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"SELECTED" LOPEZ SURPRISES - HALTS OLIVER IN
THREE... by George
Elsasser
I’ve heard the song before - played by print and electronic media alike - mostly after a
favorite is beaten by betting underdog - a given when the
celebrated loser carried the name Patterson in that infamous
first Ingo disaster, up and down like an elevator to the tune
of seven trips to the canvas in round three - toss in the
Tyson Tokyo mishap with Buster Douglas and we’d hear it again
- the “upset” shout.
The more creative announcers
and scribblers of the day built on it by describing it all as
a “shocking upset.”
Which brings us to last
noche and the ESPN2 WNF main event beamed from The Roxy
theater at Beantown, USA - the focus on undefeated IBF #2
ranking s/bantamweight Mike “Machine” Oliver, who was paired
with age 34 veteran Reynaldo Lopez of 28-5-2, 19 KO's
mediocrity.
ALVARADO BARRAGE HALTS ROSALES IN 7; SANCHEZ MAJORITY WIN A SQUEAKER...
by George Elsasser
The Telefutura Solo-Boxeo FNF weekly
dropped by fan friendly Albuquerque, New Mexico for last noche’s club fight action - and with it, the paying clientele
were entertained with a mixed bag of assorted effort -
highlighted by a Mike Alvarado stanza seven stoppage of
outgunned Michel Rosales.
Alvarado of Denver, Colorado, had the power
puncher edge over a game Rosales that foolishly elected to
wage war in the trenches - all this, while enjoying a distinct
height and reach advantage - toss in the southpaw versus
orthodox factor, that may well have translated to victory over
defeat. Not to be.
ARNAOUTIS RETAINS USBA STRAP... by George Elsasser
Defending USBA Jr. Welter champion Mike
Arnaoutis successfully defended the small club strap via
unanimous decision over one-dimensional Lanardo Tyner, that
had arrived undefeated at 19 wins with eleven arriving by
knockout.
Tyner, giving away the height-reach
advantage to the taller southpaw slinging Arnaoutis, captured
most the early stanzas with a busier full court press - but
would slow to a proverbial walk once the transplanted local
via Greece, turned things around come round five.
The key for Arnaoutis was assorted body
punching - opened the door over candles five, six, seven that
saw Tyner slowing to a walk - from then on it became a cruise
to the finish line.
ARNAOUTIS vs TYNER: WHEN BEING UNBEATEN IS OVER RATED...
by Frank Gonzalez Jr.
Friday night in Atlantic City N.J.,
formerly unbeaten Light Welterweight, Lanardo Tyner (19-1, 11
KO’s) saw his 0 go after stepping up and finally facing his
first respectable opponent (in his 20th
professional fight) against “Mighty” Mike Arnaoutis (19-2-2, 9
KO’s). This 12 round fight was for the USBA Light Welterweight
Title. Tyner had never been past ten rounds as most of his
fights ended by early KO’s.
ZSOLT ERDEI, SERGIY DZINZIRUK SCORE DECISION WINS TO RETAIN
THEIR TITLES... by Richard Diaz
With most of the sports world focused on the NFL Draft, it’s safe to assume that
little or no attention was given to boxing this past weekend.
Unless you looked really hard, the fact that two title fights
took place on Saturday is probably a bit of a surprise. And
while the fight card didn’t have the star power that typically
attracts media attention, I’ve got to admit that both title
bouts were decent fights.
I was personally
motivated to watch the fight between undefeated Zsolt Erdei
(29-0, 17 KOs) and DeAndrey Abron because Erdei is one of
those fighters with a lot of hype overseas and little fandom
in the States. When all was said and done, he retained his WBO
light heavyweight title by means of a very one-sided unanimous
decision.
TSURKAN TOO MUCH FOR FELICIANO - TKO8...
by George Elsasser
Last nite’s ESPN FNF transmitted
from Bronx, N.Y. movie house with the name Utopia
Paradise Theater - on paper, the Andre Tsurkan-Jesse Feliciano
feature promised fan favorite club fight action - both
more Gatti-Ward than Pep-Leonard in technique.
Then the opening bell and it’s quickly
trench warfare - and with Tsurkan holding the better hand it’s
Feliciano down from hard a right - but that’s what club
fighters are all about, and proven game Jesse would not be
looking for an early exit.
Regardless, it would get uglier for the
younger in age at 25, but older in body Feliciano - and
entering stanza seven, the kid maybe claimed a single round -
a scorching candle three that saw both fighters swapping power
shots.
TSURKAN-FELICIANO: AN EXCLUSIVE PHOTO GALLERY... by Cesar 'KenMarc' Delgado
CHAVEZ JR. STOPS LORIGA IN 9!
Unbeaten "Son of a Legend," junior middleweight Julio Cesar
Chavez Jr. (36-0-1, 29 KOs) scored a ninth round TKO over
previously unbeaten Tobia Giuseppe Loriga (24-1-1, 6 KOs) on
Saturday night at the
Plaza de Toros Juriquilla
in Querétaro, Mexico.
"ROCKY" MARTINEZ SURVIVES LATE ROUND SCARE - DECISIONS FAVELA...
by George Elsasser
The Telefutura Solo-Boxeo Friday night
fights from Coliseo Antonio R. Barceló, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico,
saw hometown favorite Roman “Rocky” Martinez remaining
unbeaten with a unanimous decision romp over Mexico’s Cristian
Favela who dropped to a hapless 14 win-15 loss work
application - but all did not go smoothly as expected.
URANGO, GREENE SCORE AT HARD ROCK CASINO IN HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA...
by George Elsasser
Junior welter contender Juan Urango, and
young, touted junior middle “Mean” Joe Greene lit up the Hard
Rock Casino, Hollywood, Florida with respective KO and TKO
finishers.
The ESPN WNF co-feature attraction opened
with Greene the undefeated Queens, N.Y. power- puncher with 13
of his 18 wins arriving by KO facing Joshua Okine of
Ghana, at 18-3-1, 12 KO s.
Okine arriving on four day notice surprises
with no hint of rust - has the better over round one tactical
action, displaying excellent boxing skills against a Greene
with decent technique - still, “Mean” Joe, off the mark while
loading up, looks the bigger puncher of the two.
Editor's Note: Seminole Warriors Boxing would also like to
congratulate all the other fighters on its roster who made Wednesday’s
card live up to its billing as “Knockout Kings.” Victorious in
spectacular fashion at Hard Rock Live where rising middleweight star
“Mean” Joe Greene (TKO 9 Joshua Okine), Wilmer Vazquez (TKO3 Rodney
Wallace), and Kenny Galarza (TKO3 Amaury Torres). For more information
on Seminole Warrior’s Boxing, please visit
www.warriorsboxing.com.
ADAMEK ADVANCES - BELL RETIRES IN CORNER...
by George Elsasser
The Saturday afternoon ESPN
special from Poland helped fill some of the void while in wait
for the HBO Calzaghe-Hopkins later in the night.
Up for grabs was the Tomasz Adamek - O’neil
Bell eliminator for the IBF Cruiserweight numero uno slot, and
mandatory for its champion Steve “USS” Cunningham.
Adamek the local, enters at 34-1, 23 KO’s and Bell at 26-3-1,
24 KO’s - and on paper it looks like a competitive affair -
then the bell...
HERNANDEZ BESTS BRAVO - VILLA DECISIONS LANDEROS... by
George Elsasser
The Telefutura FNF offering from Tucson,
Arizona country tossed us a twin-bill of small club IBA
championship action - and when the smoke cleared it was Tomas
Villa taking home the super bantam strap and Freddy Hernandez
retaining his welter bauble.
Curtain opens with both Tomas Villa (age 24)
and Adolfo Landeros (age 28) willingly swapping jabs and right
hands in a standoff - continues hot and heavy into stanza two
with Villa having the edge.
TOLPPOLA, SHAFIKOV AND INGMAN VICTORIOUS IN HELSINKI...
by Per-Âke Persson
Finnish jr. welter
Juho Tolppola, 21-4, headlined P 3 Boxing's show in Helsinki
tonight and beat Argentinean Walter Sergio Gomez on a
unanimous decision over ten. It was scored 100-91, 99-92 and
100-90. In the co-feature Russian jr. welter prospect Dennis
Shafikov outscored American Shawn Gallegos also over ten.
Swedish female welter Anna Ingman, 4-0, stopped outclassed and
much smaller Russian pro debutant Irina Galchenko in the
third.
ASHIRA EVANS STOPS MAMADOU THIAM IN 6...
by Per-Âke Persson
Veteran jr. middles Evans Ashira, 28-3 going in, and Mamadou Thiam, 42-6, clashed in the headliner of promoter
Robert Larsen's pro/am show in Fredrikssund and it was bombs away almost from the beginning.
JOHNSON CONTINUES UNBEATEN; DECISIONS SMITH IN YAWNER...
by George Elsasser
The ESPN2 FNF tour found itself at Miami,
Oklahoma where the wind comes right behind the rain - it also
found itself mesmerized in a repetitive yawn provoking
heavyweight mismatch with Kevin Johnson tossing a near shutout
over age 36 career club fighter Terry Smith.
Johnson arrives at 18-0-1, 6 KO s while the
Smith work application qualifier was the 30-4-1, 18 stoppages -
fair enough on paper, with the Smith debits courtesy of next
level up foes Brock, McCline, Hawkins - and maybe Calloway fits
in there as well.
DIACONU CLAIMS VACANT WBC
INTERIM LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
Adrian Diaconu captured the vacant WBC interim light heavyweight title with a
unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Chris Henry at the Sala Polivalenta.
Diaconu (25-0, 15 KOs) and Henry (21-1, 17 KOs) battled it out for 12 rounds,
with the judges awarding the fight to Diaconu with scores of 115-113, 115-113
and 116-113.
JAVIER CASTILLEJO'S CAREER COMES TO A BRUTAL END AT THE HANDS
OF SEBASTIAN SYLVESTER... by Per-Âke
Persson
Spanish 20-year veteran Javier Castillejo's
long and glorious career surely came to a brutal end at the
hands of EBU middle champ Sebastian Sylvester Saturday night
in Neubrandenburg. At the same time Sylvester - improving
fight by fight and with that fragile look about him gone
and replaced by the confidence of a champion - emerged as a
genuine threat to WBA champ Felix Sturm and a big all-German
world title fight can be on for early fall. Sebastian's win
also finally opens the door for the number one challenger in
the EBU ratings, Finn Amin Asikainen, who was ringside in
Neubrandenburg. As for Castillejo, he spent the night in a
hospital as a precaution but is now back in Spain nursing his
wounds.
BRUSELES (SPLIT); SOTO-KARASS
(UNANIMOUS); DECISION WINNERS... by George Elsasser
Last nite’s Solo-Boxeo twin-bill from
Atlantic City, N.J. delivered the goods with two action
affairs that went the distance - Henry Bruseles nipped veteran
war horse Ben Tackie in the opener, and Jesus Soto-Karass got
the unanimous nod over durable Chris Smith in the main event.
Show opens with junior welters
Bruseles-Tackie - the younger age 27 Puerto Rican Bruseles,
arrived with glossy rap sheet and a five bout winning streak.
Last loss via TKO to Mayweather back on January of 2005.
Tackie of the Bronx, N.Y. via Ghana,
beginning to show age at a now 33, but always tough and
durable - still, enters on three bout losing streak.
SANTANA, DE LEON JR. VICTORIOUS ON SHOBOX
FROM MIAMI'S MICCOSUKEE RESORT & GAMING
One night before the light heavyweight world championship
doubleheader in on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, ShoBox:
The New Generation showcased four legitimate prospects in
two close and thrilling match-ups.
In the main event, a determined Edgar Santana escaped with a
close majority decision over fellow hard-hitting prospect
Josesito Lopez in a 10-round junior welterweight bout scored
94-94, 95-93 twice.
In an excellent co-feature that pitted the sons of two former
world champions against each other, Carlos De Leon, Jr.,
caught James McGirt, Jr., with a left hook, followed by a
brutal left uppercut, earning him a TKO at 1:20 of the seventh
round.
DiBella Entertainment and All
Star Boxing, Inc. presented the doubleheader from the
Miccosukee Casino in Miami, Fla.
ESPN 2008 WNF SEASON DEBUT A LATE ARRIVAL... by George Elsasser
Was originally advertised as WBO, IBF dual eliminator -
Whitfield at #2 on the WBO charts but Vargas MIA - then, IBF pulls the plug on
it as eliminator since Whitfield is its numero nine and Vargas numero eight -
hardly high enough on the pecking order for title recognition.
Then, before bailing out, something grabs me after perusing the respective prior
kept appointments - as in scalps taken. Ready or not, here’s a few that should
upset the stomach: Couple of Whitfield captures go Lee Cargle of 35-102-1 infamy
(has worsened since they met); Antonio Smith another past gimme that was 7-33-2
before losing to our undefeated WBO #2 hot shot.
The Vargas sheet glitters, but not from gold; it's studded with wins over a
score of nameless victims that went 3-7-3; 9-12-0; 0-13-0; 31-20-0; 19-15-2.
On that note, let the games begin!
FELIX STURM STOPS JAMIE PITTMAN IN 7, RETAINS WBA MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE...
by Per-Âke
Persson
WBA middleweight champ Felix Sturm retained his title tonight in Düsseldorf
with a seventh round TKO win over brave but outclassed
Australian challenger Jamie Pittman. The fight was stopped
when the challenger, right eye shut and cut, went down from a
right uppercut, right hand and then a left as Sturm poured it
on. Pittman made a good, aggressive start to the fight but
couldn't keep the pace up, nor score effectively. Sturm showed
good defence, picked his shots and was well in command by the third
round.
GONZALEZ BLITZ HALTS RUIZ IN 3; CHAVEZ DECISIONS JIMENEZ...
by George Elsasser
Last noche’s Telefutura Solo Boxeo offering
from the Morongo Casino at far out Cabazon, California evoked
mixed emotions in its twin bill co-starring past bantam
champion Jhonny Gonzalez with Edel Ruiz, and aging former
s/feather champion Jesus Chavez battling Daniel “Azuquita”
Jimenez.
I think it was New York city TV sports anchor Warner
Wolf that once began his nightly report with “Let's go to the video tape” - and
on that note let me update my report with “Let’s go to the Boxrec.com tale of
the tape."
CALDERÓN BEATS DIEPPA!
WBO junior flyweight champion Ivan Calderón (31-0, 6 KOs) scored an
easy twelve round unanimous decision over former champion Nelson
Dieppa (25-5-2, 14 KOs) Saturday night at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente
in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Calderón's hand speed and movement thoroughly frustrated Dieppa, who
was getting hit and became quite fatigued chasing the elusive "Iron Boy."
The official scores were 120-108 on all cards.
ESTRADA BREEZES BY WHITAKER... by George
Elsasser
Jason Estrada tossed a near shutout over Lance Whitaker in a
one sided unanimous decision win - but as easy walk in the
park it was it also showed the shortcomings of the now 12-1, 2
KO’s Estrada in what was intended a ESPN showcase
opportunity.
Whitaker at 6’ 8” and a weight reduction
that saw him in body-builder magazine audition physique, had
him manacled to the extent unable to toss leather with bad
intentions.
KHAN STOPS KRISTJANSEN IN SEVEN!
Amir Khan produced a powerful display to stop Martin Kristjansen
in the seventh round at Bolton Arena and move a step closer to a
world title fight.
After making a fast start to the
bout, Khan, 21, quickly established his dominance with his
superior hand speed.
CLOTTEY BY KO; FOREMAN BY DECISION... by George Elsasser
The Thursday night Versus twin-bill was
worth a peek as it showed veteran Joshua Clottey - Jose Luis
Cruz and Yuri Foreman-Saul Roman displaying its wares for our
future reference.
Show opens with Clottey demonstrating what
has earned him number one welter slot among the IBF membership
- top of the line physically prepared, coupled with rock solid
chin and major league heart - very decent punching power a
bonus.
His opponent for the night, Jose Luis Cruz,
answered the opening bell in attempt to establish respect -
the quicker out of the gate as he scored with barrages to both
body and head - some scored but others were blocked by the
cagey Clottey.
ABRAHAM AND BRAITHWAITE VICTORIOUS IN KIEL, GERMANY...
by Per-Âke Persson
BF middleweight king Arthur Abraham retained the title with
12th and final round knockout win over tougher than expected challenger, Elvin
Ayala. The end came with Ayala under pressure and backed into Abraham's corner.
The champ landed with a left hook, a right hand and then a left forearm/elbow
hit Ayala on the throat. Elvin went down and out at 2.23. It was a somewhat
controversial ending, how intentional it was is an open question.
LOCK SOLAR PLEXUS SHOT HALTS GARCIA IN 4...
by George Elsasser
Telefutura Solo-Boxeo returned its FNF with
undefeated Juanito Garcia facing short-notice Detroit portside
slinger Cornelius Lock in a s/featherweight main event.
Garcia grabs the opening round in a duel of
quick handed counter punchers - both showing good skills -
Garcia working from the starboard and Lock the portside.
BUNDRAGE BESTS OUMA VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION...
by George Elsasser
Last noche’s ESPN FNF from upstate, NY tank
town Salamanca, tossed up veteran “Contenders“ graduate
Cornelius Bundrage in with past junior middleweight belt
holder Kassim Ouma.
Ouma arrives on decision losses to Saul
Roman and Jermain Taylor - while Bundrage enters off TKO win
over stranger Nelson Manchego of 12-7-1 infamy.
With “K9” Bundrage at a now age 34 club
fight level talent and Ouma a slowed version of the once busy
fighter he was at prime time, we pretty much got the best of
what both have left in the tank.
TAVORIS CLOUD SCORES IMPRESSIVE 1ST ROUND STOPPAGE!
Tavoris Cloud, (18-0, 17 KOs) continues to work his way up the
light heavyweight rankings. On this evening, Cloud stopped Mike Wood, (19-7-1, 11 KOs)
in 1:23 of the opening round.
With the undisputed victory Cloud becomes the proud owner of the USBA, NABA and NABO light heavyweight titles.
Our congratulations go out to the hard working champion, as well as to his trainer, Al Bonani, who is proudly celebrating his 30th year in the business,
during which time he has trained ten world champions.
VERA STOPS LEE IN SEVEN...
by George Elsasser
ESPN cooked us up a FNF “Good Friday” not so special, with
undefeated Andy Lee showcased in feature bout of the evening
with expected fall guy Brian Vera - then, after six stanzas of
entertaining club fight style battling - the “fall” guy had
converted to the more durable - quick draw hack in charge
calls it no-mas at 2:17 of numero seven.
Began as planned by legendary tutor Emanuel Steward, of Tommy
Hearns, Lennox Lewis and other talents, that once called
Manny’s gym home with lasting success - but this newest
prospect, from London to Ireland to Kronk, has little chance
to translate to fite version of beizbols Tinkers to Evers to
Chance double-play specialists.
VERA UPSETS LEE AFTER A QUESTIONABLE STOPPAGE...
by Oleg Bershadsky
In a sport where questionable
decisions by referees are an all too common occurrence, yet
another great fight was tainted by what this writer sees as a
highly controversial stoppage. Andy Lee, a hot new prospect,
was in a tough fight against Brian Vera, with both boxers
having their moments. Lee was able to drop Vera in the first
round with a crisp left and would continue to pound Vera with
that left in every round, landing cleanly. Vera showed a great
chin by taking hard shots and continuing to come forward. Lee
played into Vera’s hands by relying almost exclusively on his
left hand and not using the rest of his arsenal. He also chose
to fight in close and brawl, a terrible mistake on
his part that would ultimately cost him the fight.
RESULTS
FROM KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA...
An action packed lightweight match up between
Jose 'El Gallo' Reyes and Ivan "El Rayo" Valle had both men visiting the
canvas a combined three times in a total of four rounds.
Boxing fans were delighted with the seesaw action
and ultimately Puerto Rican Jose Reyes, 22-4, 8 KOs disposed of Mexican Ivan Valle
at 0:24 of the fourth round.
Puerto Rican legend
Wilfredo Vazquez's son, featherweight
Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (10-0-1, 9 KOs),
scored a serious knockout 1:18 into the third round over Corey Goodwin (7-5, 4
KOs).
Swedish heavyweight
Attila 'The Hun' Levin, (30-3, 24 KOs), crushed Willy Perryman,
(10-15, 7 KOs),
in mean fashion with a text book uppercut 1:41 into the opening round. The
stoppage marks Levin's return to action following a three-year hiatus.
HUGGER FIGHTS HIS WAY TO VICTORY OVER LOUIS AZILLE IN DENMARK...
by Per-Âke Persson
Danish cruiser Anders Hugger moved to 10-0, 5 KOs with a close, unanimous
decision over much more experienced American Louis Azille, (19-5-2, 15 KOs).
The fight was scored 115-112 twice and 116-112, which looked a bit generous
to the locality - and many disagreed. Although Hugger was down in the ninth,
overall he was scoring with more punches than Azille, who was right in front
of his opponent most of the time. Hugger was quite effective at times with
brutal hooks to the head and body of his opponent but couldn't keep it up.
Hugger, cut and marked up, kept landing with his straight left and fought
his way through the rough patches.
JAUREGUI BESTS HUERTAS FOR NABF STRAP... by George
Elsasser
Single blemish of the night would have no bearing on the
outcome - referee Curtis Thrasher - an Amish look-a-like with hanging red beard,
charges the winner Jauregui a point for what he perceived a knockdown in stanza
ten - right, wrong, or otherwise, the timing was terrible in what appeared a
cliffhanger up for grabs.
Televised replays show Huerta scoring with left hand at close
quarters, and quickly shoving his opponent to get follow up room - the move
tripped up Jauregui who took a seat on the canvas but was quickly on his feet
and ready to résumé.
FIELDS, ANTILLON SCORE OPENING ROUND
KNOCKOUTS... by George Elsasser
First up
over the televised portion is busy punching Urbano Antillon proving too much
for Bobby Pacquiao - both quickly meet at center stage with Pacquiao holding
his own early with the quicker hands from the port side - but late in the
stanza the power punching Mexican scores with a big left uppercut-hook to
the chin (some describe the punch as a hybrid hook) that troubles the
Filipino - and it’s visible a message is delivered.
CRUZ RALLY A MAJORITY DECISION WIN... by George
Elsasser
The ESPN
FNF battle for the IBF featherweight strap, with Cristobal Cruz nipping
Thomas Mashaba at the wire, proved a fan friendly affair with Cruz in role
of “banzai” and Mashaba countering with heavier artillery.
This one, in scoring department clearly a matter of beauty in the eyes of
the beholder - Mashaba in USA debut seemingly claiming round after round
with better accuracy over a non-stop flailing Cruz who was off the target
time and again.
'MIGHTY MIKE' ARNAOUTIS TURNS OUT THE MANHATTAN CENTER GRAND
BALLROOM... by Ricky Ray Taylor
A
small but lively boxing crowd was in full swing tonight at New
York City's Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom. Some typical (and
some not so typical) standouts filled the arena to watch a
6-fight card whose knockout ratio was almost perfect. Junior Jones, Paulie Malignaggi, Charles
Oakley, Curtis Martin, Jason Williams & Lou Savarese were in
attendance. In many ways fight cards like tonight's showcase can
work to inspire & nudge forward gym rats and golden-glovers who
are on the fringes of a pro career. Yet, it may also be fair to
suggest that upon leaving the ballroom at the end of the night -
at least five people may be considering another line of work.
MTAGWA DECISIONS VALTIERRA... by George Elsasser
Mtagwa the younger at age 28, the quicker out of the gate than his age 37
foe while scoring with big right hands late in stanza one - and continues in
control during round two. - but then Valtierra surprises over stanzas 3-4-5
as the tempo picks up.
What we had over the backside is a bigger punching Mtagwa finding himself in
a surprising firefight - regains the lead over six and seven before getting
help in numero ocho from referee Wayne Hedgepeth.
ROBERT GUERRERO RETAINS IBF FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE; TRAVIS WALKER GETS REVENGE
Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero produced perhaps the finest
performance of his career Friday when he successfully defended
his International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight title
with an exciting eighth-round knockout over Jason “The
American Boy’’ Litzau in a thrilling one-sided war in the main
event on ShoBox: The New Generation on SHOWTIME.
In the co-feature, promising once-beaten
Travis “Freight Train” Walker got
back on track by registering a second-round knockout over the
only boxer to defeat him, T.J. Wilson, in a non-stop action
heavyweight fight.
WALTERS WINS TITLE IN SUPERIOR...
by Kenny Perrault
Zach "Jungle Boy" Walters is quickly becoming one of the Twin
Ports (combination of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin) main
attractions. On Saturday night in Superior, Wisconsin, Walters fought the most
important fight of his career against former WBA world champion Carl Daniels for
the WBC-African Boxing Union Lt. Heavyweight title.
ANTHONY MUNDINE FINALLY GIVES HIS
FANS VALUE FOR THEIR MONEY... by Darren Yates from Down Under
A lot of critics apparently gave Anthony Mundine a hard time for defending his
regular WBA Super Middleweight title against Nader Hamden, for a change I wasn’t
one of those doing the criticizing. I knew Nader Hamden would be a tough nut for
Anthony Mundine to crack and would provide the perfect opportunity for Anthony
Mundine to get some hard fought rounds under his belt. Nader Hamden took Mundine
the full 12 rounds with neither man being knockdown during the fight. This type
of performance will earn Anthony Mundine a lot of new fans as there were no
stupid or outrageous statements leading up to the fight (apart from calling arch
rival Danny Green “Gay”), there was no showboating during the bout or taunting
of his opponent.
ORNELAS STOPS BRAVO IN SEVEN...
by George Elsasser
The Telefutura Solo-Boxeo feature attraction on its FNF weekly was billed as NABF middleweight
title fight with Enrique Ornelas (26-4, 16 KOs) in with age 37
Norberto Bravo, of 25-14-3, 14 KOs infamy.
Interesting start with the younger favorite Ornelas down in
opening stanza courtesy of Bravo short right hand to the sweet spot - but evil
omen, California hack in charge Dr. Lou Moret misses the punch - calls it a slip
and the round goes to Ornelas.
MEA
CULPA ERROR OF OMISSION... by George Elsasser
For what it’s worth, consider this a belated mea culpa for what
I perceive as serious error of omission from my report of the
last Friday ESPN FNF presentation.
What had jumped out at me had nothing to do with the stellar
winning performance of featherweight contender (WBO #8)
Meza-Clay as he methodically stole the stamina and will from
veteran Eric Aiken.
GUTIERREZ DECISIONS VARELA...
by George Elsasser
Welterweights Richard Gutierrez and Jose Valera topped last night’s ESPN offering from Fort Lauderdale,
Florida - and when the final bell sounded it was all Gutierrez
to the tune of 99-91, 98-92, 98-92.
The taller Varela, at least on my card,
only came to life in stanza nine of the scheduled ten rounder
when the more energetic Colombian took the stanza off, as if
saving something for run to the wire.
BARASHIAN STOPS ULRICH... by Per-Âke Persson
Ukrainian light heavy Yuri Barashian won the EBU title
with an eighth round stoppage of Thomas Ulrich, the
defending champion. Ulrich was hurt by a body shot
late in fifth, floored three times in the seventh from
the very same southpaw left hooks to the liver area.
Early in the eighth Barashian floored Ulrich again with that
left hook and it was waved over at 0.56 as Thomas got up.
WALTERS WINS TITLE IN SUPERIOR...
by Kenny Perrault
Zach "Jungle Boy" Walters is quickly becoming one of the Twin
Ports (combination of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin) main
attractions. On Saturday night in Superior, Wisconsin, Walters fought the most
important fight of his career against former WBA world champion Carl Daniels for
the WBC-African Boxing Union Lt. Heavyweight title.
VALUEV BEATS LIAKHOVICH GOING
AWAY...
Nikolai Valuev earned a chance to fight for the WBA heavyweight
title when he beat Sergei Liakhovich of Belarus on points in a
one-sided bout between former champions on Saturday
night. The card was held at the Nuernberg Arena, in Nuremberg, Bayern, Germany.
SIMON
POUNDS OUT DECISION WIN; RETAINS USBA TITLE!... by Mike Indri
Philadelphia's LaJuan Simon used a swarming, non-stop offensive attack to
successfully defend his hard earned USBA middleweight belt, and remain
undefeated, against the resilient challenge of Elco "The Animal" Garcia, from
Albuquerque, New Mexico.
TELEFUTURA CARD TURNS UP A RARE GOOD-BAD-UGLY FNF..
by George Elsasser
Recap: The styles were Rodriguez aggressive
with good skills and power while working the body and head.
Until the surprise sizzler left hand the chin was no problem.
Wilson not as animated - equally tough as his opponent, had the
look of power puncher with wiry physique. Patient but busy as
well. Both youngsters worthy of another peek.
RODRIGUEZ DECISION WIN OVER BROWNING A NEAR
PERFECT GAME... by George Elsasser
The ESPN FNF feature attraction saw
welterweights Delvin Rodriguez paired with Troy Browning in a
lopsided affair with Rodriguez getting the win in a near-perfect
game.
Rodriguez last outing was some six months past,
a TKO win over Keenan Collins, and this one was to be second
comeback confidence builder since TKO loss to Jose Feliciano on
March of 2007.
HOLT 'RETURN' A DECISION WINNER... by George
Elsasser
Last night’s Versus channel offering from
the Hard Rock Casino at Las Vegas, Nevada, showcased Kendall “Rated
R” Holt in first return off loss to Ricardo Torres in WBO
s/lightweight challenge.
Unlike the September visit to hostile
Barranquilla, Colombia where incoming beer bottles followed a
third stanza knockdown of local Torres, this Vegas trip was
much more to the liking of the talented Paterson, NJ contender.
Nothing sensational, this majority decision
win over age 34 veteran Ben “Wonder” Tackie, still, it was a
good nite of work for the text-book counter puncher who was in
complete control from start to finis.
HOLLY HOLM GRINDS OUT VICTORY OVER BELINDA LARACUENTE...
by Tom
Dickey @
ringside
On a night that featured five female fights and three world
title bouts, IFBA welterweight champion Holly Holm grinded out a
hard fought unanimous decision over Belinda Laracuente on
Thursday night from the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula,
California. It was a very exciting card, a definite positive for women's
boxing.
ESCALANTE, RESTO DECISION WINNERS... by George Elsasser
Antonio Escalante did the expected with a unanimous decision win over veteran
Jose Angel Beranza in the feature bout of the Telefutura “Solo-Boxeo“ FNF show
from the Castle at Park Plaza at Beantown, USA.
Escalante the quicker of the two, took control from the opening bell, and once
realizing the game but out-skilled Beranza was no power punching threat, it was
clean and green to the wire.
FLORES REMOVES USBA CRUISER BELT FROM WILSON...
by George Elsasser
Last noche’s ESPN FNF offering coughed up as
sad a “title” fight as it gets - USBA cruiserweight champion
Darnell “Ding-a-ling man” Wilson defending against amateur in
all categories B.J. Flores.
Wilson can punch with the left-hand - sinks
or swims with it when the target is propped up and ready to go
and the hook touches down perfectly to the sweet spot - most
times it’s same old, same old, slow and awkward entity on the
wrong side of the slope.
RESULTS FROM THE LEGENDARY BLUE HORIZON... (2-08-08)
Lenny DeVictoria (11-10) 137 1/2 lbs, Philadelphia unanimous decision over Derrick Moon
(12-16-1) 136 lbs, Fort Worth, Texas in a 8 round Jr. Welterweight bout…Scores were 78-73, 77-75, 76-74.
Gee Culmer (13-1), 167 ½ lbs, Philadelphia unanimous decision over John Michael
Terry (2-8-3), Portsmouth, Virginia in a 6 round Supper Middleweight bout…Scores
were 58-56 all.
Ran Nakash (11-0, 7 KO’s), 203 ½ lbs of Haifa, Israel TKO 2 (2:30) over Ray
Ruiz (6-9-3), 194 lbs of Passaic, New Jersey in a 6 round Cruiserweight bout.
Ahmad Samir (1-0), 194 lbs of Egypt unanimous decision over Kamarah Pasley (0-2). 199 ½ lbs
Philadelphia in a 4 round Cruiserweight bout…Scores were 40-36, 40-36 and 49-47.
Julias Edmonds (1-0), 140 ¾ of Philadelphia unanimous decision over Shavris Buie (0-3), 140 lbs
of New York in a 4 round Jr. Welterweight bout…Scores were 40-36, 39-37 and
39-37.
MEZA-CLAY GUNS DOWN AIKEN IN SEVEN... by George Elsasser
From the opening bell it was all Meza-Clay in a bob-n-weave two-fisted assault that on this
night the veteran Aiken had no answers to the puzzle - finally
stanza seven, Meza-Clay with a furious barrage backs Aiken
to the ropes - a 14 punch unanswered bombardment would set the
stage.
BRUSELES BREEZES TO TKO WIN OVER FRANKEL...
by George Elsasser
The Telefutura FNF Solo-Boxeo card cooked up
some home cooking for the live clientele at Juncos, Puerto Rico,
to feast on with all favorites returning home unscathed.
Main event saw Henry Bruseles breezing to a
stanza four TKO win over club fight talent Rob Frankel who was
clearly in over his head - Bruseles showed the better speed and
skills over the opening two candles before an inadvertent
meeting of the minds late in round three worsened things for the
visitor from Colorado country who went to his corner with nasty
cut over left eye.
UNDEFEATED ALFREDO ANGULO REGISTERS ANOTHER
IMPRESSIVE FIRST ROUND KNOCK OUT
Alfredo Angulo stormed into the ring against Ricardo Cortes an
undefeated prospect fresh off an impressive first round TKO with
another tough challenge in front of him. He walked out
victoriously once again, his unblemished record intact, with
another knockout in the first stanza and world title hopes in
his near future.
In the co-feature from the sold out Grand Casino Hinckley in
Hinckley, Minnesota, undefeated prospect and 2004 United States Olympian Mickey Bey, Jr.
remained unbeaten by defeating late replacement Roberto Acevedo
with an 8-round unanimous decision.
ROSSY BEATS MERCER IN MACAU, CHINA
Forty-six-year-old former WBO heavyweight champion Ray Mercer, (35-7-1,
26 KOs), succumbed to a much younger foe in twenty-seven-year-old New York State heavyweight
champion Derrick Rossy, (18-1, 10 KOs), in Macau, China.
The venue was packed with over 6,000 enthusiastic fans.
Mercer, the 1988 heavyweight Olympic gold medalist in Seoul, Korea, was
rocked several times during the match, but still managed to deck
Rossy, a former football player-turned-boxer, in the final round.
The knockdown was too little, too late,
however, and Rossy went on to win a lopsided unanimous decision 117-111, 117-111, 115-113.
With the victory, Rossy becomes the NABO, WBF and WBC Asia heavyweight
champion.
CAZARES DECISIONS GUARDIA; VELAZQUEZ TWINS SCORE KO's... by George
Elsasser
Last nite’s Telefutura Solo-Boxeo series from Cicero,
Illinois served up of veteran flyweights Hugo Cazares and Kermin Guardia topping
the card - but supporting cast trio of twin brothers Juan Carlos and Carlos Ivan
Vazquez, coupled with middleweight Daniel Jacobs stole the show.
POVETKIN ADVANCES OVER SLOWED VERSION OF 'FAST EDDIE' ...
by George Elsasser
Closing thoughts: Povetkin (15-0, 11 KOs) ~ the win may
well be a curse - under the today splintered multi-titled system, IBF numero uno
does not translate to top challenger to all the bigger names out there. In style
more a boxer than puncher - and with this his 15th kept appointment, the
performance shouted loud and clear the product is unfinished. Says here, a
Klitschko challenge -money maker or not- if held in the old country, a step in
the wrong direction.
POVETKIN UPSETS 'FAST' EDDIE CHAMBERS IN GERMANY...
by Per-Åke Persson
Russian heavy Alexander Povetkin, 15-0, outscored "Fast" Eddie Chambers,
30-1, over twelve in an IBF eliminator. There were no knockdowns. The fight
was scored 117-111, 119-109 and 116-112. The early part of the bout was
very exciting with Chambers getting off with quick counters against his
aggressive opponent.
Povetkin was clearly rocked in the first and third but worked hard and
gradually took over, in the mid-rounds it was as if Chambers gave it away.
He protected himself well but his work rate dropped. Povetkin kept coming,
kept a very fast pace and while not that effective, he was winning rounds.
ALEX POVETKIN NEUTERS EDDIE CHAMBERS...
by Frank Gonzalez Jr.
Congratulations to the still undefeated, newly deemed IBF top Heavyweight
contender, Alexander Povetkin for a solid victory over “Fast” Eddie Chambers, a
man with quick hands and quality boxing skills, who brought his undefeated
record to the ring when they met Saturday night in Berlin Germany. Povetkin won
a twelve round decision by scores of 117-111, 119-109 and 116-112.
It started out as an exciting fight with Alexander Povetkin (15-0, 11 KO’s)
applying the pressure and Eddie Chambers (30-1, 16 KO’s) taking his time,
landing clean punches at will and showing superior boxing skills.
FIELDS KO1; BAILEY KO5 IN ESPN2 FNF CO-FEATURES...
by George Elsasser
Last nite’s ESPN offering from Key West,
Florida at the sea, co-featured undefeated cruiserweight Eric Fields in with
veteran Kelvin “Koncrete” Davis, and s/lightweight Randall Bailey facing Anthony
Mora.
Show opens with Bailey “The Knockout King”
loading up with right hands while in search of stoppage number 33 in this, his
42nd kept appointment - and it took no more than halfway mark of opening stanza
to see mismatch written all over it.
ALLAN
GREEN CRUISES TO WIN OVER RUBIN WILLIAMS...
by George Elsasser
It was Allan Green by unanimous decision over
a tentative Rubin Williams in last night’s ESPN FNF super
middleweight mismatch from Oklahoma country.
Green held the strong hand from start to
finish as he worked behind a strong left hand jab that dictated
the pace - marring the expected action was in seeing both
fighters working in counter punch style - so much for styles
making fights.
LAMONT AND ANTHONY PETERSON WIN EASILY TO REMAIN UNBEATEN...
Brothers Lamont and Anthony Peterson of Washington, D.C., kept
their undefeated records and hopes for a world title shot in
2008 intact with convincing victories Friday in the co-featured
bouts on ShoBox: The New Generation at
the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
MIRANDA RIGHT HAND CLOSES SHOW - PASCAL IN
DECISION ROUT...
by George Elsasser
The ESPN FNF team took a pit stop at the Hard Rock Casino
in Hollywood, Florida for a double dip showcase of super/middleweight
contenders Edison Miranda and Jean Pascal - and all went as expected - well,
almost.
Show opens with a confident Pascal calling all the shots
with opponent Omar Pittman playing it close to the vest - the speed in all
departments belonged to the Haitian native now calling “Oh Canada” home. Then
stanza two, a Pascal left hook drops Pittman and all looked fine as wine for
the kiddie channel commentator crew of Atlas-Tessitore.
MIRANDA vs BANKS, PASCAL vs PITTMAN ON ESPN2 FNF...
Sharkie's Machine by
Frank Gonzalez Jr.
Edison “Pantera” Miranda (30-2, 26 KO’s) vs. The Contender’s
David Banks (15-4-1, 2 KO’s) was the featured Main Event for FNF
last night.
Miranda disposed of David Banks in three rounds via knockout.
Banks proved to be a pretty decent boxer. Miranda looked slow
early on as he sized up his opponent. I thought Banks scored the
better shots (the only shots) in the first round and did some
good counter punching to win the second round.
In the third round, Miranda caught Banks up against the ropes
and landed a clean right hand straight into Bank's face that saw
him fall through the ropes awkwardly, almost looked as though he
might snap in half the way he fell backward.
'SUGAR' JACKSON OSEI BONSU RETAINS EBU WELTERWEIGHT TITLE...
by Per-Âke Persson
It was Sugar time again at the packed Lotto Arena as "Sugar" Jackson Osei Bonsu retained the EBU welter title with a
unanimous decision over tricky, awkward and brave French challenger Brice
Faradji. It was scored 118-109, 116-111 and 115-113. Osei Bonsu was overall
too strong and powerful for the challenger, who was floored in the
fifth, out on his feet late in the sixth and stunned a number of
times. But his speed and tricky movement gave the champion plenty of
problems, especially in the later rounds.
1-2008 |
