The Past Week In Action w/e March 22, 2010

The trainspotter's trainspotter spots some more trains, I mean, boxing matches.

March 18

Melbourne, Australia: Heavy: Shane Cameron (24-2) W DISQ 2 John Hopoate (12-5). Welter: Samuel Colomban (16-3) W TKO 11 Phil Holiday (38-7-1). Super Bantam: Daniel Iannazzo (17-0) W TKO 6 Rivo Rengkung (29-10-5). Cameron, in first fight since being crushed in two rounds by David Tua in October, gets unsatisfactory win over former Australian champ Hopoate, who is thrown out for holding and wrestling.

Colomban retains WBO Oriental title as former IBF lightweight champion Holiday is stopped on cuts. Now 39, this was the first fight in over seven years for South African Holiday. He stopped Jeff Fenech in two rounds in an IBF title defence in 1996 and lost here to Colin Dunne for the WBU title in 1999. Iannazzo, 21, retains WBO Asian Pacific Youth title as he stops Indonesian, again on a cut.

Panama City, Panama: Bantam: Rafael Concepcion (14-4-1) W PTS 10 Sergio Gomez (14-8). Light Welter: Alberto Mosquera ( 11-0) W TKO 3 Jose Miranda (9-9-3). Super Feather: Irving Berry (15-1-2) W TKO 1 Danys Diaz (12-7-2). “El Torito” returns for first time since being stopped by Nonito Donaire in WBA interim super fly title bout in August and takes very close unanimous verdict over Nicaraguan Gomes. Scores 96-94 twice and 97-94. Mosquera, 22, scores two knockdowns and makes it eight by KO/TKO by stopping southpaw Miranda. Berry extends unbeaten run to 13 as Diaz stopped with bad cut .

March 19

Antwerp, Belgium: Welter: Randall Bailey (41-7) W TKO 1 Jackson Osei Bonsu (31-4).Heavy: Kertson Manswell (20-0) W PTS 8 Tomasz Mrazek (4-26-5). Veteran former WBO and WBA light welter champ Bailey, 35, hurts former European champ with a left hook then floors him with another. Ghana-born Bonsu gets up, but another left hook finishes it. This an IBF eliminator. Bonsu now 3-3 in last six fights came over to the York Hall back in 2006 and beat Zaid Bediouri and Kevin Phelan. Manswell from Trinidad and Tobago only just edges poor opponent (4 wins in 35 fights) on scores of 78-74, 78-76 and 77-76. A long way for 33-year-old Manswell to go for a nothing fight.

Florence, Italy: Welter Leonard Bundu (21-0-1) W T DEC 5 Carlos Jerez (30-12-3, 1ND). Bantam: Rodrigo Bracco (11-2) W TKO 10 Pio Antonio Nettuno (5-1).Sierra Leon-born Bundu wins vacant WBA Intercontinental title. Good scrap between taller Argentinian and aggressive Bundu ends when Jerez cut in clash of heads and Bundu in front on all cards. Local boy Bracco wins vacant Italian title in another good scrap. Nettuno starts well, but then Bracco takes over and scores knockdown in tenth to bring stoppage.

Durant, USA: Light Middle: Sechew Powell (26-2) W PTS 12 Deandre Latimore (20-3). Super Middle: Edwin Rodriguez (14-0) W KO 1 George Armenta (13-6). Heavy: Chauncy Welliver (41-5-5) W PTS 10 Mike Sheppard (15-10-1). Prenice Brewer (15-0-1) W PTS 8 Chris Fernandez (18-9-1). In all-southpaw battle, Powell, out of the ring for 14 months, learns from June 2008 stoppage loss to Latimore, boxes on the retreat and uses jab and flurries to pile up points. Latimore, who lost split verdict to Cory Spinks for the IBF title last April, forgets jab and looks for one big shot. Powell sweeps the middle rounds. “ The Bull” Latimore finally hurts Powell with two lefts in eleventh, but too little too late. Latimore, hampered in later rounds by closing right eye. Powell wins majority verdict that should have been unanimous. Scores 117-111, 116-112 (looked about right) and 114-114.

Devastating one punch finish by Dominican-born former amateur star Rodriguez who crushes Armenta with right in 47 seconds. Welliver wins vacant WBC Continental Americas title on wide unanimous decision. Smooth stylist Brewer uses speed and skill to take unanimous verdict, but brave Fernandez pushes him in every round.

Clermont-Ferrand: France: Light Welter: Ismael El Massoudi: W TKO 5 Bismarck Alfaro (11-11, 3ND).Easy for former French champ El Massoudi as Nicaraguan’s corner throws in the sponge in fifth. Seven loses in a row for Alfaro.

Mexico City, Mexico: Fly; Oscar Ibarra (21-4) W TKO 4 Darwin Zamora (17-4-1).Ibarra wins vacant WBC Latino title as he shakes useful young Nicaraguan in early rounds and then suckers him with two punch combination in fourth and batters away to get stoppage.

General Villegas, Argentina: Light Welter: Claudio Olmedo (17-2, 1ND) W TKO 10 Nazareno Ruiz(27-14). Olmedo floors former Argentinian lightweight champion Ruiz twice in tenth to retain interim WBC Latino title. All of Olmedo’s wins have come by KO/TKO.

Los Mochis, Mexico: Super Feather: Daniel Ruiz (18-2) W TKO 10 Baudel Cardenas (18-21-2). Easy for Ruiz in front of home crowd as he floors Cardenas four times.

March 20

Dusseldorf: Heavy: Wladimir Klitschko (54-3) W TKO 12 Eddie Chambers (35-2). Heavy: Johnathon Banks (24-1) W KO 6 Travis Walker (34-4-1).Heavy: Alex Ustinov W TKO 3 Ed Mahone (24-10-2). Heavy: Michael Sprott (32-14) W TKO 1 Werner Kreiskott( 7-14-1). Heavy: Nenad Borovcanin(25-0) W TKO 2 Jon Pasi (3-15-2) .Another routine ”day at the office” for 33-year-old IBF and WBO champ Klitschko as he hurts Chambers in the second and then allows a negative challenger to hang around too long. Manny Steward lit a fire under the Ukrainian at the start of the last round and he finally put in an effort and with twelve seconds to go clipped Chambers with a left that seemed to glance off his forehead. Chambers was draped over the bottom rope and the referee did not even bother to count. Six of Wlad’s last eight challengers have been American’s and none have lasted the distance. “Horizontal Yanks” is the new label.

Former unsuccessful cruiser title challenger Banks scores very strange kayo. Banks, in front in unexciting bout for vacant NABF title, scores with right to the head but losses balance. Both he and Walker fell to canvas, Banks was not hurt, and got up, Walker also made it to his feet, but was in a bad way and referee stopped it. Big right from veteran Sprott shakes tubby German and referee steps in after 58 seconds. Next for Sprott is fight for vacant European title against Audley Harrison. Serbian Borovcanin scores two knockdowns against overmatched opponent but was not impressive.

Le Cannet, France: Bantam: Jamie McDonnell (14-2-1) W TKO 10 Jerome Arnould (22-5-1). Light Welter: Chris Sebire (20-3) W PTS 10 Abdoulaye Soukouna (9-8-5). Super Middle: Jean Paul Mendy (28-0-1) W KO 9 Josival Lima Teixeira (14-6). Middle: Hassan N’Dam N’jikam (23-0) W TKO 10 Mike Ermis(8-9-2). Super Bantam: Ali Hallab (6-0) W TKO 3 Manuel Sequera (10-17-1). British and Commonwealth champ McDonnell wins vacant European title as he dominates former WBA title challenger from the start, Arnould comes into it in seventh, eighth and ninth, but McDonnell hurts Frenchman with hooks in tenth, knocks Arnould’s gum shield out and then floors him for stoppage win.

Sebire retains French title for second time but only on split verdict over modest Soukouna (only two wins in his last eight now) having his second shot at the title. Sebire has been over here three times, beating Robert Lloyd Taylor and Billy Smith, but lost a six rounder to Mike Grant at York Hall in February 2009.Scores 96-95, 96-94 and 94-97. Two lefts from southpaw Mendy finish 36-year-old Brazilian Teixeira. Mendy, now 36, and unbeaten in 28 fights, has spent nine years getting nowhere. His previous two fights had been wins over Nat King and Matt Barr. Next is June in Atlanta with Fernando Zuniga for vacant USBA title. Former top amateur Hallab too good for Spanish southpaw.

Mexicali, Mexico: Feather: Carlos Yanez (19-3) W TKO 1 Jorge Cardenas (14-10-4).Welter: Omar Chavez ( 21-0-1) W PTS 6 Jose Lopez(7-9-2). Light Welter: Rodolfo Lopez (22-4-1-2) ND 3 Juan Pablo Sanchez (12-7-0-1). Left hooks from Yanez destroy Cardenas who is stopped after the third knockdown. All over in 103 seconds. Yanez retains Mexican interim title and has 15 wins by KO/TKO. “Businessman” Chavez, son of Julio Cesar, 20, wins on unanimous verdict scores 60-56, 59-55 and 58-57 but Chavez not impressive. Lopez and Sanchez clash heads and Lopez cut. In 2007 “Rudy” was WBC featherweight champion -now he is a light welter.

Key West, Florida: Heavy: Odlanier Solis ( 16-0) W TKO 4 Carl Davis Drummond(26-3) . Feather: Jorge Diaz (13-0) W PT 8 Alejandro Lopez (13-1). Cuban Solis on top for three rounds and landing some bombs, then Costa Rican Drummond, 35, just does not come out for round four and his purse held pending an investigation.. Solis retains WBC International title. Diaz scores two early knockdowns and then goes to sleep as Mexican Lopez shows good boxing skills and does enough to earn at least a draw but those two knockdowns prove the difference as all officials score it 76-74 for Diaz.

Cancun, Mexico: Feather: Jhonny Gonzalez ( 43-7) W KO 2 Antonio Davis (26-6). Super Middle: Marco Antonio Rubio (46-5-1) W TKO 2 Jaison Polomeque (12-4-1). Super Fly: Carlos Cuadras ( 15-0) W PTS 8 Alberto Chuc (13-14). Rubbish WBC eliminator. Former WBO bantam champ Gonzalez hurts Davis in first and floors him four times in second and referee stops fight. Now 37 by KO/TKO for Gonzalez. Davis has turned a record built on stiffs into three world title shots and an eliminator. Former world middleweight contender Rubio floors poor Colombian at end of first and twice in second and referee steps in. This was a super middle fight, to put it in context, Polomeque once lost to lightweight Breidis Prescott! Cuadras stays unbeaten but split decision over local Chuc hotly disputed.

Caracas, Venezuela: Super Bantam: Lorenzo Parra (31-2) W PTS 10 Oscar Chacin (13-11-1). Light: Fernando Angulo ( 23-7) W TKO 3 Ever Garcia Hernandez (12-27-1,2ND). In his first fight for almost 19 months former WBA flyweight champion Parra, now 33, has too much hand speed and class for Chacin and wins unanimous decision on scores of 98-94 twice and 98-93. Former WBA title challenger Ecuadorian Angulo has second bout in 14 days after losing decision to Lenny Zappa for IBO title in California on March 6, and stops Colombian in three.

Windhoek, Namibia: Welter: Bethuel Ushona (20-0) W PTS 12 Tommy Hango (9-3). Light Heavy: Vikapita Meroro (18-1) W KO 11 Douglas Otieno( 21-4). Bantam: Paulus Ambunda(9-0) W KO 1 Sithembile Kibiti (17-5). “Tyson” Ushona wins interim WBO African title with clear points victory over fellow Namibian. Meroro wins vacant WBO Intercontinental title with kayo of former Commonwealth title challenger from Kenya. Ambunda still unbeaten after kayo of former South African straw champ.

Strzelce Opolskie, Poland: Cruiser: Pawel Kolodziej (25-0) W KO 3 Mark Krence (24-7). Welter: Rafal Jackiewicz ( 36-8-1)W PTS 8 Turgay Uzun (31-13-2). Kolodziej, 25 and 6’5” tall, too much for experienced Krence in winning vacant WBF title. Krence, having had only one six round fight, and that at heavyweight, since June 2008 appears to be an acceptable challenger for a “world” cruiserweight title. “Braveheart “ Jackiewicz wins wide unanimous verdict over Turk. The former undefeated European champion won an IBF final eliminator in November, but no sign of a title fight.

Managua, Nicaragua: Straw: Yader Escobar (23-2) W TKO 1 Daniel Jarquin (7-1). Super Feather: Santos Benavidez (19-2-2) W PTS 9 Santos Martinez (21-7-3). Light Fly: Nerys Espinoza (28-5-1) W KO 2 Marlon Chavarria (10-7-1). Light: Moises Solis (17-1) W PTS 8 Cisco Huerta( 12-13). In Escobar fight, Jarquin injures shoulder and after some discussion result given as stoppage win rather than a no decision. Escobar retains WBA Fecaribe title. Southpaw Benavides climbs off the floor in the second, floors Martinez in sixth, and finishes strongly to retain WBA Fedcentro title on scores of 86-83, 86-85 and 85.5-84.5. Espinoza floors Chavarria twice for stoppage. Southpaw Solis only squeezes past Huerta on split verdict.

Mendoza, Argentina: Light: Daniel Brizuela (18-1-1) W TKO 5 Jorge Ferreira (4-12-1). Gumersindo Carrasco (9-0) W TKO 3 Oscar Fucks (9-8). “Tatu” rebounds from shock kayo loss to Daniel Dorrego in November with easy night against Ferreira who now has nine losses in a row. The boxer from the Firpo gym too fast and accurate and a one-two to head and body brings stoppage. Big puncher Carrasco ends it with left and right to head. Fucks goes down and referee stops fight. All nine by KO/TKO for Carrasco.

Narva, Estonia: Heavy: Yarosalv Zavorotny (14-4) W KO 6 Max Maslov (10-1-1). Mild upset as 35-year-old Ukrainian kayos unbeaten young Russian Maslov to win vacant European Boxing Union title for countries outside EU area. Twelve wins by KO/TKO for Zavorotny.