The Past Week in Action 30 November 2021

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:

-George Kambosos springs gigantic surprise as he outpoints Teo Lopez to win the IBF, WBA and WBO lightweight titles

-Stephen Fulton unifies the WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles with decision over Brandon Figueroa

-Kenichi Ogawa floors Azinga Fuzile three times and takes a unanimous decision to collect the vacant IBF super featherweight title.

-Ohara Davies, Muhammad Waseem, Badou Jack and Ricky Fielding score wins in Dubai

-Ra’eese Aleem and Gary Antonio Russell close in on world title shots with wins.

– Mexican light flyweight Hector Floes surprises with knockout of Jay Harris in six rounds

 

World Title/Major Shows

 

November 27

 

New York, NY, USA: Light: George Kambosos (20-0) W PTS 12 Teo Lopez (16-1). Super Feather: Kenichi Ogawa (26-1-1) W PTS 12 Azinga Fuzile (15-2). Feather: Ray Ford (10-0-1) W TKO 8 Felix Caraballo (13-4-2). Heavy: Zhilei Zhang (23-0-1 W TKO 2 Craig Lewis (14-5-1,1ND).

24

Lopez vs. Kambosos

Kambosos pulls off a huge upset as he survives a late knockdown and then sweeps the last two rounds to take a split decision over Lopez to win the IBF, WBA and WBO titles.

Round 1

Lopez came out going straight after Kambosos trying to catch him cold. Kambosos retreated and Lopez threw a punch after they were told to break and was given a stern warning. Lopez continued to come forward throwing punches with Kambosos staying cool and landing some good counters. Kambosos stumbled after a Lopez left hook then landed a goods left hook of his own. Kambosos was standing and punching with Lopez and as Lopez threw a lazy left Kambosos came over the top with a wide swinging shot to the head that had Lopez dropping and putting a glove on the canvas to avoid going all the way down and was given a count. Lopez was up early and when Kambosos came after Lopez Kambosos slipped to the canvas but no punch so no count.

Score: 10-8 Kambosos

Round 2

Lopez came forward throughout the round. Kambosos was on the back foot and then picking his moments to dart forward and when he did they were both throwing and landing fast, hard punches. Lopez worked solidly with his jab and that just gave him the edge and Kambosos had heavy bruising under his right eye.

Score: 10-9 Lopez                             Kambosos 19-18

Round 3

The pace slowed a little in this one. Both fighters were holding there left at hip level and shooting punches from there. Both also used slick upper body movement to dodge punches. Kambosos scored well in bursts but Lopez outworked him and landed the better punches.

Score: 10-9 Lopez                                    TIED 28-28

Round 4

Kambosos made more use of his jab in this one and landed a heavy overhand right early in the round. Lopez was waiting too long to lets his hands go and Kambosos was darting in and scoring and then getting out. A fire fight broke out at the end of the round as they both scored with real power. Lopez had bruising by his right eye.

Score: 10-9 Kambosos                      Kambosos 38-37

Official Scores: Judge Glenn Feldman 40-36 Kambosos, Judge Frank Lombardi 39-36* Kambosos, Judge Don Trella 39-37,

*Only Judge Lombardi scored the first round 10-8 for Kambosos

Round 5

Some clever work from Kambosos. He was circling the perimeter of the ring sticking Lopez with jabs and then firing quick combinations. In the early rounds he would have stood and traded punches but now he was getting in scoring and getting out and Lopez could not pin him down. Lopez was bruised under both eyes and Kambosos had a little blood from under his right eye and a cut over his left.

Score: 10-9 Kambosos                      Kambosos 48-46

Round 6

Another round for Kambosos. He was just too quick for Lopez and was able to get his punches off first. Lopez was too slow to counter just pacing after Kambosos. By the end of the round Kambosos was confident enough to be wind milling his right taunting Lopez

Score: 10-9 Kambosos                      Kambosos 58-55

Round 7

Lopez needed to win a round and he took this one although it was close. Lopez was closing Kambosos down quicker and he was the one scoring inside. Kambosos just did not work hard enough until the last ten seconds when he matched Lopez as they traded fiercely.

Score: 10-9 Lopez                             Kambosos 67-65

Round 8

Once again the hand speed and footwork of Kambosos made the difference. Lopez was stalking but Kambosos was working his jab and firing little bunches of punches and not getting involved in any toe-to-toe stuff. There was a burst of punching from both at the end of the round with Lopez just getting the better of the exchanges but Kambosos’ early work giving him the round. Lopez was bleeding steadily from the nose

Score: 10-9 Kambosos                      Kambosos 77-74

Official Scores: Glenn Feldman 79-73 Kambosos, Frank Lombardi 78-73 Kambosos, Don Trella 78-75 Kambosos,

Round 9

The action was fairly even with Lopez just having the edge as he moved forward quicker closing Kambosos down. Over the last minute Lopez attacked hard sending Kambosos back with a series of head punches.

Score: 10-9 Lopez                             Kambosos 86-84

Round 10

Two heavy rights from Lopez drove Kambosos to the canvas. He was up at four and after the count Lopez was throwing bombs trying to end the fight. Kambosos looked unsteady as he bobbed about trying to avoid Lopez’s shots. He threw an occasional punch but mainly survived due to movement and holding and Lopez let the chance of victory pass.

Score: 10-8 Lopez                             TIED 94-94

Round 11

Lopez landed a couple of good rights early but Kambosos was jabbing and moving. Jabs from Kambosos had blood running from the cut over Lopez’s left eye and the referee stopped the fight so that a doctor could examine the cut. The fight continued and Kambosos staged a strong finish to the round connecting with hard rights.

Score: 10-9 Kambosos                      Kambosos 104-103

Round 12

A clear round for Kambosos. He was stabbing Lopez with jabs and landing quick combinations. The blood was now streaming down Lopez’s face. He just could not match the speed and output of Kambosos who finished the fight with a cluster of punches as Lopez tried desperately to land the big punch he needed.

Score: 10-9 Kambosos                      Kambosos 114-112

Official Scores: Judge Glenn Feldman 115-11 Kambosos, Judge Frank Lombardi 115-111, Judge Don Trella 114-113 Lopez

The tactics of Kambosos were perfect and he stuck to the game plan and boxed with speed and precision. In his last fight he had only got past Lee Selby on a split decision but here he was a clear winner despite the scores being split. Lopez was a disappointment . He will want a return but they are queuing up to get a shot at Kambosos who will have three sanctioning bodies to serve. The queue of challengers is already forming. but Kambosos has made it clear that whoever he fights will have to come to Australia to do so. In the meantime he can enjoy pulling off a huge upset. Lopez has said he is not interested in a return match and intends to move up to super lightweight to try to land a shot at Josh Taylor.

Ogawa vs. Fuzile

Ogawa wins the vacant IBF title with unanimous verdict over Fuzile. Ogawa was the aggressor throughout the fight. He was walking down Fuzile the whole way. Fuzile showed plenty of defensive skills and whilst lacking power he found gaps in Ogawa’s defence. Ogawa scored a knockdown in the fifth with a straight right that sent Fuzile staggering back and then going down on one knee. Fuzile made it to his feet but there was blood pouring from a damaged nose. He saw out the round and fought back. A cut opened over Fuzile’s right eye in the tenth but after an inspection by the doctor he was allowed to continue. The exam fired Fuzile up and he connected with a series of lefts later to take the round. Fuzile was cut over his left eye in the eleventh with the blood from both cut and his injured nose he looked a sorry sight at the start of the twelfth. Things got worse as a right sent Fuzile down and after he beat the count he was down again from another right. He arose and the bell went before another punch could be thrown. Ogawa won on scores of 115-110, 115-110, and 114-111. To show how close this one was you have to take account of a 10-8 in the fifth and a 10-7 in the last without which it would have made it a majority draw. Ogawa regains the title he held very briefly in 2017 when he beat Tevin Farmer but was then stripped of the title for testing positive for a banned substance. Fuzile’s previous loss came against Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in 2019 but he had bounced back with a stoppage of 24-1-2 Martin Ward in May.

Ford vs. Caraballo

Southpaw prospect Ford stops Caraballo in eight rounds. Caraballo made things interesting for Ford from the start coming forward putting Ford under heavy pressure. Ford showed plenty of skill and fired flashing combinations at the advancing Puerto Rican. There was not a lot of power in Ford punches so Caraballo was able to walk through them and he landed heavily at the end of the third. Ford was quick and accurate with his right jabs and a swelling gradually blossomed by Caraballo’s right eye. He was examined by the doctor at the start of the seventh round but was allowed to continue. He attacked Ford hard but Ford fed him multi-punch combinations for the rest of the round and a series of punches in the eighth saw the referee step in to save Caraballo. Former National Golden Cloves champion Ford has impressive skills and hand speed but his lack of power is a drawback. Caraballo was coming off consecutive losses against Shakur Stevenson and Robeisy Ramirez.

Zhang vs. Lewis

These two big guys took a while to come out of hibernation and apart from a solid right from Zhang there was very little action in the first round. Zhang ended it ended it in the second. He floored Lewis early in the round and although Lewis beat the count he was wobbly and when a right sent Lewis down again the fight was stopped. Eighteenth inside the distance for the 38-year-old Chinese southpaw. He showed in a majority draw with Jerry Forrest that he is no threat to the top heavyweights. Lewis was having his first fight in two years and is 1-5 in his last six contests.

 

Las Vegas, NV, USA: Super Bantam: Stephen Fulton (20-0) W PTS 12 Brandon Figueroa (22-1-1 W. Super Bantam: Reese Aleem (19-0) W PTS 10 Eduardo Baez (20-2-2). Bantam: Gary Antonio Russell (19-0,1ND) W PTS 10 Alexandro Santiago (24-3-5). Super Light: Kevin Johnson (20-2) W TKO 9 Rock Dodler Myrthil (17-1). Super Bantam: Aaron Alameda (26-2) W RTD 4 Angel Contreras (12-5-2).

Fulton vs. Figueroa

Fulton unifies the WBC and WBO titles with majority decision over Figueroa

Round 1

Figueroa was coming forward throughout the round. Fulton was moving quickly on the back foot spearing Figueroa with jabs scoring at distance and tying Figueroa up inside not letting him work. Figueroa was warned twice for blows to the back of the head. Fulton just did enough to take the round.

Score: 10-9 Fulton

Round 2

Fulton showed a bit more aggression in this round but Figueroa was soon coming forward again. He was pumping out punches but without much accuracy. Fulton was slotting home jabs and rights as Figueroa came forward and again holding inside. Figueroa did some good work inside and it was his round.

Score: 10-9 Figueroa                                TIED 19-19

Round 3

Fulton was again picking Figueroa off at distance and then smothering Figueroa’s work inside. Fulton was leaning forward and forcing Figueroa to the ropes with neither landing much. Late in the round there was less holding and they traded punches inside. Figueroa was letting his punches fly but was leaving himself open and Fulton landed the better quality shots but he should have been warned for holding in each of the rounds.

Score: 10-9 Fulton                                   Fulton 29-28

Round 4

A much more entertaining round. Fulton was scoring well with hooks as he stood and traded with Figueroa in the centre of the ring. Figueroa was piling forward focusing on the body. Much of the action took place inside and there Fulton was blocking most of Figueroa’s work and connecting with hooks and uppercuts.

Score: 10-9 Fulton                                   Fulton 39-37

Official Scores: Judge Tim Cheatham 39-37 Fulton, Judge Dave Moretti 39-37 Fulton, Judge David Sutherland 38-38 TIED,

Round 5

A closer round. It was quality vs. quantity. Figueroa had a tremendous output attacking hard to the body but Fulton was both defending and attacking so again blocking many of Figueroa’s punches scoring with jabs at distance and hooks and uppercuts inside. There was much less holding and it was becoming an entertaining battle of attrition.

Score: 10-9                                              Fulton 49-46

Round 6

Much better round for Figueroa. His punch output was tremendous and the sheer quantity of his punches threatened to overwhelm Fulton who was being outlanded at distance and out punched inside.

Score: 10-9 Figueroa                 `            Fulton 58-56

Round 7

A closer round. Figueroa continued to march forward throwing punches. Fulton punched with him early but Figueroa was getting the better of the exchanges. Fulton then moved inside where he was able to deny Figueroa the leverage he needed for his longer arms and again his accuracy gave him a slight edge.

Score: 10-9 Fulton                                   Fulton 68-65

Round 8

A clear round for Figueroa. He just pilled forward throwing punches. He had to walk through some hooks and uppercuts from Fulton but eventually his attacks shut down Fulton’s counters and for the last thirty second of the round Fulton was trapped in a corner just try to defend himself under the onslaught from Figueroa.

Score: 10-9 Figueroa                         Fulton 77-75

Official Scores: Tim Cheatham 78-75 Fulton, Dave Moretti 77-75 Fulton, Judge David Sutherland 77-75 Fulton

Round 9

Once again the output from Figueroa had Fulton concentrating on defence. Figueroa was forcing Fulton back and firing hooks and uppercuts and landing scorching body punches. Fulton had some success at the end of the round but not enough.

Score: 10-9 Figueroa                         Fulton 86-85

Round 10

A great round. Fulton put in a huge effort early to try and take charge again. Figueroa just kept firing punches and again it seemed the sheer volume might overwhelm Fulton who was drive back into a corner just trying to ride out the storm.

Score: 10-9 Figueroa                         TIED 95-95

Round 11

A change of tactics worked for Fulton. He was circling on the outside sticking Figueroa with jabs and straight rights staying off the ropes and no longer looking to trade punches. Figueroa managed to trap Fulton on the ropes for a short spell and scored well but then Fulton returned to his jabbing and moving.

Score: 10-9 Fulton                            Fulton 105-104

Round 12

Fulton moved and boxed over the early part of the round like a fighter who thought he had the fight won and his clever counters gave him the edge. Over the middle and end of the round Figueroa attacked relentlessly and outscored a defensively minded Fulton and did enough to take the round.

Score: 10-9 Figueroa                                114-114

Official Scores: Judge Ted Cheatham 116-112 Fulton, Judge Dave Moretti 116-112 Fulton, Judge David Sutherland 114-114

Having unified the WBC and WBO titles hopefully Fulton will move forward to face Murodjon Akhmadaliev who holds the WBA and IBF versions to result in a single title holder. Figueroa was strongly protesting that he was robbed. At just 24 he has time to put this behind him and will almost certainly be fighting for a title again in 2022.

Aleem vs. Baez

Aleem gets past tough Mexican Baez on a majority decision.  This came down to the speed and skill of Aleem against a less flashy but stronger Baez. Aleem constantly switched guards and focused on effective body punching. Baez whilst not as busy scored regularly and made his strength tell. Most rounds were close and Baez fought from the sixth with a cut over his left eye. Aleem looked to have swu8ng the verdict his way when he staggered Baez in an impressive ninth but in the last Aleem was forced to hold to see out the round. Scores98-92and 96-94 for Aleem and 95-95. With this win Aleem protects his No 1 rating with the WBA but of course called out the new WBC/WBO champion Stephen Fulton.  Baez had won his last nine fights but against modest opposition however he will have heightened his profile with the showing.

Russell vs. Santiago

Russell gets a majority decision over Santiago to remain undefeated. Russell was a big favourite and it looked as through the fight was going to be a fairly routine victory for him. Russell was quicker and more accurate than Santiago who had decided his only chance was to roll forward and keep rolling forward with a focused body attack . Santiago coming forward suited Russell over the first  half of the fight as he found plenty of gaps for counters but the sheer pressure from Santiago was dragging Russell into going toe-to-toe which suited Santiago and he was cutting into Russell’s early lead. They fought desperately over the last two rounds with the result in the balance and it was Russell who got the decision on scores of 96-94 twice for Russell and 95-95. It really could have gone either way and many saw Santiago as the winner. Russell is No 2 with the WBA so will probably land a title shot early next year. Mexican Santiago was unbeaten in his last 21 fights with 18 wins and 3 draws.

Johnson vs. Myrthil

Second good win in a row for Johnson as he snaps the unbeaten streak of Myrthil. After scoring heavily in the first Johnson dominated the fight from there. He floored Myrthil with a left hook in the fourth and shook him with punches in the fifth. Johnson landed some big punches in the eighth as he continued to walk Myrthil down. A booming right had Myrthil retreating in the ninth with Johnson chasing him down and the towel came in from Myrthil’s corner. That’s just twelve fights in almost five years as a pro for Johnson but in his last outing he stopped unbeaten 15-0 Luis Salazar in eight rounds. Haitian-born Myrthil just could not handle the strength and aggression of Johnson.

Alameda vs. Contreras

Alameda starts his rebuilding project after back–to-back losses against Luis Nery for the vacant WBC super bantam title and Angelo Leo. Contreras was busy early throwing lots of punches and getting through with some straight nights. He lacked power and Alameda was landing less but harder punches. Contreras continued to take the fight to Alameda landing more but the quantity was having less effect than the power of Alameda’s shots. That power had swelling closing the right eye of Contreras in the fourth and the doctor ruled Contreras was unable to continue. Southpaw Alameda gets win No 14 by KO/TKO. Contreras is now 1-3-1 in his most recent contests.

 

 

 

November 26

 

Dubai, UAE: Super Light: Ohara Davies (23-2) W PTS 10 Nicolas Mwangi (10-4-1). Fly: Muhammad Waseem (12-1) W PTS 12 Rober Barrera (23-4). Super Middle: Rocky Fielding (29-2) W RTD 2 Emmanuel Danso (32-7). Cruiser: Badou Jack (25-3-3) W TKO 2 Samuel Crossed (11-2-1).

Davies vs. Mwangi

Davies decisions late substitute Kenyan Mwangi. The Kenyan actually put up an unexpectedly competitive effort in the early rounds although being outboxed by Davies. Solid jabbing and some well executed body punches were winning the rounds for Davies but he never had Mwangi in any real trouble. Over the second half of the fight Mwangi faded badly with his work rate dropping. That just made it an easier job for Davies and he eased his way to a victory on points. Scores 99-91 for Davies on the judge’s cards. Davies wins the vacant WBA Gold title but it was not an impressive performance as he should have been able to beat a fighter such as was Mwangi inside the distance. Mwangi had won his last five fight against opponents with 17 wins between them-and ten of those wins were scored by one fighter

Waseem vs. Barrera

Waseem given a torrid time by experienced Colombian Barrera. The fight started badly for Waseem as he was cut over his left eye in the first round. He had a good second round forcing the fight. They clashed heads and in the interval it seemed Barrera might not continue. He did but he did only to be under relentless pressure from Waseem in the next three rounds. Barrera was trying to fight on the outside and did a little better until in the ninth Waseem suddenly showed signs of exhaustion. He could hardly keep his gloves up in the tenth with Barrera eating into Waseem’s early lead and Waseem struggling. Waseem recovered and fought hard in the last but it was close. Scores 117-111, 115-113 and 115-114 for Waseem. He lost a narrow verdict against Moruti Mthalane for the IBF title in 2018 and had not really done much in his three fights since then but this was said to be a WBA eliminator so he could face title holder Artem Dalakian next year and Waseem also won the vacant WBC International title. Barrera was stopped in eleven rounds by Luis Concepcion in a fight for the now defunct WBA interim title in February last year.

Fielding vs. Danso

In his first fight for two years Fielding beat Ghanaian Danso who retired after two rounds. Danso was giving away lots of height and reach and drove forward in the first trying to get in range. He was wild with his attacks and Fielding made him pay with some fierce counters. In the second Danso was down twice with neither knockdown looking very convincing and also lost a point for a punch to the back of Fielding’s head. He did not come out for the third round. Now based in Dubai this is only the second fight for the former WBA secondary super middleweight title holder since his loss to Saul Alvarez in December 2018. Sixth loss by KO/TKO for Danso.

Jack vs. Crossed

Jack dismantles overmatched Crossed in two rounds. Jack scored with some hurtful body shots in the first and then ended the contest with three knockdowns in the second. Jack won the WBC super middle title and the secondary WBA light heavy title and now at 38 is giving the cruiserweight ranks a try. He will have to face better opposition than Crossed before we can assess his chances in this division. Crossed, the “Vanilla Gorilla” was ranked No 246 by Box Rec.

 

Moscow, Russia: Super Middle: Pavel Silyagin (9-0) W PTS 12 Isaac Chilemba (26-8-3). Light: Alexander Devyatov (12-0) W TKO 1 Adam Lazaro (10-3). Super Bantam: Vladimir Nikitin (6-1-1) W RTD 3 Tello Dithebe (21-14-1).

Silyagin vs. Chilemba

Silyagin gets important win over the ever competitive Chilemba.  The Russian is a clever technical boxer and he was too quick for Chilemba over the early rounds with accurate jabs and a higher work rate. Chilemba had some success over the middle rounds as Silyagin slowed his pace. He may have been pacing himself due to his lack of experience in long fights and he picked the pace up again later and eased his way to victory. Scores 120-108, 119-109 and 118-110 which indicate how well controlled the fight. Silyagin won bronze medals at the European Games and World Championships and defeated Joshua Buatsi in the World Boxing Series so he has strong credentials. No 33 Chilemba has lost in shots at the WBA, IBF and WBO titles.

Devyatov vs. Lazaro

Devyatov obliterates over matched Lazaro in 86 seconds. The Tanzanian tried to punch with Devyatov but was dropped by a series of punches. He made it to his feet but Devyatov was unloading on him when the referee stopped the fight. Now ten win by KO/TKO for Devyatov in his eleven fights. He wins the WBA Asian title for beating an African! First fight outside Tanzania for Lazaro.

Nikitin vs. Dithebe

Olympian Nikitin overwhelms South African Dithebe. Nikitin had Dithebe on the back foot and under fire from the start. Dithebe never stood a chance and after three rounds of incessant pressure from Nikitin he did not come out for the fourth round. Nikitin has been less than stellar as a pro and lost to Michael Conlan who he had scored a hotly dispute decision over in Rio. Only one win in his last nine fights for Dithebe.

 

Moscow, Russia: Heavy: Sergey Kuzmin (16-2,1ND) W TKO 10 Igor Macedo da Silva (10-1).

Kuzmin gets very late win over Brazilian da Silva. It looked as though this one was all over when Kuzmin floored da Silva in the sixth. The Brazilian proved tougher than expected and not only beat the count but took the fight to Kuzmin and was giving the home fighter plenty of trouble. Just when it seemed this fight was going the distance Kuzmin landed a fierce right in the last minute that put da Silva down. Again he beat the count but was in no condition to continue.  Kuzmin needed a win after consecutive losses to Michael Hunter and Martin Bakole. Da Silva had won all of his ten fights by KO/TKO.

 

Bolton, England: Cruiser: Jack Massey (19-1) W TKO 3 Bilal Laggoune (25-3-2). Feather: Nathaniel Collins (9-0)  W KO 9 Thembani Mbangatha (11-1).Super Middle: Mark Jeffers (14-0) W PTS 10 Michel Garcia (16-1).

Massey vs. Laggoune

Massey halts Laggoune in three rounds to win the vacant IBO title. Things started badly for Laggoune when he needed a couple of attempts to make the weight and went downhill from there. Massey boxed confidently in the opening two rounds with both fighters feeling each other out before Massey exploded in the third. A booming left hook put Laggoune down. He was able to get up but Massey forced him to a corner and unloaded punches until Laggoune dropped to his knees and the fight was stopped. Impressive display from Massey. His only loss is a very narrow defeat against Richard Riakporhe for the vacant British title in December 2019 and this is his third win since then. Belgian Laggoune lost a majority decision to Tommy McCarthy for the European title in October last year.

Collins vs. Mbangatha

Collins makes a successful defence of the Commonwealth title with kayo of South African Mbangatha. The unbeaten South African was expected to give Collins a tough night but Collins took charge of the fight early and bossed the action all the way. He was too quick and too skilful for Mbangatha and had the challenger under pressure with stiff jabs and flashing combinations. After building a big lead Collins floored Mbangatha in the eighth and again in the ninth with the South African counted out on that second knockdown. First defence of the Commonwealth title for Collins which he won with a three round stoppage of Felix Williams in July.

Jeffers vs. Garcia

Jeffers wins the vacant WBO Global belt with points win over Garcia. Jeffers was always in control against a willing but limited opponent.  Jeffers took the fight to Garcia who proved to be resilient and defied Jeffers’ attempts to end things early. The Belgian tired over the closing rounds as most of his fights have been four or six rounds He was deducted a point for losing his gumshield  a couple of times in the eighth. Despite that he made it to the final bell. Scores 100-89 twice and 98-91 Jeffers. The Global belt will probably see Jeffers suddenly appear high in the WBO ratings for beating Garcia who Box Rec list as No 201 in the world which makes a farce of the whole principle which ratings are supposed to represent.

 

Cardiff, Wales: Light Fly: Hector Flores (19-0-4,1ND) W KO 6 Jay Harris (18-3).  Super Light: Akeem Ennis-Brown (15-1) W PTS 10 Daniel Combi (9-5). Feather: Jacob Robinson (9-0) W PTS 10 Angelo Dragone (5-3).

Flores vs. Harris

Flores beats Harris in six rounds. Harris was trying a move `down to light flyweight but it turned into a disaster. Being the bigger man Harris started aggressively forcing Flores to the ropes and keeping him under pressure. Flores was unperturbed and landed some useful counters. Harris kept up the pressure with Flores countering with some good body punches and shaking Harris with a left hook in the fourth. Harris had a good fifth connecting with a series of hooks. In the sixth a left hook to the body put Harris down on his knees. He got up but a right to the body put him down for the second time and he was counted out. Huge shock for Harris and huge win for Flores. Most of the Mexican’s opposition had been reasonable level in four and six round fights with Flores never being in a ten round fight so Harris, rated No 3 light flyweight by the WBA, was a huge step –up for Flores who wins the WBA Inter-Continental belt and will be certain to cash in on this result. For Harris it is a case of where he goes from here as he suffers his second inside the distance loss in a row.

Ennis-Brown vs. Combi

Ennis-Brown gets back into the winner’s ranks as he takes decision over Argentinian Combi. Ennis-Brown was able to use his longer reach and better skills to boss this one. Combi did his best but he was nowhere near good enough. Ennis-Brown outboxed the limited Combi who never worked how to deal with the very individualistic style of Ennis-Brown and apart from a cut over his right which was opened in the fifth round it was a comfortable night for Ennis-Brown. Scores 98-92 twice and 99-91 for Ennis-Brown. Having lost his Commonwealth and British titles to Sam Maxwell in August Ennis-Brown picked up the prestigious WBC International title with this win. Combi lacked the skill and experience to test Ennis-Brown.

Robinson vs. Dragone

Cardiff southpaw Robinson wins the vacant Welsh Area title with a very narrow one point win over Dragone. There was never much between them from bell to bell. Dragone was cut over his right eye and Robinson was deducted a point for holding in the sixth. The decisive round was the eighth in which Robinson floored Dragone. That 10-8 round off-set the point deduction from the sixth and gave Robinson a one point advantage which he held on to in winning 95-94 on the referee’s card. First ten round fight for Robinson. Dragone was having his second shot at the Welsh title.

 

 

Berlin, Germany: Middle: Vincenzo Gualtieri (18-0-1) W PTS 12 Billi Godoy (38-7). Super Welter: Jama Saidi (20-2) W Fouad El Massoudi (17-14-1). Super Middle: William Scull (18-0) W KO 2 Deneb Diaz (16-2,1ND). Middle: Bjoern Schicke (18-1-1) W KO 2 Joel Julio (39-9).

Gualtieri vs. Godoy

Gualtieri wins the vacant IBF Inter-Continental belt with wide unanimous verdict over seasoned veteran Godoy. Gualtieri dominated the fight with his superior skills outboxing Godoy and flooring him in the ninth. Godoy  fought hard but never came close to being a threat as Gualtieri won on scores of 120-106, 120-108 and 119-108. Gualtieri is progressing well but needs tougher tests. Godoy was 26-0 at the start of his career but higher level opposition has found him out.

Saidi vs. El Massoudi

Saidi retains the European Union title with points victory over El Massoudi. Scores 117-111 twice and 119-110 for Saidi. Fourth win in a row for Saidi whose losses have come in overly  ambitious clashes with Jack Culcay and Vincent Feigenbutz. Former French champion El Massoudi lost on points to Sergio Garcia for the European title in December 2019. Times have been tough for him and he is 3-7-1 in his last 11 fights

Scull vs. Diaz

Cuban Scull racks up another inside the distance win. After a close opening round a right from Scull put Diaz down and out. Ninth inside the distance victory for Scull who wins the International Boxing Federation Latino belt. Diaz’s statistics look good but his home opposition has been pathetic and he is now 0-2 in fights outside Colombia.

Schicke vs. Julio

Schicke disposes of experienced Colombian Julio in two rounds. Julio looked a reasonable test for Schicke after a loss last year but he was floored heavily in the second. He made it to his feet was put down again and was counted out. Schicke, 33, had gone from 15-0 to 1-1-1 but has recovered with two quick wins this year. Julio, 36, challenged for the WBO super welterweight title in 2008 but this is now his fifth loss in a row.

 

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: Feather: Erika Cruz (14-1) W PTS 10 Melissa Esquivel (12-2-1). Light: Angel Fierro (19-1-1) W TKO 4 Cristian Bielma (18-4-1). Welter: Christian Gomez (22-2-1) W TKO 3 Javier Franco (35-22-6).

Cruz vs. Esquivel

In an all-Mexican scarp Cruz outpoints Esquivel in the first defence of the WBA Female title. Southpaw Cruz took the split decision in what was a close bout with the judges coming up with some quite different scores and Cruz herself admitted it was close and although she felt she won she would not have been unhappy with a draw. Scores 98-92 and 97-93 for Cruz and 97-93 for Esquivel.

Fierro vs. Bielma

Fifteen wins by KO/TKO for Fierro as he halts Bielma in four rounds. He was 16-0-1 before losing to Alex Martin on a majority decision last year but has rebounded knocking out former WBA secondary title holder Alberto Machado in March. Bielma was in reasonable form being 8-1-1 going in.

Gomez vs. Franco

Gomez’s fights rarely go the distance and this was no exception as he halted experienced Franco in three rounds. He has now scored 20 inside the distance wins and one of his two losses ended the same way. After nine victories in a row Franco is 2-3-1 in his last six fights.

 

Radomsko, Poland: Super Middle: Robert Parzeczewski (28-2) W PTS 10 Taras Golovashchenko (6-5). Middle: Damian Jonak (41-1-2) DREW 8 Andrew Robinson (25-5-2).

Parzeczewski vs. Golovashchenko

Parzeczewski gets points win mover Golovashchenko but struggles winning a majority decision. Parzeczewski had Golovashchenko in some pain with a body shot in the first but did not follow up on that success. He did enough to get his nose in front but Golovashchenko shook Parzeczewski in the ninth and finished strongly. Scores 97-93 and 96-94 for Parzeczewski and 95-95. One loss in his last 22 fights for Parzeczewski as he retains the Polish International title but not a good performance although he later said he had been ill and injured. Ukrainian Golovashchenko very ordinary and should not have been a problem for Parzeczewski.

Jonak vs. Robinson

Jonak had suffered an upset loss to Robinson in 2019 so he wanted to get revenge. It did not work out that way as Robinson came away with a deserved majority draw. Scores 76-76 twice and 77-75 for Jonak. Jonak has settled for a no risk career and at 38 is going nowhere. Robinson was knocked out by Liam Williams in a fight for the British title in October last year so a good result for him.

 

November 27

 

Villaneuve sur Lot, France: Super Feather: Samir Ziani (33-3-1) W RTD 9 Serif Gurdijeljac (21-6).

Ziani wins the vacant IBF Inter-Continental title. Fighting in his home town Ziani was well on his way to a wide points win when Serb Gurdijeljac retired at the end of the ninth round apparently having suffered a fracture to his right hand. The former undefeated European champion  extends his current unbeaten run to eleven bouts. Gurdijeljac had lost only one of his last 15 outings.

 

Laval, France: Welter: Jordy Weiss (28-0) W PTS 10 Aitor Nieto (25-7-1).

Weiss collects the WBA and IBO International belts with majority verdict over Nieto. The judges all saw a different fight with scores of 98-92 and 96-94 for Weiss and 95-95. These two had fought back in 2018 with Weiss getting the unanimous decision in a contest for the European Union title. Weiss is the official next mandatory challenger for the winner of David Avanesyan vs. Liam Taylor.

 

Ferrara, Italy: Super Light: Arblin Kaba (13-2-1) W PTS 10Daniele Zagatti (9-2-1).

Kaba survives a sixth round crisis to retain the national title with points victory over Zagatti. The champion made a confident start and looked to be cruising to victory as he swept up the early rounds and was credited with a knockdown in the fifth. That changed when a left from Zagatti had Kaba badly shaken and in serious trouble in the sixth. Zagatti threw plenty of punches trying to force the stoppage but Kaba survived and steadied himself and was back on top over the remaining rounds. Scores 98-92, 98-93 and 96-93 for Kaba. The Albanian-born champion had hit a bad patch going 0-2-1 when only drawing with Luciano Randazzo to retain his title and losing twice inside the distance in non-title fights. Home town fighter Zagatti had won his last five fights but had not gone ten rounds before.

 

Tokyo, Japan: Feather: Hinata Maruta (11-1-1) W PTS 10 Ryo Hino (14-3-2).

Maruta floors Hino twice but in the end has to fight hard to retain his national title.  Hino, an awkward southpaw, gave Maruta some problems in the first two rounds and moved in front but Maruta floored Hino with a right in the third and with a right hook in the fifth. After five rounds Murata was in front 48-45 on two cards and 49-44 on the third. Hino fought hard over the second half of the fight attacking fiercely with Murata looking for an inside the distance win countering with savage counters. Hino scored well in the eighth rocking Maruta and he looked to have shaken Murata in the tenth. Scores 97-91 twice and 96-93 for Murata. This was Maruta’s first defence and Hino’s second attempt to win the title.

 

Ostroleka, Poland: Super Welter: Przemyslaw Zysk (18-0) W PTS 10 Juan Ruiz (27-6). Light Heavy: Pawel Stepien (16-0-1) W PTS 8 Hernan Perez (8-5). Middle: Kamil Szeremeta (21-2-1) DREW 8 Nizar Trimech (9-2-1).

Zysk vs. Ruiz

Zysk continues unbeaten with a good win over Ruiz in an entertaining contest.  Zysk opened the first using his longer reach to score with some good jabs but Ruiz connected with a sharp right counter. They both landed well in the second with Zysk then boxing skilfully to edge the next three rounds but they were all close. Zysk had a big seventh but Ruiz rocked Zysk with rights in the eighth and Zysk banged back to finish strongly. Scores 98-92 twice and 97-93 for Zysk. First ten round fight for the 29-year-old local. Venezuelan Ruiz has slipped from the time he was 21-0 but he fought better than the scores indicate here.

Stepien vs. Perez

Stepien wins unanimous decision over Argentinian Perez. Stepien never really shifted from second gear being far too casual. He always had things in hand but he was allowing Perez too much room and almost gifting him a couple of rounds. He had Perez hurt a couple of times but did not press his advantage and surfed his way to a win. Scores 78-74 twice and 79-73. After the fight Stepien indicated he had injured a hand and had not been well during his preparations for the fight. South American champion Perez was halted in nine rounds by Anthony Sims in nine rounds in August.

Szeremeta vs. Trimech

Szeremeta has to finish strongly to get a majority draw in what was supposed to be a just a keep busy fight. Trimech scored with some well-timed rights in the first and second. Szeremeta settled and edged the third but Trimech was a danger again in the fourth. The fifth was close and Szeremeta upped his pace in the sixth trying to subdue Trimech and continued that aggression into the seventh as Trimech looked to be flagging. Both threw everything into the last with neither really dominating. Scores 76-76 twice and 77-75 for Szeremeta. Not a very good performance from Szeremeta who in the last twelve months had been in with both Gennady Golovkin and Jaime Munguia. Trimech proved a surprise as he is just a four and six round prelim fighter.

 

East London, South Africa: Minimum: Ayanda Ndulani (12-2-1) W PTS 10 Siphamandla Baleni (18-4-2). Bantam: Gideon Buthelezi (23-5) W PTS 10 Jonas Matheus (14-4-1).

Ndulani vs. Baleni

Ndulani gains revenge as he decisions Baleni to win the vacant IBO title. This was a poor fight with too much holding and wrestling and too little boxing and one very strange score. Two judges had Ndulani winning 117-111 and 116-112 and the third gave it to Baleni 118-114. When they met for the vacant WBO African title in 2019 Baleni took the unanimous win. Now 7 wins in his last 8 bouts for Ndulani who knocked out former IBF champion Nkosinathi Joyi in four rounds in May. South African light fly champion Baleni was No 5 with the WBO.

Buthelezi vs. Matheus

In a much better fight Buthelezi took a split decision over Namibian Matheus. The fight swayed back and forth with both having periods of dominance and with Matheus close to a stoppage in the last round. Scores 96-94 twice for Buthelezi and 96-94 for Matheus. Both were on good form with Buthelezi having won his last eight fights and Matheus 9 of his last 10.

 

Jonkoping, Sweden: Super Welter: Patricia Berghult (15-0) W PTS 10 Olivia Belkacem (10-3).

Berghult  wins the vacant WBC Female title with a unanimous decision over Belkacem. Scores 97-93 twice and 96-94 for the Swede who was previously the WBC interim title holder. Swiss Belkacem has lost in shots at WBFederation, Women’s International Boxing Association and European titles

 

Swansea, Wales: Light: Gavin Gwynne (14-2) W PTS 12 Jack O’Keeffe (10-1).

Gwynne retains the Commonwealth title as he breezes past O’Keeffe. It took Gywnne a few rounds to really get into his stride but after that he dominated the fight. When he chose to box he was totally in charge but at times he let himself be drawn into a scrap by O’Keeffe. The challenger was always busy but not to any great effect and with a bit more effort Gywnne might have handed O’Keefe his first inside the distance loss but the Midlander was made of sterner stuff and Gwynne had to go the distance. Scores 120-108, 119-109 and 118-110 for Gwynn. He was making the first defence of the Commonwealth title and is aiming at the British title next. O’Keefe fought hard but lacked the power to be a threat.

 

Birmingham, England: Super Welter: Sam Gilley (13-1) W KO 4 Evaldas Korsakas (10-8-3).

Londoner Gilley wins the vacant English title with early kayo victory over Lithuanian Korsakas. Gilley finished the fight in the fourth putting Korsakas down with a left hook to the body and Korsakas was unable to beat the count. Gilley was moving up to super welter after winning the WBC International Silver title at welter. Korsakas is based in England and has done all of his fighting there.

 

Springfield, MA, USA: Super Middle: Mike Guy (13-7-1) W TKO 9 Kendrick Ball (17-2-2) W. Feather: Shelly Vincent (27-2) W PTS 8 Shelly Barnett (5-5-2).

Guy vs. Ball

Minor upset as Guy wears down and stops local hope Ball in nine rounds. With Ball standing 6’2” and Guy 5’8” the tactics were obvious. Ball would use his height and reach to spear Guy with jabs at distance and Guy would rumble forward trying to get inside to attack Ball’s body. Ball’s plan worked-but for less than three minutes as Guy got past Ball’s guard and put him down with a right in the first round. Ball came though that crisis and was able to use his jab to fight his way back into contention. By the ninth it looked as though Ball’s tactics might work but Guy staggered Ball and then rained punches on him until the referee stepped in to save Ball. Guy, 40, had lost three tough fights in a row against Demond Nicholson, John Ryder and Jesse Hart so was due a win. He collects the WBC United States belt. Ball has an eight-bout winning streak snapped.

Vincent vs. Barnett

Even at 40 Guy was not the oldest winner on the card. In her first fight since August 2019 42-year-old Vincent came back with a win as she outpointed Canadian Barnett 80-72 on the three cards. Vincent lost to Heather Hardy for the WBO title in 2018 so will be hoping to work her way back to another title shot. Barnett now 1-6-1 in her last 8 fights.

 

Philadelphia, PA, USA: Welter: Paul Kroll (9-0) W PTS 8 Mark Dawson (9-1-1).

Philadelphian Kroll gets another win under his belt. Kroll floored Dawson in the first and then outboxed him the rest of the way. Scores 79-72 twice and 80-71. Kroll won the US Olympic Trials for Rio but lost out in the Americas Qualifier. Kroll was to have fought Dawson at the US Trials but Dawson was disqualified on medical grounds.

 

Fight of the week (Significance): Kambosos win mover Lopez has shaken up the lightweight division and there is the prospect of  some exciting fights

Fight of the week (Entertainment): Fulton vs. Figueroa. After some early rounds spoiled by too much holding it developed into an exciting, close battle.

Fighter of the week: George Kambosos

Punch of the week: The booming left hook from Jack Massey that put Bilal Laggoune down

Upset of the week: Kambosos’ victory over Lopez

Prospect watch: Russian super middleweight Pavel Silyagin 9-0 looked good in outpointing experienced Isaac Chilemba.

 

Observations

Rosette: Some good match making in Las Vegas as the leading fights Fulton vs. Figueroa, Aleem vs. Baez and Russell vs. Santiago were all decided on majority decision and a six round prelim was decided on a split decision.

Red Card: One of the fights I intended to cover was the WBC interim Female title fight between Kenia Enriquez and Gabriel Sanchez which was scheduled but did not take place. It would have shown the farce that the sanction bodies heap on us. Enriquez was to make the fifth defence of the “interim” title which she has held since 2017. An interim title for four years and five defences that is some interim-give them up WBC !

I find it a bit discomforting that the IBF were happy to have Kenichi Ogawa fight for their super  featherweight title. He beat Tevin Farmer for that title in 2017 but was stripped off the title when testing positive for a banned substance. The Japanese Boxing Commission handed Ogawa suspension and he was out for fourteen months so served his punishment . He then came back had one fight against a guy with a 12-6-1 record and the IBF immediately slotted him into their ratings as the third highest ranked fighter in the division so it seems they see cheating as nothing to get too excited about.

Can’t let the WBA go unnoticed. Tanzanian Adam Lazaro lost to Russian Alexander Devyatov for the WBA Asian title. It would take earth’s tectonic plates millions of years to move Tanzania from Africa to Asia but the WBA can do it in the flash of a sanction fee!