A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:
Saturday at San Antonio
Canelo Alvarez W12 Austin Trout
Unifies two junior middleweight titles
Scores: 118-109, 116-111, 115-112
Records: Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KOs); Trout (26-1, 14 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This was the kind of fight that reminds you just how big boxing can be on the highest level. This one had it all -- the top two 154-pounders in the world, both undefeated, meeting to unify their titles in a match of clashing styles. The fight was also staged in the perfect place, the Alamodome, where Alvarez's passionate Mexican fans turned out in droves. The fight drew a sellout crowd of 39,247 and generated a special atmosphere for one of the year's biggest boxing events.
Alvarez, 22, was defending his version of the title for the sixth time but facing his first prime opponent. He demanded to fight Trout even though his handlers were largely against it. But Alvarez was tired of hearing the criticism that he hadn't fought any top opponents during his title reign. Trout, 27, a southpaw from Las Cruces, N.M., who was coming off his biggest win -- a unanimous decision against star Miguel Cotto in December that put Trout on the map -- was all too happy to accept the challenge for his fifth title defense.
Alvarez's instincts to step up served him well: He won the fight, which was a good one. It was no slugfest, but it was an entertaining nip-and-tuck match, even though you wouldn't know that from the 118-109 scorecard turned in by judge Stanley Christodoulou. It was a much more competitive fight than that, even though, to Trout's credit, he didn't complain about the decision. Instead he gave Alvarez credit and showed class by saying, "Canelo shocked us. He boxed a lot better than I thought. He moved a lot better than I thought. Not that I underestimated him; we just prepared for a totally different fighter. He was the better man. He was quicker. He was stronger. I have no excuses. He was the better man."
Trout has nothing to be ashamed of. It came down to the preference between Trout's high work rate or Alvarez's heavier blows. According to CompuBox statistics, Canelo landed 124 of 431 punches (29 percent) while Trout landed 154 of 769 (20 percent). There were many close rounds, but the biggest moment came in the seventh when Alvarez decked Trout with a clean straight right hand. It was the first time Trout had ever been down in his career, and he was hurt, but he battled through the adversity.
One of the reasons Alvarez wanted the fight so badly was to avenge older brother Rigoberto Alvarez's loss to Trout, who outpointed him for a vacant title in 2011. But the drama of the fight was sucked away by the WBC's awful open scoring, which Texas regulators should never have allowed. After the eighth round, the scores were announced and Alvarez was ahead a preposterous 80-71 on Christodoulou's card as well as 78-73 and 76-75 on the others. Alvarez knew he had the fight in the bag, and it was reflected in his performance late in the fight when he eased off the gas and engaged far less than he likely would have had he believed the fight was on the table. Open scoring ruined what could have been a dramatic final few rounds.
Although he lost, Trout is still one of the best junior middleweights out there and should have no problem finding another marquee fight. Alvarez, now the clear 154-pound champion, once again called out Floyd Mayweather Jr., whom he would like to fight in the fall should Mayweather defeat Robert Guerrero on May 4. A Mayweather-Alvarez fight would be a pay-per-view monster.
Omar Figueroa KO1 Abner Cotto
Lightweights
Records: Figueroa (21-0-1, 17 KOs); Cotto (16-1, 7 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Figueroa, 23, of Weslaco, Texas, is one of the more exciting prospects in boxing. His defense is basically nonexistent at this point, but he is gifted offensively and has an extremely fan-friendly style because he is all about aggression. He wants to walk his opponents down and fire shots and is rarely concerned about what is coming back.
He was taking a step up in competition against Cotto, 25, of Puerto Rico, a cousin of star Miguel Cotto's who was also facing his best opponent. Figueroa, with a growing fan base in Texas, gave the Alamodome crowd reason to cheer with a thoroughly dominant performance against Cotto. He instantly went on the attack, and Cotto couldn't deal with his firepower. With a minute left in the round, Figueroa unleashed a four-punch combination that drove Cotto backward and down to a knee. Cotto was able to continue, but it was only a matter of time until the fight would end.
Figueroa continued to attack and eventually landed a brute left hand to the gut of Cotto, who went down again and didn't beat the count from referee Jon Schorle, who counted him out at 2 minutes, 57 seconds. Because of Figueroa's TV-friendly fighting style and growing fan base, it won't be a surprise to see him land a title fight before the end of the year, even though he remains fairly untested.
Jermall Charlo TKO4 Orlando Lora
Junior middleweights
Records: Charlo (13-0, 9 KOs); Lora (29-4-2, 19 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Charlo, 22, of Houston, is the twin brother of Jermell Charlo, who is also a quality junior middleweight prospect (and a little more advanced professionally than Jermall). But this was Jermall's night to shine, and he did just that, taking apart the veteran Lora, 32, of Mexico.
Although Lora represented a step up in competition and tried to press Charlo, he couldn't do much against a more physical and skilled opponent. Charlo jabbed, moved and whacked Lora around. He began to bust up Lora's face in the third round and cut him over the right eye. Charlo continued to bash away in the fourth round, including landing a great right hand that nearly dropped Lora. When the fourth round was over, Lora's corner stopped the fight, although the fighter wanted to go on. It was a good stoppage, however, because there was no way Lora was going to win and he was beginning to take heavy abuse.
Lora dropped to 1-3-1 in his past five fights, including a decision loss to Paulie Malignaggi and a sixth-round knockout at the hands of Keith Thurman.
Terrell Gausha W4 William Waters
Super middleweights
Scores: 38-37 (three times)
Records: Gausha (4-0, 2 KOs); Waters (2-4, 2 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Gausha, 25, a 2012 U.S. Olympian from Cleveland, officially weighed 164 pounds for this fight, but he put on a whopping 20 pounds between the weigh-in and Saturday night. Maybe that's why he was a little sluggish. Although Gausha won, it wasn't easy.
The hard-charging Waters, 23, of Valley, Ala., did major damage in the first round, dropping Gausha hard with a clean overhand right. Gausha was badly hurt and lucky to survive. Waters was teeing off on him when the round finally ended. But to Gausha's credit, he showed great heart. He got himself together and won the remaining rounds to win the decision in a surprisingly good scrap. But this performance has to give one pause when it comes to assessing Gausha's future.
Saturday at London
Nathan Cleverly W12 Robin Krasniqi
Retains a light heavyweight title
Scores: 120-108 (twice), 119-109
Records: Cleverly (26-0, 12 KOs); Krasniqi (39-3, 15 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Cleverly, 26, of Wales, was supposed to face Krasniqi, also 26, of Germany, on March 16, but the entire card was postponed. When they met five weeks later, Cleverly, a southpaw, ran roughshod over Krasniqi in a one-sided fight made possible because of his extraordinary punch output.
Cleverly isn't the biggest puncher in the world, but he is so darned active that he barely gave Krasniqi a chance to breathe, much less mount any kind of sustained offense. Cleverly, who was making his fifth defense, averaged 87 punches thrown per round, according to CompuBox. That's very busy for any fighter, but especially a light heavyweight. For the fight, Cleverly landed 319 of 1,047 blows (30 percent) while Krasniqi was limited to landing just 92 of 381 punches (24 percent).
Cleverly was clearly in tremendous condition for the fight, as his output got better as the fight went on. He averaged 103 punches per round over the final four rounds. It added up to a nightmare for Krasniqi, who began his pro career 1-2 with a pair of four-round decision losses in late 2005 and early 2006, but who hadn't lost since. Cleverly would like a bigger fight and has been calling out fellow titleholder Bernard Hopkins -- a match Hopkins claims to also be interested in if he is able to take care of his own mandatory, Karo Murat (against whom Cleverly owns a knockout win), this summer. Hopkins said he would even go to the United Kingdom to face Cleverly. The fighters' promoters have talked about the bout, and maybe it will happen in the fall.
Dereck Chisora TKO9 Hector Alfredo Avila
Heavyweights
Records: Chisora (16-4, 10 KOs); Avila (20-13-1, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This fight was all about rehabilitating former title challenger Chisora, 29, of England, who is marketable and outlandish but in dire need of a victory. Avila was just what the doctor ordered as Chisora, who was 252 pounds to Avila's 218, ended a three-fight losing streak. In December 2011, he lost a controversial split decision for the European title to Robert Helenius in Helenius' home country of Finland. Then Chisora was dominated in a lopsided decision loss to Vitali Klitschko in a world title fight, which was followed by last July's spectacle against rival David Haye, the former titleholder who drilled Chisora in the fifth round.
Avila, 37, of Argentina, posed no such danger. Chisora took his time, showed no urgency and appeared very relaxed as he systematically broke down Avila. Frankly, it looked like Chisora was purposely trying to get in some rounds and work on some things, although he didn't look all that good in a mundane fight. Avila held a bit and lost a point for the infraction in the sixth round. He lost another point for elbowing Chisora in the ninth round, although he was so far behind that the lost points hardly were going to make a difference. Avila was mostly on the defensive and covering up in an attempt to not take too many shots, but Chisora was still eventually able to take him out. Chisora stepped onto the gas pedal a bit late in the ninth round, working Avila over with a series of left hooks and body shots that drove him into a corner before referee Jeff Hinds stepped in and called it off at 2 minutes, 49 seconds.
Chisora could be back in action this summer for a rumored bout with contender Tomasz Adamek. If that comes off, it promises to be a good action fight.
Saturday at New York
Tyson Fury TKO7 Steve Cunningham
Heavyweight title eliminator
Records: Fury (21-0, 15 KOs); Cunningham (25-6, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Fury, 24, of England, is one of the most hyped heavyweight up-and-comers in the division, but he got a bit exposed in his United States debut by the much smaller Cunningham. It turned out to be an excellent scrap, one that nearly ended with a major upset in former two-time cruiserweight titlist Cunningham, who is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, derailing Fury, the 6-9, 254-pound giant. Cunningham, 36, of Philadelphia, was on the wrong end of a controversial decision against Tomasz Adamek in their rematch as boxing returned to NBC for the first time in many years, but Cunningham performed so well that he got this opportunity against Fury on NBC's second card.
The fight, at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, was to determine the No. 2 ranking in an alphabet organization for the winner to get a step closer to a mandatory title shot against champion Wladimir Klitschko. Cunningham nearly got the job done in the second round when he crushed Fury, who had talked so much smack coming into the fight that it bordered on ridiculous, with a clean overhand right that dropped him to his back. Fury was clearly hurt, and Cunningham landed a number of additional clean shots to wobble him during the round.
Cunningham dominated the early rounds, and Fury appeared in trouble multiple times and desperate to do something. In the fifth round, referee Eddie Cotton docked a point from Fury for head-butting. But Fury eventually composed himself and began to use his physical advantages to take control of the fight. Cunningham, in his third fight since moving up to the heavyweight division, was tiring. Fury began to break the smaller man down, and by the seventh round, he was all over Cunningham, pushing him, hitting him with uppercuts and shaking him with every shot. Finally, with Cunningham backed into the ropes, Fury landed a short right hand and an exhausted Cunningham hit the deck and was counted out by Cotton at 2 minutes, 55 seconds.
Heckuva fight. Fury showed resilience, and Cunningham, who has dropped four of his past five fights, fought well but was simply outgunned by a much bigger man. Solid win for Fury, too, but just imagine what Klitschko would do to him if Cunningham was able to do the kind of damage he did.
Curtis Stevens W8 Derrick Findley
Middleweights
Scores: 79-73, 78-74 (twice)
Records: Stevens (24-3, 17 KOs); Findley (20-10, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Stevens, 28, of Brooklyn, N.Y., is getting more active, just as he hoped to be. Promotional problems kept him idle for most of 2010 and all of 2011 before he came back for a quick first-round knockout win in March 2012. Then came 10 more months of inactivity. But he has since jumped to a new promoter that he's on the same page with and moved down to middleweight, scoring another first-round knockout in January and returning to face Findley, a durable opponent who gave Stevens the rounds he needed.
Stevens dominated most of the fight, although Findley was credited with a knockdown in the seventh round when he touched Stevens with a left jab that put him down (although Stevens appeared to be off balance when he took the punch). It made no difference in the outcome, however, because Stevens was way ahead on the scorecards. Findley, 28, of Chicago, lost his second fight in a row and dropped to 3-7 in his past 10 bouts. But he is a tough competitor and a competent opponent who will go rounds; he has been stopped only once in his 10 defeats.
Saturday at Mexico City
Victor Terrazas W12 Cristian Mijares
Wins a vacant junior featherweight title
Scores: 115-112, 114-113 Terrazas, 114-113 Mijares
Records: Terrazas (37-2-1, 21 KOs); Mijares (47-7-2, 22 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Unable to land a title unification fight with Nonito Donaire, Abner Mares vacated his 122-pound belt in late January to move up to featherweight rather than make a mandatory defense against Terrazas, 30, of Mexico. With the belt vacant, that cleared the way for Terrazas to fight former junior bantamweight champ Mijares, 31, of Mexico, for the title. They put on an excellent fight. It was close and competitive all the way, with Terrazas rising from a 12th-round knockdown to finish the fight on his feet and eke out a split decision.
The WBC's open scoring system was being used, so the scores were announced after the fourth round -- 38-38 across the board. After eight rounds, they were announced again, with Terrazas up 77-76, 77-75 and the third scorecard reading 76-76. Both fighters were quick and busy, and it made for a crowd-pleasing fight. Terrazas worked the body well and began to inch ahead, but Mijares, a southpaw, rallied a bit after his offense was stymied through the middle rounds of the bout.
He cut Terrazas over his left eye in the 11th round and then dropped him to his rear end with a flush left hand in the center of the ring with about 25 seconds left in the fight. Terrazas, although a bloody mess, wasn't badly hurt. He rose to his feet and made it to the final bell to win the belt in a fight in which both guys showed the wear and tear of a tough battle on their marked-up and cut faces.
The loss ended the 11-fight winning streak Mijares had fashioned since 2009. Terrazas extended his winning streak to 11 since being stopped in the ninth round by Rendall Munroe in a 2010 title elimination bout.
Juan Manuel Lopez KO2 Eugenio Lopez
Junior lightweights
Records: J.M. Lopez (33-2, 30 KOs); E. Lopez (31-25-1, 25 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Lopez, 29, of Puerto Rico, a former junior featherweight and featherweight titleholder, continued his comeback from the second of his knockout losses to Orlando Salido in their March 2012 featherweight title fight and Lopez's subsequent suspension for accusing the referee in the fight for stopping it because he had wagered on Salido. Lopez, a southpaw, returned from the suspension for a ninth-round knockout of Aldimar Silva Santos in February and got back to work with this easy win against Mexico's Lopez, 26.
It was target practice for Juan Manuel Lopez in the first round before he suddenly ended it at 50 seconds of the second round with one punch. He creamed Eugenio Lopez with a flush right hook that landed on the button, dropping him to his back in the center of the ring. Referee Rafael Saldana immediately waved off the fight, and Eugenio Lopez -- his leg twitching -- was down for several minutes.
It has been good for Juan Manuel Lopez to get in some work, as he is expected to take on a serious opponent again later in the year, possibly featherweight titleholder Miguel Angel "Mikey" Garcia or perhaps former junior featherweight titlist Nonito Donaire, who is headed up to the featherweight division after losing his title to Guillermo Rigondeaux earlier this month.
Friday at Atlantic City, N.J.
Javier Fortuna KO1 Miguel Zamudio
Junior lightweights
Records: Fortuna (22-0, 16 KOs); Zamudio (24-2-1, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This was a massive mismatch to begin with, and it was made no better when Fortuna failed to make the 126-pound featherweight limit. Instead, Fortuna could not get below 126.6 pounds and was stripped of his interim featherweight title at the weigh-in.
Fortuna, a 24-year-old southpaw from the Dominican Republic who fights under the same banner as middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, was supposed to make his first title defense of the vacant interim belt he won by unanimous decision against Patrick Hyland in December on the Juan Manuel Marquez-Manny Pacquiao IV undercard. Instead, the belt was only at stake for Zamudio, 21, of Mexico, who did make weight. But Zamudio, fighting outside of Mexico for the first time, had no prayer to win. There was nothing in his extraordinarily thin résumé to suggest that he could even compete at this level. He had faced horrible opposition, and Fortuna exposed his record as nothing but fluff with a sick knockout victory.
It took Fortuna all of 68 seconds to make his point. He went straight to Zamudio and dropped him hard with a left hand 30 seconds into the fight. Zamudio was badly dazed but beat the count and was, unfortunately, allowed to continue by referee Eddie Cotton. Fortuna blitzed him with several more shots and then ruined him with another left hand that dropped Zamudio flat on his back. Zamudio's eyes were open, but he wasn't moving and Cotto immediately waved off the fight.
Zamudio wound up leaving the ring on a stretcher to be taken to the hospital for observation after suffering a brutal KO -- the sort that could get knockout of the year consideration.
Friday at Hermosillo, Mexico
Hernan "Tyson" Marquez KO3 Edgar Jimenez
Junior bantamweights
Records: Marquez (35-3, 26 KOs); Jimenez (15-10-1, 11 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In November, Marquez met Brian Viloria to unify flyweight titles. They waged a hellacious battle in a fight of the year candidate before Marquez was stopped in the 10th round. In his first fight since that defeat, Marquez, 24, of Mexico, returned to face journeyman Jimenez, 20, of Mexico, who lost his fifth fight in a row. Marquez put Jimenez away with a left hand at 1 minute, 44 seconds of the third round. Although Viloria has since lost the belts, Marquez said he would still like a rematch with him. Promoter Fernando Beltran is making plans for Marquez to fight on June 1.
