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The Past Week in Action 22 March 2021: Beterbiev Stops Deines; Okolie and Ortiz also register KO wins By Eric Armit PhilBoxing.com Tue, 23 Mar 2021  Beterbiev drops Deines. Highlights: -Artur Beterbiev halts Adam Deines in defence of the IBF and WBC light heavyweight titles -Lawrence Okolie knocks out Krzys Glowacki in six rounds to win the vacant WBO cruiserweight title -Vergil Ortiz stops Maurice Hooker in seven rounds -Lee McGregor stops Karim Guerfi in one round to win the European Bantamweight title and Maxi Hughes knocks out Paul Hyland to win the vacant British lightweight title -Oscar Rivas returns with a win in Quebec City -Alex Besputin, Angelo Riguccini, Chris Billam-Smith, Anthony Fowler and Denys Berinchyk record wins. World Title/Major Shows 20 March Moscow, Russia: Light Heavy: Artur Beterbiev (16-0) W TKO 10 Adam Deines (19-2-1). Welter: Alexander Besputin (14-0,1ND) W RTD 3 Viktor Plotnikov (33-10,1ND). Super Middle: Pavel Silyagin (7-0) W PTS 12 Azizbek Abdugofurov (13-1). Super Light: Khariton Agrba (5-0) W TKO 2 Helber Rojas (13-4-2). Super Welter: Ramzan Baysarov (12-1) W TKO 5 Michel Marcano (21-3-1). Light Heavy: Igor Mikhalkin (24-2) W TKO 4 Denis Tsaryuk (12-5). Beterbiev vs. Deines After an even start Beterbiev pounds a gutsy Deines to defeat in ten rounds. Round 1 Beterbiev was quicker with his jab and tried a couple of rights. Deines was short with his until late in the round when he connected with a couple of jabs and a long left. It might have given him the round but with seconds remaining Beterbiev caught Deines with a right. Deines at the same time threw a right of his own but was off balance from the punch from Beterbiev and went down on one knee. He was up quickly and the bell went. Score: 10-8 Beterbiev Round 2 Good round from Deines. He was on the back foot letting Beterbiev advance and then darting in with two or three punches and getting out before Beterbiev could respond. He stuck with those tactics and although Bererbiev upped his pace late in the round Deines took the round. Score: 10-9 Deines Beterbiev 19-18 Round 3 A close round. Beterbiev pressed hard and southpaw Deines was circling the perimeter of the ring and then firing a straight left or coming in behind his jab. Beterbiev landed a couple of rights but Deines had more success. Score: 10-9 Deines TIED 28-28 Round 4 Beterbiev upped the ante in this one. He was coming in behind a stiff jab and pounding Deines to the body. Deines’s offence had almost disappeared and Beterbiev landed some hurtful uppercuts. Score: 10-9 Beterbiev Beterbiev 38-37 
Beterbiev smacks Dienes with a right. Round 5 Beterbiev was now in control. Deines was firing occasional straight lefts but too often was pinned to the ropes or in a corner. He was just covering up and Beterbiev was digging shots to the body from both hands and connecting with straight rights and uppercuts. Score: 10-9 Beterbiev Beterbiev 48-46 Round 6 Now the fight was totally one-sided. Beterbiev was hounding Deines around the ring with Deines often just static against the ropes and letting Beterbiev choose his spots. Beterbiev was mixing his punches from head to body and there was very little coming back from Deines. Score: 10-9 Beterbiev Beterbiev 58-55 Round 7 Deines was livelier in this round coming forward throwing long lefts but two body punches from Beterbiev sent him back into his shell. Beterbiev was connecting with clubbing shots from both hands and Deines was slowing and tiring but hanging in there even if not doing much. Score: 10-9 Beterbiev Beterbiev 68-64 Round 8 A slower round. Beterbiev continued to force Deines back with short hooks and uppercuts with Deines firing straight lefts but his punches had no power. The clubbing shots from Beterbiev were breaking Deines down and it was just a question of how much punishment Deines was willing to take and how much the referee was willing to let him take. Score: 10-9 Beterbiev Beterbiev 78-73 Round 9 It was unrelenting punishment for Deines in this one. Beterbiev was dismantling the challenger punch by punch and the fight could have been stopped. Deines fired back just enough to stay in the fight but he was exhausted and taking brutal punishment. Score: 10-9 Beterbiev Beterbiev 88-72 Round 10 Beterbiev continued to land heavily until a short left hook detonated on Deines chin. He took a couple of step forward and then collapsed on his knees. He was up at seven but turned to his corner. They were waiving a towel but the referee motioned them away and then looked at Deines and stopped the fight. Beterbiev, 36, was defending the WBC and IBF titles and has yet to be taken the distance in any fight. He has said he would come down to super middle for a fight against Saul Alvarez but that is not on the cards. Sergey Kovalev has offered to fight Beterbiev but Beterbiev has shown no interest in that. The most likely fight is with the winner of Joe Smith vs. Maxim Vlasov for the vacant WBO title in Tulsa on 10 April which would unify three titles. There would be little interest in fights against WBC No 1 Jean Pascal or IBF No 1 Meng Fanlong. A fight with Dmitry Bivol the holder of the secondary WBA title would be an attraction but Bivol is due to defend his title against Craig Richards on 1 May and both the WBC and IBF will push for Beterbiev to meet his mandatory obligations. Russian-born German Deines,30 was competitive for a couple of rounds but after that his limitations were evident. The only fighter he has met who was even remotely near the ratings was Meng Fanlong and he lost that by wide margins on all three cards so he will struggle to get another title shot. Besputin vs. Plotnikov Besputin eases his way back with victory over Plotnikov. Besputin was scoring often and heavily in the first with Plotnikov just soaking up punishment. Besputin upped his pace and continued his onslaught over the second and third and Plotnikov decided not to come out for the fourth. First fight for Besputin since decisioning Radzhab Butaev for the vacant secondary WBA title in November 2019 only to be stripped of the title after testing positive for a banned substance. Eight losses in a row for 42-year-old Ukrainian Plotnikov who came in as a late replacement. Silyagin vs. Abdugofurov Very impressive performance from Silyagin as he outclasses Abdugofurov. Silyagin used his long reach to constantly score at distance and showed real power in his straight rights. He worked equally well to head and body with Abdugofurov never really able to pose a threat as Silyagin used clever movement to change angles and score with heavy shots. Abdugofurov had no plan to deal with Silyagin’s jabs and too often just resorted to lunging attacks which Silyagin was able to avoid or counter as he controlled the fight all the way. Scores 120-108 twice and 119-110.The 27-year-old Russian wins the WBC Silver title and could make an impact in the division. Uzbek Abdugofurov was making the first defence of the Silver title. Agrba vs. Rojas Highly-touted puncher Agrba sweeps aside Venezuelan Rojas in two rounds. Agrba just punched too hard for Rojas. He got past the jab of the taller Venezuelan and was bombarding him with booming shots from both hands. Rojas tried to punch with Agrba but was beaten down. The end came in the second with Rojas stuck in a corner with Agrba pounding him with heavy punches forcing the referee to step in and stop the massacre. The 26-year-old Georgian-born Russian southpaw has real power. Rojas has a heavily padded record with 11 of the men he has beaten never having won a fight. Baysarov vs. Marcano Baysarov wins the vacant WBC CIS and Slovak title with stoppage of Marcano. Fifth win for the 31-year-old Russian as he recovers from an upset points loss to Mexican veteran Silverio Ortiz back in 2017 after which he was inactive in 2018. As with Rojas Venezuelan Marcano’s record is an illustration of the level of matching in that country with the 21 fighters he has beaten having accumulating only 10 wins between them. Mikhalkin vs. Tsaryuk First fight for twenty months for Mikhalkin and only his second in over two years as gets rid of some rust and Tsaryuk in four rounds. Tsaryuk was the aggressor over the first two rounds but Mikhalkin was only settling in and sharpening his timing. In the third he floored Tsaryuk with a body shot and then in the fourth bombarded Tsaryuk with punches to force the stoppage. Mikhalkin, a former undefeated EBU and IBO champion, scored three wins over Beterbiev in the amateurs but was stopped in seven rounds by Sergey Kovalev when he challenged for the WBO title in 2018. Southpaw Tsaryuk has gone from 12-0 to five consecutive losses four by KO/TKO. Secunda, South Africa: Super Light: Xolisani Ndongeni (27-2 W TKO 10 Byson Gwayana (11-7). Ndongeni used a fast stiff jab to control the action in this one. Early in the third he put Gwayana down with a left and a right. Gwayana had to take more heavy rights but he was still there at the bell. Ndongeni continued to boss the action. His jab was too strong for Gwayana to get on the front foot very much and Ndongeni was really loading up on his rights. When Gwayana did come forward Ndongeni covered well and countered with rights. A booming right sent Gwayana crashing to the canvas in the eighth and although he made it to his feet he was unsteady and the bell came just in time for him. Ndongeni just kept throwing rights in the ninth and with Gwayana not fighting back the referee halted the fight. Ndongeni won 25 straight before being outpointed by Devin Haney in January 2019 but in a big shock was knocked out by Prince Dlomo last October. He has a rebuilding job on his hands after that loss but this is a first step in that directing. Malawian Gwayana falls to 2-5 in his last 7. London, England: Cruiser: Lawrence Okolie (16-0) W KO 6 Krzys Glowacki (31-3). Cruiser: Chris Billam-Smith (12-1) W PTS 10 Vasil Ducar (9-4-1). Super Welter: Anthony Fowler(14-1) W KO 3 Jorge Fortea (21-3-1). Super Feather: Joe Cordina (12-0) W PTS 10 Faroukh Kourbanov (17-3). 
Okolie connects with a jab at Glowacki. Okolie vs. Glowacki Okolie outclasses and kayo’s a disappointing Glowacki in six rounds to win the vacant WBIO title. Round 1 Okolie was using his 6’5” height and longer reach to keep Glowacki on the end of his jab. Glowacki was padding forward but waiting too long to throw a punch and Okolie was threading jabs through the Poles defence and scoring with quick rights. It was good to see the referee give Glowacki a stern telling off for punches to the back of Okolie’s head. Score: 10-9 Okolie Round 2 Okolie stuck with what was working for him. He kept Glowacki on the end of his jab getting past Glowacki’s guard and throwing single rights and moving. Glowacki was too slow to cut the ring off and when he did get inside Okolie tied him up. Glowacki was warned for an attempted butt. Score: 10-9 Okolie Okolie 20-18 Round 3 Okolie continued to fight on the back foot. He kept his jab in Glowacki’s face sometimes flicking the jab and on others ramming it home and then landing single rights. Glowacki was unable to get past the jab and again was not pressing hard enough or cutting off the ring Score: 10-9 Okolie Okolie 30-27 Round 4 The fight changed in this round. After scoring with jabs early Okolie began to follow his rights with left hooks. His confidence was high and he started to take the fight to Glowacki connecting with a series of rights that had Glowacki under pressure. So far Glowacki had hardly landed a punch and was warned again for a punch to the back of Okolie’s head. Score: 10-9 Okolie Okolie 40-36 Round 5 Okolie boxed his way through this one. It was almost exclusively jabs with only the occasional right. Glowacki was too slow again to cut off the ring and just soaked up the jabs and a cut was opened over the right eye of the Pole who threw a punch after the bell. Score: 10-9 Okolie 50-45 Round 6 After landing some jabs Okolie unleashed a straight right that dropped Glowacki on his back, He made it to his feet at nine but turned away from the referee and the fight was stopped. Commanding performance by the 28-year-old from Hackney with his thirteenth win by KO/TKO. On paper former champion Glowacki was a big step up in quality of opposition for Okolie but Glowacki showed nothing. There are not that many good fights to be had at cruiser although the winner of the eliminator between Thabiso Mchunu and Evgeny Tischenko would be a better test than Glowacki. The 34-year-old Pole looked very shop-worn. He had been stopped in three rounds by Mairis Breidis for the WBO title in June 2019 in what was also a WBSS semi-final. A return was ordered by the WBO due to a knockdown scored by Breidis using his elbow. The WBO ordered a return then stripped Breidis when instead he fought Yunier Dorticos in the final of the WBSS. Perhaps 21 months of inactivity has caused a deterioration in Glowacki but we won’t know until he fights again. Billam-Smith vs. Ducar Billam-Smith given some valuable ring time by Czech Ducar. Billam-Smith took a couple of rounds to settle with Ducar hustling him hard. From the third Billam-Smith began to find his range and he put Ducar down with a right in the fourth. Ducar continued to press in the fifth but Billam-Smith found the target with a body punch in the sixth and Ducar was forced to take a count. The Czech did not crumble and gave Billam-Smith some rough moments testing his chin a couple of times but Billam-Smith controlled the action on his way to a wide unanimous decision. Scores 99-90 twice and 97-92 Commonwealth champion Billam-Smith added the WBA Continental title to his collection with this victory. Former IBO title challenger Ducar did well to last the distance after that knockdown in the sixth. Fowler vs. Fortea Fowler blast out Fortea in three. Fowler quickly had Fortea on the back foot and under fire. He was landing long shots to the body and overhand rights with Forties only showing any aggression late in the round. In the second Fortea stood and exchanged punches more. Both connected with hard rights but Fowler was putting his punches together and again Fortea spent much of the tome on the retreat. In the third Fowler controlled the action with his jab and late in the round he connected with a left hook that sent Fortea down on his rump. Fortea was up at eight but when the action started again a right to the head sent him stumbling across the rings and down on his back resting against the ropes and he was unable to get up before the referee counted to ten. Fowler was defending the WBA International title for the first time and showed the power that has given him eleven quick wins. Fortea had won 8 of his last 9 fights and in the losing bout in that run had gone twelve rounds with IBF No 1 Bakhram Murtazaliev so a good performance from Fowler. Cordina vs. Kourbanov Cordina gets majority decision over Kourbanov over ten fast-paced rounds. Cordina looked sharp in his first fight for a year initially being too quick for the less skilled Kourbanov. Cordina landed some flashy combinations at the start of the second and third but Kourbanov came right back at him with some well-timed punches of his own. Kourbanov really started to roll in the middle rounds. He was walking through Cordina’s punches which seemed to lack their usual snap and was able to press hard and score well to the body. He had a good sixth banging away to Cordina’s body with Cordina signalling for Kourbanov to bring it on but not scoring much himself. Cordina began to get the better of the exchanges from the seventh although fighting inside too much but Kourbanov had enough success to make the closing rounds tight. Scores 98-93 and 96-95 for Cordina and 96-96. A tougher fight than wanted or expected but for me he was a clear winner. The British and Commonwealth champion he is rated WBA 13/IBF 15(14) and will be looking to improve his rating this year in a tough division. Kyrgyzstan-born Belgian Kourbanov is a former European Union champion and his two earlier losses have come against quality opposition in Devis Boschiero for the EU title and Samir Zani for the European and he gave Cordina a real test here. Fort Worth, TX, USA: Welter: Vergil Ortiz (17-0) W TKO 7 Maurice Hooker (27-2-3). Super Light: Alex Martin (16-3) W PTS 10 Luis Alberto Hernandez (21-1). Super Light: Marcelino Nicolas Lopez (37-2-1) W KO 5 Jairo Lopez (27-12). Super Light: George Rincon (11-0 W PTS 8 Luis Solis (25-12-4). 
Ortiz drops Hooker. Ortiz vs. Hooker Ortiz breaks down, floors and halts Hooker although the finish is brought about by an injury to Hooker. In the first Ortiz was bobbing and weaving coming forward behind a high guard and getting past Hooker’s jabs to score with straight rights and hooks from both hands. Hooker was catching Ortiz with counters on the way in but not able to keep him out and Ortiz was landing scorching hooks to the body. Ortiz kept up the pressure in the second. He was focusing hard on the body again ramming home punches downstairs. Hooker was finding the target with his jabs and hooks and landing more than Ortiz but the power was coming from Ortiz and he shook Hooker with a right just before the bell. Hooker upped his pace over the third and fourth as he shed the rust from fifteen months out of the ring. He was raking Ortiz with jabs and landing sharp counters stopping Ortiz in his tracks with a right in the fourth but with Ortiz getting through with left hooks to the body. Ortiz was ferocious in the fifth. He had Hooker backing up under a relentless body attack. Hooker countered occasionally but then the body punches from Ortiz would have him retreating again. In the sixth a left to the body and a right to the head had Hooker backing off across the ring to a corner and two rights to the head put him down on his hands and knees. When he then rolled over to a sitting position it looked as though he was not going to get up but he arose at seven and then chose to stand and exchange punches for the ten seconds left in the round. As they swopped punches in the seventh a left from Ortiz landed and Hooker turned away from the action and went down on a knee clutching his right wrist. He indicated to the referee he could not continue so the referee stopped the count and waived the fight over. Ortiz wins the vacant WBO International title and makes it 17 wins by KO/TKO in 17 fights. I guess his WBA gold belt might also have been on the line but who cares. Hooker gave the 22-year-old Texan a good test in an entertaining fight becoming only the second fighter to take Ortiz past the sixth round. He has wins over Mauricio Herrera, Antonio Orozco, Brad Solomon and Samuel Vargas and by 2020 could be ready for Terence Crawford or Errol Spence. Former WBO champion Hooker certainly had the skill but not the power to match Ortiz. His only other loss was a sixth round stoppage against Jose Carlos Ramirez in July 2019 in a match to unify the WBC and WBO title. He can still be a factor at super light or welter. Martin vs. Hernandez With a sparkling display of skill Martin dazzles Hernandez and takes away his unbeaten tag. Hernandez spent most of the evening trying vainly to hunt Martin down. The Illinois southpaw boxed cleverly on the back foot sliding away from Hernandez’s efforts to trap him and threading jabs through Hernandez’s guard and banging home some heavy punches of his own. Hernandez had no back-up plan and even when he started to have some success in closing Martin down over the late rounds Martin stood and interchanged punches and was more than a match for Hernandez and won widely. Scores 100-90 twice and 99-91 for Martin. He lost three hard fights in 2017 and was inactive in 2018 before scoring one win in 2019 and one last year so there was nothing in his record to make him a big risk for Hernandez particularly as Hernandez’s last three wins had been scored over fighters with combined records of 55-4. At 24 Hernandez has time to rebound. Lopez (Marcelino) vs. Lopez (Jairo)) Argentinian Lopez (m) batters Mexican Lopez (j) to defeat but Lopez (j) was as gutsy as hell and never stopped fighting. Lopez (m) was hunting Lopez (j) down and floored Lopez (J) in each of the first two rounds but with Lopez (j) getting up each time and fighting back fiercely. As they swopped punches in the third a right had Lopez (j) hurt and he again went down on one knee. He beat the count but was down again but this time from a punch to the back of the neck so no count. He was down again in the fourth and given a count although it looked like a push/slip. An uppercut and a left hook in the fifth sent Lopez (j) down to his knees and this time he indicated he was finished and the referee tolled out the ten. The power of his punches saw the Argentinian at 29-0-1 at the start of his career and he showed his power with a second round kayo of Pablo Cano in 2017.He has won 8 of his last 9 fights by KO/TKO. Mexican Lopez was stopped in two rounds by Luke Campbell but had won his last three fights. Rincon vs. Solis Although Rincon was giving away height and reach he was quicker than Solis and had the harder punch. He was getting under the jabs from Soils and scoring with southpaw lefts inside. Solis showed very little in the way of offence just pushing out a weak jab and throwing a straight right now and then. A right to the head knocked Solis off balance in the sixth and he touched the canvas with his knee and a glove and was given a count. By the seventh a swelling under the left eye of Solis was hampering his vision but he was passed as able to continue by the doctor and lasted out to the final bell. Scores 80-71 twice and 79-72 for Rincon. Texan Rincon is a former US Under-19 and National Golden Gloves champion. Mexican Solis had lost 3 out of 4 but he had been put into tough matches against Antonio Barboza, Kerman Lejarraga and Antonio Moran. 16 March Quebec City, Quebec: Heavy: Oscar Rivas (27-1) W RTD 3 Sylvain Louis (8-6).Super Middle: Patrice Volny (16-0) W TKO 5 Janks Trotter (10-6-2). Welter: Sebastien Bouchard (19-2 W PTS 6 Mario Perez (20-8-5). Rivas vs. Louis Rivas blows away Louis in three rounds. Rivas shook the lanky Louis with an overhand right in the first and it was obvious Louis could not handle the Colombian’s power. A right sent Louis into the ropes which held him up but he bounced back so quickly the referee did not give him a count. Rivas continued to hunt Louis down in the second and floored him with a right to the chest. Louis was up before the count was completed and fired back. Rivas scored heavily with left hooks in the third and at the end of the round Louis retired complaining of trouble breathing. First fight for the 33-year-old Rivas since losing on points to Dillian Whyte in July 2019. He is now aiming to go on and fight Kevin Lerena to become the first holder of the new Bridgerweight title. Former Canadian cruiser champion Louis had taken Rivas to a split decision back in 2012 but in his last fight in September 2016 was knocked out in nine rounds by Denton Daley for the Canadian and Commonwealth cruiser titles. Volny vs. Trotter Another return match and another predictable outcome as Volny stops veteran Trotter in five. Really just a bit of rust shedding for Volny. A tubby Trotter just marched forward into Volny’s punches taking punishment . Volny was firing rapid combinations from both hands and then lying back and letting Trotter flail punches as Volny wanted some ring time. Volny staggered Trotter at the end of the first round and floored him in the second. Trotter bravely marched forward over the third and fourth but was floored twice in the fifth and the referee stopped the fight. Volny, 31, got in some rounds of work as he now waits to find out when he will clash with Patrick Wojcicki in an eliminator to find an opponent for IBF champion Gennady Golovkin. He looks a useful fighter but neither Wojcicki nor Volny have ever faced or beaten a rated fighter but that is boxing today. First fight for Trotter,37, since May 2018-when he was stopped in one round by Volny. Bouchard vs. Perez On his return from injury Bouchard shows he has recovered with a points win over useful Perez. He outboxed a willing but at times crude Perez but it was just the sort of fight Bouchard needed as he had to work hard for his win. Scores 60-54, 59-56 and 58-56 for Bouchard. His last fight was in November 2019 against Ayaz Hussain for the Canadian title when he tore the distal tendon in his left biceps and had to retire in the fourth round. Mexican Perez is a popular visitor to Canada being 4-3-3 in his ten fight there. 17 March General Santos City, Philippines: Bantam: Froilan Saludar (32-4-1) W PTS 8 Reymark Taday (10-14-1). Super Bantam: Jack Bornea (14-3-1) TEC DRAW 4 Nicardo Calamba (9-32-5). Light: Hermonito Dela Torre (22-3) W KO 1 Renan Portes (10-14).Light: Rimar Metuda (15-6-1) W KO 3 Eden Sonsona (36-13-2). Saludar vs. Taday Saludar wins every round against poor Taday. It was really not much more than sparring for Saludar. He was able to score with ease through Taday’s wide open defence. Saludar never looked to get above second gear and occasionally just stood against the ropes and let Taday whale away before swinging off the ropes and catching Taday with a good selection of punches. Taday was limited and crude and never threatened to win a round. “Sniper” Saludar, lost to Sho Kimura in a WBO flyweight title challenge in 2018. Taday drops to 1-9 in his last 10 fights. Borneo vs. Calamba Local fighter Borneo has to settle for a technical draw against Calamba. Borneo dominated the action with some good body punches. Southpaw Calamba was competitive but could not keep his balance and kept slipping on the canvas. A clash of heads in the third opened a cut over Calamba’s left eye. The referee stopped the fight in the fourth and after considerable confusion it was ruled Calamba could not continue and it was declared a technical draw as the fourth round had not been completed. Borneo was on his way to a win and as he was having his first fight since October 2018 he really needed more ruing time. He is the twin brother of unbeaten IBF No 8 Jade. Calamba has won only one of his last nine contests. Dela Torre vs. Portes Dela Torre brushes aside continual loser Portes. Dela Torre hounded Portes around the ring until dropping him with a right to the head with Portes being counted out. Big things were predicted for Dela Torre when he won his first 19 fights but after flooring Mongolian Tugstsogt Nyambayar he found Nyambayar too strong and was outpointed. Two inside the distance losses in his next three fights blew him off course and he gets his second win in his recovery process. Nine consecutive losses for Portes Metuda vs. Sonsona Metuda shoves veteran Sonsona further down the slope with third round kayo. Metuda beat on a retreating shadow of a boxer in Sonsona. Once a world rated fighter Sonsona was a hapless loser here. Metuda pressured Sonsona over the first two rounds before putting him down with two body punches in the third. To make things look worse Sonsona climbed to his feet the moment the count was completed. Metuda, a southpaw like Sonsona, does well in domestic action but is 0-5-1 on foreign soil. Sonsona, a former WBC International and Philippines champion, won 17 of his first 18 fights and lost in a challenge against Silence Mabuza for the IBO bantam title. Having been 110lbs for his first pro fight he was 145lbs for this one his seventh consecutive defeat. 18 March Salinas, Puerto Rico: Super Fly: Jose Martinez (21-1-3) DREW 10 Israel Gonzalez (26-4-1). Light: Angel Fierro (18-1-1) W KO 6 Alberto Machado (22-3). Super Fly: Angel Acosta (22-2) W PTS 8 Gilberto Mendoza (17-10-3). Welter: Jose Roman (11-0) W PTS 8 Roque Agustin Junco (10-8-1). Martinez vs. Gonzalez Martinez and Gonzalez end all even after ten entertaining rounds. Mexican Gonzalez managed to make his longer reach and better skills tell over the first three rounds. Martinez was rumbling forward looking to work inside but good defensive movement and counters gave Gonzalez the edge. From the fourth to the sixth Martinez broke through with Gonzalez under heavy pressure and holding to stay in the fight. The seventh was close and they fought hard through the last three rounds. Martinez has no reverse gear and Gonzalez was forced to stand and trade and he seemed to have just done enough to edge it but a draw was a fair result. Scores 96-94 Gonzalez and 95-95 twice. Although the younger man at 24 Gonzalez had more depth in his experience having lost in world title shots against Jerwin Ancajas for the IBF super fly title on a tenth round stoppage and on points against both Khalid Yafai and Roman Gonzalez for the WBA title. Martinez, 28, had been 20-0-2 until being knocked out in two rounds by Aston Palicte in January 2019 bur had rebounded with a stoppage of Yeison Vargas in February last year. Fierro vs. Machado Mexican Fierro gets off the canvas twice to break down and kayo former WBA super feather title holder Machado in six rounds. Machado made a great start. He dropped Fierro with a right hook in the first and then dropped with the same punch in the second. Machado dominated the third but Fierro started to roll in the fourth. He was rocked by another right hook but for most of the round he was taking the fight to Machado and scoring with hard shots to the body. Fierro continued to land heavily in the fifth and Machado was coming apart. In the sixth Fierro shook Machado with a couple of punches and then landed a ferocious left that put Machado down and he failed to beat the count. Huge win for the 22-year-ol Fierro and his fifteenth inside the distance finish. He had lost to Alex Martin in January last year and Machado was another couple of levels above Martin. He had been preparing for a fight in Tijuana but took this fight at two week’s notice when Hector Tanajara fell ill. His dance of delight was a sight to see. Machado, 30, had lost his secondary WBA title in 2019 against Andrew Cancio and then been knocked out in three rounds in a return match. He was rated WBO 12/WBA 13 but three inside the distance defeats in his last four fights puts his career under question. Acosta vs. Mendoza Former WBO light fly title holder Acosta sheds some dust with points win over Mendoza. In his first fight since October 2019 over the early rounds Acosta was off with his timing and accuracy but he slowly got into the groove. He floored Mendoza with a left in the seventh and tried hard to put Mendoza away in the last but Mendoza made it to the bell. All three judges had Acosta winning 79-72. The Puerto Rican is No 1 flyweight with the WBO will now be looking to get a date for his challenge to title holder Junto Nakatani. Californian Mendoza gets his second loss in a row. Roman vs. Junco The 6’2” (188cm) Roman was never really troubled as he eased to victory over 5’8” (173cm) Junco. Roman was able to keep the fight at distance and connected with some solid counters as Junco tried to fight his way inside. Roman won every round and in the last Junco was dumped into the ropes by a right but the referee ruled it a slip. Scores 80-72 twice and 80-71 as that judge decided it was a knockdown. Roman was a regular member of the Puerto Rican amateur team but missed out on the big competitions. Three losses in his last four fights for Argentinian Junco Mexicali, Mexico: Super Feather: Luis Alberto Lopez (22-2) W KO 1 Mauro Loreto (20-13-2). Light Fly: Juan Garcia (9-0-2) DREW 10 Moises Caro (8-0-2). Lopez vs. Loreto Lopez destroys over matched Loreto in the first. Loreto looked lively to start with trying to take the fight to Lopez with plenty of movement. That stopped when Lopez connected with a blistering left hook to the body. Loreto crawled around the canvas trying to get up but failed. Local fighter Lopez suffered his only defeat on points against then unbeaten Ruben Villa in May 2019 with Villa going on to lose a close decision to Emanuel Navarrete for the vacant WBO feather title a year later. Lopez bounced back with a stoppage of 18-0 Cristian Baez and a split verdict over 23-1-1 Andy Vences. Loreto is a disappointing 2-8 in his last ten fights with six of those loses by KO/TKO. Garcia vs. Caro Two unbeaten records at risk here as Garcia and Caro got together for the second time but after ten rounds of good action both remain undefeated. Scores 97-93 Garcia, 96-94 Caro and 95-95. Both are in their early twenties and both were in their first ten round fight having fought a draw over six rounds in June 2019. They will go their separate ways now. 19 March Granadero Balgorria, Argentina: Light Heavy: Brian Nahuel Suarez (14-0) W TKO 1 Jesus Aviles (9-4). Heavy-handed Suarez demolishes Aviles inside a round. Suarez was tracking Aviles and connected with a right that caused Aviles to dip at the knees and stagger back to the ropes. Suarez then batter him with lefts and rights to the head until the referee jumped in to save Aviles. Argentinian light heavyweight champion Suarez collects the WBA Fedebol title at light heavyweight having won the Fedebol cruiserweight title in December. He has won 13 of his 14 fights by KO/TKO. Peruvian Aviles in way over his head and is 1-4 in his last 5 fights. Bruchsal, Germany: Light Heavy: Benjamin Gavazi (13-1) W TKO 7 Vasilij Sarbayev (15-9-1). Super Middle: Dimitar Tilev (13-0) W TKO 4 Roman Hardok (7-3). Heavy: Marko Radonjic (22-0) W TKO 1 Ozcan Cetinkaya (31-22-2). Gavazi vs. Sarbayev Gavazi wins the vacant German title with inside the distance victory over Sarbayev. Gavazi was in control from the first round. He worked well snapping out his jab and scoring with straight rights. Sarbayev struggled to get in the fight and with his left eye almost closed slowly began to crumble. A right from Gavazi put Sarbayev on the floor in the sixth and although he beat the count and made it out of the round he was effectively finished. In the seventh Gavazi continued to pound on Sarbayev and with the German-based Kazak’s eye closed and blood dripping from what looked like a broken nose the fight was halted. After losing his first pro fight “The Hornet” extends his winning streak to thirteen, Sarbayev was 4-1 going in but took a battering here. Tilev vs. Hardok In another German title fight Tilev comes out on top against Russian-born Hardok with a fourth round stoppage. Tilev’s opposition has been mediocre at best but it is too soon to be pushing him. Second title shot for Hardok. Radonjic vs. Cetinkaya All over in 91 seconds as Radonjic continues his campaign against the “can’t fight a lick” club” The Montenegrin has won 22 of his fights by KO/TKO but it will come as a shock to him if he is ever matched with someone with even a modicum of talent. Late stand-in Cetinkaya, 42, has lost 16 times by KO/TKO but is a step up from Radonjic’s other opponents. Bardez, India: Super Middle: Artysh Lopsan (5-1-1) W TKO 5 Vijender Singh (12-1). Russian Lopsan upsets the odds with stoppage of Indian star Singh. The 6’4” Lopsan boxed well at distance in the first but Singh upped his pace in the second and connected with a right to the head that sent Lopsan down. Lopsan bounced straight up and then put Singh under heavy pressure in the third. The fourth saw Singh already exhausted and floored three times. Singh tried to trade punches with Lopsan in the fifth but a left to then head stunned him and a left hook sent him down. Singh sat out most of the count on his knees and when he did get up he indicated to the referee he was finished to save the referee having to make the decision. There was nothing in his record that made Lopsan look a risky fight as apart from Pavel Silyagin who stopped him the rest of his opponents had been substandard but because of Singh’s name he will probably get a couple of good pay days. Singh has made a mess of his career. The 2008 Olympic bronze medal winner had beaten Badou Jack, Rona Gavril and Terrell Gausha in the amateurs but he made some bad decisions as a pro and although he is committed to continuing at 35 he will struggle. Asti, Italy: Middle: Etinosa Oliha (14-0) W TKO 2 Bogdan Malinovic (3-1). Oliha steam rollers poor Malinovic. Oliha raked Malinovic with punches in the first before flooring him with a body punch at the end of the round. The bell saved Malinovic but Oliha knocked him over twice more in the second and the referee halted the match. Sixth inside the distance victory for 22-year-old Italian champion Oliha. He was to have defended the national title against Francesco Lezzi but the promoter had to pull Lezzi out. Although Lezzi had scored a win over French hope Milan Prat on 28 February it was on a disqualification after Lezzi was unable to continue after being hit with a rabbit punch leading to him being given a safety suspension for 28 days so 18-year-old Malinovic came in at late notice. Guasave, Mexico: Alessandro Riguccini (26-0) W TKO 2 Johan Perez (26-8-2). Fly: Imanol Lopez (13-0) W RTD Rigoberto Osorio (5-2-1). Super Light: Rodolfo Orozco (28-2-3) W TKO 5 Paul Salcido (15-5). Riguccini vs. Perez Unbeaten Italian Riguccini marches on with win over Perez. The Mexican-based Italian pressed hard in the first finding Perez an elusive target but he began to get thought late in the round. In the second Riguccini moved in and connected with a wicked left hook to Perez’s ribs. Perez dropped to his hands and knees in pain and was unable to get up. Fifteenth inside the distance finish in a row for Riguccini and his twenty-second in total. He retains the WBC interim Silver title. He is rated No 26 by the WBC but not rated by any of the other bodies. Perez, a former WBA interim super light title holder, has fallen into the habit of losing every testing fight dropping his interim title in 2014.. Lopez vs. Osorio Local prospect Lopez was moving up to ten rounds here but did not need to go that for as Orozco retired. Eighth time Lopez had ended his fight early. Osorio just not up to the standard for an opponent such as Lopez. Orozco vs. Salcido Orosco bludgeons Salcido to defeat. The hard-punching Orozco put Salcido down in the fourth and twice more in the fifth before the referee saves Salcido. Orozco, 21, gets his eight short route victory in his last ten fights. Third time Salcido has dropped out early Szklarska Poreba, Poland: Robert Parzeczewski (26-1) W PTS 8 Facundo Nicolas Galovar (10-6-2). Super Middle: Patryk Szymanski (21-4) W TKO 5 Daniel Bocianski (10-1). Parzeczewski vs. Galovar “Arab” Parzeczewski boxes his way to victory over competitive Argentinian Galovar. Parzeczewski had his jab working well from the start and showed some good movement to frustrate Galovar’s aggression. Galovar was occasionally dangerous but a right hook had him dazed in the sixth and the bell saved him from defeat. Galovar ended the fight strongly but Parzeczewski was never really threatened. Scores 80-72 twice and 78-74 for Parzeczewski. After an early loss Parzeczewski put together a run of 17 wins including victories over Dariusz Sek and Dmitry Chudinov but in September last year was stopped in two rounds by 21-1-1 Sherzod Khusanov. Spanish-based Galovar had fought a creditable draw with 14-1 Yoann Kongolo in Berne in his last fight in December 2019. Szymanski vs. Bocianski After four losses in his last five fights Szymanski keeps his career alive with stoppage of tall fellow-Pole Bocianski. Szymanski dominated the action in the first being quicker and putting his punches together better than the 6’3” Bocianski. He was winning the exchanges in the second when just before the bell a right uppercut from Bocianski had Szymanski’s legs quivering and he was lucky the bell went before Bocianski could land another punch. The pace slowed in the third and Szymanski rocked Bocianski with rights to the head in the fourth. Bocianski was using his longer reach to score in the fifth when Szymanski connected with a right uppercut. Bocianski floundered across the ring on spaghetti legs and although he did not go down the referee right stopped th4e fight. Szymanski went 19-0 at the beginning of his career so he badly needed to stop his slump. Bocianski’s height and reach are his string points but he has no power. Bolton, England: Bantam: Lee McGregor (10-0) W TKO 1 Karim Guerfi (29-5,1ND). Light: Maxi Hughes (23-5-2) W TKO 8 Paul Hyland Jr (20-3). Super Bantam: Shabaz Masoud (8-0) W TKO 4 Louis Norman (14-9-1). 
McGregor and Guerfi at the weighin. McGregor vs. Guerfi McGregor obliterates champion Guerfi to win the European title. McGregor made his intentions clear driving home a right hook to the body before the sound of the bell had faded. Guerfi fired back with a right but McGregor drove him to the ropes and again landed a right to the body. They traded punches but with less than á minute gone a left to the body had Guerfi turning away and dropping to his knees. He crawled to the ropes and pulled himself up but just moments later another left to the body saw him collapse on his side. Guerfi was up early and tried to punch with McGregor but was again hurt by body punches before a left to the head floored him for the third time. He tried to rise but dropped back to the canvas and then managed to get upright but was wobbly and the referee waived the fight over after just 2:43. On paper this was a tough test for McGregor the British and Commonwealth champion but he simply blew Guerfi away. The Frenchman had challenged for both the interim WBA and IBO titles and was in his second reign as European title and rated IBF 8(7). Hughes vs. Hyland Hughes wins the vacant British title with kayo as Hyland forgets the rules to protect yourself at all times. The taller Hyland was coming forward behind his guard with southpaw Hughes showing some good defensive work. Hyland landed a couple of left hooks to the body and Hughes replied with a right to the head which rattled Hyland. In the second and third Hughes boxed cleverly on the back foot and got through time and again with hooks to the body. Hyland chose to stand inside and exchange punches with Hughes in the fourth and fifth but was taking punishment from body punches. He did better when he boxed more in the sixth. Hyland was boxing in the seventh until he decided to match Hughes punch-for punch inside. A series of shots from Hughes had Hyland reeling and he was in deep trouble but kept fighting even though clearly exhausted. In the eighth two lefts to the body had Hyland reeling again. Hyland decided a punch from Hughes was low and turned away walking towards a corner with his hands down. The referee waived them to carry on so Hughes ran after Hyland and from behind Hyland hooked a right to the chin that Hyland did not see coming and he went down on his back and was counted out. Not good to see a fighter kayoed by a punch thrown from behind his back but Hyland only has himself to blame and the speed with which Hughes crossed the ring was too quick for the referee to intervene even if he had wanted to. Hughes adds the British title to the WBC International one he holds and this might see him improve on his WBC 15 rating. This was Hyland’s first fight since being beaten by Francesco Patera for the European title in June 2019. Masoud vs. Norman Solid performance from prospect Masoud as he halts seasoned pro Norman. Masoud put Norman down late in the third with a right to the head and scored two more knockdown in the fourth before Norman’s corner threw in the towel. Second inside the distance win for 25-year-old from Stoke. Former English flyweight champion Norman suffers his fourth inside the schedule defeat. Tampa, FL, USA_ Bantam: Saul Sanchez (16-1) W TKO 1 Frank Gonzalez (8-2). Light: Maliek Montgomery (9-0) W KO 1 Kris Berberich (0-3). Sanchez dismantles Gonzalez with three knock downs. A short right to the head brought the first knockdown but Gonzalez was up immediately. After the count Sanchez drove Gonzalez to the ropes with overhand rights and Gonzalez fell into the ropes and was being held up by them so was given a count. Sanchez then connected with a solid right to the body and Gonzalez stumbled forward and grabbed Sanchez as he tumbled to the canvas with the referee stopping the fight. Ninth inside the distance finish for Californian Sanchez. Local fighter Gonzalez had won his last five fights. Montgomery vs. Berberich Montgomery makes it nine out of nine as he stops overmatched Berberich in one round for his ninth inside the distance win. The 25-year-old from Georgia has taken less than 22 round for his wins. He is flying under the radar. In the amateurs he won two gold medals a silver and bronze at successive National Golden Gloves Championships but lost out in the final of the US Olympic Trials for Rio being outpointed by Teo Lopez. One to follow. Berberich has yet to last beyond the second round in his four fights. 20 March La Cauticva, Argentina: Super Bantam: Hector Andres Sosa (11-0) W PTS 10 Ckari Cani Mansilla (15-2). Feather: Mayco Estadella (9-0-1) W TKO 4 Nicolas Botelli (7-5). Sosa vs. Mansilla Sosa scores two knockdowns in the second round but Mansilla comes through the crisis with Sosa having to settle for a split decision. Sosa was snapping out his jab and testing Mansilla with in the first. In the second Sosa connected with three heavy right but Mansilla banged back with a heavy right that buzzed Sosa. When he tried to capitalise on that a left from Sosa put him down. He was up at six but was put down for a second time but again he beat the count. He was on the floor for a third time but the referee ruled it was a slip otherwise the fight would have been over. From the third Mansilla fought back hard trying to regain the lost ground and they swapped hard rights and both landed heavily to the head. Sosa was rocked a few times just had the edge in power and despite a big effort from Mansilla at the end he just could not bridge the points gap from that near disastrous second round. Scores 97-91 ½ and 96 ½ -92 ½ for Sosa and 95-94 for Mansilla. Sosa remains South American champion. He is No 1 in the Argentinian ratings. Mansilla is No 2 so hopefully they will meet again for the vacant National title. Estadella vs. Botelli Estadella puts Botelli down twice for stoppage victory. After two close rounds Estadella dominated from there flooring Botelli twice with rights to the head with the referee stopping the contest after the second knockdown. Estadella was defending the interim Argentinian title. Botelli had been stopped in two rounds by Hector Andres Sosa in 2019. Vienna, Austria: Middle: Marcos Nader (23-1-1) W PTS 10 Alexander Pavlov (11-2). Nader retains the IBF International title after unanimous decision over Pavlov. Nader had to work hard against the less experienced Pavlov to win this one. Nader pressed the fight from the start and outlanded Pavlov but the tall German used his longer reach well and landed some good counters and gave Nader some problems. Nader had built a lead but Pavlov started to win rounds in the later stages although but started his drive too late and Nader was a clear winner. Scores 98-92, 97-93, and 96-94. Spanish-born Nader turned pro with Team Sauerland but after losing his European Union title to Emanuele Blandamura in 2014 he returned to the amateurs. He moved back to pro boxing in 2018 and this is his 5th win since returning. For winning their International title the IBF have him rated No 15(13) even though BoxRec has him at No 110 in the world. Pavlov had shown he could mix at this level in only losing on a majority verdict against unbeaten German hope Vincenzo Gualtieri in June last year. Charleroi, Belgium: Super Light: Antoine Vanackere (16-1) W KO 1 Ivan Njegac (12-17). Super Middle: Michel Garcia (16-1) W PTS 6 Sladjan Dragisic (5-22-2). Super Light: Ray Moylette (12-1) W KO 1 Adam Walas (1-4). Light: Niall O’Connor (6-0) W PTS 6 Angelo Turco (8-18-2).Heavy: Niall Kennedy (14-2-1)W KO 5 Hrvoje Bozinovic (2-23). Middle: Craig O’Brien (12-2) W PTS 6 Daniel Przewieslik (2-12-1). Vanackere vs. Njegac Early night for Belgian southpaw Vanackere and a left to the body puts Njegac down and out. All over in 64 seconds. Eighth consecutive win for the 26-year-old Belgian champion. Seven is the number for Njegac but in his case it is losses in a row. Garcia vs. Dragisic In his first outing in almost two years Garcia beats Dragisic for the second time taking a unanimous decision. Now on a 13-bout winning streak Garcia had stopped Dragisic in five rounds in May 2018. This is only Garcia’s second fight since then but losers are more popular and this was Dragisic’s thirteenth! Moylette vs. Walas Moylette wipes out novice Walas inside a round. Easy outing for Moylette against substitute opponent. Moylette put Walas down with a body punch in the first Walas made it to his feet but a second knockdown was enough. First fight for the former top amateur since losing his unbeaten record when being outpointed by Mexican Christian Uruzquieta in December 2018. Disgraceful match with Pole Walas having failed to last three minutes in each of his five losses. O’Connor vs. Turco In one real fight on this show O’Connor given all he can handle. by local fighter Turco. O’Connor was generally in control but could never subdue Turco who proved a much better fighter than his record showed. Turco made many of the rounds close but O’Connor’s body punching was his edge and he looked a clear winner but had to settle for a split decision. Scores 59-56, 58-57 for O’Connor and 58-57 for Turco. O’Connor had won his last four inside the distance but his last fight was in December 2018 so the shelves needed dusting. Ten losses in a row for Turco but he has only been stopped three times. Kennedy vs. Bozinovic No useful ring time for Kennedy as he disposes of another pitiful substitute. After a slow start Kennedy began to land heavily to the body. In the third he dropped Bozinovic twice and the farce was over. After inside the distance losses to Devin Vargas and Alen Babic Kennedy needed a win but even that does not justify this rubbish. Twelve inside the distance losses for Croatian Bozinovic O’Brien vs. Przewieslik O’Brien has to work hard to win this one. Despite a poor record Przewieslik came to fight and both were rocked on occasion. O’Brien looked to have built a lead but Przewieslik had a good fifth hurting O’Brien with a body punch. O’Brien tired in the last but did enough to win. Scores 59-56 and 58-57 for O’Brien and 58-56 for Przewieslik. First fight for 15 months for O’Brien whose losses have been in tough asks against Anthony Fowler and Kieron Conway. Ninth consecutive defeat for Przewieslik. Nadi, Fiji: Cruiser: Alivereti Kauyaca (5-0-1) W PTS 10 Savenaca Naliva (14-3-1,1ND). Super Light: Ronald Naidu (11-5-3) W TKO 10 Nathan Singh (3-1). Kauyaca vs. Naliva Kauyaca outpoints Naliva in a battle of National champions. It was a close fight with a second round knockdown scored by Kauyaca proving the decider as he took a majority decision. Fijian cruiser champion Kauyaca makes it five wins in a row. Naliva, the Fijian light heavyweight champion, was coming off a run of five victories. Naidu vs. Singh A controversial finish sees Naidu stop Singh in the last round to win the vacant Fijian title. Singh had boxed his way into the lead and looked on his way to victory. Naidu had more left and he forced Singh to the ropes and pelted him with punches. Singh was hanging out though the middle ropes and when the referee pulled Naidu back Naidu’s corner team and supporters climbed into the ring. No decision had been given and trouble broke out before Naidu was declared the winner by TKO. Fifth win by KO/TKO for Naidu who is also Fijian champion at welterweight. He had much more experience than Singh who had never gone past 21 March Brovari, Ukraine: Light: Denys Berinchyk (15-0) W TKO 3 Jose Sanchez (18-2). Middle: Khasan Baysangurov (20-1) W KO 2 Oleksandr Rubchev (6-7-1). Super Light: Vasyl Chebotar (8-0) W KO 1 Joan Lique (6-1). Berinchyk vs. Sanchez After yet another bizarre ring entrance Berinchyk does the business between the ropes as he batters Chilean Sanchez to defeat in three rounds. Berinchyk was his usual all-out aggressive self. Sanchez did well to get though the first two rounds but in the third Berinchyk drove him to a corner and connected with a succession of head punches until the referee stopped the fight The 32-year-old Ukrainian was making the fifth defence of the WBO International title. He is rated No 3 by the WBO and No 6 by the IBF but his name never comes up when a world title fight is discussed. Sanchez has built his record against sub-standard domestic and South American rivals. Berinchyk’s ring entrance for this fight saw him carried to ringside on a stretcher with his right arm and leg in huge plaster casts accompanied by two sexily dressed “nurses”. The arm cast was so big that when he tried to get off the stretched the weight of the cast tipped him off the stretch and on to the floor. Baysangurov vs. Rubchev Russian Baysangurov dismisses Ukrainian Rubchev in two rounds. After pressing hard in the first Baysangurov dug a vicious left hook into the ribs of Rubchev who sunk to the canvas to be counted out. Baysangurov was stopped in eleven rounds by Rob Brant in February 2019 in a challenge for the secondary WBA title and this is his third KO/TKO victory as he rebuilds. Rubchev went 0-1-5 in his initial six fights but his better form since then has been due to the abysmal level of his opposition. Chebotar vs. Lique Chebotar flattens Lique with one punch. Lique was crude and when he lunged forward a left to the head from Chebotar put him face down on the canvas and out. The 19-year-old southpaw is being brought along slowly. German-based Colombian Lique inept. Fight of the week (Significance): Artur Beterbiev’s win over Adam Deines clears the way for a unification of the version of the light heavyweight title later this year. Fight of the week (Entertainment): Vergil Ortiz vs. Maurice Hooker was packed with quality work from both with Hooker’s willingness to stand and trade making for plenty of entertainment. Honourable mention to Hector Sosa vs. Ckari Mansilla who provide ten rounds of fiercely competitive fighting. Fighter of the week: I go for Lawrence Okolie for the way he outclassed Krzys Glowacki with honourable mentions to both Beterbiev and Ortiz-oh and fellow-Scot Lee McGregor for his one round destructing of Karim Guerfi. Punch of the week: Plenty of good examples this week but I go for the left from Angel Fierro that put Alberto Machado down and out. Upset of the week: Fierro’s victory over Machado was the shock result of the week with honourable mention to Alex Martin for his win over 21-0 Luis Hernandez Prospect watch: Super Middleweight Pavel Silyagin (7-0) showed real class in outpointing unbeaten Azizbek Abdugofurov. He went 10-1 in fights in the WSB including a victory over Joshua Buatsi so worth following. Observations I am considering setting up a sanctioning body to control the use of nicknames. This week we had Filipino Nicardo Calamba with a 9-32-5 record and 27 losses by KO/TKO using the nickname “Destroyer”. With a record like that he has been down so often I would allocate him the nickname of “Submarine”. I will be doing ratings of the nicknames and naturally will expect some under the table payments for certain nicknames and will encourage the multi-use of a nicknames, secondary nicknames, interim nicknames, franchise nicknames and emeritus nicknames and will be sourcing nicknames from Asia, the Pacific, Europe etc. Watch this space for further announcement of this service that boxing has needed so badly for so many years. I might have to have a word with Maxi Hughes. I noted he has the words “Granddad” on his shorts which I think sends the wrong message. Since he is not actually using it as a nickname I have claimed the copy- right as I am intending to auction that nickname off to Mike Tyson or Roy Jones but would consider a bid from Manny Pacquiao. Yet another new venue with the Vijender Singh vs. Artysh Lopsan being held on the roof of the “Majestic Pride Casino ship. There was an invasion of Europe by fighters from Ireland this week with Ray Moylette, Niall O’Connor, Niall Kennedy, Craig O’Brien and Rhys Moran fighting on a show in Belgium and another batch fighting in Luxembourg bet they were disappointed to find the pubs were shut there as well. 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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