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Philippines, 04 Feb 2026 |
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THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 3 FEBRUARY 2026: Shakur Schools Teofimo to Become 4-Division Champ; Zayas Unifies WBA/WBO Superwelter; Kelly Beats Murtazaliev By Eric Armit PhilBoxing.com Wed, 04 Feb 2026  HIGHLIGHTS: -Shakur Stevenson outpoints Teofimo Lopez to win the WBC super lightweight title. -Bruce Carrington knocks out Carlos Castro for vacant WBC featherweight title -Keyshawn Davis, Jarrell Miller and Austin Williams score wins. - Xander Zayas unifies the WBA and WBO version of the super welterweight division with a split decision over Abasa Baraou and there are wins for Giovani Santillan and Euri Cedeno -Josh Kelly beats Bakhram Murtazaliev on a majority decision to win the IBF super welterweight title, Josh Padley stops Jaouad Belmehdi in two rounds to win the vacant European super featherweight title and Elif Nur Turhan gets a split decision over Taylah Gentzen in defence of her IBF lightweight title -Danish hope Jacob Bank stops former IBF super middle champion William Scull in the twelfth round and Dina Thorslund wins the vacant WBC interim featherweight title as she outpoints Almudena Alvarez -Francesca Hennessy wins the vacant WBC Silver bantam title with a majority decision mover Ellie Bouttell -Colm Murphy collects the vacant Commonwealth featherweight title as opponent Saleh Kasdsim retires after six rounds -On the second Zuffa show there are wins for Serhii Bohachuk , Jose Valenzuela and Radivoje Kalajdzic MAJOR SHOWS: JANUARY 31 New York, NY, USA: SUPER LIGHT: SHAKUR STEVENSON (25-0) W PTS 12 TEOFIMO LOPEZ (22-2). FEATHER: BRUCE CARRINGTON (17-0) W KO 9 CARLOS CASTRO (30-4). SUPER LIGHT: KEYSHAWN DAVIS (14-0) W TKO 12 JAMAINE ORTIZ (20-3-1). HEAVY: JARRELL MILLER (37-1-2) W PTS 10 KINGSLEY IBEH (16-3-1). SUPER MIDDLE: AUSTIN WILLIAMS (20-1) W PTS 10 WENDY TOUSSAINT (17-4).  Stevenson vs. Lopez STEVENSON outclasses reigning WBO title holder LOPEZ to become a four-division champion. Lopez immediately took the fight to Stevenson but the speed and accuracy of Stevenson’s jab and counters and his classy footwork left Lopez without a target. That set the pattern for the fight as Stevenson was always in control. He was able to connect with jabs to head and body with Lopez too slow to close the distance and when Lopez did come forward Stevenson was piercing Lopez’s guard and stepping out of distance when Lopez tried to counter. Lopez had occasional success with body punches but Stevenson was throwing more and landing more. Lopez just could not get a toe-hold in the fight. He needed to get inside or cut off the ring but was being fed right jabs and straight lefts and having to lunge forward leaving himself open to fast, hard replies from Stevenson. A left from Stevenson rocked Lopez in the fourth and Lopez came close to touching the canvas with a glove but steadied himself. Lopez needed to change the course of the fight but had no way of doing that. Stevenson landed some useful lefts in the sixth but did not look to capitalise on that as his tactics were working and Lopez was already showing some damage around his left eye which Stevenson could target. Stevenson had swept the first seven round on all cards but Lopez had his first-and only success-in the eighth. He connected with a hard right to the head and managed to get inside to land some body shots just doing enough to win the round on all three cards-the only round he won on any card. Loped had enough success to make the ninth competitive but was still outscored by Stevenson and a punch in the tenth added to the damage over Lopez’s left eye and blood was streaming down Lopez’s face. Stevenson turned up the heat in the eleventh forcing Lopez onto the back foot and again worsening the damage to Lopez’s face. Lopez connected with a couple of rights at the start of the twelfth but then Stevenson took over raking Lopez with an array of shots to head and body to wrap up a one-sided beat down of champion Lopez. Scores 119-109 for Stevenson from all three judges. Stevenson and Conor Benn exchanged words in the ring and Stevenson seems keen to have that fight made. Benn is No 1 welterweight with the WBC and there was talk of a re-hydration clause but nothing firmed up. Lopez was making the fourth defence of the WBO title but announced his retirement after the fight.  Carrington vs. Castro CARRINGTON wins the vacant WBC title with a ninth round kayo of CASTRO. Carrington was on target with sharp jabs in the opening round and although Castro had some success in fierce exchanges in the second and third the better work again came from Carrington as he banged home hooks and uppercuts forcing Castro onto the back foot. Castro showed he could be dangerous in the fourth as he connected with a right to the head that had Carrington stumbling back to a corner. Castro bombarded Carrington with punches and when Carrington escaped from the corner he followed a stumbling Carrington across the ring to another corner firing punches. Carrington held until his head cleared and then invited Castro to bring it on. Castro shook Carrington again in the fifth and both had some success in the sixth. Carrington took control in the seventh piecing Castro’s guard with jabs and firing home hooks and uppercuts. In the eighth the speed, accuracy and variation of Carrington’s combinations had Castro coming apart and Carrington ended the fight in the ninth. A right to the head stunned Castro and Charrington drove forward connecting with lefts and rights that sent Castro down on his back and he was counted out. Carrington had been the WBC interim champion but now has the full title. Castro had lost a split decision to Luis Nery for the vacant WBC and WBO super bantam titles in 2022. He was No 2 before this fight although he had not had a fight since losing to Stephen Fulton in September 2024.  Davis vs. Ortiz In his first fight in the super lightweight division DAVIS wins all the way before scoring two late knockdowns to stop ORTIZ. Davis was just too quick for Ortiz. He had no problems dealing with Ortiz’s southpaw stance and was already getting through with rights in the first round. He was able to close the distance score and get out before Ortiz could counter. Ortiz was trying some clowning to lure Davis in but Davis ignored it and continued to fire fast jabs through Ortiz’s defence. Davis swept the first three rounds and it was only in the fourth that Ortiz had some success landing well inside with some shots to head and body. Davis was back in charge in the fifth with Ortiz unable to deal with the speed and variety od of the punches coming from Davis. Ortiz had a better sixth as he connected with some southpaw lefts but that really was the last substantial success he had in the fight. With Davis taking over again and outscoring Ortiz in every round the crowd was starting to become frustrated with the one-sided nature of the fight that did not lend itself to and sustained exchanges. Ortiz was slowing and showing a swelling over his left eye. He was rocked with a barrage of punches in the tenth and had the damage over his left eye examined by the doctor before the start of the eleventh. Davis was looking to take the decision out of the hands of the judges and connected with a vicious left to the body that had Ortiz stepping back and taking a knee. He was up at nine and fought back to the bell. Ortiz’s left eye was now almost closed. Another body punch in the twelfth again sent Ortiz down to one knee and the referee waived the fight over. Davis had lost his WBO lightweight title when he came in 4lbs over the weight for a defence against Edwin De Los Santos but he was calling out WBO welterweight champion Devin Haney. First inside the distance loss for Ortiz who had performed well in fights against Vasyl Lomachenko and Teo Lopez but was swept aside by Davis.  Miller vs. Ibeh MILLER wears down IBEH and takes a split decision in a slow and messy fight. Ibeh boxed well behind his southpaw jabs over the early rounds countering the advancing Miller and doing what useful work there was. The only highlight in the early stages was when an uppercut from Ibeh dislodged Miller’s wig. Miller tore it off and threw it into the crowd. Ibeh looked to have edged 4 of the first 5 rounds but by the sixth was struggling. Miller weighed 317 lbs for this fight and he used his almost 30 lbs of additional weight to lean on Ibeh and tire him. Ibeh had never gone past six rounds in a fight and his last 6 fights had only lasted a total of 9 rounds. From the sixth Miller swept the remaining rounds rocking Ibeh with a left in the ninth cancelling out Ibeh’s lead and doing enough to take the decision. Scores 97-93 twice for Miller and 96-94 for Ibeh. Now 37 Miller was having only his third fight in the last 25 months having been stopped in ten rounds by Daniel Dubois in December 2023 and drawn with Andy Ruiz in his last fight in August 2024. He will be hoping to return to the ratings but has little chance of a title fight. Williams vs. Toussaint WILLIAMS scores a unanimous decision over substitute TOUSSAINT who took the fight at only one day’s notice. Southpaw Williams pressed hard from the start targeting Toussaint’s body but initially Toussaint proved an elusive opponent and scored well with counter rights. Willams found the target with a booming right uppercut in the fourth that put Toussaint down heavily. Toussaint saw out the round but was already slowing as the pace and body punching from Williams took their toll. Over the second half of the fight Williams continued to dominate the action but good defensive work from Toussaint frustrated Williams and the fight went the full ten rounds with Williams winning on scores of 99-90 twice and 98-91. Williams was to have challenged Carlos Adames for the WBC middleweight title but Adames dropped out the day before the fight reportedly due to dehydration. Toussaint, really a super welterweight, was 167 ¼ lbs so not in top shape . SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO: SUPER WELTER: XANDER ZAYAS (23-0) W PTS 12 ABASS BARAOU (17-2). SUPER WELTER: GIOVANI SANTILLAN (35-1) W PTS 10 COURTNEY PENNINGTON (17-12-3). MIDDLE: EURI CEDENO (14-0-1) W PTS 10 ETOUNDI WILLIAM (16-23.  Zayas vs. Baraou WBO champion ZAYAS scores a split decision victory over WBA champion BARAOU to unify the two titles. Zayas made a great start over the first two rounds circling the slower Baraou scoring with fast jabs and landing well to the body. Baraou kept rolling forward but was not quick enough to cut off the ring for the dancing Zayas. Baraou upped the pressure in the third showing a strong jab of his own and connecting with a good left hook. Zayas clearly took the fourth as he circled Baraou changing direction and angles and using his superior hand speed to counter Baraou on the way in. At the end of the fourth round two judges had it surprisingly 38-38 with the third seeing it 40-36 for Zayas. The fifth was close as Zayas was using his hand speed to deliver some sharp combinations and Baraou was finding the target with rights and this fight was turning into an exciting match of two contrasting styles. Zayas just seemed to get quiche and quicker over the middle rounds boxing cooly on the back foot getting his punches off first and showcasing some quality defensive work sliding away from Baraou punches. Baraou was just having problems getting close enough often enough to be effective and Zayas was picking up the rounds. By the end of the eighth the fight had swung strongly towards Zayas who was in front on two card at 79-73 and 78-74 with the other judge seeing a different fight and having Baraou up 77-75. Zayas shook Baraou with a rightg in the ninth but also reportedly injured his left hand. That gave Baraou a way into the fight and he finished strongly over the last three rounds but could not overcome the lead Zayas has a developed over the middle rounds. Zayas won on scores of 116-112 twice with a dissenting 116-112 for Baraou who sportingly admitted that Zayas had been a good winner. Sparkling display by Zayas fighting in front of his home fans for only the second time in his career. He may not yet be ready to tackle interim WBA champion Jaron Ennis but new IBF champion Josh Kelly in another unifier would sell well. Baraou played his part in making this an entertaining fight and he can regroup and get another shot at a title.  Santillan vs. Pennington SANTILLAN makes a successful move up to super welter as he scores a unanimous decision over PENNINGTON. Santillan was forcing the fight from the start setting a ferocious pace putting Pennington under relentless pressure. A clash of heads opened a cut over Santillan’s left eye in the fifth and Pennington had a good round. Santillan then stepped up his body attacks but Pennington showed no signs of crumbling and made a couple of the rounds close but the constant aggression from Santillan was just too much for him to handle. Santillan was looking for a stoppage and had Pennington under heavy fire in the tenth but Pennington saw out the round. Scores 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 for Santillan but the last two looked too narrow. SANTILLAN makes a successful move up to super welter as he scores a unanimous decision over PENNINGTON. Santillan was forcing the fight from the start setting a ferocious pace putting Pennington under relentless pressure. A clash of heads opened a cut over Santillan’s left eye in the fifth and Pennington had a good round. Santillan then stepped up his body attacks but Pennington showed no signs of crumbling and made a couple of the rounds close but the constant aggression from Santillan was just too much for him to handle. Santillan was looking for a stoppage and had Pennington under heavy fire in the tenth but Pennington saw out the round. Scores 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 for Santillan but the last two looked too narrow. Santillan was stopped in the tenth round of a fight against Brian Norman for the WBO interim welter title in May 2024 but has rebuilt with three wins. Sixth consecutive loss for Pennington.  Cedeno vs. William CEDENO makes an explosive start but then has to go the distance to get his win over WILLIAM. Southpaw Cedeno came close to finishing this in the first. He drove Willam across the ring firing punches and William slumped to the canvas. It was not a heavy knockdown but just moments later a left hook sent William down on his back. He made it to his feet and saw out the rest of the round. Cedeno continued to score heavily over the second but William recovered and outscored Cedeno in the third and had a good fifth. Cedeno’s power again come into play over the second half of the fight and he handed out some severe punishment with William’s face swelling up badly from Cedeno’s southpaw lefts and William did well to last the distance. Scores 100-88 for Dominican Cedeno on the cards of the three judges. This distance fight snapped a run of six wins by KO/TKO for Cedeno who competed at the 2021 Olympic Games. Third loss in a row for Brazilian William-all on points. NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND: JOSH KELLY (18-1-1) W PTS 12 BAKHRAM MURTAZALIEV (23-1). SUPER FEATHER: JOSH PADLEY (18-1) W TKO 2 JAOUAD BELMEHDI (23-3-3). LIGHT: ELIF NUIR TURHAN (13-0) W PTS 10 TAYLAH GENTZEN (8-2). HEAVY: LEO ATANG (4-0) W KO 3 AMINE BOUCETTA (9-18).  Kelly vs. Murtazaliev In a contest that saw both fighters on the floor KELLY builds an early lead and holds off a strong finish from champion MURTAZALIEV to win the IBF title on a majority decision. Kelly was boxing on the back foot firing off jabs from hip level and choosing his moment to dip inside with a flashing combinations. Murtazaliev is not quick and was in his first fight for 16 months. In the second he was a step behind the challenger and was caught by a sharp left hook. Murtazaliev began to find the distance with his jab in the third in which Kelly moved a lot but threw little. Murtazaliev was doing a better job of cutting the ring down in the fourth but Kelly connected with a right to the head and then knocked Murtazaliev backwards with a stiff jab and Murtazaliev put his gloves on the canvas to avoid going down and was given a count. Kelly was constantly circling the ring changing direction and holding his hands low but Murtazaliev kept up the pressure in the fifth and sixth and although doing enough to take the rounds he weas caught in both rounds by counters from the quicker hands of Kelly. The seventh and eighth again saw Kelly circling then using his speed to get inside and score and out again before Murtazaliev could react. The fight was getting away from Murtazaliev but he got the boost he needed. He upped the pressure in the ninth and landed a hard left hook to the temple that had Kelly dropping to one knee. After the count Murtazaliev connected with a right that had Kelly sliding along the ropes. He did not go down but moved and clinched and was warned by the referee for holding. Kelly overbalanced and was on the canvas but there was no count and he made it to the bell. Murtazaliev hunted Kelly in the eleventh but Kelly sped around the ring scoring with counters and moving before Murtazaliev could catch him. Murtazaliev kept up the pressure in the eleventh and caught Kelly with some shots and they fought hard through a close last round with both having some success but Kelly’s better work early in the fight just gave him the edge. Scores 115-111 and 114-113 for Kelly and 113-113 Murtazaliev 33 yo Californian-based Russian 5’ 11 ½” 17 wins id 2nd defence IBF beat Jack Culcay to win and Tim Tszyu 4 times stop 3rd 10/24 Kelly 5’10” 9 wins id local L TKO 6 David Avanesyan EBU welter 2021 7 wins row good level opposition 115-111 114-113 113-113 Padley vs. Belmehdi PADLEY wins the vacant European title with a second round disposal of BELMEHDI. The Frenchman had lots of height and reach over the 5’7” Padley and started out using his jab to put Padley on the back foot. Notably quicker Padley was comfortable circling Belmehdi and darting inside to score with short hooks. He was again getting past Belmehdi’s guard in the second landing quick combinations. Belmehdi was too slow and not throwing much and when he did open up Padley nailed him with a short left hook that sent the Frenchman flying back and down. Belmehdi was up quickly but after the count Padley drove him along the ropes and Belmehdi unbalanced and went down. The referee did not apply a count and Padley followed Belmehdi across the ring sending him face down on the canvas with a right and the referee immediately waived the fight over. Padley’s only loss came on a ninth round stoppage against Shakur Stevenson when Padley stepped in at very short notice to fight Stevenson for the WBC title. In his only other fight in England Belmehdi was floored and stopped in just 35 seconds by Gary Cully. Turhan vs. Gentzen Turkey’s TURHAN retains her IBF title as she gets a split decision over Australian GENTZEN. Clever boxing by Gentzen over the early rounds saw her countering Turhan’s wild attacks and tying up the hard punching champion inside. Those tactics were successful enough for Gentzen to establish a lead and it needed a strong finish from Turhan to edge ahead and take the decision. Scores 98-92 and 96-94 for Turhan and 97-93 for Gentzen. First title defence for Turhan but not an impressive performance. Gentzen had won her last two fights. Atang vs. Boucetta ATANG scores a third round count out of Belgian BOUCETTA. It looked as though Atang would get another first round win as he trapped Boucetta against the ropes and unloaded on him but Boucetta made it to the bell. Atang continued to dominate in the second mixing his punches to head and body with Boucetta just looking to survive. Another series of punches in the third had Boucetta dropping to a knee and just staying there as the referee applied the ten count. Atang, 19, a Europeans Youth and World Under-19 champion, had won his previous three fights in the first round. Boucetta has lost 9 of his last 10 fights. JANUARY 30 LONG BEACH, CA, USA: LIGHT HEAVY: SAM ARNOLD (15-0) W KO 1 FERNANDO FARIAS (13-4-3). HEAVY: ALEXANDER FLORES (21-5-1) W RTD 7 CASSIUS CHANEY (24-4). LIGHT HEAVY: LAWRENCE KING (19-1) W RTD 4 MARCO DELGADO (8-7-1). Arnold vs. Farias ARNOLD finishes a badly overmatched FARIAS in the first. After some early sparring Arnold moved in and connected with a left hook to the body. Farias went down on one knee and was counted out. Tenth win by KO/TKO for the 6’3” Arnold. The 5’8” Argentinian Farias is 0-4 in fights outside Argentina including 3 first round losses. Flores vs. Chaney FLORES gets off the floor to wear down and stop CHANEY. The fight could not have started better for Chaney as he registered a first round knockdown. Flores was taking the fight to Cheney when he walked onto a right to the head that dropped him heavily. Chaney also took the second round although Flores did get through with some body punches. Flores stepped up his body attacks in the third and by the end of the round Chaney was starting to struggle. The fourth was closer but Flores was now in control and her continued to hammer away at Chaney’s body over the fifth, sixth and seventh and Chaney did not some out for the eighth. Now 19 inside the distance wins for Flores whose career has been hampered by periods of inactivity. After being 21-0 Chaney is now 3-4 in his last 7 fights., King vs. Delgado Southpaw KING proves just too big and two talented for DELGADO who retires after the sixth round. The 6’2” King had 5” in height over Delgado and a similar advantage in reach. He was able to control the fight with his right jabs and long lefts. Despite the difficulties this caused Delgado he continually tried to take the fight to King and proved a lively opponent but his corner made a good decision to pull him out. After an early career loss King has now won fifteen in a row. MARYLAND, USA, USA: SUPER LIGHT: BRYAN FLORES (28-1-1) W PTS 10 STARLING CASTILLO (20-2-1). FEATHER: RENE PALACIOS (19-0-1) W PTS 10 SULAIMAN SEGAWA (18-6-1). SUPER FEATHER: FRANCOIS SCARBORO (13-0) W PTS 10 BRANDON VALDES (15-8). LIGHT: JORDAN WHITE (20-2) W PTS 10 WILLIE SHAW(15-7). Flores vs. Castillo Mexican FLORES takes a majority decision over Dominican southpaw CASTILLO to win the vacant WBC Fecarbox belt. Flores tactics were to keep walking forward behind a high guard bobbing and weaving around and under Castillo’s jab then working on Castillo’s body. Castillo was forced to fight on the back foot and whilst he was landing lots of jabs he did not have the power to deter Flores who was rolling forward applying pressure in every round. Over the early rounds Castillo’s jabs and counters and good defensive work probably saw him build a little lead but the relentless attacks and body punching from Flores had its effect over the closing rounds. He was able to pin Castillo against the ropes and force him to stand and fight and that storing finish was just enough to get Flores the decision. Scores 98-92 and 96-94 for Flores and 95-95. Flores had given his status a huge boost in a controversial split decision loss against IBF No 1 Lindolfo Delgado but did not capitalise on that being inactive for nine months before stopping 18-2-1 Hernan Carrizo in May. Castillo had registered a good win over Shinard Brunch in August Palacios vs. Segawa Southpaw PALACIOS takes a couple of rounds to get in the groove but then fights his way to a split decision over Ugandan SEGAWA. Palacios was the underdog in this fight but showed the better skills and was comfortable inside or outside. Segawa pressed hard and finished strongly but Palacios looked a clear winner although having to settle for a split decision as two judges had it 99-91 and 97-93 for Palacios with the third judge seeing it 96-94 for Segawa. Eighth win in a row for Palacios who lifts the vacant NABF title. Fellow-southpaw Segawa had lost a majority decision to Bruce Carrtngton in 2024 but was coming off a stoppage of 20-1 Bryan Acosta in September. Scarboro vs. Valdes SCARBORO outpoints VALDES after ten rounds of war. Valdes came out taking the fight to Scarboro firing rights but Scarboro survived the storm then landed a series of hard rights to the head to end a fiery first round. The fast and frantic pace continued with plenty of sizzling exchanges. Valdez was cut over his left eye in the third but it did not become a factor as they continued to largely ignore defence and traded hard shots in every round. Scarboro looked to be getting on top in the eighth as Valdez tired but although both were feeling the pace they continued to swap power shots to the final bell. The unanimous decision went to Scarboro on scores of 96-94 twice and an unrepresentative 99-91. Scarboro was going ten rounds for the first time. Colombian Valdes fought hard but now has five losses in a row. White vs. Shaw WHITE wins the vacant WBC International title as he gets a unanimous decision over SHAW. White boxed cleverly and used his superior hand speed to overcome the hight and reach advantages of Shaw. White was constantly circling Shaw boxing on the retreat and drilling jabs through Shaw’s defence then firing little bursts of punches. Shaw continual switched guards but was just not able to cut off the ring allowing White to score and move. Shaw did rock White with a right to the head in the eighth but White shook that off and scored a knockdown in the ninth on his way to the decision. Scores 99-90, 98-91 and 97-92. Nice recovery by White from a points loss against Rene Tellez in September. Only one win in his last 5 fights for Shaw. JANUARY 31 KOLDING. DENMARK: SUPER MIDDLE : JACOB BANK (18-0) W KO 12 WILLIAM SCULL (23-2). FEATHER: DINA THORSLUND (24-0) W PTS 10 ALMUDENA ALVAREZ (7-4). SUPER MIDDLE: OLIVER ZAREN (19-0) W KO 2 MIKALAI VESIALOU (13-11). HEAVY: CARLOS CASTILLO (10-0) W KO 2 GIANMARCO CARDILLO (12-2-2). LIGHT HEAVY: CONSTANTINO NANGA (14-0) W TKO 6 VLADIMIR BELUJSKY (18-12-1). Bank vs. Scull What was expected to be a tough test for Danish hope BANK turned out to be an easy win as he floored former IBF champion SCULL three times on the way to a last round stoppage. Bank was in charge from the start coming in behind his jab and taking the fight to a largely negative Scull. There was verry little in the way of sustained action in the early rounds but Bank broke through in a big way in the sixth. He dropped Scull with a right and after the Cuban beat the count sent him down for a second count. Scull made it to his feet and was lucky to survive to the bell. Knocking Scull down was something that “Canelo” Alvarez had failed to do over rounds in May. Bank continued to dominate the action with Scull having no answer to the speed and skill of the local fighter. A tiring Scull slipped to the canvas three times in the ninth and was shaken by a shot in the tenth. By the end of the eleventh Bank was in front 110-97 on all three cards and the question was whether he could punctuate the performance by finish Scull off. He did but left it late dropping Scull for a third time and although Scull beat the count the referee stopped the fight with just 23 seconds left on the clock. Bank was making the third defence of the WBO Global title. First fight for Scull since his points loss in May to Alvarez. Thorslund vs. Alvarez THORSLUND, a former bantamweight and super bantamweight champion, continues her campaign to win a title in a third division as she easily outpoints an overmatched ALVAREZ to win the vacant WBC interim featherweight title. The bigger Alvarez, a former European super featherweight champion, had height and reach over Thorslund but the 43-year-old Spaniard lacked the experience or skill to make use of those edges. Thorslund marched forward behind some strong jabbing in every round forcing Alvarez onto her back foot and outworking her. The pace dropped over the late rounds with Thorslund still dominating the action but without ever looking likely to finish the fight inside the distance. The scores were 100-90 twice and 99-91. Thorslund vacated the WBC and WBA bantamweight titles due to pregnancy. Unfortunately she suffered the loss of her baby and decided to return to boxing she will now be aiming to challenge WBC featherweight champion Tiara Brown. Zaren vs. Benitez Southpaw ZAREN stops late substitute BENITEZ in two rounds. After a low key first round Zaren connected with a punch that seemed to land to the back of Benitez’s head. The Argentinian champion dropped to the canvas protesting the punch was a foul and stayed down with the referee waiving the fight over and declaring Zaren the winner by kayo. Disappointing and for Zaren. Castillo vs. Cardillo Cuban CASTILLO kayos former Italian champion CARDILLO. The 6’5 ½” southpaw floored Cardillo late in the first then put him down and out in the second. Sixth win by KO/TKO for Hamburg-based Castillo who scored a win over Erislandy Savon in the amateurs. First fight for 16 months for Cardillo. Nanga vs. Belujsky Angolan-born Swede NANGA makes heavy work of beating Slovakia’s BELUJSKY. An exhausted Belujsky was floored in the fifth and twice more in the sixth to bring about the stoppage. Tenth win by KO/TKO for the 6’3” Nanga. Sixth defeat inside the distance for Belujsky who was stopped in eight rounds by Ben Whittaker in 2023. Mortensen vs. Willets MORTENSEN drops and decisions England’s WILLETS. The reigning European Silver title holder had Willet’s down in the fourth and won on scores of 79-72, 78-73 and 78-72 Barile vs. Katib Italian lightweight BARILE outpointed Dane KATIB (13-4) on scores of 79-73 twice and 80-71. BANGKOK. THAILAND: SUPER LIGHT: PRINCE PATEL (34-1-2) W RTD 5 YAHAYA MUSSA (11-1). PATEL adds another minor title to his collection as he beats Tanzanian MUSSA on a fifth round retirement. Mussa was just too small to be competitive. The much bigger Patel made no attempt to use his longer reach but marched forward through Mussa’s punches bullying Mussa inside laying on Mussa and denying him room to work. Patel’s strength just proved too much and after five one-sided rounds the Tanzanian retired in his corner. Patel, 33, wins the WBA Asian belt and was calling out world rated Adam Azim. Not much chance of that fight coming off but if it does it will be the first time Patel has faced a rated fighter in almost ten years as a professional. Much was made of Mussa’s 11 wins inside the distance but he has faced only very low level domestic opposition. LONDON, ENGLAND: BANTAM: FRANCESCA HENNESSY (8-0) W PTS 10 ELLIE BOUTTELL (7-1-1). WELTER: JOEL KODUA (11-0) W RTD 7 JOE GARSIDE (9-3-3). LIGHT HEAVY: GRADUS KRAUS (10-0) W TKO 2 BORIS CRIGHTON (13-7). Hennessy vs. Bouttell HENNESSY wins her third title in her eighth fight as she takes a majority decision over BOUTELL. This was close fight that could have gone either way. Hennessy was the more skilful but Bouttell was stronger and forced the fight. Both were cut Hennessy in the second and Bouttell in the third but thankfully neither cut was serious. Boutell forced the fight from the start dragging Hennessy into a brawl and although Hennessy was more comfortable with some space where she could use her jab she proved she could also fight inside. All of the rounds were close with neither able to dominate and the decision could have going either way with Boutell worth at least a draw. It was scored 97-93 and 96-94 for Hennessey and 95-95. Hennessy, 21, wins the vacant WBC Silver title to go with the WBA Inter- Continental and WBC International titles she has already won. Boutell, English but based in Shanghai, had won her last 7 fights and holds the WBC Far East super bantam title. Kodua vs. Garside English champion KODUA beats a gutsy GARSIDE on a seventh round retirement. Kodua was able to use his much longer reach to work on the outside and was catching Garside with right hooks when Garside tried to get past the jab. Garside was trying to offset Kodua’s work by being busy and always coming forward but with Kodua also being much taller Garside was having trouble landing anything of consequences. Kodua dominated more and more with each round finding Garside with powerful jabs and left hooks to the body. The fight was one-sided but no matter how much punishment Garside took he always came right back throwing punches but his corner made the sensible decision to pull him out of the fight after the seventh round. Kraus vs. Crighton Dutch hope KRAUS overwhelms CRIGHTON in two rounds. Kraus was throwing bombs from the start and sent Crighton down late in the first with a left hook to the body. There were some fierce exchanges in the second before Crighton was dropped twice with left hooks to the body with the fight being stopped after the second knockdown. Ninth inside the distance win for Kraus who has plenty of power but will need to tighten his defence against better opposition. Three losses by KO/TKO in his last four fights for Creighton NEWTOWNABBEY, NORTHEN IRELAND: FEATHER: COLM MURPHY (16-0) W TKO 6 SALEH KASSIM (12-6-2). Belfast’s MURPHY wins the vacant Commonwealth title as Tanzanian KASSIM retires after six one-sided rounds. This was never going to last long as Kassim was already looking tired by the second round. Murphy controlled the action with his jab and found the target with some hurtful body punches. Kassim had occasional success but was warned in the fifth for being dangerous with his head. Murphy pounded Kassim with punches in the sixth and Kassim retired at the end of the round claiming a hand injury. Sixth win by KO/TKO for Murphy who also holds the EBU Silver title. He is scheduled to face Jono Carroll for the vacant IBO title in March, First inside the distance defeat for Kassim. FEBRUARY 1 LAS VEGAS, NV, USA: MIDDLE: SERHII BOHACHUK (27-3) W PTS 10 RADZHAB BUTAEV (16-2). LIGHT: JOSE VALENZUELA (15-3) W PTS 10 DIEGO TORRES (22-2). LIGHT HEAVY: RADIVOJE KALAJDZIC (30-3) W KO 7 OLEKSANDR GVOZDYK (21-3). Bohachuk vs. Butaev BOHACHUK comes out on top over BUTAEV as he takes a split decision after ten punishing rounds. Butaev took an early lead with some impressive body punching and also confused Bohachuk by switching guards. Bohachuk took time to settle into the fight but once he did he had Butaev under plenty of pressure and Butaev began to fade. Bohachuk was stronger down the home straight and just did enough to cancel out Butaev’s early lead to win on scores of 96-94 twice and 96-94 for Butaev. Good rebound by Bohachuk after his points loss to Brandon Adams in September. Butaev lost a split decision to Eimantas Stanionis for the WBA welter title in 2022 and this is only his third fight since then Valenzuela vs. Torres Former WBA super lightweight champion VALENZUELA comes on strongly over the second half of the fight to outpoint TORRES. In a back-and-forth battle Torres scored well early inside with Valenzuela doing his best work at distance. A punch opened a cut over Valenzuela’s right eye but despite that Valenzuela gradually took control and swept all of the late rounds to win on scores of 99-91 from the three judges. First fight for Valenzuela since losing his WBA super lightweight title to Gary Antuane Russell in March. Torres only previous was an eighth round stoppage against Ray Muratalla in 2023. Kalajdzic vs. Gvozdyk KALAJDZIC stages a sensational recovery as he takes two counts before dropping and stopping GVOZDYK in the seventh round. A quick finish looked on the cards when Gvozdyk floored Kalajdzic with a left and a right in the first round. Gvozdyk continued to dominate the action and landed a series of punches that sent Kalajdzic back into the ropes in the fourth. Kalajdzic sat on the bottom rope resulting in a second count. Kalajdzic was driven to the ropes again in the fifth and again was prevented from going down by sitting on the bottom rope but this time there no count. Kalajdzic looked to have recovered in the sixth the sixth and then opened the seventh by landing some good shots. He rocked Gvozdyk with right after right rights and then connecting with a couple of rights that dropped Gvozdyk. He managed to struggle up but a fearsome right to the head sent him down again. He got up staggered back across the ring and the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. Now 22 wins by KO/TKO for Serbian-born Kalajdzic who was having his first fight since losing on b points to David Morell in a fight for the secondary WBA super middleweight title in 2024. Former WBC light heavyweight champion Gvozdyk was rebuilding after losing on points to David Benavidez for the interim WBC light heavyweight title in 2024. FIGHT OF THE WEEK (Significance): Shakur Stevenson vs. Teofimo Lopez makes Stevenson a 4-division champion FIGHT OF THE WEEK (Entertainment): Xander Zayas vs. Abass Barzou made for an interesting contest of differing styles. Honourable mention to the war between Francois Scarboro and Brandon Valdes FIGHTER OF THE WEEK: Shakur Stevenson a 4-division champion with Honourable mention to Xander Zayas the current youngest unified champion PUNCH OF THE WEEK: The final right to the head from Radivoje Kalajdzic which ended his fight with Oleksandr Gvozdyk UPSET OF THE WEEK: None ONE TO WATCH: Yet another English heavyweight Leo Atang 4-0 and a former World Under-19 champion OBSERVATION: Rosette(s) To the Stevenson vs. Lopez show which drew a crowd of 21,324 the highest boxing attendance at the modern Madison Square Garden since reopening in 1968. No gimmicks no MMA crossover no mediocre media stars just pure boxing. Red Card(s): No real sinners 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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