The Past Week in Action 6 June 2022

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:

-Devin Haney outpoints George Kambosos to unify the four sanctioning body titles at lightweight

-Joe Cordina wins the IBF super feather title as he flattens champion Kenichi Ogawa in the second round

-Steve Fulton retains the WBA and WBO super bantam titles with points win over Daniel Roman

-David Morrell stops Kalvin Henderson in four rounds in defence of his secondary WBA super middle belt

-Lourdes Juarez retains the WBC Female super fly belt with points victory against Debora Gomez

-Lucas Browne scores upset first round win over Junior Fa at heavyweight and twins Andrew and Jason Moloney score inside the distance wins.

-French super welter David Papot goes to 26-0-1 as he outpoints Ahmed El Mousaoui in IBA title defence and Loic Tajan kayos unbeaten Elie Konki

 

World Title/Major Shows

 

June 4

Cardiff, Wales: Super Feather: Joe Cordina (15-0) W KO 2 Kenichi Ogawa (26-2-1,1ND). Super Feather: Zelfa Barrett (27-1) W PTS 12 Faroukh Kourbanov (19-4). Super Light: Dalton Smith (11-0 W RTD 6 Mauro Perouene (14-6-1). Super Bantam: Gamal Yafai (19-2) W TKO 4 Sean Cairns (8-4). Feather: Skye Nicolson (4-0) W PTS 10 Gabriela Bouvier (15-11-1).

Cordina vs. Ogawa

Cordina flattens Ogawa with a single powerful right to win the IBF title in his home city.

Round 1

Fast-paced opening round. Cordina landed some jabs early and Ogawa connected with a left hook but neither was really committing to their jab mainly just probing. Ogawa put together some nice combinations and that was enough to give him the round.

Score: 10-9 Ogawa

Round 2

Ogawa made a confident start coming forward jabbing. Suddenly Cordina walked in and landed a booming right over Odawa’s low held left. Ogawa crashed to the canvas on his back he struggled trying to rise but fell over and was counted out. Ninth win by KO/TKO for the 30-year-old Cordina. He was out for fourteen months between November 2019 and March 2021 and struggled a little to find form but showed impressive hand speed and power as Ogawa had not lost inside the distance since a single occasion in his preliminary days in 2012. Tajik southpaw Shavkat Rakhimov is No 1 with the IBF but a fight with No 2 Zelfa Barrett would be easy to make.

Barrett vs. Kourbanov

Barrett collects the European title with commanding victory over champion Kourbanov. The defending champion attacked hard in the first but Barrett showed impressive footwork and countered well. Kourbanov continued to take the fight to Barrett but fine jabbing and good countering had Barrett ticking up the points. From the fourth Kourbanov changed tactics sitting back and looking to counter but Barrett was getting in and out too quickly for the Kyrgyzstan born Belgian. Soon Kourbanov was on the back foot not as a tactical move but due to the speed and accuracy of Barrett’s punching. Kourbanov was never going to win boxing on the back foot but he had no success going forward and was being slowed by body punches. Barrett upped his pace letting fly with some multi-punch combinations with Kurbanov having no answer to Barrett’s skill and by the end he was just looking to survive. Scores 120-108, 119-109 and 118-110 for Barrett who gets his ninth successive win. Barrett is No 2 with the IBF and with Cordina (who was No 3) winning the title  a title shots later this year looks a good bet for Barrett. Kourbanov was not a very strong European champion and he has struggled whenever he has faced a quality opponent.

Smith vs. Perouene

Smith gets a retirement win over Perouene. Both were too cautious in a first round that passed without incident. Smith slowly began to wind things up against southpaw Perouene who showed very little. Smith used his hand speed and longer reach to control the fight but there was not a lot of action. Smith connected with shot to the body in the fifth. Perouene complained it was low but was ignored and lost his temper actually showing some fight but leaving himself open to counters. Smith found the target with rights in the sixth but a clash of heads opened a cut over the left eye of Perouene and Smith floored him with a right just before the bell and Perouene retired at the end of the round. Smith retains the WBC International title with his nine inside the distance win in his last ten contests but not a very convincing performance against an admittedly eccentric opponent. Perouene is 3-4 in his last 7 fights.

Yafai vs. Cairns

Yafai stops an over matched Cairns in the fourth. For two rounds Yafai bombarded the much taller Cairns with a plethora of punches with Cairns just forced to soak up the punishment. Yafai put Cairns down in the third with a right cross that sent Cairns’ mouthguard flying. Cairns made it out of the round and tried to punch with Yafai in the fourth but was dropped by a left hook and the fight was stopped. First fight for Yafai since losing his European title to Jason Cunningham in May last year. Cairns just did not have the power to compete with Yafai.

Nicolson vs. Bouvier

Australian southpaw Nicolson comfortably outpoints Bouvier. She was too quick and too accurate for Bouvier. The Argentinian tried rushing attacks but Nicolson remained composed jabbed and countered and upped the pace late looking for a inside the distance victory but Bouvier was still there at the last bell. Nicolson won 80-72 on the referee’s card. Nicolson won a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Bouvier is a former IBF Female flyweight title holder.

 

Minneapolis, MN, USA: Super Bantam: Stephen Fulton (21-0) W PTS 12 Daniel Roman (29-4-1). Super Middle: David Morrell (7-0) W TKO 4 Kalvin Henderson (15-2-1). Super Light: Alfredo Santiago (14-2) W TKO 1 Karl Dragan (20-2).

Fulton vs. Roman

Fulton successfully defends the WBC and WBO titles as he outclasses Roman serving up a boxing master class.

Round 1

Immediately evident that Fulton has quicker hands and great movement. He circled Roman spearing him with jabs anticipating Roman’s attacks and using smart footwork to dance away with Roman being left jabbing fresh air.

Score: 10-9 Fulton

Round 2

Good boxing from  Fulton as he frustrates Roman’s efforts to catch him against the ropes and pumps out a stream of jabs and right crosses. Roman had a little success with hooks late in the round to make it close.

Score: 10-9 Fulton                     Fulton 20-18

Round 3

Fulton was getting in quickly behind his jab and connecting with short rights to the head. Roman managed to trap Fulton against the ropes  and land some left hooks. Fulton continued to find gaps with his jab and scored with a lightning quick right to the head.

Score: 10-9 Fulton                     Fulton 30-27

Round 4

Fulton stood and punched a bit more in this one and again his hand speed gave him a big edge. He was connecting with his jab and then banging over straight rights. When Roman tried to counter Fulton was long since gone. Roman was not cutting the ring off and Fulton was holding and stifling Roman’s work inside.

Score: 10-9 Fulton                     Fulton 40-36

Official Scores: Judge Nathan Palmer 40-36 Fulton, Judge Mike Fitzgerald 40-36 Fulton, Judge Patrick Morley 40-36 Fulton

Round 5

More quality work from Fulton. His jab constantly found gaps and he was accurate with the occasional right. Roman was reduced to following a stride behind Fulton unable to cut the ring off and being confused by Fulton’s constant change of direction and clever bobbing and weaving.

Score: 10-9 Fulton.                    Fulton 50-45

Round 6

Another round where the skills and movement of Fulton had Roman, searching in vain for a target. Fulton was scoring with more right leads and although Roman had some success with hooks in was very little and never troubled Fulton

Score: 10-9 Fulton                     Fulton 60-54

Round 7

Some success for Roman at last. He was coming forward much quicker taking the extra step that allowed him to catch Fulton against the ropes a few times and score with hooks. Fulton’s accuracy was off and he did not throw as many punches,

Score: 10-9 Roman                    Fulton 69-64

Round 8

Roman managed to make this round close as he again stepped up the pressure. Fulton was back to his elusive self popping Roman with jabs and straight rights constantly changing direction and getting through with quick accurate punches.

Score: 10-9 Fulton                     Fulton 79-73

Official Scores: Judge Nathan Palmer 79-73 Fulton, Judge Mike Fitzgerald 80-72 Fulton, Judge Patrick Morley 80-72 Fulton

 

Round 9

Beautiful skills from Fulton. He was slipping and sliding away from Roman’s attacks spearing Roman with jabs to open Roman’s guard and then sending straight rights through the gap and rattling Roman with quick combinations. Roman kept marching forward but was having to take a punch to try to get close and having very little effect when he did get inside.

Score: 10-9 Fulton                     Fulton 89-82

Round 10

Fulton stood his ground more at the start of the round and was beating Roman to the punch being quicker and more accurate. Roman kept tracking Fulton and again had a small measure of success with hooks but was being outscored.

Score: 10-9 Fulton                     Fulton 99-91

Round 11

Big round for Fulton his best of the fight. He was now the one walking forward landing clubbing shots from both hands. Roman tried to fire back but his arms seemed leaden and he was rocked repeatedly as Fulton sat down on his punches and landed heavily to the bell.

Score: 10-9 Fulton                     Fulton 109-100

Round 12

Fulton carried on where he left off in the eleventh. He was confident enough to stand in front of Ramon and swap punches with Roman getting caught with hooks and sweeping rights from both hands. Roman tried to rally but there was nothing there and Fulton was in charge at the end.

Score 10-9 Fulton                      Fulton 119-109

Official Scores: Judge Nathan Palmer 119-109 Fulton, Judge Mike Fitzgerald 120-108 Fulton, Judge Patrick Morley 120-108 Fulton

Fulton was so superior that there were few highlights in the bout. The IBF and WBA versions of the super bantamweight title are held by Murodjon Akhmadaliev and unification is Fulton’s aim.  The top two rated fighters in the WBC and WBO ratings are Daniel Ramon and Brandon Figueroa  and Fulton has beaten both of them in title fights in the past seven months so he has no outstanding commitments so hopefully  a fight with Akhmadaliev can happen. Roman, 32, has held both the IBF and WBA versions of the title but he just did not show up at all for this fight.

Morrell vs. Henderson

Morrell retains the secondary WBA title as he hands out a one-sided beating to Henderson for four rounds before the slaughter is stopped. In a flying start Morrell tried to blow Henderson away driving him to the ropes and showering with straight punches, hooks and uppercuts. Henderson was pinned to the ropes and Morrell kept unloading punch after punch. Henderson blocked some and threw the occasional punch so that the referee could see he was still in the fight. The blitz continued until the last twenty seconds when Henderson started to fire back and landed some good punches of his own but it could have been marked as a 10-8 to Morrell and Henderson was cut outside his left eye.  Morrell spent the first half of the second round boxing and not exerting much pressure but over the second half he again had Henderson against the ropes unloading punch after punch but Henderson soaked it up and fired back. Morrell again took easy for the first half of the third but when he opened up Henderson was trapped on the ropes with his head being snapped back and forwards by punch after punch until the bell saved him. Two judgers score this a 10-8 round. Morrell toyed with Henderson for most of the fourth but when he did cut loose the referee quickly stepped in tom stop the fight. No saying how good Morrell is as his opposition has been modest at best. He won the WBA belt by beating Mexican novice Mario Cazares-currently rated No 123 by BoxRec, defended it against Alantez Fox currently rated No 75 by BoxRec and Henderson was rated No 80 by BoxRec before this fight. Henderson showed plenty of guts and a good chin.

Santiago vs. Dargan

Santiago blasts out Dargan in the first round. Santiago dropped Dargan early in the round with a left hook. Dargan beat the count but Santiago forced him to a corner and pounded him with punches until the referee stopped the fight. Santiago lost on points to Devin Haney in a WBC title challenge in November 2019 and was then crushed in nine rounds by Ricardo Nunez in May last year so he has rebounded in style. Dargan, 36 was an outstanding amateur but has never seemed committed to his career having periods of inactivity and this is only his second fight since November 2018.

 

June 5

 

Melbourne, Australia: Light: Devin Haney (28-0) W PTS 12 George Kambosos(20-1). Bantam: Jason Moloney (24-2)W TKO 3 Aston Palicte (28-5-1). Heavy: Lucas Browne (31-3) W KO 1 Junior Fa (19-2). Super Fly: Andrew Moloney (24-2,1ND) W RTD 2 Alexander Espinoza (21-4-2). Heavy: Hemi Ahio (19-0) W  RTD 1 Christian Tsoye (5-5-2). Cruiser: David Nyika (3-0) W PTS 5 Karim Maatalla(2-1).

Haney vs. Kambosos

Haney unifies the four sanctioning body titles as he outboxes Kambosos and wins a unanimous decision.

Round 1

Not a great deal of action in the first. Haney’s jab was flicking out like a viper’s tongue landing but not heavily. Kambosos landed a couple of hooks inside but Haney’s jabbing gave him the round.

Score: 10-9 Haney

Round 2

A bit more action. Haney continued to stay with his jab not looking to stand and trade. Kambosos tried a few rushed attacks but Haney used quick movement to get away and came back with his jab

Score: 10-9 Haney                     Haney 20-18

Round 3

Kambosos was sitting back trying to lure Haney on to counters instead of putting Haney under pressure. Haney was able to keep popping Kambosos with jabs and firing quick rights and then getting away or coming inside and tying up Kambosos who was not throwing enough punches.

Score: 10-9 Haney                     Haney 30-27

Round 4

Kambosos was still trying to outbox the boxer. The fiery aggression that gave him victory over Teo Lopez was not on show. Haney was taking no chances content to spear Kambosos with jabs and then step in to land a right or tie Kambosos up. Kambosos had some success just before the bell but it was already Haney’s round.

Score: 10-9 Haney                             Haney 40-36

Official Scores: Judge Zoltan Enyedi 39-37 Haney, Judge Pawel Kardyni 39-36 Haney, Judge Benoit Roussel 40-36 Haney

Round 5

Kambosos finally upped his pace and took the fight to Haney. He was letting his hands go and hustling Haney instead of letting Haney dictate the action. Neither did a lot of scoring but it was a round for Kambosos

Score: 10-9 Kambosos                      Haney 49-46

Round 6

Haney had stopped using his jab and had lost his previous accuracy. That allowed Kambosos to come forward throwing rights hands and left hooks with Haney just looking to tie Kambosos up inside making it a messy fight.

Score: 10-9 Kambosos                      Haney 58-56

Round 7

Haney went back to his jab and took control. He continually slid the jab past the guard of Kambosos and followed with straight rights. he was out again before Kambosos could counter and when Kambosos came forward Haney was either slipping away or tying Kambosos up inside.

Score: 10-9 Haney                             Haney 68-65

Round 8

Jab, jab, jab from Haney with very little coming back from Kambosos. If he sat back to counter Haney was in and out before he could react and if he took the fight to Haney then Haney would catch him on the way in and either slide away or clinch.

Score: 10-9 Haney                             Haney 78-74

Official Scores: Judge Zoltan Enyedi 77-74 Haney, Judge Pawel Kardyni 79-73 Haney, Judge Benoit Roussel 78-74 Haney

 

Round 9

Kambosos was spending too much time standing in front of Haney and not throwing punches. Haney was able to keep the jab working add some left hooks and straight rights and side-stepping the lunging attacks from Kambosos. Haney was down but he was wrestled there so no count.

Score: 10-9 Haney                     Haney 88-83

Round 10

A better round for Kambosos. He pressed his attacks instead of standing off and letting Haney choose his spots. Haney used his jab less and was overshooting with his right allowing Kambosos to get inside and land some hooks.

Score: 10-9 Kambosos               Haney 97-93

Round 11

Haney was back on the jab and back in control. Kambosos was just tracking him around the ring and not cutting off Haney’s space. Haney was able to keep stabbing home his jab and adding in quick rights. Kambosos was not fighting like a champion who knew his titles were slipping away and he only really put Haney under pressure for the last thirty seconds.

Score: 10-9 Haney                     Haney 107-102

Round 12

Kambosos needed a knockout but he never looked like getting one as Haney continued to beat him to the punch and slip and scamper away from the attacks Kambosos finally launched late in the round but Haney had already connected with enough jabs and rights to take the round.

Score: 10-9 Haney                     Haney 117-111

Official Scores: Judge Zoltan Enyedi 116-112 Haney, Judge Pawel Kardyni 118-110 Haney, Judge Benoit Roussel 116-112 Haney

Kambosos never really posed any threat to the dominance of Haney from the first to the last. It was a low key fight with no really sustained exchanges and a disappointing lack of fire and aggression from Kambosos. He did not look anything like the fighter who outfought Teo Lopez but different styles make for different fights and the quick handed fleet-footed Haney was just too good for Kambosos. Obviously Kambosos will want a return but there was little on show to make a case for that so he will have to work his way back. Vasyl Lomachenko is No 1 with the WBC and WBO and Gervonta Davis holds the WBA secondary title and both would be big fights. IBF No 1 Gustavo Lemos is less so not having fought outside Argentina and with Lee Selby the only name fighter he has faced. As we have seen with Josh Taylor it is questionable how long the titles can remain unified.

Moloney vs. Palicte

Impressive showing by Moloney as he fells Palicte in the third round. The pace was fast from the start as both fighters tried to take control. Moloney was jabbing strongly and connecting with left hooks to the body. Palicte was using hooks and uppercuts inside and throwing occasional overhand rights. Palicte was taking the fight to Moloney in the third when he shaped to throw a right and dropped his left a little and Moloney nailed him with a short right hook and went sideward and then face down on the canvas. He got up and shook his head to show he was not hurt but when the action resumed Moloney forced Palicte to the ropes and landed a series of head punches sending Palicte down again and the fight was halted. Moloney was defending the WBC Silver title and wins the vacant WBO International belt. Moloney’s losses have come in fights form the IBF title against Emanuel Rodriguez and IBF/WBA against Naoya Inoue. He is No 2 with the WBC and No 3 with the WBO. The No 1 and 2 slots with the IBF are vacant as no one had beaten another rated fight but both Moloney and Palicte were rated so this win could see Moloney move into one of those vacant slots. Filipino Palicte lost on a tenth stoppage against Kazuto Ioka for the WBA super fly title in 2019.

Fa vs. Browne

Huge shock as Browne blows away Fa in the first round. After a slow start with both fighters out of range with their jabs Fa walked on to a huge overhand right that caught Fa high on the left side of his temple and sent him crashing to the canvas. He scrabbled around on the canvas obviously badly shaken but made it to his feet. He was unsteady but allowed to continue.  Browne chased Fa around the ring and connected with another right which landed on the back of Fa’s head that dropped him in a heap on the canvas and the referee waived the fight over after just 118 seconds. Browne’s career looked over after abysmal displays in being kayoed by Dave Allen and beaten inside a round by novice Paul Gallen but he bought himself one more shot with a seventh round win over Faiga Opelu. Fa’s only previous loss was over twelve rounds against Joseph Parker  sixteen months ago. Big win for “Big Daddy” but at 43 and after his showings against Allen and Gallen I see this as just a blip. Fa has a lot of work to do.

Moloney vs. Espinoza

Moloney gets win over Espinoza. This was a fast-paced bout between two accomplished boxers. Moloney just had the edge over the first round and was catching Espinoza with some stiff punches. Just before the bell to end the second Moloney landed a straight right flush on Espinoza’s left eye. The eye very quickly closed and as Espinoza could not see out of the eye his corner retired him. Moloney, a former WBA interim title holder, is in the top 6 with the WBA, WBC and WBO but has some work to do to get a title shot. Nicaraguan Espinoza is a useful fighter but there was nothing he could do about the injury that forced him out of this one.

Ahio vs. Tsoye

Ahio  beats Tsoye on a retirement. Tsoye came out firing punches in the first trying to catch Ahio cold. Ahio withstood the pressure and was settling into the fight. Tsoye seemed to have suffered an injury to his right arm and was unable to continue. Unfortunate ending but it gives New Zealander Ahio win No 14 by KO/TKO. Cameroons-born Tsoye has lost over ten rounds to Justis Hunt in May last year.

Nyika vs. Maatalla

New Zealand hope Nyika outpoints a willing Maatalla. Nyika dominated the first four rounds. He shook Maatalla a couple of times and was comfortable fighting orthodox or southpaw. Maatalla hung in there and produce a good last round. Scores 49-46 twice and 48-47. The 26-year-old 6’6” Nyika was the youngest gold medallist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the first New Zealander to win Commonwealth boxing gold since 1990. He also won a bronze medal in Tokyo in 2021.

 

June 2

 

Montreal, Canada: Super Welter: Charles Conwell (17-0) W KO 3 Abraham Juarez (19-10). Super Light: Mazlum Akdeniz (17-0) W PTS 10 Juan Rodriguez (32-9). Super Light: Mathieu Germain (21-2-1) W PTS 10 Misael Cabrera (12-1).

Conwell vs. Juarez

Conwell destroys Juarez in three rounds. Juarez was down twice in the second and was put down again in the third and the referee stopped the fight. Sixth victory by KO/TKO for Olympian Conwell in his last seven fights. He was National Golden Gloves champion in 2015 and won his way through the US and American Continental Olympic Trials but did not medal in Rio. He holds a win over Edgar Berlanga as an amateur. Third consecutive loss for Juarez.

Akdeniz vs. Rodriguez

In a battle of southpaw’s Akdeniz wins the vacant WBC Continental Americas belt with a unanimous decision over Mexican Rodriguez. Despite an aggressive start from Rodriguez Akdeniz swept the first three rounds with Rodriguez taking the fourth. Akdeniz was back in control and Rodriguez was cut in the seventh. Akdeniz lost a point for a butt in the eighth and Rodriguez was penalised a point in the ninth for a punch to the back of the head and Akdeniz finished strongly in the tenth. Scores 98-90 twice and 97-91 for 24-year-old Akdeniz. The Turkish-born winner is of Kurdish antecedents and moved to Canada with his family when he was four. Former WBA interim title challenger Rodriguez was having his first fight for two years.

Germain vs. Cabrera

Germain outpoints Cabrera. After a fairly even start the extra experience of Germain began to tell and he took control over the second half of the fight. Cabrera had never gone past eight rounds and he faded badly. Scores 99-91, 97-93 and 96-94 for Germain as he gets his third win in a row.

 

Ciudad Obregon, Mexico: Light: Luis Torres (16-0) W PTS 10 Diego Andrade (14-7-2).

Southpaw prospect “Koreano” Torres comes though a testing fight against Andrade with a unanimous points win. Torres took the fight to Andrade and landed steadily but also showed some defensive deficiencies. He rocked Andrade in the sixth but Andrade has a good chin and Torres had to settle for a points win. Scores 97-93 twice and 99-91. The 20-year-old Torres, who turned professional at 16, wins the vacant WBC Latino belt. Andrade holds a win over 29-1-2 Jorge Lara and lost on points to Archie Sharp in London in July last year.

 

June 3

 

General Madariaga, Argentina: Feather: Nicolas Botelli (12-7) W PTS 10 Alan Luques (27-12-2). Super Welter: Guido Schramm (14-1-1) W TKO 3 Jose Vargas (8-3)

Botelli vs. Luques

Botelli wins the vacant Argentinian title with resounding win over experienced Luques. Botelli shook Luques badly in both the first and second rounds and continued to dominate the action until the superior experience of Luques saw him have more left in the tank and he finished the fight strongly. Scores 98-92, 96-93 and 96-94 For Botelli.

Schramm vs. Vargas

Schramm demolishes Vargas in three rounds. It was almost all over in the first as Schramm dropped Vargas with a right cross and again with a left to the head. Vargas also lost a point for spitting out his gumshield. Schramm scored heavily in the second and was unloading on Vargas in the third when the fight was stopped.  Ninth win by KO/TKO for Schramm.

 

Tijuana, Mexico: Middle: Hector Zepeda (21-4,1ND) W TKO 6 Gabriel Lopez (10-7-1).

Zepeda puts away Lopez in six rounds. Zepeda boxed mainly on the back foot jabbing well and countering the advancing Lopez whilst Lopez relied on a reasonable jab and some huge swinging right hands. With those rights sometimes he was a danger to Zepeda and on others to almost anyone on the sidewalk outside. In the sixth Zepeda suddenly unleashed a stunning right cross that dropped Lopez on his back and the referee immediately stopped the fight. Seventh victory by KO/TKO for Zepeda who was 17-0 before a loss against Sebastian Fundora in June 2019. Lopez drops to 0-6-1 in his last 7 fights.

 

June 4

 

Santa Fe, Argentina: Super Middle: Pablo Corzo (11-0) W TKO 3 Alexi Rivera (9-3).

Corzo dismantles Rivera in three rounds. Corzo landed heavily in the first and after a series of punches in the second Rivera was given a standing count. Two booming uppercuts had Rivera staggering badly in the third and the towel came in just as the referees stopped the fight. That’s eleven inside the distance wins in eleven bouts for the 21-year-old “El Pacman” from Catamarca as he retains the WBA Fedelatin belt. Colombian Rivera had put together a nine-bout winning run but has now lost two in a row.

 

Melbourne, Australia: Cruiser: Daniel Russell (8-3-2) W PTS 10 Kane Watts (21-4). Light Heavy: David Drapac (9-2) W PTS 10 Dylan Winter (4-1). Cruiser: Khalid Baker (9-0) W KO 3 Zac Cotten (2-8-1).

Russell vs. Watts

Russell causes minor surprise as he climbs off the floor and takes split decision over experienced Watts to win the vacant WBA Oceania belt. Scores 96-93 and 95-94 for Russell and 96-93 for Watts. Russell had lost his last two fights inside the distance but against very tough opponents in Jason Whateley and Jai Opetaia. Watts, 39, was knocked out in four rounds by Arsen Goulamirian in a challenge for the secondary WBA cruiser title in November 2019

Drapac vs. Winter

Drapac wins the vacant Australian title as he outscores Winter by 100-90 twice and 99-91 on the three cards.

Baker vs. Cotton

Baker racks up another win as he stops Cotton in three rounds. Seventh victory by KO/TKO for Baker the Australian No 12

 

Nantes, France: Super Welter: David Papot (26-0-1) W PTS 12 Ahmed El Mousaoui (34-4-1). Bantam: Loic Tajan (7-1,1ND) W KO 2 Elie Konki (12-1).

Papot vs. El Mousaoui

Papot retains the IBA belt with a split decision over El Mousaoui in an entertaining scrap. It was expected to be a very technical fight but it caught alight in the second and the action was fierce in the third with both letting their punches go. Papot moved ahead getting the better of the exchanges but with El Mousaoui landing some hurtful body shots. They went toe-to-toe in the seventh but the pace began to tell and the action slowed until they both found their second wind and finished strongly. Scores 117-113 and 116-113 for Papot and 115-113 for El Mousaoui. Papot looked a deserving winner but typical of the respect they shared Papot said he thought El Mousaoui was the better fighter on the night and offered him a return. Papot was making the first defence of the IBA title and El Mousaoui had won his last ten bouts.

Tajan vs. Konki

Tajan gets sweet revenge for the only loss on his record as knocks out unbeaten Konki in the second round. Konki used his better skills to ease his way through the first round-but then the roof fell in. Two destructive hooks, a right followed by a left put Konki down for the count. Konki, four times French amateur champion and 2016 Olympian, had outpointed Tajan in a fight for the French title in September 2019. Tajan won the national title in March.

 

Aalen, Germany: Middle: Siarhei Huliakevich (45-18-2) W KO 7 Kasim Gashi (15-23). Super Welter: Ema Kozin (22-1-1) W TKO 7 Szilvia Szabados (18-19).

Huliakevich vs. Gashi

Huliakevich scores seventh round kayo and ends Gashi’s career. Then first two rounds were close and the third was punctuated with some fierce exchanges. After that Belarusian Huliakevich was in charge and he handed out steady punishment to Gashi sending him to his knees in the seventh to be counted out. Eighteenth inside the distance win for 41-year-old Huliakevich but this was a shock result as he had won only one of his last fifteen fights. Gashi, 32, announced his retirement after the fight.

Kozin vs. Szabados

Slovenian southpaw Kozin moves down to super welter and wins the vacant WBFederation Female belt with stoppage of Hungarian Szabados. Kozin has held a number of minor titles but loss them all in February when she was outpointed by Clarissa Shields in Cardiff. Seven consecutive defeats for Hungarian Szabados

 

Wangen-im-Allagaeu, Germany: Super Light: Timo Schwarzkopf (21-5) W KO 1 Zeus de Armas (13-1-1). Light Heavy: Altin Zogaj (9-0) W PTS 10 Iago Kiziria (5-6).

Schwarzkopf vs. de Armas

Schwarzkopf needed only 80 seconds to end this one as a body punch sent de Armas down and he was counted out. Former undefeated European Union champion Schwarzkopf had scored a win over Junior Witter in 2013 but lost a wide unanimous decision against Jack Catterall in November 2019. De Armas fought a draw for the vacant Spanish light title last year.

Zogaj vs. Kiziria

Zogaj makes a successful defence of the German International title with unanimous decision against Kiziria. First defence for Kosovon Zogaj. Only one win in his last seven bouts for Kiziria. No scores given.

 

Tokyo, Japan: Super Welter: Takeshi Inoue (18-2-1) W PTS 10 Wachuk Natsu (7-3-2).

Inoue gets a win as he returns to action for the first time since losing on points to Tim Tszyu in November. Natsu should not have been a tough test but made it close with his aggression. Inoue started well working off his jab and scoring to head and body. Natsu kept marching forward and countered strongly. Inoue scored well in the late rounds looking for a stoppage but Natsu showed a good chin. Scores 96-94 twice and 98-93 for former WBO title challenger Inoue. He had won a points decision over Natsu (Nath Nwachukwu) in November 2020.

 

Fresnillo, Mexico: Super Fly: Lourdes Juarez (34-2, 1ND) W PTS 10 Debora Gomez (7-8-2). Super Bantam: Bryan Mercado (22-1) W TKO 3 Martin Casillas (20-13-1). Feather: Karim Arce (20-1-2) W PTS 8 Ivan Meneses (19-22-2).

Juarez vs. Gomez

Juarez given a torrid time by Argentinian southpaw Gomez but comes through with a unanimous decision in defence of her WBC Female title.  A cut on her forehead early in the fight and the relentless aggression from Gomez meant Juarez had to work hard in this one. With the help of some advice from her sister Mariana, Juarez developed tactics to overcome Gomez’s pressure and she boxed comfortably from there. Scores 98-92 twice and 96-94 for the 35-year-old Juarez. She had a modest 3-2 start to her career but is now unbeaten in her last 32 contests. Gomez is without a win in her last four fights.

Mercado vs. Casillas

“Destructor” Mercado destroys seasoned pro Casillas in three rounds. Casillas was down three times before the referee stepped in to save him. Mercado has won his last 21 bouts 17 by KO/TKO. First inside the distance defeat for Casillas who was outpointed by Thomas Patrick Ward in his last fight in November 2019.

Arce vs. Meneses

Arce just proves too young and too strong for experienced Meneses and gets the vote on all three cards on scores of 79-73 twice and 77-74. Second victory for the nephew of the great Jorge “Travieso” Arce since being kayoed in nine rounds by 18-0 David Cuellar in June last year. Meneses is a poor 0-8-1 in recent bouts.

 

Fight of the week (Significance): Devin Haney’s win over George Kambosos unifies the four sanctioning body lightweight titles.

Fight of the week (Entertainment):None lit my fire!

Fighter of the week: Devin Haney for going into the lion’s den and beating George Kambosos in Australia

Punch of the week: It has to be the single right from Joe Cordina that put Kenichi Ogawa down and out in the second round.

Upset of the week: Lucas Browne was supposed to be an easy night for Junior Fa but Big Daddy tore up the script. Equally as big a shock was Siarhei Huliakevich’s kayo of 15-2 Kasim Gashi. The 41-year-old from Belarus was 1-12-2 in his last 15 fights

Prospect watch: Mexican lightweight Luis Torres 17-0 is progressing well after turning pro at 16

 

Observations

Rosette  to Joe Cordina for giving Wales a champion and producing as good a title winning punch as you will ever see.

Red Card Nothing too naughty this week

-It is not unusually to see a female fighter winning major titles after just four or five fights but Lourdes (The Little Lulu) Juarez is the exception. The Mexican superb flyweight first fought for a major title in her 34^th fight. After being an underwhelming 3-2 in her fist five fights  she is now unbeaten in her last 32 fights. Her elder sister Mariana (Barbie) Juarez is a former WBC Female bantam title holder with a 55-11-4 record and she too made a stuttering start being 1-2 in her first three fights.

-Australian cruiserweight Kane Baker has some lost time to make up. He was wrongly convicted of a murder at 18 in 2008. He was sentenced to 17 years with no parole for 12 years and eventually served 13 years in prison before being exonerated. He is 9-0 with 7 wins by KO/TKO and I wish him well in his career.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

-Nothing to do with boxing but personal to me and dredged up this week when I was doing the report for Ema Kozen vs. Szilvia Szabados. Kozin comes from Ljubljana in Slovenia. Back in 1966 Yugoslavia, as it was then, was just opening for tourists. My late wife and I decided to give it a try and booked a two week package holiday flights and accommodation. My company had no problems with the dates but my wife’s company insisted we  change to one week later. There was only one flight a week to Ljubljana so we changed our flight by one week. The flight we should have been on went into a hillside just short of Ljubljana airport and there were no survivors. Scary !