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They're both from Brooklyn and fought in Brooklyn, leave Jersey outta this lol we've got our own issues to worry about.
Official 2013 Boxing Thread: Year is over, please lock.
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by proshares,
- Start date
- Status
They're both from Brooklyn and fought in Brooklyn, leave Jersey outta this lol we've got our own issues to worry about.
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Trout hit the splits 
Who has the gif?
Rigo
Agbeko talked trash but then didn't even want to throw punches
Devon's corner showed no urgency. They should have told him quit with the hugging and box, you aren't going to be gifted a decision tonight.
Who has the gif?
Rigo
Agbeko talked trash but then didn't even want to throw punches
Devon's corner showed no urgency. They should have told him quit with the hugging and box, you aren't going to be gifted a decision tonight.
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Al the opponents you listed that Porter could fight are pretty much 50 50 fights in my opinion. Porter just doesn't have that it factor. No matter who he beats he would never be an attractive option for Floyd. It would be nearly impossible for a Porter Floyd fight to do over a million buys. The two biggest named opponents for Floyd to fight after he dismantles Khan are Manny and Broner. Floyd aint trying to repeat that Guerrero debacle again. To make the fight with Manny more legitimate they need to get Manny a belt and Porter is the weakest champion and it doesnt mess up Floyd future fight with Broner to unify the titles. Also, Floyd and Haymon are good friends so Haymon wont have much of a problem of letting Manny win a title from one of his fighters for future favors from Floyd. I think Haymon probably would like to focus on building up Thurman who has the it factor to be the Floyd finale fight .
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I wouldn't mind seeing any combination of Broner, Garcia, Porter, and Ortiz if he gets past his next fight.
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Considering that Amir Khan is Floyd Mayweather's best option right now, the pickings are slim. If Porter keeps his winning streak and beats a couple notable opponents, it's not too far-fetched to see him as a potential opponent for Mayweather a year from now. Sure Porter is not what I would call charismatic but his style of fighting isn't boring. I'm sure All Access will find some way to sell him as a legitimate threat. Anyhow, the day Bob Arum and Al Haymon work together will be the day pigs fly. But I am still holding onto some hope that they can reach an agreement for Mayweather vs Paquiao. If Haymon and Arum somehow see eye to eye for once, why waste that opportunity to make Paquiao vs Porter? That will delay the fight the world wants to see for a few more months and stale it even more. At this point the interest that still remains for this fight is not even about titles, it's strictly for the name.
This is the order of how I see Mayweather's most likely opponents for the remainder of his career, taking into account the promoter and network issues.
1. Amir Khan
2. Danny Garcia
3. Tim Bradley (if he leaves Top Rank after next year)
4. Keith Thurman
5. Shawn Porter
What I wish to see in order:
1. Manny Pacquiao
2. Tim Bradley
3. Erislandy Lara
4. Adrien Broner
5. Keith Thurman
lightweight champion
Banned
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Pretty much.
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this
and Alexander wets the bed again in a big fight
I figured the build up to Judah VS paulie would have a lot of trash talk, they did none of that SMH
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I really thought Zab would of had a better performance than what he showed even though Paulie is not as easy to hit.
Shawn Porter was landing some good punches good for him that he won.
Lara was too technical a LOT of people hated this fight. I felt bad for them because they got booed heavily. The knockdown looked like it was brutal
The Bika fight was entertaining and Bika was a straight up dirty fighter plus most of his looping punches didn't even land. I thought that Dirrell deserved the win.
some pics:
View media item 686137View media item 686138View media item 686139View media item 686140
Shawn Porter was landing some good punches good for him that he won.
Lara was too technical a LOT of people hated this fight. I felt bad for them because they got booed heavily. The knockdown looked like it was brutal
The Bika fight was entertaining and Bika was a straight up dirty fighter plus most of his looping punches didn't even land. I thought that Dirrell deserved the win.
some pics:
View media item 686137View media item 686138View media item 686139View media item 686140
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I actually hurried home after a dinner to see that ******g Zab/Paulie fight.
I almost went to see it live. Glad I did not.
Never really been a fan of Zab's. Saturday was a reminder of why.
I almost went to see it live. Glad I did not.
Never really been a fan of Zab's. Saturday was a reminder of why.
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ayzee
Banned
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I was. Not really sure what's funny about it thoughPeople were excited for Judah and Paulie?
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the real question here is where are all the trout fans that were running their mouth before canelo/trout?
hopped off the trout wagon that quick????
hopped off the trout wagon that quick????
ballatician
Banned
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who's next for Lara?
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I'm disappointed about trouts performance but lara was a tough fight to begin with. I'm still rooting for trout in the long run especially since I met him at the j cole concert while he was training in houston. talked some boxing with me and seemed like a really cool guy
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I know its dried out but i still wanna see the fight.....Pac-May
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/wbc-na...allenger-floyd-mayweather-163900824--box.html
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/wbc-na...allenger-floyd-mayweather-163900824--box.html
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That WBC Ranking List is a joke. How is Amir Khan #3 and he hasn't even fought at welterweight?
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Why do people want to watch Mayweather work Pacquiao?It's such a mismatch..
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Seeing how this is a sneaker board... Does anyone find it odd that Mayweather has this beef with Top Rank/Bob Arum and says Manny can fight me if he signs to Mayweather promotions blah blah blah.... Yet I see a lot of his TMT fighters wearing MP's boxing shoes with his logo plastered on the side. His "little brother" Broner has as well. Wouldn't that be, I don't know....promoting Pacquiao?
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I think they have endorsement deals with Nike and just wear whatever they're given. But they also make some of those Pacquiao shoes without the MP logo. It looks like most boxers don't really care about the brand of their gear. You see Amir Khan wear Reebok everything Gloves, trunks, shoes, robe, and then Nike Socks. Danny Garcia and his entire team was wearing Jordan head to toe for the weigh-ins and press conference. On fight night, he had everything Jordan except for his Adidas boots.
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does paulie really think he beat broner??? i don't want to see that rematch at all if broner wins
Broner Vs danny garcia
and
Golovkin vs Sergio
Broner Vs danny garcia
and
Golovkin vs Sergio
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I found that odd too Freaky, Garcia was Jordan out from head to trunks and then bam, adidas shoes lol. Mayweather has been wearing Reebok in the ring for the last however many fights now, I'm surprised they haven't launched a line with Floyd at the reigns.
Flossb, I could see Broner and Garcia later on down the road but with each fighter gaining popularity and still undefeated I doubt GB will want to ruin it just yet.
Flossb, I could see Broner and Garcia later on down the road but with each fighter gaining popularity and still undefeated I doubt GB will want to ruin it just yet.
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Danny a JB athlete now... Hopefully they put
Some Jordan shoes on him next fight. I did watch a video of him working out today and he was in Jordan shorts and socks...... And Adidas shoes
Some Jordan shoes on him next fight. I did watch a video of him working out today and he was in Jordan shorts and socks...... And Adidas shoes
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Caught the Kirkland/Tapia fight on replay last night.
That last shot from Kirkland was brutal. AND he popped off after it
That last shot from Kirkland was brutal. AND he popped off after it
Weekend wrap up:
A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:
Saturday at Brooklyn, N.Y.
Paulie Malignaggi W12 Zab Judah
Welterweights
Scores: 117-110 (twice), 116-111
Records: Malignaggi (33-5, 7 KOs); Judah (42-9, 29 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Usually when Malignaggi or Judah are involved in a fight, you can expect lots of good sound bites and trash talk. But in this case, these friendly rivals put that aside while professing their deep respect for each other. That said, both knew how important it was to win this fight. Not only would the winner likely land himself another world title opportunity, but he would also be crowned king of Brooklyn, the hometown both fighters are closely associated with. So an excited crowd of 9,363 turned out to the Barclays Center for an old-fashioned turf battle between these two former welterweight and junior welterweight titleholders.
Although each is an extremely experienced former titleholder, both Malignaggi, 33, and Judah, 36, were coming off losses at the Barclays Center and knew that a second consecutive defeat would put them in a big hole. In April, Judah lost a competitive decision to 140-pound champion Danny Garcia and moved back up to 147 to face Malignaggi, who dropped a split decision and lost his belt to Adrien Broner in June.
As it turned out, the battle of Brooklyn wasn't much of a battle. It was mostly a Malignaggi boxing lesson. Although Judah scored a flash knockdown with a left hand in the second round (when the fighters' feet were tangled), Malignaggi dominated most of the fight. Judah was in it in the early going, but after the fourth round it was pretty much all Malignaggi, who used his height and reach to keep a jab in Judah's face. Judah said after the fight that he had a problem dealing with Malignaggi's speed. Judah is fast also, but Malignaggi was able to deal with that speed a lot better than Judah could deal with his quickness. Malignaggi was far busier and landed many more punches. According to CompuBox, Malignaggi connected with 220 of 607 punches (36 percent) while Judah, the heavier hitter, landed on 121 of 498 blows (24 percent).
Malignaggi and Judah clashed heads in the third round, and each fighter came away with a cut over his left eye. Both corners did a good job dealing with the cuts -- Malignaggi was bleeding fairly heavily by the end of the third -- which didn't become a major factor.
Judah vowed to fight on, while Malignaggi knows he's going to get another big fight. His preference is a rematch with Broner, who will defend the title Saturday against Marcos Maidana. Malignaggi was very clear about what he wants if he can't get Broner again: The fight that pays the most money.
Shawn Porter W12 Devon Alexander
Wins a welterweight title
Scores: 116-112 (twice), 115-113
Records: Porter (23-0-1, 14 KOs); Alexander (25-2, 14 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Alexander, 26, of St. Louis, was a big favorite in this fight against Porter, also 26, of Akron, Ohio, who (although beaten by Alexander when they were kids) was a terrific amateur and also gained valuable experience as a Manny Pacquiao sparring partner. But Porter had never faced anyone remotely close to Alexander's level and hadn't even impressed when he drew with Julio Diaz last December and then avenged the draw by decision in September. But Porter got the unexpected title shot when Amir Khan, who had been in deep negotiations for the fight, dropped out because, as the leading candidate to land a May 3 fight with pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr., he didn't want to take any chances.
Porter made the most of his opportunity, turning in a terrific performance that seemed more dominant than the scorecards suggested. Regardless, he clearly won and basically kicked Alexander's rear end for most of the fight. He was the stronger man and physically imposed himself on Alexander, who was way off his game.
Alexander, a former junior welterweight titlist who was making his second defense of the welterweight belt, seemed in trouble when Porter rocked him several times in the third round. The challenger opened a cut over Alexander's right eye early in the fight and had him bleeding from his cuts throughout.
Now in possession of a belt, Porter has all kinds of possible bigger fights, including a unification match with the winner of Saturday's Adrien Broner-Marcos Maidana title bout, which is something Golden Boy promoter Richard Schaefer mentioned as a possibility.
Erislandy Lara W12 Austin Trout
Retains an interim junior middleweight title
Scores: 118-109, 117-110 (twice)
Records: Lara (19-1-2, 12 KOs); Trout (26-2, 14 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Lara and former titleholder Trout are both excellent fighters, but their technical, counterpunching, southpaw styles don't mesh well. The result was a horrible fight but a tremendous performance by the super-talented Lara, 30, a former Cuban star amateur who defected and now lives in Houston.
Lara was making the first defense of the interim belt he won in June when he got off the deck twice in an action-packed slugfest against Alfredo Angulo, whom he stopped in the 10th round. He didn't have to go to battle with Trout like that, but rather than the competitive, nip-and-tuck fight most expected, Lara routed Trout, 28, of Las Cruces, N.M., handing him his second consecutive loss on the heels of his April decision loss to Canelo Alvarez in their 154-pound unification fight.
Trout never got into the fight at all, as Lara kept him on the end of his jab, boxed circles around him and swelled his right eye. Lara was in cruise control and piling up points when he landed a clean overhand left to drop Trout hard late in the 11th round. Trout was badly hurt, but somehow survived the rest of the fight. He wound up being taken to the hospital and spending the night there after a neurological exam. But Trout was released Sunday morning, according to Golden Boy. He took a lot of punishment and probably could use a long rest.
Lara, who has clearly established himself as one of the best junior middleweights in the world, wants a fight with Alvarez, who has no opponent at the moment for a March 8 Showtime PPV date. Golden Boy's Schaefer said that when he sees Alvarez this week he plans on discussing the possibility of Canelo fighting Lara.
Sakio Bika D12 Anthony Dirrell
Retains a super middleweight title
Scores: 114-112 Bika, 116-110 Dirrell, 113-113
Records: Bika (32-5-3, 21 KOs); Dirrell (26-0-1, 22 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: If Bika is on one side of a fight, you know it's going to be a rough, tough grinder. That's his style fight in and fight out, and this one was no different as he and Dirrell turned in a brutal slugfest that wound up being scored as a draw, which was hard to argue against.
Bika, 34, a native of Cameroon living in Australia, won a vacant title in June in a similarly brutal fight against Marco Antonio Periban. Bika was obligated to make his mandatory defense against Dirrell, 29, of Flint, Mich., who has overcome cancer and a serious motorcycle crash to get to this point. Both let it all hang out in the fight of the night on a big card.
Each fighter rocked the other during the hard-hitting slugfest. Dirrell scored a knockdown in the fifth round, slamming Bika with a series of right hands that dropped him to all fours. Bika was lucky to make it out of the round. But he's one of the toughest fighters in the business and came back in the sixth round, which was a round of the year type of round. It featured relentless two-way action as Bika hammered Dirrell with a left to the head and had him wobbly before Dirrell rallied to stagger Bika with a right-left combination.
The action was constant, and in the 11th round, Bika got even dirtier than he usually fights, hitting Dirrell when he slipped to the mat and then drawing a point deduction from referee David Fields for a low blow. Dirrell also suffered a cut over his left eye in the round as a result of an accidental head clash. There were a lot of close rounds, and in the end the draw allowed Bika to retain his title in his first defense. Schaefer said he would like to set up a rematch. Good plan.
Saturday at Atlantic City, N.J.
Guillermo Rigondeaux W12 Joseph Agbeko
Retains world junior featherweight title
Scores: 120-108 (three times)
Records: Rigondeaux (13-0, 8 KOs); Agbeko (29-5, 22 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Which is the least entertaining: (a) watching paint dry, (b) watching a replay of Rigondeaux-Agbeko, or (c) watching a television test pattern? The answer is obviously "b." If you made it through this entire fight without at least momentarily nodding off, congratulations.
Rigondeaux, 33, the two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist who defected and now lives in Miami, is a supremely talented boxer -- among the purest technicians the sport has perhaps ever seen. He takes the sweet science seriously. It helped him win around 400 amateur fights and to unify professional world 122-pound titles, which he did with his big decision win against 2012 fighter of the year Nonito Donaire in April. Nobody takes anything away from Rigo's spectacular talent, ring intelligence or defensive wizardry. But that doesn't mean he's going to pack fans in -- and the small arena upstairs at Boardwalk Hall sounded about as quiet as a church -- or draw hefty television viewership. In fact, HBO had to be cajoled by Top Rank promoter Bob Arum to bring Rigondeaux back after his display against Donaire, a master class, to be sure, but one devoid of entertainment value, mainly because of the southpaw Rigondeaux's defensive, non-aggressive style. He doesn't engage and takes zero chances. That's fine, but it's not going to endear him to anyone other than a small minority of boxing fans.
Rigondeaux did his usual thing against Agbeko, easily outboxing the 33-year-old former two-time bantamweight titlist from Ghana. Rigondeaux landed 144 of 859 punches (17 percent), but he had little on his shots and was just flicking a lot of his punches against a target that was there to be hit hard had he applied even the slightest pressure.
Agbeko was moving up in weight to face Rigondeaux. And that's about all he did -- face him. Because he sure didn't throw many punches in what has to be one of the most hideously boring fights of modern times, so much so that folks in the small crowd were leaving midway through the fight. With an opponent so reluctant to throw, Rigondeaux never pressed the action or even remotely tried to entertain. Nobody is suggesting that he drop his hands and get into a firefight, but a little passion might go a long way.
Agbeko was absolutely ineffective, landing just 48 of 349 punches (14 percent). He threw an average of only 29 punches a round, and his 48 total landed punches (averaging only four per round) are the second-lowest total for a 12-round title fight in CompuBox's 28-year history. (Only Randall Bailey's 45 landed punches against Devon Alexander in 2012 was worse.) In the fifth round, Agbeko landed only one punch. Poor Roger Mayweather, Agbeko's trainer, was begging his fighter to let his hands go. It was almost comical, but it might have been the most entertaining part of the fight.
James Kirkland TKO6 Glen Tapia
Middleweights
Records: Kirkland (32-1, 28 KOs); Tapia (20-1, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: As boring and unwatchable as the Guillermo Rigondeaux-Joseph Agbeko main event was, the co-feature was (as expected) the exact opposite: an enthralling, intense and brutal slugfest that entered the fight of the year discussion but might also have ruined a young fighter in Tapia, who was allowed to take far too much punishment by overly brave trainer Alex Devias and referee Steve Smoger, who was a little late stopping it.
The troubled Kirkland, 29, of Austin, Texas, has been in these kinds of fights before, but he also was returning from a 21-month layoff, another arrest and yet another trainer change before going back to the one trainer who is so obviously best for him, Ann Wolfe, for the third time. With Wolfe, Kirkland is a beastly punching machine and Tapia, 23, of Passaic, N.J., who was taking a monumental step up in competition, now knows it.
From the outset, it was a blazing fight full of nonstop power punching. Tapia got off to a great start and was trying to catch Kirkland cold, but after taking it to him for much of the opening round, Kirkland rebounded to take over in the final minute. In the second round, Kirkland wobbled Tapia with a big left hand, but Tapia also swelled Kirkland's left eye. Back and forth they went in the incredible third round, a round of the year candidate in which they were both wobbly but continued to trade toe to toe.
But as great of a fight as it was, Kirkland was breaking down Tapia. Tapia was taking huge punishment, and Smoger and the ringside doctor discussed the notion of stopping the fight after the fourth round if Tapia were to take many more blows. He did, in fact, take more clean shots in the fifth round, but he also hurt Kirkland with a pair of left hooks that gave the crowd -- almost all of which was rooting for "Jersey Boy" -- something to cheer. But Tapia's rally was short-lived and he appeared done after the fifth. That's when the fight should have been stopped. But even after another doctor's examination and discussion with Smoger, Tapia was sent back out for the sixth, with Devias' endorsement. That was shameful.
In the sixth round, it was no surprise when Kirkland trapped Tapia on the ropes and was destroying him with clean power shots from both hands. Smoger was close, but not close enough and only stopped it 38 seconds into the round -- after Kirkland got off one final massive hook that had Tapia out on his feet.
Tapia wound up at the hospital (later released), and for good reason. According to CompuBox, Kirkland landed 304 of 644 punches (47 percent), including 287 of his 572 power shots (50 percent). Those did a lot of damage. Tapia connected on 132 of 437 punches (30 percent), including 110 of 359 on power shots (31 percent). But Kirkland landed an average of 54 power shots per round, four times the division average. In the fourth round, he landed 73 of them, a CompuBox junior middleweight record.
It was a big win for Kirkland, who finds himself back in the thick of things and as a possible Gennady Golovkin opponent next year. It was also a physically debilitating loss for Tapia.
Matthew Macklin W10 Lamar Russ
Middleweights
Scores: 98-92, 97-93, 96-94
Records: Macklin (30-5, 20 KOs); Russ (14-1, 7 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Longtime contender and three-time title challenger Macklin, 31, of England, got the bounce-back win he desperately needed after getting blitzed in a third-round knockout loss to titleholder Gennady Golovkin in June. Macklin was supposed to fight Willie Nelson, but an elbow injury knocked Nelson out. Russ, a solid-looking prospect, took the fight on two weeks' notice.
This was a massive step up in competition for Russ, 26, of Wilmington, N.C., and it showed. Russ, a Golovkin sparring partner, has the physical tools and skills to one day compete at a higher level, but that day didn't come against the vastly more experienced Macklin, who split with trainer Buddy McGirt after the loss to Golovkin and was working with Jamie Moore, his old rival who had stopped him in a 2006 British junior middleweight title fight. Moore had Macklin back to his aggressive ways, and the tactic worked.
Macklin had Russ off balance and unsure of himself as he landed numerous good right hands during an entertaining fight. Russ' best weapon was a long left jab, but it wasn't consistent; Macklin, who suffered a cut over his left eye in the fifth round, eventually found a way to get inside against it. By the eighth round, Russ seemed to be in survival mode, hoping just to go the distance. Macklin tried to get him out and wobbled Russ with a right hand early in the ninth round. In the end, Macklin got the win he really needed to continue toward yet another title opportunity and Russ gained tremendous experience that should make him better in the long run.
Also on the prospect-laden card, 2012 Russian Olympic heavyweight gold medalist Egor Mekhontsev (1-0, 1 KO), 29, a 6-foot-1 southpaw fighting as a light heavyweight, made his pro debut, stopping P.J. Cajagas (0-3-1), 24, of Franklin Park, Ill., at 2 minutes, 35 seconds of the third round. Mekhontsev scored three knockdowns in the third round, all on body shots, for the victory. Southpaw middleweight Matt Korobov (22-0, 13 KOs), 30, a 2008 Russian Olympian, dropped Derek Edwards (26-3-1, 13 KOs), 34, of Winston-Salem, N.C., in the seventh round and finished him at 28 seconds of the ninth round. Philadelphia super middleweight prospect Jesse Hart (11-0, 10 KOs), 24, son of 1970s middleweight contender Eugene "Cyclone" Hart, blitzed Tyrell Hendrix (10-3-2, 3 KOs), 30, of Los Angeles, stopping him at 1 minute, 20 seconds of the first round.
Saturday at Stuttgart, Germany
Felix Sturm TKO2 Darren Barker
Wins a middleweight title
Records: Sturm (39-3-2, 18 KOs); Barker (26-2, 16 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Barker, 31, of England, might have reached the end of the road after this injury-induced stoppage loss. Barker has had a good career. In his first world title fight, in 2011, he gave middleweight champ Sergio Martinez a very tough challenge before being knocked out in the 11th round. Then Barker rebounded to win two fights in a row and got a shot in August at the middleweight belt held by Daniel Geale (who had beaten Sturm two fights earlier). It was a terrific fight, and Barker survived a brutal knockdown on a body shot in the sixth round to win a split decision and the title.
His first defense had to be a mandatory against the 34-year-old Sturm, a hero in Germany and a former three-time titleholder who has looked a bit long in the tooth in recent fights. Sturm's camp put up what Barker promoter Eddie Hearn called "life-altering money" to entice Barker to go to Germany for the fight, with the promise of neutral officials and an immediate rematch in England in the event Sturm won.
Sturm was sharp from the outset and displayed his potent jab. Barker, on the other hand, was landing shots but looked a little off. If turned out that his bad hip, which has given him problems in the past, was acting up again and had popped out of place. Barker, who has had surgery on both hips, had problems moving fluidly, and in the second round Sturm landed a chopping right hand that dropped Barker to all fours. He got up limping and grabbing his right hip. Barker tried to fight through it, but he was unsteady and wobbly and went down again from a right hand -- although not the kind of shot that should have caused a knockdown. Barker just didn't have his legs under him because of the hip. He looked to his corner and tapped his hip, and when he got up, he was hopping around. The fight resumed, and again he went back to battle but clearly was injured, and when Sturm began to unload shots, Barker's corner wisely threw in the towel.
The injury is career-threatening, and Barker sounded as though he would retire in his postfight comments as well as those made by Hearn. Barker is due to have an MRI on Monday. If he can fight on, he is contractually entitled to an immediate rematch, but that fight might never happen.
Friday at Chicago
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk TKO7 Giacobbe Fragomeni
Retains a cruiserweight title
Records: Wlodarczyk (49-2-1, 35 KOs); Fragomeni (30-4-2, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This sure wasn't the most necessary trilogy in boxing history. After all, in 2009, Fragomeni retained the title when he and Wlodarczyk fought to a disputed draw, and a year later -- with the title vacant -- they met again, with Wlodarczyk thoroughly dominating Fragomeni in an eighth-round knockout victory to win the belt. Wlodarczyk, 32, of Poland, has since put together a nice title reign, having beaten several good contenders. But Fragomeni, 44, of Italy, was made the mandatory challenger, so Wlodarczyk was taking care of his obligation in his third fight in Chicago (the first two were in 2005, when he was an unknown), where many local Polish fans turned out to support him.
The first three rounds were competitive, although Wlodarczyk seemed to win them. But he clearly took control in the fourth round when, while the fighters were in a clinch, he nailed Fragomeni with a left hook and dropped him. Fragomeni, who was cut under his left eye from the punch, never saw it coming. He didn't look good but beat the count, and there were only a few seconds left in the round.
In an entertaining fight, Wlodarczyk continued to pound Fragomeni's left eye. The cut was getting worse and Fragomeni's face was beginning to swell. After the sixth round, referee Rocky Burke stopped the bout on the advice of the ringside doctor. Technically, it goes down as a stoppage one second into the seventh round because the bell had rung to begin the round before Burke called it.
Andrzej Fonfara KO2 Samuel Miller
Light heavyweights
Records: Fonfara (25-2, 15 KOs); Miller (26-8, 23 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Fonfara, 26, a native of Poland living in Chicago, has been making a good name for himself in the light heavyweight division, having beaten former champion Glen Johnson in 2012 and also knocking out former titlist Gabriel Campillo in the ninth round in August.
Against Miller, 34, of Colombia, Fonfara scored a highlight-reel knockout. Miller had nailed Fonfara with a blatantly illegal right hand behind the head, but Fonfara shook it off and moments later nailed Miller with a left hook that sent him sprawling across the mat. Miller got to his knees, but he couldn't beat the count from referee Gerald Scott and was counted out at 58 seconds.
It was an important win for Fonfara, who, in his next bout, might get a title shot against Sergey Kovalev. If the Adonis Stevenson-Kovalev unification fight isn't made, the backup plan for Kovalev probably is Fonfara.
Friday at Perth, Australia
Simpiwe Vetyeka TKO6 Chris John
Wins a featherweight title
Records: Vetyeka (27-2, 15 KOs); John (48-1-3, 22 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In a bit of a shocker, Indonesian national hero John -- the longest-reigning active world titleholder in boxing -- saw his remarkable unbeaten streak come to an end at the hands of South Africa's Vetyeka, 32, who was dedicating his world title shot to the late Nelson Mandela, the South African hero who died the day before the fight.
John won his title in 2004 and had made 18 title defenses. A 19th successful defense would have tied John with International Boxing Hall of Famer Eusebio Pedroza of Panama, who reigned from 1978 to 1985, for the division record for defenses. John's goal had been to reach 50-0-3 and then retire, but Vetyeka may have hastened John's retirement plan.
Vetyeka, who lost his only other world title shot when he traveled to Japan in 2007 and lost a unanimous decision to then-featherweight titleholder Hozumi Hasegawa, got John in big trouble in the fifth round.
It was a sloppy fight, with lots of wild punches from both fighters. During an exchange late in the fifth round, in which they were both winging shots, John got caught and hurt. He went down to the canvas, but referee Gustavo Padilla ruled it a slip. John looked unsteady when he got up, and Vetyeka continued to take it to him in the sixth round, finally scoring an official knockdown when he nailed John with a right hand that dropped him to all fours with less than 30 seconds to go in the round. John barely made it out of the round, then quit on his stool between rounds, throwing in the towel on what had been a nearly decade-long run near the top of the 126-pound division.
Friday at Tokyo
Akira Yaegashi W12 Edgar Sosa
Retains a flyweight title
Scores: 117-111 (twice), 116-112
Records: Yaegashi (19-3, 9 KOs); Sosa (49-8, 29 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In 2011, Yaegashi, 30, of Japan, stopped Pornsawan Porpramook in the 10th round to win a strawweight title in an incredibly violent battle that was voted the ESPN.com fight of the year. Yaegashi lost the belt by decision in his next fight, a unification bout with Kazuto Ioka. But Yaegashi has now won four fights in a row, including a flyweight title in April followed by two defenses, the latest coming against Mexico's Sosa, 34, the mandatory challenger and former longtime junior flyweight titlist.
This was an excellent victory for Yaegashi, whose speed and movement was a bit too much for Sosa to deal with. Yaegashi was able to outbox Sosa for most of the fight and also land some good left hooks. Because the WBC's unfortunate open scoring system was being used, Yaegashi knew he was up 40-36, 39-37 and 39-37 after the fourth round and 80-72, 79-73 and 77-75 after the eighth round. Despite the big lead, Yaegashi elected to fight Sosa in the final few rounds rather than keep doing what had gotten him to that point. In the 10th round, he landed some good combinations and surprisingly battled toe to toe during parts of the 12th, when he knew he was well ahead.
With another defense in the books for Yaegashi, his promoter, Hideyuki Ohashi, said that Yaegashi would be willing to go to Macau and give touted two-time Chinese Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming a shot at the title even though Zou has had only two professional fights.
Ryota Murata TKO8 Dave Peterson
Middleweights
Records: Murata (2-0, 2 KOs); Peterson (13-2, 8 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Murata, 27, of Japan, won a 2012 Olympic gold medal and turned pro with a second-round knockout in August. His second pro assignment proved a bit more demanding, as he was stretched into the final round of the scheduled eight-rounder by Peterson, a 27-year-old club fighter from Minnesota. Murata finally dropped and stopped Peterson with a furious attack at 1 minute, 20 seconds of the eighth. Murata had dominated the fight and was up 70-63, 70-63 and 69-64 through seven rounds.
Friday at Shelton, Wash.
J'Leon Love KO6 Lajuan Simon
Super middleweights
Records: Love (16-0, 9 KOs); Simon (23-5-2, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Love, 26, of Detroit, was a headliner with some baggage on this card: The prospect won a controversial decision against Gabriel Rosado in May on the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Robert Guerrero undercard, but then tested positive for a banned diuretic that he admitted to taking to assist in his weight loss. He was suspended and fined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and was making his return against Simon, with Mayweather -- his promoter -- sitting ringside.
Simon, 34, of Philadelphia, was fighting for the first time in almost two years after he was destroyed by Gennady Golovkin in the first round of a 2011 middleweight title fight. Love didn't wipe him out as easily as GGG did, but he manhandled Simon with relative ease before knocking him out. Love was working on Simon, now a loser of three in a row, when he suddenly hurt him with a right uppercut in the sixth round. Love then unloaded several shots before finishing him with two chopping right hands and a left uppercut that knocked Simon cold. The blow sent Simon's head slamming to the canvas, causing referee Bobby Howard to immediately call off the bout at 2 minutes, 48 seconds.
The CompuBox stats show what a wipeout this fight was, as Love landed 171 of 319 punches (54 percent) while Simon was limited to landing just 69 of 356 blows (19 percent).
Badou Jack TKO6 Rogelio Medina
Super middleweights
Records: Jack (16-0-1, 11 KOs); Medina (31-5, 25 KOs)
Rafael's remarks:. Jack, 30, is a native of Sweden who boxed for Gambia (where his family is from) in the 2008 Olympics but now lives in Las Vegas and trains with his promoter, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Jack wasn't impressive in his most recent fight, a draw with former title challenger Marco Antonio Periban in Las Vegas on Sept. 12. Returning after suffering the first blemish on his record, he was matched with Medina, 25, of Mexico, a tough-as-nails journeyman who dropped his third bout in his past four.
Medina gave it everything he had, though, and was in the fight a bit for the first four rounds. But Jack -- the faster, bigger superior athlete -- took his time and sensed that Medina was losing steam by the fifth round. In the sixth, Jack dropped him with a counter right hand on the chin. Medina went down face-first moments later on an accumulation of shots, but he showed a huge heart to be able to continue. It wasn't for long, though, as Jack followed with two beautiful left uppercuts that connected. Medina collapsed in the corner, and referee Bobby Howard waved off the fight at 2 minutes, 20 seconds. Jack looked pretty good.
Mickey Bey TKO3 Carlos Cardenas
Lightweights
Records: Bey (19-1-1, 10 KOs); Cardenas (20-7-1, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Bey, 30, of Cleveland, salvaged what had so far been a forgettable year with an excellent performance against an overmatched opponent. In February, Bey knocked out Robert Rodriguez in the third round, but the result was changed to a no-decision when Bey tested positive for high levels of testosterone. In his return from a brief suspension in July, Bey took John Molina to school for 9½ rounds before Molina stunningly stopped him in the final minute for an unlikely comeback win. In his first fight since the KO loss to Molina, Bey was matched modestly against Cardenas, 29, of Venezuela, who was coming off his own knockout loss.
Bey, who is trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr., looked sharp before taking out Cardenas in the third round. He landed a left hook to the body followed immediately by a left to the jaw, sending Cardenas crashing hard flat on his back. Cardenas beat the count, but he was very wobbly and referee Paul Field chose to wave off the bout at 2 minutes, 22 seconds.
Chris Pearson KO1 Acacio Ferreira
Middleweights
Records: Pearson (10-0, 9 KOs); Ferreira (14-1-1, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Pearson, a 23-year-old prospect from Trotwood, Ohio, blew away Ferreira, 27, a Brazil native based in Las Vegas, in 1 minute, 44 seconds. Pearson staggered Ferreira, who was coming off a one-year layoff, with a flush right hand that knocked him back. He followed up by hammering Ferreira with a brutal six-punch combination that left him face-first on the mat and out as referee Paul Field immediately stopped the fight. Ferreira was draped over the bottom ring rope and motionless for a couple of minutes while he received medical attention. It was an exciting knockout for Pearson, a prospect to keep an eye on.
Saturday at Brooklyn, N.Y.
Paulie Malignaggi W12 Zab Judah
Welterweights
Scores: 117-110 (twice), 116-111
Records: Malignaggi (33-5, 7 KOs); Judah (42-9, 29 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Usually when Malignaggi or Judah are involved in a fight, you can expect lots of good sound bites and trash talk. But in this case, these friendly rivals put that aside while professing their deep respect for each other. That said, both knew how important it was to win this fight. Not only would the winner likely land himself another world title opportunity, but he would also be crowned king of Brooklyn, the hometown both fighters are closely associated with. So an excited crowd of 9,363 turned out to the Barclays Center for an old-fashioned turf battle between these two former welterweight and junior welterweight titleholders.
Although each is an extremely experienced former titleholder, both Malignaggi, 33, and Judah, 36, were coming off losses at the Barclays Center and knew that a second consecutive defeat would put them in a big hole. In April, Judah lost a competitive decision to 140-pound champion Danny Garcia and moved back up to 147 to face Malignaggi, who dropped a split decision and lost his belt to Adrien Broner in June.
As it turned out, the battle of Brooklyn wasn't much of a battle. It was mostly a Malignaggi boxing lesson. Although Judah scored a flash knockdown with a left hand in the second round (when the fighters' feet were tangled), Malignaggi dominated most of the fight. Judah was in it in the early going, but after the fourth round it was pretty much all Malignaggi, who used his height and reach to keep a jab in Judah's face. Judah said after the fight that he had a problem dealing with Malignaggi's speed. Judah is fast also, but Malignaggi was able to deal with that speed a lot better than Judah could deal with his quickness. Malignaggi was far busier and landed many more punches. According to CompuBox, Malignaggi connected with 220 of 607 punches (36 percent) while Judah, the heavier hitter, landed on 121 of 498 blows (24 percent).
Malignaggi and Judah clashed heads in the third round, and each fighter came away with a cut over his left eye. Both corners did a good job dealing with the cuts -- Malignaggi was bleeding fairly heavily by the end of the third -- which didn't become a major factor.
Judah vowed to fight on, while Malignaggi knows he's going to get another big fight. His preference is a rematch with Broner, who will defend the title Saturday against Marcos Maidana. Malignaggi was very clear about what he wants if he can't get Broner again: The fight that pays the most money.
Shawn Porter W12 Devon Alexander
Wins a welterweight title
Scores: 116-112 (twice), 115-113
Records: Porter (23-0-1, 14 KOs); Alexander (25-2, 14 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Alexander, 26, of St. Louis, was a big favorite in this fight against Porter, also 26, of Akron, Ohio, who (although beaten by Alexander when they were kids) was a terrific amateur and also gained valuable experience as a Manny Pacquiao sparring partner. But Porter had never faced anyone remotely close to Alexander's level and hadn't even impressed when he drew with Julio Diaz last December and then avenged the draw by decision in September. But Porter got the unexpected title shot when Amir Khan, who had been in deep negotiations for the fight, dropped out because, as the leading candidate to land a May 3 fight with pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr., he didn't want to take any chances.
Porter made the most of his opportunity, turning in a terrific performance that seemed more dominant than the scorecards suggested. Regardless, he clearly won and basically kicked Alexander's rear end for most of the fight. He was the stronger man and physically imposed himself on Alexander, who was way off his game.
Alexander, a former junior welterweight titlist who was making his second defense of the welterweight belt, seemed in trouble when Porter rocked him several times in the third round. The challenger opened a cut over Alexander's right eye early in the fight and had him bleeding from his cuts throughout.
Now in possession of a belt, Porter has all kinds of possible bigger fights, including a unification match with the winner of Saturday's Adrien Broner-Marcos Maidana title bout, which is something Golden Boy promoter Richard Schaefer mentioned as a possibility.
Erislandy Lara W12 Austin Trout
Retains an interim junior middleweight title
Scores: 118-109, 117-110 (twice)
Records: Lara (19-1-2, 12 KOs); Trout (26-2, 14 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Lara and former titleholder Trout are both excellent fighters, but their technical, counterpunching, southpaw styles don't mesh well. The result was a horrible fight but a tremendous performance by the super-talented Lara, 30, a former Cuban star amateur who defected and now lives in Houston.
Lara was making the first defense of the interim belt he won in June when he got off the deck twice in an action-packed slugfest against Alfredo Angulo, whom he stopped in the 10th round. He didn't have to go to battle with Trout like that, but rather than the competitive, nip-and-tuck fight most expected, Lara routed Trout, 28, of Las Cruces, N.M., handing him his second consecutive loss on the heels of his April decision loss to Canelo Alvarez in their 154-pound unification fight.
Trout never got into the fight at all, as Lara kept him on the end of his jab, boxed circles around him and swelled his right eye. Lara was in cruise control and piling up points when he landed a clean overhand left to drop Trout hard late in the 11th round. Trout was badly hurt, but somehow survived the rest of the fight. He wound up being taken to the hospital and spending the night there after a neurological exam. But Trout was released Sunday morning, according to Golden Boy. He took a lot of punishment and probably could use a long rest.
Lara, who has clearly established himself as one of the best junior middleweights in the world, wants a fight with Alvarez, who has no opponent at the moment for a March 8 Showtime PPV date. Golden Boy's Schaefer said that when he sees Alvarez this week he plans on discussing the possibility of Canelo fighting Lara.
Sakio Bika D12 Anthony Dirrell
Retains a super middleweight title
Scores: 114-112 Bika, 116-110 Dirrell, 113-113
Records: Bika (32-5-3, 21 KOs); Dirrell (26-0-1, 22 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: If Bika is on one side of a fight, you know it's going to be a rough, tough grinder. That's his style fight in and fight out, and this one was no different as he and Dirrell turned in a brutal slugfest that wound up being scored as a draw, which was hard to argue against.
Bika, 34, a native of Cameroon living in Australia, won a vacant title in June in a similarly brutal fight against Marco Antonio Periban. Bika was obligated to make his mandatory defense against Dirrell, 29, of Flint, Mich., who has overcome cancer and a serious motorcycle crash to get to this point. Both let it all hang out in the fight of the night on a big card.
Each fighter rocked the other during the hard-hitting slugfest. Dirrell scored a knockdown in the fifth round, slamming Bika with a series of right hands that dropped him to all fours. Bika was lucky to make it out of the round. But he's one of the toughest fighters in the business and came back in the sixth round, which was a round of the year type of round. It featured relentless two-way action as Bika hammered Dirrell with a left to the head and had him wobbly before Dirrell rallied to stagger Bika with a right-left combination.
The action was constant, and in the 11th round, Bika got even dirtier than he usually fights, hitting Dirrell when he slipped to the mat and then drawing a point deduction from referee David Fields for a low blow. Dirrell also suffered a cut over his left eye in the round as a result of an accidental head clash. There were a lot of close rounds, and in the end the draw allowed Bika to retain his title in his first defense. Schaefer said he would like to set up a rematch. Good plan.
Saturday at Atlantic City, N.J.
Guillermo Rigondeaux W12 Joseph Agbeko
Retains world junior featherweight title
Scores: 120-108 (three times)
Records: Rigondeaux (13-0, 8 KOs); Agbeko (29-5, 22 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Which is the least entertaining: (a) watching paint dry, (b) watching a replay of Rigondeaux-Agbeko, or (c) watching a television test pattern? The answer is obviously "b." If you made it through this entire fight without at least momentarily nodding off, congratulations.
Rigondeaux, 33, the two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist who defected and now lives in Miami, is a supremely talented boxer -- among the purest technicians the sport has perhaps ever seen. He takes the sweet science seriously. It helped him win around 400 amateur fights and to unify professional world 122-pound titles, which he did with his big decision win against 2012 fighter of the year Nonito Donaire in April. Nobody takes anything away from Rigo's spectacular talent, ring intelligence or defensive wizardry. But that doesn't mean he's going to pack fans in -- and the small arena upstairs at Boardwalk Hall sounded about as quiet as a church -- or draw hefty television viewership. In fact, HBO had to be cajoled by Top Rank promoter Bob Arum to bring Rigondeaux back after his display against Donaire, a master class, to be sure, but one devoid of entertainment value, mainly because of the southpaw Rigondeaux's defensive, non-aggressive style. He doesn't engage and takes zero chances. That's fine, but it's not going to endear him to anyone other than a small minority of boxing fans.
Rigondeaux did his usual thing against Agbeko, easily outboxing the 33-year-old former two-time bantamweight titlist from Ghana. Rigondeaux landed 144 of 859 punches (17 percent), but he had little on his shots and was just flicking a lot of his punches against a target that was there to be hit hard had he applied even the slightest pressure.
Agbeko was moving up in weight to face Rigondeaux. And that's about all he did -- face him. Because he sure didn't throw many punches in what has to be one of the most hideously boring fights of modern times, so much so that folks in the small crowd were leaving midway through the fight. With an opponent so reluctant to throw, Rigondeaux never pressed the action or even remotely tried to entertain. Nobody is suggesting that he drop his hands and get into a firefight, but a little passion might go a long way.
Agbeko was absolutely ineffective, landing just 48 of 349 punches (14 percent). He threw an average of only 29 punches a round, and his 48 total landed punches (averaging only four per round) are the second-lowest total for a 12-round title fight in CompuBox's 28-year history. (Only Randall Bailey's 45 landed punches against Devon Alexander in 2012 was worse.) In the fifth round, Agbeko landed only one punch. Poor Roger Mayweather, Agbeko's trainer, was begging his fighter to let his hands go. It was almost comical, but it might have been the most entertaining part of the fight.
James Kirkland TKO6 Glen Tapia
Middleweights
Records: Kirkland (32-1, 28 KOs); Tapia (20-1, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: As boring and unwatchable as the Guillermo Rigondeaux-Joseph Agbeko main event was, the co-feature was (as expected) the exact opposite: an enthralling, intense and brutal slugfest that entered the fight of the year discussion but might also have ruined a young fighter in Tapia, who was allowed to take far too much punishment by overly brave trainer Alex Devias and referee Steve Smoger, who was a little late stopping it.
The troubled Kirkland, 29, of Austin, Texas, has been in these kinds of fights before, but he also was returning from a 21-month layoff, another arrest and yet another trainer change before going back to the one trainer who is so obviously best for him, Ann Wolfe, for the third time. With Wolfe, Kirkland is a beastly punching machine and Tapia, 23, of Passaic, N.J., who was taking a monumental step up in competition, now knows it.
From the outset, it was a blazing fight full of nonstop power punching. Tapia got off to a great start and was trying to catch Kirkland cold, but after taking it to him for much of the opening round, Kirkland rebounded to take over in the final minute. In the second round, Kirkland wobbled Tapia with a big left hand, but Tapia also swelled Kirkland's left eye. Back and forth they went in the incredible third round, a round of the year candidate in which they were both wobbly but continued to trade toe to toe.
But as great of a fight as it was, Kirkland was breaking down Tapia. Tapia was taking huge punishment, and Smoger and the ringside doctor discussed the notion of stopping the fight after the fourth round if Tapia were to take many more blows. He did, in fact, take more clean shots in the fifth round, but he also hurt Kirkland with a pair of left hooks that gave the crowd -- almost all of which was rooting for "Jersey Boy" -- something to cheer. But Tapia's rally was short-lived and he appeared done after the fifth. That's when the fight should have been stopped. But even after another doctor's examination and discussion with Smoger, Tapia was sent back out for the sixth, with Devias' endorsement. That was shameful.
In the sixth round, it was no surprise when Kirkland trapped Tapia on the ropes and was destroying him with clean power shots from both hands. Smoger was close, but not close enough and only stopped it 38 seconds into the round -- after Kirkland got off one final massive hook that had Tapia out on his feet.
Tapia wound up at the hospital (later released), and for good reason. According to CompuBox, Kirkland landed 304 of 644 punches (47 percent), including 287 of his 572 power shots (50 percent). Those did a lot of damage. Tapia connected on 132 of 437 punches (30 percent), including 110 of 359 on power shots (31 percent). But Kirkland landed an average of 54 power shots per round, four times the division average. In the fourth round, he landed 73 of them, a CompuBox junior middleweight record.
It was a big win for Kirkland, who finds himself back in the thick of things and as a possible Gennady Golovkin opponent next year. It was also a physically debilitating loss for Tapia.
Matthew Macklin W10 Lamar Russ
Middleweights
Scores: 98-92, 97-93, 96-94
Records: Macklin (30-5, 20 KOs); Russ (14-1, 7 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Longtime contender and three-time title challenger Macklin, 31, of England, got the bounce-back win he desperately needed after getting blitzed in a third-round knockout loss to titleholder Gennady Golovkin in June. Macklin was supposed to fight Willie Nelson, but an elbow injury knocked Nelson out. Russ, a solid-looking prospect, took the fight on two weeks' notice.
This was a massive step up in competition for Russ, 26, of Wilmington, N.C., and it showed. Russ, a Golovkin sparring partner, has the physical tools and skills to one day compete at a higher level, but that day didn't come against the vastly more experienced Macklin, who split with trainer Buddy McGirt after the loss to Golovkin and was working with Jamie Moore, his old rival who had stopped him in a 2006 British junior middleweight title fight. Moore had Macklin back to his aggressive ways, and the tactic worked.
Macklin had Russ off balance and unsure of himself as he landed numerous good right hands during an entertaining fight. Russ' best weapon was a long left jab, but it wasn't consistent; Macklin, who suffered a cut over his left eye in the fifth round, eventually found a way to get inside against it. By the eighth round, Russ seemed to be in survival mode, hoping just to go the distance. Macklin tried to get him out and wobbled Russ with a right hand early in the ninth round. In the end, Macklin got the win he really needed to continue toward yet another title opportunity and Russ gained tremendous experience that should make him better in the long run.
Also on the prospect-laden card, 2012 Russian Olympic heavyweight gold medalist Egor Mekhontsev (1-0, 1 KO), 29, a 6-foot-1 southpaw fighting as a light heavyweight, made his pro debut, stopping P.J. Cajagas (0-3-1), 24, of Franklin Park, Ill., at 2 minutes, 35 seconds of the third round. Mekhontsev scored three knockdowns in the third round, all on body shots, for the victory. Southpaw middleweight Matt Korobov (22-0, 13 KOs), 30, a 2008 Russian Olympian, dropped Derek Edwards (26-3-1, 13 KOs), 34, of Winston-Salem, N.C., in the seventh round and finished him at 28 seconds of the ninth round. Philadelphia super middleweight prospect Jesse Hart (11-0, 10 KOs), 24, son of 1970s middleweight contender Eugene "Cyclone" Hart, blitzed Tyrell Hendrix (10-3-2, 3 KOs), 30, of Los Angeles, stopping him at 1 minute, 20 seconds of the first round.
Saturday at Stuttgart, Germany
Felix Sturm TKO2 Darren Barker
Wins a middleweight title
Records: Sturm (39-3-2, 18 KOs); Barker (26-2, 16 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Barker, 31, of England, might have reached the end of the road after this injury-induced stoppage loss. Barker has had a good career. In his first world title fight, in 2011, he gave middleweight champ Sergio Martinez a very tough challenge before being knocked out in the 11th round. Then Barker rebounded to win two fights in a row and got a shot in August at the middleweight belt held by Daniel Geale (who had beaten Sturm two fights earlier). It was a terrific fight, and Barker survived a brutal knockdown on a body shot in the sixth round to win a split decision and the title.
His first defense had to be a mandatory against the 34-year-old Sturm, a hero in Germany and a former three-time titleholder who has looked a bit long in the tooth in recent fights. Sturm's camp put up what Barker promoter Eddie Hearn called "life-altering money" to entice Barker to go to Germany for the fight, with the promise of neutral officials and an immediate rematch in England in the event Sturm won.
Sturm was sharp from the outset and displayed his potent jab. Barker, on the other hand, was landing shots but looked a little off. If turned out that his bad hip, which has given him problems in the past, was acting up again and had popped out of place. Barker, who has had surgery on both hips, had problems moving fluidly, and in the second round Sturm landed a chopping right hand that dropped Barker to all fours. He got up limping and grabbing his right hip. Barker tried to fight through it, but he was unsteady and wobbly and went down again from a right hand -- although not the kind of shot that should have caused a knockdown. Barker just didn't have his legs under him because of the hip. He looked to his corner and tapped his hip, and when he got up, he was hopping around. The fight resumed, and again he went back to battle but clearly was injured, and when Sturm began to unload shots, Barker's corner wisely threw in the towel.
The injury is career-threatening, and Barker sounded as though he would retire in his postfight comments as well as those made by Hearn. Barker is due to have an MRI on Monday. If he can fight on, he is contractually entitled to an immediate rematch, but that fight might never happen.
Friday at Chicago
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk TKO7 Giacobbe Fragomeni
Retains a cruiserweight title
Records: Wlodarczyk (49-2-1, 35 KOs); Fragomeni (30-4-2, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This sure wasn't the most necessary trilogy in boxing history. After all, in 2009, Fragomeni retained the title when he and Wlodarczyk fought to a disputed draw, and a year later -- with the title vacant -- they met again, with Wlodarczyk thoroughly dominating Fragomeni in an eighth-round knockout victory to win the belt. Wlodarczyk, 32, of Poland, has since put together a nice title reign, having beaten several good contenders. But Fragomeni, 44, of Italy, was made the mandatory challenger, so Wlodarczyk was taking care of his obligation in his third fight in Chicago (the first two were in 2005, when he was an unknown), where many local Polish fans turned out to support him.
The first three rounds were competitive, although Wlodarczyk seemed to win them. But he clearly took control in the fourth round when, while the fighters were in a clinch, he nailed Fragomeni with a left hook and dropped him. Fragomeni, who was cut under his left eye from the punch, never saw it coming. He didn't look good but beat the count, and there were only a few seconds left in the round.
In an entertaining fight, Wlodarczyk continued to pound Fragomeni's left eye. The cut was getting worse and Fragomeni's face was beginning to swell. After the sixth round, referee Rocky Burke stopped the bout on the advice of the ringside doctor. Technically, it goes down as a stoppage one second into the seventh round because the bell had rung to begin the round before Burke called it.
Andrzej Fonfara KO2 Samuel Miller
Light heavyweights
Records: Fonfara (25-2, 15 KOs); Miller (26-8, 23 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Fonfara, 26, a native of Poland living in Chicago, has been making a good name for himself in the light heavyweight division, having beaten former champion Glen Johnson in 2012 and also knocking out former titlist Gabriel Campillo in the ninth round in August.
Against Miller, 34, of Colombia, Fonfara scored a highlight-reel knockout. Miller had nailed Fonfara with a blatantly illegal right hand behind the head, but Fonfara shook it off and moments later nailed Miller with a left hook that sent him sprawling across the mat. Miller got to his knees, but he couldn't beat the count from referee Gerald Scott and was counted out at 58 seconds.
It was an important win for Fonfara, who, in his next bout, might get a title shot against Sergey Kovalev. If the Adonis Stevenson-Kovalev unification fight isn't made, the backup plan for Kovalev probably is Fonfara.
Friday at Perth, Australia
Simpiwe Vetyeka TKO6 Chris John
Wins a featherweight title
Records: Vetyeka (27-2, 15 KOs); John (48-1-3, 22 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In a bit of a shocker, Indonesian national hero John -- the longest-reigning active world titleholder in boxing -- saw his remarkable unbeaten streak come to an end at the hands of South Africa's Vetyeka, 32, who was dedicating his world title shot to the late Nelson Mandela, the South African hero who died the day before the fight.
John won his title in 2004 and had made 18 title defenses. A 19th successful defense would have tied John with International Boxing Hall of Famer Eusebio Pedroza of Panama, who reigned from 1978 to 1985, for the division record for defenses. John's goal had been to reach 50-0-3 and then retire, but Vetyeka may have hastened John's retirement plan.
Vetyeka, who lost his only other world title shot when he traveled to Japan in 2007 and lost a unanimous decision to then-featherweight titleholder Hozumi Hasegawa, got John in big trouble in the fifth round.
It was a sloppy fight, with lots of wild punches from both fighters. During an exchange late in the fifth round, in which they were both winging shots, John got caught and hurt. He went down to the canvas, but referee Gustavo Padilla ruled it a slip. John looked unsteady when he got up, and Vetyeka continued to take it to him in the sixth round, finally scoring an official knockdown when he nailed John with a right hand that dropped him to all fours with less than 30 seconds to go in the round. John barely made it out of the round, then quit on his stool between rounds, throwing in the towel on what had been a nearly decade-long run near the top of the 126-pound division.
Friday at Tokyo
Akira Yaegashi W12 Edgar Sosa
Retains a flyweight title
Scores: 117-111 (twice), 116-112
Records: Yaegashi (19-3, 9 KOs); Sosa (49-8, 29 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In 2011, Yaegashi, 30, of Japan, stopped Pornsawan Porpramook in the 10th round to win a strawweight title in an incredibly violent battle that was voted the ESPN.com fight of the year. Yaegashi lost the belt by decision in his next fight, a unification bout with Kazuto Ioka. But Yaegashi has now won four fights in a row, including a flyweight title in April followed by two defenses, the latest coming against Mexico's Sosa, 34, the mandatory challenger and former longtime junior flyweight titlist.
This was an excellent victory for Yaegashi, whose speed and movement was a bit too much for Sosa to deal with. Yaegashi was able to outbox Sosa for most of the fight and also land some good left hooks. Because the WBC's unfortunate open scoring system was being used, Yaegashi knew he was up 40-36, 39-37 and 39-37 after the fourth round and 80-72, 79-73 and 77-75 after the eighth round. Despite the big lead, Yaegashi elected to fight Sosa in the final few rounds rather than keep doing what had gotten him to that point. In the 10th round, he landed some good combinations and surprisingly battled toe to toe during parts of the 12th, when he knew he was well ahead.
With another defense in the books for Yaegashi, his promoter, Hideyuki Ohashi, said that Yaegashi would be willing to go to Macau and give touted two-time Chinese Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming a shot at the title even though Zou has had only two professional fights.
Ryota Murata TKO8 Dave Peterson
Middleweights
Records: Murata (2-0, 2 KOs); Peterson (13-2, 8 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Murata, 27, of Japan, won a 2012 Olympic gold medal and turned pro with a second-round knockout in August. His second pro assignment proved a bit more demanding, as he was stretched into the final round of the scheduled eight-rounder by Peterson, a 27-year-old club fighter from Minnesota. Murata finally dropped and stopped Peterson with a furious attack at 1 minute, 20 seconds of the eighth. Murata had dominated the fight and was up 70-63, 70-63 and 69-64 through seven rounds.
Friday at Shelton, Wash.
J'Leon Love KO6 Lajuan Simon
Super middleweights
Records: Love (16-0, 9 KOs); Simon (23-5-2, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Love, 26, of Detroit, was a headliner with some baggage on this card: The prospect won a controversial decision against Gabriel Rosado in May on the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Robert Guerrero undercard, but then tested positive for a banned diuretic that he admitted to taking to assist in his weight loss. He was suspended and fined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and was making his return against Simon, with Mayweather -- his promoter -- sitting ringside.
Simon, 34, of Philadelphia, was fighting for the first time in almost two years after he was destroyed by Gennady Golovkin in the first round of a 2011 middleweight title fight. Love didn't wipe him out as easily as GGG did, but he manhandled Simon with relative ease before knocking him out. Love was working on Simon, now a loser of three in a row, when he suddenly hurt him with a right uppercut in the sixth round. Love then unloaded several shots before finishing him with two chopping right hands and a left uppercut that knocked Simon cold. The blow sent Simon's head slamming to the canvas, causing referee Bobby Howard to immediately call off the bout at 2 minutes, 48 seconds.
The CompuBox stats show what a wipeout this fight was, as Love landed 171 of 319 punches (54 percent) while Simon was limited to landing just 69 of 356 blows (19 percent).
Badou Jack TKO6 Rogelio Medina
Super middleweights
Records: Jack (16-0-1, 11 KOs); Medina (31-5, 25 KOs)
Rafael's remarks:. Jack, 30, is a native of Sweden who boxed for Gambia (where his family is from) in the 2008 Olympics but now lives in Las Vegas and trains with his promoter, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Jack wasn't impressive in his most recent fight, a draw with former title challenger Marco Antonio Periban in Las Vegas on Sept. 12. Returning after suffering the first blemish on his record, he was matched with Medina, 25, of Mexico, a tough-as-nails journeyman who dropped his third bout in his past four.
Medina gave it everything he had, though, and was in the fight a bit for the first four rounds. But Jack -- the faster, bigger superior athlete -- took his time and sensed that Medina was losing steam by the fifth round. In the sixth, Jack dropped him with a counter right hand on the chin. Medina went down face-first moments later on an accumulation of shots, but he showed a huge heart to be able to continue. It wasn't for long, though, as Jack followed with two beautiful left uppercuts that connected. Medina collapsed in the corner, and referee Bobby Howard waved off the fight at 2 minutes, 20 seconds. Jack looked pretty good.
Mickey Bey TKO3 Carlos Cardenas
Lightweights
Records: Bey (19-1-1, 10 KOs); Cardenas (20-7-1, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Bey, 30, of Cleveland, salvaged what had so far been a forgettable year with an excellent performance against an overmatched opponent. In February, Bey knocked out Robert Rodriguez in the third round, but the result was changed to a no-decision when Bey tested positive for high levels of testosterone. In his return from a brief suspension in July, Bey took John Molina to school for 9½ rounds before Molina stunningly stopped him in the final minute for an unlikely comeback win. In his first fight since the KO loss to Molina, Bey was matched modestly against Cardenas, 29, of Venezuela, who was coming off his own knockout loss.
Bey, who is trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr., looked sharp before taking out Cardenas in the third round. He landed a left hook to the body followed immediately by a left to the jaw, sending Cardenas crashing hard flat on his back. Cardenas beat the count, but he was very wobbly and referee Paul Field chose to wave off the bout at 2 minutes, 22 seconds.
Chris Pearson KO1 Acacio Ferreira
Middleweights
Records: Pearson (10-0, 9 KOs); Ferreira (14-1-1, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Pearson, a 23-year-old prospect from Trotwood, Ohio, blew away Ferreira, 27, a Brazil native based in Las Vegas, in 1 minute, 44 seconds. Pearson staggered Ferreira, who was coming off a one-year layoff, with a flush right hand that knocked him back. He followed up by hammering Ferreira with a brutal six-punch combination that left him face-first on the mat and out as referee Paul Field immediately stopped the fight. Ferreira was draped over the bottom ring rope and motionless for a couple of minutes while he received medical attention. It was an exciting knockout for Pearson, a prospect to keep an eye on.
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that doesnt mean anything. You think Mayweather really gives a **** about the WBC title?
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