A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:
Saturday at New York
Austin Trout W12 Miguel Cotto
Retains a junior middleweight title
Scores: 119-109, 117-111 (twice)
Records: Trout (26-0, 14 KOs); Cotto (37-4, 30 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Trout came to Cotto's fortress -- the famed Madison Square Garden, where Cotto was 7-0 (9-0 overall in New York) and packed in the fans -- and, as a big underdog, he upset the (Big?) apple cart. And how. It was a career-making performance for Trout, who was a virtual unknown to the public before the fight.
His reputation was that of a good, slick boxer with little pop and precious few real accomplishments on his résumé, even though he owned a world title (albeit a second-tier belts; Floyd Mayweather Jr. has the real thing, which he earned by beating Cotto on May 5). Nonetheless, because of Trout's style, a lot of insiders gave him a decent chance to pull the upset. That's exactly what the 27-year-old from Las Cruces, N.M., did in a pretty good scrap, which ran contrary to your typical Trout fight. He came into the ring with a purpose and came to fight, not to run.
Virtually all of the 13,096 on hand were cheering for Cotto, but they couldn't help the 32-year-old Puerto Rican superstar inside the ring. Already a three-division champion, Cotto, coming off the loss to Mayweather in a good performance, was bidding to win his fifth world title. By the end of the fight, Cotto -- amazingly fighting in his 21st consecutive world title bout -- had clearly been outboxed by Trout and was even busted up some. To most at ringside, "No Doubt" Trout had lived up to his nickname. Trout's eyes were a tad swollen, but Cotto's face was marked up with small cuts and a bloody lip. Still, although Trout, a southpaw with good defense, appeared to be the clear winner, the fact that the scores were so wide -- especially judge Adalaide Byrd's 11-1 scorecard -- was a bit of a surprise.
But the right guy won, and with his victory, Trout likely killed a massive fight. Sitting ringside was Mexican star and fellow junior middleweight titlist Canelo Alvarez. He was on hand because, if all had gone well, he was being lined up to face Cotto on May 4 in a major pay-per-view main event. It would have been a huge fight and among the great matchups in the pantheon of the historic Mexico-versus-Puerto Rico rivalry. But maybe Alvarez is just bad luck, because this was the second straight time he watched a fight ringside only to see his prospective next opponent lose and wreck the fight. It also happened in June, when Josesito Lopez stopped Victor Ortiz to knock him out of a September fight with Alvarez. Although Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, Alvarez's promoter, tried to sell folks on the possibility that maybe Alvarez-Cotto would still happen, it sounded more like wishful thinking than a serious possibility. And don't count on seeing Trout face Alvarez either -- not if Alvarez's team is smart. Trout wants it, obviously, and he called out Canelo after the fight. There is a marketable storyline, too, because Trout won the vacant title he holds by going to Mexico and easily outpointing Alvarez's older, not-nearly-as-good brother, Rigoberto, to win the title.
Cotto, naturally, wasn't happy with the decision, but it sounded like he was just more upset by the scores than the ruling that he had lost. He said he didn't plan to retire and that he still had more to give to boxing. That's a good thing, but maybe next time he will listen to those who tried to advise him against facing a slick southpaw such as Trout. Cotto, now acting as his own promoter, showed again what a mistake it can be when that happens. It was the second straight week that a star fighter who had set out on his own did himself a disservice by picking the wrong opponent. Ricky Hatton, the British star, had picked former welterweight titlist Vyacheslav Senchenko to fight coming off a 3½-year layoff and got knocked out in the ninth round, sending him back into retirement and killing future major promotions. Cotto isn't in the same boat as Hatton and probably will land more major fights, but make no mistake: His brand took a big hit.
Jayson Velez TKO3 Salvador Sanchez II
Featherweights
Records: Velez (20-0, 15 KOs); Sanchez II (30-5-3, 18 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This woeful mismatch was billed as a co-feature, but the fact is the slot could have been filled by a far more interesting fight. Cotto Promotions, which handles Velez, had made a deal for the 24-year-old Puerto Rican prospect to challenge featherweight titleholder Billy Dib of Australia. Showtime ultimately rejected the fight, claiming it didn't like Dib's sometimes hard-to-watch style. Instead, the network approved journeyman Sanchez to face Velez in the co-feature of a major fight. It was a really bad call and an insult to boxing fans.
Sanchez, 27, of Mexico, is the nephew of the late Hall of Fame featherweight champion Salvador Sanchez, one of boxing's all-time greats. The nephew ain't the uncle -- not even close. Other than wearing his uncle's robe and trunks and styling his hair the same, the nephew bore no resemblance, because this Sanchez can't really fight. Velez destroyed him with ease. He dominated the first round, dropped Sanchez in the second round with a right hand to the chin and then knocked him down again early in the third round with a left uppercut-right hand combination. Sanchez barely survived, and after Velez then slammed him with an overhand right, referee Harvey Dock jumped in to stop the bout 38 seconds into the round.
Velez probably will get a title shot in his next fight. Although it won't be against Dib, he likely will be matched in early 2013 with Mexico's Daniel Ponce De Leon, who beat Jhonny Gonzalez to win a belt in September and would be making his first defense.
Daniel Jacobs TKO5 Chris Fitzpatrick
Middleweights
Records: Jacobs (24-1, 21 KOs); Fitzpatrick (15-3, 6 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: How can you not root for Jacobs? The 25-year-old from Brooklyn and 2009 ESPN.com prospect of the year suffered his only loss in July 2010, when he was knocked out in the fifth round by Dmitry Pirog in a fight for a vacant middleweight title. Jacobs shook off the loss by notching two wins in a row, but then came something far more difficult to overcome than a defeat in the ring: He was diagnosed with cancer. The tumor wrapped itself around Jacobs' spine and he nearly died. The fact that he was able to come back to boxing after a 19-month layoff is remarkable. He made his comeback on Oct. 20, crushing Josh Luteran in 73 seconds on the Danny Garcia-Erik Morales II undercard at the Barclays Center in his hometown.
Returning in short order, Jacobs dominated Fitzpatrick, 25, of Cleveland, but at least got in some rounds to knock some of the ring rust off. The fight -- which really belonged, at best, on Showtime Extreme or, at worst, buried on the untelevised undercard -- was never in doubt. Jacobs took his time but battered Fitzpatrick, who suffered a bloody gash on his scalp in the third round. The fight could have been stopped in the fourth because Jacobs was dishing out so much punishment. He was hitting Fitzpatrick with clean right hands and smacking him all over the ring. Jacobs kept up the brutal attack in the fifth round, rocking him several times. When the round was over, Fitzpatrick retired on his stool.
Jacobs probably needs another lesser fight or two before really stepping up, but he will be featured again on Showtime -- and probably against another low-level opponent -- on the undercard of Garcia's junior welterweight title defense against former titlist Zab Judah on Feb. 9 at the Barclays Center.
Saturday at Belfast, Northern Ireland
Tyson Fury W12 Kevin Johnson
Heavyweights
Scores: 119-108 (twice), 119-110
Records: Fury (20-0, 14 KOs); Johnson (28-3-1, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The last time Johnson, 33, of Atlanta, was in a fight that mattered, he challenged Vitali Klitschko for a heavyweight world title in December 2009. Johnson talked a huge game, as usual, and delivered absolutely nothing as he sought only to run, hold and look to survive. It proved to be a shutout decision loss that more or less got him banished from American television. After turning in a similar performance against Fury, 24, of England, Johnson might get himself banned from that country's airwaves also.
The 6-foot-9, 248-pound Fury easily beat the 6-3, 240-pound Johnson, who came for a check and didn't try to win. While Fury boxed a smart fight, used his long jab, moved well and threw some nice combinations, Johnson fought defensively from the opening bell. Referee Howard John Foster docked a point from Fury in the seventh round for hitting on the break, but it hardly mattered given the one-sided nature of the bout. Johnson barely threw any punches at all after hyping the fight as one that would be action-packed. The reality was, Johnson made John Ruiz look like Arturo Gatti. And to think, there was a time when Johnson claimed he was the savior of American heavyweight boxing.
As for what the win means for Fury, he now is theoretically second in line to challenge Klitschko, who first has a mandatory to fight the winner of the Jan. 26 elimination bout between Cristobal Arreola and Bermane Stiverne. If Klitschko retires, which is a distinct possibility, then Fury would be in line to face the Arreola-Stiverne winner for the vacant belt (if the WBC follows through). The best part of the whole equation is that Johnson won't be anywhere near another title fight.
Friday at Liverpool, England
David Price KO2 Matt Skelton
Retains British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles
Records: Price (15-0, 13 KOs); Skelton (28-7, 23 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The apprenticeship of likely future heavyweight title challenger Price, 29, of England, continued in a massive destruction of British countryman Skelton, a 45-year-old former world title challenger. Price won a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics and has been pretty darn impressive as a professional, taking out one name British opponent after another -- Skelton, the totally shot Audley Harrison (KO1), Sam Sexton (KO4) and John McDermott (KO1). It seems only a matter of time until Price, 6-foot-8 and 243 pounds, gets a major opportunity. He is on heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko's radar.
In the meantime, Price is blowing out the competition, including the latest victim, Skelton, who had won five fights in a row. Skelton, who was in over his head, tried to make it into a street fight and was warned by referee Richie Davies for using his head in the second round. Later in the round, Price rocked Skelton with a right hand and Skelton tried to hold on to Price. He then hurt Skelton again with body shots, forcing him into the ropes. Price landed a series of body blows, eventually dropping Skelton to his knees with a left hand to his flank. Davies counted Skelton out at 2 minutes, 56 seconds. While he was counting, Skelton's corner threw in the towel, but Davies' back was to the corner. It didn't matter.
Price's promoter, Frank Maloney, says his fighter will be back in February against an American opponent. They are calling out two-time title challenger Tony Thompson, who was thrashed in a one-sided sixth-round knockout loss to Klitschko in July.
Friday at Sunrise, Fla.
Khabib Allakhverdiev Tech. Dec. 8 Joan Guzman
Wins a vacant junior welterweight title
Scores: 76-75 (twice) Allakhverdiev, 76-75 Guzman
Records: Allakhverdiev (18-0, 8 KOs); Guzman (33-1-1, 20 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In the first boxing event on Bounce TV network, Allakhverdiev, a 29-year-old Russian southpaw, ended the 15-year unbeaten streak of the talented but often unsatisfying Guzman, whose layoffs, weight problems and failed drug test have created more headlines than his wins in recent years. But Guzman, 36, a Dominican Republic native living in New York and a former junior featherweight and junior lightweight titlist, was given a shot against Allakhverdiev for a secondary junior welterweight title.
When Saturday's fight was stopped in the eighth round and sent to the scorecards because of an accidental foul, the outcome seemed clear. So the verdict -- a split decision, with the scores on all cards being close -- was a shock. Allakhverdiev seemed to be in control the entire fight, scored a knockdown (at least one that was officially called by referee Luis Pabon, who appeared to miss others that were ruled slips) and made Guzman look old. The official knockdown came in the third round when Allakhverdiev dropped Guzman with a left hand that punctuated a combination. Guzman also suffered a bloody cut on his nose in the fifth round.
The fight ended in odd fashion when Guzman tripped over Allakhverdiev's foot, something not uncommon when a right-hander faces a left-hander. Guzman ended up going to the canvas after tripping, though Allakhverdiev also helped by pushing him down. Guzman appeared to hurt his left leg, and an accidental foul was ruled. Allakhverdiev dropped him again, but Pabon called it a slip. After time was called for the ringside doctor to look at Guzman, who was still limping, the fight was stopped and sent to the scorecards. After the fight, Guzman was taken to the hospital to be checked out. It turned out he had broken his right hand in two places and suffered a break in his left knee -- the injury that caused the fight to end.
Friday at Mexico City
Pablo Munguia W12 Antonio Pitalua
Welterweights
Scores: 117-111, 116-112, 116-113
Records: Munguia (16-3, 11 KOs); Pitalua (53-7-1, 47 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In this main event, Mexico's Munguia scored the best win of his four-year-old career in a hard-fought match with Pitalua, 42, who is from Colombia but lives in Mexico. Although Pitalua gave Munguia good work and fought his rear end off, Munguia seemed to be in control all the way. Pitalua, a superb puncher, never came up with his big punch.
Before the fight, Pitalua, a pro for 20 years, said he would retire if he didn't win. He has had a solid career and been in some exciting fights, but he lost both times he challenged for a world title. In 2000, he lost a decision to Artur Grigorian in a lightweight title bout. In 2009, the late Edwin Valero knocked him out in the second round of a vacant lightweight title fight. He came on late against Munguia, swinging away and trying to make something happen, but Munguia stood up to the shots and was far enough ahead that losing a couple of the later rounds turned out not to matter. Pitalua dropped to 2-3-1 in his last six bouts, while Munguia won his fifth fight in a row.
Thursday at Lincoln, R.I.
Peter Manfredo Jr. W10 Rayco Saunders
Light heavyweight
Scores: 100-90 (twice), 99-91
Records: Manfredo (38-7, 20 KOs); Saunders (22-19-2, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In November 2011, Manfredo, a former star on "The Contender" reality series, was handed a shot at a middleweight title and was knocked out in the fifth round by then-titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. After the fight, Manfredo announced his retirement. He had fallen short in every important fight, including in a super middleweight title fight against Joe Calzaghe, against Sakio Bika and against former super middleweight titlist Jeff Lacy.
But the itch for boxing, combined with financial pressures, had Manfredo, 32, of Providence, R.I., making a comeback after a year in retirement. He was matched pretty softly against Saunders, a 38-year-old from Pittsburgh, who lost his fifth fight in a row and seventh in his past nine bouts. Manfredo, who returned to train with Freddie Roach, the trainer he had the most success with, used a steady jab throughout the fight to keep Saunders at bay and outwork him throughout the lopsided fight.
