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The Past Week in Action 21 March 2022: Teraji, Edwards Retain Belts; Prograis Stops McKenna By Eric Armit PhilBoxing.com Tue, 22 Mar 2022  Edwards (R) connects at Wassem in Dubai. Highlights: -Kenshiro Teraji regains the WBC light flyweight title with revenge third round kayo over Masamichi Yabuki -Sunny Edwards retains the IBF flyweight title with unanimous decision over Sunny Edwards -Regis Prograis halts Tyrone McKenna on a cut in WBC super lightweight eliminator -O’Shaquie Foster outpoints unbeaten Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov in WBC super featherweight eliminator -David Avanesyan destroys Oskari Metz in one round in European welterweight title defence -Edgar Berlanga outpoints Steve Rolls -Estelle Yoka Mossely successfully defends her IBO Female lightweight belt with points victory over Yanina Lescano Alex Rocha stops Blair Cobbs in nine rounds in welterweight clash -Jono Carroll stops Ghanaian Patrick Ayi Aryee in four rounds at super featherweight -Jose Zepeda remains a threat at super lightweight as he halts Francisco Perez in three rounds - Billy Dib keeps his lightweight career alive with disqualification win over Jacob Ng -Tamara Demarco gets upset victory over previously unbeaten Debora Lopez for vacant WBO Female flyweight title World Title/Major Shows March 18 Dubai, UAE: Super Feather: O’Shaquie Foster (19-2) W PTS 12 Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov (18-1). Light: Estelle Yoka Mossely (10-0) W PTS 10 Yanina del Carmen Lescano (10-2). Super Feather: Jono Carroll (22-2-1) W TKO 4 Patrick Ayi Aryee (21-1-1), Super Bantam: Shabaz Masoud (10-0) W RTD 2 Yoan Boyeaux (43-7).Heavy: Bakhodir Jalolov (10-0) W KO 5 Kamil Sokolowski (11-26-2). Foster vs. Yaqubov Foster starts slow but then comes through with a strong second half of the fight and floors Yaqubov in the twelfth to take the unanimous decision. Southpaw Yaqubov was pressing the fight from the first bell with Foster on the back foot using plenty of clever movement and snapping out jabs. Yaqubov was having problems chasing the fleet-footed Foster down with Foster switching to southpaw in the second. With the rounds close Yaqubov’s early aggression was giving him a slight edge as he continued to chase down the retreating Foster. This was Foster’s first fight since beating Miguel Roman in November 2020 but by the sixth he had shed any rust and he was standing in front of Yaqubov and using his superior hand speed to land straight lefts through Yaqubov’s guard. Yaqubov continued to go forward and had some success with straight rights but was finding Foster an elusive target. Foster constantly switched guards and from the seventh he was often the one coming forward and he rocked Yaqubov with a left in the eighth. Yaqubov stepped up his attacks from the tenth but was being outboxed by the quicker Foster. Yaqubov dived forward in the last desperately looking to find a punch to end the fight but walked on to chopping left hand counter and went down. After the count he still tried to march forward but Foster was too slick and eased his way to the bell. Scores 117-110 twice and 118-109 for Foster. The right decision but a little harsh on Yaqubov. The 28-year-old Texan boxed brilliantly. He was No 2 with the WBC and Yaqubov No 3 but he might have to wait until very late in the year for a title shot as WBC title holder Oscar Valdez and WBO title holder Shakur Stevenson are due to clash on 30 April and Miguel Berchelt is the WBC No 1 so Foster will probably have to wait until after the winner of Valdez vs. Stevenson faces Berchelt. Disappointment for Tajik Yaqubov but at 26 he has time to work his way to a title shot in the future. 
Mossely vs. Lescano Mossely retains her IBO Female title with split decision over Lescano. Mossely won the early rounds and looked to have been denied a knockdown in the fourth. Lescano looking bigger and stronger battled her way into the fight but Mossely constantly found the target with straight rights and despite a strong finish from Lescano Mossely gained the split decision. Scores 97-93 and 96-94 for Mossley and 96-94 for Lescano. Mossely, 29, who is married to unbeaten heavyweight Tony Yoka, has said the she now aims to return to the “amateurs” to fight at the World Championships before tackling fighters such as Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. South American champion Lescano had won her last eight c bouts. Carroll vs. Aryee Irish southpaw Carroll stops late substitute Aryee. Carroll was just too strong for Ghanaian Aryee and dominated from the start. He handed out steady punishment to head and body with Aryee in over his head. A sustained attack from Carroll in the fourth ended with Aryee trapped in a corner and shipping some heavy shots without firing back and the referee stopped the fight at the same time as Aryee’s second climbed the ring steps to save their man. Just a keep busy fight for Carroll the WBA No 2. Aryee’s record built against very modest domestic opposition. Masoud vs. Boyeaux Stoke youngster Masoud too quick for Boyeaux and the Frenchman retires at the end of the second round. Masoud rocked Boyeaux in each both round with left hooks with Boyeaux close to going down a couple of times. Third inside the distance win for Masoud. Boyeaux was stopped by Naoya Inoue in a challenge for the WBO super fly title in 2017. Jalolov vs. Sokolowski Jalolov gets another inside the distance win as he puts Pole Sokolowski down twice on the way to a fifth round stoppage. The 6’7” former Olympic and World Championships gold medal winner was just too big and punched too hard for the durable 6’1” Sokolowski. He floored Sokolowski with a right to the head in the second and battered him to the floor again with three lefts in the fifth. Sokolowski made it to his feet and disputed the stoppage but it was over. His ten wins have taken the Uzbek less than twenty-one rounds. Only the fourth time Sokolowski has failed to last the distance March 19 Dubai, UAE: Fly: Sunny Edwards (18-0) W PTS 12 Muhammad Waseem (12-2). Super Light: Regis Prograis (27-1) W TKO 6 Tyrone McKenna (22-3-1). Feather: TJ Doheny (23-3) W TKO 2 Cesar Juarez (27-11). Super Light: Hovhannes Bachkov (3-0) W TKO 8 Cristian Coria (29-10-2). Light: Faizan Anwar (12-0) W PTS 8 Khojiakbar Qodirokhunov (4-1-1). Super Bantam: Peter McGrail (3-0) W TKO 2 Alexander Ionita (7-11-1). Edwards vs. Waseem Edwards retain the IBF title with unanimous decision over Waseem. Waseem never came to terms with the hand speed, movement and clever boxing of Edwards and was not helped by two deductions for infractions of the rules. Round 1 Edwards was circling the perimeter of the ring with Waseem shadowing him but not cutting the ring down. Edwards leapt forward and landed three head punches and was away before Waseem could counter. He did that again later in the round and surprised Waseem with a burst of punches just before the bell. Score: 10-9 Edwards Round 2 Again Edwards was just too quick for Waseem. He was darting in to connect with a burst of punches and then out and circling away from Waseem’s attempts to counter. Waseem did managed to land some body punches but Edwards was getting his punches off first. Score: 10 9 Edwards Edwards 20-18 Round 3 A close round. For much of it Edwards was his elusive self but then Waseem pinned him to the ropes and bombarded Edwards with hooks and uppercuts. Edwards decided to stay inside and trade instead of moving and Waseem took the round. Waseem was warned for dangerous head work. Score: 10-9 Waseem Edwards 29-28 Round 4 Edwards was first to the punch in this round. Waseem was pressing hard but Edwards was scoring with counters and then stepping around Waseem to land more punches and tying Waseem up inside. Score: 10-9 Edwards Edwards 39-37 Round 5 This one was close. Edwards was the quicker puncher with Waseem only having any success when he was able to get Edwards against the ropes. He scored with some impressive left hooks to the body but Edwards scored consistently with snappy right jabs and short lefts. Score: 10-9 Edwards Edwards 49-46 Round 6 A big round for Edwards. He was picking Waseem off with counters from both hands and constantly moving and switching direction and guards. A frustrated Waseem was holding to try and cut down Edwards movement and was deducted a point*. Waseem ended the round by trapping Edwards against the ropes but even there Edwards was landing the better punches. Score: 10-8* Edwards Edwards 59-54 Round 7 Edwards was picking Waseem off with fast, light punches with Waseem getting frustrated. He was warned for an elbow smash and for head work, Edwards continued to sneak home punches and when Waseem shoved his head into Edward’s face the referee again took a point off Waseem*. The challenger did enough good work over the rest of the round to deserve the points but the deduction made it an even round. Score: 9-9* Edwards 68-63 Round 8 Waseem pushed hard in this round. There was plenty of flashy footwork from Edwards but Waseem stayed focused forcing Edwards to the ropes and connecting with hooks to the body with both hands. Score: 10-9 Waseem Edwards 77-73 Round 9 Edwards was back in control. He kept moving and kept firing single shots through Waseem’s guard refusing to let Waseem get inside. Waseem was chasing Edwards down but was too often left swishing air and leaving himself open to sneaky counters. Score: 10-9 Edwards Edwards 87-82 Round 10 Waseem badly needed to win a round and he did so in this one. He chased harder, did a better job of cutting the ring off and so was able to scored with hooks and uppercuts inside with Edwards output dropping Score: 10 9 Waseem Edwards 96-92 Round 11 Edwards boxed his way through the round. Plenty of fast footwork and changes of direction. He was sliding jabs through Waseem’s guard catching him with straight lefts and never getting pinned down with Waseem a step behind for the full three minutes. Score: 10-9 Edwards Edwards 106-101 Round 12 Edwards gave away the last round. Confident he had the decision in the bag he danced around the ring with Waseem chasing and landed what few punches were thrown but never looking like getting the kayo he needed. Score 10-9 Waseem Edwards 115-111 
The 26-year-old southpaw again showed his outstanding skills. No thunder and lightning with Edwards but plenty of his hit and not get hit approach and plenty to admire in his slick counter punching. Ricardo Sandoval 20-1 (15) is his mandatory challenger and he will be quicker and punch harder than Waseem so a big test for Edwards. Pakistani Waseem, 32, was having his second shot at the IBF title having lost a very close decision to Moruti Mthalane in 2018. 
Prograis vs. McKenna Prograis beats a brave McKenna who is stopped due to a bad cut over his right eye caused by a punch. Prograis looked sharp in the first round. After a short period of study he had McKenna backing up and was connecting with jabs and straight lefts. The sound of the bell had hardly faded in the second when Prograis put McKenna down hard with a stunning left cross. Prograis tried to end the fight then showering McKenna with hooks and uppercuts but despite the punishment McKenna did not crumble and made it to the bell. Prograis was hunting McKenna down in the third with McKenna focusing on survival. McKenna showed remarkable fighting spirit in the fourth standing and trading with Prograis actually forcing him back and twice after Prograis had landed fierce combination McKenna just urged Prograis to do his worst but McKenna was having to absorb some wicked body punches and neck-snapping uppercuts. McKenna had a good fifth walking forward throwing punches and landing some hard shots. Prograis was on the bock foot countering with jabs and quick flurries of punches in a fairly even round. Prograis cut loose in the sixth but McKenna was trying to punch with him. Suddenly a punch opened a cut over McKenna’s right eye. The referee stopped the fight and the doctor indicated the cut was too severe for McKenna to continue. Prograis again showed his class and deserves another title shot to try to reverse the majority points loss to Josh Taylor in 2019 but with Taylor holding all four belts there is quite a queue lining up to get a title chance. McKenna had lost to very close decisions to Jack Catterall and Ohara Davies but had rebounded with a good win over Jose Felix in August. Doheny vs. Juarez Doheny wipes out experienced Juarez in two rounds. After having Juarez under constant pressure in the first Doheny put Juarez down heavily with a left hook in the second. The Mexican climbed to his feet but was being bombarded with punches and the referee waived the fight off. The former IBF super bantam champion had scored just one win in his last four fights so needed to impress. Fifth inside the distance defeat for Juarez. 
Bachkov vs. Coria Bachkov pounds Argentinian Coria to defeat in seven rounds. The powerful Armenian raked Coria with punches with his left hooks to the body slowly sapping Coria’s resistance. Coria did well to last as long as he did but caved in under the relentless pressure in the seventh and the fight was halted. With his strong amateur achievements-he won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, three bronze medals at the World Championships as well as gold at the European Games and European Championships-he is looking to move up rapidly. Veteran Coria, 39, was knocked out in six rounds by Alberto Puello for the WBA interim belt in December 2020 which is his only other loss by KO/TKO. Anwar vs. Qodirokhunov Indian prospect Anwar continues his winning ways with a points victory against Uzbek Qodirokhunov. Scores 80-72 twice and 78-74. Seven points wins in his last eight fights for the 20-year-old from Calcutta. All of Qodirokhunov’s previous opponents were having their first pro fights. McGrail vs. Ionita McGrail’s class much too much for Ionita. McGrail dazzled the Romanian with the speed and variety off his work in the first then handed out a beating to Ionita in the second with Lopez not coming out for the third round. Second KO/TKO win for the Liverpool southpaw. Ten losses in a row for Ionita. March 18 Leeds, England: Super Bantam: Jack Bateson (16-0) W TKO 3 Stefan Nicolae (3-31-2) Just some paid sparring for Bateson. He punished the limited Nicolae with right leads and thudding body punches bin the first and put him down with a body shot at the end of the second. Nicolae took two more counts in the third and was taking a beating when the fight was mercifully stopped. Only the fourth inside the distance victory for the local fighter who is English champion. Poor Romanian Nicolae is 0-13-2 in his last 15 bouts. Kyoto, Japan: Light Fly: Kenshiro Teraji (19-1) W TKO 3 Masamichi Yabuki (13-4). Teraji revenges his only loss and regains the WBC title with third round stoppage of Yabuki. Teraji was letting his hands go from the beginning. He was coming forward stabbing out jabs firing straight right and left hooks to the body. Yabuki was on the back foot the whole round throwing lots of jabs but not using his right until thee traded punches just before the bell. Teraji was steaming forward again on the second. connecting with straight rights and hurtful hooks to the body with Yabuki again on the retreat and being outscored. Teraji scored with a series of rights at the start of the third. He then drove Yabuki back and connected with a heavy right hook that dropped Yabuki. He made it to his feet at eight but looked unsteady and the fight was stopped. Teraji, 29, had lost the title to Yabuki on a tenth round stoppage in September. London, England: Welter: David Avanesyan (29-3-1) W TKO 1 Oskari Metz (15-1). Middle: Hamzah Sheeraz (15-0) W KO 2 Jez Smith (13-5-1). Light: Mark Chamberlain 10-0) W RTD 5 Jeff Otori (11-4-1). Avanesyan vs. Metz Avanesyan blows away overmatched Metz in the first round. Metz came out firing punches taking the fight to Avanesyan but when Avanesyan began to score with shots to the body Metz was quickly backing up. Metz tried switching guards but that was like throwing a cup of water on a volcano as Avanesyan walked through Metz’s punches before staggering him and sending him tumbling along the ropes and down. Metz was up at eight but reeling and clutching Avanesyan. The fight should have been stopped but instead the referee gave Metz a standing count but at least had the sense to count the full ten. Fifth defence of the European title for Avanesyan and fifth inside the distance win in those defence. Although unbeaten Metz was a poor challenger and it was a poor match. Sheeraz vs. Smith Sheeraz wins the vacant WBC International title as he blasts out Smith in two rounds. A left hook from Sheeraz floored Smith in the first round. He survived to the bell but a savage combination put him down early in the second and he was counted out. Nine consecutive inside the distance wins for Sheeraz. Chamberlain vs. Otori Chamberlain remains unbeaten as in his first scheduled ten round fight he beats Otori on a fifth round retirement for his seventh quick victory. Otori falls to 1-3-1 in a run of tough contests Los Angeles, CA, USA: Welter: Alexis Rocha (19-1) W KO 9 Blair Cobbs (15-1-1). Light Heavy: Bektemir Melikuziev (9-1) W KO 2 David Zegarra (34-8). Welter: Michael McKinson (22-0) W PTS 10 Alex Martin (17-4). 
Rocha vs. Cobbs Rocha batters a tricky Cobbs to defeat in nine rounds. In a fast-paced start both fighters had good moments with Cobbs letting fly with bursts of punches and Rocha throwing less but with more accuracy. Cobbs was ca tricky opponent but Rocha was getting in close and scoring with hooks and uppercuts and he landed some useful shots in the second with Cobbs countering well in the third. The pace remained hot as they traded punches through the fourth and fifth with Rocha going to the body to slow Cobbs and Cobbs switching to southpaw. Rocha’s pressure began to tell and he began to jolt and jar Cobbs with Cobbs punch output dropping off as he focused on stemming Rocha’s attacks. Cobbs did better in the seventh rocking Rocha with a left. Rocha closed Cobbs down in the eight driving him to the ropes and dropping him with a right hook. Cobbs was up at six but was staggering under heavy attacks from Rocha and was pinned in a corner under fire with the referee poised to step in as the bell went. Rocha ended it in the ninth. He sent Cobbs staggering to the ropes with a right hook and then exploded with a volley of savage shots until the referee jumped in to save Cobbs. Third win over good level opposition for Rocha since losing a close verdict against Rashidi Ellis in October 2020. Cobbs was coming off a stoppage win over Brad Solomon in June. Melikuziev vs. Zegarra After a studied start that had the crowd restless Melikuziev gave them what they wanted as he connected with a wicked left hook to the body that put Zegarra down for the count in the second. The Uzbek southpaw gets his second win since a shock kayo loss to Gabriel Rosado in June last year. Five consecutive losses for Peruvian Zegarra four of them by KO/TKO. McKinson vs. Martin A double disappointment here for McKinson. He was to have faced Vergil Ortiz in a huge fight for the Portsmouth boxer but then Ortiz had to withdraw. Instead McKinson ended up facing a replacement for a replacement in a poor fight. There was not a great deal of action over the first three rounds which McKinson won but the crowd were already baying for more action. Martin never really got into the fight but even the rounds McKinson was winning easily were low action affairs and he had to settle for a unanimous decision instead of a high profile fight against Ortiz. Scores 99-91,98-92 and 97-93 for McKinson. Not the fight or the performance McKinson would have wanted on his first appearance in an American ring. Ortiz is No 1 with both the WBC and WBO so now McKinson will need to seek another top match to move towards a title shot. Martin was coming off wins over a couple of reasonable level opponents in 21-0 Luis Hernandez and 23-4-3 Josec Ruiz but came into this one as a very short notice replacement for Jose Perez who was far too heavy to be accepted as a replacement for Ortiz. New York, NY, USA: Super Middle: Edgar Berlanga (19-0) W PTS 10 Steve Rolls (21-1). Super Light: John Bauza (17-0) W PTS 8 Tony Luis (29-5). Super Welter: Xander Zayas (13-0) W PTS 8 Quincy LaVallais (12-3-1). Super Feather: Henry Lebron (15-0) W TKO 7 Josec Ruiz (23-6-3). Super Feather: Bruce Carrington (3-0) W KO 5 Yeuri Andujar (5-5-1). 
Berlanga vs. Rolls Berlanga gets the unanimous decision over Rolls but shows he still has a lot to learn. Not much action in the first round as Rolls boxed on the retreat firing the occasional jab and Berlanga stalked him only letting a couple of rights go just before the bell with those few jabs enough to give Rolls the round. The second was more of the same with Rolls super cautious and Berlanga unable to cut the ring off and not throwing much. The crowd were expecting the usual fireworks from Berlanga and were getting restive. The third and fourth were low action rounds. Berlanga used his jab and scored with a couple of body shots and a right counter but Rolls was in permanent reverse gear looking to steal rounds with an occasional punch. The fifth was a frustrating round for Berlanga. He just followed Rolls around the ring with Rolls snapping out jabs and then trying Berlanga up inside and for me Rolls was 3-2 up in rounds. Berlanga just did enough with his jab and some hooks to take the sixth but there was no fire in the fight. The seventh was a good round for Rolls. He was consistently spearing Berlanga with jabs and then following in with straight rights with Berlanga hardly landing a punch. Berlanga briefly tried switching to southpaw to no effect. Berlanga took the eighth but it was close. Rolls was still sticking out his jab and firing rights but Berlanga was taking an extra step forward enabling him to score with hooks and he connected with a right to the head late in the round. Berlanga chased Rolls down hard in the ninth and landed well to the body to just have the edge and then produced a stronger finish in the tenth. Scores 97-93 twice and 96-94 for Berlanga. I thought the 96-94 was about right but would not have argued if it had been scored a draw. Berlanga gets his third consecutive points victory and wins the WBO NABO belt but it was an uninspired performance. The blood and thunder of his 16 consecutive first round wins is what people still expect. It is good for his development to go ten rounds with a tricky opponent but he has to be careful not to lose the raging fire he had as this fight showed he is not a great tactical fighter and he failed to put Rolls under enough pressure. It was a fight based on “negative” tactics from Rolls but he was there to win and for me he nearly succeeded. Bauza vs. Luis Puerto-Rican born southpaw Bauza gets his second good win in a row as he decisions seasoned veteran Luis. Bauza was able to score with some crisp southpaw rights over the early rounds of what was a bed tempered bout at times. Luis tired to put Bauza under lots of pressure but Bauza boxed smartly and built a solid lead before boxing his way pat Luis over the closing rounds. Scores 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74 for Bauza. A composed, cool display by Bauza, a former US Youth champion, who had stopped 19-0 Michael Williams in four rounds in December. Canadian Luis, a former WBA interim title challenger, had won ten in a row before losing on points to 23-0 Arnold Barboza in his last fight in August 2020. Zayas W LaVallais Zayas again showcases his outstanding talent. He won every round but LaVallais showed true grit in going the distance. It looked to be a quick night as Zayas hammered LaVallais for the whole of the second round. It was one-sided enough for two judges to score it a 10-8 round but LaVallais took the hammering and survived. He became a bit more competitive without ever coming close to winning a round and although rocked a couple more times he took Zayas the full eight rounds. Valuable experience for Zayas as he was going eight rounds for the first time. LaVallais did his job well and keeps his record free of any inside the distance loss. Lebron vs. Ruiz Puerto Rican southpaw Lebron outboxed and outscored Ruiz before stopping him the seventh round. The speed and power of Lebron’s punching saw him winning every round. By the end of the fifth despite the one-sided nature of the fight it looked likely that Ruiz would maintain his claim of never losing inside the distance. That looked less likely after Lebron scored heavily late in the sixth. When Lebron continued to get through punishing shots in the seventh the referee stopped the fight despite strong protests from Ruiz Lebron breaks a run of three points wins to collect his tenth inside the distance victory. Carrington vs. Andujar Carrington brutalises Andujar before finishing their fight with a booming kayo in the fifth. Carrington was scoring heavily from the first round nailing Andujar with straight rights and uppercuts. Andujar was cut over his right eye in the third but survived a doctor’s inspection. There was more punishment for Andujar in the fourth before the dramatic ending in the fifth. Carrington stepped inside with a right to the head and then followed that with a devastating left hook that put Andujar down and out on his back. Second KO/TKO win for the 24-year-old from Brooklyn. Dominican Andujar falls to 0-3-1 in his most recent action with this his third loss by KO/TKO in that run. March 19 Brisbane, Australia: Light: Billy Dib (48-6,2ND) W DISQ 6 Jacob Ng (15-1). Feather: Vegas Larfield (5-0) W PTS 10 Luke Martin (1-5). Welter: Blake Minto (14-2-2) W PTS Justin Frost (12-2-1). Ng is disqualified after lifting Dib off the floor in the fifth and body slamming him to the canvas on his back with Dib unable to continue. Ng had a 4” edge in height and being the bigger man was using his strength to force Dib back. He was driving Dib to the ropes and scoring with some wicked body shots. Dib showed his experience and was able to duck under some of Ng’s shots. During a period in the fourth round whilst with his back against the ropes Dib ducked, bobbed and weaved around Ng’s punches and then forced Ng back with a series of hooks. Dib had a good fifth getting past Ng’s reach and working to the body with a frustrated Ng not able to use his physical advantages. Early in the fifth as Dib moved in Ng, with his head under Dib’s arm, lifted dib off his feet and body slammed him to the canvas. The referee stopped the fight and once it was clear that Dib could not continue Ng was disqualified. Dib wins the IBF International and WBO Oriental titles. Ng was rated No 5 by the WBO and No 9 with the IBF so at 36 Dib sees good reason to keep fighting. A ridiculous moment of madness from Ng and it cost him his rating spots. Larfield vs. Martin The Australian National Boxing Federation are determined to keep their national titles moving which is why two such inexperienced boxers were contesting the featherweight title. Larfield, 19, was just too good for Martin and won a wide unanimous verdict on scores of 99-90 twice and 98-91. Larfield had won his other four fights inside the distance taking eight rounds to do that so he more than doubled his previous ring time in this fight. Martin’s losses have all come on points. Minto vs. Frost Minto wins the vacant IBF Asia Oceania belt with split decision over Frost. Scores 97-93 and 96-94 for Minto and 96-94 for Frost. Only one loss in his last ten fights for Minto. Frost had won the Australian title and this same IBF title previously but a year out of the ring cost him both titles. Berlin, Germany: Super Welter: Abass Baraou (12-1) W TKO 6 Brian Chaves (14-12). Cruiser: Kai Robin Havnaa (17-0) W TKO 2 Ervin Dzinic (10-4). Heavy: Mourad Aliev (2-0) W TKO 2 Milos Veletic (2-1). Light: Murat Yildirim (1-0) W TKO 5 Sandro Hernandez (15-22-3). Baraou vs. Chaves Baraou has too much class and power for southpaw Chaves. He was on target early dominating the first two rounds before flooring Chaves in the third. Chaves survived but was bombarded by accurate shots in the fourth and fifth with Baraou ending it in the sixth putting Chaves on the floor with a body shot with the fight being stopped. Third win for Baraou since losing a split decision to Jack Culcay in August 2020. Fifth defeat by KO/TKO for Chaves. Havnaa vs. Dzinic Havnaa shakes off some dust with second round stoppage of overmatched Bosnian Dzinic. First fight for the 33-year-old Norwegian since November 2019. Fourteenth inside the distance victory but to date Havnaa’s opposition has been modest at best so he will have to move up soon. Aliev vs. Veletic The 6’7” Aliev towered over the overweight Veletic. He was able to land jabs at distance and Veletic dropped to his knees from a head shot at the end of the first. Veletic went down under a series of straight punches in the second with Aliev’s last punch landing when Veletic had both knees on the floor. He got up but the referee waived the fight over. The 26-year-old Russian-born Frenchman Aliev, a European Championships silver medallist, beat Frazer Clarke in the European Olympic Qualifying Tournament but was disqualified for butts when he fought Clarke in Tokyo. Murat Yildirim Yildirim, another former top level amateur, turned pro with a fifth round stoppage of Venezuelan Sandro Hernandez. Yildirim had Hernandez on the canvas in the fourth and again in the fifth with the fight being halted. Ciudad Juarez, Mexico: Super Light: Jose Zepeda (36-2,2ND) W TKO 3 Francisco Perez (18-13-1). Super Light: Pedro Campa (34-1-1) W TKO 3 Carlos Sanchez (22-0). Super Bantam: Israel Rodriguez (24-5) W TKO 4 Jesus Riegos (15-1). Zepeda vs. Perez Easy night for Zepeda. He stalked Perez through the first round connecting with straight lefts to head and body with Perez just in survival mode from the start. Zepeda got the job done early in the second. He drove Perez along the ropes with a series of rights and Perez fell to his knees. He arose but went down twice more and the fight was stopped. Zepeda hardly broke a sweat. He is No 2 with the WBC behind Jose Ramirez who took a majority decision over Zepeda in a WBC title defence back in 2019. Perez no threat. Campa vs. Sanchez Good first round from Sanchez as he boxed on the back foot reddening Campa's face with jabs and putting together some combinations. Campa upped his pace in the second and put Sanchez on his back on the canvas with a perfect left hook. Sanchez was up at five and the bell came quickly. Before any trading had taken place in the third Sanchez turned away from the action holding his right arm. The fight was stopped and after a doctor’s examination Sanchez was unable to continue. The feeling was he might have injured the arm when he was knocked down in the second. Rodriguez vs. Rivas Rodriguez continues his fine form with stoppage of previously unbeaten Riegos. For the first three rounds Riegos marched forward but too often left himself open to counters as Rodriguez pocketed the first those rounds. Riegos was still coming forward in the fourth when Rodriguez nailed him with a right to the head. Suddenly Riegos came apart and Rodriguez drove him to the ropes and pounded him with punches until the referee came in and stopped the fight. Nine wins in a row, eight of them by KO/TKO for Rodriguez. Cinisello balsam, Italy: Welter: Nicolas Esposito (16-0) W PTS 10 Tobia Giuseppe Loriga (33-10-3). Super Middle: Giovanni De Carolis (30-10-1) W RTD 1 Giorgi Abramishvili (14-20-1). Esposito vs. Loriga Esposito retains the Italian title with a unanimous decision over veteran warrior Loriga. Giving away a little in height and reach Esposito worked well inside over the first three rounds. Loriga comes back strongly to take the fourth. Esposito was cut in the fifth and Loriga kept coming forward exerting pressure with Esposito boxing cleverly over the sixth. Loriga just kept marching forward to edge the seventh but Esposito was in charge over the closing rounds and a clear winner. Scores 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93 for Esposito who was making the second defence of the title. Loriga, 45, a former Italian champion, is 4-4-2 in national title fights. De Carolis vs. Abramishvili De Carolis overwhelms poor Georgian Abramishvili. De Carolis handed out some punishment in the first bringing blood from the Georgian’s nose and Abramishvili did not come out for the second round. A waste of time and not much effort from the former holder of the WBA secondary title. Managua, Nicaragua: Super Bantam: Alexander Mejia (18-2) W TEC DEC 9 Freddy Lainez (14-3). Mejia retains the Nicaraguan title with a technical decision over Lainez. It was Lainez who took the first two rounds before “Popeye” Mejia found his rhythm and landed some heavy body punches to even things up. Mejia moved ahead after the half way point but things changed in the eighth when Mejia was cut over his right eye as heads bumped together. Lainez was heartened by that and scored well over the rest of that round and was winning the ninth when the fight was stopped due the severity of the cut and it went to the scorecards with Mejia in front 87-84 twice and 86-85. Mejia had been fading badly and might have struggled to make it through the tenth. Mejia has won 10 of his last 11 outings. Lainez was turning his record around with five victories in a row Lagos, Nigeria: Feather: Rilwan Lawal (15-0) W TKO 4 Emmanuel Quartey (24-4). Light Heavy: Godday Appah (10-1) W TKO 3 Kabiru Towolawi (17-5). Cruiser: Tony Salam (16-3) W RTD 4 Hussein Itaba (10-6-3). Super Welter: Taiwo Olowu (13-1) W TKO 3 Justice Addy (16-12-1). Lawal vs. Quartey Despite giving away height and reach Lawal punches too hard for Ghanaian Quartey and stops him in the fourth round for his eleventh victory by KO/TKO and his ninth inside the distance win in a row. He wins the vacant ABU belt. Quartey had won 10 of his last 11 bouts. Appah vs. Towolawi Appah stops ancient Towolawi in three rounds in an all-Nigerian contest to pick up the vacant ABU belt. Seventh victory on the bounce for Appah. Towolawi, 41, had won his last three fights. Salam vs. Itaba Southpaw Salam collects the vacant ABU title as he halts Tanzanian Itaba who retires after the fourth round. No youth titles here as Salam is 38 and Itaba 37. Olowu vs. Addy Nigerian champion Olowu stops Ghanaian Addy in three rounds. After an exchange of punches in the third Addy staggered away from the exchange clearly shaken and out of the fight which the referee then stopped. Panama City, Panama: Super Fly: Keiver Fernandez (25-1-1) W PTS 10 Pablo Macario (7-3). Fernandez keeps his WBA Fedelatin title as he decisions Guatemalan Macario. Fernandez had height and reach over Macario and he used those edges well. Macario piled forward and did some good work when he managed to get inside but for most of the fight Fernandez dominated with his jab and accurate counters. Scores 97-93 twice and 98-92 for Venezuelan Fernandez the WBA No 5. Macario is the WBC Youth champion. Melbourne, Australia: Middle: Sam Soliman (48-16-1,2ND) W PTS 8 Jesse White (6-3). Age no barrier to Soliman as the 48-year-old former IBF champion repeats a December victory with a unanimous decision over White. This won Soliman the Victoria State belt a long way down from an IBF title but a title and a win nevertheless. Hamilton, Canada: Middle: Brandon Brewer (25-1-2) DREW Antonio Napolitano (5-0-1). Cruiser: Ryan Rozicki (14-1) W TKO 2 German Garcia (7-4). Brewer vs. Napolitano Disappointing fight for Brewer as he is held to split draw by novice Napolitano. This was originally advertised as ten rounds for the vacant WBC USNBC belt but they both came in at 173lbs and it was over eight rounds. Scores 77-75 Brewer, 77-75 Napolitano and 76-76. Rozicki vs. Garcia Rozicki return with a win as he stops Mexican Garcia in two rounds. First fight for Rozicki since losing on points against Oscar Rivas for the vacant WBC Bridgerweight title in October. Corbiel, France: Hassan Amzile (4-0) W PTS 10 Abderrazak Houya (14-4). Middle: Moughit El Moutaouakil (17-2-1) W PTS 10 Franck Zimmer (11-3). Amzile vs. Houya Former top amateur Amzile wins the vacant French title as he outpoints Houya on scores of 98-92 on the three judge’s cards. Amzile was French amateur champion boxed in the WSB and competed at the 2016 Olympics before turning pro at the age of thirty. Houya climbed off the floor twice to go the distance with Jack Catterall in November 2020. El Moutaouakil vs. Zimmer Fighting in his home town El Moutaouakil retains the national title with unanimous verdict over Zimmer. Scores 97-93 twice and 98-92. First defence for El Moutaouakil. Zimmer had won his last seven contests. Stezyca, Poland: Heavy: Kacper Meyna (8-1) W KO 1 Jacek Platek (11-2). Meyna massacres Platek. Meyna, 22, floored Platek with a left hook early in the opener and then put Platek down five more times to win the Polish title. Fourth KO/TKO victory for Meyna. For Platek, 48, second time in a row he has failed to make it past the first round having been knocked out by Viktor Vykhryst in just over two minutes in May last year. Oldham, England: Super Middle: Mark Heffron (27-2-1) W TKO 3 Tomas Bezvoda (12-19). Heffron continues his rebuilding as he halts Czech Bezvoda in three rounds and moves to 21 inside the distance finishes. The aim is to get a shot at the British title. Luis Guillon, Argentina: Fly: Tamara Demarco (10-4) W TEC DEC 9 Debora Anahi Lopez (20-1-1). Demarco wins the vacant WBO Female title with technical decision over Lopez. Demarco attacked hard from the first hustling the classier Lopez out of her stride in a poor, untidy fight that saw Demarco deducted a point in the fifth. A clash of heads in the ninth opened a bad cut over Lopez’s left eye and with Lopez unable to continue the decision went to the cards WITH Demarco winning a split decision on scores of 87-84 twice for Demarco and 86-84 for Lopez. Demarco is a former IBF light flyweight title holder. Lopez had won this title back in 2020 but had not defended it so was stripped of the title. Fight of the week (Significance): Hopefully Sunny Edwards win over Muhammad Waseem might lead to a unification fight at flyweight Fight of the week (Entertainment): The contrast in styles between Alexis Roach and Blair Cobbs resulted in a fast-paced contest with a satisfying ending Fighter of the week: Kenshiro Teraji for his crushing win over former conqueror Masamichi Yabuki Punch of the week: The right from Teraji that put Yabuki down was special but the dramatic left hook kayo of Yeuri Andrade by Bruce Carrington was even better Upset of the week: Everything went pretty much in line with expectations. Prospect watch: The 6’7” former Olympic and World Champion Bakhodir Jalolov 10-0 10 wins by KO/TKO looks dangerous Observations Rosette: David Avanesyan who just keeps on getting better. Five European title defences and five wins inside the distance. Red Card: Jacob Ng who was disqualified for hoisting Billy Dib up and body slamming him to the canvas. A stupid way to lose a fight -We will have to come up with a new definition for an amateur. The line is so blurred. Estelle Mosley is a professional but is now targeting the World Championships. With the competitions such the WSB and the AIBA pro tournament it is difficult to know who is a true amateur. You could simply say anyone who does not get paid to fight is an amateur but for the top level “amateurs” today through the financial aid packages they get that blurs that line. If nothing else there should be some form of age or experience criteria as to whether a fighter can switch back and forth. -Watching Kenshiro Teraji vs. Masamichi Yabuki was a great argument for judges wearing ear muffs. Every punch Teraji threw let alone landed was greeted with loud cheers and applause and when Yabuki connected there was silence. The contrast was so marked that it could affect a judges view of the fight -Watching Sunny Edwards slipping and sliding away from Muhammad Waseem’s punches was impressive but I can’t help but wondering how his style would have been received at the Arena Coliseo in Mexico City. I went there one night to see a show with Marcos Villasana in the main bout. Villasana trapped his opponent on the ropes. They traded hard punches with Villasana scoring heavily. His opponent slid away along the ropes and the crowd were booing. When I asked why I was told at the Arena Coliseo you are expected to stay there and punch no matter how much punishment you are taking. Corazon mi amigo! They say love finds away and it must be true when you have 6’7 Tony Yoka married to 5’6” Estelle Yoka Mossely 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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