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:
-Floyd Schofield wins the vacant WBA lightweight title with a unanimous decision over Lucas Bahdi
-Sergio Mendoza scores an upset fifth round stoppage win over Ricardo Sandoval to win the WBA and WBC flyweight titles and there are wins for Juan Rivera and Joshua Edwards
-Osleys Iglesias retains the IBF super middleweight title with a stoppage of previously unbeaten Dane Oliver Zaren and there are wins for Wilkens Mathiue, Leile Beaudoin, Dzmitry Asanau and Imam Khataev
-Khariton Agrba outpoints Zaur Abdullaev to win the vacant interim WBA super lightweight title
-Francesco De Rosa wins the vacant European super bantamweight title as he outpoints Ionut Baluta.
MAJOR SHOWS:
8 OCTOBER
MONTREAL, CANADA: SUPER MIDDLE: OSLEYS IGLESIAS (16-0) W TKO 7 OLIVER ZAREN (19-1-1). SUPER MIDDLE: WILKENS MATHIEU (17-0) W PTS 10 VLADIMIR SHISHKIN (17-3). SUPER FEATHER: LEILA BEAUDOIN: (16-2) W PTS 10 BRISA ROSARIO (9-2-2). LIGHT: DZMITRY ASANAU (14-0) W PTS 10 LUIS SANTANA (16-1) . LIGHT HEAVY: IMAM KHATAEV (13-1) W KO 1 PADRAIG McCRORY (20-3).
Iglesias vs. Zaren
IGLESIAS makes a successful defence of the IBF title with a win in seven rounds over unbeaten Dane ZAREN. Iglesias didn’t rush this one. He was mainly on top over the early rounds. Zaren did well enough to perhaps win the second and a share the points in the third. Iglesias clearly took the fourth and began to really cut loose in the fifth handing out some severe punishment. He came near to ending the fight in the sixth opening a cut over Zaren’s left eye and flooring him twice. It was all over in the seventh. A series of head punches had Zaren unsteady and when another combination had Zaren stumbling back the towel came in from his corner and the fight was stopped. Sixth defence of the IBF title for the Cuban southpaw. He has won 15 of his 16 fights inside the distance and has no mandatory challenger so the winner of the upcoming fight between Saul Alvarez and Christian Mbilli would be the preferred fight for Iglesias but he is eyeing a unification fight against WBO champion Janibek Alimkhanuly. Even though Zaren had Mikkel Kessler in his corner Iglesias was just too good for him at this stage but at 26 Zaren has time to rebound.
Mathieu vs. Shishkin
In his first real test unbeaten Canadian MATHIEU just squeezes past Russian SHISHKIN on a split decision. Mathieu found himself constantly under pressure with Shishkin’s jab controlling much of the action. Mathieu landed the harder punches but Shishkin landed more. Mathieu shook Shishkin in the sixth but many of the rounds were close with the score cards showing that as the judges were only unanimous on who won in three of the rounds. Mathieu himself admitted after the final bell he was not sure he was the winner but he got the decision in what was a testing learning fight. In view of Mathieu’s remarks about not being sure he had won the scores were wide at 98-92 twice for Mathieu and 97-93 for Shishkin. Mathieu was defending the NABF title and collects the vacant WBA Continental belt. Shishkin’s other two losses were against William Scull for the IBF title and Iglesias for the IBO title so providing Mathieu with a stiff challenge.
Beaudoin vs. Rosario
Quebec’s BEAUDOIN successfully defends her WBA interim title as she wins every round against brave but limited Argentinian ROSARIO. Beaudoin just had too much skill for Rosario and it became a question of whether she could beat Rosario inside the distance. Rosario had brief success in the fourth but was down in the sixth. Beaudoin tried hard to finish the fight early but Rosario hung in there until the final bell. Beaudoin won 100-89 on all three scorecards. Beaudoin was floored and lost a wide unanimous decision against Alycia Baumgardner for the IBF, WBA and WBO belts in December. Former Argentinian champion Rosario lost her first fight so had an eleven bout unbeaten streak here.
Asanau vs. Santana
ASANAU beats stablemate SANTANA on a unanimous decision. With both unbeaten and both with extensive amateur experience this was expected to be a close contest but Asanau floored Santana and went on to win on very comfortable margins on all of the cards. Asanau’s speed gave him the edge. Santan took a while to recover from what was a not very heavy early knockdown and Asanau used his extra height, longer reach and superior skills to win on scores of 98-91 twice and 97-92. Asanau, 30, was defending the IBF Inter-Continental and WBC Continental Americas titles and he won Santana’s NABF title. In the amateurs the Belarusian won a gold medal at the European championships, a bronze at the World Championships and competed at the 2016 and 2021 Olympics. A set-back for Canadian Santiago.
Khataev vs. McCRORY
Russian Olympian KHATAEV makes it twelve inside the distance wins as he crushes McCRORY in 69 seconds
A left hook from Khataev stunned McCrory and another left hook and an overhand right saw him drop to his hands and knees. He tried to rise getting his knees off the canvas but just dropped down to one knee again and was counted out. Khataev, 32, lost a split decision to Ben Whittaker at the 2021 Olympics so had to settle for a bronze medal. He lost a split decision to David Morrell for the vacant secondary WBA title in July last year but has since won the NABF title and here he defended it for the second time. McCrory, 38, was 18-0 but is now 2-3 in his last five fights including kayo losses to Edgar Berlanga and Craig Richards.
OCTOBER 9
GHENT, BELGIUM: SUPER WELTER: ANTHONY LOFFET (16-5) W KO 2 CRISTOFER TORRES (10-4). LIGHT HEAVY: NASSER BUKENYA (11-5-2) W PTS 10 LEE INGELREST (14-2-2).
Loffet vs. Torres
LOFFET retains the BeNeLux title with a second round kayo of Dominican TORRES. Fourth inside the distance victory for the Belgian champion. Second loss by KO/TKO for Torres.
Bukenya vs. Ingelrest
Dutchman BUKENYA scores an upset win over Belgium’s INGELREST. Bukenya, 35, took the majority decision on scores of 96-94 twice and 95-95. He has lost just one of his last eight fights. Ingelrest falls to 2-2 in his last 4 fights.
SAINT-NAZAIRE, FRANCE: CRUISER: GAETAN NTAMBWE (12-2) W PTS 10 BRICE CLAVIER (14-8-1) .
NTAMBWE wins the vacant French title with a points victory over local fighter CLAVIER. This was Clavier’s second shot at the French title. Back in 2023, fighting for the vacant title, he had been stopped in one round by Leonardo Mosquea. Clavier did much better this time. He recovered from being floored by body punches in the fourth and fifth to stage a strong finish before losing on a split decision. Scores 97-91 and 95-93 for NTambwe and 95-93 for Clavier. NTambwe is a former national light heavyweight champion and was also shooting for the cruiserweight title for the second time.
MONTAUBAN, FRANCE: FLY: THEO TICOUT (10-1) W KO 9 JOSE MARIA HERNANDEZ (8-3).
Ticout vs. Hernandez
Frenchman TICOUT had to come down in weight to win the vacant EBU Silver title with a win over Spaniard HERNANDEZ. Ticout, who, promoted the fight, dominated from the start. He had already established an unassailable lead by the end of the eighth but the judges were not needed. He stunned Hernandez with a left uppercut in the ninth and then battered Herrnandez with punches until the referrer stopped the fight. Seventh win in a row for Ticout. Although a natural flyweight Ticout had found it difficulty getting fights so in February he took a fight for the vacant French super bantamweight title and won. He had another fight in April where he weighed 117 lbs bur hopefully winning the Silver title might get him a shot at unbeaten European champion Connor Kelsall. Former European champion Hernandez had won the vacant Spanish title in June.
CALANGIANUS, ITALY: SUPER BANTAM: FRANCESCO De ROSA (13-0) W PTS 12 IONUT BALUTA (18-7-1)
1).
De Rosa vs. Baluta
De ROSA wins the vacant European title with a points victory over BALUTA. Romanian Baluta started with his typical high pressure approach with De Rosa boxing cleverly and catching Bulat with counters. From the fourth De Rosa was taking over with sharp jabbing, straight rights and some good body work inside. Baluta took the punishment and kept attacking with more energy than accuracy. De Rosa’s body work saw Baluta slow but he picked up the pace again over the seventh and eighth. De Rosa was pacing the fight well and from the ninth he was in control. He upped his punch output attacking Baluta with combinations with Baluta forced to clinch to make it to the final bell. De Rosa won on scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112. Impressive all-round performance from De Rosa who has previously won the IBF European title and the WBC Silver title. Baluta, a former holder of the WBO European, WBC International and WBA International titles is still capable of giving anyone a testing night.
OCTOBER 10
BUENOS AIRES: ARGENTINA: LIGHT: JOSE ROMERO (31-4-1) W PTS 10 HECTOR GARCIA (24-10-4,1 ND). HEAVY: DONTAE PETTIGREW (19-0,1ND ) W TKO 3 ROBERTO PERALTA (6-4).
Romero vs. Garcia
ROMERO boxes his way to a unanimous decision over Mexican GARCIA. Romero used his longer reach to score at distance and his movement frustrated Garcia in his attempts to cut off the ring. Garcia occasionally troubled Romero with rights but Romero was the better boxer and a good winner. Scores 99-91 twice and 100-90. Romero, the WBC Latino title holder, is 5-1-1 in his last 7 outings. Garcia had won his last 4 bouts.
Pettigrew vs. Peralta
PETTIGREW gets a win as local fighter PERALTA is unable to continue at the start of the third round. This was a terrible fight with Pettigrew very slow and fighting only in spurts without any pretence to skill-and Peralta was worse! Pettigrew did what clean scoring there was with Peralta limited to lumbering footwork and ponderous swings. A low punch from Pettigrew gave both tiring fighters a rest and Pettigrew had pocketed both rounds. When the bell went for the start of the third the referee was called over by Peralta’s corner and was told that Peralta could not continue. The 37-year-old, 6’6” and 278 ¾ lbs Pettigrew wins the vacant WBA Fedelatin title. He is no threat to any decent level heavyweight but it is frightening to think that in the way some sanctioning bodies work he would now be rated in the top 15 for winning a regional title. Peralta, also 37, and 290 ¼ lbs making a total of 569 lbs for the two fighters so the ring boards were tested more than the boxers.
FLEMINGTON , AUSTRALIA: DONALD JONES (6-0) W PTS 10 TEJ PRATAP SINGH (20-10-3, 1ND) W.
JONES retains the Australian title as he decisions experienced SINGH. Joines, a “veteran” of over 70 amateur bouts, had to fight hard to get the majority verdict over the 40-year-old Indian-born southpaw. Jones was making the second defence of the national title and won on scores of 97-93 twice and 95-95
ASCHERSLEBEN, GERMANY: SUPER WELTER: BEKARI DIALLO (14-2) W PTS 10 JULIAN VOGEL (19-1-2). SUPER LIGHT: ARMINIUS ROLLE (7-0) W TKO 8 AMIJAN SEPIC (3-4-1). SUPER MIDDLE: ARTUR REIS (17-1) W PTS 10 ISMAIL AIROUD (12-2).
Diallo vs. Vogel
Young Frenchman DIALLO pulls off a surprise win as he outpoints unbeaten VOGEL in front of Vogel’s home fans. The fight began ominously for Vogel as Diallo quickly found a home for his overhand rights. Vogel final had some success in the third but Diallo was back on top in the fourth. He upped his work rate and was connecting with some hurtful uppercuts. More uppercuts rattled Vogel in the seventh. Diallo staggered Vogel in the eighth and then continued to boss the action and won on scores of 98-92 twice and 97-93. In November Diallo was halted in one round by England’s Jake Abrol for the vacant WBC Youth Silver welter title but this win over Vogel nets him the IBF and WBO Youth titles. A result such as this makes a nonsense of the WBO rating Vogel No 7 for winning their Youth title irrespective of the quality of the opposition.
Rolle vs. Sepic
ROLLE. a 16-year-old High School student, becomes German’s youngest current champion as he stops Bosnian SEPIC in the eighth round to win the vacant German International title. Sepic put Rolle under pressure over the first four rounds by keeping the fight inside. Rolle upped his pace from the fifth and Sepic quickly began to fade. A right hook in the eighth shook Sepic and he went down. He beat the count but a fierce attack from Rolle had Sepic defenceless and the fight was stopped. Sixth inside the distance win for Rolle.
Reis vs. Airoud
REIS returns to action and wins a unanimous verdict over Italian AIROUD. This was the first fight in over ten months for Reis but he showed no rust and swept the first three rounds. He was landing heavy rights and shook Airoud in the fourth. Airoud responded with a good fifth and Reis was cut over his left eye in the sixth. Reis took over again from there and staged a strong finish to win 99-90 on all three cards. Russian-born German Reis lost on a fourth round kayo against Osleys Iglesias for the IBO tittle in 2023 but had run-up five wins and collected the IBF super middle and WBO European titles. Dubai-based Airoud had won his last four fights and was more of a test for Reis than the scores indicate.
GOMEZ PALACIO, MEXICO: SUPER FLY: GOHAN RODRIGUEZ (21-4-1) W KO 3 JOE SHIRAISHI (12-3-1).
Hometown fighter RODRIGUEZ crushes Japan’s SHIRAISHI in three rounds. Both were looking to register an early win and Rodriguez shook Shiraishi with a left in the first. Shiraishi fought back hard but Rodriguez scored heavily again in the second. In the third Rodriguez pinned Shiraishi in a corner and a right to the head and a left to the body sent Shirashi down to his hands and knees in considerable pain and he was counted out. Rodriguez ,25, gets only his fourth win in side the distance. This victory follows a points victory over former WBC flyweight champion Cristofer Rosales in March. Shiraishi, having his first fight outside Japan, is 1-3 in his last 4 fights.
EKATERINBURG, RUSSIA: SUPER LIGHT: KHARITON AGRBA (18-1) W PTS 12 ZAUR ABDULLAEV (21-3). MIDDLE: NIKITA KUZMIN (10-0) W TKO 10 ANDREY STEPANOV (9-1). WELTER: ALEXANDER ZYRYANOV (6-0) W PTS 10 MAGOMEDNURI MAGOMEDOV (4-2-1).
Agrba vs. Abdullaev
AGRBA wins the interim WBA title with a split decision over ABDULLAEV. The tactics for the fight were set in the first round. Abdullaev took the centre of the ring with Agrba constantly circling firing jabs. Over the twelve rounds Abdullaev rarely surrendered his position and Agrba circled and circled. Abdullaev worked hard for three minutes in every round. He was on the front foot throwing lots of jabs and straight rights with Agrba not looking to take any chances but to dip in, land a burst of punches, and get out again. When they did trade punches Abdullaev tended to get the better of the exchanges. The problem for Abdullaev was that he was just not quick enough to cut off the ring often enough. With so few sustained exchanges the rounds were hard to score. With Abdullaev working consistently he seemed to build a good lead over the first six rounds of the of the fight. Agrba altered his tactics from the seventh. It seemed he had paced the fight well. His base tactics were still built around circling the ring but now he was being more adventurous coming forward more often standing in range and trading punches. For me Abdullaev still had a good lead but Agrba was on the march and took the eighth with Abdullaev rebounding to have a good ninth before Agrba came on strongly to take the tenth and eleventh making it close to call. It seemed to hinge on the twelfth. Agrba appeared to feel he had the fight won and went back to his constant circling with his gloves at waist level just prodding out jabs . Abdullaev caught up with Agrba often enough and landed enough to win the round. The scores came out at 117-111 and 115-113 for Agrba and 117-111 for Abdullaev although I thought Abdullaev had just done enough to win. Georgian-born Agrba will now be hoping to somehow land a shot at the real WBA champion Gary Antoine Russell who defended the title in February. Russell is eyeing a unification fight against WBO champion Shakur Stevendson or WBC ‘s Dalton Smith. Agrba has a relatively low profile as he has only fought outside Russia twice, in Panama and Dubai, and, although he reversed it his second round kayo defeat in July last year against Argentinian Ruben Neri (now unrated and currently No 88 with BoxRec) is not a great advert for his standing. Abdullaev, 32, is still a world level fighter .
Kuzmin vs. Stepanov
KUZMIN wins a battle of southpaws with a late stoppage of STEPANOV. The 6’ 2” Stepanov started well using his longer reach to capture the first two rounds but Kuzmin took over from the third. He was attacking the taller man’s body and dragging Stepanov into close quarters exchanges and a right floored Stepanov in the ninth. Kuzmin went for the finish in the tenth but Stepanov just walked through punch after punch and was taking a dangerous level of punishment until with just 30 seconds to go the referee came in to save Stepanov. Kuzmin wins the final of the RCC Grand Prix middleweight tournament. Both were in their first ten round fight and the WBO Gold Inter-continental and IBF Asian titles were also on the line.
Zyryanov vs. Magomedov
ZYRYANOV wins the RCC Middleweight tournament with a points victory over MAGOMEDOV. Southpaw Zyryanov was able to use his greater height and longer reach to win this one. He was able to outbox Magomedov at distance and slowly sapped his resistance with hard counters to head and body. He had Magomedov down in the first and fourth rounds and won the unanimous decision but no scores available. Magomedov had lost in an early round of the tournament t and came in as a late substitute.
BASEL, SWITZERLAND: LIGHT HEAVY: GEORGI TANCHEV (10-0-1) W TKO 6 CELSO NEVES (12-7-3).
TANCHEV wins this battle of Swiss-based fighters as he wears down and stops NEVES in the sixth. Both fighters showed useful jabs with Tanchev tending to stick to left jabs followed by dangerous straight rights and Neves being more mobile and with greater variety in his work. Tanchev began to add body shots to his armoury and Neves was rocked by a series of punches in the third. Tanchev had a good fourth and was switching his attacks to head and body and he looked to be taking control as he scored heavily in the fifth with Nevers’ work rate dropping. The end came in the sixth with Tanchev scoring with a burst of punches then landing two right uppercuts which convinced the referee to stop the fight. A bit controversial as Neves had never been in any real trouble but Tanchev had dominated the fourth and fifth and looked on his way to winning the sixth. Bulgarian Tanchev was coming off a disappointing draw with a 4-8 fighter in Italy but wins the vacant Swiss title. Portugal’s Neves had lost tough fights against Felix Cash and Callum Simpson in England.
LONG BEACH CA, USA: LIGHT HEAVY: CHARLES SHINIMA (20-5) W PTS 10 SAMUEL ARNOLD (16-1) . SUPER WELTER: JONATHAN SANCHEZ (28-8-1) W PTS 10 EMEKA NWOKOLO (17-2).
Shinima vs. Arnold
Namibian SHINIMA gets a shock win as he outpoints previously unbeaten ARNOLD. Shinima came in as a late replacement at two weeks’ notice and things looked ominous when he was dropped heavily by a left hook in the second round. He recovered and despite facing a taller opponent in the 6’3” Arnold he fought his way into the contest. He had Arnold under constant pressure and Arnold was given a count in the seventh, a huge round for Shinima. A fierce attack had Arnold being held up by the ropes and getting a count and in the closing seconds of the round Arnoldo was deducted a point for holding. That 10-7 round proved decisive as Shinima won a split decision on scores of on scores of 95-92 and 94-93 with the other card reading 94-93 for Arnold. Shinima, 34, is someone who has often fight as low as welterweights in the past. He had experienced problems in getting fights at home and 6 of his last 7 fights have been in the other guys backyard. Arnold, 23, rated No 8 by the WB, was defending the NABA title which now belongs to Shinima who presumably will get a rating and more fights.
Wilson vs. Nwokolo
Argentinian boxers do not usually travel well (nobody imports you to win) but SANCHEZ came away with a deserved unanimous decision over Los Angeles-based Nigerian NWOKOLO. Sanchez, constantly switching guards boxed cleverly on the back foot and had the better of the early rounds. Nwokolo ate into that lead over the middle rounds being slower but more powerful. Sanchez finished the stronger pumping out punches outworking Nwokolo inside going for quantity and scoring well with hooks and uppercuts inside. Nwokolo kept pressing but could not match Sanchez’s higher punch rate. All three judges saw the fight differently with scores of 100-90, 97-93 and 96-94 for Sanchez. Nwokolo was making the third defence of the NABA title. Sanchez, 33, has lost in four shots at the Argentinian title but has won the WBC Latino and now NABA titles this year. Nwokolo was No 12 with the WBA so presumably Sanchez will get a rating.
CHICAGO, IL, USA: LIGHT: FLOYD SCHOFIELD(20-0) W PTS 12 LUCAS BAHDI (20-1). FLY: SERGIO MENDOZA (28-1) W TKO 5 RICARDO SANDOVAL (27-3). SUPER FEATHER: JUAN RIVERA-PIZARRO (17-0) W PTS 10 ABRAHAM VALDEZ (14-3). HEAVY: TRISTAN KALKREUTH (18-1) W TKO 3 IVAN ROSADO (12-1). HEAVY: JOSHUA EDWARDS (8-0) W RTD 2 CRAIG LEWIS (15-10-1). LIGHT: JAHMAL HARVEY (5-0) W TKO 3 PEDRO CASTANEDA (9-2-1). FEATHER: CRISTIAN WILLIAMS (15-0) W PTS 8 ASA STEVENS (7-1-1). SUPER WELTER: GRANT FLORES (14-0) W TKO 2 MIKEY DAHLMAN (19-3). MINIMUM: NAOMY VALLE W PTS 8 SHEYLA MORENO (5-2-1).
Schofield vs. Bahdi
SCHOFIELD, 24, takes a wide, unanimous decision over Canadian BAHDI to win the vacant WBA title.
Schofield’s speed and better skills saw him outscore Bahdi in the first round. Bahdi did better in the second finding the target with a couple of good rights but Schofield had a big third. He shook Bahdi with a right hook to the head and then followed up with a succession of head punches. Bahdi got some breathing space by twice wrestling Schofield to the floor. He then took a wild swing at Schofield but was clipped by a left hook that sent him careering across the ring into the ropes. The ropes stopped Bahdi from going down so he was given a count. The fourth saw both fighters landing big punches with Schofield connecting with a peach of a left hook, the best punch of the fight so far, only for Bahdi to produce a left hook of his own that wobbled Schofield just before the bell. In between those hectic moments Schofield was circling Bahdi changing direction and guard and getting his punches home before Bahdi could counter. The drama returned in the sixth as Bahdi landed a right that rocked Schofield only for Schofield to fire back with a left hook at the end of the round. Schofield then took less chances. He was moving and jabbing sliding away from Bahdi’s punches with Bahdi just tracking Schofield unable to cut off the ring. There was a moment of controversy when Schofield seemed to have touched the canvas with a knee as they brawled in the ninth but he was not given a count. Schofield continued to pick up the points with Bahdi unable to pin Schofield down. The drama was not completely over as Schofield was down in the eleventh. It was a slip but the referee gave Schofield a count and from there Schofield safely boxed his way to victory. Scores 119-108, 116-111 and 115-111 for Schofield. A brilliant boxing display from Schofield against a dangerous but limited opponent
Mendoza vs. Sandoval
A major shock sees WBO No 10 MENDOZA drop champion SANDOVAL three times for a stoppage win that makes him WBA and WBC champion.
Sandoval worked well with his right jab in the first and then fired a burst of punches putting Mendoza on the back foot. Mendoza responded with a left hook to the body before Sanchez again forced Mendoza to the ropes. Mendoza started the second with good jabs and some head shots. As Sandoval moved in Mendoza sent him down with a punch that clipped the top of Sandoval’s head. Sandoval was up quickly and Medoza backed him to the ropes. Sandoval came off the ropes but Mendoza met with a solid left uppercut to the head. Sandoval hit the canvas on his rump and Mendoza was already celebrating his victory not expecting Sandoval to get up but Sandoval bounced up and although shaky got through the last 30 seconds remaining in the round. Mendoza chased down Sandoval in the third looking to repeat his success and he had Sandoval stumbling and under fire but Sandoval showed good recovery powers and saw out the round without any scares. Sandoval reverted to his aggressive tactics in the fourth standing and trading punches and looked to get the better of the exchanges. Sandoval continued to take the fight to Mendoza in the fifth but he was nailed by a right to the chin that knocked him off balance and he touched the canvas with both hands. He was given a count and Mendoza jumped on him firing punches as Sandoval stumbled across the ring to the ropes and as Mendoza continued to land lefts and rights the referee jumped in and stopped the fight. Mendoza did not look a risky opponent for Sandoval. In April he had been knocked out in two rounds by Thai Thanongsak Simsri in a challenge for the IBF light flyweight title and he had taken the fight with Sandoval at relatively short notice when Oscar Collazo had to pull out due to injury. The danger he posed was that 23 of his 27 wins had come inside the distance. Sandoval was defending the WBA and WBC titles for the first-time.
Rivera vs. Perfecto
Unbeaten Puerto Rican prospect RIVERA drops and decisions Mexican PERFECTO. Rivera quickly established his dominance flooring Perfecto with a short left hook in the second. Rivera continued to boss the fight scoring with snappy jabs and again getting through with left hooks. Rivera kept up the pressure in round after round looking for a stoppage. Perfecto showed a good chin and when Rivera switched his focus toy the body he was deducted a point for going blow. Rivera just could not put Perfecto away but he certainly tried hard and shook the Mexican a few times . The judges all had it 99-89 for Rivera who has the talent to break into the ratings this year. Perfecto had put together a run of eight wins before losing on a kayo against unbeaten Leonardo Sanchez in July last year
Kalkreuth vs. Rosado
KALKREUTH makes it ten wins in a row as he stops ROSADO in three rounds. Kalkreuth made use of his 6” height edge and his 79” reach to control the fight. He was pumping jabs out and waiting with counters when Rosado had to dive forward trying to get in range. He floored Rosado with a right in the first but Rosado beat the count and saw out the round. Kalkreuth set himself in the centre of the ring in the second and Rosado just circled and circled changing guard but could still not finding any way to get inside and was being met with right counters. A right staggered Rosado at the start of the third and then launched a fierce attack rocking and staggering Rosado until the referee stepped in to save Rosado. Kalkreuth suffered a shock early loss when he was outpointed by 10-10-1 Demetrius Banks but he has rebuilt with ten wins since then. Rosado had won his last four fight inside the distance but he had no idea of how to deal with Kalkreuth
Edwards vs. Lewis
EDWARDS beats LEWIS on a second round retirement. Edwards was a couple of inches shorter, 35 lbs lighter and 16 years younger than Lewis. There was plenty of showmanship from Lewis before the fight started but Edwards quickly found the range with his jab and his quicker hand speed had Lewis on the back foot. Lewis hardly took ma step forward and only threw an occasional punch and a big right shook him at the end of the round. Edwards chased Lewis down in the second snapping out jabs and sending rights whistling past the chin of Lewis. A series of punches had Lewis shaky at nthe end of the round and Lewis was wiggling his right hand as if injured and he did not come out for the third. Edwards, an Olympian and Pan American Games gold medallist, showed his disgust at the early finish as it meant that after 8 fights in 18 months as a professional he had managed less than 18 rounds of combat. At 26 he does not to be pushed too fast But he does need tougher tests than 42-years-old Lewis who has now lost his last 4 fights.
Harvey vs. Castaneda
HARVEY outclasses and stops CASTANEDA in the third. Harvey was giving away some height and reach but his hand speed and slick movement were too much for Castaneda to deal with. Additionally Harvey was effortlessly switching guards and throwing punches too fast for Castaneda to block or counter. After handing out punishment in the first and second Harvey decided to box southpaw in the third and a laser-like straight left sent Castaneda crashing to the canvas. Castaneda staggered to his feet but the referee waived the fight over. Harvey, 232, was an elite level amateur a former US National champion, winning a gold medal at the Pan American Games and competing for the USA at the 2024 Olympics. He has speed and kill but at 5’5 ½” will be giving away height and reach to some world level lightweights. Mexican Castaneda was 8-0 but is now 2-3 against better class opposition.
Williams vs. Stevens
WILLIAMS takes a couple of rounds to get in his stride but then outworks a disappointing STEVENS. Williams was a bit slow to get into the fight but from the third he outworked Stevens which was not too hard as Stevens did very little and was throwing rounds away. Williams had Stevens shaky in the seventh and rebounded from a slow start in the eighth to take that round. He won on scores of 78-74 twice and 77-75 but it was not a good fight to watch.
Flores vs. Dahlman
FLORES marches on with a second round stoppage of DAHLMAN. In the first Flores was stabbing home jabs and firing straight rights with Dahlman being forced to retreat. Dahlman tried a combination but Flores ducked and swayed away from them. Flores was walking Dahlman down firing the jab and adding in left hooks to the body. Dahlman threw plenty of punches at the start of the second but was soon forced to retreat as Flores landed heavily with his jabs and body punches. He drove Dahlman to a corner and connected with a left hook to the body that had Dahlman dropping to one knee. Dahlman got up but Flores bombarded him with a sustained barrage of punches until the referee came in to stop the massacre. Tenth inside the distance win for 21-year-old Flores and an impressive show of technique and power in this fight. Dahlman, 34, had won 17 of his fights inside the distance but mainly against mediocre opponents in Colombia and he was halted in one round by Michael Zerafa last year.
Valle vs. Moreno
Costa Rican VALLE outpoints Mexican MORENO. Valle was much more disciplined and technically smarter. She worked with her jab easily piercing Moreno’s guard with jabs and long rights and finding the wild attacks from Moreno presenting her with an easy target. Moreno kept switching guard, landing some overhand rights and never stopped coming forward. Valle tired under the pressure and was deducted a point in the eighth for holding but was a clear winner. Scores 78-72, 78-73 and 77-74
KANSAS CITY, KC, USA: BANTAM: SUPER LIGHT: JORGE CARLOS (14-0) W KO 21 CARLOS PORTILLO (23-11). DOMINIQUE CROWDER (20-0) W KO 2 JAYSON MAMA (21-451). MIDDLE: NICO ALI WALSH (12-2-1,1ND) W TREAVON CRAYCRAFT (9-0-1).
15
Carlos vs. Portillo
Southpaw CARLOS crushes Paraguayan PORTILLO in the first round. The 6’1” from Kansas was moving up to ten rounds for the first time and now has 12 wins by KO/TKO. Seven losses in a row for Portillo, six by KO/TKO.
Crowder vs. Mama
CROWDER wins the vacant NABA Silver title with second round kayo of Filipino MAMA .Although he had twice featured in world title fights the 5’4” Mama had no chance against the hard punching 5’10” Crowder who gets his twelfth victory inside the distance. Mama drops to 1-4-1 in his last six bouts.
Craycraft vs. Walsh
CRAYCRAFT wins a tight eight round decision over WALSH/ALI. A lot of the rounds were close and Walsh had to box with a big swelling on the side of his head as there were numerous head clashes. Craycraft won on scores of 77-75 twice and 78-74 to remain undefeated. Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, is a very modest 2-2-1 in his last 5 contests..
WILKES-BARRE, PA, USA: SUPER LIGHT: KURT SCOBY (21-1,1ND) W KO 1 EDWARD CEBALLOS (16-6-1). BANTAM: KHALID TWAITI (17-1) W PTS 8 GERARDO ZAPATA (16-4-1).
16
Scoby vs. Ceballos
SCOBY blows away CEBALLOS in the first round. A pair of rights hurt Ceballos early and a left hook put him down and he was counted out. Scoby was halted in the twelfth round of his fight against England’s unbeaten Adam Azim in November. This is his third win since then and it is now 19 inside the distance victory for Scoby giving him a 90% KO record. Had a 5-bout win streak going.
Twaiti vs. Zapata
Brooklyn’s TWAITI outpointed Nicaraguan southpaw ZAPATA to win the vacant USBA title. A strong finish from Twaiti saw him take the split decision but no scores available. Twaiti gets back in the winning column after losing to unbeaten Emanuel Moreno in June. A big win for Twaiti as Zapata had gone twelve rounds against Oscar Collazo in a challenge for the WBO minimum title in 2024.
FIGHT OF THE WEEK (Significance)
FIGHT OF THE WEEK (Entertainment
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