Sunday Report Card: The Ultimate Weekend Wrap-Up, April 22

The Sweet Science’s Diego Morilla compiles a full weekend wrap-up of the most relevant boxing events in the worldwide scene with short recaps, links to videos and other articles, and all the info you need to keep up with the week’s most important results. Every fight that matters is right here, in one place, and at one click away. Follow us every Sunday on Twitter at #SRCatTSS @TheSweetScience @MorillaBoxing

San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday April 19

Lamont Roach Draw 10 Orlando Cruz, super featherweights

In a scrappy affair, Puerto Rico’s Cruz (25-6-3, 13 KOs) battled to a spirited draw against Roach (16-1-0, 6 KOs) in a fight that started favorably for the local fighter, a former Olympian, but later gave way to a more confident advance from the visitor. The scorecards reflect the changing nature of the bout, with one declaring Cruz as the winner by scores of 96-94, the other one going for Roach at 97-93 and the deciding card being a frustratingly undecided score of 95 apiece. The 22-year old Roach was coming off a unanimous win in 10 rounds against Rey Perez in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Cruz, 36, erased with this great performance the pain of his two most recent defeats, with the latest one being against his compatriot Jose Lopez in Caguas. – J.J. Álvarez

Mercedes, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday April 20

Pablo Ojeda SD 10 Horacio Cabral, super featherweights  

The power of “Pepper” Ojeda (15-4-0, 10 KOs) became the determining factor for him to squeeze out a victory against “Lacho” Cabral (21-2-0, 8 KOs), a more technically gifted fighter with far less desire for victory. The 29-year old Cabral took the initiative in the early going, working behind his jab and right crosses, but the 26-year old Ojeda turned the tables on him with a late rally that earned him two scorecards of 96-94 while the remaining one went for Cabral with that exact same score. – J.J. Álvarez

Brooklyn, New York, Saturday April 21

Adrien Broner Draw 12 Jessie Vargas, catchweight (144 pounds)

Both Broner (33-3-1, 24 KOs) and Vargas (28-2-1, 10 KOs) had promised a war, and a war they delivered. But after 12 hotly disputed rounds, the vote of the judges, scores of 115-113 for Broner and two scorecards of 114 apiece gave the fans an unwanted result. Vargas delivered more volume in his punches, but Broner took the early rounds and closed the show strongly to bring the scores within a couple of points from a victory. “We had a great fight for 12 rounds, and if they want us to do it again, we will,” said Vargas, after Broner closed out the show with a proposal to do it all over again in his native Cincinnati. – J.J. Álvarez

Jermall Charlo KO 2 Hugo Centeno Jr., interim WBC middleweight title

Only two rounds were more than enough for Charlo (27-0-0, 21 KOs) to stop Centeno (26-2-0, 14 KOs) in a fight in which the real prize was a ticket to a mandatory challenge against the division’s king Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. Charlo’s power was in full display from the very beginning of the action. A cross to the jaw in the first round was followed by a barrage that sent Centeno to the canvas. He barely beat the count. In the second episode, Charlo came out like a destructive force looking to put an end to the bout and he did it with a strong left hook that sent Centeno down again. There was nothing else to do, and referee Steve Willis called off the bout 55 seconds into that frame. – J.J. Álvarez

Gervonta Davis TKO 3 Jesus Cuellar, WBA super featherweight title   

Under the guidance of a new trainer, Davis (20-0-0, 19 KOs) did not leave room for doubts about his progress when he stopped the also powerful puncher Cuéllar (28-3-0, 21 KOs) from Argentina. In an all-southpaw bout, Cuellar took the fight to Davis early on, scoring with power and precision and keeping Davis on the run. Davis scored with hooks to the body in the second to halt Cuellar’s onslaught, dropping him briefly, and in the third round Davis sent Cuellar to the canvas with a salvo of volleys that prompted referee Benji Estevez Jr. to stop the bout. – J.J. Álvarez

Belfast, Northern Ireland, Saturday April 21

Carl Frampton UD 12 Nonito Donaire, interim WBO featherweight title

In a fight that ended up being easier than expected, Frampton (25-1-0, 14 KOs) dominated Donaire (38-5-0, 24 KOs) from beginning to end to grab a win, a title, and a huge expectation to become the man to beat at 122 pounds. Frampton took the initiative starting in the second round and never let go, scoring frequently and with power. Donaire appeared to have gassed out by the sixth round, allowing Frampton to score at will, but in the seventh the former Filipino champ suddenly came alive to score with a terrific hook. The scorecards, all in favor of the local fighter by scores of 117-111, were more than illustrative of Frampton’s control of the bout. – J.J. Álvarez

Zolani Tete DU 12 Omar Narvaez, WBO bantamweight title

Even though he was closer to retirement than to a new chance at the top level, Narvaez (48-3-2, 24 KOs) wanted a chance to become the first Argentine fighter to hold three world titles in an equal number of divisions. His attempt, however, was frustrated by South Africa’s Tete (27-3-0, 21 KOs), who had an easy time retaining his 118-pound title at the local SSE Arena. A poor performance by Narvaez, who stayed on the run for most of the bout, resulted in three scorecards of 120-108, all in favor of the defending champion who scored the fastest stoppage in world championship history in this same venue in his previous fight, disposing of his countryman Siboniso Gonya in only 11 seconds. – J.J. Álvarez

Click here for a full report of the action in England during this weekend.

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