The Avila Perspective, Chap. 42: Pound for Pounders Lomachenko, Shields and More

Published

6 years ago

April 11, 2019

One of the wizards of boxing Vasyl Lomachenko leads a trio of the best fighters on the planet headlining separate events this weekend. The other two pound for pound best are female prizefighters.

WBA and WBO lightweight titlist Lomachenko (12-1, 9 KOs) meets England’s Anthony Crolla (34-6-3, 13 KOs) on Friday April 12, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. ESPN+ will stream the Top Rank card live.

Six years have elapsed since Ukraine’s Lomachenko made his pro debut after dominating the amateur boxing scene for years. In the half dozen years as a pro the speedy southpaw has evolved into a full-fledged professional fighter. No more slap shots and dosy-does around the ring.

Hyperbole comes easy in the boxing promoting world, but in the past two years against elite competition the fighter known as “High Tech” has graduated into another level. Wins over Jorge Linares and Guillermo Rigondeaux have added spit shine luster to a glowing resume.

“He’s one of the greatest fighters of his generation,” said Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who’s seen them all for the past 50-plus years in the boxing world.

Lomachenko, 31, has acclimated into the hurt game and graduated to a higher form of prizefighting. Fans should expect a high octane performance. Nothing less.

Can Crolla force him to another realm?

“I saw his fights with Linares. Anthony Crolla has a very defensive style. I have my strategy,” said Lomachenko during media day. “I will find the key to his defense. I have to be aggressive and throw a lot of punches.”

Any time a pound for pound fighter performs is worth watching. Lomachenko definitely belongs in the top 10 in the world. Next up to try and stop the Lomachenko machine is Crolla.

“This would be the pinnacle of my career and then some. I think we’ll see a bit of everything on the night. I know I am prepared to leave everything in the ring,” said Crolla. “I’ve got fans, family, friends and gym mates coming to LA to cheer for me and that just spurs me on even more.”

Also on the same card is WBO super middleweight titlist Gilberto Ramirez (39-0, 25 KOs) trying out the light heavyweight division against Tommy Karpency (29-6-1, 18 KOs) in a battle of tall southpaws. Lefty versus lefty changes up everything.

It’s merely a try out.

“Ramirez is just going to see if he likes it,” said Arum. “If not, he will go back.”

Ramirez possesses the height at 6’2 and though he seems to have long arms, prefers fighting on the inside Mexican style.

“I know Tommy is an experienced guy, but if Bob gives me a big fight with Callum Smith at 168, I can make the weight. That would be a fantastic fight,” said Mexico’s Ramirez, 27.

Karpency, 33, stands an inch over 6-feet in height and has fought numerous world champions in the past and has a win over Chad Dawson.

“We’re both southpaws, so that makes for a better flow than righty versus lefty. And we’ll see what happens,” said Karpency.

Another interesting matchup pits undefeated Arnold Barboza (20-0, 7 KOs) against former world champion Mike Alvarado (40-4, 28 KOs) in a super lightweight clash set for 10 rounds at the Staples Center on Friday.

“I don’t think he had a choice,” said Alvarado who engaged in some of the most intense battles in L.A. several years ago against Brandon “Bam, Bam” Rios and Juan Manuel Marquez. “I think they made him fight me.”

Alvarado hasn’t lost in four years.

The ESPN+ broadcast begins at 5 p.m. PT.

Shields and Hammer

You couldn’t pick two better names than Shields and Hammer.

The pending middleweight unification battle between Claressa Shields (8-0, 2 KOs) and Christina Hammer (24-0, 11 KOs) on Saturday April 13, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, between two pound-for-pound combatants who are both undefeated in the female fight world has never happened before with women. It’s almost happened before, but didn’t.

Years ago Laila Ali and Ann Wolfe were in a similar position but despite the clamor and hoopla the two female middleweights never met in the boxing ring. It remains one of the travesties of female boxing history.

Today, we have America’s Shields with her two Olympic gold medals draped over her shoulders and attacking the female pro fight world like a speeding bullet. She’s ripped through every opponent put in front of her and shredded them with nary a blip. Except against Costa Rica’s Hanna Gabriels who managed to knock down Shields but was henceforth dominated.

In the other corner we have Hammer a tall blue-eyed prizefighter from Germany, home to many excellent female boxers in the past 25 years. The 28-year-old boxer/puncher with a rifle jab has never been defeated in 24 pro fights despite fighting for nearly a decade. She’s a very strong fighter who prefers to fight on the outside so she can batter opponents with her jabs. She also wields a strong right cross.

It’s Shields speed and agility versus Hammer’s long stiff jabs. Can Shields get on the inside where she can unleash those blazing combinations?

Or will Hammer wrap her up with her holding tactics that rendered Kali Reis helpless when they fought twice. Hammer’s jab is relentless.

They’re both primed for the fight of their life.

“I don’t want to let the women who came before me down. They never got to have a fight as big as this one,” said Shields, 24. “I don’t want anyone to say it’s all hype. I want to put on a show.”

Hammer is equally aware of the spotlight.

“I want to show that I’m the undisputed champion. I’m the longtime champion and I’m going to let the people see that women’s boxing is exciting just like the men. This is a great match to show that,” said Hammer, 28.

All of the belts will be the prize including WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF titles. Showtime will televise this historic moment beginning at 6 p.m.

Teofimo

Top Rank’s Arum said he admires the tournament exhibiting the best super lightweights in the world. He has a couple of his own and is willing to put his guys against the winner of that tournament.

One is Teofimo Lopez, 21, their undefeated lightweight at the moment, who is not shy about fighting world champions now.

“He’s like a wild stallion,” said Arum. “We don’t know how good he is or can be.”

Arum said a possible match between Lopez and IBF lightweight titlist Richard Commey is an immediate possibility for the Brooklyn-based fighter.

“We can’t keep him trotting, he wants to run,” said Arum about Lopez, adding that he foresees him moving up in weight to challenge the super lightweights.

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David A. Avila

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Emanuel Navarrete Survives a Bloody Battle with Charly Suarez in San Diego

Published

1 hour ago

May 11, 2025

David A. Avila

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

Published

15 hours ago

May 10, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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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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Avila Perspective, Chap. 326: Top Rank and San Diego Smoke

Published

2 days ago

May 9, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 326: Top Rank and San Diego Smoke

Years ago, I worked at a newsstand in the Beverly Hills area. It was a 24-hour a day version and the people that dropped by were very colorful and unique.

One elderly woman Eva, who bordered on homeless but pridefully wore lipstick, would stop by the newsstand weekly to purchase a pack of menthol cigarettes. On one occasion, she asked if I had ever been to San Diego?

I answered “yes, many times.”

She countered “you need to watch out for San Diego Smoke.”

This Saturday, Top Rank brings its brand of prizefighting to San Diego or what could be called San Diego Smoke. Leading the fight card is Mexico’s Emanuel Navarrete (39-2-1, 32 KOs) defending the WBO super feather title against undefeated Filipino Charly Suarez (18-0, 10 KOs) at Pechanga Arena. ESPN will televise.

This is Navarrete’s fourth defense of the super feather title.

The last time Navarrete stepped in the boxing ring he needed six rounds to dismantle the very capable Oscar Valdez in their rematch. One thing about Mexico City’s Navarrete is he always brings “the smoke.”

Also, on the same card is Fontana, California’s Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) vying for the interim IBF lightweight title against Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev (20-1, 12 KOs) on the co-main event.

Abdullaev has only fought once before in the USA and was handily defeated by Devin Haney back in 2019. But that was six years ago and since then he has knocked off various contenders.

Muratalla is a slick fighting lightweight who trains at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy now in Moreno Valley, Calif. It’s a virtual boot camp with many of the top fighters on the West Coast available to spar on a daily basis. If you need someone bigger or smaller, stronger or faster someone can match those needs.

When you have that kind of preparation available, it’s tough to beat. Still, you have to fight the fight. You never know what can happen inside the prize ring.

Another fighter to watch is Perla Bazaldua, 19, a young and very talented female fighter out of the Los Angeles area. She is trained by Manny Robles who is building a small army of top female fighters.

Bazaldua (1-0, 1 KO) meets Mona Ward (0-1) in a super flyweight match on the preliminary portion of the Top Rank card. Top Rank does not sign many female fighters so you know that they believe in her talent.

Others on the Top Rank card in San Diego include Giovani Santillan, Andres Cortes, Albert Gonzalez, Sebastian Gonzalez and others.

They all will bring a lot of smoke to San Diego.

Probox TV

A strong card led by Erickson “The Hammer” Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) facing Ardreal Holmes Jr. (17-0, 6 KOs) in a super welterweight clash between southpaws takes place on Saturday at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida. PROBOX TV will stream the fight card.

Ardreal has rocketed up the standings and now faces veteran Lubin whose only losses came against world titlists Sebastian Fundora and Jermell Charlo. It’s a great match to decide who deserves a world title fight next.

Another juicy match pits Argentina’s Nazarena Romero (14-0-2) against Mexico’s Mayelli Flores (12-1-1) in a female super bantamweight contest.

Nottingham, England

Anthony Cacace (23-1, 8 KOs) defends the IBO super featherweight title against Leigh Wood (28-3, 17 KOs) in Wood’s hometown on Saturday at Nottingham Arena in Nottingham, England. DAZN will stream the Queensberry Promotions card.

Ireland’s Cacace seems to have the odds against him. But he is no stranger to dancing in the enemy’s lair or on foreign territory. He formerly defeated Josh Warrington in London and Joe Cordina in Riyadh in IBO title defenses.

Lampley at Wild Card

Boxing telecaster Jim Lampley will be signing his new book It Happened! at the Wild Card Boxing gym in Hollywood, Calif. on Saturday, May 10, beginning at 2 p.m. Lampley has been a large part of many of the greatest boxing events in the past 40 years. He and Freddie Roach will be at the signing.

Fights to Watch (All times Pacific Time)

Sat. DAZN 11 a.m. Anthony Cacace (23-1) vs Leigh Wood (28-3).

Sat. PROBOX.tv 3 p.m. Erickson Lubin (26-2) vs Ardreal Holmes Jr. (17-0).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Emanuel Navarrete (39-2-1) vs Charly Suarez (18-0); Raymond Muratalla (22-0) vs Zaur Abdullaev (20-1).

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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