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Philippines, 18 Mar 2026 |
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THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 17 MARCH 2026: Collazo Stops Haro; Fundora KO Ruiz; Barboza Outpoints Sims; Cacace UD Dickens By Eric Armit PhilBoxing.com Wed, 18 Mar 2026  HIGHLIGHTS: -Oscar Collazo beats Jesus Haro in defence of the WBA and WBO minimumweight titles and Gabriela Fundora knocks out Viviana Ruiz in defence of the IBF/WBA/WBC and WBO flyweight titles There are wins for Arnold Barboza who outpoints Kenneth Sims and Alexis Rocha who decisions Joseph Diaz -Anthony Cacace outpoints champion James Dickens to win the WBA super featherweight title -Pierce O’Leary and Jono Carroll win vacant IBO titles and there are wins for Ryan Garner and Gary Cully -On a big show in Japan Ryusei Matsumoto, Anthony Olascuaga and Shokichi Iwata win in world title fights and Riku Masuda stops Nonito Donaire in WBA title eliminator -Jon Fernandez retains the European super lightweight title and Jokin Garcia wins the vacant European Silver lightweight title MAJOR SHOWS: MARCH 14 DUBLIN, IRELAND: SUPER FEATHER: ANTHONY CACACE (25-1) W PTS 12 JAMES DICKENS (36-6). SUPER LIGHT: PIERCE O’LEARY (19-0) W RTD 5 MAXI HUGHES (29-9-2). SUPER FEATHER: JONO CARROLL (26-3-1) W PTS 12 COLM MURPHY (16-0).LIGHT: STEVEN CAIRNS (14-0) W TKO 9 ARNIE DAWSON (8-2). RYAN GARNER(1-0) W TKO 3 CRISTIAN BIELMA (19-13-2 ). SUPER LIGHT: GARY CULLY (19-2) W PTS 6 BENITO SANCHEZ (17-18-4). HEAVY: ADAM OLANIYAN (1-0) W TKO 1 JAN BEZOUSKA (2-3).  Cacace vs. Dickens CACACE takes a unanimous decision over champion DICKENS to win the WBA super featherweight title having in the past won the IBF and WBO belts. With what was at stake both fighters were cautious early. In the first Cacace used his longer reach to keep Dickens out and score at distance. Dickens picked up the pace in the second applying more pressure evening things up by connecting with a left that seemed to hurt Cacace. The third saw Cacace came out in a southpaw stance and he had the better of the exchanges and a hard right late in the round gave him the edge. It swung back in Dickens favour in the fourth as a heavy left rocked Cacace. All four rounds had been close but Cacace took over from the fifth. He had found the range with his jab and a left hook and looked to have stunned Dickens and he also added some strong combinations. Cacace dominated the middle rounds using his longer reach and smart footwork to keep Dickens out and scoring with long sweeping lefts and rights. By the end of the eighth Cacace had built a good lead but a clash of heads seemed to unsettle Cacace in the ninth and Dickens landed some useful combinations to take the round. Dickens also took the tenth as Cacace’s output dropped and Dickens was eating into Cacace’s lead. Dickens pressed hard for all three minutes of the eleventh and twelfth but Cacace boxed cleverly on the back foot switching guards and using his jab and straight rights to score and skipping away from the lunging attacks of a frustrated Dickens. Scores 116-112, 116-113 and 115-113. Cacace has proved to be the scourge of British super featherweights having beaten Joe Cordina, Josh Warringtonsnd, Leigh Wood and now Dickens in successive fights. The No 1 spot in the WBA ranking is vacant and interim champion Russian Elnur Samedov is relatively unknown and as interim champion has little leverage so Cacace has a relatively free hand on his opponent for his first defence. The fight was close enough to indicate Dickens can still be a force at super featherweight.  O’Leary vs. Hughes O’LEARY wins the vacant IBO title as HUGHES retires after the fifth round. O'Leary had Hughes under pressure and on the back foot from the start. He was looking to set a fast pace and attack the body to slow the veteran. Hughes showed good defensive skills but would need more than that to keep O'Leary out. Both landed hooks early in the second then O'Leary tracked the retreating Hughes around the ring darting in to score with fierce combinations. A left to the head from O'Leary in the third had Hughes shaken but he boxed his way out of trouble. O'Leary was setting a frantic pace and he connected with a left hook that snapped Hughes’ head back in the fourth. Hughes right eye was almost swollen shut and O'Leary piled on the punches in the fifth with Hughes just looking to survive. He made it to the bell and then retired. Eleventh win by KO/TKO for the 26-year-old Irishman who has already collected the EBU and WBC International belts. Hughes, 36, a former IBO champion, may now retire and if he does he can go with his head held high over what he has achieved.  Carroll vs. Murphy In his first fight for 15 months CARROLL gets a split decision over MURPHY to win the vacant IBO title. Murphy made the better start. He was using his height and longer reach to score on the outside and was quick enough to dart inside and land. Southpaw Carroll was looking to go to the body to slow the younger man but really needed to get Murphy to stand and trade punches but he found the mobile Murphy a difficult target. He even put both hands behind his back looking to lure Murphy into range but Murphy was not tricked and continued to pick his own time for fighting inside. Carroll kept lunging forward over the second half of the fight getting inside and using his strength to wrestle Murphy out of his classier approach. As the rounds passed Murphy did himself no favours by choosing to take the fight to Carroll and Carroll’s aggression did begin to work as he upped the pressure and had plenty of success in the seventh and eighth. Murphy seemed to need to show he could match Carroll for strength instead of using his better skills. The closing rounds saw both having success. Murphy was landing the cleaner punches but Carroll’s clubbing shots looked more impressive and his greater strength gave him the edge but whether he had done enough to claw back the lead that Murphy had built over the first half of the fight was questionable. The scores were 117-111 and 116-112 for Carroll and 116-112 for Murphy. Carroll finally gets a title after having lost to Tevin Farmer for the IBF title in 2019 and to Albert Batyrgaziev for the interim WBA title in 2024. Murphy, 26, had won the Commonwealth and EBU Silver titles and on this showing against the experienced Carroll will win more belts. Cairns vs. Dawson CAIRNS scores a late stoppage win over DAWSON. Dawson had height and reach over Cairns but lacked the experience to make good use of them. Cairns found the target with overhand rights and dominated the fight although Dawson showed some good skills. It ended in the ninth when rights from Cairns resulted in three knockdowns and the fight was over. Cairns wins the vacant WBA Continental title. Garner vs. Bielma GARNER stops BIELMA in the third. The Mexican was in survival mode from the start. Garner had to chase the fight with Bielma just circling the ring and only occasionally showing any fire. There was a moment in the second when Bielma buzzed Garner with a right but in the third Garen trapped Bielma in a corner and punched away until the referee stopped the fight. First fight for Garner since winning the British, Commonwealth, European and WBC International titles with a stoppage of Reece Bellotti in July last year. Bielma is without a win in his last 10 fights. Cully vs. Sanchez CULLY moves up to super lightweight and returns with a win as he outpoints Mexican SANCHEZ. The visitor was interested in little except survival which made it difficult for Cully to look good. It was an untidy fight with Cully always in charge and he won 60-54 on the referee’s card. First fight for Cully since losing a wide decision against Maxi Hughes in December 2024. Sanchez is 0-10-1 in his last 11 fights. Olaniyan vs. Bedzouska In his first professional fight Ireland’s World and European Youth champion OLANIYAN stops grotesquely obese Czech BEDZOUSKA in 59 seconds. Bedzouska made an easy target as he stumbled forward and series of head and body punches from Olaniyan saw him flop face down on the canvas after just 45 seconds. Bedzouska got up but Olaniyan connected with some cuffing shots, the last to the back of Bedzouska’s head, saw Bedzouska fall face down on the canvass again and the referee signalled the fight was over. The 20-year-old Olaniyan adds another name to the growing list of young heavyweight prospects. The 301 lbs Bedzouska stretched the description “fit to box” to its limits. ANAHEIM, CA, USA: MINIMUM OSCAR COLLAZO (14-0) W RTD 6 JESUS HARO (13-4). FLY: GABRIELA FUNDORA (18-0) W KO 6 VIVIANA RUIZ (10-3). WELTER: ARNOLD BARBOZA Jr. (33-1) W PTS 12 KENNETH SIMS Jr. (22-4-1). WELTER: ALEXIS ROCHA (26-2-1) W PTS 10 JOSEPH DIAZ (34-9-1). WELTER: JOEL IRIARTE (10-0) W KO 6 ROCK MYRTHIL (17-2-1). SUPER WELTER: GRANT FLORES (13-0) W PTS 8 RASHID STEVENS (6-2-2). WELTER: CAYDEN GRIFFITHS (8-0) W KO 2 OMAR GUTIERREZ (8-3-1). MIDDLE: FABIAN GUZMAN (10-0) W PTS 8 JULIAN DELGADO (9-2). LIGHT: DANIEL GARCIA (13-0) W KO 2 BLAS Caro (12-10 ). SUPER FEATHER: LEONARDO SANCHEZ (10-0) W KO 2 CESAR JUAREZ (31-20).  Collazo vs. Haro COLLAZO hands out a one-sided beating to HARO in retaining his WBO and WBA titles. Collazo was just too quick and too powerful for Haro and controlled this fight from the start. Haro tried to box adopting a defensive strategy but he had neither the speed or the power to keep Collazo out. Collazo came forward over the first two rounds banging home lefts to Haro’s body and starlight rights. Collazo stepped up his body attacks from the third and quickly began to break Haro down. Haro tried to stand his ground occasionally but lightning-quick right hooks and lefts to the body soon had him retreating again. Collazo hunted Haro through the fourth with Haro’s resistance fading as he could not escape the ropes and was soaking up punishment. The tigerish Collazo bombarded Haro relentlessly over the fifth and sixth and although Haro had not been on the floor it was no surprise when he did not come out for the seventh. The Puerto Rican southpaw was defending the WBO title for the seventh time and the WBA for the fourth time. He is now looking to have a return fight with WBC title holder Melvin Jerusalem from whom he won the WBO title in 2023. Haro had no right fighting for the WBO title as he was not even in their ratings but then the WBO is based in Puerto Rico.  Fundora vs. Ruiz FUNDORA stops an outclassed RUIZ in the fifth With Fundora having a 7” advantage in height and a corresponding 7” in reach, as well as being 20 years younger, Ruiz had no option but to come forward trying to get close enough to attack Fundora’s body. Over the first two rounds Fundora was spearing Ruiz at distance with right jabs and powerful straight lefts. A determined and quick Ruiz was dodging some of Fundora’s punches and landing right counters. Fundora upped the pace from the third using her jab and straight lefts to halt Ruiz in her tracks and landing solid left hooks to the body. A right to the head unbalanced Ruiz just before the bell to end the fourth and she was given a count. Fundora cut loose in the fifth shaking Ruiz twice before trapping her against the ropes and unloading punches until the referee stopped the fight. Fundora was defending the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO belts. Apart from her physical advantages over most female flyweights she also has a better understanding of leveraging her punches. Colombian-born Australian Ruiz, a former WBA interim champion, showed plenty of spirit but just could not overcome the physical advantages enjoyed by Fundora.  Barboza vs. Sims BARBOZA boxes his way to a comfortable points win over SIMS. Barboza was jabbing well from the start. Sims elected to box southpaw in the first round but switched to orthodox at the end of the round. If it was meant to confuse Barboza it did not work and Barboza’s hand speed and jab proved to be differentiators as he persistently found gaps in the defence of Sims. The similarity in styles made it more of a technical contest and there few highlights and not as much action as the crowd was hoping for. Barboza controlled the pace of the fight with Sims rarely letting his hands go. He did connect with a strong right in the fourth but that was an exception. Barboza’s jabs had a swelling growing under Sims’ right eye. Barboza continued to get his punches off first and had good rounds over the seventh, eighth and ninth. Sims was way behind and from the tenth he tried to take the fight to Barboza more but that just made it easier for Barboza to find the target with counters. There had been little drama but in the eleventh there was a clash of heads and Barboza was cut high on his forehead a cut that bled heavily. Sims needed a knockout and in the twelfth he did connect with a solid right that stunned Barboza but Barboza recovered and saw out the round. Barboza won on scores of 120-108, 118-110 and 117-111. This was Barboza’s first fight since losing on points to Teo Lopez in a challenge for the WBO super lightweight title in May last year. He looked comfortable at welterweight and there is already talk of a fight with Alexis Rocha who beat Jo Jo Diaz on this card. It is now back-to-back losses for Sims who had been beaten on a majority decision by Oscar Duarte in August. He has a steep hill to climb after this set-back.  Rocha vs. Diaz ROCHA shakes off 15 months of rust to outpoint DIAZ in an all-southpaw clash. This was always going to be a huge ask for Diaz. A natural lightweight he was giving away height and reach and had a lot more miles on the clock. The superior power of Rocha came into play from the start. Rocha initiated the exchanges firing to head and body with both hands with Diaz trying to block the shots and then move in and fire quick bursts of punches. Diaz could not hurt Rocha and the exchanges usually ended with Diaz taking punishment and being forced to retreat. Rocha’s body punches were slowing Diaz but Diaz was always looking to get forward and he had a little more success with that over the second half of the fight. From the eighth Roach upped his attacks pressing harder landing heavily and looking to end the fight early. Diaz kept fighting back but it was a lost cause as Rocha was landing more and with more power. That did not stop Diaz from continuing to come forward throwing combinations of his own but all through the fight he was taking more than he was giving and did well to take Roach the distance, Scores: 100-90, 98-92 and 97-93. The long period of inactivity has seen Rocha drop out of the ratings but he has Barboza and Ryan Garcia in his sights. Diaz is a former WBA featherweight and IBF super featherweight champion but before losing to Devin Haney for the WBC lightweight title in 2021 he was 32-1-1 so he is 2-7 in his last 9 fights. Iriarte vs. Myrthil IRIARTE stops MYRTHIL in six rounds. Confident opener from the taller Iriarte as he tracked Myrthil and connected with a couple of hard chopping rights. Iriarte seemed to hurt Myrthil with a righty early in the second and Myrthil retreated rapidly around the ring. Iriarte landed a couple more rights and then got careless and a right from Myrthil sent him stumbling across the ring but he easily dodged Mythili’s wild punches and had time to recover. Iriarte was on the front foot over the third, fourth and fifth jabbing strongly and connecting with some right hand punches inside with Myrthil doing plenty of moving but very little punching. Myrthil seemed dazed by a clash of heads at the start of the sixth. Iriarte landed a left hook that sent Myrthil tottering across the ring then followed up and connected with a left hook that dropped Myrthil on the seat of his pants. He was up at eight but when he was staggered by two rights the referee came in to save him. An outstanding amateur ( although it is misleading to say he won gold at the Pan American Games as he was Youth champion) Iriarte is making good progress and will soon be ready to move up to ten rounds. Haitian-born Myrthil was having his first fight since August 2023. Flores vs, Stevens FLORES scores three knockdowns but has to go the full eight rounds for his win over STEVENS. Flores had to make the fight from the start as southpaw Stevens constantly retreated around the ring just looking to draw Flores onto counters. Flores came close to ending the fight late in the second. He caught Stevens with a right hook that dropped him on his back. Stevens climbed to his feet but went down again on his rump under a series of punches. He was up again and the bell had already gone. Flores continued to pick-up the points but Stevens was more competitive than in the early rounds and a left cause Flores to stumble in the seventh, a round Stevens looked to have won. There was some back-and-forth action in the eighth and with less than ten seconds to go Stevens was down again but it was not a heavy knockdown and the bell went just after Stevens got up. Flores won on scores of 79-70, 78-71 and 77-72. The 21-year-old 6’1” Flores looks a very useful prospect. Stevens was having his first fight for almost three years . Griffithis vs. Gutierrez GRIFFITHS eliminates GUTERREZ in the first round. A series of head punches sent Gutierrez down within the first minute. He made it to his feet and tried to punch with Griffiths but two left hooks and a right to the head dropped him to his hands and knees with the referee signalling the fight was over. Seventh inside the distance victory for the 19-year-old prospect. Third loss in a row for Gutierrez. Guzman vs. Delgado GUZMAN finds DELGADO an awkward opponent difficult to impress against but wins the unanimous decision. Guzman was looking to add another inside the distance win but Delgado proved elusive and when under pressure was happy to dive inside and mess Guzman around. Guzman managed to land plenty of his power punches and dominated the action with Delgado occasionally dangerous. Guzman got the win on scores of 79-73 twice and 77-75 but he will have better nights. Texan Delgado had won his last five fights and was going eight rounds for the first time. Garcia vs. Caro Colorado’s GARCIA scores a second round kayo over Argentinian CARO. Garcia quickly took control with some sharp jabbing and finding the target early with a right. Caro did get through with one hard right but Garcia shook it off and landed two left hooks at the end of the round. Garcia hunted the retreating Caro down in the second and when Caro missed with a right Garcia landed a short left that sent Caro down and he was counted out whilst rising. Fifth win by KO/TKO in his last six fights for 24 year-old Garcia. Caro is 1-5 in fights of outside of Argentina. Sanchez vs. Juarez Souhpaw SANCHEZ hits too hard for seasoned pro JUAREZ. Sanchez showed his power in the first as he shook Juarez with a left. Juarez made it into the second but a straight left sent him down on his back and although he beat the count the referee stopped the fight. Now eight inside the distance wins for 23-year-old Californian Sanchez. Juarez lost on points against Nonito Donaire in a fight for the vacant WBA super bantam title in 2015 but is now way down the slope with this his ninth defeat by KO/TKO. MARCH 15 YOKOHAMA, JAPAN: MINIMUM: RYUSEI MATSUMOTO (8-0) W PTS 12 YUNI TAKADA (16-10-3). FLY: ANTHONY OLASCUAGA (12-1) W TKO 9 JUKIYA LIMURA (9-2). LIGHT FLY: SHOKICHI IWATA (16-2) W TEC DEC 8 KNOCKOUT CP FRESHMART (29-2). BANTAM: RIKU MASUDA (10-1) W TKO 8 NONITO DONAIRE (43-10). Matsumoto vs. Takada MATSUMOTO retains the WBA minimumweight title as he wins every round against former champion TAKADA. Matsumoto fought a clever tactical fight boxing cooly under the early pressure from Takada. A frustrated Takada drove forward even more being lured onto a left counter late in the fifth which staggered him. Takada had been cut over his right eye earlier and had to pass a doctor’s examination at the start of the seventh and Matsumoto in turn had swelling around his right eye from the eight. Takada continued his pressure tactics but the southpaw skills of Matsumoto were more than enough to contain Takada’s attacks and the champion continued to dominate the action. Scores 120-108 from all three judges. Matsumoto had won the WBA title from Takada on a technical decision in September. Despite his sparse professional record Matsumoto started boxing at the age of four and was 77-15 in his 92 fights as an amateur. Olascuaga vs. Limura OLASCUAGA continues to cut a swathe through the ranks of Japanese flyweights as he stops LIMURA in nine rounds in a WBO title fight. Limura showed his speed early with his jabs and straight rights but he was only effective until Olascuaga began to land his heavy shots. He rocked Limura in both the fourth and fifth and Limura developed a big swelling on his forehead. Olascuaga put Limura down with a left hook in the seventh and although Limura made it through the eighth when he was shaken by another left hook in the ninth the fight was stopped. Olascuaga is 4-0 against Japanese fighters in WBO title fights. Limura, the OPBF champion, had reversed his only other loss, Iwata vs. CPO Freshmart IWATA gets a technical decision over Thai KNOCKOUT CPO FRESHMART (Thammanoon Niyomtrong). Iwata was taller with a longer reach and much quicker than the Thai veteran. He used his speed to get his punches off quicker and in dodging Knockout’s attempts to counter. Knockout stepped up the pressure but was still a step behind Iwata and he suffered cut over his left eye in a clash of heads in the fourth. Iwata took advantage of that launching most of his attacks against Knockout’s left side. Iwata gradually stepped up his attacks landing heavily in the sixth and when the doctor examined Knockout’s injury in the eighth the fight was stopped. Iwata won on scores of 79-73 twice and 78-74. Iwata won the WBO light flyweight title with a third-round stoppage of Jairo Noriega in October 2024 but lost it to Rene Santiago in his first defense in March 2023. Knockout, 35, made 16 defences of the WBA minimumweight title before finally losing it to WBO champion Oscar Collazo in 2024. He then won the vacant WBC light flyweight title in December last year. Masuda vs. Donaire MASUDA bloodies, floors and halts DONAIRE to win this WBA eliminator. The fight was close over the first five rounds. Donaire had a slight edge but Masuda made good use of his longer reach to make it tight. Donaire occasionally dropped his guard looking to lure Masuda into making a mistake but Masuda stuck to his boxing. A left hook opened a bad cut over Donaire’s right eye. Donaire passed a doctor’s inspection at the start of the sixth and Masuda got careless as he went to finish the fight and was shaken by a Donaire right. He regrouped and in the seventh dropped Donaire with a combination. Donaire survived but in the eighth after Masuda connected with a series of lefts Donaire’s corner threw in the towel. Southpaw Masuda will now be looking to get a shot at champion Seiya Tsutsumi . For Donaire, 43, it should be the time to hang his gloves up for good. MARCH 12 SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA: SUPER WELTER: PAVEL SOSULIN (13-0) W RTD 8 VICTOR NAGBE (12-3). SUPER MIDDLE: VLADIMIR MIRONCHIKOV (9-0) W PTS 10 ULUGBEK SOBIROV (17-6). Sosulin vs. Nagbe SOSULIN beats short notice substitute NAGBE. The Australian southpaw Nagbe had a good first round as both he and Sosulin were firing plenty of jabs and left hooks. Sosulin upped the pressure from the third coming fortward behind his left jab and throwing plenty of clubbing rights. Nagbe boxed well under pressure but was too often pinned to the ropes or in a corner as Sosulin unloaded. Nagbe connected with some good left hand counters but was being broken down by a relentless Sosulin and retired after a brutal eighth round. Seventh inside the distance win for the former Russian amateur champion. Liberian-born Nagbe looked a well-schooled boxer but just lacked the power to beat Sosulin. Mironchikov vs. Sobirov MIRONCHIKOV boxes his way to victory over Uzbek SOBIROV. Mironchikov made good use of his longer reach doubling and tripling his jabs and firing long rights. Sobirov kept driving forward and had some success inside but Mironchikov had quicker hands and was scoring with some smart combinations. Sobirov managed to shake Mironchikov a couple of times with some hard right crosses but the Russian-born Serb outworked him and won on scores of 99-91 twice and 98-92. Mironchikov was a member of the Russian national team in the 2010’s and the Serbian in the 2020’s and was a World Championships bronze medallist. Sobirov was defending the WBA Asian belt. MARCH 13 LYON, FRANCE: SUPER WELTER: YANIS MEHAH (19-2) W PTS 8 ANDRES PEREZ (12-21-3) MEHAH outpoints modest but durable Colombian PEREZ. Scores 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74. Mehah missed most of 2025 due to a suspension and this is his second win as he rebuilds. Only 3 of Perez’s 21 losses have come inside the distance. KISSIMMEE, FL, USA: NAJEE LOPEZ (16-0) W TKO 8 MANUEL GALLEGOS (22-4-1). SUPER FEATHER : DOMINIC VALLE (13-0) W PTS 10 EDUARDO RAMIREZ (29-6-3, 1ND). LIGHT HEAVY: DANTE BENJAMIN (14-0-1) W PTS 8 ANGEL LOZANO (8-1). Lopez vs. Gallegos Puerto Rican LOPEZ climbs off the canvas to score a dramatic win over GALLEGOS in a candidate for Fight of the Year. No study time in this fight as they were both letting their hands go in the first with Lopez stunning Gallegos with a right cross. Lopez was cut over his right eye in a clash of heads in the second a round that saw three minutes of torrid exchanges that became the pattern for the following rounds. Despite the cut Lopez was coming forward behind some solid jabbing and firing hooks from both hands with Gallegos standing his ground meeting him with clubbing counters. Neither fighter wanted to take a step back as they traded brutal punches. Lopez seemed to be getting the better of the exchanges but the cut over his right eye was continuing to seep blood and he had a growing lump under the same eye. In the seventh things got even worse for him as a right counter knocked him back with one knee and glove touching the canvas. He was up immediately but when the count was over there was a clash of heads and this time Gallegos was cut over his right eye. There were more savage exchanges at the start of the eighth with Gallegos coming forward until he was nailed by a right that stunned him. Lopez drove him along the ropes until a left hook sent Gallegos crashing to the canvas with the fight being stopped. A candidate for Fight of the Year. Lopez, No 6 with the WBA, wins the WBA Continental and Latino belts. Mexican Gallegos played his part in a great fight. He was 20-1-1 but in subsequent fights lost to Diego Pacheco and won and lost against Khalil Cole. Valle vs. Ramirez VALLE gets a unanimous decision over experienced RAMIREZ but without impressing and the decision was controversial. The 5’11” Valle had height and reach over southpaw Ramirez but instead of using those edges he spent the first four rounds engaging in a brawl which suited Ramirez. From the fifth Valle switched to staying outside and firing long punches. He was having more success but was rocked by a southpaw left. Valle attacked relentlessly from the sixth but was cut over his right eye in a clash of heads in the seventh. He rebounded to have a big eight as he drove Ramirez around the ring landing rights. They were both tired and there was too much clinching in the ninth which Valle probably edged doing what clear scoring there was and he also did the better work in a ragged last. The scores did not represent what had gone on during the fight as Valle won on scores of 98-92 twice and a still generous 96-94. Floridian Valle, who was in his first ten round fight, was coming off a win over former super featherweight champion Rene Alvarado in November. Ramirez, 33, a former WBA interim champion, is in his sixteenth year as a pro. He was unbeaten in his first 24 fights before lost on points to Lee Selby for the IBF father title back in 2017. Benjamin vs. Lozano In a battle of undefeated light heavyweights DANTE BENJAMIN takes a unanimous verdict over ANGEL LOZANO. Benjamin had the better skills with a strong jab and a nice line in uppercuts but his work rate was low in some rounds. Lozano impressed in occasional burst of punches but really it was a lacklustre fight finally being fought at a walking pace. The low level of action made it hard to scores but Benjamin was given the decision on scores of 80-72, 78-74 and 77-75. MARCH 14 BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA: LIGHT: ALFREDO SOTO (18-1,1ND) W TKO 6 ALEXANDER DOMINGUEZ (8-6-1). SOTO makes a successful defence of the South American title as he beats DOMINGUEZ in six rounds. Both scored well over the first five rounds with some focused body work from southpaw Soto giving him the edge. In the sixth he connected with a hard combination ending with an upper cut inside that dropped Dominguez. The referee counted to eight and then waived the fight over. Twelfth win by KO/TKO for Soto who was defending the title for the first time. Chilean Domingues is now 6-1-1 in his last 8 fights. PANAMA CITY, PANAMA: SUPER FEATHER: LUIS NUNEZ (23-0) W TKO 1 JHAN CAMACHO (14-5-1). Dominican NUNEZ adds another inside the distance win as he beats Colombian CAMACHO in the first round. Nunez scored three knockdowns before the fight was stopped. Fifteen wins by KO/TKO for 26-year-old Nunez who represented the Dominican Republic at the World Youth Championships. Camacho is 0-5 in fights outside of Colombia. BILBAO, SUPER LIGHT: JON FERNANDEZ (29-3) W PTS 12 SOMAY BILAL (18-2). LIGHT: JOKIN GARCIA (14-2-1) W PTS 10 GIANLUCA CEGLIA (22-6-1).WELTER: JON MIGUEZ (20-1-1) W PTS 8 BRANDON RIVERA (5-3-1). Fernandez vs. Bilal FERNANDEZ retains the European title as he scores a wide unanimous decision over Dutchman BILAL. The only problems “Jonfer” encountered arose from the unconventional style of Bilal. Fernandez boxed patiently and intelligently refusing to be hustled out of his stylish boxing by the unpredictable and disjointed attacks of Bilal. Fernandez found plenty of gaps in Bilal defence but also found it difficult to settle into his usual rhythm. Bilal was looking to drag Fernandez into a brawl and was dangerous with his head but never posed a threat. Fernandez tried to give his home fans the inside the distance win they wanted and attacked hard in the last round but Bilal survived. Scores 120-108, 119-108 and 119-109. An undemanding first defence for Fernandez. There was an absence of any quality opposition on Bilal’s record. Official challenger Charlemagne Metonyekpon will be a much tougher proposition. Garcia vs. Ceglia GARCIA made it a good night for Spanish/Basque fighters as he took a unanimous decision over Italian CEGLIA to win the vacant European Silver title. Garcia had the better skill set. His accuracy, hand speed and the variety in his attacks allowed him to control the fight from the outset. He was cut in a clash of heads in the second round but that was never a factor. Ceglia tired over the late rounds and lost a point for punches to the back of Garcia’s head but used his experience and resilience to last the distance. Scores of 119-108 twice and 120-107. A useful experience for the 26-year-old Garcia who had won the Spanish title in November with a third round stoppage of 20-2 Antonio Collado. Ceglia, 36, lost to Sam Noakes for the full title in 2024. Miguez vs. Rivera Former two-time Spanish welterweight title holder MIGUEZ outpointed Nicaraguan novice RIVERA over eight rounds. No scores available. Miguez won the European welterweight title in 2023 with a points victory over 30-0 Jordy Weiss in France but never defended the title. On another visit to France in 2024 he lost a decision against 28-0-1 David Papot for the WBO Global title. FIGHT OF THE WEEK: FIGHT OF THE WEEK SIGNIFICANCE: FIGHT OF THE WEEK: (Entertainment): Najee Lopez vs. Manuel Gallegos war, war and more war-plus knockdowns. FIGHTER OF THE WEEK: Tied Arnold Barboza and Anthony Cacace PUNCH OF THE WEEK: Left hook from Daniel Garcia which finished Blas Caro UPSET OF THE WEEK: 9-1 Riku Masuda beating Nonito Donaire ONE TO WATCH: Welterweight Joel Irtiarte 10-0 is developing well OBSERVATION: Rosette(s): Frank Warren show in Dublin drew very well and should see more Irish talent getting exposure and Golden Boy show in Anaheim showcasing six unbeaten fighters for the future. Red Card(s) :WBO and WBA approving Jesus Haro as an opponent for Oscar Collazo. It was a poor one-sided matching. Between October 2024 and fighting Collazo Haro had just two fights losing on points to 13-1 Gustavo Perez and beating 2-4-1 Jaime Guevara. Those achievements actually “earned” Haro promotion from the WBO and the WBA took the sanctioning fee from this unifier even though Haro had never featured in their ratings. Its things like this that will even make some people welcome Zuffa 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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