Check out Eric Armit’s comprehensive report in The Week In Boxing – October 30, 2017!

Highlights:

-Deontay Wilder blasts out Bermane Stiverne inside a round

-Sergey Lipinets wins vacant IBF title with victory over Akihiro Kondo

-Dmitry Bivol retains his WBA title as he destroys Trent Broadhurst with a candidate for punch of the year

-Jim McDonnell retains his title as a cut ends his fight with Liborio Solis resulting in a No Decision

-Shawn Porter comes through a war to outpoint Adrian Granados

-Ricardo Mayorga takes a beating against Russian Andrey Sirotkin which hopefully will send him into retirement

-Drugs cheat Luis Nery rolls over brave Filipino Arthur Villanueva in six rounds

-Agit Kabayel gets majority decision over Dereck Chisora to keep his European title

 

November 2 

 

Tucson, AZ, USA: Welter: Juan Carlos Abregu (20-3-1,1ND) W TKO 8 Jesus Soto Karass (28-13-4. Super Feather: Ryan Garcia (12-0) W TKO 3 Cesar Valenzuela (14-6-1).

Abregu vs. Karass

Abregu was faster and more accurate and took control early. With Karass coming forward in a straight line Abregu was able to counter him with accurate jabs and score with quick rights to the head. Karass was just too slow and predicable. They both landed punches after the bell in the first. Abregu continued to box on the back foot spearing Karass with jabs and firing quick bunches of punches being particularly impressive with right uppercuts. Karass was just too slow to cut the ring off. Karass continued to apply pressure over the next three rounds but Abregu stayed cool and countered well with right uppercuts inside and clubbing rights. By the sixth he was confident enough to box with his hands at waist level and mix in some showboating. Karass does not have a plan B he just kept rolling forward trying to get close enough to work the body to slow Abregu. Karass started to have some success in the seventh as Abregu did slow and stood and traded more. Early in the eighth Abregu landed a huge right which shook Karass. Abregu then landed a series of punches that saw Karass drop to the floor. He beat the count but looked very wobbly and when the action recommenced Abregu rushed over and landed three head punches and Karass tumbled down into the ropes and the referee jumped in and stopped the fight. A much needed win for 30-year-old Dominican Abregu. He won his first 17 fights but going into this one was 3-3-1,1ND in his last 8. He moves to 19 wins by KO/TKO.  Karass, 35, a former WBA interim champion is now 0-5-1in his last six fights and this is his fifth loss by KO/TKO.  The opposition has been tough with Keith Thurman and Devon Alexander having beaten him in that poor run. He looked shop-worn and has said he will now sit and review whether it is time for him to put away his gloves

Garcia vs. Valenzuela

Garcia was stalking Valenzuela around the ring in the first. Valenzuela was looking to draw the lead and counter but Garcia’s jab was too quick and he was letting his right go early. Valenzuela tried a rushing attack late in the first but walked on to a left hook that put him down. Valenzuela beat the count and there were less than ten seconds left so he made it to the bell. Garcia continued to control the fight in the second. Valenzuela was a bit more aggressive but Garcia handled his attacks with ease and showed real power when he fired some quick combinations. Valenzuela was down early in the third. The referee ruled it a slip but Garcia indicated a couple of times that he had landed a right hook. Garcia stepped up the pace and landed a right inside and then a left hook that sent Valenzuela staggering back into the ropes and down on his knees. He was up six and after the eight count Garcia landed a series of left hooks and overhand rights and the referee stopped the fight. The 19-year-old “Kingry” was making the first defence of his NABF Junior title and now has 11 wins by KO/TKO including eight in his last eight fights taking less than 15 rounds to win those eight fights. He fights out of a very upright stance and seems to leave his chin in the air as a result but has very quick hands and reflexes. He claims a 215-15 record as an amateur and looks a very good prospect. Fourth loss by KO/TKO for Valenzuela who was 6-1 in his last 7 fights.

 

November 3

 

Nizhny Novgorod, Russia: Super Middle: Andrey Sirotkin (14-0) W RTD 9 Ricardo Mayorga (32-10-1,1ND) W. Cruiser: Ruslan Fayer (21-0) W Isaac Ankrah (13-5).

Sirotkin vs. Mayorga

Russian Sirotkin much too young and quick for an old and slow Mayorga. In the first Sirotkin was stabbing his jab and firing rights with Mayorga looking to counter. In typical Mayorga style after Sirotkin landed a flurry of punches Mayorga shook his head then walked over to a corner draping his arms along the ropes and inviting Sirotkin to come and do his worse. The Russian southpaw accepted the challenge and went over and they exchanged punches with neither doing any harm. Sirotkin had a good second. He constantly switched guards and looked comfortable in both. He used his superior hand speed and quick movement to score with punches from both hands with Mayorga too slow to counter. The third and fourth were one-sided as Sirotkin boxed rings around Mayorga landing jabs from both hands and thudding rights to the head. The fifth and sixth saw Mayorga throw a few more punches but Sirotkin was too quick and setting too high a pace for the former champion. By now his rights were causing swelling by Mayorga’s left eye. Sirotkin’s confidence was way up as he handed out a steady beating to Mayorga in the seventh rocking his head back and forth with lefts and rights. Mayorga did a little better in the eighth throwing more and taking less but Sirotkin was still controlling the fight and Mayorga’s left eye was closing. Sirotkin dominated the action in the ninth scoring with long lefts and rights. Mayorga failed to answer the bell for the tenth due to an injury to his right arm but he was a beaten man anyway. Scores at the stoppage were 90-81 twice and 89-82 all for the Russian. Sirotkin, the WBO European champion, wins the vacant WBA International title and makes it four wins by KO/TKO. He was a world class Kickboxing fighter winning gold medals at the Russian, European and World WPKA Championships and a gold medal at the Russian Police hand-to-hand  Championships so despite his rather spares pro record he has been fighting competitively since 2007. No weight given for 44-year-old Mayorga but he looked fat and slow and this is only his seventh fight in nine years and hopefully his last.

Fayer vs. Ankrah

Too easy for Fayer as he brushes aside a poor Ankrah inside two rounds. Fayer won the first round. He has a strange crouching, creeping style but was quite fast-handed and scored with his jab and bursts of hooks with Ankrah looking slow and not letting his punches go. In the second Fayer went to work scoring with left hooks to the body and rights to the head with Ankrah just covering up. Fayer took him to the ropes and landed a left hook to the body. Ankrah went face down on the canvas and made no effort to rise until the ten had been counted. The 28-year-old Russian makes it 15 wins by KO/TKO. A former World Universities gold medal winner he won the Russian pro title in 2015 but has never defended it. He has shelved his law studies to fight as a pro and is making steady progress. Ankrah showed nothing and has a heavily padded record.

 

Kissimmee, FL, USA: Welter: Sammy Valentine (13-1) W TKO 5 Alejandro Barboza (11-1). Middle: Esquiva Falcao (19-0) W TKO 7 Jose Fandino (11-4). Super Light: Aidar Sharibayev (7-0) W TKO 1 Daulis Prescott (31-6,3ND). Bantam: Antonio Vargas (5-0) W PTS 6 Jonathan Garza (6-1).

Valentine vs. Barboza

In a cagey first round there were a couple of sharp exchanges with both going to the body with left hooks but neither taking control. In the second Valentine began to get through with his jab and unload with heavy rights. Just before the bell they stood and traded with Valentine getting the better of the exchanges. Valentine’s power came to the fore in the third. He dropped Barboza with a couple of short hooks and although Barboza was up quickly he was dropped again late in the round from two rights to the head and this time he only just beat the count with the bell going as the count was competed.  Barboza spent the first half of the fourth round covering up on the ropes whilst Valentine bombarded him with hooks and uppercuts until Barboza got off the ropes and launched a few attacks of his own. In the fifth Valentine trapped Barboza in a corner and landed a series of rights to the body then two rights to the head that had Barboza dropping to his knees, He was up at eight and said he was able to carry on but Valentine drove him into the same corner and as he unleashed a volley of punches Barboza slipped down the ropes and the referee stopped the fight. Valentine, a 23-year-old from Tampa gets his tenth win by KO/TKO and wins the vacant WBO Inter-Continental title. Last time out in July he was stopped in two rounds by Giovanni Santillan so a welcome win here. Mexican Barboza, 22, did not have the power to compete with Valentine.

Falcao vs. Fandino

From the beginning it was clear that the Brazilian Olympian was a few classes above the Spanish novice. Southpaw Falcao was digging lefts and rights to the body and easily dealing with the lunging attacks of Fandino. Falcao was using a focused body attack but the game Fandino countered and threw enough to remain competitive but body punches put him down twice in the third and he was also showing a growing bruise under his left eye. Falcao handed out steady punishment in the fourth but also lost a point for one low punch too many. He Brazilian brutalised Fandino through the fifth but Fandino punched back enough to give the referee no reason to stop the fight. The action slowed in the sixth as Falcao seemed to get arm weary from punching Fandino. The Spaniard was too brave for his own good and was being allowed to take too much punishment. In the sixth he dropped to his knees exhausted and punched out showing damage under both eyes and had nothing left. However he beat the count and said he was OK but it should have been stopped then. Instead he was allowed to absorb another five or six punches and actually threw one back just as the referee stepped in. The 27-year-old Falcao won a silver medal in the London Olympics. He beat the local favourite Anthony Ogogo but lost a 13-14 decision to Ryota Murata in the final. At the 2011 World Championships he again beat Ogogo and again lost to Murata but in the semi-finals. He has 13 wins by KO/TKO. Another fight with Murata, this time for the secondary WBA middle title is being talked about. He is not currently in the WBA ratings and has not yet even fought a ten round fight but since Murata and Falcao are with Top Rank look for it to take place next year. Fandino needs a less brave management and some less brave referees as also took a pounding when being halted in two rounds by Ronny Landaeta in a Spanish title fight in August.

Sharibayev vs. Prescott

Sharibayev pushes Prescott a little further down the slope with a win inside the first round over the former WBA feather champion. The 28-year-old Kazak has six wins by KO/TKO and is being matched against what should be good tests for a boxer of his pro experience but is blowing the opposition away. Colombian Prescott, 31, was unbeaten in his first 26 fights so is now 5-6 in his last 11 and this is his third inside the distance loss on the bounce to an unbeaten prospect.

Vargas vs. Garza

Vargas moves on to five wins as he outpoints unbeaten Garza. Vargas was in control from the first round. He had height and reach over Garza and was able to keep him on the back foot. In the second Vargas rocked Garza with two hard rights to the head and then dropped him with a slick left hook. Garza survived that but was never in the fight. Vargas seemed content to get in a few rounds and did some showboating. He shook Garza with a right to the head in the fifth and landed some more rights in the sixth but did not sustain his attacks. Scores 60-53 from all three judges. Vargas was US National Champion in 2015 and also took gold at the Pan American Games in the same year earning him the USA Boxing Athlete of the Year trophy. Despite losing a bout at both the US Olympic Trials and the first International qualifier he rebounded from both losses to qualify for the Rio Olympics but did not make it through to the medal round. He was raised in Kissimmee although born in Houston to Puerto Rican/ Mexican parents. Garza, 20, really just a novice and is unlikely to go far. None of his six victims had won a fight.

 

Cahors, France: Middle: Robert Talarek (20-12-2) W TKO 8 Frank Haroche (41-17-5). Super Light: Massi Tachour (10-4,1ND) W PTS 10 Modibo Diarra (8-2-1).

Talarek vs. Haroche

Talarek continues his winning run as he stops local fighter Haroche to win vacant IBO Continental title. This was a gruelling battle with both fighters showing signs of the scrap as they traded heavy punches all the way. It was fairly evenly balanced with Talarek probably marginally in front. In the eighth as Haroche tried to move inside Talarek landed a thunderous right to the head. Haroche staggered back a couple of steps out on his feet and then plunged forward face first to the canvas. What happened next was disgraceful. The referee was counting Haroche whilst at the same time pulling Haroche’s left arm up. Somehow Haroche made it to his feet but was out of it. He had no control over his legs and staggered four or five paces until the ropes stopped him. He just stood there and the referee took it upon himself to lift Haroche’s hands and wipe his gloves and signal for the fight to continue. Haroche was in no condition to protect himself and Talarek drove him into the ropes landing thirteen consecutive rights to the head before the referee finally did his job and stopped the fight. Disgraceful refereeing. Putting that to one side it was a big win for Talarek. The 34-year-old Pole has now won 10 of his last 11 fights over some useful European level opposition with the loss being to Brit John Ryder. Haroche, 37, a former French champion at welter and super welter had won 6 of his last 8 fights but may decide to retire.

Tachour vs. Diarra

Two first here for Tachour as he wins his first title and has his first ten rounds fight. It was a close fight all the way with very little between them but the Parisian just got the nod on a majority decision. Scores 96-94 twice for Tachour and 95-95. Tachour, the French No 7 welter wins the vacant IBO Continental super light title and has won 6 of his last 8 fights. Diarra, the French No 6 at super light is now 5-1-1 in his last 7 fights.

 

Nuremberg, Germany: Super Welter: Rafael Chiruta W (14-39-1) W TKO 8 Davide Doria (15-5-1). Middle: Lasha Gurguliani (15-5) W PTS 8 Nuhu Lawal (25-4).

Chiruta vs. Doria

Chiruta is going to find jobs hard to get if he keeps winning. Despite having to spend two hours in a sauna to make the weight the Spanish-based Romanian won the vacant Global Boxing Union title with stoppage of Doria. Chiruta’s tactics were to box on the back foot and they worked. He rocked Doria badly on numerous occasions walking him onto counters and breaking him down with body punches with Doria’s corner throwing on the towel in the eighth round. The 37-year-old Chiruta may have lost 39 fights, 15 of them by KO/TKO, but he stunned Spanish boxing when he blasted the then European No 1 Ruben Varon out in two rounds in 2013 and has now won 5 of his most recent 6 fights including victories over 19-0 Amaro Dialo and 17-0 Reece Cartwright in his last two fights. German-based Italian Doria had comfortably outpointed Chiruta in 2015 but was well beaten here.

Lawal vs. Gurguliani

Georgian Gurguliani was not supposed to win this one but he did. He made a good start and Lawal was not quite able to claw back the deficit and lost the unanimous verdict. Scores 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75 all for Gurguliani. He was 2-5 in his last 7 fights and had only won once outside of Georgia. Nigerian Lawal had beaten Ronny Mittag and lost in tough fights against Martin Murray and Michel Soro making him 2-4in his last 6 fights.

 

Auckland, New Zealand: Super Welter: Shay Brock (12-0-1) DREW 8 Gunnar Jackson (26-10-4). Brock remains unbeaten but seems fortunate to escape with a draw. The fight was close but Jackson seemed to do enough to win particularly dominating the seventh round bombarding Brock with left hooks. The lack of power has been an unfortunate feature in Jackson’s career and his failure to finish the fight then left the result in the hands of the judges who came up with a majority draw. Brock, 25, the New Zealand champion, is being guided by former Commonwealth champion Shane Cameron and he will have learned a lot from facing an opponent as experienced as Jackson who has been the distance with Anthony Mundine and Ryota Murata.

 

Madrid, Spain: Super Bantam: Alvaro Rodriguez (8-2) W PTS 10 Luis Castro (5-4). Rodriguez retains the national title with close and controversial decision over Castro. Over the first half of the fight Castro showed he had studied the unorthodox hands down style of Rodriguez. In the fourth Rodriguez was knocked off balance and briefly touched down resulting in a count.  It got worse for Rodriguez in the fifth. He was  boxing well early in the round  when he was dropped again and was lucky to survive the round. Over the sixth and seventh Rodriguez was in command and he floored Castro in the eighth but after he knocked down Castro in the tenth with a punch to the back of the head the referee deducted a point. It looked as through Castro might have done enough but the scores went 95-92, 94-92 and 94-93 all for Rodriguez who was making the first defence of his title. Castro had won 3 of his last 4 fights and deserves a return match.

 

Rome, Italy: Heavy: Simone Federici (12-1-1|) W PTS 10 Marci Scafi (8-2-1).

Federici retains the Italian title with a wide unanimous decision over Scafi. This scrap between two boxers from Rome provided plenty of entertainment. Both got caught up in the excitement being generated by their respective fans and neither was looking to box his way to victory. Scafi rolled forward for much of the fight as they traded with more emotion than finesses but Federici landed the better punches and was stronger over the closing rounds to emerge a good winner. Scores 99-91, 99-92 and 98-93 with the scores not really showing how close Scafi made the fight. The 24-year-old Federici was making the first defence of the national title and is now 5-0-1 in his last 6 fights. Scafi 37 was moving up to ten rounds for the first time and was 4-0-1 in his last 5 fights.

 

November 4

 

 

New York, NY, USA: Heavy: Deontay Wilder (39-0) W KO 1 Bermane Stiverne (25-3-1). Heavy: Dominic Breazeale (19-1) W RTD 8 Eric Molina (26-5).Super Light: Sergey Lipinets (13-0) W PTS 12 Akihiro Kondo (29-7-1). Welter: Shawn Porter (28-2-1) W PTS 12 Adrian Granados (18-6-2). Light Heavy: Sean Monaghan (29-1) W PTS 8 Evert Bravo (23-7-1). Heavy: Lenroy Thomas (22-4) W PTS 8 Ed Fountain (12-3).

Wilder vs. Stiverne

Wilder blows away Stiverne inside a round in a disgraceful excuse for a title fight. Wilder spent early part of the first round prodding his jab through Stiverne’s guard. Stiverne tried a few jabs but was short with them. Wilder suddenly seemed to decide he had wasted enough time and walked forward and sent a straight right through Stiverne’s guard that sent Stiverne down on his rump against the ropes. Stiverne was up at four and seemed not to be too badly shaken. When the eight count was finished Wilder just stood with both arms down by his side and as soon as Stiverne was in reach he threw four head punches two of which landed on Stiverne’s gloves and two of which curled around Stiverne’s gloves and landed on the side of the head and Stiverne went down again. He was up quickly but this time after the count Wilder ran forward throwing a couple of punches forcing Stiverne back to the ropes and then landed three punches to the head as Stiverne slid down the ropes to his knees with the referee jumping in trying to drag Wilder off the fallen Stiverne who was laying back with his head resting on the bottom rope. As the referee restrained Wilder Stiverne flopped forward still on his knees but with his face down on the canvas. The farce was over and a farce is how Wilder treated it He seemed to be angry and disgusted that he should even have had to get in the ring with Stiverne. And showed his utter contempt of Stiverne as an opponent. This his sixth defence of the WBC title and he has yet to meet a challenger of any substantial quality. He is calling out Anthony Joshua but he needs Joshua a lot more than Joshua needs him and as Dominic Breazeale won what was being termed an eliminator that position is not going to change any day soon. Stiverne was awful, pathetic, but in fairness to Stiverne and the WBC he was supposed to fight Breazeale on this show but was pushed up to face Wilder when Luis Ortiz gave a positive test.

Breazeale vs. Molina

Breazeale gets an important win over Molina in a slow fight. Breazeale was originally supposed to fight Stiverne but when Luis Ortiz was ruled out by a positive test Stiverne moved into the main event and Molina came in at short notice to take on Breazeale. The first two rounds saw Breazeale taking the fight to Molina who was mostly on the back foot and with his back to the ropes. Molina came to life in the third and although still on the back foot he scored with some solid thumps to the body. Heads clashed but luckily neither fighter was hurt. Breazeale kept up the pressure in the fourth. He scored with some heavy rights to the head but Molina was ducking under or inside most of Breazeale’s rights. Molina’s work rate was more than just slow. He was throwing one punch at a time whereas Breazeale was much busier and took the fifth and sixth and although shaken by a right from Molina in the seventh he also took that round as Molina tired. In the eighth Breazeale landed a heavy right that saw Molina drop to one knee. He made it to his feet but Breazeale pounded him with punches to the bell and Molina retired in his corner. There was talk of this being a WBC eliminator but it was made clear that the victory would not automatically get Breazeale, the WBC No 7, a title shot for beating No 11 Molina. Second win for the 32-year-old former Olympian Breazeale since being battered to defeat in seven rounds by Anthony Joshua in June last year. He is No 4 with the WBO so even a fight with Parker is a possibility. Molina came in as a late substitute and was never in the fight. All five of his losses have come inside the distance including losses to Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua in title fights.

Lipinets vs. Kondo

Lipinets wins the vacant IBF title with wide decision over Kondo. Lipinets took charge of the action early with Kondo slow to get into his stride. The Japanese fighter was trying to catch Lipinets on the ropes but the Russian was proving elusive using plenty of upper body movement and sneaking home his counters and bringing blood from Kondo’s nose in the second round. Kondo was more in the fight in the third pressing hard but Lipinets outscored him in the fourth. After the fourth Lipinets was up 40-35 on two cards and 39-37 in the other. Kondo had some success in the fifth when he shook Lipinets with a right but the Russian was still dictating the fight and despite suffering a cut over his left eye in a clash of heads in the sixth he also took that round. Kondo had his best round so far in the seventh as the cut was affecting Lipinet’s vision and the eighth was close. At that point Lipinets was still in front this time 78-74 on two cards and 79-73 on the third. Kondo had to press hard to turn the fight his way. However he was himself starting to have problems with swelling beginning to restrict his vision and he had to take chances which opened him to counters from Lipinets. They traded hard punches in the last with Kondo getting the better of the exchanges but it was not enough and Lipinets was a clear winner. Scores 117-111 twice and 118-110 all for Lipinets. The 26-year-old Kazak-born “Samurai” Lipinets, a former World Full Contact Kickboxing champion. won silver and bronze medals at the Moscow Championships before moving over to Kickboxing and then returning to boxing. Kondo’s IBF rating is strange since over the past year he has scored three wins all in eight round fights. He was No 3(2) with them but could not be rated in the top 2 as he has never beaten a rated fighter. He accepted that he had lost this one and at 32 will find it hard to get another shot.

Porter vs. Granados

Porter takes unanimous decision over Granados in a twelve round war and moves closer to a return with Keith Thurman. Hostilities broke out early in this one. Porter was quicker off the mark than Granados in the first and was the busier fighter. A clash of heads saw Granados cut over his left eye. Porter landed a nice uppercut inside and a booming right to the head just before the bell for the end of the first. Porter went down to the floor but it was a slip. The pace had been fast in the first and that’s how it stayed, Granados upped his punch output in the second but Porter was quicker and more accurate. He worked Granados over on the ropes and landed another good right to the head as the round ended. Granados tried to get Porter off his game in the third with some exaggerated showboating but for much of the round it was war with Porter getting the better of the frantic exchanges and the pattern was the same in the fourth. Granados landed a peach of a right uppercut in the fifth as the pace never slowed but Porter was scoring the more eye-catching shots. The sixth started slowly but war broke out again over the last two minutes with Granados landing a right to the side of the head that had Porter rocked. Momentarily it looked as though he might go down but he stayed on his feet. Porter stated that he hurt his left hand in the sixth but it didn’t show as they continued to scarp their way through the seventh, eighth and ninth with Granados having a good spell but his lack of accuracy undid much of his work, allowing Porter to take the rounds and Porter lit up the ninth with a thudding right/left pair of punches. Granados pressed hard in the tenth but Porter was countering well and occasionally taking Granados to the ropes and blazing away with short hooks. He landed a left hook to the jaw that was the best punch in the round. Granados was walking forward again in the eleventh throwing lots of punches but leaving himself open to counters from Porter who was dancing more and looked to be coasting to victory. It was more of the same from Porter in round twelve as he was in defensive mode and boxed his way through the last. Scores 117-111 for Porter from all three judges. Former IBF champion Porter wins the vacant WBC Silver title. He has his sights set on a return with WBC/WBA champion Keith Thurman who took a very close decision over Porter in June 2016. His only other loss was a majority decision against Kell Brook for Porter’s IBF title in 2014. Illinois-based Mexican Granados was No 14 super light with the WBC. He gave everything here but Porter had the edge in mobility and accuracy. It is the first time Granados has lost a unanimous decision. His other losses have been either majority or split decisions. His loss to Adrien Broner in February was a very controversial split decision.

Monaghan vs. Bravo

Monaghan eases his way back with unanimous decision over Colombian Bravo. By the time this fight went on it was in fact early on 5 November but there were few fireworks. Monaghan had Bravo rocked and in trouble in the third and fifth rounds but failed to put him away and had to settle for the decision. First fight for 36-year-old Monaghan since losing to Marcus Browne in July which dropped Monaghan out of the ratings. Bravo losses every time he steps up.

Thomas vs. Fountain

Commonwealth champion Lenroy Thomas has to fight hard to get past the less experienced Fountain. The man from Jamaica had to climb off the floor after being put down by a right hook in the fourth but survived that scare and fought back well enough to get the close but deserved unanimous decision. Scores 76-75 twice and 77-74. The 32-year-old southpaw is now mandated to defend his Commonwealth title against Dave Allen who he beat for the vacant title on a split decision in July. Hawaiian-born Fountain had won his last two fights.

 

Monte Carlo, Monaco: Bantam: Jamie McDonnell (29-2,1ND) ND 3 Liborio Solis (25-5,1ND). Light Heavy: Dmitry Bivol (12-0) W KO 1 Trent Broadhurst (20-2). Heavy: Agit Kabayel (17-0) W PTS 12 Dereck Chisora (27-8). Feather: Scott Quigg (34-1-2) W TKO 6 Oleg Yefimovych (29-3-1).

11

McDonnell vs. Solis

Before this fight really gets going a clash of heads sees McDonnell suffer a bad cut over the left eye and although he survives two doctors inspections on the third occasion it was obvious that the cut was too severe and the fight was stopped. Since the third round had not been completed it was ruled a No Decision so McDonnell retains his title.

Round 1

Solis made a furious start charging out of his corner driving McDonnell to the ropes and letting fly with both hands intent on taking control. McDonnell was trying to get his jab working but the pressure from Solis had him on the defensive and Solis did enough to take the round.

Score `10-9 Solis

Round 2

McDonnell took this one clearly. He was raking Solis with jabs and rights. He stayed off the ropes and avoided or blocked the punches from Solis and had the Venezuelan on the back foot.

10-9 McDonnell                                                                                          19-19

Round 3

They bumped heads just seconds into this one. The referee took McDonnell over to the doctor and the champion was showing what looked like a serious cut over his left eye. The fight continued . Encouraged by seeing McDonnell cut Solis attacked strongly and for a short while McDonnell was under pressure but he soon settled back into controlling the action with his jab. The referee stopped the action again for an inspection of the cut. It was a long vertical gash above McDonnell’s left eye and the blood was running down the side of his face and onto his chest. McDonnell made it clear he wanted to continue and the doctor decided that it would be OK. It was obvious the fight would be stopped soon so both fighters just stood and traded punch after punch but the referee again stepped in and with the blood running into the left eye of McDonnell the doctor ruled the cut too severe for the fight to continue and sine the third round had not been completed the result was a No Decision (not that stupid No Contest). McDonnell retains the secondary WBA title in his sixth defence. It will now be up to the WBA whether they mandate a third fight between these two but the severity of the cut means that McDonnell, who had not fought since their last contests in November 2016, faces another lay-off. Solis had also not fought in the intervening time but let’s just hope the dreaded “interim” word does not crop up.

Bivol vs. Broadhurst

A hugely impressive Bivol flattens Broadhurst with laser-like right. Both were stabbing out jabs and trying their right hands. As they came together it was difficult to tell if their body bumped and an off balance Broadhurst went down or if Bivol had landed a punch inside. The referee considered it a genuine knockdown and gave Broadhurst a mandatory eight count. Bivol landed a sharp left jab and followed that with a right cross. He then kept Broadhurst on the back foot with his jab. Broadhurst missed with a couple of rights and with less than ten seconds remaining in the round Bivol drilled the Australian with a straight right to the chin  and Broadhurst dropped to the canvas on his back. After a quick glance at the fallen challenger the referee waived the fight off Bivol had been promoted from interim champion to full champion so this was his first defence of the WBA title. As an amateur he was twice World Cadet Champion and also won a gold medal at the European Cadet Championships., He moved up from Cadet status to twice win the Russian Junior Championship gold and took a bronze at the World Junior Championships before moving up again to win the gold medal at the Russian Senior Championships in 2012. He has yet to meet a big name but was impressive here. Broadhurst, 29, the WBA No 10 had won his last 13 fights but Bivol was on a whole other level to his past opposition.

Kabayel vs. Chisora

Kabayel gets a career best win as he retains the European title with majority decision over Chisora. For Chisora to win this one he needed to turn it into a close quarters brawl but Kabayel did not oblige. Instead over the first two rounds boxing on the back foot the German showed good mobility spearing the advancing Chisora with jabs and some quick hooks. Chisora get into the fight in earnest in the third landing a strong right uppercut and a booming right. Chisora managed to get in close to work in the fourth with Kabayel taking the punches well and doubling up his jab. At that juncture two judges had them even at 38-38 with the third having Kabayel in front 39-37. Kabayel did enough to edge the fifth but Chisora’s pressure made the sixth close Kabayel moved well and made good use of his jab in the seventh. Kabayel managed to keep the fight open in the eighth slotting home jabs on the advancing Chisora and scoring well to the body. Chisora was not throwing enough tending to wait until he could get inside to let his hands go. After eight rounds Kabayel was now in front 77-75 on all three cards although some at ringside thought Kabayel deserved to have a clearer lead. Kabayel was still boxing coolly and scoring with jabs and hooks as Chisora came forward over the closing rounds and it looked a lost cause but Chisora’s pressure had clawed him back into contention on the cards. Kabayel had more left in the tank and he fought his way through the last round with a strong finish to retain his title. Scores 115-113, 115-114 and 114-114 giving Kabayel a deserved victory.  In fact with the scores so close if Chisora had won the last round he would have been the one winning the majority decision. Everyone sees a fight differently and the judges saw this one closer than many observers and Chisora himself felt he had not done enough. A big win for 25-year-old Kabayel. He was rated WBC 12/WBO 13/IBF 14(13) so could hope to improve on that. Chisora, 33, was rated No 8 by the WBC but any chance of another title fight is fading away. He must feel that luck has always been against him. He has lost three split decision and a majority decision in four important fights and has never actually won a split decision or a majority one in any fight. There is a line in a Sinatra song “Taking a Chance on Love” that goes “brother rabbit you better kiss your foot goodbye” obviously whoever got that rabbit’s foot it was not Del Boy.

Quigg vs. Yefimovych

Quigg gets important win which puts him in prime position to challenge for Lee Selby’s IBF title. Quigg was hunting Yefimovych from the start with the Ukrainian circling showing quick hands and good movement but little power. That allowed Quigg to press and he used a stiff jab to keep Yefimovych going back and got through with tights to the head and a nice left hook. Yefimovych found gaps for some sharp counters in the second but Quigg was finding the target with overhand rights and left hooks to the body and Yefimovych was looking uncomfortable at the pace Quigg was setting. Yefimovych opened the third showering Quigg with lefts and rights but the lack of power meant Quigg just kept coming. Over the last minute Yefimovych was looking tired and being caught with some heavy rights. Yefimovych kept moving and kept punching in the fourth but Quigg was now banging home body punches and again those booming rights and Yefimovych was taking a beating. The Ukrainian was landing counter after counter in the fifth but Quigg was walking though them and at the end of the round Yefimovych with a rapidly growing lump under his right eye was trapped in a corner with Quigg unloading with heavy punches. After the bell the referee went over to ask Yefimovych if he wanted to continue and Yefimovych said he did. A few big rights from Quigg in the sixth saw the referee step in to save Yefimovych. Quigg has now won three in a row since moving up to featherweight after his loss to Carl Frampton. He had a good win over Viorel Simion in April and is now rated IBF 2(1) so is the highest rated fighter and since Yefimovych was No 10 with the IBF the win qualifies Quigg to move into the No 1 spot as challenger to Lee Selby. Yefimovych, 36, twice a European champion suffers his first loss by KO/TKO. He was 11-0-1 going into this one and showed excellent skills but was out-powered.

 

Townsville, Australia: Cruiser: Mark Flanagan (23-5) W KO 4 Pablo Magrini (19-3-1). Flanagan blows away Argentinian Magrini inside four rounds. The local fighter made a fast start and built on that success in the third and fourth. Magrini looked as though he might have enough to go into the later rounds but that idea was dismissed by a short right uppercut to the chin in the fourth which put Magrini down and out. First fight for Flanagan since losing a wide unanimous verdict against Denis Lebedev for the WBA title in July. He retains his WBA Oceania title and now has 16 wins by KO/TKO. The setting up of the fight with Lebedev saw him slipped into the WBA ratings a few weeks before the fight and the loss has seen him drop out again. Now he will have a tough job getting another title fight but at 27 there is a still a chance he might. Magrini, 38, had lost only one of his last 17 fights but the quality of the opposition was very low and he was not in the national ratings.

 

Tokyo, Japan: Heavy: Kyotaro Fujimoto (18-1) W KO 5 Randall Rayment (8-4).

Fujimoto has no trouble in beating Australian No 4 Rayment. The Japanese fighter was too mobile for the slower Rayment. Fujimoto took the first round constantly finding gaps in Rayment’s guard. Rayment put in a big effort in the third and did enough to edge the round but it was all downhill from there. Fujimoto scored well with body punches in the fourth and at the end of the round all three judges had it 39-37 for the champion. Fujimoto finished it in the fifth with a spectacular combination which put Rayment down. He struggled to his feet but was counted out. The 31-year-old Fujimoto makes it 10 wins by KOTKO. He is somehow rated WBO 8/WBC15 but has never beaten anyone who would figure in the top 50 and definitely not anyone who has been in the WBC top 40. BoxRec have him at No 43 and Rayment No 251. However the drums will now beat for a Joseph Parker vs. Fujimoto fight. First loss by KO/TKO for Rayment. He had won his last six fights but let’s not get too excited. His six victims only had 14 wins between them and 12 of those we scored by one opponent so the other five mustered only two wins.

 

Tijuana, Mexico: Bantam: Luis Nery (25-0) W TKO 6 Arthur Villanueva 31-3). Super Light: Jose Zepeda (28-1,1ND) W TKO 6 Abner Lopez (25-8).

Nery vs. Villanueva

Despite a positive test drugs cheat Nery just gets to fight on as if nothing has happened. Despite suffering a flash knockdown in the fourth he just overwhelmed a brave Villanueva with sustained attacking landing hooks to head and body throughout the six rounds the fight lasted. Villanueva made a positive start scoring with his jab and with long rights to the body. Nery opened up and rocked Filipino Villanueva twice with series of hooks to take the round. Heads clashed but luckily neither fighter was injured. Villanueva again landed well with his jab and rights to the body in the second only for Nery to rock him again with a hook and finish the round strongly. Nery took over completely in the third battering Villanueva with hooks from both hands. Villanueva tried to punch back but looked close to caving in under the pressure. Nery was relentless in the fourth marching forward firing hooks and Villanueva was countering only occasionally. Just before the bell  Nery shook Villanueva with a left hook but as the exchanged shots on the ropes a right from Villanueva saw Nery drop  briefly to one knee. He was up immediately but it was a knockdown and the referee gave Nery an eight count. Nery had lost his mouthguard and after the referee replaced it Villanueva landed a couple of rights but then the bell went. After a cautious start to the fifth Nery was on the march again pumping out hooks and uppercuts. Villanueva momentarily punched back to stop Nery in his tracks but by the end of the round he was reeling under a storm of leather. Nery started the sixth just probing with his jab but when he took Villanueva to the ropes and cut loose with a bunch of head punches the referee jumped in and stopped the fight. Next for Nery will probably be the mandated return with Shinsuke Yamanaka who he beat for the WBC title in August. Yamanaka had actually announced his retirement but naturally has rescinded that. I am disappointed the Japanese Boxing Commission have done nothing to support Yamanaka. The positive test should have resulted in the win for Nery being overturned and Yamanaka retaining his title. Villanueva showed real guts and never stopped trying to fire back but was just out-gunned. His other two losses were to McJoe Arroyo for the vacant IBF super fly title and Zolani Tete for the interim WBO bantam title. At 28 “King Arthur” still has time to eventually win a crown.

Zepeda vs. Lopez

Zepeda comes from behind cut and in trouble to stop Lopez. In the first despite giving away a lot in height and reach Zepeda was able to get past the jab and score with quick hooks inside. Lopez took the second. A clash of heads shook Zepeda and Lopez was able score with strong jabs and straight rights. Zepeda had a good third. He was walking Lopez onto southpaw left hooks and scoring with hooks inside. Heads continued to bump together. The fight looked to be turning Lopez’s way in the fourth. He was driving forward behind his jab and digging in body punches. By the fifth Zepeda was bleeding heavily from a cut on his forehead and Lopez looked to be getting stronger. Zepeda needed something to turn the fight his way and he found it in the sixth. He shook Lopez with a right cross and then landed a shattering left hook and followed that with an uppercut. Lopez tried to punch back but Zepeda drove him to the ropes and was banging away with hooks and uppercuts and the referee stopped the fight. The 28-year-old Zepeda makes it 24 wins by KO/TKO and gets his fifth victory since his unlucky injury which forced him out in the second round of his fight with Terry Flanagan for the vacant WBO light title in 2015. He is No 4 super light with the WBO and will be hoping to get in the mix for one of the vacant titles. But he will have to do better than he did here. Lopez is now 2-4 in his last 6 fights.

 

Ciudad Juarez, Mexico: Super Feather: Jhonny Gonzalez (65-10) W PTS 12 Irving Berry (23-7-2). Middle: Misael Rodriguez (5-0) W KO 3 Isaac (16-16).

Gonzalez vs. Berry

Gonzalez keeps on track for a shot at Miguel Berchelt with wide unanimous decision over Panamanian Berry. Gonzalez pressed hard and punched too hard for Berry to be a threat. The only drawback was a clash of heads in the opening round which caused  a cut on Gonzalez’s left eyebrow. The Mexican landed heavy left hooks in the second and clobbered Berry with a right in the third on his way to be 40-35 up on all cards after four rounds. Gonzalez was looking for a finishing punch but despite dropping Berry and having him on the verge in the sixth could not close the fight out. He continued to dominate the action but although flooring Berry for a third time in the last round he had to settle for a points victory. Scores 120-105 for Gonzalez from all three judges. The 36-year-old former WBO bantam and WBC feather champion has now won six in a row against a reasonable level of opposition and is No 4 with the WBC so in the queue but an outsider at this time. Berry, 31, lost in shots at the secondary WBA title and IBO titles but was inactive for almost three years until returning with a win in May.

Rodriguez vs. Mendez

Olympian Rodriguez ticks up another win with kayo of Mendez. Rodriguez wore Mendez down over the first round before putting him on the floor for the count in the third. The 23-year-old “El Chino” won a bronze medal in Rio and at the Pan American Games. Poor Mendez who came in as a late sub is 2-8 in his last 10 fights and this is loss No 15 by KO/TKO.

 

Geneva, Switzerland: Light Heavy: Yoann Kongolo (10-0) W PTS 12 Enes Zecirevic (17-3). Kongolo wins the vacant EBU-EE title with unanimous points victory over Zecirevic. It was a hard-fought, competitive and entertaining fight. Kongolo had the edge in skill and accuracy but Zecirevic fought hard in every round making things tough for Kongolo. There was never much between them on a round-by round basis but Kongolo was just doing enough to edge most of them and he swept rounds nine, ten and eleven and despite taking the last round Zecirevic was too far behind for it to make any difference.  Scores 118-110, 117-111 and 116-113 all for Kongolo. The 30-year-old Swiss, already the WBC International Silver title holder, is making good progress and is ready to move up. Swiss-based Bosnian Zecirevic had won 5 of his last 6 fights and gave a very creditable performance playing his part in making their meeting one of the best fights seen in Switzerland for many years., The EBU-EE title is for European fighters coming from and licensed in countries that are not part of the European Economic Area but are eligible to fight for the European title.

 

Manchester, England: Middle: Matthew Ryan (15-2) W PTS 10 Darryl Sharp (5-25). Middle: Reece Cartwright (19-1) W TKO 4 Daniel Urbanski (21-22-3).

Ryan vs. Sharp

Ryan wins the BBB of C Central Area title with points victory over Sharp. With his height and reach Ryan was able to control much of the action with his jab with Sharp having to take counters to get within punching range. Ryan’s jab gave Sharp plenty of trouble and Ryan also mixed in some hefty hooks to the body. Despite that Sharp’s aggression saw him pick up a couple of rounds and be competitive all the way although Ryan’s strength saw him pull away over the last couple of rounds. Referee’s score 98-93 to Ryan. The 26-year-old former English champion needed this win after having a ten bout winning streak snapped and his title change hands when he was stopped in three rounds by Ted Cheeseman in July. Southpaw Sharp is a useful opponent for boxers coming up. He had never lost by KO/TKO and this is his 16^th fight this year.

Cartwright vs. Urbanski

Cartwright was working over the pedestrian-paced Urbanski in the first. He was slotting home jabs and landing quick flurries. Cartwright was finding the target constantly with his right cross with Urbanski trying to get inside but being stuck on the end of Cartwright’s jab. Urbanski did manage to land some left hooks to body and head but very few. Cartwright increased his punch output mixing in more combinations and putting Urbanski under more pressure. A sustained attack from Cartwright in the fourth saw Urbanski drop to his knees and although he got up the referee stopped the fight.  The 6’3” (191cm) Cartwright suffered an upset first round stoppage loss to Rafael Chiruta in July and this is his second win since then and his eleventh win by KO/TKO. Pole Urbanski falls to 15 losses in a row and his seventh loss by KO/TKO.

 

Liverpool, England: Super Light: Ryan Mulcahy (10-0) W PTS 8 Edvinas Puplauskas (5-13).Middle: Jack Arnfield (25-2) W PTS 6 Adam Jones (6-27-5).

Mulcahy vs. Puplauskas

Although giving away height and reach Mulcahy was faster and more mobile than Puplauskas and was able to get past or duck under the jab and work inside with hooks to the body. Although his jab lacked power Puplauskas did score with some long rights and countered Mulcahy on the way in but Mulcahy was outscoring Puplauskas in every round. Mulcahy stepped up the pace scoring with rights in the sixth and body punches in the seventh with one of those body punches forcing Puplauskas to one knee. He survived the round and the last but Mulcahy took the referees decision 80-72. The 27-year-old Liverpool “Monk”, the BBB of C Central Area champion is making good progress. Lithuanian Puplauskas has now lost his last seven bouts all on points, five of them to unbeaten fighters.

Arnfield vs. Jones

Despite their respective records Jones made Arnfield work hard for his win. The Yorkshire fighter stormed into Arnfield in every round often getting past the jab and scoring with hooks inside. Arnfield was picking up the rounds with his sharp jab and dominated when he could fight at a distance but was being matched by Jones inside. In the end the accuracy of Arnfield’s work, his better jab and some good body work as Jones tired made the difference and Arnfield got the decision but the referee’s score card of 58-56 showed how close it was. The 28-yerar-old Arnfield is rated No 8 by the WBA following impressive wins over John Ryder and Brian Rose. Jones, 25, is a much better fighter than his current 0-12-1 run shows and he has never lost inside the distance.

 

Atlanta, Georgia: Heavy: Devin Vargas (20-4) W TKO 1 Galen Brown (44-39-1). Super Light: Devin Haney (18-0) W TKO 5 Hamza Sempewo (14-9).

Vargas vs. Brown

Vargas gets his second win after returning from a long spell of inactivity. He wasted no time in this one flooring Brown early with a body punch and then pounding Brown with punches until the referee halted the massacre. The 35-year-old Vargas dominated the 201lbs/91kg scene in the US amateur ranks in the early 2000’s winning two National Golden Gloves, a US National title and a gold at the National PAL. He captained the US boxing team at the 2004 Olympics and was expected to do well as a pro. It never happened and he retired in 2014 after three losses in a row before returning in April with a win. Brown needs to hang up his gloves. He has lost 10 of his last 11 fights 9 of them by KO/TKO and this is his 27^th loss by KO/TKO.

Haney vs. Sempewo

Haney moves to 18 wins with 12 of those by KO/TKO as he halts an overmatched Sempewo in five rounds. He has packed 18 fights into less than two years as a pro. Still only 18 Haney was a US Youth Champion and a gold medallist at the US Junior World Team Tournament. He turned pro in December 2015 at 17 and is the youngest fighter to have appeared on a nationally televised fight in the USA and the youngest to have boxed at the MGM Grand. He is trained by Floyd Mayweather Senior so one to follow. Ugandan Sempewo drops to five losses by KO/TKO.

 

November 5

 

General Santos City’ Philippines: Super Fly: Jade Bornea (10-0) W KO 2 John Rey Lauza (13-16-4).

Prospect Bornea gets another quick win as he floor and then kayos southpaw Lauza in two rounds. Now seven wins by KO/TKO for the 22-year-old former World Youth bronze medallist and a gold medal winner at the Asian Confederation Youth Championships. He is No 1 super fly in the Philippines ratings and brother Jake is No 2 light flyweight. Lauza is now 0-6-1 in his last 7 contests.

 

Fight of the week:  Shawn Porter vs. Adrian Granados twelve round of mayhem

Fighter of the week: Deontay Wilder Stiverne was awful but Wilder showed real power

Punch of the week: .The laser-like right from Dmitry Bivol that demolished Trent Broadhurst. The Jose Zepeda left hook that effectively ended his fight with Abner Lopez, the Ray Garcia left hook he clobbered Cesar Valenzuela with and the right from Robert Talarek would probably won the nomination any other week

Upset of the week: None

One to watch:   Devin Haney just 18 and already 18-0

 

 

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