Boxing News

One of the top middleweights in the world, Sam Soliman, stepped in as a late replacement to face Raul "El Toro" Munoz, of Topeka, KS as the headlining bout of Goosen - Tutor's Pechanga fight card in Temecula, CA. The Melbourne, Australia man applied his trademark hurricane style which proved to be too much for the Midwestern journeyman to handle. Next up for Slippery Sam may be a challenge to WBC/WBO Middleweight Champion Jermain Taylor next month.

Round one: The first round of this main event middleweight bout starts with Soliman stalking Munoz around the ring with his jab. Soliman is the only one to throw any punches in the early going, throwing them in typical Sam Soliman fashion, throwing punches a mile a minute. Sam is dominating through the first hald of the fight as he is throwing from all angles and has Munoz constantly covering up. Munoz lands his first punches of the fight with only a minute left in the fight, a right hand to Soliman w! hile Soliman is kneeling down. The Aussie looks unaffected by the glancing blows and continues to dance around Munoz and throw from all angles. The round comes to a close and Soliman looks like the same old Soliman, seemingly unaffected by taking this fight by short notice. More...

On the undercard of Goosen - Tutor's Sam Soliman - Raul Munoz fight card last night from Pechanga Resort and Casino inTemecula, California, former heavyweight world title challenger Kirk Johnson met with Los Angeles area prospect Javier Mora. It was a big step up for Mora but Johnson, of Nova Scotia, Canada was continuing his comeback from a loss to Viatli Klitschko over two years ago.

Round one: The first round in this heavyweight clash starts with Johnson circling Mora from the outskirts of the ring popping the jab. Johnson lands his first big punch of the fight with a lead left uppercut that lands under the jaw of Mora. Johnson follows that up with a jab straight combo that once again connects. Mora recovers though but that isn't stopping Johnson from landing at will, mostly with his straight right hand. With about a minute left in the round Mora lands a left hook that connects flush to Johnson's jaw. Johnson looks unaffected however and continues circling the ring popping the jab. Johnson closes the round with a big straight right hand that lands. More...

It was a welterweight showdown between Miguel "The Flame" Figueroa and Larry Mosley last night on a Golden Boy East promotion at the New Alhambra in Philadelphia on a ESPN2 Friday Night Fights broadcast. The two waged war for the vacant NABO title but at the end of twelve rounds the ringside officials couldn't pick a winner and a draw was declared.

Round one: The fight starts with both fighters meeting at the center of the ring and firing off jabs. Both fighters look to be of even size and are only sizing each other up in the early going. Mosley lands the first punch of the fight, a straight right hand that was the second punch in a three punch combo. Figueroa recovers and presses Mosley against the ropes and fires off a pair of hooks to the body of Mosley. Mosley circles off the ropes and lands two hooks upstairs. Figueroa comes charging right back though and lands an uppercut through the guard and under the chin of Mosley.&nb! sp; Mosley once again escapes pressure and once again starts firing jabs from the outside before landing a straight right hand on the top of Figueroa's head. The round comes to a close with Mosley landing a left hook to the guard of Figueroa. More...

After a snowstorm induced postponement of one night, the New England megafight between super middles Peter Manfredo and Scott Pemberton took place tonight on a CES Promotion at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Pemberton, at age 39, represented the old guard of New England boxing while Manfredo, at 25, was the fresh face of it's future. Would the towering, experienced and big punching Pemberton school Manfredo or would the combination of father time and the youth of "The Pride of Providence" prove too much for "The Sandman"?

Round one: the first begins with both fighters bolting to the center of the ring a! nd pawing at each other with jabs. The size difference between Pemberton and Manfredo is apparent from the beginning, with Pemberton being the bigger of the two. Manfredo is the first to follow up on his jab with an overhand right that lands to the side of Pemberton's head. Manfredo follows that momentum with another jab, followed by a right hook that finds it's target. Manfredo is pushing the pace of the fight so far and has proved able to get inside and land his straight right. With twenty seconds left in the round, Manfredo lands another straight right hand that sends Pemberton stumbling back to the ropes. Manfredo lands one more right hand in the closing seconds in what was a dominant round for Manfredo. More...

Last night on an HBO televised Top Rank card from the Don Haskins Center In El Paso, Texas, the world's premier lightweight, Jose Luis Castillo, saw action against Oxnard, California's Rolando Reyes. Round one: the fight starts with Reyes, a replacement for Diego Corrales, pawing at Castillo with the jab in the center of the ring.

Click for larger image © Tom Casino Showtime Boxing

Both fighters are feeling each other out for the first minute without throwing any punches. Castillo throws the first punch of the night halfway through the round by landing a jab and rushing Reyes with a left hook that goes over Reyes' head. The pace is slowed after that, as Reyes looks content on keeping the fight on the outside. With about a minute left in the round, Castillo lands a lead left hook to the side of Reyes' head. Neither fighter looks eager to exchange thus far, but Castillo is pressing along with the left hook occasionally but hasn't landed yet. Castillo closes the round with a left hook to the body of Reyes. More...

Old master Bernard Hopkins' second try to defeat young gun and now middleweight kingpin Jermain Taylor ended much the same as the first, a close decision loss for "The Executioner". While the jury is still out on whether or not Hopkins will retire or keep trying to win his former belts back but Taylor should at this point be able to move on and face the winner of next weekend's Winky Wright - Sam Soliman IBF title fight

Round One: The highly anticipated rematch of the top two middleweights in the world begins with both fighters meeting in the center of the ring with Hopkins charging in early and Taylor pummeling Hopkins on th back of the head with his right hand, an intense start to a high drama rematch. Jay Nady warns Taylor about punching in the back of the head and the fight's order is restored. Hopkins, after the initial charge ahead, starts fighting like the Bernard Hopkins boxing fans are used to seeing, staying on the outside and looking for openings without throwing anything. Taylor isn't to active either, only throwing a left hook that went over Hopkins' head with about 10 seconds left. Both were inactive that round. More...

Gonzalez Tops Delisle To Become IBF #2 Contender

In the main event of Goosen-Tutor promotion's Thursday night Fight Night At The Tank at the HP Pavilion in San Jose California, IBF # 5 ranked light heavyweight Julio Gonzalez, 39-3 (29), elevated himself to IBF #2 contender status by scoring a unanimous decision over Australian challenger Jason Delisle, 18-3-2 (9).

Delisle looked good in the early going, landing the first big punch of the fight, a lunging lead left hook in the first minute of the second round. Delisle, who lost to light heavyweight contender Clinton Woods in October 2003, was getting the better of Gonzalez early, pressing forward relentlessly, avoiding the Californian's early hooks and landing a high number of his punches on the inside. Gonzalez fought fairly conservative for the first few rounds, rarely varying his combos and opting to throw the jab-straight combination for the first three rounds.

Gonzalez eventually got on track and took control of the fight in round four, when he connected with a lead left uppercut in the opening seconds of the round. Gonzalez then employed a strategy of counterpunching and started working the body. Delisle, 34 years old, had no answer to Gonzalez's new approach to the fight, and was rocked for the first time in the contest at the closing of round five, when Gonzalez landed a straight right hand with his back against the ropes. More...

Round One: The two power heavy punchers meet in the center of the ring, beginning with Pemberton jabbing early, but not landing anything. Lacy is already displaying defense, something his critics say is the IBF/IBO Champion's biggest flaw. Lacy throws his first punch of the fight thirty seconds in, a big overhand right that fails to land. Pemberton is doing nothing but jabbing thus far, and he is jabbing a lot, putting his fist in Lacy's face every time the stocky Floridian attempts to close the distance between the two fighters. Lacy, who is four inches shorter then Pemberton, lands an overhand right to Pemberton's jaw with a minute left in the round, and is displaying impressive defense, fending off Pemberton's jabs. Pemberton gets very stationary when he tries to follow up on his jab, which is why Lacy landed the big right hand. Other then that, it was a nice round for Pemberton, who succeeded in jabbing and establishing distance. More...

As part of our complete coverage of Saturday's Gary Shaw Productions/Showtime fight card, SaddoBoxing presents this round by round account of the Rafael Marquez - Silence Mabuza IBF/IBO Bantamweight title bout.

Round One: The first round of this highly anticipated bantamweight contest begins with the quick fisted Mabuza fending off Marquez's early jabs. Mabuza isn't throwing many punches in the very early going, opting to box defensively through the first half of the round. After a first minute consisting of nothing but Marquez jabs, Mabuza is nailed with a left hook to the body. Mabuza tries to counter the body blow with a straight right hand but throws over top of Marquez's head and Marquez takes advantage by landing a right uppercut under Mabuza's chin. With about forty seconds left in the round, Marquez lands a lead left hook that buckles Mabuza's knees. Mabuza falls to the canvas but gets back up, and with about ten seconds left in the opening round, Marquez swarms Mabuza and lands a big straight right hand that sends Mabuza stumbling to the ropes, and as Marquez charges towards the South African challenger, Mabuza is saved by the bell. A big round for Marquez. More...

The final bout on the Saturday night HBO Latino broadcasted Mexico vs. Thailand Golden Boy Promotions card from the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson was a good one. WBO Super Flyweight Champion Fernando Montiel took on undefeated Thai fighter Pramuansak "The Machine Gun" Phosawan. Montiel had only lost once in thirty three bouts while Phosawan has been the WBO Asia Pacific Super Flyweight titlist since his third professional bout and had defended the crown seventeen times.

Round One: The final bout of the evening starts with Montiel coming out jabbing. Early on at least, Phosawan seems to be at a reach disadvantage, and is not reacting well to the early jabs of Montiel, instead backing straight up and flailing his arms. Montiel seems content keeping his distance and jabbing, as he has rarely charged in and is keeping his distance. Neither fighter threw many punches during the first, and it was a fairly uneventful round. Montiel takes it for his ability to keep his distance and jab. More...

Another bout on Golden Boy's Desert Diamond Casino show in Tucson, Arizona was the WBO Bantamweight title fight between reigning champion Ratanachai Sor Vorapin and red hot contender Jhonny Gonzalez. The twenty four year old Mexican challenger came into the bout as the NABA titlist and had won his last sixteen contests. Vorapin was riding a nineteen fight wins streak himself and brought the experience of taking part in seventy four professional matches.

Round One: The fight begins with both fighters feeling each other out for the first thirty seconds without a punch being thrown. It is apparent from the beginning that Gonzalez is significantly taller the Vorapin. Vorapin throws the first punch of the fight thirty seconds in, a jab to the body of Gonzalez that presses Gonzales against the ropes. Gonzalez circles off the ropes quickly, but Vorapin cuts off the ring and connects with a straight right to Gonzalez's nose. Gonzalez doesn't look hurt and comes back with two left uppercuts, the second one connecting directly under Vorapin's chin. Vorapin backs straight up and gets caught with a straight right that sends him stumbling. He smiles, recovers, and finishes the round on his feet. Despite the late charge, Vorapin earns the round. More...

Golden Boy Promotions put on a tremendous bill from the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson Arizona on Saturday night. HBO Latino broadcast the evening's entertainment and the first bout from that bill that we'll present round by round coverage for was waged for the vacant WBO Super Bantamweight title between fellow southpaws Daniel Ponce de Leon and Sod Looknongyangtoy.

Round One: The fight begins with both fighters touching gloves in the center of the ring and De Leon throwing the first punch, swinging wide and above Sod's head with a left hook. De Leon, as expected, has come out with a lot of bounce in his legs and he is throwing the majority of the punches so far, consisting mainly of deflected jabs and hooks thrown too wide. With a minute and half left in the round, Sod is throwing a bit more then during the first part of the round, getting inside of Leon's wide hooks which enables him to attempt to work the body. With about twenty seconds left, De Leon starts throwing the first jabs of the fight, keeping Sod on the outside for the last part of the round. More...

The headlining bout on Telefutura's Solo Boxeo card from the Michael Marr Gymnasium in Las Vegas, New Mexico this past Friday was between super bantams Cuauhtemoc Vargas and Tomas Villa. At stake on the Fresquez Promotions bill was the twenty one year old Vargas' WBC Continental America's bout. Vargas came into the bout with the better record but Villa is the current NABA titlist and had thus far in his career toppled such accomplished foes as Mike Trejo, Edel Ruiz and David Martinez.

Round one: the opening session begins with Villa charging to the center of the ring throwing his jab. For the first minute of the fight, Villa is the aggressor, consistently beating Vargas to the punch and throwing a lot of punches. Vargas has his back to the ropes and is being hit with a barrage of Villa's punches, mainly hooks to the body. Vargas isn't throwing many punches this first round, instead choosing to try to avoid Villa's punches and stay out of too much trouble. Villa threw a lot of punches that round, and threw the majority of the punches, Villa's round. More...

Light middleweights Francisco Villa and Teefo Seetso squared off on the undercard of Telefutura's Solo Boxeo card from Las Vegas, New Mexico on Friday. Both men are novices in the early parts of their career but that didn't stop the fighters from tearing into each other with abandon over the course of their four round contest.

Round one: the first session starts with both fighters meeting in the center of the ring, jabbing. Villa immediately comes in on Seetso, pushing him against the ropes and landing two hooks to Seetso's body. Villa is shorter then Seetso, which, at least in the early going, is allowing him to duck under Seetso's big overhand rights and land his left hook to the body. Villa hasn't thrown anything but a jab to Seetso's head, choosing to do his work downstairs. With a minute left, Seetso has seemed to figure out that he has to keep Villa at bay using the jab, because every time Villa charges in, Seetso jabs and circles the ring.
More...

Super bantams Antonio Escalante - Trinidad Mendoza opened up Telefutura's Friday night broadcast of this week's installment of "Solo Boxeo" and it was largely three rounds of one sided action. The twenty year old Escalante, of El Paso, Texas, came into the bout with just one loss in ten contests while Mendoza, a thirty three fight veteran from Tijuana, Mexico, had dropped nine of his last ten outings.

Round one: the first begins with both fighters meeting at the center of the ring. Right away it's apparent that Escalante looks to be much bigger then Mendoza. Escalante comes out with a lead left hook downstairs that Mendoza deflects. Escalante stalks Mendoza and is throwing lead left hooks to the body. Escalante is landing the lead left hook to the body every time he throws it, using it to put Mendoza on the ropes and follow that punch up with a big straight right hand that looks to have cut Mendoza below his right eye. With ten seconds left in the round, Escalante traps Mendoza on the ropes and lands a big overhand right as the bell sounds. I don't think Mendoza landed a blow that round. More...

Round one: this middleweight fight starts with Mora immediately throwing an overhand right but it fails to land. Manfredo quickly starts throwing jabs and stalking Mora, but isn't landing anything. Manfredo lands the first real punch of the fight a minute in with and overhand right. Mora escapes though but presses himself against the rope where Manfredo hits him with another overhand right. Mora escapes but puts himself right back against the ropes and Manfredo lands another overhand right. That right hand of Manfredo cuts Mora and Mora starts fighting with a sense of urgency, pushing Manfredo against the ropes and lands a right uppercut. The round ends and the fighters taunt each other and talk trash after the round ends.

Round: Manfredo 10-9 Fight: Manfredo Jr. 10-9 More...

Round one: the round starts with middleweights Bonsante and Brinkley meeting in the center of the ring with Bonsante jabbing. Both fighters are just feeling each other out with the jab in the early going. Bonsante is keeping Brinkley at distance by throwing jabs every time Brinkley takes a step forward. Two minutes into the round, Brinkley looks to be a little frustrated and is putting his head down and charging forward, that just leaves him open to a couple straight right hands from Bonsante. Bonsante controlled the round with his jab as Brinkley wasn't able to do any damage.

Round: Bonsante 10-9 Fight: Bonsante 10-9 More...

Round one: the fight starts with light middles Gomez and Perez feeling each other out with no real punches being thrown for the first thirty seconds until Gomez misses an overhand right. Gomez is throwing the jab, straight combination a lot, and both punches and landing with frequency. Perez isn't moving his feet much, and is trying to avoid Gomez's straight rights by moving his upper body. Perez traps Gomez on the ropes and unleashes a lead left hook to the body, and follows up with a right upstairs. Gomez is trapped on the ropes and getting hammered with hooks to the body. With forty seconds left, Gomez turns Perez against the ropes and comes with some hooks of his own before backing up and closing the round by moving in circles and throwing the jab.

Round: Gomez 10-9 Fight: Gomez 10-9 More...

Ex-IBF Light Middleweight Champion Kassim Ouma, headlining Golden Boy Promotion's card from the Borgata in Atlantic City, had earned his title belt the hard way. The native Ugandan southpaw now living and training in West Palm Beach, Florida had faced and defeated many other tough contenders on the way up such as Verno Phillips, Kofi Jantuah, JC Candelo, Angel Hernandez and others but lost the belt during his second defense to underrated European Champion Roman "Made in Hell" Karmazin back in July. This bout, broadcast live by HBO Latino,would be Ouma's first time back in the ring since the loss and opponent Alfredo "Freddy" Cuevas was certainly not going to make life easy for the likeable Ouma. Cuevas had never been stopped by a punch despite having been in with the likes of Jermain Taylor Kingsley Ikeke and Michael Rask. More...

The main co-feature on HBO Latino's Atlantic City broadcast last night featured one of Golden Boy Promotion's rising stars, Philadelphia's Demetrius Hopkins. The nephew of modern day great Bernard Hopkins, the undefeated Demetrius went into this bout as perhaps the best American light welter prospect. Possessing sharp reactionary skills along with superb timing and punch selection, Hopkins was set to face the very dangerous Mexican Ernesto "Baby Face" Zepeda, who had not lost in his last five outings and had beaten former lightweight world champion Cesar Bazan in the process.

Round one: The fight starts with Zepeda charging at Hopkins and Hopkins moving laterally with his hands very high, looking very much like his uncle. The first minute is rather action less, with both fighters just occasionally lunging with the jab. Zepeda is charging in when Hopkins positions himself against the ropes but Hopkins is doing a good job of combating the quick fist of Zepeda with a stiff defense. Hopkins is throwing the jab a lot now at with one minute left in the round, but isn't following up and is avoiding any Zepeda counters. He first round was rather action less with just the occasional jab from both fighters. Zepeda tried to throw some power punches but landed nothing.

Round: Zepeda 10-9 Fight: Zepeda 10-9 More...