ropes clearly hurt as Mosley landed two more rights. For a while Mayorga was trapped on the ropes but eventually punched his way forward only for Mosley to score with three left jabs and a left to the body. A good round for Mosley but heads were bumping dangerously on the inside. In the third Mosley landed some more of those big rights. Mayorga signalled Mosley to stand and fight. When Mosley refused Mayorga held both arm away from his body and just stood with his chin stuck out as Mosley crashed home two hard left/right combinations. He let Mosley have another couple of free shots and when Mosley backed off Mayorga did an obscene hip thrusting gesture indicating that Mosley lacked “cojones”. Mayorga also did some clowning before swinging some wild punches late in the round. They both did some clowning in the fourth but Mayorga actually settled down to doing some real work scoring with jabs and driving Mosley back but he was wild with his rights. The fifth was a big round for Mosley. He landed another big right and then was teeing off on Mayorga whilst the Nicaraguan was on the ropes. When the action moved to ring centre it was all Mosley as he scored with a right cross/ left hook combination a series of jabs and another big right with Mayorga now cut under his right eye. In the sixth Mosley was slamming his jab through Mayorga’s defence and nailing the Nicaraguan with those rights again. Suddenly Mayorga banged home two over hand rights and Mosley briefly stumbled. Mayorga was having his best round forcing Mosley back and Mosley was suddenly looking very tired. As they came together for an exchange Mayorga landed a left hook to Mosley’s body and Mosley sunk a left hook of his own in to Mayorga’s body. Mayorga stepped back and then went down on his knees and was counted out. Mayorga indicated he thought the punch was low but it landed just above his waistline. Mosley gets the win but the fight was slow-paced and at 43 Mosley is very much a spent force. His name will get him big fights but he will have to be carefully matched. Mayorga was on a $50,000 bonus if he made the contract weight. He came in over 7lbs overweight so blew that.  He is 41 and has said he wants one more fight at home in Nicaragua and then will call it a day.

Diaz vs. Areco

Both fighters were letting their punches flow in the first Diaz was more accurate with his combinations and at the end of the first had Areco hurt with a double left hook and a straight right but he was leaving openings and Areco was able to get in some licks of his own. In the second the action continued with both willing to exchange with no thought of defence. Areco was getting home some good punches but Diaz was landing more helped by Areco’s bad habit of letting his right drop exposing his chin to the left hooks of Diaz and he was showing a small cut over his right eye. Diaz was laying on some punishment in the third with hooks to body and head and Areco was marching forward  and trading and getting the worse of the exchanges. A short left sent him staggering backwards to the ropes but he marched forward again and was forcing Diaz back just by his non-stop punching. He was again finding gaps in Diaz’s defence but was wide open himself and shipping some real hard head shots and now had an even worse cut over his left eye and on the bridge of his nose. The doctor examined the cuts but let Areco continue. He just walked into punch after punch and was marching forward again when he was nailed by a right cross and went down. He made it to his feet but with his face a mask of blood the fight was stopped. Now 16 wins by KO/TKO for 23-year-old Diaz. He has plenty of talent but needs to tighten his defence. Mexican Areco, 36, has been in some tough fights and has now lost his last three but he is too brave for his own good.

Ellis vs. Phipps

Ellis remains unbeaten with stoppage of Phipps but a disappointing finish. Ellis was warming to the task in the second and landed a series of punches that put Phipps down. Phipps was indicating he had injured his shoulder but the fight continued only for Phipps to go down again. When he got up the referee asked the doctor to examine Phipps  and on the doctor’s advice the fight was stopped. “Akeem” 25 is a former NGG champion beating Terrell Gausha in the 2010 final. His brother Rashidi was a National PAL gold medallist and is also unbeaten as a pro.

 

Kiev, Ukraine: Cruiser: Olek Usyk (8-0) W TKO 3 Johnny Muller (19-5-2). Feather: Oleg Malinovski (16-0) W PTS 8 Bahyt Abdurahimov (11-9-0). Super Welter: Olek Spyrko (19-0) W KO 1 Eduards Gerasimovs (6-4-1). Super Light: Denys Berinchyk (1-0) W TKO 4 Tarik Madni (19-9-1).

21

Usyk vs. Muller

Usyk’s power proves too much for Muller. Over the first two rounds both fighters concentrated on getting their jab working. Despite giving away height and reach Muller was matching Usyk jab for jab and the South African ended the second round by landing a couple of good rights that saw the Ukrainian’s head snapped back. In the third Muller was coming up short with his jabs and Usyk was snapping his home time and again. Usyk finished a combination with a southpaw left hook that sent Mueller tumbling to the canvas. Muller was up at four and when the fight resumed after the eight count Usyk again slammed home head shots and with Muller on the ropes another left hook floored Muller. The South African got up immediately and Usyk scored with a fusillade of head punches taking Muller to the ropes and landing a savage left uppercut and more head punches. The referee leapt in and stopped the fight just as Muller started to punch back. Muller protested the stoppage but the referee did make the right decision. The 28-year-old 6’3” (190cm) Ukrainian retains his WBO Inter-Continental title and makes it 7 wins by KO/TKO. He seems to have something against South Africans having stopped both Daniel Bruwer and Danie Venter in previous fights. Usyk has shown great improvement since turning pro losing many of his amateur habits and punching harder.. He has great amateur credentials winning the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics and the 2011 World Championships beating Artur Beterbiev 17-13 in the quarterfinals of both competitions. Muller fought a good intelligent fight over the first two rounds but in the end Usyk’s power proved just too much.

Malinovski vs. Abdurahimov

Kiev southpaw Malinovski boxes his way to comfortable victory over Uzbek Abdurahimov. Not a big punches Malinovski is quick and clever and took every round against a rusty Abdurahimov. Scores 80-72 from all three judges. No real tests yet for Malinovski who competed at the 2010 European Championships but he looks a good prospect. First fight for 18 months for former Uzbek champion Abdurahimov.

Spyrko vs. Gerasimovs

Spyrko wastes no time in dismissing overmatched teenager Gerasimovs. The tall Ukrainian landed a crippling left hook to the body and the fight was over in just 88 seconds. Now 11 wins by KO/TKO for Spyrko, 26, who deserves better opposition than this. Latvian Gerasimovs, 19, is 1-4-1 in his last 6 fights.

Berinchyk vs. Madni

Another former star member of the Ukrainian amateur team turns pro with a win. Berinchyk put on a quite amazing performance. The Ukrainian’s work rate was incredible and Madani was under pressure for three minutes of every round as Berinchyk never stopped punching for a moment. To make it worse for Madni Berinchyk switched from southpaw to orthodox and back again effortlessly even in the middle of a combination he would switch. He was also switching angles and moving left and right with Madni not knowing where the next punch was coming from. Having said that Madani did not lie down. He scored with some good rights at the end of the second round but was badly shaken twice by hard rights in the third and was pounded in the fourth with his nose looking to have been broken by a punch. The doctor looked at Madni’s nose and at the start of the fifth the referee sent Berinchyk to stand in a neutral corner until the decision was finally made that Madni could not come out for the fifth. Berinchyk, 27, a former World University Champion took silver medals at the 2011 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics. He beat Cuban Ronny Iglesias in the Worlds but lost to him at the Olympics. Belgian-based Madni, 39 deserves credit for fighting back hard in every round but he just could not live with the pace Berinchyk was setting.

 

Mississauga, Canada: Cruiser: Denton Daley (14-1) W KO 2 Giulian Ilie (20-10-2). Light: Steven Wilcox (12-1-1) W PTS 8 Luis A Juarez (19-10-2). Super Welter: Kevin Higson (7-0) W TKO 5 Francesco Cotroni (10-6-1).

Daley vs. Ilie

Daley gets his second win this year with crushing kayo of pathetic Ilie. At one time Romanian Ilie was reasonably competent fighter but he has slipped a long way. Daley put Ilie down in the first and ended it emphatically in the second. He drove Ilie to a corner and Ilie just stood still with his high guard open invitingly and Daley crashed home a right cross that sent Ilie down on his hands and knees to be counted out. No test at all for 33-year-old Daley as he gets his second win since losing on a twelfth round stoppage against Youri Kayembre Kalenga for the interim WBA title in November. He has 7 wins by KO/TKO. The 38-year-old Italian-based Ilie is 2-6 in his last 8 fights but all of the losses have been to good opposition.

Wilcox vs. Juarez

Wilcox gets his first win of the year as he outpoints Argentinian Juarez. Easy victory for Wilcox as he has height and reach over the limited import and was able to outbox Juarez. The Argentinian tried hard but was never really effective. Wilcox scored a questionable knock down in the fifth as he cruised to victory. Scores 80-71 twice and 78-73. Now 4 wins and a draw for the 25-year-old from Hamilton since losing his unbeaten record against Mexican Christian Uruzquieta in 2013. Second loss in a row in visits to Canada for Juarez who was beaten on a wide unanimous decision by Logan McGuinness in March.

Higson vs. Cotroni

Higson makes it a double on the night for Hamilton fighters as he wins the vacant Canadian title with stoppage of Cotroni. The first round was about even but Higson emerged with a cut over his left eye. The cut never became a factor as Higson proceeded to take charge of the fight and slowly chipped away at Cotroni until the Quebec fighter’s corner threw in the towel in the fifth to save their man from further punishment. First ten round fight for the 26-year-old Higson and also a first win inside the distance. Cotroni had lost two split decisions in his last two fights but was well beaten here.

 

Hong Kong, S.A.R China: Super Fly: Rex Tso (18-0) W TKO 7 Brad Hore (5-2). Middle: Kerry Hope (22-7-1) DREW 12 Petchsuriya (14-10-1).

Tso vs. Hore

Tso gets win No 18 with stoppage of Australian Hore in an all-southpaw scrap. Hore lived up to his “Pocket Rocket” nickname over the early rounds as he stood and traded punch for punch with the taller Tso. He took a lot of punishment in the third as Tso began to take over but again Hore did not take a step back but stood his ground and traded. Tso was slowly grinding Hore down and ended it emphatically in the seventh. A left to the head and right to the body put Hore down for the first time. The Australian got up and Tso slammed home a left/right combination which saw Hore go down on one knee. When the fight restarted Hore just stood and swung wildly trying desperately to stem Tso’s attacks but a right hook staggered Hore and he went down on one knee again from a right hook to the body with the referee waiving the fight off. Now eleven wins by KO/TKO for the tall 24-year-old Hong Kong southpaw as he wins the vacant WBC ABC title. He is rated WBO 3/IBF 5(3)/WBA 8 and has a big following out East so a title fight in 2016 looks a good bet. Hore, 33, a 4-time Australian amateur champion who competed at the 2004 Olympics, 2005 World Championships and 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games has taken three years to arrive at just 7 fights as there are just too few little man for him to fight back in Australia.

Hope vs. Petchsuriya

Hope gets a rough deal all round here. The Welsh former EBU champion had to give away weight when Petchsuriya came in 6lbs over the contract weight and then had to contend with some very dubious scoring as he looked a clear winner but had to settle for a split draw. The score were 117-111 for Hope and 114-114 from two Thai judges? Hope has rejuvenated his career with a couple of wins in Australia and the Merthyr southpaw will continue his campaign there and hope for better judges next time. Petchsuriya, a former WBC Youth champion had been 9-2 in his last 11 fights but got lucky here.

 

Tijuana, Mexico: Super Welter: Humberto Gutierrez (30-6-2) W Daniel Yucopicio (6-30-2).  Evan a grossly overweight Gutierrez was too  much for poor Yucopicio Body punches hurt Yucopicio in the first and in the second more of the same saw Yucopicio go down twice and the referee stopped the fight. Back in 2009 Gutierrez was the interim WBC champion at super feather. By January this year he had gone up to 147lbs but for this one he was 172lbs! Nine losses in a row and 16 losses by KO/TKO for Yucopicio

 

San Luis Potosi, Mexico: Welter: Jorge Paez Jr (39-6-2) W PTS 10 Daniel Echevarria (18-1). Fly: Jesus Silvestre (31-6) W PTS 8 Mario Andrade (7-6-5). Light: Fernando Carcamo (19-6) W TKO 4 Luis Ulloa (10-8-1).

Paez v. Echevarria
Paez returns to the winning column with a majority decision over previously unbeaten Echevarria. Paez started well but Echevarria finished strongly. At the one minute mark of  the first round Paez was coming forward trying to get inside the guard of the tall southpaw and as Echevarria backed up to the ropes a left hook from Paez clipped him on the side of his head and sent him tumbling backwards. He broke his fall with his hands and was up immediately and if anything had the better of the action in the rest of the round. Paez continued to get inside the long reach of Echevarria and although there was too much holding by Echevarria  Paez did enough to take the second and had Echevarria hurt at the end of the third. Echevarria did not have the power to  stop the forward march of Paez but in the fourth he scored with a series of hooks and uppercuts only for Paez to fire home a short right hook to the body which saw Echevarria slump to his knees. He was up at seven but then got a bit more recovery time as his mouthguard had come out and had to be recovered and replace. Paez shook him again with a left to the chin at the end of the round. Paez continued to march forward in the fifth just walking through Echeverria’s punches to work inside. Paez was still pressing the action in the sixth and scoring with hooks inside but also starting to look tired. In the seventh and eighth Paez’s was looking exhausted and his work rate dropped dramatically with Echeverria finally using his height and reach to score at distance and was working Paez’s body inside. In the ninth both were exhausted with Echevarria doing what clean work there was but Paez scoring with some solid hooks inside at the end of the round. In the last Paez got home three left hooks only for Echevarria to fire back with a right/left/right combination and just before the bell Paez scored with a series of hard shots to perhaps with the knockdowns just do enough to earn the decision but it was close. Scores 95-93 and 9594 to Paez and 94-94. First fight for 27-year-old Paez since his stoppage loss against Jose Benavidez for the interim WBA super light title in May. Echevarria, 23, had won 9 of his last 10 fights by KO/TKO  but Paez was able to walk through everything he threw. He has time to develop and mature and can only get better.

Silvestre vs. Andrade

This one had the judges very split as Silvestre takes the decision over novice Andrade. With both looking to stand and punch what skill there was came from former Interim WBA minimum champion Silvestre and his experience looked to have taken him to a clear decision. Two judges saw it that way giving the fight to “Negrito” 79-73 and 78-74 but third had Andrade winning every round and his card was 80-72 for Andrade. After losses to Ryo Miyazaki for the WBA minimum title and Hekkie Budler for the IBO and WBA titles the 25-year-old WBA No 7 is hoping to work his way to a third shot. Andrade is now 4-1-4 in his last 9 fights.

Carcamo vs. Ulloa

Former ESPN Boxcino finalist Carcamo gets his second win in 2015 with stoppage of Ulloa. The tall southpaw almost took Ulloa out in the second round with two knockdowns but Ulloa survived. Carcamo scored another knock down in the third and dished out more punishment in the fourth with the referee finally ending it late in the round. The 24-year-old Carcamo had a good run which saw him beat Vicente Escobedo and then in the Boxcino score wins over Samuel Kotey Neequaye and Miguel Angel Gonzalez to reach the final in May last year. Unfortunately in the final he was outclassed by Petr Petrov and stopped in eight rounds and was then inactive for almost ten months. Ulloa drops to six losses by KO/TKO.

 

Maplewood, MN, USA: Marcus Oliveira (26-1-1) W KO 3  Dionisio Miranda (22-13-2).

After a slow start Oliveira gets the job done inside three rounds. This was Oliveira’s first fight for 20 months and he took a couple of rounds to get geared up letting Miranda do all the work. Early in the third he found his range with some jabs and then banged home a straight right that put Miranda down and out. Oliveira, 36, was having his first fight since losing on points to Juergen Braehmer for the vacant WBA secondary title in December 2013. Colombian Miranda 33 goes to 11 losses by KO/TKO and has lost 7 of his last 8 fights.

 

Moreno, Argentina: Welter: Cristian N Romero (16-7-1) W KO 3 Adrian L Veron (14-1) . Veron was the favoured one here and he quickly established his superiority stalking forward as Romero spent most of the round with his back to the ropes. As Romero moved forward a short southpaw right to the head combined with a slip knocked him off balance forcing him to touch the canvas with his glove which was counted as a knockdown. Veron continued to boss the round catching Romero in a corner and scoring with some good left hooks and right uppercuts. The second round saw Romero fighting a much more intelligent fight staying off the ropes and testing Veron with long rights. Veron scored a cracking right of his own but Romero ended the round with a quick combination. Romero came out firing in the third taking the fight to Veron and scoring with some hard left hooks to the head. Veron was on the back foot but getting home uppercuts and hooks. As they exchanged punches Romero fired home a wicked left hook to the body and Veron went down on his knees in agony. He was up at five but then walked half crouching across the ring and went down again on his knees and the referee completed the ten count.  Romero had pulled off what was a big surprise in domestic circles and wins the WBO Latino title. He had been 2-4-1 going into this one and was No 8 with the FAB. Southpaw Veron, 26, the FAB No 6 was supposed to be the puncher with 10 wins by KO/TKO but paid the price for over confidence.

 

Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania: Middle: Thomas Mashali (16-3-1,1ND) W PTS 10 Ibrahim Tamba (15-5). Super Middle: Karama Nyilawila (21-13-2) W KO 1 Shabani Kaoneka (5-5-2). Super Bantam: Nasibu Ramadhani (17-6-1) W TKO 2 Kasim Rajab (1-4-2).

Mashali vs. Tamba

Mashali retains the East & Central African Professional Boxing Federation (ECAPBF) title with unanimous decision over fellow-Tanzanian Tamba. Tamba had a good first round but then Mashali began to control the fight with stiff jabs and good combination punching. Tamba came back into the bout over the middle rounds smothering Mashali’s work. Mashali’s had slowed but he picked up the pace over the last three rounds to get the verdict. Scores 96-94 twice and 97-93. The 25-year-old Mashali was making the second defence of his ECAPBF title and is now 6-0 1 ND in his last 7 fights. Tamba who contested this title previously at super middle is 3-3 in his last 6 fights.

Nyilawila vs. Kaoneka

Nyilawila blows away Kaoneka inside a round. Hard jabs had Kaoneka backing up and unsteady on his feet and a couple more punches sent him down and almost out of the ring as the referee completed the ten count. The 31-year-old Nyilawila has 13 wins by KO/TKO. He is a former WBFed and Tanzanian champion. Kaoneka was 2-0-1 going in but out of his league against Nyilawila

Ramadhani vs. Rajab

Too easy for Ramadhani as he halts novice Rajab in two rounds. The 23-year-old southpaw gets his second win since losing to Jason Cunningham for the vacant CBC title in Sheffield in May when he was forced out of the fight with a shoulder injury. He is the UBO African champion.