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BERTO RETAINS WELTER STRAP; CINTRON WINS IBF JR. MIDDLEWEIGHT ELIMINATOR... by George Elsasser
Saturday noche's HBO "After-Dark" twin bill with WBC welter
champion Andre Berto vs. IBF Jr. Welter title holder Juan Urango in the main
event, and Kermit Cintron vs. Alfredo Angulo in IBF Jr. middleweight
eliminator, lived up to expectations in the action department.
The Cintron-Angulo opener surprised in its going the
distance - guess here was Cintron at 30-2-1, 27 KOs and Angulo undefeated at
15 wins with 12 stoppages, was a given to end before the final bell - but the
mutual chin construction held up from start to finish.
Cintron took the early advantage of size using effective
jab to set up straight right hands - Angulo absorbed the early Cintron
combinations without a blink - and would counter with intermittent flurries.
Wasn't until the halfway mark that Cintron's early success
had slowed a bit, and following a stanza seven coin flipper that saw hot
exchanges, the door opened a bit for the undefeated Mexican.
COLOMBIAN
PUNCHER JONNHY PEREZ KEPT HIS RECORD INTACT BY SILENCING MABUZA...
Johannesburg, South Africa (May 29, 2009) - Behind on all scorecards at the
beginning of the 12th round, Perez landed a huge left hand jab that sent
Mabuza to the canvas. Buzzed and on uneasy legs Mabuza beat the count.
Perez proceeded to apply pressure and landed huge shots leaving no option
for referee Kenny Chevalier to stop the fight with 1:06 left in the last
stanza.
With the
victory, Perez (19-0, 14 KOs) becomes the mandatory challenger for Joseph
Abgeko who fights Vic Darchinyan on July 11 for the IBF bantamweight title.
"My corner told me I was losing. I knew I had to throw decisive shots and
try to knock him out," said Perez after the fight. "I countered him and hit
him right on the button, it was not a lucky shot. He was in his hometown
and we battled hard, Mabuza is a lion, but I knew some close rounds were
going to go his way. I'm ready for the big challenge now."
ANTWONE SMITH DECISIONS GUTIERREZ IN ESPN FNF
SHOWCASE OF CUBAN FIGHTERS... by Larry Flores
The opening televised
fight featured Cuba's Light Middleweight Erislandy Lara, sporting a record of
5-0 with 3 KOs, facing the much more experienced Edwin Vazquez of Puerto Rico in
an 8-round fight. On paper, the 37-year old Vazquez appeared to be a
significant step up in class for the Cuban. Although on a 4-bout losing streak,
Vazquez had faced world class opposition in Zab Judah, Mathew Hatton,
Demetrius Hopkins, Acelino Freitas and Antonio Diaz sprinkled in a career
record of 22-13 with 8 KOs.
However, from the opening round, it was evident that the
Colombian would not be able to match the highly skilled Lara's boxing ability, speed and punching power. A hard left
hand in the second round dropped Vazquez for an eight count, and only the bell
prolonged the inevitable. After seeing a defenseless Vazquez absorb several
hard combinations that had him hurt, referee Telis Assimenios mercifully stopped
the fight at 1:13 of the fourth round. The impressive win raised Lara's record
to 6-0 with 4 KOs, and the 22-year old displayed enough power, speed and overall
boxing ability to make him a fighter to watch in the 154-pound class. The
veteran Vazquez appears to be nearing the end of his boxing career.
SMITH DECISIONS GUTIERREZ - UNDERNEATH CARD STRICTLY SHOWCASE MATERIAL... by George Elsasser
Last evening's ESPN FNF offering slipped us an insulting underneath card that
showcased former Cuban amateur star Erislandy Lara in with age 37 Edwin
Vazquez arriving on nine-day notice - then follows with 4-round fill-in that
saw Cuba’s Guillermo Rigondeaux taking “BP” of hapless Juan Noriega who
arrived on three day notice.
The two prelim mismatches - and I for one, question the integrity of the fool
that takes discredit in sanctioning the unbeaten Lara vs. Ed Vazquez of
22-15-2, 8 KOs infamy - at AARP age 37.
Goes without saying it mattered not that this one was scheduled for eight
stanzas - compounding the lunacy was the Vazquez job application since turn of
this century 21 (circa 2000 - 2009), that reveals no less than nine debits -
with four straight entering last noche.
No surprise Lara remains clean at a now 6-0, 4 KO’s - drops Vazquez in stanza
two with straight left hand from the southpaw side - and it could have been
stopped in one-sided round two, but for ham-hack referee vaudevillian Telis
Ass-imenios, who finally made with the dramatics come 1:13 of round four.
DEONTAY WILDER WINS BY 1ST ROUND KO.... by Bill Stephens
Deontay (The Bronze Bomber) Wilder scored an impressive first round KO
over Charles (Chuckie) Brown in Saturday night’s main event in
Cincinnati.
The Dream Team event at the Duke Energy Center was Wilders
second first round KO at the Center after having defeated Richard Green
Jr. in March. The Bronze Bomber moves to 5-0, 5 KO’S in his short
professional career.
Wilder is signed with Golden Boy Promotions who
co-sponsored the event with R&R Promotions out of Cincinnati.
JOHNSON TOO COMPLETE FOR VARGAS - TKO 6... by George Elsasser
Last nite's ESPN FNF delivered unbeaten
American heavyweight strangers in its feature attraction - the
Joey Tessitore opening pitch, supported in part by color
commentator Teddy "Tutot" Atlas, saw something special in Kevin
Johnson vs. Devin Vargas.
Special that is, in both being Yankee Doodle heavies in a world
of foreign dominates with surnames Klitschko, Chagaev, Povetkin,
Valuev, Ibragimov, Dimitrenko, among others - thus the winner
would step closer to serious recognition, while the loser would
remain anonymous.
Johnson enters at 21-0-1, 8 KO's - Vargas at 17-0, 7KO's - both
tall at 6'3 and scaling in over 220 pounds - we're told Vargas a
late sub - but much being made over his amateur career of over
200 fights and being past Olympian.
Then the bell and Vargas the quicker out of the gate - tossing
wild left and right hands targeting both body and head - some
landed, others blocked by a defensive minded Johnson.
BOTHA RETAINS TITLE... by Per-Ake Persson
The White Buffalo, Francois Botha, retained the WBF heavyweight
title with a split decision over twelve hard-fought, messy,
mauling and exciting rounds of boxing on this SES show at
Boerdeland Hall. It was scored 117-110 and 114-113 for Botha and
114-113 for Hoffmann. After ten Hoffmann was a champion on two
cards but the so called German Oak fell in the eleventh and could
well have been stopped in the last round as he totally spent it
hung on to Botha with a friendly referee in Dutchman Robert
Verwijs giving him a lot of breaks.
Botha was in relatively good shape but is far from what he once
was; still he knows a lot about boxing, how to pace himself, when
to punch and when to rest while Hoffmann, well, offensively he's
always been straight on and was thus a sucker for Botha's heavy
overhand right. Also important was Botha's straight right hands to
the body of the big German. After six it seemed as if the South
African would win easily but Hoffmann, physically strong and
durable, came on and put pressure on Botha. Then in the eleventh
Botha connected with a big right, Hoffmann was hurt, tried to hold
on but eventually went down. The bell rang as soon as the eight
count was over with. Hoffmann came out desperate in the final
round and was soon in seriously trouble again. What looked like a
genuine knockdown was ruled a slip and Hoffmann continued to ship
heavy right-handers throughout the round holding and wrestling
lasting the distance but the fight was lost.
ANDRE WARD TOO SLICK FOR EDISON MIRANDA, WINS 12 ROUND DECISION... by Larry Flores
In the main event
of May 16's "Showtime" fight card from Oakland, California, Andre Ward
successfully defended his NABO and NABF Super Middleweight titles by
defeating Colombia's Edison Pantera Miranda by a clear 12 round unanimous
decision.
A 2004 Olympic Gold
medal winner with a professional record of 18-0 with 12 KOs, Ward faced the
dangerous Miranda, 32-3 with 28 KOs in what was on paper his most difficult
opponent. Having faced better opposition, Miranda was expected to provide a
dangerous test to the unproven Ward. However, the pre-fight bravado by
Miranda did not help him against the slick boxing Ward, who used his better
boxing skills and faster combinations to totally outclass the Colombian native
before a cheering hometown crowd. From the opening bell, Miranda's attempt to
press the action was countered by Ward side-to-side movement, excellent boxing
skills and surprisingly effective jabs.
\
WARD DAZZLES MIRANDA VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION... by George Elsasser
Andre Ward entertained the Saturday night Showtime viewers,
along with a pro-Ward packed house Oakland, California clientele in
attendance, with a step-up performance over durable and tested Edison Miranda
that had the joint jumping from start to finish.
The Ward Game plan had the Colombian clouter baffled from
the opening bell as he dazzled Miranda with unorthodox righty-lefty switches
along with superior speed - the icing on the cake was the ability to remain
focused over twelve stanzas after being cut over left eye in the opening
round.
Kudos as well, went to Miranda in this, his 36th kept
appointment, who answered the Ward salvos with exchanges of his own in a
surprising barn-burner of relative new kid on the block vs. tried and tested
veteran.
For those that missed this one, the judges scoring of Ward
119-109, 119-109, 116-112 was on the mark, but only told half the story of a
tough, hard fought affair, that saw Miranda with the puncher's chance from
start to finis.
ANDRE WARD PASSED THE TEST AGAINST EDISON MIRANDA... by Frank Gonzalez Jr.
Saturday night at the Oracle Arena
in Oakland, Super-Middleweight Prospect, turned contender, Andre Ward (19-0, 12
KO's) broke his cherry taking on "his first real test" against the ferocious
puncher, Edison "Pantera" Miranda (32-4, 28 KO's).
Miranda only had two good rounds,
the first and second. Miranda landing some good shots, one that caused a cut
over Ward's left eye. It looked like Miranda was going to make it an uphill
battle for Ward but from rounds three through twelve, Miranda was neutralized by
the slicker, faster Ward. Miranda's sloppy, uninspired performance could see his
stock plummet as fast as Ward's stock has risen.
Where Miranda didn't, Ward made
adjustments. Ward stepped up his pace and used good footwork and timing to score
at will and frustrating Miranda, who was rarely able to land anything clean on
account of the mobility and ring generalship of Andre Ward. Ward showed great
footwork and quality skills can cancel an opponent's ruthless and even toothless
aggression in the ring. This is what boxing is all about. The art of hitting
without being hit.
DAWSON RETAINS IBF/IBO STRAPS; OUT-SLICKS TARVER VIA DECISION... by George Elsasser
HBO Saturday Special tossed fight fans a freebie instead of
going the PPV route, with defending IBF light heavy champion Chad "Bad" Dawson in
a contractual mandatory return with now age 40, Antonio "Magic Man" Tarver.
My guess going in was Tarver would do some magic, and disappear sometime late in the scheduled 12-rounder - but then, there he was
still upright come the bout ending bell of stanza twelve.
The return played out in “Bad Chad” having the better - the
action spotty with Tarver in role of puncher's chance - and Dawson proving the
better in the counter-punch role of mutual southpaws.
McEWEN SHOWCASE A WALK IN THE PARK- DECISIONS VERA... by George Elsasser
The last noche ESPN FNF Craig McEwen showcase, went as
planned, with the undefeated Scot using the height-reach, along with the
southpaw advantage, for a walk in the park unanimous decision win over game
but limited Brian Vera.
The official numbers went McEwen 97-93 0n all three scoring
judges cards - my unofficial agreed with the 97-93 in points and 7-3 using the
round by round method.
This pairing didn't take long for the neutral viewer to
dissect - the hype clearly slanted towards the recent newcomer from across the
pond - enters undefeated at 14 wins with nine via stoppage - toss in 6'2 vs.
Vera at 5'11 that arrived on TKO loss to James Kirkland.
BRONER DEFEATS QUINTERO BY DECISION...
by Bill Stephens
Adrien "The Problem" Broner (9-0, 6 KOS) makes his
television debut on ESPN Friday night fights in Fort Worth
Texas. The Cincinnati fighter defeated Fernando Quintero
(7-1-1) by decision in an outdoor eight round bout. Both
fighters came into the match with undefeated records.
Broner signed with Golden Boy Promotions a year ago after
turning pro with over three hundred amateur fights under his
belt. With the promotional machine of Golden Boy behind him,
and his speed and skill, at nineteen years old the young
lightweight is on the watch list for greatness in the ring.
VANDA EKES OUT MAJORITY DECISION VERSUS PUDWILL; HILARIO STOPS LITZAU IN 5... by Kenny
Perrault
On this past Saturday, April 18th, The
Target Center in Minneapolis, MN hosted an entertaining night
of boxing featuring Matt Vanda in the main event. Vanda
squared off against veteran Tocker Pudwill in an eight round
bout. The fight itself was full of both offense and defensive
boxing. Pudwill controlled the early and middle rounds with
his reach and counter punching. Vanda did his best to get
inside, however, he would not find much success until he later
rounds when Pudwill began to slow a bit. Vanda may have landed
the harder shots during the bout but it was Pudwill who landed
more. In the end the judges scored the bout a majority decision with the scores
of 77-75 twice and 76-76 giving Vanda the decision. The win
puts Matt Vanda back in the win column 40-9 (22 KOs) while Tocker Pudwill drops to 40-7 (14 KO's).
SPINKS DODGES THE BULLET -
CLAIMS IBF STRAP VIA SPLIT DECISION... by George Elsasser
Last nights Sho-Box "New Generation" junior middleweight scrap for the IBF bauble, delivered a
grueling battle of attrition, with veteran Cory Spinks
nipping young Deandre Latimore.
Opening round begins with Spinks on a
pugilistic repeat of the 1941 Japanese surprise attack on
Pearl Harbor - Cory's version of attempted surprise was in
quickly bringing it to the celebrated bigger punching
Latimore.
Latimore, not surprised, quickly fires
back with a big left hand and down goes Spinks - but to his
credit Cory survives the action when Latimore follows with
assorted wild winging right hooks and power left hands that
miss the target.
The kid has the edge in a busy stanza two
- but from round three on, it would be the start of a
difficult assignment for those sitting ringside with pencil,
paper, and eraser at hand.
FELIX STURM REMAINS A
CHAMPION... by Elisa Harrison
Back in June of
2004, a champion relatively unknown to most American fight
fans, WBO middleweight ruler Felix Sturm, had the courage to
come to Las Vegas, Nevada, to defend his title against the
"magical' Golden Boy, Oscar de la Hoya.
I'm not so sure how
the arrangements came about, since Oscar had never fought at
that weight prior to meeting Mr. Sturm or since, but I do
recall having watched that fight with great interest and at
the end of 12 rounds, coming to the realization that Mr. Sturm
had been jobbed. Not many boxing writers gave Sturm his due,
nor did they acknowledge that the German has one of the best
jabs in the sport of boxing, after all, like Mickey Mouse and
Donald Duck, Oscar de la Hoya was "magical." Most knew better,
but they still needed to believe...
LOPEZ
IMPRESSIVE IN HALTING PENALOSA IN NINE... by George Elsasser
Juan "Juanma" Lopez retained his WBO
Super Bantam title over tough veteran Gerry Penalosa in
impressive style last noche, in a busy action affair that
saw the local Puerto Rican tossing a shutout over nine
rounds.
Too big, too strong, and with the better
skills, it was surprising to this writer Penalosa would
still be around as long as he was. Come the close of stanza
nine, Penalosa's corner man Freddie Roach, saw no point in
letting his charge continue in a fight he had no chance
winning.
The hint that Penalosa couldn't come out
on top surfaced during a few early rounds when the Filipino
would counter late in the stanza with a series of
combinations that found the target - but came up empty.
Without the puncher's chance, the game age 36 Penalosa,
arriving on some 60 kept appointments, the night would be a
long one.
'BEATEN' FROCH
CATCHES TAYLOR AT THE WIRE - KO AT 2:46 OF FINAL STANZA 12...
by George Elsasser
The faceless defending super middle champ from Nottingham,
England Carl Froch, was a beaten entity, and pretty much
looking in need of helpful tutoring, until the 2:46 mark of
the final stanza twelve.
His prey, challenger, and former middleweight champ
Jermain
Taylor, while far ahead on the cards from them earlier
dominant candles, and only needing to finish the final round
on his feet, was now running on fumes when lightning struck
the gas tank.
A fatigued Taylor could still react in defense to a single
Froch right hand, but the well conditioned bloke from across
the pond, was aware of the clock ticking down to a precious
few - and he seized the moment with a furious barrage that
dropped Taylor to the canvas.
The first knockdown saw defeat in the eyes of the
challenger, but is given the green light from referee
Michael Ortega - Froch then quickly pounced, and a second
flurry saw Taylor slumping before falling to the canvas with
a crystal clear look in the eyes of a near mortally wounded
warrior that gave his all.
CELESTINO
CABALLERO MANAGES TO RETAIN HIS IBF AND WBA SUPER BANTAMWEIGHT
BELTS... by Elisa Harrison
It was a special evening, a celebration of champions and a very special tribute to Panama's best
known and most loved champion of them all, Roberto "Manos de Piedra" Duran. It was also a night when Celestino "Pelenchin"
Caballero would put his titles on the line against South
African challenger Jeffrey Mathebula, a no-nonsense type of guy who let it be known early
on that he was coming to Panama to knock Celestino out.
Well, no one can say he
didn't try, the same can be said of Celestino; both gave
championship performances in front of a delirious crowd who was on a real boxing high. The fight went to the wire, and
it's a shame that we didn't have the benefit of CompuBox to
certify how many punches these warriors threw at each other
tonight. By the 11th round, the champion was barely able to
stay on his feet; the challenger was a bit fresher, but his
punches had little power.
ABREGU KNOCKS OUT GARCIA IN THRILLER;
QUINTERO EARNS UNANIMOUS WIN OVER FERGUSON... by George Elsasser
Undefeated Carlos
Abregu met the canvas twice Friday night before
sending Irving Garcia
there with just one second remaining in the fourth round for a
TKO win in the welterweight main event on ShoBox: The New Generation.
It was an action-packed fight that had the Chumash Casino
Resort crowd on its feet cheering for more.
Abregu
(27-0, 22 KOs), of Salta, Argentina, overcame two knockdowns
in the first and fourth rounds, finally connecting on a
straight right followed by a right uppercut sending Garcia
(17-4-3, 8 KOs) to the ground before referee Jack Reiss
stopped the fight to Garcia's visible displeasure.
RANDALL BAILEY KO'S FRANKIE FIGUEROA IN FOUR... by Frank
Gonzalez Jr.
The fourth round started with yet another head butt, followed by a
pause. When action resumed, Figueroa increased his intensity
in pressuring Bailey, looking to build on the momentum he
started in the second round. Bailey had an intense focus about
him that suggested he was looking to land that big right of
his and make it an early night. Sure enough, after a bit of
aggressive action, Bailey landed two jabs followed by another
clean right that dropped Figueroa like a sack of potatoes.
Figueroa not only didn't beat the count, but gave the crowd a
bit of a scare when he didn't get up for a couple of minutes.
Medics entered the ring to attend him and after a moment,
Figueroa got up. It was over; Bailey had won by KO in four.
The time was 1:46.
BAILEY EARNS IBF JR. WELTER TITLE FIGHT - BLITZES FIGUEROA IN FOUR... by George Elsasser
Randall Bailey, number three IBF rated Jr. Welter,
entertained IBF numero six rated Francisco Figueroa in
elimination bout with the winner earning a Juan Urango title
fight.
Opening round sees Bailey's celebrated right hand power
finding the Figueroa chin and down goes Figueroa - the port
side gamer manages to survive - then, in stanza two
it's
Figueroa back in business with a power left hand and down
goes Bailey, and all is square after two rounds.
The more seasoned veteran Bailey, in his 45th kept
appointment edges Figueroa in candle three, to go one up,
before aborting an interesting affair at the 1:46 mark of
round four.
The sudden finis, courtesy of a Bailey straight right hand
bomb to the chin that quickly deposits his game opponent
flat on his back - the combination of the perfectly targeted
right, plus the Figueroa head banging heavily on the canvas
resulted in knockout.
BRADLEY BESTS HOLT IN
WBC/WBO JR. UNIFIER VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION... by George
Elsasser
Begins with Bradley pressing the action
and Holt looking to counter - late in the stanza it was Holt
bringing the paying clientele to its feet with a sudden
booming counter that found the sweet spot - it also found
Bradley down on his back.
The superbly conditioned WBC strap
holder, surprisingly got to his feet and finished the stanza
in his usual modus operandi, as he foiled Holt's big chance
of dropping the curtain in opening stanza.
In my unofficial, until the final stanza twelve, it was
Bradley with the edge in most rounds, displaying the much
busier work ethic, while Holt stayed with the counter mode
searching for the opening he found in that first candle.
LIBRADO ANDRADE GETS DECISION WIN OVER TSYPKO... by Larry Flores
In a 12-round co-feature bout on SHOWTIME's Saturday night Timothy Bradley- Kendall Holt championship
unification card, Librado Andrade earned a unanimous decision
over the Ukraine's Vitali Tsypko at
the Bell Center in Montreal, Canada.
Andrade (27-2 with 21 KOs) was
making his first appearance since his disputed decision loss
to IBF champion Lucien Bute in the same Montreal ring six
months earlier. Tsypko (22-2 with 12 KOs) was riding a three
bout winning streak after a loss to Jeff Lacy in December
2006.
ANDRADE BATTERS TSYPKO.... by
George Elsasser
My first and only prior peek at the now
numero uno IBF s/middleweight challenger Librado Andrade,
was back in December of last year - and a come from behind
KO win over defending champion Lucian Bute was aborted by
local Montreal third lunatic in charge, Marlon Wright - the
hack's home cooking bordered on the criminal to the extent
the joint had to be fumigated once the building was emptied.
But not so in Andrade's return visit last Saturday -
although it went the full twelve candles against a very game
opponent in Vitali Tsypko there was no need of concern with
referee Jean-Guy Brosseau on assignment.
HURTADO EKES OUT A VICTORY OVER ARTURO MORUA; BECOMES WBO LATINO WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION...
Midway through the third assault, Morua suffered a deep cut
on the hairline, which appeared to have been caused by combinations
from Hurtado. The third man in the ring, referee Frank Santore ruled the cut was
caused by an accidental clash of heads. Another accidental head butt in the fifth round opened a
cut above Hurtado's right eye.
Hurtado kept his opponent at a distance after the fifth,
scoring repeatedly with left jabs to the
head. In the final round, Morua finally caught a tiring and
bleeding Hurtado and scored freely to the
head.
~~View DIOSBELYS HURTADO vs ARTURO
MORUA... an Exclusive Photo Gallery by DALIA DURAN~~
PHILIPPINE STARS SHINE AS
FRANCISCO, CUELLO, VILORIA AND DONAIRE ALL SCORE KO VICTORIES
IN MANILA... by Frank Gonzalez Jr.
The Filipino Stars were rising Sunday morning in Metro Manila, where the Filipino
fighters had their way big time in front of a crowded Araneta
Coliseum. This action packed fight card should be the model
for any future PPV boxing events. Five entertaining fights,
each fight more exciting than the last, except for the next to
last fight, a potential fight of the year candidate in Viloria
vs. Solis.
First up was Super
Flyweight, Drian Francisco (16-0, 1, 12 KOs) vs. the embryo
level, Sahril Fabanyo (2-2-1). Midway into the second round,
Francisco landed a monster left hook to the solar plexus that
ended it for Fabanyo.
Second on the card
was Sonny Boy Yaro (30-7-5, 19 KOs) who scored a first round
KO against the only Filipino to lose during this event, Eriberto
Gejon (25-5-1, 14 KOs). This fight lasted about a minute, when
Sonny Boy landed a roundhouse right that ended the night for
Gejon. Two fights over in less than a half hour, fantastic!
GAMBOA HALTS ROJAS IN TEN;
AYDIN DECISIONS OUALI... by George Elsasser
Gamboa, a 5' 5" dynamo from Miami, FL via Gitmo Bay, Cuba improved to 15-0, 13
KO's after stopping
game, but outgunned veteran Jose "Cheo" Rojas via TKO at the
1:31 mark of stanza ten.
With the prize, the WBA Interim
Featherweight title up for grabs, Rojas at age 37, gave it
his best early on, but after being dropped in stanza five
courtesy of Gamboa left hook, the busy pace set by the
younger Cuban was taking a toll on the port side counter
punching Caracas, Venezuelan.
Referee Russel Mora searching for a
reason to pull the plug, would find it during round ten with
Rojas right eye cut swollen - and while he managed a few
counter right hooks early on it was now a survival mode.
MANFREDO STOPS SMICHET IN 7TH...
Former world title challenger Peter Manfredo, Jr. knocked out tough
Tunisian veteran Walid 'Tempete de Sable' Smichet in the seventh round of
today's
scheduled 10-round co-feature at Montreal Casino.
The 28-year-old Manfredo (32-6, 16 KOs), star of The Contender, Season I,
got his career back on the right track with a strong
performance against Smichet (20-6-3, 14 KOs), who had been
knocked out only once in 28 prior pro fights, by Renan St.
Juste in 2006. Manfredo accomplished what neither unbeaten
world title contender John Duddy nor Canadian middleweight
champion Sebastien Demers had been able to do in their 10 and
12 round fights, respectively, against Smichet.
HURTADO EKES OUT A VICTORY OVER ARTURO MORUA; BECOMES WBO LATINO WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION...
Midway through the third assault, Morua suffered a deep cut
on the hairline, which appeared to have been caused by combinations
from Hurtado. The third man in the ring, referee Frank Santore ruled the cut was
caused by an accidental clash of heads. Another accidental head butt in the fifth round opened a
cut above Hurtado's right eye.
Hurtado kept his opponent at a distance after the fifth,
scoring repeatedly with left jabs to the
head. In the final round, Morua finally caught a tiring and
bleeding Hurtado and scored freely to the
head.
~~View DIOSBELYS HURTADO vs ARTURO
MORUA...
an Exclusive Photo Gallery by DALIA DURAN~~
EDDIE CHAMBERS WINS DECISION OVER A DISAPPOINTING SAMUEL PETER... by Larry
Flores
In ESPN's "Friday Night Fights" from the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, California, "Fast" Eddie Chambers (33 wins with 18 KOs and only 1 loss) lived up to his nickname by out
speeding an overweight, out of condition Samuel 'The Nigerian
Nightmare' Peter (30 wins with 23 KOs and 2 losses) over
12 rounds. The only nightmare for a totally under
trained
Peter was whether he would have enough stamina to finish the
fight.
Making his first appearance since surrendering his
WBC
Heavyweight title to Vitali Klitschko while sitting on his
stool in October 2008, a clearly out of shape Peter could not
keep up with Chambers' fast hands and defensive skills.
Weighing a rotund, SUMO-like 265 pounds, the heaviest of his
career and 13 pounds more than in his loss to Vitali Klitschko
five months earlier, Peter simply could not match his
opponent's punch output.
CHAMBERS BESTS PETERS VIA MAJORITY DECISION... by George Elsasser
Last noche's ESPN FNF "after dark" offering pitted heavyweights Sam
'Nigerian Nightmare' Peters
and 'Fast Eddie' Chambers in a ten round main event bent on
the winner moving up in the respective rankings.
Chambers enters IBF #3, below #1 Alex
Povetkin and #2 Chris Arreola, while Peters last seen at IBF
numero cinco - then the opening bell, with both in a safety
first approach - Chambers out of respect for the Peters
celebrated punching power and Peters arriving at blivet
sized 265 pounds.
My unofficial card had it all square at
57-57 after six stanzas - and saw it all Chambers over the
backside - difference in the two was the Chambers superior
boxing skills that saw effective rapier-like left jab
setting up occasional straight right hands.
DIRRELL STAYS UNDEFEATED, YORGEY KNOCKS OUT HEARNS IN "BATTLE OF UNBEATENS"
...
Undefeated super
middleweight Andre Dirrell
outclassed Derrick Findley and Harry Joe Yorgey
outfought Ronald Hearns in a battle of unbeaten junior
middleweights en route to impressive victories on a
special Saturday edition of ShoBox: The New Generation
on SHOWTIME.
Dirrell, of Flint,
Mich., who is ranked No. 1 in the World Boxing Organization
(WBO), No. 3 in the World Boxing Council (WBC) and No. 7 in
the International Boxing Federation (IBF), won by sixth-round
TKO to improve to 18-0 with 13 knockouts. Findley, of Gary,
Ind., who couldn't answer the bell for the seventh, fell to
13-3 with 8 KOs.
Yorgey (22-0-1, 10
KOs), of Bridgeport, Pa., triumphed by ninth-round knockout.
In a terrific action fight, he registered three knockdowns,
the last coming at 2:59 of the ninth. Hearns, of Detroit,
scored one knockdown but suffered his first defeat. He is 21-1
with 17 KOs.
KOLLE CLAIMS MINNESOTA STATE TITLE...
by Kenny Perrault @ ringside...
The Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota hosted "High Stakes"
Saturday night featuring Anthony "The Bullet" Bonsante
against Andy "Kaos" Kolle for the Minnesota middleweight
title. Both fighters threw punches with bad intentions from
the opening bell. The taller Kolle looked to keep Bonsante
at the end of his jab while Bonsante worked his way on the
inside trying to rough Kolle up. Both Kolle and Bonsante
landed flush shots in rounds one and two giving me the
impression this fight was not going to go the distance and
they didn't disappoint. In the third round Kolle landed a
crushing straight left hand that sent Bonsante hard to the
canvas face first. It looked at first as if Bonsante was out
cold but he some how regained his footing before referee
Mark Nelson reached the ten count. However he was on shaky
legs and when asked if he was okay continue Bonsante said
no. With the win Andy Kolle picks up the Minnesota state
middleweight title and improves his record to 18-2 (13 KOs)
while Anthony Bonsante drops to 32-11-3 (18 KOs).
~~VISIT KOLLE - BONSANTE EXCLUSIVE PHOTO GALLERY~~
by Kenny
Perrault~~
DUNNE WINS WBA CROWN IN DUBLIN...
In front of 9,000 screaming fans at a packed 02 Arena in Dublin, Ireland, local hero Bernard Dunne upset the odds in a big way by taking the WBA Super Bantam title from Panamanian southpaw Ricardo Cordoba in once of the most competitive and ferocious fights in a very long time.
Cordoba won the first frame with good counter hooks and straight lefts as Dunne studied the champion. Dunne had a better second round as he largely kept away from Cordoba's power shots except for a few lefts while getting in a few good lead right hands of his own.
The third was Cordoba's round for all but the last thirty seconds as the champion began to come forward and Dunne struggled to adjust until the challenger uncorked a perfect counter left hook that caused Cordoba to reel all the way across the ring before he crumpled along the ropes.
The Panamanian got right back up, beating the count but was on shaky legs as he vigorously traded shots with Dunne until the bell rang ending the third frame.
EURO NEWS... by Per Ake Persson
Hamburg, Germany - Susianna Kentikian retained the WIBF
and WBA female flyweight titles with a ten round unanimous decision over
outclassed American challenger Elena Reid. It was scored 100-90 twice and
100-91. Reid had her day back in 2004 when she looked very unlucky to only get a
draw with then female star Regina Halmich, who was commentator for Pro Sieben on
this show. Off this showing it looks time for "Baby Doll" to do something else
than boxing as the aggressive Kentikian dominated every round.
WBO I/C middleweight champ Sebastian Zbik knocked out Spanish challenger Ruben
Varon in the fourth with a left hook to the body. The bigger, stronger German
dominated the contest but Varon, down in the second as well, showed a big heart
in defeat.
Heavyweight Sebastian Koeber hurt Belgian Jean Claude Bikoi in the second and
forced a standing eight count but didn´t land the finisher until the tenth
round. The German dominated most of the rounds except the seventh and eighth but
didn't impress. His right hand is very powerful though and saved the day for
him.
Russian light heavy Igor Michalkin outscored Nigel Benn look alike (in style of
fighting too) Jose Tavares from France over six.
BUTE RETAINS IBF STRAP; HALTS ZUNIGA IN FOUR... by George Elsasser
Saturday's Showtime card from Montreal,
Canada saw IBF s/middle champ Lucian Bute in a successful
defense when halting challenger Fulgencio Zuniga in stanza four
of a serious mismatch.
Bute had all the advantages of a 6' 2" versus
5' 10" height and reach edge while working from the southpaw
side - the game Colombian, not a big banger, but more an
established no quit career club fighter, never had the chance
of solving the puzzle on this outing.
Bute kept Zuniga at bay with quicker hands,
and repeatedly peppered his opponent from both sides - but the
big round four finis began with a sizzling left hand to the
solar plexus, that had Zuniga pausing before dropping to the
canvas in pain.
LUCIAN BUTE DEFENDS IBF TITLE WITH TKO WIN OVER FULGENCIO ZUNIGA...by
Larry Flores
Romanian born Lucian Bute
defended his International Boxing Federation (IBF) Super
Middleweight title with a TKO victory over Colombian challenger
Fulgencio Zuniga on SHOWTIME's ShoBox: The New Generation series on Friday, March 13th, from Montreal, Canada.
The undefeated champion, now
making Canada his home, displayed his superiority over his
challenger from the beginning. At 6' 2" Bute appeared much
bigger, stronger and certainly faster than Zuniga, who is 4
inches shorter than the champion. The size difference was very apparent, although their weight was
almost identical. After easily out pointing the Colombian over
the opening three rounds with his overall better boxing skills
and punching power, the champion made it an early evening in the
fourth and final round to the delight of his hometown fans.
BUTE ROCKS ZUNIGA WITH DEVASTATING TKO...
International
Boxing Federation super middleweight champion Lucian Bute made his third
successful title defense with a devastating fourth round TKO victory over
Fulgencio Zuniga Friday night on SHOWTIME’s
ShoBox: The New Generation from the Bell Centre in Montreal.
The adopted hometown hero dominated from start to brutal finish, landing a
powerful left hook to the body that sent the Colombian Zuniga (22-4-1, 19 KOs)
to the canvas early in the fourth. Zuniga barely got up to beat the referee’s
“10 count,” and once he did he was met with an onslaught of punches from the
naturally bigger Bute (24-0, 19 KOs). Against the ropes and defenseless to
Bute’s repeated combinations, the referee ended the championship bout at 2:25 of
the fourth round.
The Montreal resident, by way of Romania, was cheered wildly by the 12,153
largely Bute supporters as fireworks exploded in the Bell Centre, home of the
NHL’s Montreal Canadians. Friday’s fight was promoted by Interbox.
WILDER VICTORIOUS OVER GREEN
JR. ... by Bill Stephens
Deontay Wilder raises his hand in victory after a win over Richard Green Jr.
in the main event at The Reunion. Richard "Big Fella, head Swella" Green was
unable to start round 2 due to a possible broken hand. The first round
provided a nice exchange of hard hitting action from both fighters. Wilder
had the size and reach on Green, while the "Big Fella" Green is known for
his power punches. Green was in serious pain as the ring side doctors cut
the tape from the hands after the fight. Meanwhile the 6' 7" Deontay "The
Bronze Bomber" Wilder seems to be on the road to superstardom. Wilder was
the only member of the Olympic team to win a medal in 2008. He is managed by
Shelly Finkel and Jay Deas, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, and sponsored
by Deal with Everlast.
In the co- main event Adrian "The Problem" Broner, (7-0-1) defeated Eric
Ricker, (1-2- 1) by decision in a six round bout. The fight was a rematch
from the December fight that ended in a no contest. Ricker gave Broner a
tough fight in front of Broner's hometown fans in Cincinnati. The evening
was a great start of the boxing year for R&R Promotions and co-sponsor
Golden Boy Promotions.
AMIR KHAN DEFEATS MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA IN FIVE...
2004 Olympic silver medalist Amir Khan (20-1,
15 KOs) scored a five round technical decision over the
legendary Marco Antonio Barrera, AKA "Baby Faced Assassin,"ť
a former three-division world champion (65-7, 42 KOs) on
Saturday night at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England.
In the opening round, Barrera suffered a deep cut on the
hairline from an unintentional headbutt that bled into his
left eye.
Doctors looked at the cut in the fourth round, but
the bout was not stopped at that point (which would have
resulted in a no decision). The bout was then stopped the
following round, sending the verdict to the scorecards,
which had Amir Khan ahead 50-44, 50-45, 50-45.
ARTHUR ABRAHAM RETAINS HIS IBF MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION... by Per Ake
Persson
IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham retained the title with
a unanimous decision after an exciting, tougher than expected fight against
American LaJuan Simon in the headliner of Sauerland Event's show at the
Sparkassen Arena. It was scored 117-110, 118-109 and 117-110 - a scoring that
looked generous to the champion. Simon was down in the third but appeared to be
more of a push than anything else. The Philadelphian worked very hard but wasn't
so effective while Abraham for long spells just covered up. It was rumored and
later confirmed that "King" Arthur had to lose eight (8) kilos in two weeks to
make the middleweight limit. Still, Abraham's aim is to unify the middleweight
titles and then move up to super middleweight.
KIRKLAND, ORTIZ SPARKLE; GUERRERO-YORDAN A NO DECISION...
by George Elsasser
Last noche’s HBO "After Dark" triple header showcased
legitimate jr. middleweight prospects James Kirkland and Joel
Julio auditioning for better things with the winner likely
upgrading from prospect to contender level.
Not often when the pre-fight promises live
up to its hype, but this one was a barn-burner hot enough to
have the local firefighters readying to douse the flames
before the joint would burn down.
Opens with Kirkland out of the gate as if
jet-propelled - a port side punching machine that had Julio
being out worked before battling back late in the opening
stanza - continues with the super conditioned Kirkland
setting a pace that would eventually wear down his opponent
come the halfway mark.
Julio came prepared, and landed picture
perfect right hand counters that found the mark, but not a
single bomb would keep this Kirkland pugilistic mailman from
his appointed rounds.
KIRKLAND OVERPOWERS JULIO, ORTIZ STOPS ARNOUTIS, GUERRERO vs JORDAN A "NO CONTEST" ... by Larry Flores
Kirkland, the NABO Light Middleweight champion, was too strong
and applied relentless pressure to totally overwhelm his opponent from the
opening bell. In his usual “search and destroy” aggressive style, the
winner’s body attack and unending pressure prevented the Colombian native from
mounting any attack of his own. As round one was coming to an end, a
strong left hook by Kirkland opened a cut just outside Julio’s right eye.
The winner maintained his relentless attack on a constantly retreating Julio in
the following two rounds, and by the third round Kirkland’s smothering offensive
display clearly had a tired Julio in a survival mode. Only near the end of
the third round did the loser mount any offense of his own, connecting with a
few combinations that had no affect on Kirkland.
JAMES KIRKLAND
CRUSHES JOEL JULIO... by Frank Gonzalez Jr.
Kirkland proved way too much for Julio to handle. In the first round,
Kirkland was like a tornado, blasting Julio and chasing him around the ring.
Julio’s supposed better boxing skills didn’t matter in the face
of the storm of Kirkland’s aggression. After a ruthless barrage of punches, Julio suffered
a cut over his right eye that proved a real handicap as the
fight continued.
Kirkland continued to chase Julio around the ring in the second. Somehow, Julio
started to find a little rhythm from the outside and managed to
tag with a few clean shots, including a straight right, right into
Kirkland’s face. A moment later, Julio landed a good shot to the body.
Kirkland didn’t even seem to notice.
Kirkland adjusted his tempo, and focused on following his corner’s instructions
to double up on his jab, use more feints and move his head
more. Kirkland got hit
with the cleaner shots but he was still the bully in the
ring. Punch-stats notwithstanding..
DELVIN
RODRIGUEZ NIPS ALVAREZ BY UNANIMOUS DECISION, RETAINS USBA
STRAP... by George Elsasser
Friday night's ESPN welterweight scrap
between Delvin Rodriguez and Shamone Alvarez for the USBA
minor league strap, proved closely contested, with the
defending Rodriguez getting the unanimous decision by virtue
of a stanza eleven knockdown.
Had there been no Rodriguez 10-8 round,
this one would have resulted in Rodriguez retaining although
not winning the fight - reflective scores were Rodriguez
115-112, 114-113, 114-113 - without them two 114-113 scores
it would have been a majority draw.
Still, the draw would have seen Alvarez
earning a return bout - but not to be - Shamone’s strong
finishing stanza twelve saw Rodriguez hurt late and ready for
the cleaners - and seeing the final numbers, if not a KO, a
10-8 with a knockdown would likely have seen Alvarez the
winner via split decision.
ADAMEK SCORES THRILLING KNOCKOUT;
LORENZO GETS BACK ON TRACK IN IBF ELIMINATOR ON SHOBOX: THE
NEW GENERATION...
The 26-year old Banks, fighting out of Emanuel Steward's
Kronk Gym in Detroit, Mich., was seeking the world renowned
gym's first world title in 25 years.
Banks opened with four solid rounds behind an impressive jab
and a powerful right hand. Showing his class and
ability in his first world title fight, Banks had his eye on
the prize.
But with the raucous Polish-American crowd in attendance,
Adamek took control in the sixth with lethal combinations to
the body and the head.
"I changed my tactic," said Adamek after the fight, "and
began to land body punches that changed the fight. I
have a lot of respect for the right hand of Johnathon Banks
but my trainer (Andrzej Gmitruk) told me to be patient, not
to rush in and my time will come."
Following a big right from Banks in the eighth round, the
iron-chinned Adamek answered with a textbook right hand of
his own that sent Banks sailing into the ropes and down to
the canvas. The one punch all but ended the fight.
JOHNSON DECISIONS JUDAH; SMITH IMPRESSIVE IN WIN OVER PREVIOUSLY
UNBEATEN GONZALEZ... by Larry Flores
Glen 'The Road Warrior' Johnson
once again gave notice that he's a fighter to be reckoned with
in the Light Heavyweight division. In ESPN's February 27th
Friday Night Fights' main event from Hollywood Florida's
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Johnson easily defeated Brooklyn's Daniel Judah by a clear, unanimous 10-round
decision. Displaying the same tenacity, body punching and
incredible punch output that have characterized his fights,
Johnson left no doubt as to his superiority over the once well
regarded Judah. The loser's sub par performance has relegated
him to a non-threatening stepping stone for up and coming
fighters.
JOHNSON ALIVE AND WELL;
SCHOOLS JUDAH VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION... by George Elsasser
Last nite's ESPN FNF offering from Hollywood, Florida
featured former IBF L/heavy champion Glen Johnson in the main event versus
club fight level Daniel Judah.
"Danny Boy" Judah, the big brother of far more talented
welter Zabba-Dabba Judah was the ideal tester for the now age 40 veteran of 62
kept appointments - and all went as choreographed.
The old "Road Warrior" proved up to the task answering the
opening bell with knockout on the mind - late in the stanza it's a decoy left
jab to the body quickly followed by a power right hand and Judah is seen
without legs as he falls backward into the ropes for a standing eight.
Bell comes to the rescue and from that point on it's all
Johnson on offense and Judah on defense - the Judah portside advantage never
entered into the fight for the most part, as he was usually seen up close and
personal to Johnson while playing the peek-a-boo survival game.
MUNROE DEFEATS MARTINEZ AGAIN FOR EUROPEAN TITLE...
Friday night at the Metrodome in Barnsley, England, promoter Frank Maloney put
on a fight card headlined by European super bantam champion Rendall Munroe's
dangerous defense against Kiko Martinez in a rematch.
Martinez ruthlessly attacked the southpaw champion in the
early rounds, forcing Munroe to weather the storm and bide his time until the
hard punching Spaniard started to slow down.
GAMBOA RIGHT HAND A WINNER, PRESCOTT WINS VIA DQ 10...
by George Elsasser
When first hearing the February 20 ESPN FNF was coming to us
from the Nova Southeastern campus in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, a few thoughts vied
for center stage in my already battered mind.
Was only a week ago, the ESPN venue was Sunrise, FL, no
more than a seven iron from Lauderdale - and the three favored sons in charge,
Santore- Kimmons- Ass-oblivious-imenios worked a version of the 3-stooges
comedy team of yesterday. They collectively butchered the assignment to the extent
the Florida commission was expected to send them on a temporary leave of
absence. Wrong!
The only saving grace prior to last noche's ring action was in seeing referee
Santore missing in action - thus, the expectations was this one would be a
2-team version of Moe & Larry with Curly taking leave.
MOLINA IN A BREEZE OVER
CAMACHO... by George Elsasser
ESPN visited the old Roseland Ballroom at midtown Manhattan
for its Friday the 13th offering - maybe it was the bright lights that
motivated underdog Carlos Molina - or it was the yesteryear popular dance hall
that lulled favorite Alexis Camacho into a fight version of a slow two step
instead of a expected jitterbug.
Round after round it was Molina the busier and more
accurate - and Camacho behaving more like a shot veteran unable to get
anything off, instead of a 27 year old that had arrived with a glittering 17-1
with 16 via the KO route.
So, it finally closed after ten lopsided stanzas to the
tune of Molina 100-90, 98-92, 97-93 - my unofficial agreed Molina 99-91 in
points and 9-1 under the round by round method of scoring.
MACK NIPS HENRY VIA SPLIT DECISION; GUERRERO OUTWORKS ROSADO... by
George Elsasser
The ESPN FNF twin-bill showcasing rated
light heavyweight Chris Henry and undefeated middleweight
rookie Fernando Guerrero batted .500 with veteran Yusaf Mack
upsetting Henry and Guerrero besting Gabriel Rosado.
The action opened with Guerrero, a
Dominican transplant now calling Salisbury, MD home
displaying the better skills than a tough Philly gamer
Gabriel Rosado in a pier sixer that went the full eight
rounds.
URANGO CLAIMS IBF JR.
WELTER STRAP IN ROMP OVER NGOUDJO... by George Elsasser
The ESPN FNF offering between Juan Urango and Hermann Ngoudjo for the vacant IBF Jr. Welter bauble was
billed as a classic boxer vs. puncher affair - then the
opening bell and the Urango power punching caught the eye.
Ngoudjo displayed heart in going the
distance - but a nasty stanza three saw the lighter punching
local via Cameroon down twice - first trip courtesy of a
Urango left uppercut and then again from a finishing right
hand.
The scoring went lopsided for the port
side Colombian bomb thrower to the unanimous tune of
120-106, 118-108, 116-110 - it also translated to three
scoring judges favoring the puncher over the boxer, also
known as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
JOE CALZAGHE RETIRES UNDEFEATED!
Former super-middleweight
champion Joe Calzaghe retired from boxing Thursday after winning all his 46
professional fights. "I've got no other goals to go for," he said. "That's why I
am calling it a day."
Calzaghe held the WBO super middleweight world title for more than 10 years. He
unified the title against Mikkel Kessler in April 2007, before moving up to
light heavyweight to fight Bernard Hopkins and Jones.
"It was a difficult decision to make but I have achieved everything I wanted to
achieve in boxing," he said. "I've been world champion for eleven years,
unifying the super middleweight division, going to America and winning light
heavyweight titles against great fighters like Hopkins and Roy Jones.
"I had a long think with my family. My children wanted me to give up, plus my
mum. That's why I decided to call it a day and will go on to do something else."
Calzaghe said he was tempted to fight three more times to match Rocky Marciano's
record of 49 wins from 49 fights, but said he lacked the hunger. And there will
be no comeback, he pledged. Calzaghe's last loss, at the age of 17, was against
Adrian Opreda, a Romanian, at the European Amateur Championships in 1990, in
Prague. Calzaghe insists that night shaped his future."
My decision is to retire," he said. "I've been boxing for 25 years and, like I
said, I've achieved everything I want to achieve.'
THE CHAMPION.... by Bill Stephens
After eighteen years in the ring, the undefeated World Super Middleweight
Champion calls it quits with nothing more to prove. Joe Calzaghe leaves the
ring at the age of 36 undefeated, with 45 wins (32 KOs) and the longest
reigning Champion in boxing history. How many boxers can accomplish this? Joe
Calzaghe is still young enough and has enough money to devote his time to
commercial interests and his many charities.
Thank you Joe Calzaghe for holding the Championship with class and grace and
bringing two decades of your unique style to the boxing fans. There will never
be another Italian Dragon.
Enjoy your retirement Champ! The Pride of Wales will be missed...
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