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AVILA RINGSIDE: Bradley Ends Pacman's Seven Year Streak
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by Chris Farina-Top Rank
LAS VEGAS-After winning some controversial decisions Manny Pacquiao finally lost a close fight as Timothy Desert Storm” Bradley out-worked the Filipino superstar and won the WBO welterweight world title before a stunned crowd on Saturday.
A crowd of more than 16,000 saw what Juan Manuel Marquez suffered against Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs), who lost for the first time in seven years, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Bradley (29-0, 12 KOs) remain undefeated and emerges as the new champion.
Bradley started with some quick jabs to measure the distance. Pacquiao landed a stiff left hand that connected through Bradley's guard to perhaps win the first round.
After a somewhat cautious first round, Bradley opened up with some combos including an 11-punch barrage when both were tangled inside in round two. Pacquiao landed some left counters and Bradley a right counter. It was clear that Pacquiao's vaunted power was not hurting Bradley.
Pacquiao opened up with the big guns in round three though few landed. Bradley was able to slip most and counter with some smaller blows but it looked like Pacquiao was going for the knockout that never came.
Pacquiao fired two dozen punches with few landing but was in full attack mode in round four. Bradley caught Pacquiao at the end of the round with a big right hand. It was his best punch so far.
The fifth round turned into a brawl with Pacquiao initiating the inside fight and Bradley responding. A big counter left by Pacquiao connected for the best punch of the round.
It's apparent now that Pacquiao was not throwing many blows in the first minute of each round. Bradley took the initiative with jabs and counters. Pacquiao landed a good left uppercut but was hit with an overhand Bradley right hand flush in round six.
Both fighters seemed tired in round seven as the brawling continued inside. Bradley connected with rights to the body and a left hook while Pacquiao connected with a counter left.
“I got my second wind in the sixth round,” said Bradley. “I worked on angles and movement and scoring with counters.”
The fight went toe to toe with Bradley having his best action against Pacquiao. Some right hands connected with Pacquiao still looking for the big bomb.
In round 10 Bradley landed and threw more than Pacquiao who was still looking for the big blow. It didn't come and meanwhile Bradley was scoring points to the body and head. A big right hand scored for Bradley. Round 11 saw Bradley score with some sneak right hands as Pacquiao mounted some flurries but few punches were connecting. So far neither seemed hurt during the fight.
“Tonight he never hurt me. He was hitting me on my arms,” said Pacquiao, who felt he won the fight.
Bradley praised Pacquiao's power.
“He hurt me a couple of times with the left hand,” Bradley admitted. “My corner told me if I won the last round I would win the fight.”
The final round saw both fighters unreluctant to make a mistake. Some clean right hands from the fresher legs of Bradley seemed to be the difference in the fight. Pacquiao never could score the knockout and paid for it as two of three judges scored it for Bradley.
Judges CJ Ross and Duane Ford had it 115-113 and Jerry Roth favored Pacquiao 115-113. There were no knockdowns.
“I want the rematch,” said Pacquiao.
WBA junior featherweight Guillermo Rigondeaux (10-0, 8 KOs) blasted out Philadelphia's Teon Kennedy with a left cross at 1:11 of round five to retain WBA title. It was his first world title defense.
The former Cuban Olympian floored Kennedy five times and made the fight look easy as he riddled the Philly fighter with counter lefts whenever he pleased. Kennedy tried to make a fight but was unable to solve Rigondeaux's southpaw speed and power. Referee Russell Mora saw enough and ended the fight.
“He has the kind of punches you can't see,” said Kennedy, who though knocked down numerous times got up to fight.
Rigondeaux was never in trouble and looked relaxed at all times.
“All my punches are great, I don't have any bad ones,” said Rigondeaux explaining the knockdowns. “That was one of my best performances.”
It truly was eye-opening.
In an ultra slow fight for the vacant IBF welterweight world title Philadelphia's Mike Jones and former junior welterweight champion Randall Bailey matched feints and both refused to lead an assault through eight rounds. Then Bailey lowered the boom in round 10 and said good night to Jones in round 11 with a perfect right uppercut to the chin to win the world title at 2:52 of round 11. Referee Tony Weeks ended the fight.
“Nobody knows what I had to go through,” said Bailey (43-7, 37 KOs) teary eyed. “I just did it.”
It had been more than a decade since Bailey held a world title and had been striving since 2002 to regain a world championship.
“He hit me with a clean shot,” explained Jones (26-1, 19 KOs).
It wasn't until the ninth that Bailey took the initiative and began to mount an attack. A right hand counter seemed to hurt Bailey and that ended that attempt to engage.
Bailey scored big in round 10 with a one-two combination to Jones' chin and down he went. He beat the count and the round ended. Then came round 11 and Bailey waited for the moment and delivered.
Mexico's Jorge “Travieso” Arce (60-6-2, 46 KOs) was fouled by a head butt, a low blow and a blow behind the head all within seconds by Puerto Rico's Jesus Rojas (18-1-1, 13 KOs) and was unable to recuperate to resume the fight in the second round. The match was stopped at nine seconds of round two and ruled a no decision.
“This isn't ending well have a rematch. We have to do this again,” said Arce.
Other bouts
Philippine fighter Ernie Sanchez (13-3, 5 KOs) won by unanimous decision over Minnesota's Wilton Hilario (12-3-1, 9 KOs) on a weirdly scored fight. Judge Robert Hoyle gave Hilario only one round. It was a much closer fight with Sanchez having a difficult time landing a blow but he was aggressive. Hilario landed the cleaner blows but was not given credit.
Canada's Mikael Zewski (15-0, 11 KOs) knocked out Colorado's Ryan Grimaldo (8-2, 5 KOs) 59 seconds into round three of a welterweight match. Zewski landed a right to floor Grimaldo. He got up but couldn't recover and seemingly went down without another serious blow landing. Referee Cortez ended the fight.
Philadelphia's Jesse Hart (1-0) took advantage of referee Joe Cortez's warning for an infraction and while New Mexico's Manuel Eastman (0-2) attempted to touch gloves he was met with a right hand and a flurry of bombs. Is it coincidence that Cortez was involved again? Eastman should have realized it was not a sparring match and been prepared to fight, not shake hands. Shades of Floyd Mayweather and Victor Ortiz. The fight ended in a mere 33 seconds.
Oxnard's Andy Ruiz (2-0) floored Taylor Lawson (0-3-1) of Las Vegas with a counter right hand in round one but couldn't finish the job. Lawson is trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr. and has skills and a big heart. He managed to get in his licks but is a little too short for the welterweight division. Ruiz won by unanimous decision.
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Bivol Evens the Score with Beterbiev; Parker and Stevenson Win Handily
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It was labeled the best boxing card in history.
That’s up for debate.
And there was some debate as Dmitry Bivol avenged his loss to Artur Beterbiev to become the new undisputed light heavyweight world champion on Saturday by majority decision in a tactical battle.
“He gave me this chance and I appreciate it,” said Bivol of Beterbiev.
Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) rallied from behind to give Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs) his first pro loss in their rematch at a sold out crowd in the Venue Riyadh Season in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Like their first encounter the rematch was also very close.
Four months ago, these two faced each other as undefeated light heavyweights. Now, after two furious engagements, both have losses.
Beterbiev was making his first defense as undisputed light heavyweight champion and made adjustments from their first match. This time the Russian fighter who trains in Canada concentrated on a body attack and immediately saw dividends.
For most of the first six rounds it seemed Beterbiev would slowly grind down Bivol until he reached an unsurmountable lead. But despite the momentum he never could truly hurt Bivol or gain separation.
Things turned around in the seventh round as Bivol opened up with combinations to the head and body while slipping Beterbiev’s blows. It was a sudden swing of momentum. But how long could it last?
“It was hard to keep him at the distance. I had to be smarter and punch more clean punches,” said Bivol.
Beterbiev attempted to regain the momentum but Bivol was not allowing it to happen. In the final 10 seconds he opened up with a machine gun combination. Though few of the punches connected it became clear he was not going to allow unclarity.
Using strategic movement Bivol laced quick combinations and immediately departed. Betebiev seemed determined to counter the fleet fighter but was unsuccessful for much of the second half of the fight.
Around the 10th round Beterbiev stepped on the gas with the same formula of working the body and head. It gave Bivol pause but he still unleashed quick combos to keep from being overrun.
Bivol connected with combinations and Beterbiev connected with single body and head shots. It was going to be tough for the referees to decide which attack they preferred. After 12 rounds with no knockdowns one judge saw it a draw at 114-114. But two others saw Bivol the winner 116-112, 115-113.
“I was better. I was pushing myself more, I was lighter. I just wanted to win so much today,” said Bivol.
Beterbiev was gracious in defeat.
“Congratulations to Bivol’s team” said Beterbiev. “I think this fight was better than the first fight.”
After the match it was discussed that an effort to make a third fight is a strong possibility.
Heavyweight KO by Parker
Joseph Parker (36-3, 24 KOs) once again proved he could be the best heavyweight without a world title in knocking out the feared Martin Bakole (21-2, 16 KOs) to retain his WBO interim title. It was quick and decisive.
“Catch him when he is coming in,” said Parker, 33, about his plan.
After original foe IBF heavyweight titlist Daniel Dubois was forced to withdraw due to illness, Bakole willingly accepted the match with only two days’ notice. Many experts and fans around the world were surprised and excited Parker accepted the match.
Ever since Parker lost to Joe Joyce in 2022, the New Zealander has proven to be vastly improved with wins over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang. Now you can add Bakole to the list of conquests.
Bakole, 33, was coming off an impressive knockout win last July and posed a serious threat if he connected with a punch. The quick-handed Bakole at 310 pounds and a two-inch height advantage is always dangerous.
In the first round Parker was wary of the fighter from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He kept his range and moved around the ring looking to poke a jab and move. Bakole caught him twice with blows and Parker retaliated.
It proved to be a very important test.
Parker refrained from moving and instead moved inside range of the big African fighter. Both exchanged liberally with Bakole connecting with an uppercut and Parker an overhand right.
Bakole shook his head at the blow he absorbed.
Both re-engaged and fired simultaneously. Parker’s right connected to the top of the head of Bakole who shuddered and stumbled and down he went and could not beat the count. The referee stopped the heavyweight fight at 2:17 of the second round. Parker retains his interim title by knockout.
“I’m strong, I’m healthy, I’m sharp,” said Parker. “I had to be patient.”
Shakur Wins
Despite an injured left hand southpaw WBC lightweight titlist Shakur Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs) won by stoppage over late replacement Josh Padley (15-1, 6 KOs). It was an impressive accomplishment.
Often criticized for his lack of action and safety-first style, Stevenson was supposed to fight undefeated Floyd Schofield who pulled out due to illness. In stepped British lightweight Padley who had nothing to lose.
Padley was never hesitant to engage with the super-quick Stevenson and despite the lightning-quick combos by the champion, the British challenger exchanged liberally. It just wasn’t enough.
Even when Stevenson injured his left hand during an exchange in the sixth round, Padley just couldn’t take advantage. The speedy southpaw kept shooting the right jabs and ripping off right hooks. At the end of the sixth Stevenson briefly switched to a right-handed fighting style.
Stevenson used his right jabs and hooks to perfection. Double right hooks to the head and body seemed to affect the British challenger. A clean left to the body of Padley sent him to the floor for the count in the ninth round. It was a surprising knockdown due to his injured left. Padley got up and the fight resumed. Stevenson unloaded with right hooks to the body and down went the British fighter once again. He got up and tried to fight his way out but was met with another left to the body and down he went a third time. Padley’s corner tossed in a white towel to signify surrender. The referee stopped the fight at the end of the round. Stevenson scored his 11th knockout win.
Photo credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom
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Early Results from Riyadh where Hamzah Sheeraz was Awarded a Gift Draw
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After two 6-round appetizers, British light heavyweights Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith got the show rolling with a lusty 12-round skirmish. Things went south in the middle of the seven-fight main card when WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames locked horns with challenger Hamzah Sheeraz. This was a drab fight owing to a milquetoast performance by the favored Sheeraz.
Heading in, the lanky six-foot-three Sheeraz, whose physique is mindful of a young Thomas Hearns, was undefeated in 21 fights. Having stopped five of his last six opponents in two rounds or less, the 25-year-old Englishman was touted as the next big thing in the middleweight division. However, he fought off his back foot the entire contest, reluctant to let his hands go, and Adames kept his title when the bout was scored a draw.
Sheeraz had the crowd in his corner and two of the judges scored the match with their ears. Their tallies were 115-114 for Sheeraz and 114-114. The third judge had it 118-110 for Adames, the 30-year old Dominican, now 24-1-1, who had Ismael Salas in his corner.
Ortiz-Madrimov
Super welterweight Vergil Ortiz Jr, knocked out his first 21 opponents, begging the question of how he would react when he finally faced adversity. He showed his mettle in August of last year when he went a sizzling 12 rounds with fellow knockout artist Serhii Bohachuk, winning a hard-fought decision. Tonight he added another feather in his cap with a 12-round unanimous decision over Ismail Madrimov, prevailing on scores of 117-111 and 115-113 twice.
Ortiz won by adhering tight to Robert Garcia’s game plan. The elusive Madrimov, who bounces around the ring like the energizer bunny, won the early rounds. But eventually Ortiz was able to cut the ring off and turned the tide in his favor by landing the harder punches. It was the second straight loss for Madrimov (10-2-1), a decorated amateur who had lost a close but unanimous decision to Terence Crawford in his previous bout.
Kabayel-Zhang
No heavyweight has made greater gains in the last 15 months than Agit Kabayel. The German of Kurdish descent, whose specialty is body punching, made his third straight appearance in Riyadh tonight and, like in the previous two, fashioned a knockout. Today, although out-weighed by more than 40 pounds, he did away with Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang in the sixth round.
It didn’t start out well for Kabayel. The New Jersey-based, six-foot-six Zhang, a two-time Olympian for China, started fast and plainly won the opening round. Kabayel beat him to the punch from that point on, save for one moment when Zhang put him on the canvas with a straight left hand.
That happened in the fifth round, but by the end of the frame, the 41-year-old Zhang was conspicuously gassed. The end for the big fellow came at the 2:29 mark of round six when he couldn’t beat the count after crumbling to the canvas in a delayed reaction after taking a hard punch to his flabby midsection.
Kabayel remains undefeated at 26-0 (18 KOs). Zhang (27-3-1) hadn’t previously been stopped.
Smith-Buatsi
The all-British showdown between light heavyweights Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith was a grueling, fan-friendly affair. A former 168-pound world title-holder, Smith, 34, won hard-earned unanimous decision, prevailing on scores of 115-113, 116-112, and a ludicrous 119-110.
There were no knockdowns, but Liverpool’s Smith, who advanced to 31-2 (22) finished the contest with a bad gash in the corner of his right eye. It was the first pro loss for Buatsi (19-1), an Olympic bronze medalist who entered the contest a small favorite and was the defending “interim” title-holder.
This contest was also a battle of wits between two of America’s most prominent trainers, Buddy McGirt (Smith) and Virgil Hunter (Buatsi).
Check back shortly for David Avila’s wrap-up of the last three fights.
Photo credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom
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Cain Sandoval KOs Mark Bernaldez in the Featured Bout at Santa Ynez
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Northern California’s Cain Sandoval remained undefeated with a knockout win over Mark Bernaldez in a super lightweight battle on Friday on a 360 Promotions card.
Sandoval (15-0, 13 KOs) of Sacramento needed four rounds to figure out tough Filipino fighter Bernaldez (25-7, 14 KOs) in front of a packed crowd at Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez.
Bernaldez had gone eight rounds against Mexico’s very tough Oscar Duarte. He showed no fear for Sandoval’s reputed power and both fired bombs at each other from the second round on.
Things turned in favor of Sandoval when he targeted the body and soon had Bernaldez in retreat. It was apparent Sandoval had discovered a weakness.
In the beginning of the fourth Sandoval fired a stiff jab to the body that buckled Bernaldez but he did not go down. And when both resumed in firing position Sandoval connected with an overhand right and down went the Filipino fighter. He was counted out by referee Rudy Barragan at 34 seconds of the round.
“I’m surprised he took my jab to the body. I respect that. I have a knockout and I’m happy about that,” Sandoval said.
Other Bouts
Popular female fighter Lupe Medina (9-0) remained undefeated with a solid victory over the determined Agustina Vazquez (4-3-2) by unanimous decision after eight rounds in a minimumweight fight between Southern Californians.
Early on Vazquez gave Medina trouble disrupting her patter with solid jabs. And when Medina overloaded with combination punches, she was laced with counters from Vazquez during the first four rounds.
Things turned around in the fifth round as Medina used a jab to keep Vazquez at a preferred distance. And when she attacked it was no more than two-punch combination and maintaining a distance.
Vazquez proved determined but discovered clinching was not a good idea as Medina took advantage and overran her with blows. Still, Vazquez looked solid. All three judges saw it 79-73 for Medina.
A battle between Southern Californian’s saw Compton’s Christopher Rios (11-2) put on the pressure all eight rounds against Eastvale’s Daniel Barrera (8-1-1) and emerged the winner by majority decision in a flyweight battle.
It was Barrera’s first loss as a pro. He never could discover how to stay off the ropes and that proved his downfall. Neither fighter was knocked down but one judge saw it 76-76, and two others 79-73 for Rios.
In a welterweight fight Gor Yeritsyan (20-1,16 KOs) scorched Luis Ramos (23-7) with a 12-punch combination the sent him to the mat in the second round. After Ramos beat the count he was met with an eight punch volley and the fight was stopped at 2:11 of the second round by knockout.
Super feather prospect Abel Mejia (7-0, 5 KOs) floored Alfredo Diaz (9-12) in the fifth round but found the Mexican fighter to be very durable in their six-round fight. Mejia caught Diaz with a left hook in the fifth round for a knockdown. But the fight resumed with all three judges scoring it 60-53 for Mejia who fights out of El Modena, Calif.
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