A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:
Saturday at Macau, China
Zou Shiming KO7 Yokthong Kokietgym
Flyweight
Records: Shiming (4-0, 1 KO); Kokietgym (15-4, 11 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Zou, 32, is the reason for the boxing boom in Macau and the reason why the Venetian Macao has become so involved in the sport. It's all Zou, the Chinese national hero who won three Olympic medals, two of which were gold in 2012 and 2008. He has fought all of his fights at the Venetian resort and while the fans there have embraced him they got another reason to cheer as Zou scored his first professional knockout against Kokietgym, a 19-year-old from Thailand, in the main event of the "Ring of Gold" card that featured three 2012 Olympic gold medal winners.
Because of Zou's tremendous amateur credentials and ability to generate big revenue in Macau, he is on a fast track to fighting for a world title, whether anyone thinks he deserves it or not. The shot could come before the end of the year, likely against Thailand's Amnat Ruenroeng (12-0, 5 KOs), who won a vacant flyweight belt on Jan. 22 and was ringside for Zou's fight for the express purpose of taking a look at him and seeing what it was like in Macau. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum even introduced him to the crowd in the ring after the fight.
What Ruenroeng saw was a Zou who is adapting to professional boxing under the guidance of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, who has him using his distance better and has also helped him change from an amateur style of arm slapping with his punches to sitting down on them to get more leverage and power. It's a slow process that appears to be working. Kokietgym was game and tried, but Zou was too skillful and quick for him, not to mention that he landed a lot of nice combinations and right hands. Zou also showed the kind of power he had not shown before, dropping Kokietgym three times in the seventh round. First a right-left combination to the head dropped Kokietgym, who quickly scrambled to his feet. Moments later Kokietgym landed a right hand and Zou went down, but referee Danrex Tapdasan ruled it a slip. It appeared that Kokietgym may have stepped on Zou's foot, causing him to go down. Zou came right back and fired several punches until Kokietgym went down again from an accumulation of shots. As soon as the fight resumed, Zou was all over him and landed another volley of punches to send Kokietgym to the mat for the third time and Tapdasan immediately waved off the fight at 2 minutes, 9 seconds. Kokietgym was down for a couple of minutes after the fight ended.
Overall, this was an excellent performance from Zou, who is very obviously improving. This was his first scheduled eight-round fight after a being scheduled for four rounds in his debut and then six rounds in his next two bouts. He is expected to return to action in Macau in July in his first scheduled 10-round bout. If Zou wins that fight, he could have one more 10-rounder or perhaps go right into a 12-round world title bout after that.
Miguel Vazquez W12 Denis Shafikov
Retains a lightweight title
Score: 119-109, 116-112, 115-113
Records: Vazquez (34-3, 13 KOs); Shafikov (33-1-1, 18 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: It's not like Vazquez didn't warn everyone that this would be a typical Vazquez fight. Vazquez, 27, of Mexico, fights anything but like a typical Mexican fighter and seems to relish the derision that many have for his boring, uninteresting, action-free fights in which he holds, flicks punches, runs and generally stinks the joint out. But the style works for him and, as he said before making the sixth defense of his belt against Shafikov, "Why should I change my style? I'm successful with it. I'm the champion and I'm proud of being a world champion. Like a good baseball player, I wait for the right pitch to hit. I'm not going to start swinging at the bad ones. I must stay true to myself and to my style."
That is exactly what Vazquez did and it was extremely frustrating to watch as he held Shafikov often and then outboxed him when he wasn't running or holding. The 28-year-old Russian southpaw Shafikov pressured the taller Vazquez and landed a few decent right hands but was overall not very effective and could inflict little damage. Shafikov tried to make it a fight, but Vazquez, who has said he reveres the defensive style many Cuban professional fight in, would have none of it.
Vazquez, who had sparred several rounds with Shafikov about a year ago, suffered a cut over his left eye in the fourth round as a result of an accidental head clash, but Vazquez's corner did a very good job controlling the bleeding. In the eighth round, Shafikov suffered a cut near his right eye from another accidental head but and the cut got worse as the rounds went on. There was a lot of blood in the fight, but precious little action. Vazquez had not fought in 14 months, in part because he claimed illness and pulled out of a title unification fight against Ricky Burns last spring, but the layoff did not seem to make a difference.
Marvin Sonsona KO3 Akifumi Shimoda
Featherweight
Records: Sonsona (18-1-1, 15 KOs); Shimoda (28-4-2, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Kaboooooom! We have our first serious knockout of the year candidate thanks to the monster uppercut from Sonsona that obliterated fellow southpaw Shimoda and left him out cold on the ring mat. The 23-year-old Sonsona, who is from the Philippines and drew comparisons early in his career to a young Manny Pacquiao, has always been known as a good puncher. He briefly held a junior bantamweight world title 2009 before losing it on the scale for failing to make weight for his first defense. He moved up to junior featherweight in 2010 and got knocked out in the fourth round fighting for a vacant world title against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. Sonsona was very inactive after that and the fight with Shimoda was only his fourth since that loss, but it was perhaps his best. Shimoda, 29, of Japan, briefly held a junior featherweight world title in 2011 but got knocked out in the seventh round of his first defense by Rico Ramos in a fight that Shimoda had been winning easily.
Shimoda looked good early against Sonsona, attempting to pressure him and wing right hooks. Sonsona kept pace and, after using mainly his jab in the third round, uncorked a wicked left uppercut that caught Shimoda flush. He dropped to his rear end with his left leg pinned underneath him and then fell flat on his back, out cold. Referee Danrex Tapdasan began to count but then quickly waved off the fight at 1 minute, 17 seconds as Sonsona and his team launched into a wild celebration while Shimoda was down for several minutes. It was a big victory for Sonsona, who put himself back on the map.
Ryota Murata TKO4 Carlos Nascimento
Middleweight
Records: Murata (3-0, 3 KOs); Nascimento (28-4, 22 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Murata, 28, of Japan, won an Olympic gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, and is seemingly on the fast track. He turned pro in a six-rounder in August, moved up to eight rounds for his second fight in December (and scored an eight-round knockout) and took a big step up in opposition for this third fight against Nascimento, of Brazil, who has a lot of experience and fought for a junior middleweight world title in 2007, getting knocked out in the 11th round by Sergey Dzinziruk.
Murata took him apart, easily winning the first two rounds and then pounding Nascimento -- who is either 36 or 40, depending on which source you believe -- with an extended barrage of punches in the third round until he finally went down. Murata continued to punish Nascimento in the fourth round and was teeing off on him as he covered up along the ropes until referee Sawaeng Taweekoon stepped in to end the abuse at 43 seconds.
Also on the card, Russian light heavyweight Egor Mekhontsev (2-0, 2 KO), 29, another 2012 Olympic gold medalist, who made his pro debut on Dec. 7, stopped Atthaporn Jaritram (4-1, 1 KO), 25, of Thailand at 2 minutes, 19 seconds of the second round of their scheduled six-round bout.
Saturday at Hull, England
Tommy Coyle TKO12 Daniel Brizuela
Lightweight
Records: Coyle (18-2, 8 KOs); Brizuela (25-3-2, 8 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This was an intense and dramatic fight, one that surely will be in the fight of the year conversation. It didn't match big-name fighters and it wasn't for a world title, but Coyle, 24, fighting in his hometown, and Brizuela, 28, of Argentina, waged a brutal and memorable fight that featured all-out action, three point deductions and eight knockdowns; each man was down four times apiece. In the end, Coyle was the last man standing as Brizuela lost his second consecutive bout but a wild affair before the conclusion, which came on a somewhat quick stoppage.
Brizuela notched the first three knockdowns, initially catching Coyle with a clean right hand late in the second round to knock him to the mat. In the sixth round, he dropped Coyle twice more, first with a digging body shot that badly hurt Coyle. Brizuela went to town on Coyle when the fight resumed, pinning him the ropes and firing away. Referee Steve Gray was close to stopping it when Brizuela dug another left hand to Coyle's gut and dropped him for the third time. He barely beat the count and was in terrible trouble with about 90 seconds left in the round. But Coyle showed tremendous heart and not only survived, but rallied to land several big shots late in the round to turn things around as the crowd went wild.
Gray had warned Coyle for low blows earlier in the fight and when he landed another early in the eighth round, Gray docked a point from him. Later in the round, Coyle rocked Brizuela with a right hand that dropped him to all fours, but the round ended before Coyle could any more damage. Brizuela landed a low blow in the ninth round that was severe enough to drop Coyle to his knees and Gray docked a point for the infraction in the increasingly wild fight. An accidental head clash opened a cut over Brizuela's left eye in the 10th round.
As tumultuous as the fight had been, it went to another level in the 11th round with three more knockdowns and another point deduction. Brizuela hurt Coyle again to the body. The shot doubled him over and had him looking to escape when Brizuela landed yet another hard left hand to the body to knock him down early in the round. Once again, Coyle barely survived and when the fight resumed, he immediately dropped Brizuela with a huge right hand. Later in the round, Coyle caught Brizuela with a big overhand right that bounced him again the ropes and then down yet again. Brizuela dragged himself up and they went to battle yet again with Coyle really gunning for the stoppage with a minute left in the round of the year candidate. In Coyle's enthusiasm to get Brizuela out of there, he nailed after Gray called for a break and it cost him another point. In the 12th round, both guys looked like they were ready to go at any moment. Coyle, however, cracked Brizuela with a right hand that sent him into the ropes and followed with a left that dropped yet again. Brizuela pounded the canvas with his fist out of frustration and then quickly got to his feet. He seemed OK, but Gray surprisingly called off the fight at 1 minute, 7 seconds. Despite Gray's shaky stoppage, this was a terrific fight. Both fighters should be commended for the extraordinary heart and will they displayed.
Also on the card, southpaw lightweight Luke Campbell (5-0, 4 KOs), 26, the 2012 British Olympic gold medalist, who was fighting in his hometown, stopped countryman Scott Moises (8-9-1, 2 KOs), 26, at 1 minute, 38 seconds of the eighth round in their scheduled eight-rounder. Campbell scored knockdowns in the second and eighth rounds before referee Michael Alexander called off the fight. Campbell will keep up his busy schedule as he is due back in action April 19 in Manchester, England on the undercard of junior featherweight titlist Scott Quigg's defense against Nehomar Cermeno.
Friday at Laughlin, Nev.
Fernando Carcamo TKO2 Samuel Neequaye
Boxcino lightweight tournament quarterfinals
Records: Carcamo (16-5, 13 KOs); Neequaye (21-1, 15 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: On the opening night of the eight-man single-elimination Boxcino lightweight tournament - each quarterfinal was scheduled for six rounds -- Carcamo, a 23-year-old southpaw from Mexico, turned in the most impressive performance as he walked through Neequaye, 30, a 2008 Olympian for his native Ghana, who now lives in Maryland. It was an exciting conclusion to what was a fun quarterfinal round.
The first round was competitive until Carcamo landed a left hand to the body that dropped Neequaye. He was up quickly and complaining for some reason, although he was knocked down with a legitimate punch. After the knockdown, Neequaye tried to go after Carcamo but was ineffective and then, just as the round was ending, Carcamo rocked him with a left hand. In the second round, Carcamo rocked Neequaye again with a left hand and had him holding on so as not to go down. Carcamo was lashing him with shots and Neequaye's legs were very unsteady as he backed into the ropes. Carcamo then landed a left hand that badly hurt Neequaye, who was falling to the mat as referee Jay Nady jumped in to stop the fight at 1 minute, 58 seconds.
The victory advanced Carcamo to the March 28 semifinals (scheduled for eight rounds) in New Town, S.D., where he will take on Miguel Gonzalez while Petr Petrov will face Chris Rudd in the other semifinal. The 10-round final will take place may 23 in Verona, N.Y.
The eight-man Boxcino middleweight tournament opens on this week's edition of ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" in Hammond, Ind.
Miguel Gonzalez W6 Miguel Angel Mendoza
Boxcino lightweight tournament quarterfinals
Scores: 58-56 (twice) Gonzalez, 58-56 Mendoza
Records: Gonzalez (23-3, 16 KOs); Mendoza (21-3-2, 21 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Gonzalez, a 28-year-old southpaw from Cleveland, advanced to the Boxcino semifinals to meet Fernando Carcamo by taking a tight split decision against Mendoza, 30, of Mexico. Gonzalez was a 2008 U.S. Olympic alternate, who won his third fight in a row following a decision loss to Michael Dallas Jr. in February 2012. He had to deal with the very aggressive Mendoza, who marched forward for most for most of the fight winging hooks. A few caught Gonzalez, but he withstood them, even when he was trapped on the ropes during the final round as Mendoza tried to blast away. It was an entertaining and competitive fight, but one that Gonzalez eked out thanks to his winning close early rounds, even though the fans loudly booed the decision.
Petr Petrov W6 Fedor Papazov
Boxcino lightweight tournament quarterfinals
Scores: 58-56 (three times)
Records: Petrov (33-4-2, 14 KOs); Papazov (14-1, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In a fan friendly fight, Petrov, 30, who was born in Russia and lives in Spain, made his American debut and outslugged Papazov, 28, a Los Angeles-based Russian. Petrov, who challenged then-junior welterweight titlist Marcos Maidana for his world title in 2011 and was stopped in the fourth round in Argentina, was able to outfight the less experienced Papazov. Petrov also landed many combinations while Papazov was often limited to throwing one punch at a time. The fight was quite competitive, but Petrov seemed to seize control in the final two rounds with his accurate punching. Petrov advanced to the semifinals to face Chris Rudd.
Chris Rudd W7 Yakubu Amidu
Boxcino lightweight tournament quarterfinals
Scores: 68-65, 67-66 Rudd, 68-65 Amidu
Records: Rudd (13-1, 8 KOs); Amidu (19-5-2, 17 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In the opening fight of the Boxcino lightweight tournament quarterfinals there was some big-time drama as Rudd, 29, of Covington, Tenn., the least experienced fighter in the tournament, pulled the upset against Amidu, 29, a Ghana native living in Los Angeles. But it didn't come easy. After fighting to a draw after six rounds, they went to a special "drawbreaker" round 7, which was part of the Boxcino rules in the event of a draw. It was a tough fight with both men having their moments, but when the sixth round ended you could just feel a draw coming. The fighters left their gloves on moments after the draw was announced, referee Kenny Bayless called them together for one more round to determine who would move on. It was Rudd, a worthy victor, who advanced to meet Petr Petrov.
Friday at Cleveland
Hank Lundy W10 Angelo Santana
Lightweight
Scores: 98-91 (three times)
Records: Lundy (24-3-1, 11 KOs); Santana (14-2, 11 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Santana, 25, a Cuban defector living in Miami, was a red-hot prospect in the rise when he ran into late substitute Bahodir Mamadjonov in April 2013 and was upset, getting knocked out in the ninth round. Rather than ease his way back into action, Santana, coming off the 10-month layoff, instead took on Lundy, 30, of Philadelphia, who had stamped himself as a junior welterweight contender in his last fight in July when he rolled to a lopsided decision against Olusegun Ajose. Returning to lightweight, Lundy was dominant against Santana. It wasn't so much a surprise that Lundy won the fight, but it was that he did it so easily. Lundy was aggressive, set everything up with his jab and took it to Santana, who appeared very tired by the middle of the fight. In the ninth round, Lundy appeared to hurt Santana with body shots and then landed a wide right hand that caught him and knocked him down just a few seconds before the round ended to put him into an even deeper hole on the scorecards. It was the kind of impressive win that could propel Lundy into a world title fight, be it at lightweight or junior welterweight. Santana, a southpaw, has lost two fights in a row and did not look anything like the prospect he looked like just a couple of years ago.
Amir Imam TKO4 Jared Robinson
Junior welterweight
Records: Imam (13-0, 12 KOs); Robinson (14-1, 6 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Imam, 23, of Albany, N.Y., is definitely a prospect to keep an eye on. He's fast and looks like he has explosive power, which he used to turn out the lights on Robinson, 31, of Charlotte, N.C., who had built his pretty record against woeful opposition.
Imam, whose opposition has been a bit questionable also, scored his 12th consecutive knockout, going the four-round distance only in his 2011 pro debut.
Robinson was aggressive but his defense was porous and Imam was able to tag him repeatedly and back him up. Robinson did get in a few shots and opened a cut over Imam's left eye - the first time he had been cut -- and bloodied his nose in the third round. In the fourth round, Imam landed two jabs and then a devastating straight right hand to the temple. Robinson went down hard and slid through the ring ropes before crashing to the arena floor head first. It was amazing that Robinson was not seriously injured in the fall and he showed huge heart to get to his feet. Robinson's legs were shaky but he climbed the steps and got back into the ring at the count of 11 - you get 20 seconds to get back into the ring if you are knocked out of it - but referee Jamie Howe did not like how he looked and waved off the fight at 1 minute, 59 seconds. It was an impressive knockout for Imam, who could be going places.
Friday at Lincoln, R.I.
Glen Johnson TKO4 Jaime Velazquez
Cruiserweight
Records: Johnson (54-18-2, 37 KOs); Velazquez (11-6-2, 6 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Originally, former welterweight champion Ricardo Mayorga was supposed to headline this card, but when promoter Don King claimed he still had him under contract and threatened legal action, promoter Jimmy Burchfield pulled Mayorga off the show and replaced him with another aging veteran former champion past his prime in Johnson, the 45-year-old former light heavyweight champion. Since a four-fight losing streak, which included super middleweight world title bouts against Carl Froch and Lucian Bute, Johnson has now three bouts in a row as he aims for another payday and/or world title shot.
Although Johnson is long in the tooth, his victory came as no surprise, considering that he was facing Velazquez, 42, in a gross mismatch. Velazquez, now 0-5-2 in his last seven fights with four of the losses coming by knockout, was fighting for the first time in 15 years! That a commission would approve him against an opponent of Johnson's caliber, even a faded Johnson, was surprising and depressing. Velazquez was game before Johnson poured it on in the fourth round, according to Burchfield's report on the fight. Johnson hurt Velazquez with a body shot in the fourth and began to tee off, at one point nearly sending Velazquez through the ropes. When Johnson sent Velazquez reeling into the ropes courtesy of an overhand right, Velazquez's trainer, Roland Estrada, threw in the towel at 1 minute, 59 seconds.
what makes anyone think Cotto will beat Martinez?
