August 26
Donetsk, Ukraine: Welter: Vyacheslav Senchenko (32-0) W TKO 6 Marco Avendano (30-8-1). Super Middle: Karoly Balzsay (24-2) W PTS 12 Stas Kashtanov (28-1). Cruiser: Iago Kiladze (17-0) W PTS 12 Daniel Sanabria (13-2). Feather: Oleh Yefimovych (20-2) W PTS 12 Cris Palma (17-6-1). Light Welter: Nacho Mendoza (31-6-2) W KO 1 Volodymyr Kravets (24-1). Super Middle: Server Yemurlayev (20-0) W TKO 2 Norbert Nagy (10-8). Light Middle: Artem Karpets (14-0) W TKO 4 Rizvan Magomedov (7-7-1). Super Middle Artem Redko (20-2-1) W TKO Volodymyr Borovskyy (21-43-2). Light: Andriy Kudryavtsev (37-8) W PTS 6 Kakhaber Avetisian (20-14-1).
Challenger Avendano makes good start, but both fighters cut in clash of heads in the first. After even second Senchenko, 33, gets on top catching the Venezuelan with some heavy head shots and cuts him again in third. With Avendano’s cut much worse, in the sixth Senchenko staggers challenger with a big right and then floors him with a two punch combination to head and body. Referee stops the fight without even taking up the count, and the stoppage seemed premature. Third defence of WBA title for Senchenko and win No 21 by KO/TKO. The 38-year-old Avendano had done nothing to deserve the shot, but that is not unusual for the WBA.
Gutsy win for Hungarian southpaw Balzsay, as he uses his experience to outbox hard hitting local Kashtanov, 27, and control the pace of the fight, to take the vacant WBA secondary title on a close unanimous decision. The former WBO champion built an early lead with his better boxing, but was under heavy pressure in the middle rounds from Kashtanov’s body attack, and was badly cut in the eleventh. Scores 116-111, 115-113 and 115-114 but decision not popular with locals. After back-to-back losses to Robert Stieglitz and Eduard Gutknetch, Balzsay had scored two wins over mediocre opposition, and had been inactive for over nine months. Kashtanov had never faced a rated opponent, but was still somehow No 1 with the WBA.
Georgian Kiladze retains WBA Inter-Continental title with easy win over mismatched Argentinian. Sanabria floored in the first, and all he shows is durability as he takes a pounding in every round. Scores 120-106 from all three judges. Lanky Kiladze, 6’3 ½”, rated No 4 by WBA but very poor opposition. First fight beyond eight rounds for Sanabria. Same again for “Doctor” Yefimovych as he wins wide unanimous verdict over Chilean in first defence of his WBA Inter-Continental title. Scores 119-110 twice and 118-110. Only one loss in his last 16 fights for Yefimovych, but that one cost him his EBU title to Frenchman Sofiane Takoutch. Four fights outside Chile, and four losses for “Tigre” Palma.
Big upset on the show as Spanish-based Colombian Mendoza catches previously unbeaten southpaw Kravets cold and floors him three times for sensational first round win. Mendoza, 27, makes it 20 wins by KO/TKO and lifts WBA International title. Kravets had been rated No 3 by the WBA. Mendoza lost a technical decision to John Murray in 2005 and was kayoed in two rounds by Kevin Mitchell last year. Yemurlayev, 25, massacres poor Hungarian. In non-title fight “Non puncher” Yemurlayev scores seven knockdowns before fight stopped. Only eight wins by KO/TKO for WBA European champ. Four losses in his last five fights for Nagy.
Karpets, 27, retains Ukrainian title with stoppage of modest Russian-born Magomedov who has lost four of his last five. Redko on top when Borovskyy badly cut and fight stopped. One loss in his last 17 for Redko, but poor opposition-yet again. Borovskyy one win in his last 30, losing here to Kevin Anderson, Jamie Moore, Anthony Small, Ali Nuubembe (twice), Matt Hatton, Thomas McDonagh, Mark Lloyd, Young Mutley, Brett Flournoy and Gary Woolcombe, with only Moore beating him inside the distance. Former EBU title challenger Kudryavtsev given a tough time by Georgian and fight looks closer than scores of 59-55 twice and 60-054 indicate. Kudryavtsev lost in 2010 to John Murray in September and Steve Foster Jr in January.
Kissimmee, USA: Super Bantam: Jose Nieves (19-2-3) W PTS 12 Cuauhtemoc Vargas (15-6-1). Great little fight, but hard to score. Vargas, 31, doing the pressing and southpaw Nieves countering well. The single bigger shots were coming from the Mexican but Puerto Rican Nieves was more accurate and busier with a better defence. Nieves was rocked late in the fourth and by the eighth Vargas was hampered by a cut. Both fought hard over the late rounds and it seemed that the verdict could have gone either way. Nieves gets the win on scores of 117-111, 117-113 and 114-114 which was wider than anticipated from the action. Nieves retains WBO Latino title which he won in April with a split decision over Vargas. Mexican Vargas, 26, now lost his last five, but two of those were to Juan Manuel Lopez and Rico Ramos, and he holds an early career win over Tomas Rojas.
Chicago, USA: Light Welter: Frankie Gomez (11-0) W PTS 8 Adrian Granados (8-2-1). Light: Omar Figueroa (13-0-1) W KO 2 Marcos Herrera (6-7-1). It looked as though the Gomez bandwagon would roll right over Granados when a short right put the Illinois-based Mexican down at the end of the second. In fact the fight was only beginning and, although he also scored heavily in the third, Gomez had to bite down and fight hard the rest of the way as Granados showed good skills over the middle rounds and staged a strong finish. Both were sporting facial damaged after eight hard-fought rounds with the heavier punching of Gomez gaining him a deserved majority verdict on scores of 78-73, 77-74 and 76-76.Gomez, a World Amateur Championship silver medalist, and still only 19, is a great prospect, and this, his toughest test so far, probably taught him more than his previous ten fight combined. Granados, 22, who had previously come in as a short notice substitute and gained a draw against experienced Lanardo Tyner, came out with a lot of credit. “Panterita” Figueroa, who failed to make the contract weight, shows real power as he floors Herrera early in the second with a short hook and then flattens him with a left late in the round. The 21-year-old Figueroa has nine wins by KO/TKO. Herrera lost his fifth in a row.
Cronulla, Australia: Light Welter: Brett Smith (11-1-1) W TEC DEC 6 Bob Whaley (6-3-2). Disappointing ending as cards required for technical decision. Both Smith, 30, and Whalley, suffer cuts in head clashes. Smith in control of the fight, but the cut over his right eye, suffered in the first round, worsens and fight stopped in sixth. “Handful” Smith, the Australian lightweight champion, in front 49-46 on all three cards, and takes PABA title, which Whalley forfeited by not making the weight.
Southport, Australia: Light: Ryan Langham (16-2) W KO 2 Brendan Batty (16-26). Australian No 1 Langham makes short work of No 6 Batty. Tall, 29-year-old southpaw, just hits too hard for Batty, a late substitute, and wins vacant IBO Asia Pacific title. One of Langham's two losses was to former IBO champion and IBF title contender Lenny Zappa. Langham represented Australia at the 2004 Olympics. Now 5 losses in a row for 33-year-old Batty.
Georgetown, Guyana: Light Heavy: Kwesi Jones (9-2) W KO 9 Cleve Fraser (3-4). Favourite Jones in front but Fraser in this fight until one thunderous right uppercut flattens him in ninth. First defence of his national title for Jones. Barbados-based Fraser has lost 4 of his last 5 including a shot at the Guyanian cruiser title.
Emilia Romagna, Italy: Middle: Mateo Signani (13-3-2) W PTS 10 Lorenzo Cosseddu (27-5-5). Feather: Alberto Servidei (31-0-2) W PTS 6 Richard Szebeledi (11-17). Signani, 32, retains Italian title and gets rid of unfinished business as he clearly outpoints No 3 contender Cosseddu. After an even first round Signani dominated the fight with his left, doubling up on his jab and scoring well with accurate rights. Cosseddu had a good seventh, but apart from that it was all Signani as his counters prevented Cosseddu from getting inside. Scores 100-90, 100-92 and 97-93. Fourth defence of his national title for home town fighter who fought a technical draw with Cosseddu in June 2010 and is now unbeaten in his last eight. Cosseddu, 34, had lost only one of his last eight going into the fight. Unbeaten IBF No 13 Servidei,a 36-year-old southpaw, has a bit of a scare in the second round from a clash of heads but is back on top from the third and wins decision. Next up for former undefeated European champion Servidei is said to be a shot at IBF champ Billy Dib.
August 27
Erfurt, Germany: Heavy: Alex Povetkin (22-0) W PTS 12 Ruslan Chagaev (27-2-1). Heavy: Robert Helenius (16-0) W TKO 9 Siarhei Liakhovich (25-4). Light Heavy: Tony Averlant (16-5-2) W TKO 11Artur Hein (14-2-1) .Middle: Dominik Britsch (25-0) W PTS 8 Steve Bendall (29-5). Middle Marcos Nader (12-0) W TKO 7 Gianmario Grassellini (19-5-2). Russian Povetkin, 31, wins WBA secondary title with good unanimous verdict over former champion Chagaev. Russian builds early lead with his faster hands and crisp jab. Southpaw “White Tyson” Chagaev, 32, has good middle rounds as he hurts Povetkin with hooks and strong lefts in sixth and seventh. Trainer Teddy Atlas tells Povetkin it is a close call, and that he needs a big finish to win the title for his father, who died last year and Povetkin takes the message on board as he sweeps rounds nine, ten and eleven as the one-paced Chagaev tires. Uzbek makes a big effort in the last but not enough to change the result. Povetkin wins on scores of 117-113 twice and 116-112. A proud Povetkin displays a picture of his late father as he takes the plaudits. Povetkin had won an IBF eliminator by beating Eddie Chambers in 2008, but it was Chambers who got the title shot. As an amateur Povetkin was a double European champion, World champion and Olympic gold medalist, beating current top amateur Roberto Cammarelli three times. Uzbek Chagaev was twice world champion (1997 and 2001) as an amateur but was stripped off the 1997 title for having previously fought as a professional. Teddy Atlas played down any talk of a fight with either of the Klitschko brothers and there is talk of a December 17 defence against 48-year-old Evander Holyfield, who is not currently rated by the WBA - but will be - in Zurich.
Another big win for 6’6 ½” Swedish-born Finn Helenius in a good heavyweight battle. Liakhovich in the fight over the first seven rounds. A close battle sees the 35-year-old Belarus fighter scoring well with flurries in the early rounds and also showing better movement and faster punching than the big Finn who relies on his jab and chopping rights. Helenius, with height and reach advantages, 27, landing with some heavy blows as he begins to walk down Liakhovich in seventh. Fight poised in the eighth, but with former WBO champion Liakhovich bleeding heavily from his nose, which was broken in two places, and a cut by his left eye, Helenius unloads at the end of the round and forces Liakhovich back before putting him down on his knees with a wicked uppercut and a right to the head. Liakhovich gets up at eight as the bell sounds. Liakhovich comes forward during the first few seconds of the ninth but Helenius lands a combination including a wicked left uppercut and Liakhovich goes down. Referee Stanley Christodoulou stops the fight as the towel flies in from the loser’s corner. Helenius “The Nordic Nightmare”, who retains the WBA and WBO Inter-Continental titles, adds the scalp of Liakhovich to those of Samuel Peter, Attila Levin and Lamon Brewster, all beaten inside the distance. He was already rated No 2 by the WBO and No 3 by the IBF so must be in line for a title shot in 2012. This was the first fight since May 2010 for Liakhovich, and with more activity “The White Wolf” could still be a player at heavyweight. Frenchman Averlant outlast Kazak-born Hein to win vacant European Union title.
Averlant, 27, made the better start as he used his superior skill and some tasty uppercuts to take the first two rounds. However, the strong aggressive Hein then gradually worked his way inside and began to score heavily with hooks. Averlant took over from the eighth as his accuracy had the tiring Hein struggling. Averlant stepped-up the pace in the tenth and had Hein in serious trouble on the ropes in the eleventh when the towel came flying in. Theses two fought a draw for the same title in April. Britsch, 23, extends his winning run with unanimous verdict over 37-year-old Brit southpaw Bendall, who was having his first fight since February 2009. Scores 79-73, 78-73 and 77-74. Bendall was deducted a point in the fourth or the scores would have been closer. Spanish-born Nader is given a good test by Italian Grassellini before a bad cut sees the Italian retire at the end of the seventh.
Guadalajara, Mexico: Light Fly: Ulyses Solis (34-2-3) W PTS 12 Jether Oliva (17-1-1) Straw: Moises Fuentes (14-1) W PTS 12 Raul Garcia (30-2-1). Welter: Daniel Sandoval (21-2) W KO 1 Ricardo Martinez (8-6). “Archie” Solis, 29, too experienced for 24-year-old Filipino novice and retains IBF title on wide unanimous verdict in a messy fight. Oliva has a good second round scoring well, and is competitive in third and fourth, but apart from that Solis in charge. Mexican Solis faster, smarter and more accurate with his work and controls fight with his jab and inside work. A cut over his left eye suffered in the eighth gives Solis some concern, but never a factor. Solis wins on scores of 120-108, 119-109 and 118-110 in first defence in his second reign as champion, and his 13th world title fight.
Major upset sees Fuentes win WBO title with split verdict over fellow Mexican Garcia. Champion “Rayito” Garcia, 28, gets the better start finding the range with his left cross from the first. Fuentes, 25, concentrates on the body, but seems to be behind after six rounds. In the seventh a left hook from Fuentes put southpaw Garcia down for a seven count with the bell coming soon after. The situation was reversed in the ninth with Garcia flooring Fuentes with a left at the end of the round. From the tenth, with Garcia cut, and tiring, Fuentes does the better work and edges in front. Scores 114-112 twice and 112-114. Fuentes was not even rated by the WBO and came out of nowhere to win the title. Sandoval, 20, kayos poor Martinez in first. All of his wins have come by KO/TKO nine in the first round, but poor opposition.
City Bell, Argentina: Super Middle: Ezequiel Maderna (15-0) W TKO 3 Jorge Olivera (23-4). Argentinian champ Maderna, 24, massacres Uruguayan Olivera in three one-sided rounds. Olympian Maderna (he lost to Shawn Estrada in Beijing), scores heavily to head and body throughout first. Hurts Olivera with a right in the second which Uruguayan claims landed on his neck. From then on it is downhill. Maderna lands a volley of hard punches finished off with a left that puts Olivera down. The follow-up attack sees the towel come in just as the referee stops the fight. Still a raw talent, Maderna retains WBO Latino title and goes to eleven wins by KO/TKO. Olivera, 29, was stopped in six rounds by Luis Garcia in Ireland in October and in this mad boxing world has also fought for the WBO African title.
Accra, Ghana: Super Fly: Yaqub Kareem W TKO 7 Cobbina Johnson (13-5). Ghana-based Nigerian Kareem wins vacant Commonwealth. Local fighter Johnson fights from third round with a cut which gradually worsens and fight stopped in seventh. Kareem unbeaten in his last seven fights.
Leon, Mexico: Super Middle: Librado Andrade (30-4) W TKO 3 Matt O’Brien (18-3). Light Heavy: Enrique Ornelas (32-7) W PTS 10Alfredo Contreras (11-12-2). Predictable early win for Mexican Andrade. Usual slam-bang fight as 32-year-old Andrade scores heavily, particularly with the left hook, finds O’Brien an easy target, but also leaves himself open to counters. Punches too hard for Canadian and floors him twice in the third, with the towel coming in from O’Brien’s corner on the second knockdown. Andrade rebuilding after losing twice to Lucien Bute for IBF title and also in his last fight in May on a majority decision to Aaron Pryor Jr. Andrade only other loss was to Mikkel Kessler for the WBA/WBC titles in 2007. It was only the second fight in almost two years for 34-year-old O’Brien. Andrade’s brother Ornelas (mother’s name) makes heavy work of beating regular loser Contreras. Ornelas in the lead from the first round, but Contreras never backing off and making Ornelas work hard all the way for unanimous decision. Ornelas lost to Robert Stieglitz for the WBO title last November. Contreras, a loser to George Groves in 2010, has only one win in his last ten fights.
Tepic, Mexico: Feather: Chris Perez (21-1) W PTS 10 Hector Marquez (30-22). Feather: Sergio Villaneuva (20-1-2) W KO 7 Jose Mendoza (7-4). Perez, 20, too young and fast for veteran Marquez. Uses his big advantages in height and reach to keep fight on outside and Marquez, 37, just not able to get into the fight. Home town prospect Villaneuva, 20, makes it 13 wins by KO/TKO. Tough battle until the sixth when Villaneuva, 20, has Mendoza in trouble from a left hook to the jaw. Villaneuva looking for the finish puts Mendoza down for the count with a wicked body shot in the seventh. Now 13 wins by KO/TKO for Villaneuva and he is unbeaten in his last 18. Four losses in a row by KO/TKO for Mendoza.
Davao, Philippines: Super Feather: Ricky Sismundo (21-6) W PTS 10 Balweg Bangoyan (16-3). The 24-year-old Sismundo bounces back from loss to Billy Dib as he takes unanimous verdict over former WBC title challenger Bangoyan.
Tuscaloosa, USA: Heavy: Deontay Wilder (18-0) W KO 2 Dom Alexander (20-12-1). No surprise here as “The Bronze Bomber” again takes a safe fight. The Olympic bronze medal winner scores easily with his jab in the first. A right puts Alexander down early in the second, and another finishes the fight. All 18 of Wilder’s wins have come by KO/TKO, 16 of them in the first or second round, which teaches him nothing. Wilder is only 25 and had a relatively short time as an amateur, despite winning the National Golden Gloves, US championship and the Olympic bronze, but Alexander has won only two of his last eight fights and lost six of those eight by KO/TKO.
Tiangin, China: Super Fly: Jerwin Ancajas (12-0-1) W PTS 10 Xiang Jing. In his first fight outside the Philippines “Pretty Boy” Ancajas, a 19-year-old southpaw, wins wide unanimous verdict over Chinese opponent. Ancajas turned pro at 17, and the draw on his record is of the technical nature.
Beverly Hills, USA: Cruiser: Sergey Kovalev (16-0-1) TEC DRAW 2 Grover Young (5-4-1). The fight had hardly warmed-up before a clash of heads put Young down. He was unable to continue and was stretchered from the ring. Kovalev loses 100% record in a fight he would have won. Remains a prospect to watch.
