Posts Tagged ‘2017 Boxing Almanac’

2017 Boxing Almanac – June

Posted: July 2, 2017 in Boxing
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6/3 – Ring Mag #3 & WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Adonis Stevenson made his 8th defense of his title against unrated Andrzej Fonfara, stopping him at :28 of the 2nd round at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Stevenson dropped Fonfara in the 1st round and then when the 2nd round started and Fonfora had no answers for the Stevenson onslaught, trainer Virgil Hill stepped on the ring apron signaling for referee in charge Michael Griffin to wave off the bout. This was a rematch from 2014, when Stevenson won a 12 rd UD. Stevenson has now stopped 4 of his last 5 foes, including 3 straight.

6/3 – On the undercard of Stevenson/Fonfora, Ring Mag #4 Light Heavyweight Eleider Alvarez won a 12 rd MD over unrated Jean Pascal by the scores of 117-111, 116-112 & 114-114. There were no knockdowns, but there were several heated exchanges throughout. Pascal mostly waited until near the end of each round to try to steal it on the judges scorecards and it worked on 1. Alvarez has gone the distance in 5 of his last 6 and remains the #1 contender for WBC Champion Adonis Stevenson.

6/3 – Ring Mag #1 Strawweight and WBC Champ Wanheng Menayothin aka Chayaphon Moonsri successfully defended his title for the 7th time with a 12 rd UD over unrated Omari Kimweri in Thailand. Menayothin was cut over the left eye from an accidental headbutt in the 1st round, which resulted in a point deduction for Kimweri. It appeared that Kimweri then scored a knockdown at the end of the 1st round, but the referee ruled it a slip. It was all Menayothin from there as he controlled the remainder of the fight. This was his 5 straight fight that has gone the distance.

6/7 – Ring Mag #7 Middleweight Avtandil Khurtsidze was arrested in New York on racketeering & fraud charges in connection with a Russian crime mob. He was scheduled to take on #4 & WBO Champ Billy Joe Saunders on July 8th. That fight is now postponed as Khurtsidze is unable to travel.

6/9 – Ring Mag #5 Jr Welterweight Regis Prograis crushed formerly undefeated Joel Diaz at 2:55 of the 2nd rd. Prograis dropped Diaz 4 times in the round and ref in charge Mark Nelson had no choice but to halt the action. Prgrais has now stopped 13 of his last 14 foes, including 5 straight. Diaz suffered his 1st loss in 24 fights.

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6/10 – Ring Mag #3 Bantamweight & IBF Champ Lee Haskins lost his title by 12 rd UD to unrated, but undefeated Ryan Burnett at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland by the scores of 119-107 twice & 118-108. Burnett dropped Haskins twice, once in the rd 6 & again in rd 11. Originally the bout was scored as a SD victory, but was later overturned as 1 of the judges had the fighters mixed up on his scorecard. Burnett’s last 6 fights have gone the distance & this is his 1st World Title. Haskins had his 8 fight winning streak snapped.

 

6/10 – Ring Mag #6 Strawweight Simphiwe Khonco easily won a non descript 12 rd UD over unrated Lito Dante at Emperors Palace in South Africa by the scores of 119-109 twice & 118-110. Khonco dominated from the outset. Khonco has now won 12 of 13, including 3 straight since his last loss, a 12 rd ud to current Ring Mag #9 Jr Flyweight Hekkie Budler for the WBA Staweight title. 6 of his last 7 wins have been by decision. Dante lost just once in his previous four fights and had beaten solid competition of late.

6/11 – Evander Holyfield, Marco Antonio Barrera, Johnny Tapia, Jimmy Lennon Sr, Eddie Booker, Jerry Roth, Barry Tompkins, Steve Farhood & Johnny Lewis were inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. Barrera was a world champion in 3 divisions: Jr Featherweight, Featherweight, & Jr Lightweight. He retired with a record of 67-7, 44 KO’s. Holyfield was a US Bronze Medalist in the 1984 Olympics before becoming a World Champion in 2 divisions: Cruiserweight & Heavyweight. He retired with a record of 44-10-2, 29 KO’s. Tapia was a World Champion in 3 divisions: Jr Bantamweight, Bantamweight & Featherweight. He retired with a record of 59-5-2, 30 KO’s & passed away on 5-27-12 due to heart problems.

6/11 – Twenty-five year old Featherweight Daniel “Twitch” Franco is comatosed and in critical condition following emergency surgery to stop brain bleeds after being knocked-out by Jose Haro on a CBS Sports Network televised bout at the WinnaVegas Casino in Sloan, Iowa.

6/13 – Ring Mag #10 Flyweight Takuya Kogawa lost a 10 rd SD to unrated Masayuki Kuroda at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan by the scores of 96-93, 95-94 & 94-95. Kogawa was dropped in the 1st rd from a left hook and the action was back and forth from then on. Kuroda has now won 4 of his last 5, including 3 straight. Kogawa had his 6 fight win streak snapped. This was a rematch from last March when Kogawa won a 10 rd UD. Is there a trilogy in order?

6/15 – Ring Mag #2 Heavyweight & WBC Champ Deontay Wilder was arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

6/17 – Ring Mag #6 Middleweight Avtandil Khurtsidze was stripped of his interim WBO World Title following his arrest last week. Ring Mag #4 Billy Joe Saunders is the real WBO Middleweight World Champion.

HBO Boxing

6/17 – The top 2 fighters in the Ring Mag pound for pound rankings & Light Heavyweight rankings squared off with WBA, IBF & WBO World Champion Andre Ward scoring a TKO at 2:29 of the 8th rd over Sergey Kovalev at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada in a direct rematch from their fight last November. Ward also became the Ring Magazine World Light Heavyweight Champion. Like their 1st bout, this fight ended with controversy as referee in charge Tony Weeks stopped the bout after Ward landed a blatant low blow. Kovalev was hurt badly and reeling from a counter right that landed on his chin when Ward landed four consecutive left hand body shots, the last clearly low. Kovalev had success early with his jab, but Ward looked stronger in the middle rounds. At the time of the stoppage Ward led 67-66 on 2 of the judges scorecards, with the 3rd judge having Kovalev ahead 68-65. Afterward Ward and his trainer mentioned moving up to heavyweight to take on current Ring Mag #1, IBF, & WBA World Champion Anthony Joshua. Kovalev was frustrated with the outcome at the post-fight press conference and his promoter, Main Events, said they would file a protest with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Their initial fight was an extremely close encounter last November, when Ward won a disputed 12 rd UD. The Ring Magazine Title had been vacant since Nov ’15 when Adonis Stevenson was stripped for lack of quality opposition.

6/17 – On the undercard of Ward/Kovalev, Ring Mag #7 pound for pound, #1 Jr Featherweight & WBA Champ Guillermo Rigondeaux and Ring Mag #6 Moises Flores fought to a no-contest after Rigondeaux was initially awarded a 1st rd TKO win. Rigondeaux landed a knockout shot just after the 1st rd bell sounded and the Nevada commission overturned the initial ruling. Rigondeaux was making the 8th defense of his title, while Flores was the interim WBA titleholder.

6/17 – Also on the undercard of Ward/Kovalev, Ring Mag #10 Light Heavyweight Dmitry Bivol stopped unrated Cedric Agnew at 1:27 of the 4th rd. Bivol scored a knockdown in the opening stanza & although Agnew rose & continued on, he could withstand no more and indicated to ref in charge Russell Mora that he was done. The undefeated Bivol is the WBA ‘regular’ champion, but Andre Ward is the real champion of the Organization.

6/17 – Ring Mag #8 Super Middleweight Tyron Zeuge won a 12 rd UD over unrated Paul Smith at Rittal Arena in Wetzlar, Hessen, Germany with all 3 judges turning in identical 119-108 scorecards. Zeuge scored a knockdown in the 12th rd. The undefeated Zeuge has now gone the distance in 4 of his last 5 wins. Zeuge holds the ‘regular’ WBA World Title, but George Groves is the real champion of the Organization.

6/24 – Ring Mag #6 Cruiserweight Krzysztof Glowacki stopped unrated, but undefeated Hizni Altunkaya when Altunkaya failed to come out for the 6th rd at the Ergo Arena in in Gdansk, Poland. Glowacki scored a knockdown in the 2nd rd & 2 more in the 5th round. It was his 1st fight since his 1st career loss when he lost the WBO title via 12 rd UD to current Ring Mag #1 & WBO Champ Olksandr Usyk last Sept.

6/26 – Former two division World Champion Beibut Shumenov announced his retirement due to an eye injury suffered shortly prior to his last fight in May of ’15. He was to fight later this month, but the eye wouldn’t heal. Shumenov held the WBA world Title at both Light Heavyweight & Cruiserweight. He retires with a record of 17-2, 11 KO’s. Each of his losses were by close decisions in World Title bouts.

Premier Boxing Champions

6/30 – In a battle of top 5 Lightweights, Ring Mag #3 & IBF Champion Robert Easter successfully defended his title for the 2nd time with a 12 rd UD over Ring Mag #4 Denis Shafikov by the scores of 120-108 twice & 116-112 at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio. The fight was closer to the 116-112 score, but there was no doubt that Easter’s length was a huge advantage. His last 3 fights have gone the distance. Shafikov had won 5 of 6 entering and each of his 3 losses have all come in World Title bouts.

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2017 Boxing Almanac – May

Posted: June 2, 2017 in Boxing
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5/5 – Ring Mag #6 Strawweight Riku Kanu was knocked out by unrated Jerry Tomogdan at 1:56 of the 6th round at the Bunka Center in Japan. Kanu was dropped in the 4th round and again in the 6th. Tomogdon entered the fight with 8 losses and had only won 4 of his last 9 bouts.

5/6 – Ring Mag #8 Lb 4 LB & Middleweight champ Canelo Alvarez dominated unrated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in a fight that failed to live up to the hype of former Mexican vs Mexican action packed affairs. The fight took place at the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV at a catchweight of 164.5 lbs with Alvarez winning a 12 rd UD by the scores of 120-108 across the board. Chavez Jr simply failed to throw enough punches, while Alvarez had no trouble landing at will. The crowd booed Chavez Jr’s effort. Alvarez has now won 7 straight since his lone loss, a 12 rd UD vs Floyd Mayweather in 2013. After the fight GGG made his ringwalk with his ring entrance playing and it was announced that GGG vs Canelo will take place on September 16th at a site to be determined.

5/6 – On the undercard of Alvarez/Chavez Jr, Ring Mag #3 Middleweight David Lemieux won a 10 rd UD over unrated, but game Marco Reyes by the scores of 99-90 twice and 99-91. Lemieux landed power shots throughout the match that would have stopped most opponents, but Reyes was simply too tough for his own good. Lemieux has now won 13 of 14 including 4 straight since his last loss in 2015 to GGG.

5/6 – Also on the undercard of Alvarez/Chavez Jr, Ring Mag #8 Featherweight Joseph Diaz handed unrated Manuel Avila his 1st defeat by 10 rd UD by the scores of 100-90 & 99-91 twice. Diaz, a 2012 US Olympian, was in control throughout and has now gone the distance in B2B fights.

5/6 – Ring Mag #6 Heavyweight & WBO Champ Joseph Parker successfully defended his title for the 1st time, defeating unrated unrated Razvan Cojanu by 12 rd UD by the scores of 119-108 & 117-110 twice at the Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. Parker was in control throughout against his former sparring partner, who took the fight on 2 weeks’ notice after Parker’s original opponent, Hughie Fury, withdrew after a back injury during training. The undefeated Parker has now gone the distance in B2B fights.

5/9 – The World Boxing Super Series announced that the Cruiserweight and Super Middleweight divisions will be featured in the tournament that will get underway in September.

5/13 – Ring Mag #6 & WBA Jr Bantamweight champ Khalid Yafai made a successful 1st defense of his title, winning a 12 rd UD over unrated Suguru Muranaka by the scores of 119-107 twice & 118-108 at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham, West Midland UK. Yafei scored a knockdown in the 2nd round, but Muranaka was able to rise and last the distance. Yafai has now gone 12 rds in B2B fights after having won 5 of his last 6 prior inside the distance. Muranaka was fighting for the 1st time outside of Japan and his 19 fight win streak snapped.

5/13 – James Toney, the former IBF Middleweight, IBF Super Middleweight, and IBF Cruiserweight World Champion announced his retirement following a 6th rd KO at the Eastern Michigan Convocation Center. The future Hall of Famer has a record of 77-10-3, with 47 KO’s and was never stopped.

5/18 – Ring Mag #6 Jr Featherweight Diego De La Hoya won a nondescript 10 rd UD over unrated Erik Ruiz at the Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Arizona by the scores of 100-90 twice & 99-91. The outcome was never in doubt as De La Hoya was far superior. His last 3 fights have gone the distance.

5/19 – Ring Mag #1 Welterweight, WBA & WBC champion Keith Thurman had surgery recently on his right elbow to remove calcium deposits and will be out for the remainder of the year.

5/20 – Ring Mag #5 pound for pound, Ring Mag, WBC & WBO Jr Welterweight Champion Terence “Bud” Crawford successfully defended his Ring Mag & WBC titles for the 2nd time and his WBO title for the 5th time when he stopped unrated 2008 Olympic Gold medalist Felix Diaz at Madison Square Garden in New York. Crawford was in control throughout and Diaz’s face was badly swollen and he was having trouble seeing, causing his corner to throw in the towel following the 10th round. Crawford has now stopped 5 of his last 6 foes including B2B opponents.

5/20 – On the undercard of Crawford/Diaz, Ring Mag #10 Lightweight Reymundo Beltran stopped unrated Jonathan Maicelo at 1:25 of the 2nd round. An off-balance Beltran was dropped in the 1st round, but a left hook upstairs knocked Maicelo out cold, and he was taken from the ring on a stretcher. Beltran has now won 4 straight, all by knockout.

5/20 – Ring Mag #6 Jr Lightweight & IBF champ Gervonta Davis successfully defended his title for the 1st time, stopping unrated, but undefeated Liam Walsh at 2:11 of the 3rd rd at the Copper Box Arena in London, England. The 1st 2 round were merely feeling out, but Davis’ power was too much for Walsh to overcome in front of his home town crowd. A left upstairs dropped Walsh, who rose on unsteady legs, and Davis’ follow up attack prompted referee in charge Michael Alexander. Davis recorded his 9th straight knockout.

5/20 – Ring Mag #2 Featherweight & champ Gary Russell Jr successfully defended his title for the 2nd time with a 7th rd TKO over unrated Oscar Escandon at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. Russell scored a knockdown in the 3rd round and had Escandon hurt and vulnerable in the 7th, when referee in charge Harvey Dock intervened and stopped the contest at :59 into the round. Russell has now won 4 straight since his lone loss to Vasyl Lomachenko in 2014, with 3 straight KO’s.

5/20 – On the undercard of Russell/Oscandon, Ring Mag #4 Super Middleweight Andre Dirrell won the interim IBF title after beating unrated Jose Uzcategui by DQ. Uzcategui landed a hook that dropped Dirrell a split second after the 8th round bell sounded and referee in charge Bill Clancy decided on the DQ, rather than go to the scorecards, which had Uzcategui up by the scores of 77-75, 77-74, & 76-76. Chaos ensued afterward when Dirrell’s uncle sucker punched Uzcategui in the ring after Andre had came over and told Uzcategui that he forgave him for hitting him late. Uzcategui appeared to in motion when the bell sounded so the punch that dropped Dirrell was unintentional. Dirrell has now won 8 of 9 including B2B fights since his last loss, a 12 rd UD to current Ring Mag #1 Super Middleweight & IBF champ James Degale. Uzcategui had his 4 fight win streak snapped, but should be entitled to a rematch due to the controversy surrounding the ending.

5/20 – Ring Mag #4 Jr Flyweight & WBO Champ Kosei Tanaka successfully made the 1st defense of his title with a 12 rd UD over unrated, but undefeated Angel Acosta by the scores of 117-110 twice and 116-111 at Takeda Teva Ocean Arena in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. It was a hard fought win for Tanaka, who scored a knockdown in the 5th round. The decision win snapped a 3 fight KO streak as he has now stopped 5 of his last 7 foes. The Puerto Rican Acosta had stopped all 16 of his prior foes.

Photo by Naoki Fukuda

5/20 – In a battle of Top 10 Middleweights, Ring Mag #8 Hassan N’Dam won a highly controversial 12 rd SD over #9 Ryota Murata by the scores of 116-111, 115-112 & 110-117 at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo, Japan. N’Dam was dropped near the end of the 4th, which was the only knockdown of the fight. N’Dam holds the interim WBA title (GGG is the real champ) and WBA President Gilberto Jesus Mendoza issued an immediate apology to the Murata team and is demanding a direct rematch. N’Dam has now won 9 of 10 including 5 straight since his last loss, in 2015 to David Lemiuex. Murata, the 2012 Olympic Gold medalist, lost for the 1st time and was a 2.5:1 favorite. The two judges that scored the bout for N’Dam were suspended for 6 months by the WBA.

Photo by Naoki Fukuda

5/20 – On the undercard of N’Dam/Murata in a battle of top 10 Flyweights, Ring Mag #10 Juan Hernandez was set to make the 1st defense of his WBC title, but was stripped for failing to make weight against #7 Daigo Higa. The title was thus only at stake for Higa, who stopped Hernandez at 2:58 of the 6th rd. Higa scored a knockdown in the 2nd round and dropped Hernandez 4 times in the 6th. Higa has now stopped all 13 of his foes. Hernandez lost for the 1st time since 2011.

 

 

Photo by Naoki Fukuda

 

5/20 – Also on the undercard of N’Dam/Murata, in the 3rd fight between top 10 fighters, Ring Mag #3 Jr Flyweight and WBC Champ Ganigan Lopez lost a 12 rd MD to #10 Ken Shiro by the scores of 115-113 twice and 114-114. This was just Shiro’s 10th pro fight. Lopez had his 3 fight win streak snapped as he lost for just the 2nd time in his last 10 fights.

 

 

5/20 – Ring Mag #10 Featherweight Jorge Lara ran over unrated Mario Briones, stopping him at :58 of the 3rd rd at the Laredo Energy Arena in Laredo, Tx. Lara was off over a year layoff, as he was shot in the leg during an attempted robbery last year. This was his 4th straight stoppage and he’s stopped 9 of his last 10 overall.

5/21 – Ring Mag #10 Lb 4 Lb, #1 Jr Bantamweight & WBO Champ Naoya Inoue successfully defended his title for the 5th time, stopping unrated Ricardo Rodriguez at 1:08 of the 3rd round at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo, Japan. Naoya scored two knockdowns in the 3rd round, the last from a counter left hook that resulted in Rodriguez being counted out. Naoya has now stopped 8 of his last 9 foes, including 3 straight.

5/21 – On the undercard of Inoue/Rodriguez, in a matchup between Top 10 Jr Flyweights, Ring Mag #8 Milan Melindo won the IBF title after stopping Ring Mag #2 Akira Yaegashi at 2:45 of the 1st round. Melindo dropped Yaegashi three times, the first two from left hooks. After the 3rd knockdown, referee in charge Eddie Hernandez immediately waved off the contest. Melindo has now won 7 of 8 including 4 straight since his last loss, a 6 rd TD in 2015. His only 2 losses have come in World Title bouts. Yaegashi had his 5 fight win streak snapped.

 

 

5/23 – Ring Mag #8 Straweight Simphiwe Khonco will take on unrated Melvin Jerusalem at Emperor’s Palace in South Africa. Khonco is off a 12 rd UD over Nkosinathi Joyi last November. He’s won 11 of 12 incl B2B since his last loss, a 12 rd UD vs current Ring Mag #9 Jr Flyweight Hekkie Budler in a straweight match in 2015. Jerusalem is off his 1st loss, a closely contested 12 rd UD loss against current Ring Mag #1 Straweight & WBC champ Wanheng Menayothin aka Chayaphon Moonsri on Jan 25th. The fight was so close that had Jerusalem not had a point deducted for a low blow, the fight would have ended in a draw.

5/24 – Two-time WBO Super Middleweight champion Robert Stieglitz announced his retirement. He ends his career with a record of 50-5-2, 29 KO’s.

Photo by Skysportsboxing

5/27 – In a battle of Top 10 Welterweights, Ring Mag #7 Errol Spence stopped #2 & IBF Champ Kell Brook at 1:47 of the 11th round at the Bramall Lane Football Ground in Sheffield, Yorkshire, UK. Brook controlled the pace early with his slick movement and effective punching, but Spence took control starting in the 6th round. Spence scored a knockdown from an accumulation of punches in the 10th round, but Brook got up and gave just as good as he got the remainder of the round. Spence’s jab forced a significant sized welt under the left eye of Brook, which caused him to take a knee in the 11th and then stay down, unwilling to continue due to blurred vision. It was later revealed that Brook suffered a broken eye socket, which was the same injury he suffered to his right eye in his previous fight against GGG. Spence has now stopped 12 of his last 13 foes, including 9 straight. Brook has now suffered B2B defeats as he lost his prior fight attempting to win the Middleweight title against GGG.

Photo by Skysportsboxing

5/27 – On the undercard of Brook/Spence, Ring Mag #3 Super Middleweight George Groves stopped #8 Fedor Chudinov at 1:14 of the 6th round for the vacant WBA Super Middleweight title. The fight was action packed as Chudinov’s aggressive style meshed well with the movement and faster hands of Groves. An accidental clash of heads in the 4th round resulted in Groves having a cut on his left eye. In the 6th Groves landed a combination that hurt Chudinov and followed that up with another flurry that Chudinov had no answer for and wasn’t throwing back, forcing referee in charge Steve Gray to stop the contest. Groves also fought through a broken jaw. This is the 1st World Title for Groves, who had lost his 3 prior attempts. Groves has now won 5 straight. Chudinov has now lost B2B fights.

5/27 – Ring Mag #2 Jr Lightweight Orlando Salido stopped unrated Aristedas Perez in Bacum, Sonora, Mexico when Perez failed to come out for the 8th round. Salido was actually dropped in the 3rd round, but was in total control aside from that. Salido had his 3 fight winless streak snapped, dating back to 2014.

5/27 – Ring Mag #4 Bantamweight Anselmo Moreno moved up to Jr Featherweight and was stopped at 2:32 of the 3rd round by unrated Julio Ceja at the Amador Convention Center in Panama City, Panama in a WBC eliminator. Moreno was dropped for the count from a left uppercut. Ceja lost the WBC Title in his previous fight and has now won 6 of 7. Moreno has now lost 4 of his last 5. Ceja is now in line to take on Ring Mag #3 and WBC Champion Rey Vargas.

5/27 – On the undercard of Moreno/Ceja, Ring Mag #7 Straweight Saul Juarez lost a 12 rd UD against unrated Leroy Estrada in a WBC eliminator. Estrada survived a 9th round knockdown and won by the scores of 117-110 twice and 115-112. Estrada has won 9 of 10, while Juarez has lost B2B fights. Estrada is now in line to meet Ring Mag #1 & WBC Champ Wanheng Menayothin aka Chayaphon Moonsri, who must 1st get by his title defense on June 3rd.

5/27 – Ring Mag #4 Strawweight and IBF Champion Jose Argumedo successfully defended his title for the 3rd time, stopping unrated Gabriel Mendoza at :43 of the 8th round in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The bout was called off on the doctors advice due to a cut over Mendoza’s left eye that was caused from a punch. With the win, Argumedo has now won 12 of 13 including 6 in a row. This was the 1st time Mendoza had been stopped.

2017 Boxing Almanac – April

Posted: May 1, 2017 in Boxing
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– In a battle of top 10 cruiserweights, Ring Mag #7 Mairis Briedis won a 12 rd UD over #6 Marco Huck by the scores of 118-109, 117-110 & 116-111 for the vacant WBC Title on April 1st at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, Nordrheim-Westfalen Germany. The bout was fairly nondescript, with Briedis using movement to counter Huck’s aggressive style. Briedis had his 7 fight KO streak end as he’s now stopped 10 of his last 12 foes. The title became vacant after Tony Bellew was elevated the Champion Emeritus status after moving up to heavyweight and it’s not known at the moment what weight class he will be fighting at as of this writing.

– Ring Mag #2 Jr Welterweight Antonio Orozco stopped unrated, but undefeated Keandre Gibson at 1:31 of the 4th round on April 1st at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, NV. A right hand to the jaw dropped Gibson and referee Russell Mora ruled Gibson unable to continue after rising. This was Orozco’s 1st fight since a 10 rd UD over Abner Lopez last July. He was scheduled to take on Fidel Maldonado last Dec, but the fight was cancelled when he fainted while attempting to make wight. This was the 1st time Orozco made the 140 pound limit since 2010!

Photo courtesy: HBO

– In a battle of top 10 contenders Ring Mag #6 lb 4 lb, #1 Jr Lightweight & WBO champ Vasyl Lomachenko successfully defended his title for the 6th time after stopping #10 Jason Sosa when Sosa’s corner wouldn’t allow him to come out for the 10th round on April 8th at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD. There were no knockdowns, but Lomachenko dominated from the outset, swelling Sosa’s left eye in the 3rd round. Sosa showed a tremendous amount of heart in the loss and he never stopped bringing the fight to Lomachenko, who won his 7th straight. Sosa had his 20 fight unbeaten streak snapped. Lomachenko was expected to originally unify against WBA champ & #3 rated Jazreel Corrales, but Corrales team couldn’t come to terms, assumedly because they would be a huge ‘dog.

– On the undercard of Lomachenko/Sosa, Ring Mag #1 & WBO Cruiserweight Champ Oleksandr Usyk successfully defended his title for the 2nd time with a 12 rd UD over undefeated, but unrated Michael Hunter with all 3 judges turning in identical scorecards of 117-110. The bout was close early on, with Usyk taking control in the 2H of the fight. The ropes held Hunter up in the final round and ref Bill Clancy correctly ruled it a knockdown. Usyk went the distance for just the 2nd time in his 12 fights as a pro.

– Also on the undercard of Lomachenko/Sosa, Ring Mag #8 Light Heavyweight Oleksandr Gvozdyk stopped unrated Yunieski Gonzalez at 2:55 of the 3rd round. Gvozdyk was dominant from the start, scored a knockdown in the final round and then the follow up prompted Gonzalez’s corner to stop the bout. Gvozdyk has now stopped 10 of his last 11 foes incl 7 straight.

Photo courtesy: Boxeodecolombia.com

– In a battle of top 10 lightweights, Ring Mag #2 & WBO champ Terry Flanagan successfully defended his title for the 5th time over #10 Petr Petrov by 12 rd UD with the scorecards reading 120-108, 118-110, & 116-112 on April 8th at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. There were no knockdowns as Flanagan won a tactical match. Flanagan has now gone the distance 3 of his last 4 bouts. Petrov’s loss snapped a 6 fight win streak.

 

– On the undercard of Flanagan/Petrov, Ring Mag #8 Jr Middleweight Liam Smith stopped undefeated, but unrated Liam Williams when Williams failed to come out for the 10th round following a severe cut from a headbutt in the 9th round. The referee didn’t stop the fight, so it was deemed a TKO win. Smith was cut from a punch in the 3rd round and Williams had a 1 point lead on all 3 judges scorecards at the time of the stoppage. The bout was intended to be for the interim WBO Jr Middleweight title, but Smith came in overweight and the title was on the line only for Williams.

– Ring Mag #9 Middleweight Maciej Sulecki stopped unrated Michi Munoz at 1:01 of the 3rd round on April 8th in Zakopane Poland in his 1st fight in the Jr Middleweight division. Sulecki scored 2 knockdowns in the 2nd round before ending matters in the 3rd. Sulecki has now scored 6 straight stoppages. The week after his fight he was dropped from the Middleweight rankings as he will now campaign in the Jr Middleweight division.

– 4/14 Ring Mag #5, four time Strawweight World Champion and current WBO champ Katsunari Takayama announced his retirement. Interim WBO Champ Tatsuya Fukuhara has been promoted to full Champion.

– In a unification battle of top 10 Jr welterweights, Ring Mag #7 & IBF Champ Julius Indongo dominated #5 & WBA champ Ricky Burns en route to a 12 rd UD by the scores of 120-108, 118-110 & 116-112 on April 15th at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. There were no knockdowns, but Burns was effected by the power shots landed by Indongo. It was his 1st defense and the decision win snapped a 3 fight KO streak. Burns had his 4 fight win streak snapped.

 

– Ring Mag #9 Light Heavyweight Sullivan Barrera stopped unrated Paul Parker at 2:08 of the 5th round on April 15th at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Ct. Barrera scored 2 knockdowns in the 5th and then a follow up barrage nearly floored Parker again before the referee stopped the bout. Barrera now has B2B stoppages since his lone loss, a 12 rd UD to current Ring Mag #1 Andre Ward. His last 8 wins have all come by KO. He was originally set to face fellow Top 10 contender Artur Beterbiev, but unexpectedly pulled out of that fight.

– 4/21 Nick Durandt, who trained and managed the most World Champions in South African history, died in a motorcycle accident. He was 53 yrs old.

– Ring Mag #5 Flyweight Juan Carlos Reveco won a 12 rd UD over unrated Jesus Vargas by the scores of 120-108 twice & 120-110 on April 21st in Argentina. Reveco has now won 3 of 4 including B2B since his last loss, an 11th rd KO by Kazuto Ioka for the WBA Flyweight title in ’15.

– Ring Mag #8 Middleweight Avtandil Khurtsidze handed unrated Tommy Langford his 1st loss after stopping him at :27 of the 5th round for the interim WBO title on April 22nd at the Leicester Arena in Leicestershire, UK. Khurtsidze scored a knockdown after a left hand upstairs. Langford got to his feet, but was in no shape to continue. Khurtsidze has now scored 6 straight knockouts in his 10 fight winning streak and is in line to take on Ring Mag #4 & WBO Champ Billy Joe Saunders.

– On the undercard of Khurtsidze/Langford, Ring Mag #8 Bantamweight Zolani Tete won the vacant WBO title with a 12 rd UD over unrated Arthur Villanueva, by the scores of 120-107 and 119-108 twice. Tete scored a knockdown in the 11th round and was never in trouble during the contest. He’s now won 9 straight and 10 of 11. This was just his 2nd fight to go the distance in his last 6. The bout was originally scheduled to be an eliminator but was elevated after WBO Champ Marlon Tapales was stripped of his title for failing to make weight and then won his fight, thus making the title vacant.

– Ring Mag #8 Super Middleweight Arthur Abraham won a 12 rd UD over unrated Robin Krasniqi on April 22nd at the Messe Erfurt Convention Center in Erfurt, Germany by the scores of 118-110, 117-111 & 115-114. There were no knockdowns as Abraham landed the harder shots. He’s now won 10 of 11 and becomes the mandatory challenger for Ring Mag #3 & WBO champ Gilberto Ramirez.

– Ring Mag #3 rated Welterweight “Showtime” Shawn Porter stopped unrated Andre Berto at 1:31 of the 9th round on April 22nd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. The fight was filled with numerous headbutts that left Berto cut over 1 eye and Porter badly cut over both eyes. Berto was dropped in the 2nd round as Porter was the aggressive fighter throughout and wouldn’t allow Berto to clinch. The ropes held Berto up following a right hand in the 9th round that the referee correctly called a knockdown and Porters follow up resulted in Berto staggering into the corner, prompting the referee to call a halt to the contest. With the win Porter becomes the mandatory challenger for Ring Mag #1, WBA & WBC champ Keith Thurman. Porter has now scored stoppages in 3 of his last 4 wins.

– On the undercard of Porter/Berto, Ring Mag #3 Jr Middleweight & WBC Champion Jermell Charlo dominated unrated Charles Hatley en route to knocking him out at :32 of the 6th rd. Charlo scored a knockdown in the 3rd round after a right hand upstairs and finished things off in the 6th after a right hand to the chin dropped Hatley face first for the count. It was Charlo’s 1st title defense and fight in 11 months. He’s now scored 3 str stoppages.

– Ring Mag #7 Featherweight and WBO Champ Oscar Valdez successfully made the 2nd defense of his title with a hard fought 12 rd UD over unrated Miguel Marriaga on April 22nd at the Stubhub Center in Carson, California by the scores of 119-108, 118-109 & 116-111. While Valdez was the clear winner, Marriaga was game and remained a viable threat despite the scores. Valdez scored a knockdown in the 10th roud from a counter left hook, but Marriaga rose and survived a follow-up attack to hurt Valdez near the end of the round, which will surely be a contender for ROY! Valdez had his 5 fight KO streak end, but has still stopped 8 of 10.

– On the undercard of Valdez/Marriaga, Ring Mag #3 Super Middleweight & WBO Champ Gilberto Ramirez won a lackluster 12 rd UD over unrated Max Bursak with all 3 judges agreeing on a score of 120-106. The fight was as non-competitive as the score reflected and lacked action. Ramirez was coming off a year layoff due to a hand injury and made the 1st defense of his title. This was his 5th straight decision win.

– Also on the undercard of Valdez/Marriaga, Ring Mag #2 Jr Featherweight & WBO Champ Jessie Magdaleno stopped unrated Adeilson Dos Santos at 2:51 of the 2nd rd. A right hook dropped Dos Santos in the 2nd round. He made it up and tried to hold on, but another knockdown prompted the referee to stop the bout. It was the 1st defense for Magdaleno, who has now stopped 3 of his last 4 opponents.

– Ring Mag #5 Bantamweight Marlon Tapales stopped unrated Shohei Omori at :16 of the 11th round on April 23rd at the Edion Arena in Osaka, Japan. Tapales was set to defend the WBO title for the 1st time, but failed to make weight and was stripped at the scale, so the title was only on the line for Omori. The fight was very close as Omori had a 1 pt lead on all 3 judges scorecards after 9 rounds. Tapales scored a knockdown in the closing moments of the 10th round and ended things at the beginning of the 11th. Both suffered cuts above their eyes. This was a rematch from ’15, when Tapales won by 2nd rd TKO. Tapales has now won 22 of 23 including 9 straight.

– On the undercard of Tapales/Omori, Ring Mag #1 Flyweight & WBA champ Kazuto Ioka made his 5th successful defense with a 12 rd UD over unrated Noknoi Sitthiprasert by the scores of 117-110 twice and 116-111. Ioka was dedected a point for a low blow in the 3rd round, but clearly outboxed the overmatched Sitthrprasert. Ioka had his 3 fight KO streak end, but won for the 8th straight time since his lone defeat.

– Ring Mag #10 Strawweight Hiroto Kyoguchi won a 12 rd UD by the scores of 119-109, 118-111 & 117-111 over unrated Jonathan Refugio at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan on April 25th. Kyoguchi had stopped all 6 of his previous opponents.

– Ring Mag #3 heavyweight Kubrat Pulev scored a 12 rd ud over unrated Kevin Johnson by the scores of 120-108 twice & 119-109 on April 28th at the Arena Armeec in Sofia, Bulgaria. Johnson did better than the scores indicated in the 1st half of the fight, but was punished from rd 10 on. Pulev has now won 5 straight since his lone loss to Wladimir Klitschko in 2014.

Photo courtesy: Sky Sports

– In a battle of top 10 Heavyweights, Ring Mag #5 & IBF champ Anthony Joshua successfully made his 3rd defense while adding the vacant WBA title with an 11th rd TKO over #1 rated Wladimir Klitschko on April 29th at Webley Stadium in Wembley, London. Joshua scored a knockdown early in the 5th round, but tired himself up on the follow up and was nearly dropped by the close of the round. Klitschko did indeed score a knockdown in the 1st half of the 6th round and Joshua looked close to being out on his feet, but survived the round. Klitschko started to take over the fight from there until the 10th rd, when Joshua regained the momentum. The end came in the 11th when a massive uppercut shook Klitschko, who somehow stayed up but was dropped from a follow up just after. Upon rising he was dropped again, but showed true heart and grit and made it to his feet again. Joshua then pounced on him and trapped him in the corner where referee David Fields intervened and stopped the contest at 2:25 of the round. The scorecards at the time of the stoppage were 96-93 & 95-93 for Joshua, and 95-93 for Klitschko. An england record of 90,000 fans were in attendance. Joshua has now stopped all 19 of his foes and called out Ring Mag Champ Tyson Fury afterwards, however Klitschko does have a rematch clause.

– Ring Mag #3 Flyweight Donnie Nietes became a 3 division champion after beating unrated Komgrich Nantapech in a 12 rd UD by the scores of 117-117 twice & 115-113 on April 29th at Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines for the vacant IBF title. The match was a hard fought affair as Nantapech was game until the end. Nietes is a former Strawweight and Jr Flyweight champion that has now won 27 of 28 including 9 straight since a 12 rd draw in ’13. Nantapech had his 15 fight win streak snapped.

– Ring Mag #10 Jr. Lightweight Tevin Farmer won a hard fought 10 rd UD over unrated Arturo Santos Reyes by the scores of 98-94, 97-93 & 96-94 on April 29th at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA. Farmer appeared to injure his right arm early on and his trainer said he thought the bicep muscle was torn after the fight. With the decision win, 7 of Farmers last 8 fights have gone the distance, including 5 straight.

2017 Boxing Almanac – March

Posted: April 1, 2017 in Boxing
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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– Ring Mag #2 & WBA Straweight Champion Knockout CP Freshmart aka Thammanoon Niyomtrong stopped unrated Go Odaira at 1:07 of the 5th rd on March 1st in Chonburi, Thailand. Freshmart scored a knockdown in the 4th rd and ended matters with a left uppercut-right hand combination. This was Freshmart’s 2nd defense of his title and his first stoppage in four fights. Odaira has now lost 3 of 5, all by knockout and all in World Title bouts.

– Ring Mag & WBC Bantamweight world Champion and Ring Mag #9 pound for pound, Shinsuke Yamanaka stopped unrated Carlos Carlson at :57 of the 7th round on March 2nd at Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. Yamanaka scored 5 knockdowns, 2 in the 5th round, 1 in the 6th round & 2 in the 7th. It was his 12th defense of his WBC title & 1st of his Ring Mag belt. Carlson had his 22 fight win streak snapped.

– Ring Mag #7 rated heavyweight David Haye was stopped at 2:16 of the 11th round by Ring Mag #3 & WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew on March 4th at the 02 Arena in Greenwich, London. Haye ruptured his Achilles in the 6th round, while Bellew broke his right hand early on. Haye was dropped in the 6th round and then again in the 11th, going through the ropes and after rising his corner threw in the towel. Bellew was a 7:1 ‘dog. He has now stopped 5 of his last 6 foes including 3 straight.

Photo by: Ed Diller/Dibella Entertainment

– In a unification battle of top 10 welterweights, Ring Mag #2 & WBA champ Keith Thurman won a 12 rd split decision against Ring Mag #7 & WBC Champ Danny Garcia by the scores of 116-112, 115-113 & 113-115 on March 4th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Thurman rocked Garcia in the 1st round and won the early rounds, with Garcia being the aggressor and winning the later rounds. It was a close but clear win for Thurman, who was making the 3rd defense of his title. Four of his last 5 contests have gone the distance. This was the 1st welterweight unification fight between undefeated fighters since 1999 when Felix Trinidad defeated Oscar De La Hoya. The event was the largest grossing non-NBA sporting event in Barclays Center history, while also setting the venue record for boxing attendance at 16,533.

– On the undercard of Thurman/Garcia, Ring Mag #9 Jr Welterweight Sergey Lipinets stopped unrated Clarence Booth at 1:33 of the 7th round in a tune up bout as he is next in line to meet the winner of Ricky Burns/Julius Indongo for the IBF & WBA Titles. 

– Unrated Flyweight Juan Hernandez stopped Ring Mag #7 Nawaphon Por Chokchai aka Nawaphon Kaikanha at 2:29 of the 3rd round on March 4th at National Stadium Gymnasium in Bangkok, Thailand for the vacant WBC Title. Por Chokchai rose from a 3rd round knockdown, but Hernandez’s follow up was too much to withstand and referee Tom Taylor stopped the contest. Hernandez has now stopped 8 of his last 9 foes including 6 straight. He hasn’t lost since 2011 against current Ring Mag #1 Flyweight Kazuto Ioka for the WBC Straweight title. Por Chokchai saw his undefeated record come to an end after 36 wins to begin his career.

– Ring Mag #4 Featherweight & IBF Champion Lee Selby stopped unrated Andoni Gago in the 9th round on March 4th at the 02 Arena in Greenwich, London, UK. The fight was a non-title affair and Gago was down in the 1st round before the stoppage. This was Selby’s 1st stoppage s/2014, a span of 3 fights and the last time he wasn’t in a World Title bout.  

– 3/6 Paulie Malignaggi, the former IBF Jr Welterweight & WBA Welterweight World Champion announced his retirement.

– 3/8 Hall of Fame trainer & manager Lou Duva passed away at age 94. He guided the careers of 19 World Champions.

– Ring Mag #8 bantaweight Tomoki Kameda won a 10 rd UD over unrated Pipat Chaiporn by the scores of 100-88, 100-90 & 99-90 on March 10th at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Kameda scored a knockdown in the 6th round and controlled the action. Kameda weighed in at 123.25 pounds for the fight and its odd that he’s still in the Ring Mag Ratings at bantamweight as he hasn’t made the division weight limit since 2015. Update: Kameda was dropped from the ratings the week following this fight.

– Ring mag #4 middleweight David Lemieux stopped unrated Curtis Stevens at 1:59 of the 3rd round on March 11th at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York on HBO’s Boxing After Dark. A left hook knocked Stevens out cold and he left the ring on a stretcher. Lemieux has now won 12 of 13 including 3 straight since his 8th rd TKO loss to GGG in Oct ’15. Of his last 12 wins, 9 have now been finished inside the distance. With the vacant WBO Inter-continental title being awarded, Lemieux could be in line for a shot at Ring Mag #3 & WBO Champ Billy Joe Saunders in the near future.

– Ring Mag #5 Jr Middleweight Demetrious Andrade won a 12 rd SD over unrated Jack Culcay by the scores of 116-112 twice & 113-115 on March 11th at Friedrich-Ebert-Halle in Ludwigshafen, Germany. There were no knockdowns and Andrade was in control throughout. The fight was for the ‘regular” WBA title as the true WBA World Champion is Ring Mag #2 Erislandy Lara. Andrade had his 3 fight KO streak stopped.

– Ring Mag #7 Lightweight Richard Commey won a 12 rd UD over unrated Hedi Slimani by the scores of 116-113, 116-111 & 117-111 on March 11th at the Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra, Ghana. Commey was cut above his left eye in the 6th rd and Simani was cut below his left eye in the 7th rd. With the win Commey snapped his string of B2B split decision losses, each to current Top 10 ranked Lightweights, thus maintaining his status in the division. Slimani had his 18 fight win streak snapped.   

– Ring Mag #5 Jr Bantamweight Juan Fracisco Estrada stopped unrated Anuar Salas at 2:01 of the 5th round on March 11th at Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico. Estrada used a body attack to wear down Salas, dropping him twice. This was Estrada’s 2nd fight since moving up in weight and vacating his WBA & WBO Flyweight titles.

– On the undercard of Estrada/Salas, Ring mag #10 rated Bantamweight Luis Nery stopped unrated Jesus Martinez when Martinez failed to come out for the 5th round. Nery has now stopped 8 of his last 9 foes, including 4 straight. With the win he is now the mandatory contender for WBC & Ring Mag Champ Shinsuke Yamanaka.  

– 3/15 Former Ring, Mag, WBC & WBA Middleweight champion Rodrigo “Rocky” Valdes passed away at age 70 after a massive heart attack.  His career record was 63-8-2, with 43 knockouts. He beat hall of famer Bennie Briscoe in all 3 of their matches including stopping him in their 2nd fight.

– Ring Mag #8 Cruiserweight Firat Arslan stopped unrated Gezim Tahiri after 2 rounds on March 17th in Istanbul, Turkey. Tahiri couldn’t continue due to a shoulder injury. Arslan has now won 6 of 7 including 5 straight.

– In a battle of Top 5 Middleweights, Ring Mag #4 Pound for Pound, #2 Middleweight, IBF, WBC & WBA Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin won a hard fought, closer than expected 12 round UD over #2 Danny Jacobs by the scores of 115-112 twice & 114-113 on March 17th at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York. GGG scored a knockdown in the 4th round, but couldn’t finish Jacobs off and went the distance for the 1st time since 2008, ending a 23 fight knockout streak. Jacobs showed a ton of heart and landed plenty of hard shots as well. GGG was making the 7th defense of the WBA title, 3rd IBF defense & 2nd WBC defense. 19,939 (including me!) in attendance.

Photo by: Tom Hogan K2 Promotions

– On the undercard of GGG/Jacobs in a battle of Top 10 Jr Bantamweights, Ring Mag #1 lb for lb, #2 Jr Bantamweight & WBC champ Roman Gonzalez, making the 1st defense of his title, shockingly lost a controversial 12 rd majority decision against Ring Mag #4 Srisaket Sor Rungvisai aka Wisaksil Wangek by the scores of 114-112 twice & 113-113. Gonzalez was dropped in the 1st round from a body shot and suffered two nasty cuts, one over his right eye & another on the right side of his head due to headbutts. Rungvisai was deducted a point in the 6th round for the headbutts after several warnings in the preceding rounds. Gonzalez appeared to control the middle rounds, but there was steady two way action throughout in the action packed contest. Gonzalez had a huge 12th round as Rungvisai backpedaled nearly the entire stanza. The crowd heavily booed the decision & the ringside media had the bout in favor of Gonzalez, whose face was a crimson mask at the conclusion. Rungvisai was a 14:1 underdog as his last 7 opponents had either DD losses or less than 4 wins. Gonzalez was the former Strawweight, Jr Flyweight & Flyweight champion. His last 3 fights have gone the distance after having his prior 10 end inside the distance. A rematch is definitely in order. FOY candidate!

– Also on the undercard of GGG/Jacobs, Ring Mag #3 Jr Bantamweight Carlos Cuadras won a 10 rd UD over unrated David Carmona by the scores of 97-93 twice & 96-94. Both were cut during the bout (Cuadras over left eye). Cuadras built an early lead, while Carmona appeared to come on late. Cuadras was coming off his 1st career loss when he lost his WBC Title to pound for pound #1 Roman Gonzalez last Sept by 12 rd UD.

– Also on the undercard of GGG/Jacobs, Ring Mag #5 Middleweight Andy Lee won an 8 rd UD over unrated KeAndrae Leatherwood by the scores of 80-72, 79-73, & 78-74. Lee was coming off a 15 month lay off and was rusty as expected. It was his 1st win since 2014.  

– 3/20 The 11th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Migna Sanchez-Llorens upheld the $8.5M winning lawsuit filed by All-Star Boxing against Ring Mag Middleweight Champion Canelo Alvarez for unjust enrichment.

– 3/21 Andre Ward moves up to #1 in the mythical Ring Magazine Pound for Pound rankings, overtaking Roman Gonzalez, who fell to #4.

– Ring Mag #10 & WBA Super Middleweight titlist Tyron Zeuge made his 1st successful title defense with a 5th round technical decision over unnrated Isaac Ekpo by the scores of 49-46, 48-47, & 49-47 at the MBS Arena in Potsdam, Brandenburg Germany on March 25th. Zeuge was cut over his right eye in the 3rd round from a clash of heads and the fight was stopped after the 5th due to the cut.   

– Ring Mag & WBA lightweight champ Jorge Linares successfully defended his titles for the 1st time by 12 rd UD in an immediate rematch with Ring Mag #4 Anthony Crolla with all 3 judges turning in identical 118-109 scorecards on March 25th at the Manchester Arena, Lancashire, UK. Linares scored a knockdown in the 7th round from a right uppercut and appeared to be close to scoring a stoppage. Crolla was game and grew more aggressive as the fight carried on, but there was not close to the amount of drama surrounding their 1st fight, which was a 2015 FOY candidate.

– Ring Mag #1 Straweight & WBC champ Wanheng Menayothin aka Chayaphon Moonsri won a 6 rd UD over Jaysever Abcede in a non-title bout on March 31st at Com Thong District in Bangkok, Thailand. Menayothing was in control throughout and cruised to an easy win against the overmatched Abcede. Menayothin has now gone the distance in 4 straight fights.

– Former 3X Super Middleweight Champion Mikkel Kessler announced he will be coming out of retirement and return to the ring later this year. Kessler hasn’t fought since a 12 rd UD loss to Carl Froch in May ’13. Kessler just turned 38 years old on March 1st.

2017 Boxing Almanac

Posted: January 31, 2017 in Boxing
Tags: , ,
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JANUARY:

– 1/4 Longtime boxing judge Gale Van Hoy passed away.

– 1/5 WBA orders negotiations to commence between 2 unranked heavyweights, Shannon Briggs & Fres Oquendo for a fight for the WBA world title, which is currently vacant. The winner must then take on the unranked Alexander Ustinov.

– 1/16 The Anthony Joshua/Wladimir Klitschko fight has sold over 80,000 tickets, shattering the box office record at Wembley Stadium in London, surpassing Carl Froch’s super middleweight rematch vs George Groves in 2014.

– Ring Mag No. 3 and WBA Jr Middleweight Champion Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara made the 4th defense of his title when he stopped unrated Yuri Foreman at 1:47 of the 4th rd on Jan 13th at the Hialeah Park Racing & Casino in Hialeah, Florida. Foreman was down in the 3rd rd & a Lara left uppercut sent Foreman down for the count in the 4th. Lara was off a 12 rd ud over Vanes Martirosyan last May and has now won 7 of 8 including 5 straight. Foreman had won 6 straight with ko’s in 2 of the L/3 after B2B losses in ’10-’11, but the combined record of his foes in that win streak was just 80-59-4 as he was totally undeserving of a title shot.

– Ring Mag #7 super middleweight Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell stopped Norbert Nemesapati at 3:00 of the 6th rd on Jan 13th on the Lara/Foreman undercard. The fight was a clear mismatch, dominated by Dirrell with the ref stopping the action. Dirrell has now won 3 straight including his last 2 by stoppage since his 12 rd MD loss to Badou Jack in April ’15.

– Ring Mag #3 bantamweight Juan Carlos Payano stopped Isao Gonzalo Carranza at 1:16 of the 7th rd on Jan 13th on the Lara/Foreman undercard. The fight was a mismatch, but this was the 1st fight for Payano since suffering his 1st loss, a 12 rd MD to Rau’Shee Warren last June.

Photo by Tom Casino/Showtime

Photo by Tom Casino/Showtime

– The vacant Ring Mag Super Middleweight championship remained without an owner as Ring Mag #1 & IBF champ James “Chunky” Degale, making his 3rd defense & Ring Mag #2 & WBC champ Badou Jack, also making his 3rd defense, fought to a 12 rd MD on Jan 14th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Degale scored a flash knockdown in the 1st rd and won many of the early rounds with Jack coming on late and scoring a knockdown in the 12th rd. Degale wanted a rematch to take place in England in the post fight interviews, but Jack wants to go up to 175 pounds. A great fight with a lot of back and forth action. A rematch would be well received.

– On the undercard of Jack/Degale, undefeated but unrated Gervonta “Tank” Davis stopped Ring Mag #6 & IBF Jr Lightweight champ Jose “Sniper” Pedraza at 2:36 of the 7th rd to become the 2nd youngest current world champion (WBO Jr Flyweight Kosei Tanaka). Davis landed the clearer & more powerful shots throughout, was never in any real danger & although Pedraza got to his feet, the ref wouldn’t let him continue, in what was a fair stoppage. Davis has 8 straight stoppage wins, but none of the prior 7 had come over a foe that had a combo of DD wins & less than 4 losses. Pedraza, a ’08 Puerto Rican Olympian, was making the 3rd defense of his title.

– 1/18 Ring Mag #2 & WBC Super Middleweight champ Badou Jack has informed the WBC that he is vacating the title to move up to the light heavyweight division. The #1 & #2 ranked fighters in the WBC rankings are Ring Mag #6 Callum Smith & #5 Anthony Dirrell and neither have any fights scheduled at this time.

– 1/19 Golden Boy Promotions & ESPN enter agreement for a 42 fight deal in the next 2 years. The first card will be on March 23rd.

– 1/20 David Haye’s Haymaker Promotions entered into an agreement with Ex Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer to create Haymaker Ringstar Promotions to focus mostly on UK market.

– 1/24 Andrzej Wawrzyk, in line to challenge Deontay Wilder for the WBC heavyweight title on Feb 25th, has tested positive for steroids & is off the card. He was a 60:1 ‘dog.

– 1/25 Oscar De La Hoya arrested for DUI in Pasadena, Ca.

– Ring Mag #1 & WBC strawweight champ Wanheng Menayothin aka Chayaphon Moonsri successfully defended his title for the 6th time with a 12 rd UD over undefeated, but unrated Melvin Jerusalem on Jan 25th at Phitsanuloke Province in Thailand. There were no knockdowns, but Jerusalem had a crucial point deducted in the 8th for a low blow. With no point deduction, the fight would have ended as a majority draw. The undefeated Menayothin has now gone the distance 3 straight fights. Jerusalem had never even fought anyone that had at least 2 wins with less than 4 losses prior to the bout.   

– 1/26 Golden Boy Promotions $300M lawsuit against Premier Boxing Champions creator Al Haymon dismissed by US District Judge John F. Walker. The lawsuit alleged that Haymon violated antitrust laws & the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform act.

– 1/27 Ring Mag #3 & IBF featherweight champ Lee Selby was due to make his 3rd defense on the Frampton/Santa Cruz undercard against unrated Jonathan Victor Barros, but the fight was cancelled the day prior due to Barros failing to submit his Nevada application and medical records. Selby was off a 12 rd ud over Eric Hunter last April, when he was dropped for the 1st time in his career. Since his lone loss in his 5th fight in ’09, Selby has won 19 straight.

Photo by German Villasenor

Photo by German Villasenor

– 2016 “Fighter of the Year,” Ring Mag #10 pound for pound, Ring Mag #2 Featherweight & WBA featherweight champ Carl “The Jackal” Frampton lost a 12 rd majority decision in his 2nd defense against #4 Leo Santa Cruz on Jan 28th at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. There was great back and forth action throughout, but no knockdowns. The fight was an immediate rematch when Frampton won a 12 rd MD last July in a “FOTY” candidate with the 12th rd being a candidate for ‘Round of the year.’ There are already talks of a rubber match to be held in Ireland.

 

Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime

Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime

– On the undercard of Frampton/Santa Cruz 2, unrated & undefeated former WBO Featherweight & Jr Lightweight champion Mikey Garcia added his 3rd title in 3 different weight classes by knocking out the undefeated Ring Mag #1 & WBC lightweight champ Dejan Zlaticanin at 2:21 of the 3rd round. Zlaticanin was making his 1st title defense, but was dominated from the outset. The end came after an uppercut sent Zlaticanin forward into the ropes and then upon turning back towards Garcia, an overhand right square to the jaw sent him down and unconscious for several minutes. This is a definite “Knockout of the Year” candidate. This was Garcia’s 2nd fight following a 2.5 year layoff due to management issues. Garcia was a 2:1 fav.

Photo by Tom Hogan/Golden Boy Promotions

Photo by Tom Hogan/Golden Boy Promotions

– Unrated Miguel Berchelt stopped Ring Mag #2 & WBC Jr lightweight champ Francisco Vargas at 2:19 of the 11th rd on Jan 28th at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio Cali. Vargas, who was making the 2nd defense of his title, was dominated from the outset, taking a beating before referee Raul Caiz Jr jumped in and stopped it. Berchelt has now won 10 in a row since his lone loss in March ’14. He is now due to defend against Takashi Miura, who won an eliminator on the undercard.

 

– On the undercard of Vargas/Berchelt, Ring mag #5 Jr Lightweight Takashi Miura knocked out unrated Miguel Roman at :53 of the 12th rd in a WBC Jr Lightweight eliminator in a fight of the year candidate. Roman was cut above the right eye due to an accidental headbutt. He was in the lead heading into the championship rounds, but was dropped from a body shot near the end of rd 10. He was dropped to his knees from a flurry, then a straight left ended his night in the 12th. This was Miura’s 2nd fight since losing the WBC Jr Lightweight title to the aforementioned Vargas in Nov ’15. He’s now in line to take on Miguel Berchelt for the title. Roman had his 18 fight win streak snapped.

 – Ring Mag #8 & IBF Jr Bantamweight champ Jerwin Ancajas made the 1st defense of his title by stopping unrated Jose Alfredo Rodriguez in the 7th rd on Jan 29th at Studio City Casino in Macao, China. Rodriguez failed to come out for the 8th, citing a shoulder inj. Andcaja was in command throughout. He’s now won 13 str, 12 by ko. Rodriguez was totally undeserving of a title shot as none of his prior 3 foes had a combined double-digit wins with less than 5 losses.