Boxing News

The world's top light flyweight was in action last night as Edgar Sosa thrilled a packed hometown Arena Revolucion in Mexico City with the 9th defense of his WBC title.

Seasoned Panamanian Carlos Melo came into the bout with the reputation as an iron-chinned stylist but the former WBA minimumweight title challenger was in over his head from the start against the magnificent Sosa.

By the third frame the quick but heavily outgunned Melo was on the canvas from the champion's two-handed assault but beat the count and soldiered on.

Melo bravely soaked up the onslaught in the fourth but a shattering left hand to the liver took the legs out from under the challenger in the fifth. More...

At Sunchales in Sante Fe, Argentina last night, WBA light heavy champ Hugo Hernan Garay was upset by former Spanish light heavy titlist Gabriel Campillo, who pulled off a 12 round majority decision shocker.

Garay, of Tigre, Buenos Aires, won the vacant WBA belt last July with a decision over Yuri Barashian at Buenos Aires' famous Luna Park Stadium and was coming off a successful defense in Germany against Juergen Braehmer in November.

The native Argentine was expected to retain against Madrid based southpaw Campillo, who was coming off a narrow loss to Karo Murat for the European super middle title last September before winning the European Union 168 lb crown with a hard fought UD over Lolenga Mock in March.

Looking to take control of the bout from the start, Garay commanded the center of the ring during the early rounds and put his greater experience to good use to keep the challenger on the defensive, much to the delight of the 5,000 strong pro-Garay audience. More...

There was a good bill last night at Centro Banamex in Mexico City with Juan Palacios, 26-2 (21), stopping Eric Ramirez, 26-7-1 (19), in the tenth frame to retain the Interim WBC minimumweight title.

Hard punching Nicaraguan Palacios has lived up to his "El Exterminador" nickname by posting his fifth straight stoppage in addition to his 15th consecutive win.

Super flyweight Ana Maria Torres, 18-3-2 (11), outpointed Usanakorn Kokietgym, 4-1 (4), over ten for the WBC Female crown and Gerson Guerrero, 34-8 (26), stopped Enrique Quevedo, 8-3 (5), in the ninth to capture the vacant NABF super flyweight belt. More...

NABF Welterweight champ Saul Alvarez, 27-0-1 (20), kept busy with a ninth round KO of Jeferson Luis Goncalo, 12-4-3 (5), last night at Parque Xcaret in Cancun, Mexico

There was another NABF belt on the line with local flyweight Wilbert Uicab, 25-5-1 (16), seeing off tough Filipino import BJ Dolorosa, 5-2 (0), over ten rounds to retain the title for the second time.

Light flyweight Omar Nino Romero, 28-3-1 (11), scored a technical decision in the eighth against veteran Juanito Rubillar, 46-12-7 (22).

Lightweight Jose Emilio Perea, 15-0 (8), defeated overmatched opponent Juan Pablo Sanchez, 3-1 (3), via second round stopage for the WBC Fedcarbox title.

Jorge Paez Jr, 22-2 (14), stopped Jose Ramirez, 5-2 (5), in the seventh at light welter and ex-WBC light flyweight champion Eric Ortiz, 31-8-3 (20), fought to a six round draw with two-time world flyweight title challenger Gilberto Keb Baas, 28-19-3 (16).

Last night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, FL, Andre Berto retained his WBC welterweight title with a superb points win against challenger Juan Urango.

Urango, the current IBF light welter titlist, employed his trademark pressure approach from the start but had difficulty in finding the target as Berto didn't stick around to be hit.

The champion employed good footwork and showed his cat-quick reflexes in avoiding the tear up that Urango wanted, giving the Colombian challenger a crisp boxing lesson instead.

Berto showed his class in zipping in stinging single shots and sharp counters, mostly upstairs, and controlled the pace enroute to a well deserved 118-110 twice and 117-111 points victory. More...

Jhonny Gonzalez's dream to return to world championship standing came to a crashing halt last night at Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico as he was stopped by reigning WBC super bantam kingpin Toshiaki Nishioka in just three rounds.

Gonzalez nearly pulled off an upset in the very first round as the hard-punching Mexico City man announced his arrival by canvassing the champion but Nishioka rose to his feet and made it through the round.

In the second, the champion began to settle in as his compact southpaw style began to reverse the disastrous start but Nishioka was still wary of Gonzalez's power.

In the third, Nishioka rammed home a perfect southpaw left behind a double jab that had Gonzalez on his back and in dire straits. More...

Big bill on tonight at Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico as reigning WBC super bantam champ Toshiaki Nishioka heads into the lion's den to face challenger Jhonny Gonzalez of Mexico City.

Tokyo based southpaw Nishioka, 33-4-3 (20), will be making a rare appearance outside Japan but is coming into this first title defense after having won the belt with a dramatic 12th round stoppage of Mexican veteran Genaro Garcia in January.

32 year old Nishioka has been a pro since 1994 and fought WBC bantam titlist Veeraphol Sahaprom four times between 200-2004, losing the first and fourth while forcing draws in the second and third bouts.

Nishikoa moved up to super bantam after the last Sahaprom contest and has since reeled off 10 straight victories.

In the oppositie corner, 27 year old Gonzalez, 40-6 (34), has been a pro since he was 17 and after losing his first two bouts, won the next 14, capturing the NABF bantam crown along the way. More...

South America's top boxing venue, Estadio Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina saw a cracking contest last night with Victor Emilio Ramirez retaining his WBO Cruiserweight title via split decision against the tough challenge presented by Ali Ismailov.

The taller Ramirez looked to keep his Azerbaijani opponent from getting too ambition but Ismailov had not come to lose and it was close for the first half of the bout.

Both men had their moments as the tides changed direction constantly in a contest that was hard to score. The cruiserweights slowed in the later rounds but still, no clear winner emerged from the fray between these two big punchers.

When the scores were read, two of the judges favored Ramirez while the third had Ismailov winning the bout.

Ramirez improves to 15-1 (12), retaining the WBO title by split decision. Ismailov sees a 12 bout win streak go up in flames, falling to 15-2-1 (11).

The legendary Buenos Aires venue Estadio Luna Park features a vacant WBO cruiserweight title clash tonight as Interim champ Victor Emilio Ramirez meets WBO Latino beltholder Ali Ismailov over twelve scheduled rounds.

Just 25 years of age, Ramirez, also known as "El Tyson Del Abasto", has won his last eight bouts over mostly domestic opposition but delivered in a big way in January.

Ramirez went to Germany to face undefeated southpaw Alexander Alexeev but shocked the highly touted Hamburg based prospect, forcing Alexeev to quit after the eighth round to capture the interim WBO crown. More...

IBF and WBA Super Bantam titlist Celestino Caballero walked into the Arena Roberto Duran in Panama City, Panama on Thursday as the recognized world champion at 122 pounds but left with a tarnished reputation after winning a controversial spilt decision victory over South African challenger Jeffrey Mathebula.

Caballero started the bout well, keeping the South African at bay and controlling the pace of the contest but wasn't able to dominate the action as he had in winning the IBF belt in most recent fight against Steve Molitor in November.

Mathebula kept the pressure on, making the champion work, taking Caballero's best shots without budging. The strategy paid off when Caballero was spent by the midway point of the bout.

The freakishly tall Caballero, 32-2 (22), normally towers over opponents, usually enjoying a half foot height advantage but against Mathebula, the 5'11 Panamanian held only a narrow edge in this department. More...

WBO Super Bantam boss Juan Manuel Lopez kept his world title belt last night at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, turning back the challenge posed by WBO Bantam beltholder Gerry Penalosa, who was pulled out by his corner in a battle of southpaws.

36 year old Penalosa of The Philippines had previously won world titles on away ground during his long and distinguished career but the active and heavy-handed Lopez made sure that wouldn't be the case in Bayamon.

The Caguas man took control of the contest from the start and the 25 year old simply outboxed and outpunched the challenger over every round of the contest. More...

WBO Super Bantam Champ Juan Manuel Lopez defends his crown tonight at Coliseo Rueben Rodriguez in Bayamon when he meets the challenge posed by WBO bantam kingpin Gerry Penalosa, who is moving up in weight.

At just 25 year of age, hammer-fisted Caguas based southpaw Lopez, 24-0 (22), will pose a big challenge to 36 year old Penalosa but the visiting Filipino legend has upset the hometown favorite before in big fights, winning the WBC Super Fly and WBO Bantam belts on the road.

Lopez is a certified big puncher but Penalosa, 54-6-2 (36), has proven repeatedly, most recently in a decision loss to Daniel Ponce De Leon in a failed bid for the very same title being fought for tonight, that he has a world class chin. More...

On Saturday night at Club Sarmiento in Pigue, Argentina, the continent's top super feather prospect, Matias Daniel Ferreyra, once again failed to unseat South American Champion Roberto David Arrieta.

33 year old Arrieta, 33-14-4 (14), also the WBC Mundo Hispano Champ, decked Ferreyra twice before cruising to a wide points decision when the initially met two years ago but this time was pressed harder by the 26 year old challenger.

Nonetheless, Arrieta pulled out another points win on Saturday and remains the only fighter to have defeated the southpaw Ferreyra, 21-2 (7). More...

There were two good cards last night in Mexico with the bill at Estadio Arturo C. Nahl in La Paz featuring an IBF Minimumweight title clash between Raul Garcia and Ronald Barrera.

Undefeated Garcia had already defeated Barrera once by unanimous decision as the pair met in February of last year during an IBF title eliminator and on the strength of that victory, Garcia captured the IBF crown with a split decision over Florante Condes last June.

Two dominant defenses later against Jose Luis Varela and Garcia, 26-0-1 (16), showed just how much better he's become by stopping Barrera, 26-6-1 (16), at 2:26 of the sixth round last night. More...

Last night at Ciudad Victoria in Tamaulipas, Mexico, WBC Light Flyweight Champion Edgar Sosa continued his reign with a fourth round TKO of challenger Pornsawan Porpramook.

Longtime PABA minimumweight champion and two-time world title challenger Porpramook had never been stopped before but the 30 year old Thai could not withstand the punishment doled out by the hard charging Mexico City resident Sosa.

Sosa sees his record to 35-5 (19), retaining the WBC belt for the eighth time and could be in line to face IBF Champion Ulises Solis, who holds two razor thin wins over Sosa in 2000 and 2003, should Solis defeat Sosa victim Brian Viloria later this month. More...

Two good fight cards in Mexico tonight with the top bill taking place at Ciudad Victoria in Tamaulipas where Edgar Sosa will defend his WBC Light Flyweight crown.

Sosa, 34-5 (18), has been on fire since 2003, winning 22 straight contests and picking up the WBC belt against Brian Viloria two years ago by majority decision.

The Mexico City man has retained the title seven times and tonight will face off with longtime former PABA Minimumweight beltholder Pornsawan Porpramook, 21-2 (16), who has also fought under the name Pornsawan Kratingdaenggym.

Porpramook, of Sa Kaeo, Thailand, has only come up short when failing to unseat WBO Minimumweight Champ Donnie Nietes in 2007 and WBC King Oleydong Sithsamerchai last year. More...

Last night at Plaza de Toros in Tijuana, Mexico, WBO Super Flyweight Champion Fernando Montiel, 39-2-1 (29), made the successful jump to bantamweight, capturing the interim WBO crown at 118 pounds by knocking out Argentina's Diego Oscar Silva, 24-2-3 (12), in the third round.

Montiel was in control the whole way, canvassing Silva in the second and at the start of the third before finishing the job at 2:24 of the third round.

In a WBC Super Feather title clash, reigning champion Humberto Soto, 47-7-2 (30), was dominant against challenger Antonio Davis, 26-5 (13), dropping the American in the first and twice in the fourth before forcing the bout to be stopped at 2:38 of the fourth frame when Davis could no longer defend himself. More...

There's a good fight card tonight at Plaza De Toros right across the US/Mexico border in Tijuana as the WBO Bantam and WBC Super Feather belts will be up for grabs.

In the main event, longtime WBO Super Flyweight Champ Fernando Montiel, 38-2-1 (28), will try again to make the move up to bantam and contend for the WBO crown at 118 pounds.

The 30 year old Los Mochis man was turned back in his effort to do the same three years ago when defeated on a split decision by Jhonny Gonzalez.

This time, Montiel will tangle with WBO Latino, South American and Argentine Bantam titlist Diego Oscar Silva, 24-1-3 (12), of Buenos Aires. More...

A lot of action took place south of the border this weekend, mostly in Argentina and we kick this report off in The Land of Silver with a massive show at Club Atletico Newell's Old Boys in Rosario on Saturday.

South America's top welterweight, Sebastian Andres Lujan, 31-5-2 (20), headlined the card but was pushed hard by Venezuela's Charlie Jose Navarro, 17-3 (12), who lost a hard fought majority decision to Lujan.

One of the best light welter prospects in the world was also in action at Rosario as Lucas Martin Matthysse, 24-0 (22), knocked out Luis Ernesto Jose, 29-6-2 (24), in the second round, while super feather Carlos Ricardo Rodriguez, 20-2 (11), knocked out Alberto Leopoldo Santillan, 15-2 (4), in the sixth. More...

Last night at Auditorio Centenario in Torreon, Mexico, former WBA and WBC Super Flyweight Champion Cristian Mijares, 36-5-2 (15), tried his hand at bantamweight but was turned back by undefeated Colombian Nehomar Cermeno, 17-0 (10), by split decision for the Interim WBA title.

On the undercard, unbeaten heavyweight David Rodriguez, 31-0 (29), flattened Manuel Alberto Pucheta, 23-4 (17), in the seventh.

At Palenque Del Fex in Mexicali, Giovanni Segura, 20-1-1 (16), avenged his only career loss by stopping Cesar Canchila, 27-2 (21), in the fourth during their rematch for the Interim WBA Light Flyweight title.

Also on the bill, featherweight prospect Joksan Hernandez, 15-1 (9), stopped Jonathan Arias, 13-4 (6), in the tenth.

The Estadio Carranza Limon in Guasave played host to WBC International Lightweight titlist Enrique Colin, 28-4-3 (23), who KO'd Jaime Maldonado, 6-8-1 (6), in the second. More...