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The Past Week in Action 31 October 2022: Loma Returns; Katie Taylor Retains Belts; Kiko Martinez Crushes Jordan Gill; Zepeda Outpoints Diaz By Eric Armit PhilBoxing.com Tue, 01 Nov 2022  Highlights: -Vasy Lomachenko returns with a win as he decisions Jamaine Ortiz -Katie Taylor retains her four lightweight belts in points victory over Karen Carbajal -Kiko Martinez wins the European featherweight title with four round crushing of champion Jordan Gill -Arely Mucino wins the IBF female flyweight title with split decision over title holder Leonela Yudica to end Yudica’s reign of almost eight years -Yamileth Mercado retains the WBC female super bantamweight title with a unanimous decision over Mariana Juarez -Elie Scotney wins the European female super bantamweight title by outpointing champion Mary Romero -Mateusz Masternak outpoints unbeaten Australian Jason Whateley in an IBF cruiserweight eliminator -Robeisy Ramirez, Duke Ragan, Troy Isley, Richard Torrez, Nico Ali Walsh and Delante Johnson get wins -William Zepeda outpoints Joseph Diaz to go to 27-0 World Title/Major Shows October 29 New York, NY, USA: Light: Vasyl Lomachenko (17-2) W PTS 12 Jamaine Ortiz (16-1-1). Feather: Robeisy Ramirez (11-1) W TKO 9 Jose Romero (26-3). Feather: Duke Ragan (7-0) W Luis Lebron (18-4-1). Super Welter: Troy Isley (8-0) W PTS 8 Quincy LaVallais (14-4-1). Heavy: Richard Torrez (4-0) W TKO 3 Ahmed Hefny (13-3). Middle: Nico Ali Walsh (7-0) W PTS 6 Billy Wagner (5-3). Welter: Delante Johnson (6-0) W PTS 6 Esteban Garcia (15-2). 
Lomachenko vs. Ortiz Lomachenko makes a confident winning return as take a unanimous decision over a very spirited Ortiz. A lively opening by Ortiz saw him working his jab against the smaller Lomachenko connecting with a pair of body punches and already Lomachenko was showing a bruising under his right eye. Ortiz also collected the second again working his jab and keeping Lomachenko on the back foot. Lomachenko kept altering angles in the third and getting through Ortiz’s defence. He rocked Ortiz with a right late in the round that had Ortiz holding on. The fourth was a close round with both having some success. Lomachenko was slotting lefts through Ortiz’s guard and Ortiz connected with a flurry of punches but Lomachenko had closed the gap in the points from the first two rounds. Lomachenko just had the better of the exchanges in a close fifth but then dominated in the sixth. He hurt Ortiz early with a shot to the body and his jabs had started an ominous swelling around Ortiz’s left eye. Lomachenko landed more hard shots and Ortiz switched to southpaw to change the way the fight is shaping. Ortiz continue with the southpaw stance in the seventh and had some success driving Lomachenko onto the back foot but was getting caught with punches when he switched back to orthodox but his early work gives him yet another close round. Good eighth for Ortiz. He was constantly switching guards and showing great hand speed to get past Lomachenko’s guard and the fight was level again after eight. Lomachenko landed some neck jarring head shots at the start of the ninth round but then his work rate dropped but his early work just gave him the edge as Ortiz came on strong over the closing period. The pace slowed in the tenth but Lomachenko was starting to boss the exchanges with Ortiz flagging. Lomachenko was on top again in the eleventh rocking Ortiz with some combinations and he outscored a tired Ortiz in the last. Scores 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 all for Lomachenko. This was just the fight that Lomachenko needed after ten months out of the ring and it will give him confidence as he hopefully goes on to challenge Devin Haney for the IBF/WBA/WBC and WBO titles in the New Year. Ortiz, 26, came into this fight on the back of an upset victory over former WBO super featherweight title holder Jamel Herring but was relatively unknown. He performed with great credit here and can look forward to some more big fights. 
Ramirez vs. Romero Ramirez breaks down Romero and stops him in the ninth round. A cautious opening round saw Ramirez stalking Romero who stayed on the back foot throwing plenty of jabs but not committing himself to attack, Ramirez picked up the pace in the second and again had Romero on the back foot as he found the target with southpaw straight lefts. Romero continued to box on the back foot. He was using some slick footwork and his longer reach to land the occasional jab and right cross but was coming up short and when he did stand and trade he was being caught with rights and left hooks to the body. The punishment was gradually weakening Romero but he decided to stand and exchange shots in the seventh and some success until forced back on the retreat as Ramirez took control again and Romero rapidly faded. A ferocious sequence of punches from Ramirez in the ninth drove Romero to a corned and when a left snapped his head back the referee stopped the fight. Seventh win by KO/TKO for the 28-year old Cuban who has beaten quality fighters such as Orlando Gonzalez, Eric Donovan and Abraham Nova. He is rated WBO 3/IBF 5(4)/ WBC 7/WBA 8 and he looks certain to get a title shot in 2023. Argentinian Romero, who came in as a late replacement for an injured Jesse Magdaleno, had lost back-to-back fights against Isaac Cruz and Michel Rivera in 2021 
Ragan vs. Lebron Ragan keeps his 100% record as he decisions Lebron. Ragan built an early lead with his outstanding boxing but Lebron made the rounds close. As the fight developed Lebron upped his pace and fed Ragan plenty of pressure. Ragan continued to do the cleaner work but was lucky not to be penalised as he spat out his mouthguard as few times. Ragan had the fight won by the start of the seventh but had to get through a torrid time before rebounding to have a good eighth. Scores 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75 for Ragan. A good test for the Olympic silver medallist but with only one win by KO/TKO he still looks short on power. Third loss in a row in 2022 for Lebron, all against fighters with 100% records. Isley vs. LaVallais Isley wins every round against LaVallais. Isley was quickly into action connecting with sharp jabs and rights to head and body in the first. LaVallais tried to stay in close and trade punches with Isley in the second and third but stiff jabs and power shots from Isley had LaVallais on the back foot. Isley continued to pile on the pressure with LaVallais again trying to match Isley for power but being put on the defensive by hooks and some choice uppercuts. Each time LaVallais would respond by again taking the fight to Isley. He was pumping out punches but he lacked the power for those tactics work and he was soaking up plenty of punishment from harder and more accurate punching from Isley. In the last Isley landed a succession of hooks and uppercuts to the head but Lasallians still trundling forward pushing out punches. Scores 80-72 twice and 79-73 for Isley. Good eight rounds of work for Olympian Isley. LaVallais was very competitive but never a danger. He had lost on points against Xander Zayas in March but is lively and resilient but not a hard puncher which should get him some more fights against some more highly touted prospects. Torrez vs. Hefny Torrez dismantles Hefny in three rounds. Torrez launched furious slashing attacks from the start. In the first he drove Hefny to the ropes and floored him with a volley of punches. Hefny made it to the bell but was again having to fight off a tigerish Torrez in the second. He was running and holding but another burst on punches saw Hefny drop to his knees just before the bell. It was over in the third. The referee took a point from Hefny as he tried to smother Torrez’s attacks by holding but Torrez kept firing punches until Hefny again dropped to his knees and the fight was stopped. The Tokyo silver medal winner has taken less than seven rounds for his four wins. The 6’2” southpaw is not big by today’s standards and his wide-open two-fisted attacks may not work so well against bigger opposition. Egyptian Hefny, 38, was inactive from May 2013 until March 2021 and is 2-2 since his return. 
Walsh vs. Wagner Walsh gets a win in his toughest test so far. Walsh’s skill gave him the edge. With his quicker hand speed, he consistently snapped Wagner’s head back with jabs and connected with strong rights bringing blood from Wagner’s nose from the first round. Wagner responded by landing some rights to the head in the second and third. Walsh pressed hard over the second half of the fight and outscored Wagner but always had to be wary of counters and had to absorb some hard shots from Wagner on the way to victory. Scores 58-56 twice and 59-55 for Ali Walsh. Montana’s Wagner was in his first six round fight. Johnson vs. Garcia Olympian Johnson marches on. He had some adjustments to make to cope with Garcia’s southpaw stance but he did that quickly and went on to win every round. All three judges carded it 60-54. The tall boxer from Cleveland has won 4 of his 6 fights by KO/TKO and is scheduled to fight again on 10 December under the card featuring Teo Lopez and Jose Pedraza London, England: Light: Katie Taylor (22-0) W PTS 10 Karen Carbajal (19-1). Feather: Kiko Martinez (44-11-2) W TKO 4 Jordan Gill (27-1-1) W. Super Bantam: Ellie Scotney (6-0) W PTS 10 Mary Romero (8-3). Light: Gary Cully (15-0) W TKO 1 Jaouad Belmehdi (16-1-3). Light Heavy: Mickey Ellison (14-4) W PTS 10 Thomas Whittaker Hart (7-1). 
Taylor vs. Carbajal Taylor makes a seventh successful defence of her IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO belts with a comprehensive points victory over Argentinian Carbajal. Taylor was jabbing and hooking well to the body in the first. The taller Carbajal responded with body punches but was outworked by Taylor. The second and third saw Taylor up the pace and she was finding the target regularly. Carbajal was trying to box but her punches lacked snap and Taylor was already showing her class landing rights and left hooks. Taylor drove Carbajal into a corner in the fourth and they both let their punches fly with both landing heavily. Taylor then went back to boxing at distance catching Carbajal with accurate counters in the fifth only to stand and trade again in the sixth in what was a good round for Carbajal. Taylor controlled the action in the seventh. Her punch selection and accuracy gave her a big edge and whilst almost in cruise control she punished Carbajal for any mistakes she made. Taylor outboxed Carbajal over the eighth and ninth and then tried for a stoppage in the tenth. She hurt Carbajal with a couple of rights but Carbajal did not cave in but fought back and deserved to last the distance. Scores 98-92 twice and 100-91 for Taylor. Hopefully next it will be a return against Amando Serrano in early 2023. Carbajal, the Argentinian and South American champion, fought hard but Taylor’s experience and skills were just simply superior. 
Gill vs. Martinez Martinez floors Gill four times and stops him in the fourth to win the European title. Gill made a promising start boxing on the back foot over the first two rounds using his longer reach to score on the smaller Martinz who bobbed and weaved looking for an opening. Gill continued to move and jab in the third but Martinez stepped in quickly and landed a right to the head that saw Gill drop to his hands and knees. When the action resumed Gill jabbed and moved and it looked as though he would get through the rest of the round unscathed but he was floored by a right uppercut sixteen seconds before the bell. He beat the count and the bell went before Martinez could do any more damage. Martinez dropped Gill again in the fourth. Gill was up quickly but then floored again by a left hook. He bounced up and as the referee was giving him a count the towel was waived by Gill’s team. What a true warrior the 36-year-old “La Sensacion” Martinez is. A former IBF super bantam and feather title holder he is now in his fifth term as a European champion. He can never be written off. Gill looked fragile from the start. His come from behind kayo win over Karim Guerfi was not convincing and he was overwhelmed here by Martinez. Scotney vs. Romero Scotney unseats European champion Romero on a unanimous decision. Scotney was comfortable taking the fight to Romero exerting plenty of pressure and setting a fast pace. Romero had some success with rights in the early rounds but was rocked in the fourth and from the half way mark was generally in reverse gear. Scotney had a good ninth. Romero found a bit extra in the last but by then it was Scotney’s fight. Scores 97-73, 97-94 and 96-94 for Scotney who is a former World Championships competitor and won a silver medal at the European Under-22 tournament. She is trained by Shane McGuigan. Spaniard Romero was making the third defence of the title and had won her last seven fights. Gully vs. Belmehdi Culley obliterates Belmehdi in 38 seconds. Belmehdi launched a couple of lunging attacks with Cully just retreating before them. As Cully stood withn his back against the ropes Belmehdi missed with a coupleof swings leaving himself open to a booming straight left that dropped him heavily. As he tried to rise, he collapsed almost falling head first through the ropes. he staggered half way up again but tumbled back into the ropes and the referee waived the fight over. No kind of test for the 6’2” Irish southpaw as he gets his ninth win by KO/TKO. He is rated No 10 by the WBA and is looking to face some big names next year. Belmehdi, a former French champion, had won his last nine fights. Ellison vs. Whittaker-Hart Ellison upsets the odds and retains his Central Area title with a narrow points victory over Whittaker-Hart. From the outset Whittaker-Hart used his much longer reach to slot jabs through Ellison’s guard and connected with some long right crosses. Ellison was generally looking to get past that lead and work inside. They both had good spells. Ellison showed a useful quick jab of his own and jolted Whittaker-Hart regularly. There were some good exchanges but it was an interesting rather than exciting fight. Ellison deserved the decision as he was stronger over the second half of the fight but it was always close. The referee scored it 96-95 for Ellison. He was making the first defence of the title and Whittaker-Hart was moving up to ten rounds for the first time. October 26 San Juan, Puerto Rico: Super Feather: Bryan Chevalier (18-1-1) W TKO 7 Cesar Juarez (27-13). Super Light: Nestor Bravo (21-0) W TKO 7 Adrian Yung (28-8-3). Welter: Nicklaus Flaz (29-7-3) W PTS 8 Brian Ceballo (13-1). Super Feather: Jose Aguirre (17-0) W KO 3 Ezequiel Tevez (13-9). Chevalier vs. Juarez Chevalier given a torrid time by Juarez before a late stoppage win. Juarez was floored in the first few seconds of the fight but then took the fight to Chevalier with a vengeance. He was giving away 5” in height and lots of reach but his savage attacks over the second and third had Chevalier struggling to stay in the fight. Chevalier seemed to settle in then fourth but was then floored and cut in a clash of heads. By the fifth Juarez was gassed and bleeding heavily from a cut over his left eye. A weakened Juarez fought hard but was taking heavy punishment and the referee stopped the fight one minute into the seventh round. Tenth victory in a row for Chevallier who wins the vacant WBO Inter-Continental title. He is rated No 7 by then WBO. Third consecutive loss for Juarez. Bravo vs. Yung Bravo floors and outpoints Yung. Bravo controlled this one from the first bell. Yung was floored and cut over his left eye in the third and lost a point in the fifth for a punch to the back of Bravo’s head. The onslaught continued in the sixth and Yung’s corner threw in the towel during the seventh round. Bravo collects the vacant WBO NABO title with his fifteenth inside the distance victory. Yung came in as a substitute at five days notice. This is only the second time he has lost by KO/TKO. Flaz vs. Ceballo Flaz pulls off an upset as he takes a majority verdict over previously unbeaten Ceballo. It was a close, hard-fought contest but Flaz was just that bit more mobile and deserved the verdict despite a strong last round from Ceballo. Scores of 78-74, 77-75 and 76-76. Flaz rebounds from a crushing loss against Janelson Figueroa Bocachica in October 2020 when he was floored twice and stopped in the first round. Ceballo, a former National Golden Gloves and US National champion. Was a heavy favourite. Aguirre vs. Tevez Aguirre continues unbeaten with a third round kayo of Argentinian Tevez. Fifth victory by KO/TKO in his last six fights for the free agent Aguirre, 34, who has neither a promoter or a manager. Fifth loss by KO/TKO in a row for Tevez. October 27 Gatineau, Canada: Super Light: Yves Ulysse (22-2) W PTS 10 Jose Macias (16-2-2). Super Light: Steve Claggett (33-7-2) W TKO 4 Jonathan Eniz (30-18-1,1ND). Ulysse vs. Macias Ulysse takes a unanimous verdict over Macias. Ulysse made a good start outboxing Macias over the first three rounds. Macias was marching forward and Ulysse was boxing well and finding gaps for some sharp counters. Macias upped his pace over the fourth and fifth as his higher work rate gave him the edge. Ulysse came back into the fight over the sixth and seventh with Macias still attacking hard. He rocked Ulysse with a good left hook but Ulysse was more precise with his punches. Macias paid for the fast early pace and Ulysse dominated over the last three rounds to take the unanimous decision. All three judges scored it 97-93 for Ulysse. He lost an important fight against Ismael Barros in December 2019 but has rebounded with four wins. The only previous loss for Mexican Macias came in a fight against Kazakhstan’s Ray Seitzhanov in Kazakhstan in March in a fight for the WBC Youth belt. Claggett vs. Eniz Both landed well in an even first. Claggett’s harder punching particularly some savage uppercuts gave him the second round and put him in charge. He was setting a furious pace and Eniz was under pressure throughout the third. Eniz took a knee under heavy fire in the fourth and although he made it to his feet the fight was stopped shortly after. The hard puncher from Calgary Claggett has 23 wins by KO/TKO and stopped experienced Tony Luis in four rounds in August. Argentinian southpaw Eniz is capable of spring an occasion upset but not here. Johannesburg, South Africa: Welter: Jabulani Makhense (14-1) W PTS 12 Henriques Lando (7-4). Super Fly: Sikho Nqothole (16-2) W PTS 12 Denmark Quibido (12-1-1). Makhense vs. Lando Makhense dominates and take a wide unanimous decision. Makhense was able to score freely over the first two rounds as Lando attacked wildly at the start and was wide open. Lando outworked Makhense in the third but in the fourth and fifth again he was taking too many punches. Lando attacked hard and looked to have edged the sixth. There were plenty of fierce exchanges over seventh, eighth and ninth the better boxing gave Makhense the edge. The pace proved too hot for Lando and he faded over the closing rounds making Makhense a big winner on scores of 119-109, 118-110 and 117-111. He wins the vacant IBF Continental Africa belt. His only loss was a three round stoppage against Thulani Mbenge in June 2021. Angolan Lando is 2-4 in his last six fights. Nqothole vs. Quibido Important win for Nqothole as he outpoints Filipino Quibido in a fight for the vacant WBO Global belt. This was a tactical battle early which suited the better boxing of Nqothole. At 6’1” he towered over the 5’6” Quibido who was down in the second but it was ruled a slip. Nqothole out-jabbed Quibido in the fourth with a punch knocking the Filipino’s mouthguard flying. Nqothole was just too slick and too big for Quibido and dropped the Filipino in the fifth. Nqothole continued to boss the fight and put Quibido down again in the last round on the way to victory by scores of 120-106 twice and 119-107. Nqothole was knocked out in six rounds by Sabelo Ngebinyana for the South African title in 2019 but this is his fifth and most important win since then. First fight outside the Philippines for Quibido. October 28 Buenos Aires, Argentina: Welter: Jose Rosa (17-0) W PTS 10 Leandro Fonseca (14-1). Super Fly: Clara Lescurat (8-0) WPTS 10 Nayela Sanabia (11-5-1). Fly: Junior Zarate (18-4) WPTS 8 Carlos Bautista (10-7-1). Middle: Francisco Veron (10-0) W TKO 2 Franco Ledesma (3-2). Rosa vs. Fonseca Rosa overcomes a bad cut and an aggressive Fonseca to win a unanimous decision. With his hands down style southpaw Rosa boxed brilliantly over the first three rounds. He was ducking and weaving away from Fonseca’s punches and scoring with fast, accurate counters. Fonseca marched forward but the punches were coming too fast and from too many angles for him to get into the fight. In the fourth as their heads bumped together a bad cut opened over the right eye of Rosa. The cut bled for the rest of the fight. Rosa, 22, continued to outbox Fonseca over the fifth and sixth but from the seventh Rosa was standing and brawling and had a huge swelling under his right eye. Fonseca’s greater strength was starting to tell. He had started to close the gap but it was too wide and Rosa rallied to take the last round. Scores 96-94 twice and 97-93 for Rosa who retains the national title. Fonseca had won his last 13 contests Lescurat vs. Sanabia Lescurat switches from her normal skilful style and outfights Mexican Sanabia in defence of her WBA belt. Lescurat stood and traded more which may have thrown Sanabia off her game plan. Lescurat set a fast and furious pace and after a fairly even couple of rounds she out-landed Sanabia from there. Lescurat paid a price for her change of style. She was cut over her left eye and also had a swelling under the same eye but worked her way to a comprehensive win. Scores 99-91 twice and 98-92. First defence for the 34-year-old local. Sanabia is 1-5 in her last 6 fights. Zarate vs. Bautista Argentinian champion Zarate registers her fourth win in a row as he outpoints Mexican Bautista. Zarate used his speed and accurate counter punching against the all-out aggression from Bautista and when forced to stand and trade punches inside he had the better of the exchanges. Scores 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74 for Zarate. He competed at the World Championships and Pan American Games as well as fighting under the Argentinian Condors team at the World Series of Boxing. Six defeats in his last 7 bouts for Bautista. Veron vs. Ledesma Veron continues his march to the top with stoppage of Ledesma. Veron busted open Ledesma’s nose in the first before flooring him with a body punch in the second. Ledesma was able to get up but the fight was quickly stopped. Eighth win by KO/TKO for Veron who had finished his last three fights in the first round. Veron, 24, fought for Argentina at the Pan American Games and the World Championships then turned professional in 2020 before competing in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Rome, Italy: Super Welter: Mirko Natalizi (13-0) W RTD 5 Tony Dixon (13-4). Super Fly: Stephanie Silva (7-0) W PTS 10 Ewelina Pekalska (6-1). Super Welter: Francesco Russo (12-2) W TKO 8 Francesco Sarchioto (15-2). Heavy: Guido Vianello (10-0-1) W PTS 8 Jay McFarlane (13-7). Natalizi vs. Dixon Natalizi makes a successful defence of the WBC International Silver belt with win over Dixon. Both were looking to end this one early as they traded punches from the start. Natalizi had the better defence and was getting the better of the exchanges. A clash of heads in the second angered Natalizi and he responded by flooring Dixon and in the heat of the battle they both fought on after the bell. Natalizi was scoring with hurtful body punches over the third, fourth and fifth and a weakened Dixon did not come out for the sixth. First defence of the title for Natalizi and eighth victory inside the distance. Dixon had performed well in two previous fights in Italy only losing on a split decision against the then 17-0-1 Max Prodan and knocking out Francesco Russo in 63 seconds. Silva vs. Pekalska Silva retains the European female title with points win over Pole Pekalska. The 5’0 ½” Silva was conceding 3” in height against the former undefeated European flyweight champion but outboxed an aggressive Pekalska. Silva’s better skills blunted the attacks of Pekalska. Silva built a good lead but then faded at the end as Pekalska looked to have won the last two rounds. Scores 97-93 twice and 98-92 for Silva who was defending her European title for the first time. Russo vs. Sarchioto Russo stops Sarchioto to win the vacant Italian title. It was a fired-up Sarchioto who went ahead early in the clash of aggressive battlers but from the third Russo was the one bossing then fight with his superior power. Sarchioto managed to keep the rounds close but body punching from Russo took its toll. Russo seemed to take a breather in the sixth but he raked Sarchioto with punches in the seventh with Sarchioto coming apart. Russo continued to land heavily in the eighth until the towel came in from Sarchioto corner. Vital win for Russo after his first round loss to Tony Dixon in November. Sarchioto had a 14 bout winning streak going into this fight and was the favourite. Vianello vs. McFarlane Vianello,” The Gladiator”, returns to his home city of Rome for the first time as a pro and outpoints Scot McFarlane. After fending off an attack from McFarlane in the first Vianello, 6’6” was able to use his longer reach and better mobility to work on the outside against a slow and seriously overweight McFarlane (6’3” and 278lbs). McFarlane sparked again briefly having a good third round but other than that Vianello dominated the action but did not get the expected inside the distance win. Scores 80-72 twice and 79-73. First time the 2016 Olympian has won a decision as his other nine victories were by KO/TKO. He still has to reconvince after a disappointing draw against 5-2 Kingsley Ibeh in 2020. McFarlane, who boxed from the fourth with an injured right hand, weighed 200lbs for a fight in 2018 so it is no wonder he was slow. Tijuana, Mexico: Fly: Kenia Enriquez (25-1) W TKO 2 Nora Cardoza (16-10-2). Welter: Juan Ruiz (27-7,2ND) W Ricardo Salas (16-2). 
Enriquez vs. Cardoza Local fighter Enriquez celebrates her first fight in her home city for four years with the defeat of an over-matched fellow-Mexican Cardoza. Enriquez put Cardoza down with a body punch in the first and finished the fight with a right hook to the body in the second that again sent Cardoza to the canvas. Twelfth win in a row for the former WBC interim title holder. Cardoza, 39, has been unsuccessful in shots at the WBA and WBC Atomweight titles and WBA light fly. October 29 San Diego, CA, USA: Super Light: William Zepeda (27-0) W PTS 12 Joseph Diaz (32-3-1). Welter: Alexis Rocha (21-1) W PTS 10 Jesus Perez (24-4). Fly: Arely Mucino (32-3-2) W PTS 10 Leonela Yudica (18-1-3). Super 
Zepeda v. Diaz Zepeda outpoints Diaz in this battle of southpaws. Zepeda had lots of height and reach on his side but was not looking to stand off. He took the fight to Diaz forcing him on to the retreat with some stiff right jabs to head and body and following with straight lefts to the head. When Diaz tried to get on the front foot and swap punches Zepeda was piecing his guard with jabs and banging some spectacular uppercuts. Zepeda continued to dominate the action. Diaz’s output was low whereas Zepeda was stringing together six or seven punch broadsides. Diaz kept trying to stand up to Zepeda’s attacks and he seemed to rock Zepeda with a left in the sixth but the speed and accuracy of Zepeda’s punching soon had him back in control. Zepeda’s output dropped a little over the tenth and eleventh but he was strong again in the twelfth. Scores 119-109 twice and 118-110 for Zepeda who will be hoping forb a title shot next year. Diaz boxed a clever well-paced fight but the higher work rate, accuracy and power of Zepeda was more than he could handle. Rocha vs. Perez Rocha outpoints a game but limited Perez. Rocha had height and reach over Perez who just kept barrelling forward to work inside. Rocha continually caught the advancing Perez with wicked uppercuts but Perez just kept coming to land hooks to the body in close. Rocha was catching many of Perez’s punches on his arms but with Perez 4” smaller and fighting out of a crouch Rocha sometimes had difficulty landing with power. Both fired multi-punch combinations at times. Neither seemed unduly shaken but Rocha was the one landing cleaner and more often but he just could not stop that pesky Perez from marching forward. Scores 100-89, 100-90 and 99-91 for Rocha who gets his fifth win as he rebuilds after losing to Rashidi Ellis in 2020. Perez was having his first fight for almost three years. Mucino vs. Yudica Mucino wins the IBF female title with a split decision over title holder Yudica. There was a contrast in styles here which pitted the all-out aggression of Mucino against the cool precise boxing of Yudica. Mucino made the better start with Yudica hustled out of her comfort Zone and under heavy pressure. Mucino’s being caught with counters as she stormed forward and by the third there was already a growing swelling over her left eye in the third and another under the eye by the fifth. Mucino’s attacks had Yudica on the back foot as she landed cleanly to head and body. Yudica stood her ground in the ninth trading punches with Mucino but Mucino had more left in the bank and she swung the decision her way as she almost overwhelmed Yudica by volume rather than accuracy. Scorers 97-93 and 96-94 for Mucino and 96-94 for Yudica. Mucino extends her current winning run to eleven and adds yet another title to the long list of titles she has won during her career. Yudica was making the tenth defence of the title. Zakopane, Poland: Cruiser: Mateusz Masternak (47-5) W PTS 10 Jason Whateley (10-1). Cruiser: Krzys Wlodarczyk (61-4-1) W TKO 6 Cesar Reynosa (17-18-4). Super Middle: Leonard Carrillo (16-4) W KO 2 Mateusz Tryc (14-1). Cruiser: Adam Balski (17-2) W KO 1 Nicolas Holcapfel (12-10). Masternak vs. Whateley Masternak wins IBF eliminator with wide decision over Whateley. The tall Australian did well early snapping out his left jab which quickly had bruising then a cut under Masternak’s right eye. Gradually it was Masternak’s own jab that put him in control. Additionally, he was following his jab with bursts of punches from both hands whereas for Whateley it tended to be jab then long right and an occasionally body punch. Whateley was down in the seventh and given a count but it looked as though he was pushed over. Masternak applied more and more pressure and Whateley’s work rate dropped and at times it looked as though he might not last the distance. He was badly staggered in the ninth but he rallied each time and lasted the distance. Scores 119-108, 118-109 and 117-110 which looked a little harsh on Whateley. Despite a long and successful career Masternak has never had a shot at a real title (he lost in a fight for the interim WBA belt) and at 35 it could be now or never as he hopes he can face Jai Opetaia next year. Whately, rated No 10 by the IBF, had won nine of his ten victories by KO/TKO and had never been past eight rounds before and the additional experience of Masternak was an important factor. Wlodarczyk vs. Reynosa Former WBC title holder Wlodarczyk returns to the ring with a win. The smaller and more mobile Reynosa set Wlodarczyk some problems early with his speed and movement. It was Wlodarczyk’s first fight for eleven months so he took a while to get into the fight. Reynosa found plenty of gaps for his jab and sharp rights but lacked the power to hurt Wlodarczyk and by the fifth under the pressure from Wlodarczyk had slowed considerably. He was down twice in the sixth and then for a third time in the round from a brutal uppercut and although he again climbed to his feet the referee stopped the fight. Wlodarczyk has had plenty of problems out of the ring including a spell in jail but now he is aiming to chase the European title. Argentinian Reynosa has lost 5 of his last 6 fights. He started as a middleweight and was 199lbs for this fight. Carrillo vs. Tryc Colombian Carrillo scores stunning second round stoppage of unbeaten Tryc. Tryc seemed to be in control in the first applying plenty of pressure. Just ten seconds into the second Carrillo shook Tryc with a left and then connected with a booming left that sent Tryc down. He tried to rise but then tumbled over and the referee stopped the count. Spanish-based Carrillo, 33, had lost his last three fights but was a known puncher with 14 of his 15 wins having come by KO/TKO. Big setback for Tryc Balski vs. Holcapfel Balski ends this one in in just 109 seconds. After some prodding and poking Balski connected with a right tom the side of the head which put Holcapfel down. He beat then count but was floored again and just failed to beat the count. In his last fight in May Balski floored Alen Babic but in the end was clearly beaten on points. Slovakian Holcapfel has lost inside the distance eight times. Perhaps having put on 47lbs from when he first turned pro has something to do with that. Mexico City, Mexico: Super Bantam: Yamileth Mercado (20-3) W PTS 10 Mariana Juarez (55-12-4). In an all-Mexican battle Mercado makes a successful fourth defence of her WBC female title with a unanimous decision over legend Juarez. The hand speed and mobility of Mercado were crucial here. From the start Juarez applied lots of pressure but Mercado boxed cleverly on the back foot and used lots of lateral movement to avoid being trapped against the ropes. Juarez had managed to make some of the early rounds close but over the second half of the fight Mercado found the target regularly with left hooks and jarring rights and had Juarez in trouble a couple of times. They both fought hard to the end but the bruised face of Juarez told the story of the fight. Scores 97-93 twice and 98-92 for Mercado. She lost a wide decision against Amanda Serrano for the IBO, WBC and WBO featherweight titles in August last year but this is her second win in defence of her super bantam title since then. “Barbie” Juarez, 42, turned pro in May 1998 and is a former holder of WBC titles at flyweight and bantamweight but there has been no mention of the retirement word. Santa Fe, Argentina: Super Bantam: Rodrigo Ruiz (12-0) W PTS 10 Paul Hayo (17-2-2). South American champion Ruiz outclasses Ecuadorian champion Hayo. The visitor had a vastly inflated record and showed nothing apart from some resilience. Ruiz ruled the fight and had Hayo in deep trouble in the seventh. Hayo recovered and stayed the course finishing with a swelling by his right eye and a cut on his right cheek. Scores 100-90 on the three cards for Ruiz who wins the vacant IBF Latino belt. Hayo had won his last 15 bouts. Laval, France: Welter: Jordy Weiss (30-0) W PTS 10 Meriton Karaxha (29-7-3). In front of 3,000 of his home fans Weiss boxes his way to victory over a tough Karaxha. Weiss boxed conservatively taking no chances and swept the first five or six rounds. Although rocked a couple of times Karaxha marched forward throughout the fight but was continually caught by uppercuts from Weiss. Scores were 97-93 all for Weiss. He is a co-challenger for the vacant European title but after winning the vacant IBO Inter-Continental belt here he may try to land a shot at the IBO title instead. Belgian-based Karaxha had put together an 11-03 before on points against Abass Baraou in December. Veneria Reale, Italy: Light Heavy: Stefano Abatangelo (26-8-1) W TKO 10 Federico Gassani (10-2-1). Abatangelo wins the vacant Italian title with last round stoppage of fellow-oldie Gassani. The 40-year-old Abatangelo starts his third spell as national champion. Second inside the distance loss for 38-year-old Gassani. Coquimatlan, Mexico: Super Middle: Ronald Gavril (22-3) W RTD 6 W Jose Torres (35-15). Former WBC title challenger Gavril wins the vacant WBA Fedelatin with victory over Torres. It was a close fight but Torres did not come out for the seventh round citing a shoulder injury. Gavril, 36, lost twice on points-the first time on a split decision- against David Benavidez for the WBC title. Ninth loss inside the distance for 43-year-old Torres. General Santos City, Philippines: Reymart Gaballo (25-1) W TKO 2 Ricardo Sueno (11-7-4). 
Gaballo blows away Sueno in two rounds. Gaballo was much the bigger man and was hunting Sueno down in the first before dropping him with a left to the body. Sueno was up at nine and then circled the ring just trying to stay out of trouble. Sueno was down again in the second. He ducked under a right from Gaballo and it landed on the back of his head. He made it to his feet complaining about the punch. When the action restarted Sueno went down again. This time it was a low punch and he was given recovery time. Gaballo put Sueno down for a third time-this from a legal punch- and with Sueno’s corner waiving a towel the referee stopped the fight. First fight for Gaballo since a fourth round kayo loss against Nonito Donaire for the WBC title in December 2021. He gets win No 21 by KO/TKO and collects the vacant WBC Asian Council and WBO Oriental bantam titles. Third loss by KO/TKO for Sueno. Moscow, Russia: Cruiser: Aleksi Papin (15-1) W TKO 2 Damir Beljo (26-1). Papin gets his fourth successive inside the distance victory with stoppage of Bosnian Beljo. The visitor tried to take the fight to Papin who was on the back foot and countering. In the second round as Beljo came forward Papin met him with a short left hook to the head. Beljo staggered back on wobbly legs and Papin drove him to the ropes and bombarded him with punches. The referee jumped in quickly to stop the fight but it looked a very early stoppage. The 35-year-old Russian lost to current WBC title holder Ilunga Makabu for the WBC Siler belt in 2019 but is now No 1 with the WBC so looking to get a return in 2023. Beljo, 38, was having his first fight for over three years. Glendale, AZ, USA: Bantam: Alexandro Santago (27-3-5) W RTD 7 Antonio Nieves (20-4-2). Cruiser: Jake Paul (6-0) W PTS 8 Anderson Silva (3-2). Light: Ashton Sylve (8-0) W KO 1 Braulio Rodriguez (20-5). Santiago vs. Nieves When these two fought back in 2016 the result was a split draw but Santiago totally dominated the return. After a slow first round he came close to a knockdown in the second and just stepped up the pressure in each round. Nieves just could not get onto the front foot as Santiago constantly surged forward doing what useful work there was. The fight was too one-sided to be entertaining and Santiago’s attacks gradually weakened Nieves who stayed in his corner after the end of the seventh round. Santiago has lost only one of his last twenty-three fights and that was on a majority decision against Gary Antoine Russell. Nieves was beaten on a sixth round retirement by Naoya Inoue in a challenge for the WBO super fly title in 2018 Paul vs. Silva Difficult to take this seriously-I certainly don’t but Paul came from behind to outpoint Silva. Silva had built a good lead but Paul swept the last three rounds and scored a knockdown in the last to clinch the verdict. Scores 78-73 twice and 7774 for Paul. A guy whose five previous opponents had total records of 0-1 against a 47-year-old MMA opponent. If that floats your boat OK but it holds no interest for me so I have said all I have to say on it. Sylve vs. Rodriguez Teenager Sylve gets another quick finish. There was some early probing from both boxers until Rodriguez suddenly fired a burst of wild punches. Sylve countered with a blistering left hook that sent Rodriguez down. He took two attempts before getting up and then tumbled off balance into then ropes and the fight was stopped. All done and dusted inn just 61 seconds. All eight of Sylve’s wins have come by KO/TKO, four in the first round. Dominican Rodriguez had lasted five rounds against Ryan Garcia in 2018 so an impressive win for the 18-year-old prospect. Brooks, CA, USA: Welter: Alan Sanchez (22-5-1) W PTS 10 Saul Bustos (15-1-1,1ND). Sanchez continues to re-establish himself after losses and inactivity derailed his career. In a clash of lanky welterweights, he used his better skills to edge past unbeaten Bustos on a majority decision. The judges had it 97-93 and 96-94 for Sanchez and 95-95. First fight for 17 months for Sanchez and only his second fight in almost three years. He suffered consecutive inside the distance losses against Alexander Besputin and Daniyar Yeleussinov before his inactivity. First ten round fight for Bustos. Lowell, MA, USA: Super Middle: Yamaguchi Falcao (23-1) W PTS 10 Alex Theran (23-9). Super Light: William Silva (29-4) W RTD 2 Carlos Suarez (8-9-3). Falcao vs. Theran Falcao extends his winning streak to seven with comfortable victory over Theran. The Brazilian southpaw, the brother of rated contender Esquival Falcao, controlled the fight from the opening round. He had more power and more accuracy with fellow-southpaw Theran unable to pose any threat as Falcao won on wide scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92. Falcao, 34, was defending the WBC Latino and NABA belts. He won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics but his progress has been slow as a professional. Colombian Theran had beaten Falcao in the Pan American Championships in 2009 but this his fourth loss in a row. Silva vs. Suarez Silva’s body punches prove too much for Suarez. The taller Silva used his longer reach to force Suarez into retreat in the first round. He then drove Suarez around the ring in the second banging home some vicious body punches and a badly hurt Suarez did not come out for round three. First fight for Silva since a seventh round kayo loss against Cletus Silva in October last year. Fifth defeat in his last six fights for Suarez. Valencia, Spain: Middle: Jhon Obregon (11-0) W TKO 2 Fernando Jaquero (7-1). Super Welter: Giogio Marinelli (21-1-2) WPTS 6 Damian Bora (2-8-1). Obregon vs. Jaquero Better known as a boxer Obregon turner slugger to stop Jaquero to win the vacant Spanish title. Obregon took them opening round with some accurate work in side and then put Jaquero down with an array of punches in the second. Jaquero made it to his feet bur was being pounded by punches and the referee stepped-in and halted the fight. Fifth win by KO/TKO for the Colombian-born new champion. Jaquero was fighting in front of his home fans but was in over his head. Marinelli vs. Bora Italian Marinelli returned to the ring with a split decision over Argentinian Bora. Scores 59-55 twice for Marinelli and 59-55 for Bora. The 42-year-old from Rome was having his first fight for four years. Locally-based Bora suffers his third loss in a row. October 30 Richmond Hill, Canada: Heavy: German Garcia (8-4) W TKO 3 Junlong Zhang (19-1). An upset as a clash of heads sees Zhang unable to continue and Garcia declared the winner. Zhang, 40, was out for five years before returning with a win in May. Garcia had lost his last three fights. Fight of the week (Significance): Vasyl Lomachenko’s win over Jamaine Ortiz should see a fight with Devin Haney early next year for the four lightweight belts. Also Katie Taylor’s win over Karen Carbajal should lead to a return bout with Amanda Serrano. Fight of the week (Entertainment): Lomachenko vs. Ortiz just about gets the vote Fighter of the week: Both Lomachenko and Taylor good candidates but I go for Kiko Martinez a warrior through and through as he destroys Jordan Gill in four rounds to win the European title for the fifth time Punch of the week: Both the left from Leonardo Carrillo which finished Mateusz Tryc and the left from Gary Cully which separated Frenchman Jaouad Belmehdi from his sense were great punches Upset of the week: Carrillo was imported to lose-not win. Prospect watch: Eighteen-year-old lightweight Ashton Sylve 8-0 8 wins by KO/TKO looked good at the weekend Observations: Rosette to the ladies with sanctioning body and European title bouts to enjoy-all going the distance. Also, to the Golden Boy show in San Diego which was well matched. No Red Cards this week About the Author 
Born in Scotland, Eric Armit started working with Boxing News magazine in the UK in the late 1960’s initially doing records for their Boxing News Annual and compiling World, European and Commonwealth ratings for the magazine. He wrote his first feature article for Boxing News in 1973 and wrote a “World Scene” weekly column for the magazine from the late 1970’s until 2004. Armit wrote a monthly column for Boxing Digest in the USA and contributed pieces to magazines in Mexico, Italy, Australia, Spain, Argentina and other countries. Armit now writes a Weekly Report covering every major fight around the world and a bi-weekly Snips & Snipes column plus occasional general interest articles with these being taken up by boxing sites around the world. He was a member of the inaugural WBC Ratings Committee and a technical advisor to the EBU Ratings Committee and was consulted by John McCain’s research team when they were drafting the Ali Act. He is a Director and former Chairman of the Commonwealth Boxing Council. Armit has been nominated to the International Boxing Hall of Fame the past two years (2019 and 2020) to which he said, “Being on the list is an unbelievably huge honour.” Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eric Armit.  |
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