Saturday Boxing Results: Maidana-Morales Surprises, Kirkland Stunned, Adamek a Winner

Las Vegas, Nevada

We recapped this card already, so go check out those posts: Maidana-Morales, Guerrero-Katsidis, Kirkland-Ishida/Malignaggi-Cotto.

• Marcos Maidana MD-12 Erik Morales: I don't know that Erik Morales has another one of these in him, but then I didn't think he had this one in him. This was a case of youth barely sneaking past experience and knowledge. If Maidana makes a few more mistakes, he loses this fight or leaves with a draw. If Morales is...well, I'd say a couple of years younger, but really let's say if he were in his prime. If you could bulk prime Morales up to 140 and do it the right way (it's fantasy, go with me here), he takes care of Maidana no problem. I think we saw, with all due respect to Marcos Maidana, the difference in class between these two fighters. Morales is a better fighter than Maidana. Maidana is younger than Morales, and good enough that that becomes "good enough." This really might be a rematch situation; Maidana isn't exactly on the doorstep of anything much bigger, with Bradley and Khan set to face each other in July most likely, and after that there are good fighters in the division but no money men. His best options would be either a rematch or a fight with Zab Judah, probably. I think he wins a rematch bigger. I really think Erik Morales probably left what he had in the ring in this one, and it won't hurt that Maidana saw everything Morales can throw at him. But this was a great fight, and for longtime Morales fans, an emotional one. He almost did it. He really almost did it.
• Robert Guerrero UD-12 Michael Katsidis: Katsidis hung in and didn't get knocked down or anything, but Guerrero beat the hell out of him and looked two levels better than the Aussie. I think, in all candor, I've had my fill of Katsidis fighting elite-level guys for the time being. There are fights I'd like to see him. I'd like to see him face John Murray, for instance, as I think that would be appropriate for both men. A step up for Murray, and the right step back for Katsidis. Guerrero looked better than ever in this one, but let's not forget that Katsidis is a stationary target and not hard to look good against. Definitely count me as on board for Marquez-Guerrero, though. That's a serious challenge for the old champ. Guerrero says he wants Floyd Mayweather Jr., though -- that's most likely just talk to get Guerrero's name out there more, but I thought the same about Mayweather-Marquez. Hey, listen, we're talking about a lightweight calling out welterweight, inactive Floyd. It has happened before.
  
• Nobuhiro Ishida TKO-1 James Kirkland: I'm sorry, but unless something miraculous happens, I don't see James Kirkland really coming back from this. He looked hopeless in there, and there's something quite off about his body language and his overall presence, or aura, or whatever. Kirkland's post-fight comments were also about as delusional as they come, as he complained about the referee deciding to stop a fight where he was getting knocked down three times on 15 landed punches against a non-puncher. Kirkland's defense is worse than ever, and it was never any good, and this fight made it look like if you don't go in scared of him, he's not so scary. Post-fight Kirkland sounded like one of those kids on the playground who always had an excuse for sucking at basketball, who would respond to taunts about their crappiness with, "My ankle is spranged (sic)" and the like. I hope Kirkland surprises me, but I just don't see it now. He's not the same guy he was in 2009.
• Paulie Malignaggi UD-10 Jose Miguel Cotto: Good opener, and Malignaggi looked pretty decent, while Cotto looked...like Jose Miguel Cotto. Malignaggi says he may have broken his left hand in the fight, and that both hands are injured.
• Danny Garcia UD-10 Nate Campbell: Scores were 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92, but reports of Campbell's performance are fairly positive and some feel the scores were too wide. No one is arguing the winner, though. Garcia is now 21-0 (14 KO).
• Rakhim Chakhkiev KO-3 Harvey Jolley: An easy matchup for Chakhiev (10-0, 8 KO), who was really the best prospect on the show, not Garcia.
• Mikael Zewski SD-6 Clint Coronel: Very odd scores here, as Zewski took one card 60-54, Coronel took another 60-54, and the third went to Zewski, 59-55. Coronel apparently gave Zewski (9-0, 5 KO) quite a battle.

Ater the jump: Adamek! Stuart Hall! Robert Stieglitz! More!

Newark, New Jersey

• Tomasz Adamek UD-12 Kevin McBride: Scores were 119-108 (twice) and 120-107, with McBride losing a point in the seventh. Reports are that this was basically sparring for Adamek (44-1, 28 KO), which was what most expected. Honestly I find the idea that Adamek has prepared for Vitali Klitschko by fighting worn out Michael Grant and even more worn out Kevin McBride to be folly; they are no more a tune-up for Vitali than fighting Anthony Small would be a tune-up for Floyd Mayweather. Adamek will be on a different planet against Klitschko.
• Sadam Ali KO-3 Javier Perez: Ali (12-0, 7 KO) gets another easy showcase win. It's kind of odd to keep giving him these highlight reel, easy fights on shows that nobody really watches, but if they build another Newark draw in the long run, then Main Events has done a good job. Ali could probably get more fans in Newark for a main event at this point than Tim Bradley can get anywhere.
• Joselito Collado SD-6 Rafael Lora
• Andrzej Fonfara KO-4 Ray Smith

Magdeburg, Germany

• Robert Stieglitz DQ-10 Khoren Gevor: Well, I'm never inviting Khoren Gevor to one of my parties. That guy's out of hand. Stieglitz was handling the fight when Gevor was given a deduction in the tenth round, after which the two tumbled to the canvas with Stieglitz getting cut in the process. The referee disqualified Gevor, who then threw punches at the referee and was removed by security. Stieglitz is now 40-2 (23 KO), while Gevor falls to 31-6 (16 KO).
• Jack Culcay TKO-3 Mikheil Khutsishvili

Tokyo, Japan

• Yota Sato UD-10 Kohei Kono: Sato (21-2-1, 11 KO) retains the Japanese super flyweight title with a win over Kono (25-6, 9 KO) on scores of 97-93 (twice) and 96-93. 

Bacolod City, Philippines

• Donnie Nietes KO-1 Armando Vazquez: Time of stoppage was 2:26, improving strawweight challenger Nietes to 28-1-3 (16 KO).
• Jason Pagara KO-2 Deo Njiku: 18-year-old junior welterweight prospect Pagara is now 26-1 (15 KO).
• Lorenzo Villanueva KO-5 James Mokoginta: Villanueva, a southpaw featherweight, is nicknamed "Thunder Volt," and is now 20-0 (19 KO).

Houghton-le-Spring, England

• Stuart Hall TKO-5 John Donnelly: Hall, the reigning British bantamweight champ, improves to 11-0-1 (7 KO) with the stoppage of Donnelly (12-2, 3 KO).
• Karl Place TKO-5 George Watson

Hartford, Connecticut

• Tony Grano TKO-6 Dominique Alexander: Basically a matchup of heavyweight afterthoughts, with Grano (18-2-1, 14 KO) the closer to a prospect between the two of them, and not really a prospect at 30 and having been stopped twice, including in his last fight. Alexander (20-11-1, 9 KO) has now been stopped nine times for his trouble.
• Danny Aquino TKO-1 James Owens: I saw Aquino (6-1, 2 KO) fight in December against Cuban Yoandris Salinas, and really came away more impressed with the more raw Aquino than I did Salinas, who won the fight. He's far from a major prospect at 122, but he's got some potential.

Hampton, Virginia

• George Foreman III KO-1 Eric Lindsey: Yeah, they keep running this show.