By Eric Armit
HIGHLIGHTS from the previous week of motion
Oscar Collazo retains his WBO minimumweight belt with a unanimous verdict over Gerardo Zapata.
Blair Cobbs flooring and outpoints Adrien Broner and there are wins for Michael Hunter and Yuniel Dorticos.
Xander Zayas goes ten rounds for the primary time, impressively profitable over Patrick Teixeira, whereas Bruce Carrington and Delante Johnson register wins.
Patrice Volny, Osleys Iglesias and Movladdin Biyarslanov rating inside-the-distance wins in Montreal.
Callum Walsh destroys Carlos Ortiz in two rounds.
Jonathan Gonzalez and Atif Oberlton rating wins.
Thomas LaManna wins the vacant WBO Gold middleweight title as he stops Juan Abreu.
Who received the week?
Most Significant: Xander Zayas reveals there are some thrilling occasions forward in his win over Patrick Teixeira.
Most entertaining: Ian Green and Roy Barringer fought a struggle, so that’s my choose with an honourable point out to Patrice Volny vs. Steven Butler.
Fighter of the week: Xander Zayas, with honourable point out to Blair Cobbs.
Punch of the week: I’m going for the devastating proper hook from Osleys Iglesias that completed Evgeny Shvedenko.
Upset of the week: In his first struggle for nearly two years, Blair Cobbs didn’t appear to represent a risk to the returning Adrien Broner, however he scored a win. Only the doubts over Broner make it a light upset in per week with out many upsets
Prospect watch: Cuban middleweight Yoenli Napoles, 4-0, 4 by KO/TKO, confirmed spectacular energy.
Fight Card Observations
Rosette: Don King scheduling 94 rounds of boxing
Red Card: Michael Hunter and Cassius Chaney for placing on the kind of struggle that would give even the heavyweights a foul identify.
General Observations:
- Michael Hunter ought to be paid by the pound of the load he concedes. Against Cassius Chaney, it was 42 lbs; in opposition to Alek Ustinov, it was 66 lbs; and Martin Bakole, 43 lbs. The highest pay would have been for the struggle with Ignacio Esparza, the place he conceded 101 lbs!
- There was a point out of a 5 v 5 between Bob Arum and Oscar de la Hoya. I’m not positive if even Saudi Arabia has sufficient cash to rearrange that.
- Since the controversy over Daniel Dubois’s below-the-belt punch to Oleksandr Usyk, most referees are being very cautious. Instead of simply waving within the normal route of the belt line, they’re now firmly inserting their hand above the road of their directions so it’s clear to each the fighter and the referee what’s and isn’t a foul punch. They must also make it clear that any punch that lands behind the ear is a foul.
JUNE 8
Xander Zayas steps up with win over Patrick Teixeira – New York, USA
An spectacular exhibiting from Zayas, who delivered an thrilling and mature efficiency in opposition to the skilled Teixeira. If Teixeira hoped to utilise his southpaw jab to work on the entrance foot, it was instantly apparent that will not work.
Teixeira was minimize over his left eye in a conflict of heads. A annoyed Zayas was seeking to finish it earlier than the ultimate bell, and he chased Teixeira down, firing punches from each fingers, however Teixeira made it to the ultimate bell.
Scores 100-90 twice and 99-91 for Zayas. The 21-year-old Puerto Rican dominated a reside foe within the former WBO interim title holder and he confirmed burgeoning class in each offence and defence. He is No. 5 with the WBO and No. 7 with the WBC and was calling out Erickson Lubin and Josh Kelly, each of whom are forward of him within the rankings.
Xander Zayas (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Bruce Carrington dominates De Gracia – New York, USA
Late substitute De Gracia offered Carrington with some helpful rounds of motion earlier than succumbing within the eighth spherical. De Gracia was the aggressor initially, with Carrington adjusting to the change of opponent and blunting De Gracia’s assaults with some intelligent defensive work behind a excessive guard.
Carrington hunted De Gracia earlier than touchdown a left hook to the pinnacle and then a brief proper hook that dumped him into the ropes, the place he hung earlier than sliding to the ground.
He was up early, however Carrington pinned him in opposition to the ropes after the rely and battered him with hooks and uppercuts till the referee stopped the struggle. IBF title challenger Eduardo Ramirez is the one different fighter who has stopped De Gracia.
Cornflake Thomas LaManna has Abreu for breakfast – Atlantic City, USA
Thomas LaManna stopped Juan Carlos Abreu within the third spherical to win the vacant WBA Gold belt. LaManna used his longer attain to regulate the motion over the primary two rounds. He put Abreu down with an uppercut within the third, then floored Abreu twice extra, bringing in regards to the stoppage.
LaManna was stopped in 80 seconds when he challenged Erislandy Lara for the secondary WBA middleweight title in 2021 however has now received eight on the bounce and is hoping this “Gold” title will land him one other title shot. LaManna joins Jaron Ennis as solely the second man to beat Abreu inside the gap.
JUNE 7
Blair Cobbs serves Broner one other loss – Florida, USA
Cobbs floored and outpointed a sluggish Broner. Cobbs launched an assault within the second, coming in behind his jab and scoring with rights. He then got here ahead and landed a shot to the pinnacle that despatched Broner down. Broner climbed up, however the punch had knocked out Broner’s mouthguard and one among his enamel, and he scrambled round making an attempt to choose up the tooth. The referee slowed the rely and then put Broner’s mouthguard again in for him.
When the motion restarted, Cobbs had Broner in opposition to the ropes and was throwing loads of punches however not loading up on them, so there was amount however no energy.
The nook informed Broner initially of the ninth that he wanted a knockout. He drove dwelling some hefty hooks, placing Cobbs underneath strain, however was simply too sluggish to seek out the punch he wanted. Cobbs simply danced by means of many of the tenth with Broner once more shedding his mouthguard. Broner moved quicker than he had at every other time within the struggle however couldn’t pin Cobbs down till he landed two proper hooks on the bell.
Scores of 96-93 twice and 97-91 have been all for Cobbs, with 97-91 wanting about proper. First struggle for Cobbs, 34, since outpointing Maurice Hooker in August 2022, and he will likely be hoping this win will get him some high-profile fights.
This was Broner’s first struggle for a yr and solely his third since shedding to Manny Pacquiao (see beneath) in January 2019. He was sluggish in each offence and defence, and on paper, Cobbs mustn’t have been a risk, however on this exhibiting, Broner will wrestle to make any influence.
Michael Hunter too sturdy for poor Cassius Chaney – Florida, USA
Hunter received each spherical over Chaney in a dreadful heavyweight struggle. Hunter was discovering Chaney’s physique a simple goal for his jabs within the first however didn’t actually open up regardless of Chaney exhibiting no signal of being a risk. Hunter blended his punches extra within the second, however the sluggish Chaney didn’t actually present something. Despite Chaney being 42lbs heavier, Hunter was in a position to muscle him to the ropes and work with physique punches.
Hunter stepped up his tempo on the finish, in search of a stoppage, however simply couldn’t put Chaney away and received by scores of 100-90 on all of the judges’ playing cards.
Oscar Collazo survives rocky second to outlast Gerardo Zapata – New York, USA
Collazo had a rocky second within the second however received this one by a big margin on the playing cards. Although Collazo dominated the primary two minutes and there was no knockdown one of many judges scored the spherical 10-8 for Zapata.
Zapata had some success with physique punches over the center spherical, however Collazo was profitable the rounds, and it actually grew to become only a case of whether or not Zapata may final the gap as Collazo was hounding him across the ring, pelting him with blistering mixtures. Zapata made it to the bell, however Collazo received with scores of 119-109 on two playing cards and 117-110 on the third.
Collazo was making the third defence of the WBO title. Nicaraguan Zapata was approach out of his depth and had no declare to deserving a title shot, and, other than these temporary seconds on the finish of the second spherical, was outclassed.
Glanton mauls Egorov in Moscow – Russia
Brandon Glanton received each spherical earlier than battering an exhausted Aleksei Egorov to defeat within the eleventh spherical. Glanton was jabbing effectively from the beginning utilizing quicker fingers to pierce Egorov’s guard along with his jab then shifting in underneath Egorov’s jab to attain with hooks to the physique. Egorov couldn’t get previous Glanton’s jab and Glanton was busier and faster. Egorov was too sluggish to be a risk at distance and Glanton was engaged on the Russian’s physique inside with Egorov simply holding to stem Glanton’s punches.
Glanton drove Egorov across the ring within the eleventh with hooks and uppercuts. Glanton was driving Egorov alongside the ropes within the eleventh till a conflict of heads noticed Glanton flip away, pawing at his brow.
The motion stopped however neither fighter was minimize and as Glanton once more went to work on Egorov with physique punches underneath which Egorov dropped to at least one knee along with his head bowed and he shook his head because the referee counted out the ten. Glanton, 34, received the vacant WBA International title.
Irish eyes are smiling on Callum Walsh – Santa Ynez, USA
Walsh blew away Carlos Ortiz in two rounds in a conflict of southpaws. Walsh made the proper begin flooring Ortiz with a proper hook within the first. Ortiz tried to face and commerce within the second however was down early within the spherical.
Walsh is a lethal finisher, and after the rely, he fired a fast mixture of a proper to the physique and a left to the pinnacle. Ortiz was shocked, and a straight left to the chin despatched him crashing to the ground, stopping the struggle.
Ninth win for the excellent 23-year-old Irish prospect who was defending the WBC Continental Americas title. Walsh is an actual dangerman. He has pace and energy. Ortiz, 39, no kind of check, was having solely his fourth struggle in nearly 5 years.
JUNE 6
Vicious Volny beats Butler in home grudge match – Montreal, Canada
Patrice Volny battered Steven Butler to defeat in 9 rounds. Butler stored strolling by means of Volny’s punches however within the ninth a sequence of uppercuts had Butler stumbling and the referee stopped the struggle over sturdy protests from Butler (seen beneath, left, shedding to Alimkhanuly).
Iglesias ices Shvedenko in scary vogue – Montreal, Canada
Cuban southpaw Iglesias scored a brutal and regarding KO of Evgeny Shvedenko within the first spherical. Iglesias was stalking Shvedenko and shook him with a left hook. He then adopted with a devastating brief proper hook to the temple. Shvedenko went down on his again along with his physique twitching and his legs and arms shaking wildly within the air.
The referee instantly waved the struggle off. Iglesias, 26, was making the second defence of the IBO belt and obtained his tenth win by KO/TKO. He is an actual risk on this division.
US-based Russian Shvedenko, a former WBC International and Russian champion, had drawn with world-rated Pavel Silyagin in September. He recovered sufficient to go away the ring on his ft.
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