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Avila Perspective, Chap. 83: Danny Roman and Jojo Bring a SoCal Vibe to Miami

Target zero for a loaded prizefighting card in Miami features several champions from the Northeast and a hint of the Southwest including WBA, IBF super bantamweight titlist Danny “Baby-Face Assassin” Roman.
It harkens back to the days when Felix Trinidad roamed the boxing landscape and Don King Productions would load up fight cards with multiple world title bouts. More on that later.
Los Angeles-based Roman (27-2-1, 10 KOs) defends the WBA and IBF titles against super bantamweight contender Murodjon Akhmadaliev (7-0, 6 KOs) from Uzbekistan, who trains in Indio, California with the brothers Joel and Antonio Diaz.
Roman-Akhmadaliev takes place Thursday Jan. 30, at Meridian of Island Gardens, Miami. DAZN will stream live.
Years ago, this title fight would have headlined the Olympic Auditorium and sold out the 10,000 seats in a heartbeat. But this is the 21st century and pro boxing has changed.
The demure Roman (pictured) makes his fifth defense of the championship he acquired with his battering boxing style against Shun Kubo in Japan 28 months ago. Since that win he toppled five undefeated fighters in defending the WBA title. Last April, he added the IBF title in a brutal fight with Australia’s TJ Doheny.
Injury postponed this fight before, but Roman insists he’s ready to go. Akhmadaliev has a win over Isaac Zarate, a teammate of Roman. There’s history between the two Southern California camps.
“He’s fast and strong but I think Danny is stronger,” said Zarate of Akhmadaliev who he fought in November 2018.
Roman’s strength has been tempered against many of the best 122-pounders in the world including two southpaws since winning the championship. Akhmadaliev is another southpaw who has a lengthy amateur record but only seven pro fights.
“He fought my teammate Isaac Zarate. I know he’s a strong fighter and I know he’s aggressive,” said Roman of Akhmadaliev. “He makes a few mistakes. He always has his hands down. I don’t know if that’s his style.”
Unlike Akhmadaliev, who was an Olympian with numerous accolades as an amateur, Roman’s journey has been a slow ascent to the top. In the beginning of his pro career his trainer/manager Eddie Gonzalez would lobby local Southern California promoters to put Roman on their cards.
Eventually Thompson Boxing Promotions signed Roman after watching him develop into a fighting machine capable of dismantling the strongest 122-pounders in the boxing crazy Southern California area.
“I can’t think of any fight in the past that Danny has had that wasn’t action-packed,” said Alex Camponovo who discovered and signed numerous other world champions including Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley and Yonnhy Perez for Thompson Boxing Promotions.
Ten years ago, Roman began his pro career and lost two of his first 10 fights including a draw. Since 2013, he has not lost another fight and has developed into a high-volume wrecking machine with a blend of boxing not often seen in this age of flash and power.
“You learn a lot from a loss,” said Roman. “I tried to box a little bit more. You learn that you can’t brawl everybody. Sometimes you got to fight a smart fight.”
Uzbekistan’s Akhmadaliev has goals too. He’s part of a large contingent of fighters from that country who train in the Coachella desert. He seeks to become that country’s first unified world titlist with a win.
“I’ve only had seven fights and I haven’t felt challenged in any of those fights. I am not comparing those fights to this one as I know they are different and this is a hard fight,” said Akhmadaliev. “All the talk about his experience that he brings to the ring is fine but it’s only when we get in the ring together that we will see who is the best fighter, the most experienced, who is stronger, faster, sharper and smarter.”
Ken Thompson, whose company Thompson Boxing Promotions co-promotes Roman along with Matchroom Boxing, said he’s never seen a fighter comparable to the quiet L.A. fighter.
“I think Danny Roman will go down as one of the greatest at 122 pounds,” said Thompson.
It’s another tough test for 29-year-old Roman who relishes challenges.
“I’ll fight anybody they put in front of me,” Roman said.
Days of Tito
Twenty years ago, I covered a large boxing Miami card that featured Felix “Tito” Trinidad defending against France’s Mamadou Thiam. The popular Puerto Rican fighter was coming off a knockout win over David Reid and a disputed win over Oscar De La Hoya. That night he packed the Miami arena.
Don King promoted the large boxing card and one thing he always did was cobble each card with world title fights. He had Miami homegrown Randall Bailey defending against Colombia’s Ener Julio, Venezuela’s Felix Machado defending against Nicaragua’s Julio Gamboa, American Will Grigsby defending against Puerto Rico’s Nelson Dieppa and Cuba’s Joel Casamayor defending against American Bernard Harris.
The boxing card lasted well into the night.
If you know anything about Miami it’s truly an international city filled with all nationalities in its small area.
It’s hard to believe that fight card took place 20 years ago.
Matchroom
Much like Don King did years ago and also similar to what Dana White does with UFC, the British promoter Eddie Hearn weaves together fight cards with multiple champions and adds ticket sellers to enhance the crowds. It’s smart tactics.
Some fighters just don’t attract fans because of their styles or unfamiliar faces. But don’t let it detract from this boxing card on Thursday. It’s loaded.
WBO middleweight titlist Demetrius Andrade (28-0) a talented safety-first fighter defends against Ireland’s Luke Keeler (17-2-1) in a scheduled 12-round contest. Though extremely skilled Andrade has yet to find the balance between entertainment and winning. He’s too careful and would rather win every round easily than entertain the fans by attempting a knockout against an over-matched opponent. He prefers to jab and move and shimmy than simply overwhelm his foe and take him out.
It would be different if he simply did not possess the firepower, but he does. Let’s see if he can find that level of entertainment that the great one’s possess.
Another talented matchup features IBF super featherweight titlist Tevin Farmer (30-4-1) defending against Jojo Diaz (30-1). Farmer is another talented fighter who easily could win every round by jabbing and running, but he’s learned to entertain fans by attacking once he figures out a foe.
Diaz, from South El Monte in LA County, will provide a big step up for Farmer. Both are extremely fast but neither has the firepower to depend on knockouts. They depend on speed and skill. This should be an incredible skirmish.
Both have been trading insults for more than a year and finally get to meet in the boxing ring.
Also added to the card is female world champion Amanda Serrano, the seven division world champion. Yes, you read that correctly. She had won world titles in seven weight divisions. The Puerto Rican southpaw slugger meets Brazil’s Simone Aparecida in an eight-round super featherweight clash.
Don’t miss this. Serrano hits hard and hits fast.
Friday in Louisiana
Featherweight prospect Ruben Villa returns to Shreveport, Louisiana to meet Alexei Collado (26-2, 23 KOs) a Cuban fighter with pop on Friday Jan. 31, in a 10-round fight. Showtime will televise the featherweight clash.
Villa, 22, is another Thompson Boxing Promotions fighter who fought a year ago in the same city and hopes for the same results. He’s a southpaw with speed and skills and he’s slippery to hit. He will need those attributes against the heavy-hitting Collado who has won almost every fight by knockout in the past four years.
It’s going to be interesting to see how Villa handles the Havana veteran. He just might be world title material.
Fights to Watch
Thurs. DAZN 4 p.m. Danny Roman (27-2-1) vs Murodjon Akhmadaliev (7-0); Demetrius Andrade (28-0) vs. Luke Keeler (17-2-1); Tevin Farmer (30-4-1) vs. Jojo Diaz (30-1).
Thurs. UFC Fight Pass 7 p.m. Ernesto Delgadillo (11-0-2) vs Jade Bornea (14-0).
Fri. Showtime 7 p.m. Ruben Villa (17-0) vs Alexei Collado (26-2).
Sat. Fox Sports 1, 5 p.m. Yordenis Ugas (24-4) vs Mike Dallas Jr. (23-3-2).
Photo credit: Al Applerose
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Argentina’s Fernando Martinez Wins His Rematch with Kazuto Ioka

In an excellent fight climaxed by a furious 12th round, Argentina’s Fernando Daniel Martinez came off the deck to win his rematch with Kazuto Ioka and retain his piece of the world 115-pound title. The match was staged at Ioka’s familiar stomping grounds, the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.
In their first meeting on July 7 of last year in Tokyo, Martinez was returned the winner on scores of 117-111, 116-112, and a bizarre 120-108. The rematch was slated for late December, but Martinez took ill a few hours before the weigh-in and the bout was postponed.
The 33-year-old Martinez, who came in sporting a 17-0 (9) record, was a 7-2 favorite to win the sequel, but there were plenty of reasons to favor Ioka, 36, aside from his home field advantage. The first Japanese male fighter to win world titles in four weight classes, Ioka was 3-0 in rematches and his long-time trainer Ismael Salas was on a nice roll. Salas was 2-0 last weekend in Times Square, having handled upset-maker Rolly Romero and Reito Tsutsumi who was making his pro debut.
But the fourth time was not a charm for Ioka (31-4-1) who seemingly pulled the fight out of the fire in round 10 when he pitched the Argentine to the canvas with a pair of left hooks, but then wasn’t able to capitalize on the momentum swing.
Martinez set a fast pace and had Ioka fighting off his back foot for much of the fight. Beginning in round seven, Martinez looked fatigued, but the Argentine was conserving his energy for the championship rounds. In the end, he won the bout on all three cards: 114-113, 116-112, 117-110.
Up next for Fernando Martinez may be a date with fellow unbeaten Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, the lineal champion at 115. San Antonio’s Rodriguez is a huge favorite to keep his title when he defends against South Africa’s obscure Phumelela Cafu on July 19 in Frisco, Texas.
As for Ioka, had he won today’s rematch, that may have gotten him over the hump in so far as making it into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. True, winning titles in four weight classes is no great shakes when the bookends are only 10 pounds apart, but Ioka is still a worthy candidate.
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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

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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