World Series of Boxing Semis Are Sunday

The L.A. Matadors are having their final punch out against the Astana Arlans in the semi-finals of World Series of Boxing on Sunday.

The Matadors meet the Kazakhstan-based Arlans on Sunday, April 17 at the Music Box Hollywood. Both teams are loaded with lower weight bombers and speedsters and it should be very entertaining.

Team boxing has proven to be much different from the regularly promoted venues. Whereas most major promoters wet nurse their fighters with easy opponents until they feel they are more than ready, in team boxing the fighters are matched evenly and the results are emphatic.

You won’t see one fighter (20-0, 19 KOs) facing another who is (13-35, 2 KOs). It just doesn’t happen in team boxing and especially in World Series of Boxing.

Many fighters on each team are some of the best amateurs in the world and display superior boxing skills. Though they’re still seen as amateurs who get paid, they box without head gear. That’s the main difference.

Fights are quick and emotional at times.

The fight card begins at 7 p.m. The Music Box theater is located at 6126 Hollywood Blvd. For tickets or more information go to www.lamatadors.com

Other boxing chatter

An Australian boxing card features Anthony Mundine (40-4, 24 KOs) in a super middleweight rematch against Garth Wood (10-1-1, 6 KOs) on Wednesday, April 13 in Queensland, Australia. Wood stopped Mundine in their first encounter.

Mexico’s Ana Maria Torres (24-3-2) moves up in weight to challenge junior featherweight and fellow Mexican Jackie Nava (24-3-2) for the vacant WBA junior featherweight world tonight in Vera Cruz, Mexico. On the same card Hollie Dunaway (23-9-1, 10 KOs) fights Katia Gutierrez (11-3) for the vacant IBF mini-flyweight world title.

Peru’s Kina Malpartida (12-3, 3 KOs) defends the WBA junior lightweight world title against Rowland Heights Rhonda Luna (16-2-2) who holds the GBU junior lightweight title. It’s a rematch. Both fought each other at San Manuel Casino in 2008 with Luna winning by split decision.

Undefeated Chris John (44-0-2, 22 KOs) defends the WBA junior lightweight title against fellow Indonesian Daud Yordan (27-1, 21 KOs) on Sunday, April 17 in Jakarta, Indonesia. This is John’s second title defense of the junior lightweight title. He was a former featherweight world champion with 10 title defenses.

Mexico’s Marco Antonio Rubio (50-5-1, 43 KOs) upset Canada’s middleweight star David Lemiuex (25-1, 24 KOs) with a technical knockout in the seventh round of a middleweight clash. The fight took place last Friday in Montreal.

Mexico’s Jhonny Gonzalez  (48-7, 42 KOs) knocked out WBC featherweight world champion Hozumi Hasegawa (29-4, 12 KOs) of Japan 58 seconds into the fourth round. The title fight took place last Friday in Kobe, Japan. In other fights WBC junior featherweight champion Toshiaki Nishioka (38-4-3) stopped Mauricio Munoz in the ninth round. And WBC junior lightweight champion Takahiro Ao (20-2-1) knocked out Humberto Gutierrez (28-3-1) in round four.

Junior welterweight Jessie Vargas (15-0, 8 KOs) of Las Vegas emerged victorious over former world champion Vivian Harris (29-6-1) when that fighter could not continue after one round. The match took place in Primm, Nevada last Friday.

Dyah Davis (19-2-1) handed Marquez Johnson (20-1, 15 KOs) his first career loss after 10 rounds of a light heavyweight match last Friday in Laredo, Texas. Davis is the son of Howard Davis a former U.S. Olympian.

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