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

 

Highlights:

-Saul Alvarez gets controversial majority decision over Gennady Golovkin

-Jose Ramirez retains the WBC super light title with scintillating display against unbeaten Antonio Orozco

-Jaime Munguia crushes Canadian Brandon Cook in WBO super welter title defence

-Roman Gonzalez signals that he is back with spectacular kayo of Moises Fuentes

-David Lemieux wins grudge match as he stops Gary O’Sullivan inside a round

-Avni Yildirim outpoints Lolenga Mock to move in sight of a WBC title fight

-Dmitry Kudryashov obliterates Alexandru Jur inside a round

 

WORLD TITLE SHOWS:

 

September 14

 

Fresno, CA, USA: Super Light: Jose Ramirez (23-0) W PTS 12 Antonio Orozco (27-1). Welter: Alex Besputin (11-0) W KO 9 Alan Sanchez (20-3-1). Super Light: Hiroki Okada (19-0) W PTS 10 Cristian Coria (27-7-2). Super Feather: Jamel Herring (18-2) W PTS 10 John Moralde (20-2). Super Feather: Bryan Vasquez (37-3) W PTS 10 Carlos Cardenas (23-15-1).Light: Gabriel Flores Jr (10-0) W PTS 6 Roger Gutierrez (7-1-1).

Ramirez vs. Orozco

Ramirez too quick, too accurate and the harder puncher as he wins wide unanimous decision over a game Orozco on the first defence of his WBC title.

Round 1

Orozco came out fast trying to hustle Ramirez but the champion was banging home his left jabs and going to the body with left hooks. Orozco continued to come forward and landed some hard left hooks to head and body but even when on the back foot Ramirez was doing most of the scoring with right to the head and searing body punches. Eventually the power and accuracy of Ramirez forced Orozco to dial back his offensive. Three all-action minutes.

Score 10-9 Ramirez

Round 2

In the first exchange a left to the head sent Orozco back on his heels and Ramirez landed another similar punch seconds later. Orozco shrugged them off and drove forward again and began to find the target with hooks and long rights. Ramirez showed stiff accurate jabs in a very close round with Ramirez early work just giving him the edge.

Score 10-9 Ramirez                                                                     Ramirez 20-18

Round 3

There was a calmer start to this round after the furious action in the first two. The dominant punch in the period was the ramrod jab of Ramirez. He was outboxing Orozco rattling Orozco’s head with jabs, landing left hooks and moving rather than standing and trading. Ramirez landed a heavy punch to the head and dug in yet another left hook to the body to take the round.

Score 10-9 Ramirez                                                                     Ramirez 30-27

Round 4

Orozco got his wish in this one but be careful what you wish for. He wanted Ramirez to stand and trade and Ramirez did. That allowed Orozco to work inside with hooks and uppercuts. Ramirez was bossing the exchanges throwing and landing more. He cut loose with a ferocious attack bouncing punches off the head of a retreating Orozco. Whilst on the retreat Orozco landed a hard right counter and then Ramirez exploded a thumping right which sent Orozco down on his back. Orozco climbed to one knee and arose at the count of nine. There was just under a minute to go in the round and Ramirez jumped on Orozco firing from both hands. He snapped Orozco’s head back with a left hook and pounded on Orozco but Orozco took the punishment and even managed to fire back. Orozco had also been cut over his left eye by a punch.

Score 10-8 Ramirez                                                                     Ramirez 40-35

Round 5

They both boxed their way through this round which gave Ramirez the edge. Orozco had no answer to the speed of Ramirez’s jab and hurtful left hooks to the ribs. Ramirez kept changing angles and firing quick combinations shaking Orozco with rights and easily taking the round.

Score 10-9 Ramirez                                                                     Ramirez 50-44

Round 6

Ramirez was again slotting home jabs but Orozco changed his tactics completely. He went onto the back foot countering Ramirez and the champion’s work rate dropped. It was a close round Orozco edged it but was cut over his right eye by a punch

Score 10-9 Orozco                                                                       Ramirez 59-54

Round 7

Ramirez took this one. Again Orozco cut back on his aggression. Ramirez was firing jabs through the middle of Orozco’s defence and jarring Orozco with some heavy rights. He was not as accurate as before but outworked and outscored Orozco.

Score 10-9 Ramirez                                                                     Ramirez 69-63

Round 8

Big round for Ramirez. Orozco again chose to box. He was getting through with some punches but whereas he was stringing together a couple of punches at a time Ramirez was firing four and five punch combinations. Ramirez threw three left hooks Orozco blocked the first, the second thudded into the left side of his body and the third hit him in the chest as he turned away. The delayed effect of the one that landed to the body kicked in and Orozco slumped to his knees but rolled up immediately. After the eight count Ramirez stormed in firing a stream of punches and it looked like it might be the end but Orozco survived.

Score 10-8 Ramirez                                                                     Ramirez 79-71

Round 9

Before the start of the round the referee asked the doctor to examine Orozco and he passed the inspection. Surviving seemed to spark Orozco. He upped his punch output and used some clever upper body movement to get under Ramirez’s punches with Ramirez showing some sign of tiring from the exhausting pace of the fight. A right uppercut from Orozco, his best punch in the fight so far, jerked Ramirez’s head back to make it a good round for the challenger

Scores 10-9 Orozco                                                                     Ramirez 88-81

Round 10

Orozco had the better of the early action in this one but Ramirez dominated the second half. Orozco was now letting his hands fly putting together 5/6 punch combinations. Both were digging in left hooks and one sequence saw Orozco score with four successive head punches only for Ramirez to immediately counter with three harder head punches. A brutal exchange. Orozco was now cut over his left eye and Ramirez finished the round with more shots to head and body to earn the points.

Score 10-9 Ramirez                                                                     Ramirez 98-90

Round 11

Ramirez was proving stronger and he took this round. He was again using the jab and letting his hands go with real power. Orozco’s punches now lacked any crispness and he was the one breaking off the exchange as Ramirez hammered away with both hands.

Score 10-9 Ramirez                                                                   Ramirez 108-99

Round 12

Ramirez was on his toes just too quick on his feet and too quick with his punches. He was again putting together some flashing combination. Orozco continued fighting to the end but just before the bell he was badly shaken by a couple of punches and under pressure to the bell.

Score 10-9 Ramirez                                                                   Ramirez 118-108

Official scores: 119-107, 119-107 and 119-107 all for Ramirez

Impressive performance from 26-year-old Ramirez against the WBC No 3. He showed great lateral movement, a high level of accuracy through a whole range of punches and real power. With both the WBC interim champion Regis Prograis and their No 1 Josh Taylor committed to the WBSS a defence against No 2 Adrien Broner would make sense so it will be interesting to see where Ramirez heads from here. Orozco did his part in making this a furious and entertaining contest. He did well to recover from two knockdowns and fought hard in every round but was well beaten by a much better fighter on the night. He is 30 but could recover enough to be in the chance with a title fight in 2019-but not against Ramirez.

Besputin vs. Sanchez

Besputin ended this one just as soon as he was able to catch the fleet-footed survival focused Sanchez. Besputin just kept the pressure on as he tracked the retreating Sanchez for round after round. He looked to have scored a genuine knockdown with a right in the fourth but it was ruled a slip. Sanchez was burning energy trying to stay out of trouble and eventually that caught up with him. Besputin landed some hard lefts in the ninth and with Sanchez in badly shaken and blood pouring from a nose injury his corner indicated that they wanted the fight stopped and it was ended after 1:44 of the ninth. Russian Besputin wins the vacant IBF USBA title with his ninth win by KO/TKO. Besputin was a gold medal winner at the European Youth and Senior Championships and won a silver medal at the 2015 European Games. First loss inside the distance for Mexican Sanchez who had won his last eight fights.

Okada vs. Coria

Recent Top Rank signing Okada was looking to impress on his first fight in the USA and he got the win but only just .Although Coria does not figure in the Argentinian ratings he was a much tougher opponent than expected and made the better start to the fight outworking Okada. In the fourth a left shook Coria and Okada built from there with Coria starting to fade out of the fight. Okada had a comfortable lead going into the tenth and was also taking that round and heading for victory but was floored late in the round making the fight much closer on the cards. Scores 95-94 for Okada from the three judges. Okada, 28, scored a good win in December stopping the 40-2-1 Jason Pagara in six rounds and is No 4 with the WBA and No 9 with the WBC but if the aim was to showcase him for a shot at Jose Ramirez this performance won’t have helped his cause. Coria, 36, was having his first fight since being floored and losing by a very wide unanimous decision against the WBO’s No 1 welterweight Custio Clayton.

Herring vs. Moralde

Herring wins the vacant USBA title with wide unanimous decision over Filipino Moralde. Herring has dropped down from lightweight and showed here that he is going to be a force at the new weight. The former Marine very quickly got into his stride and was finding gaps for his strong southpaw lefts from the second round. An effective body attack had Moralde hurt in the fifth and Herring continued to dominate the action. He was on his way to an uneventful victory when a clash of heads in the last saw Herring cut over the right eye but it posed no real danger. The three judges all came up with the same score-makes a pleasant change- of 100-90 for Herring. The 2012 Olympian, a team mate of Ramirez in London, takes his “Semper Fi” nickname from his time in the Marine Corp where he served two tours in Iraq. After 15 wins in a row Herring then went 1-2 in his next three losing to Denis Shafikov and Ladarius Miller. He was out for nine months after the Miller loss but came back with a win in May this year over experienced Juan Pablo Sanchez. Moralde, 20, has a similar track record having won his first 19 fights before losing in seven rounds against Toka Kahn Clary in December. He outpointed 19-0 Ismail Muwendo in May so is 1-2 in his last 3.

Vasquez vs. Cardenas

Vasquez gets unanimous decision over Cardenas, Former interim WBA super feather champion Vasquez made this one closer than it had to be. He had the better of the exchanges early scoring with some impressive body punches but also allowed his work rate to drop too often. Cardenas was able to take advantage of that to pick up some rounds but never really threatened to win the fight. Vasquez had the better skills and the harder punch but if he is going to get into position for another title shot he will have to work harder and focus harder. Scores 96-94 twice and 98-92 all for Vasquez. The 31-year-old Costa Rican scored important wins over Rene Gonzalez, Jose Felix Jr and Sergio Thompson but lost to Takashi Uchiyama and Javier Fortuna in WBA title fights. After moving up to lightweight he lost a majority decision to Ray Beltran in August last year but halted Miguel Angel Gonzalez in February. Mexican-based Venezuelan Cardenas is on that slippery downward slope being 2-7 in his last 9 fights.

Flores vs. Gutierrez

Flores climbs off the floor to register his tenth win. A right from Gutierrez in the opening round put Flores down. He was not badly hurt and dominated the round so much that two judges made it 10-9 not 10-8. From there the speed of his jab and accuracy of his rights saw Flores win each of the remaining rounds. He did not look to mix it with Gutierrez but used excellent footwork to have Gutierrez struggling to counter. Scores 59-54 twice and 58-54 for Flores. The 18-year-old Flores is certainly one to watch. In 2015 he won a silver medal at the World Junior Championships and gold at the US Junior Championships on the way to compiling a 91-7 amateur record. When Top Rank signed him in 2016 at the age of 16 he was the youngest fighter they had ever signed. He was unable to box in his home State of California as 18 is the minimum age for professionals there so he fought under a special licence in Texas and Nevada until after his 18^th birthday in July this year. There is a family tragedy spurring him on as his mother was killed by a stray bullet in 2013 in a dispute in which she was not involved. Gutierrez was 3-0,1ND in his last four fights.

 

September 15

 

Las Vegas, NV, USA: Super Welterweight: Saul Alvarez (50-1-2) W PTS 12 Gennady Golovkin (38-1-1).Middle: Super Welter: Jaime Munguia (31-0) W TKO 3 Brandon Cook (20-2). Middle: David Lemieux (40-4) W TKO 1 Gary O’Sullivan (28-3). Super Fly: Roman Gonzalez (47-2) W KO 5 Moises Fuentes (25-6-1). Super Light: Vergil Ortiz Jr (11-0) W TKO 2 Roberto Ortiz (35-4-2).

Alvarez vs. Golovkin

Alvarez takes disputed majority decision in return with Golovkin with most neutral observers seeing Golovkin the winner but the judges giving Alvarez the decision leading to talk of a third episode in this boxing drama.

Round 1

A cagey opening round saw both fighters probing with their jab. Alvarez was looking more to stand his ground than in the first fight and threw a good left hook but. Golovkin found the range and just outlanded Alvarez on jabs.

Score 10-9 Golovkin

Round 2

Once again Alvarez showed he was going to use different tactics in this fight. He was the one coming forward taking the fight to Golovkin. A couple of stiff jabs and a neat right uppercut saw Golovkin do the better work early. Alvarez came on over the second half of the round. Golovkin was still finding gaps but Alvarez scored with a good left hook which curved around Golovkin’s guard and later with a another solid left hook to the body to make it his round. Golovkin was showing a small bump under his left eye.

Score 10-9 Alvarez                                                                      Even 19-19

Round 3

Golovkin worked well with his jab and landed a quick left hook. Alvarez was moving in behind a high guard and out jabbing Golovkin. He was scoring with hooks to the body and took this round too.

Score 10-9 Alvarez                                                                      Alvarez 29-38

Round 4

Alvarez was pressing in this one stabbing home his jab. Golovkin then began to pick and place some class hooks and uppercuts and landed a right uppercut that turned Alvarez half way around. There were some furious exchanges with both landing well but Golovkin was the one landing most. Alvarez showing a small cut over his left eye.

Score 10-9 Golovkin                                                                    Even 38-38

Official scores 38-38, 38-38, 38-38

Round 5

Not a wasted punch here as both boxers showed great technique and timing. The role reversal from the first fight continued with Alvarez walking Golovkin down. Alvarez scored with a right cross to the head and a left hook to the body. They both landed short hooks and exchanged jarring punches at the end of the round. Very close round. Alvarez cut on his left eyelid wider now.

Score 10-9 Alvarez                                                                      Alvarez 48-47

Round 6

A battle of jabs in this one with Golovkin quicker and more accurate. Not action packed but a fascinating battle between two well matched highest quality fighters. Both were landing single punches in this round with Golovkin’s early work just giving him the edge in yet another close round.

Scores 10-9 Golovkin                                                                  Even 57-57

Round 7

Some toe-to-toe stuff to start this round with Alvarez scoring with a couple of uppercuts and a right cross and Golovkin again sharp and accurate with his jab. Alvarez scored with a left hook to the body and a straight right. Golovkin continued to work with his jab with Alvarez going to the body and it was his round.

Score 10-9 Alvarez                                                                      Alvarez 67-66

Round 8

Alvarez really loading up on his left hooks and lands two hard punches to the side of Golovkin’s head. Alvarez is the stronger man and Golovkin is blowing a bit. Both work rates dropped with Golovkin just edging this one. Alvarez now has blood trickling down his face from the cut on his left eyelid.

Score 10-9 Golovkin                                                                    Even 76-76

Official scores: 77-75, 78-74 and 78-75 all for Alvarez 

Round 9

Alvarez thumping in body punches and Golovkin working behind his jab. Golovkin is the more accurate and throwing more punches. They are not as heavy as Alvarez’s but still count. As they come together Alvarez complains that Golovkin tried to butt him. Golovkin outworks Alvarez.

Score 10-9 Golovkin                                                                    Golovkin 86-85

Round 10

More heavy loads from Alvarez in this one. Golovkin came back with strong accurate shots with Alvarez showing some clever bobbing and weaving but still having to take some stick. Both were looking tired. Alvarez was throwing one punch at a time with Golovkin firing punches from both hands piercing Alvarez’s guard as Alvarez marches forward and it is Golovkin’s round.

Score 10-9 Golovkin                                                                    Golovkin 96-94

Round 11

Golovkin was piling on the punches in this one. Alvarez was tired and Golovkin was banging home jabs and straight rights. Alvarez was walking onto punches and his own attacks were laboured. It was all about heart here with both fighters exhausted.

Score 10-9 Golovkin                                                                Golovkin 106-103

Round 12

They battled hard in this one. At first the jabs and quick rights from Golovkin gave him the edge but gradually Alvarez took over. He was coming forward whacking Golovkin to the body with hooks and uppercuts with Golovkin trying to punch back but getting the worst of the exchanges. Alvarez finished the stronger with blood dripping from a cut over Golovkin’s right eye.

Score 10-9 Alvarez                                                                  Golovkin 115-113

Official scores: 115-113 Alvarez, 114-114 even, 115-113 Alvarez

Alvarez wins the WBA and WBC titles. I had Golovkin winning the first fight and I had him winning this one. For me the fight was close and any cry of robbery is misplaced but Golovkin can consider himself very unlucky. Both fighters seem willing to go for a third fight but Golovkin must wonder if it is worthwhile as he thought he won the first two and did not get the decision. Alvarez changed his tactics for this fight and the changed worked for him. At 28 he has plenty of years of boxing ahead. Golovkin is 36 so if there is to be another fight then it has to be early next year for the Kazak boxer. This was a much better fight than the first one. Both fighters went for quality rather than quantity with few extended exchanges but the very fact that it was Golovkin vs. Alvarez created a special excitement to make it memorable.

Munguia vs. Cook

Munguia gives another power performance as he destroys Cook inside three rounds to retain the WBO title.

Round 1

Both fighters prodded out their jabs early but neither was on target. Munguia came forward with a right and then landed a left hook that was low enough to hit Cook on the thigh. Cook was not hurt but the referee gave him a very brief respite. Cook threw a couple of rights but then Munguia drove him to the ropes and unloaded some heavy punches. Cook got off the ropes but was forced across the ring to the ropes again. Munguia landed a big right cross and then pounded Cook with body punches, going low again with one, and Cook looked in trouble as the bell went

Score 10-9 Munguia

Round 2

Cook came out aggressively getting inside to try to work on the champion’s body. Munguia soon had Cook under pressure again. With Cook on the ropes Munguia was letting fly with rights and slinging left hooks. Cook came off the ropes and took the fight to Munguia getting inside to deny Munguia the space to get any leverage on his punches. Munguia landed a hard right and then raked Cook with body punches at the bell.

Score 10-9 Munguia                                                           Munguia 20-18

Round 3

Once again Cook came out of the corner in a rush forcing Munguia back. He tracked Munguia around the ring then came in close throwing punches to the body. Munguia landed clubbing rights to the head two of which landed on the back of Cook’s head, He went down on his hands and knees but was up quickly. After the eight count Munguia jumped on Cook landing heavy lefts and rights and with Cook bent double under the storm the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.

The 21-year-old from Tijuana again looked so big and strong at the weight-and he is still a growing lad. This is his second defence in four months in fact if you include his win over Sadam Ali his third world title fight in four months and he is talking about defending his title again in November or December. He obviously likes to be busy. He has won 25 of his fights by KO/TKO giving him a very impressive 84% KO ratio. Naturally he wants Saul Alvarez or Gennady Golovkin at some stage but says he wants to unify the super welterweight titles first. Cook was vastly outgunned. He tried to get inside to work but Munguia just punched too hard for him. His other loss was a stoppage against Kanat Islam in September and wins over Hector Santana and Miguel Suarez should not have been enough to get him a No 3 rating. At 32 he is unlikely to get another title chance,

Lemieux vs. O’Sullivan

Lemieux crushes O’Sullivan inside a round to get back into the big picture.

Lemieux came out stabbing with his jab and he tried a right cross. O’Sullivan was using a high guard but Lemieux was finding gaps. The action slowed fleetingly with Lemieux again working with his jab and O’Sullivan not letting his punches go. They exchanged jabs and then Lemieux was throwing hooks to the body. As O’Sullivan came forward Lemieux landed a short left to the chin and O’Sullivan fell sideways to the floor on his hands and knees. A badly dazed O’Sullivan was turning his head to see where the referee was to establish what the count was. The referee had reached five but when he looked into O’Sullivan’s eyes he waived the fight off with no protest from O’Sullivan. Lemieux showed he still has punching power. After being outclassed by Billy Joe Saunders in December he had a big rebuilding job to do. He took the first step with a points win over Karim Achour in May but this was a much more impressive performance. If a third Alvarez vs. Golovkin fight does go ahead the middleweight division is in danger of stagnating. With O’Sullivan being rated No 3 by both the WBA and WBO this win could put Lemieux’s name up as a challenger to Ryota Murata the holder of the secondary WBA title or WBC interim title holder Jermall Charlo. Huge blow for “Spike” O’Sullivan. A win would have given him a good chance of a title fight in 2019 but he has now lost huge fights against Billy Joe Saunders and Chris Eubank Jr and now Lemieux so he has a hill to climb if he is to get back to the top of the ratings.

Gonzalez vs. Fuentes

Early days but some of the old Gonzalez shines through as he dismantles the bigger Fuentes and finish the fight with a “Punch of the Year” candidate. Cautious start in the opening round from both fighters. Gonzalez naturally the smaller man was giving away height and reach to Fuentes, The action picked up in the second half of the round with Gonzalez throwing some body punches and as they traded shots before the bell Gonzalez landed the better punches. Fuentes pressed the action at the start of the second scoring with jabs and straight right using his strength to force Gonzalez back. Once Gonzalez got into his stride he was peppering Fuentes with hooks and uppercuts. He shook Fuentes with a right and opened a cut over the right eye of Fuentes with a left hook. He looked more like his old self as he pinned Fuentes to the ropes and bombarded him with a variety of short punches. The blood from the cut on his right eyebrow was hampering Fuentes vision and he was being rocked by shots to the head. Fuentes took the fight to Gonzalez in the third but was soon put on the back foot by rapid, accurate combinations piercing his guard. It was more of the same in the fourth with Gonzalez landing with almost every punch he threw. A blooded Fuentes was unable to stem the attacks or block the punches. Gonzalez continued to bounce punches off the head of Fuentes until he backed Fuentes to the ropes and landed a crushing short right hook that put Fuentes down on his back spread-eagled and out of the fight. The referee started to count but then just signalled it was over. It was a perfect punch. Sparking performance by the four division champion as he had his combinations flowing again on the way to win No 39 by KO/TKO. There are tougher tests ahead but after seeming hesitant at the start of this fight his confidence grew with each round and he is ready to get into the mix for bigger fights. Fuentes, a former WBO minimumweight champion, fought a draw with Donnie Nietes for the WBO light flyweight title but was knocked out in a return match. His form had flat-lined to 1-2 going into this one with two of the losses in world title fights but there are still some good paydays for him to collect.

Ortiz vs. Ortiz

Another destructive display by young Vergil. He ended this fight with two knock downs in the second round to make it eleven wins by KO/TKO in eleven fights. The 20-year-old from Dallas already has wins over experienced battlers in Jesus Rodriguez and Juan Carlos Salgado. Roberto Ortiz was right up at the top of the ratings after going 31-0-1 in his first 32 fights but a crushing second round kayo by Lucas Matthysse brought some realism to bear and coming into this one he had lost two in a row against Cletus Seldin and Jose Lopez.

 

September 13

 

Las Vegas, NV, USA: Super Light: Pablo Cano (31-7-1,1ND) W TEC DEC 5 Ruslan Madiev (12-1). Feather: Can Xu (15-2) W PTS 8 Enrique Bernache (24-11). Feather: Isaac Zarate (16-3-3) W PTS 8 Horacio Garcia (34-5-1). Super Middle: Bilal Akkawy (18-0-1) W PTS 8 Cristian Olivas (17-3).

Cano vs. Madiev

Cano gets technical decision over Madiev. Cano used his longer reach and superior speed to outwork Madiev. He was slotting home his jab and scoring with quick rights. Madiev was throwing plenty of big rights but missing the target. Cano had been trouble d by cuts in the past and a clash of heads in the first opened a cut over his left eye. He continued to outbox and outmanoeuvre Madiev putting together some quick combinations but the young Kazak boxer was now landing a few of his rights and they were worsening Cano’s cut. In the fourth Cano was cut on the forehead again above the left eye and his face was smeared with blood. Late in the fifth Madiev connected with a hard right that knocked the mouthguard out of Cano’s mouth. In the interval before the start of the sixth the doctor examined the gash of Cano’s forehead and ruled it too serious for the fight to continue so it was decided by the judges’ cards with all three giving the decision to Cano 49-46. Cano, 28, a former WBA interim super lightweight champion is recovering for a poor 2017 that saw him suffer consecutive losses against Fidel Maldonado and Marcelino Lopez. Madiev has scored wins over useful opponents in 23-1-1 Abdiel Ramirez and 21-0 Jesus Perez Campos

Xu vs. Bernache

Chinese “Monster” Xu gets a reality check as he only just scrapes past experienced Mexican Bernache on a split decision. It was an entertaining contest with the better skills of Xu just giving him the edge. Although No 2 with the WBA his struggle to get by Bernache must have scuppered thoughts of Xu fighting Leo Santa Cruz or Jesus Rojas any time soon, Scores 78-74 and 77-75 for Xu and 77-75 for Bernache. The 24-year-old Xu has useful wins over Jack Asis and Nehomar Cermeno. Bernache, 29, was an impressive 15-1 when he set out on his career but has fallen away badly since then.

Zarate vs. Garcia

Zarate outpoints more experienced Garcia in another entertaining fight which was also ended on a split decision with identical scores to Xu vs. Bernache. This was a gruelling close quarters battle most of the way. Garcia was taller and forced the fight. Southpaw Zarate had to soak up some hard left hooks from Garcia but fought well on the back foot both when countering and when moving inside and his left hook proved a more potent weapon than that of Garcia. There was never much in the fight but Zarate outfought Garcia over the late rounds. Scores 78-74 and 77-75 for Zarate and 77-75 for Garcia.  The 26-year-old Californian Zarate is on a good run being 4-0-1 in his last 5 fights including a win over WBC bantamweight title challenger Carlos Carlson with the draw being a technical one.  Garcia, 28, was like a shooting-star as he won his first 29 fights. Then the opposition got tougher and he is now 5-5-1in his last 11contests but it does not get much tougher than Hozumi Hasegawa, Joseph Diaz and Carl Frampton and Garcia went the distance with all three of them.

Garcia   28yo Mexican much taller0 losses id, 29-0

Akkawy vs. Olivas

Australian hope Akkawy floor and decisions Mexican Olivas in his first pro fight outside of Australia. It was a dominating performance from Akkawy who won every round and floored  Olivas in the second. Akkawy used a strong jab to control the fight and landed a series of head punches in the second to put Olivas down. Olivas beat the count and survived the round-just-but was never any threat to the much stronger Akkawy. Scores 80-71 from all three judges for Akkawy. The 25-year-old from Sydney broke Kerry Hope’s jaw in beating him in 2016 and took a wide decision over tough Italian Giovanni De Carolis a former holder of the secondary WBA title. Akkawy has 15 wins by KO/TKO. Legendary trainer Johnny Lewis said that Bilal’s father Mahmoud (Michael) was one of the hardest punchers he ever saw but sadly Michael’s career was brought to an end after just two fights when he was badly injured in a car crash. Bilal is now training under Eddy Reynoso who trains Saul Alvarez and he will relocate to Mexico. Olivas, 26, had been fed on some low level opposition in Mexico and was never in with the sniff of a chance here.

 

Zhengzhou, China: Super Middle: Ainiwaer Yilixiati (14-1) W TKO 1 Mada Maugo (23-17). Welter: Adam Diu Abdulhamid (13-6) W PTS 10 Youli Dong (12-1-1).

Yilixiati vs. Maugo

Chinese fighter Yilixiati blows away poor Maugo inside a round. Maugo made a bright start throwing lots of punches but a counter hook saw him stumble and touch the canvas with a glove. After the eight count Yilixiati put Maugo down twice with body punches and the referee waived the fight off with just five seconds left in the first round. The 25-year-old Yilixiati retains the WBC Asian Boxing Council title and adds the vacant WBA Asian title to his collection. He has 11 wins by KO/TKO. His loss came in a fight with Australian Jayde Mitchell for the OPBF title in 2017 with Mitchell winning every round on two cards. Now four wins in a row since the Mitchell fight for Yilixiati Ninth loss by KO/TKO for Maugo.

Abdulhamid vs. Dong

Abdulhamid wins majority verdict over Dong in a competitive clash to take the WBO Asia Pacific title. The Filipino used a strong aggressive attack to win this one. Dong had height and reach and kept the fight close early. He scored on the advancing Abdulhamid with some cracking counters but Abdulhamid was walking through the punches and hammering at Dong’s body inside. The middle rounds were close but Abdulhamid rocked Dong in the seventh. Dong had a better eighth but Abdulhamid then came back working the body and outscored Dong over the ninth and tenth. Scores 97-93 and 96-94 for Abdulhamid and 95-95. The 23-year-old “Big Daddy” Abdulhamid from General Santos City went 2-5 in a rocky patch but has now won his last two fights. Champion Dong, also 23, was unbeaten but no real tests before this fight with his twelve previous opponents only having 22 wins between them.

 

September 14

 

Philadelphia, PA, USA: Welter: Terrell Williams (17-0) W PTS 10 David Grayton (15-3-1). Three knockdowns in the first six rounds are enough to see Williams safely to a wide unanimous decision. The opening two rounds were a nightmare for Grayton as he hit the floor twice. He recovered to be competitive over the fourth and fifth but was put down again in the sixth. Grayton stayed out of trouble in the seventh and came into the fight more over the last three rounds as Williams tired but there was no way he could overcome those three knockdowns which cost him six points in the scoring. The judges saw it 98-89, 99-90 and 97-92 for Williams. The tall Californian was the opponent in October 2015 when Prichard Colon was injured with it being alleged that blows to the back of the head caused the brain injury to Colon. Williams did not fight again for two years but is now rebuilding his career. Southpaw Grayton won his first 14 fights but is now 1-3-1 in his last 5 with his other two losses being against Bryant Perrella and Miguel Cruz.

 

Lincoln, RI, USA: Super Light: Nick DeLomba (14-2) W PTS 8 Chris Singleton (18-6-2). Local fighter DeLomba gets comfortable win over substitute Singleton. The visitor was in the fight over the first couple of rounds forcing the better boxer DeLomba to fight inside but then DeLomba outboxed and outlanded Singleton the rest of the way. He was able to pierce Singleton’s defence with well placed jabs, hooks and uppercuts with Singleton just too slow to block or counter many of the punches. DeLomba is not a big puncher so Singleton was rarely in trouble but never really in the fight with a chance. Scores79-73 twice and 78-74for DeLomba. The Rhode Island native gets his third win in a row and retains the UBF All American title. Singleton was a replacement for Irelands’ Ray Moylette who withdrew a few weeks before with an injury. He is 3-3-2 in his last 8 fights.

 

Glasgow, Scotland: Super Welter: Stefan Sanderson (5-0) W PTS 10 Paul Kean (8-1).  The BBB of C Area titles continue to provide a path for young local fighters to get good experience and prepare themselves for moving up to challenge for the next level titles. They also tend to be hotly contested and competitive matches. This contest between two undefeated boxers for the vacant Scottish Area title was one example. The 6’0” tall Kean had the edge in reach against southpaw Sanderson so Sanderson was looking to take the fight inside with Kean working cleverly with his jab on the back foot. The styles gelled well to make it an interesting contest with the deciding moment coming early with Sanderson scoring a knockdown in the second. It was close all the way with that knockdown making the difference as the referee scored the fight 96-94 for Sanderson. It was close enough for both boxers to come away with credit and to go forward with confidence. Both fighters were going ten rounds for the first time and that will also help build their confidence.

 

Concordia, Argentina: Super Welter: Adrian Veron (22-3) W KO 6 Luis Tejerina (16-7-3).  Veron wins the vacant South American title with kayo of Tejerina. Southpaw Veron had the longer reach and more power. Veron used smart lateral movement to avoid the punches from Tejerina and was able to land regularly with his right jab and lefts to the head. He slowly eroded Tejerina’s resistance and was scoring easily. In the sixth he staggered Tejerina with a right jab then backed him into a corner and threw a whole bundle of punches none of which were very heavy but with Tejerina not punching back the referee stepped in and gave Tejerina a standing count. When the action resumed a left to the temple from Veron sent Tejerina down on his back and he was counted out. Veron, the Argentinian No 6, was coming off consecutive kayo losses to Cesar Barrionuevo.  He gets his fourteenth win by KO/TKO. Fourth inside the distance loss for Tejerina

 

Budakalasz, Hungary: Light Heavy: Mate Kis (12-0-2) W RTD 8 Richard Baranyi (19-4). Super Welter: Balasz Bacskai (8-0) W PTS 8 Nkululeko Mhlongo (16-7).

Kis vs. Baranyi

Kis and Baryani clash in a return match with the National title on the line and Kis wins again. Baranyi made the better start. He looked an improved fighter from his loss to Kis in November and boxed well early. Kis was forcing the fight and ready to take punches to land his own with Baranyi boxing and countering. That made for entertaining clash with Kis gradually getting on top. He landed some booming rights and caustic uppercuts with Baranyi firing back but getting the worst of the exchanges. In the eighth after scoring with a combination to the head Kis banged home a wicked left hook to Baranyi’s body. Baranyi folded in half with his gloves almost touching the canvas. It looked as though he was going down and for a couple of seconds both Kis and the referee stood waiting for him to fall. When he managed to straighten himself he was in pain and Kis took him to the ropes and landed some neck-jerking head shots. The bell went saving Baranyi but he retired in his corner. Kis, 25, retains the National title with his fifth win on the bounce by KO/TKO. Baranyi was a top level amateur but is now 1-3 in his last 4 fights with all three losses inside the distance. Apart from the two losses to Kis he was stopped inside a round by Anthony Yarde in July last year.

Bacskai vs. Mhlongo

Bacskai wins every round against South African Mhlongo but the height and reach of Mhlongo posed some problems for the local fighter. Bacskai was scoring with fast combinations in the first but Mhlongo did not fold and fought back hard. Head clashes in the second round saw Mhlongo suffer a bad cut over his left eye with the blood hampering his vision. Bacskai continued to outscore Mhlongo and the cut worsened with the referee asking the doctor to examine Mhlongo in the fifth round. The fight was allowed to continue and Bacskai handed out some fearsome punishment to Mhlongo often trapping him on the ropes and rocking him with booming rights and uppercuts. Mhlongo took his lumps and tried to fight back but the power and hand speed of Bacskai were too much for him but he gamely stayed there to the last bell, Scores 80-72 for Bacskai on the three cards. The 30-year-old “Benji” was a prominent member of the Hungarian National squad in the amateurs winning gold medals at the World and European Youth Championships, the European and European Union Championships and was Hungarian national champion seven years in a row. “Bulldog” Mhlongo did well to go the distance with such a handicap but is now 1-4 in his last 5 fights.

 

Cusano Mutri. Italy: Domenico Valentino (6-0) W TEC DEC 5 Benoit Manno (17-2) Former star amateur Valentino wins the vacant Italian title in his sixth fight with technical decision over Manno. With Valentino by far the more skilled boxer Manno had to try to take the fight to Valentino and hustle him out of his comfort zone or hope that Valentino tired as he had never been past six rounds before. In the end his first option proved impossible and the second never came into play because the fight did not go past the fifth round. Valentino took control of the centre of the ring and outboxed Manno from there. Manno’s aggression was enough to win him a round but he ran out of time after Valentino suffered a cut on his left eyebrow from a clash of heads and the doctor ruled the injury was too severe for the fight to continue. The judges saw it 49-47 twice and 49-46 for Valentino. He is 34 so he has had to move up quickly. It is a pity he left it so late to turn pro. He won gold medals at the World Military games, the European Union Championships the Mediterranean Games and medalled at every World Championships from 2005 through to 2013 winning the gold medal in 2009 beating Jose Pedraza in the final but never won a medal at the three Olympic Games he competed at. He scored wins over both Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor but that’s history and I can’t see him staying around long enough to win a world title. Southpaw Manno was 11-1 going into this one with the loss being to Emilio Marsili for the European title in 2014..

 

Bialystok, Poland: Middle: Robert Swierzbinski (21-7-2) W PTS 10 Rafal Jackiewicz (50-20-2) Fighting in his home town Swierzbinski wins the vacant Polish title with his second victory in four months over veteran Jackiewicz. Swierzbinski made this look easy over the first four rounds as he raked Jackiewicz with jabs and dug home body punches.. Jackiewicz was just too slow to get within range against the naturally bigger man. Luckily for Jackiewicz  Swierzbinski was going for quantity rather than power but he was unable to get into the fight. That changed in the fifth with Swierzbinski’s work rate dropping and Jackiewicz finding gaps in Swierzbinski’s defence. Jackiewicz continued his good work in to the sixth mixing up his attacks and showing the benefit of his greater experience. He closed the points gap further in the seventh Swierzbinski was cut over his left eye in a clash of heads but staged a late rally in the round. The eighth and ninth were close and could have gone to either fighter . Swierzbinski tried to stage a big finish in the tenth and Jackiewicz seemed to be coasting but he still did the better work and looked to have just done enough to take a very close decision, Scores 99-92 and 96-94 for Swierzbinski and 96-94 for Jackiewicz but Jackiewicz looked worth at least a draw. Swierzbinski has had some very testing assignments against world champions such David Lemieux, Chris Eubank and Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam but is now 5-1-1 in his last 7 fights losing only to French prospect Christian Mbilli. Now 41 Jackiewicz, a former European champion and IBF title challenger at welterweight, again announced his retirement but he has done that before.

 

September 15

 

Ludwigshaffen, Germany: Super Middle: Avni Yildirim (21-1) W PTS 12 Lolenga Mock (42-42-1). Super Middle: Vincent Feigenbutz (29-2) W RTD 5 Yusuf Kanguel (16-3-1). Welter: Deniz Ilbay (20-1) W PTS 8 Jean Pierre Habimana (9-14-3).

Yildirim vs. Mock

Mock in a close entertaining contest Yildirim retains the WBC International title and moves within touching distance of WBC champion David Benavidez with majority victory over Mock. Yildirim made the perfect start flooring Mock with a right hook in the first round. It was not a heavy knockdown and Mock quickly recovered but he was already two points down. Yildrim likes to fight inside and although Mock had the better jab he was quickly forced to meet the Turkish fighter literally head on. That suited Yildirim but Mock was working well enough to make all of the rounds close. Yildirim looked to be in front but Mock was coming on strongly over the middle rounds. Mock gradually came into the fight more and was eating into Yildirim’s lead. Yildirim responded with a good eighth round but in the ninth a right from Mock knocked Yildirim off balance and his glove brushed the canvas. It could have been counted as a knockdown but the referee saw it as a slip so did not apply a count and that proved a huge factor in the outcome. The rounds continued to be close and both fighters lost a point in the eleventh for hitting on the break. Mock attacked strongly in the twelfth and looked to have won that one but it was not enough. Scores 116-111 and 113-112 for Yildirim and 113-113. Yildirim was making the second defence of the WBC International title. He was No 5 in the latest WBC ratings with Mock at No 15 but a challenge to David Benavidez looks set to come early next year. The 46-year-old Mock will feel he was worth at least a draw out of this and time is not on his side. However he has kept himself active whilst scoring eleven wins in a row and came close enough here not to give up on his hopes of a title fight.

Feigenbutz vs. Kanguel

Feigenbutz beats late substitute Kanguel. Feigenbutz was looking for a quick win and attacked strongly from the outset. He continually forced Kanguel to the ropes and scored with some heavy body punches. Kanguel fought back well when he could get some space to build his own attacks and landed some of good punches late in the round. Feigenbutz continued to press in the second and third rounds. Kanguel also had more success but he was leaving himself too open and taking punishment. The fourth was Kanguel’s best round as he was the one taking Feigenbutz to the ropes but Feigenbutz was countering with hard punches to head and body and a tiring Kanguel lost a point for spitting out his mouthguard. Feigenbutz was on top as Kanguel faded in the fifth. He scored early with a couple of cracking head punches and dug in a hook to the body. Kanguel punched back but a straight right from Feigenbutz had him backing off. He looked very tired and was rocked by another right just before the bell and his team retired their man at the end of the round. Former interim WBA champion Feigenbutz retains the Global Boxing Union Inter-Continental title with his 26^th win by KO/TKO. He is rated WBA 2/IBF 3(4)/WBO 4 but his No 8 with the EBU is a more representative reflection of his opposition and performances at this stage. He is still only 23 so there is no need to rush him. German-based Kanguel had the handicap of being a substitute for a substitute. Going into this fight he had won nine fights in a row, eight of them inside the distance, so with more time to prepare he might have been a danger to Feigenbutz.

Ilbay vs. Habimana

Ilbay returns to action and outpoints Rwandan-born Belgian Habimana. Ilbay had the speed and the power but Habimana came to fight and threw plenty of punches. Ilbay had better skills and a harder punch and won every round but Habimana was still trying to fight back to the final bell. First fight for Ilbay for ten months so the eight rounds will help him shed any rust. He beat Bethuel Ushona for the WBFederation title back in 2016 and is the current Global Boxing Union champion. His only loss is against WBO No 2 Egidijus Kavaliauskas in 2016. Habimana is 2-5 in his last 7 fights but has only lost inside the distance once.

 

Magdeburg, Germany: Heavy: Tom Schwarz (22-0) W KO 2 Julian Fernandez (11-1). Light Heavy: Adam Deines (16-0-1) W PTS 12 Mustafa Chadlioui (12-4-2). Super Welter: Mohammed Rabii (6-0) W PTS 8 Anderson Clayton (41-13-2).

Schwarz vs. Fernandez

Too easy for Schwarz as he blows away overmatched Mexican novice Fernandez. Schwarz was too big and too strong for the very limited Fernandez landing big punches in the first with Fernandez lucky to last the three minutes. Schwarz used his weight advantage to bull Fernandez to the ropes in the second and bombarded him with head punches. A left to the head sent Fernandez staggering across the ring and Schwarz followed him and landed a huge overhand right that sent Fernandez into the ropes and down to the canvas with the referee immediately stopping the fight. The 24-year-old 6’5 ½” (197cm) Schwarz boxing in his home city retained the WBO Inter-Continental title with his fourteenth win by KO/TKO. He has wins over moderately good opposition but is still largely untested. Fernandez was a lamb to the slaughter. He is basically a prelim fighter. Nine of his victims had only six wins between them and another was 10-14-2. The only one with a positive record, 11-4-5, was a fat, flabby 286 ½ lbs. Schwarz gets nothing out of rubbish like this.

Deines vs. Chadlioui

Deines wins the vacant WBC International Silver title with unanimous decision over rough and tough Chadlioui. Deines had to box a disciplined fight here against the unpredictable Chadlioui as he could not afford to get down in the trenches with the wildly unpredictable Moroccan. Sticking with his jab and scoring well to head and body Deines had some spells of discomfort from the crude, wild swings of Chadlioui and his carless head work but never really lost control of the fight and won handily. Scores 118-110, 117-112 and 117-113 all for the 27-year-old local southpaw. He won the vacant German title with a victory over unbeaten Stefan Haertel in March and is progressing well. Spanish champion Chadlioui lost a close decision to Albanian Orial Kolaj in for the European Union title in February and can be a dangerous opponent.

Rabbi vs. Clayton

Moroccan Rabii easily outpoints shop worn Clayton. Rabii was too young, too quick and too accurate for the Brazilian and won on scores of 80-72 twice and 79-73. The 25-year-old 2016 Olympics bronze medal winner won gold at the World Championships and is a former World Boxing Series Fighter of the Year. Clayton, 39, was inactive throughout 2017 and this is his second loss this year.

 

Buenos Aires, Argentina: Middle; Marcelo Caceres (18-3) W TKO 7 Gaston Vega (28-14-2,1ND). Caceres stops Vega and keeps the South American title. Caceres attacked veteran Vega from the first round. Initially he was wild with his work and head hunting but once he settled the fight was soon over. Vega landed a hard right to the head in the sixth which stopped Caceres in his tracks but he quickly recovered. In the seventh a right to the body saw Vega on the floor. He beat the count but another couple of punches put him down again and the fight was halted. Now eleven wins in a row for the Argentinian No 2 and his thirteenth win by KO/TKO. Former undefeated South American super middleweight champion Vega slides on down the slope under his eleventh loss by KO/TKO.

 

Brisbane, Australia: Light Heavy: Rohan Murdock (23-1) W TKO 4 Pablo Nieves (33-16-1). Murdock marches on. The local fighter extends his winning run to 20 as he floored Nievas twice in the fourth to bring the curtain down. Murdock gets win No 16 by KO/TKO. He is rated WBO 7/IBF 15(14). Argentinian Nievas is 2-4 in his last 6 fights all of which have ended early with two wins by KO/TKO and four losses by KO/TKO

 

Qinzhou, China: Light Fly: Jing Xiang (15-4-2) W PTS 12 Merlito Sabillo (27-6-1). Heavy: Zhiyu Wu (9-2-1) W PTs 10 Kotatsu Takehara (15-12-3).

Xiang vs. Sabillo

Xiang outpoints a fading Sabillo to get important win. The younger Chinese boxer was in charge for much of the fight. Sabillo was competitive early and occasionally threatened but then tired. Xiang pressed all the way taking the fight to southpaw Sabillo and getting the better of some fiery exchanges as he worked his way to a wide unanimous verdict. Scores 119-109, 118-110 and 117-111 all for 28-year-old Xiang. The win gets him the WBC Silver title. He was No 30 in the latest WBC ratings but will get a big boost for winning the Silver title. Sabillo, 34, is a former WBO Minimumweight champion. He was 23-0-1 at the start of his career but is now 4-6 in his last10 fights which shows how he has slipped.

Wu vs. Takehara

Wu wins the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council (WBC ABC) title with tight decision over Japan’s Takehara. Don’t take this one too seriously as basically it was a very chubby Chinese fighter vs. an elderly Japanese one. Despite that it was entertaining at times with the local fighter getting a slim verdict. Scores 96-94 for Wu from all three judges. The 35-year-old 5’11” Wu won his first seven fight s actually winning the WBC ABC title at cruiserweight in only his second fight but is 2-2-1 in his last 5. Takehara, 40, had won his last five fights but against very modest opposition.

 

Hamburg, Germany: Christian Hammer (23 -5) W RTD 3 Tornike Puritchamiashvili (11-11). Heavy: Erik Pfeifer (1-0) W TKO 2 Davit Gogishvili (22-12).

Hammer vs. Puritchamiashvili

Hammer beats Puritchamiashvili (thank goodness for cut and paste) on a third round retirement. If you paid to see this then you should ask for your money back. It was dreadful and an insult to Hammer to put him in fights like this.  Puritchamiashvili is fat slow and hardly threw a punch. Hammer never got beyond a plodding pace. He was able to score with his jab when he liked and could not miss Puritchamiashvili with body punches. For a very short period in the second and third rounds Hammer cut loose with some uppercuts and hooks to the body but it was not even useful sparring for him. Puritchamiashvili had never been down or in any serious trouble but retired after the third round. German-based Romanian Hammer has scored wins over Erkan Teper and David Price but was beaten in seven round by Tyson Fury and in his last fight in December he was outclassed by Alex Povetkin but went the full ten rounds. Georgian Puritchamiashvili was to have fought Pfeifer but he switched places with Gogishvili. He is 6’3” and weighs around 315lbs-you get the picture?

Pfeifer vs. Gogishvili

This fight was just as bad. Former amateur star Pfeifer floored Gogishvili three times before the fight was stopped. Pfeifer had a much longer reach and lots of height on his side. He was able to pierce the southpaw guard of Gogishvili with ease and was measuring him for right hands. One of these landed but did not look to be more than a glancing blow and Gogishvili went down. Pfeifer tracked Gogishvili throwing more rights before taking Gogishvili to the roes and landing a series of lefts and rights that sent Gogishvili down once more. He made it to his feet as the bell went, Just after the bell to start the second Pfeifer landed another half power right and Gogishvili was on the floor again. When he got up the referee just waived the fight over-thankfully. I guess Pfeifer had to fight someone in his first pro fight but this was pitiful. The 31-year-old Russian-born German Pfeifer is another high level amateur entering the pro heavyweight rankings. He won bronze medals at both the 2011 and 2013 World Championships, gold at the European Union Championships and competed at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. He lost in the semi-finals of the 2011 to World Championships to Anthony Joshua when Joshua broke Pfeifer’s nose in the first round. He is 6’3” and was German champion three times.

 

Heerlerheide, Holland: Middle: Gevorg Khatchikian (28-2) W TKO 2 Volodymyr Romanenko (8-8). Heavy: Ricardo Snijders (14-0) W RTD 5 Paul Zummach (3-2).

 

Khatchikian vs. Romanenko

Khatchikian brushes aside Ukrainian Romanenko inside two rounds. The Armenian-born Dutchman was not looking to spend too long in the ring. In the first he drove Romanenko to a corner late in the round and dropped him with a rib busting body punch. Romanenko survived but in the second a thumping right put him down again and the referee stopped the fight. Khatchikian wins the vacant BeNeLux title (for fighters from Belgium, Netherlands/Holland and Luxemburg) and now has 14 wins by KO/TKO. The champion Josemir Poulino refused to face the challenge of Khatchikian and was stripped of the title. As no fighter from the BeNeLux was willing to tackle Khatchikian the Ukrainian was brought in.  Khatchikian’s two losses have come in fights against James DeGale for the WBC Silver title and Gilberto Ramirez for the NABF title. Fifth loss by KO/TKO for Romanenko.

Snijders vs. Zummach

Dutch champion Snijders dominates all the way and forces retirement by Zummach. Snijders worked patiently breaking down the heavier Zummach who tried unsuccessfully to bully Snijders. Snijders used a strong jab and good technical ability to dominate the action and really cut loose in the fourth and fifth rocking Zummach with some booming punches and the German did not come out for the sixth round. Former national amateur champion at 91kg Snijders was Dutch and BeNeLux champion at cruiserweight before moving up to heavyweight earlier this year. He has won his last four fights by KO/TKO but will now probably move down to cruiser again. Novice Zummach in over his head.

 

Kemerovo, Russia: Cruiser: Dmitry Kudryashov (23-2) W KO 1 Alexandru Jur (17-2). Light: Vyacheslav Gusev (25-5) W TKO 2 Yotchanchai Yakaeo (26-13,1ND).

Kudryashov vs. Jur

In his second fight in ten days Kudryashov Obliterates Jur inside a round. Jur showed some nice touches early jabbing well and landing a couple of rights. With about 30 seconds to go in the round Kudryashov staggered Jur with a left hook and then sent Jur sprawling on the canvas with a right to the head and he was counted out. The “Russian Hammer” moves to 23 wins by KO/TKO. The second round stoppage loss to Yunier Dorticos in September for the secondary WBA title saw him drop out of the ratings with only the WBC featuring him at No 11. He is dangerous and is fighting his way back and could very well compete for a title in 2019. Romanian Jur is the WBC Mediterranean champion with his only loss being a split decision against Taylor Mabika in Gabon.

Gusev vs. Yodchanchai

Gusev scores win over a dancing Thai Yodchanchai (Yakaeo). This one was amusing. The veteran Thai flitted around the ring like the Sugar Plum Fairy on speed with some very strange but clever movement. Gusev just kept walking Yotchanchai down with Yodchanchai throwing lots of light punches from some very strange angles. Gusev eventually caught up with Yodchanchai in the second and landed a left to the side of Yodchanchai’s head and the Thai dropped to one knee complaining the punch had landed on the back of his head. When the action restarted two booming rights from Gusev sent Yodchanchai down heavily and almost out under the bottom rope. His body slid from the rope until only his head was resting on the bottom rope and that was enough for the referee to immediately stop the fight. Russian Gusev, 32, a former European title challenger has lost important fights against Gary Russell Jr and Guillaume Frenois but less impressively lost last time out to inexperience Peruvian Frank Urquiaga. Yodchanchai, 39, is 1-4 in his last five fights.

 

Hockessin, DE, USA: Super Middle: Derrick Webster (28-1) W PTS 8 Milton Nunez (35-20-1). Tall southpaw Webster has no problems with Colombian Nunez and boxes his way to victory. At 6’4” (193cm) Webster had a big edges in height and reach over the 5’9” (175cm) Nunez. Webster was able to keep Nunez on the end of his jab for most of the fight and found plenty of gaps for his jab, hooks and uppercuts. He had Nunez badly shaken in the fifth and outpunched him all the way to be a wide winner. Scores 80-72 twice and 79-73. The 36-year-old Webster has useful victories over Frankie Filippone and Les Sherrington and this is his fourth win this year but at 36 he has to make a move soon. Nunez went 21-1-1 at the start of his career but in fight No 24 in 2010 he was knocked out in 58 seconds by Gennady Golovkin in a challenge for the interim WBA title. He has never won a fight outside of Colombia.

 

Fight of the week (Entertainment): Jose Ramirez vs. Antonio Orozco. Despite the wide scores there was three minute of action in every round.

Fight of the week (Significance): Saul Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin

Fighter of the week: Jose Ramirez with honourable mention to David Lemieux for his one round demolition of Gary O’Sullivan

Punch of the week:  Plenty to choose from. The enormous right from Tom Schwarz which flattened Julian Fernandez and the right from Ramirez that put Orozco down in the fourth round but I go for the perfect short right hook from Roman Gonzalez that shattered Moises Fuentes.

Upset of the week: None at all this week

One to watch: Australian Bilal Akkawy 18-0-1with honourable mention to teenager Gabriel Flores