The Past Week in Action

September 19

Lyons, France: Light Middle: Frank Haroche Horta (34-10-5) W TKO 8 Kevin Bertogal (3-8-3). Super Middle: Samy Anouche (14-1-1) W PTS 8 Hugo Kasperski (20-4).

Horta vs. Bertogal

French champion Horta wins but Bertogal gave him a good fight. Horta, or “F2H”, had the experience and the southpaw skills but Bertogal is better than his record shows. It was the last round before pressure from Horta finally told and Bertogal’s corner pulled him out. The 33-year-old Horta, the EBU No 8, makes it 4 wins in a row and 13 wins by KO/TKO. Fellow Frenchman Bertogal has 8 losses and 2 draws in his last 10 fights.

Anouche vs. Kasperski
This was an even fight in the early rounds but then Anouche pulled away. He was the busier fighter and the more accurate puncher but Kasperski fought hard all the way to stop it being one-sided. Scores 79-73, 79-74 and 79-75. The 27-year-old Anouche, the FFB No 1 super middle, lost his first pro fight but now has an unbeaten run of 15 fights. The 26-year-old Kasperski has never lost inside the distance. He has failed in two shots at the French title but losing to tough opposition in Chris Rebrasse and Hadillah Mohoumadi.

September 20

Tapiales, Argentina: Welter: Juan Jose Dias (16-12-6) W PTS 12 Victor Velazquez (14-6).

A tough fight sees both fighters on the canvas and Dias coming from behind to win the decision. Over the first three rounds Velazquez was on top flooring Dias with a right at the end of the second and looking as though he might finish the fight inside the distance. It started the same way in the fourth but by the end of the round “Lizard” Dias was finally getting inside and trapping Velazquez on the ropes. Dias worked inside successfully in the fifth and six but Velasquez came back to take the seventh. Dias was able to work inside in the next three rounds but Velazquez managed to score with some good counters to make the rounds close.

The fight was slipping away from Velazquez and late in the eleventh a right from Dias put Velazquez down, which settled the result. Both fought hard in the last round and had the crowd was on its feet over the last three minutes. Scores 115-112 twice and 114-112. The 27-year-old “El Terrible “Dias wins the interim South American title (or a version of it). The FAB No 3 now has 4 wins and a draw since losing to Bethuel Ushona in Namibia in 2011. “Hurricane” Velazquez, 31, the interim WBC Mundo Hispano champion and FAB No 7, was coming off a points loss to Sebastien Lujan for the interim Argentinian title. A fight in which he floored the iron chinned Lujan.

Brisbane, Australia: Middle: Les Sherrington (33-6) W PTS 12 Shigetaka Yonezawa (7-8-2). Super Middle: Rohan Murdock (12-1) W PTS 6 Togasilimai Letoa (12-13-1)
Sherrington vs. Yonezawa

Sherrington gets unanimous points victory over modest Japanese opponent. Sherrington was to have faced a tough test in the form of former WBA super middle champ Manny Siaca. However, Siaca had to withdraw due to a heart condition. Southpaw Yonezawa, not in the JBC ratings, but rated No 14 by the OPBF, did his stuff but Sherrington was a clear winner. The 31-year-old “Lock & Load” wins the vacant WBC ABC title. His only loss in his last 15 fights was due to his breaking a leg in the first round of his fight with Kashif Mumtaz in 2011 and this was his sixth win since then. He is WBO No 10. The 36-year-old Yonezawa really is just a prelim fighter.

Murdock vs. Letoa

Disappointing result for Murdock as the ANBF No 4 only just squeezes past Samoan southpaw Letoa on a majority decision. Murdock, 21, has run up 9 wins in a row. He has six first round wins and was coming off a career best victory over experienced Les Piper. Four losses in his last five fights for Letoa.

Perth, Australia: Light Middle: Dan Dawson (40-3-1) W PTS 12 Alex Bunema (31-10-2). Middle: Robbie Bryant (18-2-1) W PTS 8 Singdet (11-15-1).
Dawson vs. Bunema

Dawson gets a unanimous decision but only just makes it to the final bell. The 35-year-old “Rock” had some rust to shake off after inactivity due to wrist surgery. Bunema was even rustier and it showed as the busier Dawson was scoring well with uppercuts and body punches whilst the Congolese fighter seemed to be looking to land single hard shots.

Dawson had built a lead, but Bunema began to get into the fight over the late rounds and nearly sprang a surprise. Dawson was caught by a hard left hook in the last round and was reeling all over the place and in bad trouble. Bunema scored shot after shot desperately trying to finish the Aussie, but Dawson just managed to survive to the bell. Scores 117-110, 117-111 and 114-113.

Dawson retains his PABA title and wins the vacant WBFoud title. His only KO/TKO loss came back in 2010 when he was stopped by Serhiy Dzinziruk in a challenge for the WBO title. He is WBA No 14 and has six wins and a draw since losing to Phil Logreco in October 2010. Bunema, 38, was having his first fight since October 2011. He was stopped in eight rounds by Sergio Martinez for the interim WBC title in 2008. At his best he was able to get wins over Vince Phillips and Roman Karmazin.

Bryant vs. Singdet

The unfancied Thai made this a close fight over the first three rounds against Bryant who was having his first fight for nine months. From the fourth Bryant kicked on and ran out a clear winner on scores of 79-73 from all three judges. Bryant looked to be going somewhere after a run of ten wins but a points loss to Jarrod Fletcher in December was a big setback for the ANBF No 2. Singdet has lost 6 of his last 7 fights.

Manchester: England: Light Welter: Tyrone Nurse (27-1) W PTS 8 Krzys Szot (17-7-1). Light Heavy: Matty Clarkson (11-1-2) W KO 1 Jamie Kelly (6-1-1).
Nurse vs. Szot

Nurse misses out on fight for English title but gets win over Pole Szot instead. When Shayne Singleton could not make the weight for his title defence against Nurse Szot stepped-in as a late sub. Nurse had a big edge in height and reach and age and was just too smart for Szot whether boxing at a distance or working inside. Nurse is not a puncher and that allowed the Pole to last the distance but Nurse won every round. Referee’s score 80-72.

The 25-year-old, 5’11” (180cm) boxer has only five wins by KO/TKO but is very clever stylist. The only loss for the EBU No 11 came against Adil Anwar in the Prizefighter and this was his fifth win since then. Szot, 35, was Polish amateur champion for eight consecutive years but left it too late to turn pro. He has now lost 5 of his last 6 fights but included in that statistic are losses to Nate Campbell, Logan McGuinness, Brunet Zamora and Michal Chudecki.

Clarkson vs. Kelly

Clarkson continues to impress. The 26-year-old “Magic” had inexperienced Kelly under pressure from the start. He took Kelly to the ropes and got through with some hard punches. Kelley managed to escape only to be caught with left to the body which put him down on his knees for the full count. Preston’s Clarkson lost to Courtney Fry in October but has scored four wins since then including a good victory over Tshepang Mohale in South Africa in March. This is only his third win by KO/TKO. Too big a step up too early for Kelly.

London, England: Super Feather: Steve Ormond (14-1) W TKO 1 Adam Mate (12-3). Dubliner Ormond adds the WBO European title to his collection with a one round win over Hungarian novice Mate. The 30-year-old “Rock” has seven wins by KO/TKO and in line with the stupid WBO approach could get a world top 15 rating for beating a novice. Ormond already holds the WBU title (won by beating another Hungarian, this one with a 17-14-1 record). Third win for Ormond since losing a very close decision to Paul Appleby in March. First loss inside the distance for Mate.
7

Kissimmee, FL, USA: Super Bantam: Wilfredo Vazquez (22-3-1) W Memo Avila (11-0). Vazquez gets win over Mexican novice but is pressed hard. Vazquez seemed to have slowed down a tad but his whole strategy was based around his jab and that combined with good lateral movement gave him the edge over the 21-year-old from Tijuana.

The Mexican was constantly forcing the action and making Vazquez fight hard and staged a strong finish but the former WBO super bantam champion made good use of the ring to fight a clever defensive fight and take the unanimous decision. Scores 116-112 from all three judges. Some thought Avila worth a draw and he will be heard from again. Vazquez wins the vacant WBO International title. First fight for “WV2” since shock loss to Japanese Yasutaka Ishimoto for this same title in April. This was a huge step up in quality of opposition for Avila but he paced the fight well despite never having gone past nine rounds before.

Tokyo, Japan: Super Feather: Yuki Ogata (19-0-1) W PTS 8 Atsushi Suzuki (8-9-6). JBC No 1 feather Ogata makes it 16 wins in a row with easy points victory over unranked Suzuki. Ogata was able to control the fight with his jab and get through with straight rights, but his lack of power again showed. Suzuki was coming forward in every round but only really had a good spell in the fifth and Ogata was able to box his way to victory. Scores 80-72, 80-73 and 79-73. Only three wins by KO/TKO for Ogata and he has yet to move up to 10 round level. Fifth loss in a row for Suzuki.

Gillingham, England: Super Bantam: Lewis Pettitt (12-1) W PTS 10 Jamie Speight (11-6). Kent fighter Pettitt succeeds in winning BBB of C Southern Area title at the second attempt. This good little fight swung one way and then the other. Pettitt was busier and edged the first couple of rounds only for Speight to find his rhythm and collect the next three to build a lead. Pettitt got back into the fight from the sixth with his classier work and more accurate punching, but Speight did enough to make very close at the end. Referee’s score 97-95.

The 23-year-old Pettitt had been stopped in eight rounds by Ian Bailey last September for the Southern Area feather title and this is fourth win since then. Devon’s Speight, 25, a former Southern Area super feather champion, has lost four fights in a row, one for the IBO International light title, once for the English feather title and now twice for the vacant Southern Area super bantam title. Not too many fighters go down from lightweight to super bantam.

Accra, Ghana: Welter: Nasreddine Dahou (11-0) W TKO 3 Frank Dodze (14-8). Ghana-based Algerian Dahou wins the interim WBC Youth title with a stoppage of Dodze. Dahou, 21, was having his fifth fight in Ghana and had no problems with modest Dodze. The Algerian floored Dodze in the second round and Dodze was taking more punishment in the third when his corner threw in the towel. Now ten wins in a row for Dahou who also holds the UBO African title at light welter. Dodze was 3-7 in his first ten fights but then won his next eleven fights. Not surprising as ten of his victims had never won a fight and the other had a 2-5 record. Farcical matching.

Thon Buri, Thailand: Bantam: Tabtimdaeng (49-2) W PTS 12 Alvin Bais (13-2). A big edge in experience here for WBA No 5 Tabtimdaeng and he needed all of it. He makes it 10 successful defences of his full PABA title but this was close enough for Filipino Bais to have been awarded at least a draw. Scores 115-113 twice and 116-113. The 30-year-old Tabtimdaeng makes it 15 wins in a row since upset loss to Filipino Roli Gasca in 2010.

That is his only loss in his hast 40 fights but he does not take risky opponents. He has made a career out of PABA title fights. Between interim and full title fights he has had 35 contests for the PABA title. Two losses in a row for Bais, both in Thailand. He was kayoed in two rounds by current WBC super fly champion Srisaket in December. He is No 15 light fly with the GAB so in Tabtimdaeng was fighting a world top 5 fighter, three weight divisions above his normal weight.

September 21

Temperley, Argentina: Cruiser: Francisco Mora W TKO 9 (57-17-1) Rodrigo Benech (31-10-1). A real senior citizens outing here as Mora beats Uruguayan Benech on a ninth round stoppage. The 39-year-old Mora, a former South American light middle and Argentinian middleweight champion, now weighing 33lbs more than those halcyon days, was having his first fight since December 2011. “Kojak “ Benech, 55, a former South American light heavyweight champion who fought Henry Maske and Graciano Rocchigiani in the 1990’s was having his first fight since October 2011. Neither is in the FAB ratings.

Melbourne, Australia: Super Middle: Zac Dunn (10-0) W KO 2 Mirko Manquecoy (6-4-1). Dunn again shows his punching power as he kayos Chilean late in second round. The 22-year-old local banger makes it 9 wins by KO/TKO. The ANBF No 6 wins the vacant WBC Youth title. Manquecoy, 22, had drawn over ten rounds for the vacant Chilean title in May but was never in with a chance here.

Cancun, Mexico: Feather: Robinson Castellanos (19-9) W KO 6 Derrick Wilson (10-5-2). Light: Fernando Carcamo (14-5) W KO 2 Vicente Escobedo (26-6). Super Feather: Abner Cotto (17-1) W TKO 4 Daniel Ruiz (29-7-1). Super Fly: Junior Granados W PTS 8 Humberto Morales (7-11-1)
Castellanos vs. Wilson

“The Turn-Around King” Castellanos impressively disposes of dangerous Wilson to retain his WBC Silver title. Castellanos was the faster and more skilful and the heavier puncher. After edging the first round he had Wilson badly hurt and wobbling in the second. Wilson had a better third round as both scored with hard rights. In the fourth a bloodied Wilson was given a warning for a low punch which fired-up Castellanos.

In the fifth he put Wilson down with a body punch and in the seventh a barraged from both hands put Wilson down and he squatted on the canvas whilst the ten was counted. Eleven wins in a row for 31-year-old Castellanos including victories over Chris Perez (19-0), Omar Estrella and Celestino Caballero. His real nickname is “Robin Hood” but for me anyone who can convert a 8-9 record into 19-9 and a WBC No 1 spot has done a great job of turning his career around. Wilson, 24, was fresh from an upset win over Puerto Rican Braulio Santos but was in over his head here.

Carcamo vs. Escobedo

Shock kayo loss that may end the career of Escobedo. Both fighters were throwing bombs from the start and it was obviously going to be over quickly. Unexpectedly it was a huge left from Carcamo in the second that put Escobedo down and out. Three losses by KO/TKO in a row for the former Olympian following a five round loss to Adrien Broner for the vacant WBO title and a six round stoppage by Edner Cherry in February. Mexican Carcamo, 22, has eleven wins by KO/TKO. He scored a good win when halting unbeaten Fidel Maldonado in April last year but lost his next two fights. He had rebounded with three inside the distance wins, but this was on paper a huge step-up in opposition for him.

Cotto vs. Ruiz

Win for Cotto but in unusual circumstances. The fight was fairly even over the first three rounds with Ruiz working the body and Cotto scoring to head and body with good combinations. Early in the fourth as they were fighting inside Ruiz suddenly doubled up complaining of a severe pain in his right side and could not continue. There did not seem to have been any punch that caused the injury, but the fight was over. Now eight wins by KO/TKO for Cotto was has rebuilding to do after being floored twice and kayoed inside a round by Omar Figueroa in April. Mexican Ruiz lost a majority decision to Logan McGuinness in 2011 and a split decision to Rey Bautista last year. He is usually a durable opponent.

Granados vs. Morales

Merida’s Granados had to go the distance in this one and was hard pressed to take the majority decision over Morales. Granados nearly put Morales down with an overhand right in the first but Morales survived the round. After that Granados needed all of his skills to outbox the aggressive Morales who pressed hard all the way. Granados has won 6 of his last 8 fight by KO/TKO. Morales, a former WBC Youth champion has lost 4 in a row but went 12 rounds with Jose Salgado for the NABF super fly title in April.

Guasave, Mexico: Light Fly: Mario Rodriguez (16-8-4) W PTS 12 Odilon Zaleta (15-3). Light: Abdiel Ramirez (20-1-1) W TKO 2 Jose Angel Apodaca (6-7-3). Super Feather: Edgar Puerta (22-4-1) W PTS 10 Lupe Rosales (31-9).
Rodriguez vs. Zaleta

This one just edged-out Puerta vs. Rosales for “fight of the night”. With a title shot for the winner a possibility both fighters were straight into heavy action. The hooks were flying with former IBF straw champion “Little Dragon” Rodriguez looking to take the fight inside and Zaleta wanting to work on the outside. Neither fighter was giving ground and although both were shaken the only knockdown came in the fifth when Rodriguez put Zaleta down, but could not finish him before the bell.

Zaleta realised he was falling behind and pressed the pace. They both fought hard to the end of a great little fight with Rodriguez getting the split decision. Rodriguez won the IBF title with a kayo of a weight-weakened Nkosinathi Joyi in September last year, but lost it to Katsunari Takayama in March. A loss to Pedro Guevara for the WBC Silver title was a set-back, but he now has a November shot at WBC champion Adrian Hernandez. Zaleta was halted in two rounds by Luis Concepcion in May last year but had bounced back with a win over Armando Torres in October. He was WBC 8/WBO 10/IBF 15.

Ramirez vs. Apodaca

“Mortero” Ramirez lives up to his nickname as he blasts out poor Apodaca in two rounds. The heavy-handed 22-year-old handed out a steady battering until the referee saved Apodaca late in the second round. Now 18 wins by KO/TKO for Ramirez. His loss was to once world rated Rene Gonzalez and the draw was with Mauricio Pintor. Apodaca has lost 4 of his last 5.

Puerta vs. Rosales

These two fought each other to a stand still in this non-title match with local fighter Puerta getting a disputed split decision. “Bronco” Rosales used his experience against better opposition and his strength on the inside to build an early lead. Many rounds were close but Rosales had a big eighth attacking for the full three minutes and looked to have tied-up the verdict. However Puerta staged a strong finish having Rosales in trouble on the ropes at the end but just not being able to halt the rock-chinned Rosales. The split decision went to Puerta, but it could have gone either way.

Puerta, the 31-year-old WBC Silver champion has made exceptional progress with ten wins in a row and victories over Alejandro Sanabria (24-0-1); Ric Mijares, Saul Carreon and Carlos Cardenas which have seen him climb to WBC No 3. He will now go into a final eliminator with Dante Jardon and the winner will fight WBC champion Takashi Miura. Former Mexican champion Rosales, 33 is now 4-6 in his last ten fights but two of the losses were to Juan Carlos Salgado and another to Nery Saguilan. IBF champion to be Salgado is the only fighter to have beaten him inside the distance.

Managua, Nicaragua: Fly: Roman Gonzalez (36-0) W TKO 7 Francisco Rodriguez (11-2?). Bantam: Juan Carlos Sanchez (17-1-1) W TKO 7 Darwin Zamora (21-9-1). Light: Oliver Flores (24-1-2) W PTS 9 Marcos Mojica (12-1-2). Feather: Eusebio Osejo (23-13-2,1ND) W PTS 8 Orlando Rizo (16-5).

Gonzalez vs. Rodriguez

Gonzalez, surely the best of the little men, halts game Mexican in seventh. After a flurry of shots at the end gave Rodriguez the first round Gonzalez took over in the second working the body and forcing Rodriguez on the retreat. The pattern continued over the next four rounds with Rodriguez refusing to fold and not just being able to survive but also scoring with some good counters in rounds five. The Mexican lost a point in the sixth for pushing his open glove repeatedly in the Nicaraguan’s face and Gonzalez bombarded Rodriguez with hard shots in an attempt to end the fight in that round.

Gonzalez continued his attack in the seventh and was scoring with hard punches but Rodriguez was fighting back when surprisingly the referee stopped the fight. Neither fighter was happy. Rodriguez who justifiably felt that he was not seriously hurt when the referee stopped the fight and Gonzalez who felt he had been robbed of the chance to get a knockout. The 26-year-old Chocolatito” the WBA light fly champion has 29 wins by KO/TKO and is probably the best fighter in the world in the three lower divisions but was carrying a bit of surplus weight. Southpaw Rodriguez, 20, was game but lacked the punch to compete with Gonzalez. His record was given as 18-2 after the. Fight

Sanchez vs. Zamora

Mexican Sanchez wins this battle of southpaws. The former undefeated IBF super fly champion used his right jab to control this fight. He was faster and more accurate and Zamora was never really able to get a foothold in the fight. A punch opened a cut over the Nicaraguan’s right eye in the fifth and a left put him down in the sixth. Sanchez was on top and unloading in the seventh when Zamora’s corner threw in the towel in the seventh. The 22-year-old “Zurdito” has nine wins by KO/TKO. This was his first fight since he lost his IBF title on the scales when he failed to make the weight for a defence against Roberto Sosa in June. Three losses in a row for 25-year-old Zamora. He was halted in eight rounds by Jamie McDonnell in an IBF final eliminator in October and lost on points to Nerys Espinoza in April.

Flores vs. Mojica

Prospect Flores gets back into the winning groove as he outclasses unbeaten Mojica to win the vacant WBA Fedebol title on a unanimous decision. The 22year-old Nicaraguan had his 25 fight unbeaten streak snapped when he was kayoed in two rounds by Miguel Berchelt in November. Fellow-Nicaraguan Mojica had won his last 5 by KO/TKO but could not match the skills of Flores.

Osejo vs. Rizo

Another all-southpaw fight saw Osejo use his edge in experience to get the decision over fellow Nicaraguan Rizo. Osejo was owed a win after being matched in his last three fights with Cris Mijares, Rene Alvarado (16-1) and Jhonny Gonzalez and having taken Mijares and Gonzalez the distance. Rizo is 3-8 in his last 11 but went the distance with WBC No 1 Robinson Castellanos last year.

East London, South Africa: Super Feather: Mzonke Fana (32-6) W PTS 12 Takalani Ndlovu (33-10). Super Middle: Balimo Weliya (12-3) W PTS 12 Masixole Botile (4-7). Super Bantam: Siviwe Hasheni (15-5) W KO 7 Lwandile Gugushe (5-5). Super Bantam: Tshifhiwa Munyai (24-2-1) W KO 8 Phumzile Matyhila (18-3-2).

Fana vs. Ndlovu

The power failed just before the start of the last round of this fight, but even that could not save Ndlovu. The 39-year-old Fana “The Rose of Khayelitsha” resurrected his career with a comfortable unanimous decision in a clash of former IBF champions. With former IBF super bantam and IBO feather champion Vuyani Bungu in his corner Fana found some of his old form. He was busier than Ndlovu who only fought in spurts.

The second was the best round of the fight as first Fana staggered Ndlovu and in his anxiety to finish the fight ran onto a hard punch from Ndlovu which almost put him down. After that Fana had his jab working and was able to outbox Ndlovu. The former IBF super bantam champion also had to contend with a bad swelling which affected the vision from his left eye and also lost a point in the seventh for a low punch. Fana won convincingly on scores of 118-108, 117-112 and 116-111.

After being stripped off his IBF super feather title for failing to defend and going almost two years without a fight Fana returned with back-to-back losses to Sipho Taliwe and Paulus Moses so it was win or goodbye for him. Now he is WBA Pan African champion and back in the picture. Ndlovu, 35, was fighting two division above his normal division and looked sluggish. He lost his IBF super bantam title to Jeff Mathebula in March last year and was beaten in October by Alejandro Lopez in an IBF eliminator, so now three losses in a row.

Weliya vs. Botile

A poor fight saw Weliya retain his South African title with a points victory. DRC-born Weliya had Botile down in the last but could not put him away. Second successful defence for Weliya. Botile was BSA No 2.

Hasheni vs. Gugushie

Hasheni wins the vacant national title with kayo of Gugushe. Hasheni handed out a solid beating to Gugushie for six rounds and ended it in the seventh when a big left hook put Gugushe down by the ropes and he was counted out. Five wins by KO/TKO for Hasheni who has won his last 4 fights. Gugushe had won his last three fights but was out-gunned.

Munyai vs. Matyhila
Former undefeated Commonwealth bantam champion halts Matyhila in battle of experienced fighters. “The Atomic Spider” controlled this with his huge edges in height and reach. He was dominating the fight and scoring with big right hands. Matyhila fought hard enough not to make it too one-sided but was being broken down. In the eight another big right put Matyhila down in a neutral corned and he took the count indicating he had had enough.

The 28-year-old Munyai, also a former undefeated IBO champion, has lost only one of his last eight fights and that was a hotly disputed decision to Christian Esquivel for the vacant WBC Silver title in 2010. This is his fourth good win since then. Now 37, Matyhila, a top amateur, won a bronze medal at both the 1996 Commonwealth Games and the 1998 Commonwealth Championships but failed to medal at the 2002 Games. He also competed at the 2000 Olympics but in those days he was a 48kg man.

Pretoria, South Africa: Cruiser: Daniel Bruwer (24-5-1) W KO 8 Sofiane Sebihi (20-5). Cruiser: Danie Venter (18-6) W TKO 1 Shawn Cox (17-3). Cruiser: Kevin Lerena (8-0) W TKO 2 Ibrahim Labaran (10-3).

Bruwer vs. Sebihi

Bruwer wins vacant WBFed title with stoppage of late sub Sebihi. The Swiss-based Algerian made the better start and Bruwer was way behind after three rounds. From the fourth Bruwer’s harder punching began to tell and Sebihi faded and it was his turn to be shaken with hard punches from the South African champion. Late in the eighth a big shot from Bruwer put Sebihi down and he was counted out. The 6’3” (190cm) Bruwer, 28, had a bad spell of 4 losses in 5 fights before winning the South African title in June and now has 21 wins by KO/TKO. The 34-year-old Sebihi has now lost 3 of his last 4 fights, but this was only the second time he had failed to last the distance.

Venter vs. Cox

Venter blows away Cox inside a round. It was all over inside two minutes as Venter floored Cox three times with the referee stopping the fight on the third knockdown. The 24-year-old 6’4 ½” (194cm) Venter, a former South African champion, is now 7-2 in his last 9 fights with the two losses being to Thabiso Mchunu who has just scored an impressive win over Eddie Chambers in his US debut. Venter moves to 13 wins by KO/TKO and wins the vacant WBFed title. The 38-year-old Barbadian “Sniper” Cox had won 8 of his last 9 fights but the loss was a two round demolition by Denis Lebedev for the interim WBA title last April.

Lerena vs. Labaran

Prospect Lerena hits much too hard for Ghanaian. The 21-year-old South African floored Labaran in the first and again in the second. A right hook put Labaran down for the third time and the fight was stopped immediately. After winning his first 5 fights in quick time Lerena had been taken the distance in the last two, but rediscovered his punch here and is one to watch. He wins the WBFed African title. After losing his first two fights Labaran had won his next 10, 9 by KO/TKO, but again typical for what passes for matching in Ghana 7 of his opponents had never won a fight and two other had 2-5 records so a meaningless record.

Kharkov, Ukraine: Middle: Max Bursak (28-1-1) W PTS 12 Nick Blackwell (13-3). Heavy: Vlad Tereshkin (17-0-1) W TKO 2 Laszlo Toth (19-10). Light Heavy: Vyacheslav Uzelkov (29-3) W TKO 1 Attila Palko (16-8). Light: Valentyn Holovko (20-0,1ND) W TKO 1 Ruben Movsesian (10-10-1). Welter: Valeriy Brazhnyk (30-0-1) W PTS 6 George Abramishvili (8-4-1).

Bursak vs. Blackwell

Bursak may have won this one, but he looked the worse for wear at the end and had to climb off the floor. Bursak was coming forward and trying to work on the inside whilst Blackwell was using a snappy jab and good movement making it an interesting fight but not one that really caught fire. Bursak might just have edged into a slight lead after three rounds just from throwing more punches whilst Blackwell was picking his punches and being edged on quantity over quality.

Bursak was having a good fourth until he ducked under a left from Blackwell and as he came up was nailed by a hard right. He went down and although he got up quickly was badly shaken and his legs were jelly. Blackwell was one punch away from victory as Bursak stumbled forward on shaky legs grabbing Blackwell around the waist trying to survive Blackwell was teeing off but just could not find that one punch to make himself champion. Bursak actually came back strongly in the fifth but in the 6th and 7th Blackwell was confident coming forward and letting his punches go.

Bursak was working hard but twice in the ninth he was hurt and staggered by rights. Bursak increased his work rate in the tenth although being caught with counters. Blackwell was still dangerous with rights but he was being outworked. Despite an ugly swelling on his left cheek and a bruise under his right eye Bursak continued to walk down Blackwell in the last two rounds but the Brit was always competitive and scored with some hard rights of his own. Scores 115-112 twice and 114-113.

Perhaps in Britain Blackwell might have got the decision but to win in the other guys back yard he had to dominate and other in the fourth Bursak never allowed him to do that. Bursak, 29, retains his WBA 5/WBO 5/WBC 10 and IBF 13 ratings and did whet he had to do to beat a top class opponent. Bursak’s European title was not on the line. The 22-year-old Blackwell showed he is right in that class himself. His other losses were to Martin Murray, and a very close decision to Billy Joe Saunders. Just an indication of how strong the middleweight division is in Britain.

Tereshkin vs. Toth

A mismatch sees 6’6” (198cm) southpaw Tereshkin stop Hungarian in the second. The 25-year-old German-based Russian is not a big puncher with only eight wins by KO/TKO mostly against poor fighters with negative records. Toth, 41, has a poor chin as his nine losses by KO/TKO attest.

Uzelkov vs. Palko

Another bit of rubbish as Uzelkov hardly breaks sweat in halting poor Hungarian opponent inside a round. The 34-year-old “Steel Power” manages to win these fights easily as his 18 wins by KO/TKO show but loses the big fights having been beaten by Beibut Shumenov for the WBA title, Eduard Gutknecht for the European title and in March against Doudou Ngumbu for the WBO Inter-Continental title. Four losses in a row for Palko.

Holovko vs. Movsesian

This was not much better as a match as tall “Firey Man” Holovko disposes of poor Georgian inside a round. The 26-year-old 5’11” (180cm) Holovko has won 7 of his last 10 by KO/TKO. He can fight he just didn’t have to show it here. Movsesian is capable of a good performance as he showed in losing 95-97 to Matty Tew in London in November but this is one he will want to forget.

Brazhnyk vs. Abramishvili

The 34-year-old Ukrainian southpaw has spent a long time getting nowhere and this unanimous decision win over the young Georgian will not move him forward one pace. At 34 he seems content to just drift to the end of his career fighting poor opposition. Second loss in a row for Georgian prelim fighter.

London, England: Middle: Billy Joe Saunders (19-0) W PTS 12 John Ryder (15-1). Heavy: Derrick Chisora (18-4) W TKO 5 Edmund Gerber (23-2). Welter: Frankie Gavin (17-0) W PTS 12 David Barnes (27-3-2). Super Feather: Liam Walsh (15-0) W PTS 12 Joe Murray (14-1). Super Fly: Paul Butler (13-0) W PTS 12 Miguel Gonzalez (17-1). Super Middle: Frank Buglioni (10-0) W TKO 2 Bronislav Kubin (16-12-1). Super Feather: Mitchell Smith (7-0) W PTS 10 Scott Moises (7-8-1). Middle: Dmitry Chudinov (11-0-2) W PTS 8 Max Maxwell (16-26-3).

Saunders vs. Ryder

Great little fight sees Saunders pushed all the way for once but retain his Commonwealth and British titles. This all-southpaw battle was as close as the talented Saunders has come to a loss. He started well using his jab and fast combinations but after a slow start “The Gorilla” was matching him. Despite his nickname Ryder has plenty of skills of his own and started to eat into Saunders early lead. In the seventh Ryder had his best round as he shook Saunders and looked to be about to take over.

However, Saunders dug in and fought his way back into the lead. Ryder had a storming last round again shaking Saunders, but had just not done enough to swing the fight his way. Scores 115-113 twice and 115-114. A small scare for “Caravan Kid” Saunders, 24, who had looked unbeatable before this, but he remains one of the brightest talents in British boxing. Londoner Ryder did more than was expected of him as he had never been past the eighth round in any of his previous fights. He comes away with an enhanced reputation and as a boxer with a bright future.

Chisora vs. Gerber

Good win for Chisora as he collects vacant EBU title. He takes the fight to the Kazakh-born Gerber from the start and is able to put Gerber on the back foot. He was on top again in the second and had Gerber fighting off the ropes and shipping heavy body punches in the third with Gerber ending the round with blood spilling from his nose. Gerber started the fourth well nailing Chisora with a hard right and for a while it was the Zimbabwean-born Brit on the back foot.

By the end of the round Chisora was back and ended the round strongly. In the fifth, with Gerber on the ropes, Chisora was getting through with hard punches and with nothing coming back the referee stopped the fight. Third win for 29-year-old “Del Boy” since loss to David Haye in July last year. He had dropped right out of the world ratings but the win over Malik Scott saw him reemerge as No 14 with the IBF and 15 with the WBO. Now he is back in the picture. Gerber 25 was lucky to get the shot after losing to British veteran Michel Sprott in December and showed here that he is limited and unlikely to go far.

Gavin vs. Barnes

Gavin wins again and retains his British and Commonwealth titles but as has happened before puts on a below par performances. The styles did not gel and the two southpaws combined to make a disappointing fight. Gavin, 27, was busier and winning the rounds but Barnes was never out of the fight and was making Gavin work hard but not doing enough himself. The pattern changed little and in the end Gavin was a clear winner on scores of 118-111, 118-112 and 117-112 but he will have better nights than this but with his talent he needs to find a consistent level of performance.

It was revealed after the fight that Gavin had been in agony from the third round due to a cracked tooth and a burst abscess which may explain his low key performance. The big plus for him was that as this was his third defence of his British title so he is now the proud owner of the Lonsdale Belt. A beautiful and valuable belt which puts all the garish sanction body belts to shame-gold or not. Barnes apparently injured his left arm early in the fight which might explain his own tentative performance. The 32-year-old is a former undefeated British welterweight and light welterweight champion.

Walsh vs. Murray

Walsh successfully retains his Commonwealth title with majority decision over Murray in a “Destiny” vs. “Genius” fight. The 27-year-old southpaw and 26-year-old Murray put on a good, competitive fight. They went toe-to-toe in exchange after exchange with both fighters having periods of dominance. “Destiny” Walsh scored with some fierce body shots in the sixth and seventh but “Genius” Murray’s awkward style at times gave him the edge. Walsh swept the last two rounds to look a clear winner but the scores came out at 116-112, 116-113 and 114-114 so he had to settle for a majority verdict.

The 27-year-old southpaw has grown into the title. This was his third defence and he now has useful wins over Max Awuku, Paul Appleby, Domenico Urbano and Scott Harrison. He also wins the WBO Inter-Continental title. Murray, a top amateur, had only one fight in almost two years before returning to action in April and scoring two wins. With more activity he will be a real threat. As an amateur he won a bronze medal at the World Championships, beating current WBC No 1 super fly Carlos Cuadras on his way to the medal, and also competed at the 2008 Olympics.

Butler vs. Gonzalez

Another impressive display by Butler as he outboxes unbeaten Chilean. It was a fast-paced fight but the Chilean had neither the skill or the punch to get him into the fight and the Commonwealth and British champion adds the WBO Inter-Continental title to his bag. Scores 120-108, 119-109 and 117-112. The 24-year-old “Baby Faced Assassin” is EBU No 4 flyweight and could add that title some time in the future. Gonzales, 24, showed good skills but was out of his depth in his first fight outside Chile and that is when their real measure can be found.

Buglioni vs. Kubin
This was to be Buglioni’s first ten round bout, but it was never going to go that far and Buglioni overpowered the much smaller Kubin in the second. He put the Czech fighter down and although Kubin was quickly back on his feet the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight. Now 7 wins by KO/TKO for 24-year-old Buglioni. Kubin, 34, had won 4 of his last 5 fights including an upset win and then loss the Marco Schulze for the GBU title.

Smith vs. Moises

Prospect Smith wins the vacant BBB of C Southern Area title with a very tight decision over Moises. Smith, another “Baby Faced Assassin” had to overcome the longer reach of Moises but got inside often enough to score effectively. It was a tight fight with lots of close rounds and it could have gone either way but Smith had the higher work rate and that just swung it for him. Referee’s score 96-95. Good learning fight for the 20-year-old Smith against a more experienced opponent. Moises was having his second shot the Area title and had lost only one of his last six fights.

Chudinov vs. Maxwell

“The Night Wolf “From Russia gets wide decision over Maxwell in his second fight in four weeks. The 27-year-old former top amateur found it difficult to get any effective work done against Maxwell but took the early rounds. Maxwell managed to smother the work of Chudinov in the middle rounds and do some effective scoring of his own. The late rounds all went to Chudinov who try as he might could not get the durable survivor out of there. Referees score 79-73. Much better display from Chudinov that in July when he drew with Patrick Mendy. As usual Maxwell took the fight at very short notice and gave eight rounds of work for his money. Now 15 losses in a row for Maxwell.

Liverpool, England: Light: Derry Matthews (34-8-2) W TKO 4 Curtis Woodhouse (19-6). Light Middle: Liam Smith (15-0-1) W PTS 12 Erick Ochieng (14-2). Super Middle: Rocky Fielding (16-0) W TKO 1 Mohammed Akrong (19-6). Super Middle: Callum Smith (8-0) W TKO 1 Patrick Mendy (14-6-1).

Matthews vs. Woodhouse

Matthews retains Commonwealth title with impressive performance against Woodhouse. Matthews used his skills to take command of the fight refusing to let Woodhouse drag him into a war. He used his jab and fast combinations and it was the third round before Woodhouse managed to have any success when he forced Matthews to fight off the ropes. One fast left-right combination on the inside put Woodhouse down in the fourth and although he manage to get to his feet he was in no condition to continue.

“Dirty” Derry, 29, makes successful first defence of the Commonwealth title he won with a come from behind stoppage of Tommy Coyle in July. Matthews had drawn with Anthony Crolla for the same vacant title in March. A result that looks even better after Crolla’s win over Gavin Rees. Woodhouse, 33, had lost a split decision to Frankie Gavin in 2011, but losses to Dale Miles and Shane Singleton indicated he had found his level and he is now 4-4 in his last 8 fights.

Smith vs. Ochieng

Smith wins vacant British title to go with his Commonwealth title with unanimous decision over Ochieng in a good, hard-fought match. It was Kenyan-born Ochieng who pulled ahead over the early rounds, but once Smith settled he showed he was the heavier puncher and began to put rounds in the bank by pressurising Ochieng and getting through with hard punches from both hands. Ochieng knew his lead was slipping away and made a big effort in the seventh but from the eighth Smith was back in charge with Ochieng being forced to fight on the back foot.

Both guys kept up a high workrate but Smith had the power and was able to coast the last. Scores 117-112 twice and 116-113. Three Smith brothers all hold British titles now with Paul the super middle champ and Stephen the super feather champ. The way that fourth brother Callum is punching right now there could be four Lonsdale Belts in the family soon. Move over Kameda’s and the Morales clan. Ochieng, the 26-year-old “Eagle”, the English champion, had won 8 fights in a row and showed here that he belongs in this company and will come again.

Fielding vs. Akrong

Fielding wins vacant Commonwealth title with quick blow out of Akrong. The Ghanaian had been approved on the basis of showing a good chin and plenty of heart in a fight against Marco Rubio. One left hook from Fielding and the fight was virtually over. Akrong made it to his feet after being nailed with the hook but a barrage of punches saw the referee stop the fight. Now nine wins by KO/TKO for the 26-year-old Fielding. Akrong, 30, had won 6 of his 7 fights since the loss to Rubio and that defeat was on points to Niko Jokinen in March last year. He had scored three wins since then.

Smith vs. Mendy

Smith does it again as he moves to six one round wins in a row. Mendy had never lost inside the distance and was coming off an impressive draw against unbeaten Dmitry Chudinov. However whenever Smith got through with a punch Mendy looked shaky. A hard right put Mendy down and when he got up Smith got through with some more bombs and the referee stopped the fight. Strangely the 6’3” (191cm), 23-year-old Smith won his first two pro fights without scoring a knockdown.

Now it is six first round finishes in a row. He wins the vacant English title. As an amateur he was twice ABA champion and won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games. Gambian-born Mendy, 22, had lost by only one point in a ten rounder against Bradley Pryce and never been in trouble in lasting 12 rounds with unbeaten Patrick Nielsen, but he was blown away by Smith’s power

Minneapolis, MN, USA: Middle: Caleb Truax (23-1-1) W TKO 4 Cerresso Ford (17-2-1). Welter: Jamal James (11-0) W PTS 8 Mohammed Kayongo (17-2-1).

Truax vs. Ford

Truax a class above Ford and wins local shoot-out. The fight really got started in the second as Truax began to find his range with jabs and straight rights. The pace increased in the third with Truax getting the better of the exchanges. In the fourth a right staggered Ford into the ropes. Truax followed-up with a barrage of punches and Ford went down. He got up but on spaghetti legs and the fight was halted. The only loss for 30-year-old “Golden” Truax was April last year to Jermain Taylor in a fight in which he had Taylor on the floor. He has won five in a row since then including victories over Matt Vanda and Don George. He wins the vacant IBF USBA title and retains the State title. Ford, 27, loses inside the distance for the first time. His only loss was to John Jackson in April and he coming off a win over Marcus Upshaw.

James vs. Kayongo

James remains unbeaten but in tough fight against Ugandan. James tried to use his height and reach to keep the fight at a distance but Kayongo managed to get inside and work the body successfully. Kayongo had James down in the fifth and looked to have made this a very close affair. The judges did not agree giving it to the unbeaten James on scores of 77-74 twice and 78-73, all of which seemed generous to James. Second win over an African fighter in a row for the 25-year-old 6’2” (188cm) James who was coming off a victory over Robert Osiobe. James lifts the vacant State title. “The African Assassin” Kayongo, 32, was inactive from November 2009 to January this year and had won two fights since his return.

New York, NY, USA: Super Bantam: Rafael Vazquez (9-1) W KO 9 Leon Moore (30-3). Light Middle: Frank Galarza (11-0-2) W TKO 4 Rich Neves (6-1-1).

Moore vs. Vazquez

Moore’s stuttering career came to a juddering halt here. With huge edges in height and reach the Guyanese southpaw seemed to be cruising to an easy win. He built a lead over the first three rounds and then floored (elderly) novice Vazquez in the fourth. Moore was so far in front he only needed to stay there until the final bell but a right from Vazquez in the ninth put him down and Moore failed to beat the count. The 35-year-old Puerto Rican had never gone past six rounds before and was coming off a loss to a guy with a 3-6-2 record but now he is WBA Fedelatin champion and also the NY State title holder. At 34 “Hurry Up” Moore’s future is probably behind him.

Galarza vs. Neves

Another NY State title fight saw Galarza just punch too hard for Neves. From the second he constantly shook Neves with hard punches and Neves only just made it through the third. In the fourth Neves was shaken again and then floored by a left. He managed to get up only to take more punishment and the referee stopped the fight. The 28-year-old from Brooklyn makes it 7 wins by KO/TKO as he goes to 4 wins and 2 draws in his last six fights. After drawing his first fight Neves had won six in a row, but lacked the punch power or the strength to compete with Galarza.

Abbreviations

ABC=Asian Boxing Council an affiliate of the WBC
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
BSA=Boxing South Africa responsible for administering boxing in South Africa
DRC=Democratic Republic of the Congo
EBU=European Boxing Union
FAB=Argentinian Boxing Federation
GAB=Philippines Games & Amusement Board responsible for administering boxing in the Philippines
IBF=International Boxing Federation a sanctioning body
IBO=International Boxing Organisation
JBC =Japanese Boxing Commission
NABA=North American Boxing Association, a WBA affiliate
NABF=North American Boxing Federation a WBC affiliate
NABO= North American Boxing Organisation, a WBO affiliate
NGG=US National Golden Gloves
OPBF=Orient & Pacific Boxing Federation
PABA=Pacific & Asian Boxing Association, a WBA 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
UBO=Universal Boxing Organisation a sanctioning body
USBA= United States Boxing Association, an IBF affiliate