The Past Week in Action 5 April 2021

Highlights:

-Jamel Herring stops Carl Frampton in a WBO super feather title defence and Frampton announces his retirement

-Murodjon Akhmadaliev retains the IBF and WBA super bantamweight title with hasty stoppage of Ryosuke Iwasa

-Four-division champion Donnie Nietes returns to action after more than two years with decision over Pablo Carrillo

-Tim Tszyu stakes a claim to a shot at the WBO super welter title with stoppage of Dennis Hogan

 

World Title/Major Shows

 

April 3

 

Dubai, UAE. Super Feather: Jamel Herring (23-2) W TKO 6 Carl Frampton (28-3). Super Fly: Donnie Nietes (43-1-5) W PTS 10 Pablo Carrillo (25-8-1). Super Welter: Tursynbay Kulakhmet (3-0) W KO 1 Heber Rondon (20-1). Light: Keyshawn Davis W RTD 4 Richman Ashelley (10-2).

Herring vs. Frampton

In a WBO title defence Herring floors Frampton twice and stops him bringing Frampton’s great career to an end.

Round 1

With the big edges in height and reach (Herring 5’10”-Frampton 5’5” and Herring with an 8” longer reach) Herring was able to keep Frampton out with his southpaw jabs and score with straight lefts. Herring went low and the referee warned him to keep his pinches up. When Frampton did get inside Herring smothered Frampton’s work and was cautioned for holding but it was clearly Herring’s round

Score: 10-9 Herring

Round 2

Herring was taking centre ring with Frampton circling looking for an opening. Herring kept slotting jabs through Frampton’s guard and regularly connecting with lefts to the body and head one of which saw Frampton buckle at the knees. Frampton had some success with a couple of rights but was told to be careful with his head inside.

Score: 10-9 Herring                                 Herring 20-18

Round 3

A confident Herring was on the front foot and scoring with jabs and throwing and connecting with more lefts than in the previous two rounds. When Frampton did dart forward Herring was cleverly turning him away. Frampton ended the round with a body punch and a strong jab but had been outscored.

Score: 10-9 Herring                                 Herring 30-27

Round 4

Much better round from Frampton. He got past Herring’s jab and worked inside with hooks to head and body. He managed to stay inside forcing Herring back and landing body punches. A clash of heads saw Herring cut over his right eye. Herring banged back late in the round to make it close but it was Frampton’s round.

Score: 10-9 Frampton                              Herring 39-37

Round 5

Frampton was again able to get inside and stay there working to the body. Herring was trying to create some space but Frampton was staying in the pocket and coming forward when Herring connected with a perfect straight left a solid shot that put Frampton down. He was up at four and after the count Frampton tried to get inside but Herring fed him some stiff counters.

Score: 10-8 Herring                                 Herring 49-45

Round 6

Frampton was trying to find a way inside when Herring nailed him with a left hook and again Frampton went down heavily. Frampton was up at eight and Herring pounded him with punches sending Frampton staggering back with two left uppercuts and two straight lefts and the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.

Third successful title defence for 35-year-old Herring and the highest profile fight he has been in so far. It looked as though the former Olympian was going to come up short in the pros after losses to Denis Shafikov and Ladarius Miller but a move down to super feather some confidence building wins and excellent support have seen him flourish. The tasty possibility is a match against his No 1 challenger Shakur Stevenson. Frampton, 34, a two-division champion, has had a great career and has made the right decision to step away now.

Nietes vs. Carrillo

In his first fight for over two years Nietes scores a points win over Carrillo in a fight which whilst interesting never really caught fire. After a cautious feeling out first round where Nietes out jabbed Carrillo Nietes settled into a rhythm of some probing jabs and long rights keeping Carrillo on the back foot and easily blocking or stepping away from Carrillo’s punches. Carrillo did better in the third connecting with some rights but was only fighting in little spurts. Nietes was ducking under Carrillo’s punches in the fourth and scoring with right counters. He was caught by a left hook in the fifth but continued to outbox Carrillo. Basically Nietes stuck with what was working for him in the shape of fast jabs followed by straight rights with an occasional hook and he bobbed and weaved around Carrillo’s shots. Nietes went onto the back foot from the seventh slotting jabs through Carrillo’s guard and countersuing with rights. Carrillo tried to up his pace but Nietes was controlling the tempo of the fight. Carrillo finished the ninth strongly scoring with left hooks including one after the bell as they stood and traded punches in the first real extended period of action. The last was the best round as they both let their punches flow with Nietes getting the better of the exchanges. Scores 99-91, 98-92 and 96-95 for Nietes so quite a spread. It was not an exciting fight more an example of craftsmanship from Nietes honed over his 49 fight career. A four-division champion with a record of 17-0-2 in world title fights and just one disputed split decision loss and that against an Indonesian in Indonesia who came in 6lbs over the contract weight. I am a fan of “Ahas”. He has a remarkable record but now without a title and at the age of 38 I fear the chance of landing or winning a legacy fight is probably beyond him now. Carrillo worked hard in every round but just did not have the tactical skills to really threaten Nietes.

Kulakhmet vs. Rondon

Southpaw Kulakhmet obliterates Rondon inside a round. Some ferocious punching on display. Kulakhmet floored Rondon with three head punches. Rondon made it to his feet and then tried to fight Kulakhmet off but was hit by a blistering right hook that spun him around and dropped him face down on the floor out cold. All over in 72 seconds. Kulakhmet was defending the WBC International title which he won in his second pro fight. Then 27-year-old Kazak was a bronze medal winner at the 2019 World Championships and a gold medallist at the Asian Championships.  Venezuelan Rondon, also a southpaw, has the same padding on his record as other Venezuelans with 19 of 20 guys he has beaten having “amassed” a total of 3 wins between them.

Davis vs. Ashelley

Davis gets some ring time but very little else out of this fight. Ashelley spent much of the time in each round with his back to the ropes hiding behind a high guard. Now and then he would prod out a jab or launch a wild swipe. It was target practice for Davis as he tried to open Ashelley out without too much success. In the fourth Davis went looking for a stoppage and landed heavily to the body and sent Ashelley stumbling into the ropes with a right. He was getting through with head and body punches and Ashelley decided not to come out for the fifth. Not much chance for the 22-year-old blue chip prospect to shine. Ghanaian Ashelley not anywhere near the class of Davis.

 

Tashkent, Uzbekistan: Super Bantam: Murodjon Akhmadaliev (9-0) W TKO 5 Ryosuke Iwasa (27-4). Super Welter: Israil Madrimov (7-0) W PTS 10 Emmany Kalombo (14-1). Super Light: Shakhram Giyasov (11-0) W KO 3 Patricio Lopez (28-5). Light Fly: Hasanboy Dusmatov (3-0) W TKO 2 Mushin Kizota (11-3). Heavy: Bakhodir Jalolov (8-0) W TKO 2 Kristaps Zulis (7-2-2,1ND).

Akhmadaliev vs. Iwasa

Akhmadaliev successfully defends the IBF and WBA titles with a debatable stoppage of Iwasa

Round 1

Iwasa was spearing Akhmadaliev with right jabs and throwing straight lefts with Akhmadaliev advancing behind a high guard bobbing and weaving getting past Iwasa’s jab to score inside. A close round but Iwasa’s.

Score: 10-9 Iwasa

Round 2

Akhmadaliev really came to life in the second march inside behind his jab and scoring with hooks to head and body. He hounded Iwasa around the ring with Iwasa raking the oncoming Akhmadaliev with punches but Akhmadaliev was relentless and was scoring with short chopping shots in close.

Score: 10-9 Akhmadaliev                                TIED 19-19

Round 3

Three minutes of action in this one. Akhmadaliev continued to put Iwasa under pressure. He was jabbing strongly to get close and then scoring with series of clubbing shots. Iwasa was firing back with jabs and straight lefts but Akhmadaliev was blocking many and doing most of the scoring.

Score: 10-9 Akhmadaliev                  Akhmadaliev 29-28

Round 4

Iwasa managed to make some space to work with using accurate jabs and he was getting through with left crosses. Akhmadaliev kept rolling forward behind his jab and putting together some snappy combinations doing just enough to take the round.

Score: 10-9 Akhmadaliev                  Akhmadaliev 39-37

Round 5

A fierce attack from Akhmadaliev had him bombarding Iwasa with hooks and uppercuts for thirty seconds. That initial fire seemed to fade and Iwasa got back into the fight with some accurate jabbing and countering. Akhmadaliev exploded again driving Iwasa across the ring to the ropes but Iwasa had been firing back did not look to be in any serious trouble so it was a surprise when the referee came in and stopped the fight.

With Iwasa not having been down and having already shown he could weather Akhmadaliev’s storms and come back the stoppage looked very premature and Iwasa laughed in disbelief when he realised the fight had been stopped. Akhmadaliev was making the first defence of the titles he had won with a split decision over Daniel Roman in January 2020. Not sure where he goes from here. The WBA have four title holders in the division (Super, Secondary, Gold and Interim) and the other champions are Stephen Fulton for the WBO and Luis Nery for the WBC. Former IBF champion Iwasa went into this one as their interim champion a title he won with an eleventh round stoppage of Marlon Tapales in his last fight in December 2019. This was a controversial stoppage but I can’t see him getting a return so he will have to fight his way back into the picture.

Madrimov vs. Kalombo

Madrimov outpoints a competitive Kalombo. In a slow opening round Madrimov shadowed Kalombo not forcing the fight as much as expected with the Congolese fighter showing good movement and a sharp jab. Madrimov switched guards to southpaw and upped his work rate in the second and third putting the rangy Kalombo under pressure and scoring with lefts to the body but Kalombo was scoring with body punches of his own and posing some problems for Madrimov who was bleeding heavily from the nose by the fifth. Madrimov was going to the body in the sixth with Kalombo outpunched but still making Madrimov work hard and after being under fire for much of the seventh Kalombo fired back to have Madrimov on the retreat. Madrimov was looking tired in the eighth but as they swopped punches a left hook sent Kalombo reeling across the ring and down into the ropes which stopped him falling and he was up and given a count with the bell going seconds after the count was completed. They traded punches through the ninth and tenth with Madrimov getting the better of the exchanges but Kalombo landing his share. Scores 100-89, 99-90 and 98-92 for Madrimov. A tougher night than the Uzbek “The Dream” was expecting and he seemed slow and crude at times but his aggression and strength saw him through. He is somehow No 1 super welter with the WBA but he will have to perform a good few levels higher than he did here if he is to win a title. South African-based Kalombo, who had won all of his fights inside the distance, was facing a fighter who constituted a huge step up in quality of opposition but despite the scores was never outclassed and looked very useful.

Giyasov vs. Lopez

Uzbek “Wonder Boy” Giyasov outclasses Mexican Lopes and halts him in three rounds. Giyasov was chasing Lopez down in the first looking for an early finish. In the second Giyasov sent Lopez to the canvas with a body punch but it came late so Lopez made it out of the round. Giyasov ended it in the third with a left hook to the body that sent Lopez face down on the canvas and he was counted out. Giyasov retains the WBA International title with his eighth inside the distance finish in his last nine fights. Giyasov picked up a silver medal in the 2016 Olympics and gold at the 2017 World Championships. He is No 6 with the WBA and like most rated super lights will be hoping to be in the mix for a title fight once Josh Taylor or Jose Ramirez unifies the titles. Lopez was in reasonable form with six wins in his last seven fights with the loss coming against Denys Berinchyk on points over twelve rounds in October 2019.

Dusmatov vs. Kizota

Uzbek Dusmatov streets ahead of poor Kizota. The young Tanzanian was in with so little chance that even outclassed does not start to describe it. The bell had only just faded when Dusmatov floored Kizota with a left. Kizota get through the first round but Dusmatov wrapped things up in the second putting Kizota down twice more with lefts forcing the stoppage. The 27-year-old southpaw won gold at the Rio Olympics and silver at the 2017 World Championships. He wins the vacant WBA International title and is ready for world rated light flyweights now. Kizota, 21, last a split decision to South African Siphamandla for the WBO Global title in December 2019 but was never in with a chance of going the distance here.

Jalolov vs. Zulis

“Big Uzbek” Jalolov makes it eight quick wins in eight fights as he stops Latvian Zulis. The 6’7” southpaw tried to get Zulia out of there in the first round but Zulis made it to the bell. In the second Jalolov landed a heavy left that sent Zulis into a corner and the Latvian slumped to the floor under a couple of head shots. He arose but when the action resumed he was again forced into a corner and as he went down the referee waived the end of the fight. First fight in his homeland for Jalolov who turned pro in the USA. Eight wins in less than fifteen rounds for the former World and Asian Championships gold medallist. He will now focus on the Tokyo Olympics. The No Decision on the Latvian’s record came when both he and his opponent were disqualified for “unprofessional behaviour”. Probably means neither of them had a tattoo).

 

 31 March

 

Sydney, Australia: Super Welter: Tim Tszyu (18-0) W TKO 5 Dennis Hogan (28-3-1). Super Welter: Wade Ryan (18-9) W TKO 10 Koen Mazoudier (8-2). Super Middle: Cesar Tapia (13-0) W TKO 4 Renold Quinlan (12-8). Super Feather: Paul Fleming (27-0-1) W TKO 7 Tyson Lantry (8-4).Super Middle: Sakio Bika (35-7-3) W PTS 8 Sam Soliman (46-14-1,2ND).

Tszyu vs. Hogan

Tszyu retains the WBO Global title and establishes his right to a shot at the real WBO title as he crushed Hogan in five rounds.

Tszyu immediately took charge. He was coming forward shadowing the retreating Hogan. He cut the ring off well and twice pinned Hogan against the ropes and landed with short bursts of punches. Hogan lunged forward on a few occasions but was slow and crude. Tszyu opened up on Hogan at the start of the second connecting with strong right hands. After that the action became messy as Hogan continually dived inside successfully smothering Tszyu’s work but getting warned for holding. As they tussled inside Tszyu suffered a small cut over his left eye. In the third a left hook to the body had Hogan backing off and Tszyu upped the pressure forcing Hogan around the ring scoring with rights to the head and lefts to the body one of which had Hogan significantly wincing in pain. Hogan tried to bull his way inside in the fourth but Tszyu pushed him away and again connected with a left hook to the body and rights to the head. Hogan was warned for holding and at the bell he dipped at the knees from yet another left to the ribs. Early in the fifth a booming left hook to the head spun Hogan down and sent him to the canvas on his hands and knees. He arose at eight and moved and held as well as trying some counters. Tszyu was a little wild but finally trapped Hogan on the ropes and was bombarding him with punches when the towel came in from Hogan’s corner. Impressive showing from 26-year-old Tszyu considering that Hogan had only lost on a majority decision against Jaime Munguia for the WBO super welter title in April 2019. Tszyu now has to wait to see whether the WBO will order title holder Brian Castano to defend against him or whether a unification match between Castano and Jermell Charlo who holds the IBF, WBA and WBC titles will get approved but the Tszyu Team have indicated they are not in a hurry. Hogan had been stopped in seven rounds by Charlo in December but there are still good fights out there for him once he recovers from almost biting his tongue in half where the left hook from Tszyu put him down.

Ryan vs. Mazoudier

Local southpaw Ryan stops fellow-Australian Mazoudier late to retain the IBO International and WBA Oceania title. The younger Mazoudier made a fast start but Ryan was boxing intelligently and the rounds close in a good competitive fight. Mazoudier upped his pace in the sixth but Ryan landed some heavy punches in the seventh and eighth to establish a clear lead and Mazoudier did well to stay on his feet. A fading Mazoudier tried to walk through Ryan’s punches at the start of the tenth but was rocked by a series of head shots and the referee stopped the fight. Australian champion Ryan, 31, was ahead 87-84 on the three cards at the end and gets his sixth inside the distance win. Mazoudier just did not have enough fights behind him to beat am tough pro such as Ryan but at 25he will recover from this.

Tapia vs. Quinlan

Tapia scores second win over Quinlan. This one was entertaining whilst it lasted as Quinlan tried to match Tapia punch for punch. It did not work and he was shaken a couple of times as Tapia took the first three rounds. Quinlan was still trying to come forward in the fourth but as he fired a left hook Tapia came over the top of it with a booming right that sent Quinlan down heavily. He made it to his feet but Tapia drove him to a corner and raked him with punches until the referee stepped I and stopped the fight. El Tijanero” Tapia, 22, was born in Mexico but moved to Australia. He won a number of titles as an amateur before turning pro there and is the current Australian champion a title he won by outpointing Quinlan in 2019. Quinlan was stopped in ten rounds by Chris Eubank Jr in a challenge for the IBO title in 2017 and has now lost six in a row.

Fleming vs. Lantry

Southpaw Fleming gets win No 18 by KO/TKO despite fighting for three rounds with an injured hand. Fleming set a frantic pace pumping out punches with Lantry struggling to stay in the fight. In the fifth Fleming winced as he landed a left and from there only used the hand sparingly. He boxed his way through the sixth but landed enough rights to have Lantry drained of any resistance and in the seventh Lantry’s corner threw the towel in. Now 32 Fleming won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games and represented Australia at the 2008 Olympics but as a pro after twelve years apart from staying unbeaten he has gone nowhere and it is difficult to see where he is going with his career. Lantry was coming off an upset points win over former WBO interim title challenger Luke Jackson.

Bika vs. Soliman

Bika wins clash of Golden Oldies as he comfortably outpoints Soliman. Bika outlanded the tricky Soliman over the first two rounds. Soliman did better at the start of the third connecting with a good right but Bika opened up at the end of the round and Soliman was in a spot bother before the bell. A clash of heads in the fifth saw both fighters cut but with Bika’s cut the more severe. Soliman edged the sixth but as Solomon tired Bika dominated the seventh landing body punches and uppercuts and Soliman only just made it to the final bell, Scores 80-73, 79-73and 78-74 for Bika. Former WBC super middle title holder Bika, now 41, was fighting for the first time since October 2017.  Soliman, 37, former holder of the IBF middleweight title, had been a little more active having two fights in 2018 and winning the vacant World Boxing Federation middleweight title in April 2019.

 

1 April

 

Krasnodar, Russia: Super Light: Yauheni Dauhaliavets (5-0) W PTS 10 Fedor Papazov (22-4). Heavy: Arslan Iallyev (12-0) W RTD 7 Victor Ramirez (27-4-1,1ND).Middle: Albert Khamkhoev (5-0) W PTS 10 Alexander Elizarov (8-1). Cruiser: Ruslan Fayfer (26-3) W KO 1 Igor Vilchitsky (4-3).

Dauhaliavets vs. Papazov

Dauhaliavets holds off a late surge from Papazov to win a narrow unanimous decision. Dauhaliavets was busier over the early rounds using his longer reach forcing Papazov on to the back foot and attacking strongly but Papazov was boxing well and countering accurately. Dauhaliavets had a strong fourth finding plenty of gaps in Papazov’s defence and had a good lead after five.  Papazov began to eat into the lead over the second half of the fight resulting in some exciting exchanges but then he faded over the closing two rounds and just came up short. Scores 96-94 twice and 98-92 for Dauhaliavets. The 29-year-old Belarusian is now the owner of the WBA Inter-Continental title in his fifth pro fight. Much was made of his lack of experience but that is due to how some names are transcribed and under his alternative first name spelling of Evgeny he was an Elite level amateur with loads of experience. He was winning International Youth titles back in 2007, was Belarus champion three times and competed at the European and World Championships turning pro last year after failing to get through the European Qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics so no novice. A split decision loss to Aik Shakhnazaryan in December 2018 was a setback for Papazov but he had regained ground with a stoppage of Michal Chudecki in December 2019. By coincidence Papazov also has a “hidden” list of amateur achievements. He has Greek antecedents and in 2006 under the name of Theodoros Papazov he won a silver medal at the European Union Championships and represented Greece at the World Championships and Olympic Qualifiers for the 2008 Olympics.

Iallyev vs. Ramirez

Iallyev (or Yalyev) beats Ramirez in seven rounds to win the vacant WBA Inter-Continental title. This fight did not look promising even before the first punch was thrown pitting the 6’5” Iallyev against the 5’11” Ramirez who having once been a cruiserweight title holder came into this fight weighing 237lbs. Ramirez tactics were to roll forward throwing punches which made him a good target for the jabs and uppercuts from Iallyev. It seemed Ramirez had to fall but he has only been beaten inside the distance once and he kept coming often forcing the bigger man to the ropes. There were some signs of worry in Iallyev’s corner but by the seventh Ramirez had nothing left. He took some serious punishment in the round and then retired. It was 24-year-old Iallyev’s first ten round fight. He was a world title holder in both K1 and Muay Thai before changing over to boxing and is being guided by former WBC cruiserweight title holder Grigory Drzod. Ramirez, 37, a former WBO and IBF title holder, moved up to heavyweight after losing to Denis Lebedev in a unification match in 2016 and although scoring five wins his weight had ballooned as high as 282lbs.

Khamkhoev vs. Elizarov

Khamkhoev survives a knockdown to outpoint Elizarov for the vacant Russian title. Both were going ten rounds for the first time. Elizarov took the initiative and was going well in the early action. He was using his edges in height and reach to score at distance. He opened a bad cut under the right eye of Khamkhoev and floored him in the fourth. That sounded a wakeup call for Khamkhoev and he took control of the fight with Elizarov under constant pressure and letting his lead slip away with southpaw Khamkhoev taking the unanimous decision.

Fayfer vs. Vilchitsky

Fayer finishes Vilchitsky in the first. A shot to the body sent the overmatched Vilchitsky to the floor and he was unable to get up before the ten was tolled. Fayer won his first 23 fights before losing to Andrew Tabiti in 2018 in the second WBSS cruiserweight tournament and then suffered inside the distance defeats against Aleksei Papin and Ali Ismailov in 2020. Third consecutive KO/TKO loss for Vilchitsky.

 

Los Mochis, Mexico: Feather: Alan Solis (13-0-1) W PTS 10 Jonathan Aguilar (19-8). Welter: Mauricio Pintor (24-3-1) W PTS 8 Kendo Castaneda (17-4,1ND).

Solis vs. Aguilar

Solis wins his first pro title as he decisions late replacement Aguilar. Solis was in control for most of the fight with a sharp accurate jab and some flashing combinations with Aguilar getting through enough to be competitive without ever endangering the dominance of Solis. Aguilar staged a late rally but it blew itself out and Solis was a good winner. Scores 97-93 twice and 99-91 for 22-year-old Solis as he wins the vacant WBO Latino belt. Aguilar substituted for Brazilian Antonio Soares who reportedly fell foul of the Mexican COVID-19 restrictions. Aguilar’s last five losses have all been against unbeaten fighters

Pintor vs. Castaneda

Pintor squeaks past Castaneda on a very tight unanimous decision. There really was never much between these two in a give-and–take clash which saw both rocked at times. The deciding factor was Castaneda’s stupidity in landing punches to the back/kidneys of Pintor in the clinches. A points deduction for that in the second round was in the end what separated them. Scores 76-75 twice and 77-74 for Pintor. The nephew of the great Lupe Pintor has had a stuttering career being inactive in 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2020. Texan Castaneda has now suffered defeat four times in a row against very useful opposition.

 

2 April

 

Moscow, Russia: Cruiser: Aleksei Papin (13-1) W TKO 1 Vaclav Pejsar (15-11,1ND). Super Light: Valery Oganisyan (5-0) W PTS 10 Eduard Troyanovsky (29-3). Cruiser: Kureysh Sagov (5-1) W PTS 10 Khetag Mouraov (5-1). Light: Alexander Devyatov (10-0) W RTD 2 Yoni Blanco (12-2

Papin vs. Pejsar

Papin annihilates Pejsar. After forcing Pejsar back with his jab Papin was driving Pejsar along the ropes landing rights one of which dropped Pejsar to the canvas flat on his back with arms out stretched. He manages to struggle to his feet but was on shaky legs. The fight should have been over then but the referee decided Pejsar was able to continue and Papin connected with another right to the head that sent Pejsar down and the fight was waived over. The only loss suffered by the 33-year-old Russian was a majority decision against current WBC title holder Ilunga Makabu for the WBC Silver title in August 2019. He is No 2 with the WBC so could get a title shot later this year. Fourth loss by KO/TKO for former Czech heavy and cruiser champion Pejsar who lost to big puncher Dmitry Kudryashov on a split decision in December 2019.

Oganisyan vs. Troyanovsky

Russian champion Oganisyan takes wide unanimous decision over Troyanovsky. The first two rounds saw both competing hard to gain ascendancy and they were both close rounds with Oganisyan just having the better Oladosu of the exchanges. Troyanovsky did much better taking the third. Oganisyan pressed the fight harder in the fourth scoring well to the body and with Troyanovsky bleeding heavily from a broken nose it looked as though Oganisyan was on his way to a stoppage victory. Oganisyan edged the fifth but then slowed letting Troyanovsky into the fight and Troyanovsky took the sixth and made the seventh close. Oganisyan was fired up again and after winning the eighth he rocked Troyanovsky with a right in the ninth and boxed conservatively in the last. Scores 97-93 twice and 99-91 for Oganisyan. Huge win for the 25-year-old Oganisyan who had less than 22 rounds as a pro under his belt and was relatively unknown. Now 40 former IBF and IBO champion Troyanovsky has not seemed the same fighter since losing his titles on a 40 seconds knockout by Julius Indongo in 2016. He has said he will think things over for a couple of months and then decide if he will continue or retire.

Devyatov vs. Blanco

Devyatov punches too hard for Venezuelan Blanco who retires after two one-sided rounds. Sixth inside the distance win in a row for Devyatov and his ninth in total with his ten wins talking him less than 23 rounds. Venezuelan Blanco’s record so typical of boxing in his country with ten of the men had beaten having never won a fight,

Sagov vs. Mouraov

Sagov outclasses fellow novice Mouraov to win the vacant Russian title. Sagov handed out a steady beating to Mouraov with the referee warning Mouraov’s corner as early as the sixth that he needed to see more effort from their boxer. Mouraov did not improve much but did enough to last the distance.  Scores 99-91 twice and a difficult to understand 96-94 all for Sagov. Sagov’s loss came in the semi-finals of one of the Prizefighter-type nights. Mouraov’s five victims had only one win between the five of them so he needs a lot more experience.

 

Lagos, Nigeria: Welter: Rilliwan Ayodele Babatunde (13-0) W TKO 12 Salehe Mkalekwa (15-8). Super Feather: Rilwan Oladosu (15-0) W TKO 8 Emmanuel Quartey (23-3).

Babatunde vs. Mkalekwa

“Baby Face” Babatunde proves too strong for visitor Mkalekwa and scores late stoppage to win the vacant WBFederation International title. It only took a couple of rounds for Mkalekwa to go into survival mode. Mkalekwa down in the fourth but then Mkalekwa hung around for a while before coming apart. He  was floored in the tenth and eleventh and after a mixture of knockdowns and standing counts in the twelfth the referee stopped the fight just two seconds before the final bell. Eighth inside the distance win for the 24-year-old Nigerian the current West African champion. Tanzanian Mkalekwa showed resilience but little else. All of his losses have come on his travels outside Tanzania.

Oladosu vs. Quartey

Oladosu beats Quartey to win the WBFederation Inter-Continental title which had been vacant. Oladosu had everything going for him height, reach, hand speed and flashy movement. Quartey struggled to be competitive but for much of the fight Oladosu was almost playing with the Ghanaian at  and eventually after throwing a right in the eighth Quartey stopped fighting indicating he had injured his shoulder. Oladosu looked impressive but has yet to face a serious test. Quartey’s record looked good but typical of some Ghanaian records it was heavily padded with only seven wins scored by his first 13 opponents before he lost twice inside the distance and since those losses he has again been very carefully matched. “Real One” Oladosu won the Best Boxer trophy and $2,600 cash.

 

April 3

 

Perez, Argentina: Kevin Munoz (12-0) W TKO 4 Matias Monserrat (8-7-2).

Munoz vs. Monserrat

Munoz savages Monserrat in four rounds. After landing heavily in the first Munoz forced Monserrat to the ropes in the second and sent him down under a hail of punches. Monserrat made it through the round but went down under more punches in the third and looked as though he had had enough. He came out for the fourth only to be badly rocked by a right. The referee gave Monserrat a standing count but when he was knocked down again the referee stopped the fight. “Diamond” Munoz, 22, makes a second successful defence of the South American title with his fifth win by KO/TKO. Not the birthday present Monserrat was hoping for with his sixth loss in his last seven fights.

 

Montpellier, France: Welter: Mohamed Kani (18-2) W PTS 10 Jose Gomez (19-2).

Kani retains the French title with very narrow unanimous decision over Gomez. This was a tight, close fight all which could have gone either way. It was the better technical skills of southpaw Kani against the strength and aggression of Gomez. Scores 95-94 twice and 97-92 for Kani who promoted the show. Second title defence for Kani and second time Gomez had lost in fights for this title. The fight almost did not happen. Gomez selected from the new gloves provided for the fight but then Kani came in the ring with a worn pair. Gomes refused to fight until Kani was also wearing new gloves.

 

Yvelines, France: Christ Esabe (9-0) W KO 7 Anthony Auffray (5-2-1). Super Bantam: Elie Konki (11-0) W PTS 8 Oleksandr Yegorov (20-5-1).

Esabe vs. Auffray

Local favourite Esabe scores three knockdowns and retains the French title. Esabe controlled this from the start with his speed and technical skills. In the sixth he floored Auffray with a body punch and later in the round with left hook with the bell rescuing Auffray. Not for long as a right to the body put Auffray down and he was unable to continue. The 20-year-old Esabe is a former French Youth and National champion. After losing his first fight Auffray was 5-0-1 before this title challenge.

Konki vs. Yegorov

Konki keeps his hand in as he outpoints Ukrainian Yegerov winning every round Scores 80-72 for “The Spider” on all three cards. The European Union champion is marking time waiting for a date for his title defence against Spanish champion Jacob Barreto. Yegerov’s best days are behind him. He was 20-1-1 until losing to Luca Rigoldi in a challenge for the European title and is now on a run of five consecutive defeats.

 

Philadelphia, PA, USA: Heavy: Joey Dawejko (21-8-4) W TKO 1 Joe Jones (11-4).

Weight beat height here as Dawejko stops Jones in the first round. Dawejko scored two knockdowns to force the stoppage late in the opener. The 30-year-old Philadelphian needed a win after being matched against Bryant Jennings, Andrey Fedosov, Sergey Kuzmin and Frank Sanchez. Jones had lost his last two fights. Jones, who is 6-2” came in at 207 ¼ lbs and Dawejko who is 5’10” came in at 264lbs.

 

Fight of the week (Significance): I guess it is a tie here as the victories scored by both Jamel Herring and Murodjon Akhmadaliev opens the door to more title fights in their respective divisions

Fight of the week (Entertainment): A few fairly entertaining matches but nothing that stood out.

Fighter of the week: Tim Tszyu’s destruction of Dennis Hogan was an outstanding display

Punch of the week: The straight left from Jamel Herring that floored Carl Frampton in the fifth was a shining example of precision. The Tim Tszyu left hook that floored Dennis Hogan was a beauty and the right counter over Renold Quinlan’s lazy left by Carlos Tapia was perfectly timed but honour goes to the right hook from Tursynbay Kulakhmet that spun Heber Rondon on the spot and put him face down on the canvas out. That was spectacular.

Upset of the week: The nearest to an upset was Valery Oganisyan (4-0) outpointing former IBF champion Eduard Troyanovsky.

Prospect watch:  Only 3-0 but Uzbek Hasanboy Dusmatov looks capable of making a big impression at light flyweight

 

Observations

All you need is a young exciting fighter with a family name as an addition factor. A crowd of 16,000 turned out to watch young Tim Tszyu beat Dennis Hogan.

A young man’s sport? Not when two former world title holders with combined ages of 88- Sakio Bika 41 and Sam Solomon 47-fought on Friday. It’s not true the inspector wanted to check their pension books as well as their licences.

Names, names names. Keeping track of Thai boxers is bad enough but the different spellings used for names for fighters from Eastern Europe can be confusing. Valery Oganisyan is sometimes spelt as Valery Hovhannisyan, Arslan Iallyev sometimes Arslan Yalyev but the one that threw me this week was Fedor Papazov. I like to trace their amateur performances so Papazov fought in the Russian championships in 2005 and then disappeared. Box Rec tells me he fought in the European Union Championships in 2006 and 2007 but Russians don’t fight in the European Championships and when I check those fights are for a Theodoros Papazov. Box Rec cleared it up for me turns out Fedor had Greek antecedents so he fought for Greece at those championships under the name of Theodoros-but my head is still spinning.

If all the fights on a show end with one or two round knockouts does that mean there is a risk for the husband getting home in time to catch his wife with her boyfriend? Must be a constant worry for wives in Venezuelan because the matching is rubbish there. This week we had Heber Rondon with 19 of 20 guys he has beaten having “amassed” a total of 3 wins between them and Yoni Blanco with ten of the twelve men he had beaten having never won a fight. Hello darling I’m home early!! I wonder what the divorce rate is for boxing fans in Venezuelan.

I thought they had got the names mixed up when I saw 5’10” Joey Dawejko weighing in at 264lbs and 6’2” Joe Jones 207lbs surely it should be the other way around!

It turns out that BoxRec have captured all of the results for that Irish invasion of Europe.