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Jojo Diaz and Shav Rakhimov Battle to a Draw Plus Undercard Results
It’s been a bad year so far for Jojo Diaz who lost the WBO super featherweight title on the scales and it almost got worse as he fought to a majority draw against Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov after 12 rounds on Saturday.
“I’m a little upset. I thought I did enough to win the fight. It wasn’t my best performance. But it was a long layoff. I want to apologize to my fans,” said Diaz.
Though only Rakhimov (15-0-1, 12 KOs) was eligible to win the WBO super featherweight world title, he couldn’t muster enough to convince the judges at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, Calif. that he was the victor against Diaz (31-1-1).
During the middle of the fight Rakhimov had a sliver of a chance but let it slip away.
South El Monte’s Diaz claimed it was the coronavirus conditions that caused his inability to make the 130-pound limit. But Rakhimov was successful making the weight.
Diaz eventually officially weighed nearly four pounds over the limit and decided to forego making the weight. Instead, he paid the vast penalty fee of $100,000 with half going to Rakhimov.
Once the actual fight began Diaz fired sizzling combinations that forced Rakhimov backward for the first few rounds.
“The thing about Rakhimov, I had him throwing a whole different game plan. But he felt my power and he started to box and came in with a whole diff game plan,” said Diaz, adding that he expected a more offensive-minded effort from his foe. “The KO would have come if he came with a lot of pressure.”
Around the third round Rakhimov took control by snapping off quick combinations that kept Diaz in a defensive posture. Though few of the blows seemed severe, Diaz was nearly listless and the judges noticed.
“The guy was throwing a lot of combinations,” said Diaz. “I thought I was dictating the pace and landing more percentage.”
Diaz tried to fire timed power shots but he never could upset Rakhimov’s rhythm completely. Not until the 9th round did Diaz seem to regain momentum. Instead of waiting the former Olympian began attacking and took charge the last four rounds.
But he never could really hurt Rakhimov.
After 12 rounds one judge scored it 115-113 for Diaz, but two other judges scored it 114-114 to make it a majority draw. The WBO title becomes vacant.
“I just got to learn from this and get back to it,” said Diaz. “My conditioning was good.”
Rakhimov was slightly miffed but not entirely.
“I did everything I was supposed to do. I made a few mistakes and I have to work on them,” Rakhimov said.
When Diaz was pressed on his inability to make weight, he admitted the changes in his life and preparations for the fight did affect him.
“All the outside distractions were just bull s—t. A lot of people want to take a part of my life and exposure. These guys are all greedy,” said Diaz of his business affairs. “Of course, I make mistakes in this world. I’m human.”
As for not attempting to make weight at all costs.
“I’m not going to risk my life and go out there and get hurt,” said Diaz. “The person I have to look out for is myself.”
New World Champ
The WBO super welterweight title changed hands as Argentina’s Brian Castano (17-0-1, 12 KOs) stripped the title away from Brazil’s Patrick Teixeira (31-2, 22 KOs) by unanimous decision after 12 rounds.
Castano kept the pressure on the much taller Teixeira from the opening bell and was much busier throughout the fight. The taller Brazilian tried fighting from the outside but was unable to keep Castano from landing multiple combinations.
Around the seventh round Teixeira changed tactics and marched forward where he found more success. But it was not enough to change the massive momentum gained by Castano. No knockdowns were scored by either fighter. The scores were 120-108, 119-109 and 117-111 for Castano who now holds the WBO world title.
Other Bouts
Featherweight contender Ronny Rios pounded out a unanimous decision over Colombia’s Oscar “El Jaguar” Negrete after 10 rounds in a super bantamweight bout. It was a convincing victory against a fighter known for giving everyone a tough time.
Rios worked the body incessantly as Negrete tried to match blows but just couldn’t find his footing. Body shot after body shot was landed by the fighter from Santa Ana but he couldn’t do enough to stop Negrete who normally fights at bantamweight.
“Negrete was a tough fighter,” said Rios who was seeking a fourth consecutive knockout win but couldn’t do it against the iron-chinned Negrete. “I give myself a C+.”
Shane Mosley Jr. (17-3, 10KOs) became the first to claim a knockout victory over Cristian Olivas (20-8, 17 KOs) in a middleweight fight. The son of the great Sugar Shane Mosley closed the right eye of Olivas early and was able to connect often until the fight was stopped at the end of the fifth round.
Light heavyweight contender Bektemir Melikuziev (7-0, 6 KOs) pounded the body of Morgan Fitch (19-5-1) dropping him twice with thudding shots to end the fight at 2:08 of the third round to win by knockout. Melikuziev was slated to fight Sergey Kovalev for the vacant WBO light heavyweight title, but that fight was canceled.
Azat Hovhannisyan (19-3) battered Enrique Bernache (24-13) for eight rounds before ending the featherweight fight by knockout. It was his first fight in more than a year for the fighter known as “Crazy A.”
Victor Morales Jr. (14-0) defeated veteran Rodrigo Guerrero (26-10-2) by unanimous decision in an eight-round featherweight match. Morales had a tough time but was able to figure out the veteran.
Dalis Kaleiopu (1-0) used a single uppercut to win his pro debut by knockout over Eddie Sanchez (2-4) in a lightweight bout. Kaleiopu fights out of Hawaii.
Photo credit: Tom Hogan / Hogan Photos / Golden Boy Promotions
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Najee Lopez Steps up in Class and Wins Impressively at Plant City
Garry Jonas’ ProBox series returned to its regular home in Plant City, Florida, tonight with a card topped by a 10-round light heavyweight match between fast-rising Najee Lopez and former world title challenger Lenin Castillo. This was considered a step-up fight for the 25-year-old Lopez, an Atlanta-born-fighter of Puerto Rican heritage. Although the 36-year-old Castillo had lost two of his least three heading in, he had gone the distance with Dimitry Bivol and Marcus Browne and been stopped only once (by Callum Smith).
Lopez landed the cleaner punches throughout. Although Castillo seemed unfazed during the first half of the fight, he returned to his corner at the end of round five exhibiting signs of a fractured jaw.
In the next round, Lopez cornered him against the ropes and knocked him through the ropes with a left-right combination. Referee Emil Lombardo could have stopped the fight right there, but he allowed the courageous Castillo to carry on for a bit longer, finally stopping the fight as Castillo’s corner and a Florida commissioner were signaling that it was over.
The official time was 2:36 of round six. Bigger fights await the talented Lopez who improved to 13-0 with his tenth win inside the distance. Castillo declined to 25-7-1.
Co-Feature
In a stinker of a heavyweight fight, Stanley Wright, a paunchy, 34-year-old North Carolina journeyman, scored a big upset with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Jeremiah Milton.
Wright carried 280 pounds, 100 pounds more than in his pro debut 11 years ago. Although he was undefeated (13-0, 11 KOs), he had never defeated an opponent with a winning record and his last four opponents were a miserable 19-48-2. Moreover, he took the fight on short notice.
What Wright had going for him was fast hands and, in the opening round, he put Milton on the canvas with a straight right hand. From that point, Milton fought tentatively and Wright, looking fatigued as early as the fourth round, fought only in spurts. It seemed doubtful that he could last the distance, but Milton, the subject of a 2021 profile in these pages, was wary of Wright’s power and unable to capitalize. “It’s almost as if Milton is afraid to win,” said ringside commentator Chris Algieri during the ninth stanza when the bout had devolved into a hugfest.
The judges had it 96-93 and 97-92 twice for the victorious Wright who boosted his record to 14-0 without improving his stature.
Also
In the TV opener, a 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division, Najee Lopez stablemate Darrelle Valsaint (12-0, 10 KOs) scored his career-best win with a second-round knockout of 35-year-old Dutch globetrotter Stephen Danyo (23-7-3).
A native Floridian of Haitian descent, the 22-year-old Valsaint was making his eighth start in Plant City. He rocked Danyo with a chopping right hand high on the temple and then, as Danyo slumped forward, delivered the coup-de-gras, a short left uppercut. The official time was 2:17 of round two.
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Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim
Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.
Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.
Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.
Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is the winner of the Feb. 2 match between Brandon Figueroa and Stephen Fulton. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa/Fulton have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.
Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”
Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.
Semi-wind-up
In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.
Also
In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.
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Eric Priest Wins Handily on Thursday’s Golden Boy card at the Commerce Casino
Model turned fighter Eric Priest jabbed and jolted his way into the super middleweight rankings with a shutout decision win over veteran Tyler Howard on Thursday.
In his first main event Priest (15-0, 8 KOs) proved ready for contender status by defusing every attack Tennessee’s Howard (20-3, 11 KOs) could muster at Commerce Casino, the second fight in six days at the LA County venue.
All ticket monies collected on the Folden Boy Promotions card were contributed to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation as they battle wildfires sprouting all over Los Angeles County due to high winds.
Priest, 26, had never fought anyone near Howard’s caliber but used a ramrod jab to keep the veteran off-balance and unable to muster a forceful counter-attack. Round after round the Korean-American fighter pumped left jabs while circling his opposition.
Though hit with power shots, none seemed to faze Howard but his own blows were unable to put a dent in Priest. After 10 rounds of the same repetitive action all three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Priest who now wins a regional super middleweight title.
Priest also joins the top 15 rankings of the WBA organization.
In a fight between evenly matched middleweights, Jordan Panthen (11-0, 9 KOs) remained undefeated after 10 rounds versus DeAundre Pettus (12-4, 7 KOs). Though equally skilled, Panthen simply out-worked the South Caroliina fighter to win by unanimous decision. No knockdowns were scored.
Other Bouts
Grant Flores (8-0, 6 KOs) knocked out Costa Rica’s David Lobo Ramirez (17-4, 12 KOs) with two successive right uppercuts at 2:59 of the second round of the super welterweight fight.
Cayden Griffith (3-0, 3 KOs) used a left hook to the body to stop Mark Misiura at 1:43 of the second round in a super welterweight bout.
Jordan Fuentes (3-0) floored Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) in the third round and proceeded to win by decision after four rounds in a super bantamweight fight.
A super featherweight match saw Leonardo Sanchez (8-0) win by decision over Joseph Cruz Brown (10-12) after six rounds.
Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy
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