Three Punch Combo: Introducing Agit Kabayel, Under the Radar Fights and More

Published

6 years ago

September 8, 2019

Three-Punch-Combo-Introducing-Agit-Kabayel-Under-the-Radar-Fights-and-More

THREE PUNCH COMBO: This past week, Top Rank announced the newest addition to its stable with the signing of EBU heavyweight champion Agit Kabayel (19-0, 13 KO’s). Thus far in his career, Kabayel has fought primarily out of his native Germany and is largely unknown to US boxing fans. But with this move to Top Rank, Kabayel will vacate his EBU title and move his blossoming career to the United States. So just who is Agit Kabayel and can he make noise in the heavyweight division?

Kabayel, soon to be 27, turned pro in June of 2011 and won his first 14 fights before earning his first substantial bout against the then undefeated Christian Lewandowski in June of 2016 for the vacant EBU title. Kabayel impressively broke down and stopped Lewandowski with a body shot in the seventh round to capture the belt.

After one successful defense, Kabayel faced off against veteran contender Dereck Chisora in November of 2017. Entering the ring as the underdog, Kabayel impressively out-boxed Chisora en route to winning a majority 12-round decision. This gained him some notoriety, putting him on the map in the heavyweight division.

Along with his 19 pro fights, Kabayel gained some noteworthy experience in sparring sessions with some of today’s top heavyweights including Tyson Fury and most recently Anthony Joshua.

Inside the ring, Kabayel is a classic boxer-puncher. He likes to circle his opponents and to work behind his left jab from the orthodox stance. And that jab is not only Kabayel’s best punch, but can be a dominant weapon. It is a head snapping jab that acts more like a power punch. Kabayel uses that punch to frequently control range from the outside.

Kabayel does possess a fairly sharp right hand that he will work frequently behind the jab. I would describe his hand speed as above average for a heavyweight; he can surprise his opposition with his quickness. He is also an excellent body puncher and will commit to working his opponent’s body from early in the fight. Though he does not carry one punch knockout power, Kabayel has heavy hands and his punches can have a cumulative effect.

From the video I watched, I really like what I see from Kabayel and understand why Top Rank made the move to sign him. He has developed some really good skills and has yet to peak. With further grooming, Agit Kabayel can certainly make some noise down the road.

Under The Radar Fight, Part One

ESPN+ will broadcast Saturday’s big fight card from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas that will be headlined by the return of Tyson Fury (28-0-1, 20 KO’s) who will face Otto Wallin (20-0, 13 KO’s) in a fight scheduled for 12 rounds. While this bout will receive almost all the attention for this event, the stacked undercard has some very intriguing contests flying under the radar.

Light heavyweights Felix Valera (18-2, 15 KO’s) and Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (20-2, 17 KO’s) will meet in a fight scheduled for 10 rounds. The light heavyweight division is very deep with many of the top names needing opponents and though both men have had some recent setbacks, they could each find themselves right back in the picture for a big fight with a win.

Valera has won three straight since losing a unanimous decision to Sullivan Barrera in November of 2017. Prior to that defeat, Valera also dropped a wide 12-round decision to current light heavyweight belt holder Dmitry Bivol in May of 2016.

Valera is a classic boxer-puncher. Fighting from the orthodox stance, he likes to use his feet to circle his opponents while flicking out the left jab. He will look to work combinations behind that jab. He is fairly athletic, possesses decent hand speed, and has a potent left hook. He certainly has the tools to be a solid contender. But defensively he has issues.

Valera lacks any sort of head movement and often times keeps his hands held low. But one of the reasons why I like this fight is that Valera will be facing an opponent with similar defensive flaws and that could turn this contest into quite a shootout.

Shabranskyy was once considered an elite prospect. Coming up the ladder, he put on some impressive showings that had many thinking he could one day be a big star. He was so fluid in the ring and possessed all the skills, along with devastating punching power.

However, a fight in June of 2015 against journeyman Paul Parker exposed a major flaw. In that fight, a supposedly light hitting Parker nearly knocked Shabranskyy out in the first round. Shabranskyy showed tremendous heart to come back and stop Parker but serious questions arose about his chin.

Those concerns proved to be real. In his two biggest fights against Sullivan Barrera and Sergey Kovalev, Shabranskyy was knocked out.

Both Valera and Shabranskyy are at a crossroads. Both have skills, punching power and defensive liabilities. This has all the ingredients for a shootout, albeit a potentially quick one. Of all the fights in store this coming week, this is the one I am most excited to watch.

Under The Radar Fight, Part Two

Also on the Fury-Wallin card, former two division champion Jose Pedraza (26-2, 13 KO’s) makes a move up to 140 to face recent 140-pound world title challenger Jose Zepeda (30-2, 25 KO’s). This is a crucial fight for both men as the winner is likely positioned to receive a title shot at 140 in 2020.

Pedraza, who lost his 130-pound title to Gervonta Davis in January of 2017, enjoyed a career resurgence in 2018. After two impressive showings early in the year, he captured a lightweight title belt with a clear-cut decision over Raymundo Beltran. And despite losing that belt to Vasiliy Lomachenko in his next outing, Pedraza’s stock did not take much of a hit given his solid effort against the fighter many consider to be the best pound for pound in the sport.

Zepeda is a two-time world title challenger. His first shot ended in disappointment when he had to retire early due to a shoulder injury, but he fared much better in his second title shot, albeit in a losing effort, against 140-pound champion Jose Carlos Ramirez this past February. Despite being a sizable underdog, Zepeda gave Ramirez all he could handle for twelve rounds. In the end, Ramirez wound up holding onto his title with a tight majority decision. But Zepeda’s stock certainly rose in defeat.

Stylistically, these two are matched well for what should be a crisp, competitive action fight. Pedraza is appropriately nicknamed “Sniper” because of his effective placement of his punches. Working behind a jab from the orthodox stance, Pedraza is very adept at setting up angles to land clean precision combinations.

Zepeda, a southpaw, has an awkward style that can be a complex puzzle to solve for his opponents. Zepeda will use his feet to move around the ring and pick his spots to attack. When he does, he usually jumps into range and fires off a volley of punches before getting back on his bike. He is very slick with excellent head movement and subtle quickness that makes him able to elude and slip punches.

In his fight against Ramirez, Zepeda was not quite busy enough to win the decision. Can he up his output a little more against Pedraza to catch the eyes of the judges? And how will the sharp, accurate punching Pedraza deal with the slick defensive skills of Zepeda? On paper, this is about as evenly matched as it gets and we should see a very solid professional fight between these two on Saturday.

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Matt Andrzejewski

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

Published

2 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

2 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

4 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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