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Bantamweight Wars: Abner Mares Retains IBF, Anselmo Moreno Retains WBA…AVILA

ANAHEIM-Vindication for IBF bantamweight titleholder Abner Mares was unanimous in a dominating win over former champion Joseph “King Kong” Agbeko on Saturday in front of 4,000 fans.
Last summer Mares won a close and much disputed decision over Ghana’s Agbeko at the Honda Center that was marred by low blows, and missed head holding tactics by Agbeko. All was erased by the quicker and more precise head-hunting Mares.
Low blows were not an issue in this fight.
Mares retained the title and eliminated all doubt by changing targets from the body to Agbeko’s head and it proved beneficial at the Honda Center. There was no referee controversy in this match.
“I’m happy that my fans finally saw my true boxing skills, they saw the real Abner,” said Mares. “You saw the last time and there was controversy. I proved I beat him the first time and I beat him again.”
Mares didn’t attack the body as much this time and it proved to be the right method of attack as he quickly jumped to a lead. Using quick combinations against Ghana’s Agbeko he scored early and kept the challenger off balance for the first half of the fight. He also saved energy.
A cut over Mares' right eye from a punch proved troublesome but the Southern Californian was still pinpoint and more accurate than Agbeko. He landed 254 punches to Agbeko’s 180 after 12 rounds according to Compubox.
“I knew I was winning the fight. And I closed the fight like a champion,” Mares said.
In their previous fight this past August, both fought in a nip and tuck action clash. In this match Agbeko seemed to be looking for the knockout.
“I was told by journalists interviewing me that if I didn’t score a knockout I wouldn’t win,” said Agbeko, who couldn’t seem to land many jabs. “I felt like I did well.”
All three judges scored it 118-110 for Mares.
“I’m ready for anyone or I’ll go up to 122,” said Mares.
WBA Moreno Wins
WBA bantamweight titleholder Anselmo “Chemito” Moreno (32-1-1, 11 KOs) won a widespread unanimous decision over IBO titleholder Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan (37-4-1, 27 KOs), using his clever defense, a long jab and fluid combinations over 12 rounds.
Darchinyan opened up aggressively as always in the first round and seemed hell bent on going for the big bomb. It never came.
“I couldn’t find him the whole fight,” said Darchinyan. “He was going for the points and I was going for the knockout.”
Though nervous fighting in the U.S. for the first time Anselmo proved to be one of the few to beat Darchinyan convincingly.
“He threw a lot of punches and I avoided them, that was the plan,” said Anselmo. “Yes, he connected a few times, but so did I.”
The next round saw Anselmo land a perfect left cross that shook Darchinyan briefly.
A crushing left hand connected on Anselmo but the Panamanian absorbed the blow well in round three. Darchinyan kept the pressure on and won the round. Anselmo said he was nervous and it showed the first three rounds. But after the left by Darchinyan connected flush, he seemed to find confidence.
Anselmo won the fourth round big by using a stiff and long right jab. Then Darchinyan was deducted a point for flinging the Panamanian at the end of the round and probably gave Anselmo a two point advantage.
The Panamanian had his biggest round in the eighth as he landed multiple combinations including a snapping right hook. Darchinyan seemed to visibly tire in the round and seemed sluggish and looking to bide his time.
All three judges scored it for Anselmo 120-107, 117-110, 116-111.
“I look forward to coming back here and fighting many more times. He was a great boxer but so am I,” said Anselmo. “I’m extremely happy and I’ve always wanted to fight the best. I hope the one who wins tonight will fight me.”
Other bouts
Puerto Rico’s Eric Morel, a former flyweight world champion, fought Mexico’s Jose Silveira and won by unanimous decision after 10 rounds of a bantamweight match. Morel connected often but Silveira proved very durable. Two judges scored it 98-92 and the other 97-93 for Morel.
East L.A.’s Frankie Gomez (12-0, 9 KOs) knocked out cold North Carolina’s James Hope (6-9-1, 4 KOs) with a wicked overhand right at 53 seconds of round three. Both fighters had equal speed but Hope had an elusive style that he complemented by effectively holding at times. Gomez slipped and countered and finally caught up in the third round during an exchange.
“I stayed calm and waited to counter but I knew he would move all night long so I knew I had to go for the knockout,” said Gomez.
Norwalk’s Carlos Molina (15-0-1, 7 KOs) rebooted himself and won an entertaining 10-round junior welterweight bout against Mexico’s Manuel Leyva (18-4, 10 KOs). Molina hurt Leyva with a left hook counter in round six and nearly stopped him in the final round with a counter right hand that had the taller left-handed boxer wobbling. All three judges scored it for Molina 99-91 twice and 100-90. In Molina’s last fight he lacked energy, but not this time. He out-worked and out-hit Leyva almost every round.
Riverside’s hard-hitting Richard Contreras (9-0, 8 KOs) remained undefeated with a fourth round technical knockout over San Bernardino’s very under-rated Juan Sandoval. The battle of the Inland area saw Contreras blister Sandoval with rights especially in round three. Sandoval rallied a bit but Contreras was too strong and the fight was ended 38 seconds into round four by referee Tony Crebs.
Super middleweight prospect Omar Henry (11-0-1, 9 KOs) and former Cuban amateur star Lester Gonzalez (12-5-3, 6 KOs) were beginning to really make the fight interesting when both collided heads during an exchange. A nasty cut above Gonzalez’s right eye caused the ringside physician to advise the fight be stopped at 57 seconds of round two for a technical draw.
Former super middleweight contender Sakio Bika (29-5-2, 20 KOs) moved up a weight division and slugged it out with iron-chinned Alfredo Contreras (11-13-2, 5 KOs) of Los Mochis, Mexico. Though Contreras was able to take the blows to the chin and jaw his eye couldn’t and the fight was stopped at the end of round three. Bika was awarded the fight by technical knockout.
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Nick Ball Wears Down and Stops TJ Doheny Before the Home Folks in Liverpool

Fighting in his hometown, Liverpool’s five-foot-two fireplug Nick “The Wrecking” Ball stopped TJ Doheny after 10 progressively more one-sided rounds to retain his WBA belt in the second defense of the featherweight title he won with a hard-earned decision over Raymond Ford in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Referee Michael Alexander, with the assent of Doheny’s corner, waived it off following the bell ending Round 10, much to the chagrin of the brave but mildewed Doheny who burst into tears. But then, Doheny’s right eye was closed shut and he was plainly exhausted. This may be the end of the line for the 38-year-old campaigner from Perth, Australia via Portlaois, Ireland who was 26-5 heading in following his first loss inside the distance which came against pound-for-pound king Naoya Inoue.
There were no knockdowns, but Ball (22-0-1, 13 KOs) was docked a point in round nine for throwing Doheny to the canvas after having previously been warned for this infraction. Earlier, both he and Doheny were warned for an incident that could have ended the bout prematurely. At the end of the first round, Ball extricated himself from a headlock by kicking Doheny in the back of his knee. The challenger’s leg appeared to buckle as he returned to his stool.
Going forward, Ball has many options. The 28-year-old Liverpudlian purportedly relishes a unification fight with WBC belt-holder Stephen Fulton, but the decision ultimately rests with Ball’s promoter Frank Warren.
Other Bouts of Note
In a 12-round bantamweight contest that was close on the scorecards but yet a monotonous affair, Liverpool’s Andrew Cain won a split decision over former WBC flyweight title-holder Charlie Edwards. The scores were 116-112 and 115-114 favoring Cain with judge Steve Gray submitting a disreputable 115-113 tally for Edwards. At stake were a trio of regional titles.
The science of boxing, they say, is about hitting without getting hit. Charlie Edwards is adept at the latter but the hitting part is not in his DNA. He was on his bicycle from the get-go, a style that periodically brought forth a cascade of boos. Cain, who trains in the same gym with Nick Ball, was never able to corner him – Edwards was too elusive – but Cain, to his credit, never lost his composure.
In improving to 14-1 (12), Cain achieved a measure of revenge, in a sense. In his last documented amateur bout, in 2014, Cain was defeated by Charlie’s brother Sunny Edwards, also a former world title-holder at the professional level. Heading in, Charlie Edwards (20-2, 1 NC) was unbeaten in his last 13 which included a comfortable decision over Cristofer Rosales in his flyweight title fight. Charlie relinquished that belt when he could no longer make the weight.
Showboating Cuban lightweight Jadier Herrera, who fought 13 of his first 14 pro fights in his adopted home of Dubai, advanced to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a seventh-round stoppage of spunky but outclassed Mexican import Jose Macias (21-4-2). The official time was 2:31 of round seven.
An all-Liverpool affair between super flyweights Jack Turner (11-0, 10 KOs) and Ryan Farrag (23-6) was over in a jiff. The match, which went next-to-last in the bout order, ended at the 42-second mark of round two. A barrage of punches climaxed by a left hook sent Farrag down hard and the referee waived it off.
The noted spoiler Ionut Baluta, whose former victims include Andrew Cain, forged another upset with a 10-round split decision over local fan favorite Brad Strand. The judges favored Baluta 98-91 and 96-94, out-voting the Italian judge whose 97-93 tally for Strand was deemed the most accurate by the TV pundits.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 317: Callum Walsh, Dana White and More

As Callum Walsh stood on the observation deck at the top of the Empire State Building with fists clenched, it harked back to actor Jimmy Cagney, an actor of Irish descent, yelling “Top of the world, ma,” in the 1949 motion picture White Heat.
The Irish-born Walsh brings that kind of attitude.
Once again Walsh (12-0, 10 KOs) returns to New York City and this time faces Scottish warrior Dean Sutherland (19-1, 7 KOs) in a super welterweight match set for 10 rounds on Sunday, March 16, at Madison Garden Theater.
UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions event.
Flanked by master trainer Freddie Roach and managed by Dana White it brings questions as to the direction that Walsh will be steered. It was just revealed that White will head a new boxing promotion outfit with big plans to make a more UFC type of organization.
Is Walsh part of the plans?
It’s a lot to digest as the hot prospect from Cork, Ireland proceeds toward world championship dreams. Can he cleanse his mind of this major distraction?
Walsh and Sutherland are both southpaws who are meeting at the crossroads in the heart of New York City. At this point of their careers a loss can mean rebooting and taking a few steps backward. The winner moves on to the next crucial step.
Sutherland, 26, hails from Aberdeen and has never fought outside of his native Scotland. It’s a lot to ask of someone whose country’s population of 5 million is dwarfed by New York City’s 8.2 million inhabitants all packed together.
Ireland’s population is also 5 million. So basically, both Walsh and Sutherland are on even terms when they enter the prize ring on Sunday.
Who knows what kind of competition Sutherland faced in Scotland. He beat two undefeated fighters and also conquered two foes who each had more than 100 losses on their resumes.
Meanwhile, Walsh has faced only one undefeated fighter but handled veterans like Benjamin Whitaker, Ismael Villareal and Carlos Ortiz Cervantes. But you never know until they meet face to face. Anything can happen in a prize ring.
Walsh has a three-fight knockout streak. Sutherland has slept two out of his last three foes. They will be joined by several Irish fighters on the card plus Cletus “The Hebrew Hammer” Seldin.
Dana, Turk and TKO
The announcement earlier in the week that Turki Alalshikh together with TKO Group Holdings that include Dana White and Nick Khan formed a new boxing promotion company.
White, who does not own UFC but guides the MMA ship, works for Endeavor, the parent company of UFC and WWE. Their events are all shown on ESPN, the powerful sports network (albeit WWE’s flagship weekly show “Raw” recently moved to Netflix). It seems Endeavor has decided to allow White to guide its boxing program too.
Where does that leave Top Rank?
It seems the partnership plans to rid boxing of the many sanctioning organizations and have only one champion per division. The champion will be given a Ring Magazine belt. Recently, Turki Alalshikh purchased The Ring magazine from Golden Boy Promotions. This seems to have been the plan all along.
Is this good for boxing?
Mark Shapiro, the president of TKO Group Holdings, said:
“This is a strategic opportunity to re-imagine the sport of boxing globally. TKO has the deep expertise, promotional prowess, and longstanding relationships. HE Turki Alalshikh and Sela share our passion and vision for evolving the current model. Together, we can bring the sweet science back to its rightful place in the forefront of the global sports ecosystem.”
DAZN all day
Three boxing cards take place on Saturday beginning with WBA featherweight titlist Nick Ball (21-0-1) the human cannonball, defending against former champion TJ Doheny from Liverpool, England. The first bout begins around 9:30 a.m. (Pacific Coast Time). Ball likes to charge forward and punch. Doheny is no slouch and has experience.
Later, Matchroom Boxing presents a show from Florida that features Edgar Berlanga (22-1) fresh off a solid contest against Canelo Alvarez. He fights undefeated Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) in a super middleweight match. Also, Ammo Williams (17-1) returns to face dangerous Patrice Volny (19-1) in a middleweight clash. The card starts at 3:30 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time.
Saturday evening MarvNation presents Amado Vargas (11-0) meeting Eduardo Hernandez (8-2) in a super lightweight contest at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California. Start time is set for 8 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time). The son of the great Fernando Vargas remains undefeated.
Fights to Watch
Sat. DAZN 11:30 a.m. Nick Ball (21-0-1) vs TJ Doheny (26-5).
Sat. DAZN 3:30 p.m. Edgar Berlanga (22-1) vs Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) ; Ammo Williams (17-1) vs Patrice Volny (19-1).
Sat. DAZN 8 p.m. Amado Vargas (11-0) vs Eduardo Hernandez (8-2).
Sun. UFC Fight Pass 3 p.m. Callum Walsh (12-0) vs Dean Sutherland (19-1).
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A Fresh Face on the Boxing Scene, Bryce Mills Faces His Toughest Test on Friday

“He wants to test himself and find out just how good he really is,” said International Boxing Hall of Fame promoter Russell Peltz regarding super lightweight Bryce Mills. Peltz, who has dealt with a wide range of fighters throughout his lifetime in boxing, recognized the fire that burned inside Mills at a local show in Philadelphia in early 2022. At the time Mills had less than ten professional fights under his belt.
Mills hails from Liverpool in upstate New York and trains in nearby Syracuse. Currently 17-1 (6 KOs), he’s undefeated in his last 11 since losing a split decision to a Puerto Rican fighter from the Bronx who had fought much stiffer competition.
The fight in question that caught Peltz’s eye was arranged by the well-known and respected matchmaker Nick Tiberi who paired Mills in an intriguing fight against Daiyaan Butt, a tough and skilled fighter from the Philadelphia area. They fought at LIVE Casino in South Philadelphia on Feb. 24, 2022.
Although the crowd on hand that night favored Butt, Mills, although then only 20 years old, wasn’t intimidated and was the clear-cut winner at the end of their exciting, back-and-forth battle. This showed Peltz that Mills was serious about seeing just how far his ability could take him.
That’s why Peltz decided to join forces with Mills. Despite being semi-retired, Peltz is still active enough to help guide fighters through the ever-changing wild west landscape that is boxing. Since their union after Mill’s victory over Butt, Mills has been on a nine-fight winning streak heading into what Peltz believes is the toughest test of his career this Friday against Alex Martin 18-6 (6 KOs) of Chicago.
“I didn’t want him to take this fight, it’s a dangerous fight for him. Martin is a southpaw and is tricky, he’s a veteran and is experienced. His father (Mills’s father) called me and said that Bryce wanted the fight, to his credit,” says Peltz. One look at Martin’s resume and it confirms what Peltz stated. All six of Martin’s losses came against fighters with outstanding records including a former world title challenger. Martin also holds some quality wins over undefeated prospects that were at similar points in their careers to where Mills currently is in his development.
Bryce Mills looks like a fighter (he’s always in shape), acts like a fighter (testing his craft against all comers), walks the walk of a fighter, and fights with a fan-friendly pedal-to-the-metal style. That is a winning combination that could be the breath of fresh air the boxing world could surely use and on Friday night at the Wind Creek Events Center in Bethlehem, PA, live on DAZN, Mills is going to have the opportunity to put the boxing world on notice.
***
DAZN will televise the Mills-Martin fight along with a main event that features undefeated middleweight Euri Cedeno (10-0-1, 9 KO’s) against Ulices Rivera (11-1, 7 KO’s). Knockout artist Joseph Adorno (20-4-1, 17 KOs) and undefeated Reading, PA super featherweight Julian Gonzalez (15-0-1, 11 KOs) appear in separate bouts on the undercard. Tickets for the Marshall Kauffman’s Kings Promotion show are still available through Ticketmaster. Lobby doors open at 5:00 pm. First bell is at 7:00.
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