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AVILA RINGSIDE: Mayweather Wrests Title From Cotto

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MayweatherOrtiz Hogan5LAS VEGAS-A bloodied Floyd Mayweather rallied to take the final rounds and wrest the WBA junior middleweight title from Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto in a rather surprising slugfest on Saturday at the MGm Grand. In the co-main event Mexico's Saul “Canelo” Alvarez was the solid victor over Sugar Shane Mosley.

Cotto (37-3, 30 KOs) was aggressive and came with a solid game plan to keep Mayweather (43-0, 26 KOs) busy and unable to use his famous defense. It was seldom a defensive struggle as both fought inside for most of the 12 round fight at the MGM Grand.

Though many did not like the scores, the fight itself was an entertaining affair.

After Cotto seemed to be out working Mayweather for three rounds, the Las Vegas prizefighter finally seemed to wake up with five consecutive right hands. Then a combination seemed to rock Cotto but he withstood the barrage.

Mayweather had that look of surprise, but once he realized that Cotto was not going to slow down, the speedy prizefighter began to become more respectful of the Puerto Rican's abilities. Plus, that sledgehammer left hand was taking a toll on Mayweather's nose. For the first time in recent memory Mayweather looked battered.

“We wanted to give them what they wanted to see,” Mayweather said after. “It was exciting. Miguel Cotto was a tough competitor. He's not a pushover.”

Most of the latter part of the match was fought inside with both firing aggressive combinations. Cotto mixed left hooks to the body and head and some ramrod left jabs. Mayweather fired his right leads and in the last three rounds found a right hand-left uppercut combination very effective. In the final round he hurt Cotto with it but the Puerto Rican survived the onslaught.

All three judges scored it for Mayweather but the scores were pretty surprising, 118-110 Robert Hoyle, 117-111 by Patricia Jarmon and Dave Moretti.

“The judges said I lost the fight I can't do anything else. I brought my best and I did my best. I'm happy with my fight and with my performance. I can't ask for anything else,” Cotto said.

Mayweather is the new WBA junior middleweight titleholder.

Alvarez

Alvarez answered the questions on whether he deserved a world title with a persistent battering of Pomona's legendary Mosley to retain the WBC junior middleweight belt. Youth and strength were the Mexican fighter's advantages and he took full advantage.

After a tentative first round Alvarez began to land left hooks and uppercuts. Then came the right hands until the fifth round when Mosley took a stand. But Alvarez won that round too. Mosley just couldn't overcome the youth advantage but he did stay on his feet. It wasn't easy.

Mosley couldn't see the right hand and by the sixth round the left side of his face was swollen from the repeated blows absorbed. Alvarez then began to dig to the body and it looked like he could knock down Mosley but he survived and rallied a bit.

Alvarez looked the better fighter clean and simple. No controversy.

“It was a good experience. I'm going to get much better,” said Alvarez (40-0-1) who hails from Guadalajara, Mexico.

Mosley was both gracious and honest about Alvarez and his own performance.

“His defense was really good. He was really fast,” commented Mosley. “His body shots were good and his punches were pretty sharp…I might have to stick to promoting.”

Alvarez felt his victory substantiates his ability.

“I want Mayweather, Cotto, whatever. I'm ready,” Alvarez said.

Other bouts

Rising contender Jessie Vargas (19-0, 9 KOs) beat former world champion Steve “Two Pounds” Forbes (35-11, 11 KOs) by unanimous decision after 10 rounds of a welterweight match. It was a very technical fight as Vargas used his height, reach and steady jab to out point Forbes who formerly held a junior lightweight world title. Forbes, one of the real technically proficient boxers today, just couldn't overcome the physical advantages Vargas possesses. The scores were 100-90, 97-93 and 98-92 for Vargas.

It was the old gunslinger over the young gunslinger as Carlos Quintana (29-3, 23 KOs) knocked out DeAndre Latimore (23-4, 17 KOs) with a 12-punch barrage ending with a left cross. Latimore never could figure out his fellow southpaw's movements and paid for it at 2:19 of round six. Quintana could be Alvarez's next opponent.

San Diego's junior welterweight Antonio Orozco (14-0, 10 KOs) didn't waste time against Florida's Dillet Frederick (8-6-3, 5 KOs). From the opening bell until 1:45 of round three Orozco rained body shots and left hooks like there was an expiration date on punches. The red tag fire sale ended with Orozco snapping Frederick's head back like one of those Dodger bobble head dolls. Referee Kenny Bayless ended the match despite the Floridian never tasting the canvas. It was a good stoppage.

Omar Figueroa (16-0-1, 13 KOs) slammed a left hook to Robbie “Pea Shooter” Cannon's jaw at 2:08 of round two for a knockout win. In the first round Figueroa connected with a left hook to Cannon's liver and he dropped after a 20-second delay for a knock down. Cannon (12-7-2, 6 KOs) tried to protect his body from another body shot but fell for a feint to the body and left the head unprotected. Figueroa, who hails from Weslaco Texas, but trains in Indio, California, punished him for the mistake in the lightweight bout.

A battle of undefeated welterweights ended in Keith Thurman's favor by technical knockout at 25 seconds of round three against Missouri's Brandon Hoskins (16-1-1, 8 KOs). Florida's Thurman (17-0, 16 KOs) had too much speed for Hoskins to handle but he tried. A knockdown from a left hook in round two forced Hoskins to increase his own tempo, but Thurman teed off and referee Russell Mora stopped the fight.

Puerto Rico's Braulio Santos (6-0, 5 KOs) remained undefeated but San Bernardino's Juan Sandoval (5-9-1, 3 KOs) snapped the knockout streak of the Boricua. All three judges scored it 59-55 for Santos who used his speed to gain points but couldn't figure out Sandoval's attack in the six round featherweight match. Sandoval's body attack kept Santos from going all out.

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Floyd Schofield Wins a Banger and Gabriela Fundora Wins by KO

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Floyd Schofield Wins a Banger and Gabriela Fundora Wins by KO

LAS VEGAS-Shades of Henry Armstrong and Baby Arizmendi. If you don’t know those names, look them up.

Floyd Schofield battled his way past Mexico’s super tough Rene Tellez Giron who walked through every blow the Texan could fire but lost by decision on Saturday.

It was a severe test and perfect matchmaking for Schofield who yearns for the big bouts against the lightweight giants roaming the world.

Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs) remains undefeated and won the war over thick-necked Mexican Tellez Giron (20-4, 13 KOs) who has never been knocked out and proved to be immune to big punches.

In the opening rounds, the Texas fighter came out firing rapid combinations from the southpaw and orthodox stances. Meanwhile the shorter Tellez Giron studied and fired back an occasional counter for two rounds.

Tellez Giron had seen enough and took his stand in the third stanza. Both unleashed blazing bombs with Schofield turning his back to the Mexican. At that moment referee Tom Taylor could have waved the fight over.

You never turn your back.

The fight resumed and Schofield was damaged. He tried to open up with even more deadly fire but was rebuked by the strong chin of Tellez Giron who fired back in the mad frenzy.

For the remainder of the fight Schofield tried every trick in his arsenal to inflict damage on the thick-necked Mexican. He could not be wobbled. In the 11th round both opened up with serious swing-from-the-heels combinations and suddenly Schofield was looking up. He beat the count easily and the two remained slugging it out.

“He hit me with a good shot,” Schofield said of the knockdown. “I just had to get up. I’m not going to quit.”

In the final round Schofield moved around looking for the proper moment to engage. The Mexican looked like a cat ready to pounce and the two fired furious blows. Neither was hit with the big bombs in the last seconds.

There was Tellez Giron standing defiantly like Baby Arizmendi must have stood in those five ferocious meetings against the incomparable Henry Armstrong. Three of their wars took place in Los Angeles, two at the Olympic Auditorium in the late 1930s as the U.S. was emerging from the Great Depression.

In this fight, Schofield took the win by unanimous decision by scores 118-109 twice and 116-111. It was well-deserved.

“I tried to bang it out,” said Schofield. “Today I learned you can’t always get the knockout.”

Fundora

IBF flyweight titlist Gabriela Fundora needed seven rounds to figure out the darting style of Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz before firing a laser left cross down the middle to end the battle and become the undisputed flyweight world champion.

Fundora now holds all four titles including the WBO, WBA and WBC titles that Alaniz brought in the ring.

Fundora knocked down Alaniz midway through the seventh round. She complained it was due to a tangle of the legs. Several seconds later Fundora blasted the Argentine to the floor again with a single left blast. This time there was no doubt. Her corner wisely waved a white towel to stop the fight at 1:40 of the seventh round.

No one argued the stoppage.

Other Bouts

Bektemir Melikuziev (15-1, 10 KOs) didn’t make weight in a title bout but managed to out-fight David Stevens (14-2, 10 KOs) in a super middleweight fight held at 12 rounds.

Melikuziev used his movement and southpaw stance to keep Pennsylvania’s Stevens from being able to connect with combinations. But Stevens did show he could handle “The Bully’s” punching power over the 12-round fight.

After 12 rounds one judge favored Stevens 116-112, while two others saw Melikuziev the winner by split decision 118-110 and 117-111.

Super middleweight WBA titlist Darius Fulghum (13-0, 11 KOs) pummeled his way to a technical knockout win over southpaw veteran Chris Pearson (17-5-1, 12 KOs) who attempted the rope-a-dope strategy to no avail.

Fulghum floored Pearson in the first round with a four-punch combination and after that just belted Pearson who covered up and fired an occasional blow. Referee Mike Perez stopped the fight at 1:02 of the third round when Pearson did not fire back after a blazing combination.

Young welterweight prospect Joel Iriarte (5-0, 5 KOs) blasted away at the three-inch shorter Xavier Madrid (5-6, 2 KOs) who hung tough for as long as possible. At 2:50 of the first round a one-two delivered Madrid to the floor and referee Thomas Taylor called off the beating.

Iriarte, from Bakersfield, Calif., could not miss with left uppercuts and short rights as New Mexico’s Madrid absorbed every blow but would not quit. It was just too much firepower from Iriarte that forced the stoppage.

Photos credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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Results and Recaps from Turning Stone where O’Shaquie Foster Nipped Robson Conceicao

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Top Rank was at the Turning Stone casino-resort in Verona, New York, tonight with an 8-bout card topped by a rematch between Robson Conceicao and O’Shaquie Foster with the victor retaining or recapturing his IBF world junior lightweight title. When the smoke cleared, the operative word was “recapturing” as Foster became a two-time title-holder, avenging his controversial setback to the Brazilian in Newark on July 6.

This was a somewhat better fight than their initial encounter and once again the verdict was split. Foster prevailed by 115-113 on two of the cards with the dissenting judge favoring Conceicao by the same margin. Conceicao seemingly had the edge after nine frames, but Foster, a 4/1 favorite, landed the harder shots in the championship rounds.

It was the thirteenth victory in the last 14 starts for Foster who fights out of Houston. A two-time Olympian and 2016 gold medalist, the 36-year-old Conceicao is 19-3-1 overall and 1-3-1 in world title fights.

Semi-wind-up

SoCal lightweight Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) made a big jump in public esteem and moved one step closer to a world title fight with a second-round blast-out of Jose Antonio Perez who was on the canvas twice but on his feet when the fight was stopped at the 1:24 mark of round two. Muratalla, a product of Robert Garcia’s boxing academy, is ranked #2 by the WBC and WBO. A Tijuana native, Perez (25-6) earned this assignment with an upset of former Olympian and former 130-pound world titlist Jojo Diaz,

Other Bouts

Syracuse junior welterweight Bryce Mills, a high-pressure fighter with a strong local following, stopped scrawny Mike O’Han Jr whose trainer Mark DeLuca pulled him out after five one-sided rounds. Mills improved to 17-1 (6 KOs). It was another rough day at the office for Massachusetts house painting contractor O’’Han (19-4) who had the misfortune of meeting Abdullah Mason in his previous bout.

In a junior lightweight fight that didn’t heat up until late in the final round, Albany’s Abraham Nova (23-3-1) and Tijuana native Humberto Galindo (14-3-3) fought to a 10-round draw. It was another close-but-no- cigar for the likeable Nova who at least stemmed a two-fight losing streak. The judges had it 97-93 (Galindo), 96-94 (Nova) and 95-95.

Twenty-one-year-old Long Island middleweight Jahi Tucker advanced to 13-1-1 (6 KOs) with an eighth-round stoppage of Stockton’s teak-tough but outclassed Quilisto Madera (14-6). Madera was on a short leash after five rounds, but almost took it to the final bell with the referee intervening with barely a minute remaining in the contest. Madera was on his feet when the match was halted. Earlier in the round, Tucker had a point deducted for hitting on the break.

Danbury, Connecticut heavyweight Ali Feliz, one of two fighting sons of journeyman heavyweight Fernely Feliz, improved to 4-0 (3) with a second-round stoppage of beefy Rashad Coulter (5-5). Feliz had Coulter pinned against the ropes and was flailing away when the bout was halted at the 1:34 mark. The 42-year-old Coulter, a competitor in all manner of combat sports, hadn’t previously been stopped when competing as a boxer.

Featherweight Yan Santana dominated and stopped Mexico’s Eduardo Baez who was rescued by referee Charlie Fitch at the 1:57 mark of round four. It was the 12th knockout in 13 starts for Santana, a 24-year-old Dominican father of three A former world title challenger, Mexicali’s Baez declines to 23-7-2 but has lost six of his last eight.

In his most impressive showing to date, Damian Knyba, a six-foot-seven Pole, knocked out paunchy Richard Lartey at the 2:10 mark of round three. A right-left combination knocked Lartey into dreamland, but it was the right did the damage and this was of the nature of a one-punch knockout. Referee Ricky Gonzalez waived the fight off without starting a count.

Knyba, 28, improved to 14-0 (8 KOs). A native of Ghana coming off his career-best win, a fourth-round stoppage of Polish veteran Andrzej Wawrzyk, Lartey declined to 16-7 with his sixth loss inside the distance.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 303: Spotlights on Lightweights and More

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Those lightweights.

Whether junior lights, super lights or lightweights, it’s the 130-140 divisions where most of boxing’s young stars are found now or in the past.

Think Oscar De La Hoya, Sugar Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather.

Floyd Schofield (17-0, 12 KOs) a Texas product, hungers to be a star and takes on Mexico’s Rene Tellez Giron (20-3, 13 KOs) in a 12-round lightweight bout on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.

DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotion card that includes a female undisputed flyweight championship match pitting Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz and Gabriela Fundora.

Like a young lion looking to flex, Schofield (pictured on the left)  is eager to meet all the other young lions and prove they’re not equal.

“I’ve been in the room with Shakur, Tank. I want to give everyone a good fight. I feel like my preparation is getting better, I work hard, I’ve dedicated my whole life to this sport,” said Schofield naming fellow lightweights Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

Now he meets Mexico’s Tellez who has never been stopped.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” said Tellez.

Even in Las Vegas.

Verona, New York

Meanwhile, in upstate New York, a WBC junior lightweight title rematch finds Robson Conceicao (19-2-1, 9 KOs) looking to prove superior to former titlist O’Shaquie Foster (22-3, 12 KOs) on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, N.Y. ESPN+ will stream the Top Rank fight card.

Last July, Conceicao and Foster clashed and after 12 rounds the title changed hands from Foster to the Brazilian by split decision.

“I feel that a champion is a fighter who goes out there and doesn’t run around, who looks for the fight, who tries to win, and doesn’t just throw one or two punches and then moves away,” said Conceicao.

Foster disagrees.

“I hope he knows the name of the game is to hit and not get hit. That’s the name of the game,” said Foster.

Also on the same card is lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla (21-0, 16 KOs) who fights Mexico’s Jesus Perez Campos (25-5, 18 KOs).

Perez recently defeated former world champion Jojo Diaz last February in California.

“We’re made for challenges. I like challenges,” said Perez.

Muratalla likes challenges too.

“I think these fights are the types of fights I need to show my skills and to prove I deserve those title fights,” said Fontana’s Muratalla.

Female Undisputed Flyweight Championship

WBA, WBC and WBO flyweight titlist Gabriela “La Chucky” Alaniz (15-1, 6 KOs meets IBF titlist Gabriela Fundora (14-0, 6 KOs) on Saturday Nov. 2, at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada. DAZN will stream the clash for the undisputed flyweight championship.

Argentina’s Alaniz clashed twice against former WBA, WBC champ Marlen Esparza with their first encounter ending in a dubious win for the Texas fighter. In fact, three of Esparza’s last title fights were scored controversially.

But against Alaniz, though they fought on equal terms, Esparza was given a 99-91 score by one of the judges though the world saw a much closer contest. So, they fought again, but the rematch took place in California. Two judges deemed Alaniz the winner and one Esparza for a split-decision win.

“I’m really happy to be here representing Argentina. We are ready to fight. Nothing about this fight has to do with Marlen. So, I hope she (Fundora) is ready. I am ready to prepare myself for the great fight of my life,” said Alaniz.

In the case of Fundora, the extremely tall American fighter at 5’9” in height defeated decent competition including Maria Santizo. She was awarded a match with IBF flyweight titlist Arely Mucino who opted for the tall youngster over the dangerous Kenia Enriquez of Mexico.

Bad choice for Mucino.

Fundora pummeled the champion incessantly for five rounds at the Inglewood Forum a year ago. Twice she battered her down and the fight was mercifully stopped. Fundora’s arm was raised as the new champion.

Since that win Fundora has defeated Christina Cruz and Chile’s Daniela Asenjo in defense of the IBF title. In an interesting side bit: Asenjo was ranked as a flyweight contender though she had not fought in that weight class for seven years.

Still, Fundora used her reach and power to easily handle the rugged fighter from Chile.

Immediately after the fight she clamored for a chance to become undisputed.

“It doesn’t get better than this, especially being in Las Vegas. This is the greatest opportunity that we can have,” said Fundora.

It should be exciting.

Fights to Watch

Sat. ESPN+ 2:50 p.m. Robson Conceicao (19-2-1) vs O’Shaquie Foster (22-3).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Floyd Schofield (17-0) vs Rene Tellez Giron (20-3); Gabriela Alaniz (15-1) vs Gabriela Fundora (14-0).

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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