The Past Week in Action 11 November 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:

– Jaron Ennis outpoints Karen Chukhadzhian in disappointing IBF welterweight title defence and Jesse Rodriguez destroys Pedro Guevara in three round in WBC super flyweight title fight. There are wins for Raymond Ford, Manuel Gallegos and Austin Williams.

-Keyshawn Davis wipes out Gustavo Lemus in two rounds and there are wins for his brothers  Kelvin and Keon. Troy Isley outpoints Tyler Howard and Abdulah Mason comes off the floor twice to beat Yohan Vasquez.

-Osleys Iglesias successfully defends the IBO super middleweight title with stoppage of Peter Ivanov and Steven Butler halts Fernando Farias.

-Subriel Matias returns to action with a kayo of Roberto Ramirez in Bayamon and Alfredo Santiago, Jeyvier Cintron, Abimael Ortiz and Luis Rodriguez  record wins.

– Luke Plantic wins again as he outpoints Argentinian Martin Bulacio

– Abraham Montoya beats Joseph Diaz on points

 

Major Shows

 

 NOVEMBER 7

 

Montreal, Canada: Super Middle: Osleys Iglesias (13-0) W TKO 5 Petro Ivanov (18-1-2). Super Middle: Steven Butler (35-5-1) W TKO 1 Fernando Farias (12-3-3). Super Middle: Wilkens Mathieu (12-0) W TKO 4 Marcos Karalitzky (8-10-2). Light: Dzmitry Asanau (9-0) W TKO 5 Marcos Rueda (38-3). Super Light: Jhon Orobio (12-0) W TKO 1 Jacobo Colli (9-1-1).

Iglesias vs. Ivanov

In an IBO title defence Iglesias stops Ukrainian Ivanov in the fifth. The Cuban southpaw was landing straight lefts from the start and adding in right hooks and uppercuts. When Ivanov did launch attacks Iglesias was meeting him with right jabs and hooks inside. Iglesias controlled the action over the first four round with a brave Ivanov continually coming forward into punishment. In the fifth as Ivanov moved in Iglesias landed two lightning quick hook and a straight left that sent Ivanov flying across the ring and down on his back. He managed to get up but was in no condition to continue and the referee stopped the fight. The 6’ 2 ½” Iglesias was defending the IBO title for the third time and gets his twelfth win by KO/TKO. He was calling out Saul Alvarez and Jaime Munguia but his opposition has been good level but not top level so he has work to do to get a title shot but he is a real threat. Ivanov’s opposition has been modest at best.

Butler vs. Farias

Butler makes short work of Argentinian Farias. A jab from Butler saw Farias drop to his knees early in the first round. Farias beat the count but was being blasted by heavy punches later in the round and the fight was stopped. A back to winning ways for Butler after being stopped in nine rounds by Patrice Volny in June. Farias just basically a not very good prelim fighter.

Mathieu vs. Karalitzky

Mathieu continues a busy year with a fourth round win over Argentinian Karalitzky. Mathieu handed out steady punishment before Karalitzky went down from a right to the head at the end of the fourth and the fight was stopped. The 19-year-old from Quebec City makes it seven wins this year, five by KO/TKO. Karalitzky is 0-2 in fights in Canada.

Asanau vs. Rueda

Belarusian Asanau had the toughest test on paper but halted experience Rueda in five. Rueda showed his danger over the early rounds landing some good shots and rocking Asanau with a right in the second. From the third Asanau upped his pace and wore down Rueda with a succession of heavy punces until the referee stopped the fight at the end of the fifth. Asanau wins the vacant WBA Continental Americas title with his fourth victory by KO/TKO. He had over 100 amateur fights and in 2015 won a silver medal at the European Games and a bronze at the world championships but did not medal at the  2016 Olympics. Argentinian Rueda lost to Oscar Valdez in a challenge for the WBO featherweight title in 2016. He had gone 12-1 since then with the loss against Australian Liam Wilson who came close to beating Emanuel Navarette in a challenger for the WBO super feather title in his next fight.

Orobio vs. Colli

Orobio continues to get the job done in quick time. He required just 72 seconds to finish Italian Colli. He sent Collin down with a right hook and although he beat the count he was floored again and the fight was stopped. Eleven early finishes for the 21-year-old Colombian, First inside the distance loss in his first fight outside of Italy for Colli.

 

NOVEMBER 8

 

Norfolk, VA, USA: Light: Keyshawn Davis (12-0) W TKO 2 Gustavo Lemos (29-2). Middle: Troy Isley (14-0) W PTS 10 Tyler Howard (20-2). Feather: Ra’eese Aleem (21-1) W Derlyn Hernandez (12-3-1,1ND). Light: Abdullah Mason (16-0) W TKO 2 Yohan Vasquez (26-6).  Welter: Kelvin Davis (14-0) W PTS 8 Yeis Solano (15-4). Super Middle: Austin Deanda (16-0) W PTS 8 DeAundre Pettus (12-3). Feather: Robert Merriwether( 8-0) W PTS 6 Eric Howard (6-3). Super Welter: Keon Davis (1-0) W PTS 4 Jalen Moore (1-2).

Davis vs. Lemos

After the fight was in jeopardy due to Lemus coming in way over the contract weight Davis destroys him in two rounds. Lemus came out trying to put Davis under pressure but Davis was quickly on target with his jab. Lemus missed with some wild swings and Davis landed a right and left to the body. More wild swings from Lemus and more jabs from Davis. He had no trouble evading the slower Argentinian and landed a series of punches at the bell. In the second Lemus lunged in and Davis caught him with a right hook to the chin sending him down. Lemus was up quickly and after the count blundered forward and was caught with a left and a right and went down again. He started to rise then stumbled back and dropped on the floor against the ropes. He made it to his feet but a bunch of hooks sent him crashing again with the referee losing his balance and ending up on the canvas beside Lemus then waiving the fight over. The fight was officially an eliminator for the WBO lightweight belt held by Denys Berinchyk, but Davis made it clear he already has his eyes on a bigger prize in the form of a namesake. “Hey Gervonta,” he said. “Knock.” Impressive display from Davis. What made it even more impressive is that when Lemus lost an IBF eliminator to Richardson Hitchins in April it was on points and very close with two of the judges scoring it 115-113 .

Isley vs. Howard

Isley takes wide unanimous decision over Howard. Isley was feeding Howard fast, accurate jabs in round after round. Howard was awkward and slow with poor mobility. Isley was able to score and move with Howard unable to cut off the ring or get close enough often enough to threaten Isley. It was a very one-sided fight as Isley kept spearing Howard with jabs, the best punch in Isley’s repertoire, and quick rights. Howard came forward almost square on presenting a nice target. The accuracy from Isley had Howard freezing and just not letting his hands go so there was little sustained action. That only changed over the ninth and tenth. Howard began to shuffle forward quicker finally putting Isley under some pressure. He was able to pin Isley against the ropes on occasion and connected with a good right late in the ninth. In the tenth Howard continued to chase down Isley. Isley’s jab had disappeared and his punch output dropped as Howard outscored him in the round but Isley had more than enough rounds in his pocket to be a wide winner. Scores 99-91 twice and 98-92 for Isley. The former Olympian has great skills but 7 of his last 8 fights against undistinguished opposition have gone the distance. Only the fourth fight in the last five years for Howard.

Aleem vs. Hernandez

Alkeem returns to action with a wide unanimous decision over Hernandez. No sign of any rust from Aleem as he was quickly into his stride. Hernandez tried to put Aleem under pressure but Aleem was just too quick. He was popping Hernandez with punches at distance then darting inside to land burst of punches from both hands. Hernandez was just not quick enough to deal with the speed of Aleem’s movement. Hernandez tried backing off and looking to get Aleem to come forward onto counters but that did not work. Aleem continued to control the fight and dropped Henderson with a series of punches at the start of the fifth. Hernandez beat the count and survived more hard rights during the round. Hernandez kept walking into punishment in the sixth and although he landed some useful rights in the seventh even then Aleem landed numerous combinations in the round. Hernandez continued to hunt Aleem in vain and to catch lightning fast punches from both hands and different angles as he came forward as Aleem coasted through the closing round a good winner. Scores 100-89 from all three judges. First fight for Alkeem since losing a split decision against Sam Goodman in an IBF super bantamweight eliminator in June last year. He was 127 lbs for this one so could be eyeing the featherweights and on this form will be a threat. Hernandez had won 5 of his last 6 fights,.

Mason vs. Vasquez

Mason wins this short but action-packed fight. The first round saw Mason on the floor twice but finish the fight in the second. Mason started jabbing very cautiously and that was proved a sensible approach as Vasquez drove forward and a left hook to the head knocked Mason off balance so that he put his left glove on the canvas to steady himself. He straightened up immediately and after the eight count stood and traded shots with Vasquez who landed a right before Mason nailed him with a left hook that sent Vasquez crashing to the floor on his back. Vasquez got up at eight but was on unsteady legs and seemed to have injured his left ankle or leg. Mason chased Vasquez along the ropes and connected with a couple of hooks only to be nailed with a left hook that saw him going back and again putting his glove on the canvas to avoid going down. He was given another count but did not look shaken. With his leg injury Vasquez lacked the mobility to chase Mason and Mason fired a flashing combination just before the bell at the end of an exciting three-knockdown round. In the second a straight left had Vasquez hopping back on his injured ankle. Mason landed a couple of lefts and then another to the body that dropped Vasquez to one knee and Mason actually clipped Vasquez with a hook just as Vasquez’s knee hit canvas. Vasquez could have got up but with his limited mobility he did the sensible thing and took the full count. Southpaw Mason, 20, has yet to go past four rounds for a win. His being knocked off balance twice (he was not knocked down) may have put some question marks over his chin but he brought both incidents on himself by being over confident and leaving himself open to counters but neither of the two punches that caught him seemed to shake him. Dominican Vasquez had scored 21 of his 26 wins by KO/TKO. He had suffered three consecutive losses against unbeaten fighters but in his last fight in May he stopped 30-0 Pole Kamil Laszczyk in the second round so perhaps he merited more respect than Mason gave him.

Davis vs. Solano

Tall southpaw Davis, the older brother of the clan ,was much too big and much too good for Solano. The 6’1” Davis used his huge advantages in height and reach over the 5’6 ½” Solano to score consistently in the first. By the second fellow-southpaw Solano was already in survival mode and the local crowd was already restive over Soolan’s tactics. Davis shook Solano with a combination at the end of the fourth. He continued to dominate a negative Solano before putting Solano down at the end of the eighth  but had to settle for winning on scores of 79-72 twice and 80-71. Davis, 27,  lacks the power of Keyshawn but is making steady progress. All of Solano’s losses have come in fights where he was very much the underdog.

Deanda vs. Pettus

Deanda makes it a clean sweep for the home team as he outpoints Pettus in the most competitive fight of the night. Pettus started well and looked to have done enough to take the first three rounds but it was close. During the third punches from Pettus shook loose Danda’s braids. They were hampering his vision so when he went back to his corner they cut off the braids. Deanda made a plea for the braids to be cut level but the man with the scissors said “I’m a cut man not a barber” and the braids were chopped off . It was a sort of reverse-Samson moment for Deadra in that rather than losing strength he got stronger. He then outboxed and outlasted Pettus scoring heavily in the eighth with a slowed Pettus, who had never gone past six rounds, and won on scores of 77-75 twice and 78-44. Pettus was 6-1 in his last 7 fights.

Merriwether vs. Howard

Interesting first round as Howard showed a quick, strong jab and some good combination punches with Merriwether fast but throwing less. Merriwether really began to show his class in the second. Howard was still useful with his jab but the hand speed, variety and accuracy of Merriwether ‘s punches won the round, From the third Howard, was still trying to take the fight to Merriwether but Merriwether was putting together some impressive combinations and landing some hurtful left hooks to the body. Merriwether landed some heavy leather in the sixth looking to stop a tired Howard but Howard made it to the bell. Scores 59-55 twice and 60-54 for Merriwether. The 19-year-old winner showed some excellent skills and Howard was tough enough to give the youngster some very useful rounds.

Davis vs. Moore

Davis launches his professional career with a points win over fellow-novice Moore. Davis, 23  and 6’ 3” boxed his way through the first three rounds and then tried hard to finish Texan Moore in the fourth but had to settle for winning 40-36 on all three cards. Davis, the younger of the three brothers, has already won his way through the US Olympic Trials for Paris with his aim being to get a gold medal to go one further than Keyshawn.

 

NOVEMBER 9

 

Philadelphia, USA: Welter: Jaron Ennis (33-0) W PTS 12 Karen Chukhadzhian (24-3). Super Fly: Jesse Rodriguez (21-0) W TKO 3 Pedro Guevara (42-5-1). Super Feather: Raymond Ford (16-1-1) W PTS 10 Orlando Gonzalez 23-3). Light Heavy: Manuel Gallegos (21-2-1) W TKO 9 Khalil Coe (9-1-1). Middle: Austin Williams (17-1) W TKO 5 Gian Garrido (11-2).

16

Ennis vs. Chukhadzhian

Round 1

Ennis was on the back foot jabbing. Tried a right but missed and Ennis scored with a right. Ennis scored with a jab and a right and kept throwing jabs but coming up short. Chukhadzhian landed a left to then side of the head  that knocked Ennis off balance.

Score: 10-9 Ennis

Round 2

Chukhadzhian landed good right Ennis was circling b Chukhadzhian looking for an opening but Chukhadzhian connected with a left. Ennis switched guard and landed a left hook but was finding Chukhadzhian elusive missing with a lot of his punches.

Score: 10-9 Chukhadzhian                  TIED 19-19

Round 3

Ennis seems uncoordinated and not settling on any tactic. Ennis landed a couple of rights. Ennis landed a right and Chukhadzhian shot one straight back. Ennis took Chukhadzhian to a corner and landed a little bunch of punches. Ennis connected with two straight lefts but was getting caught with punches he should have slipped.

Score: 10-9 Ennis                                Ennis  29-28

Round 4

Lots of throwing and missing by both fighters. Ennis was dodging Chukhadzhian’s punches but was not finding the target with his own. Ennis scored with a couple of long lefts  and a couple of hooks to the body. Both landed uppercuts and Ennis landed to the body.

Score: 10-9 Ennis                                Ennis 39-37
Round 5

Chukhadzhian came out firing jabs with Ennis swaying away from them. They exchanged shots inside and Ennis landed  a left but it was messy with neither fighter doing much useful work until Ennis connected with a sharp left hook to the head and another that had Chukhadzhian shaken and Ennis drove forward throwing punches forcing Chukhadzhian back. He  landed an uppercut and Chukhadzhian went down on one knee in a corner. Chukhadzhian was up at eight and used some good footwork to avoid any further trouble.

Score: 10-8 Ennis                               Ennis 49-45

Round 6

Ennis was throwing lefts looking to capitalise on the knockdown and landed a series of hooks. Ennis ducked under and around punches from Chukhadzhian and scored with a pair of lefts. Clever upper body movement from Ennis avoided a clutch of punches from Chukhadzhian but Ennis was not throwing much and was warned for a low punch.

Score: 10-9 Ennis                        Ennis 59-54

Round 7

Plenty of jabs from Chukhadzhian and he connected with a left hook. Ennis was warned for a low punch and Chukhadzhian landed a jab and a straight right the two fired rights. Chukhadzhian got through with a couple of uppercuts. Ennis landed a left but was again having trouble getting through with any clean shots.

 

Score: 10-9 Chukhadzhian          Ennis 68-64

Round 8

Chukhadzhian worked well with his jab with Ennis just following him and not throwing punches. Ennis unloaded a bunch of punches to then head of Chukhadzhian who clinched to stem the flow. Ennis landed a couple of leaping hooks. It was getting messy with two many clinches before both landed lefts.

Score: 10-9 Ennis                        Ennis  78-73

Round 9

Chukhadzhian connected with a couple of stiff jabs and then a hard right cross to the head. Once again too much clinching with Chukhadzhian given a warning then landing two lefts and a right to the head. Ennis was struggling to get anything on target and Chukhadzhian was getting his punches off first.

Score: 10-9 Chukhadzhian          Ennis 87-83

Round 10

Again a messy fight. Ennis was scoring with some small hooks inside but other than that it was clinching and wrestling. Ennis exploded with ba bunch of punches driving Chukhadzhian back with Chukhadzhian holding. The referee stopped then action and deducted a point from Chukhadzhian for holding. Ennis again fired fast punches that bad Chukhadzhian reeling back and he tripped and went down but no count. For a few seconds they stood and swapped punches with bothn landing but Ennis with the better shots.

Score: Ennis 10-8 (with deduction) Ennis 97-91

Round 11

Chukhadzhian did some useful work with his jab and caught Ennis with a left hook inside. He sidestepped Ennis and landed three rights. Ennis was walking in with a crossed guard but when he got inside Chukhadzhian clinched so Ennis was doing no effective work outside or inside.

Score: 10-9 Chukhadzhian          Ennis 106-101

Round 12

Ennis scored with some hooks  as he drove forward. He landed a couple of hooks  but was warned for a punch to the back of the head. Then swapped hooks before clinching again. Theyn exchanged hooks and Ennis connected with head punches.

Score: 10-9 Ennis                   Ennis 116-110

Official Scores: 119-107, 117-109 and 116-112 all for Ennis.

Ennis wins and retains the IBF title but this is a performance he will want to forget. The way he fought showed he did not see Chukhadzhian as a threat and it showed from the way he was talking to others outside the ring between rounds and instead of using his longer reach and vastly superior speed he chose to try to work inside where those advantages were of no use. Chukhadzhian was a bit better than expected but then expectations were low as he had lost every round when facing Ennis for the temporary/interim IBF title in January 2023. Ennis had better be more on song than this against some of the stronger opposition in the division or he will become an ex-champion.

Rodriguez vs. Guevara

Impressive display of power from Rodriguez as he destroys experienced Guevara in three rounds.

Round 1

Rodriguez was tracking the retreating Guevera around the ring doing some range finding with his jab and landing a couple of left hooks. Guevara was really just circling the ring trying not to get caught against the ropes or in corners. Rodriguez was warned for a punch to the back of Guevara’s head.

Score: 10-9 Rodriguez

Round 2

Rodriguez was chasing down Guevera again but Guevara fired some body punches and showed a little more aggression than in the first. Rodriguez landed a hard left hook . Again Guevera showed a bit more fight as he was throwing punches and moving with Rodriguez holding back until he could pin down Guevara. Rodriguez banged home a couple of body punches then scored with a left and a right to take a close round.

Score:

Round 3

Rodriguez landed some hard right hooks with Guevara again circling the ring throwing occasional punches trying to keep Rodriguez out. As Guevara backed to the ropes a straight left from Rodriquez had him sliding to his left and down on his side. Guevara was up at three and after the count trued to punch with Rodriguez but a right hook sent him down on his back and the referee stopped the fight. Rodriguez was defending the WBC title for the first time hopefully his next fight will be against Roman Gonzalez whom is ranked No 1. Guevara had won the WBC temporary title with a split decision over Andrew Moloney. At 35  he might feel he has done enough but there are fights for him if he wants them.

Ford vs. Gonzalez

Ford wins an all-southpaw clash as he floors Gonzalez twice to take the decision. Ford was coming forward in the first firing fast jabs and lefts as he tracked Gonzalez around the ring. It looked as though it was all over in the second when a right hook dumped Gonzalez on his rump against the ropes and almost on the ring apron. He tumbled sideways as he started to rise but finally made it to his feet and ran and clinched to the bell. Ford was chasing Gonzalez down over the third, fourth and fifth. He was still landing some heavy punches but Gonzalez was showing some spirit as he was darting in with short bursts of punches. In the sixth Ford was connecting with lefts curved around Gonzalez’s guard and rights to the body which took some of the adventurous spirt out of Gonzalez. The seventh saw Gonzalez taking the fight to Ford and landing some good shots but the power was coming from Ford and he rocked Gonzalez with a right hook. In the eighth Ford caught up with Gonzalez and floored him with another right hook. Gonzalez made it to his feet and saw out the round. Ford tried hard to end the fight inside the distance but Gonzalez was settling for going the distance ignoring Fiord’s gestures to stand and fight and Ford had to settle for a points win. Scores: 100-88 twice and 99-89. Ford was returning to action for the first time since losing his WBA title to Nick Ball on a split decision in June. Ford is No 5 with the WBA, effectively No 4 as No 1 spot is vacant, but he won the WBA Cointinentral title in this fight so will be hoping to get a return shot. Gonzalez had won five in a row but was never in this fight.

Gallegos vs. Coe

Gallego surprises with a stoppage victory over favoured Coe. The early rounds went mostly with Coe as he boxed cleverly to overcome the size advantage of the 6’3” Gallegos but that changed in the fourth. Gallegos rocked Coe early with a right and although Coie rebounded by the end of the round he had been hurt. In the fourth a blistering left hook to the body floored Coe. Coe beat the count and as in the third came back strongly at the end of the round. Coe boxed his way through the sixth but was down again in the seventh from a left hook to the head  and was floored by a body shot in the eighth. Plenty of guts from Coe to keep getting up and he refused to let his corner or the referee stop him going out for the ninth. Coe was knocked down at the start of the ninth and the fight was stopped. Mexican Gallegos had scored 17 inside the distance victories so he looked to be a danger man but had been stopped in four rounds in July by Diego Pacheco. He walks away with Coe’s WBC USA title. After an early draw Coe had won eight in a row  six by KO/TKO.

Williams vs. Garrido

Williams gets back to winning ways with a stoppage of Garrido. It was clear from the start that this fight would not go the full eight rounds as Williams dazed Garrido with punches in both the first and second rounds. Garrido was more competitive in the third but Williams was still scoring heavily. Garrido worked inside in the fourth trying to deny Williams punching room. In the fifth Williams connected with a series of lefts driving Garrido across the ring and off balance. Garrido dropped both hands to the floor but the referee decided it was not due to a punch so did not apply a count.  Williams landed some booming lefts that had Garrido again bending over and putting both gloves on the canvas and again the referee did not apply a count. With Garrido trapped against the ropes Williams unloaded on him with head punches snapping Garrido’s head back and the referee stopped the fight. First step on the road to rebuilding for Williams following his loss to Hamzah Sheeraz in June. New Yorker Garrido game but overmatched.

 

Bayamon, Puerto Rico: Super Light: Subriel Matias (21-2) W KO 2 Roberto Ramirez (26-4-1). Super Light: Alfredo Santiago (16-2) W TKO 1 Pedro Campa (36-4-1). Bantam: Jeyvier Cintron (13-1) W PTS 10 Rashib Martinez (23-4-1). Super Bantam: Abimael Ortiz (11-1-1) W PTS 10 Kevin Gonzalez (27-2-1). Super Middle: Luis Rodriguez (14-0) W TKO 5 Marcos Vazquez (20-2-1,1ND).

Matias vs. Ramirez

Matias bludgeons a feisty Ramirez to defeat in two rounds. Matias made a steady start until a couple of good shots from Ramirez woke him up  and he began to let his punches go. Matias strode out in the second forcing Ramirez to the ropes and scoring with left hooks to head and body. Ramirez escaped and clinched. A left hook to the head shook Ramirez but he stood and traded punches getting through with some good shots but they lacked power and Matias drove him to a corner and hammered home hooks until Ramirez went down on one knee. He got up at eight then exchanged punches with Matias until a series of hooks saw him again go down on one knee. He got up at the count of ten and just walked back to his corner. First fight for Matias since he lost his IBF title to Liam Paro in June. He is No 5 with the IBF so has work to do to get a title shot. Ramirez had won 13 of his last 14 fights with the loss coming against No 1 William Zepeda.

Santiago vs. Campa

After sampling Santiago’s power early in the first Campa moved inside to try to smother Santiago’s work. Santiago took a step back and then surged forward unleashing a torrent of punches dropping Campa. He beat the count and then clung to Santiago trying to survive but went down under some sweeping hooks and the referee stopped the fight. Dominican Santiago lost on points against Devin Haney in a challenge for the WBC lightweight title in 2019 and was stopped by Ricardo Nunez in 2021. He returned to the ring in June this year with a points win over 22—1-2 Angel Fierro. In his younger days Campa was 27-0 but consecutive losses against Teo Lopez and Brandon Lee set his ceiling

Cintron vs. Martinez

Cintron scores two knockdown on the way to a one-sided victory over a brave Martinez. Cintron dropped Marting with a left hook in the first round. The second and third saw Martinez taking the fight to Cintron but getting the worst of the exchanges. Despite that Martinez proved tough to shift and Cintron, whilst winning the rounds, was being forced to work hard. Martinez changed his tactics and went to the body over the second half of the fight but was leaving himself open and Cintron scored with heavy counters in every round. Cintron went looking for a stoppage in the last and floored Martinez with a series of punches but Martinez proved strong and deservedly made to the bell. Scores 100-88, 99-89 and 99-90. Cintron lost on points to Kazuto Ioka for the WBO super flyweight title in  December 2019 but was then inactive before returning as bantamweight with a win in June. He picks up the vacant WBO International title. Martinez had won 3 of his last 4 fights.

Ortiz vs. Gonzalez

Ortiz returns with a win as he gets a tight unanimous decision over Mexican Gonzalez. This fight was very close scrap and swung back and forth from round to round. Gonzalez took  the first round as a rusty Ortiz took a while to get into the fight. Ortiz scored well to the body and looked to have taken a close second. Ortiz tried to take the fight to Gonzalez in the third and fourth but hard, accurate counters from Gonzalez saw him move into the lead. Ortiz kept up the pressure in the fifth and sixth finally upping his pace firing more punches and getting inside and scoring with hooks to the body. Ortiz had his best round in the seventh rocking Gonzalez a couple of times but southpaw Gonzalez scored with some choice body punches in a busy eighth. The fight was in the balance and the momentum swung from one fighter to the other over the last two rounds. With so many close rounds it was hard to split them but the three judges all saw it 96-94 for Ortiz. First fight since January 2022 for Ortiz with his single loss coming against Eduardo Baez back in 2021. Gonzalez was 26-0-1 before losing on an eighth round stoppage against former IBF and WBA super bantamweight champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev in December.

Rodriguez vs. Vazquez

Rodriguez batters Mexican southpaw Vazquez to defeat in five rounds. Aster easing his way through the first round Rodriguez floored Vazquez twice in the second. Vazquez was wobbled in the third and down again in the fourth. Another knockdown in the fifth saw the fight stopped. Now twelve wins by KO/TKO for Rodriguez. Second successive inside the distance for Vazquez who had lost on a fifth round kayo against Steven Nelson in August.

 

NOVEMBER 8

 

Toowoomba, Australia: Welter: Jackson Griffiths (15-0) W TEC DEC 5 Miguel Vazquez (44-14). Super Light: John Mannu (14-1-1) W RTD 5 Rikki Naito (25-4). Super Middle: Jed Morris (8-1) W TKO 10 Dan Murray (8-6).

Griffiths vs. Vazquez

Griffiths beats Vazquez on a technical decision. Fighting in his home town Griffiths builds an early lead wining four of the first five rounds before a clash of heads leaves Vazquez with a cut and he was unable to continue. It was decided on the cards with Griffiths in front 49-46 in front for each of the judges. Griffiths, 22, making good progress. Former IBF lightweight champion Vazquez  , 37, has now lost his last 4 fights.

Mannu vs. Naito

Something of an upset as in a battle of southpaws Mannu beats more experienced Naito. Mannu was using his height and reach to put Naito under pressure. Naito resisted hard but in the end Mannu was just too big and too strong. After Mannu handed out a sustained beating in the fifth Naito did not come out for the sixth. Mannu retains the Australian title in his second defence.  Former OPBF champion Naito had lost his OPBF belt in 2021 and was then inactive until relocation to Australia in 2023 and scoring two wins,

Morris vs. Murray

Local fighter Morris gets revenge for his only loss as he stops southpaw Murray in the tenth round. A real war with Murray cut over his left eye and suffering a torn bicep with the fight stopped in the last round with Morris in front. Morris wins the vacant Australian title. He had lost to Murray in a five rounds. Murray, 37, was having his first shot at the title.

 

London, England: Super Middle: Luke Plantic (11-0) W PTS 10 Martin Bulacio (14-8). Super Feather: Numan Hussain (6-0-1) TKO 7 Fayek Uddin (8-1).

Plantic vs. Bulacio

Plantic floors and outpoints Bulacio but the brave Argentinian frustrates Plantic’s attempts to end the fight early. Strong jabbing from Plantic had Bulacio on the back foot from the start. Plantic kept coming forward with Bulacio circling the perimeter of the ring and only occasionally looking to exchange punches. Plantic was trying hard to close off the ring but Bulacio was  clever defensively looking to take Plantic into the later rounds a tactic that had worked for him when he stopped unbeaten Serhat Guler in September. Plantic was made of sterner stuff and continued to hammer away at Bulacio trapping him in a corner at the end of the fourth and unloading with hooks, straight shots and uppercuts. Bulacio came though it all and was jabbing and scoring with counters in the fifth until an attack from Plantic had Bulacio dropping to sit on the ropes and he was given a count. By the sixth Bulacio was bleeding heavily from the nose but he kept going and by the ninth Plantic had tired from the effort he had put in trying to finish Bulacio off but he launches another big attack only for Bulacio, despite the blood pouring from his nose,  to stand and trade punches and actually force Plantic to back off. Two tired warriors fought their way through the tenth  of a gruelling contest. Plantic won on scores of  99-90 twice and 100-89 and was making the second defence of the WBC International title. Bulacio showed guts above and beyond the call of duty as he took everything Plantic threw at him and withstood Plantic’s frantic attempts to finish the fight early.

Hussain vs. Uddin

Hussain won this one with a stoppage of Uddin. Hussain dominated the fight constantly getting through with well-placed jabs and putting together some good combinations. Uddin kept trying to come forward but was walking into punches. A sustained attack from Hussain in the seventh saw him driving Uddin across the ring to the ropes and as he unloaded on Uddin the referee made a good stoppage. Two firsts. Hussain gets his first win by KO/TKO and Uddin suffers his first inside the distance defeat.

 

Juarez, Mexico:  Super Feather: Miguel Roman (70-14,1ND) W PTS 10 Tshifhiwa Munyai (36-9-1).

Roman gets a unanimous decision over South African Munyai. From the first bell to the end of the fight Roman was in Munyai’s face forcing him to the ropes working to the body never giving Munyai any space. Munyai battled hard and despite the intense pressure in every round he had enough left to stand and trade punches with Roiman throughout the tenth. No scores available. Roman, 38, only needs 16 more fights for the magic 100. Munyai, 39, has been fighting as a pro since 2003.

 

NOVEMBER 9

 

Kissimmee, FL. USA: Light: Abraham Montoya (23-6-1) W PTS 10 Joseph Diaz (33-7-1). Super Welter: Darrelle Valsaint (11-0,1ND) ND 4 Angel Ruiz (18-4-1). Welter: Nicklaus Flaz (14-2) W PTS 10 Christian Gomez (23-5-1). Super Middle: Weljon Mindoro (13-0-1) W TKO 3 Lucas de Abrey (14-6).

Montoya vs. Diaz

Joseph Diaz drops a controversial split decision to Montoya. Diaz, He boxed well using his right nab and some accurate straight lefts to have the edge in some low-action early bounds. He landed some useful body punches and used classy movement to create openings. Montoya put Diaz under constant pressure to counter Diaz’s skills. Diaz continued to find the target with lead lefts and although Montoya landed some heavy shots over the late rounds Diaz seemed to have done enough to deserve the decision-but the judges did not agree. Scores 98-92 and 97-93 for Montoya and 98-92 for Diaz. Montoya was coming off a loss against unbeaten Marc Castro in April. His losses have been against some high class opposition and he does have an early career win over Luis Alberto Lopez.  Diaz, a former IBF super featherweight champion, was 1-5 going into this but had perhaps scored his most important fight combing back after six months in a rehab program in his night against alcoholism.

Valsaint vs. Ruiz

This one finished as a No Decision after Ruiz suffered a bad cut on his nose in a clash of heads in the third. Valsaint looked to have won the three completed rounds so bad luck for him.

Flaz vs. Gomez

Flaz wins every round against Gomez. Flaz started cat a fast pace and never slowed down. He just kept pumping out punches with Gomez  struggling to get the time or room to counter. Flaz was sacrificing power for volume but had Gomez rocking in the third with a right. Gomez was often forced to the ropes as the punches kept coming and although he landed a few counters they did nothing to stem the torrent coming the other way. Gomez had scored 21 wins by KO/TKO and tried to rally and find a chance to use that power over the closing rounds but he never troubled Flaz and never came near to winning a round. Scores 100-90 on each of the cards. Fifth victory for Flaz since losing on a first round stoppage against then unbeaten Janelson Figueroa Bocachica in 2020. Mexican came in as a late choice opponent and is now 1-3 in his last 4 fights.

Mindoro vs. de Abreu

Mindoro scores savage stoppage win. de Abreu was very upright on the back foot relying on his longer reach and jab to keep out the dangerous Mindoro and he also scored some useful counters. Mindoro tore into de Abreu in the seconds really letting his punches go. de Abreu was floundering for a while but settled back into working his jab although he lacked the power to keep Mindoro out. A right to the head had de Abreu dropping to a knee. After the count another right saw de Abreu on a knee again but he got up and the bell had gone. On both knock downs Mindoro landed glancing punches when de Abreu had a knee on the canvas but was not warned. Mindoro attacked at the start of the third and landed a fearsome right to the head that had de Abreu flat on his back spread-eagled the canvas and the fight was stopped. All 13 of Filipino Mindoro’s wins have come by KO/TKO with the draw being a creditable one against Takeshi Inoue Brazilian de Abreu has lost his last 5 fights 3 by KO/TKO.

 

Hamilton, Canada: Super Middle: Samuel Moses (9-1) W TKO 10 Ryan Young (16-6).

Ivory Coast-born Canadian Moses wins the vacant WBC USA Silver title with a tenth round stoppage of local fighter Moses. The winner punched too hard for Young flooring him twice before the fight was stopped. Eighth inside the distance victory for Vancouver’s Moses who lost against John Michael Bianco in a fight for the Canadian title in September last year. Young is a former Canadian champion at light heavyweight and middleweight.

 

Schwerin, Germany: Super Middle: Denis Radovan (18-0-1) W TKO ? Kassim Gashi (21-4).

Radovan returns to action after 20 months with a stoppage of Gashi. No problems for Radovan. He had his jab working well and with his height and reach edges was able to keep Gashi on the retreat. At times it was target practice as Gashi just laid on the ropes and covered up. When Gashi did attack it was just a lunge forward which Radovan avoided then countered. For the finish Radovan drove Gashi to a corner and dropped him with punches with the referee stopping the fight. I did not get the round. Radovan was No 4 with the IBF before dropping out of the ratings for inactivity. Third loss by KO/TKO for Gashi.

 

Brescia, Italy: Super: Jan Helin (16-4-1) W PTS 12 Christian Mazzon (13-5).

Belgian Helin wins the vacant EBU Silver title with majority decision over local favourite Mazzon. Helin dominated the early  rounds being busy and accurate with his work. He continually changed guard vend Mazzon did not really start to catch fire until too late. Helin already had the rounds in the bank and held off a too late charge from Mazzon. Very weird scoring. The judges had it 119-109 and 116-112 for Helin and a ridiculous 114-114. Third consecutive win for the 22-year-old Helin. Mazzon had won his last 12.

 

Mostoles, Spain: Almudena Alvarez (6-2) W TEC 8 DEC  Marian Herreria (7-2).

Alvarez wins the vacant EBU title with a technical decision over Herreria in nan all-Spanish clash. Alvarez was taller with a longer reach and Herreria just could not find a  way to overcome those disadvantages. Alvarez scored with her jab at distance and when Herreria did get past the jab Alvarez met her with hooks from both hands. A clash of heads in the fourth saw Herrera with a big lump on her forehead close to her eye and at the start of the eighth the referee stopped the fight due to the injury. Alvarez won on scores of 80-73 on the three cards with the eighth round being scored 10-10 as no punches had been landed when the fight was stopped. Alvarez, 41, becomes the first Spanish female to win this title.

 

Dubai, UAE: Super Welter: Slawa Spomer (20-0) W KO 1 Adam Ngange (23-13-2). Light Heavy: Avni Yildirim (26-5) W TKO ? Sergei Gorokhov (15-11-2).

Spomer vs. Ngange

Spomer blows away Tanzanian Ngange in quick time. A body shot, almost the first punch thrown in the fight, sent Ngange down and he was counted out after just 40 seconds. Thirteen months ago Spomer stopped unbeaten Frenchman 20-0,1ND Milan Prat but he has not capitalised on that good result. Ngange, 38, was seriously overmatched.

Yildirim vs. Gorokhov

Yildirim stops Gorokhov. The cam with Gorokhov pinned against the ropes as Yildirim bettered him with shots to head and body. With nothing coming back from Gorokhov the referee came in and stopped the fight. I did not get the round. Yildirim lost to Anthony Dirrell and Saul Alvarez in WBC title fights but suffered an upset stoppage loss against Yusuf Kanguel in 2022. He was out of action until returning with a win in September this year. Fourth defeat in his last five fights for Gorokhov.

 

Hanover, MD, USA: Super Middle: Immanuwel Aleem (21-3-3) DREW 10 Winfred Harris Jr (22-2-2).

Alkeem was expected to have too much experience of fighting at a higher level than Harris but had problems coping with the much longer reach of the 6’2” from Detroit and had to settle for a draw. No scores available. After losing majority decisions to Ronald Ellis and Amilcar Vidal Aleem was inactive in 2022 but had won three straight after returning to action in October last year. In his last fight ,back in 2022, Harris had been knocked out in nine rounds by Sena Agbeko.

 

Fight of the week: (Significance): Jaron Ennis vs. Karen Chukhadzhian will have then queuing up to take a shot at Ennis but he had a bad night and did not become a bad fighter because one below par performance

Fight of the week: (Entertainment): Abdullah Mason vs. Yohan Vasquez with enough excitement in three minutes than many other fights on the night had in ten rounds.

Fighter of the week: Keyshawn Davis for his destruction of Gustavo Lemus

Punch of the week: The knockout punch from Filipino Weljon Mindoro that flattened Lucas de Abreu wins just from straight left from Osleys Iglesias that floored Petro Ivanov

Upset of the week: None

Prospect watch: Canadian Super Middleweight Wilkens Mathieu, 19, is 12-0  with 8 wins by KO/TKO

 

Observations

Rosette: Great show by Top Rank featuring the three Davis brothers on homecoming night.

Red Card: Gustavo Lemus for coming in at 141.4 lbs, 6.4 lbs over the lightweight limit for his fight with Keyshawn Davis who weighed 134.2 lbs. Lemus was given a second chance and came in at  144.6 lbs. Davis would have been within his rights to refuse to give away so much weight but in his home city he was not going to let anything spoil the night so he went ahead with the fight even though Lemus rehydrated to 155.6 lbs on the day of the fight. Jesus Saracho also gets a red card for coming in 7 lbs over the limit for his fight with Ernesto Mercado causing the fight to be cancelled

 

Scoring is often controversial. Particularly when scores are very wide. A couple of examples at the weekend in the fight for the vacant European Silver super welterweight title two judge score it 119-109 and 116-112 for Helin and one scored it 114-114. The result of the fight between Joseph Diaz and Abraham Montoya saw one judge having it 98-92 for Diaz and another 98-92 for Montoya. That take subjectivity to a whole new level.