July 8
Civitanova Marche, Italy: Light: Samir Ziani (9-0-1) W TKO 9 Carel Sandon (14-1). Giacobbe Fragomeni (29-3-1) W PTS 6 Remigijus Ziausys (15-39-3). Cruiser: Silvio Branco (62-10-2) W PTS 6 Jevgenjevs Andrejevs (6-39). A mild upset as the sheer strength and all-out aggression of southpaw Ziani are too much for hometown fighter Sandon.
From the first bell Ziani takes the fight to Sandon, who is taken out of his stride by the busy Frenchman. The Italian then has to fight Ziani’s fight and the Frenchman scores continually with hooks and uppercuts on the inside. Knowing he was behind Sandon puts in a big effort in the seventh, but at the end of the round was exhausted. Ziani scored heavily in the eighth and ninth and at the end of the ninth former WBA middleweight champion pulled Sumbu Kalambay pulled Sandon out of the fight. This was the first ten round fight for Ziani, and he wins the vacant WBC International title. Former WBC champ, and current WBC No 2, Fragomeni, 41, gets a harder night than he expected as Lithuanian Ziausys comes to fight. Fragomeni takes the first three rounds, but Ziausys, 27, takes the next two, only for the Italian veteran to get back on top in the last to clinch the decision. A good showing from Ziausys who has won only 2 of his last 10 fights. Just a sparring session really for WBC No 3 Blanco, 44, who wins every round against the overweight Lithuanian. There is talk of slugger Fragomeni and stylist Branco fighting for the “vacant” WBC title in November in Rome.
Fukuoka, Japan: Bantam: Daiki Kameda (21-2) W KO 2 Chatchai Monthon Gym (12-8-1). Bantam: Tomoki Kameda (20-0) W PTS 10 Pumar D Singwancha (8-2-3). Poor match sees former undefeated WBA fly champ Daiki Kameda, 22, kayo overmatched Thai in two rounds. Now rated No 1 at super fly by the WBA, he is the mandatory challenger for Hugo Cazares. Chatchai has lost 3 of his last 4 fights. “Little Mexican” Tomoki Kameda, 19, was frustrated by the negative tactics of Filipino Singwancha (Dondee Pumar), 21, and had to settle for a wide unanimous decision. Scores 99-93 twice and 98-93 as Tomoki retains his WBC Youth title.
Mexicali, Mexico: Super Fly: Enrique Quevedo (13-4) W TKO 6 Roberto Lopez( 29-20-1.Former undefeated Mexican fly champ “Twin” Quevedo, 27, moves up and wins vacant super fly title as he floors and stops sub Lopez in sixth. Second try at the title for both fighters. Quevedo had beaten San Diego-based Lopez on a split verdict in a non title fight in 2009.
Phoenix, USA: Super Middle: Jesus Gonzales (27-1) W PTS 12 Cisco Sierra (24-4-1). Super Feather: Yuandale Evans (15-0) W TKO 6 Emmanuel Lucero (26-7-1). Home town fighter “El Martillo” Gonzales, 26, continued his comeback with a hard fought victory in an all-action fight against Sierra, a late sub who came in with only eight days notice. Sierra failed to make the weight (he came in at 175lbs, 7lbs over the limit) and Gonzales decided that it would be a good tactic to attack the body of his overweight opponent. It worked well and he floored Sierra with a body shot in the fourth. However, Gonzales has always had a leaky defence, and after being shaken by a right in the second, a right from Sierra put him on his back in the fifth. Both fighters had cuts by their left eye examined at the end of the eighth, and Gonzales underwent another examination during the tenth. Gonzales was the fresher and swept the later rounds as Sierra tired, but both played their part in a rousing battle. Gonzales wins vacant NABF title on scores of 117-110,116-110 and 115-111. A former top amateur, Gonzales beat both Andre Berto and Andre Ward (he is the last fighter to have beaten Ward), but a kayo loss down at light middle to Jose Luis Zertuche in 2005 derailed him for a while. He was inactive between May 2008 and November last year. This is his third win since his return. Sierra was unbeaten in his last five, including a win over previously unbeaten Don George in a fight in which he again failed to make the weight.
“Money Shot” Evans looked impressive in destroying veteran Lucero. The 22-year-old Evans, who is promoted by Roy Jones Jr, was just too big and strong and floored Lucero in both the first and second rounds. After two more knockdowns in the sixth the fight was stopped. Now 11 wins by KO/TKO for Evans. Lucero, 32, a Mexican, who somehow holds the New York State title, was stopped in three rounds by Manny Pacquiao for the IBF bantam title, and had to overcome drink problems to fight his way back into the sport.
Primm, USA: Light Welter: Jessie Vargas (16-0) W KO 2 Walter Estrada (39-15-1). Light Middle: Alfonso Blanco (6-0) W PTS 6 Cleve Ishe (3-1). Impressive performance by 22-year-old Vargas. After a quiet first round he flattens veteran Estrada with a left hook early in the second. Now nine wins by KO/TKO for Vargas, who beat Vivian Harris in one round in April. Vargas is a former National Golden Gloves silver medal winner (lost to Brad Solomon in the final). Colombian southpaw Estrada, 35, was on a good run going in having lost only one of his last six, to Vicente Escobedo, and beating Nate Campbell and Vern Kimbrough and drawing with Logan McGinness. A big turn around from losing eight of his previous nine. Estrada also lost to Kevin Mitchell in Atlantic City in 2008 and to Scott Harrison for the WBO feather title in 2004. Just a work-out for former Olympian Blanco. The Venezuelan wins all the way. Scores 60-54 twice and 59-55. Blanco is a former South American Games champion, but lost to Darren Sutherland in the 2008 Olympics.
July 9
General Villegas, Argentina: Light Welter: Claudio Olmedo (22-3,1ND) W TKO 5 David Peralta (20-1). Local fighter “El Pumita” Olmedo, 25, retains South American title and wins vacant Argentinian title with stoppage of previously unbeaten “The Pirate” Peralta. The harder punching Olmedo takes the first round scoring with right uppercuts and hooks to the body. Peralta uses good movement to get into the fight in the second and gives Olmedo a bloody nose. Olmedo puts on the pressure in the next two and his power has Peralta hurt a couple of times. Olmedo brings the curtain down in the fifth. A right cross staggers Peralta who is given a standing eight count. The follow-up attack from Olmedo brings the referee’s intervention. Olmedo now has 21 wins by KO/TKO and has revenged two of his three losses. Peralta, 28, was No 2 in the national rankings and Olmedo No 3.
Mexico City, Mexico: Feather: Edgar Riovalle (31-12-1) W KO 1 Juan Carlos Olvera (14-9). Feather: Salvador Sanchez (24-4-3) W KO 2 Rodolfo Garay (29-20-1). Riovalle wins vacant Mexican title as he is firstly staggered himself, and then finishes Olvera with two bombs. Riovalle, 24, is trained by former bantamweight great Lupe Pintor. Quick win for “Sal II” but Garay landed a few bombs of his own in the first before crumbling half way through the second. Being carefully matched, Sanchez, 25, has lost only one of his last 16. All of the last 18 of Garay’s fights have ended by KO/TKO; unfortunately he lost eight of those.
Cuautla, Mexico: Straw: Javier Martinez W TKO 6 Armando Vazquez (18-7). After two even rounds Martinez dominated the next three before flooring Vazquez with a right to the chin in the sixth. Vazquez made it to his feet only to collapse again and the referee stopped the fight. “Demonio” wins vacant Mexican title.
Mazatlan, Mexico: Super Fly: Hugo Cazares (35-6-2) W KO 3 Arturo Badillo (20-2). Light Welter: Luis Uribe (24-1-1) W PTS 11 Dan Nazareno Jr (15-6) W. This mismatch was a gift for Cazares. After just edging the first round Cazares switched to southpaw and began to score heavily with his jab and left hooks. In the third a straight left put Badillo down. He got up but was floored again immediately after. Once again he beat the count only to be knocked down again with another left, and the referee waived it off without counting. Fourth defence of his WBA title for 33-year-old “El Incredible” a former WBO light flyweight champion. His only losses since 2000 have both been against Ivan Calderon, a split verdict and a technical decision. “Bad Fuerte” Badilla had done nothing to deserve a title shot after being stopped by Ronald Barrera in April 2010. Mexican Uribe, 26 comes down in weight to win the vacant WBA Fedelatin title with a close, hard-fought decision over 21-year-old Filipino “Iron Man” Nazareno. Scores 106-103, 106-104 and 105-104.
Bucharest, Romania: Super Middle: Lucien Bute (29-0) W KO 4 Jean Paul Mendy (29-1-1). Heavy: Bogdan Dinu (6-0) W KO 1 Awadh Tamim (12-3,1ND). Feather: Viroel Simion (14-0) W KO 9 Jun Talape (20-8-1). Super Middle: Renan St Juste (23-2-1) W PTS 8 Jaudiel Zepeda (12-5-1). Light Welter: Pier Olivier Cote (17-0) W PTS 8 Pedro Navarette (26-11-3). Super Bantam: Sahib Usarov (16-0) W PTS 8 Sergio Gomez (16-9). Fighting for the first time in his home country, this was a predictably easy win for 31-year-old Bute. From the first round he was able to hit Mendy with hard shots, and although the Frenchman landed a few himself, Bute was always in command. The IBF champion stepped-up the pace in the second, hurting Mendy with southpaw left uppercuts but Mendy, 37, managed to see out the round. The end came in the third with a chopping overhand left which put Mendy face down on the canvas. Eighth defence for Bute and one of the easiest. He has 24 wins by KO/TKO, and his last six title defences have all ended inside the distance. Mendy had been inactive for almost a year, and had just one round of action in the last 16 months.
Too easy also for 6’5” tall Dinu. Swedish-based Tanzanian Tamim, a late sub, came out swinging. Dinu, 24, let the storm subside and then launched his own attack. Two rights put Tamim down and although he beat the count he was in no condition to continue. Only the second fight in two years for Dinu who needs to be more active.
Former amateur star Simion was given a good test by Filipino southpaw Talape over the first two rounds. After that Simion was on top. Talape lost a point in the seventh for careless use of the head and the pressure tactics and body punching of Simion wore the Filipino down before a left to the body put him down and out in the ninth. Simion, who represented Romania at the 2004 Olympics, and won a bronze medal in the 2005 World Championships, wins the WBC International title from Talape. This was only his second fight in 15 months so he also needs to be more active.
Canadian southpaw St Juste, 39, gets an undemanding workout against Mexican Zepeda and wins unanimous decision on scores of 80-72 twice and 79-74.ntinues his winning run, but is not impressive. Navarette is there just to survive and Cote, 27, gets frustrated and involved in an untidy, rough fight, with few highlights. Cote had won his last four inside the distance, but Navarette, who is 3-8 in his last eleven fights, has only been stopped once, and had taken Simion to a split verdict to in Canada in March. Tajikistan-born Russian Usarov, a 27-year-old southpaw and himself a late sub, has no trouble with late sub Gomez and wins every round against the Nicaraguan. First fight in eleven months for Usarov. Gomez, 25, has lost 4 of his last 5.
Carson, USA: Light: Brandon Rios (28-0-1) W TKO 3 Urbano Antillon (28-3). Light Middle: Carlos Molina(19-4-2) W PTS 10 Kermit Cintron (32-4-1). Light: Mercito Gesta (22-0-1) W KO 3 Jorge Pimentel (23-12). Middle: Matt Korobov (16-0) W PTS 8 Lester Gonzalez (12-4-2). Super Feather: Paul Fleming (10-0) W KO 1 Juan Jose Beltran (24-23-2). These two promised a war and delivered. From the first bell they exchanged heavy punches with both ignoring defence in order to take control. Rios, 25, was going to the body and Mexican Antillon, 28, to the chin. It was more of the same in the second with first Rios on top and then Antillon finish strongly. However, it was Rios who was landing the power shots. The end came in the third as Rios nailed Antillon with a devastating left which put him down. Antillon beat the count and tried to fight back, only to be nailed again with a right. Once more he got up but staggered along the ropes, and before Rios could land any more punches, the referee stopped the fight. Impressive and exciting performance by “Bam Bam” Rios in his first defence of his WBA secondary title (Juan Manuel Marquez is the real WBA champion), and win No 21 by KO/TKO for Rios who looks to be a rising star. Third shot at a lightweight “title” for Antillon who had been stopped by Miguel Acosta for the interim WBA in 2009, and lost a razor thin decision to Humberto Soto for the WBC title in his last fight in December.
An upset saw Chicago-based Molina get a break-through win over Puerto Rican Cintron. Molina, unbeaten in his last twelve fights, was too busy and too strong for the rusty Cintron. The Puerto Rican was in the fight for the first three rounds, but from the fourth it was Molina’s fight. He hurt Cintron with straight rights at the end of the eighth and ninth rounds and won a unanimous verdict on scores of 98-92 from all three judges. Molina, 28, has wins over Alexis Camacho and Ed Paredes and draws with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (to whom he lost on a majority verdict in a return) and Erislandy Lara. This was former WBA and IBF welter challenger Cintron’s first fight since his technical loss to Paul Williams in May 2010 when he was sent flying through the ropes and taken to hospital in ambulance.
WBO No 2 Gesta feasted on Pimentel who could not handle the speed and punching power of the 23-year-old Filipino southpaw. “No Mercy” Gesta is being tipped as the next big Filipino star and he just overpowered Mexican Pimentel scoring knockdowns in each of the first two rounds before knocking him out with a right uppercut in the third. Now twelve wins by KO/TKO for Gesta and the draw on his record is of the technical kind. Former Mexican light welter champ Pimentel has now lost his last three inside the distance. Former double World Amateur champion Korobov, 28, gets a good test against 33-year-old Cuban. The Russian southpaw is too young ands strong for Gonzalez. It is competitive for four rounds and then Korobov dominates and wins on scores of 78-74 from all three judges. One to watch. In his first fight in the USA Australian southpaw Paul Fletcher, 23, flattens Mexican Beltran in 52 seconds. Fleming, a World Junior Championships bronze medalist who represented Australia at the 2007 World Championships and 2008 Olympics, has seven wins by KO/TKO.
Atlantic City, USA: Light Middle: Paul Williams (40-2) W PTS 12 Erislandy Lara (15-1-1). Super Bantam: Rico Ramos (20-0) W KO 7 Akifumi Shimoda (23-3-1). Feather: Jhonny Gonzalez (49-7) W TKO 4 Tomas Villa (23-8-4). Heavy: Chris Arreola (33-2) W PTS 10 Friday Ahunanya (24-8-3). Williams takes very controversial decision over Cuban in all-southpaw fight. Despite his big advantages in height and reach, Williams comes forward looking to bring the fight inside. Lara, 28, just can’t miss with left counters and leads and takes first three rounds, shaking Williams with a left in the second. Williams seems to take the middle rounds. A clash of heads in the fifth sees Lara with a huge bump on the left side of his head. Williams, 29, also suffered a cut by his right eye. Williams is hurt by a left again in the seventh and Lara continues to score with the left over the later rounds and looked a clear winner. The scores of 116-114 and 115-114 and 114-114 give it to Williams on a majority verdict, which some press and crowd found unbelievable. Williams was the busier, and the aggressor, throwing twice as many punches as Lara, but the power punches and accuracy came from the Cuban. First fight for Williams since his crushing kayo loss to Sergio Martinez in November, and he still showed flaws in his defence. It was a brave fight for former World Amateur champion Lara to take, and whilst he will have come out of it with a “loss”, his reputation has been boosted.
Japanese fighter Shimoda, 26, was well on his way to a successful first defence of his WBA title when a big left hook from Ramos deposited him on the canvas in the seventh. Shimoda beat the count, but was on unsteady legs and the referee stopped the fight. It had been a relatively easy night for southpaw Shimoda up until then. He was scoring well with hard lefts and Ramos, 24, who was cut after a clash of heads in the fifth, was well behind. Shimoda was ahead by four points on two cards and by six on the third when the thunderbolt struck. This was the first time that a Japanese tile holder had defended his title on mainland America (Kuniaki Shibata lost his WBA super feather title to Ben Villaflor in Hawaii in 1973), but there was no happy ending for Shimoda.
A mis-match saw WBC feather champ Gonzalez dispose of Tomas Villa in four rounds. After a quite first round Gonzalez, 29, stepped-up the pressure in the second and landed heavily in the third. A left hook to the body put Villa down in agony in the fourth and when he got up he spat out his gimshield to show he did not want to continue. First defence of the WBC title he won by stopping Hozumi Hasegawa in April, win No 43 by KO/TKO, and the ninth KO/TKO win in a row for Gonzalez. Villa showed guts in his first fight for over a year, but this was a disgraceful match. After his last three fights had lasted less than eleven rounds in total, Arreola got a useful ten round work-out against durable Nigerian Ahunanya. Scoring well throughout the fight with hooks and jabs Arreola had Ahunanya, 39, hurt in the seventh, but could not finish the job. Ahunanya rocked Arreola twice in the fight, but for most of the time was intent on staying the distance. Arreola wins on scores of 99-91 twice and 100-90. The fourth fight this year for Arreola and his third in eight weeks. Ahunanya has only failed to last the distance once.
July 10
Sequals, Italy: Light Welter: Brunet Zamora (21-0-1) W TKO 6 Martin Antonio Coggi (25-5-2). Cuban-born Zamora, 36, makes sixth defence of his WBA Inter-Continental title with stoppage of the son of the former WBA champion Juan Martin Coggi on the annual show held in honour of Primo Carnera. The fight went in three stages with Zamora taking the first round with his better boxing and then almost ending it in the second. He had Coggi badly hurt and the referee seemed close to stopping it but let it continue. Zamora then landed a right hook that floored the Argentinian heavily. Coggi beat the count and survived the round. Zamora then seemed to take a breather and was then himself stunned by a right from southpaw Coggi. Zamora was in charge again in the fifth and in the sixth floored Coggi again with a right. Coggi got up but was in a bad way, and father Juan Martin threw in the towel. Zamora was coming off a draw with undefeated Russian Denis Shafikov and is the top rated challenger by the WBA. Coggi, 27, a former South American light welter champ, has won only two of his last six.
