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Intriguing Fights in Croatia and Australia Enliven a Strong Boxing Weekend
The first weekend of September was a soft weekend for the sweet science, but things will heat up in a hurry. There are several major events

The first weekend of September was a soft weekend for the sweet science, but things will heat up in a hurry. There are several major events on tap this coming Saturday, Sept. 8, including a big welterweight showdown in Brooklyn between Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter, a tussle that will almost certainly be a crowd-pleaser. On the opposite coast, promoter Tom Loeffler unveils the third edition of his “Superfly” series and across the pond in Birmingham, Amir Khan, a big star in England, continues his march toward a hoped-for encounter with Manny Pacquaio with Samuel Vargas in the opposite corner. Vargas resides in Canada, as did Khan’s last opponent, Phil Lo Greco, who lasted all of 39 seconds.
Fight cards of lesser import in Croatia and Australia also warrant our attention. Both feature intriguing prospects who are taking a big jump up in class.
In Zagreb, Croatia, Filip Hrgovic (5-0, 4 KOs) makes his maiden appearance as a pro in his hometown, taking on Amir Mansour. A 2016 Olympian (he lost a narrow decision in the semis to eventual gold medalist Tony Yoka, a man he had previously defeated), the 6-foot-6, 230 pound (or thereabouts) Hrgovic comes well-touted by no less an authority than Matt McGrain.
“He moves as well as any man of his size I can remember,” said McGrain after watching Hrgovic take apart Tom Little in Hrgovic’s third pro bout. McGrain subsequently wrote that Hrgovic brought from the amateur ranks “a delicious one-two right out of the pages of How To Box by Joe Louis” and that he could have a brilliant career if he tightens up his defense.
Ay, there’s the rub (maybe). As a pro, Hrgovic has answered the bell for only 18 rounds. Could he have tightened up his defense enough in that short time to stave off a fighter as formidable as Amir Mansour (pictured on the right against Travis Kauffman)?
The first thing you need to know about Mansour, a southpaw, is that he is 46 years old. Although this reporter normally cringes at the thought of a man of Mansour’s vintage taking punches, I’m inclined to give Mansour (23-2-1, 16 KOs) a pass as he hasn’t taken much damage and he’s one rough customer.
Mansour, born Lavern Moorer, turned pro in 1997 age twenty-four. He had a reason for starting his career so late; he was in prison. After winning his first nine bouts, he was sent back to prison and served a longer stretch, resuming his career in 2010 after a nine-year absence. In 2012, another recess, this dictated by a parole violation – a gun and drugs were found in a house he shared with another felon – caused him to miss all of 2012.
When a fighter of Mansour’s description – i.e. a fighter with a good record, but generally thought of as a journeyman – goes overseas to meet a hot prospect in a hostile setting, strange things often happen. For example, the bout may end early because the visitor incurs an injury, a phantom injury by all appearances. But I seriously doubt this bout will take this tack. For one thing, Mansour, who took this fight on short notice, is hungry after squandering away the best years of his career. For another, he’s accustomed to fighting in hostile environments and has never mailed in a halfhearted effort. A case in point was his March of 2017 fight in Reading, Pennsylvania, with rugged but limited Travis Kauffman. Mansour wasn’t supposed to win that bout. Kauffman, who came in riding a 14-fight unbeaten streak, was fighting in his hometown on a show promoted by his father. But Mansour never stopped grinding and he walked away with a well-earned majority decision.
Mansour has twice failed to last the distance, but in both cases there were extenuating circumstances. Against Dominic Breazeale, he was forced to retire after five rounds after nearly biting off his tongue in the second stanza. He lost a copious amount of blood. His most recent fight, against 11-0 Sergey Kuzmin in Moscow, was called off in the third round by the ringside physician after both fighters suffered bad cuts after an accidental clash of heads. Prior to pulling out against Breazeale, Mansour had won every round. And he started off fast against Kuzmin.
It pains Mansour that two of his former opponents, Breazeale and Gerald Washington, used him as a steppingstone to a title fight with Deontay Wilder. Mansour fought Washington to a draw at a small casino in Shelton, Washington. The decision wasn’t malodorous, but neither was it popular. The attendees booed the score submitted by visiting Nevada judge Adalaide Byrd who had it 97-93 for Washington.
This is not a fight that I would bet. But if I were Filip Hrgovic’s manager, this is not a fight that I would take.
Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Bendigo, a city of about 95,000 approximately 100 miles from Melbourne, is an apt location for a prizefight. The city is named for Bendigo Creek which, lore has it, was named for the great 19th century bare-knuckle bruiser turned traveling evangelist William “Bendigo” Thompson.
The main go finds Andrew Moloney (17-0, 10 KOs) moving up in class to take on Panama’s Luis Concepcion (37-6, 26 KOs), a former two-time 115-pound world champion. Moloney, who won gold in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, will be risking his regional super flyweight title in a match scheduled for 10 rounds.
Moloney and his twin brother Jason, a bantamweight with an identical record, are hot commodities in the land down under. Andrew’s trainer Angelo Hyder describes him as a young Manny Pacquiao.
In the co-main, rising junior middleweight Tim Tszyu (10-0, 8 KOs) opposes Marcos Jesus Cornejo (19-3, 18 KOs), a 37-year-old Argentine. Hopefully Cornejo will render a better effort than Tsyzu’s last opponent, Indonesia’s Stevie Ferdinandus, who went down for the count in the opening round from a punch that carried the force of a mild breeze.
Reports on the 23-year-old Tszyu are very favorable. If he turns out to be as good as his dad, he would really be something. The great Kostya Tszyu was ushered into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011.
Yes, the Porter-Garcia collision in Brooklyn on SHOWTIME is the juiciest bill of fare on next Saturday’s deep menu. It’s a fight I wouldn’t miss for the world. But the fights in Croatia and Australia also merit our attention.
Photo credit: Ryan Greene / Premier Boxing Champions
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Argentina’s Fernando Martinez Wins His Rematch with Kazuto Ioka

In an excellent fight climaxed by a furious 12th round, Argentina’s Fernando Daniel Martinez came off the deck to win his rematch with Kazuto Ioka and retain his piece of the world 115-pound title. The match was staged at Ioka’s familiar stomping grounds, the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.
In their first meeting on July 7 of last year in Tokyo, Martinez was returned the winner on scores of 117-111, 116-112, and a bizarre 120-108. The rematch was slated for late December, but Martinez took ill a few hours before the weigh-in and the bout was postponed.
The 33-year-old Martinez, who came in sporting a 17-0 (9) record, was a 7-2 favorite to win the sequel, but there were plenty of reasons to favor Ioka, 36, aside from his home field advantage. The first Japanese male fighter to win world titles in four weight classes, Ioka was 3-0 in rematches and his long-time trainer Ismael Salas was on a nice roll. Salas was 2-0 last weekend in Times Square, having handled upset-maker Rolly Romero and Reito Tsutsumi who was making his pro debut.
But the fourth time was not a charm for Ioka (31-4-1) who seemingly pulled the fight out of the fire in round 10 when he pitched the Argentine to the canvas with a pair of left hooks, but then wasn’t able to capitalize on the momentum swing.
Martinez set a fast pace and had Ioka fighting off his back foot for much of the fight. Beginning in round seven, Martinez looked fatigued, but the Argentine was conserving his energy for the championship rounds. In the end, he won the bout on all three cards: 114-113, 116-112, 117-110.
Up next for Fernando Martinez may be a date with fellow unbeaten Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, the lineal champion at 115. San Antonio’s Rodriguez is a huge favorite to keep his title when he defends against South Africa’s obscure Phumelela Cafu on July 19 in Frisco, Texas.
As for Ioka, had he won today’s rematch, that may have gotten him over the hump in so far as making it into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. True, winning titles in four weight classes is no great shakes when the bookends are only 10 pounds apart, but Ioka is still a worthy candidate.
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Emanuel Navarrete Survives a Bloody Battle with Charly Suarez in San Diego

In a torrid battle Mexico’s Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and his staccato attack staved off the herky-jerky non-stop assaults of Philippine’s Charly Suarez to win by technical decision and retain the WBO super feather world title on Saturday.
What do they feed these guys?
Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) and his elongated arms managed to connect enough to compensate against the surprising Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs) who wowed the crowd at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.
An accidental clash of heads opened a cut on the side of Navarrete’s left eye and forced a stoppage midway through the fight.
From the opening round Navarrete used his windmill style of attack with punches from different angles that caught Suarez multiple times early. It did not matter. Suarez fired back with impunity and was just as hungry to punch it out with the Mexican fighter.
It was savage.
Every time Navarrete connected solidly, he seemed to pause and check out the damage. Bad idea. Suarez would immediately counter with bombs of his own and surprise the champion with his resilience and tenacity.
Wherever they found Suarez they should look for more, because the Filipino fighter from Manila was ferocious and never out of his depth.
Around the sixth round the Mexican fighter seemed a little drained and puzzled at the tireless attacks coming from Suarez. During an exchange of blows a cut opened up on Navarrete and it was ruled an accidental clash of heads by the referee. Blood streamed down the side of Navarrete’s face and it was cleared by the ringside physician.
But at the opening of the eighth round, the fight was stopped and the ringside physician ruled the cut was too bad to continue. The California State Athletic Commission looked at tape of the round when the cut opened to decipher if it was an accidental butt or a punch that caused the cut. It was unclear so the referee’s call of accidental clash of heads stood as the final ruling.
Score cards from the judges saw Navarrete the winner by scores of 78-75, 77-76 twice. He retains the WBO title.
Interim IBF Lightweight Title
The sharp-shooting Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) maneuvered past Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev (20-2, 12 KOs) by unanimous decision to win the interim IBF lightweight title after 12 rounds.
Both fighters were strategic in their approach with Muratalla switching from orthodox to southpaw at various times of the fight. Neither fighter was ever able to dominant any round.
Defense proved the difference between the two lightweights. Muratalla was able to slip more blows than Abdullaev and that proved the difference. The fighter from Fontana, California was able to pierce Abdullaev’s guard more often than not, especially with counter punches.
Abdullaev was never out of the fight. The Russian fighter was able to change tactics and counter the counters midway through the fight. It proved effective especially to the body. But it was not enough to offset Muratalla’s accuracy.
There were no knockdowns and after 12 rounds the judges scored it 118-110, 119-109 twice for Muratalla who now becomes the mandatory for the IBF lightweight title should Vasyl Lomachenko return to defend it.
Muratalla was brief.
“He was a tough fighter,” said Muratalla. “My defense is something I work on a lot.”
Perla Wins
Super flyweight Perla Bazaldua (2-0) eased past Mona Ward (0-2) with a polished display of fighting at length and inside.
Combination punching and defense allowed Bazaldua to punch in-between Ward’s attacks and force the St. Louis fighter to clinch repeatedly. But Ward hung in there despite taking a lot of blows. After four rounds the Los Angeles-based Bazaldua was scored the winner 40-36 on all three cards. Bazaldua signed a long term contract with Top Rank in March.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Late Bloomer Anthony Cacace TKOs Hometown Favorite Leigh Wood in Nottingham

Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions was at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England, tonight with a card featuring hometown favorite Leigh Wood against Ireland’s Anthony “Apache” Cacace.
Wood, a former two-time WBA featherweight champion, known for dramatic comebacks in bouts he was losing, may have reached the end of the road at age 36. He had his moments tonight, rocking Cacace on several occasions and winning the eighth round, but he paid the price, returning to his corner after round eight with swelling around both of his eyes.
In the ninth, Cacace, an 11/5 favorite, hurt Wood twice with left hands, the second of which knocked Wood into the ropes, dictating a standing 8-count by referee John Latham. When the bout resumed, Cacace went for the kill and battered Wood around the ring, forcing Wood’s trainer Ben Davison to throw in the towel. The official time was 2:15 of round nine.
Akin to Wood, Northern Ireland’s Cacace (24-1, 9 KOs) is also 36 years old and known as a late bloomer. This was his ninth straight win going back to 2017 (he missed all of 2018 and 2020). He formerly held the IBF 130-pound world title, a diadem he won with a stoppage of then-undefeated and heavily favored Joe Cordina, but that belt wasn’t at stake tonight as Cacace abandoned it rather than fulfill his less-lucrative mandatory. Wood falls to 28-4.
Semi-Wind-Up
Nottingham light heavyweight Ezra Taylor, fighting in his hometown for the first time since pro debut, delighted his fan base with a comprehensive 10-round decision over previously undefeated Troy Jones. Taylor, who improved to 12-0 (9) won by scores of 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.
This was Taylor’s first fight with new trainer Malik Scott, best known for his work with Deontay Wilder. The victory may have earned him a match with Commonwealth title-holder Lewis Edmondson. Jones was 12-0 heading in.
Other Bouts of Note
In his first fight as a featherweight, Liam Davies rebounded from his first defeat with a 12-round unanimous decision over Northern Ireland’s previously undefeated Kurt Walker. Davies, who improved to 17-1 (8), staved off a late rally to prevail on scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111. It was the first pro loss for the 30-year-old Walker (12-1), a Tokyo Olympian.
In a mild upset, Owen Cooper, a saucy Worcestershire man, won a 10-round decision over former Josh Taylor stablemate Chris Kongo. The referee’s scorecard read 96-94.
Cooper improved to 11-1 (4). It was the third loss in 20 starts for Kongo.
A non-televised 8-rounder featured junior welterweight Sam Noakes in a stay-busy fight. A roofer by trade and the brother of British welterweight title-holder Sean Noakes, Sam improved to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a third-round stoppage of overmatched Czech import Patrik Balez (13-5-1).
Photo credit: Leigh Dawney / Queensberry
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