Behind The Results
What starts in Geneva and ends in Managua? It's the wandering Scot's weekly global boxing digest!
October 14
Geneva, Switzerland: Light Heavy: Sofiane Sebihi (16-2) W PTS 6 Mohamed Belkacem (17-3-1). Belkacem gambles with his EBU rating and loses. Sebihi, 31, builds early lead and holds on to win on score of 58-56 on all three cards.
October 15
Montreal, Canada: Super Middle: Lucien Bute (27-0) W KO 9 Jesse Brinkley (35-6). Light Heavy: Adrian Diaconu (27-2) W PTS 10 Omar Sheika (30-10). Welter: Ionut Dan Ion (27-1) W KO 4 Andres Villafane (16-6-4). Super Feather: Benoit Gaudet (23-2) W KO 6 Ceferino Labarda (19-3). Bantam: Sebastien Gauthier (19-2) W PTS 8 David Ler (30-7). Light Welter: Pier Olivier Cote (13-0) W TKO 6 Walter Gomez (23-10-1). Bute easily retains IBF title against limited challenger Brinkley. With height and reach advantage Bute dominates fight. Floors Brinkley with a body shot in fifth and Brinkley only just beats the count, in fact looked to have been counted out, but bell comes to his rescue. Left uppercuts from 30-year-old Romanian put Brinkley, 33, down again in eighth and end the fight in the ninth. Sixth defence of IBF title and 22nd win by KO/TKO. Brinkley had won nine in a row since losing to Robin Reid in 2007.
Former WBC champ Diaconu, “The Shark”, has harder than expected time with 33-year-old Sheika. Big right from Sheika in round two catches stocky Diaconu on the way in a puts him down. Shaken again at the end of the round, Diaconu gets back on top in rounds three through seven, but shaken again in a wild eighth. Again Diaconu regains control and finishes strongly to win on scores of 98-91, 98-92 and 97-92. First fight for Diaconu since losing twice to Jean Pascal in WBC title fights. Sheika has had four shots at “world” titles, including a stoppage defeat against Joe Calzaghe for the WBO title in 2004.
Easy night for Ion “Jo Jo Dan”. Romanian southpaw, 29, hurting Argentinian with hard combinations and southpaw Villafane bails out after body punch. Ion lost split decision to Selcuk Aydin in WBC eliminator in June.
Crushing kayo win for former WBC title challenger Gaudet. His combination punching too much for Argentinian. Gaudet scores knockdown at start of sixth and finishes it with a left hook later in the round. Gaudet gave a good showing against Humberto Soto for WBC title in May 2009. Southpaw Labarda was halted in ten rounds by Steve Molitor in IBF super bantam title fight in 2008.
Experienced Argentinian Ler just can’t handle the speed and pressure from Gauthier. Canadian has Ler hurt in third but could not find the finisher. Wide decision in favour of Gauthier, 28, with scores of 80-72 twice and 79-73. Ler had lost a WBC eliminator to Jorge Arce in 2007 and a WBA eliminator to Alex Munoz in 2005. Cote, 26, floors Argentinian at the end of the first. Hurts him again at the end of fifth and scores two knockdowns in sixth to end fight.
Kissimmee, USA: Super Bantam: Wilfredo Vazquez Jr (20-0-1) W TKO 11 Ivan Hernandez (28-5-1).Middle: Raul Casarez (16-2,1ND) W PTS 10 Tony Greenidge (14-6-1). Super Middle: Pat Majewski (14-0) W TKO 7 Joe Gomez (17-3-1). Bantam: McJoe Arroyo (6-0) W TKO 1 Israel Rojas (3-3). Second successful defence of his WBA title for 26-year-old “Papito“. Hernandez starts well, but Vazquez on top from fourth. Hernandez bounces back briefly with good seventh and eighth rounds, but is badly hurt and dazed at end of tenth. Follow-up attack in eleventh has “Choko” helpless and saved by the referee. Now 17 by KO/TKO for Vazquez Junior. Kissimmee almost his home town as this was his fourteenth fight there. Hernandez, 27, former WBO super fly champ, unsuccessful in third try at winning a title at super bantam and had done nothing to deserve title shot since being stopped in three rounds by WBC champ Toshiaki Nishioka in October for WBC title.
Casarez wins split decision over Greenidge. Good fight between two ordinary young fighters. Scores 98-92, 96-94 and 94-96. Casarez record deceptive as opposition has been poor. Wins vacant WBO Youth title. Greenidge lost 5 of his last 6.
Pole Majewski, 30, takes a while to catch up with useful Gomez, 25, but has him hurt when referee stops it in seventh. McJoe marches on. Easy one as he floors and halts Rojas 130 seconds.
Miami, USA: Heavy: Antonio Tarver (28-6) W PTS 10 Nagy Aguilera (16-5). Cruiser: Lateef Kayode (14-0) W TKO 6 Epifiano Mendoza (30-10-1). Welter: Shawn Porter (17-0) W TKO 9 Hector Munoz (18-4-1). Super Middle: Andre Dirrell (20-0) W TKO 3 Daryl Salmon (16-6). Light Middle: Ron Hearns (26-1) W TKO 6 Bob Kliewer (10-12-2).Tarver, use experience to keep Dominican on back foot and to control bout. Scores well in middle rounds and despite injuring an arm early on, easily holds off last round charge by Aguilera. Scores 98-92 by all three judges. Southpaw Tarver, 41, weighing 46lbs up from his losing effort against Chad Dawson in May last year, makes first sortie into heavyweight ranks, but not likely to threaten Klitschko’s. Aguilera made his name with first round win over former WBC champ Oleg Maskaev, but has lost 3 out of 4 since then.
Impressive power showing by Nigeria Kayode. He punches too hard for 34-year-old Colombian. Losses a point for low blows but is too strong and Mendoza’s corner pull their man out at the end of the fifth. Kayode, 27, has only been taken the distance. Wins vacant NABF title.
Good win for Porter. Handles aggressive Munoz well with superior skill and speed. Munoz cut badly around head and eye in clashes and taking a beating in the end. Munoz's corner responds to pleas by promoter Gary Shaw and finally throws in the towel a couple of rounds later than they should have. “Showtime” Porter, 22, a sometime sparring partner of Manny Pacquiao, has 13 by KO/TKO. Three losses in a row for game Munoz, 32, but all to good quality opposition.
Too easy for Dirrell as he outclasses southpaw Salmon. Hurts Salmon with low blow in first, but breaks him down in second and finishes him with a combination in third. Now 17 by KO/TKO for Andre, elder brother of Anthony, but six losses in a row for Salmon who was no test.
Ron Hearns “The Chosen One” had a bit of a shock as he was floored in the first round by Kliewer. After that Hearns, 31, used body attack and big head shots to soften up poor Kliewer. Farcical ending in fifth as Kliewer down six times in the round, three ruled as slips, before the referee calls it off. Five wins in a row for Hearns since loss to Harry Joe Yorgey in March 2009, but Kliewer has now lost eight of his last nine.
Monterrey, Mexico: Julio Cesar Miranda (34-5-1) W TKO 2 Mike Arango (31-10-3). Middle: Mike Rosales (30-3) W TKO 4 Octavio Castro (14-6-1). Feather: Robert Marroquin (16-0) W PTS Rafael Cerrillo (4-4).Fast finish as Miranda, 30, retains WBO title in second defence. Even first round then a right from Miranda staggers the Colombian at start of second and bangs away with left hooks until referee stops it. That’s 27 by KO/TKO for Miranda. Arango, 31, who protested the stoppage as he had not been down, qualified by losing to Ramon Garcia inside the distance and to Manuel Vargas and was slipped into No 15 in the ratings to suit the promoter.
Lanky Rosales has too much class for Castro. Eventually walks through him and is teeing off when referee stops fight. Rosales, 27, has won his last seven after losing to world rated Saul Alvarez in April 2009. Good workout for southpaw Marroquin, 21, as he wins every round and gets six competitive rounds under his belt.
Chekhov, Russia: Heavy: Alex Povetkin (20-0) W KO 5 Teke Oruh (14-3-1). One short right from Povetkin ends this in the fifth, but not before he has tasted a few right hands from Oruh. Russian beat Eddie Chambers in IBF eliminator in 2008 but seems content to wait until the Klitschkos draw their pension (do they need one?) before challenging. Now 15 by KO/TKO for pudgy Povetkin, 31, who has a chance against the Brother Grim but surely can’t wait much longer. First fight in almost two years for Nigerian and his first loss inside the distance.
Indio, USA: Super Feather: Eloy Perez (19-0-2,1ND) W PTS 10 Dominic Salcido (18-3). Heavy: Seth Mitchell (19-0-1) W KO 1 Derrick Brown (13-6-3). Feather: Charles Huerta (15-1) W KO 1 Felipe Cordova (2-1). Heavy: Deontay Wilder (13-0) W TKO 4 Harold Sconiers (17-21-2). Light Welter: Frankie Gomez (7-0) W PTS 6 Ramon Montano (17-8-2). Not an impressive performance from “The Prince” as a defensive minded and rusty Salcido fights spoiling fight for first half of the bout. Crowd get after both fighters and Salcido actually start to fight and matches Perez. Perez better boxing and early lead see him through to a close majority verdict. Scores 96-94, 96-94, 95-95. Perez retains NABO title and Golden Boy is looking to get him a shot at Ricky Burns.
A bit of rubbish as former American football player Mitchell, 28, floors poor Brown three times. Now 13 by KO/TKO for “Mayhem” but very poor match as Brown, really just a cruiserweight, without a win in his last six. Another poor match as former top amateur Huerta, 24, kayos novice Cordova in one round. Fourth win for Californian since shock one round kayo loss to Derrick Wilson in July 2009, but this did not pose or answer any questions.
Shock also for Wilder. After Wilder being fed an assortment of abysmal opposition Sconiers, winner of only three of his last 17 fights, looked to be in the same mould. Seemed like business as usual as Wilder floored Sconiers twice in the first round. However, somewhere inside Sconiers there was still a pulse and unlike the other opposition Wider had been fed Sconiers actually hit back in the second and floored the 6’7” Olympic bronze medalist and had him in a bad way. The pulse died out in the third and two knockdowns in the fourth brought the stoppage, but left a big question mark over Wilder’s chin.
Good learning fight for prospect Gomez. Veteran Montano keeps up his record of never being stopped, and takes him the distance for the first time as Gomez wins on scores of 60-54 twice and 58-56 (one point away from a draw!). Still only 18, Gomez was US National champion in 2009 and also won a silver medal at the World championships.
Rio Tercero, Argentina: Welter: Sebastian Lujan (35-5-2,1ND) W PTS 10 Juan Jose Dias (10-9-4). Usual war of attrition in “Iron” Lujan fight. A totally exhausted Dias just makes it to the final bell but the brawling styles made it hard to score. Cards 98-90, 97-91 and a strange 97-95. Nine wins in a row since loss to Jaime Moore in 2007, including victories over Jose Luis Castillo and Walter Maytthsse, for double world title challenger. Retains WBC Latino title for second time.
Viterbo, Italy: Super Middle: Andrea Di Luisa (10-0) W TKO 2 Giuseppe Brischetto (8-0). Light Middle: Giammario Grassellini (18-4-2) W PTS 6 Luca Pasqua (15-4). Di Lusia, 28, again shows his punching power in first defence of his Italian title. After an even first round he hunts down cagey southpaw Brischetto, 33, and finishes the job with a body punch. All ten by KO/TKO for Di Luisa. The Italian lost to Darren Barker in the 2004 European championships and was twice a bronze medalist at the World Military Games.
Grassellini may be past his best, and have been inactive for 18 months, but his clever counter-punching gave him the edge over aggressive Pasqua and he wins majority decision on scores of 58-56 twice and 57-57. Grassellini won and lost in two fights with Steve Haughian and lost on an injury to Leo Bundu and took world rated Daniel Petrucci to a split verdict.
Rochester, USA: Middle: Willie Monroe Jr (10-0) W TKO 5 Mickey Scarborough (6-3). Willie Junior, 23, son of the great middleweight warrior, makes it ten wins as he floors Scarborough twice in fourth and once in fifth.
Union City, USA: Light: Jonathan Maicelo (14-0) W PTS 10 Oscar Cuero (13-3). Feather: Carlos Zambrano (12-0) W TKO 8 Lante Addy. Peruvian night in Union City. In his first USA showing unbeaten “La Cobra” Maicelo pitches near shutout as he is just too fast and clever for limited Colombian. Scores 100-90 twice and 99-91.Double for Peru as Zambrano remains unbeaten. He floors Ghanaian in second and dominates fight before scoring another knockdown in eighth, which brings the stoppage.
Ekaterinburg, Russia: Welter: Ruslan Provodnikov (17-0) W PTS 6 Fayzullo Ahmedov (9-9). Nice hometown visit for prospect Provodnikov. Takes wide unanimous verdict. Shares his time between USA and Russia and has even fought in China. Has wins over Emanuel Augustus and former IBF champ Javier Jauregui.
Legionowo, Poland: Light Middle: Damian Jonak (28-0-1) W PTS 10 Jose Luis Cruz (41-7-2). Light Welter: Krzys Szolt (12-0-1) DREW 8 Felix Lora (12-6-5). Good scalp for Jonak, 27 as he beats former world rated 33-year-old Mexican by the country mile. Scores 100-89, 100-90, 99-91.Cruz drew with Carlos Baldomir in a WBC eliminator in 2002. Baldomir went on to beat Zab Judah for the title, but Cruz never got his shot. Szolt has left it too late to turn pro and struggled to get split draw with Spanish-based Dominican. Scores 77-76, 75-77 and 76-76.
Panama City, Panama: Light Welter: Evens Pierre (16-1) W KO 2 Gilbert Quiros (18-13-1,1ND). Feather: Nick Walters (16-0) W TKO 4 Julio Camano (8-3,1ND). Haitian Pierre, 26, takes out dangerous 40-year-old Costa Rican in two rounds and now has 13 by KO/TKO. Quiros took out unbeaten Pablo Vazquez in one round and 15 of his wins have come by KO/TKO, so had to be watched. Jamaican “Axe Man” Walters, 24, winning all the way. Floors Panamanian in fourth and Camano calls it a day. Walters has won eight of his last nine by KO/TKO.
Ciudad Evita, Argentina: Super Feather: Domingo Damigella (36-5) W KO 7 Luis Cox Coronado (13-12-3). Damigella retain WBC (that’s World Boxing Commission) title for second time with kayo of Peruvian Coronado. Damigella is 42, and Coronado 41. The Peruvian’s nickname is “Bum Bum”. Such refreshing honesty.
October 16
Hamburg, Germany: Heavy: Vitali Klitschko (41-2) W PTS 12 Shannon Briggs (51-6-1,1ND). Cruiser: Ola Afolabi (15-2-3) W PTS 10 Sandro Siproshvili (24-7). Middle: Zauerbek Baysangurov (24-1) W TKO 3 Eugenio Monteiro (16-14). Heavy: Alex Ustinov(22-0) W TKO 2 Oezcan Cetinkaya (18-8-1). Heavy: Nenad Borovcanin (27-0) W TKO 1 Pat Berger (6-5). Cruiser: Hizni Altunkaya (13-0) W TKO 1 Mathias Reinhardt (3-1). You can read this WBC title fight in either of two ways. It was a one-sided beating of a challenger who was outclassed, or, since Briggs tore a muscle in his left bicep in the first round, it was a display of courage and determination from a fighter who refused to quit despite having every reason to do so.
Klitschko dominates from the bell. Briggs has no answer to the height and reach of the Ukrainian and no defence against the big right hands of the WBC champ. Briggs hurt in seventh, ninth and tenth, but a tough chin and guts allow Briggs to hear the bell. Scores 120-105 and 120-107 twice as WBC champ Klitschko, 39, taken the distance for only the third time in a winning fight.
Former WBO champ Briggs 38, who had fractures under both eyes, a broken nose and suffered muscle tear, gives cause for concern after the fight and taken to hospital but MRI shows no brain damage but he is kept in for operation on his arm. Difficult to know why this fight was not stopped as Briggs just taking a beating and with no chance of wining.
Thirty-year-old London-born “The Cannon“ Afolabi eases back for first fight since losing to Marco Huck for WBO title in December and takes wide unanimous verdict over Georgian on scores of 100-90, 98-92 and 97-93. Georgian lost to Herbie Hide in March 2009.
Former undefeated European champ Baysangurov, 25, finds it difficult to look good against crafty Portuguese veteran. Finally catches up with him in third and scores heavy right which shakes Monteiro who stays on his stool at the end of the round. Only loss for Baysangurov was to Cornelius Bundrage. Looked upon as a shock at the time, but now Bundrage is IBF champ. Monteiro has lost five of his last six. In bouts here in 2004/5/6 Monteiro beat Gilbert Eastman, Takaloo, Anthony Farrell and Jason Collins, but lost to Tom McDonagh and Gary Woolcombe.
Predictable end as 6’7 ½” Russian Ustinov floors pathetic Turk Cetinkaya five times for stoppage. Some looked more like pushes than punches, but that’s 17 by KO/TKO for Belarus-based Ustinov who beat Paolo Vidoz for the EBA title in June. Record padding for Serb Borovcanin as he forces a standing count and then halts Austrian Berger in just over two minutes. Serb has 19 by KO/TKO but poor opposition with only three of his victims have won more that they have lost. Three KO/TKO losses in a row for Berger. Another poor match on a generally poor undercard as Turk Altinkaya, 22, floors novice Reinhardt three times in 87 seconds.
Mendoza, Argentina: Light Welter : Gumersindo Carrasco (12-0) W TKO 4 Javier Suarez (7-18-2,1NC). Light: Daniel Brizuela (20-1-1,1ND) W PTS 6 Ricardo Chamorro (19-32-32, 1ND). Local hero Carrasco, keeps his 100% record but makes it harder than it should have been against tough but modest Bolivian-born rival. Wild first round sees Carrasco rocked, the Bolivian butting away and ending with a bad cut. Carrasco again getting too involved in the rough stuff in the second, but steadies himself in third and punishes Suarez enough in fourth for Bolivian to retire at the end of the round. Twelve inside the distance in a row at the start of his career which ties the record for an Argentinian held by Juan Pablo Chacon, the former WBO feather champion who lost his title to Scott Harrison in 2002.means that means that. However Suarez has won only one of his last 18 so should have been easy. “Tatu” Brizuela,24, continues to rebuild after kayo loss to Dan Dorriego in September 2009.Third win a unanimous points verdict, but Chamorro also only one win in last 18. Main attraction were the ring card girls who only wore body paint above the waist! Not that I would notice such a thing.
Merida, Mexico: Light Welter: Silverio Ortiz (22-13) W KO 2 Elvin Perez (17-4-3 ). Super Feather: Jorge Perez (12-7-1,1ND) W TKO 9 Didier Basulto (17-1). Feather: Uriel Barrera (19-4) W PTS 10 Berman Sanchez (23-3-3). “Chamaco III” retains IBA title as he breaks Costa Rican’s nose and puts him down for the count. Most of the losses for Ortiz have come on the road. Upset as non-puncher Jorge Perez, well behind on points, produces a punch at the end of the eighth which leaves previously unbeaten local Basulto, 19, with a fractured jaw and captures his WBC Youth title. Basulto lost the title on the scales when he could not make the weight, so only Perez could win the title. Barrera takes a unanimous verdict over Nicaraguan puncher for WBC Mundo Hispano title.
Managua, Nicaragua: Heavy: Evans Quinn (19-5-1) W KO 1 Marvin Aguilar (10-9-1). One right hand and 37 seconds and it is all over as Quinn destroys fellow-countryman. Quinn had faced former WBO champ Sergei Liakhovich and Kali Meehan in his last two fights, whereas Aguliar had lost his last eight, six by KO/TKO.
