Boxing Odds and Ends: The Return of Otto Wallin, Bad Judging, and Obits

Published

4 years ago

February 16, 2021

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The fight attracting the most buzz this coming weekend – and rightfully so – is the all-Mexico showdown in Las Vegas between Miguel Berchelt and Oscar Valdez. It promises fireworks. Lost in the shuffle is an intriguing heavyweight contest between Otto Wallin and Dominic Breazeale. It’s happening at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut and will be televised on Showtime.

Wallin gave Tyson Fury a very tough tussle when they clashed on Sept. 14, 2019 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Wallin opened a cut over Fury’s right eye that turned into a very bad gash that bled profusely from the third round on. In fact, had this been a generic fight rather than a fight where the stakes were so high for one of the sport’s biggest stars, it would have likely been stopped and Wallin, undefeated in 20 fights, would have retained his perfect record.

Since then, the 30-year-old southpaw from Sundsvall, Sweden, who currently resides in New York City where he works out in a private gym under trainer Joey Gamache, has had an interesting ride. Last year, he withdrew from a March 28 match in Las Vegas with Australia’s Lucas Browne for what was described as a minor foot injury. His pull-out became a moot point when the entire card was cancelled because of the pandemic.

He would subsequently catch Covid-19, losing his sense of taste and smell for a spell. He made a full recovery, which opened the door to an August encounter with Pennsylvania veteran Travis Kauffman. Wallin won the first four rounds on all three cards and then, in the fifth, Kauffman retired with a shoulder injury.

Dominic Breazeale, the former quarterback at the University of Northern Colorado, now 35 years old, will be making his first start in 22 months. In his last outing, he was bombed out in the opening round by Deontay Wilder. He entered that bout with a record of 20-1 (18 KOs), his lone previous defeat coming in London at the hands of Anthony Joshua who beat him up pretty good before taking him out in the seventh round.

The six-foot-seven Breazeale, a 2012 Olympian, will have a two-inch height advantage and a three-and-a-half-inch reach advantage. He is accorded a better chance of ending the fight with one punch; the Swede is more of a grinder.

This is the sort of fight where nothing that happens would shock us and the oddsmakers apparently felt that way too as they were slow to manufacture a betting line. The early money was on Wallin who, at last glance, was a 5/2 favorite.

Bad Judging

For the second time in four months, the scorecards on a fight in England raised a stink. This time the venom was directed at judges Steve Gray and Bob Williams who both scored the 12-round super featherweight contest between Zelfa Barrett and Kiko Martinez 118-111 (9-2-1 in rounds) in favor of Barrett who spent most of the bout fighting off his back foot.

Barrett’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, fanned the flames of discontent. Those two scores, said Hearn, were “absolutely disgusting…how are we gonna’ bring foreign fighters to this country to take on opponents when they get absolutely zero credit for their performance?”

The previous brouhaha occurred on Oct. 17 of last year when Lewis Ritson won a 12-round split decision over Miguel Vazquez. The verdict was assailed as a highway robbery and the chorus of outrage became louder when a photo emerged of 67-year-old ringside judge Terry O’Connor apparently looking at his cell phone as the fight was in progress. O’Connor awarded Ritson nine of the 12 rounds.

Looking at their respective careers, Miguel Vazquez and Kiko Martinez, born 10 months apart, are virtual clones. One would be hard-pressed to find two active fighters in their age group who have had such similarly strong careers. And both of them, but especially Vazquez, can now claim that they got a raw deal against a younger British opponent in a British ring.

Obits

Since February is the shortest month of the year, it would be reasonable to expect that the Grim Reaper wouldn’t be quite as active as in other months. Sadly, however, this is shaping up as one of the busiest months in years for obituary writers. A slew of notable boxing personalities left us in just the last two weeks. The list includes former Olympic teammates Leon Spinks and Davey Armstrong and a boxer who was a big name in France, Jean Josselin, who passed away at age 81 on Feb. 7 in his small apartment in Besancon, the city of his birth.

Josselin participated in the 1960 Rome Olympics where he was defeated by Rome’s eventual gold medal winner Nino Benvenuti. He turned pro the following year at the Palais des Sports in Paris where he won domestic and European welterweight titles during a career that lasted until 1972. He finished 66-16-7 with 41 knockouts while answering the bell for a ridiculous 715 rounds. (To put this in perspective, Evander Holyfield answered the bell for “only” 443 rounds during a pro career that touched parts of four decades.)

Josselin was 1-2 in U.S. rings. In 1966, in the first world championship fight in Dallas in 30 years, he lost a 15-round decision to welterweight champ Curtis Cokes who was fighting in his hometown. The fight was televised live in France, the TV rights having been purchased by the French government. Although Josselin was widely outpointed, 5,000 people reportedly turned out to welcome him when he arrived back in Besancon.

Five years later, as his career was winding down, he opposed Jose “Mantiquilla” Napoles at the LA Forum. A murderous puncher, Napoles knocked him out in the fifth. Between these engagements, Josselin won a 10-round decision over Irish Danny McAloon at Madison Square Garden.

—

The death of light heavyweight Roy King Jr. at a health care facility in New York on Feb. 9 warrants an asterisk. King died from injuries suffered in a fight 13 months ago in Nashville, a fight that he ironically co-promoted. The news that we made it through the entire year of 2020 without a single ring fatality now unfortunately commands a reconsideration.

A Brooklyn native, King was a popular figure in his adopted hometown of Johnson City, Tennessee, where he operated a boxing and fitness studio. He was 41 years old and sporting a 12-4-1 record when he entered the ring for his ill-fated, 8-round contest with Sena Agbeko, a man 15 years his junior. King made it to the final bell before collapsing. Agbeko, who won a unanimous decision, advancing his record to 23-1, will be back in action tomorrow night – Wednesday, Feb. 17 – opposing Russia’s undefeated Vladimir Shishkin on “ShoBox.”

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Arne K. Lang

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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

Published

2 days ago

March 30, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.

The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.

Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.

Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.

Co-Feature

In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.

The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.

A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.

Other Bouts

In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.

Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.

Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.

Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.

Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.

Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.

Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.

Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.

There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

Published

2 days ago

March 29, 2025

David A. Avila

William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.

There were no knockdowns in this rematch.

The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.

It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.

Nothing changed in their second meeting.

Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.

The blows came in bunches.

In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.

Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.

Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.

During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.

But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.

“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.

Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.

“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.

Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.

“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.

Female Flyweight Battle

Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.

Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.

Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.

The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.

Neither fighter could take over the fight.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.

Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.

Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.

Puerto Rico vs Mexico

Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.

Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More

Published

3 days ago

March 28, 2025

David A. Avila

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Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.

Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.

Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.

ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.

“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.

If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.

For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.

Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.

No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.

Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.

The fight breakdown

Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.

Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.

That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.

More drama.

During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.

New York City got its money’s worth.

Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.

Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?

“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”

Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.

That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?

Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.

Can she draw enough of that fire out again?

“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”

Co-Main in Las Vegas

The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.

Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.

Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.

Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.

Golden Boy in Cancun

A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.

In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.

DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.

Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.

Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.

Fights to Watch

Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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