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The Past Week in Action 25 October 2017 -- Part II By Eric Armit PhilBoxing.com Thu, 26 Oct 2017  Murata (L) gets revenge on N'dam. Melbourne, Australia: Super Fly: Andrew Moloney (15-0) W TKO 4 Hashimu Zuberi (13-2). Bantam: Jason Moloney (15-0) W KO 1 Julias Kisarawe (27-5-1). Cruiser: Jai Opetaia (13-0) W KO 1 Frankie Lopez (9-1). Feather: Ibrahim Balla (13-1) W PTS 10Salimu Jengo (9-1). Moloney vs. Zuberi Moloney wins the vacant Commonwealth title as he floors and halts Tanzanian champion Zuberi. Moloney had too much speed and power for Zuberi. The Tanzanian was way out of his depth. Moloney floored Zuberi with a right in the second round but Zuberi survived. Not for long as he was shipping heavy punishment in the fourth and the referee stopped the fight. The 26-year-old “Monster” gets his tenth win by KO/TKO. He also retained his WBA Oceania title and is rated WBA 6/IBF 12. As an amateur he won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games and competed at the 2009, 2011 and 2013 World Championships. He defeated the current WBC No 1 flyweight Muhammad Waseem in the gold medal fight at the Commonwealth Games. With this win he becomes the first Australian boxer to with both the Commonwealth gold medal and the Commonwealth title. The only other loss for the 21-year-old Zuberi was on points to unbeaten Thai Nirundon Thata. Moloney vs. Kisarawe Double celebration for the Moloney twins as Jason flattens Kisarawa inside a round to win the vacant WBA Oceania bantam title. One big right hand put Kisarawa down and out with just two seconds remaining in the round. Moloney had already won this WBA title at super bantam and made three defences. He has 11 wins by KO/TKO. Jason was Australian champion at Under-17 and Under 19 and also competed at the Commonwealth Games. First loss by KO/TKO for Kisarawe who was 6-1-1in his last 8 fights. Opetaia vs. Lopez Opetaia continues to look a can’t miss prospect as he blows away unbeaten California Lopez inside three minutes. The young southpaw put Lopez down early with a left and although Lopez made it to his feet he was in dire trouble from the follow-up attack and the referee saved him. The 22-year-old wins the vacant IBF Youth title to add to the Australian and OPBF titles he already holds. He took gold medals at the World Cadet and World Youth Championships. Was Australian champion at 17 and also became the youngest ever boxer to represent Australia at the Olympics when he competed in London when still 17. He moves to 10 wins by KO/TKO but we need to see him in tougher matches to judge how far he can go. Lopez. 21 had built his record on low grade opposition. Balla vs. Jengo Balla, yet another member of the Australian team at London in 2012 wins the WBA Oceania title with victory over inexperienced Tanzanian Jengo. This one was bloody and tougher than expected. Both fighters were cut in head clashes but Balla had the superior skill set and was a clear winner. Scores 99-91, 98-92 and 96-94. Balla is getting back on track after a shock TKO loss to Neil John Tabanao in June last year. Balla comes from a boxing family both his father and his uncle were pros and his brothers Qamil and Nasuf are pros too. The 21-year-old has good antecedents having won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games and taken gold at both the Arafura Games and Australian Championships, beating Jason Moloney in both tournaments. He also competed at the 2012 Olympics. Jengo did well as he is really just a 4 and 6 round prelim fighter. Kempton Park, South Africa: Feather: Azinga Fuzile (9-0) W TKO 3 Tshifihiwa Munyai (28-5-1). Feather: Lerato Dlamini (10-1) W PTS 10 Simpiwe Vetyeka (29-4). Super Middle: Ryno Liebenberg (18-5) W PTS 10 Patrick Mukala (9-1). Minimum: Dee Jay Kriel (13-1-1) W PTS 8 Thembelani Okolo (6-3-1). Fuzile vs. Munyai Fuzile announced his emergence as a real prospect with an upset stoppage of the much more experienced Munyai. If you are going to hold a tournament featuring four boxers you need to match them well and then hope that the “underdogs” prove competitive. Well Fuzile was the underdog here and he proved too competitive for Munyai. After a cautious first round southpaw Fuzile floored Munyai in the second with a left to the head. Munyai beat the count and did not seem badly hurt but that did not last long. Fuzile showed finishing power as he overwhelmed Munyai in the third with two more knockdowns with the referee saving Munyai from further humiliation. The 21-year-old South African champion was a revelation and must now be the favourite to win the tournament but with two upset in the semi-finals who can say what will happen in the final. This is only the second loss by KO/TKO for the 32-year-old former undefeated IBO and Commonwealth champion Munyai and the only other fighter to stop him is Scott Quigg in a fight for the WBA super bantam title. Dlamini vs. Vetyeka This may not have been as one-sided as the other semi-final but arguably it was an even bigger upset. Age and ring rust played a part but it was the busy, aggressive style of Dlamini which enabled him to take advantage of that. He pressured Vetyeka from the start and was up on two cards after the fourth round. Vetyeka’s skills helped keep him in the fight and win a round here and there but he was made to look slow by the younger Dlamini. It was Dlamini still in front on two cards and level on the third who was in the driving seat and he finish strongly to take the majority decision. Scores 97-93 and 95-94 for Dlamini and 95-95. The 23-year-old Dlamini had never been past eight rounds before but paced the fight well. He lost his first pro fight so now has ten wins in a row but beating Fuzile will be a hard ask but so was beating Vetyeka. The 36-year-old Vetyeka, a former IBO and WBA champion who snapped the 51 bout unbeaten streak of Chris John has paid the price for inactivity as this was his first fight since April last year. Liebenberg vs. Mukala Despite 5 losses in his last 6 fights Liebenberg showed he is not ready to be anybody’s stepping-stone .Fighting at super middle for the fight time since 2012 he emerged with a unanimous decision over unbeaten Mukala. The skill and experience of Liebenberg gave him the edge here in an exciting scrap. Mukala was always competitive but Liebenberg continually found gaps in the defence of the less experienced fighter from the DCR. The accuracy and good body work from Liebenberg kept him in front but Mukala was dangerous all the way and they gave the crowd an exciting competitive scrap. Scores 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 for Liebenberg. The 33-year-old former WBC Silver champion has come through a series of tough matches against Eleider Alvarez, Thomas Oosthuizen. Erik Skoglund and Enrico Koelling twice with the Oosthuizen fight being a split decision and the two Koelling fights being very close. Those were all at light heavy so it will be interesting to see how he progresses if he stays at super middle. Mukala had won eight of his fights by KO/TKO but both the skills and the experience against hard punchers were factors in Liebenberg’s win. Kriel vs. Okolo Kriel extends his unbeaten run with a majority verdict over former South African title challenger Okolo. It was another entertaining fight with the styles meshing well. Kriel used intelligent jabbing and accurate right hands to accumulate the points. Okolo kept applying pressure working to the body and was never out of the picture but the superior skills of Kriel gave him the edge. Scores 79-73 and 77-75 for Kriel and 76-76. The 22-year-old WBC International champion lost his first pro fight but subsequently reversed that defeat and is now 13-0-1 in his last 14 fights. Okolo’s other losses were also on points and in South African title challenges Sydney, Australia: Super Middle: Bilal Akkawy (15-0-1) W RTD 3 Carlos Jerez (45-21-3,1ND). Akkawy retains the WBA Oceania title. A focused body attack from Akkawy proved too much for the seasoned Argentinian Jerez. Those body shots slowly broke Jerez down and with just one second left in the third the Argentinian’s corner threw in the towel. The 24-year-old local fighter Akkawy was having his first fight since last October a fight in which he broke the jaw of Kerry Hope and forced a seventh round retirement. This is win No 13 by KO/TKO for Akkawy. Jerez, 38 is no stranger to Australia having fought Anthony Mundine and Zac Dunn there previously-and lost. Andenne, Belgium: Super Feather: Juan Ocura (14-12-1) W PTS 8 Alex Miskirtchian (28-6-1). Heavy: Herve Hubeaux (28-2) W KO 2 Davit Gogishvili (19-8). Miskirtchian vs. Ocura Big set-back for former undefeated European champion and IBF title challenger Miskirtchian. The Georgian-born Belgian was having his first fight in Belgium for over two years. Miskirtchian was the aggressor early but Ocura boxed well countering sharply. A cut did not deter Ocura and in fact he upped his work rate and got his nose in front. Miskirtchian launched furious attacks in the sixth but Ocura punched with him and looked to have the better of the exchanges. They exchanged punches in the last in action that had the crowd on their feet and Ocura had just done enough to deserve the verdict. Scores 77-75 and 78-77 for Ocura and 76-76. Ocura was as safe an opponent as you could wish for on paper. The paper that counted was the score cards. Miskirtchian lost on points to Evgeny Gradovich for the IBF feather title in 2014 and further losses to Cornelius Lock and Viorel Simion had seen him drop out of the ratings. He had eased his way back into the winning column with a couple of victories over inferior opposition and was No 9 with the EBU. Not sure where he goes from here. Mexican Ocura was 2-8-1 in his last 11 fights but this should get him more work as long as he does not make a habit of winning. Hubeaux vs. Gogishvili Easy night for Hubeaux as he continues to rebuild. He puts Georgian down with a body punch and Gogishvili is counted out. After a run of 15 wins he lost on points to Agit Kabayel for the vacant European title in February but had returned with a win in May. The 25-year-old Belgian, the EBU No 10, makes it 14 wins by KO/TKO. Seventh loss by KO/TKO for Georgian Gogishvili. He is 3-5 in his last 8 fights and all five losses have come by way of KO/TKO and all inside three rounds. Kauhava, Finland: Cruiser: Alexandru Jur (16-1) W PTS 12 Juho Haapoja (28-8-2,1ND). Super Middle: Henri Kekalainen (10-4) W PTS 10 Timo Laine (20-9,1ND). Jur vs. Haapoja Italian-based Romanian Jur spoils the party as he takes deserved split decision over local hero Haapoja. It wasn’t just that he took away Haapoja’s European Union title but also that he did it one day before Haapoja’s 37th birthday. Despite some good sparring in England Haapoja made a slow start against the younger and quicker Jur. After four rounds Jur was in front 40-36 and 39-37 on two cards with the third having it even at 38-38. Haapoja started to roll from the fifth and had a better period over the middle rounds being able to score with his left hooks to get into the fight and did a little better but was still being outscored and after eight the cards read 79-73, 77-75 for Jur and a much different third had it 78-74 for Haapoja. Jur made good use of his jab to control the later rounds. Haapoja kept pressing and throwing lots of leather. Haapoja was landing the harder shots but Jur was landing more and cleaner and emerged a valid winner although it should have been a unanimous decision. . Scores 118-110 and 117-111 for Jur and 117-111 for Haapoja. Jur won his first 15 fights before losing in June to Taylor Mabika for the WBA Mediterranean title in Gabon and was No 24 in the EU ratings. Haapoja was in his second reign as EU champion and was making the first defence of the title he had won in March. Retirement must now be an option for the popular “Harman Hajy”. Laine vs. Kekalainen Youth wins through here as Kekalainen gets wide unanimous decision over the much more experienced Laine to collect the vacant Finnish title. Kekalainen dominated the early action with a stiff jab and some choice hooks to the body. At one stage it even looked as though a stoppage might be possible but Laine has only lost inside the distance twice and he rallied to finish the fight on his feet but a clear loser. Scores 99-91, 99-91 and 99-92 all for Kekalainen. Three of the losses suffered by 25-year-old Kekalainen have been against unbeaten fighters on the road and he will be hoping to build on this result. Laine, 33, won the Finnish middleweight title in 2011 and the light heavy title in April this year but had his hopes of becoming a three division champion dashed. Blagnac, France: Light Heavy: Doudou Ngumbu (37-7) W RTD 8 Jonathan Profichet (18-10). Light: Samir Ziani (26-3-1) W PTS 6 Sylvain Chapelle (15-24-2). Ngumbu vs. Profichet Ngumbu holds on to his WBC Francophone title with win over Frenchman Profichet. Ngumbu had height and reach over Profichet and generally outboxed his aggressive challenger. Profichet gave Ngumbu plenty of problems but too often walked on to clever counters and eventually the weight of left hooks to the body and right crosses broke down Profichet’s resistance leading to his retirement. The DRC-born Ngumbu, 35, has lost the big fights but has useful wins over Vyacheslav Uzelkov, Johnny Muller and his Francophone title winning effort in February over 20-0-2 Bilal Laggoune. Profichet 32 had won 8 of his last 9 fights and always gives value for money. Ziani vs. Chapelle Just a light exercise for French super feather champion Ziani as he takes unanimous decision over durable Chapelle. The 27-year-old southpaw, the European No 2, is hoping for an early return with Guillame Frenois who beat him on a very close majority verdict for the European title in May. Now 8 losses in his last 9 fights for former French title challenger Chapelle who keeps his record of not losing by KO/TKO. Blois, France: Middle: Karim Achour (25-4-3) W PTS 10 Michel Mothmora (29-26). Achour retains national title as he beats Mothmora-again. Achour has now beaten Mothmora four times but the last two have been very close. This one saw Mothmora boxing well and forcing Achour to fight harder than in any of their previous fights. In the end the work rate and accuracy of Achour just gave him the edge. Scores 98-92 and 97-93 for Achour and 97-93 for Mothmora. The 30-year-old “Amazigh” Achour, the European No 3, is now 9-0-1 in ten French title fights. Against Mothmora he now has three points wins and a stoppage but their title fight in 2014, a majority win for Achour, was even closer with two judges going for Achour 96-94 and the other scoring it 95-95. It seems fight No 5 would be justified. Mothmora, 37, is a former WBFederation champion Accra, Ghana: Cruiser: Bastie Samir (16-0-1) W TKO 7 Briamah Kamoko (29-1). Super Bantam: Isaac Sackey (19-0-1) W TKO 3 Kamarudeen Boyefio (11-7). Light: George Ashie (27-4-1) W TKO 2 Max Moshi (10-1). Bantam: Prince Danzie (18-0) W TKO 5 Isaac Sackey (31-14-1). Samir vs. Kamoko This fight may not have meant much in the context of world boxing but when the tickets first went on sale there was literally a stampede to buy them. Hostilities broke out early in the first with Samir staggering Kamoko and then Kamoko coming on strong a shaking Samir just before the bell. Kamoko had his jab working well in the second but a right from Samir put Kamoko down in the third. Kamoko edged in front over the next three rounds and started the seventh confidently behind his jab. As he came forward Samir nailed him with a big right to the chin. Kamoko hit back but Samir landed two left hooks forcing Kamoko to the ropes. Kamoko tried to punch his way out of trouble but a right and a left to the head saw Kamoko drop his hands and Samir landed a couple more head shots and Kamoko was defenceless. The referee stepped in and stopped the fight but only because of an injury by the right eye of Kamoko. As he walked to the ropes where the doctor examined him Kamoko was swaying on his feet not really aware of what was happening. The doctor said the fight could continue but Samir walked forward landing a couple of rights and then a left hook that sent Kamoko down to the floor. He made it to his feet but after the eight count he staggered and the referee immediately waived the fight over. The 31-year-old Samir had his first 11 fights in the USA before fighting in Ghana in 2013. He was then inactive in 2014 and 2015 and had his only fight in 2016 in September so this was his first fight for 13 months. This win gives him 15 victories by KO/TKO. Kamoko, 37, has been a very controversial figure. At one time he was No 1 with the WBO but unresolved eye problems meant he never fought outside Ghana and this was his first fight since December 2015. He wants a return but that’s in Samir’s hands. Sackey vs. Boyefio Sackey wins the the Ghanaian title with stoppage of Boyefio. Sackey has won 17 of his fights by KO/TKO but the opposition has been of a low standard with only three opponents having a positive record and nine either not previously having had a pro fight or won only one fight. He may be a very good fighter but with opposition like this it is impossible to assess him. Boyefio had won his last four fights but his victims had total records of 9-44! Ashie vs. Moshi Former undefeated Commonwealth champion “Red Tiger” Ashie had no trouble stopping Tanzanian novice Moshi. Ashie was having his first fight for 15 months. He hardly counts as active having had one fight in 2013, one in 2014, none in 2015 and one in 2016. He now has 20 wins by KO/TKO but southpaw Moshi had only fought four and six rounds fights and was out of his depth. Danzie vs. Quaye Dzanie wins the vacant WBO Africa bantamweight belt by stopping Sackey in five rounds. The 32-year-old “Octopus” represented Ghana at the Olympics way back in 2008. He has 16 wins by KO/TKO including nine in a row but again the opposition has been sub-standard until this victory over the experienced former Commonwealth title challenger Quaye. Now five losses by KO/TKO for the 37-year-old Quaye. Pordenone, Italy: Fly: Cristofer Rosales (25-3) W TKO 7 Mohammed Obbadi (13-1). Light Heavy: Nicola Pietro Ciriani (15-1-1) W TEC DEC 7 Stefano Abatangelo (20-6-1). Light: Pasquale Di Silvio (21-9-2) W PTS 10 Francesco Invernizio (9-6-1). Light: Domenico Valentino (3-0) W PTS 6 Francesco Acatullo (9-8-1). Rosales vs. Obbadi Obbadi comes up short in ambitious attempt to crash the world ratings. The young Moroccan-born former EU champion was always going to be up against it facing a puncher such as Rosales. The first two rounds were close with Obbadi showing fine skills, quick movement and Rosales tracking the home fighter. Obbadi was an elusive target but Rosales was finding the range by the end of the second round. Rosales was closing the distance in the third landing left hooks to the body and shook Obbadi with a right to the head. Obbadi was still flitting around the ring at high speed but the difference in power was noticeable. and physically it was man against boy and ominously Rosales landed a series of punches just before the bell. In the fourth Obbadi was boxing with skill but Rosales was walking him down and landing hard head shots from both hands. After four rounds the Nicaraguan was up by 4, 3 and 2 points on the cards. Rosales continued the relentless pressure in the fifth and sixth. Obbadi started the seventh brightly but bit by bit Rosales broke him down and some hooks and uppercuts at the end of the round convinced the Italian’s corner it was a lost cause and Obbadi retired. Rosales, 23, wins the vacant WBC International title and gets win No 16 by KO/TKO. He has lost only one of his last fifteen fights and that loss was in May when he had Andrew Selby on the floor in the first but the brilliant Welsh fighter outclassed him. Obbadi, 24, relinquished the EU title to go after the WBC International title but the gamble did not work. He is a very quick, very clever boxer but was overpowered here. Ciriani vs. Abatangelo Ciriani wins the vacant Italian title with technical decision over Abatangelo. Their two styles did not mix well and the fight was marred by too much clinching. Ciriani used his jab well and he was busier than Abatangelo who was looking to load up on every punch. After all of the clinching in the seventh a not unexpected clash of heads occurred which saw Ciriani suffer a cut on his left eyebrow. The cut was too bad for Ciriani to continue so the cards decided the outcome. Score 78-75, 78-75 and 77-76 all for Ciriani. Ciriani, a former Italian cruiser champion suffered his only defeat when being beaten by Mirco Riccci for this same vacant title in 2014 and he was 5-0-1 in his last 6 fights. Former champion Abatangelo has lost tough fights to Juergen Braehmer and Erik Skoglund and will be hoping to get another shot at Ciriani. Di Silvio vs. Invernizio No real problems for former national champion Di Silvio as he regains his title with wide unanimous decision over less experienced Invernizio. Scores 100-89, 98-92 and 98-91 for Di Silvio. The 38-year-old from Rome has almost made a career out fights for the Italian light title and after this win is 4-5-1 in national title fights. Invernizio a very sub-standard challenger who was going past six rounds for the first time and is now 2-4 in his last six fights. Valentino vs. Acatullo Valentino wins every round but is forced to work hard against the aggressive if limited Acatullo. The former Olympian show cased his skills but his power was not impressive which allowed Acatullo to keep rolling forward trying to turn the fight into a brawl. Valentino a clear winner. The 33-year-old Valentino sat right up there alongside Roberto Cammarelle and Clemente Russo as the stars in the Italian amateur team. He was World Amateur Champion in 2009 but lost to Vasyl Lomachenko in the semi-finals in 2011. He competed at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics and won numerous tournaments but has left it late to turn pro. Acatullo has lost in shots at both the national super light and light titles. Windhoek, Namibia: Middle: Walter Kautondokwa (16-0) W KO 3 Meshack Mwankemwa (17-4-2). Welter: Mikka Shonena (11-0) W PTS 12 Juma Waiswa (10-1-1). Welter: Emmanuel Mungandjela (10-3-1) W TEC DEC 5 Ebenestis Kaangundue (6-2). Feather: Kennedy Imalwa (1-0) W DISQ 7 Onesmus Nekundi (8-4-2). Kautondokwa vs. Mwankemwa Kautondokwa continues his run of wins by KO/TKO as he destroys Mwankemwa. The Namibian was landing vicious body punches from the start which slowed Mwankemwa. The visitor only just survived the first two rounds but in the third a left hook sent him backwards into the ropes and down and he was counted out. After winning his first pro fight on points the 32-year-old Kautondokwa has now won 15 on the bounce by KO/TKO and he showed his power is real in beating Ghanaian Obodai in seven rounds. He retains his WBO African title and is No 7 with the WBO. Tanzanian champion Mwankemwa had won 8 of his last 9 fights. This is his second loss by KO/TKO. Shonena vs. Waiswa Shonena wins the vacant WBO African title with wide unanimous decision over Ugandan Waiswa. It was the local man’s fight all the way. He powered home stiff jabs and hurtful left hooks in round after round but could not shift or shake Waiswa who lost every round but never stopped coming forward. Scores 120-107 for Shonena from all three judges. The 29-yerar-old Namibian was moving up past six rounds for the first time so good experience for him. Waiswa was also going twelve for the first time and he showed he can take punishment and stay in a fight. Mungandjela vs. Kaangundue Mungandjela wins the Namibian title with technical decision over Kaangundue. Mungandjela was trying to force the fight but Kaangundue was doing more spoiling than scoring. A clash of heads in the fifth opened a cut above the left eye of Kaangundue so it went to the cards. Scores 49-45 and 48-46 for Mungandjela and 47-47. Now seven wins in a row for the 29-year-old “Lion”. Kaangundue had won his last three fights. Imalwa vs. Nekundi Imalwa wins the national feather title in his first pro fight as Nekundi is disqualified. Nekundi looked to be on his way to victory as he had built a useful lead after six rounds. In the seventh their heads banged together and Imalwa was cut over his left eye. The doctor examined the cut and decided it was too severe for Imalwa to continue so the fight was stopped. It was ruled that the cut was caused by a deliberate butt so Nekundi was disqualified. Nekundi was 7-1-2 in his last 10 fights but no information in Imalwa. Wieliczka, Poland: light Heavy: Dariusz Sek (27-3-3) W TKO 3 Francis Cheka (33-12-2). Light: Marek Jedrzejewski (12-0) W TKO 6 Giorgi Abuladze (10-3-1). Heavy: Michal Cieslak (15-0) W PTS 8 Ivica Bacurin (28-13-1). Sek vs. Cheka Sek stops Check but some controversy over the ending. Cheka started out aggressively but was rocked early by a left to the chin and had to hold and duck and dive to last to the bell. Cheka continued to try to advance in the second but was caught repeatedly by strong jabs from Sek and again resorted to clinching. In the third the Tanzanian ducked low and clutched Sek. Sek then landed two blatant punches to the back of Cheka’s head. Cheka backed off complaining about the punches then leant over the ropes clutching the back of his head. He did not answer when the referee tried to get him to continue so the fight was stopped. Sek was going to win this one inside the distance anyway but those last two punches were fouls. A win but an unsatisfactory one for 31-year-old southpaw Sek. He was undefeated in his first 20 fights but has never lived up to that early promise and was 0-1-2 in his last 3 fights. Cheka, 35, a former WBFederation champion drops to seven losses by KO/TKO but got no justice here. Jedrzejewski vs. Abuladze Jedrzejewski has his first fight on his home turf and easily halts the outclassed Abuladze. Jedrzejewski towered over the little Georgian and had him under pressure immediately. A right late in the first saw Abuladze dip forward and touch the floor with both gloves and he was given an eight count. Jedrzejewski continued to hunt the Georgian in the second and a left hook to the body put Abuladze down in the third. Ridiculously the referee counted to eight then stopped and indicated for Abuladze to get up which he reluctantly did. He should have been counted out. Jedrzejewski continued to hunt Abuladze in the fourth and had the Georgian trapped in a corner in the fifth and Abuladze dropped to his rump. Again the referee counted to eight and then told Abuladze “come on get up” which he did. A series of punches in the sixth dropped Abuladze again and again the referee counted to eight then lifted the Georgian’s head and asked him if he wanted to continue and then waived the fight off. Now 11 wins by KO/TKO for Pole Jedrzejewski, 28 who until this one has done his fighting in Germany. Poor Abuladze is just 20 has only the most basic of techniques and is much too small for this division. It is now three fights outside Georgia and three losses by KO/TKO. Cieslak vs. Bacurin Cieslak moves up to heavyweight and is given eight rounds of work by a willing Bacurin. Cieslak dominated the fight with his quicker hands and a strong jab. Bacurin fought mainly on the back foot but was always looking to counter and was competitive all the way. Cieslak shook Bacurin with a right in the second. A series of rights to the head dropped Bacurin to his knees in the fourth but he fought back to the bell and then had a good fifth landing some heavy punches of his own. The seventh was a great round as they just stood and traded punch after punch. Cieslak rocked Bacurin with a left hook but Bacurin scored with some heavy rights and they exchanged shots again in a rousing finish to the fight. Scores 80-72, 79-72 and 78-74 all for Cieslak The 6’3” (190cm) Pole had a run of seven wins in a row by KO/TKO including a victory over two-time WBC cruiser title challenger Francisco Palacios but a clash of heads in his last fight in December resulted in a No Decision which broke the streak. Croatian Bacurin, 35, was 3-3 in his previous six fight but the losses were against Dillian Whyte, Tom Schwarz and Carlos Takam. Tokyo, Japan: Light: Shuichiro Yoshino (6-0) W TKO 7 Spicy Matsushita (17-10-1). Yoshino wins the vacant Japanese title with stoppage of Matsushita. Yoshino built an early lead with quicker and more accurate punching and was up after four rounds on all cards at 48-47 twice and 49-46. Matsushita put in a big effort in the fifth and sixth but to no avail and Yoshino floored him twice in the seventh to force the stoppage, The 26-year-old Yoshino, a graduate of the Japanese National Agricultural University, was 104-20 as an amateur with 55 wins by KO/TKO. Matsushita, real first name Akihiro but Spicy is much more colourful, was No 2 in the Japanese ratings and this is his third loss by KO/TKO. Cuernavaca, Mexico: Light: Carlos Jimenez (12-8-1) W TKO 7 Pedro Campa (27-1). This looked a cert to be another win for Campa on paper but he paid the price for underestimating Jimenez. Campa took the first round coming in behind his jab and landing hard right crosses. Jimenez was warned twice for low punches but landed some booming rights late in the round. Jimenez began finding the target with hooks and uppercuts and he outworked Campa over the second and third rounds. Campa used his jab to open Jimenez up for straight rights in the fourth but Jimenez was countering with left hooks. They both worked inside in the fifth and now Jimenez looked to be taking over the fight and rocked Campa with a big right. Campa was showing swelling around both eyes but he rallied in the sixth marching forward and trading with Jimenez and seemed to edge it with a strong finish. Campa also looked on his way to winning the seventh. He was marching forward scoring with hooks and uppercuts with Jimenez swinging wildly. With just five seconds remaining in the round they both threw a punch. Both landed but the right from Campa had little power and the one from Jimenez exploded like a grenade on Campa’s chin and sent him flying back and flat on his back on the canvas. The referee immediately stopped the fight and Campa need quite some time to recover. Huge win for 25-year-old Jimenez. He was 3-6 in his last 9 fights going into this one and Campa had beaten many better fighters but Jimenez earned his reward as he had to absorb a whole range of hard punches from Campa and his durability paid off in the end. Big set-back for 25-year-old Campa. He had beaten good level fighters such as Aaron Herrera, Jose Alfaro, Marvin Quintero and Juan Antonio Rodriguez now he has a reconstruction job ahead of him. Malaga, Spain: Super Light: Petros Ananyan (12-0-2) W TEC DEC 6 Luca Giacon (30-, 2ND1). Super Middle: Ronny Landaeta (13-0) W PTS 12 Mirzet Bajrektarevic (18-5). Ananyan vs. Giacon Ananyan gets upset win as he floors and takes technical decision over Giacon. From the start Giacon was ploughing forward trying to overwhelm the Armenian and walking into some horrific counters. He failed to learn the lesson and was floored twice when attacking and leaving himself open. Giacon still tried to take the fight to Ananyan and was still being caught with right hand counters. At one point Ananyan was unloading some heavy punches with Giacon trapped on the ropes. The referee stopped the action and made Ananyan step back to allow Giacon to get off the ropes. Very Strange. Ananyan angered the local crowd with some punches to the back of Giacon’s neck but the real damage was from Giacon walking onto counters. By the sixth Giacon had a cut under his left eye and he was staggered by rights and under heavy pressure. After examining Giacon’s injuries the doctor advised the fight be stopped and the decision was made by the cards. Scores 59-54, 58-55 and 57-56 for Ananyan. Russian-based Ananyan, 29, collects the IBF International title and makes it eight wins in a row. Giacon was defending the IBF International for the second time. His only other loss was against Emiliano Marsili for the vacant European title in 2013 and had won nine in a row since then seven by KO/TKO so this was a big shock. Landaeta vs. Bajrektarevic Spanish-based Venezuelan Landaeta wins the vacant IBF International title with victory over Bajrektarevic. Landaeta pressed the fight from the outset and scored well with body punches. Southpaw Bajrektarevic was dangerous with the occasional right and managed to pick up a couple of rounds but other than that he was on the receiving end in the exchanges. Scores 120-107, 117-108 and 117-110 all for the 34-year-old Spanish champion. Bajrektarevic, 37, had won 7 of his last 8 fights with the loss being to Martin Murray in 2015. Las Vegas, NV, USA: Light: Sharif Bogere (30-1,1ND) W PTS 10 Jose Luis Rodriguez (22-10). Bogere returns with a win after 13 months of inactivity. The Ugandan was in charge from the first but a bit off with his timing and accuracy as he shed some rust. Once he was in his stride he never allowed Rodriguez a sniff of a chance keeping him on the end of his jab and under too much pressure to really sustain any attacks of his own. Scores 100-90 for Bogere from all three judges. Bogere lost to Richar Abril for the WBA title in 2013 and is now 7-0-!ND in his last 8 fights. The Las Vegas-based “Lion” will be looking for some big fights next year. Rodriguez had won 4 of his last 5 fights. October 22 Tokyo, Japan: Middle: Ryota Murata (12-1) W RTD 7 Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (36-3). Fly: Daigo Higa (14-0) W TKO 7 Thomas Masson (17-4-1). Light Fly: Ken Shiro (11-0) W PTS 12 Pedro Guevara (30-3-1). Murata vs. N’Jikam Murata wins the secondary WBA title as N’Jikam retires after seven round. When they fought in May Murata gave away most of the early rounds by not throwing enough punches. He did not make the same mistake this time. From the first round he was digging in hooks to the body of N’Jikam who was hiding behind a high guard and emerging to throw quick bursts of hooks and uppercuts. Murata broke through with some hard rights to the head as the first round closed. Murata was still scoring those clubbing rights in the second and going to the body with left hooks. N’Jikam was just not throwing enough or with enough power to keep Murata out. N’Jikam did a bit better in the third and fourth moving and jabbing and firing quick but light punches but Murata was still forcing the fight. He was having success with his jab and banging to the body. N’Jikam was throwing more punches but Murata was picking his punches and was much more accurate. An overhand right rocked N’Jikam in the fifth and had him holding on. The champion was looking tired and there was no real power in his punches. N’Jikam moved and boxed in the sixth but late in the round a straight right from Murata sent him stumbling back and Murata landed a couple of body shots just before the bell. Murata was fully in charge in the seventh forcing N’Jikam back landing rights to the head and sent him staggering with a series of jabs. Murata continued to land those rights and all of the fight had gone out of N’Jikam and it was no surprise that he retired at the end of the round. If Murata had fought like this in the first fight it would have had a different outcome. This time he showed his power and it was too much for N’Jikam to handle. The fight was a huge event in Japan and drawing big TV ratings but whether Murata can break into the Gennady Golovkin vs. Saul Alvarez “series” remains to be seen. Both Golovkin and Alvarez would start favourite against Murata if they cannot agree to a second fight. But Murata plans to make a voluntary defence next. N’Jikam looked slower and fought at a much lower intensity than in their first fight and in the end just surrendered his title. Incidentally both fighters are former Olympians with Murata winning gold in London and N’Jikam fighting at the 2004 Olympics and then taking advantage of the AIBA change of rules to compete in Rio twelve years later. Higa vs. Masson Higa overwhelms Frenchman Masson and retains his WBC title with a seventh round stoppage. Although Masson had height and reach over Higa he just could not match the furious work rate if the champion. Higa piled forward in every round relentlessly pounding away at the Frenchman. He was not always getting through to the target but the sheer force of his attacks meant that Masson had very little chance to mount any attacks of his own and was unable to use his physical advantages. Higa was working the body with hooks and Masson spent much of the fourth round on the ropes. After four rounds Higa was in front 40-36 on two cards and 39-37 on the other. Higa stepped up his work rate in the fifth and sixth and floored Masson with a left hook in the seventh. Masson had a swelling by his right eye which was hampering his vision and the referee asked the doctor to examine the injury and it was ruled too bad for the fight to continue. The little 24-year-old Higa was defending his WBC title for the first time. With his nonstop attacks and seemingly limitless stamina he will be very hard to beat. Masson,27, the former undefeated European champion had won his last nine fights but his opposition had been decent but not world level. Shiro vs. Guevara Shiro retains the WBC title with majority decision over brave Guevara. The Mexican challenger made the better start coming out aggressively and taking the fight to Shiro. He was getting through with jabs, starlight rights and hooks to the body and despite a cut on his left eyebrow caused by a punch in the fourth round he was deservedly up on all three cards at 39-37 twice and 40-36. Shiro attacked the body over the middle round firing hooks from both hands and although Guevara fought back hard he was hampered by another cut, this one over his right eye and caused by a punch in the sixth. Shiro’s body work paid dividends and he had close the pints gap. He was still behind 78-74 on one card but was in front 77-75 on another with the third having them even at 76-76. It was all up for grabs over the last four rounds and Shiro seemed to be well on top at times only for Guevara to fire back and it was close with Shiro taking the last round to just edge out the challenger. Scores 116-112 and 115-113 for Shiro and 114-114. The 25-year-old Shiro was also making his defence of the title. By beating Guevara he has met his mandatory requirements and has said he is aiming to fight Ganigan Lopez who he beat for the title on a majority decision in May. Guevara has no luck at all. In three world title fights he has lost split decisions to Jhon Riel Casimero and Yu Kimra and when you add this majority verdict he certainly need to find a rabbit’s foot. Pyrmont, Australia: Welter: Kris George (13-1).W TKO 6 Jack Brubaker (13-2-1). Super Middle: Sakio Bika (34-7-3) W PTS 12 Geard Ajetovic (31-17-1). Super Light: Darragh Foley (13-2) W TEC DEC 8 Ryuji Hachimitsu Ikeda (12-4-2). Super Bantam: Luke Boyd (4-0) W TKO 6 Robert Trigg (2-1-1). Super Welter: Tim Tszyu (7-0) W PTS 10 Wade Ryan (14-6). George vs. Brubaker George retains the Commonwealth title as Brubaker is forced out of the fight in the sixth round due to a bad cut over his left eye. Despite injuring his left hand in the fourth George was in front on two cards after five rounds. He switched to southpaw in the sixth which gave Brubaker some encouragement but a punch busted open a cut over the left eye of the challenger and he was unable to continue. George, 28, was making the first defence of the Commonwealth title and he has now won his last six fights. Brubaker’s OPBF title was not on the line and he was on a run of eight wins going into this one. At 25 he will get over this setback and be ready to rebuild when the injury heals. Bika vs. Ajetovic Former WBC champion Bika has not given up hopes of another shot at the world title. The experienced Cameroon-born fighter took the unanimous decision here despite being deducted two points for low blows. Bika, 38, was out of the ring for over two year after losing to Adonis Stevenson for the WBC light heavy title before returning with a win in July. He collects the vacant WBC International Silver title. Serbian Ajetovic had won 4 of his last 5 fights. Foley vs. Ikeda Foley beats Japanese visitor Ikeda on a cut but was well on his way to victory. The Kent-born fighter had won every round against the game Ikeda but a clash of heads had seen Ikeda suffer a cut in the fourth round and by the eighth the cut was too bad for Ikeda to continue and Foley took the unanimous technical decision. There were three different tiles on the line in this one. Southpaw Foley made the fourth defence of his WBA Oceania title and retained the interim WBC ABC title whilst winning the vacant WBO Orient belt. He is rated No 13 by the WBA. Ikeda, 22, just a prelim fighter and was No 10 in the Japanese ratings. Boyd vs. Trigg Former top amateur Boyd wins the vacant Australian title with stoppage of Trigg. Boyd won his first Australian amateur title back in 2006, represented Australia at the 2008 Olympics and at the 2007 and 2009 and 2011 World championships. Trigg had won the Australian bantam title in August last year in only his third fight. Tszyu vs. Ryan Tszyu moves up to ten rounds for the first time and wins his first title but has to climb off the canvas for the win. He was put on the floor in the first round but recovered to outbox southpaw Ryan and take the unanimous decision. Scores 97-92, 97-93 and 95-94 for Tszyu. The 22-year-old son of Kostya was going past six round for the first time and facing a much more experienced opponent but lifted the WBC ABC title. Ryan, 27, a former WBC ABC middleweight champion and Australian title challenger had won 6 of his last 7 fights so a real test for Tszyu. Fight of the week: Alberto Machado’s upset win over Jezreel Corrales with honourable mentions to Lee Woodstock and Craig Poxton and Paul Hyland and Stephen Ormond Fighter of the week: Murat Gassiev for creaming Krzys Wlodarczyk with honourable mention to Ryan Burnett for unifying the IBF and WBA bantam titles Punch of the week: .Plenty to chose from but I go for the punch from Carlos Jimenez down and out with honourable mention Gassiev’s body punch that finished Wlodarczyk, Jeremias Ponce right that put away Brian Chaves Upset of the week: Dlamini Lerato’s victory over former world champion Simpiwe Vetyeka with honourable mention to Petros Ananyan’s win over Luca Giacon and Azinga Fuzile’s destruction of Tshifihiwa Munyai One to watch: Only four fights but Sunderland’s Josh Kelly looks special Click here for Part I. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eric Armit.  |
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