Check out Eric Armit’s comprehensive report in The Week in Boxing – June 19, 2018!

 

Highlights

-Errol Spence blows away Carlos Ocampo with a body punch in the first round to retain his IBF welter title

-Daniel Roman wins wide unanimous decision over Moises Flores in WBA super bantam title defence

-Artem Dalakian stops Thai Yodmongkol in WBA flyweight title defence.

– Wilfredo Vazquez Jr ends the career of Cristian Mijares with a third round kayo

-Jose Zepeda has to climb off the floor to beat Carlos Diaz

-Lewis Ritson continues his run of impressive wins as he blows away unbeaten Paul Hyland to retain his British lightweight title and Josh Kelly wins the Commonwealth title with victory over Kris George

-Mercito Gesta keeps his title hopes alive with decision over Robert Manzanarez as does veteran Firat Arslan with a win over Argentinian Pablo Magrini

-Simon Kean stops Adam Braidwood in much anticipated Canadian heavyweight fight

 

World Title Fights:

June 16 Frisco Texas: Welter: Errol Spence (24-0) W KO 1 Carlos Ocampo (22-1). Super Bantam: Daniel Roman (25-2-1) W PTS 12 Moises Flores (25-1,2ND).

Spence vs. Ocampo

Spence hardly breaks sweat as he disposes of Mexican Ocampo with a body punch at the end of the first round. Spence took the fight to Ocampo from the start. After some early pawing and probing Spence scored with some long southpaw lefts to the body. Ocampo tried some rights but he was tentative and came up short with them. Just before the bell Spence landed a left that looked low but then forced Ocampo to the roes and landed a wicked left to the body and followed that with a right to the side but Ocampo was already pitching forward and down on his knees. He writhed in agony managing to get one knee off the canvas but then collapsed again to both knees and was counted out. Second defence of the IBF title for Spence and his eleventh win in a row by KO/TKO. Now he wants a real challenge from the winner of Danny Garcia vs. Shawn Porter. Ocampo was unbeaten but ridiculously overrated by the IBF at No 3 (second highest fighter as the No 1 position was vacant) but to put some balance in it that body punch would have probably finished many fighters.

Roman vs. Flores

Roman wins unanimous decision over Flores in a gruelling tough fight to retain his WBA title in his second defence. Flores was overweight so could not win the title

Round 1

Flores was much the taller boxer and had the longer reach. He strode forward letting fly with long looping punches. Some landed but Roman was blocking well and slotting home quick accurate counters and had the better of the exchanges.

Score 10-9 Roman

Round 2                                                                                      

Again Flores was marching forward slinging punches. Roman had no trouble getting inside and hooking to the body with both hands.  He was quicker placing his punches well and outboxing the challenger.

Score 10-9 Roman                                                                        Roman 20-18

Round 3

Flores had a bit more success in this one as he set a high work rate and managed to land some hooks to the head. Roman was picking his punches finding gaps for his left hooks and thumping Flores with rights to the head and was doing the quality work.

Score 10-9 Roman                                                                        Roman 30-27

Round 4

Flores worked hard in this round. Sometimes it was a case of head down and swing but he was connecting with some of those shots and with some hooks when he moved inside. Roman continued to counter and he was landing heavier punches including a good left hook and left uppercut which had the skinny legs of Flores shaking.

Score 10-9 Roman                                                                        Roman 40-36

Official Scores: 40-36 and 39-37 Roman and 38-38

Round 5

A clear round for Roman. He outboxed and outpunched Flores. He was catching Flores with solid counters and working inside with uppercuts and hooks. He stopped Flores in his tracks with a left hook and continued to rake Flores with body punches

Score 10-9 Roman                                                                        Roman 50-45

Round 6

This was a much closer round. Flores just kept pumping out his punches. There was not a lot of power or accuracy. Roman was doing the better quality work pounding hooks to the body and blocking and dodging many of the swinging punches from Flores

Score 10-9 Roman                                                                        Roman 60-54

Round 7

Flores was as gutsy as hell. He looked tired but just kept walking forward swinging. There was no snap in his punches but there was quantity and that was enough to give him the edge over the more precise punching of Roman

Score 10-9 Flores                                                                          Roman 69-64

Round 8

A tiring Flores continued to walk into punishment in this one. Roman was peppering Flores with hooks and uppercuts as he walked forward but Flores kept marching in and had some success with his long shots. He was making Roman fight three minutes of every round but the body punches were taking their toll and Roman was making Flores pay for every forward step.

Score 10-9 Roman                                                                        Roman 79-73

Official Scores: 80-72 and 78-74 for Roman and 76-76

Round 9

Both fighters switched to southpaw briefly in this round. Flores was staying in the fight just by pumping out his punches. Over the last minute of the round Roman began to drive Flores back giving the challenger a torrid time as he punished him with hooks and uppercuts.

Score 10-9 Roman                                                                        Roman 89-82

Round 10

In the early rounds Roman had been prepared to let Flores get on the front foot and counter him but things had changed. Now Roman was on the front foot digging home hurtful body punches as he switched to southpaw. An exhausted looking Flores was the one under pressure but he took the punishment and tried to fight back. You wonder where he gets the strength from. His spindly legs would not look out of place on a flyweight-in fact they would not look out of place on a fly-but he is tougher than he looks.

Score 10-9 Roman                                                                        Roman 99-91

Round 11

Flores actually ran out of corner at the start of this round looking to get to work early. Unfortunately he was soon winging and swinging and swishing air. Roman was also looking tired now and switching guards but he was still landing hard accurate punches. He staggered Flores and then launched a furious attack but Flores did not crumble.

Score 10-9 Roman                                                                        Roman 109-100

Round 12

Roman took the last round. Somehow Flores managed to continue to throw punches but Roman was landing brutally to head and body. A couple of time it looked as though Flores had nothing left but he just kept throwing his hands forward and shaking off the counters that Roman landed.

Score 10-9 Roman.                                                                       Roman 119-109

Official Scores: 120-108, 118-110 and 116-112 all for Roman

The 28-year-old from California takes care of his mandatory defence so now can look for some lucrative voluntary defences or unification fights. The big attraction would be a fight against Diego De La Hoya but De la Hoya is No 1 challenger to the WBO champion Isaac Dogboe so it remains to be seen which way De La Hoya wants to go. Meanwhile having won and defended his title in Japan Roman now need to build a bigger profile in the US. Flores, a former IBO and interim WBA champion was having his first fight since being flattened in June last year by a punch from Guillermo Rigondeaux which the referee ruled legal only for the Nevada Commission reverse the decision and declare it a No Decision. At 5’9” he is much too tall to be fighting at 122lbs and after failing to make the weight a move up to feather or super feather would seem sensible. He set a punishing pace in this fight but his lack of power and accuracy meant that much of his work was wasted.

 

Hato Rey, Puerto Rico: Light Fly: Angel Acosta (18-1) W TKO 12 Carlos Buitrago (30-4-1).

Acosta vs. Buitrago

Acosta retains the WBO title with last round stoppage of courageous Buitrago.

Round 1

Acosta opened up early tracking Buitrago and unleashing sweeping hooks and quick straight rights. Buitrago scored with some classy jabs and right counters but it was Acosta’s round

Score 10-9 Acosta

Round 2

This round was closer. Buitrago again did some good work early with his jab and banged through some good rights. Acosta came on strong at the end of the round taking Buitrago to the ropes and scoring to the body with hooks from both hands to just have the edge.

Score 10-9 Acosta                                                                         Acosta 20-18

Round 3

Acosta gave Buitrago a torrid time at the start of this one. He took the challenger to the ropes and hammered away to head and body until Buitrago eventually used a stiff jab to get off the ropes. Acosta exploded again over the last minute of the round firing hooks and straight rights with Buitrago countering when he could but taking a lot of punishment.

Score 10-9 Acosta                                                                         Acosta 30-27

Round 4

Buitrago spent the whole of this round with his back to the ropes trying to fend off relentless attacks from Acosta. He was twice warned for holding and was worked over heavily as Acosta battered away at his defences landing head-jarring shots from both hands.

Score 10-9 Acosta                                                                         Acosta 40-36

Official Scores: 40-36, 40-36, 40-36 all for Acosta

Round 5

Another round for Acosta but not so clearly. Buitrago was showing good defensive moves and with Acosta trying to just walk forward with no thought of defence Buitrago was able to score some hard rights but for much of the round Acosta was getting through with hooks to the body and straight rights.

Score 10-9 Acosta                                                                         Acosta 50-45

Round 6

Acosta was marching forward loading up on his punches throwing sweeping hooks to the body and straight lefts and rights to the head. He was ignoring defence which allowed Buitrago to clobber Acosta with right counters but Acosta kept coming.

Score 10-9 Acosta                                                                         Acosta 60-54

Round 7

Acosta piled forward in this round focussing almost exclusively on the body. He was raking Buitrago with hooks with Buitrago counter with body punches of his own. Acosta’s attacks lacked some of the frenzy of the earlier rounds but Buitrago was being outworked

.Score 10-9 Acosta                                                                        Acosta 70-63

Round 8

After an early spurt Acosta slowed down in this one and Buitrago was able to get on the front foot and force Acosta back with his jab. Acosta exploded in bursts but for me Buitrago just did enough to take the round.

Score 10-9 Buitrago                                                                      Acosta 79-73

Official Scores: 80-72, 80-72, 80-72 all for Acosta

Round 9

Another round for Buitrago. Acosta’s work rate had dropped and Buitrago was able to score with his strong jab and slide through left hooks to the body. Acosta was missing more than in the early rounds and looked to be tiring from the frantic pace he had set.

Score 10-9 Buitrago                                                                      Acosta 88-83

Round 10

Acosta stepped up the pace at the start of this one putting Buitrago under pressure. Buitrago was now standing and trading rather than retreating and he was accurate with his jabs and left hooks and did enough to take the round.

Score 10-9 Buitrago                                                                      Acosta 97-93

Round 11

Acosta outworked Buitrago in this round. He pressed hard letting fly with hard head punches ignoring Buitrago’s counters and whacking Buitrago to head and body

Score 10-9 Acosta                                                                         Acosta 107-102

Round 12

Acosta launched a furious attack taking Buitrago to the ropes and landing a series of heavy head punches and Buitrago slid down the ropes. The referee sent Acosta to a neutral corner but Buitrago had not gone all the way down. He had sat on the bottom rope and was up quickly. After the eight count Acosta jumped on Buitrago and landed a couple of clubbing rights and the referee jumped in and stopped the fight.

The 27-year-old Puerto Rican was defending the WBO title for the first time and keeps his record of scoring all of his win by KO/TKO. The only one of fights to have gone the distance was his unanimous decision defeat by Kosei Tanaka in a challenge for this same title in May last year.” Chocorroncito” Buitrago 26 is now 0-4-1 in five shots at a world title. He showed great skills here but lacked the power to take advantage of the often carelessly wide open Acosta. Don’t rule out title chance No 6 sometime in the future.

 

June 17

 

Kiev, Ukraine: Fly: Artem Dalakian (17-0) W TKO 8 Yodmongkol (50-4).

Dalakian retains the WBA title with stoppage of Thai challenger Yodmongkol (Sirichai Thaiyen). From the first Dalakian was his flashy, quick unpredictable self. Dancing with hands down, constantly changing angles and leaping in with bursts of punches and out before the Thai could counter. Yodmongkol kept padding forward but was too slow and predictable. Dalakian really opened up in the forth standing in close and pounding Yodmongkol with a series of hooks and uppercuts as he added power to his poise. He then went back to using quick, lighter punches. Yodmongkol was too slow to cut the ring off so Dalakian was rarely troubled. Fifteen seconds into the fifth round Dalakian floored Yodmongkol with a right hook. Yodmongkol was up quickly and after the eight count Dalakian stormed into the Thai landing heavily with both hands. Yodmongkol took plenty of punishment but by the end of the round had recovered and was tracking Dalakian around the ring trying to pin Dalakian down. Dalakian pretty well took a round off in the sixth not really looking to engage and Yodmongkol although pressing harder was still not able to bring Dalakian to battle. The seventh was an untidy round most of the way. Dalakian was still flitting around the ring and then leaping inside but the there was too much wrestling. Just before the bell Dalakian plunged home a left to the body and a right to the side of the head which seemed to daze the challenger and Yodmongkol pitched forward and down. He was up immediately but by the time the eight count was completed the round was over. In the eighth a right from Dalakian dropped the advancing Yodmongkol down on one knee. He looked shaken and after the eight count Dalakian scored with a series of thumping rights to the head and the referee stopped the fight. The 30-year-old Azeri-born Dalakian was defending the title for the first time. He had won it in February with a wide unanimous points win over Brian Viloria. With his style he will give any flyweight problems. Yodmongkol was just too slow and predictable to pose a threat to someone as quick as Dalakian. His only loss in his last 45 fights had been a fifth round stoppage against Juan Reveco for the secondary WBA title in 2014 but Reveco was also the only fighter of note he had met in those 45 fights.

 

For undercard fights see under date below.

 

June 14

 

Indio, CA, USA: Light: Mercito Gesta (32-2-2) W PTS 10 Robert Manzanarez (36-2). Feather: Manny Robles (16-0) W TKO 9 Edgar Valerio (13-1).

Gesta vs. Manzanarez

Gesta keeps his hopes of a third world title fight alive as he takes majority decision over Manzanarez. Filipino southpaw Gesta forced the fight most of the way with Manzanarez using his longer reach to work on the outside. The styles did not really mesh and it was an interesting rather than exciting contests. Gesta edged rounds over the first half of the fight and Manzanarez was cut over his right eye in a clash of heads in the fourth. Manzanarez made some adjustments and did better from there scoring freely with his jab and right hooks. He lacked the power to stop the forward march of Gesta but was countering strongly and it was a very close fight. Gesta landed some useful rights in the ninth and after nine rounds of tactics they went to war in the tenth with the fight close enough for both fighters to feel they had won. The cards said Gesta was the winner with two cards of 96-94 and one reading 95-95. Gesta, 30 has lost on points in two world title shots to Miguel Vazquez for the IBF light title in 2012 and in January this year to Jorge Linares for the WBA title. Gesta was unrated but this victory nets him the WBO NABO title so could get him rated again. Phoenix-born Manzanarez turned pro at 15 and is still only 23 so he has time to get over this loss.

Robles vs. Valerio

Robles wins this match of two unbeaten Golden Boy hopes as he floors Valerio twice and stops him in the ninth. Robles had the edge from the start and floored Valerio with a left hook in the third. Valerio recovered and fought back hard, and in the eighth he wobbled Robles with right. Robles shook that off and in the ninth he landed a right that floored Valerio heavily. Valerio made it to his feet but he was pinned in a corner taking punishment and the fight was stopped. Robles. 24 wins the vacant NABF title. He was moving up to ten rounds for the first time but did not have to go that far as he registered his eighth win by KO/TKO and his fourth on the bounce. Los Angeles-based Mexican Valerio, 23, was also in his first ten round fight and at 23 he can come again.

 

Tokyo, Japan: Bantam: Hiroaki Teshigawara (17-2-2) W KO 5 Teiru Kinoshita (26-3-1). Super Fly: Ryuichi Funai (30-7) W KO 8 Warlito Parrenas (26-8-1). Light: Shuichiro Yoshino (8-0) W KO 9 Genki Maeda (6-3-1).

Teshigawara vs. Kinoshita

Teshigawara retains the WBO Asia Pacific title with kayo of Kinoshita. As expected Teshigawara was the aggressor early with southpaw Kinoshita trying to use good movement and counter punching to blunt Teshigawara’s attacks. The stronger Teshigawara scored well with right hooks to head and body over the first two rounds and then floored Kinoshita with a right in the third. Kinoshita beat the count and Teshigawara was wild with his attacks and Kinoshita banged back to survive the round. The fourth was more even as Teshigawara took a breather after his efforts in the third but in the fifth a hard right dazed and cut Kinoshita and he was put down and counted out. The 28-year-old WBO No 7 makes it 10 wins by KO/TKO and is 12-1-1 in his last 14 fights. The “Golden Yasha”, so named for his blonde hair, is trained by former WBA and WBC super welter champion Koichi Wajima. Kinoshita. 32, suffers his second loss by KO/TKO. He was beaten by Zolani Tete and Jerwin Ancajas in IBF super fly title fights and was rated No 4 in Japan. He is Japanese Korean with his birth name being Tae-Il Park.

Funai vs. Parrenas

Funai comes back from the brink of defeat to beat Parrenas in the eighth round. Funai did some good work early with his jab but Japanese-based Filipino Parrenas built a lead with his swarming, aggressive attacks. Funai was cut over both eyes once from a punch and once from a clash of heads but in the sixth he scored with a vicious left to the body that had Parrenas hurt. Parrenas fought back hard and Funai was cut again over the left eye. After seven rounds Parrenas was in front 67-66 twice and 69-64on the cards. Funai was bleeding heavily and in deep trouble but two body punches in the eighth had Parrenas backing up and he was shaken by a right and put down by a series of punches and counted out. Funai, 32, wins the vacant WBO Asia Pacific title and gets win No 21 by KO/TKO. He is rated IBF 7/WBO 12/WBC 13 and is 14-1 in his last 15 fights. Parrenas, 34, falls to his sixth loss by KO/TKO. He was 9-1-1 going in with the draw against title challenger David Carmona and the loss to Naoya Inoue.

Yoshino vs. Maeda

Prospect Yoshino much too good for modest Maeda and retains the national title in his second defence. The 5’11” (180cm) Yoshino had big physical edges. Maeda tried to bull his way inside but Yoshino scored with straight rights and left hooks. A right floored Maeda in the third. He rebounded well and competed strongly in the fourth but after five rounds Yoshino was comfortably in front on the cards at 49-45 twice and 50-45. Uppercuts from Maeda brought blood from Yoshino’s nose in the sixth but Yoshino dominated the seventh and eighth and a left-right in the ninth floored Maeda. He struggled to his feet but was counted out. Yoshino, 26, won the national title in his sixth fight and this is his second defence of the title. Although he has had only eight pro fights he was 104-20 as an amateur and is one to watch. Maeda, the Japanese No 7, was moving up to ten rounds for the first time. He was game but was outclassed.

 

June 15

 

London, England: Heavy: Joe Joyce (5-0) W KO 1 Ivica Bacurin (29-14-1).

Joyce vs. Bacurin

If you can’t say anything good then don’t say anything and I am very tempted to do just that for this farce. Joyce hardly broke sweat as he padded after a very reluctant Bacurin who just circled the perimeter of the ring. Joyce scored with one right but when he landed two punches which no more than brushed the top of Bacurin’s head the Croatian collapsed to his knees holding the back of his head and was counted out after just 114 seconds.  As a contest it was farcical and the only reason I don’t describe it as a disgrace is the Bacurin was a very late substitute. He had no chance. He was having his second fight in five days, was much smaller than the 6’6” Joyce and outweighed by 45lbs. It was obviously hard to find a suitable substitute at such short notice. Regretfully this was carried live by a free TV channel when I would rather it had been hidden away somewhere as it was a terrible advert for boxing and yet somehow promoter David Haye and the TV team actually tried to talk up the win. Joyce is better than this and hopefully his next match will give him a chance to prove it.

 

Santiago de Chile, Chile: Super Middle: Julio Alamos (10-0) W KO 4 Felipe Pedroso (15-5). Super Light: Ramon Mascarena (10-0) W PTS 10 Hector Medina (4-5-1).

Alamos vs. Pedroso

Chilean champion “Engineer” Alamos wins the vacant South American title with fourth round win over Brazilian Pedroso. Alamos used his longer reach to dominate the first round scoring with his jab and rights to head and body. Pedroso attacked hard in the second but Alamos was just as comfortable on the back foot and landed some heavy counters. Fighting in his home city Alamos took the third and then landed a series of punches in the fourth with the final punch to the body putting Pedroso down and he was unable to beat the count. A former Chilean amateur champion Alamos gets his fifth win by KO/TKO. Fourth loss by KO/TKO for Pedroso including a fourth round stoppage by Ryota Murata.

Mascarena vs. Medina

Although the heavy favourite Mascarena has to fight hard to retain his national title with a close verdict against former victim Medina. Over the early rounds the fight went as predicted with the taller Mascarena outboxing Medina. However once Medina started to find the target with his rights Mascarena struggled. He still looked on his way to victory due to his early work but in the eighth the referee deducted a point from Mascarena for what the official ruled a deliberate butt. In the end Medina’s conditioning let him down and Mascarena did enough over the last two rounds to take the verdict. Scores 95-94 twice and 96-93 for Mascarena. The 25-year-old from Iquique also holds the South American title. A former four-time Chilean champion as an amateur he had won a majority verdict over Medina in 2009. Medina was out of the ring for almost seven years before returning with a win in December.

 

Middleton, England: Super Welter: Evaldas Korsakas (9-5-2) W RTD 2 Denton Vassell (25-4). The end of the line could be near for former Commonwealth champion Denton Vassell after he was floored late in the first round and his corner retired him at the end of the second of this challenge for the BBB of C Central Area title. Big win for Hull-based Lithuanian southpaw Korsakas  as he improves to 5-0-1 in his last six fights. The 33-year-old Vassell was 20-0 at the start of his career and his four losses had all been to very high quality opposition but this was a fight he was expected to win.

 

June 16

 

Frisco, TX, USA: Super Light: Javier Fortuna (33-2-1,2ND) ND 4 Adrian Granados (18-6-2,1ND). Feather: Steven Fulton (13-0) W TKO 9 Jesus Ahumada (14-2,1ND). Welter: Yordenis Ugas (22-3) W TKO 2 Jonathan Batista (17-14).

Fortuna vs. Granados

An unfortunate ending to this one as Fortuna falls through the ropes and hits his head on a table leading to his being fitted with a neck brace and leaving the ring on a stretcher. Although he had height and reach on his side Granados was looking to force Fortuna back to the ropes and work inside. Fortuna was firing quick counters on the back foot but was not interested in fighting inside and the round was messy. Fortuna was cautioned both for holding and pushing Granados head down. Granados became frustrated over Fortuna’s actions and on one occasion he forced his head up lifting Fortuna off his feet and dumping him on the floor. Fortuna had a better second as he held less and punched more. He was scoring with quick punches at distance and getting the better of the exchanges even when pinned to the ropes. Granados was relentless in the third rolling forward bulling Fortuna around the ring and working the body in close. Fortuna was doing plenty of holding and at the bell they were exchanging some wild shots. Granados was on top of Fortuna in the fourth getting home some hooks to the body. Fortuna landed some punches to the back of the head and was penalised a point for them. Fortuna was just not able to keep Granados out so resorted again to holding and lost another point. Fortuna was angered by the deductions and stormed forward throwing wild punches and landing some rights to the head. They clinched and Granados forced Fortuna back to the ropes and the Dominican fell out of the ring between the second and third ropes with his head seeming to land on a ringside table. He was kept immobile whilst fitted with a neck collar and taken from the ring on a stretcher with the fight being ruled a No Decision. Both fighters were coming off loses and both badly needed a win so a disappointing outcome.

Fulton vs. Ahumada

Fulton gets late stoppage win over tough Ahumada. Fulton was in charge when he could keep the aggressive Ahumada on the outside but the inexperienced Mexican was dangerous and was very much in the fight before the finish. Fulton landed a series of hard shots in the ninth that had Ahumada rocking and the fight was stopped. The former National Golden Gloves champion from Philadelphia is a Muslim and has to plan his fights to ensure he can observe Ramadan. He has six wins by KO/TKO and was going past eight rounds for the first time. WBC Youth champion Ahumada lost his first pro fight. He had the experience of going ten rounds in a fight in December and was 14-0 going in to this one.

Ugas vs. Batista

Ugas protects his IBF rating with destruction of Batista. The classy Cuban floored Batista twice in the first round but Bautista survived. That was a temporary reprieve and Ugas put Batista down twice more in the second before the fight was stopped. The 31-year-old former top amateur looked to have no future in boxing after losing back-to-back fights to Emmanuel Robles and Amir Imam in 2014 and then dropping out of boxing for two years. Since returning he has scored impressive wins over Jamal James, Bryant Perrella, Thomas Dulorme and Ray Robinson. Those win have taken him to No 2 in the IBF ratings. He can’t go to No 1 as none of those victims were in the IBF ratings when he beat them so although he is the highest rated challenger he can’t be the mandatory challenger to Errol Spence.  Dominican Batista is now 2-7 in his last 9 fights but he has been matched tough in most of those.

 

Newcastle, England: Light: Lewis Ritson (16-0) W TKO 1 Paul Hyland Jr (18-1). Welter: Josh Kelly (7-0) W RTD 7 Kris George (14-2). Super Bantam: Gavin McDonnell (20-1-2) W PTS 12 Stuart Hall (21-7-2). Super Fly: Charlie Edwards (13-1) W TKO 3 Anthony Nelson (12-2). Cruiser: Arfan Iqbal (12-0-1) DREW 10 Simon Vallily (13-1-1). Light: Ricky Burns (42-7-1) W RTD 4 Ivan Njegac (10-6). Super Light: Glenn Foot (23-3) W PTS 4 Sam Omidi (5-13-2).

Ritson vs. Hyland

Ritson scores yet another impressive victory as he cuts a swathe through the ranks of British lightweights. Hyland was quickly on the back foot with Ritson crowding him. Hyland was throwing some short hooks and countering Ritson as he came forward. Ritson was not throwing much as he looked for an opening. Ritson began to cut the ring off and landed some hooks of his own. Hyland stopped going backwards and stood and traded punches. Ritson scored with a couple of body punches and then cracked a right to the top of Hyland’s head and Hyland went down on his rump. Hyland followed instructions from his corner and took the full eight count before getting up. Hyland chose to stand and trade in an effort to punch his way out of trouble but a series of hooks and uppercuts put him down again. He was up early and after the eight count dumbly walked forward punching and hooks from Ritson floored him for the third time. When got up the referee counted to eight and waived the fight over. Hyland looked capable of continuing but he made no protest over the stoppage. The 24-year-old “Sandman” was defending his British title. He won the title with a victory over 15-2-1 Robbie Barrett and stopped both 23-2 Joe Murray and 22-1-1 Scott Cardle in defences. He took two attempts to make the weight but gets his tenth win by KO/TKO and hopefully a world rating. Belfast’s Hyland had wins over Adam Dingsdale and Stephen Ormond but was never given a chance to get into the fight here.

Kelly vs. George

Kelly wins the Commonwealth title as champion George retires after seven rounds due to injury. As usual nothing Kelly does is usual. He was fighting with his hands down using only upper body movement to avoid George’s punches and scoring with a few lightning quick left hooks and crosses. George stuck to his boxing showing a strong jab and scoring with rights. Neither fighter landed much in the second. George kept padding forward. He was generally too slow to catch Kelly but got through with one good right to the head. Kelly was just firing occasional flurries but ended the round with a sharp left hook to the body. The third was a round in which very little happened. George was not as aggressive as before and Kelly spent more time posing than punching. The fourth was a bit better. Kelly threw more and landed more without ever really shaking George. His best punch was a sharp right uppercut inside. The Australian was having difficulty landing anything on the elusive Kelly but was plugging away at his task. Kelly did all of the scoring in the fifth. He was still only punching in short bursts but was quick and accurate with his punches. The sixth was all Kelly as he chased George down landing with some long and short punches with George not firing much back. George made a fast start to the seventh but then Kelly took over pacing after George with both hands at his sides sweeping in punches from very different angles and the fight was becoming one-sided. At the end of the seventh George retired. The 24-year-old Sunderland “Pretty Boy” a 2016 Olympian continues to dazzle as he also retains the WBA International title. It was reported that George suffered breaks to both of his hands and a suspected broken jaw in the fight and certainly from the fifth he used his right less and seemed to be more intent on using it to guard his chin so a very gutsy performance in his second defence of the Commonwealth title.

McDonnell vs. Hall

McDonnell wins the vacant WBNC International title with unanimous decision over Hall. Both fighters have their own style and the fight action was predictable. McDonnell had height, reach and superior boxing skills, Hall is an aggressive pressure fighter who never stops coming. McDonnell had his jab on song early and did enough good work to capture the first three rounds. Hall had a good fourth scoring with a hurtful left and opening a cut over McDonnell’s eye. Hall also landed a series of hooks inside in the fifth but over the next three rounds the accuracy of McDonnell’s jab and some strong counters saw him edge ahead. Hall looked to be tiring in the eight and although McDonnell was cut over his other eye in the ninth he was doing enough to pocket the rounds. Hall never stopped his forward march but was cut over his right eye in the tenth and McDonnell boxed intelligently to the final bell. Scores 117-111 twice and 115-113 for McDonnell. The 32-year-old former unbeaten European champion is No 3 with the IBF and No 4 with the WBA. His only loss was a majority decision against Rey Vargas for the vacant WBC title in February last year so he will be hoping to land another title shot. Former IBF bantam champion   Hall, 38, just keeps on going. Five of his losses have been in world title fights and he was No 8(6) in the IBF ratings going in. Another world title shot is probably beyond him but he is not the type to give up.

Edwards vs. Nelson

Edwards put on impressive show as he outboxes and then crushes Nelson inside three rounds. Nelson was sharp early firing rights with Edwards on the back foot shooting jabs. Nelson tracked Edwards around the ring with Edwards slotting quick jabs through Nelson’s defence. The second again saw Nelson on the front foot but as he walked forward a short right uppercut inside dropped him on the canvas face down. He made it to his feet and when the action restarted landed some good rights and the ferocity of his attacks again had Edwards on the retreat. Edwards was scoring with jabs and hard counters and late in the round a straight right to the body saw Nelson go down on one knee clearly hurt. He was up at five and after the eight count drove forward scoring a good right in the last seconds of the round. With a 10-7 round against him Nelson stormed forward in the third and landed a couple of rights but Edwards landed a beauty of a left hook. Nelson continued his forward march but Edwards now stood and traded and a devastating right to the chin sent Nelson face down on the canvas and the referee waived the fight off. Edwards, 25, wins the vacant WBA Continental title with his sixth win by KO/TKO. He is now having the fights he should have had before an overly ambitious challenge to John Riel Casimero for the IBF fly title in 2016 and is looking a much more complete fighter. Former British and Commonwealth champion Nelson, 32, took two years out after losing to Jamie Conlan in 2016 but had returned with a win in April this year.

Iqbal vs. Vallily

Iqbal retains the English title with split draw against Vallily. It was a back-and-forth fight over the early rounds. Vallily was the bigger man and landed the harder punches but he was not using his jab enough and Iqbal was able to get inside and do enough effective work to edge in front. The fight was scrappy and messy at times and a bit disappointing. Vallily did well in the sixth but he was frustrated at not keeping Iqbal out and that frustration worked against him as he lost a point in both the seventh and eighth rounds for hitting on the break. That meant Vallily needed a strong finish or even a kayo to get into a winning position. He took the ninth staggering Iqbal with a heavy right and another big punch in the last had Iqbal in deep trouble and he had to hold desperately to the bell. Scores 95-94 Iqbal, 96-92 Vallily and 94-94 so those two infractions cost Vallily the title. The 27-year-old Iqbal was making the first defence of the title he won with an impressive fourth round stoppage of Wadi Camacho in July. The 32-year-old Vallily was an outstanding amateur taking gold medals at the British Championships and both the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Championships before turning pro at the age of 27. His only loss is a stoppage against Mairis Breidis in 2016. He threw away victory here with his indiscipline.

Burns vs. Njegac

Burns eases himself back with a comfort win over Croatian Njegac. Burns looked sharp in the first clearly outboxing Njegac and landing snappy right hooks. He worked solidly in the second and was scoring freely in the third but Njegac was absorbing the punches well. Burns began to focus on the body in the fourth and Njegac quickly began to fade but it was still a surprise when he retired at the end of the round. Now 35, Burns will probably continue to fight at lightweight and look to build his way back to the top. First loss by KO/TKO for Njegac.

Foot vs. Omidi

Commonwealth champion Foot gets a pay day in his native North East with points decision over poor Omidi. Foot won every round as the referee’s 40-36 score shows and now he will be looking to cash in on his title. Omidi is 1-9 in his last 10 fights

 

Mexicali, Mexico: Light: Jose Zepeda (29-1,1ND) W KO 5 Carlos Diaz (26-0,1ND). Zepeda gets off the canvas to kayo Diaz and give him his first loss. Diaz came out punching putting Zepeda under pressure and looking dangerous with some swinging shots from both hands.  Zepeda eventually began to bang back with southpaw lefts. In the second Zepeda’s higher skill set came into play and he was scoring with his right jab. He was changing the angle of his attacks and easily dealing with the crude charge of Diaz. The third again went to Zepeda as he consistently found gaps for his right jab and countered Diaz’s rushes with hooks and uppercuts. Diaz was dangerous with his swings and also with his head. Diaz walked through Zepeda’s punches in the fourth pressing hard and late in the round he landed a right to the head and a left to the body and Zepeda went down on one knee badly hurt. He got up at eight and survived to the bell. Diaz continued to rumble forward in the fifth but was leaving himself open and Zepeda began to connect hard to head and body. He drove a tiring Diaz around the ring until Diaz dropped to the floor in a corner and was counted out. A close call for Zepeda but he comes away with his 24^th win by KO/TKO. He was unfortunate to lose to Terry Flanagan for the vacant WBO light title in 2015 when he suffered a dislocated shoulder. He is rated No 6 super light by the WBO but this win over WBO No 3 light  Diaz puts him line for a title shot against Ray Beltran. Diaz, 23 had scored wins over Roberto Marroquin, Sergio Puente and Emanuel Lopez and was also rated No 9 by the WBA but his defence let him down here.

 

Gomez Palacio, Mexico: Light: Wilfredo Vazquez Jr (25-7-1) W KO 3 Cristian Mijares (59-9-2). Welter: Jose Lopez (28-6-2) W PTS 10 Roberto Ortiz (35-3-2) W

Vazquez vs. Mijares

A right from Vazquez signals the end of a great career for Mijares. Southpaw Mijares was in the back foot looking to counter in the first. Vazquez was tracking him around the ring seeking openings so it was a cagey start with neither fighter committing themselves over the first three minutes. The tactics were reversed at the outset of the second with Mijares marching forward and Vazquez forced to retreat. Mijares banged home a couple of right hooks to the body and a left to the head to put more pressure on Vazquez. There were some fiery exchanges but Mijares was boxing well and looking confidently and had taken the first two rounds. Vazquez was more aggressive in the third firing rights and pressing hard. Mijares was forced back and Vazquez took him to a corner. Mijares bobbed and weaved under some of Vazquez punches but he was nailed by a potent right that sent him down slumped against the ropes in the corner. The punch also broke and split open his nose and a dejected Mijares sat out the count. A three-time world super flyweight champion the 36-year-old Mijares weighed 132lbs for this fight and had put together a 10 bout winning streak including victories over 34-0-1 Andres Gutierrez and former WBC champion Tomas Rojas which he hoped might land him another title fight but that dream and a great 20 year career ended here. It was an important win for former WBO super bantam champion Vazquez. This was his first fight since October 2016 and that plus 4 losses in his last 5 fights made it seem that he was on the slide. Now he is back in the picture and could go on to get a title fight.

 Lopez vs. Ortiz

With both fighters hailing from Torreon this was expected to be filled with fireworks but it did not turn out that way. The fighters were too cautious early and there was only minimum action over the first four rounds. They both stepped up the pace from the fifth and there was some heavy trading but even then there was too much clinching and the fight never really caught fire. Lopez was the aggressor for much of the time and on that basis and a slightly higher work rate he deserved the majority verdict. “Piston” Lopez had gone through a 1-3-1 spell so this was a welcome victory as he is 2-0 now. Bad result for Ortiz as he was coming off a third round stoppage by Cletus Seldin in November

 

Shawinigan, Canada: Heavy: : Simon Kean (15-0) W KO 3 Adam Braidwood (13-2). Super Light: Yves Ulysses (16-1) W PTS 10 Ernesto Espana (25-1-1). Heavy: Feather: Andranik Grigoryan (7-0) W PTS 8 Daniel Olea (13-5-2). Super Middle: Nurzat Sabirov (7-0) W TKO 4 Guillermo Romero (12-7).

Kean vs. Braidwood

Kean crushes Braidwood in all-Canadian bash that attracted almost 5,000 fans. Kean used his jab to take control from the first bell and Braidwood was never really in the fight. Kean found gaps for his jab in the second and then opened a bad cut over the left eye of Braidwood. Braidwood survived a physician’s inspection and became desperate in his attacks. In the third Kean was  banging home his jab and some hefty rights. As Braidwood rumbled forward a left hook to the chin devastated him. He lost control of his legs staying upright but staggering wildly before heading across the ring with his back to Kean. He fell onto the top rope and was hanging half out of the ring. The referee sent Kean to a neutral corner and helped Braidwood to stand upright but even as he was doing that Braidwood’s second was pushing a stool through the ropes even though there was still some time to go in the round and when Braidwood sat on the stool the referee waived the fight over. “The Grizzly” Kean gets win No 14 by KO/TKO and gobbles up the vacant WBC Francophone title. The 29-year-old former Olympic quarter-finalist has said he now wants to go for the Canadian title and then he really should step up to face stronger opposition. Braidwood had won his last 12 fights, 11 of them by KO/TKO but the 34-year-old former pro footballer with the Edmonton Eskimos lacked the speed and skill to match Kean.

Ulysses vs. Espana

Yes statistics can lie-and often do. Espana had impressive looking credentials but was out classed by Ulysses as the Canadian boxed his way to a comfortable unanimous decision. Normally a cautious starter Ulysses took the fight to Espana early and had no trouble getting inside the jab of the much taller Venezuelan. Espana lacked the speed and power to be competitive and Ulysses dominated the action easily finding gaps and scoring frequently with heavy rights. It was a one-sided fight with Ulysses winning all the way. Scores 100-90 twice and 99-91. The 29-year-old from Montreal lost his unbeaten tag when he was outpointed by Steve Claggett in October but had recovered well with a win over 21-0 Cletus Seldin in December. He collects the vacant WBC Fecarbox title and is rated IBF 14(13). The 6’0” tall 36-year-old Espana is the son of Ernest who was WBA lightweight champion and nephew of Crisanto Espana who won the WBA welter title by stopping Meldrick Taylor in 1992 and who lived for many years in Belfast. Espana Junior did not turn pro until he was 31. His opposition had been very low level with 16 of his victims never having won a fight and 5 only having won one fight.

Grigoryan vs. Olea

Quebec-based Armenian Grigoryan gets easy win over Mexican Olea. Grigoryan is not a heavy punches and although he won every round and chased Olea all the way he never really looked like ending this one early. Scores 80-72 for Grigoryan from all three judges. At 5;4” he is small for the weight which may be a drawback as the opposition gets tougher. Olea was expected to do better as he had lots more experience and had defeated unbeaten Canadian/Filipino Marc Pagcliwangan on a previous visit to Canada

Sabirov vs. Romero

Kazak Sabirov punches too hard for ancient Mexican Romero. After taking the first three rounds Sabirov lost a point at the start of the fourth for a low punch. When the action resumed he put Romero down twice and Romero’s team threw in the towel. The 24-year-old Sabirov was in his first fight scheduled for eight rounds but instead of going the distance he gets his sixth win by KO/TKO. Romero, 40, is 0-3 in his last 3 fights-all in Canada.

 

Karlsruhe, Germany: Cruiser: Firat Arslan  (43-8-2) W KO 1 Pablo Magrini (19-5-1).Super Welter: Antonio Hoffmann (19-1) W PTS 12 Rafael Chiruta (15-40-1). Heavy: Michael Wallisch (19-0) W KO 1 Bernard Adie (16-7). Heavy: Marko Radonjic (11-0) W TKO 2 Davit Gorgiladze (17-13).

Arslan vs. Magrini

Early night for veteran Arslan as he blows away Argentinian inside a round. After marching forward behind a high guard to get close Arslan landed a big right to the temple and Magrini nose dived to the canvas face down and was unable to beat the count. The 47-year-old former interim WBA title holder wins the vacant Global Boxing Union title and will fight on looking for another shot at a major title. Magrini, 39, has now lost three in a row including being blitz in 30 seconds by Mike Perez in February.

Hoffmann vs. Chiruta

The best fight of the night sees Angolan Hoffmann win the GBU title with close unanimous decision over defending champion Chiruta. The youth and speed of Hoffmann were the deciding factors as Chiruta pressed hard all the way. The early rounds were close but a hook from Hoffmann busted open Chiruta’s nose in the sixth and Chiruta was docked a point in the seven for “unsporting behaviour”.  Chiruta rebounded from that injury and insult by sweeping the eighth, ninth and tenth rounds. Hoffmann was forced onto the defensive over the last two rounds but did enough to hold on to his lead. Scores 116-111, 115-112 and 114-113 for Hoffmann but a draw might have been a fairer result. German-based Hoffmann’s only loss was on points against Canadian Steve Butler in 2016 and this is his sixth win since then. Despite his poor record the 37-year-old Spanish-based Romanian Chiruta can be a very tough customer on his night and was 6-1 in his last 7 fights including victories over 19-0 Amaro Dialo and 17-0 Reece Cartwright. This was the first defence of the GBU title he won with victory over Italian Davide Doria in November.

Wallisch vs. Adie

A farcical excuse for a title fight sees Wallisch kayo giant Kenyan Adie. Wallisch quickly drove the 6’8” (204cm) Adie to the ropes and landed a series of head punches. Adie turned away going along the ropes and down and was counted out on his knees after just 40 seconds. Wallisch, 32, wins the vacant GBU title with his twelfth victory by KO/TKO. He has a good win over Fabio Turchi but other than that his opposition has been made up of the usual European collapsibles. Adie had previously challenged for the GBU cruiser title in 2015 when he was 196lbs. No weights given but he came in at 273lbs for a fight last year.

Radonjic vs. Gorgiladze

With the show running late German based Montenegrin Radonjic was in a hurry to get this one over. He floored Gorgiladze within the first minute. Gorgiladze made it to his feet but was put down again by a body punch and only just made it to the bell. Radonjic was handing out punishment at the start of the second and the towel quickly came flying in from the Georgian’s corner.  The 28-year-old Radonjic was making the first defence of the GBU Inter-Continental title and has won all eleven of his fights by KO/TKO but his opposition has been abysmal. He was a top level amateur competing at the World Junior and at the Senior Championships in 2009, 2011 and 2013 and also the European Championships in 2010, 2011 and 2013. He has been busy as a pro as this was his eleventh fight in twelve months. All twelve of Gorgiladze’s losses have been by KO. No weights given but all you need to know about his conditioning is that he is 6’2” and weighed 282lbs in a losing fight in May

 

.Munich, Germany: Heavy: Marco Huck (41-5-1) W TKO 4 Yakup Saglam (40-5,1ND). Heavy: Petar Milas (12-0) W PTS 10 Francesco Pianeta (35-4-1). Super Middle: Vartan Avetisyan (17-0-1) W PTS 12 Ruben Acosta (36-16-5).Light Heavy: Serge Michel (7-0) W PTS 10 Armenak Hovhannisyan (4-1).

Huck vs. Saglam

After back-to-back losses in big cruiser fights Huck moves up to heavy. Huck worked slowly but solidly in the first behind a stiff jab with Saglam launching some wide swings. Huck landed some heavy rights just before the bell. Saglam was more aggressive in the second and Huck had difficulty containing him. There was too much clinching and wrestling and again Huck landed heavily at the end of the round. Huck took control in the third and floored Saglam with a straight right. Saglam beat the count and despite landing more rights Huck failed to finish the fight then. In the fourth he landed two heavy rights to the head and Saglam dropped to his knees. He got up but the referee stopped the fight just as the towel was thrown in from Saglam’s corner. Huck joint-promoted this show. He showed his power but was slow and looked flabby. Turk Saglam, 41, is very limited and loses on the rare occasions when he steps up.

Milas vs. Pianeta

Newcomer Milas gets a useful scalp as he beats experienced Pianeta. The young Croatian was much quicker showing speedy footwork and good upper body movement. He was busier and his constant switching of guards had Pianeta confused. Southpaw Pianeta had some success here and there, enough to take a round or two but a confident Milas was dropping his hands and just bobbing and weaving under Pianeta’s attacks and outscoring the Italian. Scores 99-91, 97-93 and 96-94 with the first two scores a better reflection of the action. The 22-year-old Milas was defending his IBO International title. The 33-year-old Pianeta was 28-0-1 at the start of his career before being stopped in six rounds by Wlad Klitschko in a challenge for the IBF/WBA/WBO titles in 2013. He has stayed active but inside the distance losses to Ruslan Chagaev and Kevin Johnson and this defeat have ended any chance of returning to high level action.

Avetisyan vs. Acosta

Armenian “The Punch” Avetisyan wins the vacant IBO Inter-Continental title with narrow unanimous verdict over Acosta. Scores 115-113 twice and 115-114 with the much more experienced 39-year-old Acosta unlucky not to get at least a draw.

Michel vs. Hovhannisyan

“The Bavarian Sniper” Michel wins the vacant German International title with unanimous verdict over inexperienced Hovhannisyan. Michel floored Hovhannisyan twice with uppercuts in the second round but Hovhannisyan survived and was never really in trouble again. Michel kept trying to land that uppercut in subsequent rounds but in the end had to settle for going the distance. Scores 97-91 twice and 98-90 for Michel. The 29-year-old Russian-born Michel competed for Germany and the World Championships and 2016 Olympics.

 

Rafael Calzada, Argentina: Super Light: Jeremias Ponce (18-0) W KO 9 Damien Yapur (15-10-3). “Little Monzon” Ponce remains unbeaten and collects the Argentinian title with late kayo of champion Yapur. Ponce had height reach and power on his side and broke down and finished Yapur in the ninth. For the most part Ponce was content to use a strong jab and straight rights. He had Yapur down early but with a punch to the back of the head so no count was given but Ponce scored a legal knockdown in the fifth.. Yapur tried to work his way inside but was being caught with powerful counters and on the inside Ponce was scoring with solid left hooks. Yapur showed plenty of guts but was outgunned. In the ninth after Yapur had scored with a couple of body punches Ponce landed a vicious left hook and then a  series of head punches driving Yapur into a corner and down with Yapur taking the full count on his rump propped up against the ring post. The 21-year-old Ponce makes it 12 wins by KO/TKO. He becomes the second youngest to win the national title in this division and adds this title to the WBA Fedebol and IBF Inter-Continental titles he already holds. He looks a good prospect. Yapur was brave but crude and loses the national title in his first defence.

 

Berlin, Germany: Welter: Rico Mueller (23-2-1) W KO 3 Gabor Kovacs (28-12-1).Super Welter: Robert Maess (22-1) W TKO 2 Mihaita Cosma (0-19).

10

Mueller vs. Kovacs

Mueller pads his record with kayo win over young Hungarian southpaw Kovacs. Mueller, 30, goes to 17 wins by KO/TKO. The self-managed German, who is trained by former European champion and WBA title challenger Michel Trabant, makes it three wins since losing in nine rounds to Jeff Horn in 2016. Kovacs, 21, turned pro at 17 and has crammed 41 fights into four years as a pro. This is his seventh loss by KO/TKO.

Maess vs. Cosma

This “fight” really hits a new low. German Maess with 19 wins by KO/TKO going in against Cosma who had lost every one of his fights by KO/TKO. Maess goes to 20 wins by KO/TKO and Romanian Cosma has yet to last four rounds in any fight. The Bund Deutsch Berufsboxer should be ashamed of themselves for approving such a horrible travesty.

 

Hamilton, Canada: Welter: Jessie Wilcox (10-0-2) W TKO 1 Juan Garcia (21-7-2). Home town fighter Wilcox halts Garcia inside a round. The Canadian jumped on Garcia early pinning him to the ropes and unloading to head and body. Garcia managed to slide along the ropes but Wilcox followed and landed some over hand rights and left hooks and the referee stepped in and  stopped the fight with Garcia protesting strongly. The 26-year-old Wilcox wins the Canadian International title with his sixth win by KO/TKO. Poor Garcia is no 0-5 in visits to Canada.

 

Warsaw, Poland: Cruiser: Andrzej Fonfara (30-5,1ND) W TKO 5 Ismayl Sillah (25-6). Cruiser: Michal Cieslak (17-0,1ND) W RTD 5 Dusan Krstin (8-10).

Fonfara vs. Sillah

Fonfara puts on a mixed performance but gets the win. Fighting up at cruiser for the first time Fonfara made a fast start shaking Sillah with a right hook in the first. Sillah made a better start to the second landing some hard shots of his own and a clash of heads saw Fonfara cut over his left eye. However late in the round a right from Fonfara floored Sillah. The Ukrainian got up and had no trouble staying out of trouble to the bell. Sillah rebounded to have a good third slotting punches through Fonfara’s defence scoring with some hard lefts and deepening the cut over Fonfara’s left eye. The fight was close over the fourth although the judges saw it differently with two having Fonfara ahead 49-45 and the third was a better reflection of the action at 47-47. In the sixth a hard right from Fonfara had Sillah in trouble and Fonfara trapped him in a corner and was landing shots to head and body forcing the referee to halt the fight. The 30-year-old Chicago-based Pole was having his first fight in his home country since his pro debut in 2006. He was in the ring for the first time since losing to Adonis Stevenson for the WBC light heavy title a year ago and will now be looking to make his mark at cruiser. Sillah, 33, was being tipped as a future champion when he won his first 19 fights but a stoppage defeat against Denis Grachev and a second round kayo by Sergey Kovalev in a WBO title fight ended those hopes and he is now 2-4 in his last 6 fights.

Cieslak vs. Krstin

Cieslak wins but not impressively. He was too anxious to get an inside the distance victory and forgot his boxing with Krstin probably edging the first round. To add to Cieslak’s problems Krstin was elusive focused very much on defence and did a lot of clinching. Cieslak landed plenty in the third and Krstin resorted to spitting out his mouthguard to buy some time. The referee deducted a point from Krstin for holding in the fourth. Cieslak stepped up the pressure in the fifth landing more, including a few to the back of Krstin’s head and the Serb retired at the end of the round claiming an injury. Eleventh win by KO/TKO for Cieslak but his opposition has not been of sufficient quality to get him into the EBU ratings. Krstin, 23 is 2-6 in his last 8 fights.

Doncaster, England: Super Bantam: Jason Cunningham (24-5) W PTS 10 Paul Economides (21-8).  Cunningham wins the BBB of C Central Area title with very close decision over champion Economides. The referee carded this one 96-95 to southpaw Cunningham. A welcome win for Cunningham after consecutive losses against Reece Bellotti and Jordan Gill. Twice a Commonwealth champion Cunningham was dropping back down to bantam having ranged from super fly to feather in some recent fights. Economides had won the Central Area title in October and was making his first defence and certainly merits a return match.

 

Laurel, MD, USA: Welter: Gerome Quigley (18-0,1ND) ND 2 Ray Serrano (24-5,1ND). A very good looking match on paper but unfortunately a clash of heads brought a premature end when a clash of heads saw Quigley suffer a bad cut on his forehead. The IBF USBA and WBC USBC titles remain vacant and hopefully this one will be put on again later.

 

Fight of the week:  None really stood out. The title fights Danny Roman vs. Moises Flores and Angel Acosta vs. Carlos Buitrago had some good action but were not exciting enough to qualify

Fighter of the week: Another destructive performance by Errol Spence with an honourable mention to Lewis Ritson

Punch of the week: The right from Wilfredo Vazquez Jr that ended the career of Cristian Mijares was special as was the final right with which Charlie Edwards finished Anthony Nelson

Upset of the week: An upset free week this time

One to watch: “Little Monzon” Jeremias Ponce 18-0 with honourable mention to 16-0 Manny Robles.