The Past Week in Action 3 May 2021

Miss any of this week’s action in the sport? Get caught up with “The Past Week in Action” by Eric Armit; with a review of all major cards in the boxing for the past week.

Highlights:
-Joseph Parker scores split decision victory over Dereck Chisora
-Andy Ruiz recovers from a second round knockdown to outpoint Chris Arreola
-Sunny Edwards outpoints Moruti Mthalane to win the IBF flyweight title
-Dmitry Bivol defends WBA light heavyweight title with points win over Craig Richards
-Erislandy Lara collects the vacant secondary WBA middleweight title with first round kayo of Thomas Lamanna
-Jovanni Straffon wins vacant IBO light weight title as he stops James Tennyson in the first round
-Eduardo Ramirez halts Isaac Avelar in three rounds in fight for vacant interim WBA featherweight title
-Chris Eubank Jr outpoints Marcus Morrison
-Michael Conlan returns with a points win over Ionut Baluta
-Sebastian Fundora beats Jorge Cota, Abel Ramos beats Omar Figueroa and Jesus Ramos beats Javier Molina, Abel Ramos

World Title/Major Shows

30 April

London, England: Fly: W Sunny Edwards (16-0) W PTS 12 Moruti Mthalane (39-3). Super Bantam: Michael Conlan (15-0) W PTS 12 Ionut Baluta (14-3). Super Welter: Troy Williamson (16-0-1) W TKO 6 Kieran Smith (16-1).
Edwards vs. Mthalane
Edwards wins the IBF title with unanimous victory over Mthalane. From the start this was a hunt with Edwards the quarry and Mthalane the hunter. Edwards boxed quite brilliantly he used his speedy footwork to avoid Mthalane’s attacks he used every inch of the ring circling the perimeter at speed and constantly changing direction. Mthalane tried to exert pressure but too often he was left swishing air at the spot which Edwards had just left. Edwards was constantly changing guards and pumping out punches looking for quantity rather than power. Mthalane was marching forward behind a high guard and blocking a lot of the punches but plenty were getting through and a bump developed under Mthalane’s left eye. The pattern did not change much as Edwards followed his corner’s instructions to keep moving. Mthalane was occasionally dangerous when he managed to trap Edwards on the ropes but Edwards was building a big lead. As Mthalane was thirteen years older it might have seemed as though a fast early pace might see the champion tire late but that did not happen. From the eighth Mthalane upped his pace putting Edwards under a lot more pressure and raising a bump under the Londoners left eye. Edwards was still quick enough to be picking up the points but now it was a much more level fight as Mthalane experience in twelve round fights and the hectic pace Edwards had set saw the challenger forced to stand and trade more often. Mthalane managed to claw back some of the deficit but the late run was just a bit too late and Edwards boxed his way to a well deserved victory. Scores 120-108, 118-111 and 115-113 for Edwards. If 120-108 looked too wide the 115-113 was hard to understand. Sunny follows his elder Charlie brother as a world title holder with Charlie having won the WBC flyweight title in 2018. He has no mandatory challenger as the first two slots in the IBF aerating are vacant but the Sunny himself was not rated at all at flyweight but was the IBF No 6 super flyweight so who knows what will happen in boxing. At 38 Mthalane must be nearing the end of the road. It is criminal the way he has been undervalued. He was in his second reign as IBF champion have relinquished the title previously. In this reign he won the title in Malaysia and has defended it Macao and twice in Japan his only loss in his previous 26 fights had come on cuts against Nonito Donaire s a true warrior.
Conlan vs. Baluta
Conlan gets a majority decision over Baluta as he builds a big lead only for Baluta to come back strongly over the closing rounds. No sign of rust or dust from Conlan as he opened the fight with sharp jabs switching guards and landing good counters. Conlan started the second round scoring at distance but Baluta got through with some rights to the body before Conlan finished the round with a strong attack. Both rounds had been close with Conlan having a slight advantage but the third saw Baluta coming forward more and landing some strong rights and left hooks to the body and putting his punches together well. Baluta fired a series of accurate punches at the start of the fourth but Conlan re-established his jab and connected to head and body to take the round. Conlan drove forward throughout the fifth but Baluta was moving and countering and throwing lots of punches with Conlan following Baluta around the ring but not getting close enough often enough. A better round for Conlan in the sixth. Again Baluta was firing bursts of punches but with very little accuracy. Conlan was on target with his jabs and landing rights. The seventh was close with Baluta again letting his hands fly but without much accuracy whereas Conlan was tending to throw one punch at a time but on target more and Conlan also took the eighth with some solid body punching. Conlan continued to drive forward in the ninth again attacking the body with Baluta looking to be tiring but Conlan having swellings by both eyes. Conlan had won a run of close rounds and was well in front but instead of fading Baluta came on strongly to take the tenth and continued his success into the eleventh. Baluta won the last big. He was pumping out punches and getting through with Conlan mostly on the back foot as though he felt he had the fight won and was not going to take any chances. Scores 117-112 and 115-114 for Conlan and 114-114. I had it 115-113 for Conlan and saw the first score as harsh on Baluta. Conlan wins the WBO International title to strengthen his No 1 rating with the WBO and will be looking to challenge champion Stephen Fulton later this year. Spanish-based Romanian Baluta just came up short but will have raised his profile quite a bit with the exposure this fight gave him. He was very much under the radar until scoring wins over Kyle Williams, former IBF champion TJ Doheny and David Oliver Joyce .
Williamson vs. Smith
Power wins this of former top level amateurs for Williamson as he halts unbeaten Smith. The much longer reach and good movement of the 6’2” Smith saw him go into the lead from the start. He was boxing well and Williamson found it hard to get past Smith’s jab or to cut down the ring. Williamson finally got though in the sixth hurting Smith early with a right. Smith tried to box his way out of trouble but another big right and a battery of punches put Smith down heavily and the fight was stopped. Williamson, a former British amateur champion, moves to nine wins on the trot and twelve victories by KO/TKIO. He is the IBF European champion which has landed him a No 13 slot in their ratings. At 27 Smith, who represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, can rebound from this.

1 May

Carson, CA, USA: Middle: Erislandy Lara (28-3-03) W TKO 1 Thomas Lamanna (30-5-1). Heavy: Andy Ruiz (34-2) W PTS 12 Chris Arreola (38-7-1,2ND). Super Welter: Sebastian Fundora (17-0-1) W KO 4 Jorge Cota (30-5). Feather: Eduardo Ramirez (25-2-3,1ND) W KO 3 Isaac Avelar (17-3). Welter: Abel Ramos (27-4-2) W RTD 6 Omar Figueroa Jr (28-2-1) . Welter: Jesus Ramos (16-0) W PTS 10 Javier Molina (22-4). Welter: Adrian Granados (21-8-3,1ND) DRW 8 Jose Sanchez (11-1-1). Heavy: Carlos Negron (23-3) W PTS 8 Scott Alexander (16-4-2).
Lara vs. Lamanna
Lara obliterates Lamanna in eighty seconds. Lara was probing with jabs and then scored with lefts down the middle. As Lamanna moved in he dropped his left glove a little and Lara blasted him with a left that landed just in front of Lamanna’s ear. He went down heavily with his head bouncing off the canvas and after starting the count the referee abandoned it to get Lamanna some medical attention and it was some time before Lamanna recovered. Lara, 38, wins the vacant secondary WBA title so is not really a two-division champion. His losses have both been split decisions coming against Saul Alvarez and Jarred Hurt. Lamanna was No 8 with the WBA having leapt from nowhere to No 8 by beating 22-14 Juan De Jesus Angulo.
Ruiz vs. Arreola
Ruiz returns and despite an early knockdown comprehensively outpoints Arreola. Positive opening round from Ruiz as he took the fight to Arreola scoring well with his jab and outworking Arreola. Ruiz was doing well in the second until he walked on to a downward short right to the temple from Arreola which knocked him off balance and he dipped to one knee with a glove resting on the canvas. Ruiz straightened up immediately but after the count was hurt by another right from Arreola. Arreola rocked Ruiz with a left in the third but Ruiz fired back with a left hook and a right to take the round. Ruiz took the fourth as they brawled and again it was Ruiz’s round as he jabbed to the body and landed a clubbing shot to the head. Arreola was not letting his hands go and Ruiz, comfortable on the back foot, jabbed and scored with big rights and ended the fifth with two good left hooks. Arreola was still not working hard enough and Ruiz was dominating the action in the sixth and seventh with his quicker hands and Arreola was cut on the bridge of his nose. The eighth saw Ruiz in charge jabbing strongly to head and body. Arreola was a bit more active but winced in pain and shook his left arm after landing a punch. Through the ninth once again Ruiz was throwing more and landing more and putting some good combinations together. They clashed heads in the tenth but luckily neither was cut and Ruiz pocketed another round partially with some good body punches but also because Arreola was doing very little except defend. Ruiz wobbled Arreola with a left hook in the eleventh and Arreola was again showing signs of trouble with his left shoulder and he told the referee in the break that he had a problem but would see out the last round. Ruiz was on top in the twelfth looking to take Arreola out but Arreola stayed there to the bell. Scores 118-109 twice and 117-111 for Ruiz. He looked more like the fighter who scored an upset win over Anthony Joshua and was almost 30lbs lighter than when losing to Joshua in the return. There is talk of a fight with Deontay Wilder or Luis Ortiz and Ruiz has said he would be happy to fight Arreola again. He is a man in demand now. At 40 and after two inside the distance losses in two shots at the WBC title Arreola can either retire or become a scalp for the young lions of the division.
Fundora vs. Cota
Fundora breaks down and stops Cota in four rounds. Cota was giving away almost 6” in height and every bit as much in reach so he took this fight inside. Fundora was happy to compete with Cota there rather than box and he was matching Cota and using his height to lean on Cota and force him back. Cota was having trouble getting off the ropes and Fundora was punishing him with hooks and uppercuts and a cut opened over Cota’s right eye. The brawl should have suited Cota and he did score with some overhand rights but he was being outscored inside as Fundora just kept pumping out punches. Cota came apart in the fourth as Fundora punished him with hooks and uppercuts that had Cota reeling and floundering. Despite that Cota connected with a heavy right but Fundora drove him to the ropes and was unloading when the referee stepped in to save Cota. The 6’5 ½” “Towering Inferno” must have hollow legs to fight at super welter. He looks thin as a rake but gets substantial leverage on his punches and in his last three fights has beaten Nathaniel Gallimore, Habib Ahmed and now Cota inside the distance. He is flattered by his No 2 ranking from the WBA but with his height and good power he will present problems for anyone he meets. Mexican “Demon” Cota had suffered consecutive losses in very tough assignments against Jeison Rosario and Jermell Charlo but had re-established himself with wins over Cesar Chavez and Thomas Lamanna and was No 12 with the WBA.
Ramirez vs. Avelar
If WBA titles were confetti the WBA could go into the wedding business. Ramirez stops Avelar to win the vacant interim WBA title. In typical Mexican style neither fighter wanted to back up and both were looking to land power shots early. They had some frantic exchanges with Ramirez rocking Avelar with a right in the first. They went at it again in the second with Ramirez again getting the better of the exchanges. Avelar was still trying to punch with Ramirez in the third when he was floored by a powerful right. Avelar only just made it to his feet but Ramirez swept him to the ropes and landed some more head punches forcing the referee to come in and stop the fight. Ramirez, 28, had lost on points to IBF champion Lee Selby in 2017. It was to be a title fight but as Ramirez came in over the division maximum he could not have won the title anyway. He suffered another setback when he lost on points to Claudio Marrero in June 2019 but then scored wins over unbeaten Leduan Barthelemy and Miguel Flores which landed him this title shot. “Little Canelo” Avelar lost to Stephen Fulton and in a six round fight to 14-13-3 Miguel Tique but bounced back with a win over 23-0 Sakaria Lukas in December.
Ramos vs. Figueroa
Ramos gets victory as after an eccentric display Figueroa retires at the end of the sixth round. Figueroa took the opening round. He was rumbling forward with a strange crouching, side-to-side jerky style but did enough work in close to take the round. Ramos was boxing on the back foot trying to figure out Figueroa’s style and his counters saw him even things up by winning the second. Figueroa kept rolling forward with exaggerated upper body movement in the third but Ramos was finding him an easy target and pushing Figueroa off to stop him working in close. On the occasions when Figueroa did get inside he was connecting with good hooks to the body but over the fourth and fifth continued to walk into punches from Ramos. By the sixth Ramos was the one coming forward landing punch after punch with Figueroa still using his strange movement to avoid punches that were not even being thrown. Ramos dished out plenty of punishment and with Figueroa spitting up lots of blood in his corner they took him out of the fight at the end of the round. Ramos lost a split verdict to Yordenis Ugas for the secondary WBA title in his last fight in September but is down at No 8 in their ratings so may struggle to get another shot. Figueroa’s style was worryingly bizarre. The former undefeated WBC lightweight champion has scored victories over Ricky Burns, Antonio DeMarco and Robert Guerrero but was floored and outclassed by Yordenis Ugas in July 2019.
Ramos vs. Molina
Good learning fight for Ramos as he outpoints experienced Molina and goes ten rounds for the first time. After a cautious first round in which Ramos just had a slight advantage Ramos took over in the second scoring with powerful jabs and left hooks. Molina did a bit better in the third but again Ramos was marching forward and targeting Molina’s body. The fourth and fifth followed the same pattern with Ramos walking through Molina’s punches hurting Molina to the body but Molina defending well. Molina had a good sixth but in the seventh he lost a point for a punch to the back of the head. Ramos kept up the pressure in the eighth but Molina rallied over the ninth and tenth. Scores 99-90 twice and 97-92 for Ramos. The tall 20-year-old southpaw from Arizona had won his last five fights inside the distance but former Olympian Molina keeps his record of never being stopped.
Granados vs. Sanchez
Granados and Sanchez fight to a majority draw in a competitive eight rounder. Granados was the boss inside but Sanchez scored with useful counters. Both were rocked at times and Sanchez had a good fourth boxing more and having Granados badly hurt by a left hook. Granados recovered and stepped up the pressure over the late round and both were shaken as they traded punches in the last. Scores 76-76 twice and 77-75 for Granados who looked unlucky not to get the decision. Granados was 0-2 in 2019 losing to Danny Garcia and Robert Easter. He was inactive last year but had returned with low level win in February. Sanchez was on a nine-bout winning streak but over moderate opposition.
Negron vs. Alexander
Negron makes it three wins in a row as he outpoints Alexander. No real highlight with Negron able to use his longer reach to control much of the action but with Alexander doing better over the second half of the fight. Scores 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75 for the 6’6” Puerto Rican. The former Olympian suffered a shock 66 seconds knockout at the hands of Brian Howard in August 2019 but then went on to stop unbeaten Cuban Robert Alfonso in one round. Alexander loses when he tries to step up but had performed creditably in flooring 31-2 Travis Kauffman before losing a majority decision.

Manchester, England: Heavy: Joseph Parker (29-2) W PTS 12 Dereck Chisora (32-11). Light Heavy: Dmitry Bivol (18-0) W PTS 12 Craig Richards (16-2-1). Light: Jovanni Straffon (24-3-1) W TKO 1 James Tennyson (28-4). Middle: Chris Eubanks Jr (30-2) W PTS 10 Marcus Morrison (23-4). Super Welter: Scott Fitzgerald (15-0) W TKO 3 Gregory Trenel (13-7-2). ().
Parker vs. Chisora
Parker comes back from a first round knockdown and losing the first four rounds to outwork Chisora late to take a majority verdict. A dramatic start saw Chisora floor Parker with a right to the head less than ten seconds into the fight. Parker was up quickly and Chisora piled in trying to find another big punch. Parker held and moved until his head cleared and by the end of the round was firing big rights of his own. Chisora marched forward in the second and clipped Parker with a right to the chin. Parker was jabbing and then stepping inside and holding and Chisora was warned for a punch to the back of the head as they brawled. Chisora made the running in the third and fourth prowling after Parker walking through the New Zealander’s jab to thump to the body and rocking Parker with a heavy right. Parker did better in the fifth and sixth. He could not stop Chisora coming forward but was spearing him with jabs and bursts of hooks and tying Chisora up in close. Chisora landed a dangerous uppercut late in the sixth. Parker boxed his way through the seventh moving more and landing more and found the target with a right that forced Chisora to back up. The eighth was another round for Parker. Chisora looked to be slowing and Parker was getting through with jabs and late in the round connected with a heavy right. He was now cutting into Chisora’s lead built over the first four rounds and as he outboxed Chisora in the ninth he had probably levelled the fight. Both looked very tired in the tenth a close one which could have gone either way. As Chisora seemed to tire Parker found a reserve and had a strong eleventh when he connected with a heavy right and outlanded Chisora. The last saw Chisora dip down the well and find the energy for one last big effort and he clearly took the last. Scores 116-111and 115-113 for Parker and 115-113 for Chisora. The 29year-old former WBO champion is now 2-2 in fights in the UK having beaten Hughie Fury and Chisora and lost to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. He is No 3 with the WBO and No 6 with the IBF and WBC but no one knows for sure how the heavyweight picture will pan out until a Joshua vs. Fury fight takes place-or doesn’t!. Parker has said he will gladly fight Chisora again. It has been nine years since Chisora lost to Vitali Klitschko in a challenge for the WBC heavyweight title. Losses to Dillian Whyte and Oleksandr Usyk knocked him back but he had rebounded with victories over reasonable level opponents in Senad Gashi, Artur Szpilka and David Price. Before this fight his only rating was at No 15 with the WBC and this loss will have been a big blow to any chance of another title shot and at 37 time is rapidly running out for him.
Bivol vs. Richards
Bivol outpoints Richards in WBA title fight. Bivol found the target early with his jab and short hooks as Richards made a tentative start. Bivol increased his work rate in the second putting his punches together well. Richards got into the fight in the third connecting with a savage right but Bivol responded with a strong attack that had Richards defending with his back against the ropes. A left to the head stung Richards in the fourth but he was willing to stand and trade with Bivol late in the round and scored well in the fifth as his confidence increased. Both had success in a close sixth with Richards just getting the better of the exchanges. Bivol asserted himself in the seventh as he outworked Richards using some flashing combinations and he built on that to also sweep the eighth connecting with some crisp rights. The ninth was close with stiff jabs from Bivol giving him a slight edge but Richards then had a good spell. He put Bivol under pressure backing the champion up in the tenth and rocking Bivol with an over hand right before scoring well to the body in the eleventh. Richards put in a huge effort in the last but Bivol showed his experience in countering cleverly and doing enough to wrap up the victory. Scores 118-110,115-113 and 115-114 all for Bivol. The first score looked too wide and the other too close as Bivol was having his first fight for sixteen months. He did hold the secondary WBA title but was upgraded to Super and this was his first defence since his elevation. The 30-year-old Kyrgyzstan-born Russian has wins over both the WBO champion Joe Smith and Jean Pascal who followed him as secondary WBA champion and it would be great to see him in against Artur Beterbiev to unify the WBA, IBF and WBC titles. Richards performed above expectation here as he had never faced a rated fighter but he showed he could compete as this high level and with Joshua Buatsi, Lyndon Arthur, Anthony Yarde and MTK tournament winner Ricards Bolotniks all rated there are some good domestic opportunities for him.
Straffon vs. Tennyson
The biter bitten as big puncher Tennyson is stopped inside a round by Saffron in the IBO title fight. Tennyson landed a couple of rights early but Saffron fired back with a quick burst of punches. They stood and swopped punches with both landing some heavy shots Tennyson to the head and Saffron to the body. Tennyson was driving Saffron back and had snapped Saffron’s head back with an uppercut but Saffron connected with a right hook and a left that sent Tennyson stumbling back across the ring and down. He struggled to his feet but Saffron forced him to the ropes and landed two hard head punches bringing both the referee’s intervention and the towel from Tennyson’s corner. The 27-year-old Mexican southpaw had won his last nine fights against some very modest opposition and was No 84 in the IBO ratings with Tennyson at No 15 but this his seventeenth win by KO/TKO makes him a champion. Only four of Tennyson’s fights have gone the distance. His punch has seen him score 24 inside the distance wins but his chin/defence have caused his four losses to also be quick.
Eubank vs. Morrison
Eubank sheds some accumulated rust with ten rounds against Morrison. The first round saw both fighters cautious with Eubank doing what scoring there was. Eubank came alive in the second twice showering Morrison with punches but then on each occasion backing off which indicated Eubank was looking for some useful ring time rather than a quick finish. Morrison was fired up at start of the third going forward throwing punches and landing with a couple of rights. Then he seemed to go off the boil and the round drifted to its end with very little more action. There was very little action in the fourth but in the fifth Eubank cut loose with a series of punches. He was then darting back before stepping in again with more punches and after doing that a few times he stood and traded punches. Morrison took some heavy hits but also landed some useful counters before Eubank shut down again and did little more in the round. Eubank used the same tactics of fire then caution in the sixth and seventh. He allowed Morrison to take the lead in the eighth as he worked on his defence. Morrison landed a heavy right in the ninth which led to some fierce exchanges and Eubank was content to run down the clock on some valuable work experience. Scores 98-92 for Eubank on the three cards. When Eubank fought Matvey Korobov for the interim WBA title in December 2019 it ended in a second round victory for Eubank when Korobov had to retire with injured shoulder. That meant that before this fight Eubank had seen less than two rounds of action in the past 26 months so you could understand his determination to get ten rounds of work. He has been training under Roy Jones Jr so he probably wanted to test out some of the changes Jones had instilled in him and he achieved those aims here. Morrison had some success but could never really threaten Eubank but he showed in stopping Emanuel Blandamura in Italy in July 2019 that he has to be respected.
Fitzgerald vs. Trenel
Fitzgerald returns to action with stoppage of Frenchman Trenel. A distinctly fleshy looking Fitzgerald forced the fight from the start with strong, stiff jabs and left hooks to the body. Trenel showed some early resistance but by the second round was already panting heavily and dropping his hands. With Trenel fading badly in the third he was given a slight reprieve with a stop in the action due to a low punch from Fitzgerald. When the action resumed Trenel was pinned to the ropes showing some clever defensive work but was not punching back and the referee stopped the fight. Fitzgerald had moved to the top of the domestic super welterweights with wins over Anthony Fowler and in last fight in October 2019 Ted Cheeseman but for this fight he was 169 ¼ lbs so has some weight to lose. Trenel had suffered some serious over matching being one of Edgar Berlanga’s first round victims and being stopped in six rounds by Sergio Garcia and he did not look in good condition here.

30 April

Mar del Plata, Argentina: Middle: Lucas Bastida (17-1) W PTS 10 Jose Villalobos (13-7-2). 1
Local Bastida puts his troubles outside the ring behind him and retains the South American title against Villalobos. Bastida could not have made a better start. He floored Villalobos twice in the opening round. A right to the head dropped Villalobos in the first minute of the fight and he was down again later in the round from a left. Villalobos was badly rocked by the second knockdown and deliberately spat out gumshield and was deducted a point making it a 10-6 round. Bastida kept up the pressure in the second and third and floored Villalobos again in the fourth. From the fifth Villalobos clawed his way into the fight. He used plenty of clever boxing to neutralise Bastida’s power and even rocked Bastida with a right in the eighth as Bastida tired but he needed a knockout and did not even come close to that. Scores 96-91, 94-92 and 96 ½ -91 ½ for Bastida. “The Tornado” was making the third defence of his title and extends his winning sequence to 14 fights. Early in April he was arrested and jailed after being accused of the sexual assault of a woman in a gym but after a police investigation he was cleared of the charges and released just a few days before this fight. “Tsunami” Villalobos is 2-3 in his last five outings.

Mexico City, Mexico: Feather: Miguel Marriaga (30-4) W KO 6 Jorge Garcia (14-4-1).
Marriaga returns and picks up the WBC Fecarbox title with sixth round win over Mexican Garcia. Marriaga launched a focused body attack then in the second switched to the head and a right uppercut had Garcia staggering around the ring. Marriaga continued to put Garcia under pressure and in the sixth a left to the body dropped Garcia and he was counted out. In September the Colombian “Scorpion” lost a wide decision against Joet Gonzalez. He has lost in title fights against Nicholas Walters, Oscar Valdez and Vasyl Lomachenko but is hoping to work his way to a fourth title chance. First fight for southpaw Garcia since June 2019 and his second inside the distance defeat.

Managua, Nicaragua: Super Feather: Francisco Fonseca (28-3-2) W KO 8 Robin Zamora (16-9). Super Light: Israel Lopez (7-1) W KO 7 Gabriel Escalante (14-1). Welter: Wiston Campos (32-8-6) W PTS 8 Walter Castillo (27-6-1).
Fonseca vs. Zamora
Fonesca scores crushing kayo of Zamora. Fonseca was hounding Zamora from the start. He had Zamora constantly on the back foot scoring with hooks inside. Zamora was firing back but didn’t have the power to keep Fonseca off. Zamora dropped to the floor in the third under a series of punches and twice lost his gumshield as Fonseca whacked him with body punches. Fonseca’s face showed how hard he had to work to win this one but in the eighth he took Zamora to the ropes and then nailed him with a left that sent Zamora down flat on his back. After starting the count the referee stopped it and called for medical assistance for Zamora who was lying half under the ropes with his legs twitching. He recovered and was able to leave the ring without aid. Fonseca’s second inside the distance win over Zamora. Fonseca, 27, collects the vacant WBA Fedelatin title. He lost on points against Tevin Farmer for the IBF super feather title in 2018 and looked unlucky to only get a draw against Alex Dilmaghani in London in 2019 but was knocked out in 80 seconds by Ryan Garcia in February last year. Five of Zamora’s nine losses have come by KO/TKO.
Lopez vs. Escalante
Minor upset as Lopez knocks out unbeaten Escalante in seven rounds. Escalante had big edges in height and reach and scored well with his jab and straight rights when he boxed on the outside but a determined Lopez was able to get past the jab and score to the body inside keeping Escalante under pressure. It didn’t matter how many punches Escalante landed Lopez just kept coming. In the seventh he forced an exhausted Escalante to the ropes and connected with a left hook to the head that put Escalante down on his back and he was counted out. After an early disqualification loss southpaw Lopez has won six in a row. Escalante has some reconstruction work ahead.
Campos vs. Castillo
Campos outpoints Castillo in a battle of experienced campaigners. After a cagey start the fight warmed-up with southpaw Campos the better boxer on the back foot countering the lunges of Castillo. Campos put Castillo down with a left in the third and outboxed Castillo over the first half of the fight. The stronger but slower Castillo produced the stronger finish but Campos took a deserved unanimous decision. Welcome win for Campos after losses to Josh Kelly and Shakhram Giyasov in his last two fights. Castillo had lost to Sergey Lipinets and Devon Alexander but had not fought in 2018 or 2019 before scoring a low level win in February last year.

General Santos City, Philippines: Fly: Jayson Mama (16-0) W RTD 8 Ramshane Sarguliia (7-6-2).Super Fly: Jade Bornea (16-0) W PTS 10 Roland Jay Biendima (15-8-1). Super Bantam Mike Plania (25-1) W PTS 6 Emmanuel Mogawa (5-4)
Mama vs. Sarguliia
Mama controls the fight all the way until Sarguliia retires after the eighth round. Mama was streets ahead of Sarguliia in skill and controlled the fight from start to finish. He used a stiff jab to keep Sarguliia on the back foot and found plenty of gaps for rights to the head. Sarguliia lacked the skills to really complete and had only occasional success with long right hands. Mama never really got out of second gear until the seventh when he hurt Sarguliia with a left to the body. He repeated the dose in the eighth with Sarguliia soaking up lots of punishment and then calling it a night. Ninth win by KO/TKO for the unbeaten 23-year-old local favourite. Fifth loss on the trot for Sarguliia
Bornea vs. Biendima
Routine points win for Bornea. He continually switched guards to southpaw and varied his tactics between boxing at distance and spearing Biendima with jabs and straight lefts or rights and stepping inside and brawling with Biendima. He looked comfortable in dealing with Biendima’s rushing attacks and never seemed to move out of second gear. He tried hard to finish the fight in the last showering Biendima with punches but Biendima never really looked in real trouble. Scores 99-91 twice and 100-90. The 25-year-old “Hurricane”, rated IBF 8(6)/WBC 15, was having his first fight for 16 months. He was a top performing amateur winning a number of tournaments and beating future WBO flyweight champion Kosei Tanaka. Third defeat in his last three fights for Bien
Plania vs. Mogawa
World rated General Santos City fighter Plania gets unanimous decision over fellow-Filipino Mogawa. Really just a shedding rust exercise for Plania. He rarely pressed his attacks hard but punished novice Mogawa if Mogawa managed to land a good punch. Plania put together some flashy combinations rocked Mogawa a few times. Even through crude Mogawa showed strength and stayed there for the full six rounds. Scores 60-54 for Plania from the judges. “Magic” Plania established himself in the world ratings by flooring 21-1-1 Joshua Greer twice on the way to a points victory in June last year earning himself a No 7 spot with the WBA and 8(6) with the IBF. Mogawa just a learner.

1 May

Perez, Argentina: Welter: Brian Chaves (13-1) W KO 5 Carlos Santana (16-4).
Chaves makes a successful defence of the WBA Fedebol title with victory over Santana. Southpaw Chaves was in charge of this one over the opening four rounds before ending it in the fifth. As Santana piled forward to take the fight to Chavez the champion met him with a slashing left hook to the body that dropped Santana to his hands and knees he was counted out. After eleven straight wins Chaves suffered a devastating loss when he was knocked out inside a round by world rated Jeremias Ponce in October 2017. He did not fight again until returning this year with a win in January. Santana had won 3 of his last 4 fights.

Tijuana, Mexico: Feather: Jesus Delgado (22-1-1) W KO 1 Eduardo Marquez (16-8-1).
Delgado continues his run of good form as he blasts out Marquez in the first round. Delgado found the range early with his jab before exploding on Marquez. He drove Marquez to the ropes landing left hooks to the body and rights to the head. Marquez managed to get off the ropes but another series of rights and lefts dropped him and he was counted out. The 24-year-old local prospect is unbeaten in his last 20 fights. Three inside the distance defeats in a row for Marquez.

Plant City, FL. USA: Welter: Jose Borrego (18-2) W Alan Sanchez (20-5-1). Super Middle: Enrique Collazo (14-1-1) W Marcelo Molina (23-19-1).
This was a close very competitive fight with Sanchez doing the boxing and Borrego pressing hard in every round. A clash of heads opened a cut over Sanchez’s left eye and that led to a period of even stronger pressure from Borrego who switching guards after almost every punch. The cut over Sanchez eye continued to drip blood but he boxed skilfully on the back foot using his long reach. Borrego chased and chased but Sanchez put in a great last round landing with heavy shots from both hands and that won him the fight. Scores 78-74 and 77-75 for Sanchez and 77-75 for Borrego. A welcome win for Sanchez after consecutive defeats against unbeaten fighters Alexander Besputin and Daniyar Yeleussinov. Borrego had been in good form with four wins over experienced rivals.

Windhoek, Namibia: Super Light: Harry Simon Jr (14-0) W PTS 6 Dominikus Weyulu (0-1). Super Bantam: Flame Nangolo (6-0) W PTS 8 Gustav Petrus (0-1).
Simon vs. Weyulu
Simon gets a first win under a new promoter as he outpoints Weyulu. Simon had Weyulu in trouble in the fourth but Weyulu survived and was still there at the end of the six rounds. All three judges had Simon winning 60-54. The 23-year-old son of former two-division title holder Harry Snr. had his contract terminated by his promoter two weeks ago due to indiscipline but was quickly signed up by another promoter for this show.
Nangolo vs. Petrus
Nangolo scores a one-sided victory over Petrus,. He floored Petrus in the second and then outboxed him the rest of the way. Scores 79-72 twice and 80-71 for the 20-year-old.

Accra, Ghana: Super Middleweight: Eliasu Sulley (9-0) W KO 8 Mawuli Folivi (5-2). Super Light: Gabriel Cofie (2-0-1) W PTS 8 Faisal Abubakar (6-1). Super Middle: Jacob Dickson (8-0) W TKO 1 Cudjoe Darah (2-28). Heavy: Haruna Osumanu (12-2) W KO 2 John Dudu (5-25).
Sulley vs. Folivi
Sulley collects both the National and the vacant West African titles with knockout of Ghanaian champion Folivi. All nine of Sulley’s wins have come by KO/TKO. First defence by Folivi
Cofie vs. Abubakar
Something of a domestic upset as Cofie outpoints highly touted crowd favourite Abubakar. The 19-year-old Sulley outboxed the heavier puncher Abubakar who had stopped all six of his victims inside three rounds.
Dickson vs. Darah
Prospect Dickson gets rid of badly overmatched Darah in the first round. Dickson finished it with a vicious left hook to the body. Poor Darah stood there for a couple of seconds almost as if not having been hit but then the pain kicked in and he dropped to the floor. He did get up but thankfully the referee stopped the fight before Darah got seriously hurt. Dickson, 23,
has taken less than twelve rounds to win his eight fights. Poor Darah needs to be told to put his gloves away as 25 of his 28 losses have been by KO/TKO
Osumanu vs. Dudu
Another terrible mismatch sees 41-year-old Osumanu kayo Dudu. Two knockdowns in the second saw Dudu counted out. Osumanu who did not turn pro until he was 37 has eight wins by KO/TKO. He weighed 201lbs for a fight in 2019. He was 276lbs in his last fight! Dudu, 36, has lost 23 times by KO/TKO and was 190lbs in his last fight

Fight of the week (Significance): Joseph Parker’s win over Dereck Chisora keeps him in the queue of heavyweights waiting to fight for a title once Joshua vs. Fury is settled.
Fight of the week (Entertainment): Both heavyweight fights were entertaining with Parker vs. Chisora just a little livelier than Ruiz vs. Arreola
Fighter of the week: Sunny Edwards for lifting the IBF flyweight title against such a good champion as Moruti Mthalane
Punch of the week: The laser guided left from Erislandy Lara that flattened Thomas Lamanna
Upset of the week: Jovanni Straffon was not given much chance against James Tennyson but he delivered in style
Prospect watch: No one I have not recommended previously

Observations
Whilst it is great to see live audiences again the small riot at the Andy Ruiz vs. Chris Arreola fight was hardly the welcome return boxing needed. It was also good to see a fighter jump on the ropes and thrust his arms in the air to a crowd of fans instead of to empty seats.
We had a weather set of nicknames this week with fighters bearing the nicknames of Tsunami, Tornado and Hurricane but I loved “Mad Man” Scott Fitzgerald vs. “Crazy” Gregory Trenel a bit like a lady at a party seeing another lady wearing the same dress-oh OK nothing like that!
A Board or Commission has a duty to its licence holders to protect them against themselves so it is painful to see Ghanaians Cudjoe Darah 2-28 (25 losses by KO/TKO) and John Dudu 5-25 (23 losses by KO/TKO) still fight and still getting knocked out.
You need stamina to be a fan now. The big show in Carson would have lasted almost six hours if all the light had gone the distance and a show in Tijuana had 15 fights scheduled. If the trend continues I can see fans having to pass a medical before being allowed in to the arena.