BoxRec News Platinum Champion Emeritus (Pan-Pacific) Eric Armit takes us on another weekly ride around the boxing globe.
April 8
Kobe, Japan: Feather: Jhonny Gonzalez (48-7) W TKO 4 Hozumi Hasegawa (29-4). Super Bantam: Toshiaki Nishioka (38-4-3) W KO 9 Mauricio Javier Munoz (21-3). Super Feather: Takahiro Ao (21-2-1) W KO 4 Humberto Gutierrez (28-3-1). Bantam: Carlos Cuadras (19-0) W TKO 2 Phisanuthep. One punch finish from 29-year-old Gonzalez wins him the WBC title.
Southpaw Hasegawa, 30, busier and coming forward for the first three rounds, but not really getting through with any big shots as Mexican Gonzalez has height and reach. Behind on all three cards Gonzalez cautious and not letting the punches go, but throwing the occasion right as a range finder. Finds the range in the fourth and a right hook floors Hasegawa. He gets up but in no condition to fight on and the fight is stopped. Former WBO bantam champ Gonzalez wins WBC title and makes it 42 wins by KO/TKO. Only ten of his 55 fights have gone the distance. First defence for former WBC champion Hasegawa.
Nishioka, 34, easily retains WBC title for sixth time. Patiently outboxing his Argentinian challenger, southpaw Nishioka ahead on all three cards when southpaw left hook unhinges “Chucky” Munoz, 25, and follow-up attack, finished by another left, ends the fight. Nishioka, who stopped Gonzalez in a title defence in 2009, lost two of his first five fights pro fights, and only won the title in his fifth shot, has proved a strong champion. In an all-southpaw fight, champion Ao, 27, too fast and busy for Mexican Gutierrez. Ao hurt by a right hook in the third, but steps up the pace and a devastating body shot in the fourth puts Gutierrez down, and he takes the count on his knees. The former WBC feather champion retains WBC title in this division for first time. Gutierrez, 22, had lost to Vitali Tajbert for the interim title in 2009. Mexican banger Cuadras, 22, makes it 17 by KO/TKO with stoppage of unknown Thai.
Montreal, Canada: Middle: Marco Antonio Rubio (50-5-1) W TKO 7 David Lemieux (25-1). Super Middle: Adonis Stevenson (14-1) W KO 3 Derek Edwards (25-2). Light: Arash Usmanee (12-0) W PTS 8 Aldo Valtierra (25-14). Experience tells as Rubio rides out the aggression of Lemieux, and as the storm blows itself out the taller Mexican starts to hand out some punishment, and wins this WBC eliminator. An overhand right hurt Rubio, 30, in the first, and through to the fifth Lemieux ,22, was storming forward firing with both hands, and even finding times to show off a little. However, Rubio was still strong and rocked Lemieux in the sixth. Lemieux had a better seventh, but as he tired a big right from Rubio, that seemed to land high on his forehead knocked him backwards and he slumped over in a corner being held up by the ropes and ring post. His legs were shaky as he got up to hear out the mandatory eight, and had nothing left. With Rubio scoring heavily Lemieux’s corner man climbed on the apron and the fight was stopped. This was never going to go the distance. Rubio made it 43 wins by KO/TKO and seven wins in a row since losing to Kelly Pavlik in a WBC/WBO title fight in 2009. The only loss for Rubio in his last 17 fights. Lemieux had won 24 of his fights by KO/TKO, but the strength of the opposition was open to question. Rubio is now in line for at a shot at the winner of the Sebastian Zbik vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr fight.
Stevenson returned to the ring with a crushing victory over former top amateur Edwards. Stevenson, 33, scored a knockdown in the second before finishing it with a left in the third. This was southpaw Commonwealth silver medalist Stevenson’s first fight since a shock stoppage loss to Darnell Boone in April last year. Edwards, 31, also fighting for the first time in a year, has a deceptive record as his wins have been on the Carolina’s and surrounding States circuit. Usmanee, 29, wins, but it is not pretty. Red Deer prospect generally in charge of a rough, foul filled contest and wins wide unanimous verdict on scores of 79-72 twice and 80-71.
Melbourne, Australia: Welter: Samuel Colomban (20-3) W TKO 4 Sapapetch Sakaorat (22-8). Light Fly: Omari Kimweri (9-2) W TKO 2 Mongkol (10-6). Feather: Will Tomlinson (16-0-1) W PTS 10 Billy Sumba (18-4-1). Super Bantam: Daniel Iannazzo (20-1) W TKO 4 Pichit (28-6). WBO No 9 Colomban, 25, much too good for Thai. Pressures him all the way and wins in fourth to retain WBO Orient title for third time. Cameroon fighter unbeaten in last ten. In seven fights outside Thailand Sapapetch has yet to go the distance.
Little Tanzania Kimweri has no trouble with another poor Thai. Australian fly champ Kimweri wins vacant WBO Orient title, so he will suddenly leap into the WBO ratings as a reward. Seven wins in a row for Kimweri, but Mongkol has failed to last beyond the second round of any of his last three fights. Typical all-out aggressive display by prospect Tomlinson as Wild Bill” wins by a mile, 100-88 on all three cards, over Indonesian who had lost his last two by kayo. Iannazzo, 22, continues to rebuild and halts Pichit in fourth to win vacant WBO Asia Pacific Youth title.
Junín, Argentina: Light: Marcelino Lopez (21-0) W PTS 10 Alberto Santillan (17-7). Cruiser: Hugo Hernan Garay (34-5) W PTS 6 Martin Islas (11-24). Tough, close return bout. Santillan scores well and cuts Lopez on left eyebrow in the first. Lopez starts to get on top in fourth. Two lefts from Lopez put Santillan down in the sixth, but “El Puma” comes back with heavy punches of his own, and takes the eighth to make it close. Both fighters too tired to stage a strong finish and Lopez wins on scores of 97-92, 97-93 and 95-94, with the last scores looking the best reflection of the fight. Lopez retains WBC Latino belt. He won a majority verdict over Santillan in May. Santillan has won only two of his last 7, but is a good test.
Now up at cruiser, former WBA light heavy champ Garay, 30, wins, but does not impress. Sweeps the first four rounds, but then tires badly and is under pressure from Islas at the end. Garay wins on scores of 60-55 ½, 58 ½ -56 ½ and 58 ½ -57. Second win for Garay since being blasted out inside a round by Chris Henry last March. Islas has won only one of his last eleven.
Edmonton, Canada: Cruiser: Ryan Henney (18-3) W PTS 10 Jason Douglas (9-5). Henney, 33, retains Canadian title, but only just. In close, tough battle two point deductions against Douglas, one for use of the elbow and the other for a butt, proves the difference, as Henney wins on scores of 95-93 on two cards whilst the third saw it for Douglas by the same score. Douglas won a gold medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games where he beat current pros Shane Cameron and Kertson Manswell and David Haye-on a walk over as Haye was injured. As a pro Douglas has lost to some pretty ordinary opposition, but this was his best showing so far.
Clichy la Garenne, France: Light: Anthony Mezaache (20-6) W PTS 12 Aristedes Perez (19-5-1). Super Feather: Samir Kasmi (13-8-1) W PTS 10 Sylvain Chapelle (8-11-2). Colombian made a war out of this by walking forward throwing punches from the first bell to the last. Mezaache forced to box on the retreat and dragged into furious exchanges. However, Perez wild with his punches and constantly walking on to hard counters, and shaken on occasion. Referee takes away two points from Perez for hitting on the break and a butt leaves Mezaache with an ugly gash over his left eye. Former unbeaten European champion wins hard-fought decision and vacant WBC Inter-Continental and IBF International belts. Scores 118-110, 117-110 and 116-108. Second win for Mezaache, 32, since shock loss to Carlos Vinan in USA in July. First distance loss for Perez, who has never won a fight outside Colombia, but has been matched tough with Humberto Soto and Jhonny Gonzalez stopping him. Kasmi makes successful second defence of his national title with unanimous verdict over game Chapelle. Scores 98-92 twice and 97-94. Kasmi lost to Paul Truscott on points in 2008 but was unbeaten in his last seven.
Hamburg, Germany: Heavy: Danny Williams (43-9,1ND) W KO 1 Lazslo Toth (9-3). Bit of rubbish as sloppy 39-yrear-old Toth falls over in just 43 seconds against 37-year-old Williams. The former British and Commonwealth champion, who halted Mike Tyson in 2004 and lost to Vitali Klitschko in a WBC title fight in the same year, is now boxing with a Latvian licence.
Savignano sul Rubicone, Italy: Middle: Matteo Signani (11-3-2) W PTS 10 Gaetano Nespro (17-7). Hometown fighter Signani, 31, makes successful third defence of his Italian title and moves 2-1 ahead in series of national title fights with Nespro. Scores 98-92, 98-93 and 96-94.
Las Vegas, USA: Welter: Jesse Vargas (15-1) W TKO 1 Vivian Harris (29-6-1,1ND). End of the road for Harris as 21-year-old Vargas hurts him early, shakes him on a couple of other occasions as Harris, 32, holds and covers up to last out the round. Harris retires in his corner. The former WBA light welter champion, who lost to Junior Witter for the WBC title in 2007, has lost to Lucas Matthysse and Victor Ortiz inside the distance in 2010 and this is hopefully the end of the line for Harris. Vargas is trained by Roger Mayweather.
Barranquilla, Colombia: Fly: Carlos Tamara (22-6) W KO 2 Jorge Ballesteros (4-6-3). Former IBF flyweight champion “Olympico” Tamara, 28, wastes no time. Has Ballesteros in trouble in the first and then ends it with a left to the body and right to the chin in the second. Tamara, who was a silver medalist at the Pan American Games in 2003 and competed for Colombia in the 2004 Olympics, was returning after back-to-back losses to Luis Lazarte and Milan Melindo last year.
Laredo, USA: Light Heavy: Dyah Davis (19-2-1) W PTS 10 Marcus Johnson (20-1). Light Welter: Gabriel Bracero (15-0) W PTS 8 Danny O’Connor (14-1). Welter: Vincent Arroyo (11-1) W PTS 8 Willie Nelson (16-1-1). Three good matches put on by Shobox. Davis, 29, boxes a smart fight against undefeated puncher Johnson. Uses good jab and plenty of movement to frustrate 25-year-old Johnson and wraps up the points as he floors Johnson in ninth with a body shot. Scores 98-91 twice and 96-93. Davis fought in Bristol back in 2009 when he beat Hastings Rasani.
Puerto Rican Bracero wins the battle of undefeated non-punchers. Good fight as both fire away in all of the rounds. Although many rounds close, Bracero, 30, the busier and more accurate than southpaw O’Connor, 26, and piles up the points to take the unanimous verdict on scores of 8-72 twice and 79-73. Plenty of incidents as Arroyo takes majority verdict over previously unbeaten Nelson. Arroyo loses a point in third for holding, but floors Nelson in the same round. Nelson boxing better, but is floored again in the sixth and seventh. Those knockdowns make the difference as Arroyo wins majority decision on scores of 75-73 twice and 74-74.
April 9
Las Vegas, USA: Light Welter: Marcos Maidana (30-2) W PTS 12 Erik Morales (51-7). Light: Robert Guerrero (29-1-1,2ND) W PTS 12 Mike Katsidis (27-4). Welter: Paul Malignaggi (29-4) W PTS 10 Jose Miguel Cotto (32-3-1). Light Welter: Danny Garcia (21-0) W PTS 10 Nate Campbell (33-8-1,1ND). Light Middle: Nobuhiro Ishida (23-6-2) W TKO 1 James Kirkland (27-1). Cruiser: Rakhim Chakhkiev (10-0) W TKO 3 Harvey Jolly (11-17-1). Tremendous battle, although it looked as though it might be an easy night for Maidana as he had the better of the early rounds, and with the right eye of Morales swollen shut from an uppercut in the first. However, despite the handicap of only being able to see out of one eye, Morales overcame the slow start and took the middle rounds and had the slower and less skilful Maidana rocking with a good left hook in the eighth. The decisive rounds were the closing ones where the youth and strength of the Argentinian allowed him to pull away, but even then it was a majority verdict with two judges seeing Maidana the winner 116-112 and the third a draw at 114-114. Maidana,’s finish probably earned him the decision, but it was a great, gutsy effort by Morales who certainly showed he was not a spent force, and could have taken the decision but for the handicap of one eye closed for almost the whole of the fight.
Important and impressive win by “The Ghost” as Guerrero, outboxes Australian and also shows that he can mix the rough stuff as well. Guerrero’s left jab is the dominant punch in the fight. He takes the first round, but is almost floored in the second. The jab makes Katsidis fight on the back foot, and he has no real answer, and can’t get his punches off. Katsidis is wobbled in fifth and outboxed in sixth and seventh, and is staring to mark up on his face. Katsidis loses a point in eighth for a low blow but also lands well to the body. Guerrero loses a point for a low blow in the ninth. Guerrero takes the last two rounds and wins interim WBA and WBO titles on scores of 118-106, 118-107 and 117-108.
Up at welterweight, Malignaggi looks back to his best as he outboxes aggressive Puerto Rican. Cotto makes the better start, hurting Malignaggi in first. Malignaggi also shaken by clash of heads in second. Former IBF light welter champ gets into the groove in third and great work with the jab puts him in charge. Malignaggi still dominating in fifth when another of many head clashes see him cut by left eye. Cotto continually pressing, but Malignaggi scoring freely and far enough in front to coast the last. Scores 99-91 twice and 97-93. Some measure of revenge for Malignaggi who was beaten by Jose’s younger brother Miguel Cotto in 2006, but he may have paid a big price for this win as he injured both hands during the fight, and the left may be broken. “Swift” Garcia just too busy for former world lightweight champion Campbell. The veteran, now 39, just does not have it any more and was outworked in almost every round. Scores 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92.
Ishida exposes the flaws in Kirkland’s defence and scores win in just 112 seconds. Left puts Kirkland down after just twenty seconds, combination puts Kirkland down again. Kirkland trying to fire back, but another right puts him on the canvas and the referee stops the fight. Ishida, 35, a former WBA interim champion, is unbeaten in his last twelve. Back to the drawing board for Kirkland who must tighten his defence. Easy for former amateur star Chakhkiev as Russian southpaw bangs away at the body of Jolly, scores a knockdown in the second and sends Jolly down again with a right cross in the third for the kayo. Seven wins by KO/TKO for Chakhkiev, but Jolly has lost five of his last six.
Magdeburg, Germany: Super Middle: Robert Stieglitz (40-2) W DIS 10 Khoren Gevor (31-6). Light Middle: Jack Culcay (8-0) W TKO 3 Mikheil Khutsishvili (15-14-3). Light Heavy: Haxhi Krasniqi (35-2) W PTS 8 Ben Nsafoah (9-5-2). Champion Stieglitz takes control is generally quicker to the punch and cuts Armenian southpaw over the left eye in the third. Late substitute Gevor tough and determined as usual, but playing it rough and gets warnings and deducted a point for various infractions of the rules. Confused ending in the tenth as the referee deducts a point from Gevor as the fighters get tangled up and wrestle each other to the floor and Stieglitz is cut in the melee. Referee decided that it was Gevor’s fault and disqualified him Gevor loses it and attacks the referee and had to be taken away by security. Successful, if eventful, fourth defence for Russian. Southpaw Gevor, 31, had lost to Felix Sturm and Arthur Abraham in previous title shots at middleweight.
Former World amateur champion “Golden Jack” Culcay 25 marches on. Ecuadorian-born German handles young Georgian loser with ease before sinking him in third with a body shot. Khutsishvili typical Georgian abroad. Won only three of his last ten fights and never won outside Georgia.
Newark, USA: Heavy: Tomasz Adamek (44-1) W PTS 12 Kevin McBride (35-9-1). Light Heavy: Andrzej Fonfara (17-2,1ND) W KO 4 Ray Smith (9-6). Welter: Sadam Ali (12-0) W KO 3 Javier Perez (8-5). Twelve useful, if uninspiring rounds for Adamek. He is too fast and accurate for the slower, sloppier boxing of McBride. No knockdowns and McBride, apart from perhaps winning the sixth, never in the fight and loses a point for holding in the seventh. Predictable wide, unanimous verdict for Adamek on scores of 119-118 twice and 120-107. The 34-year-old former WBC light heavy and IBF cruiser champ has won his last 13 and next up is Vitali Klitschko, but he needs to fight much better to have a chance against the WBC champion. McBride, 37, has now lost 5 of his last 6, including a loss in the Prizefighter tournament. A long way from beating Mike Tyson, as he did in 2005.
Tall Fonfara gets expected win. Takes every round before kayoing poor Smith with a barrage in the fourth. Fonfara wins vacant NABO title and is unbeaten in his last seven, but has lost a couple of fights you would have expected him to win. Smith 2-4 in his last six. Impressive former Olympian Ali, 22, floors Puerto Rican in first and then put him out late in third. The Brooklyn prospect has seven by KO/TKO.
Bacolod City, Philippines: Feather: Lorenzo Villaneuva (20-0-0,1ND) W KO 5 James Mokoginta (15-5-1).Light Fly: Donnie Nietes (28-1-3) W KO 1 Armando Vazquez (18-6). Light Welter: Jason Pagara (26-1) W KO 2 Deo Njiku (11-5-0,1ND). Bantam: Roli Gasca (16-1) W TKO 3 Ngaotawan (8-6-1). Super Fly: Anthony Villaneuva (16-0) W TEC DEC 6 Mark Anthony (19-3-3). Yet another power punching young Filipino is emerging. The aggressive southpaw Villaneuva floored his Indonesian opponent in the first and second rounds, may have broken Mokoginta’s ribs, and flattened him in the fifth. Now 19 wins by KO/TKO as he makes successful third defence of his WBO Orient title.
One crushing overhand right from “Ahas” Nietes, the former undefeated WBO straw champ, and Vazquez is down and out. Nietes, 28, is in line for a shot at the WBO interim light fly title, and needs the action after only two fights in 2010, the last in August. Pagara, 19, floors Tanzanian Njiku in first and then finishes him with left hook in the second. Now 15 by KO/TKO by ALA promotions prospect as he wins vacant WBO Asia Pacific title. Gasca, 21, not a noted puncher, put his Thai opponent down twice in the second and once in the third finishing it with a hook/uppercut. Gasca also holds a November stoppage win over world rated Thai Tabtimdaeng who had a 34-1 record at the time. Villanueva wins technical decision as clash of heads in sixth ends the fight. Scores 58-56 twice and 57-57.
Loncopue, Argentina: Middle: Bill Godoy (21-0) W KO 3 Luis Arrieta (10-8-2). Prospect “El Nino” Godoy, 24, has no trouble with modest Arrieta and makes it 12 wins by KO/TKO, but fourth loss in a row for 33-year-old Arrieta.
Bruay-la-Buissiere, Paris: Light: Guillaume Salingue (29-0) W PTS 12 Domenico Urbano (23-3-1). “William” Salingue, 29, wins but is not impressive. He takes early rounds with his better boxing but Urbano roughs him up and Salingue gets drawn into a scrap. Both fighters get warnings as it hots up, but Salingue scoring the cleaner shots against tough Italian throughout. Salingue wins WBFederation Inter-Continental title on scores of 115-111, 115-112 and an out of line 117-109. Former European Union feather champ Urbano retired in 2007 and returned in November last year with a win.
Alnay-sous-Bois, France: Bantam: Mohamed Bouleghcha (16-5-2) W PTS 12 Michael Arango (32-11-3). Former French champion “Little Joe” Bouleghcha, 28, wins IBF and WBA Inter-Continental titles with wide points win over modest Colombian. Bouleghcha‘s sharper punching and better boxing put him in charge. He floors Arango with a left hook in the fourth and coasts the rest of the way. Arango also has two points deducted for persistent fouling in the eighth. Scores 108-107, 108-108 and 116-109. Arango, formerly the Colombian strawweight champion, has again never won a fight outside Colombia and is 3-4 in his last 7.
Hamburg, Germany: Light Heavy: Gregory Soszynski (20-1) W PTS 12 Geard Ajetovic (18-5-1). Heavy: Jovo Pudar (26-3) W TKO 4 Serdar Uysal (13-14-2). Cruiser: Alex Alexeev (20-2) W TKO 6 Deandre Abron (15-8). This one could have gone either way as Soszynski was the better boxer and landed the more punches, but defending champion Ajetovic was scoring with the heavier shots. Majority verdict goes to Pole Soszynski, 29, on scores of 116-113, 115-114 and 114-114.
Thirty-year-old Serbian Ajetovic deserved a draw, but has now lost four of his last six. In a match-up of 39-year-olds, Bosnian Pudar wins vacant PABA title. Hurts Turkish southpaw with some borderline punches. Serdar goes down in fourth from low punch and referee somehow both counting Uysal and deducting a point from Pudar. Uysal’s corner throw in the towel-in disgust. Uysal lost on points to Mike Sprott in March. One of Pudar’s losses was to Simon Peter when the Bosnian was fighting in the USA. Easy for Russian Alexeev as 38-year-old Abron seems a shot fighter. First fight for southpaw Alexeev, 29, since brutal kayo loss to Denis Lebedev in July and for Abron, once an outstanding amateur, now seven losses in a row five by KO/TKO.
Tokyo, Japan: Super Fly: Yota Sato (21-2-1) W PTS 10 Kohei Kono (25-6). Sato, 27, retains Japanese title for third time with unanimous victory over experienced Kono. Scores 97-93 twice and 96-93. Sato unbeaten in his last 17. Kono, 30, lost to Tomas Rojas and a split verdict to Nobuo Nashiro in world title shots.
Texoco, Mexico: Super Feather: Gamaliel Diaz (31-9-2) W PTS 12 Cesar Soto (63-23-3). Feather: Eusebio Osejo (19-9-2) W PTS 10 Juan Antonio Rodriguez (16-3). Diaz wins ugly. Former WBC feather champ Soto brings all his tricks into play. Low blows, rabbit punches, butts, holding etc., and eventually Diaz comes down to his level, making it an ugly brawl. “Cobrita” Soto came out the worse with a badly swollen face, and Diaz came away with the clear points win in the sixth defence of his WBC Cabofe title, and makes it seven wins in a row. Soto lost his WBC title to Prince Naseem Hamed in 1999. Another of those “that’s not supposed to happen" results.
In all-southpaw battle Nicaraguan Osejo took away the southpaw jab of Rodriguez and took the early rounds. Rodriguez, making the seventh defence of his WBC Youth title, got going in the fourth and it was toe-to-toe from there. However, Osejo scored heavily late in the fight, hurting Rodriguez badly with right hands in the last. Scores 96-94 twice for Osejo and 95-95. Rodriguez loses WBC Youth title, but as he is 24, Osejo wins the fight, but not the title. Second good win in a row for Osejo who beat American John Jackson in March.
Hartford, USA: Heavy: Tony Grano (18-2-1) W TKO 6 Dom Alexander (20-11-1). Really just a needed workout for hometown fighter Grano, 30, as he has no trouble with loser Alexander. Scores three knockdowns in the sixth to bring finish. Now 13 by KO/TKO as Grano rebuilds after upset loss to Nicola Firth in June. Alexander now 3-6 in his last nine with a six losses by KO/TKO.
Hammond, USA: Light Welter: Yakubu Amidu (18-2-1) W PTS 8 John Revish (10-3-2). Light Middle: Henry Coyle (14-2) W TKO 6 Bill Prieto (5-5-1) Ghanaian Amidu, 26, is too strong and aggressive for Louisiana’s Revish, but the “Black Mamba” does not have it all his own way and Revish is in the fight until the late rounds. Scores 78-74 twice and 77-75 for Amidu who wins the vacant NABA US title. Amidu lost to Ricky Burns for the Commonwealth title in 2008 at super feather. Revish had been stopped inside a round by Adrian Broner in January. Ireland’s Coyle batters away at Prieto and hands out a one-sided beating until it is stopped in sixth.
