Saturday Night Boxing Roundup

There was a lot of boxing this past Saturday night and this time we start at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City, Philippines where there was an important clash at super flyweight.

At stake was an IBF official eliminator and it was a battle of the southpaws as former WBO title challenger Z Gorres went at it tooth and nail with ex-longtime IBF/IBO Flyweight Champion Vic Darchinyan for twelve rugged rounds.

Both men were canvassed early but returned to engage in a torrid shootout that saw numerous changes of fortune for each. The heavy-handed Darchinyan appeared to take control over the championship rounds but Gorres’ numerous visits to the floor were all ruled slips.

When the smoke had cleared, the fight was declared a draw, much to the displeasure of Team Darchinyan. Gorres goes to 27-2-1 (15) while Darchinyan sees his C.V. to 29-1- (23).

Also on the bill, Australia’s hottest prospect, 20 year old super featherweight William “Cool Willie” Kickett, moved to 9-0 (4) by outpointing Romeo Jakosalem, 5-3 (3), over eight frames.

Another Aussie, former domestic cruiserweight titlist Lawrence Tauasa, 28-5-1 (15), was in action at the Faleata Sports Complex in Samoa and defeated New Caledonian based Frenchman Charles Baou, 31-8 (28), by fourth round stoppage to win the inaugural WBO Oriental Cruiserweight crown.

41 year old Baou had been the French Welterweight Champ in 1990 but had fought extensively at lightweight. Baou held the WBF belt at 147 in 2000-2001 but had taken three separate layoffs of two years each since then and at just 5 foot 4 inches tall, was giving up 13 years and four inches in height to the stocky Tauasa.

At Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan, super feather Takashi Uchiyama, 9-0 (7), defended his OPBF title for the first time with a tenth round stoppage of Osaka’s Akira Yamazaki, 10-2-3 (6).

Tokyo based Uchiyama shot to prominence with a shocking eighth round knockout of two time world title challenger Nedal Hussein last summer, joining Manny Pacquiao as the only fighters to stop the Australian.

Heading west, we go to the Emperor’s Palace Casino in Kempton Park, South Africa where IBO Bantam Champion Silence Mabuza, 21-2 (17), won the first defense of his second title reign by producing a referee stoppage over Filipino southpaw Eden Sonsona, 14-3 (3).

Also seeing action on the bill was Takalani Ndlovu, 28-4 (18), who had held the IBO super bantam and South African Feather titles, stopping another Filipino, Raymond Sermona, 10-1-3 (6), in the fourth. Ndlovu was making his first ring appearance since a failed IBF Super Bantam bid against Steve Molitor in July of last year.

42 year old former WBO and WBU Heavyweight Champion Corrie Sanders, was unexpectedly knocked out in the first round by South African heavyweight champion Osborne Machimana, 15-5-1 (11).

Leaving Africa, we cross the Mediterranean and land in Spain at the Polideportivo Sage 2000 in Madrid, where ex-WBO title challenger Alejandro Lakatos, 28-4-1 (21), won the vacant Spanish Light Heavyweight crown by knocking out novice Juan Carlos “El Loco” Muntaner Fernandez, 2-3-1 (1) in the fourth.

Moving on now to Ireland, the University Arena in Limerick was the site of another win by promising middleweight Andy Lee, 15-0 (12), who stopped Argentine import Alejandro Gustavo “El Flaco” Falliga, 14-4-2 (4), in two.

Also seeing action on the card, southpaw light welter Paul McCloskey, 15-0 (7), decisioned Mexico’s Manuel Garnica, 21-9 (11), over eight rounds and middleweight Jason “Cool Hand” McKay, 19-2 (5), outpointed Latvia’s Martins Kukuls, 3-16 (4).

Crossing the Atlantic, we hit the 944 Super Village in Scottsdale. Arizona, where two time world heavyweight title challenger Monte Barrett, 33-6 (19), knocked out ex-WBO title challenger Damon Reed, 43-13 (30), in two.

On the undercard, Fernando Zuniga, 27-9 (2), won an eight round split decision over Carlos De Leon Jr, 19-2-2 (12), southpaw light heavyweight Hector Camacho Jr., 44-3-1 (25), won a six round unanimous decision over Luis Lopez, 13-12-1 (5), and welterweight Martin Cordova Jr., 18-0 (11), beat Darien Ford, 11-16 (4), over six.

We wrap up this week’s Saturday night report with at the Polideportivo Islas Malvinas in Buenos Aires, Argentina where Rueben Eduardo Acosta, 18-3-5 (5), knocked out 41 year old former two time WBA Light Middle Champion Julio Cesar Vasquez, 68-12 (43), in the first round to win the South American Super Middleweight title.

Nestor Fabian Casanova, 20-11 (9), decisioned Martin Abel Bruer, 19-3 (12), over ten frames for the Argentine Super Middleweight crown and Santiago Ivan Acosta, 15-1-1 (7), stopped Ariel Humberto Alassia, 6-3-1 (3), in five for the South American Flyweight belt.