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The Past Week in Action 18 October 2022: Shields, Haney, Wilder, Plant Register Wins Over the Weekend By Eric Armit PhilBoxing.com Wed, 19 Oct 2022 Highlights: -Claressa Shields outpoints Savannah Marshall to unify all four female middleweight belts and reverse the only loss she has suffered in 76 fights as an amateur and professional - Devin Haney retains all four lightweight belts with unanimous decision over George Kambosos -Deontay Wilder returns with a bang as he stops Robert Helenius inside a round -Caleb Plant stops Anthony Dirrell in a clash of former title holders -Frank Sanchez stops Carlos Negron to keep his name in the frame for a shot at the heavyweight title Emmanuel Rodriguez defeats previously undefeated Gary Antonio Russell on a technical decision Moloney twins Andrew and Jason both score emphatic wins in big fights -Alycia Baumgardner unifies the IBF, IBO, WBC and WBO female super featherweight belts with controversial decision over Mikaela Mayer -Cherneka Johnson retains her IBF super bantam belt by outpointing Susie Ramadan -James Dickens takes a close decision over Lerato Dlamini to win the vacant IBO featherweight title -Liam Paro knocks out Brock Jarvis in one round in a clash of unbeaten Australian super lightweights World Title/Major Shows October 15 London. England: Middle: Claressa Shields (13-0) W PTS 10 Savannah Marshall (12-1). Super Feather: Alycia Baumgardner (13-1) W PTS 10 Mikaela Mayer (17-1). Welter: Lauren Price (2-0) W TKO 4 Timea Belik (6-7). Light: Caroline Dubois (4-0) W TKO 5 Milena Koleva (10-15-1). Shields vs. Marshall Female boxing once again sets the standard as Shields and Marshall fight an epic battle with Shields winning the unanimous decision to get revenge for the only loss she has suffered in boxing. Marshall took the fight to Shields in the first but Shields was quicker and more accurate with her punches. They battled fiercely in the second both landing good rights as Marshall again forced the pace but with Shields putting together some impressive combinations and doing the better work. More pressure from Marshall in the third as she pinned Shields against the ropes only to have Shields slip away and land some good shots. The speed and accuracy of her punches earned Shields the fourth as she shook Marshall with a left late in the round. The rounds were close and the pace fast with Shields just having the edge and she again looked to have outscored Marshall in the fifth. At that stage the judges all had Shields in front on scores of 50-45, 49-46 and 48-47. Marshall finally began to roll in the sixth. She had Shiels hanging on after a hard right and Shields looked to be feeling the pace as her output dropped. Marshall took the seventh she was stronger now and dominating the exchanges with Shields under constant pressure and cut on her forehead. Shields found that little bit extra and the eighth could have been scored either way but Marshall raised her game even more and as they traded punches through the ninth and tenth Marshall was eating into the lead Shields had built. it looked a close one to call. The judges gave it to Shields on scores of 97-93 twice and 96-94 with Shields a deserving winner. She now holds all four sanctioning body belts and gets revenge for a loss to Marshall in the World Championships in 2012 her only defeat in her 78 fights. Marshall came so close here but accepted the defeat and as there is a return clause, she will get her own chance for revenge probably in the USA next year. Mayer vs. Baumgardner Baumgardner wins unification bout on a debatable unanimous decision over Mayer. This was one of those fights where the rounds were close and your view depended on a preference for power or quality. Both did some good work in the first with Baumgardner showing her power in the second then Mayer looking to have the better of the exchanges in the third and fourth controlling the action with some strong jabbing and good rights. The fifth and sixth were both close with Mayer having slight edge but Baumgardner’s power saw he get the better of the exchanges in the seventh and eighth with Mayer suffering a cut over her right eye. Mayer’s better boxing and higher work rate saw her outscore Baumgardner over the last two rounds. Scores 96-95 twice and 97-93 for Baumgardner who successfully defended her IBO and WBC belts and win the IBF and WBO belts held by Mayer. Price vs. Belik Price beats Belik on a fourth round stoppage. Over the first two rounds Price was content to box cautiously catching the advancing Belik with counters. After getting a couple of rounds of work under her belt Price dealt out some serious punishment to Belik in the third and the referee stepped in and stopped the one-sided contest in the fourth. Only two fights into her time as a pro but Welsh southpaw Price, a gold medal winner at the Olympic Games and the World Championships poses a real threat in the welterweight division. Belik had lost over ten rounds to Kirstie Bavington for the vacant European title in May but was outclassed here. Dubois vs. Koleva Dubois gets her third win by KO/TKO as she stops a brave but limited Koleva in the fifth. Dubois controlled the action coming forward bobbing and weaving under Koleva’s punches. She clearly won the first three rounds before dropping Koleva with a right in the fourth. Koleva survived but a wicked left hook tom the body in the fifth had her retreating in a semi-couch from the pain and as Dubois unloaded on Koleva the referee halted the fight. Third inside the distance win for the 21-year-old southpaw a former World Youth, Youth Olympic and European Youth champion. Only one win in her last ten fights for Koleva New York, NY, USA: Heavy: Deontay Wilder (43-2-1) W KO 1 Robert Helenius (31-4). Super Middle: Caleb Plant (22-1) W KO 9 Anthony Dirrell (34-3-2). Heavy: Frank Sanchez (21-0) W TKO 9 Carlos Negron (25-4). Bantam: Gary Antonio Russell (19-0,1ND) W Emmanuel Rodriguez (21-2) W TEC DEC 10. Super Welter: Vito Mielnicki (12-1) W Limberth Ponce (19-5). Light Michel Rivera (23-0) W Jerry Perez (14-1). Wilder vs. Helenius In his first fight since his loss to Tyson Fury in October last year Wilder wipes-out Helenius with one punch. Wilder seemed to be doing a “Tyson Fury” as he sped around the perimeter of the ring dodging shots from Helenius. The Finn was too slow to cut-off the ring but did manage to land a couple of times. Just before the bell with Wilder against the ropes Helenius moved in and was nailed by a right that landed on the Finn’s forehead. He went down heavily flat on his back and the fight was stopped immediately with Helenius needing quite a bit of medical attention before he recovered. Wilder is most certainly back in the picture but other than confirming he is still the hardest puncher in the heavyweights, and might be trying to box a bit more in the future. the fight was too short to test the new Wilder. As for Helenius too much was made of his two wins over Adam Kownacki and at 38, he is unlikely to pose a threat to the top guys in the division. Plant vs. Dirrell Plant provides a spectacular one punch finish to an otherwise disappointing fight. Dirrell was coming forward for most of the fight. Plant looked comfort on the back foot darting in with quick jabs to the body and straight rights but Dirrell connected with some good rights in the first and second rounds. Plant was boxing cleverly drawing Dirrell’s lead bringing him forward on to counters and Dirrell was just not working hard enough being too hesitant to commit himself at times. There was some bad blood between these and Dirrell did nothing to help himself by taunting Plant in the fifth and sixth and on a couple of occasions they wrestled each other to the canvas. Dirrell looked to have edged the sixth and seventh but Plant was coming forward more and looked to be taking control as he outscored Dirrell in the eighth. Plant produced a dramatic finish in the ninth. As they traded punches Plant landed a left hook to the body then he launched his left again and it crashed into Dirrell’s head send him down on his back. The referee started the count but then abandoned it so that Dirrell could get medical attention. Disgracefully Plant then moved over to where Dirrell was lying and mimicked throwing shovels full of dirt in a grave and he even shook off the referee to continue that despicable act. With both fighters rated in the top four by both the WBA and WBC this is a big win for Plant as he rebounds from his loss to Saul Alvarez in November. Another shot at the real champion Alvarez is probably beyond his reach but a fight with WBC temporary title holder David Benavidez could be explosive. This was only Dirrell’s third fight in three years and at 38 it may turn out to be his last fight. Sanchez vs. Negron Sachez proves too strong for Negron as he rocks Negron periodically in the fight before flooring Negron and forcing the stoppage in the ninth. Sanchez was hunting Negron down with Negron looking to stay on the outside and box. This was never going to work as he lacked the power to keep Sanchez out or to stand and trade with him. The fight was carried out at walking pace as neither fighter is fast. Apart from a heavy right in the second Negron fought almost exclusively with his jab but it only had nuisance power. Sanchez stunned Negron with a right in the sixth which had Negron in trouble but Negron moved and jabbed to survive. Sanchez continued to stalk Negron over the seventh and eighth before dropping Negron to his knees with a right in the ninth. Negron made it to his feet and tried to punch his way out of trouble but when he was shaken by another could of shots the referee stopped the fight. Fourteenth win by KO/TKO for Cuban Sanchez who is No 3 with both the WBC and WBO but with the Fury/Usyk log jam at the top it will be late 2023 before things shake out in the division. Puerto Rican Negron had won his last five fights but his four losses have all come by KIO/TKO and not always against tough opposition. Rodriguez vs. Russell This is the second time these have met and both were decided on technical decision. When they faced each other in August last year the bout only lasted sixteen seconds resulting in a No Decision this time it ended in a technical decision being stopped in the tenth of the twelve rounds with Rodriguez well on the way to a convincing win before being stunned in a clash of heads. The fight started badly for Russell as he was hurt late in the first by a right. Russell recovered and boxed his way through the second before being caught by more heavy rights in the third and fourth. Although they had practically the same number of inside the distance wins the power certainly seemed to be with Rodriguez. Russell looked like making the sixth close but was hurt by another right before the bell but managed to stay out of trouble in the seventh. A low punch saw the referee give Rodriguez some recovery time in the eighth and when the action resumed Rodriguez sent Russell down heavily with a lightning fast straight right. Russell struggled to his feet and survived. Rodriguez tried hard to end it in the ninth but just before the bell they banged heads and Rodriguez was stunned dropping to his knees and showing a cut under his right eye. The round ended and it was decided Rodriguez should not continue after the head clash but to let the tenth begin but only for a couple of seconds with the referee stopping the fight before any punches were exchanged with the round being awarded to Rodriguez. It went to the cards and Rodriguez won on scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 99-93. Former IBF title holder Rodriguez was 19-0 until he hit a bumpy spell losing to Naoya Inoue and Reymart Caballo then having the No Decision with Russell before rebounding in March with a win. This was an IBF and WBA eliminator. First loss for Russell who just could not stand up to Rodriguez power. Mielnicki vs. Ponce Mielnicki boxes his way to a convincing win over Ponce. Mielnicki made full use of his edges in height and reach and Perez struggled to get in to the fight. Mielnicki kept him on the end of his jab and speared him with straight rights and left hooks. Perez just kept walking forward and had a little success when he made it past Mielnicki’s jab but not enough to make any impression on the fight. Mielnicki stuck to his jab until the last round when he stood and traded to put a small bit of gloss on an otherwise routine victory. Scores 99-91 twice and 98-92 for 20-year-old Mielnicki who is a former US junior champion. Rivera vs. Perez Rivera is the WBA No 3 lightweight but found himself fighting an eight round preliminary bout on this packed card. Rivera was better at everything than Perez but Perez took the punishment and was competitive without ever threatening Rivera’s dominance. Rivera dropped Perez in the last round and won on scores of 79-72 twice and 80-71, Liverpool, England: Feather: James Dickens (32-4) W PTS 12 Lerato Dlamini (18-2). Super Bantam: Peter McGrail (5-0) W RTD 5 Alexander Espinoza (21-5-2). Dickens vs. Dlamini In front of his home fans Dickens wins the vacant IBO title with very close unanimous verdict over Dlamini. This was only the second fight outside of South Africa and in front of a hugely poo Dickens crowd but Dlamini showed nom nerves and the both scored well in a feisty first round that was a good omen for the fight. Both scored well in the next three rounds which were all close and could have been scored either way. Dlamini looked tom have shaken Dickens with a combination early in the fifth but Dickens banged back late in the round. Dlamini had a good sixth outscoring Dickens but Dickins fired back and seemed to have edged the seventh and eighth. Dlamini was showing a swelling under his right eye but was talking the fight to Dickens. Dlamini went down in the eighth but the referee ruled it a slip but Dickens had Dlamini hurt in the eighth and ninth. Dlamini did not come to lay down and he rebounded to take the tenth. Knowing it was close both fighters fought trading punches all the way to the final bell. Scores 115-113 twice and 116-112 for Dickens. He wins a major international title at the third attempt having lost to Guillermo Rigondeaux for the WBA super bantamweight belt in 2016 and to Kid Galahad for IBF feather title in 2021.A deserved reward for an outstanding career Dlamini came so close here. After losing his first pro fight he had won both the WBC International and WBC Silver titles. He was rated No 6 by the WBC and enhanced his profile with his showing in this fight but this was his third contest in less than three months so deserves a rest and hopefully can look forward to more big fights in 2023. McGrail vs. Espinoza Brilliant, flawless display of box/punching from southpaw McGrail as beats a reasonable test in Espinoza. McGrail took control from the first with precise and hurtful jabs. He stung Espinoza with a left in the second but found Espinoza more competitive in the third. McGrail put Espinoza down in the second with a blistering straight left. Espinoza made it to his feet but had to absorb some more punishment before the bell. McGrail scored with a succession of head-snapping punches in the fifth and Espinoza had had enough and did not come out for the sixth. The 26-year-old Liverpool fighter won gold medals at the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games and bronze at both the European Games and World Championships has tremendous potential. Nicaraguan Espinoza had lost in two rounds against Andrew Moloney in June when a closed right eye made it impossible for him to continue. Brisbane, Australia: Super Light: Liam Paro (23-0) W TKO 1 Brock Jarvis (20-1). Heavy: Demsey McKean (22-0) W TKO 3 Patrick Korte (18-2-1). Feather: Skye Nicolson (5-0) W PTS 10 Krystina Jacobs (6-4). Super Middle: Cesar Tapia (15-0) W PTS 10 Abdoul Sakho “Mayweather” (7-1). Super Feather: Rocky Ogden (3-0) W KO 1 Ben Cameron Hands (3-1). Paro vs. Jarvis Massively impressive win by Paro as he stops Jarvis in the first round. Jarvis was coming forward but was speared by a couple of right jab/straight left counters which seemed to buzz him. He moved forward again and was nailed by a left hook which sent him down heavily. He squirmed around trying to get up but flopping to the canvas again and the referee waived the fight over. Sixth defence of the WBO Global title and win No 13 by KO/TKO for Paro. He is No 2 with the WBO behind Teo Lopez but hoping this win will get him a shot at Josh Taylor in 2023. Huge set-back for Jarvis who, although taller than Paro, started out as a bantamweight, but his tactics here were suicidal. McKean vs. Korte McKean stops Korte in three rounds. McKean was able to use his longer reach to set the German up for rights with Korte showing nothing and just looking to hold and wrestle. McKean shook Korte in the first and opened a cut over the German’s right eye. It was an ugly, untidy fight with McKean cautioned for wrestling Korte to the floor in the second. McKean ended it in the third with some hooks and uppercuts inside that saw Korte slide to the canvas. He tried to rise but toppled over and the referee waived the fight off. McKean wins the vacant IBF Inter-Continental belt with his fourteenth victory by KO/TKO but he needs to step up to a genuine test. The WBO have McKean No 10 and BoxRec have him No 41. Korte’s record is heavily padded (after this fight he was No 183 with BoxRec) and in his previous fight he fought a majority draw in his home base with Argentinian Jorge Arias who had a 11-3-1 record and is rated No 191. Nicolson vs. Jacobs Southpaw Nicolson wins the vacant Commonwealth female featherweight title with a wide unanimous decision over fellow-Australian Jacobs. The visitor never really troubled Nicolson who was able to comfortably outbox Jacobs and dropped her in the fourth round. A bumping of heads in the sixth saw a swelling growing under Nicolson’s right eye but it was never a real concern. Nicolson went looking for a stoppage win over the second half of the fight but Jacobs survived. Scores 100-89, 99-90 and 98-91 for Nicolson. Nicolson, 27, won a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Her elder brother Jamie won a bronze medal at both the World Championships and Commonwealth Games but both Jamie and her other elder brother Gavin, who also boxed, were killed in a road accident before Skye was born. Jacobs, a former IBA female super feather title holder, just could not match the skill or power of Nicolson. Tapia vs. Sakho Tapia makes a successful fourth defence of his WBA Oceania belt as he outpoints a combative Sakho/Mayweather. The two opening rounds were close but Tapia took command from the third putting together some good combinations to head and body. Tapia landed heavily in the fourth and fifth and came close to putting Sakho down with a right in the sixth. Despite having the worst of the exchanges in the seventh Sakho competed hard and finished the eighth strongly. Tapia worked hard to take then ninth but eased in the last and Sakho looked to have taken the round with some impressive body punching. Scores 97-93 twice and 99-91 for Mexican-born Australian Tapia who will be hoping these WBO fights can help him enter the ratings. Australian champion Sakho did well enough to raise his profile a few notches. Ogden vs. Hands Ogden retains the Australian title with first round stoppage of Hands. Ogden had already rocked Hands a couple of times before connecting with a booming right that sent Hands face down on the canvas. He managed to struggle to his feet but was still very shaky and the referee stopped the fight. First defence of the Australian title for Ogden. Before taking up boxing Ogden was a top-level Mua Thai exponent competing in Thailand and Australia and winning a Muay Thai world title at 17. Hands was in way over his head. October 16 Melbourne, Australia: Light: Devin Haney (29-0) W PTS 12 George Kambosos (20-2). Super Bantam: Cherneka Johnson (15-1) W PTS 10 Susie Ramadan (29-4). Super Fly: Andrew Moloney (25-2,1ND) W PTS 10 Norberto Jimenez (31-10-6). Bantam: Jason Moloney (25-2) W PTS 12 Nawaphon (56-2-1). Middle: Lorenzo Simpson (12-0) WPTS 6 Marcus Heywood (6-5-1). Cruiser: David Nyika (5-0) W KO 2 Titi Motusaga (4-1). Heavy: Faifa Opelu (15-3-1) W TKO 4 Hemi Ahio (19-1). Haney vs. Kambosos Haney gets repeat win over Kambosos to retain the four belts Round 1 From the first minute a ridiculously fired-up Kambosos was busy, busy constantly switching guards and switching direction but to no real effect. Haney was mainly on his back foot, cautious just probing with his jab. Kambosos was darting in with quick attacks but Haney was tying him up inside. Kambosos landed a series of hooks at the end of the round just doing enough to take the round. Score: 10-9 Kambosos Round 2 Haney took control. He was now coming forward finding the range with his jab and connected with a good right cross. Kambosos was relying on lunging attacks but tended to fall into clinches and was unable to do any useful work. Haney was on target late in the round with his jab and rights. Score: 10-9 HaneyTIED 19-19 Round 3 Haney was using his better hand speed to spear Kambosos with jabs and connecting with an occasional right. Kambosos was still constantly switching guards which was at times leaving him off balance and open to counters as he switched and he was too busy switching to throw punches. They traded hooks late in the round before Haney landed a hard right. There were continuous clinches mainly Heany holding when Kambosos got inside so an ugly untidy fight. Score: 10-9 HaneyHaney 29-28 Round 4 Not much clean work done by either boxer. Haney was able to land an occasional jab and to counter Kambosos as he dived in. They swapped hooks as Kambosos made a late charge but Haney landed the better shots in another disappointing round. Score: 10-9 HaneyHaney 39-37 Official Scores: Judge Leszek Jankowiak 40-36 Haney, Judge Craig Metcalfe 39-37 Haney, Judge Manuel Palomo 39-37 Haney Round 5 An easy round for Haney. He was able to score with quick jabs and catching the onrushing Kambosos with counters. Kambosos was switching direction and guards but when he did finally lunge forward Haney either caught him with a counter or tied him up so Kambosos could do no work. Score: 10-9 HaneyHaney 49-46 Round 6 Haney was able to ping Kambosos with jabs and snappy rights as Kambosos ducked and weaved and was still not throwing enough punches. Haney was able to anticipate when Kambosos was going to throw himself forward and he either skipped back out of range, countered Kambosos on the way in or clinched. Score: 10-9 HaneyHaney 59-55 Round 7 Hardly a punch was thrown in the first half of the round as Kambosos continued to circle and Haney waited to counter. Over the second half of the round Haney stood off and scored from distance with his quicker hands and used slick footwork and quick upper movement to avoids the few punches Kambosos did throw. Score: 10-9 HaneyHaney 69-64 Round 8 A closer round. Kambosos did less circling and switching and moved in quicker. Haney was less accurate and under a bit more pressure. The cleaner work came from Haney as he landed some sneak punches at distance and worked inside instead of holding but that also allowed Kambosos to be effective inside. Score: 10-9 HaneyHaney 79-73 Official Scores: Judge Leszek Jankowiak 80-72 Haney, Judge Craig Metcalfe 78-74 Haney, Judge Manuel Palomo 79-73 Haney Round 9 A good round for Haney. It was a much more open fight with hardly a clinch. That meant that Haney was able to use his longer reach and quicker hands to pick Kambosos off at distance. Both landed good rights but Haney was doing most of the scoring and Kambosos was now cut over his left eye. Score: 10-9 HaneyHaney 89-82 Round 10 Haney came out looking to finish the fight. He was stabbing home hard jabs and following with overhand rights and driving Kambosos along the ropes. Haney was not looking to clinch now. He hammered away at Kambosos with shots from both hands and landed more punches than in any other round so far-but Kambosos was still there at the bell. Score; 10-9 HaneyHaney 99-91 Round 11 The doctor examined Kambosos before the start of the round but allowed it continue. Haney dialled back the pressure in this round. As a result, Kambosos did better occasionally getting inside to score with hooks. Haney was not throwing as much as in the tenth but he was landing harder single shots and catching Kambosos with counters. Score: 10-9 HaneyHaney 109-100 Round 12 Kambosos chased Haney down throughout the round but with very little success. Haney was popping him with jabs and dropping in crafty rights. Kambosos was just not fast enough to cut off the ring and Haney was never troubled as he boxed his way to the bell. Score: 10-9 HaneyHaney 119-109 Official Scores: Judge Leszek Jankowiak 119-109 Haney, Judge Craig Metcalfe 118-110 Haney, Judge Manuel Palomo 118-110 Haney There is talk of a fight with Vasyl Lomachenko next as he is No 1 with both the WBC and WBO and that would be more attractive than tackling WBA No 1 Ryan Garcia or IBF No 1 Gustavo Lemos. From the second round onwards Kambosos never looked like posing a threat and he lost by wider scores than in their first fight. With Haney holding all four belts it remains to be seen where Kambosos will go next. Johnson vs. Ramadan Johnson overcomes a horrendous cut to retain her IBF title. No sizing up here as they both got down to work in the first with Ramadan just having the edge, The blood began to flow in the second. Ramadan was cut over her right eye and late in the round a clash of heads saw a huge gash opened on Johnson’s forehead. The blood poured out as she went back to her corner her face was a mask of blood. It looked impossible that Johnson could continue but after wiping the blood away the doctor decided the fight could continue. Ramadan had a good third as Johnson was again bloodied but she was back on form in the fourth dropping Ramadan for a count. The fifth and six were close then Ramadan lost a point in the seventh for a punch to the back of the head and in the eighth for landing a punch after the break call. Johnson took the ninth but Ramadan finished strongly to win the tenth but that was not enough to overcome the knockdown and the points deductions. Scores 97-90,96-92and 96-92 for Johnson who was defending her title for the first time. Her only loss was on a split decision against Shannon O’Connell in March 2021. Ramadan, a former WBC bantam title holder, was having only her third bout in four years. Moloney vs. Jimenez Moloney gets important win over high ranked Jimenez. It was a Disastrous first round for Jimenez, He was hurt by body shots and warned for rubbing his glove in Moloney’s face and then went down from a low punch. He was given time to recover but landed a punch after the call to break and was penalised a point. Just before the bell he was dropped by a stiff jab. He got up and the bell went so a 10-7 round for Moloney. The second was not much better for Jimenez as late in the round Moloney fired a series of punches and Jimenez looked to have slipped under them and landed on his rump. He was given a count protesting all the way. Two rounds gone and Jimenez was five points down. After that Jimenez was more than willing to trade with Moloney and both were landing vicious body punches as it turned into an entertaining scrap. Moloney’s body punches and clubbing rights to the head saw him getting the better of the exchanges but Jimenez did not back down. He picked up a round here and there and he was never really in any trouble but just could not overcome that disastrous start and Moloney was a clear winner on scores of 98-88, 98-89 and 97-90. Moloney wins the WBIO International belt. Jimenez was No 2 with the WBO and No 3 with the WBC and Moloney 4 and 5 respectively with those bodies so he will have boosted his chances of a title shot with both of those bodies. Dominican Jimenez had lost only one of his last seventeen fights and that was against Khalid Yafai for the WBA title in June 2019. Moloney vs. Nawaphon Moloney takes a wide unanimous decision over Nawaphon in a WBC eliminator. Moloney did the scoring in the opening round jabbing strongly and firing some hefty body punches. The second was tighter with both having good spells and the action heating up nicely. The third saw Nawaphon taking the fight to Moloney and scoring with left hooks to the body. Moloney edged the fourth. He was again jabbing well with Nawaphon again working the body in another competitive round. Great movement and quick accurate combinations gave Moloney the fifth as he slipped Nawaphon’s shots and slotted home his own but Nawaphon upped the pressure and had a successful sixth. Nawaphon continued to apply pressure in the seventh and eighth but was shaken by a left in the seventh and by uppercuts in the eighth. Nawaphon continued to come forward in the ninth targeting the body with Moloney again quick and accurate in a close round. The tenth was Nawaphon’s as Moloney looks to be feeling the pace of a great scrap. Nawaphon made a good start to the eleventh but then Moloney took over hooking to the body and rocking Nawaphon with right to the head and Moloney outscored Nawaphon in the last. Moloney wins on scores of 118-110 twice and 119-109. He is No 1 with the WBC but the title is held by Naoya Inoue who Knocked out Moloney in seven rounds in 2020. Moloney is also No 1 with the WBO but with the unification fight between Inoue and Butler for the four belts taking place in December Moloney may see Inoue wherever he looks. Nawaphon was WBC No 2 but his record has been built on wins over novices, no hopers and over the top fighters so his figures are deceptive. Simpson vs. Heywood Southpaw Simpson gets a points win over New Zealander Heywood. No scores available but it was a unanimous decision. Nyika vs. Motusaga Easy night for Nyika as he kayo’s previously unbeaten Motusaga in an all New Zealander contest. Nyika landed a booming right to the head that had Motusaga out on his feet and he tumbled to the floor to be counted out. Down side for the 6’6” Nyika was a gashed cheek. Nyika, 27, won a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a bronze at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and is one of the best prospects in New Zealand boxing. Opelu vs. Ahio An upset sees Samoan-born Opelu stop previously unbeaten Ahio. The stoppage looked a little premature but Opelu looked to be ahead at the time. Opelu had been knocked out in seven October 13 New York, NY, USA: Super Welter: Ivan Golub (21-1) W RTD 4 Wesley Tucker (15-4). Super Light: Petros Ananyan (17-3-2) W TKO 6 Paulo Galdino (12-6). Light: Heather Hardy (23-2,1ND) W PTS 6 Calista Silgado (20-16-3). Golub vs. Tucker In a battle of southpaws Golub used his reach advantage to edge a slow first round but had to take a count in the second when he was knocked off balance and his glove touched the canvas. Golub quickly recovered and dominated the third and fourth rounds handing out plenty of punishment and Tucker’s corner pulled their man out of the fight before the start of the fifth. Golub, IBF No 7(6), gets his eighth win in a row. Tucker is now 1-4 in his last 5 outings. Ananyan vs. Galdino Armenian-born Russian Ananyan stops Galdino in sixth. Ananyan won this one all the way. He dominated the first five rounds and had Galdino bleeding from the nose and under heavy fire in the sixth when the referee stopped the fight. First fight for Ananyan since a loss against Subriel Matias in January. Fourth loss by KO/TKO for Brazilian southpaw Galdino. Hardy vs. Silgado Former WBO female featherweight title holder Hardy returns after seventeen months out and gets some useful ring time as she beats Colombian Silgado. The visitor fought hard and was competitive over the first three rounds but then Hardy took over and outscored Silgado over the second half of the fight winning on scores of 58-56 twice and 60-54. The 40-year-old from Brooklyn suffered back-to-back losses to Amanda Serrano and Jessica Camara before her inactivity and will be looking to work her way into a title shot in 2023. Fifth defeat in her last six fights for experienced Silgado. October 14 Monza, Italy: Bantam: Alessio Lorusso (19-4-2) W KO 12 Sebastian Perez (13-3-1). Feather: Mattia De Bianchi (14-1) W PTS 10 Mattia Occhinero (9-1-1). Lorusso vs. Perez Lorusso wins the vacant European title with late stoppage of Perez in an entertaining contrast in styles. The pattern of the fight was set from the first round. Local southpaw Lorusso boxed on the back foot circling the perimeter of the ring scoring with jabs at distance and countering the attacking Perez who stormed forward scoring with solid shots to the body inside. It was a fast-paced fight with Lorusso seeming to lack the power to keep Perez out as the Spaniard bobbed and weaved his way past Lorusso guard to batter away at the Italian’s body. Perez looked to have the edge but by the eleventh the fire had gone out of some of Perez’s attacks and Lorusso was finding more space to fire his own punches and he was coming forward more and putting some additional power into his shots. Lorusso exploded in the twelfth driving Perrez to the ropes and bombarding him with punches until with his head being snapped back and forward Perez dropped to the canvas. He beat the count but was still dazed and unsteady and the referee wrongly allowed him to continue taking more worrying head shots until he dropped the canvas and the fight was stopped. Fourteen consecutive wins for former Italian and EU champion Lorusso. Perez. Also, a former EU title holder, came so close. De Bianchi vs. Occhinero De Bianchi wins the Italian title with a unanimous decision over champion Occhinero in a great little scrap. If the pace in the Lorusso vs. Perez fight was fast then this one was frantic. De Bianchi made a fast start driving forward and scoring well to the body. Occhinero boxed well but his output was lower. De Bianchi was cut over his right eye in the second and from there Occhinero was on the front foot. They traded punches for three minutes of every round with Occhinero throwing straight and more accurate punches and De Bianchi firing hooks and supercuts. The pace finally told on Occhinero and De Bianchi finished the strong and took the decision on scores of 96-94 twice and 97-93 but it is a pity there had to be a loser. De Bianchi is a former national super bantam champion and Occhinero was making the first defence of his title. Occhinero Harae, Zimbabwe: Super Bantam; Kudakwashe Chiwandire (6-2-1) W PTS 10 Zulina Munoz (53-5-2). Local female star Chiwandire scores two knockdowns but then has to climb off the floor herself as she retains the temporary WBC title with unanimous verdict over Mexico’s legendary Munoz. Munoz was cut over her left eye early. After edging in front Chiwandire floored Munoz with rights in both the fourth and fifth rounds and went on to build a big lead. Munoz was far from finished and she came back to drop Chiwandire with an uppercut in the eighth. Chiwandire beats the count and sees out the last round to get the win. Scores 100-88, 98-89 and 96-92. Munoz was knocked out in seven rounds by Dane Dina Thorslund so perhaps the 60 fights are catching up with her but still a remarkable victory for Chiwandire October 15 Llanquihue, Chile: Super Feather: Junior Cruzat (10-0) W TKO 4 Cristian Palma (31-13-2). Cruzat wins the vacant national title with stoppage of Palma. The physical edges in height and reach and the youth of Cruzat proved too much for experienced Palma. The taller Cruzat, 21, controlled the action before finishing the fight in the fourth. He drove Palma to a corner and just showered him with punches until the referee jumped in and stopped the fight. Sixth inside the distance finish for Cruzat. Palma, 37, a former Chilean featherweight champion. suffers his ninth loss by KO/TKO Dreux, France: Super Light: Hassan Amzile (5-0) W PTS 10 Romain Couture (11-6-2). Former Olympian Amzile retains the French title with a unanimous decision over hometown fighter Couture. The 6’1” Amzile won on scores of 97-93 twice and 98-92. First defence for Amzile a three-time French amateur champion who competed at the 2016 Olympics and in the WSB. Second unsuccessful shot at the title for Couture. Montpellier, France: Welter: Mohamed Kani (21-3) W TKO 6 Yahya Tiaouziti (19-6-3). Fighting in his own neighbourhood Kani wins his first international title and gets his first win by KO/TKO with a sixth round victory over Tiaouziti. Southpaw Kani was well on his way to victory when in the sixth he exploded a brutal left hook that flattened Tiaouziti. The referee started to count then abandoned it as Tiaouziti was out cold. Kani wins the vacant European Union title at the second attempt. Former French champion Tiaouziti was also fighting for the EU title for the second time. Clermont-Ferrand, France: Heavy: Cyril Leonet (17-11-3) W Karim Berredjem (11-8). Leonet makes a successful defence of the French title with a points victory over former victim Berredjem. The 39-year-old Leonet, a pro for almost 16 years, is 6-4-1 in French title fights as champion or challenger and outpointed Berredjem in a defence in 2017 Euskirchen, Germany: Middle: Predrag Radosevic (35-3) W PTS 12 Bosko Misic (24-20). Montenegrin Radosevic wins the vacant WBU belt with points victory over Croatian Misic on scores of 120-104 twice and 119-105. Radosevic, 38yo, was having his first fight for three years. He has lost big fights against Liam Smith for the vacant WBO super welterweight title in 2016 and against Jama Saidi for the IBF and WBO European belts in June 2019. Third loss in a row for Panama City, Panama: Feather: Anselmo Moreno (42-6-1) W TKO 1 Julio Cruz (12-6). Moreno makes it five wins in a row as he stops Mexican Cruz in the first. A left from Moreno knocked Cruz off balance but the referee did not apply a count. Cruz tried to trade punches with Moreno but was hurt by a left hook to the body. Moreno then bombarded Cruz with punches until the referee stopped the fight. Former WBA bantam title holder Moreno, 37, is No 4 feather with the WBA and hoping to get a title shot in 2023. First fight for Cruz in almost four years. Tacloban City, Philippines: Super Bantam: Michael Dasmarinas (32-3-2) W PTS 12 Ryan Rey Ponteras (23-17-3). Dasmarinas vs. Ponteras Dasmarinas win the vacant Philippines title with unanimous decision over Ponteras. Dasmarinas is 14-1-2 in his last 17 fights with the defeat coming on a third round kayo by Naoya Inoue for the IBF and WBA bantam titles in June last year. Third consecutive loss for former Philippines flyweight champion Ponteras. Orlando, FL, USA: Super Light: Kevin Brown (2-0) W TKO 6 Adriano Ramirez (12-5). Brown stops Ramirez in six rounds. It is now two fights and two wins by KO/TKO for the classy Cuban. No time is being wasted in moving him up as this one was slated for ten rounds. Brown scored wins over Roniel Iglesias, Andy Cruz, Arlen Lopez and Josh Kelly before defecting on the way back from the Pan American Championships, Dominican Ramirez is 1-1 in fights this year. Grays, England: Super Bantam: Nina Hughes W TKO 2 Flora Macheka (7-10). Welter: Dee Allen W PTS 10 Cindy Reyes (4-0). Hughes vs. Machela Local girl Hughes retains the Commonwealth title with second round stoppage of Machela. Hughes floored Machela with a right to get her second win by KO/TKO. Tanzanian Machela has fought in seven different countries to try to stay active. Allen vs. Reyes Allen wins the vacant WBC International female title with wide unanimous verdict over young Mexican Reyes. Allen put Reyes down with right to the head in the third but Reyes beat the count and Allen had to go the full ten rounds for her victory on scores of 100-89 twice and 99-90. October 16 rounds by Lucas Browne in December. Big setback for Ahio. Paranaque City, Philippines: Fly: Arvin Magramo (15-1-1) WKO 3 Jonathan Refugio (22-9-5). Magramo beats Refugio in an all-southpaw scrap. Magramo pressed hard in the first with Refugio quick and slick on defence but looking light on power. Magramo was on top in the second marching in firing hooks and uppercuts from both hands and Refugio began to come apart. Magramo ended it in the third. He connected with a couple of body shots inside and Refugio slumped to his knees and was counted out. Seventh win in a row and tenth win by KO/TKO for Magramo. Former WBC International light fly title holder Refugio started out as a strawweight and was just not strong enough to hold off Magramo. Hammanskraal, South Africa: Cruiser: Thomas Oosthuizen (30-3-2) WTKO 6 Limbani Lano (7-9-1). Light Heavy: Isaac Chilemba (27-9-3) W KO 2 Mbaruku Kheri (18-12). Oosthuizen vs. Lano Oosthuizen returns with a win as he stops inexperienced Lano in the sixth round. First fight for thirteen months for the former IBO light heavyweight title holder. Oosthuizen, 34, has thrown away his career with indiscipline but is giving it one last shot. Malawian Lano was 1-5 in his last 6 bouts. Chilemba vs. Kheri Hugely experienced Chilemba scores one for Malawi as he knocks out Tanzanian Khreri in two rounds of a terrible mismatch. Kheri, 39, does not do distance fights. Twenty-six of his thirty fights have ended by KO/TKO and he has been on the losing end in eleven of them. Fight of the week (Significance): Tied between Devin Haney vs. George Kambosos and Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius as Haney’s win could lead to a great match against Vasyl Lomachenko and there a number of good fights there for Wilder. Fight of the week (Entertainment): The fight between Mattia De Bianchi and Mattia Occhinero was an absolute classic and a great advert for Italian boxing. Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall lived up to its billing and was yet another example of just how far female boxing has come. Fighter of the week: Claressa Shields as she once again holds all four belts at middle weight and gets revenge for her only loss as ab amateur or professional. Punch of the week: I will go with the drama of the right from Wilder that destroyed Helenius and signalled his return to the top. It was quite a week for spectacular punching as I could just as easily gone for the Liam Paro left hook that finished Brock Jarvis, the huge right from Frank Savage that floored Carlos Negron, the left hook from Mohamed Kani that knocked out Yahya Tiaouziti, the Caleb Plant left hook that finished Anthony Dirrell or the right from David Nyika that turned the lights out for Titi Motusaga. Truly a knockout of a weekend! Upset of the week: Not often a title holder retaining her title is counted as an upset but Zimbabwean Kudakwashe Chiwandire (5-2-1) flooring and outpointing Zulina Munoz (53-5-2) in defence of her WBC temporary title certainly counts. Prospect watch: New Zealand cruiserweight David Nyika 5-0 (4) looks a good tip for the top. Observations Rosette to: Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall for a fight that built on the excitement created by Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano to show that female boxing can provide quality and entertainment to match or surpass any male fight. To Cherneka Johnson’s corner who did a great job of keeping her in the fight after she suffered a horrible gash on her forehead Red Card to: Caleb Plant. Just a couple of weeks after another young boxer died from injuries suffered in a fight it was beyond disgusting with Anthony Dirrell down receiving medical assistance to see Plant looking down at Dirrell and mimicking throwing shovels full of dirt into a grave. He even shrugged off the referee when he tried to stop him and did it again. Contrast that with Deontay Wilder who apologised to Robert Helenius for the scary kayo he scored. To: Susie Ramadan who reportedly claimed that she had been treated unfairly in her fight with Cherneka Johnson because her name was Ramadan! -Have to feel some sympathy for Dominican Norberto Jimenez. In a big ten round fight against Andrew Moloney after two knockdowns and some infringements by the end of the second round he was already five points down. A mountain to climb but not too much sympathy as it was mainly his own fault. -Good to see French No 1 welterweight Mohamed Kani win a fight inside the distance. Not too often you came across a good level fighter such as Kani with a 20-3 record with all 23 fights having gone the distance. -I Can already hear the cries of despair as I present another voluminous report and yet whether you believe it or not, I am being parsimonious (look it up-I had to). There were a total of 88 boxing shows on the BoxRec schedule for last weekend and I only covered 20 of them so a vote of thanks please (louder I can’t hear you). 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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