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HITS and MISSES from the Last Weekend of a Lively November

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HITS and MISSES from the Last Weekend of a Lively November

To remain grateful in boxing is relatively easy these days, and that was hammered home over Thanksgiving weekend when a bevy of solid fights featuring some of the best fighters in the world took place just about the time everyone in the U.S. was done stuffing their faces with leftovers.

But what were the biggest HITS and MISSES from another busy weekend in the sport that saw former titleholders preparing themselves for bigger fights down the line as well as undefeated up-and-comers and undeterred underdogs looking for statement wins to add to their ledgers?

HIT: Patrick Teixeira’s Huge Upset Over Previously Undefeated Carlos Adames

At most, Patrick Teixeira was probably meant to give rising undefeated junior middleweight Carlos Adames a tough test on his way to bigger and better things. The two met for a vacant secondary title on the undercard of a Top Rank on ESPN+ card at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, but Teixeira did not comply with those assumed plans by the promoter.

Instead, a bloody battle ensued with Teixeira ultimately scoring the biggest win of his career by scores of 116-111, 114-113 and 114-113 after some highly competitive rounds. The difference came during the final moments of the seventh-round when the southpaw Texiera uncorked a barrage of right hooks followed by a left hand that dropped Adames to the canvas.

That it happened so soon after Teixeira seemed he might be on his way to being stopped himself made for some compelling action. It was the Brazilian’s fifth straight win since his only defeat, a second-round knockout to former world title challenger Curtis Stevens in May 2016.

Now, Teixeira is expected to be elevated to full champion by the WBO because current titleholder Jaime Munguia seems ready to move up to the middleweight ranks. That’s quite the turn of events for Teixeira who didn’t seem on track to win a world title anytime soon.

What an amazing win for a fighter seemingly brought in to just be an opponent.

MISS: Russell Mora’s Premature Stoppage of Valdez-Lopez

After original opponent, Andres Gutierrez, weighed 11 pounds over the 130-pound limit on Friday and was scratched from the fight, late replacement opponent Adam Lopez stepped into a really difficult circumstance against former featherweight titleholder Oscar Valdez on Saturday night in the main event of the aforementioned card.

But Lopez acquitted himself well, dropping Valdez in the second round and giving the undefeated Mexican a very tough fight. After some riveting back-and-forth action, Valdez dropped Lopez with a well-placed left hook to the head followed by a right hand. Lopez rose to his feet and appeared to be weathering the storm when referee Russell Mora shockingly halted the action.

Due to the danger inherent in the sport, it’s certainly understandable why Mora would want to err on the side of caution. But it sure seemed like Lopez was still in the fight, and he probably should have been given the opportunity to continue considering how well he had done before that moment.

HIT: Casimero Punching His Way Into Bigger Bantamweight Fights

Could John Riel Casimero’s third title in as many weight classes have come at a better time in his career?

Casimero cracked Zolani Tete with a series of right hooks on Saturday in Birmingham, England to win the WBO bantamweight title. Tete was originally part of the recently completed World Boxing Super Series tournament but pulled out of his semi-final bout against Nonito Donaire who eventually lost in a Fight of the Year candidate to Naoya Inoue.

Before the injury sidelined his WBSS plans, Tete was favored over Donaire and had won 12 straight bouts. But Casimero stunningly pulled the upset and picked up the WBO bantamweight title in the process to go alongside the other alphabet belts he had won previously at 108 and 112 pounds.

More importantly than the historical nicety of being a three-division world champion though, Casimero made a solid case to get a big fight against Inoue. The thought of that bout isn’t something that really existed before Casimero’s big win over Tete, so seeing the 30-year-old manifest his own destiny was both surprising and admirable.

MISS: Frampton’s Second Act Being So Shockingly Unlike His First

Admittedly, calling Frampton’s dominant performance over Tyler McCreary on Saturday night on the Top Rank card in Las Vegas a miss is probably a little harsh. By all counts, Frampton’s performance was impressive as he boxed his way to a lopsided 10-round decision.

Still, the thing that made Frampton so spectacular during his run up the ranks during the better part of his career was his willingness to take on tough competition. Indeed, that’s the mindset that made Frampton a world champion in two different weight classes and one of the most popular Irish fighters in recent memory.

Frampton faced the inexperienced and unheralded McCreary in the first bout of the multi-fight deal the 32-year-old signed with Top Rank earlier this year after losing to IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington in December 2018. That move made sense for Frampton’s pocketbook. It also nabbed him TV money and allowed him to set up bigger fights down in the line in front of an American audience.

But Frampton doesn’t really seem like the same fighter he was when he stormed across the Atlantic to outfight Leo Santa Cruz in 2016. He doesn’t even really seem like the same guy who had the audacity to try it for a second time the following year.

Instead, Frampton now seems like an older fighter looking to make the most bang for his buck by taking the path of least resistance. That’s probably why after the win his promoters seemed to be targeting WBO junior lightweight titleholder Jamel Herring over any other names in the deep division, many of which seem more dangerous.

HIT: Matchroom’s Monte Carlo Menagerie 

Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn is a welcome addition to the world stage precisely because he always seems to be trying to push boundaries forward. Boxing has always been a global sport, but in recent years it seems to be growing into that in full force thanks to the new technologies and tools that didn’t exist before.

On Saturday, Matchroom promoted a card in Monaco featuring a full slate of interesting and noteworthy action that helped push boxing forward into the next era. Alexander Besputin defeated Radzhab Butaev in a battle of undefeated welterweights vying for a shot at Terence Crawford. Chinese heavyweight prospect Zhilei Zhang defeated Andriy Rudenko by 10-round decision in the 36-year-old’s first fight to go beyond six rounds. And undisputed women’s welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus moved closer to a blockbuster showdown against lightweight champion Katie Taylor by successfully defending her crown against Victoria Bustos.

As suggested by our own Matt Andrzejewski, Besputin is likely on his way to facing Crawford soon because Top Rank and the PBC don’t seem all that interested in working together for fights at 147 pounds. Zhang is just as likely to find himself in a big heavyweight fight soon, even if it’s just on the regional level because his advanced age coupled with his huge fanbase makes matters super urgent. And there probably isn’t any bigger women’s boxing event than the proposed Braekhus-Taylor fight.

What an amazingly strange card, but one that made sense for the location while also helping define important paths forward in 2020.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams for Top Rank

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Mercito Gesta Victorious Over Jojo Diaz at the Long Beach Pyramid

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LONG BEACH, CA.-Those in the know knew Mercito Gesta and Jojo Diaz would be a fight to watch and they delivered.

Gesta emerged the winner in a super lightweight clash between southpaws that saw the judges favor his busier style over Diaz’s body attack and bigger shots and win by split decision on Saturday.

Despite losing the main event because the star was overweight, Gesta (34-3-3, 17 KOs) used an outside method of tactic to edge past former world champion Diaz (32-4-1, 15 KOs) in front of more than 5,000 fans at the Pyramid.

The speedy Gesta opened up the fight with combination punching up and down against the peek-a-boo style of Diaz. For the first two rounds the San Diego fighter overwhelmed Diaz though none of the blows were impactful.

In the third round Diaz finally began unloading his own combinations and displaying the fast hands that helped him win world titles in two divisions. Gesta seemed stunned by the blows, but his chin held up. The counter right hook was Diaz’s best weapon and snapped Gesta’s head back several times.

Gesta regained control in the fifth round after absorbing big blows from Diaz. He seemed to get angry that he was hurt and opened up with even more blows to send Diaz backpedaling.

Diaz targeted his attack to Gesta’s body and that seemed to slow down Gesta. But only for a round.

From the seventh until the 10th each fighter tried to impose their style with Gesta opening up with fast flurries and Diaz using right hooks to connect with solid shots. They continued their method of attack until the final bell. All that mattered was what the judges preferred.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Diaz the winner 97-93 but two others saw Gesta the winner 99-91, 98-92. It was a close and interesting fight.

“I was expecting nothing. I was the victor in this fight and we gave a good fight,” said Gesta. “It’s not an easy fight and Jojo gave his best.”

Diaz was surprised by the outcome but accepted the verdict.

Everything was going good. I thought I was landing good body shots,” said Diaz. “I was pretty comfortable.”

Other Bouts

Mexico’s Oscar Duarte (25-1-1, 20 KOs) knocked out Chicago’s Alex Martin (18-5, 6 KOs) with a counter right hand after dropping him earlier in the fourth round. The super lightweight fight was stopped at 1:14 of the round.

A battle between undefeated super welterweights saw Florida’s Eric Tudor (8-0, 6 KOs) emerge the winner by unanimous decision after eight rounds versus Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain.

The taller Tudor showed polished skill and was not bothered by a large cut on his forehead caused by an accidental clash of heads. He used his jab and lead rights to defuse the attacks of the quick-fisted southpaw Cato-Cain. The judges scored the fight 80-72 and 78-74 twice for Tudor.

San Diego’s Jorge Chavez (5-0, 4 KOs) needed less than one round to figure out Nicaragua’s Bryan Perez (12-17-1, 11 KOs) and send him into dreamland with a three-punch combination. No need to count as referee Ray Corona waved the fight over. Perez shot a vicious right followed by another right and then a see-you-later left hook at 3.00 of the first round of the super featherweight match.

Photo credit: Al Applerose

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Jojo Diaz’s Slump Continues; Mercito Gesta Prevails on a Split Decision

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At age 30, Jojo Diaz’s career is on the skids. The 2012 U.S. Olympian, a former world title holder at 126 and 130 pounds and an interim title holder at 135, Diaz suffered his third straight loss tonight, upset by Mercito Gesta who won a split decision at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, CA.. The scoring was strange with Gesta winning nine of the 10 rounds on one of the cards and only three rounds on another. The tie-breaker, as it were, was a 98-92 tally for Gesta and even that didn’t capture the flavor of what was a closely-contested fight.

Originally listed as a 12-rounder, the match was reduced to 10 and that, it turned out, did Diaz no favors. However, it’s hard to feel sorry for the former Olympian as he came in overweight once again, having lost his 130-pound title on the scales in February of 2021.

Diaz also has issues outside the ropes. Best elucidated by prominent boxing writer Jake Donovan, they include a cluster of legal problems stemming from an arrest for drunk driving on Feb. 27 in the LA suburb of Claremont.

With the defeat, Diaz’s ledger declined to 32-4-1. His prior losses came at the hands of Gary Russell Jr, Devin Haney, and William Zepeda, boxers who are collectively 83-2. Mercito Gesta, a 35-year-old San Diego-based Filipino, improved to 34-3-3.

Co-Feature

Chihuahua, Mexico super lightweight Oscar Duarte has now won nine straight inside the distance after stopping 33-year-old Chicago southpaw Alex Martin in the eighth frame. Duarte, the busier fighter, had Martin on the deck twice in round eight before the fight was waived off.

Duarte improved to 25-1-1 (20). Martin, who reportedly won six national titles as an amateur and was once looked upon as a promising prospect, declined to 18-5.

Other Bouts of Note

New Golden Boy signee Eric Tudor, a 21-year-old super welterweight from Fort Lauderdale, overcame a bad laceration over his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads in round four, to stay unbeaten, advancing to 8-0 (6) with a hard-fought unanimous 8-round decision over Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain. The judges had it 80-72 and 78-74 twice. It was the first pro loss for Cato-Cain (7-1-1) who had his first five fights in Tijuana.

In the DAZN opener, lanky Hawaian lightweight Dalis Kaleiopu went the distance for the first time in his young career, improving to 4-0 (3) with a unanimous decision over 36-year-old Colombian trial horse Jonathan Perez (40-35). The scores were 60-52 across the board. There were no knockdowns, but Perez, who gave up almost six inches in height, had a point deducted for a rabbit punch and another point for deducted for holding.

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‘Big Baby’ Wins the Battle of Behemoths; TKOs ‘Big Daddy’ in 6

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Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne weighed in at a career-high 277 pounds for today’s battle in Dubai with Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, but he was the lighter man by 56 pounds. It figured that one or both would gas out if the bout lasted more than a few stanzas.

It was a war of attrition with both men looking exhausted at times, and when the end came it was Miller, at age 34 the younger man by nine years, who had his hand raised.

Browne was the busier man, but Miller, whose physique invites comparison with a rhinoceros, hardly blinked as he was tattooed with an assortment of punches. He hurt ‘Bid Daddy’ in round four, but the Aussie held his own in the next frame, perhaps even forging ahead on the cards, but only postponing the inevitable.

In round six, a succession of right hands knocked Browne on the seat of his pants. He beat the count, but another barrage from Miller impelled the referee to intervene. The official time was 2:33. It was the 21st straight win for Miller (26-0-1, 22 KOs). Browne declined to 31-4 and, for his own sake, ought not fight again. All four of his losses have come inside the distance, some brutally.

The consensus of those that caught the livestream was that Floyd Mayweather Jr’s commentary was an annoying distraction that marred what was otherwise an entertaining show.

As for what’s next for “Big Baby” Miller, that’s hard to decipher as he has burned his bridges with the sport’s most powerful promoters. One possibility is Mahmoud Charr who, like Miller, has a big gap in his boxing timeline. Now 38 years old, Charr – who has a tenuous claim on a WBA world title (don’t we all?) —  has reportedly taken up residence in Dubai.

Other Bouts of Note

In a 10-round cruiserweight affair, Suslan Asbarov, a 30-year-old Russian, advanced to 4-0 (1) with a hard-fought majority decision over Brandon Glanton. The judges had it 98-92, 97-93, and a more reasonable 95-95.

Asbarov was 12-9 in documented amateur fights and 1-0 in a sanctioned bare-knuckle fight, all in Moscow, entering this match. He bears watching, however, as Glanton (18-2) would be a tough out for almost anyone in his weight class. In his previous fight, at Plant City, Florida, Glanton lost a controversial decision to David Light, an undefeated Australian who challenges WBO world title-holder Lawrence Okolie at Manchester, England next week.

A 10-round super featherweight match between former world title challengers Jono Carroll and Miguel Marriaga preceded the semi-windup. Carroll, a 30-year-old Dublin southpaw, overcame a cut over his left eye suffered in the second round to win a wide unanimous decision in a fairly entertaining fight.

It was the sixth straight win for Carroll (24-2-1, 7 KOs) who elevated his game after serving as a sparring partner for Devin Haney. Marriaga, a 36-year-old Colombian, lost for the fourth time in his last five outings, declining to 30-7.

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