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Argentina's Matthysse KOs Olusegun; Las Vegas Fighters All Win Too
LAS VEGAS-Lucas Matthysse finally cracked the iron head of Ajose Olusegun to win by knockout in the 10th round and capture the WBC interim junior welterweight title on Saturday.
After a constant sledgehammer attack by Argentina's Matthysse (32-2, 30 KOs), the fast-moving Olusegun (30-1, 14 KOs) was obliterated in front of a couple thousand raucous fans at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. When the end came it was brutal.
Matthysse started slowly as the hard-chinned Olusegun used his speed and agility to win the first round convincingly. Fans of Matthysse knew that their fighter is a slow starter.
Round two saw Matthysse open up the big guns and scored some pinpoint right hands to Olusegun's chin. The Nigerian never blinked.
“I thought I had him a few times,” said Matthysse, whose prior win was a knockout over Mexico's Humberto Soto. “It was a tough fight.”
In the third Matthysse began attacking the body and that opened up the firing lanes for the Argentine. Olusegun kept moving around firing combinations but the effect of his punches didn't seem as potent as before.
It was all Matthysse from there on.
The bombs flowed freely for the next six rounds but despite some eye-wincing blows Olusegun kept fighting. Finally, in round 10, a right hand snapped the Nigerian's head violently and that was followed with a pair of big right hands and down went Olusegun with a thud. Referee Russell Mora stopped the fight at 2:59 for a technical knockout win for Matthysse.
“He was a hard puncher, the hardest puncher I ever fought, but I'm disappointed with myself,” said Olusegun. “A good champion comes back and fights again.”
Matthysse won the WBC interim title and was very pleased by the accomplishment.
“I finally got my belt,” said Matthysse. “Now I have my dream and it's going to be tough to take it away from me.”
Love
J'Leon Love (13-0, 7 KOs) faced the unorthodox style of Ramon Valenzuela (7-2) and let the Chicago middleweight self-destruct in the eighth round. After Valenzuela attempted to lift Love's leg in the seventh and again in the eighth, referee Jay Nady stopped the fight and disqualified Valenzuela.
“Man, he was awkward. I just took my time and had fun,” said Love who lives and trains in Las Vegas. “I just took what he gave me.”
Love connected often against Valenzuela but the square jawed ruffian was able to absorb the blows and continue fighting. Combinations flowed freely from Love who never lost his stride throughout the fight. In round seven, a three-punch combination punctuated by a left hook staggered Valenzuela. Love unleashed a blur of punches and Valenzuela held on. Then he tried to lift Love and the referee stopped the action and deducted a point from the Chicago fighter for the attempt.
With pound for pound champion Floyd Mayweather watching in the front row, protege Love returned to a calculated attack that forced Valenzuela to look for cover. When he couldn't find refuge he attempted another left. Nady immediately disqualified Valenzuela at 37 seconds of round eight.
“There was no pressure at all. I love it,” said Love about fighting with his mentor Mayweather watching. “It's what I do every day in the gym.”
Melinda
Melinda Cooper (22-2, 11 KOs) of Las Vegas used accurate combination punching to scrape out a majority decision against San Antonio's Celina Salazar (4-1-2) after six rounds of a junior featherweight bout.
Cooper used distance and pinpoint combinations in the first round, but Salazar never stopped moving forward and that was the theme of the fight.
Salazar closed the distance in the second round after sustaining some jabs from Cooper, but soon closed the distance with some busy work inside. A few times Salazar was able to catch the Las Vegas boxer with right hands as Cooper pulled away from exchanges. A counter left hook landed for Cooper near the end of the round.
Cooper started a little quicker in round three and fired off some good three-punch combinations. Salazar scored a solid right hand in the round and some inside fighting exchanges looked close.
Salazar had her best round in the fourth and seemed to land the right hand frequently. Cooper landed a clean left hook but Salazar landed several more right hands in the round to clearly give her the round. Cooper's braid dangled loose and it seemed to bother her.
A counter left hook from Cooper who kept the fight at a distance against Salazar opened the fifth. Several counter left hooks and a clean right uppercut scored for the Las Vegas fighter. A three-punch combination landed for Cooper who returned to form in the fifth by using distance.
Cooper entered the sixth round by continuing the form used in the prior round and kept Salazar at a distance. The Texas fighter kept pressing but was unable to close within striking range for long. At the end of six rounds one judge scored it 57-57, and the others 60-54 and 59-55 for Cooper. It was her first win after back-to-back losses in world title fights. Salazar suffered her first pro loss but looked good in moving to the contender class.
Other bouts
Ishe Smith (24-5, 11 KOs) hacked out a 10 round junior middleweight decision over Irving Garcia (17-8-3) with an assortment of combinations. A combination to the body and head dropped Irving in the first round but the Puerto Rican stiffened up his defense and lasted the distance. Two judges scored it 100-89 for Smith and another 99-90 for the Las Vegas-based Smith.
Daquan Arnett (7-0, 5 KOs) had some resistance from Mexico City's Jesus Tavera (3-3) but after three rounds of power shots the dam broke at 1:37 of round four. A blistering combination snapped back Tavera's head and referee Tony Weeks stepped in to stop the fight. Though the Mexican never was floored, he absorbed a lot of shots in all three rounds of the junior middleweight fight scheduled for six rounds.
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Stephen Fulton Nips Carlos Castro in a Prelude to Canelo vs Berlanga
In his first fight back after being dominated and stopped by pound-for-pound king Naoya Inoue in a fight for super bantamweight supremacy in July of last year, Stephen Fulton nipped upset-minded Carlos Castro, improving to 22-1 (8) in his first start as a featherweight. The verdict was split, with Fulton prevailing by 96-93 and 95-94 with the dissenter favoring Castro 95-94. The decision seemed fair although not in eyes of the predominantly Mexican crowd which booed the decision.
This was an entertaining 10-round fight between two evenly-matched 30-year-old campaigners. Long-time Phoenix resident Castro (30-3) put Fulton on the deck in round five with a counter right hand and Fulton rode his bicycle to shed the cobwebs as the round played out. But the Philadelphian, with new trainer Bozy Ennis in his corner, recuperated well and had a strong sixth round.
In round eight, Castro buckled Fulton’s knees with another straight right, but was unable to press his advantage. The bout served as the “main” prelim to the four-fight PPV card.
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In a welterweight contest slated for “10,” Mexico City’s Ricardo Salas, a 6/1 underdog, scored a second-round stoppage of Roiman Villa. The end in this slam-bang and all-too-brief skirmish came at the 2:06 mark of round three when Salas, fighting off the ropes, nailed Villa with a perfectly-placed, short right hand. Villa went down for the count.
Salas, whose de facto manager is the ubiquitous Sean Gibbons, improved to 20-2-2 with his 15th win inside the distance. From Colombia by way of Venezuela, Villa (26-3) was making his first start since being stopped by Boots Ennis in July of last year.
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In the opener on the PBC YouTube channel, super featherweight Jonathan “Geo” Lopez, a 21-year-old Pennsylvania-born southpaw, won a wide 8-round decision over rugged San Antonio campaigner Richard Medina. Lopez pitched a shutout, winning 80-71 on all three cards, but this was hardly a stroll in the park for him.
Lopez, who improved to 17-0 (12), simply had too much class for Medina. A 20/1 favorite, the Eddy Reynoso-trained boxer hurt Medina at the end of round seven and put him on the canvas in the final round with a straight left hand, but Medina (15-3) kept on plugging away and maintained his distinction of never being stopped.
Also
In an off-TV fight, super middleweight Bek Nurmaganbet, a 26-year-old Kazakh, won his eighth straight inside the distance, improving to 12-0 (10) with a second-round stoppage of SoCal’s Joshua Conley (17-7-1).
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Rocky Hernandez Improves to 36-2 with a Controversial TD in Hermosillo
Matchroom was in northwestern Mexico tonight in the city of Hermosillo for a card that aired on DAZN. In the featured bout, super featherweight Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez was awarded a technical decision over Thomas Mattice when the bout was halted by the ringside physician at the start of the seventh round because Hernandez had severe cuts around both eyes. The first cut, over his right eye, developed in round four. Replays showed that the second cut, over his left eye, was caused by a right uppercut. However, in the eyes of veteran Texas referee Mark Calo-oy, the damage was caused by an accidental head cut. That sent the bout to the scorecards where Hernandez was deemed the victor by tallies of 59-55, 58-56, and 58-55 per ring announcer David Diamente who had trouble reading the results submitted to him by a boxing commissioner.
Hernandez, who turned pro at age 15 in Mexico City, is best known for his rumble with defending WBC 130-pound title-holder O’Shaquie Foster. Rocky was leading that fight with 30 seconds remaining in the final round when the roof fell in on him. He trained for tonight’s bout at the DLX and Top Rank gyms in Las Vegas under Kay Koroma and Brandon Woods, the latter of whom trains Trevor McCumby. Neither Koroma nor Woods was in his corner tonight.
It was the first fight outside the U.S. for Cleveland’s hard-luck Thomas Mattice who had won five straight heading in and appeared to be turning the bout in his favor. Mattice declined to 22-4-1.
Semi-wind-up
Twenty-four-year-old Hermosillo knockout artist Sergio Mendoza showed that he is a rising force in the flyweight division with a third-round stoppage of stocky Ensenada southpaw Angel Ramos. Mendoza crumpled Ramos with a short left uppercut in round two. Ramos attempted to rise, but it became a moot point when the match was waived off.
Mendoza improved to 24-0 with his twenty-first knockout. Ramos, a 12-year pro whose career has been slowed by injuries, falls to 30-2-2.
Also
A 10-round super middleweight contest that shaped up as a slugfest proved the opposite. Local product Julio Porras (12-0, 8 KOs) won a wide decision in a snoozefest over Venezuelan import Isaac Torres who had won all 10 of his previous fights by stoppage, none of which lasted beyond six rounds.
Torres turned timid after Porras decked him with a left hook in the second frame. He fought off his back foot for the reminder of the bout, seemingly content to simply last the distance. The scores read 100-89 and 99-90 twice.
It was hard to get a good read on Porras who trains in Seatle with David Benavidez and Diego Pacheco, but at age 22 he appears to have a bright future.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 296: Canelo vs Berlanga and More
Avila Perspective, Chap. 296: Canelo vs Berlanga and More
Never underestimate the Mexico versus Puerto Rico rivalry.
Undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez of Mexico has fought Puerto Ricans before and should know it is never easy. But this time he chose to toe the line against a young hungry Boricua.
Will this fight be his reckoning?
Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) defends the WBA, WBC, and WBO titles against Edgar Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) on Saturday Sept. 14, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. PPV.com along with Jim Lampley will stream the loaded TGB Promotions card. It’s also on DAZN and Amazon Prime.
Mexico’s Canelo has been the face of boxing ever since Floyd Mayweather officially retired. And though he lost to Mayweather in 2013, the dividends from that experience have boosted the redhead to a skill level not seen since Salvador Sanchez.
Not many Mexicans or Puerto Ricans fight at super middleweight. So, this is a first for the rivalry at this weight class. But in the lower weights war has been ongoing between the two countries for decades.
My up-close introduction took place with Wilfredo “Bazooka” Gomez against Sanchez in Las Vegas in August 1981. At the time the Puerto Rican was considered the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world with 32 wins and 32 knockouts.
Gomez was a Mexican killer and dispatched two future Half of Fame fighters in Carlos Zarate and Lupe Pintor. Only Sanchez could beat the Boricua and he was an underdog to the mustached fighter from Santurce, Puerto Rico when they met.
Never underestimate anyone.
Now Berlanga is attempting to do what no other Puerto Rican has been able to accomplish in defeating Canelo.
It’s a big task for the taller fighter.
“I could be the face of Puerto Rican boxing after Saturday night,” said Berlanga, 27, who hails from Brooklyn, New York.
The taller Berlanga has yet to face anyone that compares to Canelo, He’s defeated contenders like Jason Quigley and Padraig McCrory who formerly held the IBO light heavyweight title. But a killer like Alvarez he’s never faced before.
But he’s eager to find out.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime for Team Berlanga,” Berlanga said at the press conference.
As a professional fighter he needs to take the opportunity.
“We’re gonna make history and become legends,” said Berlanga.
Alvarez has been in this situation dozens of times before. He’s heard all the rhetoric and the boasts and the predictions over the years. After facing the likes of Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Gennady Golovkin and so many others, he’s almost immune to the itchy nervousness of potential danger.
The Mexican champion has his jacket of confidence woven over the years from dozens of battles endured since the age of 15. Now he’s 34 and has he passed his limit?
“I always put 100 per cent into my fights and into training, no matter who I’m fighting. It’s the same mentality every fight. This is no exception,” said Alvarez, who is fighting on Mexican Independence day for the 11th time in his career.
This, however, is different. This is Mexico versus Puerto Rico and the history between the two countries is fraught with upsets and fierce bloody battles in boxing that have mesmerized the boxing world.
Berlanga’s trainer said it best:
“Believe me, we are grateful to Team Canelo for the opportunity, because it’s the opportunity to knock the king off the throne,” said Marc Ferrait. “as I told Edgar, he’s not going to want to give it to no Puerto Rican, and if we think Canelo doesn’t have it, oh he’s coming. We want the best of him.”
It’s power versus power. All it takes is one punch.
Other Bouts
WBA middleweight titlist Erislandy Lara (30-3-3) defends against Philadelphia’s Danny “Swift” Garcia (37-3) in the semi-main event at T-Mobile Arena. It’s been four years since the Cuban southpaw faced elite competition. Now 41, does he still have it?
Garcia, 36, a former welterweight and super lightweight world titlist, has only fought once above 147 pounds but found success when he defeated Jose Benavidez at 153 pounds two years ago.
Both are experienced, skilled and dangerous.
Super middleweight contenders Caleb Plant (22-2) and Trevor McCumby (28-0) meet in a 12-round clash for the interim WBA title. Whenever Plant fights there is always extra personal incentive thrown in. McCumby knows it.
“I just go in there and handle business,” McCumby said.
Plant seems eager to return to the ring.
“We’ll see on Saturday,” said Plant.
Another former world titlist performing is Rolly Romero (15-2, 13 KOs) meeting Manuel Jaimes (16-1-1, 11 KOs) in a super lightweight match set for 10 rounds. It’s the first time I recall seeing Romero against someone bigger. Interesting.
A super bantamweight battle between former unified world titlist Stephen Fulton (21-1) and Carlos Castro (30-2, 14 KOs) is set for 10 rounds in a featherweight match. Fulton was stopped by Japan’s Naoya “Monster” Inoue a year ago. He’s eager to return.
Fights to Watch
Thurs. DAZN 5 p.m. Ardreal Holmes (15-0) vs Hugo Noriega (10-2).
Fri. DAZN 5 p.m. Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez (35-2) vs Thomas Mattice (22-3-1).
Sat. DAZN 3 p.m. Roiman Villa (26-2) vs Ricardo Salas (19-2-2).
Sat. PPV.COM, Prime ppv, DAZN ppv 5 p.m. Saul Alvarez (61-2-2) vs Edgar Berlanga (22-0); Caleb Plant (22-2) vs Trevor McCumby (28-0); Erislandy Lara (30-3-3) vs Danny Garcia (37-3); Stephen Fulton (21-1) vs Carlos Castro (30-2).
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