The Past Week in Action

KOVALEV VS. PASCAL

March 12

San Antonio, TX: Super Feather: Francisco Vargas (22-0-1) W TKO 8 Will Tomlinson (23-2-1). Middle: Yamaguchi Falcao (4-01ND) W TKO 1 Ray Terry (3-1).Light Heavy: Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (13-0) W TKO 5 Fabiano Pena (11-1-1). Super Middle: D’Mitrius Ballard (9-0) W KO 1 Jason Zabokrtsky (3-1).

Vargas vs. Tomlinson

WBC No 1 Vargas wears down gutsy Australian Tomlinson. In the first Vargas was willing to walk through Tomlinson’s punches and the Australian was using his jab to get form of control over the fight. Vargas began to up the pressure from the third and although Tomlinson was getting home some good counters he could not handle Vargas inside and could not keep him outside. Tomlinson got some encouragement as a clash of heads saw Vargas cut on his right eye brow. Vargas survived a doctor’s inspection but it gave Tomlinson some encouragement. The fourth and fifth saw Vargas working the body and despite the best efforts of Tomlinson Vargas was chipping away at his resistance. By the eighth Tomlinson’s face was swelling and marked from the punishment handed out by Vargas.  In the eighth two left hooks sent Tomlinson down and the referee stopped the fight. The 30-year-old “El Bandito”, a 2008 Olympian, adds this scalp to those of Brandon Bennett, Jerry Belmontes, Abner Cotto and Juan Manuel Lopez which already hang on his belt. He retains the WBO NABO title and makes it 16 wins by KO/TKO. “Wild Will” Tomlinson, 28, a former undefeated IBO champion, loses inside the distance for the first time. He had rebounded from a March 2014 loss to Jerry Belmontes with a couple of wins but it is back to square one again.

Falcao vs. Ibarra

Falcao is finding his feet as a pro and is too good for Terry. The Brazilian floored Terry and the referee stopped the fight with only 81 seconds on the clock. The 27-year-old southpaw, a Pan American Games silver medal winner and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist was in a nightmare double disqualification in his first pro fight but is getting into the groove. Terry had no chance in this one.

Shabranskyy vs. Pena

No chance of a Brazilian double as Shabranskyy worked over Pena for four rounds. Shabranskyy had height and reach and was throwing bombs in the first. Pena retreated and covered up throwing an occasional wild right but took a lot of hard punches as the first round ended. Shabranskyy was banging home stiff jabs and loading up on left hooks and right crosses in the second with Pena showing a good chin and actually coming forward and putting Shabranskyy on the back foot for much of the round. Pena continued to walk forward in the third but Shabranskyy was peppering him with jabs and hooks to the body. A left hook from Shabranskyy was low and he was given a warning with Pena given time to recover. Pena was too gutsy just walking onto punch after punch. More in the fourth as Shabranskyy was able to stand-off and slam home jabs and Pena was still walking into right crosses and left hooks to the body and it could not be allowed to go much longer. The fifth was no worse or better for Pena and he actually jarred Shabranskyy with a jab but again it was a one-sided pasting and his corner rightly retired their man at the end of the round. “Lion Heart” Shabranskyy wins the vacant WBC USNBC title, his first pro title, and makes it 11 wins by KO/TKO. With his height, reach and power he is formidable but he has a bad habit of leaving his left low after throwing a jab and that could be dangerous against a puncher. Pena, 27, was having his second fight outside Brazil. He showed incredible courage but was not in the same class as the tall Ukrainian’s class.

Ballard vs. Zabokrtsky

Ballard gets another quick win. The former top amateur needed only one thunderous left hook to put Zabokrtsky down and out. The Temple Hills 21-year-old has six wins in a row by KO/TKO and has yet to go past the fourth round. A former NGG and four-time PAL champion he lost out to Jesse Hart at the US Olympic Trials. Zabokrtsky no test.

March 13

Quilmes, Argentina: Light Heavy: Isidro R Prieto (23-0-3) W TKO 4 Jackson Junior (16-3,1ND). Prieto shows he is ready for better opposition as he dismantles Junior in four rounds. He was in charge from the start and floored Junior for the first timer in the third. The Brazilian made it to the bell but was effectively finished. A series of head punches put Junior down early in the fourth. Junior was up quickly but at the end of the eight count he started walking towards his corner. The referee indicated to Prieto that the fight was still on and he literally ran across the ring catching Junior by surprise and landed a couple more punches. Junior again got up quickly but the referee waived the fight off with Junior not dissenting. Prieto, a 28-year-old Argentinian-based Paraguayan retains his WBO Latino title for the fourth time and has 19 wins by KO/TKO. He is rated No 8 by the WBO but his opposition has not been high quality and he will need to fight outside South America to progress. “Demolisher” Junior, 29, was the one demolished. His other losses have been at a very high level against Vasily Lepikhin and Rakhim Chakhkiev. He also lost in four rounds to Umberto Savigne but that was changed to a no decision when the Cuban tested positive for a banned substance.

Junin, Argentina: Super Light: Marcelino N Lopez (31-1-1) W TKO 8 Sergio J Escobar (27-26-3). Lopez used a perpetual body attack to breakdown Escobar. For round after round Lopez worked the body and with his superior power dominated Escobar. He was mixing-in fast, hard combinations and finally in the seventh a body/head combination forced Escobar to drop to one knee. He just made it to his feet by nine and tried to fight back but in the end the bell saved him. In the eighth a left hook to the body saw Escobar go down again and the referee stopped the fight just as the towel was thrown in from Escobar’s corner. First defence of his South American title for 28-year-old “Nino” Lopez and win No 16 by KO/TKO.  He blew his unbeaten record and his Argentinian title in an upset loss to Pablo Barboza in July and moved up a division. He had drawn and won a majority decision in previous fights with Escobar. “Loco Lima” Escobar, 32, is a former Argentinian super feather champion.

San Francisco, Argentina: Light: Raul H Centeno (18-1) W KO 6 Ruben D Lopez (8-3-3). Centeno retains WBC Latino title with knockout of Lopez. The challenger tried hard over the first couple of rounds to be competitive but Centeno was too quick and accurate. Centeno had height and reach so Lopez had to reach with his punches and Centeno made him pay with left hooks ripped into the body. Lopez tried to force the fight in the second with some furious attacks but Centeno was never really troubled. Lopez was swinging punches wildly in the third with Centeno ducking under them and he scored with two good punches to the jaw, from each hand. The fifth saw Centeno cutting Lopez in half with wicked left hooks to the body and at the bell a distressed Lopez was pinned in a corner and looking ready to crumble. In the sixth Centeno backed Lopez to a corner and unloaded three brutal left hooks to the body and Lopez went down on his back and was still there as the referee counted to eight and then just waived the fight off. Eight wins by KO/TKO for Centeno but the opposition so far has been low level. He is FAB No 4 and it is time for him to move up. Lopez, 32, was 8-0-2 in his previous ten fights but this was his first scheduled ten rounder.

Falconara Marittima, Italy: Light: Michele Focosi (20-3-2) W PTS 12 Bence Molnar (11-5). Super Bantam: Vittorio Parrinello (4-0) W PTS 6 Antonio Horvatic (6-14).

Focosi vs. Molnar

Focosi finally wins a title with a unanimous decision over Hungarian for the vacant IBF Mediterranean title. It was a good, entertaining scrap. Focosi was taking the fight to his younger opponent working inside with body punches with Molnar using his jab more but not dodging the close work. Focosi continued to take the fight inside and it was delicately balanced when in the seventh an uppercut to the body and a right to the chin put Molnar down. He made it to his feet and survived pressure from Focosi in the eighth. The Italian’s work rate dropped in the ninth which helped Molnar stay in the fight although he boxed with more caution and Focosi was able to ease his way to victory. Scores 117-110 twice and 114-112. Focosi, 31, had failed in three shots at winning an Italian title. He won his first 15 fights but has fallen away to 5-3-2 in his last 10 fights. “Baby Face” Molnar, just 19, had won 7 of his last 8 fights and was in his first fight scheduled for more than eight rounds so did well.

Parrinello vs. Horvatic

Double Olympian Parrinello given six rounds of work from Horvatic. Parrinello was in control apart from a spirited fourth round from Horvatic and remains unbeaten. At 31 he may have left it late to turn pro but he has the talent to go to European title level if not further. He won his first Italian national title in 2005 and competed at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics only losing to eventual gold medal winner Luke Campbell 11-9 in London. Croatian “Maximus “Horvatic has 5 losses in a row.

London, England: Cruiser: Lawrence Bennett (7-1) W TKO 1 Jamie Hearn (11-8-1). Bennett retains the BBB of C Southern Area title with stoppage of Hearn. The Jamaican-born Swindon “Bad Boy” floored Hearn early and did not let him off the hook forcing the stoppage in just 103 seconds. First win by KO/TKO for Bennett in his first start for his new promoter. Third loss in title fights for Hearn who was coming off a good first round win over Larry Olubamiwo.

Newport, Wales: Middle: Chris Ware (6-1) W KO 7 Frankie Borg (9-4). Super Welter: Barrie Jones (21-10) W TKO 3 Jerome Samuels (5-6).

Ware vs. Borg

Swansea’s Ware wins the BBB of C Welsh area title with kayo of Borg to make it a treble over his fellow-Welshman. The deciding factor here was the power in Ware’s right hand. Borg scored early with some good body punches and straight shots but once Ware’s right hand began landing things turned very painful for the brave defending champion. Those rights put Borg down three times and opened a cut over Borg’s right eye. With just seconds to go at the end of the seventh another right put Borg down and he just could not make it to his feet this time. The doctor quickly entered the ring to assist Borg and after five minutes he was able to leave the ring under his own steam. Ware had beaten Borg when they were amateurs and floored Borg twice when outpointing him over four rounds in December. Third win by KO/TKO for Ware and the first time one of his fights went past the fourth round. Borg, 34, was making the second defence of the Welsh title that he won with a victory over former European champion Kerry Hope. It is his third loss by KO/TKO.

Jones vs. Samuels

Jones wins the Welsh title with stoppage of Samuels. Jones had a big edge in experience and made a quick start putting Samuels down right at the beginning of the first round. It was not counted although it looked a genuine knockdown.  Jones never let Samuels get into the fight and had his young rival down three times. Samuels made it to his feet each time but with Samuels in trouble on the ropes the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight after the third knockdown. Jones, 30, a southpaw, is a former Welsh super welter champion and is on a good run with 5 wins in his last 6 fights. The tall 21-year-old Samuels was making the first defence of his Welsh crown but was having his first fight in a year and never got a chance to shake the rust. Dad Paul Samuels was Welsh super welter champion and challenged for both the British and IBO titles.

Ft McDowell, AZ, USA: Heavy: Billy Wright (47-4) W KO 1 Gilberto Domingos (22-3). Middle: Louis Rose (12-2-1) TKO 6 Milorad Zizic (11-1). Welter: Solomon Egberime (23-4-1) W PTS 8 Gerardo Cuevas (17-13).

Wright vs. Domingos

Predictable win for Wright over Brazilian with typically padded record. Body punches floor Domingos twice in less than two minutes. The 50-year Arizona-born Wright retains his WBC Latino and Fecarbox titles. Domingos, 29, was having his first fight for 13 months. Only two previous losses for Domingos and they speak louder than all of his 22 wins. He failed to last a round in December 2013 against Arnold Gjergiaj and was halted in three rounds by Reinaldo de Lima who had a 6-4 record. The WBC rate Wright a laughable No 16 which means he is just one place from being qualified to challenge for the WBC title. BoxRec have him at No 63 and the IBO at No 62 so there is some realism in the world.

Rose vs. Zizic

Zizic had won IBF Youth and WBC Mediterranean titles but was never in the fight against Rose who wins the vacant NABF Junior title. Rose is not a noted puncher so when he put Zizic down in the first that was a bad sign for the Montenegrin. The Californian repeated the dose in the third round but failed to close the fight out. In the sixth he put Zizic down for a third time and Zizic’s corner threw in the towel. Now four wins by KO/TKO for Rose who was coming off a first round kayo loss to Ievgen Khytrov in November so must have seemed a safe pick. Zizic will find things tougher in the USA than they were for him in Germany and Montenegro.

Egberime vs. Cuevas

Australia-based Nigerian Egberime gets a win as he returns from inactivity. The former Australian super light and welter champion boxed his way comfortably through the first seven rounds but then had to weather a late storm from Cuevas in the last. Scores 78-74 twice and 79-73. First fight for Egberime since losing a wide unanimous decision to Paul Spadafora in December 2012. Cuevas, 35, has the family name but that is all he inherited from dad Pipino. He has lost 5 of his last 6 fights.

Ontario, CA, USA: Welter: Andre Berto (30-3) W TKO 6 Josesito Lopez (33-7). Super Light: Miguel Vazquez (35-4) W PTS 10 Jerry Belmontes (19-6). Welter: Shawn Porter (25-1-1) W KO 5 Eric Bone (16-2). Heavy: Chris Arreola (36-4,1ND) W PTS 8 Curtis Harper (12-4). Heavy: Gerald Washington (16-0) W PTS 8 Jason Gavern (26-19-4). Super Bantam: Hanzel Martinez (22-2) W PTS 8 German Meraz (48-34-1,1ND).Super Welter: Oscar Molina (11-0) W TKO 5 Jose A Leal (9-7-1). Bantam: Tugstsogt Nyambayan (1-0) W KO 1 Gabriel Braxton (2-9).

Berto vs. Lopez

Important win for former WBC champion Berto which keeps his career alive but it was a struggle and some controversy over the ending. In a slow start Berto had his jab working early but Lopez was just as strong with his jab able to land some hooks and uppercuts and had the best of the opening exchanges. Lopez continued to find gaps and with Berto’s punching lacking accuracy it was the Mexican who was impressing. Berto increased his work rate in the fourth and fifth doubling his jab and getting home with some rights but still Lopez was matching him as they traded in some good exchanges. In the sixth Berto connected with a hard right cross. Lopez was sent sideways by it and Berto threw a series of punches with flew over the top of the head of Lopez but the next right crashed into the left side of Lopez’s chin and he went down on his back. Lopez got up and was ready to box on after the eight count. Berto went after him and landed a right high on the right side of Lopez’s head. Lopez went down with both hands and one knee on the canvas. He was immediately climbing to his feet but without even starting a count the referee stopped the fight.  Despite the controversy Berto was happy with his performance and after losing his title to Victor Ortiz  and slipping way down the pecking order with losses against Robert Guerrero and Jesus Soto Karass he must feel he is very much back in the mix. Lopez was naturally upset. He is a tough, durable fighter with Saul Alvarez and Marcos Maidana the only other fighters to beat him by KO/TKO. After the loss to Maidana in 2013 he had done some solid rebuilding with wins over Mike Aranoutis, Aaron Martinez (19-2-1) and Rafael Cobos so a set-back for the 30-year-old Riverside Rocky”.

Vazquez vs. Belmontes

Vazquez eases his way back with undemanding win over Texan Belmontes. The fight was too one-sided to be interesting. The former IBF light champion was able to control the fight with his jab and score freely with rights. Belmontes just never got into the fight he had to get close and Vazquez just gave him no opportunity to do so. Scores 99-91 twice and 98-92. First fight for Vazquez since losing his IBF title to Mickey Bey on a split decision exactly six months ago. Now the 26-year-old Mexican’s highest position is No 6 with the WBA and IBF so he has some way to go to get back into contention. Three losses in a row for “The Corpus Christi Kid” Belmontes and 4 in his last 5 fights. He beat Will Tomlinson and lost a split decision to Omar Figueroa for the WBC title but this was a flat performance.

Porter vs. Bone

Porter knocks out late substitute Bone. Porter struggled to impress early as his work was untidy and Bone was able to hold his own in the exchanges. Once Porter started to get his act together in the second Bone whilst willing to trade then struggled to stay with him. Porter had the better of the exchanges in the third and fourth. In the fifth Porter launched a series of punches that forced Bone back. As he retreated Bone went down and seemed to twist his knee. It was not counted as a knockdown but now Porter was looking to finish things. He took Bone to a corner and landed a salvo of body punches which sent Bone down. Bone got up but two hooks to the head put Bone down again and he could not beat the count. Now 16 wins by KO/TKO for the former IBF champion. As with Vazquez, the 27-year-old “Showtime” finds himself down in the IBF No 6 spot and with Kell Brook defending against Ionut Dan Ion he will have to be patient. Ecuadorian Bone, 26, came in at 24 hours’ notice after Roberto Garcia pulled out. A former South American champion Bone’s only other loss was a very controversial split decision defeat against Alberto Mosquera (19-0-2) in 2013 and he reestablished himself with four wins including victories over Francisco Figueroa and Mahonri Montes. Hopefully in taking this fight at such short notice he will be rewarded with some more work.

Arreola vs. Harper

Arreola wins but in a much harder fight than he expected or wanted. Harper showed no respect for the two time world title challenger and nearly paid the price. He came out firing in the first and racked Arreola with some meaty swipes. Never one to back away from a fight Arreola banged back and late in the round floored Harper with a huge right. Harper was up quickly and more rights from Arreola rocked him before the bell. The fight then settled down into an even match with Arreola still dangerous with his rights and Harper showing some good skills. In the fourth Harper again exploded with some hard punches having Arreola shaky with a combination at the start of the round and again at the end with Arreola seeming to have an injured hand.  Arreola was in danger of losing and he steady himself and used his superior experience to boss the next two rounds and then staged a strong finish over the final two rounds to earn the decision. A loss here would have been a disaster but in the end Arreola won on scores of 78-73, 77-74 and 76-75. Ten months out since his loss to Bermane Stiverne, carrying some surplus weight and the hand injury may have been the cause for Arreola making heavy weather of this but if he is to stay in the mix the 34-year-old “Nightmare” can’t afford any slips. Harper, 26, had never gone past six rounds and that told against him. After a loss in his first pro fight his only losses in his next 13 contests were to unbeaten fighters in Gerald Washington and Donovan Dennis and my feeling is he will be a busy man from now on after rocking Arreola.

Washington vs Gavern

“El Gallo Negro” Washington taken the distance by experienced journeyman Gavern. This one was entertaining but one-sided as Washington had Gavern down three times but could not keep him there and never really had Gavern in serious trouble. Scores 79-70 twice and 78-71. Only the third time Washington has gone past six rounds so Gavern does what he was paid to do but at 32 it must be time for the 6’6” (198cm) former USC football player to move up to better opposition than journeymen. Gavern, 37, lost inside the distance to Deontay Wilder and Chinese hope Zhang Junlong and there are plenty of heavyweight hopefuls to keep him in work.

Martinez vs. Meraz

Martinez was the aggressor throughout in this one and perhaps that plus more accuracy is what swung the judges his way in an entertaining fight. Meraz is an experienced if losing fighter and he was effective with counters against the ever charging Martinez. Both fighters showed a willingness to trade with not a lot between them but Martinez picking his shots better and being the busier. Scores 79-73 twice and 78-74. Martinez, the 23-year-old Mexican “Rude Boy” ran up 19 wins before losing to tough opposition in Alejandro Gonzalez in early 2013 and Alexis Santiago in February 2014. He took eleven months out and this is his second win since returning. Meraz was having his second fight in twelve days and is 2-6 in his last 8.

Molina vs. Leal

Olympian Molina makes it 9 wins by KO/TKO as he slowly winds up before halting late selection Leal. Molina took a couple of rounds to really get into his stride which allowed Leal some space to be competitive. Once Molina did get going he had too much class and power for the Mexican and chopped away at him until dropping him with a left hook in the third which prompted Leal’s corner to throw in the towel. The 25-year-old Californian-born Molina represented Mexico at the 2012 Olympics and also won a silver medal at the Pan American Games for them. Leal came in at short notice and now has 7 losses by KO/TKO.

Nyambayan vs. Braxton

Brief first pro fight for Al Haymon’s Mongolian. Nyambayan takes 2:10 of the first round to kayo Braxton. The 22-year-old “King Tug” is a former World Championships and 2012 Olympic silver medal winner so has good amateur credentials. Seven losses in his last eight fights for Braxton.

Tampa, FL, USA: Bantam: Ricardo Rodriguez (11-2) W RTD 7 Jonathan Vidal (18-4). Super Light: Sergey Lipinets (6-0) W TKO 9 Cosme Rivera (37-20-3). 10

Rodriguez vs. Vidal

Rodriguez continues his good run and springs an upset as he batters once promising Vidal to defeat. Rodriguez just kept pressing Vidal until the Puerto Rican cracked. Rodriguez had Vidal down in the fifth and was in control in the sixth and seventh with Vidal’s corner pulling their man out of the fight at the end of the round. The 25-year-old Rodriguez adds the vacant WBC Latino title to the WBC Fecarbox title he already holds. He has won 9 of his last 10 fights. “Pitbull” Vidal, 25, won his first 17 fights but is 1-4 in his last 5 and this is his second inside the distance defeat in a row.

Lipinets vs. Rivera

Russian Lipinets wins the vacant WBC Latino title as he erodes the resistance of former world title challenger for a late stoppage. Lipinets was just too young, strong and quick for the durable veteran and after he floored Rivera in the ninth the fight was stopped. Lipinets has gone 7, 8 and now 9 rounds in his last three fights, winning each by KO/TKO so the 25-year-old former world champion at full contact MMA is getting in some useful learning fights. Mexican Rivera, 38, is 2-6 in his last 8 fights as he moves towards journeyman status.

Westbury, NY, USA: Middle: Antoine Douglas (17-0-1) W TKO 6 Tom Lamanna (16-1). Light: Ismael Barroso (17-0-2) W TKO 6 Issouf Kinda (17-3). Super Middle: Jerry Odom (13-1,1ND) W TKO 1 Andrew Hernandez (8-1-1,1ND).

Douglas vs. Lamanna

Douglas emphasised the gap in class here as he floored Lamanna three times on his way to a stoppage. Douglas was the quicker and stronger with the better technique and bossed the fight. He chipped away at Lamanna breaking down his resistance and by the end of the fifth the stage was set for the finish. A sharp set of punches saw Lamanna go down. He did not look badly hurt but the right/ left hook combination that caused the next knockdown had Lamanna in deep trouble. He got to his feet but when he was put down again the fight was over. ”Action” Douglas, 22, wins the vacant WBA Fedelatin title and has 11 wins by KO/TKO.  Lamanna, 23, just could not make that step up in opposition but will regroup.

Barroso vs. Kinda

Barroso the aggressor and Kinda boxing. In the third a clash of heads opened a cut over the right eye of Barroso. The fourth saw heads bump again with Barroso suffering a worse gash. He survived a doctor’s inspection and then proceeded to dismantle Kinda. The Burkina Faso-born Kinda was under pressure and soaked up some heavy head shots. At the bell Kinda said he had trouble with his vision and retired. Since turning pro in 2006 the 32-year-old Barroso has travelled around fighting in his home country and also in Panama, Mexico, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.  He wins both the interim WBO NABO title and the interim NABA belt. He has won 12 of his last 13 fights by KO/TKO. “Volcano” Kinda has now lost 3 of his last 4. After a good win over Mike Aranoutis he has stumbled to defeat against good level opposition in Chris Howard and Jeremey Bryan

Odom vs. Hernandez

Odom corrects his “rush of blood to the head” loss as he brushes aside Hernandez. Last time they met Odom floored Hernandez in the fourth round and kept punching when Hernandez was down and was disqualified. This time he stunned Hernandez with a right to the head and then rained in punches until the referee stopped the fight. The tall 22-year-old multi-titled amateur, “The King’s Son” has 12 wins by KO/TKO and is a real talent. Hernandez out of his depth.

Bangkok, Thailand: Light: Amin Sor Wangmoo (11-1-1) W KO 3 Smile Brown (6-20-1). Super Fly: Eaktawan (8-0) W TKO 3 Ardi Tefa (6-4).

Amin vs. Brown

Easy win for Amin as he uses body attack to beat down Indonesian loser. Not a great deal of action in the first round and what there was was  coming from Amin in the form of long right leads and right hooks to the body against the Indonesian southpaw. In the second Amin was able to slot home hooks and uppercuts through the porous defence of Smile with very little coming back. In the third Amin finally got a well-deserved warning to keep his punches up. He then drove Smile across the rings to Smile’s own corner with a series of 6 or 7 body punches and Smile went down on his back and was still there at the count of ten. Now 9 wins by KO/TKO for Amin who retains the WBA Asian title. The 35-year-old Brown now has 14 losses and a draw in his last 15 fights.

Eakatawn vs. Tefa

Eakatawn has no trouble with Indonesian novice Tefa. The first round saw Tefa lunging forward with wild swings and Eakatawn either blocking or ducking before scoring with some hard left hooks to the body at the end of the round. Tefa was even wilder in the second swinging and missing with twelve consecutive swipes with Eakatawn having difficulty finding room to counter. In the third Tefa was just walking forward with a wide open defence and launching punches that had the audience in the back row ducking. Eakatawn landed one left hook to the head that put Tefa down on his hands and knees and he was counted out there. Six wins in a row by KO/TKO for Eakatawn. This may also have been a WBA Asian title but not sure. It was pitiful to see how much of a raw novice Tefa is and frightening to think that in the space of two months between November last year and January he was put in the ring with former world title challenger Denver Cuello and former WBC champion Srisaket .

March 14

Las Parejas, Argentina: Super Feather: Jonathan V Barros (39-4-1) W TKO 6 Sergio E Gonzalez (27-1-4,1ND). Barros retains the interim WBC Latino title as he floors challenger Gonzalez three times. Barros had Gonzalez down in the second and third rounds but Gonzalez fought back strongly. The end came in the sixth as two right hooks to the chin and a cross to the side of the head put Gonzalez down for the third time and the towel came flying in from the corner of Gonzalez. The 31-year-old “Yoni” a former secondary WBA champion fell away after losing his title to Celestino Caballero in 2011and suffering defeats in 2012 against Juan Carlos Salgado for the IBF title and to Mikey Garcia. He returned to the winning column in 2013 and this is his fifth win since then. Southpaw Gonzalez, 36 is a former Argentinian champion. He loses by KO/TKO for the 9^th time.

Charleroi, Belgium: Feather: Alex Miskirtchian (25-3-1) W PTS 8 Michael Escobar (7-13). Heavy: Herve Hubeaux (20-1) W KO 1 Laszlo Hubert (40-16). Cruiser: Ryad Marhy (14-0) W TKO 5 Bjoem Blaschke (9-5-1).

Miskirtchian vs. Escobar

Former undefeated European champion Miskirtchian returns with a win. It was not all plain sailing for Miskirtchian as Escobar proved a more than useful opponent and the Armenian had to cope with a sore right hand and by the end of the fight there was some damage around his left eye. However for his first fight since losing to Evgeny Gradovich for the IBF title in May this unanimous decision gave him useful rounds in the bank. Scores 79-73 twice and 77-75. The WBC No 9/IBF 10(9) will be looking to get back the European title he relinquished to concentrate on his challenge Gradovich. Eleven losses in a row for Nicaraguan Escobar but only two losses by KO/TKO so when engaged to fight the local he does what is expected and required.

Hubeaux vs. Hubert

Not a noted puncher Hubeaux gets his quickest win for a very long time. The tall young Belgian took only 53 seconds to blast out Hungarian Hubert. Eight wins in a row for Hubeaux and he has reversed the only defeat on his record but the WBC Youth champion may struggle as the opposition gets tougher. Hubert, 39, moves to 14 losses by KO/TKO.

Marhy vs. Blaschke

Young puncher Marhy just could be the best prospect in Belgium right now. The 22-year-old had no trouble in halting German Blaschke in five rounds. The Ivory Coast-born 22-year-old goes to 13 wins by KO/TKO. He is yet to have to go past the fifth round for a victory. Blaschke is 1-4-1 in his last 6 fights.

Montreal, Canada: Light Heavy: Sergey Kovalev (27-0-1) W TKO 8 Jean Pascal (29-3-1,1ND). Heavy: Vyacheslav Glazkov (20-0-1) W PTS 12 Steve Cunningham (28-7). Light Heavy: Isaac Chilemba (24-2-2) W PTS 10 Vasily Lepikhin (17-1). Light: Dierry Jean (28-1) W KO 3 Carlos M Reyes (25-4-1). Light Heavy: Nadjib Mohammedi (37-3) W TKO 6 Lee Campbell (8-2). Welter: Dmitry Mikhaylenko (19-0) W TKO 5 Felipe De La Paz Teniente (15-4-2).

Kovalev vs. Pascal

In an impressive show of power punching Kovalev crushes Pascal in eight rounds. The Russian had his jab working early picking up the points with Pascal looking dangerous with a succession of hooks but was also a bit wayward with his accuracy. A left from Pascal landed at the start of the second round only for Kovalev to get through with a straight right later which momentarily had Pascal rocked. There were some torrid exchanges in the third with Pascal again catching the eye with a right only for Kovalev to thud home a left which again had Pascal hurt. They then traded shots and a right from Kovalev sent Pascal down half way through the ropes. It was the first time Pascal had been knocked down in his career and after the completion of the eight count he had to survive a ferocious attack from Kovalev. They continued to exchange hard punches in the fourth with Kovalev having more power but Pascal finding gaps to get through with his rights. Surprisingly Kovalev’s intensity seemed to drop in the fifth and sixth with Pascal countering the Russian’s attacks with left hooks and rights. Despite this success Pascal was having to fight hard to stay with Kovalev who it was apparent had the greater power. The power was telling again as the seventh progressed with Kovalev thudding home heavy shots and eroding the resistance of Pascal. A series of punches in the eighth had Pascal on unsteady legs. As Kovalev moved in to try to finish it he slipped on some water and fell down. The referee stopped the fight to give him time to get up and during this break it could be seen that Pascal had very little left. Kovalev resumed his attack and landed two huge rights which was enough for the referee and he stepped in and stopped the fight. Pascal protested the stoppage but Kovalev was 68-64 up on all three cards and he was getting stronger whilst Pascal was getting weaker. A timely stoppage. The 31-year-old Kovalev retains the WBO title for the fifth time and makes the first defence of the WBA and IBF titles he won with his victory over Bernard Hopkins in November. It would be nice to think that the former World Military champion was going to meet WBC champion Adonis Stevenson in a unifier but there is no guarantee it will happen. Meanwhile Kovalev goes to 23 wins by KO/TKO. Former WBC And IBO champion Pascal, 32, was unhappy with the stoppage which will almost certainly mean he harbours no thoughts of retirement. He is still a world class fighter and can be a gatekeeper for Kovalev and Stevenson although he would not thank me for the suggestion.

Cunningham vs. Glazkov

If this was an eliminator then both fighters were eliminated. Glazkov received a controversial decision in a fight that never really caught fire. Cunningham was quicker and busier than the Ukrainian and built a substantial lead over the first six rounds. His rights had Glazkov marked under his left eye and Glazkov was throwing single punches and allowing Cunningham to pocket rounds After the sixth Cunningham seemed to tire. He opened a cut over the right eye of the Ukrainian and had some success in the ninth as he dislodged Glazkov’s gum shield but his work rate dropped over the second half of the fight and he did more holding. Those factors combined with some heavy rights from the Ukrainian allowed Glazkov to do enough to convince the judges to give him the verdict even though Cunningham certainly threw and landed more punches but it seems that Glazkov’s punches were harder and more eye-catching. Scores 116-112 twice and 115-113. The 30-year-old Ukrainian “Czar” is the top rated fighter with the IBF at No 2 as the No 1 spot is vacant. However with Cunningham rated No 4 (3) that means that Glazkov has beaten a top 15 fighter (finally) so can go to the mandatory spot as challenger to Wlad Klitschko. He is just too slow and his defence too leaky to stand a chance with Wlad. Mind you he has had some very lucky breaks with controversial decisions so if he goes the distance who knows? At 38 Cunningham’s time is running out. He did a good job of rebounding from losses to Tomasz Adamek and Tyson Fury with wins against Manuel Quezada and Amir Mansour but this loss knocks him back again.

Chilemba vs. Lepikhin

“The Professor” Lepikhin gets a lesson from Chilemba on how tough it is at the top. The tall 6’3 ½” Russian had been able to use his physical advantages to intimidate and overwhelm the opposition but that did not work with the strong, experienced fighter from Malawi. Both scored with some good punches over the first two rounds but Lepikhin began to lose heart when Chilemba started bullying him and Lepikhin was unable to keep Chilemba away or dent his chin. With each round Lepikhin seemed to become more discouraged and he went into survival mode with Chilemba simply beating him up and bossing the fight with Lepikhin unable or unwilling to do anything about it. In the end it was an embarrassingly easy win for Chilemba. Scores 99-91 twice and 100-90. The 27-year-old Malawi “Golden Boy” has wins over Max Vlasov and Denis Grachev, a draw with Thomas Oosthuizen and a draw and loss in two very close fights with Brit Tony Bellew. He is rated WBC 2/WBO 6/IBF 7 so a fight with Adonis Stevenson would seem his likeliest option. Lepikhin, 29, had looked great in beating Robert Berridge and Jackson Junior but they are a rank below Chilemba and Lepikhin might be better at cruiser.

Jean vs. Reyes

Jean makes successful return to the ring as he takes a big step in his fight against his well publicised problems with alcohol and gambling. After an understandably hesitant start

the Haitian-born Canadian dominated the first two rounds and then put the much smaller Reyes down in the third with a straight right and a couple of complimentary short hooks. Reyes got up but Jean went after him again and a couple hooks got through to the body with the last landed via a left hook putting Reyes down on his hands and knees and the referee waived the fight off with no count needed. Now 32, Jean lost on points to Lamont Peterson for the IBF title in January last year and then came back with two inside the distance wins. His out of ring problems then led to a spell in rehab but he looked back to good form here. After losing on points to Nicholas Walters in 2009 Reyes ran up 11 wins and a draw before losing to Canadian Logan McGuinness in December 2012.  He was then inactive until January last year and was 2-1 in three fight in 2014 with the loss being to rated Mexican Miguel Berchelt in four rounds. The only other time Reyes has failed to last the distance.

Mohammedi vs. Campbell

The intent here was to showcase Mohammedi as a future opponent for Kovalev as he is the IBF No 1. Unfortunately Campbell was no real test. The Frenchman was too quick and slick. Boxing on the back foot in the first he peppered Campbell with jabs and landed quick combinations constantly changing punch angles with Campbell just throwing hopeful rights. Campbell scored with a left to the chin early in the second and boxed more cautiously but Mohammedi was dazzling him by tripling his jab and throwing 4 of 5 punch combinations. In the third Mohammedi moved onto the front foot and for the whole three minutes he slotted and slammed punches through Campbell’s guard. If there was a criticism it was that there was no body work all head shots. It was the same in the fourth with a dispirited Campbell just walking into to punch after punch. With Mohammedi going for quantity and not setting himself there were plenty of punches but with minimum leverage. The fight could and should have been stopped in the fifth as Campbell was battered around the ring taking head punch after head punch. He was bravely still trying to go forward but it was now a massacre. The fight was finally stopped in the sixth with Campbell trapped in a corner and Mohammedi just unloading punch after punch. The former French and WBFed champion lost in two rounds to Nathan Cleverly for the interim WBO title in 2010 and to Dmitry Sukhotsky in two round in 2011. Since then he has won 13 fights on the bounce, 11 inside the distance with Hakim Chioui, Olek Cherviak and Anatoliy Dudchenko the only recognisable names in that run. The 30-year-old sets a tremendous work rate letting his hands go with speed and accuracy but for the number of punches he landed he should have been able to end this in two or three rounds. It is also unusual to see a world rated fighter without a body attack. He is not liable to be a big threat to Kovalev. Campbell showed too much courage and both the referee and his corner should have pulled him out in the fifth round. His other loss was against Sullivan Barrera in June when Barrera had to climb off the floor to kayo Campbell in the sixth.

Mikhaylenko vs. Teniente

“The Mechanic” gets an inside the distance win. Mikhaylenko had Teniente down in the first from a selection of punches to head and body but could not finish things then. It meant another four round of pain for Teniente with Mikhaylenko working him over and generally brutalising him. The Mexican considered that he had suffered enough for one night and retired in the interval between the fifth and sixth rounds. The 28-year-old Mikhaylenko has wins over Sechew Powell and Ronald Cruz so this was a step down just to keep busy. “El Cubano” Teniente now has three losses by KO/TKO. He had been 6-2-2 in his previous 10 fights but no disgrace in the losses to Brit Adam Etches and Silverio Ortiz.

Ballerup, Denmark: Super Middle: Patrick Nielsen (24-1) W TKO 8 George Tahdooahnippah (34-2-2). Super Middle: Tim-Robin Lihaug (11-1) W TKO 2 Slavisa Simeunovic (16-11). Father: Dennis Ceylan (134-0-1) W PTS 10 Dmitry Kirilov (31-6-1). Heavy: Otto Wallin (10-0) W KO 2 David Gegeshidze (14-8-1).Heavy: Kevin Lerena (11-1) W PTS 6 Igor Pylypenko (4-20-2).

Nielsen vs. Tahdooahnippah

Nielsen moves up to super middle and gets easy win over Tahdooahnippah.Nielsen was able to outbox Tahdooahnippah over the first two rounds before cutting loose in the third. A southpaw left put Tahdooahnippah down on his knees clearly badly hurt. He made it to his feet and retreated to a corner where Nielsen tried hard to end the fight but failed. From that point on Tahdooahnippah was looking only to survive. “Comanche Boy” spent a lot of time with his back to the ropes whilst Nielsen pounded away well on top but not able to put Tahdooahnippah away. At the end of the seventh round Tahdooahnippah was finished and retired. Nielsen wins the vacant WBA International title. Second win for the young Dane as he rebuilds after losing to Dmitry Chudinov for the interim WBA middle title in June. The 36 year-old Tahdooahnippah’s impressive statistics built on low level opposition back home in Oklahoma and on his only other fight outside the State he was halted in six rounds by Delvin Rodriguez.

Lihaug vs. Simeunovic

Lihaug halts poor Simeunovic in two. After a first round devoid of highlights Lihaug landed a left which put Simeunovic on the floor and the towel came floating in a short while later. The 22-year-old Norwegian has 7 wins in a row and 6 wins by KO/TKO. He was unimpressive in only winning on a split decision against Farouk Daku in his last fight and Simeunovic was too inept to provide any opportunity to shine. Simeunovic, a 35-year-old German-based fighter from B & H now has 10 losses by KO/TKO.

Ceylan vs. Kirilov

Nice win for Ceylan as he gets the experience of ten rounds under his belt. He made a very sharp start. He had height and reach over the experienced Russian and made good use of his jab and straight rights with Kirilov trying unsuccessfully to find a home for his left hook. The fourth was closer and Kirilov had a good fifth as he increased his pace and was able to close with Ceylan more.  The fifth was Kirilov’s best to that point as he was forcing his way inside where he could nullify Ceylan’s jab. Kirilov also took the sixth with Ceylan now fighting Kirilov’s fight by standing in close and trading. It looked as though the fight had turned in Kirilov’s favour with Ceylan getting into unexplored territory over the last two laps. However Ceylan went back to his boxing and worked his way to a clear win. Scores 100-90, 98-92 and 97-93. The 26-year-old Danish Olympian is making steady progress after looking ordinary in a split draw with Cris Montilla last year. Kirilov, 36, a former IBF super fly champion, was inactive form August 2008 until returning in May2013. He is now 2-2 on his return and was coming off an eighth round retirement loss against Marco McCullough for the WBO European title in September.

Wallin vs. Gegeshidze

Wallin gifted an easy win to pad his record but no satisfaction in the win over an overweight and out of condition opponent. The crowd must have been happy when Wallin floored Gegeshidze late in the second round and the referee did not even bother to count. The 24-year-old Swedish southpaw has 8 wins by KO/TKO and has won his last 5 fights that way but he faced nothing here. Gegeshidze had lost to Hughie Fury and Steffen Kretschmann and had even managed to find a win outside Georgia, but had to go to China to find it.

Ahlin vs. Gaona

Swedish “Golden Boy” Ahlin makes it 10 wins by KO/TKO. A stunning right floored Gaona and although he made it to his feet He was put down by a left. Again Gaona got up but he was finished and the fight was stopped. No real test for Ahlin but he got the job done quickly. Gaona had been knocked out inside a round by David Lemieux in 2012 but more recently had been demolished in a round by Eamonn O’Kane in April and then beaten Steve Franjic in Canada in three rounds in November.

Lerena vs. Pylypenko

South African southpaw Lerena wins on points over spoiler Pylypenko. Lerena was always winning the fight but apart from a brief period in the fourth when Pylypenko was badly shaken he never really looked likely to stop the very tall Ukrainian. Pylypenko did not have the skills to make full use of his height 6’5” (195cm) so spent much of the time just spoiling and tying Lerena up inside. Scores 60-53 twice and 59-54. Lerena, 22, lost to Johnny Muller in November so although this was not pretty it was a win. The 41-year-old Pylypenko is a dismal 1-19-1 in his last 21 fights.

Charleville-Mezieres, France: Light Heavy: Igor Mikhalkin (16-1) W KO 9 Hakim Chioui (30-4-1). Russian Mikhalkin retains the European title as he proves too strong for French challenger Chioui. Fighting in front of his local fans Chioui gave them some hope by making a good start. He took the fight to Mikhalkin and by the end of the third the Russian’s face was marking up and a bad swelling had developed below the champions left eye. The fourth saw a dramatic and eventually decisive change as a counter shot from Mikhalkin put Chioui down. The Frenchman survived and for a while in the fifth looked to be getting back into the fight but in the sixth a shot to the head put Chioui down for the second time. He recovered and went from aggression to countering in the seventh and eighth. Mikhalkin ended it in the ninth with a fierce right/left combination which saw Chioui fall face down and out.  The German-based 29-year-old Russian southpaw was making the first defence of his European title and gets his 9^th win by KO/TKO. He is rated No 8 by the IBF and would be a tough proposition for many of those rated above him. Former undefeated French Chioui, 29, won his first 13 fights by KO/TKO but then went on to lose twice inside the distance to Jonathan Profichet and was stopped by Nadjib Mohammedi in April 2013. Five wins in a row since then rebuilt his confidence but Mikhalkin just punched too hard for him.

Stuttgart, Germany: Heavy: Erkan Teper (14-0) W PTS 12 Johann Duhaupas (31-2). Teper wins the vacant European Union with unanimous verdict over Duhaupas. This was a slow paced fight with Teper trundling forward behind Duhaupas a high guard and Duhaupas stabbing out a jab and thumping rights to the body Teper was only really effective on the inside where he could land short chopping blows. There was nothing elegant about it as Teper was holding and leaning on Duhaupas trying to tire him and the Frenchman was warned for pushing the German off with his should. With Duhaupas leaning to his right in the clinches many of Teper’s rights were curving round the Frenchman’s head and landing in the back of his head but Teper was not warned. As Teper kept trundling forward Duhaupas looked arm weary and there were too many clinches and it became too much of a waltz and Teper finally lost a point for pushing in the ninth. Teper was outworking Duhaupas over the closing rounds but with so little clean action it was hard to score. In the decision went to Teper on scores of 116-112 twice and 115-112 but it was a poor fight. The 32-year-old German, a former undefeated EU champion, wins the vacant IBF Inter-Continental tile. He is the official challenger to Tyson Fury for the EBU title. He is 6’5” (195cm) and built like a bull and that bullish strength is his biggest asset. Whether it will be enough at a higher level remains to be seen. Duhaupas, 34, also a former EU champion and also 6’5” (195cm) is a bit slimmer. He boxes with his left at thigh level and here he just lacked the strength to keep Teper out.

Cegled, Hungary: Cruiser: Imre Szello (5-0) W TKO 3 Shalva Jomardashvili (40-12-2). Super Bantam: Zsolt Bedak (24-1) W DISQ 6 Arnoldo Solano (14-5). Light Heavy: Richard Baranyi (10-0) W TKO 2 Rastislav Kovac (27-21-1).

Szello vs Jomardashvili

Szello gets win as a bad cut forces the fight to be stopped in the third. Jomardashvili is a rotund figure and was conceding a lot in height and reach to the local fighter. Szello boxed his way comfortable through the first round with Jomardashvili advancing slowly behind a high guard but not throwing a real punch in the round. Both were warned. Szello for a low punch and Jomardashvili for holding. The pattern was the same in the second with Szello using his jab and quick flurries and Jomardashvili just trundling forward throwing wild and wide shots. Close to the end of the round Szello landed a right to the chin of Jomardashvili and the Georgian fighter went down. His nose was bleeding heavily and he almost reluctantly got up at nine. The bell went and curiously Jomardashvili’s seconds stayed outside the rope and no stool was put in the corner with Jomardashvili himself using a towel to wipe the blood from his nose. In the third Jomardashvili came out swinging wild shots there was a clash of heads and Szello also landed a right so as a bad cut opened over the left eye of Jomardashvili it was difficult to tell what caused it. Szello landed a couple more shots and with the blood running into his eye Jomardashvili stepped away from the action and the referee stopped the fight with Szello the winner. The 31-year-old, fighting in the town of his birth, makes it three wins by KO/TKO. A former bronze medal winner at European Cadet, Junior and Senior level and Olympic and World Championships representative he has turned pro very late so has to move quickly. Jomardashvili, 28, is a winner at home and a loser away as with most Georgian fighters.

Bedak vs. Solano

Bedak wins as Nicaraguan Solano is throw out for not fighting. Bedak was walking Solano down from the outset with Solano showing plenty of speed circling the ring but little else. He was clinging on whenever Bedak tried to work inside and got a warning for it in  the second round. It was frustrating for Bedak as Solano just did not want to fight. The experienced Hungarian tried standing still with his hands down but nothing interested Solano and he clung like a limpet whenever Bedak tried to work inside. In the sixth for two minutes the Nicaraguan just ran and ran without throwing a single punch and the referee stopped the “fight” and disqualified Solano for his lack of effort. “Mr Left Hook” Bedak, 31, the WBO European champion, is rated No 3 by the WBO for holding their European title. He lost in a challenge to Wilfredo Vazquez for the same WBO title in 2010 but was then out of the ring for almost three years and this is his eighth win as he rebuilds. Back in 2004 at the Olympics he beat Abner Mares. First fight outside Nicaragua for Solano and perhaps his last after this farce.

Baranyi vs. Kovac

The tall, slim Baryani had nothing in front of him in Slovakian Kovac and in the first was able to score with his jabs and thump home some body punches to the ample middle of Kovac. I t was no contest and two right hooks floored Kovac in the second. When he got up he tried to throw some slapped rights but as he trundled forward the retreating Baryani landed seven successive rights to the body with Kovac slumping to the floor and the referee just waived the mismatch over. Now eight wins by KO/TKO for the 24-year-old Baryani who will rarely have an easier win. Czech-based Kovac now has 14 losses by KO/TKO.

Siena, Italy: Super Welter: Orlando Fiordigiglio (21-0) W PTS 6 Achilles Szabo (14-9). Just a light workout for Fiordigiglio. The EU champion won every round as southpaw Szabo decided early that he was going to go the full six rounds so showing some good moves and occasionally landing a sharp left hook. Other than that Fiordigiglio slowed his pace in the fourth and then got serious over the last two but had settle for a unanimous decision. This was really just some work for the 30-year-old in preparation for his title defence against Frenchman Cedric Vitu who will be a much tougher opponent. Hungarian Szabo usually goes the distance.

Tijuana, Mexico: Feather: Fernando Montiel (54-4-2) W PTS 10 Rogelio Jun Doliguez (19-3-2). Super Bantam: Juan Carlos Sanchez (20-3-1) W PTS 10 Luis Melendez (41-10-1). Super Fly: Hernan Marquez (38-5-1) W TKO 3 Roberto Lopez (31-27-1).Super Light: Fernando Carcamo (18-6) W TKO 2 Francisco Guzman (3-7-1). Light Daniel Echevarria (17-0) W TKO 3 Omar Estrella (19-8-2).

Montiel vs. Doliguez

Montiel outclasses Filipino but southpaw Doliguez climbs off the floor a couple of times to last the distance. Montiel almost made it an early night as he landed a hard left hook in the first round which dumped Doliguez on the floor. The Filipino was up but shaken and a series of punches bounced him into the ropes and down for a second time. Doliguez managed to get up and stay there to the bell. Montiel looked to have scored another knockdown late in the second but there was a bit of pushing involved so the referee did not count it. Doliguez was managing to get a small foothold in the fight and staggered Montiel with a left but Montiel also shook Doliguez with a right to the chin. The Filipino was getting dangerous with his head and lost a point in the seventh and it was a hazard Montiel had to navigate for the remainder of the fight. Montiel battered away at Doliguez in the ninth and tenth but Doliguez stood up to the punishment and made it to the final bell. Scores 99-98 from all three judges. The 36-year-old former WBO super fly and bantam and WBC bantam champion is looking for a shot at the feather title but right now his only rating in that division is No 14  (13) with the IBF so plenty of work to do.

The 23-year-old “Hercules” Doliguez has never lost inside the distance and was unbeaten in his first 20 fights but was coming off a technical decision loss  to fellow-countryman Dennis Tubieron in September.

Sanchez vs. Melendez

Sanchez uses his height and reach to outscore experienced Colombian in a battle of southpaws. The former IBF super fly champion was able to box on the outside for most of the time keeping Melendez on the end of his jab and scoring with hard right hooks. Those hooks eventually closed the left eye of Melendez and the skill of Sanchez and that handicap were too much for Melendez to overcome. Melendez had some success with counters but generally Sanchez controlled the fight and boxed his way to a wide unanimous decision. Scores 100-90 twice and 99-91. The 24-year-old Mexican lost his IBF title on the scales when he failed to make the weight for a title defence in November 2013 and was stopped by Tete in the tenth round. This was his first fight since that loss. He is now going to look for a shot at a title at bantamweight. Melendez, 35, a former WBO super fly title challenger who lost in title fights to Fernando Montiel in 2007 and to Joseph Agbeko for the IBO bantam title in 2013 had run up 7 wins in action back in Colombia.

Marquez vs. Lopez

Down the card in a six round fight former WBA fly champion Marquez gets a needed win. If you are only as good as your last fight then Marquez was in trouble as in his last fight he has fought a split draw with Ricardo Roman a guy with a 9-5-2 record. “Tyson” came out in his usual aggressive style with Lopez presenting some problems as he launched punches from a variety of angles to try to blunt the attacks of Marquez. It did not work and Marquez just kept pressing and pressing and targeting the body. In the third a body punch floored Lopez. He got up but was floored again and although capable of fighting on the referee stopped the fight to avoid Lopez suffering any more punishment. That’s 27 wins by KO/TKO for 26-year-old Marquez. He lost his WBA title to WBO champion Brian Viloria in a unification match in 2012 and also suffered inside the distance losses to Giovani Segura and McJoe Arroyo which saw him banished from the ratings. “Tyson” faces a long road back now.

Carcamo vs. Guzman

Southpaw Carcamo halts Guzman in the second. The 2014 ESPN Boxcino finalist had Guzman in trouble early in the first with some left hooks. Guzman survived that onslaught but in the second a right hook opened a cut on the left eyelid of Guzman and the doctor decided it was too dangerous for Guzman to continue. “El Guerrero Yanqi”  Carcamo, 24, already had a win over Vicente Escobedo before going on to make a good impression in the Boxcino where he halted unbeaten Samuel Kotey Neequaye and Miguel Gonzalez before falling to the talented Petr Petrov in the final in May. After almost ten months out of the ring this win gets him the vacant NABA  and the interim WBO NABO titles but now he needs to be more active. Guzman really just a prelim fighter who has lost 4 of his last 5 fights.

Echevarria vs. Estrella

Southpaw Echevarria continues his winning ways with a victory over useful Estrella. Echevarria’s attacks were too much for the Tijuana fighter and he retired at the end of the third round.. Echevarria has 15 wins by KO/TKO. A win over Estrella was no certainty as Estrella had beaten Alan Herrera and Joksan Hernandez and in his last fight went twelve rounds with Armando Robles.

Naucalpan, Mexico: Bantam: Julio Ceja (29-1) W PTS 10 Oscar Blanquet (32-10-1). Light Heavy: Marco A Periban (21-3-1) W PTS 6 Octavio Castro (16-15-2)

Ceja easily wins the contest between two former world title challengers going in opposite directions. Over the opening three rounds Ceja had to work hard to keep out the pressing Blanquet. Ceja’s power came into play in the fourth as he staggered Blanquet with a left and right to the chin and then bombarded Blanquet with head punches which had him on the verge of going down. Blanquet survived and was back in the fight in the fifth. Ceja exploded again in the sixth with Blanquet again on the ropes and in deep trouble. Ceja took a breather in the seventh but was in full flow in the eighth and Blanquet was taking a real beating but the referee let the punishment continue until the bell saved Blanquet. Ceja tried to finish it over the last two rounds but a gutsy Blanquet made it to the final bell. Scores 98-92 twice and 98-93. Still only 22 Ceja’s only loss was a by a majority decision against Jamie McDonnell for the vacant IBF title in May 2013 and this is his fifth win since then. He is rated IBF 4(2)/WBC 4/WBO 8 and will be a champion one day, perhaps in 2016. Blanquet, 29, is now based in Japan. He lost on points to Akira Yaegashi for the WBC flyweight title in 2013 and was halted in two rounds by Roman Gonzalez in the same year. He has now lost 6 fights in a row.

Periban vs. Castro

Periban started his rebuilding here in a low level way with a points win over Castro. The former WBC super-middle title challenger used his better skills to outbox his southpaw opponent. Castro was willing to walk forward and trade but the classic straight left, right cross saw Periban comfortably controlling the action and winning every round. Scores 60-54 from all three officials. The 30-year-old Mexican is trying to rebound from seeing a promising run of 20 wins in a row collapse with a loss to Sakio Bika for the vacant WBC title, a draw with Badou Jack and defeats against J’Leon Love and James DeGale. No longer world rated he needs to gamble in some big fights to get another chance. Castro, 32, is now 0-3-1 in his last four fights but all against good opposition.

Lubin, Poland: Heavy: Mariusz Wach (30-1) W PTS 10 Gbenga Oluokun (19-11). Light Heavy; Robert Parzeczewski (8-0) W PTS 8 Farouk Daku (18-8-1). Light Heavy: Michal Gerlecki (10-0) W TKO 4 Stejpan Bozic (29-11).

Wach vs. Oluokun

Third win for Pole Wach since his return to the ring. The 6’7 ½” (202cm) Pole had huge height and reach advantages in this one and was comfortable as long as he was able to use the straight left/ straight right shots to keep Oluokun out. That worked in the first round but the Nigerian had some success in close at the end of the second as he was a bit quicker than Wach and proved able to get under the Poles punches. Wach rarely deviated from the left/right plan but from the fifth he seemed to tire allowing Oluokun to work in close. Wach went back to basics in the eighth and ninth and although his work rate dropped he was still outscoring Oluokun who was also tired and not attacking so frequently. The last round saw the best action of the fight as with both fighters exhausted. Wach ignored his jab and they traded some hefty punches to the bell with the Nigerian finishing the stronger. Scores 97-92, 97-93 and 98-94. A more entertaining fight than it promised to be as the North Bergan-based “Viking” was pushed hard by an Oluokun who can still be dangerous even if he is on the slippery slope to nowhere. The 35-year-old Wach is hoping for a fight with Tyson Fury as he sees that as another chance for a world title shot after losing so clearly on points against Wlad Klitschko in 2012. Oluokun, 31, has gone from 16 wins in a row to 3-11   in his last 14 fights and seems to have accepted the cloak of a traveling looser.

Parzeczewski vs. Daku

The Polish “Arab Parzeczewski outboxes Ugandan southpaw Daku. The Pole had the edge in skills but a willing Daku had come to fight and he made things tough for the light-punching Pole. Daku kept forcing the fight and although never really threatening to turn things around he was much more competitive than the scores suggest. The official’s cards had it 80-72 twice and 80-73. Daku had put up a very creditable performance in losing on a split verdict to Norwegian Tim-Robin Lihaug last month.

Gerlecki vs. Bozic

Gerlecki has little trouble in dealing with a very faded Bozic. The Pole comfortably won the first three rounds against a passive and unthreatening veteran. The fourth was one-side with Bozic taking a knee after being caught with a right and he retired at the end of the round.  The 27-year-old from Gdansk was moving up to eight rounds for the first time and gets his sixth win by KO/TKO. Despite numerous attempts the best Gerlecki could do as an amateur was runner-up in the National Championships in 2011 but he is hoping to get a title as a pro. Croatian Bozic, 40, has 8 losses by KO/TKO losing inside the distance recently to James DeGale, Fedor Chudinov and Tyron Zeuge.

Caguas, Puerto Rico: Super Bantam: Luis Orlando Del Valle (19-2,1ND) W TKO 8 Roberto Castaneda (21-9-1). Light Fly: Angel Acosta (10-0) W KO 7 Armando Vazquez (23-14-1,2ND). Super Feather: Alberto Machado (10-0) W TKO 1 Jean J Sotelo (19-15-2). Welter: Rashidi Ellis (14-0) W TKO 5 Victor Gonzalez (12-10).

Del Valle vs. Castaneda

Del Valle celebrates now being part of the Roc Nation/Miguel Cotto stable with a win over Mexican Castaneda. “Orlandito” was in command against the experienced but sliding Castaneda. He suffered a cut on his nose in a clash of heads in the third and with the blood affecting his vision he had to amend his game plan which gave Castaneda some encouragement. Del Valle ended it in the eighth by flooring Castaneda with a big right which also opened a bad cut and saw the fight stopped. The 28-year-old former top amateur saw a 16 bout winning streak broken when in 2012 he lost to Vic Darchinyan in an overly ambitious step-up. His rebuild was derailed by a loss to Luis Rosa in May and this is his first fight since then. With the powerful backing he now has he hopes to get back into the ratings soon. Although only 23 Castaneda’s career already seems on the downslide as he has lost 6 of his last7 fights

Acosta vs Vazquez

It was a good night for former members of the Puerto Rican amateur team as Acosta kayoed Vazquez in the seventh. Vazquez shook things up, including Acosta, when he landed a heavy left in the first round but Acosta steadied himself and was rarely troubled after that. Acosta proceeded to slowly grind Vazquez down and in the seventh a brutal combination put Vazquez down and out. The 24-year-old “Tito” has won all of his fights by KO/TKO and collects the vacant WBC Fecarbox title. One to watch. Mexican Vazquez has won only one of his last 9 fights and was knocked out in four rounds by Brian Viloria in December.

Machado vs. Sotelo

Not to be outdone by his former amateur team-mates Machado overwhelmed oldie Sotelo inside a round. The hard-punching “Explosivo” just battered away at poor Sotelo until the referee was obliged to stop the massacre. Now 34, the 5’10” (178cm) Machado did not turn pro until he was 32 but is losing no time with five wins in a row by KO/TKO. Colombian Sotelo, 40, has lost 5 of his last 6 but the five losses have been against opponents with total records of 69-2 so all good class opposition.

Ellis v. Gonzalez

Ellis extends his winning run with stoppage of Colombian Gonzalez to collect the WBA Fedecentro and interim WBC Latino titles. Eleven wins by KO/TKO for Ellis. He badly wanted the win as he was under some pressure. He is on his way to Las Vegas to act as a sparring partner for Floyd Mayweather Jr so did not want to turn up there as a loser and his sister Rashida is boxing for the US Amateur team and hoping to win her way to Rio so pressure from sister as well as brother Ronald who is unbeaten in 11 fights as a pro. “Speedy” has done most of his fighting in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Gonzalez is 2-6 in his last 8 fights.

Kempton Park, South Arica: Light Heavy: Thomas Oosthuizen (24-0-2) W PTS 12 Ryno Liebenberg (16-2). Light: Richard Commey (21-0) W TKO 7 Thompson Mokwana (20-10-1). Super Feather: Jasper Seroka (24-4) W TKO 7 Ashley Dlamini (16-3-2). Middle: Dowayne Combrink (11-1-1) DREW 12 Giovanni Bushby (6-5-1).

Oosthuizen vs. Liebenberg

Oosthuizen gets back on top with split decision that should have been unanimous over local rival Liebenberg. After a cautious start the tactics were predictable. The 6’4” (193cm) Oosthuizen had to use his superior reach to keep Liebenberg on the end of his jab and Liebenberg had to get inside and test Oosthuizen resistance to body punches. Southpaw Oosthuizen basically out boxed Liebenberg with slick footwork and hard, fast combination punching. Liebenberg hardly ever took a step backwards and had plenty of success with his body punches but Oosthuizen was the busier and more accurate. There had been some bad blood between the two before the fight but they both earned the other man’s respect through some tough exchanges. If Liebenberg had hoped his work would slow Oosthuizen in the late rounds that did not work and Oosthuizen showed his past problems with weight at super middle were shed with his move to light heavy.  He was back to the form that had taken him within sight of a world title fight. If there was a minus it was some showboating that was not well received by the crowd. Liebenberg showed the determination and heart that had seen him climb high in the world ratings and they put on a good fight for the customers. The only off note was in one judge scoring the fight for Liebenberg when everybody else in the building saw Oosthuizen a clear winner. Scores 117-111 twice for Oosthuizen and an unbelievable 115-113 for Liebenberg.  The 26-year-old Oosthuizen will be better suited to light heavy and will now be looking for more high profile fights. Liebenberg, 30, was coming off a painful loss to world rated Eleider Alvarez in October and is now looking to move down to super middle.

Commey v. Mokwana

Commey enhances his reputation and retains the CBC title with stoppage of Mokwana. The challenger from South Africa did well to get through the first three minutes as the rising young star from Ghana had Mokwana on the floor twice. Mokwana had not been beaten inside the distance and he showed good powers of recovery to take him through the second and third rounds. However long rights and body punches from Commey, some of which were landing way too low and earned him a stern warning, were slowly sapping the challenger’s resistance. Commey put Mokwana down again in the fourth and the fifth and the fight should have been stopped then.  It continued to the seventh when the referee had seen enough and stepped in to save Mokwana from any more agony. The 28-year-old from Ghana now has 19 wins by KO/TKO. This was the first defence of the CBC title which he had won by decisioning Gary Buckland in July. He has genuine talent and power. So far his only rating is No 12 with the WBO but with Judas Clottey and Joseph Agbeko getting to the late period of their careers Commey could be the next star from Ghana. Mokwana, twice a holder of the South African title was having his first fight in a year and was nowhere sharp enough to face someone as talented as Commey.

Seroka vs. Dlamini

This was the only disappointing fight on the show as Dlamini let himself and his supporters down with a miserable surrender. Seroka took charge from the opening round and never released his grip. He used a high work rate to outbox a hesitant Dlamini and floored him with a left in the second round. He continued to punish Dlamini in the fourth but took a breather in the fifth and sixth. Hit ended in the seventh when a right to the body which saw Dlamini just turn away from the fight in surrender. The 33-year-old Seroka retains the South African title in the first defence in his second reign. Hopefully he will now be more active as he did not fight in 2012, had only one fight in 2013 and his only fight in 2014 was in March so 12 months ago. The diminutive Dlamini, just 5’1” (155cm) was unbeaten in his last 5 fights and was expected to do better than this.

Combrink vs. Bushby

A fight for local bragging rights between two well matched fighters was the recipe for an exciting fight and that is what these two provided. Bushby was the pressure fighter and Combrink the boxer so it was a good mix. Early in the fight it was Busby, the harder puncher looking as if he might stop Combrink. That did not happen as Combrink showed a good chin and started to take over as Bushby seemed to tire from the half way mark. Busby made a huge effort in the seventh and had Combrink in deep distress but Combrink held out and went on to get a deserved share of the decision. Scores 116-114 for Combrink, 115-113 for Bushby and 114-114 so the WBA Pan African title remains vacant. Combrink, 24, trained by Harold Volbrecht, had won a very close unanimous decision over Busby in December. Former South African challenger Bushby had former IBF and IBO champion Vuyani Bungu in his corner. Both of the fighters and the crowd would welcome a third fight.

Glendale, CA, USA:  Super Feather: Toka Kahn Clary (15-0,1ND) W PTS 8 Edwin Solis (6-3-3). Light Heavy: Egor Mekhontsev (8-0) W TKO 1 Marcelo L Da Silva (21 5). Super Feather: Angel Rodriguez (12-1) W PTS 8 Sergio Nunez (12-2-1).

Clary vs. Solis

Clary wins unanimous decision over Solis. The Top Rank prospect found Solis had come to fight and the Mexican was taking the fight to Clary over the first two rounds with some success. Southpaw Clary took over in the third hurting Solis with punches from both hands as he made Solis pay for his aggression. Solis kept coming over the last four rounds but trying to pin down Clary and absorbing so many hard counters took their toll and he was a very tired fighter by the last round. Clary came close to a stoppage with a big effort in the eighth but Solis held out to the bell. Scores 78-74 twice 78-73.The 22-year-old Liberian-born former NGG champion is making steady if unspectacular progress. “Shark” Solis, 26, was unbeaten in his last 6 fights with 3 wins and 3 draws and has not yet lost inside the distance.

Mekhontsev vs. Da Silva

This one was over quickly as Da Silva was unable to continue after suffering a disabling injury to his left arm just 31 seconds into the fight. A win but no real satisfaction for the unbeaten Russian former amateur luminary.

Rodriguez vs. Nunez

Mexican-based Venezuelan Rodriguez keeps on track with a points victory over Nunez. The Venezuelan had the better armaments in a solid jab and a right he just could not miss with. Nunez started brightly but slowed over the second half of the fight and in the end it was a comfortable win for Rodriguez. Scores 78-74 twice and 79-73. Rodriguez represented Venezuela at the 2007 and 2009 World Championships and won a bronze medal at the Pan American Games so he has a solid amateur background. Californian Nunez lost to Carlos Diaz Ramirez who is also the only fighter to have beaten Rodriguez. 

Washington, DC, USA: Super Light: Mike Reed (13-0) W TKO 2 Edgardo Soto (12-9). “Yes Indeed” Reed blows away oldie Soto in two rounds. The former amateur standout just had too much speed and power for Soto. Despite being a southpaw Reed started to use left hand leads to open Soto up and that also opened a route to Soto’s body which allowed Reed to score heavily with hooks. He floored Soto twice in the first with Soto lucky to get through the round. Another knockdown in the second was enough and the referee stopped the contest. Southpaw Reed, 27, a former NGG champion and US Championships silver medal winner, has 7 wins by KO/TKO. Soto, 38, is now at 9 losses in a row.

New York, NY, USA: Feather: Patrick Hyland (30-1) W KO 4 Manuel de los Reyes Herrera (21-16-1). Super Middle: Gary O’Sullivan (20-1) W TKO 3 Milton Nunez (28-13-1). Super Middle: Will Rosinsky (18-2) W TKO 1 Paul Gonsalves (7-6-1).

Hyland vs. Herrera

A good night for the Irish as both fighters from the “Emerald Island” win. In this all-southpaw fight Hyland was forcing the action from the first bell establishing a stiff jab and landing hard body punches that put him in control. In the second Herrera was hardly able to get off the ropes as Hyland pressed and pressed and forced the Colombian to trade which is not what Herrera should be doing. By the third Herrera was already beginning to fade and Hyland was landing shots that had Herrera’s head bouncing about. In the fourth a right to the body put Herrera down on his knees and he stayed there for the full count. The 31-year-old Dublin “Punisher”, one of three boxing brothers, took 20 months out after losing to Javier Fortuna for the interim WBA title and has scored three wins against medium level opposition since his return. Herrera predicable did not go the distance and this is his 10thg loss by KO/TKO. He is 2-6 in his last 8 fights.

O’Sullivan vs. Nunez

“Spike” too sharp for Colombian Nunez. Same tactics as the Hyland fight and same outcome. O’Sullivan had Nunez on the back foot and on the ropes for most of the action. Nunez tried to stand and exchange but he lacked the punch to turn back O’Sullivan. In the third a series of punches put Nunez down. He made it to his feet but was floored again by a left hook and the referee halted the one-sided contest. O’Sullivan lost his big one on points against Billy Joe Saunders in July 2013. He took 11 months out and got an important win in November wiping out Anthony Fitzgerald in 75 seconds in a grudge match. Nunez, 27, losses by KO/TKO for the 10^th time. He is 3-7 in his last 10 fights with the 3 wins in Colombia and the 7 losses outside but all to good opposition including Sergio Mora and Daniel Jacobs.

Rosinsky vs. Gonsalves

Rosinsky marks his return to the ring with a win. The fighting fireman had poor Gonsalves down four times in the first round. He floored Gonsalves with a left to the body which really took all of the fight out of Gonsalves. Gonsalves was put down three more times with the referee waiving the fight off after the fourth knockdown with just one second left in the round. The 30-year-old Rosinsky, a New York Firefighter was US National champion back in 2005 and had a good start as a pro beating Aaron Pryor Jr and Otis Griffin but after defeats by Edwin Rodriguez and Kelly Pavlik he decided to stick to the day job. Now after a break of over two years he is giving it another shot. Second loss by KO/TKO for Gonsalves who had taken unbeaten Mike Lee to a majority decision in his last fight.

Manchester, England: Super Welter: Jimmy Kilrain Kelly (14-0) W TKO 3 Nodar Robakidze (12-11-3). Cruiser: Enzo Maccarinelli (39-7) W TKO 1 Gyorgy Novak (5-3).

Kelly vs. Robakidze

Kelly wins the vacant WBC Youth Silver title. He had Georgian Robakidze in deep distress in the first but just failed to finish the job. Robakidze survived the second round but body punches put him down twice in the third and the fight was stopped. Six wins by KO/TKO for the tall 22-year-old local who was moving up to ten rounds. Robakidze, 21, is 0-4 in visits to the UK with all four losses by KO/TKO.

Maccarinelli vs. Novak

Short night for Maccarinelli. If he was hoping to get in some ring time in his first fight in eleven months he failed. The big Welsh former WBO, CBC, EBU and British champion took only 48 seconds to blitz Hungarian novice Novak. Maccarinelli was to have appeared on another bill this night but when that was cancelled did a quick side-step. This his first fight since losing to Juergen Braehmer for the secondary WBA title in April last year. Novak just a prelim fighter who should not have been allowed in the ring with Maccarinelli.