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Galarza and Derevyanchenko Ultra-Impressive in Brooklyn
“The Brooklyn Rocky,” they call him, and it isn’t just a tag applied mindlessly.
Frank Galarza comes from humble roots, from a fractured home, and he managed, through kind fate and his own mettle, to not become a stat. He was headed for an early death, or a lifetime in lockup for dealing, or something along those lines.
But boxing tapped him, and he latched on, and he’s now on the cusp of getting to that place where he gets mentioned for title shots and such.
Last night in Brooklyn, Galaraza took a couple rounds to figure out his foe, Sheldon Moore, who by the way was no bum invited to give an easy W on the card promoted by Lou DiBella which unfolded at the Aviator Complex, parts of which ran on Showtime’s “ShoBox.”
Galarza got warmed up, studied Moore, a Belgium native, and then uncorked his now signature left hook to discombobulate him. In round three, that hook sent Moore back, and then Galarza saw and smelled the blood. He hopped on Moore, flurried, and forced the ref to hop in and wave off the contest.
The joint erupted, “Rocky” fans exultant, realizing that they are fans of a possible star in the making. After, DiBella was euphorious. He likened Galarza to an Arturo Gatti type, someone who makes for good TV. The promoter was just as pumped with the work of his buzzsaw beast of a super middleweight, amaaetur ace Sergey Derevyanchenko of the Ukraine, who is an ultra-aggressor who demands of himself that he stalk his foe and stop him. Serge’s foe, the Mexican Alan Campa, did his scouting on the banger, and knew he possessed power. He was cautious and smart but not able to fend off the sawed-off runt of a beast. DiBella told me afterwards he sees something of Gennady Golovkin in Serge, and all in attendance agreed we can see him fighting title fights sooner rather than later. The promoter called him “one of my best signings” after the fourth round TKO (1:17).
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Here is the release sent out post-fight:
BROOKLYN KNOCKOUT:
FRANK GALARZA KOS SHELDON MOORE
FRIDAY ON SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION ON SHOWTIME®
Tripleheader To Replay Monday, April 13 At 10 p.m. ET/PT On SHOWTIME EXTREME
NEW YORK (April 11, 2015) – Undefeated super welterweight Frank Galarza put on a show for his hometown fans, knocking out Sheldon Moore in the third round of the main event of ShoBox: The New Generation on Friday at the Aviator Sports and Events Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Known as “The Brooklyn Rocky,” Galarza (17-0-2, 11 KOs) may have graduated from prospect to contender with yet another early round knockout on the prospect developmental series. Galarza staggered Moore with a big left hook in the third and then attacked with a series of shots to the head and a big right hook to the body that floored the Belgian boxer. Moore (13-3-1, 9 KOs) looked determined to get up but was unable to recover and was counted out at 1:41 as he lay on the canvas for the first time in his career.
“It feels great. It’s amazing to get that knockout in front of my home fans,” Galarza said. “He was tough and he came to fight, but we executed the game plan and got him out of there. I hit him with that left and I saw he was hurt. I went body, head, body, head and finished him.
“We’re ready. Anybody they bring next, we’re ready.”
Moore acknowledged he was hurt but said he would have liked to continue.
“That left hook did it for me, but I think I was bringing the fight to him,” Moore said. “I was dazed but I’m not happy with the stoppage. I wanted to keep fighting and bring the fight back to him. I just got countered. That’s boxing. It happens.”
In the co-feature, undefeated middleweight prospect and former amateur standout Ievgen “The Ukrainian Lion” Khytrov went the distance for the first time in his career, outpointing slick southpaw Aaron Coley via unanimous decision, scored 78-74, 79-73 twice.
Supremely talented yet largely untested as a pro, Khytrov (10-0, 9 KOs) had to work to win the lopsided decision. The Ukrainian, who had over 500 amateur fights, was coming off the longest bout of his career, an eighth round TKO over Jorge Melendez just over a month ago. Fighting a southpaw for the first time as a professional, Khytrov had trouble working the angles and was not able to cut off the ring against the durable Coley, who went past the sixth for the first time in his career.
Khytrov appeared frustrated in the middle rounds with his inability to finish Coley (9-1-1, 6 KOs), but he continued to break down his previously undefeated opponent and pocketed rounds with little question.
“It was a good fight, but I saw some flaws that I need to work on,” Khytrov said. “But it was a short span between my last fight and I think it showed in the ring.
“I knew I had to make an adjustment because he wouldn’t come forward and fight with me. Everything happens for a reason. This was a good experience for me. I got some rounds and I got the win.”
Coley, who was taking a huge step up in opposition, was unimpressed with Khytrov’s much-hyped power.
“He wasn’t as powerful as I expected. I take boxing seriously and he never had me hurt at all,” Coley said. “But he kind of took over the fight. It was kind of hard to time him and I can’t argue with the decision. He was fluid and had decent movement. You can tell he had good amateur experience.”
In the opening bout of the telecast, blue-chip super middleweight prospect Sergiy Derevyanchenko dominated Alan Campa, knocking down the previously once-beaten Mexican en route to a fourth round TKO (1:17).
Known as “The Technician,” Derevyanchenko utilized combos to set up a devastating right hand that seemingly landed at will. The Ukrainian dropped Campa with a huge right with 20 seconds left in the second, just the second time that Campa touched the canvas in his career.
Derevyanchenko (5-0, 4 KOs) broke down Campa in the third and scored his second knockdown in the fourth. Campa got up but was in trouble monents later and the referee halted the contest at 1:17 with Campa (13-2-1, 1 NC, 9 KOs) defenseless against the ropes.
“I’m happy with the win and ready to step up my level of opposition,” Derevyanchenko said. “I used a lot of angles and used the combos to set up rights. I’m looking for more of a test in my next fight.”
The event was promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Fight Promotions Inc. and New Legend Boxing.
Barry Tompkins called the ShoBox action from ringside with Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer was Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
Below are results from the non-televised undercard:
In an action-packed six-round junior welterweight contest, Brooklyn’s Mikkel LesPierre, defeated Carl McNickles, of Chicago, via unanimous decision on scores of 60-54 twice, and 59-55. LesPierre, who was the faster fighter and much more accurate with his punches, improved to 7-0-1 (3 KOs), while McNickles fell to 8-8 (6 KOs).Brooklyn’s Travis Peterkin used his piston-like jab to control Donta Woods, of Atlanta, Ga., and keep him from landing anything significant in return.
As the rounds wore on, Peterkin began to unleash more and more of his arsenal. After five completed rounds, Woods did not come out of his corner for the next stanza, awarding Peterkin, now 15-0 (6 KOs), the TKO victory. Woods’ record fell to 8-4 (7 KOs).World-rated junior featherweight contender Rafael Vazquez, of Brooklyn, obliterated Andre Wilson, of St. Joseph, Mo, inside two crackling rounds. Vazquez’ key weapon against Wilson were his uppercuts. Using that punch in combination to the head and body, Vazquez dropped Wilson in the opening frame, while also bloodying his nose.
Uppercuts from both sides floored Wilson in the second as well. While he arose and gamely fought back, a left hook to the body followed by a right uppercut to the chin felled him again leading to the referee’s stoppage at the 2:56 mark. Earning a TKO2, Vazquez brought his record to 14-1 (12 KOs). Wilson’s record dropped to 14-9-1 (12 KOs).
Maintaining a fast pace, Brooklyn’s Shawn Cameron easily outboxed Aaron Drake, of Kansas City, Mo., over six rounds.
The busier fighter throughout, Cameron won a unanimous decision on three scores of 60-54, to improve to 9-0 (4 KOs), while Drake’s record dropped to 14-8 (9 KOs).Looking for openings, Brooklyn’s junior welterweight prospect Wesley Ferrer dominated every second of his bout against Bryan Timmons, of St. Joseph, Mo. Slowly breaking Timmons down, Ferrer was placing his shots well, consistently connecting with stinging straight rights to the body and hooks upstairs.
A combination in the second knocked Timmons down, as he sagged along the ropes. Though clearly in pain, Timmons got to his feet to fight on. One punch later from Ferrer was all it took to convince the referee to halt the contest at the 1:38 mark, upping the Brooklynite’s record to 8-0 (5 KOs).
Timmons is now 2-4 (2 KOs).Both Elisa Collaro, of Brooklyn, and Misato Kamegawa, of Fukuoka, Japan, in their pro debuts, came away without a win, as the four-round contest ended in a draw verdict. While one judge scored the bout 39-37 in favor of Kamegawa, he was overruled by two tallies of 38-38.In his first fight back since losing a majority decision in a ShoBox barnburner against Alantez Fox this past January, Freeport, Long Island’s junior middleweight prospect Patrick Day made a triumphant return with an impressive first-round TKO over Colby Courter. A short straight right dropped Courter, of St. Joseph, Mo., early then a left hook finished him off for the second and final knockdown.
The time of the stoppage was 2:25. Day improved to 10-1-1 (6 KOs), while Courter fell to 6-6 (5 KOs).
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Bakhodir Jalolov Returns on Thursday in Another Disgraceful Mismatch
How good is Bakhodir Jalolov? Some would argue that in terms of pure talent, the six-foot-seven southpaw from Uzbekistan who has knocked out all 14 of his opponents since turning pro, is better than any heavyweight you can name. Others say that this can’t possibly be true or his braintrust wouldn’t keep feeding him junk food. Jalolov has been brought along as gingerly as Christopher Lovejoy who was exposed as a fraud after running up a skein of 19 straight fast knockouts,
One thing that’s indisputable is that Jalolov was one of the best amateurs to come down the pike in recent memory. A three-time Olympian and two-time gold medalist, Jalolov won 58 of his last 59 amateur bouts. The exception was a match in which he did not compete which translated into a win by walkover for his opponent, countryman Lazizbek Mullojonov.
The circumstances are vague. Was Jalolov a no-show because of an injury or illness or a technicality? Amateur boxing, save in a few places or in an Olympic year, is the quintessential niche sport. The mainstream media does not cover it.
What we do know, thanks to boxrec, is that Jalolov caught up with Mullojonov in May of last year in the Russian Far East city of Khabarovsk and won a split decision. And Mollojonov was no slouch. He too won a gold medal at the Paris Games, winning the heavyweight division to give the powerful Uzbekistan contingent the championship in the two heaviest weight classes.
Jalolov, whose late father was a champion free-style wrestler, has answered the bell as a pro for only 35 rounds. The Belgian-Congolese campaigner Jack Mulowayi came closest to taking the big Uzbek the distance, lasting into the eighth round of an 8-round fight. But when Jalolov closed the show, he did it with a highlight reel knockout, knocking Mulowayi into dreamland with a vicious left hook.
The KO was reminiscent of Jalolov’s most talked-about win as an amateur, his first-round blast-out of Richard Torrez Jr at a tournament in Ekaterinburg, Russia, in 2019. Torrez, knocked out cold with a left hook, left the ring on a stretcher and was removed to a hospital for evaluation.
This was the first AIBA-sanctioned international tournament in which pros were allowed to compete and WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman was incensed, calling the match-up “criminal” in a tweet that was widely circulated. (Jalolov then had six pro fights under his belt.) They would meet again in the finals of the Tokyo Olympiad with the Uzbek winning a unanimous decision.
Perhaps there will be a third meeting down the road. When Jared Anderson was roughed-up and stopped by Martin Bakole, Torrez Jr (currently 12-0, 11 KOs) vaulted ahead of him on the list of the top home-grown American heavyweights. But Torrez Jr, a short-armed heavyweight who overcomes his physical limitations with a windmill offense, would be a heavy underdog should they ever meet again.
Bakhodir Jalolov’s last bout before heading off to Paris was against the obscure South African Chris Thompson. His match on Thursday at the Montreal Casino in Montreal pits him against an obscure 33-year-old Frenchman, David Spilmont.
Spilmont’s last two opponents were the same guy, an undersized Lithuanian slug who has lost 36 of his 41 documented fights. It seems almost inevitable that Spilmont will suffer the same fate as Thompson who was KOed in the first round.
There’s talk that Jalolov doesn’t really care how far he advances at the professional level; that he has his sights set on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles where he would have an opportunity to become only the fourth boxer to win three Olympic gold medals, joining the immortal Teofilo Stevenson, Hungarian legend Laszlo Papp, and Cuban standout Felix Savon. Were he to accomplish the hat trick, they would build monuments to him in Uzbekistan. But, if that is his mindset, he’s skating on thin ice. There’s no guarantee that boxing will be on the docket at the Los Angeles Games and, if so, the powers-that-be may choose to roll back the calendar to the days when the competition was off-limits to anyone with professional experience.
While it’s true that Jalolov needs to work off some rust, a pox on promoter Camille Estephan and his enabler, the Quebec Boxing Commission, for not dredging up a more credible opponent than the grossly overmatched David Spilmont.
—
Jalolov vs. Spilmont is ostensibly the co-feature. The main event is a 10-round junior welterweight clash between Movladdin “Arthur” Biyarslanov (17-0, 14 KOs) and Spilmont stablemate Mohamed Mimoune (24-6, 5 KOs). Undefeated light heavyweights Albert Ramirez and Mehmet Unal will appear in separate bouts on the undercard. The Feb. 6 event, currently consisting of seven bouts, will air in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT.
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Claressa Shields Powers to Undisputed Heavyweight Championship
Claressa Shields blasted her way to the undisputed heavyweight championship and nearly knocked out challenger Danielle Perkins in the final seconds, but settled for a win by unanimous decision on Sunday.
Yes, she can punch.
“I just feel overwhelmed and so happy.” Shields said.
Shields (16-0, 3 KOs) proved that even the super athletic Perkins (5-1, 2 KOs), a true heavyweight, could not stop her from becoming an undisputed world champion in a third weight division at Dort Arena in Flint, Michigan, her home town.
In the opening round it was easy to see the size difference. Shields calmly measured Perkins long right jabs then countered with rocket rights through the guard. The speed was evident in Shield’s punches. Perkins used jabs to work her way in but was caught with counters.
“That girl was strong as hell,” said Shields describing Perkins.
Perkins, a southpaw, was somewhat confident that she was the stronger puncher and the stronger fighter overall. But when Shields connected with 10 rocket overhand rights in the third round the power moved Perkins several feet backward.
Suddenly, Perkins realized that indeed Shields has power.
Perkins became more cautious with her approaches. Though the true heavyweight was not frozen in fear, she was wary about getting caught flush with Shields rights. But bullet jabs and lightning combinations still rained on Perkins.
Finding a way to nullify Shields speed was crucial for Perkins.
The former basketball player Perkins continually proved her athleticism with agile moves here and there, but Shields just was superior in every way.
When Perkins became focused too much on the right, a Shields left hook caught the New York native flush. Suddenly there was another Shields weapon to worry about.
Many critics of Shields had focused on her lack of knockouts. But in her previous fight against another heavyweight, the two-time Olympic gold medalist surprised Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse with knockout power. It’s the same power Shields showed Perkins as if firing a fast ball by powering her right with leverage by using her left leg to produce momentum and an explosive punch.
In the 10th and final round Shields and Perkins exchanged blows. Perkins was looking to connect with one of her power shots when suddenly Shields countered with a perfectly timed right to the chin and down went Perkins with about 10 seconds remaining. She beat the count to finish the round.
“I showed I was the bigger puncher and better boxer,” said Shields. “I knew I could do it because I’m really strong at heavyweight.”
All three judges favored Shields 100-89, 99-90 and 97-92.
It was another convincing performance by Shields. So what is next for the best female fighter pound for pound?
“I want to fight Franchon Crews, Hanna Gabriels,” said Shields also naming a few others. “Flint, (Michigan) I love you all so much.”
Other Bouts
A heavyweight clash saw why there is a rule against holding. Brandon Moore (17-1) and Skylar Lacy (8-1-2) punched and held throughout their eight rounds. Referee Steve Willis finally disqualified Lacy when he tackled Moore and took him through the ropes and on to table below.
No, holding and clinching is not part of the fight game. Now you know why.
Moore was ruled the winner by disqualification due to unsportsmanlike conduct by Lacy at 1:35 of the eighth. No need to describe the fight.
A battle between undefeated welterweights saw Joseph Hicks (12-0, 8 KOs) stop Keon Papillon (10-1-1, 7 KOs) at 1:35 of the seventh round. Hicks stunned Papillon at the end of the sixth, then unloaded in the seventh round to force a stoppage.
Joshua Pagan (12-0) out-battled Ronal Ron (16-8) over eight rounds to win the lightweight match by unanimous decision.
Samantha Worthington (11-0) defeated Vaida Masiokaite (10-27-6) by decision after eight rounds in a super lightweight bout.
Featherweight Caroline Veyre (9-1) out-boxed the shorter Carmen Vargas (5-3-1) to win by decision after six rounds.
Super bantamweight Asheleyann Lozada (1-0) won her pro debut by unanimous decision over Denise Moran (3-1) in a four-round fight.
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Benavidez Defeats Morrell; Cruz, Fulton, and Ramos also Victorious at Las Vegas
David Benavidez showed fans why they call him “El Monstro” as he plowed through Cuba’s heavy-punching David Morrell to retain a number one ranking in the light heavyweight division by unanimous decision on Saturday.
Not even a flash knockdown for Morrell could make a difference.
Phoenix native Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) gave Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs) his first loss as a professional in front of more than 15,000 fans at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. No one needed to hear the judge’s decision.
“I prepared for everything. I know he’s a great fighter,” said Benavidez. “I thought he was going to hit harder, but he didn’t.”
Before the fight, Morrell was almost an even bet according to oddsmakers, but that was not the case once the fight commenced.
Immediately Benavidez pounded the body and exposed the weaknesses of Morrell’s peek-a-boo defense by using his own left glove to push down the Cuban’s guard. Then immediately firing a crushing right to the jaw.
For the first four rounds Benavidez pounded away on the left and right side of Morrell’s body. And when the openings came the uppercuts caught Morrell’s chin. But he absorbed the blows.
Morrell didn’t waver in trying to find a solution. Though Benavidez connected often to the body and head, the Cuban fighter who moved up from super middleweight displayed a very solid chin.
In the fourth round during a furious exchange Morrell beat Benavidez to the punch that stunned him momentarily. But the blow seemed to spark outrage and a storm of blows followed from Benavidez.
It must have seemed like a nightmare for Morrell.
At times the Cuban fighter would connect perfectly with a right hook and pause. Then Benavidez would return fire with massive blows.
The look on Morrell’s face bore traces of disappointment.
As the rounds continued Benavidez became emboldened by his success. Soon the Mexican Monster began launching lead right uppercuts through Morrell’s guard especially in the sixth round.
“He was easier to hit than I expected,” Benavidez said.
During the breaks Morrell’s corner asked him to pressure Benavidez. It was a fruitless suggestion. How do you corner a Monster?
Benavidez continued to stalk Morrell who never stopped swinging but could not seem to hurt the Monster. In the 11th round Morrell managed to catch Benavidez perfectly with a right hook and down went Benavidez. He immediately got up and the two fighters unloaded on each other. Morrell fired one punch after the bell and was deducted a point by referee Thomas Taylor. That negated the extra point gained from the knockdown.
“I wasn’t really hurt,” said Benavidez. “That bullshit knockdown caught me off-balance.”
The final round saw both resume their efforts to knock the other out. Both showed great chins and the ability to trade. Benavidez was simply better. Even Morrell didn’t wait for the decision to be read as he raised the arm of the Monster at the final bell. All three judges scored in favor of Benavidez 115-111 twice and 118-108.
“He knows this is Monstro’s world. Big shout out for Morrell, he’s a tough fighter,” Benavidez said.
Other Bouts
In a fight dedicated to honor the late Israel Vazquez, the ultimate Aztec warrior, super lightweights Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (27-3-1) and Angel Fierro (23-3-2) battled like demons for 10 nonstop rounds. Cruz was ruled the winner by unanimous decision.
With little resemblance of defense, Cruz and Fierro whacked each other relentlessly with shots that might have stopped a moving car. Cruz was tagged by a right cross on the top of the head that staggered him momentarily. Fierro was driven back four feet by an overhand right to the chin early in the fight.
Both fighters took cruel and unusual punishment and never wavered more than a few seconds. It was brutal war and fans were the winners after 10 rounds of violent and savage action.
All three judges saw Cruz the winner 96-94, 97-93, 98-92.
“I’m so happy I gave the fans a great fight,” Cruz said.
Fulton Wins
Stephen Fulton (23-1, 8 KOs) defeated Brandon Figueroa (23-2-1, 19 KOs) again and took the WBC featherweight title by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. He had previously defeated Figueroa in 2021 for the WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles.
Most of the action took place in nose-to-nose fashion where Fulton landed the cleaner shots especially with uppercuts. Figueroa had his moments but was unable to hurt the challenger who lost to Naoya Inoue by knockout 17 months ago.
Fulton landed clean shots but as his record shows he lacks the power with only eight knockouts on his record. But Figueroa was unable to hurt or knock down Fulton. After 12 rounds all three judges saw Fulton win by scores of 116-112 twice and 117-111,
“It feels good. I’m champion again,” said Fulton.
Ramos Wins
Jesus Ramos (22-1, 18 KOs) won by technical knockout over former world champion Jeison Rosario (24-5-2) in the eighth round of a middleweight fight. Both fighters attacked the body but by the sixth round Ramos was the busier fighter and began to dominate the fight. At 2:18 of the eighth round referee Robert Hoyle stopped the fight.
“I like to throw a lot of body punches. It’s kind of my style,” said Ramos.
Photos credit: Al Applerose
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