Featured Articles
Viktor Postol Rallies to Score Stunning KO of Matthysse in Cali
CARSON, CALIF.—It was an ugly, frustrating fight for the fans, but Ukraine’s Viktor Postol rallied from behind to score a stunning knockout in the 10th round against Argentina’s powerful Lucas Matthysse to win the vacant WBC junior welterweight title on Saturday.
A loud, mostly pro-Matthysse crowd was shut down to silence when Postol (28-0, 12 Kos) scored a knockout of Matthysse (37-4, 34 Kos) to win the world title before more than 7,500 at the StubHub Center. It was a shocking ending to a fight infested with holding.
For most of the junior welterweight world title fight Matthysse was the aggressor as Postol moved around the ring and held whenever the Argentine fighter closed in. Matthysse tried again and again to fire blows while Postol held.
Referee Jack Reiss warned Postol in the third round and again in the fifth round. Fans became increasingly angry at the Ukrainian fighters’ willingness to hold instead of fight. Meanwhile Matthysse was piling up points.
Postol made his move in the fourth round with two combinations. But he then resorted to holding again.
In the 8th round Postol began unleashing quick combinations that scored. Matthysse seemed arm weary and shook his hands a few times. Postol won the ninth round too with some more pinpoint combinations. Matthysse fired some shots to the body and a left hook to the head, but Postol seemed to win the round.
The referee informed both fighters that it was the 10th round. Matthysse should have heeded the warning. He ran into a right cross to the eye and went to the floor. The referee counted to 10 and Matthysse was ruled knocked out though he was conscious at 2:58 of round 10.
“I felt a pop in my eye,” said Matthysse, adding that he could have got up, but did not want to risk further eye damage. “He had his night.”
Postol credited trainer Freddie Roach for the victory.
“I used the right uppercut and left hook over and over again at the Wild Card,” said Postol. “It was a combination I worked on over and over.”
Orozco
San Diego’s Antonio Orozco (23-0, 15 Kos) out-maneuvered former world champion Humberto Soto (65-9-2, 35 Kos) of Tijuana over 10 rounds with a varied attack against the veteran from Mexico in their junior welterweight clash.
Despite faking a low blow in the ninth round, Soto was unable to keep up with Orozco’s fast pace, though he did have some good moments in the first, fourth and sixth round.
Soto showed his experience and world class chin early in the fight. Some well-timed counters caught Orozco, especially in the second round toward the end. Orozco seemed stunned by a right uppercut.
Soto was able to land combos, especially the right uppercut early in the fight. But Orozco made adjustments in the fight to take away that punch and maneuvered into strafing Soto with body and head shots.
Orozco pummeled the body throughout the fight. Most of the boxing world knows Soto can take a head shot, but the body of the former Mexican champion no longer absorbs body shots after so many years. Orozco dropped Soto with a left to the liver and Soto feigned a low blow in the ninth round. Referee Jerry Cantu erroneously ruled it a low blow and deducted a point from Orozco, who protested. Soto used the same tactic against John Molina in his last fight with success. This time, one point would not be enough.
Despite the deduction, Orozco had piled up enough points with his varied attack of inside fighting and outside fighting. The jab proved effective in the last three rounds. Orozco did not allow Soto to trap him against the ropes. The Mexican fighter never could land the knockout blow though he tried often to set it up.
After 10 rounds the judges scored it 97-92 twice and 98-91 for Orozco.
Other bouts
Julian “El Camaron” Ramirez (15-0, 8 Kos) proved too polished and smart for Mexican veteran Hugo Partida (20-6-2, 15 Kos) in winning almost every round in their 10-round featherweight clash. Ramirez connected early with hard combinations that seemed to change Partida’s plan of attack. After the third round Ramirez was forced to initiate the action while Partida chose to counter with body shots. It was the only location he could connect.
“I felt like I dominated the fight throughout,” said Ramirez. “Although I hurt my hand in the second round and felt comfortable using my left hand.”
Ramirez, a southpaw, was effective with combinations and showed off good footwork in evading Partida’s attacks. It wasn’t a complete one-sided fight, but each round saw the fighter from East L.A. just land more accurate punches in combinations. Partida showed a good chin throughout the fight. He was caught with right uppercuts early, then straight left cross bombs. None could make him stumble.
After 10 rounds, two judges scored it 100-90 and one 99-91 for Ramirez.
Mercito Gesta defeated Mexico’s Miguel Mendoza by unanimous decision despite suffering a knockdown in the second round that should have been ruled a slip. It took the Filipino southpaw a few rounds to figure out the awkward fighting Mendoza, who fired over-hand rights that sounded like they landed, but did not. More often Mendoza’s punches were not landing with knuckles but with the inside of the glove. It sounded nice but it was mere sound, not effect.
Gesta was the much faster fighter but found it confusing to adjust to the weird crouching style of Mendoza who fired looping shots that fired up the crowd, but seldom landed flush. Early in the fight Mendoza did catch Gesta with some good blows but they were far from common.
After 10 rounds, the junior welterweight fight ended, with all three judges scoring it for Gesta 96-93, and 97-92.
“I kind of adjusted my style,” Gesta said after the fight.
Other results
Nick Arce (5-0) remained undefeated and handed Tijuana’s Juan Hernandez (3-1) his first defeat. After three competitive rounds Arce ended the discussion with a knockout at 29 seconds into round four in their super featherweight contest.
Argentina’s Marcelino Lopez (32-1-1, 17 Kos) defeated David Rodela (17-12-4) of Oxnard by knockout to win their junior welterweight match.
D’Mitrius Ballard (10-0) of D.C. defeated Northern California’s Juan Rojas (8-13-1) by decision in a light heavyweight clash.
Alejandro Ochoa (7-10-2) upset Kevin Rivers (12-1, 9 Kos) of Maryland by decision after six rounds in a super featherweight fight.
Featured Articles
The Ortiz-Bohachuk Thriller has been named the TSS 2024 Fight of The Year
The Aug. 10 match in Las Vegas between Knockout artists Vergil Ortiz Jr and Serhii Bohachuk seemingly had scant chance of lasting the 12-round distance. Ortiz, the pride of Grand Prairie, Texas, was undefeated in 21 fights with 20 KOs. Bohachuk, the LA-based Ukrainian, brought a 24-1 record with 23 knockouts.
In a surprise, the fight went the full 12. And it was a doozy.
The first round, conventionally a feeling-out round, but was anything but. “From the opening bell, [they] clobbered each other like those circus piledriver hammer displays,” wrote TSS ringside reporter David A. Avila.
In this opening frame, Bohachuk, the underdog in the betting, put Ortiz on the canvas with a counter left hook. Of the nature of a flash knockdown, it was initially ruled a slip by referee Harvey Dock. With the benefit of instant replay, the Nevada State Athletic Commission overruled Dock and after four rounds had elapsed, the round was retroactively scored 10-8.
Bohachuk had Ortiz on the canvas again in round eight, put there by another left hook. Ortiz was up in a jiff, but there was no arguing it was a legitimate knockdown and it was plain that Ortiz now trailed on the scorecards.
Aware of the situation, the Texan, a protégé of the noted trainer Robert Garcia, dug deep to sweep the last four rounds. But these rounds were fused with drama. “Every time it seemed the Ukrainian was about to fall,” wrote Avila, “Bohachuk would connect with one of those long right crosses.”
In the end, Ortiz eked out a majority decision. The scores were 114-112 x2 and 113-113.
Citing the constant adjustments and incredible recuperative powers of both contestants, CBS sports combat journalist Brian Campbell called the fight an instant classic. He might have also mentioned the unflagging vigor exhibited by both. According to CompuBox, Ortiz and Bohachuk threw 1579 punches combined, landing 490, numbers that were significantly higher than the early favorite for Fight of the Year, the March 2 rip-snorter at Verona, New York between featherweights Raymond Ford and Otabek Kholmatov (a win for Ford who pulled the fight out of the fire in the final minute).
Photo credit: Al Applerose
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
Women’s Prizefighting Year End Review: The Best of the Best in 2024
Women’s Prizefighting Year End Review: The Best of the Best in 2024
It’s the end of the year.
Here are our awards for the best in women’s boxing. But first, a rundown on the state of the sport.
Maybe its my imagination but it seems that fewer female fights of magnitude took place in 2024 than in previous years.
A few promoters like 360 Promotions increased their involvement in women’s boxing while others such as Matchroom Boxing and Golden Boy Promotions seem stagnant. They are still staging female bouts but are not signing new additions.
American-based promotion company Top Rank, actually lost 50 percent of their female fighter roster when Seniesa Estrada, the undisputed minimumweight champion, retired recently. They still have Mikaela Mayer.
A promotion company making headlines and creating sparks in the boxing world is Most Valuable Promotions led by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian. They signed Amanda Serrano and have invested in staging other female fights
This year, the top streaming company Netflix gambled on sponsoring Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson, along with Amanda Serrano versus Katie Taylor and hit a monster home run. According to Netflix metrics an estimated 74 million viewers watched the event that took place on Nov. 16 at Arlington, Texas.
“Breaking records like this is exactly what MVP was built to do – bring the biggest, most electrifying events to fans worldwide,” said Nakisa Bidarian co-founder of MVP.
History was made in viewership and at the gate where more than 70,000 fans packed AT&T Stadium for a record-setting $17.8 million in ticket sales outside of Las Vegas. It was the grand finale moment of the year.
Here are the major contributors to women’s boxing in 2024.
Fighter of the Year: Amanda Serrano
Other candidates: Katie Taylor, Claressa Shields, Franchon Crews, Dina Thorslund, and Yesica Nery Plata.
Amanda Serrano was chosen for not only taking part in the most viewed female title fight in history, but also for willingly sacrificing the health of her eye after suffering a massive cut during her brutal war with Taylor. She could have quit, walked away with tons of money and be given the technical decision after four rounds. She was ahead on the scorecards at that moment.
Instead, Serrano took more punches, more head butts and slugged her way through 10 magnificent and brilliant rounds against the great Taylor. Fans worldwide were captivated by their performance. Many women who had never watched a female fight were mesmerized and inspired.
Serrano once again proved that she would die in the ring rather than quit. Women and men were awed by her performance and grit. It was a moment blazed in the memories of millions.
Amanda Serrano is the Fighter of the Year.
Best Fight of the Year – Amanda Serrano versus Katie Taylor 2
Their first fight that took place two years ago in Madison Square Garden was the greatest female fight I had ever witnessed. The second fight surpassed it.
When you have two of the best warriors in the world willing to showcase their talent for entertainment regardless of the outcome, it’s like rubbing two sticks of dynamite together.
Serrano jumped on Taylor immediately and for about 20 seconds it looked like the Irish fighter would not make the end of the first round. Not quite. Taylor rallied behind her stubborn determination and pulled out every tool in her possession: elbows, head butts, low blows, whatever was needed to survive, Taylor used.
It reminded me of an old world title fight in 2005 between Jose Luis Castillo a master of fighting dirty and Julio Diaz. I asked about the dirty tactics by Castillo and Diaz simply said, “It’s a fight. It’s not chess. You do what you have to do.”
Taylor did what she had to do to win and the world saw a magnificent fight.
Other candidates: Seniesa Estrada versus Yokasta Valle, Mikaela Mayer versus Sandy Ryan, and Ginny Fuchs vs Adelaida Ruiz.
KO of the Year – Lauren Price KO3 Bexcy Mateus.
Dec. 14, in Liverpool, England.
The IBO welterweight titlist lowered the boom on Bexcy Mateus sending her to the floor thrice. She ended the fight with a one-two combination that left Mateus frozen while standing along the ropes. Another left cross rocket blasted her to the ground. Devastating.
Other candidates: Claressa Shields KO of Vanessa LePage-Joanisse, Gabriela Fundora KO of Gabriela Alaniz, Dina Thorslund vs Mary Romero, Amanda Serrano KO of Stevie Morgan.
Pro’s Pro Award – Jessica Camara
Jessica Camara defeated Hyun Mi Choi in South Korea to win the WBA gold title on April 27, 2024. The match took place in Suwon where Canada’s Camara defeated Choi by split decision after 10 rounds.
Camara, who is managed by Brian Cohen, has fought numerous champions including Kali Reis, Heather Hardy and Melissa St. Vil. She has become a pro fighter that you know will be involved in a good and entertaining fight and is always in search of elite competition. She eagerly accepted the fight in South Korea against Choi. Few fighters are willing to do that.
Next up for Camara is WBC titlist Caroline Dubois set for Jan. 11, in Sheffield, England.
Electric Fighters Club
These are women who never fail to provide excitement and drama when they step in the prize ring. When you only have two-minute rounds there’s no time to run around the boxing ring.
Here are some of the fighters that take advantage of every second and they do it with skill:
Gabriela Fundora, Mizuki Hiruta, Ellie Scotney, Lauren Price, Clara Lescurat, Adelaida Ruiz, Ginny Fuchs, Mikaela Mayer, Yokasta Valle, Sandy Ryan, Chantelle Cameron, Ebanie Bridges, Tsunami Tenkai, Dina Thorslund, Evelin Bermudez, Gabriela Alaniz, Caroline Dubois, Beatriz Ferreira, and LeAnna Cruz.
Claressa Shields Movie and More
A motion picture based on Claressa Shields titled “The Fire Inside” debuts on Wednesday, Dec. 25, nationwide. Most boxing fans know that Shields has world titles in various weight divisions. But they don’t know about her childhood and how she rose to fame.
Also, Shields (15-0, 3 KOs) will be fighting Danielle Perkins (5-0, 2 KOs) for the undisputed heavyweight world championship on Sunday Feb. 2, at Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan. DAZN will stream the Salita Promotions fight card.
“Claressa Shields is shining a spotlight on Flint – first on the big screen and then in the ring on Sunday, February 2,” said event promoter Dmitriy Salita, president of Salita Promotions. “Claressa leads by example. She is a trailblazer and has been an advocate for equality since she was a young lady. This event promises to be one of the most significant sporting and cultural events of the year. You don’t want to miss it, either live, in person or live on DAZN.”
Shields is only 29 years old and turns 30 next March. What more can she accomplish?
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
Lucas Bahdi Forged the TSS 2024 Knockout of the Year
A Knockout of the Year doesn’t have to be a one-punch knockout, but it must arrive with the suddenness of a thunderclap on a clear day and the punch or punches must be so harsh as to obviate the need for a “10-count.” And, if rendered by an underdog, that makes the KO resonate more loudly.
Within these parameters, Lucas Bahdi’s knockout of Ashton “H2O” Sylva still jumped off the page. The thunderclap happened on July 20 in Tampa, Florida, on a show promoted by Jake Paul with Paul and the great Amanda Serrano sharing the bill against soft opponents in the featured bouts.
The 30-year-old Bahdi (16-0, 14 KOs) and the 20-year-old Sylva (11-0, 9 KOs) were both undefeated, but Bahdi was accorded scant chance of defeating Jake Paul’s house fighter.
Sylva was 18 years old and had seven pro fights under his belt, winning all inside the distance, when he signed with Paul’s company, Most Valuable Promotions, in 2022. “We believe that Ashton has that talent, that flashiness, that style, that knockout power, that charisma to really be a massive, massive, superstar…” said the “Problem Child” when announcing that Sylva had signed with his company.
Jake Paul was so confident that his protege would accomplish big things that he matched Sylva with Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield. Currently 18-0 and ranked #2 by the WBA, Schofield was further along than Sylva in the pantheon of hot lightweight prospects. But Schofield backed out, alleging an injury, opening the door to a substitute.
Enter Lucas Bahdi who despite his eye-catching record was a virtual unknown. This would be his first outing on U.S. soil. All of his previous bouts were staged in Mexico or in Canada, mostly in his native Ontario province. “My opponent may have changed,” said Sylva who hails from Long Beach, California, “but the result will be the same, I will get the W and continue my path to greatness.”
The first five rounds were all Sylva. The Canadian had no antidote for Sylva’s speed and quickness. He was outclassed.
Then, in round six, it all came unglued for the precocious California. Out of the blue, Bahdi stiffened him with a hard right hand. Another right quickly followed, knocking Sylva unconscious. A third punch, a sweeping left, was superfluous. Jake Paul’s phenom was already out cold.
Sylva landed face-first on the canvas. He lay still as his handlers and medics rushed to his aid. It was scarifying. “May God restore him,” said ring announcer Joe Martinez as he was being stretchered out of the ring.
The good news is that Ashton “H2O” Silva will be able to resume his career. He is expected back in the ring as early as February. As for Lucas Bahdi, architect of the Knockout of the Year, he has added one more win to his ledger, winning a 10-round decision on the undercard of the Paul vs Tyson spectacle, and we will presumably be hearing a lot more about him.
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
R.I.P Israel Vazquez who has Passed Away at age 46
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
A Shocker in Tijuana: Bruno Surace KOs Jaime Munguia !!
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Fighting on His Home Turf, Galal Yafai Pulverizes Sunny Edwards
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
The Noted Trainer Kevin Henry, Lucky to Be Alive, Reflects on Devin Haney and More
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Introducing Jaylan Phillips, Boxing’s Palindrome Man
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Avila Perspective, Chap. 306: Flyweight Rumble in England, Ryan Garcia in SoCal
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Cardoso, Nunez, and Akitsugi Bring Home the Bacon in Plant City
-
Featured Articles5 days ago
Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh