We start off in sunny Spain where at Pabellon Central in Vigo, hometown hero Ivan Pozo, 28-5-1 (18), became the latest victim of WBO Flyweight Champion Omar Andres Narvaez, 27-0-2 (17), as the Spaniard could not come out for the eighth round.
Narvaez, known as “El Huracan” in his native Argentina, put on a masterful performance in front of the 5,000 fans that packed the arena and the southpaw put an end to former European champion Pozo’s four fight win streak.
The man from Cordoba has held the WBO belt for six years and has now retained his title successfully 13 times.
Also on the bill, Spain based Colombian slugger Franklin Teran, 26-1 (21), won his 17th bout in a row by stopping Paraguayan veteran Feliciano Dario Azuaga Ledezma, 72-12-2 (61), in the fourth.
At the Eston Sports Academy in Middlesbrough, England, featherweight Paul Truscott, 11-0 (1), posted a twelve round decision over Ghanaian southpaw Osumanu Akaba, 10-4 (8), to capture the vacant Commonwealth Featherweight title.
Heading way down to South Africa, super flyweight Simphiwe “Golden Master” Nongqayi, 14-0 (6), clambered off the floor in the third round to boss Argentina’s Julio David Roque Ler, 25-5 (14), the rest of the way and retain the WBF crown for the third time. More…
Light middleweight Oscar De La Hoya returned to the ring for the first time since losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr a year ago and posted a wide points decision over the much smaller Steve Forbes last night at the Home Depot Arena in Carson, CA.
Although he swept the scorecards by margins of 120-108 and 119-109 (twice), the multi-weight former world champion didn’t have things all his way against ex-IBF Super Featherweight Champion Forbes.
The underdog used his advantage in quickness to hit De La Hoya many times and had little trouble getting off quick combinations on the inside before darting back out, but the lack of punching power hindered the efforts of the Forbes. More…
GYM Promotions put on a good show last night at The Casino in Montreal and their prospects all walked away with victories in important bouts.
Welterweight Antonin Decarie, 19-0 (5), had a tough fight with previously unbeaten Ohio man Brian “The Golden Greek” Camechis, 17-1 (8), but moved forward steadily behind the jab to outwork the American.
Decarie had Camechis down in the fourth with a bodyshot but the visitor rebounded to canvas the local man in the fifth with a crisp counter left hook, although it was incorrectly ruled a slip.
After twelve rounds, Decarie won a unanimous decision 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112 to annex the vacant WBO NABO Welterweight crown.
Light welter Dierry Jean, 13-0 (9), got the best win of his career by knocking out durable Mexican Henry Arjona, 17-11-1 (11), in the sixth. More…
Tonight at the Home Depot Centre in Carson, CA, light middleweight Oscar De La Hoya makes a rare appearance in the ring when he takes on Steve Forbes over a scheduled 12 rounds.
De La Hoya, 38-5 (30), will be fighting for just the third time since being stopped by World Middleweight Champion Bernard Hopkins in 2004 and will be looking to improve upon his 2-3 mark since 2003.
At 35 years of age and a successful boxing promoter, “The Golden Boy” is coming off a major loss to Floyd Mayweather last May and this contest against Forbes is clearly a tune up bout for another crack at Mayweather later this Autumn.
Forbes, 33-5 (9), is a former IBF Super Featherweight Champion who’s career has been on the downside since losing his title to Carlos Hernandez in 2003. More…
It wasn’t the busiest of Friday nights across the globe but there were a few good fights on tap and we begin in America where former IBF Lightweight Champion Paul Spadafora, 41-0-1 (16), started another comeback by winning every frame of an eight rounder against Shad Howard, 13-11-3 (6), at the Avalon Hotel in Erie, PA.
32 year old Spadafora was appearing in just his fifth contest since WBA titlist Leonard Dorin held him to a draw in their unification bout of 2003, which was coincidentally the last world title bout that “The Pittsburgh Kid” has taken part in.
At the Utopia Theatre in The Bronx, NY, light middle Andrey Tsurkan, 26-3 (17), bounced back from losing his NABF title via split decision to Yuri Foreman in December to stop ex-IBF welterweight title challenger Jessie Feliciano, 15-7-3 (9), in the eighth of a scheduled ten rounder.
The Bronx based 30 year old Russian fighter has now gone 7-1 over his last eight bouts and is steadily climbing the ladder towards a world title opportunity.
Also on the bill, well-traveled Polish heavyweight Albert Sosnowski, 43-1 (26), continued to build his resume with a fifth round finishing of Terrell Nelson, 8-5 (5). More…
Interbox stages a show tonight at the Repentigny Arena in Repentigny, Quebec which sees middleweight Renan St. Juste, 16-1-1 (11), square off with Elkeana Ali Saunders, 8-1-1 (4), of The Bahamas over ten rounds.
Also on the bill are Quebecois prospects Benoit Gaudet, and Sebastien Gauthier.
Renan St. Juste: 160 lb
Elkeana Ali Saunders: 158.6 lb
Benoit Gaudet: 135.9 lb
Pedro Javier Torres: 135.9 lb
Like all fights of latter period Bernard Hopkins, last night’s greatly anticipated showdown with Joe Calzaghe at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas was an ugly, untoward bout that proved difficult to score and generated a great deal of controversy as to who actually won.
Hopkins jumped out to an early lead on the strength of his patented leaping right hand lead, which he throws with perfect timing particularly against southpaws, which had Calzaghe on the seat of his pants in round one.
Calzaghe wasn’t hurt and carried on but was clearly troubled by the type of spoiler tactics that have greatly lengthened the career of wily veteran Hopkins, who continued to slug and hold the visiting Welshman to build a commanding edge in the first half of the bout. More…
At Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, OK last night, heavyweight prospect Kevin “Kingpin” Johnson, 19-0-1 (6), retained his undefeated record with a solid ten round points win over Arkansas veteran Terry Smith, 30-5-1 (18).
28 year old Johnson enjoyed a eight year youth advantage and employed his more nimble skills to keep the oncoming Smith at bay. Johnson didn’t have things all his way but Smith, who has now dropped his last three bouts, was never able to get to grips with the prospect.
The undercard featured a rematch between local light middle Carson Jones, 14-6-1 (7), and Kansas man Jose Luis Gonzalez, 11-3-1 (9). Just like in the initial bout this past January, Jones emerged the winner but this time at stake was the NABA title.
At the National Guard Armory in Philadelphia, PA, dangerous spoiler Jose Hernandez, 11-6-1 (5), of Atlanta upset the apple cart when he dramatically stopped previously undefeated local sensation Rashiem Jefferson, 15-1-1 (6), in the twelfth and final round of thi contest to win the vacant USBA Featherweight title.
The Casino Del Sol in Tuscon, AZ , Mexico City welter Freddy Hernandez, 21-1-1NC (17), returned from a no-contest last November against Roberto Garcia to win the vacant IBA belt with a unanimous decision over journeyman Norberto Bravo, 25-16-3 (14).
Much as fellow “Contender” TV series alum Peter Manfredo was diced and sliced by super middleweight world champion Joe Calzaghe last year, welterweight Alfonso Gomez was shown the door in cursory fashion by WBA Champion Miguel Cotto last night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ, while former WBO Welter boss Antonio Margarito once again proved that he has Kermit Cintron’s number after KO’ing the IBF Champ in six rounds during a rematch that was supposed to display Cintron’s marked improvement.
Bouyed by recent wins over withered former top light welters Arturo Gatti and Ben Tackie, Gomez had expressed great confidence leading up to the title challenge of Cotto but once the bell rang, was shown to be lacking in all the requirements to defeat a reigning world champion except toughness.
Forward marched the seemingly much larger Gomez, but the 27 year old Los Angeles man was unable to put a scratch on Cotto, who took the opportunity to paint a body punching masterpiece on the canvas of Gomez’s midsection. More…
There were two good fight cards in the Great White North last night, with IBF Super Bantam world titlist Steve Molitor leading the way at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario on an Allan Trembly/Orion Sports promotion.
Sarnia, Ontario’s favorite son was facing perhaps his toughest challenge to date as a pro in the form of seasoned Mexican Fernando Beltran, Jr, who like Molitor is a quick southpaw and had given the world’s top super bantam at the time, Joan Guzman, a difficult challenge three years ago.
From the start, the bout fell into a comfortable pattern for Molitor, who prefers to counterpunch his opponents rather than take the lead, as Beltran surged forward trying to inflict damage. More…
There wasn’t much action in the States this weekend but there were two good cards on Friday, with ex-IBF Lightweight and WBC Super Feather Champ Jesus Chavez leading the way at the Morongo Casino in Cabazon, CA.
The 35 year old “El Matador” made his return to the ring after losing to his IBF belt by injury to Julio Diaz 14 months ago and turned back the clock with a characteristic busy performance to post a unanimous decision over Puerto Rican prospect Daniel Jimenez after ten rounds at lightweight.
Chavez improves to 43-4 (29) and will likely get a title eliminator or title opportunity in the near future while Jimenez loses for the second time in a row to fall to 17-3-1 (10). More…
Former light middleweight world champions Raul Marquez and Bronco McKart went at last night at the Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant, MI in a back and forth battle at middleweight over ten exciting rounds between aging southpaws in the twilight of their careers.
McKart tried to use his height and reach advantages to box from the outside but the shorter Marquez came forward all night and forced the action to be waged in the trenches.
Both men had their moments but the judging favored Marquez’s busier style as the former IBF titlist came away with the split decision victory 97-93, 96-94 and 95-96. More…
In classic boxer vs. puncher clash, WBC Lightweight Champion Joel Casamayor came from behind last night at the Morongo Casino in Cabazon, CA to stop WBO titlist Michael Katsidis in the tenth round.
36 year old Casamayor had started the bout on fire, decking Katsidis back to back twice in the very first round with southpaw power left hands and it was clear that all the pure skill advantages in the bout belonged to the former Cuban defector. More…
Last night at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, super featherweight Manny Pacquiao won the WBC title and completed his sweep of Mexico’s best lighter weight men with a close split decision victory over a very game Juan Manuel Marquez, who had climbed off the canvas four years ago to fight the Filipino to a draw at featherweight.
This time, Pacquiao entered the ring weighing 146 lb, having put on a full 16 pounds, or three weight classes, in the day since the weigh-in and he looked massive. Marquez himself had put on 11 pounds to enter the ring at 141 but looked much smaller than his opponent.
Early on, Marquez made Pacquiao look slow and overweight, using good footwork to maintain distance and ramming home sharp right hand counters whenever Pacquiao got close. More…
Last night at Cicero Stadium in suburban Chicago, ex-IBF Lightweight Champion Javier Jauregui, 53-14-2 (36), won his second important bout in a row by pounding out a superb points win over fellow seasoned Mexican veteran Miguel Angel Huerta, 26-9-1 (18), to take the NABF title.
Since losing the IBF crown to the late Leavander Johnson in 2003, Jauregui has been on a roller coaster, going 5-4 while defeating the likes of Randy Suico and Adrian Mora but also losing to top men like Joan Guzman and Julio Diaz.
At 34 years of age, the volume punching Jauregui is probably on his last title run and could be nearing a challenge to newly minted IBF Champ Nate Campbell in the near future. More…
After their two thrilling fights in 2007, super bantams Israel Vasquez and Rafael Marquez are ready to do it again as they square off at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA, which was also the site of their first bout.
At stake is the WBC crown of Vasquez, but the title used to belong to Marquez and the expectation is that the pair will slug it out in thrilling fashion, just as they had over the first two bouts.
Marquez, 37-4 (33), came into this trilogy with Vasquez as the longtime IBF Bantam king and for a six year period at 118 pounds, the Mexico City man had been a unstoppable force.
The 32 year old slugger had won sixteen straight, including his step up in weight to take the WBC Super Bantam crown from Vasquez when they met for the first time in April of last year.
Vasquez, 42-4 (31), had been on his own run of success prior to this trio with Marquez, having won eight in a row since a loss to Oscar Larios in 2002, including an IBF 122 lb title winning effort over Jose Luis Valbuena in 2004 before stopping Larios in the third in 2005 to annex the WBC belt at super bantam. More…
By Richard Eberline February 24th, 2008 All Boxing Results
Last night at New York’s hallowed Madison Square Garden, IBF Heavyweight Champ Wladimir Klitschko put in a cautious performance but still managed to completely outclass WBO beltholder Sultan Ibragimov over twelve rounds in the first heavyweight unification contest in nine years.
Possessing every possible physical advantage in this pairing, the IBF boss held his quick-footed southpaw opponent at the perfect distance by employing a long and damaging left jab along with the threat of his right hand.
Ibragimov spent most of the fight waiting in trepidation for that right hand, which Klitschko didn’t throw until the fifth frame and then sparingly afterward, and stayed largely on the outside where he was there to be hit by the much taller “Dr. Steelhammer” but was too far away to hit Klitschko back.
Much of Ibragimov’s offense came in the form of quick counters, many to the body, but almost none managed to land with any significance with the exception of the sixth round when the Russian managed to score with a few good right hooks and roundhouse lefts as Klitschko took what looked like a breather.
Klitschko began to step it up a bit in the seventh and began to find range with the right hand when he threw it. If nothing else, Ibragimov showed a superb chin as Klitschko nailed him flush with hard right hands that snapped back the head of the WBO titlist at times. More…
By Richard Eberline February 17th, 2008 All Boxing Results
Last night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, WBC/WBO Middleweight Champion Kelly Pavlik outworked former titlist Jermain Taylor over twelve rounds to win a non-title rematch at 164 lb.
Although Taylor fought a far smarter fight this time, he simply wasn’t active enough to win over the judges and dropped a 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 unanimous decision.
As in the initial match last September, Pavlik again was the aggressor but Taylor used good footwork and largely maintained favorable distance that allowed him to box the champion rather than the slugfests of the first fight.
As Taylor presented a more difficult target, Pavlik was cautious as he came forward and ate a good many jabs and counters from the deposed titlist. When Pavlik did come in behind the jab and throw combinations, he was at times as effective as in the masterful first fight but with Taylor keeping his composure and scoring with hard counters, “The Ghost” didn’t take the same chances.
Taylor again was very accurate with his shots but in order to have enough gas in the tank for twelve rounds, threw only about half as many punches as the busier, taller Pavlik and that, more than anything else, won Pavlik the rematch. More…
The much anticipated rematch between WBC/WBO Middleweight Champion Kelly Pavlik and former titlist Jermain Taylor takes place tonight as a 12 round non-title affair at a catchweight of 166 lb at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, with a massive undercard supporting the main event.
The pair first clashed in September of last year and reigning champion Taylor had difficulty early with the non-stop aggressiveness of the challenger but floored Pavlik in the second. The lanky 25 year old from Youngstown beat the count and then managed to endure Taylor’s followup onslaught until the end of the round.
Pavlik threw caution to the wind in the third and went right back after Taylor, who was forced to fight at a much faster pace than he prefers and was soon exhausted.
When Taylor had enough energy to box he was countering well and winning rounds but for most of the fight, he simply could not avoid Pavlik’s right hand. Those battering right hands, coupled with the massive energy expenditure, forced Taylor to slug it out and wore him down until he was battered into unconsciousness in the seventh.
Taylor was winning the fight by three to four points on the judge’s scorecards but to everyone else watching the bout it was a far closer scrap. Taylor was the more accurate, landing half of his punches at his oncoming rival but Pavlik’s shots were heavier and ultimately the more effective. More…
By Richard Eberline February 8th, 2008 All Boxing Results
Last night at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, former NABF light welter champion Ben Tackie squared off with recent WBO title challenger Kendall Holt before losing a ten round majority decison by scores of 95-95 and 98-92 (twice) after ten rounds.
The seasoned Ghana native now calling The Bronx home, had lost his last two bouts coming into last night’s contest but as during most of his losses, the 34 year old was never knocked down and pressured Holt ceaslessly.
But determination alone wasn’t enough to get the win against Holt as the younger New Jersey based boxer used his superior footwork and reflexes to largley avoid the efforts of Tackie, while landing just enough counters to convince two of three judges.
Holt moves to 23-2 (12) and is one step closer to gaining a rematch with WBO titlist Ricardo Torres, to whom Holt lost a controversial bout via stoppage last summer in Colombia.
Tackie drops to 29-9-1 (17).
Also in action was undefeated light middle Vanes Martirosyan, 19-0 (13), who stopped Mexico’s Michi Munoz, 20-2 (13), at 2:20 of the third.
