The Past Week In Action 26 January 2016

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

                                    The Past Week In Action 26 January 2016

January 21

 

Montreal, Canada: Super Welter: Custio Clayton (6-0) W TKO 2 Stanislas Salmon (25-4-2). Super Middle: Erik Bazinyan (11-0) W PTS 8 Michal Ludwiczak (12-3).

Clayton vs. Salmon

Canadian Olympian Clayton disposes of reasonable level French opponent in quick time. Clayton put Salmon down on his knees with a left to the body late in the first round and ended it in the second. The hot Canadian prospect had Salmon down again with another right to the body. After Salmon got up another  right had the Frenchman reeling and Clayton was handing out more punishment when the towel came in from Salmon’s corner just as the referee decided to stop the fight. The 28-year-from Nova Scotia moves to 5 wins by KO/TKO. He was Canadian amateur champion in 2009, 2010 and 2012, represented Canada at the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games and scored victories in international matches against pro prospects Prichard Colon and Tommy Langford. At the 2012 Olympics he beat Oscar Molina and Cameron Hammond before losing in the quarter finals to Welshman Fred Evans. They tied 14-14 but Evans won on count back. One to watch. Salmon, the FFB No 8, is a former French champion but has been largely inactive with this his third fight in 13 months after a two year layoff.

Bazinyan vs. Ludwiczak

Young Quebecois prospect Bazinyan rolls on as he outclasses Polish import Ludwiczak. Bazinyan won every round being sharper, quicker and busier and confusing the Pole with constant guard switches. A tiring Ludwiczak lost a point in the seventh for spitting out his gumshield twice but gave Bazinyan eight rounds of useful work. Scores 80-71 twice and 80-70. First eight round fight for Bazinyan, 20, he had won his last four fights by KO/TKO. He is a former Canadian Golden Gloves champion. Ludwiczak, 21, won his first 11 fights but is now 1-3 in his last 4.

 

Samut Sakhon, Thailand: Welter: Teerachai (33-0) W PTS 12 Alexandr Zhuravskiy (10-2).Light: Taiwo Ali (19-4-1) W KO 5 Ritthidech (0-1).

Teerachai vs. Zhuravskiy

Teerachai retains the WBA PABA title with unanimous decision over Kazak Zhuravskiy. The Kazak boxer had lots of height and reach over Teerachai and was also a southpaw. Teerachai started well drilling straight rights through Zhuravskiy’s defence in the first two rounds. All of the action was in ring centre with neither able to take control. In the third Zhuravskiy was getting through with good straight lefts but Teerachai slammed home a left/right/left combination in quick time. Zhuravskiy did better over the middle rounds. He was finally making use a stiff right jab, boxing well on the front foot and slotting home straight lefts. Teerachai was on top in the eighth getting his punches off quicker as Zhuravskiy’s work rate dropped. From the ninth Zhuravskiy was boxing with both hands down on his hips and Teerachai took advantage of that to take the tenth but Zhuravskiy had a good eleventh and the last was close. Scores 117-111, 117-112 and 116-112 with Teerachai the clear winner but the last score the most reflective of what happened in the ring. The 23-year-old Thai is No 6 with the WBA but I can’t see him breaking into the Pacquiao, Bradley, Thurman, Brook or Garcia level. Zhuravskiy, 30, was very one-paced but fought a good fight. He was inactive from January 2011 until October last year when he dropped a four round decision to a fighter in his first pro contest so he did better than expected.

Ali vs. Ritthidech

Nigerian Ali rebounds from an upset loss with easy fifth round kayo of first time pro Ritthidech so a pretty rubbish excuse for a fight. The 32-year-old Thai-based African has been fed a string of low level victims and this was yet another  one.

 

January 22

 

Tucson, AZ, USA: Heavy: Jarrell Miller (16-0-1) W TKO 7 Donovan Dennis (12-3,1ND). Middle: Rob Brant (19-0) W KO 4 Decarlo Perez (15-4-1).Super Welter: Bakhtiyar Eyubov (10-0) W TKO 3 Jared Robinson (16-3-1).

Miller vs. Dennis

Miller nearly finishes Donovan in the first but is then given a stern test. Miller had a big edge in his 56lbs weight advantage. From the outset Miller was coming forward with southpaw Dennis using the perimeter of the ring and just stabbing out light jab. Half way through the round Miller had Dennis with his back to the ropes. He landed a couple of glancing rights and then a thunderous one that snapped Dennis’s head back. He staggered along the ropes hurt and another right put him down. He made it to his feet at four but still looked very shaky at the end of the eight count. Miller was throwing rights trying to end it with Dennis trying to duck inside and hold but a couple of cuffing shots put him down again. He was up early but was on unsteady legs and he clutched Miller desperately to survive and Miller missed his chance to end it by swinging wildly. It still felt as though one more good punch from Miller might end it but Dennis moved and punched in the second whilst Miller seemed to be looking to land one big right hand. Near the bell Dennis suddenly seemed to have a problem with his leg but it passed. In the third Dennis was more mobile circling to stay away from Miller’s right and slotting punches through the big man’s guard. Unfortunately his punches made no real impression on Miler who kept padding forward and after looking tired in the third Miller ended the fourth by trapping Dennis on the ropes and getting home some hefty thumps. In the fifth Dennis had slowed and his work was ragged. He seemed to have a mouth injury with a trickle of blood from there. Miller was constantly walking forward and scoring with body punches inside. In the sixth Dennis was just pushing his punches and Miller was getting through with hard rights and uppercuts. A low punch from Miller saw Dennis given some recovery time but at the end of the round he was again on the ropes and getting hurt. In the seventh Martin landed a hard uppercut and then drove Dennis to the ropes. Dennis had nothing left. He was stranded with his hands down and a right/left/right combination snapped his head from side to side and the fight was stopped. Miller wins the vacant WBA-NABA title and has 14 wins by KO/TKO. The 27-year-old from Brooklyn has come to boxing through a very successful time in kickboxing and MMA. His draw was with Joey Dawejko in his fifth pro fight. A 6’4” (193cm) and 274lbs (124kg) he is big but not fast. He has power but his defence needs improvement if he is to progress to the top. Now 3 losses by KO/TKO for Dennis. The 28-year-old from Iowa came through well in the ESPN Boxcino tournament beating unbeaten Steve Vukosa and Romanian Razvan Cojanu but was stopped in eight round in the final by Andrey Fedosov. He was a NGG silver medallist and competed at the US Olympic Trials and here he just did not have the power to worry Miller.

Brant vs. Perez

Former top amateur Brant gives impressive power performance. Perez tried to get off to a fast start throwing lots of punches but Brant was even quicker and near the end of the first a right shook Perez and took away his confidence. Brant was in charge in the second. His fast, accurate combinations were forcing Perez on the defensive and in the third a straight right put Perez down. Brant continued to press and in the fourth he provided a spectacular finish. A light jab was followed by an express train of a straight right that thudded into Perez’s jaw and threw him backwards and down. Initially he landed part of the way out of the ring balanced on the middle rope but the rebound from the rope dumped on the canvas and the referee immediately waived the fight over. The 25-year-old from St Paul makes it 11 wins by KO/TKO. He had only just squeezed past Louis Rose on a majority verdict in October but turned in a power performance here, and wins the vacant WBA-NABA title. He has impressive amateur credentials being US Under-19 champion, US national champion in 2009 and the NGG champion in 2010 as well as competing at both the World Junior and World Championships, but he came up short at the US Olympic Trials.”3mendo” Perez, 24, was a live opponent. He had lost only one of his previous 14 fights and had victories over Ty Brunson, Jesse Nicklow and Juan Ubaldo Cabrera (23-0). This is his first loss by KO/TKO.

Eyubov vs. Robinson

This looked a reasonable match on paper but Kazak Eyubov just rolled right over Robinson. With the sound of the bell hardly faded Eyubov landed a couple of body punches then switched to the head and a left hook had Robinson down and the fight was virtually over. Robinson made it to his feet but was later sent tumbling into the ropes from a thudding left which was counted as a knockdown. Robinson made it to the bell but it was just a temporary reprieve as he was nailed with a right and a surplus left in the second.  Eyubov is still a raw talent and Robinson was again able to last to the interval. A sustained attack from Eyubov early in the third had Robinson trapped on the ropes and with the Kazak unloading the fight was stopped. The 29-year-old Kazak banger was taken into the third round for the first time and has six first round finishes but against better opposition will have to hone his technique and work his opening. Robinson, 33, had suffered losses in tough fights against Amir Imam and Michael Perez but in June took unbeaten Haskell Rhodes (23-0) to a draw.

 

London, England: Feather: Ryan Walsh (20-1-1) W TKO 5 Darren Traynor (11-1). Super Welter: Ahmet Patterson (17-0) W TKO 6 Ryan Aston (18-3-2). Super Bantam: Lewis Pettitt (18-2) W TKO Krzys Rogowski (10-16).

Walsh vs. Traynor

Walsh retains his British title with stoppage of unbeaten Scot Traynor. These two went to war from the start but their styles did not mix immediately. Walsh had the better technique and sharper jab but Traynor had a bit of an edge in height and reach and was dangerous and wobbled Walsh briefly with a right in the second. Walsh was finding his range and adding some sharp combinations and to make matters worse for the Scot a clash of heads in the third saw him cut over his right eye. Walsh was too quick for the Scot in the fourth and scoring freely and after dominating that round finished the job in the fifth. A right then three left hooks and another right sent Traynor tumbling into the ropes and down briefly as the fight was stopped. The 29-year-old From Cromer moves to 9 wins by KO/TKO. His only loss was a points defeat against current IBF champion Lee Selby for the British and CBC titles in 2013. He is the twin brother of Liam who is British super feather champion. He is WBO No 13 and EBU No 8. Aberdeen-based 29-year-old “Trayn Wreck” Traynor, twice a Scottish amateur champion, showed some good touches early but the cut and the quickness of Walsh were too much for him. He is rated No 20 in the EBU/European Union ratings.

Patterson vs. Aston

“Punch Picker” Patterson wins the vacant IBF International title with stoppage of game Aston. Patterson was looking to box on the outside in the first with southpaw Aston pressing the action. It was a close round but the best punch came from Patterson in the shape of a hard right. Aston was pressing again in the second with Patterson using a sharp jab to keep the Midlands fighter out but at the end of the round both were letting their punches go. They continued to exchange hard shots in the third with both landing well and in the fourth a punch from Patterson shook Aston who took it, but fought back hard. Having shaken his man a couple of times Patterson found the punch in the fifth to get his first knockdown of the fight.  A right hook put Aston down but the Midlander got up and survived the rest of the round but the end was near. Patterson pressed home his advantage in the sixth and floored Aston twice more with the referee stopping the fight. The 28-year-old Turkish-born Londoner now has 7 wins by KO/TKO and has beaten three good level domestic opponents in Phil Gill, Chad Gaynor and Aston. He is WBO 12 and EBU 9 and ready for some bigger matches. Aston, 24, had lost only one of his last 14 fights but was out-powered on the night. He is a useful fighter and can come again.

Pettitt vs. Rogowski

Pettitt starts the road back with stoppage of Pole Rogowski. The visitor made a spirited start with Pettitt taking a round to get into his stride and then was getting through with left jabs and hooks. Rogowski was rattled and warned for an attempted butt. Pettitt had a dominant third with Rogowski getting desperate and losing a point for throwing Pettitt to the canvas. Pettitt was unmoved and floored Rogowski twice with body punches. Another knockdown in the fourth was enough and the referee stopped the fight. A not too testing return fight for Pettitt as he tries to rebuild after an upset loss to Bobby Jenkinson for the vacant CBC title in September. A former British Youth and Junior champion the 25-year-old Pettitt has 8 wins by KO/TKO. Pole Rogowski, 34, makes his living as a travelling loser. After a reasonable start to his pro career he is 10-10 in his last 20 fights and 1-10 in fights in Britain.

 

Firmat, Argentina: Super Welter: Marcelo Coceres (20-0-1) W PTS 10 Sebastian Lujan (43-12-2,1ND).

Coceres wins but loses as well. He was too young and too quick for a badly faded Lujan but was made to look very ordinary at times as even an over the hill Lujan was able to mess him about and give him trouble. Coceres had Lujan down in the eighth with a hard combination but the veteran survived and had a couple of good spells to capture or share some rounds although losing clearly and tiring at the end. Scores 98-91, 98-92 and 99-90 all for Coceres.  The 24-year-old local “El Terrible” is FAB No 3 and IBF 13(12) but is flattered by the rating and will need to improve a lot if he is to justify that rating. “Iron” Lujan, 36, a former WBO and IBO welter and WBO super welter challenger came in as a very late sub for both Hector Saldivia and Mexican Javier Carrera so did his job well.

 

Surat Thani, Thailand: Super Bantam: Mike Tawatchai (38-8-1) W PTS 12 Shingo Kawamura (11-3-1). Middle: Manus Boonjumnong (4-0) W TKO 3 Suik Hidari (0-1).

Tawatchai wins unanimous decision in an untidy bad-tempered fight. Although Kawamura had big edges in height and reach he choose to come forward and stand and trade. In fact it was Tawatchai who was the counter puncher. In every one of the twelve rounds Kawamura was taking the fight to Tawatchai and throwing lots of leather. However the much smaller Tawatchai was constantly ducking under the punches, and sometimes so low he was below Kawamura’s belt, and then coming up with short counters. Both were warned for various infringements throughout the fight with Tawatchai lucky not to be penalised for ducking so low and coming up with his head dangerously. Kawamura had plenty of success but was constantly caught with his guard wide open as he swiped the air above the head of the ducking Thai. The visitor probably threw five times as many punches but with Tawatchai so low he had no body target to aim at and did not seem to have a hook or an uppercut in his arsenal. Tawatchai caught the eye with his counters and deserved his victory but there was not much class on show from either fighter. Scores 117-112 twice and 118-110 for Tawatchai, 30, who was making the second defence of his IBF Pan Pacific title. He has lost only one of his last 13 fights and that was to world rated Shingo Wake. He is No 7 (6) with the IBF but Rigondeaux, Frampton, Quigg and Ceja won’t be looking over their shoulders. Kawamura, 25, was 11-1-1 in his previous 12 fights but does not figure anywhere in the JBC ratings.

Boonjumnong vs. Hidari

Boonjumnong has too much class for unknown Hidari who retires at the end of the third round. At 35 Boonjumnong has probably left it too late to turn pro which is a great pity. He is one of the most decorated of Thai amateurs winning gold at the 2004 Olympics, silver at the 2008 Games where he beat top Cuban Roniel Iglesias but lost to Felix Diaz. He also won a bronze at the “World Championships and golds at the Kings Cup, the Asian Games, the South East Asian Games and the Copenhagen Cup-and brother Manon is about the only Thai who can match him in medals.

 

Hinckley, MN, USA: Super Welter: Antonio Johnson (12-1-1) W PTS 8 Mohammed Kayongo (18-5-1). Cruiser: Al Sands (16-2) W KO 2 Gary Tapusoa (7-6-1). Heavy: Damon Reed (48-18,6ND) W PTS 6Aaron Green (16-1).

Johnson vs. Kayongo

Johnson wins the vacant State title with majority decision over Ugandan-born Kayongo.  Although neither fighter had been very active recently they both slipped quickly into their respective styles. Known as the “African Assassin” Kayongo was the aggressor early with Johnson covering well and countering. The styles did not mix well and the fight was messy at times. Johnson built a lead over the first three rounds with Kayongo putting in a big effort to take the fourth and make things close but Johnson use his skill and counter-punching to pull away over the closing rounds. Scores 78-74 twice for Johnson and 76-76. Johnson, 31, had only one fight in 29 months prior to this and that was back in November 2014. His draw was with Willie Nelson and his lass to Francisco Santana so good level, opposition so hopefully he will be more active. Kayongo, 35, lost in the final of the 2002 Commonwealth Games to Darren Barker before turning pro in Minnesota in 2003. He suffered tough consecutive losses to then unbeaten fighters Jamal James and Frederic Lawson and was inactive for 17 months after losing to Lawson in March 2014.

Sands vs. Tapusoa

Sands the “Haitian Temptation”, a former State champion, was having his first fight since a shock one round loss against Phil Williams in August ended his 13 bout winning streak. Tapusoa does not have a very sound chin so he was asking for trouble by trading punches with big puncher Sands. He paid the price for that foolishness in the second round being floored twice and knocked out. Now 14 wins by KO/TKO for 28-year-old Sands. Now 5 losses by KO/TKO in his last 6 fights for Tapusoa.

Reed vs. Green

Huge upset as “Gorilla” Green loses a majority verdict to oldie Reed. Green was much taller, had a 60lbs (263-203) pull in weight, and had won his last seven fights by KO/TKO whereas Reed had lost 5 of his last 6. For two rounds Green looked on his way to victory as he had Reed on the back foot and hurt the veteran with a vicious body punch which forced Reed to go down on one knee in agony. However late in the second Green began to have trouble with his mobility which he later put down to a recurrence of a past injury. From then Reed was able to move around and in and out with Green almost static. Reed had Green on the floor in the fifth and was then able to box his way to a big upset. Scores 57-55 twice and 56-56. The 44-year-old Reed gets a lucky break but he would probably claim he has also had some bad breaks in the past. The 6’4” (193cm) Green, 33, was having his first fight in eleven months and could be facing another long lay-off.

 

Philadelphia, PA, USA: Light: Rey Blanco (10-2) W PTS 8 Angel Ocasio (8-1-2).

Light: Jonathan Maicelo (23-2,1ND) W PTS 6 Sam Amoako (21-6).

Blanco vs. Ocasio

Blanco stays strong to the end to get the unanimous verdict over Ocasio in a hard-fought close fight. Over the first half of the bout there was little between them with Blanco just edging in front. Ocasio had a big fifth round but after that faded and Blanco was able to outscore him over the closing rounds to just deserve the verdict. Scores 80-72 and 79-73 which both seemed a bit too wide and 77-75 all for Blanco. The Puerto Rican-based Dominican Blanco, 28, wins the vacant WBA-NABA title. He has lost only one of his last eight fights and that was to Puerto Rican prospect Kevin Nieves. Local fighter Ocasio, 26, had been inactive for almost three years before returning in October with a win.

Maicelo vs. Amoako

Former WBA title challenger Maicelo keeps busy with a decision over Amoako. The Peruvian was too skilful for the game but limited Ghanaian. Maicelo was able to pierce Amoako’s guard time and again in every round but the tough African just soaked it up and kept coming. Scores 60-54 from all three judges. The 32-year-old Maicelo has a couple of good wins over Art Hovhannisyan (17-1-2) for the WBC International Silver title and Brandon Bennett (19-1) but lost a wide unanimous decision to Darleys Perez for the interim WBA title in January last year. “Bruno” Amoako, a former CBC title challenger,

has been given a couple of tough assignments since moving across the Atlantic having been knocked out by Miguel Roman in three rounds in November.

 

Junin, Argentina: Super Light: Emiliano Dominguez R. (13-0) W PTS 10 Walter Gazan (12-4-1). Dominguez gets second win over Gazan but has to go the distance this time. Easy win for the more accomplished Dominguez as he outboxed the light- punching Gazan but despite finding Gazan an easy target he could not find a finishing punch but neither did he drop a round. Scores 100-93 ½,100-94 and 100-95. The 27-year-old “La Cobrita” had scored a fourth round knockout over Gazan when they fought in April. Gazan had rebounded with four wins since then.

 

January 23

 

Los Angeles, CA, USA: Welter: Danny Garcia (32-0) W PTS 12 Robert Guerrero (33-4-1,2ND).  Welter: Sammy Vasquez (21-0) W RTD 6 Aaron Martinez (20-5-1). Heavy: Dominic Breazeale (17-0) W RTD 5 Amir Mansour (20-5-1). Light: Alejandro Luna (20-0) W RTD 8 Alan Herrera (34-8).

Garcia vs. Guerrero

Garcia recovers from a slow start to decision Guerrero and lift the vacant WBC title. Southpaw Guerrero made much the better start coming forward and letting his hands go whilst Garcia seemed hesitant. The second round was more even as they traded some sharp punches. Garcia landed a good straight right and a hard hook but again Guerrero was letting his punches flow scoring a good hook early and putting Garcia on the back foot with a crisp right. Guerrero kept trundling forward in the third with Garcia again on the back foot and Guerrero working hard and keeping busy. He landed a good left hook to the body and a right uppercut although by the end of the round Garcia was finally countering effectively. Garcia continued to score with hard counters in the fourth but Guerrero was staying on top of Garcia and landed a series of good punches at the end of the round including a jaw-jarring uppercut . From the fifth despite showing a swelling under his right eye and being forced to fight the way Guerrero wanted Garcia was finally in the groove. He was finding his range and timing Guerrero’s attacks and making him pay for his aggression. He was letting his hands go more than he had over the early rounds, scoring with his right s the traditional answer to a southpaw. In the sixth it seemed that Guerrero’s work rate was dropping. Garcia punched away at the end of the round stopping Guerrero’s forward march with a fierce combination for his most impressive show of aggression so far. However Guerrero was not backing up even though he was taking punishment. Garcia had another dominant round in the seventh again scoring with his rights against the porous defence Guerrero was relying on and banging well to the body. Over the eighth and in the ninth Garcia’s right was the fight winning punch and he could not miss Guerrero as he made up for his slow start and moved in front in the fight. A straight right/left hook combination stopped the forward march of Guerrero in that ninth round and he acknowledged the quality of the shots. His corner were giving Guerrero grief over letting the fight slip away and Guerrero put in a huge effort and probably did just enough scoring to at least share the tenth round but Garcia took the eleventh shaking Guerrero with a huge right uppercut late in the round. Guerrero Probably realised he needed a knockout and he went all out for it in the last round scoring with a good left but Garcia matched him as they blazed away in wild exchanges to the final bell. Garcia, 27, becomes a two-division champion after being the unbeaten WBA/WBC super light champion. Amir Khan is his mandatory challenger and as the WBC allowed No 2 Garcia and No 6 Guerrero to contest the vacant title they owe it to Khan to make sure Garcia gives Khan first shot at the title.  Garcia had Khan down three times and stopped him in four rounds in their WBA/WBC unification match in 2012 so Khan will be looking to avenge that. The 32-year-old Guerrero formerly IBF feather and super feather title holder was trying to be a three-division champion (for me interim titles do not count) and is demanding a return but is unlikely to get it. He was lucky to get this title shot after losing a wide unanimous decision to Keith Thurman and being very fortunate to get a split decision over Aaron Martinez. He has been in some tough fights over the last 2-3 years and may be getting a little shop worn.

Vasquez vs. Martinez

Vasquez extends his winning run with inside the distance victory over Martinez. This looked a good test for Vasquez on the basis of two outstanding performances from Martinez but the Mexican put in a dismal showing. From the first southpaw Vasquez was controlling the fight. His stiff jab had Martinez retreating and hardly getting his back of the ropes. Vasquez was scoring with quick punches from both hands with Martinez looking hesitant and not looking to trade. Vasquez had Martinez backing up again in the second. He was just following Martinez as the Mexican circled the perimeter of the ring. Vasquez scored with some solid left hooks with Martinez throwing nothing of any consequence. In the third Martinez finally realised he had to get on the front foot and stay mid ring and for a while they were both in the pocket exchanging body punches. That lasted for two minutes during which time Martinez threw more punches than he had in the first two rounds. However the pressure from Vasquez saw Martinez with his back to the ropes again and Vasquez bossing the action. Vasquez continued to score freely over the next three rounds with Martinez having no answer to the southpaw jab of Vasquez and getting punished again and again with right hooks. The fight was over at the end of the sixth as Martinez retired in his corner citing an injury to his left elbow. Philadelphia’s Vasquez, the “Who Can Mexican” wins this WBC eliminators semi-final and takes a big step towards a fight with Garcia. The 29-year-old former US Forces champion has good wins over Wale Omotoso and Jose Lopez. Whilst in the army he served two tours in Iraq and also won a bronze medal at the World Military Championships. He won a silver medal at the NGG but failed to get through the final US Olympic Trials. Martinez, 34, had come out of the pack when he floored Guerrero before losing a hotly disputed split decision in June and in October took a unanimous decision over Devon Alexander . Perhaps it was the injury but he showed none of that fighting spirit here.

Breazeale vs. Mansour

Olympian Breazeale climbs off the floor to get a retirement win over Mansour. Breazeale had huge edges in height, reach and weight against the much older man. In the first Mansour was getting inside the long reach of Breazeale and scoring with his southpaw left landing a good combination to the head to take the round. Mansour also had a good second. Both fighters were trying to draw the lead from the other. As Mansour moved in Breazeale landed a left hook but Mansour then landed his own left that hard Breazeale shaken and Mansour poured on some leather until Breazeale escaped from the ropes but he was not able to keep Mansour out. Mansour was ducking under Mansour’s punches early in the third. As they were trading shots a right hook from Mansour put Breazeale down. Breazeale was up at seven with Mansour frantically throwing punches trying to finish the job but Breazeale showed good powers of recovery. He was hurt and on the ropes again later in the round but just before the bell he shook Mansour with a right uppercut and a left hook and as Mansour went back to his corner there was blood coming from his mouth. In the fourth Breazeale was more confident lettings hands go with Mansour missing with his punches. Again at the end of the round Breazeale scored with a straight right which had Mansour moving inside and wrestling Breazeale to the floor. Breazeale’s was behind in the fight despite that good fourth but looking more confident and starting to get some snap into his jab. Mansour leapt inside and took Breazeale to the ropes landing a hard right hook and working the body. Breazeale landed some sharp uppercuts and a left hook followed a right to the chin as he manoeuvred off the ropes. Suddenly he was letting his punches go and a right sent Mansour staggering across the ring. Mansour fired back swinging desperately trying to land a punch before a jaw and separate mouth injury, a bruised but not broken jaw and a partially bitten through tongue, forced him out of the fight. The 30-year-old 6’7” (201cm) goes to 15 wins by KO/TKO but he was trailing on points when Mansour was forced out. Breazeale had made a slow start but showed he could get up and get back into the fight. He had scored useful wins over Victor Bisbal, Yasmany Consegura and Fred Kassi who was coming off a draw with Chris Arreola. During the time he was training this fight his mother died from a heart attack which must have affected his focus. “Hardcore” Mansour, 43, over the first three rounds did not find it difficult to overcome Breazeale’s physical advantages (6’7” vs. 6’1” 81 ½” vs. 74” reach) and with the knockdown was in front at the finish, but he had less success in the fourth and fifth so who knows how it would have ended.

Luna vs. Herrera

Luna wears down Herrera and forces Herrera out of the fight after eight rounds. Both fighters had explosive power but Luna had the tighter defence. He was able to hand out a lot more punishment than Herrera was laying on him. It was a close exciting fight as Herrera continued to stand and trade even though he was taking a beating as Luna forced him to eat punches round after round. A punch from Luna opened a cut over the left eye of Herrera in the sixth and Herrera’s work rate dropped as he tired. At the end of the eighth Herrera had taken enough and retired. Californian-based Luna has 15 early endings and although the only real names on his record are faded veterans in Daniel Attah and Cristobal Cruz he is ready for bigger matches. He is No 15 with the WBA. “El Explosive” Herrera, 26, has lost whenever he moves up to face class opposition and did not have the power or technique to match Luna.

 

Mexicali, Mexico: Super Light: Jose Zepeda (24-1,1ND) W TKO 1 Ammeth Diaz (32-13,1ND). Super Bantam: Juan Carlos Sanchez (24-1) W PTS 10 Jhon Gemino (12-6-1).

Zepeda vs. Diaz

Zepeda destroys experienced Diaz inside two minutes. The Californian fighter went straight after Diaz landing shots with both hands and then a vicious left to the body which put the Panamanian down. He was in agony and was not going to get up so the referee stopped the fight. All over in 109 seconds. After his injury loss to Terry Flanagan for the vacant WBO title in July Zepeda, 26, then suffered another disappointment when he was cut in a clash of heads in his next fight and it was ruled a No Decision. He goes to 21 wins by KO/TKO and is No 1 with the WBO so the mandatory challenger to Flanagan. Diaz, 32, a former IBF title challenger looked to be on his way to another title shot when he knocked out Brit Martin Gethin in an IBF final eliminator in May 2013 He then disappeared from the scene until returning in July 2015 when he was stopped in three rounds by Walter Castillo. This loss to Zepeda is his ninth by KO/TKO.

Sanchez vs. Gemino

With two losses in his last three fights this was all about former IBF super fly champion Sanchez getting back into the winning column. He managed it having the edge in skills but Filipino champion Gemino forced him to fight hard all the way and made the fight close. Scores 97-93 twice and 96-94 for Sanchez. The 25-year-old southpaw from Los Mochis lost his IBF title on the scales in June 2013 and was then knocked out in a final eliminator by Zolani Tete in November. He returned to action in March 2015 two divisions up at super bantam and in July lost a close unanimous decision to Cesar Juarez putting him way down at No 15 with the WBO so a long way back. Gemino, 23, is due an easy fight. In his previous two fights he was pitted against world rated boxers in Mexico losing to Andres Gutierrez (31-0-1) and Daniel Rosas (18-2-1).

 

Guadalupe, Mexico: Light: Adrian Estrella (25-1) W TKO 5 Alfonso Perez (11-8). Welter: Carlos Molina (24-6-2) W TKO 8 Jose Augustin Feria (20-3-1).

Estrella vs. Perez

Estrella gets another win under his belt at lightweight. Estrella hunted down and broke down Perez for a stoppage in the fifth. Estrella was working over the game Venezuelan in every round. After forcing Perez to fight with his back to the ropes in the first Estrella really cut loose in the second. He was banging home body punches but even more spectacular were two rights to the head both of which snapped Perez’s head around. In the third Perez was gutsy trying to match the Mexican punch-for-punch but was paying the price. As he came forward Estrella countered with a series of hooks up and down weakening the body and bruising the face. In the fourth a right uppercut sent the sweat flying off Perez’s head and later a vicious left hook crunched in to the chin of Perez. By the fifth the Venezuelan was a well beaten fighter and a series of body punches put him down on one knee. He got up reluctantly and did not look as though he wanted to continue but the referee completed the eight count, had a hard look at Perez and allowed it to continue. Estrella pounced on Perez driving him across the ring with Perez at one point just dropping both hands almost wanting the referee to step in. Perez was forced back to the ropes and Estrella attacked again and as Perez stumbled along the ropes the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight. Perez protested but not convincingly. The 24-year-old “Diamante” has 23 wins by KO/TKO and is WBC No 3 lightweight. No one doubts his power but Eden Sonsona brutally exposed the flaws in Estrella’s defence when he halted the Mexican in two rounds in May. Venezuelan champion Perez, 30, not much of a test as he gets his fifth loss by KO/TKO and is now 5-6 in his last 11 fights.

Molina vs. Feria

Molina continues his revival with a stoppage over Colombian. Molina was too strong and punched too hard for Feria. He bombarded the body of the Colombian scoring a knockdown in the fifth. Feria beat the count but Molina continued to exert pressure. At the start of the eighth Molina cornered Feria and unleashed a series of punches which saw the referee stop the fight. Second win for the 32-year-old “King”. The former IBF super welter champion lost his title to former champion Cornelius Bundrage in October 2014 and was out of action until returning with a win in September last year. Feria, 33, loses whenever he faces a live opponent. After being unbeaten in his first 12 fights he was stopped by Breidis Prescott in 2007. He was then inactive for almost 7 years. He was 9-1 in his last ten fights but the loss was a first round kayo by Eduard Troyanovsky in November 2014.

 

Apia, Samoa: Heavy: Joseph Parker (18-0) W TKO 8 Jason Bergman (25-12-2).

New Zealander Parker returns to the land of his fathers and gives his fans a win. This really was a no contest from the start with Bergman in survival mode from the first bell. Parker landed a big right early in the first round with Bergman urging Parker to bring it on and he even caught Parker with a counter near the end of the round. In the second the New Zealander floored Bergman with a left hook but Bergman got up and held and ran until the bell. The pattern of the fight never changed. Bergman was sticking to the perimeter of the ring hiding behind a high guard and prodding out an occasional right jab. Parker walked Bergman down in round after round landing hard jabs and punches from both hands. He had Bergman shaken again in the third and holding on to the bell and had the American in deep trouble in the fourth and in the fifth but again Bergman survived. A body punch put Bergman down in the seventh and a volley of punches put Bergman down for the third time in the eighth with the fight being stopped. The 24-year-old Parker retains his WBO Oriental and WBO African titles and makes it 16 wins by KO/TKO. He is rated WBO 3/WBC7/IBF 10(9)/WBA 11but his previous victim Daniel Martz and Bergman are a step back in the level of his opposition and all he will learn from fighting such as a passive Bergman is bad habits. The 31-year-old Bergman is nicknamed “Ironman” but his record gives a lie to that.  He has now lost inside the distance five times to Bowie Tupou (2 rounds whereas Parker knocked out Tupou in 63 seconds), Nery Aguilera (75 seconds), Seth Mitchell (5 rounds) and Akhror Muralimov (2 rounds). Parker is a great prospect but this win proved nothing and he is yet to face a real test.

 

Halle an der Saale, Germany: Light Heavy: Dominic Boesel (21-0) W PTS 12 Balazs Kelemen (24-2). Light Heavy: Tom Pahlmann (11-0-1) DREW 6 Bartlomiej Grafka (16-19-2).Super Light: Felix Lamm (11-1-1) W PTS 10 Jan Holec (6-3-1). Cruiser: Adam Deines (6-0) W PTS 10 Bjoem Blaschke (10-7-1). Welter: Roman Belaev (15-1) W PTS 8 Ramon de la Cruz Sena (20-15-2).

Boesel vs. Kelemen

Boesel remains unbeaten after easily outpointing Hungarian Kelemen. Punch power made the difference here with Boesel having it and Kelemen lacking it. The home fighter was throwing bombs from the start and twice shook Kelemen with rights in the first round. Boesel was just walking forward behind a high guard, letting Kelemen punch away and then firing hard combinations in bursts. A left hook in the second had Kelemen staggering across the ring but the Hungarian was fighting back by the end of the round. The pattern of the fight varied very little. Boesel was content to just move forward behind his high guard and let Kelemen throw jabs and combinations. Most were being blocked by the guard and the others had no power. If the fight was going to be decided on punches thrown Kelemen would have walked away with the decision but Boesel was shaking him with hard punches in nearly every round. Over the sixth and seventh with his higher work rate Kelemen was getting confident and Boesel was not letting his hands go so in the eighth Kelemen decided to stand  and trade. A bad mistake as a left hook from Boesel dumped on his pants. Kelemen was up quickly and survived the round. Over the remaining rounds it was again a case of Kelemen throwing a lot with little impact and Boesel loading up on his shots and looking dangerous but he never really had Kelemen in trouble again. Scores 120-107, 119-108 and 118-109. Boesel was defending his WBO Inter-Continental title for the sixth time and it is that minor title which has propelled him to a ridiculous No 1 with the WBO above Artur Beterbiev, Jean Pascal, Andre Ward, Robert Stieglitz and others. His EBU 11 rating is a much more accurate representation of his opposition so far. “Balu” Kelemen, 37, has met only two good level opposition in Vincent Feigenbutz, who stopped him, and Boesel. He is a neat, quick boxer but pushes his punches rather than snaps them so can’t keep the bigger punchers out.

Pahlmann vs. Grafka

Disappointing performance from “Team Germany” hope Pahlmann. He started well taking the first two rounds using a good southpaw jab. The more experienced Pole Grafka pressed the fight harder from the third getting past Pahlmann’s jab and outscoring the home fighter. The last two rounds were close but Grafka looked to have just done enough to win. Scores 57-57 twice and 58-56 for Grafka. The 21-year-old Pahlmann may have found it difficult as he adjusts in a move down from cruiser but he did not impress here. Grafka, 27, evens up his recent record as he is now 5-5-1 in his last 11 fights. He has shown he can perform with upset wins over Dustin Dirks (27-1-1) and Pawel Glazewski (23-4) so it was a good learning fight for Pahlmann.

Lamm vs. Holec

Lamm registered a win for Team Germany as he took a wide unanimous decision over Czech Holec in an all-southpaw contest. It was a mixed performance for the classy former top amateur. He showed good, quick movement and fast hands with Holec struggling to get home with any significant punches.  Lamm was slotting home counters and bossing the fight. However over the closing rounds he tired and Holec was able to get into the fight and probably edged the last two rounds. Scores 99-91, 98-92 and 96-94. Lamm, 25, a former German under-21 champion, already holds the BDB welter title and with this win he added the vacant German International title. He was to have fought Philip Schuster at welter in a return for their drawn fight in September but Schuster was injured so Lamm had to take off weight to make light welter. On the other hand Holec. 28 came in as a late substitute. His two previous losses were to Brits Ricky Boylan and Justin Newell but he had rebounded with three wins and a draw.

Deines vs. Blaschke

Deines made it another win for Team Germany as he decisioned fellow-countryman Blaschke to win the vacant BDB version of the German title. No real test for Deines as he was too young and too quick for the very modest Blaschke and walked away with a wide unanimous decision. Scores 99-91 twice and 100-90. The Salzgitter steelworker had won the interim German international title in November so two titles in just six fights is a good return. Blaschke, 37, is now 2-6-1 in his last 9 fights so no kind of test.

Belaev vs. Sena

Russian Belaev gets wide unanimous verdict over experienced Argentinian. The Russian eased his way to victory after Sena was competitive over the first two rounds. After that Belaev was in charge and won every round getting in some much needed ring time before returning to South Africa in March to fight a toughie in unbeaten Paul Kamanga. Scores 80-74, 79-74 and 78-74. Now based in Halle the 25-year-old Belaev lost his unbeaten tag when losing a close technical decision to Ali Funeka in South Africa in November 2014 with two judges having Funeka just one point in front. This is his first fight since then and with Kamanga getting rave reviews he will need to be sharp. Sena, 29, is the FAB No 4 and a well respected traveller who has only lost twice inside the distance.

 

Butte, Montana: Super Middle: Yori Boy Campas (106-17-3) W DISQ 6 Anthony Bonsante (34-13-3).  Not the result Campas would have wanted to end his career on but that’s how things turn out sometimes. As usual Campas was coming forward working the body with Bonsante trying to work on the outside and he was doing a fair job of that for a while. As Campas ramped up the pressure Bonsante tired and lost a point in the fifth for holding. Later in the round a body punch from Campas put Bonsante down. Campas was pressing again in the sixth when Bonsante ducked his shoulder and threw Campas to the canvas. Campas injured a knee in that incident and was unable to continue and Bonsante was disqualified. The 44-year-old “Yori Boy”, a former IBF super welter champion, has said this is the end after 126 fights spanning almost 29 years during which he has fought at least once in every one of those years. Not one disqualification win or loss until fight No 126 just when he wanted to go out in style. Bonsante, 45, can also claim to have been a former world champion as he halted Tony Ayala Jr in 2003 for the vacant International Boxing Association title .

 

San Bernardo, Argentina: Welter: Ignacio Fraga (13-9-3) W PTS 12 Ricardo Ruben Villalba (15-3-1,1ND). Fraga wins the South American title as he starts fast and champion Villalba never really catches up despite some strange scoring. Much the underdog Fraga was too busy and accurate for Villalba in a spirited fight with plenty of action but not a great deal of technique. Scores 117-111 and 115-113 for Fraga and 114-114. The first score was more representative with the draw more than a bit ridiculous. The 32-year-old from Buenos Aires was rated No 7 by the FAB and was 4-6-1 in his previous 11 fights. First defence by 26-year-old Villalba who also blew his FAB No 3 rating.

 

Asse, Belgium: Super Welter: Sasha Yengoyan (35-2-1) W KO 1 Stanislav Nenkov (13-14). An easy night for banger Yengoyan. He was looking to end it early and drove Nenkov along the ropes before landing a right to the side of the head and as Nenkov started to go down a left hook to the body helped him on his way to his knees. Nenkov beat the count but was knocked down again by a right and his corner threw in the towel. Armenian-born Yengoyan now has 24 wins by KO/TKO.Bulgarian Nenkov way out of his league as he gets his fifth loss by KO/TKO. He is now 2-6 in his last 8 fights.

 

.Bulgarian Nenkov way out of his league as he gets his fifth loss by KO/TKO. He is now 2-6 in his last 8 fights.