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:
-O’Shaquie Foster outpoints Emanuel Navarrete to unify the IBF, WBC and WBO super featherweight titles and there are wins for Frank Martin and Albert Gonzalez
-Dalton Smith wins a split decision over Albert Puello to retain the WBC super lightweight title and there wins for Giorgi Visioli and Shannon Ryan
-Yadira Bustillos decisions Maria Sol Baumstrah in a revenge match for the IBF Interim minimumweight title
-Th Wilcox brothers Spencer, Steven and Bradley win in Toronto.
-Mexican super bantamweight Celex Castro finishes Aaron Lopez in 26 seconds to extend his winning run to 24 fights
-Arvin Magramo beats Marco Rementizo on a technical decision in a WBC International title defence.
MAJOR SHOWS:
24 OCTOBER
SAN ANTONIO, TX, USA: SUPER FEATHER: O’SHAQUIE FOSTER (26-3)W PTS 12 EMANUEL NAVARRETE (40-3-1). FEATHER: ALBERT GONZALEZ (19-0,1ND) W KO 2 EDWARD VAZQUEZ (20-4). SUPER LIGHT FRANK MARTIN (20-1-1) W TKO 7 TARIK ZAINA (18-4-1). LIGHT: DERIC DAVIS (13-0) W PTS 8 JOAQUIN SILVA (10-2).
19
Foster vs. Navarrete
FORSTER takes a wide unanimous decision over NAVARRETE to unify the IBF, WBC and WBO titles
Gonzalez vs. Vazquez
GONZALEZ gets a kayo over VAZQUEZ in a two round war. There was no study time sought by either boxer and they were trading punchers from the opening bell. Both were firing body punches at close range and neither wanted to take a step back. Vazquez just seemed to have done enough to take the first round but Gonzalez upped his game in the second. The ferocity of his attacks overwhelmed Vazquez who was beaten back to the ropes and a series of body punches ending with a left hook dropped him and he was unable to beat the count. This looked to be the toughest test so far for Gonzalez as Vazquez had already challenged twice for a world title losing on a majority decision against Joe Cordina for the IBF super feather title and losing on a stoppage against 26-0 Raffael Espinoza for the WBO featherweight belt. His other loss had been a split decision to Raymond Ford before Ford won the WBA feather title. Gonzalez was IBF 8, WBO 10 and WBC 11.
Martin vs. Zaina
MARTIN gets a win in his first fight under the Top Rank banner as he stops ZANIA in the seventh round to win the vacant WBO NABO title. This was a case of orthodox Zania against southpaw Martin and on this occasion the styles did not mix. Zania was much the taller boxer and Martin had difficulty getting past Zania’s longer reach but Zania was not busy himself and the lack of action made the crowd restive. Martin was quicker and more accurate with his work but there were no extended exchanges. Apart from his reach Zania had little else going for him and Martin looked to have built a lead by the end of the sixth. In the seventh a left hook from Martin suddenly had Zania reeling back into the ropes and down on his side. He was up at eight and Martin jumped on him firing punches until Zania dropped int the ropes and the referee stopped the fight. Martin was 18-0 before being knocked out in eight rounds by Gervonta Davis for the WBA lightweight title in June 2024 and after that knocked out Rances Barthelemy and drew with Nahir Albright . He is No 8 with the WBO and 9 with the WBA. Moroccan-born UK fighter Zaina has never fought in the UK and he looked limited here.
Davis vs. Faccio
DAVIS outboxes FACCIO to add another win. Faccio tried hard but was never really in the fight Davis boxed cleverly meeting the oncoming Faccio with well-placed counters and when they did trade punches Davis landed his punches then chose his moment to step outside and change angles.. Faccio kept pressing but all he was getting was more punishment and Davis won 80-72 on all three cards. An Elite level amateur Davis is coming along nicely. Uruguayan Faccio was never in with a chance and is 0-2 in fights in the USA.
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND: SUPER LIGHT: DALTON SMITH (20-0) W PTS 12 ALBERTO PUELLO (25-2). LIGHT: GIORGIO VISIOLI (12-0) W PTS 10 MAXI HUGHES (29-10-2). SUPER FLY: SHANNON RYAN (12-1) W TKO 1 EMMA DOLAN (9-2). HEAVY: LEON ATANG (9-0) W TKO 1 JONATHAN VERGARA (9-5). FEATHER: EDWARD HARDY (9-0) W PTS 8 DIEGO RUIZ (28-15-1). WELTER: JOE HAYDEN (25-0) W PTS 8 WILL HARRISON (8-2-2). CRUISER: DIVINE OMOJOR (1-0) W TKO 2 GORAN KOZUL (8-13).
Smith vs. Puello
SMITH retains the WBC title with a split decision over PUELLO in a fight that was close enough to be scored either way. Puello looked sharper in the first he was jabbing well and scoring with straight lefts from his southpaw stance. Smith started to find gaps for straight rights in the second and put together a sharp combination. It was obvious even this early that this was going to be a fast-paced close fight. Smith again had success with rights in the third timing his shots well and scoring with good counters. A right from Smith rocked Puello at the start of the fourth as he took the fight to the challenger and he looked to already to be building a lead. After four rounds Smith was 39-37 in front on all three cards. Puello picked up his pace in the fifth. He was letting his hands go more firing some quick straight lefts and using sharp foot work to move away when Smith came forward. He carried that impetus into the sixth as he found the target with right jabs and although Smith connected with rights Puello did enough good work with his jabs to take the round and close the gap in the scores. Puello was down in the round but he had backed into the ropes to avoid Smith’s attack and had rebounded off the ropes and gone down but not from a punch. Now it was Smith who needed to increase his pace as Puello looked to have taken the fifth and sixth . The seventh was a tight round. Both had some success but neither did enough to count the round theirs with any confidence although Smith was finally targeting Puello’s body. Smith continued to land useful body punches in the eighth and closed the round strongly with some well-placed rights. After eight rounds Smith was still in front 77-75 on two cards but there was a reversal on the third with Puello 77-75 in front on that card. There was a bit more inside exchanging at the start of the ninth which suited Smith better than Puello but Puello ended the round stronger so it was another close one to call. Smith pressed hard in tenth but Puello seemed fresher. He was showing some classy defence work dodging Smiths rights and countering with sharp lefts and Smith was cut over his right eye. I still had Smith two points in front going into the last two rounds but Puello had looked the fresher fighter and he edge the last two for me with Smith wasting some time celebrating victory before the last round was complete. The judges scored it 115-113 twice for Smith and 116-112 for Puello. This was no blood and guts barn-burner full of toe-to-toe slugging but a tactical battle with quality fighting from both and it said a great deal for Smith that he was able to win a fight like this against the classier Puello. If you had been looking for blood and guts you would have needed two different fighters in the ring neither of which would be Puello as blood and guts is not his style. Smith has dealt with his mandatory challenger and, as long as there is no order for a return, now has options on where he wants to go. WBO champion Shakur Stewvenson would be a big fight or he could chose WBA champion Gary Antuanne Russell in another unifier. Dominican Puello, a former double title holder, will now have to try to fight his way into contention against another super lightweight title holder and he is capable of doing that.
Visioli vs. Hughes
VISIOLI wins a majority decision over HUGHES and collects the WBC International Silver title. Both southpaws were cautious at the start finding their distance with jabs but not overcommitting themselves, Hughes seemed to take the round scoring with a quality left late. Visioli settled in the second being quicker with his hands and fast foot work and he paid Hughes back for the punch late in the first as he landed a sharp left of his own in the third. This was turning out to be a tactical battle with Vasili’s youth and speed against the experience of Hughes. Visioli was looking to go to the body to slow Hughes but Hughes was landing clever counters and the relatively low level of action was making the rounds hard to score. Visioli looked to have taken the fourth and Hughes the fifth but by small margins. Visalli’s speed and some smart jabbing saw him open a gap over the sixth and the seventh was another too close to call round. Hughes had a big eighth. He landed a left to the head and another to the body and then a right hook. With Hughes continuing to land hard shots things got even worse for Visioli as he was cut over his left eye and Hughes was on top. Visioli fought back hard and the ninth was close and he looked to have edged the last but the big eighth from Hughes just gave him the win for me. The judges scored it 96-94 twice for Visioli and 95-95 making Visioli the winner on a majority decision. A real test for Visioli with only 11 fights under his belt and he showed his strengths and also areas that need attention. Third loss in a row for Hughes but even at 36 he showed he is far from finished.
Ryan vs. Dolan
RYAN demolishes DOLAN in 46 seconds. Ryan was circling Dolan pushing out jabs looking to find an opening and she shook Dolan with a right. They then stood and exchanged punches with a right from Ryan sending Dolan down flat on her back. She made it to her feet but after the count a right stiffened her legs and another again put Dolan down flat. She was up at the count of 8 but the referrer waived the fight over as the towel came in from Dolan’s corner. A reversal of their previous fight in 2024 when Dolan floored and outpointed Ryan. In this fight Ryan was defending her Commonwealth and IBF Inter-Continental titles and wins the British title from Dolan.
Atang vs. Vergara
ATANG sweeps aside limited Argentinian VERGARA in the first round. After sending out some range-finding jabs and with just 40 seconds gone in the round Atang landed a straight right to the head that sent Vergara down. After the 8 count Atang was looking to end the fight early with the Argentinian retreating around the ring dodging Atang’s punches. Atang landed two hard rights and then a downward chopping right to the side of the head to put Vergara down again and although he beat the count the referee waived the fight over. The 6’4” Atang, 19, gets his eighth win by KO/TKO and has taken less than 17 rounds for his 9 wins. Vergara had competed at the WBC Grand Prix in Riyadh where he was eliminated in the round of 16 and he is down at No 7 in the Argentinian ratings.
Hardy vs. Ruiz
HARDY comes through a tough test as he takes the decision over Argentinian RUIZ. This was a good learning fight for Hardy against an experienced traveller in Ruiz. The skill and youth of Hardy, 8 years younger but 35 fights less experienced, used his jab well to control the action and connected with solid hooks to the body from both hands. He is not a heavy puncher so Ruiz was able to get inside often enough to land some good hooks but Hardy was a clear winner with the referee scoring it 79-73 for Hardy. He was an elite level amateur and is progressing well. Ruiz has only lost inside the distance three times with two of those losses against Michael Conlan and Miguel Berchelt and he can always point to his win over Gamal Yafai in 2023 in which he floored Yafai three times as a reference for any matchmaker
Hayden vs. Harrison
HAYDEN drops HARRISON in the first but then has to go the distance for his win. Hayden got off to a flyer in this one as he dropped Harrison with a straight left only seconds into the first round. Harrison made it to his feet. From there Haydon controlled the action finding gaps for his southpaw jabs and connecting with hard lefts to head and body. There were plenty of fierce exchanges with Haydon getting the better of them but Harrison was competitive. He looked to have won the fifth round but apart from that his lack of power was just too big a handicap. The referee scored it 79-72 for Haydon. His 25-0 looks impressive but 17 of his victims had negatives record’s. Section loss in a row for Harrison.
Omojor vs. Kozul
In his first professional fight OMOJOR impresses with a one-punch kayo of KOZUL. He used his long reach to put Kozul on the retreat in the first. Kuzul tried to dive inside but each time he did Omojor caught him with right counters. Kozol was circling in the second looking for a gap but instead of waiting to counter Omojor landed a thunderbolt of a right that dropped Kozul on his back. Kozul made it to his feet but was very shaky and the referee stopped the fight. The 20-year-old 6’4” Omojor is one to watch. Croat Kozul suffers his fifth loss by KO/TKO.
21 OCTOBER
MONTREAL, CANADA: HEAVY: ALEXIS BARRIERE (15-1) W TKO 4 STAN SURMACZ (14-2). SUPER MIDDLE: DEREK POMERLEAU (16-1) W PTS 10 JOHN BIANCO (9-2).
Barriere vs. Surmacz
BARRIER scores his second win of the year as he stops fellow-Canadian SURMACZ. Barriere was finding openings for his jabs as he sized-up Surmacz over the first two rounds. He put Surmacz on the floor early in the third but Surmacz made it to the bell. Barrier handed out more punishment in the fourth and with Surmacz’s corner looking to save their man the fight was stopped. The 6’4” southpaw was knocked out in five rounds by Guido Vianello in October so has work to do to restore his reputation. Edmontyon’s Surmacz had won his last 8 bouts.
Pomerleau vs. Bianco
POMERLEAU returns to action for the first time in ten months but struggles to get past BIANCO. In fairness it has to be said Bianco was having his first fight in almost 19 months and he was the one who had most rust to shed. That showed early as Pomerleau was the most active and built a substantial lead over the first half of the fight. He was cut in the fifth but that was not a factor and it was a case of Bianco getting stronger and applying pressure over the late rounds that made it close. Southpaw Pomerleau won on scores of 96-94 twice and 97-93. Pomerleau was fighting for the first time since losing to Dylan Briggs in the middleweight final of the WBC Gran Prix tournament in Riyadh in December. Bianco’s Canadian title was not on the line.
23 OCTOBER
BRESCIA, ITALY: BANTAM: ALEXANDRO FOGLIA (13-1-1) W PTS 12 CLAUDIO GRANDE (13-7).
Southpaw FOGLIA wins the vacant EBU Silver title with a split decision over GRANDE. Foglio began boxing well using his longer reach to offset Grande’s normal aggressive approach and looked to have edged in front. Grande gradually managed to get inside and to even things up but the rounds were all close. Grande seem to be feeling the pace and was slowing and he took a knee in the eighth under an attack from Foglia. Grande recovered and took the fight to Foglia again but Foglia’s better skills and accurate countering saw him deservedly take the decision on scores of ******. Foglia, 24, had won the Italian title on a majority decision in May so two tough fights in a row. Grande had lost in a fight for this same EBU Silver title in 2024
TIJUANA, MEXICO: SUPER FEATHER: JOSE ALVARADO (19-2) W PTS 10 LEOBARDO QUINTANA (13-4). WELTER: DUBIEL SANCHEZ (23-2-3) W TKO 1 OLIVER QUINTAN (23-10).WELTER: CARLOS GARCIA (23-0) W TKO 4 EMANUEL CORTEZ (19-9-1). FEATHER: NOLI VALENZUELA (17-0) W TKO 6 ADRIAN MONTOYA (16-3).
Alvarado vs. Quintana
ALVARADO drops QUINTANA twice but a very gutsy Quintana goes the distance. Alvarado was shadowing Quintana around the ring in the first four rounds he was bobbing and weaving behind a high guard then unleashing quick hooks. Quintana was boxing cleverly on the back foot constantly circling throwing jabs and quick bursts of punches but with no power. Pressure from Alvarado forced Quintana to stand and trade more over the sixth to the ninth. He was down twice in the sixth, spitting out his mouthguard on each count to get respite and although exhausted he managed to survive over the remaining rounds running only on fumes, and fought hard to the final bell. 95-92, Ten wins in his last eleven fights for Alvarado. It was obvious Quintana did not want to come out for the eighth but he did.
Sanchez vs. Quintana
SANCHEZ destroys QUINTANA with a right to the head in the first round. Sanchez used some solid jabbing to force Quintana on to the back foot. Quintana connected with a good left hook but could not keep Sanchez out and a right to the head sent him to the canvas. The referee counted to eight and then waived the fight off as Quintana struggled to rise. A boost for the quick-handed Sanchez as after losing only one of his first 23 fights he had gone 2-1-1 in his next 4. Sixth defeat in a row for Quintana
Garcia vs. Cortez
GARCIA floors and halts CORTEZ in four. Garcia was walking down a retreating Cortez from the start. He applied plenty of pressure in each round pumping out lots of jabs and lead rights against the smaller southpaw. Cortez survived by diving inside and doing lots of holding but he went down under a sustained attack from Garcia in the fourth and the referee counted him out. Sixteenth inside the distance win for Garcia, 24, but he needs to meet better opposition if he wants a rating. Third time Coirtez has failed to last the distance.
Valenzuela vs. Montoya
VALENZUELA maintains his 100% record with a win over useful MONTOYA. The Guadalajara southpaw, a good level amateur, gets his ninth win by KO/TKO.
OSTRZESZOW, POLAND: MIDDLE: KAMIL KUZDZIEN (16-0) W TKO 4 ALEXANDER MORENO (13-6).
KUZDZIEN gets a win over MORENO in controversial circumstances. Kuzdzien had won the first three rounds without really impressing. In the fourth as Kuzdzien came forward Moreno grabbed Kuzdzien’s head and forced it down. With his head held down Kuzdzien threw a right uppercut which landed on the left side of Moreno’s groin. There was no real leverage on the punch but Moreno limped away holding his groin, dropped to one knee and then sat on the canvas and remained there for five minutes saying he was unable to continue and as a result Kuzdzien was declared the winner by TKO. Moreno’s act lacked any conviction.
24 OCTOBER
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA :MINIMUM: YADIR BUSTILLOS (12-3) W PTS 10 MARIA SOL BAUMSTARH (15-8-1). FLY: GABRIELA ALANIZ (21-2) W RTD 9 TANIA GARCIA (12-13-2). SUPER FEATHER: AYRTON GIMENEZ (24-2) W ANTONIO GUZMAN (27-6).
Bustillos vs. Baumstarh
When BUSTILLOS and BAUMSTARH met in June Baumstarh won the IBF Interim title on a split decision but Bustillos gained revenge here as she took the unanimous decision. Bustillos had the better technical skills and used her longer reach to counter the harder punching of Baumstarh and was a clear winner. Scores 96-94 twice and 99-91. Bustillos had failed in a previous fight for the WBC Interim and full belt’s and Baumstarh had lost in a shot at the vacant IBF title.
Alaniz vs. Garcia
ALANIZ retains the WBO Latino title with a win over Mexican GARCIA. Alaniz handed out steady punishment in every round with Garcia showing toughness but little else. Garcia was deducted a point for a butt in the eighth round and retired at the end of the ninth. Alaniz, who has won his last six fights, is a former holder of the WBC and WBO titles.
Gimenez vs. Guzman
GIMENEZ successfully defends his WBO Latino belt as he stops Venezuelan GUZMAN in the sixth round. After a slow first round Gimenez picked up the pace and outscored the limited Guzman over the next three rounds. He floored Guzman in the fifth and again in the sixth and the fight was stopped. Gimenez has won 8 of his last 9 fights with the loss coming on points against Liam Wilson last year. Guzman was 19-0 at the start of his career with 13 of his victims never having won a fight.
TORONTO, CANADA: SUPER LIGHT: SPENCER WILCOX (14-1) W TKO 8 JOSE De LEON (14-7-2). WELTER: BRADLEY WILCOX (16-0) W PTS 8 CRISTIAN PALMA (33-18-2). WELTER: STEVEN WILCOX (27-4-1) W PTS 8 CARLOS AQUINO (23-19-2).
Wilcox vs. de Leon
On a good night for the Wilcox brothers Spencer halted Mexican de LEON in the eighth round. Spencer, 26, competed in the WBC Grand Prix but was eliminated early. De Leon is 0-5 in fights in Canada.
Wilcox vs. Palma
Bradley WILCOX moved to 16 straight wins as he decisioned Chilean PALMA. All three judges gave Wilcox, 31, every round as he won 80-70 on the cards with Palma, 41, being deducted a point for a head butt. Palma had been knocked out by Spencer in December
Wilcox vs. Aquino
Senior brother Steven WILCOX beat Argentinian Aquino on a unanimous decision on scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75. Steven, 36, is 9-1 in his last 10 bouts. Aquino is 0-3 in fights in Canada.
BOURGOIN, FRANCE: WELTER: YOUNES MEHIDI (12-9-1) W PTS 10 YANIS MEHAH (20-3).
MEHIDI springs a surprise as he outpoints favoured MEHAH to win the vacant WBA International title. Despite being a wide outsider in the betting for once Mahdi made full use of his 6’1” frame to box his way to victory beating Mehah in front of Mehah’s own fans. Scores 97-93 and 96-94 for Mahdi and 95-95. He was having his first ten round fight after five years of having mixed fortunes in 6 and 8 round fights. Mehah, a three-time French champion, had won 8 of his last 9 fights.
ABRUZZO, ITALY: WELTER: IVAN GUARNIERI (11-1-1) W RTD 6 MIRKO MARCHETTI (12-9).
GUARNIERI beats MARCHETTI on a sixth round retirement to retain the Italian title. Southpaw Marchetti was pressing hard from the start but Guarnieri was getting the better of the exchanges and was in front on the open scoring after three rounds. Guarneri was finding the target with rights in the fourth and had the best of a hotly contested fifth. He found the target on a fading Marchetti with jabs and right uppercuts in the sixth and Marchetti did not come out for the seventh. First defence of the title for Guarnieri. Marchetti, 38, had shown some minor improvement winning his last three fights.
CANCUN, MEXICO: SUPER BANTAM: CELEX CASTRO (24-0) W TKO 1 AARON ALAMEDA (31-5). SUPER FLY: CECILIO RODRIGUEZ (18-1-1) W PTS 10 ASLEY GONZALEZ (17-3). MIDDLE: JAVID RAMIREZ (17-0-1) W TKO 2 LUIS REYES (7-6-1).
Castro vs. Lopez
Home fans get only a brief glimpse of their hero CASTRO as he blows away experienced southpaw ALAMEDA in just 26 seconds. Alameda never knew what hit him. Castro threw a couple of light jabs and then exploded with a six-punch combination to head and body that dropped Alameda. The referee started the count but the towel came in from Alameda’s team and the referee just waived the fight over. Castro, 26, gets his eighteenth inside the distance win. His opposition before this had been pretty ordinary but Alameda was 25-0 before losing to Luis Nery for the vacant WBC super-bantam title and lost on a majority decision against Angelo Leo.
Rodriguez vs. Gonzalez
RODRIGUEZ wins the vacant WBC Latino title with a points win over GONZALEZ. It looked as though this one might also end early when Rodriguez put Gonzalez down in the first with a body punch. Gonzalez survived that but was in a bad way at the end of the third but the bell went to rescue her. On paper these had looked well-matched but Rodriguez continued to boss the action and won on scores of 97-90 twice and 96-90. Her biggest win so far as Gonzalez had won and defended the WBC title twice before dropping out after her second defence and had been inactive since December 2024.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES: LIGHT FLY: ARVIN MAGRAMO (22-2-1) W TEC DEC 6 MARCO REMENTIZO (16-8).
MAGRAMO retains the WBC International title with a technical decision over fellow-southpaw REMENTIZO. Magramo attacked hard from the start taking the fight inside and firing punches at Rementizo’s body. Magramo never let Rementizo get any sort of respite as he was on top of him for three minutes of every round. A clash of heads in the fourth opened a bad cut over Margam’s right eye. It bled heavily and on the ringside doctor’s recommendation the fight was stopped in the sixth round. Magramo won on scores of 59-55 twice and 60-55. Second defence of the title for Magramo who has lost only one of his last 13 fights and is No 4 with the WBC. Rementizo had lost to Giemel Magramo in April.
ZAKOPANE, POLAND: MIDDLE: RAFAL WOLCZECKI (18-0) W TKO 6 LUIS MONTELONGO (18-20).
SUPER MIDDLE: IHOSVANY GARCIA (17-0) W KO 7 ANDRII VELIKOVSKYI (21-5-2). MIDDLE: FIODOR CZERKASZYN (29-1) W PTS 10 OSCAR DIAZ (17-2).
Wolczecki vs. Montelongo
WOLCZECKI stops Mexican MONTELONGO in the sixth round. Wolczecki split open a cut over Montelongo’s left eye in the first and dominated the fight. He found Montelongo an easy target as the Mexican’s poor defence allowed him to score with hooks and uppercuts regularly snapping Montelongo’s head back and forth. A right to the head late in the fifth stunned Montelongo but he stayed upright and was saved by the bell but did not come out for the sixth. Wolczecki marches on with his twelfth inside the distance victory. Seventh defeat in a row for Montelongo
Garcia vs. Velikovskyi
Cuban GARCIA finishes Ukrainian VELIKOVSKYI in the seventh. Velikovskyi had lost a points decision against Garcia in October and the fight started badly for him here. He was boxing confidently in the first but two powerful jabs from Garica floored him. He survived that and probably just edged the second and third. Garcia won a close fourth but was cut in the fifth. By the fifth his powerful body punches had already began to drain the energy out of Velikovskyi. The Ukrainian slowed in the sixth and Garcia poured on the punches in the seventh. He connected with some hard head shots and then landed a fearsome left hook to the body that sent Velikovskyi down rolling in agony and he was counted out. Impressive power show from 31-year-old Cuban, his twelfth win by KO/TKO. He is still only fighting eight round fights but looks a real threat. Cubans seem to be bad news for Velikovskyi. He was stopped in ten rounds by Osleys Iglesias in a fight for the vacant IBO title and was then out for almost four years before the two losses to Garcia.
Czerkaszyn vs. Diaz
Ukrainian-born Pole CHERKASHIN takes a comfortable unanimous decision over Spain’s DIAZ. Cherkashin boxed his way to victory using his height and longer reach to deal with the ever aggressive Diaz. The visitor pressed hard and had some success with a form of leaping hook but never really troubled Cherkashin but ,there again, despite his dominance Cherkashin never looked like ending it early. Diaz made Cherkashin work hard and they both tired late as Cherkashin won on scores of 99-91 twice and 100-90. Cherkashin is No 4 with the WBC and No 5 with the WBO which seems generous as since losing to 12-0 Anauel Ngamissengue in 2023 his opposition has been modest at best.
MALAGA, SPAIN: WELTER: SAMUEL MOLINA (35-4-1) W KO 10 MOHAMMED SAHNOUN (10-1).
Molina vs. Sahnoun
MOLINA successfully defends the WBC International Silver title and wins the vacant WBC Interim Silver title with a kayo of Sahnoun. After some feeling out in the first round Molina began put Sahnoun under pressure and to land some well-timed power punches. Sahnoun was firing good counters and trying to keep Molina at distance. As the fight developed both landed well with Molina cut on his cheekbone and over his left eye and Sahnoun’s marked by the punishment. The fight was temporarily halted between the seventh and eighth rounds when a brawl broke out in the crowd. When the fight was able to continue Molina scored heavily in the eighth and he had Sahnoun ready to go in the ninth with the bell saving Sahnoun. Molina ended it in the tenth flooring Sahnoun three times with Sahnoun counted out on the last knockdown.
HANOVER, MD, USA: SUPER WELTER: MYKAL FOX (27-5) W TKO 3 W ARTURO VALDEZ 14-2).
FOX stops overmatched VALDEZ in the third. The 6’4” southpaw had 8” of height advantage and Valdez just could not get near him. Fox kept Valdez out over the first two rounds feeding Valdez jabs and easily avoiding Valdez desperate attempts to land a punch. Fox began to bring his left into play in third and drove Valdez to a corner. He unloaded punches until Valdez dropped to a knee. Valdez got up but was taking more punishment and the fight was stopped. Fox was coming off a good win over Ray Robinson in February. Valdez was on six-fight winning run.