NDLOVU NAILS IBF TITLE SHOT VIA SPLIT NOD OVER CASTILLO... by George Elsasser
Last nite’s Telefutura Solo Boxeo offering coughed up a dandy IBF s/bantam eliminator that was tight as a proverbial drum in the scoring department - with the smoke clearing after 12 rounds of mutual consent, it was South African Takalani Ndlovu nipping Mexican Ricardo Castillo via split decision.

BANKS BESTS AYALA VIA SPLIT VERDICT ... by George Elsasser
In a closely contested middleweight affair over Telefutura's Solo Boxeo offering, it was visiting David Banks of Portland, Oregon besting Connecticut's Edwin Ayala via split decision.
This one was a tough as it gets for the scoring judges, with both carbon copies in style - and the flow repeatedly changed as each would have a slight edge over ten rounds of honest toiling.
 

BLOODIED BUT UNBOWED MARQUEZ KO'S JACA IN NINE... by George Elsasser
The taste of blood saw the Mexican picking up the pace in number six - maybe thinking the scoring too close for comfort - a second "inadvertent" would worsen the leaking over the right orbit, and now  wearing a mask of red he looked a bull charging the matador - enter fool third clown in charge Laurence Cole.
This, a first ever for me over an all too many years watching boxing - the hometown Texas "neutral" hack in charge calls a pause in the action - walks Marquez to a neutral corner and is heard loud and clear, " How are you … feel like continuing? - then the proverbial bomb - you are ahead on points and it will go to the judges if you cannot go on."

OPEN SCORING IN BOXING: REFEREE LAURENCE COLE SETS THE TONE FOR A NEW TREND... by Elisa Harrison

I guess all boxing fans should be grateful that Laurence Cole Jr., has taken it upon himself to put a new twist on the open scoring debate. If all referees can advise fighters who are cut or otherwise hurt, whether they are ahead on the cards or not, and whether continuing the bout is or isn't really necessary, then, who needs open scoring?

CHAGAEV WINS THE WBA HEAVYWEIGHT ELIMINATOR BY BEATING JOHN RUIZ ... by Per-Åke Persson
Ruslan Chagaev won the WBA heavyweight eliminator against John Ruiz on a close, split decision. After twelve it was scored 117-111 and 116-112 for Chagaev and 115-114 for Ruiz. There were no knockdowns and many rounds were very close.

SHOBOX RESULTS: SOLIMAN BEATS ORNELAS, WALKER DEFEATS ESTRADA
World-ranked middleweight Sam Soliman and unbeaten heavyweight Travis Walker captured close decisions Friday on “ShoBox: The New Generation.”  Soliman overcame an early knockdown to record a 10-round majority decision over Enrique Ornelas, while Walker narrowly defeated 2004 Olympian Jason Estrada for the first time in four outings.  SHOWTIME televised the Goossen Tutor-promoted doubleheader from the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, Calif.

MAYWEATHER JR. - A VIEW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS... by George Elsasser
No, this isn’t one of them Monday morning quarterback things, but rather a simple assessment of a today special one that first caught the eye back in year 2001- wins super-featherweight title over touted puncher Diego Corrales - drops the guy  five times en route to round ten TKO.  
Bottom line is come hang them up time, the Mayweather Jr. legacy will place him among other past special ones, of other time frames, that also dominated their respective pugilistic playing fields.
Take a curtain call, kiddo, you‘ve done it the old fashioned way - you’ve earned it.

VERSUS' THURSDAY NIGHT FIGHTS A BRAWLER'S DELIGHT - A REFEREE NIGHTMARE... by George Elsasser
Watched with interest the VERSUS channel twin bill from Vegas country, with younger Pacquiao brother in the main event facing veteran Hector Velazquez,  for some cheap strap bearing the symbols of WBC Americas Continental Super featherweight champion - and isn’t that one heck of a trophy.
Problem is, day prior, Bobby "Sniper"  went and blew the big opportunity by coming in three pounds over - but then bribed Velazquez to show for the fisticuffs without the bauble on the line - all Hector had to do was win the fight - the $10 thou bonus from Pacquiao, win, lose, draw clinched the deal.

De JESUS, MARTINEZ SCORE KO'S ON TELEFUTURA FNF CARD... by George Elsasser
The local from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico sparkled like wine as he scored repeatedly with a wealth of combinations that had the Los Mochis, Mexico gamer paying for every missed offering - still, Cardenas bit the proverbial bullet until the tank ran empty late in stanza nine.
It was late in round nine that a Martinez barrage dropped Cardenas -  and then took no more than the 41 seconds mark of number 10 to close the show with a big left hook.

HONORIO OUTSCORES MTAGWA IN USBA TITLE SCORCHER... by George Elsasser
Friday night’s Solo Boxeo USBA featherweight title affair over Telefutura saw Mexican challenger Martin Honorio nipping defending Rogers Mtagwa in a scorcher that closed on a split decision verdict.
Both combatants showed little finesse, but had the paying clientele out of its seats with non-stop leather swapping from start to finis - a beauty in the eyes scenario that had Honorio the busier and Mtagwa the bigger puncher - both were all square in the blood and guts departments.

He had won a tough fight, a long, 12-round unanimous decision over Fres Oquendo. The 44-year-old looked a bit slow and didn't have lights-out power the few times he did connect. But a win is a win and this one was just another step in the former champion's comeback quest for another heavyweight title.

HOLT RETURN A SMASHING SUCCESS... by George Elsasser
The November 3 ShoBox FNF offering from the boardwalk of bag ladies of Atlantic City, N.J.  highlighted the return of local Jersey  junior welter hopeful Kendall Holt - and the evening, after a 13 month hiatus proved more than successful.
This one, a battle for the NABO minor league strap with visiting Isaac Hlatshwayo  of South Africa, a willing but limited in skills adversary was just what the doctor ordered -  and what we got was a lopsided show case win for Holt.  

PAVLIK WIN GOES AS SCRIPTED - TKO 4 OVER PIERRE ... by George Elsasser
Then, stanza two with my scratch pad scribble noting the Haitian gamer not being long for the fight - while he survives, he’s visibly hurt and on wobbly underpinnings - the beat continues into stanza three -  and only question left is when to pull the plug before life support enters the picture.
 

JESUS SOTO-KARASS STOPS MICHEL ROSALES - RETAINS CONTINENTAL AMERICAS BAUBLE... by George Elsasser
With both engaged in still another hot exchange, it’s Soto-Karass with a punch touching down below the DMZ - bingo! Referee in charge Scott calls a halt while going the starving for attention route, to deduct a point in a round that saw Karass ahead - thus a 9-9 stanza instead of a Karass 10-9.

SHOBOX TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINALS: HANSHAW BY TKO; MENDY BY DECISION... by George Elsasser
Things began with unbeatens Jean Paul Mendy (22-0, 12 KOs) and Henry Buchanan (14-0, 11 KOs) - a pairing that saw Mendy tossing a shutout on two of the scorecards - one could quickly spot the Frenchman Mendys’ advantage in size, and his working from the port side.

HBO-SHOWTIME  SATURDAY SPECIALS - "OH WHAT A NIGHT" ... by George Elsasser
Not much to say here other than size won out over a burned out former contender - Valuev is likely shareholder numero four of comrades Klitschko (IBF), Liakhovich (WBO), Maskaev (WBC) - the super sized Valuev package is too much a target to get by Wlad and Sergei and slight underdog if next dance partner is Oleg.

MANFREDO MANHANDLES SPINA... COULD ROY BE NEXT?... by Jim Amato
It wasn't even close... The cream rises to the top... Peter Manfredo Jr. took apart the bigger but less skilled Joey Spina. The bout was stopped in the third round after a game but outclassed Spina got up from a knockdown but took a vicious right hand that prompted the towel to come in from his corner.

CALZAGHE BESTS BIKA IN SLOPPY AFFAIR... by George Elsasser
From that moment on, things degenerated to a bar room brawling version of hold-hit-butt  opposed to the proverbial barn burner type of unskilled battling - Calzaghe the unorthodox in style southpaw and Bika bankrupt in boxing technique - stir in a connected referee without a clue and we had ourselves a three ring circus going.

WHO IS SAKIO BIKA AND WHY IS HE CHALLENGING CALZAGHE?... by Tom Dickey
This Saturday night, October 14th, super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe, fresh off his demolition of Jeff Lacy, will defend his world titles against none other than Sakio Bika. Many of you reading this may be asking who is Sakio Bika, and why is he fighting Joe Calzaghe. Both questions are fair questions; so let's take a look at Sakio Bika.

KELLEY HANDLES HERNANDEZ - AND THE BEAT GOES ON... by George Elsasser
Prior to the opening bell, I "red flagged" a couple intangibles - Kelley age 39. enters with 67 prior kept appointments and Hernandez age 35, arrives with 49 earlier  journeys - also noted Kelley stopped in last meeting by club fight talent Bobby Pacquiao of 27-11-3, 12 KO fame - and Hernandez batting one for three with decision losses to Pacquiao and Jesus Chavez.

BARRERA BEATS ROCKY IN REMATCH... by Jim Amato
Marcos Antonio Barrera continues to add to his Hall Of Fame legend with a convincing decision win over Houston's Rocky Juarez. Their first battle was razor close. This time Barrera boxed much better and Rocky seemed less aggressive.
The scoring 115-113, 115-113 and 117-111 all for Marcos.

BARRERA - JUAREZ RETURNS CONVERTS TO PPV... by George Elsasser
However, the post scripts pretty much sums up the rest of the story - yes, Barrera has retained clout, valor and solid text-book boxing skills. That’s the good news. Flip the coin, and it is not hard to notice a pro boxing version of AARP membership knocking at the door.
With young 26 Juarez, a different story - took advantage of the big HBO stage - showed a rock solid chin, stamina, heart, endurance along with good punching power. A bauble awaiting in the wings.
But a PPV for this one? I think not.

MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA AND THE MEXICAN EVOLUTION... by Frank Gonzalez Jr.
Saturday night at the MGM in Las Vegas, the main event featured Marco Antonio Barrera (63-4-0-1 ND, 42 KO’s) in a rematch against Rocky Juarez (25-3-0,18 KO’s). Though Barrera won the decision in the first fight, many felt that if it had gone longer than 12 rounds, Juarez would have won, since the momentum shifted his way late in that first fight.

ARCE vs MAKEPULA: CONTENDERS SHOWDOWN SATURDAY, SEPT. 23 ON HBO AFTER DARK

The tenth season of the hit late-night HBO  boxing series rolls on with the intriguing HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: JORGE ARCE VS. HAWK MAKEPULA is seen live SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT) from the Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, Texas, exclusively on HBO. The event will be presented in Spanish language on HBO Latino.

ARCE BARRAGE A WINNER - TKO4... by George Elsasser
Jorge Arce ~ Fits in nicely with a number of others at Flyweight-Super Flyweight - the field has depth and the kid (age 27) belongs with the rest. Cocky but not arrogant, and win or lose backs it up with an aggressive style. Not one-punch power but opens the batteries in barrages. A fun watch and good catch by the HBO promotion crew. You can make the call in any future outings with the Vic Darchinyan (112 IBF), Luis Perez (115 IBF), Montiel (115 WBO), Tokyama (115 WBC) mob of mayhem, and we’re talking quality stuff.

JORGE ARCE KEEPS HIS WORD... Sharkie's Machine by Frank Gonzalez Jr.
On his way to partake in a WBC Super Flyweight Eliminator bout, Masibulele “Hawk” Makepula looked in a trance. He sang a religious song as he marched very slowly to the ring. It felt like 20 minutes. That’s a great strategy if you aim to put the crowd to sleep. I also notice that often times when guys sing spiritual hymns en route to the ring, they get knocked out.

GUERRERO BY KNOCKOUT; PETER BY SPLIT-DECISION... by George Elsasser
Very entertaining affair with boxer versus puncher - Toney outscored Peter with better skills as he set traps and counters - Peter made lasting impressions with big right hands whether scoring or not, or so it seems by the final tallies. Were there no promised Maskaev title fight in the offing, this one had return scribbled all over it.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: GUERRERO STOPS AIKEN TO CLAIM IBF TITLE... by Chris Robinson
Moments ago at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero fulfilled his quest of winning a world title with a 9th round stoppage of Eric Aiken. With the win Guerrero moves his record to 19-1-1 with 12 stoppages and more importantly takes control of the IBF Featherweight Championship of the world.

AUGUSTUS WIN SUITABLE FOR FRAMING - STOPS BURTON IN 8... by George Elsasser
Emanuel Augustus ~  age 31 a walking, breathing example of a man born for this game of professional boxing. Has all the skills taught from the book of  sweet science - the combinations arrive from all points - jab, straight right, left-hooks and uppercuts. You name it, he has it - and then the Augustus shtick that is more of tactical in design, albeit seen by the uninitiated as all hot dog. Has choreographed it as his own and the purpose is to disrupt the other guy’s flow and not designed for ridicule. The man is a gem - and were he gifted at birth with clout, he would surely be traveling the fast lane to Canastota.

AUGUSTUS-BURTON RETURN IN ESPN FNF 2006 FINALE
This coming Friday night ESPN drops the curtain on its year 2006 fistic schedule at  the Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino in Tulsa- and takes no more than a peek to see they’re closing on a high note, with fan friendly Emanuel Augustus in the mix.
Main event  honors go to local Tulsa product Allan Green (21-0, 15) facing veteran Emmett Linton ( 33-4-2, 15) - but for my dollar, the draw is far and away the Augustus return with Courtney Burton.

GREEN DECISIONS LINTON... by George Elsasser
Allan Green ~ at age 26 it’s time to make a move. Has size, power and appears game enough although the chin is questionable once stepping up among the super-middleweight clientele. Jury still out. Bothersome trait is his looking to the third man in charge when not pleased with what he perceives as naughty and not nice. Don’t see Allen among the top ten but this outing was a good test. Slowed down late in this one.

HOLYFIELD BEGINS COMEBACK WITH 2ND-ROUND VICTORY
Holyfield rocked Jeremy Bates into the ropes late in the first round, withstood a few hard shots - including one to his face - early in the second, then cornered and pummeled his insurance-salesman foe to earn a technical knockout with 4 seconds left in the round, capturing his first victory since June 2002.
Holyfield feels so good that he's already lined up a tough next fight - facing Sinan Samil Sam of Turkey, fifth in the latest WBC ratings. Holyfield said it likely would be in November, with one of his handlers saying it would be "in an international city." A formal announcement is expected next week. 

ESPN2 FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS A TOUR DE FLOP... by George Elsasser
The last night (Aug. 18) ESPN FNF off-Broadway drive by out at the la la land of Temecula, California more than simply bombed - it was a pugilistic tour de flop with all the trimmings.
But for pinch hitting studio host Robert Flores, in for the on assignment Brian "No Clue" Kenny, the entire cast from fighters to commentators and guests, collectively earned bottom of the barrel reviews for botched up job of the year.

PHILLIPS HALTS REID IN FINAL STANZA - REMAINS A HOPEFUL AT AGE 36... by George Elsasser
Verno enters the favorite, while Reid arrives with the proverbial punchers chance - and the chances dwindled more and more with each passing round.
The skilled veteran out of Troy, New York is a yesterday throwback that could well have become a memorable name, had he been gifted at birth with punching power - still, in this one there was enough gunpowder to wear down the one dimensional Reid.

RAFAEL MARQUEZ SILENCES  MABUZA... by Oleg Bershadsky
In a night promoted around the Marquez brothers, Rafael Marquez started off the show by going up against Silence Mabuza, the IBF's #1 ranked contender whom he had previously defeated. Marquez came out strong at the bell, determined to impose his will on Mabuza. He did this with stiff jabs followed by either straight right hands or left hooks. Despite the impressive offensive output, Marquez stayed in control and didn’t waste any punches.

PETERSON REMAINS CLEAN; HALTS OUTGUNNED SOTO... by George Elsasser
Closing comments: Anthony Peterson ( 19-0, 14) ~ age 21 and growing, good size at 5-8. Can punch from both sides and appears physically strong. Likely, in no more than a year he’s a jr. welter. There’s little to gain to continue with the caliber he’s been in with to date - first test before the first snow could be one of the 7 through ten numbered contenders; 10) Aldo Rios, 9) Isaac Hatshwayo, 8) Jose Santa Cruz, 7) Jesus Chavez - and you can make the call.

PETERSON MAKES SHORT WORK OF SOTO... by Oleg Bershadsky
Soto took the fight against Anthony Peterson on short notice which appeared to make a huge difference, if not in the outcome then at least in the competitiveness of the fight. From the onset Soto looked a step slower as he continuously got beat to the punch. Peterson came out using the jab while not forgetting to go to the body of Soto. His body work paid dividends almost immediately, as Peterson was able to knock Soto down with a right hook to the rib cage at the end of round one.

WILLIAMS AND WILLIAMS SCORE VICTORIES IN LAS VEGAS...  
The crowd was at capacity last night when Guilty Promotions in association with Silverhawk Boxing promoted a night of Championship boxing in the new exhibit hall inside the South Coast Hotel & Casino in the fabulous city of Las Vegas, Nevada.
 

MTAGWA TOO MUCH FOR A SHOT BROWN... by George Elsasser
The ESPN Wednesday Nite summer series has dwindled to a precious few - that’s the good news - bad news is another evil pairing - this one saw Rogers Mtagwa batter a shot  Alvin Brown in a lopsided stanza four knockout.
On paper this one appeared competitive … that is, in the won-loss department. Mtagwa arrives at 20-10-2, 15 KO’s and Brown’s resumé a similar 26-8, 12 by knockout - then the fine print, that indicates Mtagwa much younger at 27 while Brown clearly over the hump at age 36.