Pacquiao-Ugas Ruminations and a Toast to the Late Stanley “Kitten” Hayward

Published

4 years ago

August 16, 2021

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Before the Pacquiao-Spence fight was taken off the wagering board, Manny was a plus 170 underdog. When the new line was posted on Pacquiao-Ugas, the Filipino icon shifted into a solid favorite, minus 350 or thereabouts depending on where one shops.

Was a shift of that magnitude justified? True, a good betting line is one that allows the bet-taker to achieve a balanced book, but the question here is whether the Pacquiao-Ugas betting line exaggerates PacMan’s chances of winning.

Errol Spence and Yordenis Ugas had a common opponent in Shawn Porter. Spence defeated Porter whereas Ugas lost to him but both fights were very close. When the scores were announced for the Ugas-Porter fight (115-113, 116-112, 111-117), the crowd booed and Ugas left the ring in disgust.

It seemingly does not bode well for Ugas heading into his match with Pacquiao that he won by only a split decision in his most recent fight with Abel Ramos. However, most everyone thought that it should have been unanimous. “Despite what the scorecards showed, this was a dominant outing for Ugas,” a “clinical performance,” said ESPN’s Steve Kim.

“Now that I’m a world champion, I want all the big names in the welterweight division,” said Ugas after the fight. On Sept. 21, he gets his wish and — while acknowledging that we have certainly been wrong before — we rate the Cuban a very live underdog.

R.I.P. Stanley “Kitten” Hayward

If you were a boxer in Philadelphia during the mid-to-late 1960s, and if you were a middleweight, give or take a few pounds, you could get battle-hardened without ever leaving the gym. Philadelphia was a hornets nest of tough middleweights, give or take a few pounds, and their gym wars were legendary.

Stanley “Kitten” Hayward, who went on to fight for the world junior middleweight title, was right in the thick of it.

Hayward died last week at age 82. John DiSanto, a close friend of Hayward, broke the news on his Philly Boxing History web site and the news became more generally known when Hall of Fame boxing writer Nigel Collins announced the news on his twitter page. There has been no mention of it, at least not yet, in the Philadelphia papers which says something about how the sport of boxing has fallen out of the mainstream.

Inside that hornets nest were such notables as Bennie Briscoe, Eugene “Cyclone Hart,” Willie “The Worm” Monroe, Bobby “Boogaloo” Watts, and Gypsy Joe Harris – fabled names from a fabled era of Philadelphia boxing. And, of course, Stanley “Kitten” Hayward who fought all of them with the exception of Watts and defeated Briscoe in the first of their two meetings.

Hayward defeated two Future Hall of Famers: Emile Griffith and Curtis Cokes. He stopped Cokes in the fourth stanza of a Pier 6 brawl at the Blue Horizon. For goosebumps, the fight ranks among the best ever held in that intimate sock palace. (Unfortunately, it was a dud at the gate. The weather, unseasonably cold and wet, depressed attendance.)

kitten

Hayward won a 10-round split decision over Griffith at the Spectrum, but Griffith turned the tables in the rematch, winning a 12-round decision over Hayward at Madison Square Garden. In that fight, Griffith took control after “Kitten” suffered a bad cut over his left eye in the fifth round. Prior to that point, the Philadelphian was out-boxing him.

Stanley Hayward’s title shot came between his two fights with Emile Griffith. The vacant WBA 154-pound title was at stake when he locked horns with Freddie Little in Little’s adopted hometown of Las Vegas.

The title was vacant because Little was jobbed when he challenged Sandro Mazzinghi five months earlier on Mazzinghi’s turf in Rome. Little was up 7-1 on the Associated Press card when the ring doctor stopped the match after the eighth round to prevent the Italian from taking more punishment, whereupon the WBA-appointed German referee saw fit to declare the bout a “no contest.”

There was such a stink that the WBA declared the title vacant and mandated a rematch (sound familiar?). When Mazzinghi declined, Stanley Hayward got the call.

Freddie Little, who finished his career with a 51-6 (31) mark, was very good. He never got enough credit when he was fighting because the junior middleweight division was in its infancy and because he wasn’t colorful. The Picayune, Mississippi, native was a high school health teacher who went on to hold important state government posts in Carson City and serve on the Nevada Athletic Commission. Ah, but I digress.

Little controlled the 15-round fight with his jab, Hayward was troubled by cuts once again, and the title stayed in Las Vegas. Hayward soldiered on but was never the same. He left the sport in 1977 with a record of 32-12-4.

During his boxing days, Hayward was a notorious ladies man and reckless with his money. In retirement, he was a different cat (er, kitten). He spent 33 years as a Court Crier for the city of Philadelphia and was in good shape financially when his health started to decline following a stroke last year. He leaves behind his wife of 30-plus years, the former Vernell Washington, and a daughter. We here at TSS send our condolences to his loved ones.

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Arne K. Lang

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Emanuel Navarrete Survives a Bloody Battle with Charly Suarez in San Diego

Published

1 hour ago

May 11, 2025

David A. Avila

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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

Published

15 hours ago

May 10, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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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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Avila Perspective, Chap. 326: Top Rank and San Diego Smoke

Published

2 days ago

May 9, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 326: Top Rank and San Diego Smoke

Years ago, I worked at a newsstand in the Beverly Hills area. It was a 24-hour a day version and the people that dropped by were very colorful and unique.

One elderly woman Eva, who bordered on homeless but pridefully wore lipstick, would stop by the newsstand weekly to purchase a pack of menthol cigarettes. On one occasion, she asked if I had ever been to San Diego?

I answered “yes, many times.”

She countered “you need to watch out for San Diego Smoke.”

This Saturday, Top Rank brings its brand of prizefighting to San Diego or what could be called San Diego Smoke. Leading the fight card is Mexico’s Emanuel Navarrete (39-2-1, 32 KOs) defending the WBO super feather title against undefeated Filipino Charly Suarez (18-0, 10 KOs) at Pechanga Arena. ESPN will televise.

This is Navarrete’s fourth defense of the super feather title.

The last time Navarrete stepped in the boxing ring he needed six rounds to dismantle the very capable Oscar Valdez in their rematch. One thing about Mexico City’s Navarrete is he always brings “the smoke.”

Also, on the same card is Fontana, California’s Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) vying for the interim IBF lightweight title against Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev (20-1, 12 KOs) on the co-main event.

Abdullaev has only fought once before in the USA and was handily defeated by Devin Haney back in 2019. But that was six years ago and since then he has knocked off various contenders.

Muratalla is a slick fighting lightweight who trains at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy now in Moreno Valley, Calif. It’s a virtual boot camp with many of the top fighters on the West Coast available to spar on a daily basis. If you need someone bigger or smaller, stronger or faster someone can match those needs.

When you have that kind of preparation available, it’s tough to beat. Still, you have to fight the fight. You never know what can happen inside the prize ring.

Another fighter to watch is Perla Bazaldua, 19, a young and very talented female fighter out of the Los Angeles area. She is trained by Manny Robles who is building a small army of top female fighters.

Bazaldua (1-0, 1 KO) meets Mona Ward (0-1) in a super flyweight match on the preliminary portion of the Top Rank card. Top Rank does not sign many female fighters so you know that they believe in her talent.

Others on the Top Rank card in San Diego include Giovani Santillan, Andres Cortes, Albert Gonzalez, Sebastian Gonzalez and others.

They all will bring a lot of smoke to San Diego.

Probox TV

A strong card led by Erickson “The Hammer” Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) facing Ardreal Holmes Jr. (17-0, 6 KOs) in a super welterweight clash between southpaws takes place on Saturday at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida. PROBOX TV will stream the fight card.

Ardreal has rocketed up the standings and now faces veteran Lubin whose only losses came against world titlists Sebastian Fundora and Jermell Charlo. It’s a great match to decide who deserves a world title fight next.

Another juicy match pits Argentina’s Nazarena Romero (14-0-2) against Mexico’s Mayelli Flores (12-1-1) in a female super bantamweight contest.

Nottingham, England

Anthony Cacace (23-1, 8 KOs) defends the IBO super featherweight title against Leigh Wood (28-3, 17 KOs) in Wood’s hometown on Saturday at Nottingham Arena in Nottingham, England. DAZN will stream the Queensberry Promotions card.

Ireland’s Cacace seems to have the odds against him. But he is no stranger to dancing in the enemy’s lair or on foreign territory. He formerly defeated Josh Warrington in London and Joe Cordina in Riyadh in IBO title defenses.

Lampley at Wild Card

Boxing telecaster Jim Lampley will be signing his new book It Happened! at the Wild Card Boxing gym in Hollywood, Calif. on Saturday, May 10, beginning at 2 p.m. Lampley has been a large part of many of the greatest boxing events in the past 40 years. He and Freddie Roach will be at the signing.

Fights to Watch (All times Pacific Time)

Sat. DAZN 11 a.m. Anthony Cacace (23-1) vs Leigh Wood (28-3).

Sat. PROBOX.tv 3 p.m. Erickson Lubin (26-2) vs Ardreal Holmes Jr. (17-0).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Emanuel Navarrete (39-2-1) vs Charly Suarez (18-0); Raymond Muratalla (22-0) vs Zaur Abdullaev (20-1).

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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