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THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 30 June 2025: Zurdo Outpoints Dorticos, Keeps WBA/WBO Cruiser Titles; Mbilli Stops Sulecki in 1; Wins by Kuroki, Wilder and Jake Paul By Eric Armit PhilBoxing.com Tue, 01 Jul 2025  Zurdo (R) catches Dorticos with a right. HIGHLIGHTS (date order) -Australians Liam Paro and Liam Wilson return with wins. -Yuko Kuroki retains the WBA minimum title with a unanimous decision over Nanako Suzuki -Christian Mbilli blows away Maciej Sulecki in one round to press his right for a title shot and there are wins for Stephen Butler and Arslan Makhmudov -Deontay Wilder returns to action with a win over Tyrrell Hendron -Gilberto Ramirez outpoints Yuniel Dorticos in WBA/WBO cruiserweight title defence -Jake Paul outpoints Julio Cesar Chavez Jr -Floyd Schofield wipes out Tevin Farmer inside a round -Super veteran Holly Holm returns with a win -Michal Cieslak wins the WBC interim cruiserweight title and loser Jean Pascal brings down the curtain on his career -There are wins for prospects Juan Rodriguez, Raul Curiel, Joel Iriarte, Joshua Edwards and John Ramirez but former champion Rene Alvardo outpoints unbeaten Victor Morales -Bradley Rea outpoints Shakan Pitters to win the European light heavyweight title - Spain’s Jairo Noriega wins the vacant European flyweight title MAJOR SHOWS: JUNE 27 QUEBEC CITY, CANADA: SUPER MIDDLE: CHRISTIAN MBILLI (29-0) W TKO 1 MACIEJ SULECKI (33-4). SUPER MIDDLE: STEVEN BUTLER (36-5-1) W TKO 4 JOSE de JESUS MACIAS (29-14-4). HEAVY: ARSLANBEK MAKHMUDOV (20-2) W TKO 1 RICARDO BROWN (12-1). SUPER LIGHT JHON OROBIO (14-0) W KO 1 ZSOLT OSADAN (27-4-1). WELTER: CHRISTOPHER GUERRERO (15-0) W TKO 10 SANDY MESSAOUD (20-9). SUPER MIDDLE: WILKENS MATHIEU (14-0) W KO 3 ADAGIO McDONALD (8-2). SUPER LIGHT: LEILE BEAUDOIN (13-1) W TKO 6 ELHEM MEKHALED (17-4). LIGHT: LUIS SANTANA (14-0) W TKO 5 EDUARDO ESTELA (17-5). SUPER LIGHT: WYATT SANFORD (3-0) W PTS 6 MARK ANDREJEV (4-2). 
Mbilli vs. Sulecki MBILLI blows away SULECKI in the first round. Mbilli came out fast throwing hooks from both hands sending the taller Pole on the retreat. He drove Sulecki to the ropes and landed two body pinches and then a devastating right uppercuts that Sulecki did not see coming. The Pole went down heavily and although he did make it to his feet he was just too late and was counted out. The Cameroon-born Frenchman wins the WBC interim belt and has 24 wins by KO/TKO. He is ready to face the winner of Alvarez vs. Crawford. Sulecki had been knocked out in six rounds by Diego Pacheco in August last year but had rebounded with a tenth round stoppage of Ali Akhmedov in February. 
Butler vs. Macias BUTLER gets revenge for a loss back in 2021 stops Mexican MACIAS in the fourth. After three close rounds Butler knocked Macias down with a right to the head in the fourth. Macias made it to his feet but after the count Butler connected with a hurtful uppercut to the body and then a right to the head that floored Macias with the referee stopping the fight. Butler has had two title shots losing to Ryota Murata for the secondary WBA title in 2019 and on a second round kayo against Zhanibek Alimkhanuly for the WBO title in 2023. Macias had lost 2 of his last 3 fights being beaten on points by Erik Bazinyan and Callum Simpson. Makhmudov vs. Brown There was bad feeling between MAKHMUDOV and BROWN arising from verbal exchanges in the time leading up to the fight. As a result both were throwing bombs from the start and it was a hard overhand right to the head from Makhmudov that ended the contest. Brown went down heavily and although he made it to his feet he was unsteady and glassy-eye and the referee stopped the fight. Indide the distance defeats against Agit Kabayel and Guido Vianello have seriously dented the big Russian’s standing and at 36 he needs to find a quick way to restore that. Based on his previous opponents Makhmudov was a huge step up for Jamaican Brown and he was found wanting. Orobio vs. Osadan Canadian-based Colombian OROBIO wipes out Slovakian OSADAN in the first round. Orobio scored two knockdowns. Osadan managed to beat the count both times but the left hook that put him down for the second count had Osadan badly hurt and when he did get to his feet he staggered into the ropes and the referee stopped the fight. Orobio, 22, wins the vacant WBC Continental Americas title with his twelfth inside the distance victory. Osadan was 26-1-1 before losing consecutive fights including a wide unanimous decision against Mathieu Germain in Montreal. Guerrero vs. Messaoud GUERRERO made a successful first defence of the WBC Continental Americas title with a late stoppage of MESSAOUD. This looked the most competitive fight on the undercard and taller French southpaw Messaoud had enough success to ensure the fight was still close after nine rounds with one judge having Messaoud in front 87-84. A hard right in the tenth knocked Messaoud’s mouthguard out and as Guerrero connected with a series of hard punches Messaoud’s team climbed to the apron calling for the fight to be stopped even though there were only 32 seconds remaining in the fight. Mexican-born Canadian Guerrero, 24, gets his ninth win by KO/TKO. Second inside the distance loss for Messaoud, 38, who had a two-title fight against Spain’s Samuel Molina in February in which he failed in a challenge for the European title and lost his WBC International title. Mathieu vs. McDonald MATHIEU gets his fourth inside the distance victory in a row with a third round stoppage of Frenchman McDONALD. Mathieu brutalised McDonald for two rounds and then floored him in the third with the referee immediately waiving the fight over. Mathieu, 20, is yet to be tested. He has won 10 of his fights by KO/TKO and has won every round in the four fights that have gone the distance. Second loss in a row for McDonald. Beaudoin vs. Mekhaled Canadian BEAUDOIN drops MEKHALED twice on the way to victory. Mekhaled was competitive for three rounds but Beaudoin dominated from the fourth. She landed punishing shots in the fifth then floored Mekhaled in the sixth. Mekhaled got up but was put down again and although she again beat the count a fierce attack from Beaudoin brought the stoppage. Beaudoin was defending her WBO International title for the first time and gets her second win by KO/TKO. France’s Mekhaled, a former European champion, lost a majority decision to Chantelle Cameron for the vacant WBC interim title in July last year. Santana vs. Estela In what was supposed to be SANTANA’S first ten round test the unbeaten Canadian bounced overmatched Uruguayan ESTELA off the floor four times. Estela was down three times over the first four rounds and after the fourth knockdown the fifth round the referee stepped in to save Estela. Fifth win by KO/TKO in his last six fights for Santana. Estela had been beaten in four rounds by Steve Claggett in Quebec in October. Sanford vs. Andrejev Paris Olympics bronze SANFORD got some rounds under his belt as he outpointed Estonian ANDREJEV. Scores 60-54 twice and 60-53. Sanford’s other two fights have both ended in the first round. WICHITA, KANSAS: HEAVY: DEONTAY WILDER (44-4-1) W TKO 7 TYRRELL HERNDON (24-6). LIGHT HEAVY: LEON NICHOLSON (22-1) W TKO 4 DEVONTE WILLIAMS (13-2). SUPER FLY: NICO HERNANDEZ (12-0) W TKO 2 W ROBERT LEDESMA (3-15-1). HEAVY: GUSTAVO TRUJILLO (8-0) W TKO 6 LATEEF KAYODE (22-6). 
Wilder vs. Herndon WILDER eases his way back with win over HERNDON in seven rounds. Wilder made a steady start using his langer reach and quicker hands finding the rage with his jab and landed a hard left just before the bell. In the second Wilder used his jab to force Herndon onto the back foot but was off target with a couple of rights. In the dying seconds of the round Wilder connected with a counter right that dropped Herndon. He beat the count and survived the remaining seconds. Wilder continued to work well with his left in the third but just could not find the range with his right. Wilder upped his pace in the fourth and connected with a hard left. A counter from Herndon paused Wilder’s attacks but Wilder shook Herndon with a left hook late in the round. The fifth saw neither fighter having any significant success. Wilder was still doing his best work with his left but was misfiring with his right. Wilder finally began to land cleanly with rights in the sixth. A series of rights forced Herndon to the ropes and Wilder scored with a good combination. More rights had Herndon dipping to get under the punches and his glove touched the canvas and he was given a count. After the count Wilder landed more rights but Herndon made it through to the bell. Wilder landed a hard left hook early in the seventh and although Herndon looked to have gone down on one knee there was no count. Wilder connected with two left hooks and a right that had Herndon going back and two rights had Herndon reeling back along the ropes and the referee stopped the fight. Wilder, 39, gets his first win since kayoing Robert Helenius in October 2022 but you have to go back all the way to 2014 for when he was fighting opponents of this lower level. No conclusions can be drawn from this fight on how much Wilder has left. The plan seems to be for another fight later this year and then a big fight in 2026. Herndon had only stepped up once before and been stopped in three rounds by Olympian Richard Torrez in 2023. Nicholson vs. Williams NICHOLSON beats WILLIAMS on a fourth round stoppage. Williams was floored in the second and again in the fourth and simply sat out the count. Nicholson’s loss came in 2021 when he was halted in three rounds by Efetobor Apochi and this is his eighth win since then. Williams was having his first fight since 2021 and in fact only his second fight in eighth years. Hernandez vs. Ledesma Fighting in his home city the former top amateur HERNANDEZ halts LEDESMA in two rounds. Body punches had Ledesma under pressure in the first and he took a count after going down on one knee. Ledesma was floored again in the second and a body punch put him down for the third time and he was counted out. The 2016 Olympian tried Bare Knuckle boxing but is back with the gloves for the first time since June 2023. Texan Ledesma is 0-8-1 in his last 9 fights Trujillo vs. Kayode Cuban TRUJILLO maintains his 100% record with victory over veteran KAYODE. The 6’4” Trujillo had almost 5” of height and a much longer reach than the experienced Nigeria. Once Trujillo was in the groove with his jab he proceeded to hand Kayode a solid beating. He had Kayode badly shaken in the third and continued to hand out punishment until Kayode’s corner threw in the towel in the sixth round. Seventh inside the distance finish for the 32-year-old Trujillo who fought in Bare Knuckle boxing and Martial Arts before moving to boxing in 2022. Former WBA cruiser title challenger Kayode, 42, was inactive for five years before returning with a low level win in June 2023. JUNE 28 ANAHEIM, CA, USA: CRUISER: GILBERTO RAMIREZ (48-1) W PTS 12 YUNIEL DORTICOS (27-3). CRUISER: JAKE PAUL (12-1) W PTS 10 JULIO CHAVEZ (54-7-1). WELTER: RAUL CURIEL (16-0-1) W KO 4 VICTOR RODRIGUEZ (16-1-1). LIGHT: FLOYD SCHOFIELD (19-0) W KO 1 TEVIN FARMER (33-9-1). WELTER: JULIAN RODRIGUEZ (24-1) W KO 10 AVIOUS GRIFFIN (17-1). LIGHT: HOLLY HOLM (34-2-3) W PTS 10 YOLANDA VEGA (10-1). WELTER: JOEL IRIARTE (8-0) W PTS 8 KEVIN JOHNSON (12-7). HEAVY: JOSHUS EDWARDS (3-0) W KO 1 DOMINIC HARDY (6-4). SUPER FEATHER: RENE ALVARADO (35-16) W PTS 10 VICTOR MORALES (20-1-1). SUPER FLY: JOHN RAMIREZ (15-1) W PTS 8 JOSUE MORALES (33-19-5). Ramirez vs. Dorticos 
RAMIREZ retains his WBA and WBO titles as he takes a unanimous decision over DORTICOS. Ramirez looked to have just taken the first round but Dorticos provided plenty of pressure in the second to even things up. He continued to force Ramirez back taking him to the ropes where Ramirez’s speed was nullified. Ramirez had enough success to make it make it close and then began to motor from the fifth. He upped his output getting his punches off first and landing plenty of clean shots. Dorticos was still having good spells but the movement and accuracy of Ramirez gave him the edge. Dorticos had the longer reach but did not make any use of that advantage and as Ramirez applied pressure Dorticos, the older man, began to tire. Both had been going low with punches and Dorticos did not help his cause by sinning again in the tenth and losing a point. Dorticos needed a strong finish but just did not have enough gas left and Ramirez went on to win on scores of 115-112 twice and 117-110. Ramirez has said the fight he wants next is IBF champion Jai Opetaia which is the best fight out there at cruiserweight. Dorticos, 39, has not had a hard time recently with only four fights in almost five years so may fight on. 
Paul vs. Chavez Utterly predictably PAUL has an easy night against a long since washed up CHAVEZ so providing a feeble excuse for some sanctioning bodies to sniff the money and publicity and throw all of their so called ratings principles out of the window. The fight saw Paul take an early lead over a very passive Chavez (21 punches landed in the first eight rounds i.e. less than three punches per round.). Paul had his jab working well and added in some body punches with little or nothing coming back from Chavez. Too often Chavez just sat behind a high guard with Paul able to pick his spot with no danger of being caught by a counter. Paul’s work rate was not very high but it did not need to be and he never really troubled Chavez or looked remotely like stopping him. Chavez showed a little bit of life in the middle rounds but was throwing too few punches to be competitive. Paul began to show signs of tiring in the eighth and Chavez finally came to life over the ninth and tenth getting past Paul’s jab to score inside but even then Paul still pushed out his jab doing enough to at least make the two rounds even. Paul won on scores of 99-91, 98-92 and a generous 97-93. With Chavez landing just 21 punches in the first 8 rounds whatever he was paid was unearned income. The talk is now of Paul getting a world rating with the WBC being coy but no one doubts they will enthusiastically leap on the Jake Paul bandwagon. I can’t imagine any honest reason to rate Paul for beating a 39-year-old washed up fighter who had had only one fight in the past 42 months and not been in a major fight for six years. Box Rec rate Paul No 69 but then they actually rate on the basis of fighters fought and beaten and not on how much publicity and money they will make. Curiel vs. Rodriguez CURIEL breaks down and stops RODRIGUEZ in the fourth. This was a close-quarters clash from the start with both fighters standing in the pocket and trading body punches. Curiel began to score heavily in the second and hammered away at Rodriguez’s body. He finished Rodriguez in the fourth. A series of punches ending with a savage right uppercut sent Rodriguez down on his hands and knees. He beat the count but Curiel drove him back across the right with a barrage of sweeping hooks and the referee came in and stopped the fight. It is now 14 wins inside the distance for Curiel. He drew with WBO No 1 Alexis Rocha in December but in the twisted logic of the WBO is No 15 in their ratings. Uruguayan Rodriguez was out of his depth. Schofield vs. Farmer SCHOFIELD blitzes FARMER and stops him after two knockdowns in the first round. Farmer was jabbing with Schofield moving around him. As Farmer took a step forward Schofield met him with a straight right that sent him down on his backside with just 35 seconds gone in the round. After the eight count Schofield jumped on Farmer firing hooks from both hands and a left to the head knocked Farmer down again. When he got up the referee had a good look at him but let the fight continue but as Schofield exploded with more hooks the referee came in just as Farmer was about to go down again and stopped the fight after 78 seconds. Statement performance from Schofield as Farmer had given WBC interim champion William Zepeda two tough fights losing the first on a split decision and the second a majority division. This win could put Schofield line to face the winner of Shakur Stevenson’s WBC title defence against Zepeda on 12 July. Schofield had been scheduled to challenge Stevenson on the Beterbiev vs. Bivol card in Saudi Arabia but he pulled out at short notice which drew a lot of criticism. Fourth loss in a row for Farmer but he has bounced back before. Rodriguez vs. Griffin RODRIGUEZ comes off the floor to score a late stoppage victory over GRIFFIN. It was obvious over the opening rounds that Rodriguez’s power was giving favourite Griffin problems and Griffin was just not active enough to counter that. Griffin did up his output from the fourth and shook Rodriguez with a right but Rodriguez was scoring consistently with left hooks and looked to have won four of the first five rounds. Rodriguez continued to boss the action until Griffin came to life again in the eighth and dropped Rodriguez with a right to the head. Rodriguez beat the count and in the ninth had blood dripping from Griffin’s nose with a left. Griffin needed a kayo going into the last round but instead it was Rodriguez who produced the finish. Two left hooks dumped Griffin on the canvas. He beat the count but his legs had gone and the referee stopped the fight. Rodriguez had lost on points against Jose Pedraza in 2021 and this was only his third fight since then. He takes Griffin’s WBC USA title and wins the vacant WBA Continental Americas title. Griffin had won 16 of his 17 fights by KO/TKO so this an upset. Holm vs. Vega HOLM returns to boxing with her first fight for twelve years and outclasses formerly unbeaten Mexican VEGA. The veteran southpawwas just too clever and too skilful for the strong but limited Vega.She also found plenty of gaps for her straight lefts. Vega tried to put the thirteen-year-older Holm under pressure but Holm slid away and scored with counters. Vega might have been hoping Holm might fade late but that did not happen. Holm won on scores of 100-90 on the cards. She won the first of her many titles back in 2004 and later deserted boxing to win fame in the MMA eventually becoming the first woman to win world titles in MMA and boxing and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2022. She will be looking to be a champion again. Iriarte vs. Johnson IRIARTE goes the distance for the first time as he outpoints JOHNSON. Iriarte was using his longer reach and quicker hands to boss the action. Johnson was using a high guard and choosing his moment to jump in with quick punches. He lacked the power to concern Iriarte but in the third was more positive occasionally forcing Iriarte onto the back foot. From the fourth Iriarte began using his jab and his strength to force Johnson back to the ropes. He worked away to Johnsons body with Johnson holding to try to smother Iriarte’s work inside. As Iriarte pumped up the pressure Johnson was throwing less and less but found the energy to fight hard in the last. Iriarte won on scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74. It was the first time Iriarte had gone past the second round for a win so a good learning experience. Johnson had lost his last four fights and against opponents he was picked to lose against but his losses have all come on points. Edwards vs. Hardy Olympian EDWARDS came out firing jabs to head and body sending Hardy onto the retreat. Edwards was already standing in front of Hardy dropping his hands to hip level and just using upper body movement to avoid Hardy’s tentative jabs. He was short with a right then fired another right that crashed onto the side of Hardy’s head and sent him down. He went flat on his back with his right leg folded under him. He climbed to his feet at eight but had his back to the referee and was unsteady so the referee stopped the fight. All over in 65 seconds . The 6’3” Texan has taken less than four rounds for his three wins but it is difficult to estimate his potential based on opponents with combined records of 8-4. Alvarado vs. Morales Experience prevails as ALVARADO wins over previously unbeaten MORALES. With 3 losses in his last 4 fights Alvarado might have looked ready to be taken but he won this one easily. Alvarado walked forward from the start using relentless pressure to force Morales to work hard on movement and defence whilst Alvarado kept pumping bout jabs and hooks. Morales did some good work on the back foot with fast jabs and crisp hooks but Alvarado was outworking him throwing more and varying his attacks to head and body. Morales tried to stand his ground more over the closing rounds but Alvarado produced the stronger finish over the closing rounds. Scores 99-91 twice and 96-94 for Alvarado. Since losing his WBA super feather title in 2021 Alvarado had gone 2-7 in his last 9 fights so this win won’t resuscitate his career but might get him some good paydays. Morales had kayoed 24-1 Diego De La Hoya in 2023 and scored wins over a couple of reasonable level opponents since then but lacked the experience to beat 50-fight veteran Alvarado. Ramirez vs. Morales RAMIREZ gets unanimous decision over MORALES . Ramirez simply outworked Morales. Her kept taking the fight to Morales getting past the southpaw jabs of Morales scoring with jabs and lots of hooks to the body and straight rights. Morales spent most of the fight on the back foot or against the ropes. He fought in spurts and Ramirez was able to block the punches and counter. Neither fighter was in any trouble and Morales found the energy to withstand a strong finish from Ramirez to protect his record of never losing inside the distance. Scores 80-72 twice and 79-73 JUNE 25 CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA: WELTER: LIAM PARO (26-1) W RTD 5 JONATHAN NAVARRO (18-2). SUPER FEATHER: LIAM WILSON (16-3) W PTS 10 AYRTON GIMENEZ (22-2). MIDDLE: CALLUM PETERS (3-0) W TKO 1 LUCA LANIGAN (0-1). Paro vs. Navarro In his first fight at welterweight and first since losing his IBF title to Richardson Hitchins in December Paro beats Californian Navarro on a fifth round retirement. Navarro was already showing blood on his forehead in the first round which looked to have been caused by a clash of heads. Southpaw Paro took control of the centre of the ring scoring with right jabs and hard, accurate straight lefts. Late in the fifth one of those lefts, a solid jab, sent Navarro down on his rump and opened a gash on his nose. He was up immediately and Paro bombarded him with punches to the bell. The cut on the bridge of Navarro’s nose was too severe and his corner retired him. Impressive performance from Paro who looked very sharp and is aiming to get a shot at the welterweight title. After being 18-0 it is now two losses in a row for Navarro. Wilson vs. Gimenez WILSON takes a unanimous decision over GIMENEZ. Wilson forced the fight from the start jabbing strongly and firing hard rights. Argentinian Gimenez was quick both in movement and hand speed but fought in spurts. Wilson worked solidly for all three minutes of each round but found Gimenez a hard man to pin down as the Argentinian circled Wilson then darted in with flurries of light punches. Wilson’s strength saw him stage a strong finish and he won on scores of 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 and he collected the vacant WBO International title. Wilson is looking for another run at WBO super featherweight champion Emanuel Navarette after losing controversially to Navarette in a title challenge in 2023. South American champion Gimenez lost to Michael Magnesi in a fight for the vacant WBC Silver title in 2023. Peters vs. Lanigan A farcical match sees 2024 Olympian Peters crush novice Lanigan in the first round. Peters blasted Lanigan to the floor three times before the fight was stopped. Peters, 22, has won all three of his professional fights in the first round but no glory in this win as Lanigan was a local Muay Thai fighter having his first fight and having come in at just two days’ notice. Peters dips in and out of the amateurs. He has had over 100 fights as an amateur winning a Silver medal at the Commonwealth Games but lost a 3-2 decision to world champion Nurbek Oralbay in the preliminaries at the Olympics. His aim now is to win the Australian title as an amateur and then compete at the World Championships in September, the Commonwealth Games in 2026 and even the Olympic Games in 2028. JUNE 26 TOKYO, JAPAN: MINIMUM: YUKO KUROKI (25-8-2) W PTS 10 NANAKO SUZUKI (9-4). 
Southpaw KUROKI outpoints compatriot SUZUKI in defence of her WBA title. Kuroki found the nine-year younger Suzuki a handful over the first half of the fight but managed to edge the rounds. Her experience proved the difference from the sixth. She shook Suzuki badly with a left in the seventh and kicked-on from there and despite a strong effort from Suzuki over the ninth and tenth Kuroki won on scores of 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93. Kuroki was WBA and WBO champion at atomweight and is aiming to do the same at minimum. Suzuki is a former Japanese champion. ISTANBUL, TURKEY: MIDDLE: JUAN ORTIZ (10-1) W TKO 2 SEHAT GULER (8-2). SUPER MIDDLE: AVNI YILDIRIM (28-5) W TKO 3 JHON CAICEDO (13-1). Ortiz vs. Guler ORTIZ springs a surprise as he stops once promising GULER in the second round. Guler’s porous defence saw him badly shaken in the first. Ortiz dropped him in the second and although Guler beat the count he was under heavy fire and the referee stopped the fight. Ninth win by KO/TKO for Colombian Ortiz who picks up the vacant WBC International Silver title. Not sure if Guler has a future after this second loss by KO/TKO in a fight he was expected to win. Yildirim vs. Caicedo To even things up for Turkey YILDIRIM halted unbeaten Colombian CAICEDO in the third round. Yildirim, 33, lost to Anthony Dirrell and Saul Alvarez in super middleweight title fights and is 5-2 since then. He wins the vacant WBC International title as he rebuilds. In theory Caicedo was in his first ten round fight. JUNE 27 LONDON, ENGLAND: LIGHT HEAVY: ZAK CHELLI (16-3-1) W TKO 10 ADAM HEPPLE (5-3). CHELLI collects the vacant English title with a very late stoppage of HEPPLE. Chelli was coming forward from the first. He assaulted Hepple with a constant barrage of body punches. Hepple was competitive until the effect of Chelli’s body punches slowed and wore him down. Chelli ended it early in the tenth dropping Hepple with a couple of body punches with Hepple’s corner throwing in the towel. Chelli had a mixed 2024 beating Jack Cullen to win the British and Commonwealth titles but then being outpointed by Callum Simpson for both belts. All three of Hepple’s losses have come inside the distance. JUNE 28 LAVAL, CANADA: CRUISER: MICHAL CIESLAK (28-2) W TKO 4 JEAN PASCAL (37-8-1,1ND). MIDDLE: PATRICE VOLNY (20-2) W PTS 8 MPONDA KALUNGA (11-3). LIGHT HEAVY: FRANCY NTETU (19-6) W PTS 8 YAN PELLERIN (13-3). Pascal vs. Cieslak In yet another of the cynical WBC interim title fights Pole CIESLAK ends the career of PASCAL. The Canadian veteran came out fast throwing himself forward firing punches. Cieslak had big edges in height and reach and he used those to take over when Pascal’s storm blew itself out. Cieslak was able to stab Pascal with jabs and hooks and Pascal was forced back with Cieslak constantly driving him to the ropes and bombarding him with punches. A series of shots in the third sent Pascal falling into the ropes which held him up and he was given a count. It was now mostly target practice for Cieslak as Pascal stood against the ropes whilst Cieslak battered him with punches. Finally in the fourth the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight. Pole Cieslak has lost to Ilunga Makabu and Lawrence Okolie in cruiserweight title fights and I guess a shot at the real WBC champion Badou Jack might be a possibility. Pascal has had a great career winning the WBC and secondary WBA light heavyweight titles. Volny vs. Kalunga VOLNY boxes his way to victory over Egyptian-born Canadian KALUNGA. The lack of experience and lack of power of Kalunga allowed Volny to dictate the fight from the start. He kept marching forward behind a high guard constantly putting Kalunga under pressure. Kalunga could not keep Volny out but he stood up well late in the fight when Volny went looking for a stoppage. Volny won on scores of 80-72 twice and 79-73. Volny had scored a big domestic win in stopping Steven Butler in nine rounds in June 2024 but was then knocked back by a loss to Austin Williams in March. Kalunga had won his last 9 fights. Ntetu vs. Pellerin Ntetu gets a much needed win as he takes the split decision over Pellerin. The fight was tight over the first four rounds but the more experienced Ntetu finished strong and was a clear winner. Scores 77-75 twice for Ntetu and 77-75 for Pellerin. Pellerin, 45, who promotes his own shows, suffers his second loss in a row. Ntetu was 16-0 at the start of his career and it is too late for him to turn the corner now. SANTO DOMINGO, DR: LIGHT HEAVY: LUIS TEJEDA (11-0-1) W TKO 9 SANDERSON DIAZ( 19-1). WELTER: MICHAEL RAMIREZ (22-0) W TKO 1 JUAN ST JUSCA (3-5). Tejeda vs. Diaz TEJEDA wins this clash of unbeaten local fighters with a ninth round stoppage of DIAZ. This was a brutal battle from the first bell to the ninth round stoppage with neither boxer looking to their defence but just letting the punches fly. Both fighters just went toe-toe for three minutes in every round. The only knockdown came in the third when Diaz dropped Tejeda with a right. Tejeda got up and after the eight count just walked into Diaz firing punches. Thats how it was in every round of the fight. Each fighter absorbed some hellacious punches and both were staggered in every round. It was only over the last seconds of the eighth that Diaz began to fall apart. There was confusion over whether he would come out for the ninth. He did and fought hard until late in the round when he was pinned against the ropes with Tejeda landing clubbing shots from both hands before the referee stopped the fight. Tejeda won the WBA Fedelatin title but any title was surplus to requirements in this tremendous battle. This was a strong candidate for Fight of the Week and if it had been a higher profile match for Fight of the Year. You can see it as the last fight on the coverage of the show at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJW-5vl9ioA Ramirez vs. St Jusca RAMIREZ gets his sixteenth inside the distance win as he halts ST JUSCA in the first round. Ramirez blasted St Jusca to the floor twice before the referee waived the fight over. Ramirez has won 8 of his last 9 fight by KO/TKO and has seven first round wins. He needs to face a real test and after 22 fights should be ready go up to ten rounds. Fourth loss in a row for St Jusca. UNTERSCHIEBHEIM, GERMANY: GRANIT SHALA (18-1) W KO 2 ALEXANDRU JUR (21-). CRUISER: LEON HARTH (23-6-1,1ND) W KO 3 DILAN PRASOVIC (19-7). 9 Shala v s. Jur SHALA wins the vacant WBA Continental title with a second round kayo of JUR. Shala started off boxing on the back foot jabbing well with his longer reach and landing right counters. In the second a right to the head shook Jur and Shala drove him to the ropes and battered Jur with punches until Jur dropped to the canvas and was counted out. Third win for Shala since losing on a second round kayo against Oleksandr Zakhozhyi for the European title in April last year. Romanian Jur suffers his fourth defeat by KO/TKO. Harth vs. Prasovic Armenian-born German Harth, 37, wins the vacant WBA Continental title with a third round kayo of Montenegrin Prasovic. Harth rebounding from losing every round against Russian Muslim Gadzhimagomedov in October. Seven defeats by KO/TKO for Prasovic JUNCOS, PUERTO RICO: SUPER FEATHER: JAYCOB GOMEZ (13-0-1 W PTS 10 DERLYN HERNANDEZ (13-4-1). SUPER LIGHT: OMAR ROSARIO (14-2) W TEC DEC 7 JOHN BAUZA (18-3). BANTAM: JUAN ZAYAS (13-0-1) W TKO 7 GABRIEL CRUZ (7-3). Gomez vs. Hernandez Southpaw GOMEZ wins the Latin American title as he decisions Dominican HERNANDEZ. There were plenty of fierce exchanges with Gomez showing more power and accuracy. He already had a winning lead before flooring Hernandez with a right in the tenth to win on scores of 98-91 twice and 99-90. Seventh win in a row for Gomez who was in his first fight scheduled for ten rounds. Hernandez had been beaten in tough matches by Christopher Diaz-Velez and Ra’eese Aleem but in March had stopped 21-2-1 Bryan Chevalier so a good win by Gomez. Rosario vs. Bauza ROSARIO gets a technical decision over BAUZA to win the Puerto Rican title. Rosario made a fast start taking the fight to Bauza and forcing Bauza to stand and trade punches. Rosario built a lead and sent Bauza to the floor with a right in the sixth. There was dispute over whether the blow was low. A brawl between the rival fans exploded and it was decided to stop the contest and decide the winner on the cards with Rosario winning on scores of 69-63 twice and 68-64. A bit of an upset as Rosario was 2-2 in his last 4 fights and had met a much lower level of opponent than Bauza who had faced Richardson Hitchins and Kevin Hayler Brown. Zayas vs. Cruz ZAYAS extends his winning run to ten with a seventh round stoppage of CRUZ. Zayas had Cruz down twice before the fight was stopped. MADRID SPAIN: SUPER LIGHT: JOSE RAMOS (20-0-1) W PTS 10 MOISES FLORES (26-11-1). Local boxer RAMOS outpoints tricky Mexican FLORES. After some disappointing performances in recent fights the unbeaten Ramos was seeking a kayo to boost his confidence. Flores is an experienced and unorthodox fighter and he showed no signs of being an easy victim for Ramos. It was only over the second half of the fight that Flores began to tire. He was warned for spitting out his mouthguard too often and warned again in the ninth after some careless headwork opened a cut on the left eye lid of Ramos. No scores available but a unanimous decision for 37-year-old Ramos who has won his last 15 fights. Time is running out and he really should be pushing for a shot at the national title. Flores, 38, was WBA and IBO super bantam champion back in 2016 but is 1-11-1 in his last 13 fights., VALENCIA, SPAIN: FLY: JAIRO NORIEGA (15-1) W PTS 12 RAKYB RADJI (10-1). SUPER MIDDLE: TOMMY HYDE (12-0) W PTS 8 MARCOS RODRIGUES (5-2). Noriega vs. Radji NORIEGA regains the European title with a very wide unanimous verdict over Frenchman RADJI. The wideness of the points gap reflected the wide difference in skills. Noriega dominated every facet of the fight being too sharp in attack and too solid in defence and Radji was never able to pose a threat. Noriega won on scores of 119-109 twice and 120-108. He had relinquished the European title to try for a world title shot at light flyweight but lost on a third round stoppage against Shokichi Iwata for the vacant WBO title in October. Former French champion Radji had won the WBC Mediterranean title against Spaniard Juan Hinostroza in March. Hyde vs. Rodrigues Irishman HYDE wins again as he outpoints German--based Brazilian RODRIGUES. The unbeaten Hyde won comfortably on scores of 80-72 twice and 79-73. Some useful ring time for Hyde and Rodrigues proved a useful test. LONDON, ENGLAND: FLY: ALFIE CLEGG (12-0-1) W PTS 10 JONAS ERASTUS (9-1). WELTER: DANIEL FRANCIS (10-0) W JOEL KODUA (8-0). Clegg vs. Erastus Clegg wins the vacant Commonwealth Silver title with a unanimous decision over Namibian Erastus. It was close early but the longer it went the more Clegg dominated the action. He had Erastus hurt in the fourth but Erastus showed good skills and survived. Clegg stepped up the pressure and was on top over the later rounds but could never quite subdue Erastus who looked well-schooled but a bit light for power. Clegg went looking for a stoppage in the last but Erastus stood up well. Scores 96-93 twice and 97-93 all for Clegg who already holds the IBO Youth title. First fight outside Namibia for Erastus who put up a very creditable performance. Francis vs. Kodua KODUA scorers a late stoppage win over FRANCIS to win the vacant Commonwealth Silver title and to relieve Francis of his BBB of C Southern Area title. This one had a mix of styles that melded well. Kodua was using his height and longer reach to box and Francis was using swarming attacks to get inside and slow Kodua with the sheer volume of his punches. The rounds were close with both landing heavily in every round. From the fourth Kodua was landing left hooks to the body but was constantly being dragged into a brawl by Francis. It was a tough contest with neither fighter willing to take a step back. The eighth saw Kodua penalised a point for a low punch. It ended in the ninth when a right from Kodua suddenly had Francis reeling back and down. He was up at two but after the eight count when Kodua connected with a series of left hooks and uppercuts the referee stopped the fight. Only the second win by KO/TKO for Kodua. A gutsy performance by Francis. HULL, ENGLAND: LIGHT HEAVY: BRADLEY REA (21-1) W PTS 12 SHAKAN PITTERS (20-3). SUPER LIGHT: SEAN McCOMB (19-2) W PTS 6 Alexis Torres (13-12-1). Pitters vs. Rea REA wins the vacant European title with a very close unanimous decision over PITTERS. Rea was the quicker out of the blocks scoring well over the first two rounds getting through with a hard right in the second to take advantage of the cautious start from Pitters who was tending to hide behind a high guard. The pace slowed in third and fourth rounds which were close with Rea just looking to have the edge. Pitters picked up his pace in the fifth and with both landing well it was a close round. Rea started the sixth brightly but his output dropped late in the round and Pitters came on strong and also had a good seventh as they traded hooks. Rea was bleeding from the nose in the eighth and Pitters had the impetus. Rea reversed that in the ninth with a ferocious attack getting the better of the exchanges. The tenth and eleventh could have been scored for either fighter but Rea shook Pitters with a right in the last and took the round. Rea won on scores of 115-114 twice and 115-113. He lost to Tyler Denny for the English title in 2022 but then won six in a row. Pitters was beaten by Craig Richards and Dan Azeez in British title fights but was coming in on the back of three wins. McComb vs. Torres McCOMB takes a keep-busy match and outpoints fellow southpaw TORRES. Just a useful bit of ring time as the referee scored it 60-54 giving McComb all six rounds McCcomb had lost a split decision to Arnold Barboza in April.Argentinian Torres came in at short notice and is 1-8 in his last 9 fights. OBSERVATIONS : Where have all the young men gone…………? Active last weekend were: Yan Pellegrin 45 Francy Ntetu 43 Holly Holm 43 Lateef Kayode 42 Jean Pascal 42 Jose Gonzalez 42 Alexandru Jur 40 Deontay Wilder 39 Julio Cesar Chavez Jr 39 Robert Ledesma 38 Moises Flores 38 Leon Harth 37 Tyrrell Herndon 37 Jose Ramos 37 Diapers instead of protective cups? INTERIM TITLES Three WBC interim title fights this month and in all three cases the real champion was uninjured so can someone at the WBC explain to me what the word “interim” means in those three cases? My dictionary says “interim =temporary or provisional” so as a touch of reality I might just start tagging every “interim” title fight as for the provisional title-or maybe not as nobody expects sense in boxing. 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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