Murata Stops N’Dam In Rematch

Top Middleweight contender Ryota Murata scored a dominant seventh round TKO over former WBO Middleweight world champion Hassan N’Dam on Sunday night (In Japan, Sunday morning in the United States) at the Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan. In what was a rematch of a fight that ended in a controversial split decision that was won by N’Dam in May of this year, this time Murata left no doubts.

 In short, the fight can be summed up by simply stating that Murata applied consistent pressure on N’Dam implementing a well-balanced attack to the body and head of the former world champion. Although N’Dam attempted numerous times throughout the fight to land short combinations on Murata, Murata was able to effectively block much of N’Dam’s offense by using a high defensive guard and deflecting punches either with his arms or his gloves.

In contrast to the first fight where he spent much of the early rounds stalking N’Dam and not letting his hands go consistently, Murata started his offense from the opening bell and implemented a systematic approach in his attack of N’Dam. Minute by minute and round by round it was Murata who landed the more effective punches and gradually wore N’Dam down. Although he was not able to score a knockdown of N’Dam as he had in the first encounter, Murata’s body head attack eventually took a toll on N’Dam and after seven rounds N’Dam’s corner informed Referee Kenny Bayless that they had seen enough resulting in the fight being stopped.

Ryota Murata advances to 13-1, with 10 Knockouts. Hassan N’Dam falls to 36-3, with 21 Knockouts.

In other bouts:

Undefeated WBC Light-Flyweight world champion Ken Shiro successfully made the first defense of his world championship by scoring a twelve round majority decision over former WBC Light-Flyweight world champion Pedro Guevara. Official scores were: 114-114 (Even), and 116-112, 115-113 in favor of Shiro. Ken Shiro advances to 11-0, with 5 Knockouts. Pedro Guevara falls to 30-3-1, with 17 Knockouts.

Undefeated WBC Flyweight world champion Diago Higa successfully made his first defense of his world championship by scoring a seventh round TKO over Thomas Masson. Official time of the stoppage was 1:10 of round seven. Diago Higa advances to 14-0, with 14 Knockouts. Thomas Masson falls to 17-4-1, with 5 Knockouts.

Undefeated Super-Middleweight Louis Toutin UD4 over Ruslan Schelev. Official scores: 40-36, and 39-37 (On two scorecards) all for Toutin. Louis Toutin advances to 8-0, with 7 Knockouts. Ruslan Schelev falls to 13-8-1, with 7 Knockouts.

Undefeated Featherweight Yasuhiro Okada UD4 over Seiya Yamaguchi. Official scores: 39-37, and 40-36 (On two scorecards) all for Olada. Yasuhiro Okada advances to 2-0, with 1 Knockout. Seiya Yamaguchi falls to 1-1-1, with 0 Knockouts.

Light-Flyweight Yuta Kono UD4 over Retsu Matsuda. Official scores: 39-38, and 39-37 (On two scorecards) all for Kono. Yuta Kono advances to 2-3, with 0 Knockouts. Retsu Matsuda falls to 2-3, with 1 Knockout.

Undefeated Bantamweight Ryuto Owan UD6 over Alvin Medura. Official scores: 60-53 (On all three scorecards) all for Owan. Ryuto Owan advances to 3-0, with 2 Knockouts. Alvin Medura falls to 5-2, with 5 Knockouts.

Bantamweight Haruki Kudo UD4 over Naochika Kan. Official scores: 40-37, 39-37 (On two scorecards) all for Kudo. Haruki Kudo advances to 1-1, with 0 Knockouts. Naocohika Kan falls to 0-2, with 0 Knockouts.

 Ryota Murata’s victory in his rematch with Hassan N’Dam earned him interim/regular champion status in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) Middleweight ratings. A designation makes Murata the WBA’s number one mandatory challenger for current undefeated unified WBA/IBO/IBF/WBC Middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin. Although the WBA has been trying to gradually do away with interim/regular championship designations for their number one contenders throughout the entire sport, one would assume that as has been the case for many years that Murata will have to wait a period of time while competing to maintain his designation before getting his opportunity to fight whomever the WBA world champion might be. In terms of the immediate future, Golovkin appears to be heading toward an immediate rematch with former two-division world champion Saul Alvarez.

If and when that rematch takes place it will be interesting to see if the World Boxing Association will mandate that the winner of the second encounter between Golovkin and Alvarez to fight Murata in their next bout. This of course, is just one piece of the puzzle that comprises the very active and talent deep 160lb. Middleweight division. With some key Middleweight bouts still to take place in 2017, it will be of equal interest to see if those bouts will impact any potential options Ryota Murata might have as 2018 approaches.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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N’Dam-Murata II Weights

The official weigh-in for Sunday’s Middleweight rematch between former WBO Middleweight world champion Hassan N’Dam and Ryota Murata took place earlier today in Tokyo, Japan. Below is the official weights for the entire card, which can be seen here in the United States on ESPN.

Main Event: Middleweight – 12Rds.*

Hassan N’Dam 159 3/4lbs. vs. Ryota Murata 158 1/2lbs.

(* Bout is for Interim/Regular champion status in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) Middleweight ratings, a designation currently held by N’Dam.)

WBC Light-Flyweight world championship – 12Rds.

Ken Shiro (Champion) 107 1/4lbs. vs. Pedro Guevara (Challenger) 107 1/4lbs.

WBC Flyweight world championship – 12Rds.

Daigo Higa (Champion) 111 3/4lbs. vs. Thomas Masson (Challenger) 111 1/2lbs.

*Bouts also scheduled to take place on this card: Weights unavailable as of this writing.

Featherweight – 4Rds.

Yasuhiro Okada vs. Seiya Yamaguchi

Light-Flyweight – 4Rds.

Retsu Matsuda vs. Yuta Kono

Bantamweight – 4Rds.

Naochika Kan vs. Haruki Kudo

Bantamweight – 6Rds.

Alvin Medura vs. Ryuto Owan

N’Dam vs. Murata II takes place tomorrow night (Sunday, October 22nd) at the Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The card can be seen live in the United States on ESPN on Sunday morning beginning at 7:15AM ET/4:15AM PT and will also be streamed on the Watch ESPN and ESPN apps. The card will be replayed later in the day on ESPN 2 at 6:30PM ET/3:30PM PT. For more information on ESPN, ESPN Boxing, the Watch ESPN/ESPN apps and to find channel numbers in your area please visit: www.espn.com. Check your listings internationally.

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Rosado TKO’s Tapia In 6

In a battle of longtime contenders former world title challenger Gabriel Rosado scored an impressive sixth round TKO over veteran Glen Tapia on Thursday night at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. Rosado, who was coming off two straight losses going into this fight was able to control the tempo of the combat by using his jab and movement to keep Tapia at distance where he was unable to be effective.

As the fight went on Rosado was able to have increasing success in being able to land combinations on Tapia. Although Tapia, who entered the bout having lost his previous three bouts prior to this encounter, was consistent in attempting to pressure Rosado, he simply could not find a way to nullify Rosado’s movement and could not land anything significant to turn the ebb and flow of the fight in his favor.

After gradually sustaining punishment over the course of the bout, Tapia was knocked down by a barrage of punches in round six. Although Tapia was able to get up from the knockdown, he was unable to defend from a follow-up flurry by Rosado forcing Referee Robert Byrd to step in and stop the fight. Official time of the stoppage was 1:15 of round six.

Gabriel Rosado advances to 24-11, with 14 Knockouts. Glen Tapia falls to 23-5, with 15 Knockouts.

Also on this card, rising Welterweight prospect Keandre Gibson scored a ten round majority decision over a very “Game” Alejandro Barrera. Despite being under constant pressure by Barrera, Gibson was able to consistently land combinations to the head and body and was able to make Barrera miss with much of his offense. As the bout progressed Barrera began showing the effects of the punishment that Gibson was administering and was bleeding heavily from the nose as well as from cuts over both of his eyes. It was understandable given the punishment Barrera had taken how one would think the bout would have been stopped to prevent further damage, but Barrera showed his mettle and fought on until the final bell. Official scores were 95-95 (Even), and 97-93, 98-92 both in favor of Gibson.

Unofficially, I scored this fight 98-92 or ten rounds to two in favor of Gibson. Although Gibson’s overall activity and his ability to land the cleaner, more effective punches of the two fighters was the story of the fight, this was a grueling fight and one that likely took a lot out of Barrera as well as served as a crucial step in the development of Gibson as he looks to climb the ladder towards contender status in the 147lb. Welterweight division.

                                                                                  

Keandre Gibson advances to 18-1-1, with 7 Knockouts. Alejandro Barrera falls to 29-4, with 18 Knockouts.

In other bouts:

In a bout for the WBC International Jr. Lightweight championship Bekman Soylybayev (12-0, with 4 Knockouts) scored a ten round unanimous decision to retain his title over Fernando Vargas (32-13-3, with 21 Knockouts) Official scores: 98-92, 99-91, and 100-90.

In a Lightweight bout rising prospect Randy Ochoa (10-1, with 9 Knockouts) stopped veteran Raul Chirino (11-7, with 6 Knockouts) in the second round. Official time of the stoppage was: 1:35 of round two.

This card provided a look at two fighters in different weight classes at different stages in their respective careers. For Keandre Gibson, his victory over Alejandro Barrera in what was an entertaining bout will likely earn him an opportunity to attempt to become a contender in a talent deep Welterweight division in 2018.

For Gabriel Rosado some might be tempted to call his stoppage win over Glen Tapia one of the most impressive performances of his career under circumstances where he was in a “Must Win“ scenario.  This observer was particularly impressed with how Rosado, who has taken part in several exciting fights over the years and is a fighter known for a come forward style, was able to maintain a disciplined and tactical approach in this fight. Simply put, Rosado executed an effective fight plan. was able to do so without sustaining much punishment, and showed that he is quite capable in taking a tactical Boxing approach as opposed to relying on the brawling type style that has endeared him to Boxing fans.  Whether or not this victory over Glen Tapia could be the start of a career resurgence for Gabriel Rosado remains to be seen, but if he can put forth similar performances in future outings as he was able to do in this fight against Tapia, it would not surprise this observer to see Rosado back in the mix in the Middleweight division.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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Undefeated Gaballo To Make U.S. Debut On November 15th

Reymart Gaballo L/ Ernesto Guerrero R Photo Credit: Sanman Promtions 

Press Release: October 19, 2017 by Sanman Promotions – Undefeated Reymart “Assassin” Gaballo from General Santos City but now based in Miami, Florida, will finally make his debut in the U.S. on November 15th. This was announced by Gaballo’s manager John Ray Manangquil though his brother Jim Claude Manangquil, CEO of Sanman Promotions.

Gaballo is facing Mexican Ernesto “Monito” Guerrero (27W-21L-0D, 19 KOs) on Nov. 15th at the Hawaii Events Center in Honolulu, Hawaii in the main event of the “Island Fight Fest” card of Filipino international boxing promoter Gabriel “Bebot” Elorde Jr. “This is a great opportunity for Gaballo to look good in his U.S. debut,” said Mananquil. The 21-year old Gaballo has an unblemished record of 16 straight wins with 14 knockouts.

Gaballo thanked Sanman Promotions and Bebot Elorde for giving him a chance to be showing his talent in front of the boxing fans including the thousands of Filipinos in Hawaii. "I am very excited and I’m ready to introduce myself in the U.S.” said Gaballo. Gaballo has been training at the gym of Cuban Coach Moro Fernandez in Miami since June. In his previous outing, Gaballo stopped Jerson Luzarito by a 2nd round technical knockout last Dec. 4th at the Robinson’s Mall in Gensan.

Gaballo captured the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council Super-Bantamweight title by stopping Manot Comput of Thailand in the first round only last Sept. 10, 2016 in Tupi, South Cotabato. "I am very excited and I’m ready to introduce myself in the U.S.” said Gaballo. Gaballo has been training at the gym of Cuban Coach Moro Fernandez in Miami since June. In his previous outing, Gaballo stopped Jerson Luzarito by a 2nd round technical knockout last Dec. 4th at the Robinson’s Mall in Gensan.

The Manangquil brothers will be in Hawaii to give their support to Gaballo. Meanwhile, the 28-year old Guerrero scored five straight wins before he dropped his previous assignment by a unanimous decision to Ruben Villa last Sept. 22nd at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario. Guerrero started his 5-0 winning streak by stopping Alfredo Montano via a 3rd round TKO last December 2016 in Cananea. He followed it up with back-to-back victories against Jesus Talla by a 1st round TKO on March 17 and then a UD on April 1st. Guerrero then knocked out Arcadio Salcido in the 1st round on May 13th in Agua Prieta. His last victory was a 3rd round TKO on Carlos Medina on May 27th in Cananea.

Material and Photo Courtesy of: Sanman Promotions Used with Permission.

For more information about Sanman Promotions and to watch the Sanman Live Boxing series please visit Sanman Promotions’ official Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/SanmanPromotions.

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Abdulhamid To Face Former IBF Pan-Pacific Champ Ik Yang In China On November 2nd

Adam Abudilhamid L-Ik Yang R Photo Credit: Sanman Promotions

Press Release: October 18, 2017 By Sanman Promotions - Promising Adam Diu “Big Daddy” Abdulhamid of General Santos City is facing another tough opponent as he fights former IBF Pan Pacific Super Lightweight and WBO Asia Pacific Lightweight champion Ik “Wild Man” Yang of China on November 2 in Chongquing. “The fight is scheduled for 8 rounds in the Jr. Welterweight division,” said Sanman Promotions Chief Executive Officer Jim Claude “JC” Manangquil. Adbulhamid (11W-4L-0D, 4 KOs), who fights for the Sanman Boxing Gym will be going to China together with chief trainer Romeo “Dodong” Desabille.

“Adam is ready and excited for the big opportunity ahead of him,” said Manangquil.

The 22-year old Abdulhamid is currently training very hard at the Sanman Boxing Gym for his only second fight for this year. “He is now in great shape,” Manangquil said. Abdulhamid is coming off from a unanimous decision loss to the undefeated Thai Apinan Kongsong (9-0) held August 23 in Bangkok.

“Adam lost his last fight in Thailand but his performance was really good,” Manangqul said.

Abdulhamid scored two straight wins before he went to Bangkok. He first beat Marjhun Tabamo by a unanimous decision in Iligan City then won by a split decision against Raymond Yanong last Dec. 17 at the Robinson’s Place in Gensan.

 “I’m very excited and I will do my best to make an upset against Ik Yang,” said Abdulhamid. He also fought for the vacant WBO Youth Super Lightweight title but lost to Georgi Chelokhsaev by a first round technical knockout due to injury in 2016 at the Sport Service in Podolsk, Russia.

Ik Yang (19W-2L-0D, 14KOs), on the other hand, has been inactive since he suffered a 6th round TKO loss to Leonardo Zappavigna last July 23, 2016 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It was Yang’s second straight loss after dropping a UD to Cesar Rene Cuenca in their battle for the vacant IBF World super lightweight title last July 18, 2015 in Macao.

Yang bounced back from a first round knockdown to also send down Cuenca in the 5th round. But Yang was deducted in the 12th round. 

Yang won the vacant IBF Pan Pacific super lightweight title by stopping Surasak Makordae in the 5th round on Dec. 16, 2014 in Shaghai. He retained it via a 6th round TKO over Komsan Polsan on March 7, 2015 at the Cotai Arena in Venetian Resort, Macao. Yang also earlier captured the vacant WBO Asia Pacific lightweight crown with an 8th round TKO win against Sukpraserd Ponpitak in 2014 in Shanghai. “I think Adam has a big chance against Ik Yang who has not fought more than a year already,” said Manangquil.

Material and Photo Courtesy of: Sanman Promotions Used with Permission.

For more information about Sanman Promotions and to watch the Sanman Live Boxing series please visit Sanman Promotions’ official Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/SanmanPromotions.

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Schedule Update

We would like to let our readers know that we are between rounds and will resume our regular schedule on Wednesday, October 18th. We would also like to update our readers that material discussing the recent Lightweight bout between former world champions Anthony Crolla and Ricky Burns will be included in a special year-end edition of our regular feature Observations On Recent Events In Boxing, which will be released  in December. Stay tuned. "And That's The Boxing Truth."

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Burns-Crolla Preview

An intriguing battle of former world champions will take place at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England on Saturday night as Ricky Burns and Anthony Crolla will do battle in a twelve round bout fought in the 135lb. Lightweight division. Burns, who will enter the fight with a record of 41-6-1, with 14 Knockouts has had an illustrious career in which he has won world championships from the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight division to the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division.

Burns first became a world champion in September 2010, winning the WBO Jr. Lightweight world championship with a twelve round unanimous decision over Roman Martinez after previously holding the Commonwealth Jr. Lightweight championship in his career. In his last fight in April of this year, Burns lost the WBA Jr. Welterweight world championship in a unification bout with then IBO/IBF world champion Julius Indongo via twelve round unanimous decision.

Burns appeared to be tactically outgunned in the bout against Indongo as Indongo, who was an underdog prior to the encounter consistently outworked Burns and landed the harder punches throughout the fight. Although the always “Game” Burns put forth a determined effort in defeat some might wonder after forty-eight  fights in a sixteen year professional career what Ricky Burns has left to give as a fighter.

The answer might come in this fight against former Lightweight world champion Anthony Crolla. Crolla, a veteran of forty professional fights in his own right will enter this bout with a record of 31-6-3, with 13 Knockouts. Crolla won the WBA Lightweight world championship in November 2015 by scoring a fifth round knockout over Darleys Perez in their second of two fights. Crolla would go on to successfully defend the title in May of last year with a seventh round knockout over Ismael Barroso.

Crollla however, would lose the championship in his second title defense to Jorge Linares in September of last year. Crolla would make an unsuccessful attempt to regain the title in his rematch with Linares in March of this year. Both losses to Linares, two twelve round unanimous decisions have led Crolla to this showdown with Ricky Burns.

This is the definition of a crossroads fight as both fighters are coming off setbacks and one might argue that a loss for either at this stage in their respective careers could signal the end of either fighter’s career. A matchup between two world-class boxers where one could make an argument for either fighter having an edge. In this observer’s eyes, this fight will center on who can take the initiative early on. An interesting question however, will be if either Burns or Crolla are able to get the upper hand early in the fight whether that fighter will be able to sustain their momentum as the bout moves into the middle and late rounds.

Although both fighters are capable of getting an opponent out of there, stylistically it is logical to assume that this could be a closely fought tactical Boxing match. For the winner could be the potential to reemerge in the discussion for a possible opportunity at a world championship in 2018. For the fighter who does not get his hand raised, this fight could be the end of his career. A scenario where both fighters are in a “Must Win “ scenario. Such scenarios have in the past produced very competitive and compelling battles. Whether or not Ricky Burns vs. Anthony Crolla  proves to be one of those fights remains to be seen.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

Burns vs. Crolla takes place tomorrow (Saturday, October 7th) at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. The bout can be seen in the United States on AWE: A Wealth of Entertainment beginning at 2PM ET/11AM PT on both cable/satellite providers as well as AWE’s OTT apps available on Roku and Amazon Fire TV. For more information about AWE and to check where you can watch AWE in your area via cable/satellite please visit: www.awetv.com. In the United Kingdom and Ireland the bout can be seen on Sky Sports Action beginning at 7PM (Local UK Time.) The fight will also be shown on Sky Sports Main Event (Formerly Sky Sports 1) beginning at 10PM (Local UK Time.) For more information about Sky Sports please visit: www.skysports.com. Check your listings internationally.

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Update

We would like to let our readers know that new material will be released here on the website on Friday, October 6th. Stay tuned. “And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

Belated Thoughts On Parker-Fury

Undefeated Joseph Parker emerged on the Heavyweight scene when he won the vacant WBO Heavyweight world championship in December of last year with a twelve round unanimous decision over fellow unbeaten contender Andy Ruiz. The victory for Parker not only established him as a player in the division, but added him to the history books as New Zealand’s first World Heavyweight champion.

After successfully defending his world championship with a twelve round unanimous decision over Razvan Cojanu in May of this year, Parker set his sights on what would be his second title defense against undefeated WBO number one contender Hughie Fury on September 23rd at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. This was an interesting fight in the sense that it had two fighters who one might argue were still looking for the respect and recognition of Boxing fans.

Fury, the cousin of undefeated former unified World Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury entered the fight unbeaten in twenty professional fights, but was coming into the bout off of a year of inactivity having defeated veteran contender Fred Kassi in April of last year. Fury suffered a severe cut over his left eye in that fight which caused the bout to be stopped resulting in Fury winning the fight via technical decision after seven rounds. The severity of the cut was largely responsible for Fury’s layoff and it is always an interesting to see how a fighter will respond after such inactivity.

What also made this encounter interesting was both Parker and Fury are not known for their punching power, but had each shown the ability to get an opponent out of there if the opportunity presented itself. The bout was the definition of a tactical battle. A fight that was frankly difficult to score. Although the champion was consistently aggressive throughout this fight, I felt the bout was largely dictated by Fury in that he was very consistent in using movement to offset Parker’s pressure as well as regularly throwing his jab, which made it challenging for the champion to get into an offensive rhythm.

Even though the champion would have periodic success in short offensive bursts as he came forward, he just couldn’t seem to land a significant punch that would clearly shift the tempo in his favor, in this observer’s eyes. At the end of the twelve round world championship bout, I arrived at a score of 116-112 or eight rounds to four in favor of Fury. The official decision however, would differ from my scoring of the fight as Parker would retain his title with a twelve round majority decision winning the bout by a score of 118-110 or ten rounds to two on two official scorecards while the third official judge saw the fight even at six rounds a piece or 114-114 in points.

A question I get asked from time to time when discussing my years covering the sport is does it bother me when there is a controversial decision and/or does it leave a bad taste in this observer’s mouth when the element of “Controversy” arises. Of course, there will be some that will point out the obvious that “Controversy” does after all have a way of generating buzz as well as stirring discussion/debate and therefore creates interest in the sport. As longtime readers know however, I have often over the years made the counter argument as to why too much “Controversy” ultimately does more harm than good for the sport.

Some may choose to call the outcome in this fight “Controversial” based largely on the scoring of two judges, who saw Joseph Parker winning ten of twelve rounds. Although I did not agree with the score of 118-110 in favor of Parker and can see how some might take issue with my 116-112 or eight rounds to four scorecard in favor of Fury, there are some factors that should be pointed out, which may clear up the questions some might have with regard to the scoring of this fight.

This was an extremely tactical fight that was fought at a measured pace. When fights are fought at such a pace the challenge for those scoring a fight both in an official and unofficial capacity is to distinguish which fighter gets the upper hand particularly in fights where fighters are able to have periods of success in each round. Speaking for myself, it was Fury’s movement and his being able to control the tempo of the combat as well as being able to keep Parker from getting his offense off consistently, which was the basis for my scoring though there were several “Swing Rounds” due to the pace in which the fight was fought and Parker being able to execute offense in spots.

Although I felt Fury had the edge in this fight, as readers have heard me utter frequently over the years when the subject of close fights is discussed, it will often boil down to what a judge prefers in their own individual criteria in how they score based on clean punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship, and defense. From my perspective even though the champion was consistently aggressive, he did not land enough punches in those periods where he was able to execute offense in short bursts to sway my opinion as to who was getting the upper hand, but was able to win rounds particularly when Fury was not moving as much and was not able to keep Parker at distance, which is how I ended up with a 116-112 scorecard at the end of the fight.

One might assume that the two judges that saw Parker winning the bout by a wide margin scored based on his aggression and perhaps may have felt that he landed the harder punches of the two fighters even though he was not as active as the challenger. Only the judges themselves can comment on what they based their scores on, but it appears obvious that Parker and Fury might be heading toward a second encounter in the future. When and where a rematch between the two might take place is a question that could and probably will be debated because with the victory disputed by some or not, Joseph Parker has for the time being fulfilled his mandatory obligations by facing and defeating the WBO’s number one Heavyweight contender.

Whether or not the World Boxing Organization (WBO) mandates a rematch between Parker and Fury, who made clear his intention to file a formal protest of the decision in the days following the fight remains unclear. This observer believes it might be more likely that Parker will await the outcomes of the two remaining World Heavyweight championship fights scheduled in 2017, which will see undefeated champions Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua defending their respective portions of the World Heavyweight championship before deciding his next move. Whether that move comes in the form of an immediate rematch with Hughie Fury, an elective title defense against another top contender, or potentially facing one of the winners of either the Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz or Anthony Joshua-Kubrat Pulev championship bouts in an attempt to further unify the Heavyweight division is anyone’s guess.

 The year 2018 however, appears to be setting up some intriguing scenarios for the Heavyweight division. Scenarios that will likely generate discussion and debate among Boxing fans and experts as to what may or may not happen. Although the subject of “Controversy” could be a topic in such discussions, the more interesting question just might be if any of the current world champions in the division can emerge as the one “Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Of The World” in the new year. With two World Heavyweight championship fights still to come in 2017 the landscape in terms of the top of the division could change, but let the discussions of what may or may not be in store for the Heavyweights in 2018 begin.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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Schedule Update

We would like to let our readers know that material discussing the recent WBO Heavyweight world championship fight between undefeated champion Joseph Parker and undefeated WBO number one contender Hughie Fury will be released on Saturday, September 30th  here on the website. We would also like to inform readers that a planned preview that was scheduled for Friday, September 29th for the scheduled Lightweight bout between former two-division world champion Juan Manuel Lopez and former world title challenger Jayson Velez, which was scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 30th in Juncos, Puerto Rico will not be released as the card has been canceled due to the effects of Hurricane Maria.

  There is no word as of this writing as to if or when that card will be rescheduled. We will keep you updated on any developments as they become available. Stay tuned. “And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

                                              

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Duno Scores Convincing Win In Second Fight In The U.S.

Romero Duno Post-Fight Photo. Photo Credit: Sanman Promotions

Press Release: September 25, 2017 By Sanman Promotions – Romero “Ruthless” Duno didn’t disappoint in his second U.S. fight, scoring a unanimous decision win over Mexican Juan Pablo Sanchez at the Forum in Inglewood, CA on Saturday  Sepmtember 23rd. (Sunday, September 24th Manila time.) Duno, who recorded his 15th win in 16 matches with 13 knockout victories, inflicted Sanchez a huge cut above the left eye in the fifth round en route to tallying the convincing victory. The three judges, Rudy Barragan, Pat Russell and Fernando Villareal, all scored the bout at 78-74 for Duno, whose first stint in the U.S. was a resounding second round knockout win over erstwhile unbeaten Chimpa Gonzalez last March 10th at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles.

Sanchez fell to 30W-14L-0D, 8KOs. “I’m happy with the victory. He is very tough. But I gave my best,” said the 21-year-old Duno. Duno said beating a tough fighter like Sanchez will serve him well in the future as he gears up for more tougher fights in his quest to become a world champion.

“I’m sure I will bring this experience to my next fight,” he said.

Duno’s big bosses were satisfied with Duno’s performance. “The opponent was a very tough one and also good. We are happy with the victory,” said Duno’s manager Dexter Tan, chief finance officer of the General Santos City-based Sanman Promotions. “A great win for Duno and a good learning experience.,” said Jim Claude Manangquil, chief executive officer of Sanman Promotions. Manangquil said Duno will be taking a short break before mapping out their next plan. “We will celebrate this win first then we will discuss with Golden Boy Promotions what would be our future plans for Duno,” Manangquil said.

Material and Photo Courtesy of: Sanman Promotions Used with Permission.

For more information about Sanman Promotions please visit their official Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/SanmanPromotions.

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Golovkin-Alvarez: The Controversy

The fight between undefeated unified Middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin and two-division world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on September 16th had all the ingredients of a “Super Fight.” Two fighters with crowd pleasing style, who each have established themselves as being among the elite fighters in the sport. There was also the gradual build of anticipation as both fighters faced and defeated other opposition. Rather than discussing the various political elements and events that had taken place prior to the showdown between the two, an argument could be made that this was one “Super Fight” that did not take as much time to come to fruition as compared to other major events throughout the sport’s history.

Although most folks that this observer had the pleasure of discussing the potential scenarios of this fight with in the weeks leading up to the bout had expressed to me that they felt this would be one that was too close to call and gave credible arguments as to how each fighter could win, the more I thought about the encounter in the weeks prior to the fight I began to have thoughts of the September 2004 Middleweight unification bout between world champions Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya as something that could provide somewhat of a visual scenario as to what could happen when Golovkin faced Alvarez. To be clear the bout between Hopkins and De La Hoya, which I covered when it took place, did not come to mind as something to serve as a direct comparison to Golovkin-Alvarez, but there were two similarities that did stand out.

The main similarity was much like Oscar De La Hoya, Saul Alvarez had fought his career below the Middleweight division, despite briefly holding the WBC Middleweight world championship in his career. De La Hoya briefly held the WBO Middleweight world championship prior to facing Hopkins. In his Middleweight debut in June 2004 where he won the WBO crown, De La Hoya earned a controversial decision over Felix Sturm in a fight where De La Hoya started the bout strong, but gradually wore down perhaps due to fighting for the first time at a heavier weight than he had previously in his career. It was obvious despite his aggression early in that fight, that De La Hoya’s offense did not have as much of an impact as compared to when he fought opposition in lighter weight classes and it appeared that Sturm outworked him by the end of the fight.

As was the case in his fight with Sturm, De La Hoya was able to hold his own against Hopkins, but was unable to land anything significant to discourage Hopkins from coming forward. As the fight progressed Hopkins gradually wore De La Hoya down and was able to score a knockout of De La Hoya in the ninth round with a left hook to the body. What made this fight come to mind specifically was in several of Alvarez’ recent fights he had opted to fight with a “Catchweight “ stipulation rather than competing in a weight class, despite winning and then successfully defending the WBC Middleweight crown in two fights fought under such stipulations.

This observer has long been on record in expressing my strong dislike of the concept of “Catchweight” fights. Such a concept, which usually consists of a fighter facing an opponent who competes at a higher weight at an agreed upon in between point rather than the fighter who competes at a lighter weight having to face the fighter who competes at a heavier weight in that fighter’s weight class, creates an advantage for the fighter moving up from a lighter weight because it forces the fighter at the heavier weight to come down in weight where they are theoretically compromised and not at full strength. thus creating what often times can be a disservice to both fans and the sport in my eyes.

Given that this fight was fought at the full Middleweight limit of 160lbs. it was logical to question both what affects would Alvarez’ punches have on Golovkin and how Alvarez would respond to a Middleweight’s punch.  Although it was somewhat surprising to see a more tactical fight being fought by Gennady Golovkin early on given his reputation as a “Knockout artist”, I felt the fight was largely dictated by how well he was able to execute his jab and how he controlled the tempo of the combat.

This was a fight that it became apparent early on that it would be a question of whether Golovkin’s greater activity would get the nod of the judges over Alvarez’ ability to execute his offense in spots. Even though Alvarez was able to have his moments throughout this fight, I felt that Golovkin was overall the effective aggressor and was the fighter who as the fight progressed brought the fight to Alvarez in being able to consistently push Alvarez back to the ropes and outworked him. Alvarez was also unable to land something significant to discourage Golovkin from coming forward in my eyes.

It goes without saying that there can be a difference of opinion both before and after a major event such as this as to who may have gotten the upper hand. As is the case in fights that are considered close, there were some rounds in this fight that could be considered “Swing Rounds” where there can be moments that determine who got the upper hand in an otherwise close round.  This was not a close fight in my eyes as I scored the bout 117-111 in points or nine rounds to three in favor of Golovkin.

My scorecard was based on Golovkin’s greater activity and effective aggression. Alvarez simply did not throw or land enough punches particularly in some rounds that were close in order to sway my opinion. Although I stand by my scorecard, there could have been one or two rounds both in the first three rounds of the fight as well as down the stretch where depending on one’s perspective Alvarez could have gotten the upper hand, which could have resulted in scorecards of 116-112 (eight rounds to four) or 115-113 (seven rounds to five) in favor of Golovkin.  I do not believe that this was a fight that could be separated by two rounds, but I can see how one could come to an eight rounds to four scorecard in favor of Golovkin.

The end result of this fight a split decision draw has been met with much criticism in particular the scorecard of Official Judge Adalaide Byrd, who scored the fight 118-110 or ten rounds to two in favor of Alvarez. As is the case with most controversial decisions, there have been accusations of corruption and calls for investigations by Boxing fans.

This observer has been known over the years as someone who has been critical of judges who produce scorecards that differ from a consensus opinion as to what happened in a fight.  Although I obviously do not agree with Byrd’s scorecard as I feel it does not accurately illustrate what took place in this fight and did not give credit to Gennedy Golovkin for his performance, when something like this happens it is up to the respective state athletic commissions and respective sanctioning organizations to investigate.  As I have often said over the years with regard to controversial decisions, even though the ultimate decision regarding investigations and/or potential action falls with the athletic commissions and sanctioning organizations, it is up to Boxing fans who tirelessly support the sport both by supporting the fighters themselves and with their money as well as those of us involved with the sport in various capacities to call for change.

Whether or not this latest decision will lead to significant change remains to be seen, but a rematch between Golovkin and Alvarez might be more likely before change that would benefit the sport overall in the long-term will occur. If a rematch does indeed take place in the future one can only hope that it will be “Free of Controversy.”

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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