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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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Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza Shine in Phoenix
PHOENIX – Saturday was a busy night on the global boxing scene, and it’s quite likely that the howling attendees in Phoenix’s Footprint Center witnessed the finest overall card of the international schedule. The many Mexican flags on display in the packed, scaled down arena signaled the event’s theme.
Co-main events featured rematches that arose from a pair of prior crowd-pleasing slugfests. Each of tonight’s headlining bouts ended at the halfway point, but that was their only similarity.
Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete, now 39-2-1 (32), defended his WBO Junior Lightweight belt with a dramatic stoppage of more-than-willing Oscar Valdez, 32-3 (24). The 29-year-old champion spoke of retirement wishes, but after dominating a blazing battle in which he scored three knockdowns, his only focus was relaxing during the holidays then getting back to what sounded like long-term business.
“Valdez was extremely tough in this fight,” said Navarrete. “I knew I had to push him back and I did. You are now witnessing the second phase of my career and you can expect great things from me in 2025.”
“I don’t really know about the future,” said the crestfallen, 33-year-old Valdez. “No excuses. He did what he wanted to and I couldn’t.”
Navarrete, a three-division titlist, came up one scorecard short of a fourth belt in his previous fight last May, a split decision loss to Denys Berinchyk. This was Navarrete’s fourth Arizona appearance so he was cheered like a homeboy, but Valdez was definitely the crowd favorite, evident from the cheers that erupted as both fighters were shown arriving in glistening, low rider automobiles.
Both men came out throwing huge shots, but it was Navarrete who scored a flash knockdown in the first round, setting the tone for the rest of the fight. There was fierce action in every frame, with Navarrete getting the best of most of it, but even when he was in trouble Valdez roared back and brought the crowd to their feet. He got dropped again at the very end of round four, and Navarrete sent his mouthpiece into orbit the round after that.
When Navarrette drove Valdez into the ropes during round six it looked like referee Raul Caiz, Jr was about to intervene, but before he could decide, Navarrete finished matters himself with a perfect left to the ribs that crumpled Valdez into a KO at 2:42.
“He talked about getting ready to retire soon so I told him we had to fight again right now,” said Valdez prior to the rematch. There were numerous “be careful what you wish for” type predictions of doom and he entered the ring at around a two to one underdog, understanding the contest’s make or break stakes. “Boxing penalizes you if you have a lot of losses,” observed Valdez. “It’s not like other sports where you can lose and do better next season. In boxing, most people don’t want to see you again after a couple of losses.”
What Valdez might decide remains to be seen, but even in defeat he proved to be a warrior worth watching.
Co-Feature
After their epic, razor-close encounter almost exactly a year ago, it was obvious Rafael Espinoza, and fellow 30-year-old Robeisy Ramirez should meet again for the WBO featherweight title belt Espinoza earned by an upset majority decision. Espinoza turned the trick again this time around, inside the distance, but it was more anti-climactic than anything like toe-to-toe.
The 6’1” Espinoza, now 26-0 (22), was the aggressor from the opening frame, but 5’6” Ramirez, 14-3 (9) employed his short stature well to stay out of immediate danger and countered to the body for a slight edge. The Cuban challenger avoided much of their previous firefight and initially controlled the tempo. The crowd jeered him for staying away but it was an effective strategy, at least at first.
Espinoza connected much better in the fifth round and looked fresher as Ramirez’s face rapidly reddened. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere in round six, Ramirez took a punch then raised a glove in surrender. Whatever the reason, even looking at Ramirez’s swollen right eye, it looked like a “No Mas” moment. Replays showed a straight right to the eye socket, but that didn’t stop the crowd from hooting their disgust after ref Chris Flores signaled the end at 0:12.
***
Richard Torrez, Jr, now 12-0 (11), displayed his Olympic silver medal pedigree in a heavyweight bout against Issac Munoz, 18-2-1 (15). Torrez, 236.6, found his punching range quickly with southpaw leads as Munoz, 252, tried to stand his ground but looked hurt by early body work that forced him into the ropes. He was gasping for breath as Torrez peppered him in the second, and Munoz went back to his corner on unsteady legs.
Munoz’s team should have thought about saving him for another day in the third as he ate big shots. Luckily, referee Raul Caiz, Jr. was wiser and had seen enough, waving it off for a TKO at 0:59.
“I don’t train for the opponent,” reflected Torrez, who isn’t far from true contender status. “Every time I train, I train for a world championship fight.”
***
Super-lightweight Lindolfo Delgado, 139.9, improved to 22-0 (16), and took another step into the world title picture against Jackson Marinez, now 22-4 (10), 139.2.
On paper this junior welterweight matchup appeared fairly even, and Marinez managed to keep it that way for almost half the scheduled ten rounds against a solid prospect but Delgado kept upping the ante until Marinez was out of chips. The assembled swarm was whistling for more action after three tentative opening frames, as Delgado loaded up but couldn’t put much offense together.
That changed in the 4th when Delgado connected with solid crosses. In the fifth, a fine combination dropped Marinez into a delayed knockdown and a wicked follow-up right to the guts finished the wobbly Marinez, who had nothing to be ashamed of, off in the arms of ref Wes Melton. Official TKO time was 2:13.
In a matter of concurrent programming, Saturday also held a lot of highly publicized college football and basketball games which likely detracted from the larger mainstream audience and media coverage this fight card deserved. That’s a shame but you can’t fault boxing, Top Rank, or any of the fighters for that because, once again, they all came through big time in Phoenix.
Photos credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Brooklyn’s Richardson Hitchins Wins IBF 140-Pound Title in Puerto Rico
A change of champions took place as Richardson Hitchins rallied from a lethargic start to wrest the IBF super lightweight title from Australia’s Liam Paro by split decision on Saturday in Puerto Rico at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan.
Brooklyn has another world champion.
“I’m just happy to be a world champion,” Hitchins said.
Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) proved that his style of fighting could prevail over Paro (25-1, 15 KOs) who had previously knocked off another Puerto Rican champion, Subriel Matias.
Both fighters expected a different kind of encounter as Paro immediately started the fight with constant pressure and short, precise combinations. Hitchins had expected a different attack and seemed hesitant to pull the trigger.
“I couldn’t get my timing,” said Hitchins. “I thought he was going to put the pressure on me.”
Soon Hitchins ramped up his attack.
After Paro had jumped ahead with a constant strategic attack, Hitchins slipped into second gear behind a sharp right counter that found the target repeatedly.
Things began to swing in the Brooklyn fighter’s favor.
Those long arms came in handy for Hitchins who snapped off deadeye rights through Paro’s guard repeatedly. Soon the southpaw Aussie’s eye began to show signs of damage.
But Paro never quit.
Aside from using quick counters, Paro began firing lead lefts and the occasional right hook and uppercut. But seldom did he target the body. Slowly, the rounds began mounting in favor of the Brooklyn fighter.
Perhaps the best blow of the fight took place in the ninth round as Hitchins connected flush with a one-two combination. Though stunned, Paro trudged forward looking to immediately counter.
He mostly failed.
Still, Paro knew the rounds were not one-sided and he could close the distance. The Aussie fighter did well in the 11th and 12th round but could not land a significant blow. After 12 rounds one judge saw Paro the winner 117-11, while two others saw Hitchins the winner 116-112 for the new IBF titlist.
“He’s a hell of a boxer,” said Paro who loses the title in his first defense. “It’s not a loss, it’s a lesson.”
Other Bouts
A battle between Puerto Rican featherweights saw Henry Lebron (20-0) out-battle Christopher Diaz-Velez by decision after 10 action-packed rounds.
In a lightweight fight Agustin Quintana (21-2-1) gave Marc Castro (13-1) his first loss to win by split decision after 10 rounds.
Welterweight Jose Roman Vazquez (14-1) defeated Jalil Hackett (9-1) by split decision after 10 rounds.
Photo credit: Melina Pizano / Matchroom
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A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix
A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix
Top Rank promoted a 10-fight card tonight at the NBA arena in Phoenix. The undercard included welterweight standout Giovani Santillan and a bevy of young prospects.
Based on his showing tonight, Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez is a prospect on the cusp of being a contender. A high-octane fighter with ring smarts that bely his tender age, the 22-year-old Gonzalez pitched a near 8-round shutout over Argentina’s Gerardo Antonio Perez, advancing his record to 12-0 (7). Although Gonzalez was forced to go the distance after five straight wins by stoppage, Perez, an Argentine who had never been stopped and was better than his 12-6-1 record, had a granite chin.
LA junior bantamweight Steven Navarro improved to 5-0 (4 KOs) with a second-round stoppage of Gabriel Bernardi (7-2). Navarro had Bernardi, a Puerto Rican, on the canvas twice before referee Raul Caiz Jr waived it off.
In a welterweight contest slated for “10,” Giovani Santillan improved to 33-1 (18 KOs) at the expense of Fredrick Lawson who retired on his stool after only one round. It was a nice confidence-booster for Santillan who took a lot of punishment in his last fight vs. Brian Norman Jr, a fight that Santillan was expected to win. However, tonight’s win should come with an asterisk as Lawson, a Chicago-based Ghanaian, is damaged goods and ought not be permitted to fight again, notwithstanding his 30-6 record. (All six of his losses, including the last three, came inside the distance.)
In a welterweight contest slated for six rounds, 19-year-old SoCal prospect Art Berrera Jr advanced to 7-0 (5 KOs) with a second-round TKO over Juan Carlos Campos (4-2) who fights out of Sioux City, Iowa. Referee Wes Melton lost his balance as he stepped in to stop the one-sided affair with a nano-second remaining in round two and went flying into the ropes, but was seemingly unhurt.
In a major surprise, Cesar Morales, a former Mexican national amateur champion, lost his pro debut to unheralded Kevin Mosquera, a 23-year-old Ecuadorian. A flash knockdown in the opening minute of final round factored into the result. The judges had it 39-36 and 38-37 for Mosquera (3-0-1) and 38-38.
The night did not start well for Morales’ trainer Robert Garcia who had five fighters in action tonight.
In the lid-lifter, 21-year-old Las Vegas lightweight DJ Zamora, a protege of the late Roger Mayweather, improved to 15-0 (10 KOs) with a second-round stoppage of Argentine import Roman Ruben Reynoso (22-6-2). Zamora put Reynoso on the canvas in the opening round with a left to the solar plexus and knocked him down in the second round with a counter left to the chin. Reynoso made it to his feet, but had no beef when the fight was waived off. The official time was 1:56 of round two.
Bouts involving former Olympians Lindolfo Delgado and Richard Torres Jr plus two compelling world title rematches round out the 10-fight card. TSS correspondent Phil Woolever is ringside. Check back later for his post-fight reports.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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