WBA Update: Intercontinental Belt Status, Jessie Vargas Retains

ByWorld Boxing Association

At least five Intercontinental WBA title fights are scheduled for the second half of 2014, according to the regional coordinator Mariana Borissova. The fights are defenses of the super bantamweight, lightweight, welterweight, super welterweight, and light heavy titles.

In addition, at least three regional fights at super middleweight, cruiser and heavyweight are expected to be scheduled for the beginning of 2015.

England’s Lewis Pettitt, WBA Intercontinental super Bantam champion, has until October to defend against Brazil’s Emerson Carvalho, Finland’s Edis Tatli must defend his regional lightweight title against Italy’s Antonio de Vitis before November, Welterweight Bradley Skeete, from Great Britain, will fight Tobia Loriga from Italy before October 2014.

Intercontinental super welterweight champion Jack Culkay has to defend against Italy’s Salim Larbi by October while light heavyweight Enrico Koelling must fight Patrick Bois before December.

WBA super lightweight champion Jessie Vargas retained his belt for the first time by beating Anton Novikov by UD in Las Vegas. Vargas dominated the first half of the fight with style and good footwork, keeping a distance to win the rounds.

However, in the second half of the fight, Russia’s Novikov tried to battle back and intimidate the champion. who would recover to close with authority and win the first defense of his world belt.

The judges had Vargas winning 118-111, 118-111 and 117-111. Vargas’ record now is 25-0, 9 KO’s while Novikov’s is 29-1, 10 KO’s.

Vargas is the world champion since April 12, when he dethroned Khabib Allakhverdiev.

WBA Female boxing will have at least two title fights during the month of August.

Peru’s Laura Leca will defend her interim super flyweight belt against Mexico’s Guadalupe Martinez on August 26, 2014, in Lima. In Maracay, Venezuela, local icon Mayerlin Rivas will fight for the vacant belt bantamweight Interim title with Mexico’s Arely Valente on August 29.

Ana Laura Esteche travels to Moscow to defend her regular super lightweight championship belt in an unification fight with the Interim Champion, Russia’s Svletava Kulakova.