Avila Perspective, Chap 55: Japan Calling, Mioletti and Competing Cards

Published

6 years ago

July 10, 2019

Avila-Perspective-Chap-55-Japan-Calling-Mioletti-and-Competing-Cards

Japan’s revered Ryota Murata entered the Park Theater to a large contingent of Japanese fans who traveled across the Pacific Ocean to see him vanquish the American in Las Vegas. That was last October.

An expected victory for Murata meant a ticket to face Gennady “GGG” Golovkin in a massive fight at the Tokyo Dome. All the pieces were in place and it seemed a mere formality to see the Japanese fighter’s hand raised at the end.

After 12 shocking rounds little known Rob Brant out-boxed, out-foxed and out-fought Murata and the expected coronation turned into a curtain dropping flop.

Here we are eight months later on the other side of the Pacific. Does geography make a difference?

Murata (14-2, 11 KOs) now challenges WBA middleweight titlist Brant (25-1, 17 KOs) on Friday, July 12, at the Edion Arena in Osaka, Japan. It’s not the Tokyo Dome but an expected sold out crowd of 8,000 should fill it up. ESPN+ will stream live.

Excuses and rationalizations were not spouted by Murata who won an Olympic gold medal in 2012. But losing to Brant was clearly not expected.

“Rob Brant beat me fair and square, but I am ready to get revenge,” Murata, 33, said.

Brant, 28, a seemingly always smiling fighter out of Dallas, Texas, expected this rematch and expects a better performance from Murata.

“I am very excited to be defending my title in Japan against Ryota Murata. Ever since I beat him for the belt, I have always known this fight was on the horizon,” Brant said. “I feel Murata is only at his full potential while in front of his people.”

In their first encounter Brant surprised Murata with his ability to avoid big blows and when they did land the American shrugged them off. Offensively the Japanese slugger was unable to fend off the overwhelming and unorthodox attacks by Brant. Though never seemingly hurt by the blows, Murata never could mount a consistent attack and lost by unanimous decision. Some rounds were seemingly close.

“I want to show everyone the real Ryota Murata and regain my world title in spectacular fashion. I took some time off after my last fight, but I never lost my fighting desire. In fact, I am more motivated than ever,” Murata said.

Brant relishes the opportunity.

“This fight is me showing the world that I can bring my full potential with me wherever I go,” he said.

Will Japanese home cooking prove the difference?

For those living in the West Coast this fight card begins at 4 a.m. PT. pm ESPN+. If it’s anything close to their first encounter it should be a bloody and bruising rematch.

Giovanni Mioletti

A Midwest prodigy, Giovanni Mioletti, will be in a battle of undefeated super featherweights when he meets Ecuador’s Luis Porozo on Friday July 12, at Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma. Showtime will televise.

Mioletti (16-0, 7 KOs) is a 24-year-old southpaw from Chicago and has a few victories over solid competition including wins over Recky Dulay and Roberto Meza. He meets Porozo (14-0, 7 KOs), 29, a late bloomer, who began prizefighting a mere three and a half years ago.

It’s the type of battle that draws fans to watch when you have undefeated prospects willing to face each other. A victory moves them through the door to contention and that’s exactly what prizefighting is all about.

Competing Cards

While WBC super bantamweight titlist Rey Vargas clashes with Japan’s Tomoki Kameda in Los Angeles, on the other side of the US on Saturday a featherweight clash pits former Olympian Shakur Stevenson against Alberto Guevara in New Jersey.

Once again promoters face off.

Top Rank’s Stevenson (11-0, 6 KOs) and his wealth of talent defends his regional titles against late replacement Guevara (27-4, 12 KOs) of Mexico who hopes to put up enough of a challenge. ESPN will televise the fight but don’t expect it to last.

Stevenson, 22, exudes talent and has quickly picked up the professional style of fighting after years of amateur boxing. It’s not easy to do. I truly do not expect any featherweight to prove a challenge unless he fights Leo Santa Cruz or Gary Russell Jr. And that’s not going to happen with this Top Rank fighter, at least not any time soon.

In the Los Angeles area, Golden Boy Promotions will be pitting its prospects to the test especially with Diego De La Hoya (21-0, 10 KOs) meeting Ronny Rios (30-3, 14 KOs) in a featherweight clash set for 10 rounds at Dignity Health Sports Park, formerly named the StubHub Center. DAZN will stream the card.

De La Hoya has had problems making weight and Rios has made one failed attempt at a world title and now tests the cousin of the boss Oscar De La Hoya. Sometimes styles make fights and both fighters are well schooled. De La Hoya is 24 and Rios 29.

Another battle of Golden Boy prospects pits Joet Gonzalez (22-0, 13 KOs) against Manuel Avila (23-1-1, 8 KOs) in another 10-round featherweight battle.

Northern California’s Avila had problems in his last fight against Mexico’s Jose Santos Gonzalez who took the fight inside and wouldn’t allow breathing room. It ended in a draw. Before that, Avila lost to Jojo Diaz and that’s not an embarrassment.

Southern California’s Gonzalez had problems with Mexico’s Rafael Rivera a year ago but won an extremely close split decision. But at the time nobody knew much of Rivera who would later battle featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz for 12 rounds last February. Gonzalez has eliminated his last two foes by knockout.

Akhmadaliev to fight WBA champ Danny Roman

WBA and IBF super bantamweight titlist Danny Roman will be fighting number one contender of the WBA Murodjon Akhmadaliev by September 30, 2019. A purse bid was held in Panama City on Tuesday and was won by World of Boxing.

World champion Roman is promoted by Thompson Boxing Promotions and Banner Promotions. The challenger Akhmadaliev has defeated two fighters from those co-promoters by knockout. Last November he stopped Isaac Zarate and this past April knocked out Carlos Carlson.

Roman captured the IBF title to add to the WBA super bantamweight title with a thrilling clash against TJ Doheny that could easily be a candidate for Fight of the Year this past April. He has quickly become one of boxing’s most exciting fighters.

Fights to watch

Fri. July 12, 4 a.m. PT on ESPN+ – Rob Brant (25-1) vs Ryota Murata (14-2), Ken Shiro (15-0) vs. Jonathan Taconing (28-3-1).

Fri. July 12, Showtime 7 p.m. PT – Giovanni Mioletti (16-0) vs. Luis Porozo (14-0).

Fri. July 12, Telemundo, 11 p.m. PT – Derrick Cuevas (21-0-1) vs Jesus Beltran (17-2-2).

Sat. July 13, DAZN 4 p.m. PT – Rey Vargas (33-0) vs Tomoki Kameda (36-2)

Sat. July 13, ESPN 5 p.m. PT – Shakur Stevenson (11-0) vs. Alberto Guevara (27-4).

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David A. Avila

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

Published

2 hours ago

May 11, 2025

David A. Avila

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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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