The Past Week in Action 28 June 2021

Highlights:
-Gervonta Davis halts Mario Barrios in the eleventh round to win the secondary WBA super lightweight title
-Vasyl Lomachenko returns to action and stops Masayoshi Nakatani in nine rounds
-Julio Cesar Martinez defends his WBC flyweight title with stoppage of Joel Cordova and on the same show in Guadalajara Daniel Matellon decisions Jose Argumedo in defence of the interim WBA light flyweight title
-Erickson Lubin stops former IBF and WBA super welterweight title holder Jeison Rosario
-David Morell beats Mario Cazares in the first round in defence of the secondary WBA super middleweight title
-Ricardo Sandoval scores an upset KO win over Jay Harris in IBF flyweight eliminator

World Title/Major Shows

26 June

Atlanta, GA, USA: Super Light: Gervonta Davis (25-0) W TKO 11 Mario Barrios (26-1). Super Welter: Erickson Lubin (24-1) W TKO 6 Jeison Rosario (20-3-1). Super Light: Batyr Akhmedov (9-1) W RTD 8 Algenis Mendez (25-7-3,1ND). Super Welter: Carlos Adames (20-1) W TKO 3 Alexis Salazar (23-4). Super Feather: Leduan Barthelemy (17-1-1) W PTS 10 Viktor Slavinskyi (12-1-1).Super Light: Andres Gutierrez (38-2-2) DREW 8 Angel Hernandez (17-16-3).
17
Davis vs. Barrios
Davis wins the secondary WBA version of the super lightweight title as he scores late stoppage of Barrios.
Round 1
The tactics for the fight were largely dictated by the 5” height and reach advantages for Barrios. Not much action in a cautious first round. Barrios was boxing at distance firing jabs with Davis looking for openings but with Barrios taking the round with the jabs he landed.
Score: 10-9 Barrios
Round 2
Another round for Barrios. He was scoring with his jab and connected with straight rights with Davis waiting for an opening that did not come and hardly throwing a punch.
Score: 10-9 Barrios Barrios 20-18
Round 3
Davis did better in this round coming forward and throwing some punches. Barrios stuck to his jab and straight rights and worked solidly throughout the round to outscore Davis.
Score: 10-9 Barrios Barrios 30-27
Round 4
Barrios stuck to his game plan just jabbing and launching straight rights. He was not over-committing himself and Davis was still playing the waiting but was unable to find any gaps.
Score: 10-9 Barrios Barrios 40-36
Round 5
Davis changed the fight with the simple tactic of sticking his right jabs way out not to score but blocking Barrios from launching his own left jab. His jab had been his main weapon and now Barrios was forced onto the back foot and Davis was able to get inside and score to the body
Score: 10-9 Davis Barrios 49-46
Round 6
Davis continued to take the fight to Barrios. He was getting inside and landing with rights and lefts. Barrios seemed almost mesmerised by the right of Davis. Instead of trying to punch holes in Davis’s defence he was jabbing at the extended right of Davis negating his jab by his own actions. Without his jab he was throwing rights but that meant committing himself and left gaps for Davis to score.
Score: 10-9 Davis Barrios 58-56
Round 7
Barrios made an aggressive start to the round letting fly with punches from both hands. That storm blew itself out and Davis again had Barrios on the back foot. He was getting through with jabs and straight lefts with Barrios unable to keep him out.
Score: 10-9 Davis Barrios 67-66
Round 8
Barrios was boxing well at the start of the eighth until a sharp overhand right from Davis put him down. He was up quickly but after the count a left hook from Davis sent him down again. Davis hounded Barrios trying to finish the fight and although Davis connected with more rights and lefts Barrios boxed his way to the bell but it was a disastrous round for Barrios who was also cut under his left eye.
Score: 10-7 Davis Davis 76-74
Round 9
Davis failed to capitalise on his success in the ninth. Barrios was using his jab again and getting home some rights and even threw an uppercut as a change from his jab/straight right tactics. Davis hardly threw a punch and gave the round away.
Score: 10-9 Barrios Davis 85-84
Round 10
An entertaining round. Davis was marching forward getting through with head punches with Barrios on the back foot letting fly with accurate counters. Davis was landing the heavier punches but a fired up Barrios signalled for Davis to bring it on.
Score: 10-9 Davis Davis 95-93
Round 11
Davis was chasing Barrios down in the eleventh and connecting with heavy lefts and rights. There was a small break to sort out loose tape on the left glove of Barrios and then Davis landed a left to the body and Barrios dropped to his hands and knees. He was up at seven but when Davis started to unload on Barrios again the referee stopped the fight.
Davis already holds the WBA super featherweight title and the secondary WBA lightweight title but effectively only holds one genuine title as Teo Lopez is champion at lightweight and Josh Taylor holds all four titles at super lightweight. This just makes an (even bigger) mockery of the WBA titles. Now 24 inside the distance wins in total for Davis including 16 in a row and he has won all nine of his title fights by KO/TKO. Fights with Teo Lopez or Devin Haney at lightweight or Josh Taylor at super lightweight would legitimise the secondary titles he holds in those two divisions and would be huge events. Barrios was making the second defence of the secondary WBA title and at 26 there is plenty of time for him to work his way to another title fight.
Lubin vs. Rosario
Lubin opens the way to a world title shot with stoppage of Rosario. Lubin outboxed Rosario over the first two rounds and then started to break down Rosario from the third landing heavily and rocking Rosario throughout the round. In the fourth Rosario repaid Lubin for those stunning shots in the third by taking control of the action. That was the high point for Rosario as Lubin started to target Rosario’s body. He showed his superior skills in the fifth and then sent Rosario down with a body punch early in the sixth. Rosario made it to his feet but was put down by a series of punches ending with a body shot with Lubin flirting with disqualification as the last punch seemed to land after Rosario was on one knee. The body punch had Rosario squirming in pain and the referee waived the fight off. Southpaw Lubin was knocked out in one round by Jermell Charlo when he challenged for the super welter title in 2017 but has fought his way back to No 1 in the WBC rankings and will be hoping to get a chance to fight the winner of the unification fight between Charlo and Brian Castano. Former IBF and WBA champion Rosario was knocked out by Charlo in September, also by a body punch, and has a hard road ahead to climb into contention again.
Akhmedov vs. Mendez
Akhmedov grinds down Mendez who retires at the end of the eighth round with an injury to his right hand. From the outset the Uzbek southpaw was trundling forward putting Mendez under steady pressure. Akhmedov was cut over his left eye in the second round but it was never a factor. Akhmedov continued to crowd Mendez over the third and fourth with Mendez too busy defending to contribute much in the way of offence. Mendez sparked briefly in the fifth connecting with some good body punches but even then Akhmedov was getting the better of the exchanges. Akhmedov was closing down space on Mendez and landing with lefts to the body in the sixth and seventh. Mendez was fading fast. It was one-way traffic in the eighth and Mendez retired at the end of the round quoting the hand injury for his decision. Akhmedov lost a controversial decision to Mario Barrios in a fight for the vacant secondary WBA title in September 2019 and will be hoping to a shot at new title holder Gervonta Davis. Former IBF super featherweight champion Mendez had fought two draws and lost to unbeaten newcomer Richardson Hitchins in his last three fights.
Adames vs. Salazar
Adames gets his second win of the year as he halts Salazar in three rounds. After a couple of messy sessions with very little real action and with both fighters being wrestled to the floor Adames ended the fight in the third. A big left sent Salazar into the ropes. It looked as though he was held up by the ropes but the referee did not apply a count. There was no doubt about count being applied when another left from Adames dropped Salazar. He made it to his feet but was wobbly and the referee stopped the contest. Adames lost a close decision to Patrick Teixeira for the WBA title November 2019. Mexican Salazar had won his last 15 fights.
Slavinskyi vs. Barthelemy
Slavinskyi remains unbeaten with a split decision over fellow-southpaw Barthelemy. A contrast in styles led to a wide contrast between the scores in this one. Slavinskyi forced the fight chasing down the elusive Cuban who caught the Ukrainian with some good counters. Slavinskyi just could not pin down the crafty Barthelemy who seemed to have built a useful lead until he started to showboat in the seventh. Slavinskyi upped the pressure in the seventh and finished strongly but did not seem to have done enough to take the decision. Then came the scores of 99-90 and 97-92 for Slavinskyi and 97-92 for Barthelemy. A bit more aggression might have helped Barthelemy but I can’t see him or Slavinskyi getting very far.
Gutierrez vs. Hernandez
This was supposed to be a no-threat run out for Gutierrez who was badly in need of ring time having not fought for two years. In the end he had to settle for a draw but looked unlucky to do so. After a couple of even rounds he looked to have outscored Hernandez over the next four rounds. Hernandez fought hard in some fierce action over the seventh and eighth to make it close. Scores 77-75 Gutierrez, 77-75 Hernandez and 76-76. Gutierrez lost on a majority decision to Cristian Mijares and to Abner Mares on a technical decision in a fight for the secondary WBA featherweight title in 2017. Now he has to fight his way back into the ratings. Good result for Hernandez who was 2-4 going into this fight.

Las Vegas, NV, USA: Light: Vasyl Lomachenko (15-2) W TKO 9 Masayoshi Nakatani (19-2). Middle: Zhanibek Alimkhanuly (10-0) W RTD 8 Rob Brant (26-3). Welter: Giovani Santillan (27-0) W PTS 8 Cecil McCalla (23-5). Heavy: Guido Vianello (8-0-1) W RTD 2 Marlon Williams (6-2)
18
Lomachenko vs. Nakatani
Lomachenko proves much too good for the strong but limited Nakatani and forces a stoppage in the ninth round.
Having learned his lesson from his fight with Teo Lopez this time Lomachenko made a quick start. He was darting past the longer reach of Nakatani in the first and connecting with lefts. A clash of head saw Lomachenko cut high on his forehead in an awkward place that allowed the blood to run down into his eye. The second was a closer round with Lomachenko landing with his jab getting past the guard of Nakatani to score with short lefts inside. Nakatani landed a few jabs but was finding Lomachenko a difficult target. Nakatani landed a good right at the start of the fourth but Lomachenko was stepping inside the Japanese fighters guard with punches to the body. Lomachenko was dancing around a static Nakatani in the fifth diving in to land punches and then getting out again with Nakatani throwing lots but landing little. Seconds before the bell Lomachenko launched an attack landing four head punches and the retreating Nakatani went down. The referee gave Nakatani a count with Nakatani protesting that he had just been off balance. Lomachenko really cut loose in the sixth pinning Nakatani against the ropes and unloading with punch after punch until Nakatani managed to escape. Lomachenko had Nakatani foundering a couple of times in the seventh as he changed angles and connected with punches as Nakatani tried to reset himself. The Japanese fighter was relying heavily on using his jab as a range finder for straight rights but with Lomachenko bobbing and weaving Nakatani could not find the target. Lomachenko scored with powerful straight lefts in the eighth with much of the fire having gone out of Nakatani’s work. In the ninth Lomachenko bombarded Nakatani with punches and suddenly Nakatani was in trouble. He was reeling and off balance and when he dropped under another barrage of punches the referee came in and stopped the fight.
In his first fight since losing to Teo Lopez in October Lomachenko looked sharp and had too much class for Nakatani. Lomachenko’s accuracy was impressive as in every round he had between a 40% and 50% plus ratio of punches thrown/landed. Lopez has his postponed fight with George Kambosos to deal with and it would probably be a good idea for Lomachenko to have another fight with a return against Lopez at the end of the year. Nakatani had impressed when he climbed off the floor twice to stop Felix Verdejo in December but Lomachenko was at a different level entirely.
Alimkhanuly vs. Brant
In only his tenth contest Kazakh southpaw Alimkhanuly gets win over Brant to improve his chances of a world title fight. Brant boxed well enough to be competitive in the opening round but it was all downhill from there. In the second southpaw Alimkhanuly hurt Brant with a left and used that punch to control the action in the third. Alimkhanuly boxed coolly and methodically picking his spots and raking Brant with punches to head and body. Brant just could not get into the fight and his punch output dropped. He gave it a big try in the fifth but again it was Alimkhanuly landing with hard, accurate punches. Brant took a knee at the start of the sixth and his corner were threatening to pull him out unless he improved. Brant showed some improvement in the seventh but Alimkhanuly scored with an array of punches in the eighth and at the end of the round Brant was pulled out of the fight by his corner. Alimkhanuly, a former Olympian and World Championships gold medallist, is No 2 with the WBO but with Jaime Munguia at No 1 and Demetrius Andrade looking for bigger fights he might have a long wait for his title chance. Brant can be unpredictable. He put in a career best performance in winning the secondary WBA title with a victory over Ryota Murata but was dreadful in being stopped in two rounds by Murata in the return fight.
Santillan vs. McCalla
In his first fight for a year Santillan adds another victory as he outpoints McCalla. Scores 80-72, 78-74 and 79-73 for the southpaw from San Diego. McCalla worked hard and was busier but the accuracy and better quality work won the fight for Santillan. He just scraped past former champion Antonio DeMarco in his June 2020 fight. After going 1-4 in some tough fights McCalla had rebounded with two wins.
Vianello vs. Williams
Vianello stops an overmatched Williams in two rounds-well one round and one second of the second round to be honest. Vianello put Williams down early in the first and then again just before the bell. The referee decided to give Williams a chance to recover but then changed his mind and halted the fight in the second round immediately after the bell went. The 6’6” Italian prospect Vianello needed a win after a disappointing draw with Kingsley Ibeh in his last fight. Williams just there to play victim.

Guadalajara, Mexico: Fly: Julio Cesar Martinez 9(18-1,1ND) W TKO 6 Joel Cordova (13-5-2). Light Fly: Daniel Matellon (12-0-2) W PTS 12 Jose Argumedo (24-5-1). Super Light: Gabriel Valenzuela (24-2-1) W TKO 7 Juan Ocura (13-15-2,1ND). Super Middle: Diego Pacheco (12-0) W TKO 6 Jesus Palomares (7-1-1).
Martinez vs. Cordova
After a slow start Martinez had too much power for a brave Cordova and forced a stoppage in the sixth. Cordova surprised Martinez with a fierce attack in the first. He was scoring heavily with hooks from both hands and although rocked by a left hook he kept up the pressure throughout the round with Martinez switching guards and looking unsettled. Cordova continued to force the fight in the second and third landing some meaty body punches and was outscoring Martinez. The champion started to find the target late in the round. Cordova continued to take the fight to Martinez in the fourth but was having to eat some hurtful counters and looked to be tiring in the fifth as Martinez took over. He was catching Cordova with heavy single punches and knocked Cordova back on his heels a couple of times. Martinez ended it in the sixth. Boxing from a southpaw stance he landed two left hooks that dumped Cordova on the floor propped against the ropes. He made it to his feet and Martinez drove him along the ropes with Cordova floundering and only just staying up. The referee had seen enough and stepped in just as Cordova began to fire back but it was a good stoppage. Third defence of the WBC title for Martinez who is now looking to unify the flyweight titles. Cordova, a former sparring partner of Martinez, showed plenty of fire but found the power of Martinez too much.
Matellon vs. Argumedo
Matellon needs a strong finish to hold on to his interim WBA title after a storming start from challenger Argumedo.
Argumedo came out firing and immediately putting the title holder on the back foot. Argumedo was marching forward throwing punches from distance until he was inside and was then pinning Matellon to the ropes and scoring with hooks to the body. A clash of heads in the third opened a vertical gash over the left eye of Argumedo but he just kept putting pressure on the Cuban. Matellon was fighting a dumb fight letting himself get trapped on the ropes with no room to use his better footwork and faster hands. Argumedo continued to haunt and harass Matellon with Matellon too often falling into the mistake of trying to match Argumedo punch-for-punch. After six rounds it was looking as though Matellon was going to lose his title. The dynamics of the fight changed in the seventh as Argumedo showed signs of tiring from the frantic pace he had set and Matellon began to use his feet. He was staying off the ropes and landing bunches of punches on the advancing Argumedo. The challenger kept coming but there was no snap in his punches and his output dropped. Matellon outscored Argumedo in every round from the eighth through to the last bell and just did enough to emerge the winner. Scores 115-113 twice and 117-111 all for Matellon with the first two the better reflection of the fight. The 33-year-old Cuban was making the first defence of the interim title. Hopefully he won’t find the interim title a blind alley as many others have. Former IBF minimumweight title holder Argumedo, 32, showed guts and determination but just could not hold on to his early lead.
Valenzuela vs. Ocura
Valenzuela extends his unbeaten run to 22 bouts as he floors Ocura in the third and hands out punishment until the fight is stopped in the seventh. In February Valenzuela won a majority decision against Robbie Davies Jr in London. Only one win in his last ten fights for Ocura.
Pacheco vs. Palomares
Outstanding prospect Pacheco marches on with sixth round stoppage of prelim fighter Palomares. Ninth inside the distance win for the 20-year-old 6’4” Pacheco. Palomares was moving up to eight rounds for the first time but was outclassed.

Chihuahua, Mexico: Super Bantam: Yamileth Mercado (18-2) W PTS 10 Angelica Rascon (10-1,1ND). Bantam: Argi Cortes (19-2-2) W KO 2 Daniel Argueta (13-4).
Mercado vs. Rascon
Mercado holds on to the WBC Female title with points win over Texan Rascon. Over the first four rounds a confident Rascon took the fight to Mercado and built a useful lead looking to have won the first four rounds. Mercado was cut on her right cheek in a clash of heads in the fifth and over her right eye in the sixth and was also deducted a point for holding in the sixth as Mercado clawed back some rounds. The deduction was levelled out with Mercado losing a point in the ninth also for holding. The fight seemed very close but the judges saw a different fight and scored it 98-90, 97-91 and 96-92 for Mercado with Rascon looking to have earned at least a draw. Mercado was making the second defence of the WBC title. Rascon will challenge for a title again.
Cortes vs. Argueto
Cortes registers another win. Argueto did all of the pressing in the first but Cortes boxed comfortably on the back foot scoring with accurate counters. Argueto continued to march forward in the second until a wicked left to the body sent him to the canvas writhing in agony and he was counted out. Cortes is 17-0-2 in his last 19 fights including a draw with WBC title challenger Joel Cordova.

27 June

Minneapolis, MN, USA: Super Middle: David Morell (5-0) W KO 1Mario Cazares (12-1). Cruiser: Brandon Glanton (14-0) W PTS 10 Efetobor Apochi (11-1). Super Welter: Nat Gallimore (22-5-1.) W PTS 10 Leon Lawson (14-1). Super Middle: Alantez Fox (28-2-1,1ND) W TKO 7 Manny Woods (17-12-1).
Morell vs. Cazares
Morell wins the vacant WBA secondary title with first round stoppage of Cazares. There was more wrestling than boxing at the start of this fight with Cazares warned for a low punch and Morell landing a couple of time on the back of Cazares’ head. Morell suddenly landed two straight lefts to the head and Cazares went down heavily spread-eagled on the canvas and the fight was immediately stopped. Cuban southpaw Morell had been interim champion but this win “elevates” him to full secondary champion. Cazares had won a technical decision over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in September.
Glanton vs. Apochi v
Mild upset as Glanton floors and wins split decision over unbeaten Nigeria Apochi. Scores 95-94 twice for Glanton and 96-93 for Apochi so the knockdown in the sixth round cost Apochi the fight.
Gallimore vs. Lawson
Gallimore gets a much needed victory as he takes majority verdict over Lawson. Gallimore was giving away 6” in height to the 6’5” Lawson but won on scores of 97-93 and 96-95 with the third card reading 95-95. Gallimore had scored wins over Justin DeLoach and Jeison Rosario but was 1-4 in his last 5 fights.
Fox vs. Woods
Fox stops Woods in seven rounds as he rebuilds after a loss to Liam Williams in a WBO eliminator in December 2019 which cost him a shot at Demetrius Andrade. Woods had lost 5 of his last 6 fights by KO/TKO.

25 June

Bolton, England: Fly: Ricardo Sandoval (19-1) W KO 8
Jay Harris (18-2). Bantam: Paul Butler (33-2) W PTS 10 Willibald Garcia (12-5-1,1ND). Light Heavy: Hosea Burton (26-2) W KO 6 Liam Conroy (18-7-1) Light Gary Cully (13-0) W RTD 3 Viorel Simion (22-6). Feather: Brett Fidoe (15-65-5) W TKO 3 Tyrone McCullagh (14-2).
Harris vs. Sandoval
Body punches from Sandoval finish Harris after an exciting clash in this IBF eliminator. Harris boxed well in the first firing strong jabs and rights to the head putting Sandoval on the back foot but Sandoval was scoring with some scorching left hooks to the body. Both had some success in brutal exchanges in the second in an open punch-for-punch scrap. Sandoval upped his output in the third and fourth out jabbing Harris and crashing home rights to the head and left hooks to the body and putting Harris under pressure. Harris fired back in the fifth but again Sandoval was getting the better of the exchanges. Harris took the sixth with some excellent work with his jab and right crosses and staggered Sandoval with a right in the seventh. Sandoval then banged back to shake Harris and then had Harris pinned to the ropes and under heavy pressure at the end of an exciting round. They were fighting on equal terms in the eighth when Sandoval dug in a left hook to the ribs and Harris dropped to one knee. He beat the count but another body punch sent him down in agony and he was counted out. Huge win for 22-year-old Californian Sandoval-his fifteenth in a row. He was No 2 with the WBO so a fight with title holder Junto Nakatani could happen later this year. A set-back for Harris who was No 3 with the WBC and must have been hoping for a victory here which would have helped him in his quest for a return match with Julio Cesar Martinez who outpointed him in a WBC title defence in February last year.
Butler vs. Garcia
Butler has to fight hard to get split decision over unheralded Garcia. Butler made a great start flooring Garcia with a left hook in the first. Butler tried hard to end it then but Garcia made it to the bell. From there the Mexican gave Butler a torrid time. He was storming forward with crude attacks forcing Butler to the ropes and flailing away with punches. When Butler managed to stay off the ropes he was scoring with sharp punches from both hands but too often the fierce attacks of Garcia were forcing Butler to retreat and Garcia was targeting the body with hooks. It was an entertaining mix of styles between the classic boxing of Butler and the swarming quantity not quality from Garcia. Butler landed plenty of left hooks but was unable to shake Garcia again. Butler had built a lead with his greater accuracy but Garcia attacked desperately over the ninth and tenth to put the result in doubt. Scores 97-92 and 96-94 for Butler and 95-94 for Garcia so that early knockdown was the deciding factor. Rated WBO 3/IBF 4(3)/WBC 11Butler wins the vacant WBO International title but on this showing he would have no chance against the bantamweight title holders in Naoya Inoue, John Riel Casimero and Nonito Donaire. An improving Garcia was 12-1-1 going into this fight. He had beaten former title challenger Dewayne Beamon and lost on a majority verdict against 21-2-5 Alejandro Santiago. He looked worth a daw here.
Burton vs. Conroy
Burton knocks out Conroy with a one punch finish in the sixth. In the first Burton made good use of his longer reach to spear Conroy with jabs and scored well with straight rights. Conroy was trying to bob and weave his way inside but Burton used good footwork to escape. Conroy did better in the second and third walking through Burton’s punches getting inside scoring with left hooks to head and body and roughing Burton up. Burton managed to stay in the centre of the ring for much of the fourth and fifth spearing Conroy with jabs and connecting with hooks. The fight ended suddenly in the sixth. Conroy was marching forward when Burton landed a right and then a left to the top of Conroy’s head and Conroy went down on his back and was counted out. First fight for Burton since losing to Ricards Bolotniks in September in the MTK Global Gold Contract tournament. Conroy’s last fight was also in the MTK Tournament in September when he was stopped by Serge Michel.
Cully vs. Simion
Cully stops veteran Simion in three rounds. Cully was 9” taller than Simion and 14 years younger and dominated this fight from start to finish. He was lashing the Romanian with hooks to the body from both hands and straight southpaw lefts. Simion tried to get close and connected with a couple of rights but Cully was able to easily push Simion out and bombard him with punches. Cully easily handled the few attacks Simion did launch and it was really just target practice for the Irishman and Simion sensible retired after the third round. Being the WBO European champion, a title he won by beating someone with a 12-1 record who had lost his last fight, has seen Cully at No 14 in their rankings but he has yet to face a real test. The 39-year-old Simion is 1-5 in his last 6 fights but has mixed in good company losing to Scott Quigg, Shakur Stevenson and Denys Berinchyk.
Fidoe vs. McCullagh
Major upset as little journeyman Fidoe stops McCullagh in the third round. The 4” taller McCullagh made good use of his longer reach to outbox Fidoe over the first two rounds. Early in the third Fidoe landed a hard right and suddenly
McCullagh was in trouble. Fidoe chased McCullagh around the ring before flooring him with a right to the head. McCullagh made it to his feet but at the end of the eight count he was still unsteady and the fight was stopped. Fidoe has only been beaten inside the distance twice. This is his second win in a row and if he starts winning the jobs will probably dry up. McCullagh had been world rated after winning the WBO European title but was outpointed by Ryan Walsh in his last fight in February 2020.

Saint-Nazaire, France: Cruiser: Olivier Vautrain (18-3-1) W PTS 10 Eddy Lacrosse (12-7-2). Heavy: Nicolas Wamba (7-0) W PTS 10 David Spilmont (10-7).
Vautrain vs. Lacrosse
Vautrain successfully retains the French title with very close unanimous decision over Lacrosse. The 6’2” southpaw Vautrain never really made full use of his longer reach. He looked good when he did use his jab and when he put together burst of punches but Lacrosse was able to get inside and hounded Vautrain the whole fight. Vautrain did not have the punch to deter Lacrosse but just did enough to win. Scores 97-92,96-93 and 96-95 for the hometown fighter with former champion Lacrosse fighting well.
Wamba vs. Spilmont
In a messy, mauling fight Wamba wins the vacant French title with a close unanimous decision over Spilmont. This was a slow match without much class on show. Wamba was just a bit more accurate than lumbering southpaw Spilmont. Scores 96-93,96-94, 95-94 for Wamba. He is a former MMA exponent who was a world champion at full contact and kickboxing. He had stopped Spilmont in six rounds when they fought in February last year.

Civitavecchia, Italy: Light: Emilio Marsili (40-0-1) W PTS 10 Stephane Jamoye (33-9-1).
Marsili outclasses a disappointing Jamoye. The hometown southpaw dominated the fight from first to last. He found Jamoye an easy target for his right jabs and constantly scored with left hooks and uppercuts. Marsili looked to have scored a knockdown with a left hook in the sixth but the referee did not count it and Marsili eased his way to victory winning every round. Scores 100-90 for Marsili from the judges. Marsili, 44 (45 in August), a former undefeated European and IBO lightweight champion, wins the vacant IBO Mediterranean title. He was to have challenged Dejan Zlaticanin for the WBC title in 2016 but had to pull out with injury and may never now land a title shot. Former world title challenger Jamoye was never in contention.

Krasnaya Polyana, Russia: Light: Aik Shakhnazaryan (25-4) W PTS 10 Vage Sarukhanyan (20-3-2,1ND). Cruiser: Ruslan Fayfer (27-3) W TKO 1 Fabio Maldonado (26-5). Light: Vladimir Sarukhanyan (15-0) W PTS 8 Vyacheslav Gusev (25-7).
Shakhnazaryan vs. Sarukhanyan
Shakhnazaryan wins the vacant Russian title with majority verdict over Sarukhanyan. Sarukhanyan was having his first fight for eighteen months but lead early. However the aggressive Shakhnazaryan turned things around and finished strongly winning a controversial decision. Scores 97-95 and 96-94 for Shakhnazaryan and 95-95. Both fighters are Armenian-born Russians.
Fayfer vs. Maldonado
Fayfer annihilates Maldonado in the first. Fayer opened fast driving Maldonado to the ropes and dropped him with a volley of punches. Maldonado beat the count but went down again under a shower of punches. When he got up he was reeling under more punches and the referee stepped in to save him. Fayfer was 23-0 until he lost to Andrew Tabiti in the WBSS and was 2-2 going into this fight. Fifth loss on the trot for Brazilian Maldonado.
Sarukhanyan vs. Gusev
Sarukhanyan, another Armenian-born Russian, outboxed a competitive Gusev over eight rounds. Gusev used his experience to present some problems to the younger Sarukhanyan over the first six rounds but faded late and Sarukhanyan wrapped-up the unanimous decision.

Hurlingham, Argentina: Light: Agustin Quintana (14-1-1) W TKO 7 Claudio Daneff (11-2-1). Cruiser: Yamil Peralta (10-0) W PTS 8 Marcos Karalitzky (7-5-2).
Quintana vs. Daneff
Quintana wins the WBC Latino Silver title with stoppage of champion Daneff. It was an entertaining match but the power and precision of Quintana wore Daneff down. A right from Quintana drove Daneff into a corner in the seventh and he was given a standing count. When the action resumed Daneff was stumbling and holding and when he was hurt by another right the referee stopped the fight. Tenth win by KO/TKO and seventh consecutive victory for Quintana. Daneff, the Argentinian No 1, was making the first defence of the Latino title.
Peralta vs. Karalitzky
Argentinian and South American champion Peralta repeated a previous victor over Karalitzky winning on scores of 80-73 ½”, 79-73, 78-74. Two-time Olympian and a bronze medallist at both the World Championships and the Pan American Games

Sheffield, England: Light: Hammed Ghazi (17-0) W TKO 3 Liam Shinkwin (9-2-1)
Ghazi continues to progress. After an even first round Ghazi took over. He landed heavily on Shinkwin in the second and was handing out more punishment in the third when the referee stopped the contest. The 25-year-old Afghan-born Ghazi will probably go for the English title next. Shinkwin had won his last three fights with his only loss in a Prizefighter Tournament.

26 June

Oncativo, Argentina: Heavy: Leandro Robutti (8-4) W PTS 10 Kevin Espindola (6-2).
Robutti uses his edges in height and weight to take a majority decision over Espindola and wins the vacant Argentinian title. Neither fighter has much in the way of technique but they supplied an entertainment brawl. Despite the majority decision Robutti was a clear winner. Scores 97-94 and 97 ½ -95 for Robutti and 95-95. Robutti is now 2-1 in their three meetings.

Brisbane, Australia: Cruiser: Mark Flanagan (25-8) W TKO 5 Ben Kelleher (14-3-2).
Flanagan batters a game Kelleher to defeat to win the vacant Australian title. Former champion Flanagan broke Keller down with stiff jabs and body shots. By the fifth Kelleher had nothing left and he was put down by a clubbing right. He managed to pull himself upright but was in no condition to continue. A much needed win for Flanagan who had suffered consecutive losses against Arsen Goulamirian, David Light and Jai Opetaia. Kelleher, also a former Australian champion, had been stopped by Jai Opetaia in October.

Ekaterinburg, Russia: Super Feather: Mark Urvanov (19-2-1) W PTS 8 Rofhiwa Maemu (19-12-3).
Local fighter Urvanov needs some generous judging to get a majority decision over South African Maemu. The visitor came forward aggressively from the start landing heavily to the head and unsettled Urvanov. Over the second half of the fight Urvanov clawed back with a strong finish but did not look to have done enough to merit the win. Urvanov is the holder of the WBO global title and their No 8. This showing illustrates how ratings are skewed by sanctioning fees rather than by the quality of a fighter’s victories. Maemu is 0-5 in visits to Russia and has won only one of his last seven fights.

Soweto, South Africa: Super Light: Xolisani Ndongeni (28-2) W TKO 3 Peter Pambeni (16-5-3).
14
Ndongeni returns to form and saves himself some money as he stops Zimbabwean Pambeni in the third round. Ndongeni quickly solved the problem of the switch-hitting Pambeni and overwhelmed him in the third. Ndongeni wins the vacant WBA Pan African title. A sixth round kayo loss to Prince Dlomo in October raised some questions over Ndongeni’s future but he answered them here. He had said he would pay Pambeni R 1000 ($70) if he lasted more than three rounds so did not have to pay out. In his last fight in November 2019 Pambeni was stopped in eight rounds by Jeremia Nakathila in a fight for the WBO Global title.

Madrid, Spain: Minimum: Joana Pastrana (18-3) W PTS 10 Anne Sophie Da Costa (28-8).
Champion Pastrana retained her European female title with a flawless display against French challenger Da Costa. Pastrana looked close to stopping Da Costa a couple of times but Da Costa took the punishment and was still there at the final bell. Scores 100-90 from all three judges for Pastrana.

Fight of the week (Significance): Both the wins for Gervonta Davis and Vasyl Lomachenko keep some potentially big fights in play
Fight of the week (Entertainment): Paul Butler and Willibald Garcia provide ten rounds of intense action. Honourable mention to Yamileth Mercado vs. Angelica Rascon which was a war.
Fighter of the week: Gervonta Davis. His win over Barrios might have only been for the secondary WBA title but the way he came from behind after working out his tactics to overcome the height and reach of Barrios and then finished the fight with two knockdowns showed real class.
Punch of the week: The left to the body by Ricardo Sandoval that finished Jay Harris was wicked.
Upset of the week: Has to be 14-65-5 Brett Fidoe stopping 14-1 Tyrone McCullagh. Fidoe hardly showed any excitement with his win. He just banged his gloves together as a show of satisfaction. This is his second win in a row and he keeps this up he may have take “celebrating” lessons.
Prospect watch: Mexican Super lightweight Gabriel Valenzuela is in good form unbeaten in his last 22 fights.

Observations
Good to see no rubbish about Davis vs. Barrios as any kind of “unification” fight as Josh Taylor holds all four of the real super lightweight titles in fact although Davis has won titles in three divisions only the lightweight title is a genuine title.
It was a case of the long and the short and the tall*:
Gary Cully 6’2” vs. 5’5” Viorel Simion
Tyrone McCullagh 5’6” vs. 5’2” Brett Fidoe
Mario Barrios 5’10” vs. 5’5 ½” Gervonta Davis
Masayoshi Nakatani 5’ 11 ½” vs. 5’7” Vasyl Lomachenko
Guido Vianello 6’6” vs. 6’1” Marlon Marshall
Leon Lawson 6’5” vs. 5’11” Nathaniel Gallimore
Alantez Fox 6’4” vs. 5’8” Manny Woods
*The long and the short and the tall is from an old British Army song which starts “bless e’m all, bless e’m all the long and the short and the tall….. and goes down and dirty from there
Emiliano Marsili just goes on and on but just can’t land a title fight. At 44 and after 18 years as a pro he is unbeaten in 41 fights (40-0-10) which without checking I think puts him level with Gilberto Ramirez (41-0) with the longer current unbeaten runs.
You may- or may not- have noticed that I have included the results of some female title fights in the report. I have finally gone over to the dark side!