Weekend Boxing Roundup: Moreno retains, Pedraza wins IBO belt, Galahad picks up European title, more

It wasn't the biggest weekend for fights, but we did see Tony Thompson upset Odlanier Solis in Turkey on a split decision to stay in the heavyweight mix, and easy wins for Vanes Martirosyan and Anthony Peterson on ESPN Friday Night Fights.

Here's a rundown of some other notable fights from the rest of the world.

Ponce, Puerto Rico

Jose Pedraza UD-12 Alberto Garza
Pedraza (16-0, 10 KO) picked up the vacant IBO super featherweight title with this win, which matters to you, maybe, or doesn't, if you're sane and don't feel like giving a fifth sanctioning body credit or attention for introducing "world" titles when even less than the other four, they cannot deliver fitting world title fights. Still, "Sniper" Pedraza, 24, is one of the few young Puerto Rican fighters who hasn't flamed out ahead of schedule in the last few years, so that's something, and he's a good looking young fighter to keep an eye on for the future, without question. Scores were 119-109, 118-110, and 117-111.

"This was another fight where I went the distance and learned a lot." said Pedraza after the bout. "I'm working on everything each time I step in the ring. I'm feeling more comfortable while I'm honing in on my skills to get better. I feel I'm ready to fight any of the other world champions in my division, but I'm going to leave that up to my promoters, Gary Shaw, Lou DiBella and Javier Bustillo. I'll fight anyone anywhere. I'm ready to make my people proud. Fighting in Puerto Rico is the best."

Reynaldo Ojeda KO-3 Fernando Torres
This was a rematch of a fight from June 2013, which Ojeda won when Torres retired after the sixth round. Torres (18-5-1, 10 KO) actually hadn't fought since then. I don't know why this fight was made. Maybe there was a great reason. 25-year-old lightweight prospect Ojeda is now 13-0 (8 KO).

Also on the card, Jean "Chapito" Rivera and Luis Paredes made their pro debuts, both winning.

Panama City, Panama

Anselmo Moreno UD-12 Javier Nicolas Chacon
Golden Boy squeezed about all the juice they were going to get out of Moreno (35-2-1, 12 KO) when they matched him with Abner Mares in a super bantamweight loss in November 2012, and since then he's fought just twice, both times outside of the States, both easy wins over fringe contenders. He's still the WBA bantamweight champ and probably the best 118-pound fighter in the world, but don't expect to see him back on U.S. TV. Or maybe you will. Who knows? The world is messed up, man.

Caguas, Puerto Rico

Jorge Melendez UD-10 Richard Gutierrez
Melendez (28-3-1, 26 KO) won by decision for the first time since 2011, when he outpointed Eric Mitchell on unanimous 96-94 cards, beating Gutierrez (27-13-1, 17 KO) over 10 rounds. The Puerto Rican puncher has now won two straight since a loss last June to Nick Brinson.

Felix Verdejo TKO-3 Juan Santiago
Verdejo improved to 11-0 (8 KO) with a pretty easy win over veteran opponent Santiago (14-12-1, 8 KO), another stepping stone for the Puerto Rican's promising young career. Verdejo is slated to return on April 19 in Orlando, currently scheduled to meet Jeremy McLaurin (10-7-1, 5 KO).

Sheffield, England

Kid Galahad UD-12 Sergio Prado
On Channel 5, Galahad (16-0, 8 KO) picked up the vacant European super bantamweight title with a win over Prado (9-4-1, 3 KO), a Spaniard underdog who fought about as well as could have been reasonably expected. Scores were 120-108, 118-110, and 117-111. The 24-year-old Galahad may work his way to world level sooner than later. Whether he'll be successful there is harder to tell.

Travis Dickinson TKO-3 Danny McIntosh
Dickinson (16-1, 6 KO) handed McIntosh (14-6, 7 KO) his fifth loss in his last six fights, with the only win in that stretch coming in a Prizefighter tournament over Neil Dawson. Dickinson gains the English light heavyweight title -- which was vacant -- with the win.

Matty Clarkson PTS-10 Lee Duncan
Clarkson is now 12-1-2 (3 KO), Duncan falling to 5-9-2 (0 KO). The referee's score was 97-94.

Junior Witter PTS-6 Max Maxwell
Familiar face Maxwell (16-41-3, 4 KO) did his usual job in losing to Witter (42-7-2, 22 KO), the former WBC, European, British, and Commonwealth junior welterweight champ, and former British welterweight champ. Witter, now 40, had lost two straight after a win in 2012 over Colin Lynes.

Los Mochis, Mexico

Humberto Soto UD-10 Juan Carlos Abreu
Soto (63-8-2, 35 KO) keeps plugging along, sort of like a smaller Marco Antonio Rubio, beating easy opponents and waiting for title shots. Abreu (16-1-1, 15 KO) did have an unbeaten record coming into the fight, but he hadn't fought anyone. The Dominican fighter mostly built his record at home, with one fight in Argentina, before fighting to a draw in his U.S. debut last time out in a six-rounder.

Hugo Ruiz TKO-1 Ramon Maas
Former bantamweight title challenger Ruiz (34-2, 30 KO) stays in the mix with an easy win over Maas (26-4, 15 KO), who has now lost four of five.

Monterrey, Mexico

Vivian Harris MD-10 Jorge Paez Jr
Harris (32-9-2, 19 KO) was a short-notice opponent for Junior Paez (37-5-1, 22 KO), and made good on the opportunity, winning his third straight fight, continuing to breathe a bit of life into his career at age 35. He's not going to become a contender again, but this and his win over Danny O'Connor at least mean that he's still a decent pro opponent at a certain level.

Francisco Rodriguez Jr TKO-10 Merlito Sabillo
An upset, as Sabillo (23-1-1, 12 KO) falls to 0-1-1 in his last two after a great start to his pro career. The strawweight contender was knocked down in round two by Rodriguez (14-2, 10 KO), and was finished in the 10th, losing his WBO title.

Pontedera, Italy

Christopher Rebrasse TKO-4 Mouhamed Ali Ndiaye
France's Rebrasse (22-2-3, 6 KO) won the vacant European super middleweight title over Ndiaye (23-2-1, 13 KO), a Senegalese fighter now based in Italy.

Benavidez, Argentina

Juan Carlos Reveco KO-2 Manuel Vides
Reveco (33-1, 18 KO) moves on with an easy WBA flyweight title defense over Vides (15-3, 9 KO), a Panamanian who had won five straight against limited foes. Next time you see a fight like Peter Quillin-Lukas Konecny -- I'm not saying don't call it the on-paper mismatch it is, but realize that even crappier world title fights are made all the time, they just don't air on Showtime or HBO.

Victor Emilio Ramirez TKO-4 Glendy Hernandez
Ramirez, 29, is a former WBO cruiserweight titlist who disappeared after a 2009 loss to Marco Huck. He returned after over four years away from the ring with a December 2013 victory over Thabiso Mogale in a heavyweight fight, and has won three more since then, back at cruiserweight. Ramirez (19-2, 15 KO) is certainly still young enough to perhaps turn into a factor in the division once more.

San Juan City, Philippines

Michael Farenas TKO-2 Hector Velazquez
Mexican veteran Velazquez (56-21-3, 38 KO) took four tries to make weight for this fight. The BoxRec report has this in brief: "A severe cut was suffered by Velasquez on his right eyelid near the nose bridge. Referee Bruce McTavish ruled that the cut was caused by a punch. TV relays showed that the cut was caused by an accidental headbutt." Farenas (38-4-4, 30 KO) is perhaps best known for giving Yuriorkis Gamboa a scare on the Pacquiao-Marquez IV undercard in 2012.

Methyr Tydfil, Wales

Frankie Borg PTS-10 Kerry Hope
Hope (20-7, 1 KO) had been announced as the next foe for prospect Chris Eubank Jr, but this loss to Borg (9-2, 3 KO) probably puts the kibosh on that. Probably. It's certainly not definite. Borg's previous fight was a TKO-6 loss to Eubank in November.

Brooklyn, New York

Lamar Russ NC-1 Tony Hirsch
Russ (14-1, 7 KO) had an HBO shot in December, a loss to Matthew Macklin, and was looking to get back in the winner's circle here against Hirsch (15-6-2, 6 KO). An accidental headbutt opened a fight-stopping cut on Hirsch in the first round, and the bout was called off after the frame.

Joe Smith Jr RTD-2 Michael Gbenga
Smith (15-1, 12 KO) is a light heavyweight prospect who lost a fight early in his career to Eddie Caminero, back in 2010, but he's rattled off nine straight wins since then. Gbenga (18-12, 18 KO) is a limited puncher who is now 0-9 when fighting outside of Africa.

Chester, Pennsylvania

Eric Hunter UD-10 Yenifel Vicente
Hunter (18-3, 9 KO) rebounds from a DQ-1 loss to Mike Oliver last year with a points win over Vicente (25-3-2, 17 KO), who loses his second straight. The 27-year-old Hunter has only lost three fights in his career, two by disqualification, another by split decision back in 2007.