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

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Published

7 years ago

September 1, 2018

Arne K. Lang

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 19^th 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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Arne K. Lang

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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

Published

3 days ago

March 30, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Ringside-at-the-Fontainebleau-where-Mikaela-Mayer-won-her-Rematch-with-Sandy-Ryan

LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.

The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.

Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.

Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.

Co-Feature

In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.

The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.

A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.

Other Bouts

In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.

Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.

Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.

Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.

Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.

Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.

Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.

Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.

There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

Published

3 days ago

March 29, 2025

David A. Avila

William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.

There were no knockdowns in this rematch.

The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.

It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.

Nothing changed in their second meeting.

Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.

The blows came in bunches.

In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.

Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.

Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.

During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.

But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.

“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.

Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.

“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.

Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.

“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.

Female Flyweight Battle

Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.

Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.

Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.

The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.

Neither fighter could take over the fight.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.

Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.

Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.

Puerto Rico vs Mexico

Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.

Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More

Published

5 days ago

March 28, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective-Chap-319-Rematches-in-Las-Vegas-Cancun-and-More

Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.

Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.

Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.

ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.

“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.

If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.

For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.

Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.

No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.

Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.

The fight breakdown

Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.

Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.

That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.

More drama.

During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.

New York City got its money’s worth.

Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.

Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?

“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”

Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.

That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?

Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.

Can she draw enough of that fire out again?

“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”

Co-Main in Las Vegas

The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.

Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.

Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.

Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.

Golden Boy in Cancun

A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.

In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.

DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.

Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.

Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.

Fights to Watch

Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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