World Weekend Boxing Roundup

There was scattered action across the globe this weekend with former world champions, current European titlists and many hot prospects making appearances.

We’ll start with Saturday in Buenos Aires, Argentina where 34 year old ex-WBA Lightweight Champion Raul Horacio Balbi, 55-8-1 (33), rebounded from his failed bid to unseat WBA 140 lb titlist at the time, Souleymane Mbaye, in September of last year with a second round KO of Diego Jesus Ponce, 11-4-2 (1).

Also on the card, former two time WBO light heavyweight title challenger Hugo Hernan Garay, 29-3 (16), dropped opponent Franco Raul Sanchez, 8-4-2 (1), twice in the second at cruiserweight but was disqualified in the same round for continuing to hit Sanchez after the bell.

Smooth boxing light welter Cesar Rene Cuenca, 31-0 (1), continued to gather steam with a clear cut six round points win over Sergio Javier Benitez, 11-15-3 (2).

WBA Female Super Bantam titlist Marcela Eliana “La Tigresa” Acuna, 26-5 (14), won her seventh in a row by outpointing southpaw Claudia Andrea Lopez, 8-3 (0), in a hotly contested fight.

At Salle Des Congres in Les Mazures, France, hammer-fisted European Welter Champ Jackson Osei “Sugar The Ball Brains” Bonsu, 26-1 (23), of Belgium, knocked out French titlist Nordine Mouchi, 29-5 (19), for the second consecutive time.

26 year old Bonsu, originally from Ghana, torched Mouchi in the third after stopping the 35 year old southpaw from Dombasle in the eighth in February to cage the vacant European crown.

There was a big card at Messehalle in Erfurt, Germany with former IBF Heavyweight Champion Chris Byrd, 40-4-1 (21), getting stopped by undefeated Russian prospect Alexander Povetkin in the eleventh round.

Povetkin, 14-0 (11), came into the contest having defeated Larry Donald, Patrice L’Heureux, David Bostice and Imamu Mayfield consecutively and with the victory over Byrd, the 28 year old will next face the winner of the upcoming contest between Calvin Brock and Eddie Chambers.

Also on the card, European Middleweight Champion Sebastian Sylvester, 27-2 (13), dropped Italian challenger Simone Rotolo, 27-3 (13), in the fourth but had a rough time the rest of the way in keeping his title by split decision.

Former IBO and European Super Middle boss Mads Larsen, 49-2 (37), won his fourth match in a row since sitting on the sidelines for nearly four years with an eight round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Emiliano Cayetano, 16-1 (10), of the Dominican Republic.

Ukrainian Oleg Platov, 26-1 (22), stopped South Africa’s Miyan Solomons, 9-4-1 (8), in the second and will face Cegniz Koc in December.

At the Palenque del Fex in Mexicali, Mexico, former world lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo, 56-8-1 (48), stopped Adan Casillas, 20-7 (15), in the sixth round at welterweight in his first time back in the ring since getting KO’d by Ricky Hatton in June.

Super bantam Heriberto Ruiz, 37-6-2 (21), defeated Moises Zamudio, 11-18 (8), by disqualification in the sixth round.

On Friday at The Palasport in Rome, Italy, Tobia Giuseppe Loriga, 23-0-1 (6), turned back Argentina’s Marcelo Gonzalo Saucedo, 18-6-2 (1), to secure the vacant IBF International Light Middleweight trophy.

At the SeeWoo Restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland, ex-European, British and Commonwealth title challenger Ricky Burns, 18-2 (4), outpointed Ghana’s Ben Odumattey, 13-10-2 (5), over eight rounds.

In America, Cicero Stadium in Chicago saw former WBA Super Fly titlist Martin Castillo, 33-2 (17), widely outpoint Jonathan Perez, 13-3 (10), over ten rounds at bantamweight.

Flyweight Giovanni Segura, 19-0-1 (15), knocked out Colombia’s Wilfrido Valdez, 23-3-3 (16), in the first round.

Light welter prospect Jorge Paez Jr., 18-1 (10), decisioned Aaron Drake, 12-6 (9), over six rounds.