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Warning: These Fighters Will Win Titles in 2016

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After decades of watching prospects come and go you get to a point of knowing those that will make it and those that fall short.

A few are within a whisker of grabbing a world title in 2016.

Here are a few prizefighters that should be wrapping a world title belt around their waist:

 

Oscar Valdez (18-0, 16 Kos)

The Arizona native now trains in the Los Angeles area and has been racking up impressive wins. His last bout against slender slugger Chris Avalos was a firecracker of a fight pitting two guys with firepower. That night Valdez beat Avalos to the punch and took him out in five rounds in Las Vegas. As a former Mexican Olympian the featherweight knows a thing or two about boxing. He’s not merely a puncher, he also has defensive tools and punching speed; a style very similar to Julio Cesar Chavez. Valdez, 25, seems ready for a world title bid and will be hard to beat. He’s managed by Frank Espinoza and promoted by Top Rank. That’s a powerful combination backing Valdez.

 

Antonio Orozco (23-0, 15 Kos)

Based in San Diego, California the junior welterweight was brought along slowly by management for a few years. That ended in 2015 as Orozco was matched with a couple of former world champions and a fellow contender. The San Diego fighter with a style similar to Miguel Cotto showed poise and relentless aggression in defeating all by unanimous decision. His win over the wily Humberto Soto was impressive especially after the Mexican veteran pulled his fake low blow act on the referee. Orozco, 28, is ready for prime time with his fan-friendly style and “never-say-die” attitude. It’s a very tough weight division to win a world title especially considering that junior welterweights can be very tall. But his crouching style can serve him well. He’s managed by Frank Espinoza and promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.

 

Jessie Magdaleno (22-0, 16 Kos)

The super bantamweight from Las Vegas built a reputation as a hard-hitting 122-pound southpaw. But in two of his last three fights Magdaleno showed he can out-box an opponent if the knockout cannot be attained. Before 2015, it was a big question whether he could win without a knockout. The question was answered when granite chinned opponents like Raul Hirales and Erik Ruiz forced Magdaleno to show off his boxing skills or go down in defeat. The Las Vegas super bantamweight was able to cruise to victory by winning every round on all three judge’s score cards. Magdaleno, 24, certainly can box or punch. He’s not tall for his weight division but being a southpaw is always an advantage, especially during a firefight. He’s promoted by Top Rank and managed by Frank Espinoza. Yes, it’s the same manager who guides Orozco and Valdez up above.

 

Murat Gassiev (22-0, 16 Kos)

The Russian cruiserweight looks older than his actual age but also hits harder than he looks. He has heavyweight power but not the size. If he were put against a cruiserweight world champion today he would stop him before 12 rounds ended. As a heavyweight he may need more work. But he definitely has power, speed and agility. Gassiev, 22, could grow into the heavyweight division. Now training in Big Bear with Abel Sanchez, it’s one of those cool things to see when Gassiev and Gennady Golovkin hit the heavy bags at the same time. Both explode on the bags with impressive sound effects and concussions you can actually feel in your ears. It’s raw power not experienced in other gyms. Gassiev recently signed with Al Haymon so he will be getting fights and possibly television. It could be a good thing or bad thing. Time will tell. Gassiev’s style reminds me of southpaw Vassiliy Jirov. Except Gassiev is not a southpaw. We’ll see if he has Jirov’s chin.

 

Manuel Avila (19-0, 8 Kos)

The tall super bantamweight from Fairfield, California may not have as many knockouts as others in the weight division, but he can hit for power. At 5’7” in height he has the height and reach advantage against almost everyone he faces. Avila, 23, defeated some solid fighters in 2015 especially a knockout win over Cuba’s Yoandris Salinas. The Northern Californian has a style reminiscent of “El Terrible” Erik Morales. With that lean physique and boxing technique, Avila fools those who underestimate his power. He can pop and could move up a weight division with ease. He definitely knows how to box and has one of the better jabs in the super bantamweight or featherweight division. Avila is managed by Kathy Garcia and promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.

 

Konstantin Ponomarev (29-0, 13 Kos)

Russia’s Ponomarev has decent size at 5’10” and average power for a welterweight. But he has what not all boxers possess; that’s doing what’s necessary to win. Ponomarev, 23, has many more fights than those others his age and has been tossed into the fire to see if he gets burnt. This year he faced Steve Claggett, Mikael Zewski, and last minute opponent Ramses Agaton. The welterweight from Miass, Russia defeated all three rugged prizefighters and now seems poised to challenge anyone in the division. Welterweights are loaded with talent and with four different belts available it’s comfortable to say Ponomarev will get his shot soon. He has a certain mean streak inside the ring and has shown a willingness to face anyone. He trains in Big Bear with Abel Sanchez and the Triple G team. He will get his shot. Ponomarev is promoted by Top Rank and managed by Ural Boxing Promotions. His publicist is Bernie Bahrmasel the one-man army.

 

Felix Verdejo (19-0, 14 Kos)

The slender Puerto Rican assassin has all the tools necessary to dethrone one or more of the current lightweight world titlists. Just give him the opportunity. His latest destruction came against Brazil’s Josenilson Dos Santos in Puerto Rico. Verdejo, 22, showed lightning reflexes in catching Dos Santos walking in with a short right cross. It was over in two rounds. Though the Brazilian had not fought in nearly two years Verdejo still electrified the crowd with the suddenness of his knockout win. It was as if Verdejo wanted to prove a point. He has a long reach for his size and great speed with power. The only test remaining will be his chin. Can he take a blow from a big hitter? Verdejo is promoted by Top Rank.

One more year of seasoning

Diego De La Hoya (13-0, 7 Kos) – He has the De La Hoya bloodlines and the speed and power to go with it. The Mexicali super bantamweight has been working on his defense more the past year. It will pay off. De La Hoya, 21, fought five times in 2015 and scored one knockout. Skills pay the bills just in case.

Jojo Diaz (19-0, 11 Kos) – Blessed with speed, agility and defense, the former U.S. Olympian could fight for a world title this year. We’ll see what his promoters decide. Diaz, 23, has that southpaw awkwardness that makes him difficult to figure out. Lately, his power has increased. He could be a super bantamweight or featherweight champion. His pick.

Saul Rodriguez (19-0-1, 14 Kos) – Knocked out Ivan Najera in one round. Najera went the distance with Felix Verdejo in a lightweight clash. Rodriguez, 22, could be ready in 2016. He has speed, aggressiveness and incredible power from both sides. You can’t teach that. Defense is coming along fast. I predict Rodriguez will be held a year to challenge Verdejo in 2017.

Jason Quigley (9-0, 8 Kos) – The middleweight from Ireland has shown to be three steps ahead in just his second year as a professional. Quigley, 24, has speed, power and the ability to box if necessary. His amateur pedigree has advanced him ahead of other middleweights. In 2017 he should be ready.

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Skavynskyi and Bustillos Win on a MarvNation Card in Long Beach

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Skavynskyi and Bustillos Win on a MarvNation Card in Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Ca.-A cool autumn night saw welterweights and minimumweights share main events for a MarvNation fight card on Saturday.

Ukraine’s Eduard Skavynskyi (15-0, 7 KOs) experienced a tangled mess against the awkward Alejandro Frias (14-10-2) but won by decision after eight rounds in a welterweight contest at the indoor furnace called the Thunder Studios.

It was hot in there for the more than 600 people inside.

Skavynskyi probably never fought someone like Mexico’s Frias whose style was the opposite of the Ukrainian’s fundamentally sound one-two style. But round after round the rough edges became more familiar.

Neither fighter was ever damaged but all three judges saw Skavynskyi the winner by unanimous decision 79-73 on all three cards. The Ukrainian fighter trains in Ventura.

Bustillo Wins Rematch

Applerose2

In the female main event Las Vegas’ Yadira Bustillos (8-1) stepped into a rematch with Karen Lindenmuth (5-2) and immediately proved the lessons learned from their first encounter.

Bustillos connected solidly with an overhand right and staggered Lindenmuth but never came close to putting the pressure fighter down. Still, Bustillos kept turning the hard rushing Lindenmuth and snapping her head with overhand rights and check left hooks.

Lindenmuth usually overwhelms most opponents with a smothering attack that causes panic. But not against Bustillos who seemed quite comfortable all eight rounds in slipping blows and countering back.

After eight rounds all three judges scored the contest for Bustillos 78-74 and 80-72 twice. Body shots were especially effective for the Las Vegas fighter in the fifth round. Bustillos competes in the same division as IBF/WBO title-holder Yokasta Valle.

Other Bouts

In a middleweight clash, undefeated Victorville’s Andrew Buchanan (3-0-1) used effective combination punching to defeat Mexico’s Fredy Vargas (2-1-1) after six rounds. Two judges scored it 59-55 and a third 60-54 for Buchanan. No knockdowns were scored.

A super lightweight match saw Sergio Aldana win his pro debut by decision after four rounds versus Gerardo Fuentes (2-9-1).

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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Tedious Fights and a Controversial Draw Smudge the Matchroom Boxing Card in Orlando

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Matchroom Boxing was at the sprawling Royale Caribe Resort Hotel in Orlando, Florida tonight with a card that aired on DAZN. The main event was a ho-hum affair between super lightweights Richardson Hitchins and Jose Zepeda.

SoCal’s Zepeda has been in some wars in the past, notably his savage tussle with Ivan Baranchyk, but tonight he brought little to the table and was outclassed by the lanky Hitchins who won all 12 rounds on two of the cards and 11 rounds on the other.  There were no knockdowns, but Zepeda suffered a cut on his forehead in round seven that was deemed to be the product of an accidental head butt and another clash in round ten forced a respite in the action although Hitchins suffered no apparent damage.

It was the sort of fight where each round was pretty much a carbon of the round preceding it. Brooklyn’s Hitchins, who improved to 17-0 (7), was content to pepper Zepeda with his jab, and the 34-year-old SoCal southpaw, who brought a 37-3 record, was never able to penetrate his defense and land anything meaningful.

Hitchins signed with Floyd Mayweather Jr’s promotional outfit coming out of the amateur ranks and his style is reminiscent in ways of his former mentor. Like Mayweather, he loses very few rounds. In his precious engagement, he pitched a shutout over previously undefeated John Bauza.

Co-Feature

In the co-feature, Conor Benn returned to the ring after an absence of 17 months and won a unanimous decision over Mexico’s Rodolfo Orozco. It wasn’t a bad showing by Benn who showed decent boxing skills, but more was expected of him after his name had been bandied about so often in the media. Two of the judges had it 99-91 and the other 96-94.

Benn (22-0, 14 KOs) was a late addition to the card although one suspects that promoter Eddie Hearn purposely kept him under wraps until the week of the fight so as not to deflect the spotlight from the other matches on his show. Benn lost a lucrative date with Chris Eubank Jr when he was suspended by the BBBofC when evidence of a banned substance was found in his system and it’s understood that Hearn has designs on re-igniting the match-up with an eye on a date in December. For tonight’s fight, Benn carried a career-high 153 ½ pounds. Mexico’s Orozco, who was making his first appearance in a U.S. ring, declined to 32-4-3.

Other Bouts of Note

The welterweight title fight between WBA/WBC title-holder Jessica McCaskill (15-3-1) and WBO title-holder Sandy Ryan (6-1-1) ended in a draw and the ladies’ retain their respective titles. Ryan worked the body effectively and the general feeling was that she got a raw deal, a sentiment shared by the crowd which booed the decision. There was a switch of favorites in the betting with the late money seemingly all on the Englishwoman who at age 30 was the younger boxer by nine years.

The judges had it 96-94 Ryan, 96-95, and a vilified 97-93 for Chicago’s McCaskill.

In the opener of the main DAZN stream, Houston middleweight Austin “Ammo” Williams, 27, improved to 15-0 (10) with a 10-round unanimous decision over 39-year-old Toronto veteran Steve Rolls (22-3). All three judges had it 97-93. Rolls has been stopped only once, that by Gennady Golovkin.

Photo credit: Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing

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Zhilei Zhang KOs Joe Joyce; Calls Out Tyson Fury

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Joe Joyce activated his rematch clause after being stopped in the sixth frame by Zhilei Zhang in their first meeting. In hindsight, he may wish that he hadn’t. Tonight at London’s Wembley Stadium, Zhang stopped him again and far more conclusively than in their first encounter.

In the first meeting, Zhang, a southpaw, found a steady home for his stiff left jab. Targeting Joyce’s right eye, he eventually damaged the optic to where the ring doctor wouldn’t let Joyce continue. At the end, the fight was close on the cards and Joyce was confident that he would have pulled away if not for the issue with his eye.

In the rematch tonight, Zhang (26-1-1, 21 KOs) closed the curtain with his right hand. A thunderous right hook on the heels of a straight left pitched Joyce to the canvas where he landed face first. He appeared to beat the count by a whisker, but was seriously dazed and referee Steve Gray properly waived it off. The official time was 3:07 of round three.

Zhang, who lived up to his nickname, “Big Bang,” was credited with landing 29 power punches compared with only six for Joyce (15-2) who came in 25 pounds heavier than in their first meeting while still looking properly conditioned. One would be inclined to say that age finally caught with the “Juggernaut” who turned 38 since their last encounter, but Zhang, 40, is actually the older man. In his post-fight interview in the ring, the New Jersey resident, a two-time Olympian for China, when asked who he wanted to fight next, turned to the audience and said, “Do you want to see me shut Tyson Fury up?”

He meant it as a rhetorical question.

Semi-Windup

Light heavyweight Anthony Yarde was matched soft against late sub Jorge Silva, a 40-year-old Portuguese journeyman, and barely broke a sweat while scoring a second-round stoppage. Yarde backed Silva against a corner post and put him on the deck with a short right hand. Silva’s body language indicated that he had no interest in continuing and the referee accommodated him. The official time was 2:07 of round two.

A 30-year-old Londoner, Yarde (24-3, 23 KOs) was making his first start since being stopped in eight rounds by Artur Beterbiev in a bout that Yarde was winning on two of the scorecards. Silva, a late replacement for 19-3-1 Ricky Summers, falls to 22-9.

Also

Former leading super middleweight contender Zach Parker (23-1, 17 KOs) returned to the ring in a “shake-off-the-rust” fight against 40-year-old Frenchman Khalid Graidia and performed as expected. Graidia’s corner pulled him out after seven one-sided rounds.

In his previous fight, Parker was matched against John Ryder who he was favored to beat. The carrot for the winner was a lucrative date with Canelo Alvarez. Unfortunately for Parker, he suffered a broken hand and was unable to continue after four frames. Tonight, he carried 174 pounds, a hint that he plans to compete as a light heavyweight going forward. Indeed, he has expressed an interest in fighting Anthony Yarde. Graidia declined to 10-13-4.

The Zhang-Joyce and Yarde-Silva fights were live-streamed in the U.S. on ESPN+.

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