August 4
Tokyo, Japan: Welter: Akinori Watanabe (23-4) W KO 4 Jung-Hoon Yang (6-3). Super Fly: Yota Sato (22-2-1) W PTS 10 Yoshihito Ishizaki (6-2-1). Southpaw Watanabe,26, had little trouble with Korean champ Yang in first defence of his OPBF title. A left to the body ended it in the fourth.
Twenty-five of Watanabe’s fights have ended by KO/TKO, but four of those were losses, so, big punch-soft chin. Sato, 27 retains Japanese title for fourth time. Took a while for Sato to get into his stride against the busy, aggressive novice Ishizaki, who took many of the early rounds. Over the late rounds Sato’s speed and skill allowed him to fight on the outside and he jabbed his way to a unanimous decision. Scores 97-93, 97-94 and 96-95. Sato is unbeaten in his last 19 fights.
August 5
Flemington, Australia: Light: Ameth Diaz (30-10.1ND) W TKO 5 Lenny Zappavigna (25-2). Light Heavy: Blake Caparello (9-0-1) W PTS 12 Joe Kwadjo (20-5). Light Fly: Omari Kimweri (10-2) W PTS 4 Junior Bajawa. Cruiser: Brad Pitt (9-0) W KO 2 Eduardo Rojas (22-15-7). Zappa came out fast, throwing plenty of punches to try to overwhelm Diaz, but is knocked down with a glancing right early in the second. Zappa rallies and cuts Diaz, but Diaz getting on top in third and fourth. Two straight rights from Diaz in the fifth see Zappa down and badly cut on his left eyebrow. With Zappa sitting on the canvas with no chance of getting up, his corner enters the ring to get the fight stopped. The top two spots in the IBF ratings vacant so although Zappa,23, was the third rated fighter, and southpaw Diaz the sixth, this was a final eliminator, so Diaz should get a title shot. Zappa had lost to Miguel Vazquez for the IBF title in March, but reportedly struggled to make the weight this time. “Clorofroma” Diaz, 28, had been stopped in one round by Ji Hoon Kim in May and done nothing since then to earn a rating.
Caparello comes through in high risk fight. His superior skills give him the edge over aggressive Fijian-based Ghanaian. Caparello takes decision on scores of 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112. Kwadjo had kayoed WBA title challenger Jamie Pittman last year, but then lost on points to Sergey Yannick. Tanzanian “Lion Boy” Kimweri floors Indonesian in second on way to easy decision. Scores 39-36 twice and 40-35. Eight wins in a row for Kimweri. Pitt, 29, makes seven wins by KO/TKO as he finishes Argentinian with a left hook.
Kalgoorlie, Australia: Heavy: Lucas Browne (7-0) W PTS 12 Clarence Tillman (9-8-1). Cruiser: Danny Price (8-3-2) W TEC DEC 6 Oscar Siale (13-11) . “Big Daddy” Browne, 32, wins every round against New Orleans-born, 33-year-old Tillman. Collects WBU title and also UBC Intercontinental title. Scores 120-108 from all three judges. Price well in front when clash of heads produces a fight ending cut. Scores 58-56 from all three officials as Price beats New Zealand southpaw, and 40-year-old former Commonwealth title challenger, Siale, and also wins both WBU and also UBC Intercontinental titles. Price, 31, had lost a majority verdict to Siale in November.
Montreal, Canada: Super Feather: Arash Usmanee (15-0) W TKO 3 Laszlo Balogh (13-7-1). Usmanee hunting down Hungarian from the first. Has him on the defensive throughout the second. In the third body punches put Balogh down twice. A third knockdown sees the fight stopped. Eight wins by Afghanistan-born Usmanee who was Canadian amateur champion in 2005/6/7 and competed at the 2007 World Championships. All seven of Balogh’s most recent fights have ended inside the distance, but he lost four of them.
Czestochowa, Poland: Light Heavy: Dariusz Sek (13-0-1) W KO 5 Achille Omang Boya (11-9). Pole Sek,25, started to score well with hooks in the second. After even rounds three and four the former World Amateur Championships representative brought about the finish with a right hook and left to the chin. Frenchman Boya has won only one of his last six.
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico: Super Fly: Juan Mercedes (26-3) W PTS 10 Luis Maldonado (35-7-1). Dominican “Pantertita” Mercedes,29, just edges out experienced Mexican on majority verdict. Maldonado failed to make full use of his height and reach advantages as Mercedes scored well to the body throughout. Numerous head clashes made it a bloody fight with Maldonado badly cut around his left eye. WBO No 8 Mercedes retains WBO Latino title. Scores 97-93, 96-94 and 95-95. Maldonado had lost his last four, but all to world champions or former world champions. The 33-year-old Mexican looked a great prospect when he lost only one of his first 33 contests, but has fallen away.
Santa Ynez, USA: Light Welter: Vernon Paris (25-0,3ND) W TKO 7 Tim Coleman (19-2-1). Light: Art Hovhannesyan (14-0-2) TEC DRAW 4 Cristobal Cruz (39-12-3,1ND). Feather: Luis Franco (10-0) W TKO 4 Adolfo Landeros (21-21-2). Light: Mike Faragon (16-0) W TKO 2 Ira Terry (24-6). Paris and Coleman had started the fight earlier in a nearby hotel, and had to be weighed in separately to avoid them scrapping again. Once the fight started, Coleman was firing with intent and Paris was matching him. With Coleman taking the early part of the first round, but Paris shaking him near the end with a left to the body and a right. Once again in the second they were throwing bombs with little thought for defence. A right caught Paris high on the head and he stumbled sidewards and touched the canvas with his gloves leading to a standing eight count. At the end of the round Paris, 23, was scoring heavily to the body. Coleman stayed busy in the third and fourth and with Paris cut by the right eye and bleeding from the nose it looked as though it might be Coleman’s fight. However, the body punches had taken their toll, and Coleman was slowing. He was hurt with a body punch late in the fifth as a sign of things to come. In the sixth Coleman was floored with a body shot and then put down again at the end of the round. When another body punch from Paris put Coleman down early in the seventh, the fight was stopped. Big win for “IceMan” as this was a step up in class as Coleman, the fifth rated fighter with the IBF (really third as positions 1 and 2 are vacant), had beaten Mike Arnaoutis, Patrick Lopez and Sergio Rivera in recent fights. Now 15 wins by KO/TKO for Paris who wins USBA title.
Disappointing end to Hovhannesyan-Cruz fight. After three rounds first one fighter then the other would dominate. In fourth Cruz suffers a cut by his right eye in a clash of heads. It goes to the scorecards and ends in a draw with scores of 39-37, 37-39 and 38-38. This was a big test for Armenian Hovhannesyan,29, who remains unbeaten. Mexican Cruz, 34, is a former IBF featherweight champion, a title he won by beating current champion Orlando Salido. Cuban Franco, 29, has too much class for Mexican veteran and applies a steady beating until Landeros retires in his corner at the end of the fourth. A mark-time fight for “La Estrella” after wins over Leonilo Miranda and Eric Hunter. Only one win in his last 13 for Landeros. Body punches from Farragon, 24, took the fight out of Terry and he was not fighting back when the contest is stopped near the end of the second. Only the seventh win by KO/TKO for “Baby Faced Beast” Farragon. Three losses on KO/TKO in a row now for Terry.
August 6
Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina: Welter: Hector Saldivia (39-2) W KO 5 Emilio Julio Julio (19-7-1). Saldivia outclasses Colombian. Has him under pressure at the end of the third and fourth. In the fifth a right to the jaw and a left to the ribs forces Julio back to the ropes and a right uppercut puts him down, and he sits out the count. Now 32 wins by KO/TKO for Argentinian champ as he retains WBA Fedelatin title.
Tokyo, Japan: Middle: Koji Sato (20-1) W TKO 6 Fukutaro Ujiie (16-9-1). Feather: Ryol Li Lee (18-2-1) W TKO 5 Rikiya Fukuhara (24-6-1). Lanky former WBA title challenger Sato, 30, floors Ujiie with a barrage of punches in the sixth. Ujiie beats the count but fight stopped. Only two of Sato’s fights have gone the distance, but, in the important one, he was stopped in seven rounds by Felix Sturm in a challenge for the WBA title in 2006. This was the eighth defence of his OPBF title and his sixth win since the loss to Sturm. He is rated No 6 by the WBA. Former WBA super bantam champion Lee given an uncomfortable few rounds by veteran former Japanese champion Fukuhara. Lee, back at feather, where was also Japanese champion, found it difficult to get his punches off against the aggressive Fukuhara. However he found the distance in the fifth and a short right hand counter put Fukuhara down. He beat the count, but was in no condition to continue. First fight for (Retsuri) Lee, 29, since losing his WBA title to Akifumi Shimoda in January. Fukuhara, 32, has lost his last three.
Cuautla, Mexico: Super Middle: Memo Romero (10-4) W TKO 9 Bladimir Hernandez (18-6). Great little scrap sees Romero win the vacant Mexican title. Southpaw Romero, 33, has Hernandez cut and in trouble in the third. However Hernandez, 25, gets back into the battle and they continued to exchange heavy blows over the next five rounds. In the ninth Romero, who is also cut by now, floors Hernandez, and although he beats the count, the follow-up attack ends the fight. This the second fight on Romero’s comeback after six years out. Fifth loss by KO/TKO in a row for Hernandez.
Navojoa, Mexico: Super Fly Jose Salgado (26-1) W KO 1 Carlos Frias (12-4-1). Light Middle: Yori Boy Campas (99-15-1) W TKO 3 Marcelo Rodriguez (54-18). Feather: Andres Gutierrez (18-0-1) DREW 9 Jesus Ruiz (25-4-3). Light Fly: Jesus Silvestre (23-2) W KO 2 Walter Rojas (17-2-1). Light Fly: Jose Rodriguez (26-0) W KO 1 Fred Valdez (12-21). Fly: Jesus Jimenez (33-7) W TKO 3 Jorge Cardenas (16-14-4). Frias comes out punching. Salgado waits until the assault runs out and then lands a left hook to the body. Frias, 24, had no chance of beating the count and it is all over in 123 seconds. “Sugar” a 22-year-old from Cozumel now has 23 wins by KO/TKO and is rated No 11 by the WBC. This his eighth win since losing to Juan Jose Montes in October 2009. He adds the vacant WBC International title to the NABF title he already holds. This was the first loss inside the distance for Argentinian Frias.
Yori Boy wins WBA Fedlatin title with stoppage of outclassed Argentinian. The 39-year-old former WBA champion was scoring heavily from the start. No knockdowns but late substitute Rodriguez, 33, had a split lip, was bleeding heavily from the nose, and under pressure when his corner threw the towel in. One more win required to take Campas to the magic 100, and since he has won his last eight, there is every reason to suppose he will go on for quite a while. Rodriguez had won his last eight, seven inside the distance.
Gutierrez, just 18, looked unlucky to have to settle for a draw against the more experienced 21-year-old Ruiz. Gutierrez had Ruiz on the floor in the seventh but Ruiz used his height and reach advantages to score from a distance over the last two rounds. This for the vacant WBA Fedcentro title. Gutierrez turned pro at 15 and Ruiz, a former Mexican super bantam champion, at 16. Silvestre scoring heavily in the first has late substitute Rojas bleeding from the nose and with lumps on his face. Ends it in the second with a body shot. Now 17 wins by KO/TKO for “Negrito”. First defence of his WBA Fedcentro title and eight wins since loss to Donnie Nietes in January 2010. Heavily padded record of “Jimmy” Rojas deceptive as only two of his victims had ever won a fight.
Early night for banger Rodriguez. The 21-year-old “Torito” floors Valdez early with a body shot. Valdez takes the compulsory eight count but is floored again and the fight ended. Rodriguez moves to 16 wins by KO/TKO. IBF No 9 flyweight “Destroyer” Jimenez found late substitute Cardenas willing to trade with him. As a result Cardenas took quite a bit of punishment before a left hook to the body floored him in the third. Cardenas made it to his feet but the ten had already been counted. Southpaw Jimenez, 27, who lost to Colombian Jean Piero Perez for the interim WBA title in January, and has a kayo win over former WBC champion Gilberto Keb Baas, now has 23 wins by KO/TKO. The 5’10” tall Cardenas has lost 7 of his last 9 fights by KO/TKO.
Kawit, Philippines: Fly: Froilan Saludar (13-0-1) W TKO 10 Gabriel Pumar (16-7-1). “The Sniper” Saludar, 22 wins vacant WBO Asia Pacific title with stoppage of Japanese- based southpaw Pumar. Saludar was the heavier puncher, (six first round wins) but Pumar also had some success. When it looked as though it might go the distance Saludar stunned Pumar in the tenth and had him trapped on the ropes and ready to go when the referee stopped the fight. Nine wins by KO/TKO for Saludar, but third loss in a row by KO/TKO for Pumar.
Manduae City, Philippines: Light Fly: Randy Petalcorin (14-1) W DIS 8 Mike Rodriguez (12-30). Welter: Jimrex Jaca (34-6-3) W TKO 3 Felipe Demecillo (6-15-1). Fly: Rodel Mayol (29-5-2) ) W PTS 10 Jayson Rotoni (12-10-1). Super Bantam: Eden Sonsona (27-6) W PTS 10 Eman Labanza (7-8). Super Bantam: Dodie Penaslosa Jr (6-0) W TKO 3 Kong Kiatpracha gym (5-9-1). Petalcorin, 19, wins but not in the way he would have wanted. Southpaw Petalcorin floors Rodriguez with a right hook in seventh and is well on top. However, in eighth Rodriguez hurts Petalcorin who slumps down by the ropes and as the referee is trying to split them Rodriguez hits Petalcorin with a right whilst down. Referee deducts a point, but Petalcorin unable to continue and Rodriguez is disqualified. Petalcorin wins vacant PABA interim title. He had won his last seven by KO/TKO.
Jaca much too good for poor Demecillo. Hands out a steady beating and Demecillo’s corner pull him out at the end of the third. Southpaw Jaca, 28, lost to Juan Manuel Marquez for the interim WBO feather title in 2006 but is now fighting four divisions higher and has won his last six by KO/TKO. Much tougher than expected warm-up fight for former WBC light fly champion Mayol. “Kid Rapido", 29, did all of the pressing and won clearly, but durable southpaw Rotoni, 24, came to fight, almost flooring Mayol with a left hook, and put up a better showing then the scores of 98-92 twice and 99-91 indicate. Mayol, who won the WBC light fly title in his fifth attempt at winning a title, now hope to challenge Herman Marquez for the WBA flyweight crown.
Good, tough, all-southpaw battle sees Labanza fight much better than his record indicated he would, but southpaw Sosona, 22, comes away with the majority verdict. Both fighters exchange heavy punches throughout with Sosona just having the edge. Scores 96-94, 96-95 and 95-95. First fight in over a year for Sosona, who turned pro at 15. He has won 7 of his last 8, losing only to Jonathan Oquendo in July last year. Penalosa Jr chased the elusive Thai from the first bell. Finally caught up with him in third and floored him with a hard right to the ribs. Kang beat the count, but was floored twice more and the fight stopped. Dodie, the son of former two division champion Dodie Snr., has won all six fights by KO/TKO. Kang has failed to win any of his last six fights.
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Welter: Jean Carlos Prada (25-0-1) W KO 1 Jose Soto (24-9-2). Jesus Rojas (18-1) W TKO 2 Miguel Martinez (12-2). Tall 26-year-old Venezuelan southpaw wipes out 36-year-old Spanish-based Dominican Soto with a right in the first round, and wins vacant WBC Fecarbox title. Now 18 wins by KO/TKO for Prada who represented Venezuela at the 2004 Olympics and the 2005 World Championships. Soto has lost 5 of his last 6. Puerto Rican Rojas, 24 halts Colombian Martinez in second. Five wins in a row for Rojas since upset loss to Jose Angel Beranza in 2008.
Middelburg, South Africa: Light Middle: Nkululeko Mhlongo (9-2) W TKO 8 Page Tshesane (7-4-2).Despite the height and reach advantages of Mhlongo it is Tshesane who builds an early lead. Once Mhlongo starts to box to his strength the fight changes. Mhlongo on top when a right puts Tshesane down and out in the eighth. Mhlongo wins vacant South African title. Tshesane had previously lost in a challenge for the national welterweight title.
August 7
Kariya, Japan: Super Bantam: Roli Gasca (17-1) W PTS 12 Hiromasa Ohashi (24-10-3). Excellent display of boxing by 22-year-old Filipino (Nen)gasca as he lifts OPBF title with a majority verdict. . Not a puncher Gasca has problems keeping the aggressive defending champion off. However, his overhand rights and uppercuts give him the edge against a more experienced fighter. Scores116-112 twice and 115-115. Gasca also has a stoppage win over Thai Tabtimdaeng. Ohashi, 31, had lost only one of his last 13 going in, and that was to future WBA champion Akifumi Shimoda.
Sibonga, Philippines: Marco Demecillio (14-0-1) W KO 2 Nelson Llanos (22-26-3). “Singwancha” has it easy against veteran Llanos. Has him backing up and under pressure in first. In the second a volley of body shots put Llanos down. He beats the count, but a left hook to the body floors Llanos again and the referee counts him out. Singwancha is the name of Demecillio’s sponsor. Ten wins by KO/TKO for 20-year-old Demecillio.
