Behind the Results, w/e 12th December 2010

From Hollywood to Tokyo and everywhere in between - it's Eric Armit's weekly global boxing digest.

December 7

Hollywood, USA: Heavy: Oliver McCall (55-10,2ND) W PTS 12 Fres Oquendo (32-7). Welter: Brad Solomon (16-0) W PTS 10 Anges Adjaho (25-4). Heavy: Cedric Boswell (32-1) W KO 9 Owen Beck (29-7). Heavy: Luis Ortiz (5-0) W TKO 8 Cisco Alvarez (12-2). A close, hard bout to score with Oquendo doing the boxing and McCall applying the pressure. Oquendo was faster, but McCall hit the harder.

Oquendo in front early, but badly shaken in the eighth and McCall finishes strongly to take a split decision. Scores 116-112, 115-113 and 113-115. McCall, “The Atomic Bull”, 45, wins the vacant IBF Inter-Continental title and bounces back into the picture after losing clearly to Timur Ibragimov in June. McCall has lost only three of his last 32 fights, so is far from finished. The former WBC champion lost his title to Frank Bruno in 2005. Puerto Rican Oquendo, 37, lost to Chris Byrd in an IBF title challenge and to John Ruiz for the WBA title. Neither fighter is currently rated by any of the four major sanctioning bodies.

Hot prospect Solomon remains undefeated, but had to fight hard to beat Benin’s Adjaho. Solomon used his usual hand speed to score heavily, but Adjaho was firing back with good counters and forced tall Solomon, 27, to box on the outside more. Scores 97-93, 98-92 and 99-91 as Lafayette’s Solomon progresses and learns, but his No 3 rating with the WBA is ridiculous. Adjaho, 30, has lost four of his last 5, but all to world class fighters.

Boswell, 41, makes another of his rare appearances and finds the sliding Beck an easy target before finishing him with a right. Boswell, in his first fight since September 2009, wins vacant NABA title with his last loss being to Jameel McCline in 2003, but he has had only eleven fights in those seven years. Jamaican Beck, 34, who lost to Nikolai Valuev for the WBA title in 2006, has lost his last four fights. Cuban former amateur star Ortiz made heavy work of Puerto Rican Alvarez before stopping him in the eighth. Southpaw Ortiz, 31, won silver and gold medals at successive World Amateur Championships. For Alvarez, in the past a light heavyweight, it was his first fight for two years.

December 8

Sydney, Australia: Middle: Garth Wood (10-1-1) W KO 5 Anthony Mundine (40-4). Light: Johannes Mwetupunga (10-2) W PTS 10 Peter Mitrevski (23-8-1). Light Billy Dib (30-1,1ND) W TKO 6 Mick Shaw (27-13-3). A left hook from unknown Wood, 32, catapults him into the picture at super middleweight. His fight with Mundine was the reward, along with $250,000, for being the winner of the Australian version of Contender, but for my money I thought it was a mismatch! In a messy fight, Wood seemed a little over-awed and Mundine seemed to take this as an invitation to trade with him. It worked for a whole, but in the fifth Wood broke through with a left hook which put Mundine down and out cold in the fifth. It was the first time that Mundine, rated No 2 middleweight by the WBA, had lost to an Australian fighter and his previous defeats had all been in “world” title fights. Wood had won the Contender final with a split points win over Kariz Kariuki and had been kayoed by Ben Fetilika in an early fight. It is back to the drawing board for Mundine a former WBA secondary super middle champion, who had moved down to light middleweight before putting on poundage again for this bout.

Namibian Mwetupunga, 34, retained the Australian title for the third time, and made it eight wins in a row, as he took a wide unanimous verdict over former Commonwealth title challenger Peter Mitrevski. Scores 99-91 twice and 98-93. Mitrevski, 31, lost to Martin Murray for the Commonwealth title in July, and this was his third try at winning an Australian title. Dib, the fourth rated featherweight with the IBF, was much too good for game Shaw and was in command all the way until the stoppage. “Billy The Kid”” Lost to Steve Luevano for the WBO feather title in 2008 and this win made it six by KO/TKO in a row and 18 in all. Shaw, 34, has now lost five of his last six.

December 9

New Jersey, USA: Heavy: Tomasz Adamek (43-1) W TKO 5 Vinny Maddalone (33-7,1ND). Middle: Pat Majewski (15-0) W TKO 8 Eddie Caminero (7-4).Welter: Sadam Ali (11-0) W PTS 8 Manuel Guzman (7-10-2). Light Middle: Gabriel Rosado (15-5) W PTS 8 Jose Medina (12-9). Super Middle: Tarvis Simms (26-1-1) W PTS 6 Willis Lockett (12-11-5,2ND). Adamek just too quick for limited Maddalone. Wins every round scoring well with his jab and then opens up in the fifth and floors Queen’s fighter with a left hook. Follow-up attack forces the stoppage. Jersey-based Pole, 34, a former WBC light-heavyweight and undefeated IBF cruiser champ, now has 28 wins by KO/TKO. He is top rated by IBF and WBO, but only No 10 with WBA. In a blood spattered battle that saw Caminero cut in the first, and Pole Majewski cut in the second, Majewski, 30, dominates with his faster hands and heavy hooks and stuns and then floors Caminero, and the fight is stopped.

Useful rounds for former Olympian Ali. Has too much class and hand speed for ordinary Guzman. Ali, 22, whose parents hail from the Yemen, and was inspired to take up boxing by Prince Naseem Hamed, takes decision on scores of 80-72 on all three cards. Guzman has won only one of his last seven fights but has never been beaten inside the distance. Philly's Rosado, 24 scores a knockdown in the fifth on the way to a clear unanimous decision over Mexican Medina. Rosado's figures are misleading as he holds wins over Saul Roman and Kassim Ouma, and only lost on a majority verdict to prospect Derek Ennis. Southpaw Simms, 39, in first fight since losing to Allan Green over a year, ago looks to be on his way to a quick ending when he floors Lockett in first. Lockett, 34, proves a bit more resilient so Simms boxes his way to comfortable decision on scores of 60-53 twice and 60-54.

Bangkok, Thailand: Light Welter: Prawet Singwancha (42-3-2) W PTS 12 Dan Nazareno Jr (14-5). Light Fly: Nethra (23-1) W TKO 1 Mike Escobia. Prawet, 33,has to climb off the floor to retain his WBC International title against 21-year-old Filipino. Better boxing sees him win on scores of 116-111 twice and 116-112. Now twelve wins in a row for Prawet since losing to Jose Alfaro for secondary WBA lightweight title in 2007. He also drew with Jose Miguel Cotto for the same title in 2007. Too easy for Nethra against Filipino novice. Nethra lost to Juan Carlos Reveco for the WBA light fly title in 2007.

December 10

Saltillo, Mexico: Super Bantam: Fernando Montiel (44-2-2) W KO 2 Jovanny Soto (29-12-1). Super Feather: Miguel Beltran (23-1) W TKO 3 Arturo Tebaqui. Super Fly: Hernan Marquez (29-2) W KO 1 Omar Martinez. Too easy for WBC/WBO bantam champion Montiel. He floors useful “Bambino” Soto in first and twice more in second for finish. Now 34 by KO/TKO for 31-year-old former WBO fly and super fly champ, who faces Filipino Nonito Donaire in February.

Beltran, 21, returns in his first bout since losing his unbeaten record to Joksan Hernandez in April. No problems with Tebaqui who is floored and halted in the third for win No 16 by KO/TKO for Beltran. One right uppercut from southpaw “Tyson” Marquez and it is all over in 129 seconds. Second victory for Marquez, 22, since loss to Nonito Donaire for the interim WBA title in July, and now he has 22 wins by KO/TKO.

Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina: Welter: Hector Saldivia (36-2) W TKO 5 Jorge Miranda (40-10,1ND). “El Tigre” is on the prowl again. Saldivia, 26, goes 2-1 ahead in a savage series with Miranda as he bloodies Miranda's nose in the first and continues to score heavily. Miranda's corner wanted to pull him out after the third as his face was a mask of blood, but Miranda insisted in fighting on. More punishment in the fourth saw his corner finally pull Miranda out at the end of the round. Saldivia had been stopped in five rounds by Miranda in 2007, but had knocked Miranda out in 101 seconds in 2008. This was Saldivia's third win since his dramatic first round loss to Said Ouali in May. Miranda lost on points to Jon Thaxton in May 2006. Saldivia will fight Sebastian Lujan in March in an important bout for both boxers.

Merksem, Belgium: Welter: Randall Bailey (41-7,1ND) ND 2 Said Ouali (27-3,1ND). Bailey literally throws away a win. The 36-year-old “Knock-Out-King” floors Ouali in first and has him down again in the second and then in a clinch lifts the 31-year-old Moroccan southpaw Ouali on his left shoulder and tosses him over the ropes. Ouali lands on to the ring apron and is unable to continue, and the bout is ruled a no decision. This was an IBF eliminator (Bailey No 2 and Ouali No 7) and Bailey, a former WBO champion, may now go on to get a shot at Jan Zaveck. Ouali was sent to hospital for a neck examination. He previously won a WBA eliminator and is hoping the IBF order this fight with Bailey to go on again. Pont-Sainte-Maxence, France: Light Welter: Yvan Mendy (21-1) W PTS 12 Sam Rukundo (15-3-1). In front of his hometown fans Mendy, 25, retains his WBFederation title with unanimous verdict over tough Swedish-based Ugandan Rukundo. Scores 116-112 twice and 117-111. Mendy beat Peter McDonagh for the vacant title in June. Rukundo’s two previous losses were to Gary Buckland in a Commonwealth title eliminator and on a split decision to Valentyn Kuts in the Ukraine.

Bruay-la-Buissiere, France: Light: Guillaume Salingue (28-0) W PTS 6 Arvydas Trizno (5-6-2). Another routine win in his hometown for French champion Salingue, 28, who has yet to be really tested.

Calais, France: Light: Romain Jacob (11-0) W PTS 8 Maurycy Gojko (16-21-1). After two disappointing performances due to an elbow problem, prospect Jacob, 22, is back to his best. He outboxes Pole Gojko, 33, who uses all of his experience to last the distance. Gojko turned pro in 1999 in Carlisle and has fought Curtis Woodhouse, Eddie Hyland, Mark Thompson and Ted Bami.

Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico: Super Feather: Luis Cruz (17-0) W TKO 2 Wilfredo Acuna (14-8,1ND). Light: Abner Cotto (10-0) W TKO 3 Alberto de Jesus Trinidad (5-7-1). Light Middle: Jonathan Gonzalez (1-0) W TKO 2 Gundrick King (13-6). The next generation of Puerto Rican stars all came through with quick wins. Cruz “El Artesano” made it 14 by KO/TKO as he disposed of Nicaraguan southpaw Acuna. Cotto, 23, a second cousin to Miguel Cotto, halted Trinidad in three, and Gonzalez looked awesome in hurting poor king with body shots and then stunning him with an uppercut to force the stoppage. “Mantequilla”,21, is yet to be taken the distance.

Kissimmee, USA: Welter: Ed Paredes (26-3-1) W PTS 10 Antonio Pitalua (50-5). Light: Richard Abril (14-2-1) W TKO 5 Miguel Munguia (18-17-1). Light: Darley Perez (18-0) W TKO 4 Ramesis Gil (6-1-4). Controversial win for Dominican Paredes. Colombian Pitalua, 40, the harder puncher and Paredes, 25, doing well as long as he boxes and keeps Pitalua away. Forgets his game plan in the later rounds mixing it with the puncher. Paredes badly hurt in tenth, floored and in serious trouble in eleventh and Pitalua sweeps the last. However, the decision goes to Paredes for putting those early rounds in the bag. Scores a ridiculous 117-110 to Paredes, 115-113 to Pitalua and 114-113 for Paredes. ”The Lion” Paredes wins WBO Latino title. Pitalua lost on points to Artur Grigorian for the WBO light title in 2000 and to Edwin Valero for the WBC title in 2009. Only nine of his 55 fights have gone the distance. Cuban Abril halts veteran Munguia. Only losses for Abril have been a split verdict against Breidis Prescott and points loss to Henry Lundy. Veteran Munguia gave John Murray a tough fight in Las Vegas in 2007 with one official turning in a 96-9card.Impressive US debut for Colombian Perez, 27, finishes Gil with a series of 20 unanswered punches and now has 15 wins by KO/TKO.

December 11

Las Vegas, USA: Light Welter: Amir Khan (24-1) W PTS 12 Marcos Maidana (29-2). Light Welter: Victor Ortiz (28-2-2) DREW 10 Lamont Peterson (28-1-1). Light Welter: Joan Guzman (31-0-1) W KO 2 Jason Davis (11-8-1). Heavy: Seth Mitchell (20-0-1) W KO 5 Taurus Sykes (25-7-1). Light Welter: Sharif Bogere (18-0) W PTS 8 Chris Fernandez (19-11-1). Khan comes through the toughest of tests and emerges with a well deserved win over a dangerous challenger in a great fight. Khan looks to be on the way to a quick win as he floors Maidana with a body shot at the end of the first round. Khan also on top in the third, but Maidana shows why he has never lost inside the distance as he bounces back. Loses a point for using his elbow in the fifth, but has Khan hurt in eighth and in terrible trouble in a hellish tenth when the fight could have been stopped. Instead Khan showed tremendous courage and composure as he came back in the last two rounds and fought his way to a unanimous victory. Khan did not just show the speed and skill we know he possesses, he also showed the guts and heart of a champion and took punches that proved his chin is not the porcelain handicap we thought it was. Maidana also came out with credit for the way he climbed off the floor from a devastating left to the liver and walked Khan down for the rest of the fight. Scores 114-111 twice 113-112 as Khan defends WBA title for third time. and boosts his stock in the USA.

Southpaw Ortiz, 23, also looks on the way to a quick win as he floors Peterson, 26, twice in the third round. Fails to finish the job and Peterson boxes at a distance and picks up the points to finally get a majority draw. Scores 94-94 twice and 95-93 to Peterson, which looked out of line. Ortiz had Maidana on the floor in their fight for the vacant WBA interim title, but Maidana got up to floor Ortiz three times. Peterson lost a wide points verdict to Tim Bradley for the WBO title in December. Guzman,34, seems to think that “making weight” has something to do with keeping people hanging around. He certainly does not know how to make the contracted weight for a boxing match and came in over the weight yet again for this fight. Davis decided to go through with the fight, but probably wished he had not. Davis went down from a tap early in the first but the referee declined to count. He was also floored at the end of the round-by a low blow. At the first sign of a few punches coming the way of Davis in the second his corner threw the towel in. Guzman, who has won world titles at super bantam and super feather seems to have no discipline at all. “Mayhem” Mitchell, 28 , a former All American college football player, continues to make progress. Stalking veteran Sykes, for four rounds, Mitchell explodes in the fifth and floors Sykes twice in the fifth for the kayo. Ugandan hope Bogere, 22, not really tested as veteran Fernandez had no answer to the speed, accuracy and fast combinations of “The Lion”. Scores from all three officials 80-72, so Bogere wins every round on all cards.

Tacoma, USA: Bantam: Abner Mares (21-0-1) W PTS 12 Vic Darchinyan (35-3-1) . Bantam: Joseph Agbeko (28-2) W PTS 12 Yonnhy Perez (20-1-1). Super Fly: Cesar Seda (20-0) W TKO 1 Ernie Marquez (9-8-1). Super Bantam: Eric Morel (43-2) W PTS 8 Juan Jose Beltran (23-19-3). Super Bantam: Chris Avalos (18-1) W TKO 4 Cecilio Santos (25-16-3). Mexican Mares wins victory in Super Four tournament with a split decision over Darchinyan. Mares,25, could hardly have got off to a worse start. Cut in a clash of heads in the first, floored briefly by a left in the second, bleeding heavily in the third and deducted a point for a low blow in the fourth. However, Mares had the better of the second half of an all-action fight, scoring a flash knockdown in the seventh and outworking the Armenian-born southpaw Darchinyan, 34, in the later rounds. Scores 115-111, 114-112, 111-115, as Mares wins the vacant WBC Silver Belt, but it could have gone either way and former IBF fly, and IBF,WBA and WBC super fly champ Darchinyan is far from finished.

Agbeko,30, regains IBF title and qualifies to meet Mares in the final as he outboxes former conqueror Perez to win non scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113. When these two met in October 2009 it was the sort of fight that suited Perez as he floored and outpointed Agbeko. The difference this time was that Ghanaian “King Kong”, now a resident of the Bronx, boxed more and dictated the pace scoring with quick combinations and not standing toe-to-toe. Former Commonwealth champion Agbeko took the early rounds, Colombian Perez,31, came into it in the middle of the fight, but then Agbeko took over again and boxed his way to revenge. Perez had drawn with Mares in a title defence in May. Seda destroys poor Marquez in just 128 seconds to win the vacant NABO title and now has 15 wins by KO/TKO. He looks a good prospect. Poor match sees Morel easily outpoint Beltran in a one-sided bout. Scores 80-72 twice and 79-73. This was cut from ten rounds to eight. Morel, 35, a former WBO bantamweight and WBA flyweight champion, is rebuilding his career after a spell in jail and has now won eight in a row. Avalos 21records his second win since losing to Chris Martin in August. Dominates former WBO, WBA and IBF title challenger Santos, 32, who pulls out at the start of the fourth claiming a shoulder injury.

Torreon, Mexico: Super Fly: Cris Mijares (41-6-2) W PTS 12 Juan Alberto Rosas (32-6). Great little fight. Mijares with the skill and Rosas with the all-out crash, bang approach. Early success for champion Rosas, 26, defending his IBF super fly title for the first time, as he raised a lump on the cheek of Mijares in the first round. The superior boxing of the former WBA/WBC super fly champion saw Mijares then build a lead, but “The Monster” Rosas was always in his face. Southpaw Mijares, 29, took the middle rounds as he boxed from the center ring, but Rosas staged great rallies in the ninth and eleventh. With Mijares cut on the right eyelid and Rosas face badly swollen, they both punched away throughout the last three minutes and Mijares was champion again on scores of 117-113, 116-113 and 115-113.

Perpignan, France: Middle: Jean Marie Sainte (28-2) W TKO 2 Charden Ansoula (15-9-1). Bantam: Jerome Arnould (23-4-1) W PTS 6 Jorge Roberto De Oliveira (10-1). A brief flurry by Ansoula is all the success he has. A couple of rights from Marie Sainte,27, put the US-based Congolese fighter down. He beats the count but the towel is thrown in during the follow-up attack. Second defence of his French title for Marie Sainte who now has 20 wins by KO/TKO. He has scored eight wins since losing a split verdict to Tyan Booth in Montreal in 2009. Ansoula had seven fights in Britain, in 2001/2, winning six and losing on a first round stoppage to Howard Eastman. Parisian Arnould,25, returns to action for the first time since losing to Jamie McDonnell for the European title in March. Boxes well and sets too fast a pace for Brazilian southpaw De Oliveira, 29, but has to overcome a cut over his right eye on the way to a clear points win.

Mexico City, Mexico: Light: Fermin de los Santos (12-13-1) W TKO 4 Carlos Cardenas (14-4-1) . Feather: Juan Antonio Rodriguez (15-2) W TKO 4 Genaro Camargo (33-10). Fly Oscar Blanquet (25-3-1) W TKO 4 Rafael Orozco (21-29-2). Not anticipated quick win for Cardenas. Coming back after two years of inactivity de los Santos is floored and badly enough hurt in the first round to risk disqualification by spitting his gum shield out twice to get a breather. Venezuelan Cardenas fails to find the finish and de los Santos takes over in the second round, bloodying up Cardenas. In the third Cardenas badly cut over his left eye and the Doctor refuses to let him out for the fourth. de los Santos wins vacant WBC Cabofe title. “Golden Boy” Rodriguez hits too hard for Camargo. Scores two knockdowns in the second on the way to stoppage victory. Southpaw Rodriguez makes it 14 wins by KO/TKO and retains WBC Youth title for the fifth time. Blanquet, 25, takes a while to sort out the southpaw style of veteran Orozco, but three body shots put Orozco down and he is unable to continue. Twelve wins in a row for Blanquet, nine of those by KO/TKO. Orozco, a pro since 1988, has won only one of his last 15, but seven of those fights were against “world” champions.

Johannesburg, South Africa: Super Middle: William Gare (26-14) W PTS 12 Roland Francis (24-11-5). Poor fight sees Gare,35, retain his WBFederation title with a wide unanimous points verdict over previous victim 38-year-old Francis. Scores 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112. Gare lost here to Steve Roberts in 2001.

St Petersburg, USA: Super Middle: Dhafir Smith (24-19-7) W PTS 12 Jeff Lacy (25-4,1ND). Heavy: Arron Lyons (12-9-1,1ND) W TKO 4 Lenroy Thomas ( 16-2). Two upsets on the same show. Smith outboxes and almost outclasses former IBF champion Lacy and wins vacant UBO title on scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112. Smith 28, once lost eight fights in a row to modest opposition, so he looked a perfect set-up for Lacy, but obviously Lacy, in his first fight since losing to Roy Jones in August last year, has nothing left, and has never been the same fighter since being outclassed by Joe Calzaghe in 2006. Lacy will now concentrate on promoting. Lyons also springs a surprise as he stops previously unbeaten Jamaican. Lyons had lost six of his last nine and Thomas had won his last 16, so go figure that one out.

December 12

Tokyo, Japan: Light: Ryukyu Migaki (16-2) W TKO 8 Tsunami Takase (12-1). Migaki,29, retains OPBF title as he floors challenger in first and had won every round and Takase 24, was shipping punishment when the referee stopped it in the eighth. Migaki, rated No 7 by the WBC has KO/TKO.