It was a big, full day of eventful boxing all over the world yesterday, so let's run down what happened. We covered three cards here and we'll link to the full recaps of those.
Kobe, Japan (Full Recap)
- Jhonny Gonzalez TKO-4 Hozumi Hasegawa: It was good, and hard-fought, and then it was over. Hasegawa was looking good again until Gonzalez's power got to him in the fourth round. The first round was truly excellent, sort of a three-minute summary of everything I expected out of the fight, as Hasegawa started fast and Gonzalez got going late in the round. I think Hasegawa is still a good fighter at 126, just didn't have the attributes to overcome Gonzalez, who himself is a terrific fighter.
- Takahiro Ao KO-4 Humberto Gutierrez: The youth showed again in a step-up fight for young Gutierrez, and he was drilled in the fourth on a body shot. Ao has put on some muscle and looks more and more like a fighter truly to be reckoned with at 130.
- Toshiaki Nishioka KO-9 Mauricio Javier Munoz: Good, gritty fight. Eventually the class of Nishioka was able to shine through, and he stopped an exhausted but very game challenger from Argentina.
Montreal, Quebec, Canada (Full Recap)
- Marco Antonio Rubio TKO-7 David Lemieux: One thing we didn't mention is that this was a good fight to go along with its status as an upset. Lemieux admitted after the fight that Rubio just had the right game plan, and says he'll be back stronger next time out. Rubio is now in line to face the Zbik-Chavez winner (they fight on June 4), or he could look for a fight with Sergio Martinez.
- Adonis Stevenson KO-3 Derek Edwards: Edwards looked like he had no idea what to do with a southpaw, and found himself on his hindquarters three times thanks to a long left hand. Stevenson looked very strong and very confident for a guy who hasn't fought in a year following his first pro loss.
Laredo, Texas (Full Recap / Photos)
- Dyah Davis UD-10 Marcus Johnson: Davis was..."too much" for him? Hahahahaha. Ahhhhahaha. Oh dear. Anyway, Johnson's stock took a big hit with the loss, not because Davis can't fight (he can, and has late bloomer potential) but because the questions of whether or not he's really all that dedicated to his career are quite valid.
- Gabriel Bracero UD-8 Danny O'Connor: Another mildly-hyped northeastern fluff prospect bites the dust. The way they build records on these guys leads to the inevitable when they eventually have to take what amounts to a really big step up in class. Matt Remillard's recent loss to Mikey Garcia is an example. O'Connor, since he's punchless and just not all that great, met the wall quicker than others. Bracero's a tough guy and can box a little, so hopefully we see him back on ShoBox, maybe next time against someone who can punch so we get a contrast in styles. This was a pillow-fight.
- Vincent Arroyo MD-8 Willie Nelson: Looks like Willie's breakthrough interview came out a little premature. Arroyo put a spotlight on Nelson's flaws, mainly his bustable chin. If Nelson weren't so crazy tall, this wouldn't have even been close, but he is so it was. The good news is that being a 6'3" welterweight is its own advantage. Time to learn to use the length and not get hit. He was a legitimate amateur standout, so the ability to learn is there.
After the jump: Danny Williams in Germany! Alexei Collado in the UK! Full Solo Boxeo results! More!
Hamburg, Germany
- Danny Williams KO-1 Laszlo Toth: For some reason, Danny Williams has decided to resume his boxing career after his embarrassing all-but-forfeit loss to Dereck Chisora last May, when he "trained" himself and showed up flabby at 273 pounds, offering no resistance to the younger fighter. But he came back on March 5 in Germany and beat a guy who was 2-21-2 coming in, and yesterday stopped Toth in the first. Williams is 37 and while I haven't seen a weight for this fight, he was 271 against the can last month. This is probably more novelty than serious comeback.
Barnsley, England
- Alexei Collado TKO-3 Jose Saez: Collado improves to 14-0 (14 KO).
- Neil Beevers TKO-3 Sean McKervey
Primm, Nevada
- Jessie Vargas RTD-1 Vivian Harris
- Eddie Gomez UD-6 Roberto Lopez
- Bastie Samir D-6 Lester Gonzalez
- Alexander Flores UD-4 Quadtrine Hill
Phuket, Thailand
- Sod Kokietgym UD-12 Jilo Merlin
Clichy, France
- Anthony Mezaache UD-12 Aristedes Perez