The Past Week in Action 22 August 2016

ERIC ARMIT | August 22, 2016 | 0 Comentarios/ Comments

Miss any of this week’s action in the sport? Get caught up with “The Past Week in Action” by Eric Armit; with a review of all major cards in the boxing for the past week.

The Past Week in Action 22 August 2016

August 19

Rochester, NY, USA: Heavy: Jarrell Miller (18-0-1) W RTD 3 Fred Kassi (18-6-1). Bantam: Antonio Nieves (16-0-2) DREW 10 Alejandro Santiago (11-2-2). Welter: Bakhtiyar Eyubov (11-0) W PTS 10 Karim Mayfield (19-4-1). Light: Mason Menard (32-1) W TKO 9 Bahodir Mamadjonov (19-3).

Miller vs. Kassi

After a slow start Miller proves just too big for Kassi. In the first round Kassi had the better of the early exchanges scoring with good counters as Miller padded forward. Miller scored with some hard body punches at the end of the round although Kassi did enough to win the session. Miller continued to come forward in the second but again Kassi was getting his punches off first. Miller was working the body and ended the round strongly. The third saw Miller in control he was landing thumping rights to the head and hooks and uppercuts to the body and upstairs with Kassi stuck to the ropes and unable to escape as Miller unloaded on him. He took a lot of punishment but survived to the bell and then retired announcing he had injured his right hand in the second round and said he had given himself one more round but things did not improve in the third and he retired. “Big Baby” Miller, 28, retains his WBO NABO title and makes it 15 wins by KO/TKO. A former Muay Thai and K-1K competitor he is rated WBO 7/WBA 9/IBF 9 but is yet to face a rated opponent. The 36-year-old Cameroons boxer Kassi, who is based in New Orleans, is now 0-4-1 in his last 5 fights being knocked out by Amir Mansour, drawing with Chris Arreola, losing on points to Dominic Breazeale and on a technical decision to Hughie Fury. Miller had huge physical advantages: 6’4” (193cm) vs. 6’0” (183cm) and 296.5lbs (134.6kgs, 21 stone) vs. 237 ¼ lbs (107.7kgs., 17 stones) so he had a 60lbs weight advantage He is quite quick despite the weight but the furthest he has gone so far is into the seventh round. He was 22lbs heavier in this fight than when he halted Donovan Dennis in January so putting it on not taking it off. That weight could prove a big burden in a longer fight.

Nieves vs. Santiago

Excellent close bout ends in a draw. Mexican Santiago came in as a replacement but paced the fight well and did not tire. The bout featured plenty of exciting exchanges with Santiago generally getting his punches off first but with Nieves doing some great body work in every round. Neither is a big puncher and neither was able to dominate the fight making the rounds hard to score which was reflected in the cards. Scores 96-94 to Nievas, 96-94 to Santiago and 95-95. Nieves, 29, retains his WBO NABO title but came close to blowing his WBO No 6 rating. Santiago did remarkably well coming in as a late replacement and he put some reality into that excessively high rating of Nieves. Santiago had never fought a ten round bout and had only had two eight round contests so this was a great result for him.

Eyubov vs. Mayfield

Another very close fight as Eyubov gets split verdict over Mayfield. This was a big test for Eyubov. The Kazak boxer had won his previous ten fights by KO/TKO, all inside three rounds and amounting to less than 16 completed rounds. He started fast taking the fight to the more experienced Mayfield who mainly used his superior skills but was also happy to stand and trade. Eyubov’s work was more eye-catching over the early rounds although Mayfield was more accurate. The Kazak boxer’s inexperienced showed as he tired badly over the late rounds and lost a point for low blow in the eighth. Mayfield was throwing more and landing more and seemed to have done enough to earn the decision but it was not to be. Scores 95-92 twice for Eyubov and 95-94 for Mayfield. The 29-year-old Texas-based “Bakha Bullet” had only gone past the first round four times so this was a huge learning fight for him. He showed his strength and his aggression but also his need to improve his skills. “Hard Hitta” Mayfield, 35, was world rated after wins over Ray Serrano and Mauricio Herrera but then fell to back-to-back losses to Thomas Dulorme and Emmanuel Taylor. He was inactive from November 2014 until returning with a good win over Dmitry Mikhaylenko (20-0) in January this year.

Menard vs. Mamadjonov

Menard shows he is for real as he breaks down and halts Mamadjonov. The first round saw Mamadjonov just edge it but Menard was already showing that his tactics were to attack the body to slow the awkward Uzbek fighter. Menard took the second again going to the body but Mamadjonov outworked the Louisiana boxer from the third to the sixth and Menard was showing a cut over his left eye. The fight turned in the seventh when Menard floored Mamadjonov with a right. The Uzbek got up but after the eight count Menard was in charge going to the body again and a series of punches saw Mamadjonov touch down on the canvas briefly for a second count but he made it to the bell. Mamadjonov seemed to have survived the crisis as he outscored Menard who was not forcing enough in the eighth despite having scored two knockdowns. Menard ended it in style in the ninth. He unhinged Mamadjonov’s legs with a heavy right and then poured on the punishment until the referee stopped the fight just as Mamadjonov slumped to the canvas. The 27-year-old “Rock Hard Mighty” wins the vacant WBO NABO title. He has 29 wins in a row and 23 wins by KO/TKO. Despite those statistics having fought almost exclusively in his home State to some extent the jury was still out on Menard due to the modest level of his opposition. However he provided some evidence of his power when he knocked out Eudy Bernardo (21-0) in Verona in April and impressed again here. Texas-based Mamadjonov lost only one of his first 18 fights and that was a split decision to future secondary WBA champion Darleys Perez in 2012. He rebounded with 6 wins before being stopped in eight rounds by IBF title challenger Richard Commey in May last year. Again he had rebuilt this time with two victories including a points win over DeMarcus Corley.

Los Angeles, CA, USA: Light Heavy: Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (17-0) W TKO 3 Oscar Riojas (10-6-1). Super Feather: Ivan Delgado (10-0-1) W TKO 7 Alejandro Ochoa (7-12-2).

Shabranskyy vs. Riojas

Shabranskyy much too big and too good for limited Mexican Riojas. Shabranskyy came out and dictated the fight from the start. He used his longer reach to pierce the guard of Riojas and landed some hard rights. Riojas restricted himself to head down rushes and wild southpaw left hand swings. Shabranskyy ended the round by connecting with three rights. It was more of the same in the second as Shabranskyy continued to hunt down Riojas banging home rights as Riojas continued to lunge forward throwing lefts blindly. Shabranskyy scored early in the third with a straight right and then another one which put Riojas down heavily. He only just beat the count but when two more rights sent him back to the ropes the referee immediately stopped the fight. The 29-year-old Californian-based Ukrainian “Lion Heart” makes it 14 wins by KO/TKO. A majority decision over Yunieski Gonzalez in December has helped him climb to WBC 5/IBF 9. Riojas gets his second loss by KO/TKO. He is 2-6-1 in his last 9 fights with all of the losses being to very good quality opposition.

Delgado vs. Ochoa

Delgado extends his winning run as he halts Ochoa. Delgado put Ochoa down with a left hook in the first and was dangerous with that punch throughout the fight. Ochoa survived that first round thumping and boxed well causing a swelling under Delgado’s right eye in the third but the danger was still there as he was rocked badly with a right in the fourth. Delgado continued to press and got his reward in the seventh when a series of left hooks put Ochoa down for the second time and the referee stopped the fight. The 26-year-old “Striker” was moving up to eight rounds for the first time. Mexican Ochoa’s last six fights have all been against unbeaten fighters and he is 3-3 in that sequence.

San Jose, Costa Rico: Super Feather: Francisco Fonseca (17-0-1) W TKO 4 Luis Gonzalez (21-9-1). Fonseca wins the vacant IBF Inter-Continental title with stoppage of Mexican Gonzalez. Gonzalez had both height and reach over the local fighter but Fonseca just kept coming. Gonzalez landed some hard counters but was taking more than he was handing out. He was given the benefit of a couple of standing counts and in the fourth Fonseca drove Gonzalez around the ring ignoring some hard counters until he had Gonzalez trapped on the ropes. Fonseca then unleashed a series of hooks and uppercuts until Gonzalez slumped to the floor. He beat the count but was unable to continue. Fonseca, 22, drew his first pro fight so now has 17 wins on the bounce. He has 11 wins by KO/TKO and was moving up to ten rounds for the first time. Gonzalez, a former WBC Fecombox champion, had won 4 of his las5 fights in good level domestic contests but this is his fifth loss by KO/TKO.

Sturovo, Slovakia: Welter: Daniel Mehesz (8-0) W TKO 3 Gabor Farkas (14-10-2). Middle: Ericles Torres Marin (12-8-1) W PTS 10 Sandor Micsko (28-12-2).

Mehesz vs. Farkas

Teenager Mehesz wins the vacant Hungarian title with stoppage of more experienced Farkas. The 16-year-old from Budapest turned pro in January and won the WBC Youth Silver title in fifth fight in April. He has 3 wins by KO/TKO and just could be the youngest national champion in boxing today. Farkas, 25, was 7-1-1 in his last 9 fights but has 7 losses by KO/TKO..

Micsko vs. Marin

Minor upset as Marin wins the vacant UBO International title with unanimous decision over Micsko. Scores 98-91, 96-93 and 96-95 all for Marin. The 39-year-old Cuban-born Marin has done almost all of his fighting in Hungary. He was 5-7 in his last 12 fight going into this one but had won his last two. Southpaw Micsko, a Ukrainian fighting under a Hungarian licence, is a former Hungarian champion who lost inside two rounds to both Chris Eubank Jr. and Matthew Macklin

August 20

Sanda, Japan: Minimum: Katsunari Takayama (31-8,1ND) W TEC DEC 6 Riku Kano (10-1-1). Takayama is a champion again after beating Kano on a technical decision to lift the vacant WBO title. No time wasted here as both were letting their punches go from the first bell. Kano made good use of his southpaw left hooks and straight lefts and did enough to win the round although Takayama scored with some good rights late in the round. They were both warned in the opening round as heads were banging together. Takayama took the second. He was coming forward all of the time taking Kano to the ropes and banging away with hooks to the body. Kano was scoring well with straight lefts but was being outworked by the veteran. It was more of the same in the third but with one significant difference. Takayama was still dominating the action targeting Kano’s body with hooks and uppercuts but he suddenly stepped back from an exchange pawing at the left side of his forehead. A clash of heads had opened a cut over his left eye. The referee asked the doctor to examine the cut but the fight was allowed to continue. The fourth round was one-sided. Takayama continued to fire hooks and uppercuts to the body but was also finding Kano an easy target upstairs. Kano was throwing fewer punches and ducking and diving under pressure. Takayama continued to hand out pain in the fifth. Whether to head or body he was finding the inexperienced Kano an easy target and the only downside was that the blood was now flowing down the left side of Takayama’s face from the cut. In the sixth Kano was lunging in with his punches in desperation and Takayama made him pay with counters from both hands. The referee had a look at the cut over Takayama’s left eye and again asked the doctor to examine the cut and the doctor advised that the fight be stopped. It was decided by the scorecards and Takayama was in front on them all at 59-55, 59-56 and 58-56 with the uncompleted six round being scored. A brilliant exhibition of tactics from the 33-year-old Takayama who took the 18-year-old Kano to school. Takayama becomes a champion in the minimum division for the fifth time having twice been IBF champion been WBC champion and is now WBO champion for the second time. Kano was not ready for this too early title shot. He had earned it with a split decision over former WBO champion Merlito Sabillo in May which had seen him rated No 1 by the WBO, but Takayama exposed his flaws. At 18 he will come again.

Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico: Welter: Carlos Ocampo (20-0) W PTS 10 Alvaro Robles (19-5). Super Middle: Jose Uzcategui (26-1) W TKO 2 Fabiano Pena (18-6-1). Super Welter: Luis Fernando Uribe (28-2-1,1ND) W PTS 6 Saul Mendoza (10-12-1). Fly: Maximino Flores (20-3,1ND) W KO 3 Ariel Guzman (10-5-3).

Ocampo vs. Robles

Ocampo wins but Robles makes him fight hard. The first round saw very little action. Robles needed to get under the much longer reach of Ocampo to work inside. Ocampo had problems finding Robles with his jab but landed a couple of times. Robles managed to get inside late in the round and land some body punches but a shot from Ocampo made him stumble and Ocampo was able to get back to mid ring and he edged the round. In the second and third rounds Robles was walking Ocampo down getting past the jab and throwing body punches with both hands to collect both rounds. Ocampo’s jab is not a powerful weapon as Robles had shown but he made better use of it in the fourth and launched two-fisted attacks which at the end of the round had Robles ducking and diving. Ocampo outboxed Robles in the fifth continuing to work his jab and using superior hand speed and movement. In the sixth Robles was just not forcing the fight enough. Ocampo was able to slot home jabs and long rights whilst keeping on the move with Robles waiting too long to let his punches go. Ocampo changed his tactics completely in the seventh taking the fight to Robles and trading punches for the whole round. It gave Robles the chance to land some punches but Ocampo was winning the exchanges. It was a brawl again in the eighth and ninth with both fighters tiring. Robles did better than in the seventh but Ocampo still throwing more and landing more driving Robles back with left hooks to the body and rights to the head. Ocampo was totally exhausted in the last barely able to lift his arms as Robles kept marching forward and scoring with body punches but it was beyond him to save the fight. Scores 100-90 twice and 98-92 all for Ocampo. The Ensenada fighter has wins over Jorge Paez and Charlie Navarro. He is rated No 13(12) by the IBF but he may struggle when the opposition gets tougher. He is flat footed, his jab lacks snap and has a loose defence which could be breached too easily. “Tyson” Robles, a former Mexican welter champion, was halted in eight rounds by Kell Brook in 2014 and in his last fight in June 2015 lost a wide unanimous decision to Alfonso Bravo. He is strong but limited.

Uzcategui vs. Pena

Uzcategui shows real power as he overwhelms Pena. Pena came forward early trying to land long rights. Uzcategui had big edges in height and reach and was content to box on the back foot looking for openings. He knocked Pena off balance with a right and looked dangerous every time he let it go. He went to work in the second . He was not backing up but coming forward and letting his punches go. He landed a left hook to the body and a right cross with the right depositing Pena flat on his back on the canvas. Surprisingly Pena rolled over and got up and indicated he was OK to continue. Pena’s legs were unsteady and Uzcategui backed him into a corner. He landed a hard combination and Pena slumped to the canvas. He beat the count-just- but the referee rightly stopped the fight. The 25-year-old Venezuelan-born, Tijuana-based banger, looked fearsome and the power that has brought him 22 wins by KO/TKO was impressive. He lost on points to Matt Korobov in 2014 when he was floored twice and beaten clearly. Beating Pena was no real measure but last October he floored the unbeaten Julius Jackson (19-0) three times on the way to a second round stoppage. At 6’2” (188cm) and with that power he could yet be a force in the division. Fifth loss by KO/TKO for Mexican Pena.

Uribe vs. Mendoza

Uribe gets easy points win over Mendoza on his return to the ring. The lanky 31-year-old Uribe had rust to shed but he was able to control this one with his advantages in height and reach. Mendoza lost a point for low punches. Scores 59-55 from all three judges. Uribe’s only loss was a majority decision to Michel Rosales in 2009. He fought a draw with useful Ramses Agaton in December 2013 and this is his first fight since then. Mendoza is 1-7-1 in his last 9 fights but the win and draw were in fights in Canada against unbeaten locals. This is his first fight for two years.

Flores vs. Guzman

Flores just rolls over Guzman inside three rounds. “Max” scored two knockdowns and the referee stopped the fight late in the third round. The youngster from Ensenada has 14 wins by KO/TKO. He is 8-1,1ND in his last 10 fights with the loss being a technical decision against IBF, WBO, WBA title challenger Milan Melindo in the Philippines in May last year. Guzman is 2-4-2 in his last 8 fights now.

Acapulco, Mexico: Welter: Carlos Molina (27-6-2) W PTS 8 Carlos Gorham (16-4). Light: Marcos Villasana Jr. (20-6) W DISQ 10 Rosekie Cristobal (12-1). Super Bantam: Aaron Alameda (16-0) W PTS 8 Geovanni Zamora (9-8-1).

Molina vs. Gorham

Molina has few problems as he cruises to a win over Gorham. A slow first round saw Molina sticking to his jab and occasional rights and Gorham going back and not throwing much. The action picked up a little in the second with Molina more aggressive and Gorham countering but there was no sustained action. The third and fourth were much the same but Molina was adding an occasional three-punch combination and Gorham was throwing some rights. Gorham was more aggressive in the fifth and sixth. The pace was pedestrian but Molina was scoring with his jab and left hooks to the body. Molina commanded the seventh walking Gorham backwards and scoring with hooks and uppercuts but without any real power. Molina put on some pressure in the last but never looked like ending it early. Scores 80-72 for “King” Molina from all three judges. The 33-year-old Chicago-based Mexican, a former IBF super welter champion, gets his fifth win since losing his IBF title to Cornelius Bundrage in 2014. He was down at super light for this fight. Mexican Gorham had won his last nine fights but fought without conviction here.

Villasana vs. Cristobal

Villasana on his way to a points victory until Filipino southpaw gets Cristobal thrown out for too many low punches. Cristobal took the fight to Villasana immediately and the first round saw some frantic exchanges. The aggression of Cristobal was forcing Villasana to stand and trade and both were landing heavy shots with the local just getting the better of the exchanges. At the end of the fourth round the judges had Villasana in front 40-36, 40-37 and 39-37 none of which reflected the tight struggle Villasana was engaged in. Villasana got a big boost in the fifth as a right sent the retreating Cristobal back off balance and as his gloves touched the floor it counted as a knockdown. Villasana was looking the stronger and applied pressure to take the sixth. In the seventh a right from Cristobal sent Villasana staggering back to the ropes and he almost went down but was not badly hurt and fired back. Cristobal did not help his cause by landing a very low left with the referee deducting a point. After eight rounds it was still Villasana’s fight with the cards reading 80-70, 80-71 and 79-71. Things worsened for Cristobal when he lost a point in the ninth for a butt. Villasana was on top in the tenth when Cristobal landed a very low left and as Villasana turned away in agony the referee immediately disqualified Cristobal.

After was a modest 13-5 in his first 18 fights with losses to fighters he should have been able to beat. So not an impressive start from the 25-year-old son of the former WBC feather champion Marcos Snr. (boy that makes me feel old-at ringside with Harold Lederman and Mickey Duff I saw his dad fight at the famous Arena Coliseo in Mexico City in 1980). Marcos Jr. has now become a very marketable fighter who has won 7 of his last 8 fight reversing his sole loss in that run by decisioning world rated Nery Saguilan in May this year. He retained his WBC Latino title with this win. Cristobal, 22, did not fight like a “Gentle Giant” which shows how reliable nicknames are. Six of his 12 wins had come in the first round but this was his first step up to ten rounds.

Alameda vs. Zamora

Alameda eases himself into the eight round class with unanimous decision over fellow novice Zamora. The 23-year-old Nogales southpaw showed good footwork and skills against an opponent who constantly marched forward but to little effect.. Zamora “The Ghost” had won his last three fights

Milwaukee, WI, USA: Middle: Luis Arias (16-0,1ND) W TKO 4 Darryl Cunningham (33-9). Middle: Caleb Truax (27-3-2) W KO 2 Zach Kelley (5-24-1,1ND). Surer Welter: Carson Jones (39-11-3) W KO 2 Staar Johnson (5-24-1).

Arias vs. Cunningham

Arias stops Cunningham in a bout ruined by southpaw Cunningham’s constant holding. The first round was frustrating for Arias. He was stalking Cunningham but all Cunningham was doing was to push out a couple of punches and then leap inside and hold negating any work Arias was trying to do. It was more of the same in the second. Arias occasionally found some punching room but he had lost his cool and was throwing wild swings. Cunningham continued to hold and turn the fight in to a wrestling match but was finally warned late in the round. In the third Cunningham was still getting away with holding but now Arias was scoring with sweeping shots to head and body. Not a jab in sight but he was rocking Cunningham time and again. Cunningham stumbled down to his knees and looked as though he would have appreciated a nice eight count to give him some respite but it was not ruled a knockdown and he was taking more punishment at the bell. Early in the fourth Arias drove Cunningham to the ropes and landed a left to the body and a right to the head which saw Cunningham go down on his knees. He was up at seven and when the action resumed Arias just kept slinging wild lefts and rights and with nothing coming back from Cunningham the referee stopped the fight. The hometown fans were happy their man win but there was no way the 26-year-old Arias could look good in this one. Cunningham’s holding just turned the fight into a street brawl with no skill on show. Arias wins the vacant USBA title and gets his eighth win by KO/TKO but he will be glad to forget this fight. As an amateur he won a silver medal at the World Cadet Championships and a bronze at the World Juniors and was twice US Champion. He scored wins over Tony Harrison, D’Mitrius Ballard and Jesse Hart but did not make the US Team for the 2012 Olympics. Cunningham, 41, now has seven losses by KO/TKO.

Truax vs. Kelley

Truax has easy task against late replacement Kelley. Truax shadowed Kelley for most of the first round before scoring with a straight right and a left hook to the body which put Kelley down on his knees holding his side. Kelley struggled up at eight just as the bell went. Kelley tried to throw some punches in the second but it was Truax who was unloading the heavy stuff. After rocking Kelley with some right uppercuts a left to the body saw Kelley collapse face first on the canvas half out under the bottom rope. He struggled to his knees but was counted out before he could rise. The 32-year-old “Golden” from Minnesota has 17 wins by KO/TKO. He lost only once, to Jermain Taylor, in his first 28 fights but was stopped in 12 rounds by David Jacobs for the secondary WBA title in April last year and in April this year Andre Dirrell halted him inside a round so some rebuilding to do. Kelley, 30, is 2-11,1ND in his last 14 fights and lost on a disqualification to Arias in 2015.

Jones vs. Johnson

Jones halts Johnson in two rounds. Second inside the distance victory in a row for Jones who now has 29 wins by KO/TKO. Over the past four years his big fights and big paydays have all come in Britain in the shape of a majority decision loss to Kell Brook a draw with Dean Byrne, a one round stoppage of Brian Rose and a loss on points to Rose. The majority decision loss to Brook looks pretty good on his record now. Poor Johnson falls to 19 losses by KO/TKO.

Eatons Hill, Australia: Light Heavy: Trent Broadhurst (18-1) W TEC DEC 7 Shawn Miller (15-2-1). Feather: Jason Cooper (16-3-1) W PTS 8 Junny Salogaol (11-10-4,1ND).

Broadhurst vs. Miller

Broadhurst gets technical decision despite protests from Miller’s camp. The Australian was in charge of the action from the off. Miller had failed to make the contracted weight for the fight coming in at just under 180lbs and he was not helped by the sustained body attack from the Slacks Creek scaffolder. Miller just never got into the fight as Broadhurst slowly broke the American’s resistance before putting him down twice in the seventh round. John Scully, Miller’s trainer complained that Broadhurst had floored Miller with an illegal punch to the back of the head. The complaint delayed the decision but it was finally ruled that the punch was accidental and so the scorecards came into play with Broadhurst 70-62 in front on all three cards. The controversy was unfortunate as Broadhurst was on his way to a convincing win with no “technical” complications. The 28-year-old local fighter has scored 11 wins in a row since being knocked out in five rounds by Robert Berridge back in 2011. He is rated No 1 by the ANBF and presumably wins the vacant IBF International title as he did make the weight. Miller, 34, from Troy NY, was 13-1-1 in his last 15 fights going in with the loss being to Tony Averlant for the World Boxing Federation title last year but his was his first fight for 15 months. Miller’s family promoted a number of Mike Tyson’s early fights.

Cooper vs. Salogaol

The very popular “Nugget” Cooper was much too good for modest Filipino Salogaol and took a wide unanimous decision. Scores 79-73 twice and 80-72. The 24-year-old from Deception Bay (there must be some history there during early British exploration), a former Australian super bantam champion, has lost only one of his last nine fights. The loss was in Namibia against former WBO champion Paulus Ambunda for the IBO title (strange scoring as one judge had it 120-108 and another 115-113). As I understand it Cooper is now going to take a long rest.

Amfiteatr, Poland: Welter: Przemyslaw Runowski (12-0) W PTS 10 Elmo Traya (11-2). Middle: Kamil Szeremeta (12-0) W PTS 10 Kassim Ouma (29-9-1,1ND).

Runowski vs. Traya

Runowski gets wide unanimous decision but Traya comes to fight and gives the local fighter ten tough rounds. Traya was on the offensive early and pressed hard but Runowski showed a solid defence. The Filipino continued to press until the later rounds but Runowski. Showing respect for the Filipino’s power boxed coolly. He was slowly picking up the pace and his accurate counters put him in control and it was Traya under pressure as the fight ended. The Filipino never looked like winning and the scores were wide but he had given Runowski his toughest test so far. Scores 100-90, 99-91 and 99-92. Runowski, 22, wins the vacant WBC Youth Inter-Continental title. He was coming off a good win over Carel Sandon (19-1) in March. As an amateur he was Polish Junior champion, competed at the World Junior Championships and won a bronze medal at the European Junior Championships before turning pro at 18. Traya, 20, had won his last 10 fights, six of the by first round KO/TKO.

Szeremeta vs. Ouma

Szeremeta just too young and too quick for veteran Ouma. The Pole boxed a patient fight trying to curb the impatience which has often seen him make fights harder than needed to be. Even then he was setting a pace that Ouma could not match. The Ugandan had good rounds in the sixth and seventh but other than that was never really in the fight as he has slowed considerably since his peak days and was often trapped on the ropes and taking punishment. There were no knockdown and not many highlights with the only damaged suffered by either fighter coming from a clash of heads in the last round which saw Ouma cut over his left eye. Scores 100-90, 99-92 and 98-92 all for Szeremeta. The 26-year-old Pole has wins over Lukasz Wawrzyczek (19-2-2), former European champion Rafal Jackiewicz, tough Patrick Mendy and Artem Karpets (21-0). He is No 3 with the EBU. He has a solid amateur background having been Polish champion in 2009, 2010 and 2012 and represented Poland both the World and European Championships. Now 37, Ouma is not the fighter he was when holding the IBF super welter title back in 2004. He subsequently lost to Jermain Taylor and Gennady Golovkin in title fights at middleweight but now he is just a useful name for a promising fighter to have in his list of wins. His last fight in April was held in Rwanda which is the first time I can recall seeing evidence of any pro boxing there.

Alanya, Turkey: Light Heavy: Shefat Isufi (21-3-2) W TKO 9 Mikheil Khutsishvili (41-28-6). Isufi retains his PABA title with ninth round stoppage of Georgian Khutsishvili. German-based Albanian Isufi, 26, has won 9 of his last 10 fights with his loss being to the very good Pole Dariusz Sec in July last year for the vacant WBC EPBC title. He has 16 wins by KO/TKO. Four losses in a row for Khutsishvili and 15 losses by KO/TKO.

August 21

Coney, Island, NY, USA: Welter: Errol Spence (21-0) W TKO 6 Leo Bundu (33-2-2). Feather: Claudio Marrero (21-1) W TKO 4 Luis Hinojosa (28-10,2ND).

Spence vs. Bundu

Spence puts on a classy display and stops Bundu. Within the first ten seconds Bundu had crowded Spence into a corner and was throwing hooks to the body. Spence quickly moved to centre ring using his right jab and straight lefts. Bundu was having trouble getting past the jab and constantly switched guards but Spence was boxing coolly slotting home the jab and finding a target for his left in an impressive first round. In the second Spence again dominated the action. Working behind a jab that both scored points and broke up Bundu’s attacks before they could get started he was also mixing in uppercuts and hooks with a frustrated Bundu unable to get inside to work. Every time he lunged forward he either ran into counters or the speed of Spence’s footwork left Bundu swishing punches into empty space. The third saw Spence taking the fight to Bundu and he was slowly beating down the Italian-based veteran. Again he was mainly using his jab but was on target with straight rights and body punches and it was difficult to see how Bundu could turn this fight around. He continued to switch guards but it made no difference which way round he boxed. Spence stood and traded early in the fourth which allowed Bundu to get home some thumping hooks but Spence scored time and again with straight lefts and handed out some hefty punishment late in the round. Bundu was fired up in the fifth again constantly switching guard and driving forward throwing hooks from both hands. Spence went back to basics moving sweetly and sticking to the jab/straight left routine as he picked Bundu apart. A tired Bundu lost his mouthguard and it looked as though he was a spent force. Spence was intent on finishing it in the sixth. He landed some early body punches with Bundu managing to score with a good left hook. Bundu was looking exhausted and Spence took him to the ropes and landed a left uppercut. He also gave Bundu a push and the veteran slid down the ropes to end up on his back on the canvas. The referee decided it was a push and called a time out. Bundu very slowly got up but effectively he was finished. Spence stepped in and a short right to the head saw Bundu slump down flat out with his head half out under the ropes. The referee immediately stopped the fight and it was a long time and involved a considerable amount of medical attention before Bundu was able to get up to his feet. The 26-year-old Texan gave an imperious performance combining movement, skill and power and he looks ready for any welterweight in the world but may have to wait until next year for his title shot. Previous wins over Samuel Vargas, Phil Lo Greco, Chris van Heerden and Chris Algieri have seen him rise to No 2 in the IBF ratings. He could not go to No 1 as he had not previously beaten someone in the IBF ratings but with Bundu rated No 6 that impediment is removed so he should now officially be confirmed in the next IBF ratings as Kell Brook’s mandatory challenger. At 41 the Sierra Leon-born veteran Bundu is past his best but prior to his lost to Keith Thurman for the interim WBA title in December 2014 he was unbeaten in 33 fights. He had held both the European and Commonwealth titles and had regained his European title with a stoppage of Finn Jussi Koivula in April.

Marrero vs. Hinojosa

Marrero wastes no time in blowing away late substitute Hinojosa. It was an all-Dominican Republic fight but there was no sign of any fraternal friendship on show. Marrero had Hinojosa down in the first round, floored him twice more in the third round and after another two knockdowns in the fourth the fight was stopped. The 27-year-old southpaw gets his seventh win since suffering defeat against Jesus Cuellar for the interim WBA title in 2013. He is rated No 6 by the WBA and is obviously hoping to get a shot at Cuellar or even new champion Carl Frampton. Hinojosa lost inside the distance to Yonfrez Parejo for the interim WBA bantam title in 2014 and was knocked in three rounds by Puerto Rican prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez in 2015. In his only fight this year a clash of heads saw his fight with Luis Rosa end in a No Decision in the first round so he had seen less than one round of action in the previous 11 months.

Naha, Japan : Super Fly: Rene Dacquel (18-6-1) W PTS 12 Go Onaga (27-3-2).

Dacquel retains his OPBF title with unanimous verdict over Japanese southpaw Onaga. The local fighter had built an early lead but that changed after Dacquel floored Onaga with a right in the eighth. Using that as a springboard the Filipino staged a strong finish to take the unanimous verdict. Scores 117-110, 115-112 and 114-113. The 25-year-old Filipino “Commander” had been upgraded from interim champion to full champion so this was his first defence. The 36-year-old southpaw Onaga has now had three title fights and three losses. The other losses were in Japanese title fights but he had won ten fights on the bounce going into this one.