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2013: A Roundup of The Best and Worst
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With the last major fight card ending with a bang, let’s proceed to the best of the best for the year 2013.
Many of the old school showed the new school that there are still many lessons to learn. We had pound for pound fighters like Floyd Mayweather, Bernard Hopkins and Manny Pacquiao showing their younger brethren that they still have ammunition remaining.
A few of the younger charges took firm control of their future with big wins and some fell off the wagon.
Fighter of the Year
Floyd “Money” Mayweather. The Las Vegas-based prizefighter established records for money made in gate receipts and for pay-per-views from a single fight. Not only did he clear more than $100 million when all of the calculators quit clicking, but he defeated two very good fighters in Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. He was scheduled to face United Kingdom’s Amir Khan, but that may have been undermined this past weekend when Adrien “Mini-me” Broner was defeated by Argentina’s Marcos Maidana. It makes more sense and would be a lot more interesting to see Maidana than Khan face Mayweather.
Others considered for Fighter of the Year were Carl Froch, Tim Bradley, Danny Garcia, Mikey Garcia, Roman Gonzalez and Guillermo Rigondeaux. Mayweather made more money than any other boxer for one fight and single-handedly destroyed the myth that MMA is more popular than boxing. No MMA fighter has ever come close to making even $20 million let alone $100 million.
Best Fight of 2013
Tim Bradley vs. Ruslan Provodnikov. When the fight was first announced it received ho hum reception from the media and fans alike. However, when WBO welterweight titlist Bradley and Russia’s Provodnikov met in the ring it was like two gladiators slinging chained hammers at each other. Though Bradley couldn’t match Provodnikov’s firepower, the Palm Springs boxer slugged it out anyway and was nearly beheaded by the smiling Russian. Bradley won the fight by razor close decision in a fight with no loser. It was no surprise when the champion revealed that he suffered dizzy spells for more than a month. Fans were awestruck by the blows that echoed in the night at the open air StubHub Center on March 16.
A close second was Brandon Rios vs. Mike Alvarado II; and Japan’s Takeshi Miura fighting off Mexico’s Sergio “Yeyo” Thompson in a brutal world title fight in Cancun, Mexico.
Worst Title fight of 2013
Carlos Molina vs. Ishe Smith for the IBF junior middleweight title on Sept. 14 on the under card of Mayweather vs., Alvarez. It was a match made in purgatory as the two counter-punchers rarely punched. Both mostly posed and waited for 12 rounds as fans were jeering and booing. Neither boxer was willing to step forward and make anything happen. In the end, Chicago’s Molina was slightly more active than Smith and was given the title. There ain’t going to be no rematch.
A close second was Austin Trout vs. Erislandy Lara for the interim WBA junior middleweight title. Some pick Guillermo Rigondeaux vs. Joseph Agbeko. The Cuban southpaw has great technique but is not great action fighter.
Upset of the Year
Marcos Maidana defeating Adrien Broner on Dec. 14, in San Antonio, Texas. Argentina’s Maidana was a big underdog against Mayweather’s heir apparent WBA welterweight titlist Broner. But Mayweather’s “mini-me” couldn’t cope with the Argentine strongman’s power. Broner was supposed to succeed Mayweather but was shown once again that he could not adapt. In fights with Daniel Ponce De Leon and Paul Malignaggi, many felt Broner lost those fights too. This time, he could not escape with a decision.
A close second was Guillermo Rigondeaux’s toppling of Nonito Donaire on April 13, in New York City. Many felt Donaire was unbeatable until Rigondeaux was able to unveil the blueprint by using his technical proficiency and forcing the “Filipino Flash” to make mistakes. A rematch would be another chess match. Rigondeaux may not be exciting for most fans, but he has an iron will. Donaire can’t be counted out.
Knockout of the Year
Lucas Matthysse sent Mike Dallas Jr. airborne in Las Vegas when they met on January 26. The brutal power came into full display when Matthysse unloaded against the fleet-footed Dallas. The entire arena let out a collective “Oh!” at the same time.
Other contenders: Nonito Donaire fell behind on the score cards against dangerous Vic Darchinyan and pulled the trigger on a bomb of a left hook for another knockout win on Nov. 9, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Mikey Garcia knocked out Roman Martinez with a body shot in round four after being knocked down in the second round to win the WBO junior lightweight title. Jhonny Gonzalez stopped Abner Mares in a big surprise stoppage.
Round of the Year
WBC junior lightweight champion Takeshi Miura was floored by Mexico’s Sergio Thompson and nearly knocked out in the eighth round when they fought on Aug. 17, in Mexico. But the Japanese warrior came roaring back in the same round and nearly knocked out Thompson in almost inhuman conditions at the bull ring in Cancun. Thompson was knocked down in rounds
two and six. But nearly won the fight with a vicious counter right hand against Miura in the tumultuous eight round. The temperature was over 100 degrees and the humidity was unbearable. How these two fighters were able to go the distance was amazing. Miura was taken to the hospital when he nearly collapsed in his dressing room after the fight. But he was quickly stabilized. Round eight was an incredible display of raw courage and tenacity by both fighters.
Most Exciting Fighter
Gennady “GGG” Golovkin keeps bumping off the competition with sterling knockout victories. The middleweight champion knows what his fans like and delivered each and every time. Golovkin’s last knockout victory against New York City’s Curtis Stevens in his home court proved that he’s gathering followers at a quick pace. Those sensational fists are working busily for Golovkin who turns 32 years old in April. The Big Bear Lake fighter from Kazakhstan can’t afford to wait for the long build up. He needs to keep bumping off middleweights in machine gun fashion. Time is running out for GGG. But meanwhile, fans are reaping the rewards as Golovkin gathers victims on his speedway to success.
Least Exciting Fighter
Austin “No Doubt” Trout has proven to be a very likeable boxer and definitely has the skills of an elite prizefighter. But the New Mexican continues to take the “too safe road” and wait and wait and wait for the other guy to make a mistake. Last year his bout with Delvin Rodriguez could have made bird watching a gladiator event in comparison. This year, he and Erislandy Lara sent fans to the concession stands. And this was in Brooklyn where fans are accustomed to stylized boxing. Trout needs to step on the gas quickly or else he’ll definitely be extinct very soon as a television fighter.
Slam Dunk Club
These guys should be grabbing a world title in their next fight or within a year: Antonio Orozco, Omar Figueroa, Vasyl Lomachenko, Randy Caballero and Keith Thurman. It’s just a matter of time before any of these guys become world champions.
Best Young Contenders
Thomas Williams Jr., Andy Ruiz Jr., Sweden’s Erik Skoglund, United Kingdom’s George Groves, United Kingdom’s Callum Smith, Austria’s Marcos Nader, Jermell Charlo, Jermall Charlo, Jessie Vargas, Canada’s Mikael Zewski, Jose Zepeda, Russia’s Anton Novikov, Mexico’s Jose Felix Jr., Gary Russell Jr., Jose Pedraza, Saul Rodriguez, Ronny Rios, Jayson Velez, United Kingdom’s Scott Quigg, Jessie Magdaleno, Felix Verdejo, Mexico’s Carlos Cuadras, Thailand’s Petch Sor Chitpattana, Matt Villanueva, Philippine’s Melvin Gumban, South Africa’s Mzuvukile Magwaca, Nicaragua’s Felix Alvarado, Nicaragua’s Carlos Buitrago, and Japan’s Ryuji Hara.
Trainer of the Year
Joel Diaz gets my vote. Not only did he guide Tim “Desert Storm” Bradley through a brutal war with Ruslan Provodnikov, then, he devised the plan to out-maneuver the great boxing wizard Juan Manuel Marquez. That’s not all, he polished up Omar Figueroa who’s now headed for a world title bid and he also has Julio Diaz, Jessie Magdaleno, Jamie Kavanagh, Diego Magdaleno and Diego De La Hoya on a tear.
Others trainers worth note are Abel Sanchez who has an army of fighters including Gennady Golovkin and heavyweight Mike Perez that are banging on the door of stardom. Angel Garcia trained his son Danny “Swift” Garcia toward stardom and conceived the battle plan to defeat the powerful Lucas Matthysse. Eduardo Garcia is the father of Mikey Garcia who serves as his trainer. He is the real engineer behind his son’s success. Virgil Hunter continues to guide Andre Wards career and improved Alfredo Angulo who nearly had Erislandy Lara beaten until an eye poke.
Promoter of the Year
K-2’s Tom Loeffler managed to do what seemed nearly impossible by bringing attention to middleweight world champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. How many former prizefighters from Kazakhstan get the kind of attention Loeffler brought to GGG? It’s what real promoting is all about. He also has Cuba’s Mike Perez poised to make some noise too. Loeffler is my choice for Promoter of the Year.
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The Hauser Report — Riyadh Season and Sony Hall: Very Big and Very Small
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Larry Goldberg promoted his eleventh club fight card at Sony Hall in New York on February 20, continuing the Boxing Insider series that began in October 2022.
Goldberg is well thought of in boxing circles. Matchmaker Eric Bottjer notes, “Here are some words that I have not heard in connection with Larry: ‘Scam artist . . . Liar . . . Untrustworthy.’ He has a good reputation. That doesn’t equate to success on its own. But it’s good when you’re sitting down with people who might want to work with you.”
That said; the life of a small promoter is hard. Goldberg’s February 20 show is a case in point.
Six fights had been scheduled. But last-minute, chaos reigned. The New York State Athletic Commission refused to clear one fighter because of a troubling MRI. Another fighter pulled out because his father thought that his B-side opponent (who had a (6-17-3 record with 6 KOs by) was “the wrong style.” Then the mother of a third fighter tried to hold Goldberg up for an increase in her son’s purse from $1,200 to $2,000 and the fight disappeared when Larry balked at her demand.
That left three fights. And guess what? It was a surprisingly entertaining card. The fights were more competitive that most club fights. And all six fighters came to win.
Jason Castanon (1-1, 1 KO) vs. Stephen Barbee (0-2, 1 KO by) was the first bout of the evening. Neither man was particularly skilled. But they fought hard and both men had a chance to win. Castanon emerged on the long end of a 39-37, 39-37, 38-38 majority decision.
Koby Khalil Williams (4-0, 3 KOs) vs. Nicholas Isaac (5-0, 4 KOs) was next up.
Williams’s four wins had come against opponents who now have a total of 4 wins in 48 fights. Isaac’s record had been fashioned against opponents who are 9-and-49 with 24 KOs by. The bout was a significant step up for both men. The result was a spirited, six-round action fight with Isaac prevailing on all three judges’ scorecards.
Finally, Avious Griffin (16-0, 15 KOs) squared off against Jose Luis Sanchez (14-4-1, 4 KOs, 1 KO by). Griffin has built his record by fighting opponents with limited skills. Sanchez fit that profile. Both men threw non-stop punches. But Griffin’s were faster, straighter, more accurate, and harder. Sanchez was dropped three times in the early rounds (by a left hook, an overhand right, and a right uppercut). In round five, Griffin appeared to tire a bit. And Sanchez was still there. At that point, the fight devolved into an “I’ll punch you and then you punch me” affair, and it seemed possible that Avious would crumble. But he didn’t. Jose Luis had a lot of heart. He just wasn’t good enough. Griffin regrouped and ended matters on an eight-round stoppage with Sanchez still on his feet.
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Avious Griffin
Watching the fights, my mind went back to a conversation I had with Ray Arcel when I began writing about boxing four decades ago.
Arcel (a Hall of Fame legend who trained scores of world champions during his years in the sweet science) told me, “Too many people don’t take pride in what they do. They do just enough to get by, maybe to hold onto their jobs, and that’s all. A fighter can’t be like that.” And Arcel went on to reminisce about a time when four-round preliminary fighters on their way to the gym would look back over their shoulder and see kids following them on the street, offering to carry their gym bag. A fighter would come home and neighborhood children would be sitting on the stoop, looking at him and saying, “Wow, he’s a fighter.”
There used to be glory at the club fight level. Being a good club fighter was an end in itself. Now, for the most part, club fights are regarded as stepping stones for prospects who face off against woefully overmatched opponents. On February 20, Larry Goldberg gave boxing fans three good club fights.
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Two nights later, on February 22, the latest Riyadh Season fight card took place in Saudi Arabia. Seven fights of note were on the card, leading the promotion to proclaim that it was “the greatest fight card in the history of boxing.”
It wasn’t. And that was true even before Daniel Dubois and Floyd Schofield pulled out of scheduled title fights due to illness.
You don’t put “the greatest fight card ever” in a 6,000-seat arena (Venue Riyadh Season) when the 25,000-seat Kingdom Arena is next door. Moreover, fight cards are judged in large measure by the main event. And the main event here wasn’t a megafight on the order of Leonard-Hearns I or a half-dozen Muhammad Ali encounters.
That said; it was an exceptionally good card. Credit to Turki Alalshikh for putting it together. Thumbnail sketches of the fights that mattered most (in the order that they occurred) follow.
Callum Smith broke Joshua Buatsi down with a brutal body attack in the middle rounds. Both fighters were hurt as the fight went on. But Buatsi was hurt more and more often. It was a very good fight with Smith prevailing on a 119-110 (which was way out of line), 116-112, 115-113 decision.
Zhilel Zhang vs. Agit Kabayel was an entertaining slugfest with both men evincing a conspicuous lack of upper-body and head movement. After a cautious first round, Kabayel attacked. Zhang, who is 41 years old and has never been in particularly good shape, started fading in round three. Kabayel got sloppy in round four and was dropped by a straight left hand. But Agit went back on the offensive and stopped Zhang with body shots in the fifth stanza.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Israil Madrimov was a fight that boxing purists were looking forward to. Ortiz is a puncher and wanted to engage. Madrimov didn’t. Israil kept skittering around the ring and Virgil couldn’t figure him out. Then the Energizer Bunny wore down and there were some heated exchanges. That was the fight Virgil (who began scoring big to the body) wanted. Ortiz won a 117-111, 115-113, 115-113 decision.
Carlos Adames vs. Hamzah Sheeraz for Adames’s WBC 160-pound belt had particular significance. Sheeraz (a 5-to-2 betting favorite) is a favorite of Turki Alalshikh who had big plans for him. The belief was that Hamzah would beat Carlos and continue to increase his profile. Meanwhile, Canelo Alvarez’s four-fight deal with Riyadh Season will begin with fights against William Scull and Terence Crawford this year. Then, the thinking went, Canelo would fight the winner of Chris Eubank Jr vs. Conor Benn on Cinco de Mayo Weekend 2026 followed by a fight against Sheeraz on next year’s Mexican Independence Day Weekend.
Adames-Sheeraz was a step-up fight for Sherraz. And he fell short of expectations.
After a cautious first round, Adames began stalking. He couldn’t get past Sheeraz’s jab. Hamzah dictated the distance between them with his jab and footwork. But Sheeraz seemed intimidated and threw few punches of consequence. It was a slow fight. Carlos didn’t silence the crowd. But Hamzah did. The judges ruled the fight a split-decision draw, which meant that Adames retained his title.
Shakur Stevenson vs. Josh Padley was not a good fight. Floyd Scholfield (an 8-to-1 underdog) fell out as Stevenson’s opponent for medical reasons during fight week. Padley, a 30-to-1 underdog. took his place. The typical Shakur Stevenson opponent is slow without much of a punch. Padley is slow without much of a punch. Prior to being called in as a late replacement earlier in the week, he had been on the job installing solar panels. Shakur stopped him in the ninth round.
Then the heavyweights returned to center stage – Joseph Parker vs. Martin Bakole. Parker had been slated to challenge Daniel Dubois for Dubois’ alphabet-soup “championship” belt. But two days before the fight, Dubois pulled out after contracting a viral infection.
Large amounts of money can do wondrous things. When Larry Goldberg lost three fighters during fight week, he was left with a three-bout card. When Dubois was scratched, Turki Alalshikh simply opened his checkbook and brought in Bakole.
Martin was in Africa when he got the call and arrived in Riyadh at 2:00 AM on the day of the fight. Most of us have trouble keeping our eyes open after a trans-continental fight. Bakole had to fight Parker. Moreover, Martin weighed in at a massive 315 pounds, which clearly indicated that he wasn’t in shape (unless one considers round a shape).
Round one saw Parker biding his time while Bakole plodded slowly forward. Two minutes into the second stanza, Joseph landed a glancing right hand off the top of Martin’s head. Bakole went down. He got up. And his corner stopped the fight.
That wasn’t what fans were hoping for. But then they were treated to an exceptionally good fight.
Artur Beterbiev was an 11-to-10 favorite over Dmitry Bivol in a rematch of their October 2024 title-unification bout which Beterbiev won on a close majority-decision. This time, as before, the momentum swung back and forth. But this fight was more intensely contested than their first encounter.
Beterbiev came out hard. He couldn’t reach Bivol, who was circling away and outjabbing him. But Artur was relentless. He started landing and, by the middle rounds, was outpunching and outboxing Dmitry. Then Beterbiev (who at age forty is six years older than Bivol) tired a bit and Dmitry regained control of the contest. Both men were in good condition. Fighting desperately at the end, Artur finished stronger. But this time, the majority decision was in Bivol’s favor.
“What was different?” Dmitry was asked after the fight.
“Just me,” BivoI answered. “I was better.”
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And a note from the past . . .
In 2004, Tom Gerbasi (who was writing for Maxboxing.com at the time) went to the PAL Gym in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, to record a video interview with Bernard Hopkins while Bernard was training to fight Oscar De La Hoya.
“Hopkins wanted to do the interview while he was getting his hands wrapped,” Gerbasi recalls. “But there was a problem. My camera guy wasn’t there. Hopkins is telling me, ‘Look! I gotta do this now because I have to get my workout in.’ So I interviewed him for twenty minutes while Bouie Fisher was wrapping his hands without my camera guy there. Then Hopkins sparred and went through the rest of his workout. He’s done for the day and getting ready to leave the gym. And finally, my camera guy shows up. He’s very apologetic. He tells us he’s late because he was pulled over by the police and handcuffed because of a bunch of unpaid traffic tickets, which I assume were moving violations. Bernard says, ‘Show me your wrists.’ So my guy shows Bernard his wrists. There were marks from the handcuffs all over them. And Bernard tells us, ‘Okay. Set up the camera.” I did the interview all over again and wound up writing a four-part piece, ten thousand words.”
Thomas Hauser’s email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His most recent book – MY MOTHER and me – is a personal memoir available at Amazon.com. https://www.amazon.com/My-Mother-Me-Thomas-Hauser/dp/1955836191/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5C0TEN4M9ZAH&keywords=thomas+hauser&qid=1707662513&sprefix=thomas+hauser%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-1
In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism. In 2019, Hauser was selected for boxing’s highest honor – induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
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Bivol Evens the Score with Beterbiev; Parker and Stevenson Win Handily
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Bivol Evens the Score with Beterbiev; Parker and Stevenson Win Handily
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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Results and Recaps from Madison Square Garden where Keyshawn Davis KO’d Berinchyk
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