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Fast Results from the ‘Bubble’: Herring Retains His Title in a Messy Fight

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Bob Arum’s Top Rank organization, which has done more than any other promotional group to keep boxing alive during these challenging times, was back at their summer home in the MGM Grand “Bubble” tonight with the 15th installment of their 2020 Summer Series. And for the third straight Saturday, the main event was a title fight. Risking his belt was WBO 130-pound title-holder Jamel Herring against Jonathan Oquendo.

An ex-Marine and former Olympian, Herring, 34, was making the second defense of the title he won from Masayuki Ito and when the smoke cleared, he retained his belt when his Puerto Rican adversary was disqualified after the bell ending the eighth round.

The first two rounds were marred by a lot of clinching, a portent of what would follow. Oquendo went down twice in the second round and again in the sixth for what referee Tony Weeks deemed to be slips. Herring knocked him down legitimately in the third with a clean uppercut but Oquendo wasn’t seriously hurt.

In round five, Herring suffered a cut over his right eye from a head butt that Weeks thought was intentional. He deducted a point from Oquendo.

When the blood started flowing more copiously in the eighth round, Herring packed it in. His vision was definitely compromised.

That led to a long conversation between Weeks and the Nevada Commission which determined that since the cut was intentional, the official verdict would be a win for Herring by disqualification. A DQ between rounds, needless to say, is highly unusual, but the bottom line is that Herring (22-2) retains his title and Oquendo (31-7) may well be called on the carpet at the next NSAC meeting.

Jamel Herring’s next title defense is expected to come against Carl Frampton.

Co-Feature

Omaha super middleweight Stephen Nelson, a stablemate of Terence Crawford, advanced to 17-0 (14) with a sixth-round stoppage of Toledo’s DeAndre Ware (13-3-2). Nelson overcame two bad cuts around his left eye, the first coming in round two and the second in round five, both the result of accidental head butts. There were no knockdowns, but Ware was rocked twice and was on unsteady legs when referee Jay Nady stopped it. The official time was 2:24.

Although DeAndre Ware lost tonight, he made many new friends during his Vegas stay with his actions at yesterday’s weigh-in when he came to the rescue of Pete Susens. The popular 63-year-old Susens, a long-time Top Rank employee who earned his spurs as a twenty-something gadabout on the Midwestern boxing circuit, suffered a heart attack and Ware, a Toledo firefighter, stepped in and performed chest compressions that may have saved his life.

The good news is that Susens was alert when he was transported to the hospital.

Other Bouts

Jared Anderson, the youngest, the busiest (and the best) of Top Rank’s young heavyweight prospects, scored his sixth knockout in as many tries with a fourth-round stoppage of Rodney Hernandez (13-10-2). Hernandez didn’t appear badly hurt when Anderson put him on the canvas with a left-right combination, but the fight had been one-sided to that point and there really was no point in continuing.

San Antonio mighty-mite Jesse Rodriguez demolished Puerto Rico’s Janiel Rivera, scoring three knockdowns before the bout was halted at the 2:03 mark of the opening round. The 20-year-old Rodriguez, the half-brother of new WBA 115-pound champion Joshua Franco, improved to 12-0 (8). It was the fifth straight loss for Rivera (18-7-3).

In what has to be considered an upset, 36-year-old San Antonio welterweight Benjamin Whitaker outworked previously unbeaten D’Andre Smith to win a six-round unanimous decision. Whitaker improved to 14-4 and evened his record at the MGM Bubble to 1-1. The scores were 59-55 and 60-54 twice.

Smith, who hails from Decatur, Georgia, lost for the first time in nine starts. All three judges for this fight were women which may have set a record.

Ruben Cervera, a 23-year-old Colombian super featherweight, blasted out New Orleans Rennard Oliver in the second round. A hard right hand did the trick and Cervera snuck in another before referee Russell Mora waived it off at the 1:42 mark. Cervera improved to 13-2 with his 11th knockout. Oliver fell to 7-3-3.

Fort Worth super featherweight Edward Vazquez overcame a knockdown in the second round to stay undefeated with a unanimous decision over LA’s Adam Ochoa. The judges favored Vazquez (8-0, 1 KO) by scores of 57-56 and 58-55 twice. Ochoa (11-2) entered the contest riding a nine-fight winning streak.

In the opener, 19-year-old Philadelphia featherweight Rashiem Jefferson Jr. improved to 2-0 with a four-round unanimous decision over LA’ Jose Martinez (2-2). The scores were 39-37 And 40-36 twice.

Jefferson Jr, a southpaw, is a second-generation boxer and appears to have a big upside. His father of the same name had a promising pro career aborted by an injury suffered in a motorcycle accident.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams for Top Rank

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Early Results from Riyadh where Hamzah Sheeraz was Awarded a Gift Draw

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After two 6-round appetizers, British light heavyweights Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith got the show rolling with a lusty 12-round skirmish. Things went south in the middle of the seven-fight main card when WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames locked horns with challenger Hamzah Sheeraz. This was a drab fight owing to a milquetoast performance by the favored Sheeraz.

Heading in, the lanky six-foot-three Sheeraz, whose physique is mindful of a young Thomas Hearns, was undefeated in 21 fights. Having stopped five of his last six opponents in two rounds or less, the 25-year-old Englishman was touted as the next big thing in the middleweight division. However, he fought off his back foot the entire contest, reluctant to let his hands go, and Adames kept his title when the bout was scored a draw.

Sheeraz had the crowd in his corner and two of the judges scored the match with their ears. Their tallies were 115-114 for Sheeraz and 114-114. The third judge had it 118-110 for Adames, the 30-year old Dominican, now 24-1-1, who had Ismael Salas in his corner.

Ortiz-Madrimov

Super welterweight Vergil Ortiz Jr, knocked out his first 21 opponents, begging the question of how he would react when he finally faced adversity. He showed his mettle in August of last year when he went a sizzling 12 rounds with fellow knockout artist Serhii Bohachuk, winning a hard-fought decision. Tonight he added another feather in his cap with a 12-round unanimous decision over Ismail Madrimov, prevailing on scores of 117-111 and 115-113 twice.

Ortiz won by adhering tight to Robert Garcia’s game plan. The elusive Madrimov, who bounces around the ring like the energizer bunny, won the early rounds. But eventually Ortiz was able to cut the ring off and turned the tide in his favor by landing the harder punches. It was the second straight loss for Madrimov (10-2-1), a decorated amateur who had lost a close but unanimous decision to Terence Crawford in his previous bout.

Kabayel-Zhang

No heavyweight has made greater gains in the last 15 months than Agit Kabayel. The German of Kurdish descent, whose specialty is body punching, made his third straight appearance in Riyadh tonight and, like in the previous two, fashioned a knockout. Today, although out-weighed by more than 40 pounds, he did away with Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang in the sixth round.

It didn’t start out well for Kabayel. The New Jersey-based, six-foot-six Zhang, a two-time Olympian for China, started fast and plainly won the opening round. Kabayel beat him to the punch from that point on, save for one moment when Zhang put him on the canvas with a straight left hand.

That happened in the fifth round, but by the end of the frame, the 41-year-old Zhang was conspicuously gassed. The end for the big fellow came at the 2:29 mark of round six when he couldn’t beat the count after crumbling to the canvas in a delayed reaction after taking a hard punch to his flabby midsection.

Kabayel remains undefeated at 26-0 (18 KOs). Zhang (27-3-1) hadn’t previously been stopped.

Smith-Buatsi

The all-British showdown between light heavyweights Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith was a grueling, fan-friendly affair. A former 168-pound world title-holder, Smith, 34, won hard-earned unanimous decision, prevailing on scores of 115-113, 116-112, and a ludicrous 119-110.

There were no knockdowns, but Liverpool’s Smith, who advanced to 31-2 (22) finished the contest with a bad gash in the corner of his right eye. It was the first pro loss for Buatsi (19-1), an Olympic bronze medalist who entered the contest a small favorite and was the defending “interim” title-holder.

This contest was also a battle of wits between two of America’s most prominent trainers, Buddy McGirt (Smith) and Virgil Hunter (Buatsi).

Check back shortly for David Avila’s wrap-up of the last three fights.

Photo credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom

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Cain Sandoval KOs Mark Bernaldez in the Featured Bout at Santa Ynez

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Northern California’s Cain Sandoval remained undefeated with a knockout win over Mark Bernaldez in a super lightweight battle on Friday on a 360 Promotions card.

Sandoval (15-0, 13 KOs) of Sacramento needed four rounds to figure out tough Filipino fighter Bernaldez (25-7, 14 KOs) in front of a packed crowd at Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez.

Bernaldez had gone eight rounds against Mexico’s very tough Oscar Duarte. He showed no fear for Sandoval’s reputed power and both fired bombs at each other from the second round on.

Things turned in favor of Sandoval when he targeted the body and soon had Bernaldez in retreat. It was apparent Sandoval had discovered a weakness.

In the beginning of the fourth Sandoval fired a stiff jab to the body that buckled Bernaldez but he did not go down. And when both resumed in firing position Sandoval connected with an overhand right and down went the Filipino fighter. He was counted out by referee Rudy Barragan at 34 seconds of the round.

“I’m surprised he took my jab to the body. I respect that. I have a knockout and I’m happy about that,” Sandoval said.

Other Bouts

Popular female fighter Lupe Medina (9-0) remained undefeated with a solid victory over the determined Agustina Vazquez (4-3-2) by unanimous decision after eight rounds in a minimumweight fight between Southern Californians.

Early on Vazquez gave Medina trouble disrupting her patter with solid jabs. And when Medina overloaded with combination punches, she was laced with counters from Vazquez during the first four rounds.

Things turned around in the fifth round as Medina used a jab to keep Vazquez at a preferred distance. And when she attacked it was no more than two-punch combination and maintaining a distance.

Vazquez proved determined but discovered clinching was not a good idea as Medina took advantage and overran her with blows. Still, Vazquez looked solid. All three judges saw it 79-73 for Medina.

A battle between Southern Californian’s saw Compton’s Christopher Rios (11-2) put on the pressure all eight rounds against Eastvale’s Daniel Barrera (8-1-1) and emerged the winner by majority decision in a flyweight battle.

It was Barrera’s first loss as a pro. He never could discover how to stay off the ropes and that proved his downfall. Neither fighter was knocked down but one judge saw it 76-76, and two others 79-73 for Rios.

In a welterweight fight Gor Yeritsyan (20-1,16 KOs) scorched Luis Ramos (23-7) with a 12-punch combination the sent him to the mat in the second round. After Ramos beat the count he was met with an eight punch volley and the fight was stopped at 2:11 of the second round by knockout.

Super feather prospect Abel Mejia (7-0, 5 KOs) floored Alfredo Diaz (9-12) in the fifth round but found the Mexican fighter to be very durable in their six-round fight. Mejia caught Diaz with a left hook in the fifth round for a knockdown. But the fight resumed with all three judges scoring it 60-53 for Mejia who fights out of El Modena, Calif.

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The Return of David Alaverdian

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By TSS Special Correspondent David Harazduk — After David Alaverdian (8-0-1, 6 KOs) scored a gritty victory against a tough Nicaraguan journeyman named Enrique Irias, his plans suddenly changed. The flashy flyweight from Nahariya, Israel hoped to face even tougher opposition and then challenge for a world title within a year or so. But a prolonged illness forced David to rip up the script.

The Irias fight was over 22 months ago. On Saturday, Feb. 22, Alaverdian will be making his first appearance in the ring since that win when he faces veteran road warrior Josue “Zurdo” Morales (31-16-4, 13 KOs) at the Westgate Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. It’s the fifth promotion by Las Vegas attorney Stephen Reid whose inaugural card was at this venue on Feb. 13, 2020.

“I’m excited to come back,” Alaverdian declared.

During his preparation for Irias two years ago, Alaverdian felt fatigue after a routine six-round sparring session. “It was on April 1, 2023, about ten days before my fight. It felt like an April Fool’s joke,” he said. He came down with a sore throat, a headache, and congestion. He soon developed trouble breathing. At first, he thought his seasonal asthma had flared up, but his condition soon worsened. No matter what he did, Alaverdian could no longer take deep breaths. Fatigue continued to plague him.  His heart constantly raced. Instead of breathing from his diaphragm, he was breathing from his chest. He sought out numerous doctors in the United States and in Israel.

His symptoms were finally diagnosed as Dysfunctional Breathing (DB). DB is a condition that can stem from stress and is often misdiagnosed. Its symptoms include dyspnea and tachycardia, both of which David experienced.

While receiving treatment, the Vegas-based pro went back to Israel where he coached aspiring fighters. “David’s influence on Israeli boxing is amazing, because he shows we can succeed in a big business even though we come from a small country,” said another undefeated Israeli flyweight, 20-year-old Yonatan Landman (7-0, 7 KOs). “A lot more Israelis are going to dare to succeed.”

Landman was able to work with Alaverdian during David’s return to Israel. “He is a great guy and a friend,” Landman said. “He has a lot of willingness to help, share his knowledge, and help you move forward.”

Alaverdian finally started to feel like he could compete again eight months ago. He won last year’s Israeli national amateur championship and competed in Olympic qualifiers. Now, he’s preparing to fight as a professional once again. “He doesn’t mention anything about [his breathing issues] like he did before,” his coach Cedric Ferguson said about this camp. “He’s been working like there’s no issue at all.”

It has been a whirlwind week for the 31-year-old Alaverdian. In addition to putting the finishing touches on his preparation ahead of Saturday’s comeback fight, David got married on Tuesday. His mom came over from Israel for the wedding and will stay for the fight. “It’s a good distraction,” David said of this week’s significant events. “It helps me. That way I don’t have to focus on the fight all day.”

Josue Morales, a 32 year old from Houston, hopes to play spoiler on Saturday. The crafty southpaw has never been stopped during his 52-fight career. “He’s a seasoned guy with a lot of experience,” Alaverdian said of Morales. “He knows how to move around the ring and is more of a technical boxer. He’s a tough opponent for someone who has been out of the ring for two years.”

A win Saturday night would complete a monumental week for David Alaverdian, both in and out of the ring, repairing the once-shredded script.

Doors open at the Westgate fight arena at 6:30 pm. The first bout goes at 7:00. Seven fights are scheduled including an 8-round female fight between Las Vegas light flyweight Yadira Bustillos and Argentine veteran Tamara Demarco.

NOTE: Author David Harazduk has run The Jewish Boxing Blog since 2010. You can find him at Twitter/X @JewishBoxing and Instagram.

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