The Past Week in Action 10 June 2024  

Did you miss any of the heart-pounding action in the world of boxing this week? Fear not, as Eric Armit has got you covered with ‘The Past Week in Action’! Prepare to be thrilled as we dive into a comprehensive review of all the major cards from the past week, bringing you up to speed on every knockout, upset, and champion’s triumph in the ring.

Highlights:

– Oscar Collazo retains the WBO Minimumweight belt with unanimous verdict over Gerardo Zapata

-Blair Cobbs floors and outpoints Adrien Broner and there are wins for Michael Hunter and Yuniel Dorticos

-Xander Zayas goes ten rounds for the first time with impressive win over Patrick Teixeira and Bruce Carrington and Delante Johnson register wins.

-Patrice Volny, Osleys Iglesias and Movladdin Biyarslanov score inside the distance wins in Montreal

-Callum Walsh destroys Carlos Ortiz in two rounds

– Jonathan Gonzalez and Atif Oberiton score wins

-Thomas LaManna wins the vacant WBO Gold middleweight title as he stops Juan Abreu

 

Major Shows

 

JUNE 7

 

Hollywood, FL, USA: Welter: Blair Cobbs (17-1-1) W PTS 10 Adrien Broner (35-5-1). Heavy: Michael Hunter (23-1-2) W PTS 10 Cassius Chaney (23-2). Cruiser Yuniel Dorticos (27-2) W KO 1 Alan Campa (19-10) Light: Yosdiel Napoles (5-0) W KO 1 Wister Garcia (20-4-1). Super Feather: Edith Soledad Matthysse (19-16-1) W TKO 3 Kalliopi Kourouni (17-3-1). Middle: Yoenli Hernandez (4-0) W TKO 7 Alejandro Barrera (28-8). Light: Antonio Perez (10-0) W PTS 10 Antonio Williams (16-1-1). Middle: Ian Green (19-2) W PTS 10 Roy Barringer (10-5).

Cobbs vs. Broner

Cobbs floors and outpoints a slow Broner. There was not much action over then first three minutes. Broner was shadowing Cobbs around the ring but not throwing punches. Cobbs landed a couple of jabs which was enough to see him win the round

Cobbs launched an attack in the second coming in behind his jab and scoring with rights. He then came forward and landed a right to the head that sent Broner back and down. Broner climbed up but the punch had knocked out Broner’s mouthguard and one of his teeth and he scrambled around trying to pick it up the tooth with the referee slowing the count and then putting Broner’s mouthguard back in for him. When the action restarted Cobbs had Broner against the ropes and was throwing plenty of punches but not loading up on them so there was quantity but no power. Broner then came forward and took the fight to Cobbs and landed some hooks but Cobbs was too quick darting forward to land punches then dancing away. The pattern stayed the same over the third and fourth. Broner had some success with hooks but was not cutting the ring off and Cobbs was buzzing around spearing Broner with jabs and firing quick combinations through Broner’s guard. The fifth was practically target practice for Cobbs. He was throwing bunches of jabs easily slotting punches through Broner’s guard He was switching from head to body and landed a heavy right. Broner was often static in front of Cobbs and just stabbing out easily avoidable lefts. Broner had some success late in the sixth as he connected with some jabs and clubbing lefts. Punches from Cobbs dislodged Broner’s mouthguard twice in the seventh  but Cobbs was slowing a little from the frantic pace he had set but he was grinning obviously enjoying himself against the slow Broner but Broner was finally landing some heavy shots. Cobbs had slowed in the eighth standing and trading more allowing Broner to land some of the punches he had easily dodged in the earlier rounds but he still found time to taunt Broner. His corner told Broner at the start of the ninth that he needed a knockout. He drove home some hefty hooks putting Cobbs under pressure but was just too slow to find the punch he needed. Cobbs just danced through most of the tenth with Broner again losing his mouthguard. Broner did move faster than he had at any other time in the fight but could not pin Cobbs down until he landed two right hooks-on the bell. Scores 96-93 twice and 97-91 all for Cobbs with 97-91 looking about right. First fight for Cobbs, 34, since outpointing Maurice Hooker in August 2022 and he will be hoping this win will get him some high profile fights. This was Broner’s first fight for a year and only his third since losing to Manny Pacquiao in January 2019. He was slow in both offence and defence and on paper Cobbs should not have been a threat but on this showing Broner will struggle to make any impact.

Hunter vs. Chaney

Hunter wins every round over Chaney in a dreadful heavyweight fight. Hunter was finding Chaney’s body an easy target for his jabs in the first but did not really open up despite Chaney showing no sign of being a threat. Hunter mixed his punches more in the second with the slow Chaney not really showing anything. Despite Chaney being 42lbs heavier Hunter was able to muscle him to the ropes and work with body punches. Chaney scored with some rights in the fourth but again spent much of the round against the ropes or in a corner under fire from Hunter’s jabs and overhand rights.  The pattern of the fight changed very little. Hunter was able to use a passive Chaney as a punchbag with Chaney letting himself be bullied and throwing very little to dissuade Hunter but Hunter also beginning to suffer for letting the one-sided contest go so far and he was showboating by the late rounds. The most Chaney was doing was throwing an occasional ponderous swing. Hunter stepped up his pace at the end looking for a stoppage but just could not put Chaney away and won on scores of 100-90 on all the judge’s cards. Hunter is 11-0-2 since losing to Olek Usyk for the WBO cruiser belt in 2017  Hunter’s only loss. In that run are a win over Martin Bakole and draws with Alex Povetkin and Jerry Forrest. This fight was for the WBA Gold title but I can’t see it helping Hunter much in his aim to get a heavyweight title shot. Chaney, 37, had knocked out former WBA secondary title holder Trevor Bryan in November but that result said more about Bryan than Chaney and Chaney was awful in this fight.

Dorticos vs. Campa

Dorticos wipes out Campa in one minute. Campa decided to stand and trade with Dorticos but a right  hook followed by a left hook sent him to his knees and he was counted out. Win No 25 by KO/TKO for the big 38-year-old Cuban. First fight for 18 months for Dorticos but still somehow No 1 with the WBA! Just two wins in his last 9 fights for Campa

Napoles vs. Garcia

Cuban Napoles gets a first round kayo over Garcia. After some early probing with jabs Napoles landed a good right to the body. As he tried to build on that they got into a clinch and Garcia twisted to one side and limped away from the action holding his left hip and went down. There had been no punch so the referee gave Garcia two minutes of recovery time. When the action restarted a right from Napoles sent Garcia face down on the canvas and he was counted out. Napoles, 23, a former member of the Cuban team, has won all five of his fight by KO/TKO. Garcia has a typical Venezuelan record. He had won his last 11 fights with all of his opponents having negative records

Matthysse vs. Kourouni

Matthysse captures the WBC Silver belt with a stoppage of Kourouni. The title was only on the line for Matthysse as Kourouni failed to make the weight. That weight making effort hurt Kourouni and Matthysse took full advantage of that pressing hard and setting a fast pace. Kourouni was a shell with little to offer and Matthysse was in full control when the referee stopped the fight in the third. Matthysse ,43, a former WBA and WBC champion, is the sister of Lucas and Walter Matthysse and she had lost 5 of her last 6 fights before this contest. Southpaw Kourouni, a US-based Greek nicknamed “the Pink Tyson”, had won her last five fights by KO/TKO.

Hernandez vs. Barrera

Cuban Hernandez pounds a gutsy Barrera to defeat. Hernadez was bigger and stronger and was landing with fierce punches from both hands. Barrera could not compete at distance so constantly worked his way inside where he could deny Hernandez punching room. Hernandez was scoring with uppercuts and huge rights but Barrera shrugged them off and landed some good rights of his own. In the sixth Hernandez kept landing neck-snapping uppercuts but somehow Barrera stayed on his feet. In the seventh Barrera dropped to a knee under a barrage of clubbing rights. He bounced up immediately but had to take more heavy shots and the fight was stopped.  The 6’2” Hernandez looked an animal. He had won his first three fights and was an IBA world champion. If there was a flaw it was that he loaded up on every punch but the power got the job done. He is only the third fighter to beat Barrera inside the distance alongside Errol Spence and Israil Madrimov

Perez vs. Williams

Perez wins a clash of unbeaten fighters as he outscores Williams. Perez,22, outboxed Williams with the eighth the only round where Williams had any success but that didn’t last as Perez floored Williams in the ninth round winning 99-90 on the three judge’s cards. Perez was coming off a useful win over Haskell Rhodes in December and was defending the WBC International title. He also won the WBC Fecarbox title from holder Williams. Texan Williams had won his last seven fights.

Green vs. Barringer

Green battles his way to a close decision over Barringer in the best fight of the night. Green scored well with body shots in the first but was outworked in the second. A right from Green sent Barringer’s mouthguard flying in the third but during the fourth there was a growing swelling under Greens left eye and it was almost closed by the end of the round. Despite that he took the fifth but with his restricted vision had trouble blocking Barringer’s shots in the sixth but a hook saw Barringer’s mouthguard dislodged again in the seventh. Although virtually fighting with vision from one eye Green matched Barringer through the closing rounds and did enough to deserve his win. Scores 96-94 twice and 97-93 for Green as he gets his seventh win in a row. Barringer had won 4  of his last 5 fights with the loss coming on points against Troy Isley last year.

 

Verona, NY, USA: Minimum: Oscar Collazo (10-0) W PTS 12 Gerardo Zapata (14-2-1). Welter: Eric Tudor (11-1) W KO 1 Roddricus Livsey (12-3-1,1ND). Super Light: Mykquan Williams (21-0-2) W KO 3 Willmank Brito (12-6-2). Super Middle: David Stevens (14-1) W TKO 1 Sergio Lopez (14-6).

Collazo vs. Zapata

Collazo has a rocky moment in the second but won this one by a large margin on the cards. Collazo went to work immediately in the first. He was bobbing and weaving in front of the taller Zapata and scoring with quick combinations with Zapata not sharp enough to respond. In the second Collazo was again working his way forward with success but late in the round a right sent him stumbling away to fall into the ropes with Zapata jumping on him and Collazo clinging on. Zapata continued to bombard Collazo with hooks but just could not land any power shots as Collazo made it to the bell. Although Collazo dominated the first two minutes and there was no knockdown one of the judges scored the round 10-8 for Zapata. Collazo was back in charge in the third, fourth and fifth working his way forward changing angles and zipping punches through Zapata’s guard. It was a show of craftsmanship from Collazo as he kept up the flow of shots from both hands and either darted away from Zapata’s punches or slipping them with classy upper body movement. Collazo’s work rate kept Zapata busy defending himself and he was under constant pressure. Zapata had some success with body punches over the middle round but Collazo was winning the rounds and it really became just a case of whether Zapata could last the distance as Collazo was hounding him around the ring pelting him with blistering combinations. Zapata made it to the bell but Collazo won on scores of 119-109 on two cards and 117-110 on the third. Collazo was making the third defence of the WBO title. Nicaraguan Zapata was way out of his depth and had no claim to deserving a title shot and apart from those brief seconds at the end of the second round was outclassed

Tudor vs. Livsey

Impressive display from Tudor as he finishes Livsey in the first round. Tudor used his longer reach to score at distance. Livsey was hiding behind a high guard leaving his body exposed and Tudor drove home a wicked right to the body that sent Livsey to his knees and he was counted out. The 22-year-old from Florida cut short what was supposed to be his first experience of ten rounds. Livsey, 41, had turned pro back in 2012 and gone 8-0-1 in his first 9 fights but life has been tougher since then.

Williams vs. Brito

Williams extends his unbeaten record to 23 bouts with third round stoppage of Brito. Williams dominated the action over the first two rounds and he sent Brito into the ropes in the third. In his haste to follow that up Williams unbalanced himself and went down. The referee rightly ruled it a slip and just before the bell a powerful right from Williams put Brito down. Brito made it to his feet but was unsteady and the fight was stopped. Williams had knocked out 17-0 Luis Feliciano in January but his two draws have been against indifferent opponents. Fifth loss in a row for Venezuelan Brito.

Stevens vs. Lopez

Stevens stops Lopez in the first. Very short but very entertaining. Two heavy rights from Argentinian Lopez had Steves stumbling seemingly out on his feet grabbing Lopez and looking ready to go down face first. As Lopez moved in Stevens landed a left that sent Lopez staggering back. As Lopez again moved forward Stevens connected with a left to the head and it was López who went down face first. He was up at six but a right from Stevens again saw Lopez face down on the canvas with the referee immediately waiving the fight off-after just 2:03 of the round. It was a good bet this would end in the first round. Seven of Steven’s fights have ended in the first round and he is 6-1 in those. Nine of Lopez’s fight have ended the first round and he is 7-2 in them!

 

JUNE 8

 

New York, NY, USA: Super Welter: Xander Zayas (19-0) W PTS 10 Patrick Teixeira (34-5). Feather: Bruce Carrington (12-0) W TKO 8 Brayan De Gracia (29-4-1). Super Light: Delante Johnson (13 -0) W PTS 8 Tarik Zaina (13-2-1).

Zayas vs. Teixeira

Impressive showing from Zayas as he delivers an exciting and mature performance against experienced Teixeira. If Teixeira was hoping to utilise his southpaw jab to work on the front foot it was immediately obvious that was not going to work. Zayas was pressing Teixeira onto the back foot in the opener and rattled Teixeira with a right uppercut in the first minute of the fight. He was slipping Teixeira’s jab and landing rights to the body. Teixeira tried to take control in the second but Zayas was outscoring him when they traded hooks and his speed was such that he was able to move in land punches and get out before Teixeira could counter. Teixeira tried to put in a strong finish to the second but a burst of flashing hooks from Zayas had him backing off. After a cagey start to the third Zayas worked his way inside banging to the body. He was doing a god job of cutting the ring off keeping the pressure on Teixeira and when Teixeira stopped to trade punches Zayas was quicker with his punches and more accurate. Teixeira worked hard and had some success when they swopped shots but not enough to threaten Zayas’s control. Zayas continued to attack Teixeira’s body in the fifth with Teixeira trying little manoeuvres to distract Zayas but Zayas stayed focused working to the body. Teixeira had spent every round circling then perimeter of the ring but in the sixth he tried to capture that territory until some solid hooks from Zayas had him retreating again. A right seemed to hurt Teixeira but he recovered and landed a couple of nice lefts . Zayas was forcing a fast pace and both had slowed a little in the seventh. Zayas connected with a great left hook. Teixeira was standing and trading more and it was a close round until Zayas scored with a succession of body punches before the bell.  As in the seventh Teixeira started with ambition but a series of punches had him backing off again. Zayas really cut loose and pinned Teixeira against the ropes and blasted him with punches. It looked as though a finish might be near but Teixeira escaped and then went toe-to-toe with Zayas until another storm of punches drove him back. The doctor examined Teixeira at the start of the ninth but the fight continued. Teixeira seemed to have settled for going the distance as he just kept moving then ducking inside to clinch and staying out of trouble. Teixeira was cut over his left eye in a clash of heads. A frustrated Zayas was looking to end it before the final bell and he chased Teixeira down for firing punches from both hands but Teixeira made it to the end. Scores 100-90 twice and 99-91 for Zayas. The 21-year-old Puerto Rican dominated a live foe in the former WBO interim title holder and he showed burgeoning class in both offence and defence. He is No 5 with the WBO and No 7 with the WBC and was calling out both Erickson Lubin and Josh Kelly who are ahead of him in the ratings. The plan must be for a title shot in 2025. Brazilian Teixeira had fallen out of grace after three consecutive losses in tough matches but had refreshed himself with three inside the distance wins back home in Brazil. He stood up well to the punches of Zayas and has only lost once by KO/TKO and that was against Curtis Stevens back in 2016. A great night for Zayas as he tops the show at the Madison Square Garden Theatre for the first time on the day before Puerto Rican Parade Day.

Carrington vs. De Gracia

Late substitute De Gracia provides Carrington with some useful rounds of action before succumbing in the eighth round. De Gracia was the aggressor at the start with Carrington adjusting to the change of opponent and blunting De Graca’s attacks with some clever defensive work behind a high guard. He moved in and scored with left hooks as they traded punches in the second rocking De Gracia late in the round. Carrington took the fight to DeGracia in the third and fourth. The Panamanian was willing to stand swap punches but Carrington was doing a good job of deflecting or blocking the shots from DeGracia whilst scoring with hooks of his own. De Gracia paid for his willingness to trade as he was shaken and then dropped by a right to the head late in the fifth. Carrington was marching forward scoring with hooks from both hands in the sixth with De Gracia forced to retreat under the pressure. He hunted De Gracia in the seventh before landing a left hook to the head and then a short right hook that dumped De Gracia into the ropes where he hung before sliding to the floor He was up early but after the count Carrington pinned him against the ropes and battered him with hooks and uppercuts until the referee stopped the fight. Fifth win by KO/TKO for Carrington who improves with every fight. De Gracia had 25 inside the distance wins and was probably a tougher opponent than the original one with IBF title challenger Eduardo Ramirez the only other fighter to have stopped De Gracia.

Johnson vs. Zaina

Johnson wins unanimous decision over Zania. Johnson was streets ahead of Zania in skills but found the aggressive Zania an awkward opponent. Johnson was sharp with his jab and connected with some strong rights and always looked to be in control. However, he never looked like turning his advantages into an early stoppage despite a big effort in the last round and had to settle for winning on scores of 79-73, 78-74 and a too close 77-75. It is now really a question as to whether Johnsen is ready to move up to ten rounds. Moroccan Zaina was coming off a loss against unbeaten Rohan Polanco but hard scored a win over experience Marcelino Lopez in November.

 

JUNE 6

 

Montreal, Canada: Middle: Patrice Volny (19-1) W TKO 9 Steven Butler (34-5-1). Super Middle: Osleys Iglesias (11-0) W KO 1 Evgeny Shvedenko (16-2-1). Super Light: Movladdin Biyarslanov (15-0) W KO 4 Elias Haedo (14-6,1ND). Middle: Shamil Khataev (12-0-1) DREW 10  Ramadan Hiseni 18-1-2). Super Light: Jhon Orobio (10-0) W TKO 2 Jose Jasso (13-5-0).

Volny vs. Butler

Volny batters Butler to defeat in nine rounds. I was a savage war of attrition. Both landed heavily over the first three rounds and those were close rounds with Butler just having a narrow edge. Volny had been getting through with damaging shots and had the better defence but Butler was not backing down and the toe-to-toe exchanges suited him. From the fifth the harder and more accurate punching from Volny was starting to give him control. Butler just sucked it up and continued to take the fight to Volny but was soaking up punishment and some of the snap had gone out of his punches but at the end of the eighth the judges had Volny in front 78-74, 77-75 and 77-75 so Butler was still very much in the fight, Butler kept walking through Volny’s punches but in the ninth a series of uppercuts had Butler stumbling and the referee stopped the fight over strong protests from Butler. Volny lost a technical decision to Esquiva Falcao in November 2021 and it was Falcao that landed an (unsuccessful) title shot. Volny did not fight again until May last year and was unrated going into this fight. He won the vacant WBC Francophone title. All five of Butler’s losses have come by KO/TKO. He was beaten in two rounds by Zhanibek Alimkhanuly in a challenge for the WBO middleweight title in May last year. He brings excitement to the table every time he fights but his defective defence lets him down.

Iglesias vs. Shvedenko

Cuban southpaw Iglesias scores brutal and concerning kayo of Shvedenko in the first round. Iglesias was stalking Shvedenko and shook him with a left hook he then followed with a devastating short right hook to the temple. Shvedenko went down on his back with his body twitching and his legs and arms shaking wildly in the air. The referee immediately waived the fight off, Iglesias, 26, was making the second defence of the IBO belt and gets his tenth win by KO/TKO. He is a real threat in this division. US-based Russian Shvedenko, a former WBC International and Russian champion, had drawn with world rated Pavel Silyagin in September. He recovered enough to leave the ring on his feet.

Biyarslanov vs. Haedo

Russian-born Canadian Biyarslanov finishes Haedo in the fourth round.  A tight first round saw southpaw Biyarslanov take the lead scoring with some good left hooks. He took the second and third by clear margins brining his right into play more with Argentinian Haedo lacking the power to compete. Biyarslanov ended it in the fourth. He began by setting Haedo up with a series of right jabs and then stepped in with a wicked left to the body that sent Haedo down to his hands and knees and he was counted out. Biyarslanov wins the vacant NABF title. He has won his last seven fights by KO/TKO and all in the first four rounds, Second loss by KO/TKO for Argentinian No 7 Haedo.

Khataev vs. Hiseni

Despite his impressive figures there was nothing in Hiseni’s record to cause too much concern for Khataev but in the end Khataev had to fight hard to get a share of a majority draw. Khataev made a good start. He was taking the fight to Hiseni and looked quicker and the harder puncher. Khataev looked to have won the first four rounds but in the fifth he was shaken by a right from Hiseni and looked in trouble. The referee stopped the action for no apparent reason and Khataev recovered but looked to be tiring. Hiseni was on the front foot using his jab well in the sixth and seventh but Khataev fought back hard to make the eighth and ninth close. Hiseni withstood an attack early in the tenth the fired back landing some heavy uppercuts and took the round. Two judges scored it 95-95 and the third had it 96-94 for Khataev. The Russians is the brother of Olympic bronze medal winner Imam but lacks his brother’s power. Swiss Hiseni is 3-0-1 since losing to Ismael Seck in 2022.

Orobio vs. Jasso

Colombian Orobio beats Jasso in two rounds. Orobio dropped Jasso with a right hook just 40 seconds into the fight. Jasso made it through the round but a powerful left hook sent him to his knees in the second and he never looked like beating the count. The 20-yerar-old Orobio, now based in Montreal, was a World Youth Championships bronze medallist and has won nine of his fights by KO/TKO. Mexican Jasso is 0-3 in fights in Canada but this is first inside the distance loss.

 

JUNE 7

 

Moscow, Russia: Brandon Glanton (20-2) W KO 11 Aleksei Egorov (12-2). Welter: Vadim Musaev (8-0) W PTS 8 Sagadat Rakhmankul (8-6). Heavy: Artem Suslenko (11-0) W KO 2 Wilmer Vasquez (12-4-2 ).

Glanton vs. Egorov

Glanton wins every round before battering an exhausted Egorov to defeat in the eleventh round. Glanton was jabbing well from the start using faster hands to pierce Egorov’s guard with his jab then moving in under Egorov’s jab  to score with hooks to the body. Egorov could not get past Glanton’s jab and Glanton was busier and quicker. Egorov was too slow to be a threat at distance and Glanton was working on the Russian’s body inside with Egorov just holding to stem Glanton’s punches. Egorov just could not get on the front foot and was relying on trying to land heavy rights counters on the ever advancing Glanton. By the seventh Egerov’s right eye was starting to close and Glanton was banging away to the body with hooks with Egorov’s already low output falling further.  Glanton handed out serious punishment in the ninth and the only question was whether an exhausted Egorov could last the distance. Glanton drove Egorov around the ring in the eleventh with hooks and uppercuts Glanton was driving Egorov along the ropes on the eleven until a clash of heads saw Glanton turn away pawing at his forehead. The action stopped but neither fighter was cut and as Glanton again went to work on Egorov with body punches under which Egorov dropped to one knee with his head bowed and he shook his head as the referee counted out the ten. Glanton, 34, wins the vacant WBA International title as he moves to 17 wins by KO/TKO. Glanton suffered consecutive losses against David Light on a split decision and unbeaten Russian Soslan Asbarov on a majority decision. He has covered all the basis in  his target to back in the ratings by winning the WBA Continental Americas, WBO International and now the WBA International title in consecutive fights. Egerov’s only other loss was a majority decision against Arsen Goulamirian  for the WBA title in November 2022.

Musaev vs. Rakhmankul

Southpaw Musaev much too slick for the limited Rakhmankul. Musaev boxed the whole fight on the back foot. He was able to spear Rakhmankul with jabs and straight lefts at distance and counter Rakhmankul on the way in. Rakhmankul had some success with Musaev sporting an ugly bump under his right eye but too often Rakhmankul was not quick enough to cut off then ring and Musaev was never really under any serious pressure. No scores given but Musaev a clear winner. Florida-based Musaev, who collected a silver medal at the World Boxing Championships, had won each his last three fights inside a round

Suslenko vs. Vasquez

Suslenko gets another inside the distance win as late substitute Vasquez is knocked out in the second round. Suslenko made a steady start boxing by numbers-left jab, straight right, left hook then repeat. Vasquez was obese and mainly just covered up and threw an occasional swipe. Vasquez was a little livelier in the second lurching forward with ponderous swipes. Suslenko is not fast but he was able to hit Vasquez with jabs and hooks to the body to bring Vasquez guard down. Suslenko ended it in the third with two right to the head that saw Vasquez make a not too impressive slump to the floor and he was counted out while rising. Eighth victory by KO/TKO for the 6’1” Suslenko who had beaten Bial Laggoune in two rounds in April. Venezuelan Vasquez is 6’3” and weighed 305lbs (138kg) for this fight. He usually takes a punch well having gone the distance with Viktor Vykhryst and Evgeny Romanov and this is only his second loss by KO/TKO.

 

Seoul, South Korea: Super Light: Daishi Nagata (20-3-2) W PTS 12 Yong Wook Kim (6-1).

Nagata proves too experienced and too quick for Korean hope Kim. Nagata was in control from the opener. He used plenty of movement circling Kim getting into position to land his shots and to avoid Kim’s counters. He was much the busier fighter with Kim reduced to looking to land single big punches. Nagata tired from the pace he was setting but even then he was still quicker than Kim who was bleeding heavily from the damage Nagata was causing. Kim had tired to a point where a Nagata jab sent him down in the last round. Kim was up quickly and Nagata had to settle for a points win on scores of 118-109 twice and a ridiculous 114-113 from the Korean judge. Nagata, 34, was making the first defence of the WBO Asia Pacific belt with his fifth win in a row. He also holds the OPBF belt but that was not on the line. This was too much of a leap for Kim but he will improve with experience.

 

Santa Ynez, CA, USA: Super Welter: Callum Walsh (11-0) W TKO 2 Carlos Ortiz (14-6).

In a clash of southpaws Walsh blows away Ortiz in two rounds. Walsh made the perfect start flooring Ortiz with a right hook in the first. Ortiz tried to stand and trade in the second but was down early in the round. Walsh is a deadly finisher and after the count he fired a quick combination of a right to the body and a left to the head. Ortiz was stunned and a straight left to the chin sent him crashing to the floor and the fight was stopped. Ninth win for the outstanding 23-year-old Irish prospect who was defending the WBC Continental Americas title. Walsh is a real dangerman he has speed and power. Ortiz, 39, no sort of test, was having only his fourth fight in almost five years.

 

 

JUNE 8

 

Buenos Aires, Argentina: Super Light: Jose Rosa (26-0) W KO 1 Juan Guzman (18-4). Light: Ignacio Iribarren (12-0-1) W PTS 10 Gerardo Perez (12-5-1). Minimum: Sol Cudos (8-0-2) W RTD 7 Veronica Ruiz (5-1).

Rosa vs. Guzman

Rosa disposes of Mexican Guzman in the first round. Rosa shook Guzman twice and then it only required a jab for Guzman to go down on his knees and stay there for the full count. Now 19 wins by KO/TKO for Rosa who was defending the WBA Fedelatin and WBC Latino belts. Rosa needs to face much better opposition than this. Guzman is 6-2 in his last eight fights with all 8 bouts ending early.

Iribarren vs. Perez

Iribarren outclasses Perez and collects the vacant South American title. Iribarren just had too much skill for the limited Perez. Iribarren controlled the fight with his jab and constantly found gaps for his straight rights. Perez had a bit of success over the middle rounds but Iribarren closed the fight strongly and won on scores of 99-91 twice and 100-90. After drawing his first fight southpaw Iribarren has won twelve in a row. Perez, the Argentinian No 3 super feather, was no test for Iribarren

Cudos vs. Ruiz

Cudos retained the South American and WBA Fedelatin belts with a retirement win over Ruiz. Cudos paced the fight well before cutting loose in the seventh and handing out serious punishment to Ruiz who did not come out for the eighth round. Cudos has her sights set on a shot at WBA title holder Seniesa Estrada. Ruiz was in her first ten round fight and realty needed more experience.

 

Montpellier, France: Super Light: Mohamed Kani (23-4) W TKO 6 Stefano Ramundo (13-2).

Local hero Kani wins the vacant EBU Silver title with stoppage of Italian Ramundo. This one was competitive for three rounds but then Kani dominated. He rocked Ramundo with heavy shots in the fourth and fifth and had Ramundo under fierce fire in the sixth when the referee stopped the fight. A former French and European Union champion the 33-year-old southpaw is rebuilding after a second round kayo loss against Pietro Rossetti in March last year which cost him his EU title. Ramundo had won the Italian title in February.

 

Paris, France: Light Heavy: Gaetan Ntambwe (9-1) W PTS 10 Guillaume Haye (9-6-5).

Ntambwe wins the vacant French title as he outpoints Haye. Ntambwe was just too clever for the crude Haye. He had no trouble avoiding the wild swipes of Haye and taking advantage of the gaps that Haye was leaving in his defences. Haye attacked hard at the end but was deducted a point for infringing the rules. Sometimes a little too much showmanship from Ntambwe as he wins the national title at the second attempt. Scores 100-89 twice and 99-90 for Ntambwe . Haye was inactive for four years and was 1-0-1 since returning in 2023.

 

Neidersachusen, Germany: Middle: Besir Ay (18-1) W PTS 10 Armend Hasani (8-1). Cruiser: Artur Mann (21-4) W KO 2 Levani Lukhutashvili (10-20).

Ay vs. Hasani

Ay retains the German title with a unanimous decision over Kosovan-born German Hasani. Scores 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 as Ay gets his sixteenth consecutive win, Hasani was jumping from four and six round fights to ten rounds for the first time

Mann vs. Lukhutashvili

Former IBF title challenger Mann rebounds from a loss to former amateur world champion Muslim Gadzhimagomedov with a second round kayo of consistent loser Lukhutashvili. The defeat against Gadzhimagomedov and an earlier one against Evgeny Tishchenko have seen Mann drop out of then ratings. Georgian Lukhutashvili makes it 15 losses in a row.

 

Monza, Italy: Welter: Akrem Aouina (11-1) W PTS 10 Pietro Rossetti (18-3). Light Heavy: Mohamed Elmaghraby (9-0) W TKO 3 Dragan Lepei (22-8-2,1ND). Middle: Yassin Hermi (15-1-1) W TKO Novak Radulovic (18-11).

Aouina vs. Rossetti

Aouina wins the vacant Italian title with unanimous verdict over Rossetti. Over the early rounds Aouina used quick movement and good skills to outbox the more experienced Rossetti. It was the fifth round before Rossetti  came to life and put Aouina under pressure and he had success with body attacks in the sixth and seventh. Aouina was back in charge behind his jab in the eighth but Rossetti landed a heavy right in the ninth. Aouina recovered well and took the tenth to win on scores of 99-91, 98-91 and 97-92. Good win for Italian-based Tunisian Aouina who makes it eighth consecutive wins. Former Italian and EU champion Rossetti was coming off a ninth round stoppage loss to Karen Chukhadzhian in October.

Elmaghraby vs. Lepei

Italian-based Egyptian Elmaghraby maintains his 100% record with a third round stoppage of Lepei. Elmaghraby stunned Lepei with a right to the head and then unleashed a volley of punches forcing the referee to stoop the fight to save Lepei. Fourth win by KO/TKO for Elmaghraby but third loss in a row for Romanian-born Lepei a former Italian super middle and light-heavy champion.

Hermi vs. Radulovic

Italian southpaw Hermi stops Serbian Radulovic in the sixth round to win the IBO Mediterranean title. The 22-year-old Hermi gets win No 12 inside the distance. He has fought a split draw and lost a split decision against Luca Chiancone for the Italian title. Fifth inside the distance defeat for Radulovic.

 

Karlino, Poland: Welter: Mateusz Polski (7-1) W PTS 10 Jan Lodzik (9-1) .Light: Dominik Harwankowski (12-0) W Radomir Obrusniak (7-1).

Polski vs. Lodzik

Polski wins the WBC Francophone title with a unanimous decision over Lodzik. When these two clashed October Lodzik had won a comfortable unanimous decision. Polski used some useful body punches to take the opening round but Lodzik just outworked him in the second. In their first fight Lodzik had pressurised Polski hard in every round but this time Polski boxed better and Lodzik failed to put Polski under enough pressure. By the end of the fifth there was already a swelling under Lodzic’s left eye. Lodzik did up his pace over the sixth and seventh but then faded and Polski boxed his way through the closing rounds to win 97-93 and all three cards. Lodzik was making the first defence of the WBC Francophone title.

Harwankowski vs. Obrusniak

Harwankowski outboxed southpaw Obrusniak to win the vacant Polish title. Scores 97-93 twice and 96-94. Harwankowski was in his first ten round fight. Obrusniak was having his first fight since October 2022 and had lost in a challenge for the Polish International title in June 2022

 

Orlando, FL, USA: Middle: Jonathan Gonzalez (20-0-1) W KO 7 Edward Ulloa (14-6). Light Heavy: Atif Oberiton (11-0) W TKO6 Harry Cruz (8-5).

Gonzalez vs. Ulloa

Gonzalez continues his comeback but had to come off the floor to win this one. He was floored in the first but recovered to take control of the action. Ulloa was still in the fight going into the sixth but was dropped and only just survived to the seventh when a body punch had him backing off and going down on one knee for the count. Gonzalez, 34, was  inactive from May 2014 until returning with a win in March this year. Two wins in his last eight fights for Dominican Ulloa.

Oberiton vs. Cruz

Tall southpaw Oberiton beats Cruz in six rounds. If Oberiton hadn’t pressed hard there would not have been a fight as Cruz rarely stopped retreating long enough to swop punches. Oberiton finally caught up with Cruz in the sixth and landed a series of punches that brought the referee in to save Cruz. Ninth win by KO/TKO for the 6’3” southpaw and second stoppage defeat for Crus.

 

Atlantic City, NJ, USA: Middle: Thomas LaManna (38-5-1) W TKO 3 Juan Abreu (26-8-1).

LaManna stoops Abreu in the third round to win the vacant WBO Gold. LaManna used his longer reach to control the action over the first two rounds. He put Abreu down with an uppercut in the third then floored Abreu twice more bringing about the stoppage. LaManna was stopped in 80 seconds when he challenged Erislandy Larab for the secondary WBA middleweight title in 2021 but has now won eight on the bounce and is hoping this “Gold” title will land him another title shot. LaManna joins Jaron Ennis as only the second man to beat Abreu inside the distance.

 

 

Fight of the week: (Significance): Xander Zayas shows there are some exciting times ahead in his win over Patrick Teixeira

Fight of the week: (Entertainment): Ian Green and Roy Barringer fought a war so that is my pick with honourable mention to Patrice Volny vs. Steven Butler

Fighter of the week: Xander Zayas with honourable mention to Blair Cobbs

Punch of the week: I go for the devastating right hook from Osleys Iglesias that finished Evgeny Shvedenko

Upset of the week: In his first fight for almost two years Blair Cobbs did not seem to constitute a threat to the returning Adrien Broner but he scored a win. Only the doubts over Broner make it a mild upset in a week without many upsets

Prospect watch: Cuban middleweight Yoenli Napoles 4-0 4 by KO/TKO showed impressive power .

 

Observations

Rosette: Don King scheduling 94 rounds of boxing

Red Card: Michael Hunter and Cassius Chaney putting the sort of fight that could give even th4e heavyweights a bad name,

Observations:

–Michael Hunter should be paid by the pound of the weight he concedes. Against Cassius Chaney it was 42lbs against Alek Ustinov it was 66lbs, Martin Bakole 43lbs and the highest pay would have been for the fight with Ignacio Esparza where he was conceding 101lbs!!

-Does boxing need neutral judges? Well, they certainly do sometimes. In the fight in Seoul between Japan’s Daishi Nagata and Korean Yong Wook Kim the Japanese judge scored it 118-119 for Nagata and the Thai judge scored it 118-109 for Nagata and the Koren judge 114-113 for Nagata. Unanimous but if Nagata had not scored a knockdown the Korean judge would have scored Kim the winner!

-Power to the men. The Matthysse’s are a family of boxers but all of the power seems to flow down the male line. Lucas scored 39 wins 36 of them by KO/TKO, Walter had 26 wins 25 by KO/TKO and Edith has 19 wins 2 by KO/TKO. I guess she has the brains as in most families.

– There was a mention of a 5 v 5 between Bob Arum and Oscar de la Hoya. I am not sure if even Saudi Arabia has enough money to arrange that

-Since the controversy over the below the belt punch from Daniel Dubois to Oleksandr Usyk most referees are being very careful. Instead of just waiving in the general direction of the belt line that are now firmly placing their hand above the line in their instructions so it is clear to both the fighter and the referee what is and is not a foul punch. They should also make it clear that any punch that lands behind the ear is a foul!

– When working on the report for Steven Butler’s fight with Patrice Volyn I was reminded that I was at Albert Hall when Steve’s father Marshall Butler scored an upset win over John Stacey in April 1972. Butler was 6-0 and Stracey 22-0-1 so quite an upset. HANG ON!! Marshall is Steve’s GRANDFATHER!! I now understand why my daughter no longer does me a birthday cake as she says heat from the candles would contribute too much to global warning. Incidentally Marshall’s career did not live up to that upset win. He took his record to 16-0 without making a big splash and then went 5-5 and retired.