July 20
Sydney, Australia: Cruiser: Antonio Tarver (29-6) W TKO 9 Danny Green (31-4). Cruiser: Shane Cameron (27-2) W KO 12 Dominic Vea (13-3). Welter: Nauofel Ben Rabah (34-3) W KO 3 Isaac Hlatshwayo (30-3-1,1ND). Heavy: Peter Cronje (13-4-1) W KO 4 Mike O’Donnell (6-13). Dominating performance by 42-year-old “Magic Man” Tarver.
The Florida southpaw wins the IBO title with stoppage of Aussie Green. After quiet first round, Tarver floors Green with a left in the second. Green, 38, is up quickly and takes the standing eight count and sees out the round. Tarver’s heavy southpaw lefts are the controlling punches and he has Green hurt again at the end of the sixth. Green stages a recovery in the seventh scoring well to the body and Tarver gets a warning for holding. Tarver gets on top again continually forcing Green to fight off the ropes. In a brutal ninth Tarver has Green reeling and wide open as he scores heavily throughout. At the end of the round a dazed Green thinks the fight is over and embraces Tarver. Green’s brother pulls him out of the fight. Tarver ahead 88-84 on all three cards. No sign of ring rust from Tarver, who had been up at heavyweight, and had only one fight in the previous 26 months. Tarver adds IBO cruiser title to previous IBF, WBA and WBC light heavyweight titles. Fifth defence of his IBO title for 38-year-old former interim WBC super middle champ Green and first loss inside the distance.
“Mountain Warrior” Cameron, 33, finds late finish against durable Vea to win Commonwealth title. New Zealander gets the better start and sweeps the early rounds with his strong jab and body shots. As Cameron slows champion Vea comes into the fight and is scoring well with short punches on the inside. Vea has a big tenth round, but has ground to make up. All becomes academic in last as Cameron finds a big right to put Vea down and his corner throw in the towel as count is being completed. Cameron had eyed the cruiserweights after a crushing two round loss to David Tua in 2009 and is the first New Zealander to win a Commonwealth title since Monty Betham Snr. in the mid 1970’s. It was the first defence since winning the title in July 2010 for Vea who had recovered after career threatening injuries. Unfortunately Cameron injured has hand yet again and is unlikely to fight again this year.
Tunisian-born Ben Rabah, 33, scores a big win as he kayos former IBF welter champ Hlatshwayo, also 33, to win the vacant IBF Australasian title. The fight was even until Ben Rabah found the finish in the third. Ten wins in a row for “Chocolata”, who represented Tunisia at the 2000 Olympics, and has had two shots at the IBF title. This was only the second fight for “The Angel” Hlatshwayo since losing his IBF title to Jan Zavcek in December 2009. South African Cronje, 28, finishes late sub O’Donnell with a body shot. Four wins by KO/TKO in a row for Cronje since his 48 seconds blow-out loss to Anton Nel in March last year. O’Donnell, who has lost 9 of his last 10, came in at 24 hours notice.
New York, USA: Light Heavy: Will Rosinsky (14-0) W TKO 1 Jose Ramirez (11-12) Boyd Melson (5-0) W TKO 2 Zach Schumach (2-3-1). A double win for 26-year-old Rosinsky. He suffers a shock knockdown from a right, but then gets up and blasts Ramirez to the canvas. The referee starts the count then waves it off to get attention for Ramirez. Now eight wins by KO/TKO for Rosinsky, who then proposed to his girlfriend from the ring. Rosinsky is a former US amateur champion and a quarter finalist at the 2005 World Championships. Easy for prospect Melson as he bloodies Schumach’s nose in the first and stops him in the second. “Rainmaker” is a former US Army and Inter Services champion who won a gold medal at the World Military championships, and competed at the 2004 and 2008 US Olympic Trials. He donates part of his purses to a fund for stem cell research into spinal cord injuries.
July 22
Cabazon, USA: Super Middle: Anthony Dirrell (23-0) W KO 2 Kevin Engel (18-5,1ND). Welter: Aaron Martinez (15-1-1) W TEC DEC 8 Joe Elegele (12-1). Easy but controversial win for “The Dog”. After scoring heavily and bloodying Engel in the first, Dirrell finishes overmatched late sub Engel in second. Floors him with a legal punch. Engel gets up only to have his gum shield knocked out with another punch. He is then floored for a second time with a punch that clearly landed low, but was missed by the referee. Somehow rated No 4 by the WBC, Dirrell, the younger brother of Andre, was having his second fight in three weeks, as he makes up for being inactive in all of 2007 and most of 2008. He now has 20 wins by KO/TKO, but is climbing up by fighting down. “Hitman” Engel’s record is misleading as it has been built on the poor Missouri circuit. He came in at two weeks notice for this fight and had to shed over 20lbs in that time to make the weight.
Martinez takes away the unbeaten record of Elegele with a deserved technical decision. Another late sub, Martinez floors and has Elegele badly hurt late on the first. Elegele was playing catch-up from there , pitting his better skills against the powerful bursts from Martinez. Elegele was in trouble again in the seventh and looked rocky. A clash of heads in the eighth saw Martinez badly cut and it went to the scorecards with Martinez in front by scores of 77-74 on two cards and 76-75 on the third. Martinez, 29, has won his last seven. Going into the fight, southpaw Elegele had won his last seven by KO/TKO
Ontario, USA: Feather: Juan Carlos Burgos (27-1) W PTS 10 Gilberto Sanchez Leon (31-10-2). Light: Darley Perez (28-0) W KO 1 Baudel Cardenas (19-22-3. Feather: Abraham Lopez (15-0) W TKO 1 Olvin Mejia (4-4-3). Disappointing fight as lackluster Burgos starts brightly and then fades. Seems to hurt Leon in third and fourth, but Leon also landing well. Burgos, 23, builds a lead, but fades over the later rounds, only picking up the pace again in the last. The WBC No 7, who lost to Hozumi Hasegawa for the WBC title in November, gets unanimous verdict on scores of 100-90, 98-92 and 97-93 with the latter scores a more accurate reflection of experienced trial horse Leon’s contribution. Poor match sees prospect “Chamaco” Lopez, 23, floor Mejia early in the first. Mejia gets up and tries to fire back, but Lopez just blasts through him and the referee stops the fight after just 106 seconds. Win No 11 by KO/TKO for Lopez. Mejia had won only one of his last six.
Colombian Perez also has an early and easy night. A straight right shot to the body puts Cardenas down and out after 68 seconds. The 27-year-old Perez, rated No 7 by the WBA, is a former South American Games gold medal winner, World Cup quarter finalist and competed at the 2008 Olympics. He has 17 wins by KO/TKO, but his opposition in Colombia has been pitiful. This was also a disgraceful match as Cardenas, a late substitute, had won only one of his last 15 fights, including nine losses by KO/TKO in that total.
Sunshine, Australia: Light Middle: Patumsok Pathompothong (13-1-1) W PTS 10 Heath Ellis (14-3-1). Middle: Dwight Richie (7-0) W PTS 8 Leroy Brown (8-3-1). Upset as Thai import deservedly takes majority verdict over Aussie No 9 Ellis. Patumsok the aggressor throughout with “The Heat” Ellis feeling the heat as he is forced to fight defensively against the stalking Thai. Scores 96-94 twice and 95-95. Patumsok, 27, wins vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council and interim WBC Youth titles. He is a product of the Thai initiative which helped prisoner rehabilitate through boxing. Australian No 8 Richie, 20 and Victoria State champion, wins unanimous verdict over No 7 Brown.
Cecina, Italy: Super Feather: Floriano Pagliara (11-4-1) W PTS 12 Istvan Nagy (17-10). Light Welter: Michele Di Rocco (30-1-1) W PTS 6 Robert Cristea (4-22). Super Feather: Antonio De Vitis (22-1-1) W TKO 3 Csaba Toth (5-9). German-born, Bronx-based, Italian Pagliara shows the benefits of working out at Gleason’s gym, as in his first fight in Italy since 2008, he takes unanimous verdict over tough Hungarian to win vacant IBF Mediterranean title. With Don Saxby in his corner, Pagliara makes a fast start against the taller Hungarian. Nagy is cut by the left eye in the third as Pagliara shows improved skills and scores well with hooks on the inside of the longer reach of Nagy. Hungarian shows well in rounds 4, 5 and six, but Pagliara shakes him with a right in the seventh, and then boxes his way to victory. Scores 118-110 twice and 119-109. Pagliara is only 3-3-1 in his last seven, but showed a big improvement. Nagy, 30, has lost to Lee McAllister, Gary Buckland and Paul Appleby here.
Di Rocco returns after seventh months of dealing with personal and physical problems. Now back under the banner of Rosanna Conto Cavini, he eases back with a unanimous verdict. However, Romanian Cristea comes to fight, and gives “The King” a good six rounds, and takes him outside his comfort zone with some crisp left hooks. Former European Union champ Di Rocco busier and more accurate, scoring well with left jab and straight rights, and with 13 wins in a row looks ready for better opposition. Although he has won only two of his last 14 Cristea, 29, had kayoed previously unbeaten Valter Fiorucci in June. De Vitis extended his winning run to 14 as, after two quiet rounds, he floors Toth twice in third for stoppage. The only loss suffered by De Vitis was in 2007, a majority decision to current European champion Ermanno Fegatilli. Toth is 2-7 in his last nine.
Chonburi, Thailand: Light: Saddam Kietyongyuth (24-0) W PTS 12 Ronnel Esparas (8-6-1). Poor but winning performance from WBC No 9 Saddam. Easily outpoints Filipino novice but shows little form and his manager criticizes his preparation. “Da Bomb” wins on scores of 118-109, 117-110 and 116-111 in eighth defence of his WBC Asian Boxing Council title, but sees a streak of eight consecutive wins by KO/TKO snapped. Southpaw Esparas has won only two of his last seven fights.
Tucson, USA: Super Bantam: Chris Martin (23-0-2) W PTS 10 Jose Silveira (12-4). Martin uninspiring and uninspired in routine win over Mexican. Too little action in the early rounds sees the crowd booing the spectacle. Martin, 25, finally gets to work over the last four rounds as he has Silveira hurt in seventh and ninth, but can’t put him away. Wide unanimous verdict for Martin on scores of 99-90 twice and 98-91, but after wins for the SD Kid over Chris Avalos, Jose Luis Ariaza, Yogli Herrera and Charles Huerta, this was a let down for the IBF No 5. Silveira lost to Martin Lindsay on points in Canada in 2007.
Tokyo, Japan: Super Bantam: Hidenori Otake (16-1-3) W TKO 1 Yuji Maruyama (11-11-1). This one was all over in just 90 seconds. A big right to the chin put Maruyama down heavily. Somehow he beat the count, but he was an easy target for 30-year-ol Otake and the fight was stopped. Otake unbeaten in his last eleven.
July 23
Las Vegas, USA: Light Welter: Amir Khan (26-1) W KO 5 Zab Judah (41-7,2ND). Middle: James Kirkland (29-1) W TKO 2 Alexis Hloros (15-4-2). Super Middle: Peter Quillin (25-0) W TKO 5 Jason LeHoullier (21-5-1). Feather: Ronny Rios (15-0) W TKO 1 Noe Lopez Jr (7-9). Feather: Gary Russell Jr (17-0) W PTS 8 Eric Estrada (9-2). This was Khan’s fight from the first bell. He was too fast of fist and foot, for southpaw Judah, 33, and also too busy, as he turned this into a one-sided contest. Judah was looking to counter Khan, but the former Olympic silver medalist was just too fast for him. Judah landed a good left hook in the first, but never really troubled Khan, or got into the fight. Khan was going forward all of the time pressurizing Judah and scoring freely. Khan finished the bout in the fifth with a right to the body and Judah took the count on his knees complaining that the punch was low. It actually landed on Judah’s belt line but the end was inevitable, it would have just taken a little longer, and there was an impression that Judah was looking for a way out. Khan, still only 24, adds the IBF title and makes the fifth defence of his WBA crown. The show did not draw well, but Khan is building his reputation in the US. It is intended that he fights again in December with the winner of the Marcos Maidana vs. Robert Guerrero bout or Erik Morales mentioned as a possibilities. The ultimate aim is Floyd Mayweather Jr late in 2012. There was no talk of retirement from Judah at this stage.
Southpaw banger Kirkland had an easy night against Hloros. Ignoring any punches Hloros threw and just walking through his opponent Kirkland scored two knockdowns in the first and the fight was stopped in the second. “Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland has 26 wins by KO/TKO, but still shows the flaws that led to his one round blow-out by Nobuhiro Ishida in April. The record of Hloros is heavily padded with nobodies, and two fights previously had been floored twice in losing a four round bout, so just a pushover to pad Kirkland’s record. The heavy, accurate punching of IBF No 5 Quillin too much for late sub LeHoullier. No knockdowns, but LeHoullier, hurt in the first, and from then absorbing a steady beating until his corner throw in the towel to rescue him in the fifth. The 28-year-old “Kid Chocolate” has 19 wins by KO/TKO. LeHoullier “The Hammer” has lost his last six in a row.
Californian prospect Rios, 21, overwhelms poor Lopez. A right to the body puts Mexican Lopez down. He beats the count but sinks to the canvas under another barrage of body punches, and the fight is stopped after 72 seconds. Lopez is 2-6 in his last eight. Olympian southpaw Russell, 23, has too much of everything for “El Loco” Estrada, floors him in the seventh and wins wide unanimous verdict on scores of 80-71 from all three judges. Russell won both the UA amateur championships and the National Golden Gloves before the age of 17, and won the US Olympic trials for a place on the US team in Beijing, but never had a fight at the Olympics as he collapsed in the dressing brooms and missed the weigh-in for his bout.
Ciudad Obregon, Mexico: Orlando Salido (36-11-2,1ND) W TKO 11 Kenichi Yamaguchi (17-2-2,1ND). Bantam: Enrique Bernache (18-2) W KO 4 Alejandro Valdez (25-6-2). Super Bantam: Ruben Tamayo (17-2-2) W TKO 2 Jorge Cardenas (16-12-4). Easy first defence of his WBO title for Salido, 30, marred only by hand injury suffered during the fight. Salido going forward and pressuring from the start as usual. Mexican has game, but limited, Japanese fighter under pressure. Scores knockdowns in third and ninth. Yamaguchi badly cut on left eyelid and Doctor examines it in sixth but lets fight continue. Yamaguchi floored again in ninth and takes beating in tenth. Under pressure again in the eleventh and the referee stops the one-sided fight.
An explosive fight saw both Bernache and Valdez rocked and bloody as they exchanged hard rallies from the first bell, with Bernache coming close to finishing it in that first session. They exchange punches, and a few things not in the rule book, in the second and third. Bernache finally breaks through with a strong left near the end of the fourth. Valdez beat the count and wanted to continue, but with just one second remaining in the round, the referee stopped the fight. The 22-year-old Bernache has only lost once in his last 16 and that was a cut. He also took away the unbeaten record of Ramon Maas(24-0) in his last fight. Southpaw Valdez lost to Hozumi Hasegawa for the WBC title in 2008. Southpaw Tamayo bounces back from consecutive losses and overwhelms experienced, but soft-chinned, Cardenas in two.
Guadalajara, Mexico: Feather: Eduardo Escobedo (32-3) W KO 2 Joksan Hernandez (22-3). Bantam: Rodolfo Hernandez (22-2-1,1ND) W TKO 2 Javier Mercado. Explosive display by Texas-based Escobedo in this IBF eliminator. Floors world rated Hernandez three times in the first, and twice in the second, and the fight is stopped. Now 23 wins by KO/TKO for WBA No 5 Escobedo, and eleven wins in a row since loss to Daniel Ponce De Leon for WBO super bantam title in 2007. Escobedo, 27, had outpointed Hernandez in January 2010, but wins over Miguel Beltran and Ricardo Castillo had put 24-year-old Hernandez back into the picture. Body shot from Rodolfo Hernandez finishes Mercado. Hernandez, 25, has 21 wins by KO/TKO, but opposition poor.
Buenos Aires, Argentina: Feather: Jesus Cuellar (17-0) W TKO 3 Hugo Gomez (12-5). One-sided non-title fight as Argentinian champion Cuellar, 24, is in charge from the start of this all southpaw battle. Scores heavily throughout the first as the taller Gomez is pinned to the ropes and bombarded with hooks and uppercuts. Second sees Gomez stay in the centre of the ring and fire back, but Cuellar has the power and shakes Gomez twice with right uppercuts. Finish in the third sees Cuellar exploding with both hands. Gomez shaken and given a standing count and a follow-up right has him staggering when the referee stops then fight. Cuellar, WBO No 8, now has 14 wins by KO/TKO.
Perth, Australia: Middle: Robbie Bryant (15-1-1) W PTS 12 Les Piper (13-9-3). Light Heavy: David Letizia (9-2-1) W TKO 12 Taito Raturere (8-1,1ND). Light Middle: Danny Dawson (36-3-1) DREW 12 Virgil Kalakoda (25-6-3). Bryant, 32, overcomes gashed forehead to just edge out Piper to retain his PABA title, and win the vacant IBF Australasian title. Both fighters were there swinging and exchanging hard punches with heads often banging together. It was a clash of heads in the third that led to the gash, and Bryant had to survive two Doctor’s examinations, and was twice warned for hitting after the bell. Queenslander Piper, 27, pushed him all the way but the left hooks of Bryant were the eye-catching punches and he won the split verdict on scores of 115-113 twice and a very strange 111-117. Bryant, rated No 3 in Australia, has won his last seven. He had current IBF champion Daniel Geale on the floor in one of their amateur fights.
Letizia, 40, the co-promoter of the show, used his left jab to build a big lead over game New Zealander Raturere. However, things looked bad for Letizia when his leg seized-up at the end of the eleventh. Raturere must have thought it was his big chance, but was careless and Letizia scored two knockdowns which brought the towel flying in. Letizia wins interim PABA title. Former WBO title challenger “The Rock” Dawson, 33, established an early lead against South African Kalakoda, but “Vicious Virgil”, 33, staged a strong finish and earned a share of the points. Scores 115-113 Dawson, 116-112 Kalakoda and 114-114.
Mexico City, Mexico: Fly: Edgar Jimenez (13-5-1) W TKO 4 Eric Ortiz (32-12-3). Fly: Omar Soto (22-7-2) W PTS 12 Eduardo Gonzalez. Jimenez scores big win as he finishes experienced Ortiz in four. Ortiz, 34, scoring better and in front when a tremendous left hook from Jimenez flattened Ortiz whose head thumped into the canvas with referee not bothering to count. Jimenez wins vacant Mexican title and makes it ten wins by KO/TKO. Former WBC light fly champion Ortiz now lost four of his last five, but the other losses were to Ulises Solis, Luis Concepcion and Julio Cesar Miranda.
Former Mexican strawweight champion “Lobito” Soto, 31, retains WBC Fecarbox title for second time with unanimous verdict over 20-year-old novice Gonzalez. Soto generally in control, but Gonzalez shakes him in fifth and twelfth and makes it tough. Soto wins on scores of 116-112 twice and 117-112. Soto has had shots at the IBF strawweight and WBO flyweight titles and only lost on a split decision to new WBO champion Brian Viloria last July.
Springfield, USA: Cruiser: BJ Flores (25-1-1) W TKO 5 Nic Iannuzzi (16-3). “El Peligroso” Flores makes successful return as he halts useful Iannuzzi in five. Flores drops Iannuzzi with a right in the first and comes close to ending it then. Flores continues to hand out punishment until Iannuzzi’s corner pull him out at the end of the fifth. Flores wins vacant NABA USA title in his first fight since loss to Danny Green for IBO title in November, and only his second fight in 27 months. Iannuzzi had gone the distance with Lateef Kayode in February.
New York, USA: Heavy: Joe Hanks (17-0) W PTS 12 Alfredo Escalera Jr (18-4-1). “The Future” Hanks, 28, wins wide unanimous verdict and the vacant IBA title. Puerto Rican Escalera just could not get by the heavy left jabs of Hanks, who also scored regularly with heavy combinations. Escalera showed guts, and has some minor success when he gets inside. Hanks almost brings the curtain down in the ninth but Escalera survives. Scores 100-90 from all three judges. Escalera, really just a cruiserweight, is the son of the former WBC super feather champion Alfredo Escalera.
Florencio Varela, Argentina: Light: Matias Gomez (24-0) W TKO 3 Hector Romano (7-9-1). Gomez, 23, back on track and back on an easy diet. Romano in serious trouble at the end of the second and unable to avoid the bombs at the start of the third and fight halted within the first minute. Gomez has 23 wins by KO/TKO and the other win was a disqualification when his opponent fouled out when ready to fall. Romano has won only one of his last seven, which is typical for Gomez’s victims.
Langhirano, Italy: Cruiser: Salvatore Erittu (21-0) W TKO 4 Zoltan Kallai ( 12-21-7).The tall 30-year-old Erittu, 6’3 ½” tall, too good for 40-year-old Hungarian loser and forces the referee to stop the fight in fourth. Only two wins in his last 14 for Kallai. This started as an outside show which had to be moved inside due to a rainstorm Erittu opposition has been weak which is why he is not even in the EBU top 20.
July 24
Civitavecchia, Italy: Light: Emiliano Marsili (23-0-1) W KO 1 Paolo Gassani (14-2). One left hook to the chin from Italian champion Marsili, 34, and it is all over in 24 seconds, including the count. Perhaps a record for an Italian title fight. Second defence of his title for southpaw Marsili, EBU No 9,who has nine wins inside the distance, but this was his first clean kayo.
Livorno, Italy: Light Middle: Lenny Bottai (15-1) W PTS 8 Bronislav Kubin (10-7-1). In front of his home crowd Bottai 34, given good eight rounds by Czech. Kubin twice warned for fouls but makes it interesting. Bottai puts in big effort to finish it in the last two rounds, but Kubin stays the distance.
