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Welcome to a never before and hopefully never again Friday edition of my weekly recaps column. Catch the previous, less delayed installment here. I could tell you why it took so long to put this out, but I've wrote enough as it is. This installment is as long as 2 of my average columns, which are already really long. If there's a card you've been waiting to read about and it's not here, I'll eat my hat.
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2013-02-21 The Melbourne Pavilion, Flemington, Victoria, Australia
Fox Sports Australia
Fred Tukes SD10 Samuel Colomban (94-96, 97-94, 96-95)
Colomban controlled most of the opening round with his jab but got picked apart and knocked off balance down the stretch. In round 2 Tukes was the one that was reeling. Round 3 was untidy and didn't leave much to choose from. Colomban took the fight to Tukes in rounds 4 and 5. Then the canvas took the fight to Colomban in round 6...
The painted canvas must have gotten pretty slippery in there due to all the fallen sweat. Consequently Colomban fell and wobbled all over the place. Even Tukes began to lose balance by the end. Nonetheless, since the knee buckling had nothing to do with Fred's punches, it was still a Samuel round.
Then an odd decision was made. Tukes took off his shoes for round 7. Considering Tukes fights southpaw and Colomban fights orthodox, it seemed like a bad idea. I mean, Tukes was practically begging Colomban to step on his feet. But it appeared to be a well calculated risk. Tukes weathered any foot discomfort and managed to time Colomban and land big shots.
Colomban then dug into his own bag of tricks and chose to box the 8th round around the edges of the ring where there was no paint. Tukes would bait him to come to ring center, but Colomban was too smart. Prior to the next round Colomban opted to take his shoes off as well, allowing him to work all areas of the ring like Tukes. Ironically, both fighters slipped and fell to the canvas in round 9. It was a close round, but I favored Colomban. The 10th was equally close and I edged that round to Tukes based on the unofficial knockdown (punches landed but no chance Colomban falls if the canvas isn't slippery).
The Australian commentators figured any group of people watching the fight would be split as to who they thought won, and so were the official judges. Personally I had the fight for Colomban, but there were enough swing rounds to not call this an outright robbery. In any event Tukes picked up the vacant Australian welterweight title and is now 11-1-1.
Michael Zerafa UD10 Adrian Campbell [WBC Asia Council Continental light middleweight title]
Jake Carr UD6 Jeremy Allan
Czar Amonsot RTD6 Addisu Tebebu
Tebebu injured his hand (may have broken it) and quit in his corner after 6 completed rounds. He was ultimately broken down after getting dropped in the 4th. Consequently Amonsot became the new Australian light welterweight champion and improved his record to 23-3-3.
Ibrahim Balla KO1 Gasper Buhat
This is the pro debut for 2012 Olympian Balla. He apparently already has his next 3 fight dates scheduled according to BoxRec... If he gets many more knockouts like these he'll be a star in no time.
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2013-02-21 Roseland Ballroom, New York, New York, USA
Ivan Redkach TKO1 Sergio Rivera
A right uppercut followed by an overhand left caused Rivera's right glove to touch the canvas midway through the round but the referee apparently missed it. However, it was hardly relevant. 20 seconds later a barrage of power shots caused Rivera to take a knee. Rivera beat the count but never answered the referee when asked if he wanted to continue.
After the fight promoter Lou Dibella said he wanted to put Redkach in with an undefeated prospect next. He thinks Redkach will be ready for the top of the division within 6 months to a year.
Travis Peterkin TKO3 Thomas Turner
Throughout the bout Peterkin teed off on his overmatched opponent, who offered next to nothing back offensively. The referee had no choice but to stop the fight in round 3 after Turner was hurt and basically stopped returning fire during a long barrage from Peterkin.
Thomas Dulorme KO1 Eddie Brooks
Dulorme blinded Brooks with a jab and ended the night with a single right hook. This was Dulorme's first fight since his 7th round TKO loss to Luis Carlos Abregu. There was nothing new to be learned about Dulorme from this fight.
Keisher McLeod Wells UD6 Jacqueline Park
Defensively both women left a lot to be desired in this back and forth see-saw battle. Wells connected more often but Park landed the bigger shots. Wells began to edge the fight in the 2nd half as she managed to mostly stay out of Park's range but didn't dominate until the last round.
Patrick Day RTD1 Dominique Foster
Foster did a lot of ducking his head down and holding in the first round. He was out classed. Consequently he quit in the corner once the round ended. His trainer tried to talk him out of it, but to no avail.
Louis Cruz KO3 Demond Brock
A single check left hook put Brock down for the count. Ironically Brock was trying to land a left hook of his own before he was caught.
Neuky Santelises TKO1 Denis Madriz
Right hands and left hooks punished Madriz to the ropes and knocked out his mouthpiece. The referee promptly waved the fight off. It's not so much that Madriz was badly hurt yet, but he just wasn't properly defending himself.
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2013-02-22 Polideportivo Néstor Kirchner, Miramar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
TV Publica
Ricardo Marcelo Ramallo UD10 Richard Vidal (98-92½, 97½-94½, 98-94)
Ramallo had the upper hand in athletic ability and technique but Vidal was gritty and determined to make his younger opponent earn it. Violent exchanges ensued. In the 8th round and just when it seemed Ramallo was starting to win easily, he's dropped by a right hook / left hook combination and nearly knocked through the ropes later by a right hook. The scares of the 8th round put Ramallo on the defensive in the 9th but he was able to land good counter shots in the process. It was a close round, as were several in the fight.
The 10th round played out like much of the rest of the fight. Ramallo dominated most of it by boxing and Vidal exploded in spots to out slug his younger opponent. However, the spots simply were not long enough in duration to earn Vidal the victory. Consequently Ramallo improved to 14-3 [1 NC] and picked up the vacant WBC Latino super middleweight title.
Sergio Javier Escobar SD6 Federico Jesus Benjamin Malaspina
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2013-02-22 Palasport, Montalto di Castro, Lazio, Italy
BoxeLive.it
Gianluca Branco UD12 Lukasz Maciec (118-110, 116-112, 118-110)
Nine years ago Branco dropped a decision to the legendary (and now hall of famer) Arturo Gatti. He was 32-0-1 back then. Now at the age of 42 he finds himself with a record of 47-3-1 and a European Union welterweight title around his waist, still unbeaten on home soil. He's honestly not a bad boxer...same goes for his older brother Silvio. The speed and reflexes that these middle aged men still have is perplexing to say the least. It's got to be good genes, or, well, you know...
Simona Galassi RTD2 Gabriella Vicze
Designated opponent Vicze quit on her stool after taking a beating for 2 rounds at the hands of former 2 time world champion Galassi.
Felice Moncelli PTS6 Andrea Pesce
Alessandro Sinacore TKO3 Patrik Palik
Carel Sandon PTS6 Zoltan Horvath
Emanuele Blandamura TKO4 Zoltan Surman
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2013-02-22 Strada Henri Coanda, Galati, Romania
Eurosport / Russia TV 2 / Romania Pro TV
Christian Hammer RTD6 Oleksiy Mazikin
It's hard to call a fight of this significance the main event of the evening, but it did feature the local favorite (Hammer) and was the last televised bout on the card. In any event, Mazikin started strong but seemed to fade after 2 rounds. After 6 rounds he quit altogether. That being said, it was a fairly good fight while it lasted.
Hammer is now 13-3 and has made the 1st defense of his WBO European heavyweight title. The 38 year old Mazikin may be better off going back to the 3 rounds format of the Bigger's Better tournaments.
Alexander Alekseev UD12 Garrett Wilson (117-111, 118-112, 116-112)
Alekseev more or less made easy work out of the rugged Philadelphian Garrett Wilson. Wilson was very inactive through most of the fight, didn't move his head much, and was rarely close enough to effectively assault Alekseev or far away enough to avoid getting picked off from range. Wilson finally picked up his activity a bit in the late rounds as Alekseev coasted to victory, but it was too little too late. Alekseev didn't do anything fancy or take many risks, but was consistent, composed, and fundamentally sound. The difference in amateur pedigrees between the two fighters was made evident.
With the victory Alekseev became the new #1 contender for Yoan Pablo Hernandez's IBF cruiserweight title and is now 24-2-1. Wilson falls to 13-6-1 and will likely defend his USBA cruiserweight title next.
Manuel Charr RTD2 Yakup Saglam
Charr went life and death with Saglam in this 2 round firefight. Unfortunately Saglam apparently injured his right shoulder in the process, and promptly quit...
Thus Charr successfully defended his WBC International Silver heavyweight title and improved to 23-1, his sole loss to Vitali Klitschko. Since losing to Klitschko one does have to question the nature of Charr's comeback wins... The way his opponents lost is suspect to say the least.
Noel Gevor TKO1 Slavomir Selicky
Selicky was dropped less than a minute into the round and stopped on his feet a few moments later. Gevor improved to 6-0 with 4 knockouts. The 22 year old cruiserweight prospect has potential.
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2013-02-22 Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, Cabazon, California, USA
Showtime
Alejandro Perez UD10 Art Hovhannisyan (96-93, 96-93, 95-94)
On paper this was a quality pick ‘em fight. In the ring it was even better. Hovhannisyan was naturally larger and more polished but Perez dug deep and showed true grit. Many rounds were close and the fight easily could have gone either way, especially considering Perez lost a point for a low blow in round 5. Nonetheless, it appeared Perez's body assault was rewarded by all judges while Hovhannisyan's lack of activity proved costly. Hovhannisyan willingly succumbed to a toe-to-toe war down the stretch, but was still out hustled.
With the victory Perez improved to 17-3-1 and picked up the NABO junior lightweight title while Hovhannisyan fell to 15-1-2. Since his unexpected destruction of Archie Ray Marquez in 2011, fights have not been easy for Hovhannisyan and he's now 1-1-1 in his last 3, all of them debatable.
Should Perez stay at super featherweight and assume the status once bestowed upon Hovhannisyan or should he move back to featherweight where his power punching is more likely to result in knockouts, ala Derrick Wilson? We shall see.
Tureano Johnson UD8 Willie Fortune
Johnson came to the ring practically in tears and Fortune responded by starting the fight guns blazing. Unfortunately for Fortune, Johnson was a lot more composed in the ring than he looked entering it. Johnson weathered whatever Fortune had to offer and came back stronger. Every judge had it a shutout for Johnson, who was nearly 3 times more accurate and landed 137 more punches according to ShoStats.
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2013-02-22 Community Center, Palm Bay, Florida, USA
Telemundo
Jose Nieves TKO9 Danny Flores
Nieves started the fight trying to cautiously out box Flores, but Flores gradually closed the gap and nearly took Nieves out in round 3. Flores was dropped and on shaky legs for most of the round. The fight had turned from a boxing match into a war as Nieves dished out as much as he took in the 4th round. Both fighters continued to exchange bombs back and forth over the next several rounds until Flores got broken down late in round 8. From there on his offense was pretty feeble and Nieves easily dispensed with him in the next round. Flores was stopped on his feet after going down moments earlier.
Thus another chapter was closed in the Puerto Rico vs Mexico rivalry. With the victory Nieves improved to 22-2-3 and picked up the vacant WBO Latino bantamweight title.
Yunier Dorticos RTD3 Willie Herring
Herring made it out of the 3rd round but succumbed to exhaustion and chose not to come out for the 4th.
Ariel Vega TKO4 Jose Rodriquez
Rodriguez took a knee after a much delayed reaction to a right hand. When the referee began to count Rodriguez shook his head to indicate he didn't want to continue.
Ahmed Elbiale KO1 Pernell Mitchell
Debutant Elbiale's right cross made Telemundo's "Golpe de la Noche" (translates to "Punch of the Night").
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2013-02-23 Club Olimpo, Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina
TyC Sports
Alejandra Marina Oliveras UD10 Dayana Cordero (96-92, 98-90, 98-90)
Cordero countered Oliveras well in round 1 but "Locomotora" steamrolled over her in rounds 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Round 3 was pretty even. Sure, the steamrolling involved a lot of uncalled low blows, somewhere between 150 and 300 if I had to guess, but since the referee deemed them legal you have to score them... Cordero's trunks were a bit high, too.
Nonetheless, Oliveras finally lost a point for low blows in round 8 and perhaps 9 (post 9th round deduction was unclear). But it was too little, too late. If it's any consolation to Cordero, TyC had it 97-92 for her (only acknowledging 1 point deduction). They were disinclined to reward Locomotora's fouls. Even still, I find it hard to give Cordero the fight regardless (unless by DQ) because she simply didn't do enough.
Consequently Oliveras improved to 29-2-2 and successfully defended her WBO female featherweight title for the 4th time.
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2013-02-23 Centro de Convenciones de Ixtapa, Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico
Televisa
Jhonny Gonzalez UD12 Eusebio Osejo (115-111, 116-113, 116-110)
After a tight opening round that could have gone either way, a break in action was taken prior to the start of round 2 to take out Osejo's left earing. It was taking so long that the corner whipped out a pair of scissors and just cut it off. Osejo should have known better than to wear one to the ring in the first place. With 37 fights to his name, this wasn't exactly his first rodeo.
In any event, the fight continued and Osejo's activity clearly carried round 2, even if Televisa only showed highlights of what Gonzalez did... Round 3 was another close, debatable round with round 4 going similarly...until the end. With less than 20 seconds to go in round 4 Osejo landed a big left hand that planted Gonzalez on his behind. Gonzalez then intentionally spit out his mouthpiece to buy himself some extra time and consequently lost a point for it. Thus, just like that Osejo took a 10-7 round and at the very least was even with Gonzalez through 4 no matter how awful the judges were.
Thanks to WBC open scoring the judges' scorecards were actually revealed. After 4 rounds one judge had it 37-37 while the others had it 38-37 and 38-36 Osejo. A score of 40-34 Osejo is no more far-fetched than 37-37. After 8 rounds open scoring read 76-74, 76-75, and 76-74, all for Gonzalez. Osejo had to take a moment to pose in disbelief mid-round then turned up the heat. Gonzalez subsequently rallied back and the 2 fighters went to war, which seemed to favor Osejo.
Honestly I only gave Gonzalez 4 rounds in the entire fight, but I can fathom a Gonzalez victory. I just don't like it. Throughout the fight there's no doubt that Gonzalez was cleaner and had the better technique, but he did not land the most punches nor did he land the most effective punches. Too often he was found retreating whilst exhibiting the body language of a hurt or scared fighter.
In any event Gonzalez is now 53-8 and apparently the new WBC United States (USNBC) Silver featherweight champion, a title previously vacant. Gonzalez would like a rematch with Ponce De Leon, but if he fights like he did on this night he'll lose again. And it will probably be by KO.
Jessica Chavez UD10 Irma Sanchez (98-92, 98-92, 99-91)
Sanchez edged the first round by forcing the action. After that Chavez was able to pick Sanchez off and land shots around her guard. Sanchez's defense simply left a lot to be desired and her offense wasn't all that much better (although she at least let her hands go). Open scoring revealed Chavez was winning 39-37, 39-37, and 40-36 after 4 rounds and 78-74, 78-74, and 80-72 after 8 rounds.
By round 9 Sanchez knew she needed a knockout to win but her shots were too slow, too telegraphed, and too off target to get the job done. Chavez boxed beautifully and took Sanchez to school. There was no chance it would end in a split decision like their 1st encounter, which Chavez also won. Thus "Kika" picked up the vacant WBC Silver female light flyweight title and improved to 17-3-2. All 3 losses came to world champions.
There was bad blood between the two combatants going into this fight, but they were all hugs and smiles at the end.
Moises Flores TKO2 Rodolfo Hernandez
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2013-02-23 Gimnasio del Estado, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
Azteca 7 / Uwisio.com
David Sanchez MD12 Marlon Tapales (114-114, 116-112, 115-113)
First of all I'd just like to point out the above scorecards reflect what was announced live. BoxRec reports scores of 116-112, 116-112, and 112-112. I would like to believe BoxRec, but 112-112 makes no sense.
Moving on, the referee missed a knockdown in round 5 when a wild right hook from Tapales sat Sanchez on the lower middle rope. Sanchez was hurt pretty bad but recovered before the round ended. You could say the referee would later return the favor to Tapales in round 8 when he was ruled down from a slip and not the punches that accompanied it. However, Sanchez clearly stepped on Tapales's foot when he dropped him.
Overall I felt Tapales landed the better punches, did the most damage, and employed the best defense. Sanchez might have been more consistent with his work, but that's about the only advantage I'd give him. Still, it was a close fight and I won't cry highway robbery. That being said, Sanchez's hometown fans booed the decision...
In any event Sanchez is now the interim WBC Silver super flyweight champion. I could write an entire article about how absurd it is to have interim Silver champions, but I won't waste my time...
Giovani Segura TKO9 Omar Salado
I've only seen the ending so for now just settle for knowing the result... I read the fight was competitive through 5 rounds before Segura took over and broke Salado down. The referee mercifully stopped it while Salado was still on his feet in round 9.
Jesus Ortega MD4 Alejandro Rendon
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2013-02-23 Mazagan Beach and Golf Ressort, Al Jadida, Morocco
MCS
Patrick Bois UD10 Serhiy Demchenko (97-94, 99-94, 95-94)
In a close bout that easily could have been scored wide for Bois, the Frenchman walked through his opponent's jab and landed the biggest power shots. Bois was able to pick off most of Demchenko's jabs with his high, tight guard. Demchenko did mix up his offense a bit, landing some punishing body hooks and uppercuts in round 4.
By the 6th round Demchecko found himself trading with his more powerful opponent and consequently took the worst of it. Demchecko was clearly fading as Bois kept plodding along like business as usual. It led to increased exchanges and produced a fun fight, but one that Bois clearly won. Both fighters let it all out in a great 10th and final round.
With the victory Bois improved to 9-1-1 and apparently picked up the vacant WBF International light heavyweight title. Demchenko fell to 14-5 and walked away with a cut, bruised, and swollen left eye. Bois's right eye was completely shut and the left was pretty swollen too.
Samir Ziani TKO6 Hermin Isava
Isava was on his way down at the end of round 4 but the bell rang. Ziani, however, was disinclined to stop his combination and followed through to get the knockdown. The referee didn't count it, but he also didn't take a point from Ziani or give Isava extra time to recover. Ziani kept up his relentless pressure in the 5th and officially dropped Isava before the end of the round. Since there was still some time left on the clock Ziani tried to fight through the bell again, but the referee literally yanked him away at the bell. Then, after giving Isava a standing 8 count in the 6th, the ref stopped the fight moments later. Isava was no longer adequately defending himself.
Thus Ziani improved to 14-0-1. With his relentlessness on this night it's a mystery to me as to why he only has 3 knockouts. This 22 year old southpaw has already gone 10 and 12 rounds and just may develop into a quality world level fighter someday.
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2013-02-23 Ergo Arena, Plac Dwóch Miast 1, 80-344 Gdańsk, Gdansk, Poland
Polsat Sport PPV
Przemyslaw Saleta KO6 Andrew Golota
In this battle of 1990s heavyweights, the fighter who never succeeded at world level came through on this night. Golota, once among the very best heavyweights in the world, hasn't won a fight since he beat Mike Mollo in 2008. Saleta on the other hand hadn't had a fight at all since beating Ed Perry in 2006. His time off apparently left him better preserved.
Saleta-Golota ended up a jumbo mini war. The loyal fans in attendance cheered as if it was the heavyweight championship of the world. I'd say the beginning of the end for Golota came in round 3 as he was wobbled near the end. After that he simply ate too many clean shots. Golota spit out his mouthpiece twice in round 4 to buy himself some time and consequently lost a point for it. Golota would however come back to have a solid round 5 but it still ate the cleanest shots. It effectively amounted to his last stand. After a series of uppercuts, hooks and right hands, Golota "lost" his mouthpiece twice more in round 6 before falling into a left hook that put him down for the count.
Thus the fight ended. Golota's face looked like a crime scene while Saleta's face looked fairly unscathed. They say power is last to go on a fighter, and Golota's was clearly gone. It's a disgrace to the sport that this bout was even sanctioned. Nonetheless, the sold out Polish crowd appeared to feel that they got their monies worth. Masochists...
Krzysztof Zimnoch TKO1 Damian Trzcinski
Trzcinski was caught by a left hook he never saw coming and went down. He wasn't given time to recover and was put down again moments later, this time by a straight right.
With the victory Zimnoch improved to 14-0 with 11 knockouts. He's scheduled to face Mike Mollo at the end of June. He hopes he can do better than countryman Artur Szpilka.
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2013-02-23 Coliseo Cosme Beitia Salamo, Catano, Puerto Rico
WAPA
Edgardo Lopez UD8 Orlando Vazquez (79-73, 78-74, 77-75)
Two minutes into the 1st round Lopez landed a big left hook. History would later repeat itself at nearly the same time in round 4. Vazquez rallied in round 5, pushing Lopez back with jabs and straight right hands, but gave away ground down the stretch. Lopez came back to win round 6 by doing a Floyd Mayweather impersonation. Overall Lopez just walked Vazquez down and punished him with power shots. By the 8th round Vazquez was purely on his bicycle, merely trying to get to the finish line.
This was an immediate rematch following their prior draw. Sasso Lopez improved to 6-0-1 while Vazquez fell to 5-2-1.
Angel Acosta TKO2 Cristian Lopez
The only reason this knockout was "technical" is because the referee didn't bother to count. A straight right hand put Lopez to sleep.
Alberto Machado TKO1 Efrain Salgado
Carlos Cotto TKO1 Jesus Gonzalez
As far as the sweet science goes, this heavyweight fight was a farce. But it sure was fun.
Joel Collazo UD4 Luis Hernandez
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2013-02-23 York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, United Kingdom
Sky Sports televised the 3rd International Heavyweights installment of the Prizefighter tournament. It was the 29th Prizefighter overall.
Feature Fight: Thomas Stalker PTS4 Kristian Laight
Stalker, a 2012 light welterweight Olympian, made his pro debut against a fighter with 152 fights. However, only 7 of those fights were wins... Referee Terry O'Connor rightfully had it a shutout (40-36). Stalker was impressive but didn't do anything to get fans excited about him.
Quarter-Final 1: Martin Rogan TKO3 Albert Sosnowski
Both fighters stunned each other within the opening seconds and it nearly degenerated into an MMA bout. However, things settled down and it turned back into an expected boxing match. Through most of 2 rounds it was a close fight that could have gone either way...until Rogan knocked Sosnowski out of the ring at the end of round 2. Rogan actually landed a punch in the back of Sosnowski's head and Sosnowski's own momentum sent him flying, so it wasn't ruled a knockdown. It however did signal the beginning of the end for Sosnowski. Right hands continually stunned Sosnowski in round 3 and the referee stopped it while he was still on his feet.
Quarter-Final 2: Audley Harrison TKO1 Claus Bertino
A single counter left hand had Bertino out on his feet. The referee had no choice but to stop it as only the ropes kept Bertino up.
Quarter-Final 3: Ian Lewison TKO1 Timo Hoffman
Hoffman was bigger, but not better. Lewison chopped him down with an overhand right hook. Hoffman easily beat the count but didn't come forward when the ref asked him to, thus the fight was waved off to Hoffman's dismay. Hoffman may have not understood what the referee said due to a language barrier.
Quarter-Final 4: Derric Rossy SD3 Travis Walker
Walker, the favorite to win the entire tournament, underperformed because he was forcing power shots rather than letting them land naturally. Consequently he rarely landed clean at all. However, to be fair, Rossy did play a spoiler. Nevertheless Rossy still landed the cleaner punches and deserved the win in an uneventful fight.
Semi-Final 1: Audley Harrison UD3 Martin Rogan
Martin Rogan won Prizefighter back in 2008 and followed that up by defeating Harrison in a 10 rounder. This rematch went quite differently. Harrison kept Rogan at range and picked him apart. Fans booed, but it got the job done. Rogan failed miserably to get inside and work.
Semi-Final 2: Derric Rossy SD3 Ian Lewison
Both fighters landed good shots in a fairly even opening round. Then, early in round 2, Rossy was stunned and got his nose busted. He would later have his moments, but Lewison always answered back with something even better. In round 3 Rossy didn't have much left to offer in the power department but stayed busy and won the round on activity. The official scorecards should have only depended on the 1st round, which could have gone either way. Sky Sports reported that their viewer poll had it 85% in favor of Lewison. Fans in attendance appeared to feel the same way. Personally, I wouldn't have given the fight to Rossy either. But I may have scored it a draw...
Final: Audley Harrison TKO2 Derric Rossy
Before any punches were thrown there was a clear difference in the mileage on each fighter. Harrison looked fresh without a mark on him while Rossy was bruised on his right shoulder and face and his right eye was swollen. Harrison only made it worse once the bell rang and punctuated the 1st round by dropping Rossy with a counter left cross. It was all academic from there on. Harrison dropped Rossy again in round 2 with another left hand and the referee rightfully waved the fight off.
Thus Harrison, who said he would retire if he lost this tournament, will continue his career. He came in at a career low weight of 237lbs and did not appear drained. He honestly looked very comfortable at the weight. But does that mean he has a chance to finally realize his dreams and become world champion? Probably not...but don't be surprised if he gets another title shot.
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2013-02-23 C. Robert Lee Center, Hawaiian Gardens, California, USA
UniMas
Chris Avalos RTD4 Jose Luis Araiza
Prior to the accidental clash of heads in round 4, Araiza gave Avalos a decent test. Unfortunately the clash left a big gash above Araiza's right eye. Surprisingly the doctor actually said Araiza was OK to continue, but he refused.
Subsequently Avalos advanced his record to 21-2. His last loss came to the current IBF super bantamweight champion Jonathan Romero. Romero had to come off the floor to pull out a split decision.
Trevor McCumby UD6 Ricardo Campillo
Erick De Leon UD4 Paul Velarde
According to BoxRec this should read "Eric DeLeon UD4 Carlos Gonzalez". But I'll go ahead and believe UniMas...
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2013-02-23 Quiet Cannon, Montebello, California, USA
All Star Boxing
Anatoliy Dudchenko TKO5 Sabou Ballogou
After an incredibly boring game of cat and mouse through 4 rounds, where 2 of the official judges had Ballogou ahead while the other had it even, Dudchenko proved he could counter as well as he could put an audience to sleep. Quick, short straight right hands disoriented Ballogou and put him down 2 of 3 times. In between both right hand knockdowns a wild left hook also dropped Ballogou. The referee immediately waved the fight off upon the 3rd knockdown.
With the victory Dudchenko picked up the vacant NABA USA light heavyweight title and improved to 18-2. He's now riding a 15 fight winning streak. Hopefully his fights are more entertaining in the future, especially if he starts getting TV time.
Ismayl Sillakh KO2 Daniel Adotey Allotey
I haven't actually seen or found this fight yet, but it was the most interesting bout on the card to me. I was really high on Sillakh before he was upset by Denis Grachev 10 months ago. I'm still hoping that loss was only a setback and not an indication that he isn't as good as I thought.
In any event Sillakh got back to his winning ways and is scheduled to fight again next month. Good to see he's making up for lost time.
Charles Martin TKO1 Anthony Hinson
This is a must see knockout. It's more hilarious than brutal.
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2013-02-23 Bally's Event Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
This entire card, broadcasted by GFL.TV, was previously recapped in detail here.
Patrick Majewski UD10 Jamaal Davis (98-92, 99-91, 99-91)
Lionell Thompson RTD2 Chuck Mussachio
Joshua Reyes UD4 Tommy Garcia
Anthony Prescott D4 Saud Clark
Greg Jackson MD4 Gilbert Alex Sanchez
Anthony Burgin UD4 Elvis Rodriguez
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2013-02-23 Paramount Theatre, Huntington, New York, USA
NBC Sports
Vyacheslav Glazkov D10 Malik Scott (96-94, 95-95, 92-98)
A lot of people thought this was a highway robbery. A lot of people were surprised how well Scott did. I say forget all that. I'm going to keep it real with you. Glazkov did better than I thought he would.
Honestly, I saw a close fight. Apart from an opening round or two, Scott was not winning rounds by wide margins. He narrowly pulled them out. When you narrowly pull a round out, judges are going to disagree with who deserved to win it. That's just boxing. It's a very subjective sport.
Both fighters did good things. Malik's jab was the single most effective weapon in the fight and his check left hook wasn't bad either. Malik landed the cleanest punches, but Vyacheslav landed a lot of strong, partially deflected blows. Malik cited his unblemished face as proof that he dominated the fight, but much of Vyacheslav's best work was to the body.
Furthermore Malik's body language betrayed him during the fight. I'm not referring to his "running," which I have no problem with, but rather his reaction to punches that supposedly didn't land. They appeared to knock him off balance. Now that might just be Malik doing that to himself, but viewers have to make a judgment call much like a referee when a punch lands and a fighter slips and falls.
Knockdown or no knockdown? Effective punch or ineffective punch?
I'm not saying Glazkov's power bothered Scott. I'm just pointing out that it often looked that way. Still, I gave the fight to Scott. I just wasn't surprised that it ended in a draw. I figured Scott would have to dominate in order to win a close decision anyways. And just because a 98-92 Scott scorecard is perfectly legitimate, it does not mean he dominated the fight. Fighters who put on performances like this lose allllllllll the time. It might be a sad reality, but c'est la vie.
Nevertheless, both Glazkov and Scott remain unbeaten and true players in the heavyweight division. Scott says he'll stop Glazkov in a rematch and if he really means that I would love to see it. If Glazkov is as tough as I think he is and Scott is willing to take the risks necessary to take him out, it will make for a much better fight.
Chris Algieri UD10 Jose Peralta Alejo
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#QuitCounter2013 increased by 8 and now totals to 33. New additions listed in bold.
2013-01-05 Reyes Sanchez RTD5/TKO6 Ramiro Alcaraz
2013-01-11 Brandon Holmes TKO4 Javier Esparza
2013-01-11 Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym TKO4 Noli Morales
2013-01-12 Hector Alfredo Avila RTD6/TKO7 Emilio Ezequiel Zarate
2013-01-12 Matias Carlos Adrian Rueda RTD3/TKO4 Sergio Alejandro Blanco
2013-01-18 Brandon Riddell TKO1 Eric McNorris
2013-01-19 Khalid Yafai RTD4 Gonzalo Garcia
2013-01-19 Roberto Feliciano Bolonti RTD7/TKO8 Franco Raul Sanchez
2013-01-23 Delen Parsley RTD2 Tyrone Selders
2013-01-23 Eugene Russell KO1 Granson Clark
2013-01-25 Brian Vera TKO10 Serhiy Dzinziruk
2013-01-25 Edgar Santana TKO3 Eddie Soto
2013-01-25 Franklin Lawrence RTD2 Mark Brown
2013-01-25 Omar Douglas RTD2 David Warren Huffman
2013-01-30 Erick Martinez TKO2 Miguel Angel Garcia Nava
2013-02-01 Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo RTD4 Arief Blader
2013-02-08 Kevin Bizier RTD8 Nate Campbell
2013-02-09 Carlos Gabriel Ozan KO1 Modesto Rodriguez
2013-02-09 Javier Francisco Maciel TKO5 Emilio Julio Julio
2013-02-09 Micki Nielsen KO1 Josef Krivka
2013-02-09 Saul Juarez KO10 Armando Torres
2013-02-16 Brandon Cook RTD3 Raul Saiz
2013-02-16 Demetrius Hopkins RTD6 Charles Whittaker
2013-02-16 Jamel Herring RTD3 Carlos Lopez
2013-02-16 Joel Tambwe Djeko TKO6 Bassam Belkhir
2013-02-21 Czar Amonsot RTD6 Addisu Tebebu
2013-02-21 Patrick Day RTD1 Dominique Foster
2013-02-22 Ariel Vega TKO4 Jose Rodriquez
2013-02-22 Christian Hammer RTD6 Oleksiy Mazikin
2013-02-22 Manuel Charr RTD2 Yakup Saglam
2013-02-22 Simona Galassi RTD2 Gabriella Vicze
2013-02-22 Yunier Dorticos RTD3 Willie Herring
2013-02-23 Chris Avalos RTD4 Jose Luis Araiza
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If a bout is not mentioned which took place on one of the above cards it’s most likely because I haven’t got around to watching it yet. In the event that I do watch such a bout at a later time it’s still unlikely I will update this recap. My recaps will be posted on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays, devoted to cards that most casual American boxing fans haven’t seen or heard of. For available footage of the previously reported bouts follow @sweetboxing on twitter. You may also email the author of this piece at rgbivins@gmail.com.