The Past Week in Action 2 November

The Past Week in Action 2 November 2020
Highlights:
-Gervonta Davis becomes the holder of titles in two separate divisions simultaneously as he knocks Leo Santa Cruz out with a brutal uppercut
– Naoya Inoue crushes Jason Moloney in another monster power performance
-Oleksandr Usyk decisions Dereck Chisora to cement his spot as No 1 in the WBO heavyweight ratings and mandatory challenger to Anthony Joshua
-Jamie Munguia moves up to middleweight and beats Tureano Johnson when a gashed lip prevents Johnson from continuing
-Elwin Soto retains the WBO light flyweight title with unanimous verdict over Carlos Buitrago
-Mario Barrios keeps the secondary WBA super lightweight title with stoppage of Ryan Karl
-George Kambosos outpoints Lee Selby in IBF final eliminator to become mandatory challenger to Teo Lopez for the IBF lightweight title
-Murat Gassiev has his first fight as a heavyweight and demolishes Nuri Seferi inside a round
-Regis Prograis returns to action with early win over Juan Heraldez
-Tommy McCarthy wins the vacant European light heavyweight title with victory over Bilal Laggoune

World Title/Major Shows

October 30

Indio, CA, USA: Middle: Jaime Munguia (36-0) W RTD 6 Tureano Johnson (21-3-1). Light Fly: Edwin Soto (18-1) W PTS 12 Carlos Buitrago (32-6-1,1ND). Welter: Rashidi Ellis (23-0) W PTS 12 Alexis Rocha (19-2-1). Super Feather: Lamont Roach (20-1-1) W KO 3 Neil John Tabanao (17-8). Super Middle: Bektemir Melikuziev (6-0) W Alan Campa (17-6,1ND).
Munguia vs. Johnson
Munguia beats Johnson in a brutal close-quarters battle. Johnson made his tactics clear from the start. He took the fight inside going toe-to-toe with Munguia and denying him punching room. Munguia was unhappy under the pressure as they both landed with hooks and uppercuts. Munguia did better over the second and third as he used a strong jab to provide some punching room. Despite that for much of the time Johnson positioned himself on Munguia’s chest and was connecting to head and body. Both were taking punishment in a real war of attrition. Munguia’s harder punch and some good work with his jab became more of a factor over the fourth and fifth and although he could not keep Johnson out for long he was making Johnson pay a big price for every forward step. By the sixth Johnson was cut by his left eye and being caught regularly by fierce uppercuts from Munguia. One particularly vicious uppercut caused an ugly gash on the upper lip of Johnson. With about 30 seconds to go in the round the referee asked the doctor to examine the cuts to Johnson’s lip and around the left eye and the questionably doctor cleared Johnson to continue but the cuts were too serious and with his face covered in blood Johnson’s team pulled him out at the end of the round. Johnson certainly provided a tough entry to the middleweight division for the 24-year-old former undefeated WBO super welter champion from Tijuana. Munguia is No 1 with the WBO and No 2 with the WBC so a title fight in 2021 beckons. Bahamian Johnson has lost important fights against Curtis Stevens and Sergey Derevyanchenko but had scored a good win over unbeaten Jason Quigley in July last year. He was No 6 with both the WBA and WBC but at 36 he may never get a title shot.
Soto vs. Buitrago
If Johnson may never get a title fight Buitrago was having his sixth shot at winning a title but is now 0-5-1 in those attempts. Little Soto has a very low profile but is a talented fighter with a respectable punch. Soto went on the offensive in a close first with Buitrago forcing the fight harder in the second. Buitrago was going for quantity with the clever Soto throwing less but lending more and harder shots. The champion swept the third, fourth and fifth with Buitrago largely the one fighting a defensive fight. Buitrago had a better sixth but the seventh was Soto’s round as he found the target continually with his jab and had Buitrago under pressure on the ropes at the bell. The eighth and ninth were close with Buitrago boxing cleverly but hampered by a swelling by his right eye that was starting to close. Despite the urging from his corner Buitrago was finding it hard to keep Soto out and the champion was confident enough in the last to make a present of the round to Buitrago by just avoiding trouble. Wildly varying scores saw Soto the winner at 119-109, 117-111 and 115-113 so one judge saw it as nearly a clean sweep and another one round away from a draw. This was not a high profile fight so no social media storm over the widely differing scores. Soto, 23, was making the second defence of the WBO title he won with an upset last round stoppage of Angel Acosta in June last year. After an early career loss he has now scored 16 consecutive wins. He boxed for Mexico Guerreros in the WSB but failed to get through the Americas qualifications for Rio and turned pro. When Buitrago turned pro at 16 he was being compared to Alexis Arguello and Ramon Gonzalez by Nicaraguan sources. He won his first 27 fights before fighting to a draw against Merlito Sabillo for the WBO minimum title in 2013 and then suffered his first loss on a very controversial decision in a challenge to Knockout CP Freshmart for the interim WBA interim title. He has lost in four more title challenges since then. Don’t rule out title challenge No 7.
Ellis vs. Rocha
Ellis takes a unanimous decision over Rocha that nets him the WBC International Silver title. After an entertaining first round in which both fighters had their moments Ellis used his superior speed to outbox southpaw Rocha over the second and third connecting with snappy hooks and accurate counters. Rocha’s work was not as spectacular but he was landing heavily to the body and after a fourth that could have gone to either fighter Rocha ignored a warning for straying low in the fifth and captured the round by sticking to his body punching hoping to slow Ellis. The sixth was close but Ellis used his speed and skill to take the seventh and then outlanded Rocha in the eighth and controlled the ninth from the outside to establish a substantial lead. Rocha put in a big effort over the last three rounds storming forward and cutting into the lead Ellis had built but Ellis stayed cool and countered well and he made sure if the verdict with a strong last round. Scores 116-112 twice and 115-113 all for Ellis. He is rated WBA 5/IBF 10 and with this win has covered the bases having won minor IBF and WBA titles in his previous two fights. Rocha had scored a good win over Brad Solomon in February and at 23 this could just turn out to be a bump in the road.
Roach vs. Tabanao
Roach consigns Filipino Tabanao to retirement with a third round victory. Tabanao admitted his preparation for this fight had been far from ideal and a focused body attack from Roach quickly found him out. After landing with some good shots to the ribs in the first two rounds in the third Roach dug in a left hook to the body and Tabanao dropped to his knees and was counted out. After good victories over Alberto Mercado and Jonathan Oquendo Roach lost on points to Jamel Herring last November in a challenge for the WBO super feather title. Fourth loss on the bounce for Tabanao all in very tough matches against Angelo Leo, Tramaine Williams and Irving Turrubiartes who had combined records of 53 when he met them and Tabano indicated he would now retire
Melikuziev vs. Campa
Californian-based Uzbek Melikuziev blasts out Campa in three rounds. Melikuziev put Campa down twice in the second round and once in the third and the fight was over. Melikuziev, 24, is now the owner of the WBO Inter-Continental belt. He has to be considered a threat in the division having won gold medals at the Youth Olympic Games, Youth World Championships and the Asian Championships as well as a silver medal at the Rio Olympics and a bronze at the 2017 World Championships. Fourth loss in his last five fights for Campa-all of the defeats against unbeaten fighters,

October 31

San Antonio, TX, USA: Super Feather: Gervonta Davis (24-0) W KO 6 Leo Santa Cruz (37-2-1). Super Light: Mario Barrios (26-0) W TKO 6 Ryan Karl (18-3). Super Light: Regis Prograis (25-1) W TKO 3 Juan Heraldez (16-1-1).Light: Isaac Cruz Gonzalez (20-1-1) W TKO 1Diego Magdaleno (32-4). Light: Michel Rivera (19-0) W PTS 10 Ladarius Miller (21-214
Davis vs. Santa Cruz
Davis becomes a title holder in two divisions simultaneously as he knocks out Santa Cruz with a brutal uppercut.
Round 1
Davis scored with two left hand counters but Santa Cruz fired back with a quick three-punch combination. He was using his longer reach to score on the back foot and Davis was short with his punches. Santa Cruz drove forward with a series of punches and in trying to avoid them Davis overbalanced and went down but it was rightly not counted as a knockdown and Santa Cruz ended the round by connecting with a couple of jabs and a right to the body.
Score: 10-9 Santa Cruz
Round 2
Santa Cruz opened the round by scoring with two body punches. Davis was trying to lure Santa Cruz in so he could counter with his left but Santa Cruz was able to use his jab to score at distance. In a show of temper Davis threw Santa Cruz to the canvas in retaliation for a punch to the back of the head. Santa Cruz ended the round by forcing Davis to the ropes but Davis ducked and dived around the punches..
Score: 10-9 Santa Cruz Santa Cruz 20-18
Round 3
The early part of this round was close because of what was not happening. Santa Cruz was off target and Davis defending with skill but was not throwing much. That changed later as Davis began to find the distance with his left and landed some solid shots.
Score: 10-9 Davis Santa Cruz 29-28
Round 4
Santa Cruz went low a number of times without being warned and that fired up Davis who was again finding the target with his rights to the body. Santa Cruz was not using his jab and apart from a three-punch bunch his attacks were ragged.
Score: 10-9 Davis Tied 38-38
Official Scores: Judge Glenn Feldman 38-38 Tied, Judge Alejandro Rochin 38-38 Tied, Judge David Sutherland 38-38 Tied
Round 5
Classy work from Davis in this one. He was quick enough to score with long lefts at distance and his defensive manoeuvres left Santa Anna swishing air. When Santa Cruz missed Davis made him pay with quick hooks inside .
Score: 10-9 Davis Davis 48-47
Round 6
The fight changed. Now Davis was storming forward behind a high guard ignoring the punches Santa Cruz was landing and cutting loose with vicious hooks and uppercuts. A low punch saw the action halted whilst Santa Cruz was given recovery time then Davis attacked fiercely again and as Santa Cruz threw a right Davis ducked inside it and came up with a tremendous uppercut to the head that sent Santa Cruz down flat on the canvas out cold. It was perfection! Santa Cruz never saw it coming and it was quite a few minutes before he recovered.
Davis retains the WBA lightweight title and wins the WBA super featherweight title. The 25-year-old “Tank” has now won fifteen in a row by KO/TKO with names such as Jose Pedraza, Liam Walsh, Francisco Fonseca, and Jesus Cuellar, Yuriorkis Gamboa on the list and now Santa Cruz who had never before lost inside the distance in the list. I can’t see him keeping the super feather title as there are great fights there at lightweight against Teo Lopez and Vasyl Lomachenko if they can be made. For Santa Cruz a fight with Miguel Berchelt might be attractive once he recovers from the brutal knockout.
Barrios vs. Karl
Barrios retains the secondary WBA title with a stoppage of strong but limited Karl.
Round 1
A lively opener with Karl busy, busy but Barrios cooler, more accurate and catching Karl with some sharp counters. Karl was roughing Barrios up inside and they both landed crisp shots late in the round.
Score: 10-9 Barrios
Round 2
Karl came flying out of his corner wading in to Barrios pumping out punches. The sheer volume of punches was forcing Barrios on the defensive and Karl was able to land with hooks. Barrios was connecting with sharp counters but was outworked.
Score: 10-9 Karl TIED 19-19
Round 3
Barrios outboxed Karl. He moved more, jabbed more and countered Karl’s rushing attacks with hooks to the body. Karl was looking crude as he swung wildly.
Score: 10-9 Barrios Barrios 29-28
Round 4
Karl was piling forward again but some of the fire seemed to go out of his work as he was having trouble getting past the left jab of Barrios. A jab from Barrios knocked Karl back on his heels and he was hurt by a number of short hooks as Barrios began to come forward more.
Score: 10-9 Barrios Barrios 39-37
Official Scores: Judge Ruben Carrion 39-37 Barrios, Judge Wilfredo Esperon 39-37 Barrios, Judge Jose Roberto Torres 40-36 Barrios
Round 5
Karl found the fire again. He was back to his swarming persona as he piled into Barrios. Much of his work was wasted but he was keeping Barrios too busy defending to attack and although caught with some counters late he had done enough to take the round.
Score: 10-9 Karl Barrios 48-47
Round 6
Barrios connected with some body shots and as Karl came forward a right to the side of the head saw Karl drop to one knee. He bounced up immediately and went after Barrios actually scoring with two huge rights to the head. Barrios fired back and then a clash of heads opened a big gash on Karl’s forehead. The referee asked the doctor to examine him but Karl was also bleeding from the mouth. Despite the flowing blood the fight continued and with his face a mask of blood Karl just kept marching into punch after punch until he fell to the floor on his hands and knees and collapsed onto his back and the fight was stopped.
Barrios, 24, a native of San Antonio now has 17 wins by KO/TKO but as the holder of the WBA secondary title he is in no man’s land not even a mandatory challenger so he will have to wait and see what happens next year between Josh Taylor and Jose Carlos Ramirez. Fellow Texan “ Cowboy Karl “ too brave for his own good and with only one way of fighting. He was No 9 with the WBA having been shoveld into their ratings for beating someone rated No 554 by BoxRec!
Prograis vs. Heraldez
Prograis shed’s some rust before wiping out Heraldez. After studying Heraldez for two minutes Prograis went to work forcing Heraldez around the ring throwing hooks and uppercuts. None connected solidly but it was already apparent that Heraldez was out of his depth. There was very little action in the second with neither fighter committing themselves to attack. In the third a straight right from Prograis dumped Heraldez on the floor. He was on his feet quickly but after the count Prograis jumped on him with a barrage of punches until the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. First fight for Prograis since losing a majority verdict against Josh Taylor in October last year in the final of the WSSB tournament. A defeat that cost Prograis his WBA title. He is No 1 with the WBC so is mandatory challenger to Jose Carlos Ramirez for that version of the super light title. Californian Heraldez had stopped 17-2 Eddie Ramirez and drawn with former IBF super feather champion Argenis Mendez in his last two fights.
Cruz vs. Magdaleno
Cruz catches Magdaleno cold with a ferocious attack putting Magdaleno own twice and blowing him away in just 53 seconds. Cruz went to work immediately forcing Magdaleno back into his own corner and bombarding him with body punches until with less than 20 seconds gone in the round Magdaleno went down. He was up at four and after the eight count he tried to trade punches with Cruz but was overwhelmed by a succession of punches then two neck-snapping uppercuts and fell to the canvas on his back with his head resting on the bottom rope. The referee did not count but just waived for assistance for Magdaleno as the bout ended after just 53 seconds. Mexican “Pitbull” Cruz, 22, registers win No 15 by KO/TKO in his most impressive performance so far. He has beaten Jose Felix and Thomas Mattice and is No 6(4) with the IBF. At 34 it will be hard for Magdaleno to climb back after this.
Rivera vs. Miller
Not a great fight this one but a good win for Rivera which gets him the USBA belt. Rivera took most of the early rounds with Miller not really getting untracked until later in the fight. Miller tried to put Rivera under pressure in the second half of the fight but he could not make any inroads to Rivera’s lead and put in a very disappointing performance, Scores 97-93 for Rivera from all three judges. Dominican Rivera, 22, is rated No 11 by the WBA and was coming off a career best win in February when he stopped Fidel Maldonado in the tenth round. Miller had won his last twelve bouts with his victims including former WBA super feather champion Jezzrel Corrales in July last year.

Las Vegas, NV, USA: Bantam: Naoya Inoue (20-0) W TKO 7 Jason Moloney (21-2). Super Feather: Robson Conceicao (15-0) W PTS 10 Luis Coria (12-4). Super Light: Julian Rodriguez (21-0) W TKO 3 Jose Lopez (29-8-2).Heavy: Jared Anderson (7-0) W TKO 1 Luis Pena (6-2). Super Light: Andy Hiraoka (16-0) W TKO 4 Rickey Edwards (12-5).
Inoue vs. Moloney
Inoue blasts out Moloney in another display of “Monster” power Round 1
Inoue won the battle of the jabs in the first and connected with a couple of rights. Moloney drove Inoue to the ropes twice but was unable to land anything of note and Inoue connected with a right cross to the head which was the best punch of the round.
Score: 10-9 Inoue
Round 2
This was a fast-paced open fight and Moloney did some good work with quick jabs over the first two minutes. Inoue was hunting him over the last minute scoring with jabs to head and body and a solid straight right to the head to take the round.
Score: 10-09 Inoue Inoue 20-18
Round 3
Inoue really stepped up the pressure in this one. He was hounding Moloney around the ring scoring with hooks and uppercuts . Moloney was perpetually on the back foot countering when he could but getting caught with some hard shots.
Score: 10-9 Inoue Inoue 30-27
Round 4
Another round of Inoue hunting down Moloney. Inoue was getting through with jabs and hooks to the body. Moloney was boxing well and connected with a couple sharp combinations to make it close but Inoue was blazing away with punches at the bell.
Score: 10-9 Inoue Inoue 40-36
Official Scores: Judge Patricia Morse Jarman40-36 Inoue, Judge Max DeLuca 39-37 Inoue, Judge Tim Cheatham 40-36 Inoue
Round 5
A closer round as Moloney took the fight to Inoue driving him to the ropes and scoring with body punches. Moloney also slotted home some jabs. Inoue was loading up on his punches and late in the round a heavy right to the head shook Moloney and he had to hold on as he was hurt by another right.
Score: 10-9 Inoue Inoue 50-45
Round 6
Inoue landed a heavy right at the start of the round and then put Moloney down with a short left hook. Moloney was up at four and when the action restarted he jabbed and moved constantly frustrating Inoue’s attempts to land another big punch and worked his way to the bell.
Score: 10-8 Inoue Inoue 60-53
Round 7
Inoue was not throwing much just looking to land one big punch. Moloney worked constantly with his jab moving quickly in and out and it looked as though he would make it to the bell. With just ten seconds to go Inoue exploded a right over the top of Moloneys jab. It crashed onto the challengers chin and sent him down heavily on his back. He rolled over at six trying to rise but fell back to the floor and the referee waived the fight over with just one second left in the round.
Inoue was defending the IBF and WBA belts. He has kept his power as he has moved from light flyweight, super flyweight and bantamweight as his figures of 15 wins by KO/TKO in his last 17 fights against world class opposition shows. He is also 15-0 in world title fights. His power conceals what an excellent boxer he is with great defensive and offensive skills. A fight with WBO boss John Riel Casimero is the next logical step-but the super bantamweights are not that strong right now so Inoue could even like the thought of becoming a four-division champion! Moloney did his best. He was up against a special fighter but didn’t shirk his task and it is quite possible that he could be fighting for a world title again next year-just not against Inoue.
Conceicao vs. Coria
Conceicao takes a close decision over Coria that is anything but straight forward. After a competitive opening round a left from Coria in the second floored Conceicao and he only just made it out of the round. The Brazilian got back into the fight by outscoring Coria in the third only to lose a point for a low punch in the fourth. The action heated up over the fifth and sixth with both scoring well but Conceicao losing another point for going low. Coria landed the harder punches in the seventh leaving Conceicao with lots of work to do to save his unbeaten record. Conceicao outscored Coria in the eighth but the ninth was close before Conceicao staged the strong finish to win the last. Scores 95-92 twice and 94-93 for Conceicao. The 32-year-old Rio gold medal winner has struggled to impress but this was an entertaining scrap that can only be good for his profile. All four of Coria’s losses have been very close decisions and he is a better fighter than his record indicates.
Rodriguez vs. Lopez
Rodriguez stretches his winning run to 21 with inside the distance stoppage of Lopez. A crunching left hook to the body dropped Lopez in agony in the first and a right to the head floored the advancing Lopez in the second. Rodriguez brought down the curtain in the third. The end was obviously near when Lopez was sent to the floor in the third by a solid jab but it was another left hook to the body that caused the fourth knockdown and finished the fight. No names yet on the record of the 26-year-old from New Jersey but he outclassed Jerry Belmontes and destroyed experienced Hevinson Herrera in 59 seconds. Lopes was a very creditable opponent with victories against Shoki Sakai, Roberto Ortiz and Lupe Rosales.
Hiraoka vs. Edwards
Japanese prospect Hiraoka gets his second win in the USA as he floors Edwards twice before the fight is stopped in the fourth round. Promoted by Top Rank the 24-year-old southpaw’s father is Ghanaian. Hiraoka turned pro whilst still in High School in Yokohama and was East Japan Rookie of the Year in the lightweight division and won the inaugural Japanese Youth title in 2018. Edwards drops to 1-5 in his last six outings.
Anderson vs. Pena
Anderson blitzes Pena for another first round victory. Anderson was landing heavy punches from the first bell. He was driving Pena around with vicious body shots and clubbing rights to the head. He pinned Pena against the ropes and was again digging in rib bending body punches and rocked Pena with an uppercut. Pena managed to escape briefly but was soon being pounded. The referee was looking on carefully but Pena fired back enough to be allowed to continue for a short while but with more head punches landing the referee stopped it at 2:46 of the round. The 20-year-old “Big Baby” from Toledo gets his fifth first round win and his seven fights have lasted less than twelve rounds. The downside is he is not learning anything from these fights and might develop some bad habits from being able to steamroller the opposition so easily but at just 20 he is a towering prospect. Second inside the distance defeat for Pena.

London, England: Heavy: Oleksandr Usyk (18-0) W PTS 12 Dereck Chisora (32-10). Light: Geroge Kambosos (19-0) W PTS 12 Lee Selby (28-3). Cruiser: Tommy McCarthy (17-2) W PTS 12 Bilal Laggoune (25-2-2).
Usyk vs. Chisora
Usyk gets a close unanimous decision over Chisora to cement his No 1 ranking with the WBO putting him in a position to apply pressure on Anthony Joshua for a title fight. Chisora was determined to take the fight to Usyk and he did so in the first. He was either dodging or ignoring Usyk’s jab and landed some clubbing shots to head and body knocking Usyk into the ropes with a right to the shoulder. Chisora continued his march in the second. He was wild at times but was connecting with solid right hooks and Usyk was looking decidedly uncomfortable under the pressure. Chisora had taken the first two rounds but in the third Usyk moved more and scored with quick counters stopping Chisora from getting inside. He connected with two hooks to the body and a right to the head to show he was starting to find his rhythm. Chisora connected with a clubbing right to the head at the start of the fourth and then chased Usyk down hard. I had Chisora winning three of the first four rounds but that was as good as it got for the Londoner. He had expended a heap of energy in chasing down Usyk and that began to tell. Although his tactics had been working well Chisora chose to change to southpaw in the fifth. Usyk upped his pace in the fifth and sixth constantly moving and firing bursts of punches at the advancing Chisora and by the end of the sixth Chisora was already looking tired. The seven was a clincher round for Usyk. After outboxing Chisora for most of the round he landed a left hook and a right to the head that shook Chisora. A series of punches sent Chisora back into the ropes but the bell went before Usyk could finish the job. Usyk was in control in the eighth and ninth putting his punches together well and switching angles. Now it was mainly Usyk on the front foot but he indicated later he had injured his left hand in the ninth. Chisora was able to press hard in the tenth as Usyk used his left hand very little and it was Chisora’s round. Over the last two rounds Usyk was again moving too quickly for Chisora to be able to do any effective work and the Ukrainian swept to victory. Scores 115-113 twice and 117-112. I had wider at 116-114 but that is effectively only one point different to the score from two of the judges. The 33-year-old Usyk must now wait to see what happens in Joshua’s fight in December with Kubrat Pulev and if Joshua wins that then Joshua vs. Fury will dictate what happens with the heavyweights in 2021. If the WBO threaten to strip Joshua he will most likely relinquish the title as the Fury fight (s) are the beigest fights in the division and will trump all. Chisora had scored useful victories over Senad Gashi, Artur Szpilka and David Price last year but is unlikely to get a return with Usyk and with the heavyweight division just a two-man race in 2021 might find himself filling the role of gatekeeper and a fight against the winner of Joe Joyce vs. Daniel Dubois might be of interest.
Kambosos vs. Selby
Australian Kambosos gets split decision over Selby to put himself in line for a shot at either the IBF or WBO titles.
As expected Selby was in continuous movement in the first with Kambosos tracking him. Neither landed much but Selby was too tentative with his jab and Kambosos just did enough to edge the round. Selby was more positive with his work in the second and took that one. This was to be the pattern for the first nine rounds of the fight where first and then the other would take a round. Kambosos took the third round connecting with a hard right and pinning Selby to the ropes and firing punches as the round ended. The fourth also went to Kambosos as he landed well with his jab and scored with short hooks inside. All of these rounds were close and the fifth followed that pattern as Selby‘s good work with his jab and his quick movement frustrated the attacks of Kambosos. Strong hooking to the body saw Kambosos earn the sixth but despite some more work to the body from Kambosos in the seventh Selby ‘s quicker hand speed saw him do enough to take the round. Kambosos scored with some hurtful body punching in the eighth but Selby closed the gap again in the ninth which was the best round so far as both boxers had their moments with Selby’s hand speed giving him the openings he needed. At that stage it was anyone’s fight but from there it was Kambosos who kicked on. He upped his aggression doing a better job of cutting off the ring and landing the better punches as Selby’s pace dropped with the Australian sweeping the last three rounds. Scores 118-110 and 116-112 for Kambosos and 115-114 for Selby. This was an IBF final eliminator so a huge win for 27-year-old Kambosos who becomes the mandatory challenger to Teo Lopez and with Selby having been No 1 with the WBO he is in a strong position as he will also be No 1 with them. Since Lopez now holds three versions of the super light title (Devin Haney is WBC world champion) Kambosos should either get a shot at Lopez or if Lopez goes up to super light should get a shot at one of the vacant titles. Selby showed enough for him to still have a part to play but at 33 and being a fighter whose speed is his greatest asset he will need to rebound quickly
McCarthy vs. Laggoune
McCarthy outboxes Belgian Laggoune to win the vacant European title. Laggoune made a positive start taking the fight to McCarthy scoring with strong jabs and heavy rights. McCarthy had his jab working well in the second and put together some little burst of punches. Laggoune connected with a heavy right but was lunging in and missing. Laggoune was picking off McCarthy’s jabs in the third and coming inside with long rights and then connecting with hooks to the body to take the round. McCarthy began putting on the style from the fourth. He was quicker with the jab, using good upper body movement to dodge the Belgium’s punches holding his hands at hip level and whacking Laggoune’s ribs. He carried that over into the fifth. McCarthy was again outboxing Laggoune in the sixth when after a right from McCarthy landed Laggoune turned away from the action pawing at his right eye. The referee called a time out and the doctor examined the eye but there was no obvious sign of damage so the fight continued with McCarthy piling forward chasing Laggoune around the ring with Laggoune just trying to stay out of trouble for the remainder of the round. Laggoune still seemed to be trouble by the eye in the seventh and McCarthy was piercing his guard with jabs and connecting with hooks and uppercuts. Laggoune was still throwing occasional rights but his output had dropped. A big left hook shook Laggoune in the eighth and in the ninth he went staggering into the ropes being off balance and McCarthy followed up pouring on the punches. They were two tired fighters in the tenth and eleventh but Laggoune dredged up the energy to take the fight to McCarthy again and earned both rounds. McCarthy had more left in the twelfth. He was dancing away from Laggoune’s lunges popping him with jabs and catching him with counters as Laggoune came forward. A frustrated Laggoune kept gesturing for the McCarthy to stand and fight but McCarthy boxed to the bell. Scores 116-112 and 116-113 for McCarthy and a dissenting 114-114. Two good wins in a row for the 29-year-old McCarthy following his victory over unbeaten Fabio Turchi in October. He is talking about a world title fight but that is some way off yet. Laggoune had drawn with Dmytro Kucher for this title back in 2015 so it has been a five year wait for another chance. He lost here but could yet get a third chance with some wins under his belt.

29 October

Warwick, RI, USA: Super Feather: Toka Kahn Clary (28-2) W TKO 2 Jonathan Perez (38-26,1ND).
Comfortable return to action for Clary as he stops Perez in two rounds. Clary dominated the first with an overmatched Perez mainly on the defensive. In the second a southpaw left from Clary sent Perez into the ropes. The Colombian showed some fire by punching his way off the ropes but Clary had him backing up again and a left uppercut dumped Perez on the floor propped up against the ropes. Perez climbed to his feet but was bent double and when he just dropped to his knees again the referee stopped the fight. First outing for the Liberian-born former National Golden Gloves champion for exactly 14 months. He has won 9 of his last 10 fights but the loss was in a big fight against Kid Galahad in Boston where he was beaten on a unanimous decision. Colombian Perez, who started out as a flyweight, is 2-11 in his last 13 fights.

30 October

Buenos Aires, Argentina: Cruiser: Yamil Peralta (7-0) W PTS 10 Marcos Karalitzky (7-4-2). Feather: Federico Pedraza (12-0-1) W PTS 12 Alain Luques (27-10).
Peralta vs. Karalitzky
Boxing returns to Argentina behind closed doors as Peralta defends the South American title with comfortable decision over Argentinian No 8 Karalitzky. It took Peralta a couple of rounds to really hit his form but his better skills, longer reach and strength edges over Karalitzky, who is really just a fattened up light heavy, put him in control. Peralta bossed the action with his jab and connected constantly with straight rights. Karalitzky had some success with rights and put in a big effort over the closing rounds but was well beaten. Scores 118-110, 117-111 and 116 ½ -114 for Peralta. The 29-year-old local boxer, a former star of Argentinian amateur boxing, was making the first defence of the South American title. Karalitzky really an overmatched prelim fighter.
Pedraza vs. Luques Castillo
Southpaw Pedraza wins the South American title with verdict over Luques Castillo. The younger Pedraza took control from the start against Luques Castillo. His accurate jabbing saw him sweep the first three rounds before Luques Castillo warmed-up Luques Castillo outscored Pedraza in the fourth as Pedraza looked to be coasting. Pedraza was back on top over the middle rounds as he went from counter punching to a more aggressive approach. A clash of heads saw in the seventh saw Pedraza cut but the doctor ruled the fight could continue. Pedraza had only been past six rounds once and he looked be tiring in the ninth but he bounced back in the tenth and Luques Castillo struggled to make it to the end. Scores 118-110 twice and 118-112 for 24-year-old Pedraza who extends his winning run to ten contests. Luques Castillo was making the fifth defence of the South American title.

Guarulhos, Brazil: Super Welter: Diego Allan Ferreira Lablonski (7-0) W PTS 10 Morrana Dheisw de Araujo Santos (5-6). Super Middle: Claudiomar Pedra dos Santos (8-7-2) W KO 2 Joselito dos Santos (17-13).
Lablonski vs. Santos
Lablonski collects the vacant national title with points win over champion Santos. It look as though it might be a quick finish as Lablonski battered Santos to the floor in the first but Santos got up and lasted the distance. Lablonski also wins the UBO International title. Santos was making the fifth defence of his title and all of his losses have come inside the distance.
Claudiomar de Santos vs. Joselito dos Santos
Claudiomar wins a Brazilian title at the third attempt as he knocks out oldie Joselito in two rounds for the vacant super middle crown. Southpaw Claudiomar was quicker and more mobile than Joselito and pressed hard in the first round. Joselito tried switching guards in the second but a right to body and a left to the head put him down and he was counted whilst trying to get up. The 39-year-old Claudiomar also wins the vacant American Boxing Federation belt. Joselito, 47, now has twelve losses by KO/TKO after being 10-2 in his last 12 fights.

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania: Super Middle: Twaha Rubaha (16-6-1) W RTD 7 Sirimongkhol Singwangcha (97-5). Heavy: Shaban Hamadi Jongo W KO 5 Alphonce Mchumiatumbo (14-8-1). Super Welter: Maono Ally (11-5-1) W KO 3 Joseph Sinkala (13-13-1).
Rubaha vs. Singwangcha
This really was a farce as a tubby Singwangcha lumbered around for six rounds still having enough boxing knowledge to outsmart Rubaha at times. Finally in the seventh Singwangcha was exhausted and stumbling and at the end of the round went back to his corner and sat on the canvas looking out into the crowd. Someone gave him a drink of water from a bottle and he then climbed up and went to two corners of the ring climbing on the ropes to thank the fans. The referee had no idea what was going on until Singwangcha walked to Rubaha’s corner to congratulate him at which point the referee lifted Rubaha’s hand. The fight was to have been for the WBC ABC title but recognition of that was withdrawn before the fight. At 43 and about 50lbs over his fighting weight when he was a two-division world champion Singwangcha should shun the glory of going for 100 professional wins and retire. Rubaha really just a club level fighter.
Jongo vs. Mchumiatumbo
Jongo uses his size and weight advantages to club more experienced Mchumiatumbo to defeat in a slow cumbersome fight. Jongo ended it in the fifth as he sent Mchumiatumbo flat on his back on the canvas with two huge rights. Worryingly the first landed flush on the back of Mchumiatumbo’s head which had him stumbling with his head down and the finisher landed on the jaw and pitched him to the canvas on his back out cold. Sixth win in a row for Jongo sixth loss by KO/TKO for Mchumiatumbo.
Ally vs. Sinkala
Ally took the first two rounds and then ended it in the third. A booming right to the head sent poor Sinkala flying across the ring into the ropes and down and he was counted out. Seventh win by KO/TKO for “The Monster of Bagamoyo”. Seventh inside the distance loss for the much smaller Sinkala.

Rangsit, Thailand: Super Feather: Wancha CP Freshmart (17-1) W KO 5 Omar El Ouers (0-2-1). Super Bantam: Kongfah CP Freshmart (34-1-1) W TKO 5 Emmanuele Corti (0-1).
Wancha vs. El Ouers
Wancha (Kittithat Ungsrivongs) wins in the end but El Ouers proves a tougher test than expected. The Thai pressed hard but El Ouers showed a solid guard and some hurtful counter punching and it even looked as though he had scored a knockdown but it was ruled a slip. El Ouers looked to be tiring in the fourth but at the end of the round the open scoring had them even on two cards at 38-38 with third reading 39-37 to Wancha. In the fifth a stunning right from Wancha put El Ouers down. The Moroccan tried to rise but slumped back to the floor and was counted out. Wancha, 21, wins the vacant WBC ABC title with his tenth inside the distance victory. His loss came against China’s Que Xu in 2018 and this is his seventh win as he rebuilds. El Ouers had drawn with 32-1 Kongfah in his last contest and showed here he can fight.
Kongfah vs. Corti
Just public sparring with pay for Kongfah (Jakkrawut Majoogoen) as he stops Thai-based Italian Corti in five rounds. Only in Thailand will you find a world rated fight such as Kongfah fighting a total novice. The 25-year-old Kongfah is 20-0-1 since his lone lost on a seventh round kayo against Daigo Higa in Japan in 2015. Corti may have had fights in Muay Thai or other MMA’s in Thailand but this is his first formal boxing match.

October 31

Krasnaya Polyana, Russia: Heavy: Murat Gassiev (27-1) W TKO 1 Nuri Seferi (41-10).
Gassiev eases his way into the heavyweight ranks with quick dismissal of veteran Seferi. After a slow start where they just prodded each other with jabs Gassiev landed a left hook to the body and a straight right to the head. That had Seferi backing up then a booming right the chin sent him crashing to the canvas. He was up a six but looked unsteady and after completing the eight count the referee stopped the fight. All done in 107 seconds. In his first fight since losing his IBF and WBA cruiserweight titles to Oleksandr Usyk in July 2018 Gassiev must have been hoping for a bit more ring time as Seferi had only lost inside the distance once but that big right from Gassiev was too much for him. Gassiev will be looking to get into action again as soon as possible . Seferi , 43, mentioned retirement after 21 years as a pro.

Hamburg, Germany: Heavy: Viktor Vykhryst (4-0) W RTD 4 Yakup Saglam (43-8). Heavy: Michael Wallisch W RTD 5 Kai Kurzawa (38-10).
Vykhryst vs. Saglam
Vykhryst stops Saglam in a slow-paced one-side contest. Vykhryst worked behind a solid jab occasionally mixing in a straight right with Saglam not really doing much at all. In the second Saglam just lay against the ropes in a corner letting Vykhryst pound on him but never looked in any trouble. In the third Saglam strode forward throwing punches and put Vykhryst under some pressure. Vykhryst was finally able to take control as he hammered Salam with punches until Saglam again went onto the back foot. There was a long delay before Saglam came out for the fourth and after eating punches throughput the round he retired. The 6’5” 28-year-old Ukrainian is still very much a learner in the pro ranks. He looks slow and his jab lacks authority but he is big and can dig and will improve over time. He was Ukrainian, European and European Games champion so he is carrying the burden of some very high expectations. Turkish-born Saglam is just too old at 43 to provide any kind of test for Vykhryst.
Wallisch vs. Kurzawa
Wallisch gets a much needed and very predictable win as he forces Kurzawa to retire after five rounds. Wallisch was just too big for the elderly Kurzawa and it was really no more than some useful sparring work. Kurzawa fired back enough punches to stay in the fight but it was one-sided. Wallisch floored Kurzawa in the third, fourth and fifth and Kurzawa sensibly retired for the night. Local fighter Wallisch, 35, was carefully guided to a 19-0 record but then ambition caused the wheels to come off as Efe Ajagba, Tony Yoka and Joe Joyce all beat him inside the distance. Kurzawa, 43, is a former challenger for the EBU light heavyweight title but his form of those days is lost in the sands of time or in the folds of fat he carries being 30lbs above his days of old.

Pont-Sainte-Maxence, France: Super Bantam: Hugo Legros (11-1-2) W PTS 10 Thomas Barbier (10-21-1).
Local fighter Legros wins the French title at the second attempt as he outpoints champion Barbier. Legors made an attacking start to get his nose in front. The bout was closer over the middle rounds as Barbier fought hard to hold on to his title. Barbier continued his pressure over the last two rounds but Legros was countering well and was stronger at the finish. Scores 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 for Legros. The new champion has now won 10 of his last 11 fights. Barbier, 37, was making the first defence of the national title.

Berlin, Germany: Middle: Sven Elbir (17-1) W PTS 10 Rafael Sosa (61-15).
“Batman” Elbir wins the vacant WBA International title with decision over Uruguayan oldie Sosa. This marks the fifth win for Elbir since losing a very narrow decision to Patrick Wojcicki in 2018. Wojcicki is now to fight in an IBF final eliminator so with hindsight an expensive loss for Elbir. Sosa 40 is a 16 year pro who has travelled the world and rarely losses inside the distance.

Cancun, Mexico: Middle: Oziel Santoyo (12-1-1) W PTS 8 Manuel Gallegos (17-1). Super Bantam: Alexis Bastar (17-1-1) W TKO 7 Israel Gasparrillo (10-2).
Santoyo vs. Gallegos
Santoyo springs a surprise for the second time in a row as he snaps the 17-bout winning record of Gallegos with a unanimous decision and extends his own winning run to twelve.. Santoyo pressed hard all the fight and outworked Gallegos who was looking to end the fight with one punch to add to his 15 inside the victories. He was leaving himself open and was rocked a number of times as Santoyo emerged the clear winner. In his last fight in June 2019 Santoyo took a unanimous decision over favoured Omar Chavez. Gallegos had won 8 of his last 9 fights by KO/TKO but against a much lower level of opposition.
Bastar vs. Gasparrillo
Southpaw Bastar makes hard work of stopping less experienced Gasparrillo. Bastar handed out heavy punishment to Gasparrillo but Gasparrillo just kept coming in his crouching style and began to connect with more punches the longer the fight went. Bastar pulled the fight out of the fire in the seventh with a right hook that put Gasparrillo down and out. The Cancun southpaw extended his unbeaten run to 17 fights. Gasparrillo had won his last ten fights.

Valencia, Spain: Super Welter: Jorge Fortea (21-2-1) W RTD 5 Kelly Figueroa (12-15-4). A double winning night for Fortea. In front of his home fans he halts Figueroa and then proposes in the ring to his girl friend who accepts. Too late to duck and dive now Jorge. This was a more aggressive showing than usual from Fortea who broke down the tough but limited Venezuelan southpaw with Figueroa not coming out for the seventh round. Fortea had a seven-bout winning streak snapped in November when he lost on points to IBF No 1 Bakhram Murtazaliev. Figueroa is now 0-7-1 in his last 8 but surprisingly the draw was with 18-2-1 Ricardo Silva in December.

Fight of the week (Significance): The knockout of Leo Santa Cruz by Gervonta Davis could lead to some great fights at lightweight-if they can be made.
Fight of the week (Entertainment): Jaime Munguia vs. Tureano Johnson was a war until Johnson had to retire. Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Karl was a madcap slugfest whilst it lasted.
Fighter of the week: Gervonta Davis for his devastating kayo of future Hall of Famer Leo Santa Cruz with honourable mentions to Naoya Inoue and Oleksandr Usyk
Punch of the week: It has to be the uppercut that knocked Leo Santa Cruz out cold. It was a good week for candidates with the beautifully delivered right from Inoue that finished Moloney and the thunderous right from Murat Gassiev that laid out Nuri Seferi and the left hook to the body from Lamont Roach that nearly cut Neil Tabanao in half.
Upset of the week: none really although Isaac Cruz blowing away Diego Magdaleno inside a minute was unexpected.
Prospect watch: Above named 22-year-old Isaac Cruz who is 20-1-1

Observations
Good to see boxing back in Argentina but not so good to have a major fight in Japan fall a victim to the virus
Some fighters never get a sniff of a world title shot. Carlos Buitrago has had six and is still not a champion. Is that a record?
Momentary confusion as the fighter wearing the green red and white of Mexico on his shorts was Gervonta Davis and not Leo Santa Cruz. A fashion statement or provocation?
With both former cruiserweight champions Olek Usyk and Murat Gassiev in the heavyweights it is getting pretty crowded. Anyone fancy making a bit of room by moving down to the new division 224lbs division?
How about that Sirimongkhol Singwangcha! Still fighting at 43. He started out as a flyweight, won WBC titles at bantam and super feather and in 2018 won the Thai light heavyweight title, 26-years a pro, 101 fights and 97 wins.