Boxing Results (Aug. 17-18, 2012): Salgado Retains, Molina Cruises, Prescott Wins, Spadafora Returns

Puebla, Mexico

Juan Carlos Salgado UD-12 Jonathan Victor Barros: Salgado successfully defended his IBF super featherweight with this win, taken on scores of 116-111, 116-11, and 115-112 against former featherweight titlist Barros of Argentina. It's a solid win for Salgado, who keeps his place in the top five at 130 pounds. Salgado 26-1-1 (16), Barros 34-3-1 (18).

Alejandro Sanabria TKO-8 Seiichi Okada: Sanabria has been taking baby steps toward being a legitimate contender at 135 pounds, and this is another one to add to wins over guys like Rocky Juarez, Balweg Bangoyan, and Alejandro Barrera. Sanabria 33-1-1 (25), Okada 16-3 (9).

Rene Gonzalez SD-11 Ricardo Alvarez: Oh, WBA. You and your 11-round fights. This was for Gonzalez's WBA Fedalatin lightweight title. Scores were 106-105, 107-104 and 105-109. Gonzalez 31-5-1 (23), Alvarez 18-2-3 (12).

Miami, Oklahoma

Carlos Molina UD-10 Damian Frias: Molina had the zero problems expected in this one, winning 100-90 shutout scores on each card. Molina is drastically beyond this level, but with his record, lack of fan base, allegedly ugly style, and actual talent, he has a bitch of a time finding good fights, so he had to fight someone. Molina 20-5-2 (6), Frias 19-5-1 (10).

Don George TKO-6 Dionisio Miranda: George also had no problems, and Miranda was pulled out between the sixth and seventh rounds of a one-sided fight. George is reportedly now going to face Adonis Stevenson on October 13 in Montreal. George 23-2-1 (20), Miranda 21-8-2 (18).

Miami, Florida

Breidis Prescott UD-8 Francisco Figueroa: Prescott won on scores of 79-71, 78-71, and 77-73, but did get dropped in the fifth round. Figueroa has never been a top-tier guy or anything, and he's also been terribly inactive. At his best he was tricky. But he's a decent fighter and there's nothing wrong with this as a stay-busy fight for Prescott, who probably ran around Miami screaming about Amir Khan all weekend. Prescott 26-4 (20), Figueroa 20-5-1 (13).

Rances Barthelemy UD-8 Alejandro Rodriguez: Barthelemy, the 300th guy to be nicknamed "Kid Blast," just might be a Cuban worth keeping tabs on. He doesn't have the big amateur background, but at 26 he's fairly young still, and has pretty good thus far as a pro. He's still got level after level to hit, but I see some FNFs in his future in 2013. Barthelemy 17-0 (11), Rodriguez 14-7 (7).

Yunieski Gonzalez UD-10 Jermain Mackey: Mackey's a pretty tough southpaw veteran. He's not good, really, at all, but he's valuable as a stepping stone. Isn't that weird to say about human beings taking punishment for a living? Gonzalez 9-0 (5), Mackey 18-6 (14).

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Joel Diaz Jr TKO-2 Guillermo Sanchez: 20-year-old super featherweight Diaz continues to annihilate the competition following his January ShoBox war with Guy Robb, who was outgunned in many ways but had the big steel balls to hang in for seven rounds (and probably could have lasted all eight). Diaz has a bit of an ego on him, if you read into the interviews with him sometimes, but that's not the worst thing. He also stays busy and has a load of talent. Everyone this good, this young, has an ego. Diaz 11-0 (10), Sanchez 13-7-1 (5).

Glen Tapia KO-1 Franklin Gonzalez: Since we've been hearing about Jersey junior middleweight Tapia for years now, due to his sparring with Manny Pacquiao and the like, it seems like his career has kind of stalled. Then you realize he's only 22 years old still and he's just had his 15th pro fight. Tapia may not be a blue chipper, but he's got a great approach in the ring. He's going to get there, I think. He's not flashy, but he's effective. As for Franklin Gonzalez, why, it wasn't too long ago that he was a big opponent for top contender Dmitriy Salita! Tapia 15-0 (9), Gonzalez 15-11 (10).

Hammond, Indiana

Fres Oquendo TKO-7 Robert Hawkins: You know, you can make a case that Fres Oquendo still deserves to be a top ten heavyweight. The last time he lost a fight that I did not have serious questions about was in 2004. Since then his losses to Evander Holyfield, James Toney, Jean-Marc Mormeck, and Oliver McCall have all been highly questionable. From where I sit, I'll say he was flat-out robbed against Toney, McCall, and Mormeck, and the Holyfield fight was at the very least extremely questionable. I'm not saying that Fres, now 39, would be beating these guys in the top ten. It's not like Holyfield, Toney, Mormeck, and McCall were very good when he fought them, and it's not as if the guys he's beating now are top fighters. But he still has a little left in the gas tank. How much? Well, we'll see if Alexander Povetkin tries to get him in for an optional defense after his terrifying mandatory title defense against the shell of Hasim Rahman. I can say this: Oquendo would have been better than Rahman for that fight, better than Mormeck or Tony Thompson against Wladimir, and frankly he'd probably have been a better opponent for Vitali than Manuel Charr is going to be. At the very least, he's ON that level. I don't say this because I think Oquendo is the great underrated heavyweight, or because I think he deserves world title shots. I'm just saying that in the state of today's heavyweight division, he's a contender. Why not? Oquendo 35-7 (23), Hawkins 23-20 (7).

Chester, West Virginia

Paul Spadafora UD-8 Humberto Toledo: Spadafora's with Square Ring now. Because they're known for advancing careers. Spadafora 46-0-1 (19), Toledo 41-8-2 (25).

Brian Minto TKO-4 Mike Sheppard: Minto's still Minto, chubby little heavyweight king of Pennsylvania, fighting his ass off. Minto 37-5 (24), Sheppard 20-14-1 (9).

Other Results

Guadalajara, Mexico: Jose Emilio Perea MD-12 Jose "Piston" Lopez, Giovanni Caro TKO-4 Mario Macias ... Cebu City, Philippines: Jason Pagara TKO-6 Rosbel Montoya, Genesis Servania UD-12 Jorge Pazos, Jimrex Jaca KO-8 Angel Martinez ... Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico: Jackie Nava TKO-3 Lisa Brown, Rodrigo Guerrero RTD-5 Jonathan Lecona Ramos.