The Past Week in Action 7 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:

-Saul Alvarez unifies the super middleweight titles with eleventh round stoppage of IBF title holder Caleb Plant

-Former title holders Anthony Dirrell, Rey Vargas and Rances Barthelemy scores wins on the Alvarez vs. Plant undercard with victories also for Elvis Rodriguez and Joselito Velazquez

-Zac Parker cements his No 1 super middleweight rating with the WBO by stopping Marcus Morrison in four rounds to retains the WBO International title

-Hannah Rankin wins the vacant WBA and IBO Female super welterweight titles with points win over Maria Lindberg

-Mikaela Mayer outpoints Maiva Hamadouche at super featherweight to retain her WBO title, win Hamadouche’s IBF title and collect the vacant IBO title

-Matteo Signani retains the European middleweight title with decision over Ruben Diaz  

 

World Title/Major Shows

 

November 6

 

Las Vegas, NV, USA: Super Middle: Saul Alvarez (57-1-2) W TKO 11 Caleb Plant (21-1). Super Light: Elvis Rodriguez (12-1-1) W KO 5 Juan Romero (14-1). Super Bantam: Rey Vargas (35-0) W PTS 10 Leonardo Baez (21-5). Super Middle: Anthony Dirrell (34-2-2) W TKO 4 Marcos Hernandez (15-5-2). Super Light: Rances Barthelemy (29-1-1) W TKO 2 Gustavo Vittori (25-10-1). Fly: Joselito Velazquez (14-0-1) W PTS 8 Gilberto Mendoza (19-11-3,1ND).

Alvarez vs. Plant

Alvarez hunts down a clever boxing Plant and catches up with him finally in the eleventh round finishing the fight with two knockdowns to unify the super middleweight division titles.

Round 1

Plenty of movement and plenty of jabs from Plant. He was staying off the ropes and out of corners and trying an occasional right. Alvarez was tracking Plant but hardly threw a punch in the round until the last thirty seconds.

Score: 10-9 Plant

Round 2

A much better round from Alvarez. He was hunting Plant down  pinning him to the ropes and scoring with left hooks to head and body. Plant was using his jab less and there was no conviction when he did use it.

Score: 10-9 Alvarez                                  TIED 19-19

Round 3

Plant kept on the move. He was circling the ring constantly changing direction stabbing out jabs and firing an occasional right. Alvarez had problems cutting off the ring and although he landed a couple of left hooks late in the round Plant fired back each time and did most of the scoring.

Score: 10-9 Plant                                     PLANT 29-28

Round 4

Plant opened the round with a burst of punches but Alvarez kept rolling forward. He managed to trap Plant against the ropes a few times and landed some wicked left hooks. Plant has a style which sees him leaning to his right which took him away from Alvarez overhand rights all night but into the path of the left hooks.

Score: 10-9 Alvarez                                  TIED 38-38

Official Scores: Judge David Moretti 39-37 Alvarez, Judge Patricia Morse Jarman 38-38 Tied, Judge Steve Weisfeld 39-37 Alvarez

Round 5

Alvarez was warned for a low punch at the start of the round as again hunted down Plant. Alvarez was loading up on his left hooks and had success with those but Plant was able to duck under the overhand rights. Good defensive work by Plant but he was not throwing much and Alvarez took the round on the basis of his left hooks.

Score: 10-9 Alvarez                                  Alvarez 48-47

Round 6

Alvarez best round so far. He pressed Plant hard doubling up his left hooks to head and body and shook Plant with a left to the head with very little coming back from Plant. He did not have the power to get Alvarez’s respect and by the end of the round a confident Alvarez was dropping his hands and standing in front of Plant and still getting through with left hooks.

Score: 10-9 Alvarez                                  Alvarez 58-56

Round 7

After starting the fight retreating around the ring and under fire from the left hooks of Alvarez Plant changed tactics and took the fight to Alvarez trading shots which momentarily confused Alvarez and that allowed Plant backed him to the ropes. Alvarez stood there covering up and inviting Plant to do his worst and then staged a late attack that just earned him the round.

Score: 10-9 Alvarez                                  Alvarez 68-65

Round 8

Plant did better in this one. Again he tried to stay in the centre of the ring and he was connecting with plenty of jabs. They were light punches and Alvarez was able to ignore them and get through with plenty of hooks and some jabs but it was a close round thanks to some clever boxing by Plant.

Score: 10-9 Alvarez                                  Alvarez 78-74

Official Scores: Judge David Moretti 78-74 Alvarez, Judge Patricia Morse Jarman 78-74 Alvarez , Judge Steve Weisfeld 79-73 Alvarez

Round 9

A good round for Plant. He moved well, kept pining Alvarez with jabs and sneak rights. Alvarez was waiting too long to throw his punches so Plant was picking him off on the way in and ended the round with a burst of punches including a straight right that sent Alvarez backwards on his heels.

Score: 10-9 Plant                              Alvarez 87-84

Round 10

Plant was too confident in this one and stood and traded with Alvarez who was able to put together some powerful combinations. Whereas in the early rounds Plant would have backed up now he stayed in front of Alvarez landing some good shots but taking more than he was giving with Alvarez connecting with some hard uppercuts and rights to the body.

Score: 10-9 Alvarez                          Alvarez 97-93

Round 11

Suddenly Alvarez found a new gear. He came out throwing punches and a sweeping left hook staggered Plant and he slumped down along the ropes bending over with both extended arms resting on the canvas. He was up early but there was some confusion over whether he wanted to continue. The action did resume but Alvarez pounced on Plant and a series of punches put him down on his back and the referee waived the fight over.

Alvarez becomes the first undisputed champion of the super middleweight division and only the sixth to be undisputed champion in any division in the four-belt era as well as being the first Mexican to be an undisputed division champion. Now he will need to seek another peak to climb perhaps at light heavyweight with Artur Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol and Joe Smith waiting and of course Gennady Golovkin down at middleweight and Jermall Charlo. There are already claims that he is the greatest Mexican fighter of all time. He is certainly the most successful as far as titles go. Plant showed plenty of skill but in the end did not have the power to keep Alvarez out for twelve rounds and paid the price. There are still good fights out there for him.

Rodriguez vs. Romero

Rodriguez rebounds from his first loss with stoppage of unbeaten Romero. Over the first two rounds it was Mexican Olympian Romero forcing the action against a sluggish Rodriguez. The third was a more balanced round as Rodriguez, a slow starter, began to put his punches together. He floored Romero with a right in the fourth and although Romero started the fifth brightly another left put him over and he sat out the full count. Eleventh inside the distance victory for the 25-year-old southpaw from the Dominican Republic who had dropped a majority against Kenneth Sims in May. Romero had met a series of decent level opponents but was under-powered for this one.

Vargas vs. Baez

Vargas gets in some much needed ring time as he outpoints fellow-Mexican Baez. Vargas showed some rust early and Baez failed to capitalise on that not really forcing the fight hard. Vargas gradually found his groove and began to use his longer reach to outbox Baez. The former undefeated WBC super bantam champion slowly stepped up his pace in round after round mainly sticking to his boxing but occasionally standing and trading. Attention from the jabs of Vargas had Baez’s right eye almost completely closed by a swelling late in the fight and Vargas took no chances settling for easing his way to a points win. Scores 100-90 twice and 99-91. This is the first fight for Vargas since defeating Tomoki Kameda in a title defence in July 2019 with the that long absence due to COVID-19 and recovery time from a fractured left leg. With that extended period of inactivity he has fallen out of the ratings and will be aiming to battle his way to a title fight at featherweight. After consecutive losses against Jason Moloney and Carlos Caraballo Baez had put together three inside the distance wins against very modest opposition.

Dirrell vs. Hernandez

Dirrell finishes Hernandez with a booming uppercut in the fourth round. Dirrell was fired up from the first round. Faint thought the possibility might be he was hoping that an impressive showing might land him a fight with the winner of Alvarez vs. Plant. He landed heavily in the first surprising Hernandez with such a fast start. Hernandez settled in the second and although Dirrell again connected with some good shots Hernandez did enough to edge the round. Dirrell had the better of the exchanges in the third stunning Hernandez with a left. What Dirrell did not want was a drawn out scrap and he found the ending he was looking for in the fourth. Just after the bell to start the round as Hernandez came forward Dirrell nailed him with a right uppercut inside that Hernandez never saw coming. He went down on his back and although he climbed to his feet he was tottering on unsteady legs and the referee stopped the fight. In his previous two fights Dirrell had lost against David Benavidez and drawn with Kyrone Davis so it was win or bust for the 27-year-old former WBC super middleweight. It is doubtful if he will get a shot at Alvarez who has been operating at a financial level far above any money that would be paid for a fight against for Dirrell. Hernandez was coming off a useful win over unbeaten Jose Resendiz in September but that punch ended any hopes of building on that result.

Barthelemy vs. Vittori

Just a ring time outing for Barthelemy. He brushed aside overmatched Argentinian Vittori scoring two knock downs in the second round to force the stoppage. First fight for ten months and only the second since April 2019 for Barthelemy. Only two wins in his last seven fights for Vittori.

Velazquez vs. Mendoza

Mexican Olympian Velazquez gets back on track with a point wins over Mendoza. Velazquez boxed skilfully jabbing well and countering the aggressive Mendoza. He outworked Mendoza in every round without ever seeming likely to end it early. Scores 80-72 for Velazquez on all three cards. An improvement for Velazquez over his poor draw against novice Carlos Mejia in May. Mendoza did his job well.

 

November 5

 

Las Vegas, NV, USA: Super Feather: Mikaela Mayer (16-0) W PTS 10 Maiva Hamadouche (22-2). Super Feather: Luis Melendez (17-1) W PTS 8 Thomas Mattice (17-3-1). Super Feather: Andres Cortes (16-0) W TKO 3 Mark Bernaldez (23-5). Light: Joseph Adorno (14-0-2 W Elias Araujo (21-3). Middle: Ian Green (15-2) W PTS 8 Tyler Howard (19-1).

Mayer vs. Hamadouche

Another great advert for female boxing sees WBO champion Mayer unify three titles as she outpoints IBF champion Hamadouche, retains her WBO belt and wins the vacant IBO title. A great advert for female boxing but not for scoring as this tense battle saw Hamadouche only credited with winning a total of three rounds over the three score sheets. Hamadouche made the better start as they waged war from the outset. She was forcing the taller Mayer to throw her reach advantage in the bin and fight toe-to-toe. They were both throwing bunches of punches and the more accurate punching from Mayer gave her the second. The frantic pace continued as Mayer took the third and Hamadouche banged back to edge the fourth and fifth with Mayer rebounding to pocket the sixth. Finally the better quality punching from Mayer gave her a modicum of control and although Hamadouche never gave up firing punches and although Mayer outscored her over the late rounds she had to fight all the way to the final bell. Scores 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92 for Mayer which was an injustice to Hamadouche. The 31-year-old US Olympian is now looking to unify the remaining titles. Hamadouche , also 31, had won her last 13 fights and was making the seventh defence of her IBF title. She has plenty of fights left in her.

Melendez vs. Mattice

Melendez extends his winning run to 15 with close unanimous verdict over Mattice. Both had success early with Mattice using plenty of jabs and smart movement against a slower starting Melendez. There was not much power in Mattice’s punches but Melendez was too sparing with his own punches not throwing enough. From the fifth Melendez was busier getting and was able to get inside to score. Mattice out worked Melendez in the sixth but was shaken by a right from Melendez. Over the last two rounds it was Mattice landing more but Melendez landing the heavier punches and that was what swayed the judges but it was desperately close at the finish with some not being happy with Melendez getting the nod. Scores 77-75 for Melendez on the three cards. Puerto Rican Melendez had won ten of his last eleven fights by KO/TKO with the ten wins all coming inside the first three rounds so a good, testing fight for him. Mattice had won four of his last five with the loss coming on a majority decision against 18-1-1 Isaac Cruz.

Cortes vs. Bernaldez

Cortes stops Bernaldez in three. These two set off a fast pace with both having some success in the first but Cortes just that bit sharper. Bernaldez put Cortes under plenty of pressure in the second connecting with some good rights to the head and left hooks. In the third Bernaldez again landed some heavy rights until Cortes fired back with a right and a left hook forcing Bernaldez to the ropes. Cortes then unloaded with punch after punch until the referee jumped in to stop the fight. It looked a little premature but Bernaldez was not punching back. Second win over a good quality Filipino opponent for Cortes who had knocked out 34-2 Genisis Servania in one round in August. Bernaldez had scored three wins over reasonable level opposition in Florida and had his moments in this fight.

Green vs. Howard

Green outboxes unbeaten Howard and wins a wide unanimous decision. Howard marched forward throughout the fight but Green used good movement and sound defensive work to frustrate Howard’s attacks. Howard only rarely managed to track Green down and too often when he did Green countered cleverly and tied Howard up inside. A frustrated Howard lost a point at the end of the fourth round for a punch after the bell and never really threatened Green’s dominance. Scores 79-72 twice and 80-71 for Green who is 7-1 in his last eight outings.  Howard was having his first fight for a year and will be hoping to rebound with some more fights under his belt.

 

London. England: Super Welter: Hannah Rankin (11-5) W PTS 10 Maria Lindberg (19-8-2,1ND). Super Feather: Michael Gomez Jr (15-1) W TKO 4 Sufyann Ahmed (5-3)

Rankin vs. Lindberg

Rankin collects the vacant WBA and IBO Female titles with unanimous decision over Lindberg. Rankin scored well with her jab at distance in the first but Lindberg weaved her way inside to score to the body in the second. The pattern was repeated in the third where Rankin’s jab again proved decisive but Lindberg evened things up with a good fourth. Rankin rocked Lindberg with a right in the fifth but the sixth and seventh were close and could have been scored either way. Rankin outscored Lindberg over the eighth and ninth. Lindberg drove forward in the last but Rankin was more accurate and landed the heavier punches. Scores 97-93 twice and 98-92 all for Rankin. With two titles the Scot will be looking to get back into some unification matches. Lindberg, 44, a former IBF title holder, had been knocked out in three rounds by Savannah Marshall in April but she made Rankin work hard for her win.

Gomez vs. Ahmed

Gomez pounds out win over Ahmed. After being momentarily rocked in the first Gomez softened Ahmed up with powerful hooks. He slowly upped the pressure and with Ahmed hurt by a right early in the fourth Gomez landed a series of punches that brought the referee’s intervention. Gomez gets his sixth consecutive victory and collects the vacant BBB of C Central Area belt. Third loss in a row for  Ahmed.

 

Rome, Italy: Middle: Matteo Signani (31-5-3) W PTS 12 Ruben Diaz (26-3-2). Feather: Mauro Forte (16-0-2) DREW  12 Francesco Grandelli (15-1-2). Super Welter: Tony Dixon (13-3) W KO 1 Francesco Russo (10-2). Light Heavy: Hrvoje Sep (11-0) W PTS 6 Serhiy Demchenko (23-16-1).

Signani vs. Diaz

Signani holds on to the European title with a unanimous decision over Diaz in a low key defence. The fight had a slow start with Signani just doing enough to gather a small lead. Diaz had a good fourth momentarily rocking Signani but the champion altered his tactics in the fifth standing and fighting inside which actually suited Diaz. A clash of heads in the sixth saw Diaz cut over his left eye. The cut seemed to disturb Diaz and he loses some of his fire being shaken by an uppercut in the ninth. Knowing he is behind Diaz put in a big effort over the last three rounds but Signani boxed cleverly and was never in any real trouble. Scores 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113 for Signani. At 42 Signani is unlikely to land a world title shot . Spaniard Diaz, 41, was knocked out in ten rounds by Kamil Szeremeta for this same title in 2018 and that had been his only loss in his last 27 fights.

Forte vs. Grandelli

Forte retains the European Union title with a split draw against fellow-Italian Grandelli. The challenger launched some furious attacks over the first two rounds but Forte steadied himself and was able to take the third. Grandelli then changed tactics and started to box with Forte pressing the fight and being caught by good counters. Forte then changed his tactics and boxed more and evened up the scores. A great tenth saw Forte stunned by a left uppercut only to bang back as they traded punches. They fought furiously over the last two rounds with Grandelli just looking to have the edge but it was very close. Scores 116-113 Forte, 115-114 Grandelli and 114-114. Forte was making the first defence of the EU title and Grandelli, who is unbeaten in his last 14 fights, deserves another shot.

Dixon vs. Russo

Welshman Dixon returns to Italy and springs an upset with a first round kayo of Russo. A right to the head from Dixon put Russo down and out and it was sometime before he recovered. All over in 63 seconds. Dixon’s last fight had been in Milan in October 2019 when he dropped a split verdict against 17-0-1 Maxim Prodan. Russo had won his last two fights.

Sep vs. Demchenko

Sep continues his winning progress with points victory over experienced Ukrainian-born Italian Demchenko. Sep was in charge from the start. Demchenko was cut in the second and took a pounding in the fifth but lasted the full six rounds. Scores 60-54 for Sep on the three cards. Croatian Sep, 35, did not turn pro until he was thirty. As an amateur he was six times Croatian champion and competed at the 2016 Olympics and four World Championships as well as going 22-8 in the WSB but at 35 his horizons are limited. Demchenko, 42, is always a good test.

 

Belfast, Northern Island: Super Middle: Padraig McCrory (13-0) W TKO 2 Celso Neves (8-2-1) Welter: Lewis Crocker (14-0) W TKO 7 Artem Haroyan (17-3-1). Light: Sean McComb (13-1) W PTS 8 Ronnie Clark (21-6-2).

McCrory vs. Neves

McCrory punches too hard for Neves and gets a second round stoppage. Neves fired some useful looking shots in the first without giving McCrory any concerns. McCrory took over in the second dropping Neves twice with left hooks and the fight was stopped. The tall Irishman was defending the WBC International Silver belt with his seventh victory by KO/TKO. Swiss champion Neves never in with a chance.

Croker vs. Haroyan

Crocker chips away at Haroyan before flooring and stopping him in the seventh round. Crocker, the naturally bigger man, was able to muscle his way past Haroyan’s guard and score heavily. Haroyan fought tenaciously but just did not have the power to containing Croker’s attacks. Crocker dialled things back in the fourth but scored heavily in the fifth before sending Haroyan slumping into the ropes for a count. Haroyan made it out of the round but a left to the body in the seventh put him down and he was counted out. Crocker was defending the WBO European title for the second time. Having that WBO title gets Crocker a No 10 rating with that body. Armenian Haroyan suffers his second loss by KO/TKO.

McComb vs. Clark

McComb outboxes Clark for a win. As usual Clark walked forward trying to get past McCombs jab to work inside. McComb boxed skilfully making Clark pay for each forward step. Clark had a good third but McComb was back in charge again after that using fast hands and good movement to control the action. Clark pressed hard all the way and made it an entertaining fight but could never pin McComb down and the Irish southpaw took the verdict by 79-74 on the referee’s card. Second win for McComb after losing on a seventh round stoppage against Gavin Gwynne for the Commonwealth title in February. Consecutive points losses for Scot Clark since returning to action after over three years of inactivity.

 

Pilar, Argentina: Cruiser: Yamil Peralta (12-0) W TKO 10 Cesar Reynosa (17-17-4).Bantam: Florencia Juarez (8-1) W PTS 10 Natalia Alderete (3-5).

Peralta vs. Reynosa

Peralta hands out a hammering to a brave Reynoso. Peralta scored heavily over the first three rounds and then things became really painful for Reynosa. Peralta scored a knockdown in the fourth and had Reynosa reeling on the ropes in the fifth when the referee gave Reynosa a standing count. A left to the body forced Reynosa to the canvas in the sixth and the same punch sent Reynosa to the floor again in both the seventh and eighth rounds. Reynosa’s left eye was almost shut and although he managed to get through the ninth without taking a count when a body punch sent him down again in the tenth the fight was finally stopped. Peralta boxed at both the London and Rio Olympics and won bronze medals at the PanAmerican Games and World Championships but has yet to fight outside of Argentina which is when the real tests will come. Poor but brave Reynosa suffers his seventh loss by KO/TKO.

Juarez vs. Alderete

Juarez wins the vacant South American Female title with comprehensive victory over Alderete. Juarez had Alderete reeling badly in the third but the referee stopped the action to give Alderete a standing count. Alderete survived the crisis but never came close to winning a round. Scores 100-89 twice and 100-89 ½ for Juarez.

 

November 6

 

Wangen im Allgaeu, Germany: Super Light: Aram Fanilan (22-1) W PTS 10 Timo Schwarzkopf (20-5).

Ukrainian Fanilan floors and outpoints Schwarzkopf to win the vacant IBO International title. Fanilan outboxed Schwarzkopf in the first and put him down in the second. Schwarzkopf recovered but had trouble getting to the taller Ukrainian. Schwarzkopf took the sixth but Fanilan dominated the seventh and eighth. In the ninth the referee decided that a slip by Fanilan was a knockdown and they fought on equal terms in the last. Scores 96-92, 96-93 and 95-93 for Fanilan. Ninth win in a row for Fanilan but against very ordinary opposition.  Schwarzkopf was having his first fight since losing a wide unanimous decision against Jack Catterall in November 2019.

 

Tokyo, Japan: Light Fly: Shokhichi Iwata (7-0) W TKO 9 Rikito Shiba (5-2).

Iwata wins the vacant Japanese title with stoppage of Shiba. Despite suffering a cut over his left eye in the first Iwata built an early lead being more accurate and hitting harder than Shiba. The fight remained close with two judges seeing Iwata in front after five rounds and the third voting for Shiba. Iwata took complete control from there. He floored Shiba in the sixth with a right hook and punished him heavily over the seventh and eight. He closed out the fight in the ninth with a savage attack that had Shiba in deep trouble and the fight was stopped Five of Iwata’s wins have been achieved inside the distance. He beat Kosei Tanaka and Takuma Inoue before turning pro. Both of Shiba’s losses have been stoppages.

 

Nowy Sacz, Poland: Middle: Kamil Gardzielik (13-0) W PTS 10 Nicolas Palacios (12-9-1). Cruiser: Krzys Wlodarczyk (60-4-1) W RTD 4 Maximiliano Gomez (29-6).

Gardzielik vs. Palacios

Gardzielik just squeezes past Palacios on a close decision. Gardzielik looked comfortable using his sharp jab to ease his way through the first round. Palacios then landed some heavy right is the second to let Gardzielik know he was in a fight. Gardzielik got back on top and went into a good lead. However punches from Palacios had caused a heavy swelling around the right eye of the Pole. Over the second half of the fight the swelling grew and Palacios was able to eat into Gardzielik’s lead. The local fighter’s eye was gradually closing and Gardzielik made it to the bell before the fight had to be stopped. Scores 96-94 twice and 98-92 for Gardzielik. First ten round fight for Gardzielik and a testing one. Palacios had made an unsuccessful challenge for the vacant Argentinian title in May.

Wlodarczyk vs. Gomez

Win No 60 for Wlodarczyk but at a price. He shook Gomez in the first with a left hook to the head but suffered an injury to his right arm in the second. Despite that he floored Gomez with a left hook to the head in the third and dropped him again in the fourth with a left hook to the body. Gomez did not come out for the fifth. The injury may keep Wlodarczyk out of action for a while and at 40 time is pressing as he is hoping for domestic fights against Artur Szpilka and unbeaten Lukasz Rozanski. Argentinian Gomez had won his last eleven fights but he is really just a beefed-up light heavy so was no threat to “Diablo”.

 

Fight of the week: (Significance): Saul Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant Alvarez can now choose to go up down or sideways as he looks for more titles

Fight of the week (Entertainment): There was always plenty of tension around in Alvarez vs. Plant. Honourable mention to Mikaela Mayer vs. Maiva Hamadouche.

Fighter of the week: Saul Alvarez

Punch of the week: The right uppercut from Anthony Dirrell that finished Marcos Hernandez

Upset of the week: None

Prospect watch: No new names

 

Observations

Rosette: Saul Alvarez for unifying the four super middleweight titles

Red Card: Nothing too bad this week except perhaps the scoring in Mayer vs. Hamadouche fight which detracted from a such an entertaining fight

-That’s two divisions-super light and super middle unified. Two more than we had at the start of the year. We could get a third with the rescheduled Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castano fight as these two hold the four super welterweight titles.  Teo Lopez holds the IBF, WBA and WBO lightweight titles but is only holder of the ridiculous WBC “Franchise” title. Unfortunately we will have to wait until 2022 for any more-Fury vs. Usyk or Joshua would be my New Year wish to have a unified heavyweight title would be great but my fear and belief is that we will see the sanctioning bodies splitting the titles up again.

 

Yamil Peralta is an unbeaten cruiserweight in Argentina but:

Let me introduce you to: Gregorio “Goyo” Peralta:

He was born in San Juan Argentina on 8 May 1935. As an amateur he was twice South American champion. He turned pro in April 1958 but had a rocky start going 6-2-3 in his first 11 fights. He fought in Peru in 1960 losing on points against Peruvian star Mauro Mina but then put together an unbeaten run of 30 fights including wins over Willie Pastrano in Miami and Wayne Thornton twice. Pastrano was WBA and WBC light heavyweight title holder at the time Peralta beat him but the fight was a non-title fight. He fought a return with Pastrano for the titles but lost on a cut eye stoppage in the fifth round. He lost on points to Oscar Bonavena for the Argentinian heavyweight title in 1965. He was then unbeaten in his next 32 fights, including a draw with Bonavena before losing on points to George Foreman in 1970 (being one of only three fighters to last the distance with Foreman before he won the title) and also on a tenth round stoppage against Forman in 1971. He continued to campaign until November 1973 and in his last fight drew with rated heavyweight Ron Lyle. He ended up with a record of 98 wins 9 losses and 9 draws with 60 wins by KO/TKO and in the multi-titled world of today would surely have been a cruiserweight title holder. He died in January 2001. Incidentally his younger brother Avenamar was also pretty useful with a record of 103 wins, 32 losses and 14 draws.