World Weekend Boxing Roundup

It wasn’t the busiest of weekends in the world of boxing, but there were some good fightcards out there and on this occasion, we’re going to work backwards through time.

We start off on Sunday at Challenge Stadium in Perth, Australia, where hometown sensation Danny Green finally managed to cage a full fledged world title by outpointing WBA Light Heavy strap holder Stipe Drews over twelve rounds.

Having tasted the hard punching Green’s power, Drews mostly danced away from the action for the duration of the contest, stopping to fight only in the twelfth and final frame, losing his belt during his first defense and dropping to 32-2 (13). Green, a former interim WBC Super Middle titlist, improves to 25-3 (22), and could be in line for unification bouts with Zsolt Erdei, Clinton Woods or Chad Dawson.

On the undercard, Commonwealth Feather king Jackson Asiku, 22-3 (12), turned back challenger Matt Powell, 10-4-2 (3), in four rounds while lightweight William Kickett, 8-0 (4), graduated from prospect class with a hard fought eight round points win over two time world featherweight title challenger Tommy Browne, 23-5-1 (8).

On to Saturday, where at the Anhalt Arena in Dessau, Germany, top Womens super middle Natascha Ragosina, 16-0 (11), added a fifth world title belt to her collection by posting a unanimous decision over Akondaye Fountain, 7-1-1 (4).

In Taraz, Kazakhstan, local welter Vitaliy Demyanenko, 13-0 (10), retained the PABA, WBC Asian Boxing Council and WBO Asia Pacific titles by knocking out Kiatchai Singwancha, 25-5 (15).

In Guadalajara, Mexico, IBF Light Fly Champ Ulises Solis, 26-1-2 (20), stopped Bert Batawang, 50-7 (34), at the Auditorio Benito Juarez. In other bouts on the bill, Fernando Beltran, Jr., 30-2-1 (18), won an IBF Super Bantam title eliminator by stopping Jose Arboleda, 22-3-1 (8), in the tenth round. 19 year old lightweight southpaw Humberto Gutierrez, 22-0-1 (18), kept on track by finishing Rodrigo Juarez, 13-5-1 (10), in the seventh during a rematch.

At the Plaza de Toros in Cancun, WBA Super Feather Champ Edwin Valero, 23-0 (23), belted out yet another opponent in the form of Zaid Zavaleta, 16-3-2 (11), who fell in the third.
WBC Feather boss Jorge Linares, 25-0 (16), knocked out Gamaliel Diaz, 22-7-2 (9), in the eighth and Japan’s Naoki Matsuda, 29-7-3 (12), stopped ex-WBC Feather titlist Rodolfo Lopez, 20-5-1 (14), in a rematch.

Former IBF Cruiser titlist Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, 39-2 (29), stopped Ghana’s Aloryi Moyoyo Mensah, 14-5-1 (8), in the fifth at Podpromiu Hall in Rzeszow, Poland.

At the Polideportivo Municipal in Cantabria, Spain, ex-WBA Light Welter boss Diosbelys Hurtado, 39-3-1 (25), returned to the ring for the first time in nearly four years to decision Rafael Chiruta, 3-9 (1), over six rounds.

The Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland saw WBO Super Feather kingpin Alex Arthur, 26-1 (19), with his hands full against former WBU Feather beltholder Steve Foster, Jr, 23-2-1 (16)0, but managed to retain his title via fairly close unanimous decision.

On Friday, Lisandro Ezequiel Diaz, 16-8-1 (13), lost his Argentine Heavyweight crown to wily veteran Fabio Eduardo Moli, 36-7 (23), via fifth round TKO at Polideportivo Carlos Cerutti in Cordoba, Argentina.

The action was hot and heavy at West’s Campbelltown in Leumeah, Australia where Daniel Geale, 18-0 (12), won the vacant IBO Middleweight title by widely outpointing previously unbeaten Daniel Dawson, 29-1 (20). Matthew Paulley, 15-5-4 (7), lifted the Australian Welter belt from Eddie “Psycho” Delic, 13-8-2 (2), by seventh round technical decision.

At the Palalottomatica in Rome, Italy, Danish cruiser Johny Jensen, 23-0-2 (10), took the European title by stopping veteran Vincenzo Cantatore, 33-5-1 (27), in two rounds.

Genaro Garcia, 36-6 (20), failed in his recent bids to take the IBF and WBC Bantam titles but outfought Miguel Roman, 23-2 (16), over twelve rounds to annex the vacant WBC Fecombox Super Bantam trophy at Poliforo Juan Gabriel in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Johannesburg, South Africa was witness to Simpiwe Vetyeka, 18-1 (11), defeating Lubabalo Msuthu, 8-2 (7), for the domestic bantamweight title at the Nasrec Indoor Arena.

Former European Lightweight ruler Juan Carlos Melero, 34-1 (18), continued his comeback with a three round referee stoppage of Euclides Espitia, 20-12-1 (12), at the Pabellon Municipal Deheya Boyal in Madrid, Spain.

At Cicero Stadium in Chicago, USA, Orlando Salido, 29-9-2 (19), knocked out Hector Julio Avila, 41-4 (38), in the sixth and Miguel Angel Huerta, 26-8-1 (18), finished off Daniel Alicea, 30-7-2 (22), in the third.