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Notes on Tszyu-Horn, Sandro Mazzinghi and More

Former WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn said he planned to “ragdoll” Tim Tszyu. The peachy word that Horn invented turned out to be a pretty good description of what Tszyu did to him. Tszyu dominated the junior middleweight contest from the start. Many thought the fight should have been stopped well before the bell ending round eight, whereupon Horn’s corner, at the encouragement of the referee, finally pulled him out.
It was a masterclass against an opponent who isn’t easy to look against, but Tszyu (16-0, 12 KOs) was better in every phase of the game. After the fight, he said, “I just want to let everyone know my name is Tim, not the son,” referencing his famous father.
Tim Tszyu, 25, has never said a bad word about his father, but there is undoubtedly some tension between them. Kostya Tszyu wasn’t there as his son was growing up and purportedly has attended only one of Tim’s fights. Kostya eventually left Tim and his mom and Tim’s two siblings, returning to his native Russia where he remarried and started a new family.
Tim Tszyu may never escape the long shadow his father, an all-time great, but today he became the face of Australian boxing and instantly one of the most talked-about young boxers on the planet.
Mazzinghi
The longer a prominent athlete lives, the shorter his obituary becomes, unless he was a true giant in his field. Sandro Mazzinghi was a two-time world champion at 154 pounds, but he wasn’t exactly a giant so it’s no surprise that his death last week at age 81 was largely ignored by the media in the English-speaking world. But make no mistake; Mazzinghi was a huge star in Italy. His saga inspired biographies and memoirs, two of which he wrote himself.
Born into poverty in the Valdera region of Tuscany in a town that suffered heavy damage from British and U.S. bombers during World War II, Mazzinghi followed his older brother Guido – a bronze medalist in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics – into the squared circle. He fought from 1961 to 1970, compiling a record of 61-3 (42 KOs) and then returned after a seven-year absence to append three more wins to his ledger.
Two of his three losses were to countryman Nino Benvenuti, a future Hall of Famer. Benvenuti was 56-0 heading into their first meeting and Mazzinghi, making his fourth world title defense, was riding a 24-fight winning streak. This was Italy’s Fight of the Century. It was staged in a soccer stadium in Milan.
Mazzinghi suffered a great tragedy prior to his first title fight with Benvenuti. Leaving a restaurant in Florence on a wet and foggy night, he lost control of his BMW and slammed into a tree. The accident killed his wife of seven days and left him with a fractured skull.
Mazzinghi began a second run as the 154-pound world title-holder in 1968, out-pointing South Korea’s undefeated Ki-Soo Kim. He lost the belt in the most curious fashion, having it stripped from him after a bout with Freddie Little that was declared a “no-contest.”
Little, a very underrated fighter, was having all the best of the milling when he opened a bad cut over Mazzinghi’s right eye in the eighth frame with what the incompetent German referee deemed to be an illegal punch. He disqualified Little, but his verdict was later changed to NC.
Fourteen months after this incident, after one intervening bout, Mazzinghi made his first and only appearance in the United States. He fought on a club show at the Silver Slipper in Las Vegas, opposing journeyman Cipriano Hernandez who was dressed with a 19-5 record that was undoubtedly closer to the 12-8 mark that currently appears in BoxRec.
There had to be a back-room deal that brought Mazzinghi to Las Vegas; it certainly wasn’t the money as his purse was only $1,200. The fights at the Silver Slipper were promoted by the late Bill Miller who managed Freddie Little and won the purse bid to stage the Massinghi-Little rematch, a fight that never happened.
Regardless, the Silver Slipper rolled out the red carpet for the Italian like no visiting fighter before him and although this was late in Mazzinghi’s career, he looked very sharp, taking out Hernandez in the second round before leaving the ring to a standing ovation.
Many European fighters aren’t nearly as skilled as their inflated records would indicate, but don’t put Sandro Mazzinghi in this category. He was very good as he attested in his second meeting with the great Benvenuti, a very close fight that went the full 15 rounds.
As a young man Mazzinghi dreamed of owning a vineyard. Boxing enabled him to achieve that goal. We here at TSS send our condolences to his loved ones.
Lomachenko – Lopez
Bob Arum told ESPN that there remains a possibility that the Lomachenko-Lopez fight could move out of the MGM Grand Bubble and into the MGM Grand Garden with fans in attendance. For this to happen, approval would have to come from the Governor who would, of course, act in concert with his medical advisors.
The Lomachenko-Lopez fight is signed for Oct. 17. Pre-COVID 19, this would have definitely been a pay-per-view event but as it now stands it will air live on the flagship channel of cable giant ESPN which reportedly reaches 86 million households. If the fight is as good as many anticipate, it will be great boon to the sport.
Arum had originally hinted at parking the fight at Allegiant Stadium, the new home of the former Oakland Raiders. It was obviously no coincidence that Arum chose the date of Oct. 17 as the Raiders have a bye that weekend.
Wednesday’s fight between Jeff Horn and Tim Tszyu at Townsville, Queensland, Australia, was parked in a stadium with attendance capped at 16,000 for social distancing purposes. The new home of the Raiders is a 65,000-seat venue, capable of expanding to 71,835 for a Super Bowl. By taking seats and rows out of commission, it could still accommodate a large crowd, even with social distancing protocols. Yes, I know there are other issues. How do we keep fight-goers six feet apart at the entrances and exits, or when lining up at the restrooms and the concession stands? But Bob Arum is a very resourceful fellow and he will figure it out if given the opportunity.
Many big fights over the years have been icebreaker events at new stadiums. Perhaps it’s a pipe dream (and yes, I’m biased because I would love to be there), but a big stadium fight is just what Las Vegas needs right now and I believe there is still a shot that it may happen.
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Mercito Gesta Victorious Over Jojo Diaz at the Long Beach Pyramid

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

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

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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