The Past Week in Action  15 August 2023

Miss any of this week’s action in the sport? Get caught up with “The Past Week in Action” by Eric Armit; with a review of all major cards in the boxing for the past week.

Highlights:

-Emanuel Navarrete outpoints Oscar Valdez to retain the WBO super-featherweight title and there are wins for Lindolfo Delgado, Richard Torrez and Antonio Mireles

-Emmanuel Rodriguez decisions Melvin Lopez to regain the WBO bantamweight title and there are wins for Gary Antuanne Russell, Jesse Hart, Marcus Browne, Jose Benavidez and Gabriel Maestre

-Anthony Joshua scores spectacular kayo of Robert Helenius

-Filip Hrgovic stops Demsey McQueen and Derek Chisora outpoints Gerald Washington in heavyweight action

 

World Title/Major Shows

 

AUGUST 12

 

Glendale, AZ, USA: Super Feather: Emanuel Navarrete (38-1) W PTS 12 Oscar Valdez (31-2). Super Light: Lindolfo Delgado (18-0) W PTS 10 Jair Valtierra (16-3,1ND). Heavy: Richard Torrez (6-0) W KO 1 Willie Jake Jr (11-4-2). Heavy: Antonio Mireles (8-0) W TKO 6 Dajuan Calloway (7-3). Light: Emiliano Vargas (6-0) W TKO 2 Jorge Marquez (3-6-1).

Navarrete vs. Valdez

Navarrete retains the WBO super featherweight title with a wide unanimous decision over Valdez in a fight which sees both fighters handicapped over the late rounds.

Round 1

Navarrete was the first one throwing jabs and he added an almost casual combination. He continued throwing punches with that loose-limbed style of his. Valdez briefly touched down but it was a slip. Valdez scored with a couple of rights to the body but Navarrete landed a jab, a right hook and a left. Navarette burst forward landing lefts and rights which drove Valdez to the ropes and won the round

Score:10-9 Navarrete

Round 2

Valdez was on target with his jab and ducked under Navarrete’s counters. Valdez scored with a right to the head. He was blocking or dodging Navarrete’s punches and Navarrete was short with his jab. Valdez scored with a left hook at the bell.

Score: 10-9 Valdez                            TIED 19-19

Round 3

Navarrete scored with a hook from each hand then two leaping rights. They traded punches with neither on target but then Navarrete landed a left and a right. Valdez fired a burst of punches but missed and Navarrete landed a left hook to the body and a right.

Score: 10-9 Navarrete               Navarrete 29-28

Round 4

Navarrete walked forward throwing punches but Valdez evaded them all and landed a left and right. Navarrete connected with a right uppercut and then lunged forward and scored with a series of long rights and lefts to the head. Valdez missed with counters and was caught by a left hook.

Score: 10-9 Navarrete                Navarrete 39-37

Official Scores: Judge Lisa Giampa 39-37 Navarrete, Judge Zachary Young 39-37 Navarrete, Judge Chris Wilson 40-36 Navarrete

Round 5

Valdez made a busier start and had Navarrete on the back foot. He scored well but then Navarrete marched forward slinging punches a couple of which connect on Valdez’s head. Valdez got through again with rights but then Navarrete again marched forward throwing punches. Valdez ducked under and around some of them but some hard ones landed. Valdez scored with a quick left hook/straight right combination. Navarrete launched a sustained attack again missing with some but landing with others. Valdez had a swelling under his right eye which was seeping blood. It was Navarrete’s round but Valdez had done enough to make it a close round.

Score: 10-9 Navarrete        Navarrete 49-46

Round 6

Excellent defensive work from Valdez as he bobbed and weaved around Navarrete’s punches and he landed a good left hook. He used good footwork to slip a series of long looping shots from Navarrete and followed with some accurate left hooks of his own then skipped away from a Navarrete attack. A round for Valdez but he was not throwing enough punches and too often looking to counter but not getting the chance.

Score: 10-9 Valdez             Navarrete 58-56

Round 7

Navarrete was rolling forward connecting with left hooks to the body. He was stabbing out his jab to keep Valdez on the back foot and Valdez lost his mouthguard as they tangled. He kept feeding Valdez jabs and they were frustrating Valdez who was resorting to wild swings and missing. They both banged home uppercuts then as they traded punches Navarrete scored with more hooks and uppercuts.

Score: 10-9 Navarrete        Navarrete 68-65

Round 8

Navarrete threw plenty of left jabs but initially used his right sparingly and it later transpired he had damaged a knuckle in his right hand. He was piercing Valdez’s guard with jabs and then firing home straight rights when the temptation to do so was too strong. It was mainly left jabs he used and as they were thudding onto Valdez’s face it was sufficient to frustrate Valdez who was resorting to wild swings. Valdez rattled home a couple of punches but too late to salvage the round and Valdez’s right eye was almost closed.

Score: 10-9 Navarrete        Navarrete 78-74

Official Scores: Judge Lisa Giampa 79-73 Navarrete, Judge Zachary Young 77-75 Navarrete, Judge Chris Wilson 79-73 Navarrete

Round 9

Valdez opened with a series of accurate hooks and then dodged a stream of punches chucked by Navarrete. It was again mainly left hand work from Navarrete and his punch output was way down allowing Valdez to drive inside with left hooks.

Score: 10-9 Valdez             Navarrete 87-84

Round 10

Left hand work again from Navarrete and he was using his jab successfully with Valdez too often firing and missing. Navarrete went on the attack walking forward throwing punches and Valdez was forced to retreat. Even with only one effective hand Navarrete was still able to force Valdez back and find the target. Even if the power was somewhat reduced he was  scoring with cuffing shots from both hands. Finally, Valdez landed two good hooks and pinned Navarrete against the ropes but Navarrete blocked or ducked the shots then marched forward forcing Valdez onto the back foot and pinging him with short hooks. Valdez attacked fiercely at the end of the round scoring with a series of hooks and uppercuts but Navarrete banged back.

Score: 10-9 Navarrete        Navarrete 97-93

Round 11

Valdez came roaring out of his corner throwing punches but the storm quickly blew itself out and Navarrete used his jab and had Valdez going back. When they traded punches in the middle of the ring again it was Valdez retreating and Navarrete scoring with his long looping punches. Valdez connected with a couple of right counters but then Navarrete responded with a series that drove Valdez back again. It was disappointing to see Valdez outfought by a guy with one hand but in fairness to a great fighter his vision was badly hampered by the swelling under his now closed right eye

Score: 10-9 Navarrete        Navarrete 107-102

Round 12

Navarrete just kept throwing punches and it was hard for Valdez to set himself to throw a counter and when he did it was in desperation. Navarrete was pumping out punches with Valdez unable to set himself to counter and as they both let their hands go at the end of the round Navarrete did the scoring.

Score 10-9 Navarrete         Navarrete 117-111

Official Scores: Judge Lisa Giampa 119-109 Navarrete, Judge Zachary Young 116-112 Navarrete, Judge Chris Wilson 118-110 Navarrete

Navarrete, a three division champion, was making the first defence of the WBO belt and extends his winning run to 33 fights going back to 2012. Valdez, a two division champion, is 9-2 in title fights. Both will need some time off to recover from their injuries. Both Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales were in attendance with the suggestion being that Navarrete vs. Valdez could herald another Mexican trilogy but all three of Barrera vs. Morales fights were close whereas Navarette was a wide winner on all three cards and it is hard to see how the thirty-two-year-old Valdez is going to win if they meet again.

Delgado vs. Valtierra

Olympian Delgado takes a wide unanimous decision over Valtierra. Valtiertra made a solid start and seemed to do enough to edge the first two rounds. Delgado got into his stride in the third and fourth. He was busier and more accurate than Valtierra scoring with left jabs and hooks to the body but the crowd were crying for more action. Delgado’s better skills saw him take over the fight completely from the fifth. He was outworking Valtierra with more variety in his work and more accuracy and switching easily from head to body. Valtierra was never a threat and there were not many highlights but it was a solid workmanlike performance from Delgado as he won on scores of 99-91 twice and 98-92. It was good technical performance from Delgado. The crowd’s booing over the lack of action was heavily influenced by their impatience for Navarrete vs. Vargas to get underway so harsh on Delgado. He is No 12 with the WBC and is not being rushed. Valtierra’s current form is now 1-3-1ND.

Torrez vs. Jake

Torrez gets another quick win as he blasts out Jake in the first round. From the bell Jake lunged forward throwing punches and was nailed by a right counter that sent him down face first on the canvas. He was up at eight but Torrez drove him to the ropes and was pounding Jake with a barrage of punches. The referee jumped in to stop the fight just as Jake was tumbling to the canvas. All over in 82 seconds. The 24-year-old Tokyo silver medallist has taken less than nine rounds for his six wins. Jake, 40, suffers his fourth inside the distance loss.

Mireles vs. Calloway

Mireles gets a last round stoppage as he finishes Calloway in the sixth. It was the very tall against the very broad here as 6’9” Mireles 270 ¾ was giving away a ridiculous 121lbs to the 6’3” tall 391 ¾lbs  Calloway. Despite the weight he was carrying Calloway proved competitive early using his weight to lunge forward and land some useful punches. Mireles was gradually wearing Calloway down and by the fourth Calloway was exhausted. In the sixth Mireles trapped Calloway on the ropes and just whaled away with punches. Calloway delayed the end by throwing an occasional counter but his head was being bounced back and forth by punches and the referee stopped the fight. A needed win for Mireles after being floored and only taking a split decision in his last fight. First time Calloway has been stopped and he was actually “lighter” than the 399lbs he weighed in winning his last two fights

Vargas vs. Marquez

Vargas easily disposes of overmatched Marquez. In the first Marquez rolled forward but Vargas handled his attacks with ease. Vargas dropped Marquez early in the second with a right. Marquez made it to his feet but went down again from a combination. He again managed to get up but the referee stopped the fight. Vargas, 19, gets his fifth win by KO/TKO. He is the son of former champion Fernando Vargas and the brother on unbeaten Fernando Vargas Jr.

 

Oxon Hill, MD, USA: Bantam: Emmanuel Rodriguez (22-2,1ND) W PTS 12 Melvin Lopez (29-2). Super Light: Gary Antuanne Russell (17-0) W KO 1 Kent Cruz (16-1-3). Light Heavy: Jesse Hart (29-3) W TKO 2 Elio Trosch (15-11-2). Cruiser: Marcus Browne (25-2) W PTS 10 Adrian Taylor (13-2-1).Middle: Jose Benavidez Jr (28-2-1 ) W RTD 5 Sladan Janjanin (36-16). Bantam: Michael Angeletti (9-0) W PTS 8 Jonathan Lopez (8-1-2). Welter: Gabriel Maestre (6-0-1) W TKO 2 Travon Marshall (8-1). Bantam: Damien Vazquez (17-3-1) W TKO 6 Jeronil Borres (12-9-2).

Rodriguez vs. Lopez

Former champion Rodriguez wins the vacant IBF title as he wins every round and floors Lopez three times at the end of the twelfth round. Rodriguez was on target quickly with his jab in the first and landed a right to the body. Lopez came up short with his efforts and Rodriguez ended the round with a flurry of punches. Rodriguez connected with a right to the body and a series of punches in the second with Lopez hurt by body shots. The third saw Rodriguez again on top he cornered Lopez and unloaded a nice combination and a hurtful uppercut. Lopez was finally getting through with some jabs and landed a good left. Not a great deal of action in the fourth as Lopez circled the ring firing home some lefts but Rodriguez landed the better punches. The fifth was one-sided as Rodriguez connected with heavy rights snapping back Lopez’s head and had the better of some trading at the end of the round. Lopez was on his bike again in the sixth circling with Rodrigues stalking and landing a right that shook Lopez who did his best work with his jab but without the power to dissuade Rodriguez who was winning the rounds with Lopez needing to up his work rate. The lone piece of good news for Lopez was that there was a growing swelling over Rodriguez right eye ruled to be caused by a punch. Rodriguez was finding the target with rights in the seventh but his right eye was almost swollen shut and Lopez was able to land some quick lefts. The ringside doctor decided to let Rodriguez continue when a stoppage would have made Lopez the winner and in the eighth the effect of those rights from Rodriguez saw Lopez with a swelling under his left eye. In the ninth Rodriguez was walking down the circling Lopez managing to corner him and work him over a couple of times and again landing rights with Lopez jabs not having any effect or keeping Rodriguez out. Lopez went down in the tenth. It was ruled a slip but a right staggered him. Rodriguez cornered Lopez in the eleventh and bombarded him with punches rocking him with a big right. Lopez needed to get out of the corner but did not have the strength to do so. For me Rodriguez had won every round and Lopez needed a knockout in the last. In the end it was Rodriguez who came very close to ended the fight. Lopez was not going for broke and again Rodriguez was doing the scoring. With less than a minute left in the fight an uppercut put Lopez down. He was up at nine with just thirty seconds left in the round but went down again from a volley of punches. He made it to his feet at nine again and was down for the third time with just five seconds left on the clock and for the third time he pulled himself up at nine to avoid being counted out. Rodriguez won every round on all three cards with the judges scores of 120-105 and all three judges marked the last round as 10-6. Rodriguez lost the IBF title on a second round kayo against Naoya Inoue in May 2019 and then lost a split decision against Reymart Gaballo for the WBC Interim belt in December 2020. He suffered a cut in his fight against unbeaten Gary Antonio Russell and was cut against Russell again last October but won a technical decision. Nicaraguan Lopez had impressive looking figures but there were no rated fighters on his record and Box Rec have him rated No 72 and he was never in this fight in any threatening way.

Russell vs. Cruz

Russell disposes of Cruz in the first round. The referee stopped the fight just seconds after the opening bell to get Russell to remove an ear ring he had overlooked. Cruz tried to take the fight to Russell but was quickly forced on to the back foot and dropped to his knees under a burst of punches. After he was up he was again under fire and dropped to his hands and knees from a left to the body. Cruz crawled across the ring to the ropes but was in agony and unable to beat the count. All seventeen of Russell’s wins have come by way of a KO/TKO with eight coming in the first round. Russell, a 2016 Olympian, is No 2 with the WBC. First fight for nine months for Cruz who drew both of his fights in 2022 against unbeaten Enriko Gigokhia.

Hart vs. Torsch

Hart returns to action with a win. Fighting at light heavyweight Hart took a round to shed any dust and floored Torsch twice for a second round stoppage win. First fight for twenty months for Hart and twenty-third win by KO/TKO. Two losses against Gilberto Ramirez and a split decision defeat against Joe Smith Jr. have shunted Hart out of the ratings and he will have to be busier to work his way back into contention. Fifth loss in his last six fights for Argentinian Trosch.

Browne vs. Taylor

Browne was also shedding twenty months of dust as he faced inexperienced Taylor. It was Browne’s first fight at cruiserweight . Browne won every round having too much skill and experience for Taylor but Browne did get ten rounds of work winning 100-90 on two cards and 99-91 on the third. Taylor weighed 204lbs putting him over the cruiserweight decision limit so strictly speaking it was a heavyweight fight but Browne came in at 198 ½ lbs so comfortably made the cruiser poundage. Browne lost a technical decision against Jean Pascal for the interim WBC light heavy title and was knocked out in the ninth round by Artur Beterbiev for IBF and full WBC title in December 2021. Texan Taylor was moving up to ten rounds for the first time and was unbeaten in his last seven fights.

Benavidez vs. Janjanin

No problems here for Benavidez as he easily handled a willing but very crude Janjanin. Bosnian Janjanin was down in the first but from a series of punches to the back of the head. No count and Benavidez given a warning. Benavidez then drove Janjanin around the ring landing hooks to the body from both hands. Janjanin spent the second circling the perimeter of the ring and making the occasional lunging attack with Benavidez pounding him with hooks to the body before playing a version of rope-a-dope letting Janjanin bombard him with punches. He dropped Janjanin in the third before again lying against the ropes and letting Janjanin tire himself. It was rope-a-dope again in the fourth until Benavidez put Janjanin down with a left hook to the body. Janjanin made it to the end of the round. Janjanin was hurt a few times in the fifth but also fired some dangerous rights then at the bell walked back to his corner and did not come out for the sixth. Benavidez, elder brother of unbeaten David, went 27-0 before losing on a twelfth round stoppage by Terence Crawford in a challenge for the WBO welter title. He then had only one fight in the next four years before losing a majority decision to Danny Garcia in July last year. Janjanin has eleven inside the distance loses.

Angeletti vs. Lopez

Angeletti too quick and too skilful for Lopez and boxes his way to victory. Lopez was driving forward from the start firing scoring punches with Angeletti meeting him with stiff jabs and right counters but with Lopez just doing enough to edge the round. Lopez kept coming in the second and third but just could not get past Angeletti’s jab and was being rattled by bunches of punches. Angeletti stayed on the back foot with his very side-on stance and quick footwork denying Lopez a target. Lopez tried to up the pressure over the fourth and fifth but Angeletti’s was snapping jabs through Lopez guard and finding the target with straight rights then scoring with hooks and uppercuts inside. Angeletti went onto the front foot in the sixth and seventh. He had Lopez backing around the ring and under pressure from an array of punches and a lot of the fire had gone from Lopez. Angeletti marched forward in the eighth rocking Lopez with quick-fire combinations and then easing up before the bell. Scores 79-73 twice and 80-72 for Angeletti. He competed at the US Olympic Trials for both the 2016 and 2020 Olympics and represented the USA at the 2019 World Championships. He showed plenty of skill here and had won his last six fights by KO/TKO. Puerto Rican Lopez just did not have the tools to match Angeletti.

Maestre vs. Marshall

Maestre crushes Marshall in two rounds. They both tried to  establish their jabs early with Maestre quicker and sometimes doubling and tripling his jab. He launched an attack just before the bell landing a burst of punches. Maestre connected with a fast hard right in the second that sent Marshall sliding sidewards down the ropes to end up suspended half out of the ring over the third rope. Marshall was up at seven and after the count Maestre took him to the ropes and kept firing punches until Marshall slid to the floor again and the referee waived the fight off. Venezuelan Maestre, 36, had drawn last time out with 19-0 Taras Shelestyuk but was impressive here. He had over 100 amateur fights scoring wins over Balasz Bacskai, Alex Besputin, Carlos Adames, Souleymane Cissokho and Roniel Iglesias. Marshall had won his last six fights but

Vazquez vs. Borres

Vazquez wears down an over-active Borres for a sixth round victory. Lots of movement and guard switches from Borres but Vazquez stuck to strong right jabs and did not let Borres flashy work faze him. Borres landed a good left hook early in the second but Vazquez kept marching forward getting inside and landing left hooks to the body. Borres was lunging with his attacks and holding inside which made the fight messy but Vazquez was doing the effective work. Borres was doing lots of dancing but only fighting in short bursts and landing the odd single counter. By the fifth much of the bounce had gone out of Borres and he was standing and exchanging shots more. A straight left dropped Borres late in the sixth he managed to drag himself up but was put down again just before the bell and counted out. Vazquez’s losses have come in a tenth round stoppage by Brandon Figueroa for the secondary WBA super bantam title and against Rau’shee Warren in August 2021 and he did not return to action until a low level win in March this year. Fifth inside the distance defeat for Borres who  is 1-5-1 in his last 7 fights.

 

London, England: Heavy: Anthony Joshua (25-3) W KO 7 Robert Helenius (32-5). Heavy: Filip Hrgovic (16-0) W TKO 12 Demsey McKean (22-1). Heavy: Derek Chisora (34-13) W PTS 10 Gerald Washington (20-6-1). Heavy: Johnny Fisher (10-0) W TKO 7 Harry Armstrong (5-2-1). Super Light: Campbell Hatton (13-0) W PTS 8 Tom Ansell (10-5).

Joshua vs. Helenius

Joshua knocks out Helenius with a right to the head in the seventh. Initially both just probed with jabs. Helenius was the first to step in and throw a few punches but they were short. Helenius landed a right to the body and Josjua fired a couple of jabs. Joshua stuck to his jab in the second and third with just a couple of big rights, one of which made good contact, but Helenius did very little in either round except paw with his jab. Joshua initially  upped his work rate in the fourth forcing Helenius back with Jabs and firing a couple rights but then shut down again before ending the round with more purpose jabbing and brining blood dripping from the nose of Helenius. Joshua jabbed strongly at the start of the fifth with Helenius stung into action and countering with rights, Jabs from Joshua again had Helenius bleeding heavily from the nose and both scored with rights and Helenius landed a god jab that brought blood from Joahua’s nose but it was a low action fight with no sustained exchanges. It was jabs and feints in the sixth with little action and already Helenius was looking tired and dropping his hands. Joshua was jabbing well in the seventh and then as he followed Helenius along the ropes he exploded with a right that sent Helenius crashing to the floor on his side with his head banging on the canvas and the referee immediately stopped the fight. There were some boos over the overall performance of Joshua and in disgust he just walked out of the ring before any announcement and with Helenius on the canvas receiving treatment. Joshua went back into the ring but with Helenius on the floor he should not have walked out. The talk now is of Deontay Wilder but despite the sensational ending this low key did not inspire confidence. At 39 Helenius is on borrowed time and with the first round kayo loss to Wilder and now this brutal kayo he would be wise to walk away but is determined he will continue to box.

Hrgovic vs. McKean

Hrgovic scores late stoppage win over McKean. Southpaw McKean was using his longer reach and more mobility to score in the first with Hrgovic looking to drive home rights to the body from distance. Hrgovic was taking an extra pace forward in the second and third and connecting with rights to the body. McKean’s jab was largely ineffective and Hrgovic was able to get through with rights in the fourth landing a good shot to the head but this was a dreadfully slow paced fight.  McKean did better in the fifth showing more aggression and banging home lefts and the sixth was a low action, close round with Hrgovic’s punches to the back of the head going unpunished as usual and McKean getting away with too much holding. McKean had a good eighth coming in behind his jabs and connecting with lefts keeping Hrgovic on the back foot with Hrgovic again landing punches to the back of McKean’s head. The pace had started slow and was now slower with Hrgovic looking tired. McKean outworked Hrgovic in the ninth sliding out his jab and following with straight lefts and then holding inside. There were more blatant punches to the back of the head from Hrgovic but he also landed with a legal right that had McKean badly shaken. Both had some success in a messy tenth with Hrgovic’s harder punches giving him the edge and McKean probably took the eleventh hurting Hrgovic with a left to the body. An exhausted McKean did lots of holding at the start of the twelfth and Hrgovic landed a good combination then crashed home a right to McKean’s chin. McKean staggered into Hrgovic driving then both towards the ropes. With McKean leaning on Hrgovic the Croation landed a couple of full-blooded downward chopping rights to the back of McKean’s head. The referee jumped in and parted them and with McKean not down but stumbling and unsteady the fight was stopped. Now 23 wins by KO/TKO for Hrgovic. He is the IBF No 1 the mandatory challenger to Olek Usyk and unless there is some reliable information about a fight for Usyk I would not be surprised to see the IBF strip Usyk. Australian McKean had not previously faced any real tests and was rated No 55 by Box Rec. He will be able to find plenty of fights at heavyweight but he showed nothing to say he can be a threat to any of the top heavyweights.

Chisora vs. Washington

Chisora outworks Washington. Chisora went straight to work firing jabs at the body of the taller Washington then working Washington to the ropes throwing hooks. He continued to pressure the circling Washington who tried to use his jab to keep Chisora off with and held inside. Chisora was down at the end of the first but the referee decided he had been pushed off balance. A clash of heads in the second saw Chisora cut over his right eye. Chisora continued to force Washing to the ropes but was sent back by a right in the third. Both had some success over the fourth. Chisora with over hand rights and Wahington with right hooks. Pressure from Chisora again had Washington pinned to the ropes in the fifth with Washington getting nailed a couple of times but countering with rights and getting away with constantly holding. The fight was close but Washinton seemed to be tiring and Chisora outscored him in the sixth and seventh. The eight saw Chisora continuing to march forward ducking under Washingtons punches and firing hooks from both hands. Washing found the target with occasional counters but not enough. Chisora hounded Washington in the ninth and again Washington was throwing very little. They were two exhausted fighters in the tenth. Washington stood his ground and they swapped tired punches to the bell. Chisora won on scores of 98-93, 97-94 and 96-94. A needed win for 39-year-old Chisora as he returned for the first time since his tenth round stoppage by Tyson Fury in December. Washington, 41, who had knocked out Robert Helenius back in 2019, was coming off back-to-back inside the distance losses against Charles Martin and against Ali Eren Demirezen in January 2022.

Fisher vs. Armstrong

Fisher floors and stops Armstrong. Fisher came out determined to make this an early night and drove Armstong to the ropes and down in the first fifteen seconds of the fight. After the count Fisher drove Armstrong to a corner and unloaded with but hands but Armstong fought his way out of the corner. Despite shipping some heavy punches Armstrong boxed his way in to the fight over the second and third forcing Fisher back with jabs. Both were rocked in a wild fourth and although Armstrong jabbed well Fisher was always dangerous with rights. Fisher charged forward and pushed Armstrong to the floor in the sixth. A right from Fisher in the seventh sent Armstrong reeling to a corner and some bludgeoning shots sent him to a sitting position on the ropes and almost through them. He was given a count and there was now blood dripping from a cut over his left eye. After the count Fishes pinned Armstrong against the ropes and was landing heavy head punches when the towel came in. Ninth victory by KO TKO for Fisher who wins the Southern Area belt but after that explosive first Armstrong made him fight for the win.

Hatton vs. Ansell

Another win for Hatton as he goes the full eight rounds for the first time. This was a fast-paced entertaining scrap. Hatton had more power and more variety in his work but Ansell had a quick accurate jab and useful straight right. The rounds were all close with Ansell using his fast jabs to get on the front foot and Hattin countering with straight rights and uppercuts. Hatton had built a lead but Ansell had a good seventh and was more accurate as they traded punches throughout a fiery last. Hatton won 78-74 on the referee’s card but Ansell came away with an enhanced profile.

 

AUGUST 9

 

Plant City, FL, USA: Super Feather: Otar Eranosyan (14-0) W RTD 8 Roger Gutierrez (27-5-1). Super Light: Petros Ananyan (18-3-2) W KO 7 Cristian Baez (19-3).

Eranosyan vs. Gutierrez

Eranosyan beats Gutierrez on an eighth round retirement in WBA eliminator. Gutierrez had success in the opening round relying on left jabs and straight rights. Eranosyan, 4” smaller, worked his way inside with hooks and connected with right uppercuts outworking Gutierrez. Eranosyan was down at the start of the second looking to have been knocked off balance by a right that curved around behind his head with both gloves touching the canvas. He was up immediately and after the count Gutierrez piled in throwing straight rights but Eranosyan went in close and held before driving forward with hooks and again landing right uppercuts. Eranosyan continued his relentless attacks in  the fourth with Gutierrez unable to keep him out but showing he was still dangerous when a right to the side of the head in the fourth that  sent Eranosyan staggering across the ring and almost down. It was all Eranosyan again in the fifth and sixth. Gutierrez had some success at the start of the seventh but he was soon spending time pinned against the ropes and relying on holding and wild rights. A desperate Gutierrez was deducted a point in the eighth for holding and at the end of the round was trapped against the ropes and pounded with punches and dropped to his hands and knees. He beat the count and survived another barrage from Eranosyan to the bell. Then chaos reigned as the referee followed Gutierrez back to his corner waving his arms as if to show the fight was over. It seemed Gutierrez corner could not decide whether they were pulling their man out of the fight until finally the doctor got involved and it was decided that Gutierrez was retiring. Georgian Eranosyan will be hoping for a shot at the WBA belt later this year although Lamont Roach is rated No 1. Venezuelan Gutierrez, a former WBA champion, just could not keep Eranosyan out or match his work rate.

Ananyan vs. Baez

Ananyan comes from behind to kayo Baez in the seventh round. Southpaw Baez was quicker and busier from the start scoring well with straight lefts. Ananyan kept pumping out his jab and firing rights but the jab was not strong and Baez was able to dodge around it and land quick hooks to the body. Too often Ananyan was static waiting too long to get his punches off and being caught by combinations from Baez who constantly changed the direction of his attacks. Ananyan did better over the fifth walking Baez down and Baez looked to be slowing in the sixth but was still landing some hard shots and in front on all three cards. In the seventh as they stood and traded punches a left and a right followed by a left hook from Ananyan suddenly had Baez stumbling back on shaky legs. He  staggered along the ropes with Ananyan in pursuit then fell down to the canvas on his hands and knees. He climbed unsteadily to his feet but just too late. The Armenian-born Russian Ananyan gets his third win as he rebuilds after a ninth round retirement loss against Subriel Matias in January 2022. Third inside the distance loss in his last four fights for Venezuelan Baez.

 

AUGUST 11

 

Cordoba, Argentina: Super Bantam: Juliana Basualdo (11-3) W TEC DEC 4 Vanesa Taborda (11-16-3,1ND).

Basualdo wins the vacant Argentinian title with technical decision over Taborda. Southpaw Basualdo controlled the bout with her longer reach and quicker hands. She floored Taborda with a right in the second but Taborda made the third close. In the fourth a clash of heads saw Taborda cut over her left eye. She was unable to continue and Basualdo won on scores of 40-35 twice and 40-36. Basualdo lost a technical decision in fight for the vacant national title in March. Taborda lost in two shots at the WBC super-fly belt.

 

Osaka, Japan: Bantam: Ryosuke Nishida (8-0) W PTS 12 Christian Medina (21-4). Heavy: Mitsuro Tajima (8-0) W TKO 1 Nakhonchai Pantan (6-5-1). Super Welter: Jean Torres (21-1) W PTS 8 Riku Nagahama (13-4-1). Feather: Kyonosuke Kameda (10-3-2) DREW 8 Mugicha Nakagawa (27-9-3)

Nishida vs. Medina

Southpaw Nishida decisions Mexican Medina in IBF eliminator. Nishida’s longer reach, faster hands and better skills overcame the power edge of Medina. Nishida used right jabs and right hooks to pile up the points. Medina exerted plenty of pressure but counter lefts from Nishida blunted his attacks. Medina had enough success to outscore Nishida in the third and seventh close and win the eighth but Nishida then swept the remaining rounds with the twelfth close as Nishida played it safe in the round. Scores 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112 for Nishida. He will now be looking to get an early shot at Emannuel Rodriguez who won the vacant title on the following night.

Tajima vs. Pantan

Japanese heavyweight champion Tajima clubs Thai Pantan to defeat in the first round. The 5’11” Tajima at 263 ¼  was 44lbs heavier than the 6’3” Pantan and he ended this poor match in less than two minutes. A series of heavy body punches sent Patan down and although he got up some more bludgeoning body punches sent him down for the second time. He made it to his feet but was soaking up more body punches and the referee stopped the fight. Fifth first round win for Tajima. Five of Pantan losses have come inside the distance.

Torres vs. Nagahama

Torres wins close unanimous decision over Nagahama. In an exciting scrap the aggressive Torres was being caught by effective counters from the taller Nagahama. They swapped punches in the second and Tores put Nagahama down with a right. In trading in the third Nagahama was down from an uppercut but not too shaken. Nagahama took the fight to Torres in the fourth scoring with good punches but Torres was dangerous with left hooks and he did enough to edge the fifth. Both were showing signs of tiredness from the frantic pace in the sixth with Nagahama just the stronger and he edge the last two rounds but it was not enough to overcome the two knockdown. Scores 76-74 twice and 77-73 for Torres. First fight for thirteen months for Puerto Rican Torres. Former OPBF welterweight title holder Nagahama retired in 2021 and this is his second win since returning in April.

Kameda vs. Nakagawa

This clash of youth vs experience ended all even. The fight was expected to be a war but both fighters started cautiously and it never really caught alight. Nakagawa’s better boxing saw him ahead at the half way point but Kameda scored well over the second half of the fight and the decision looked the right one. Scores 77-75 Kameda, 77-75 Nakagawa and 76-76. Kameda, is the cousin of Koki Kameda who promoted the show. He is now 3-0-1 in his last four fights with 34-year-old Nakagawa also 3-0-1 in his last 4.

 

Atlanta, GA, USA: Super Feather: Albert Bell (24-0) W RTD 5 Presco Carcosia (11-3-1). Middle: Tyler Howard (20-1) W PTS 8 Raul Salomon (12-2).

Bell vs. Carcosia

Bell beats Carcosia on a retirement. Bell found the target with rights early in the first round and that was the pattern for the rest of the fight. Bell had the longer reach and Carcosia had no answer to Bell’s rights and could not get past Bell’s. He kept walking onto counters. Bell put Carcosia down with a heavy right uppercut in the fifth and although Carcosia made it to his feet and to the bell his corner pulled him out of the fight. Bell is No 2 with the WBO so will be looking to land a shot at champion Emanuel Navarrete who retained the title with a points win over Oscar Valdez on Saturday a result that should see Bell move up to No 1. First inside the distance loss for Carcosia who was in way over his head.

Howard vs. Salomon

Howard was a heavy favourite here but needed a first round knockdown to take the majority decision. Howard floored Salomon with a left hook less than a minute after the first bell  but Salomon recovered and from there it was a close fight with both being staggered at times. Salomon landed a strong right late in the last round that shook Howard badly but the round ended before Salomon could capitalise on that and Howard won on scores of 76-75 twice for Howard and 76-76 so that first round knockdown was the differentiator. Howard had a nineteen-bout winning run ended when he lost on points to 14-2 Ian Green in November 2011 and this was his first fight since then. Mexican Salomon lost on points to unbeaten Aaron Silva also in November 2011 but he had won four fights since then.

 

Quincy, MA, USA: Super Light: Mike Ohan Jr (19-2) W PTS 8 Harry Gigliotti (9-5). Middle: Francis Hogan (15-0) W TKO 1 Miguel Suarez (15-13)

Ohan vs. Gigliotti

Ohan continues to rebuild with a points win over Gigliotti. The fight was close over the first four round but O’Han dropped Gigliotti twice with body punches in the fifth. Gigliotti made it out of the round and was never again in trouble but with O’han the better boxer and the two knockdowns  the decision went to Ohan on scores of 79-72, 78-73 and 76-75. Third win for O’han since losing on a fifth round stoppage against unbeaten Olympian Delante Johnson. Gigliotti had also been stopped in five rounds by Johnson and lost a split decision against unbeaten Antonio Williams.

Hogan vs. Suarez

“Frank the Tank” Hogan takes less than a round to blow away Argentinian Suarez. Tall southpaw Hogan floored Suarez three times with body punches and the fight was stopped after only 67 seconds. Now 14 wins by KO/TKO in his 15 fights for Hogan. Poor Suarez, 42, suffers his twelfth inside the distance defeat.

 

AUGUST 12

 

Uncasville, CT, USA: Super Welter: Chordale Booker (20-1) W KO 7 Nicolas Hernandez (27-7-3). Super Feather: Jaime Clampitt (25-6-2, 1ND) W PTS 8 Josefina Vega (9-6).

Booker vs. Hernandez

Booker scores two knockdowns and finishes Hernandez in seven rounds. Booker was in control from the first. Hernandez had no answer to the speed and accuracy of Booker’s right jabs and counters. By the fifth Hernandez was in trouble and had to survive inspection by the ringside doctor. That only delayed the inevitable and Booker dropped Hernandez in the seventh. Hernandez arose but was then put down by a right hook and counted out. Booker, 32, suffered a shock first round stoppage loss at the hands of unbeaten Austin Williams in April last year but has rebounded with three wins. Now consecutive seventh round losses for Hernandez.

Clampitt vs. Vega

Canadian Clampitt puts her wider experience to use in outpointing Ecuadorian Vega. The Ecuadorian was tough and fought hard but Clampitt was too good and her hard right hand punches kept her in control as she won on scores of 80-72 twice and 78-74. Clampitt, 47, turned pro in 2000 and is a former IBF light and super light title holder. Vega, a mere 39, has lost five of her last six fights.

 

Fight of the week (Significance): Having dealt with Valdez there are not many big fights for Navarrete at super-feather and he could move up to lightweight where there is a plethora of potentially huge matches

Fight of the week (Entertainment): Difficult as all of the big fights were largely one-sided so I will pass for this week

Fighter of the week: Emanuel Navarro for his convincing win over Oscar Valdez

Punch of the week: The right from Anthony Joshua that put the lights out for Robert Helenius was huge. Honourable mention to the right from Gabriel Maestre that was the beginning of the end for Travon Marshall

Upset of the week: None

Prospect watch: Lightweight Emilio Vargas 6-0 (5) just 19 looked good at the weekend

 

Observations

Rosette: To the Rodriguez vs. Lopez card which offered 86 rounds and had Gary Antuanne Russell, Jesse Hart, Marcus Browne and Jose Benavidez in the supporting bouts

Red Card: Filip Hrgovic for another feast of punches to the back of the head. The two rabbit punches in the finishing barrage were both totally deliberate downward crunching shots for which he should have been disqualified and McKean’s camp would have good grounds for a protest. Hrgovic  landed more back of the head punches in a couple of rounds than Nadjib Mohammed did in nine rounds against Robin Krasniqi and Mohammedi was deducted four points and disqualified. Over the top but the amazing leniency toward the foul punches from Hrgovic could be a tragedy waiting to happen.

-In this high tech world, it was so strange to see seconds furiously waving towels in the corner too cool their fighters. There has to be a more high tech solution available? Have a word with Sir James Dyson!

-I guess we had the boxing equivalent of Godzilla vs. King Kong with 6’3” 391 ¾ lbs Dajuan Calloway against 6’9” 270 ¾ lbs Antonio Mireles. To a lesser extent we had Japanese champion Mitsuro Tajima 5’11” 263 ¼ lbs against Thai Nakhonchai 6’3”  219 ½ a mere 44lbs difference. That falls a long way short of one of Tajima’s early fights where he weighed 280lbs and his opponent 208lbs a 72lbs difference!