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Berlanga UD 12 Quigley in New York; Adames TKO 9 Williams in Minnesota

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Berlanga UD 12 Quigley in New York; Adames TKO 9 Williams in Minnesota

Two major boxing cards went head-to-head tonight in the United States. Viewers had their pick of a Matchroom show in New York on DAZN or a PBC show in Minneapolis on SHOWTIME.

The Theater at Madison Square Garden was the venue for Edgar Berlanga’s 12-round super middleweight contest with Jason Quigley. It was Berlanga’s first match under the Matchroom banner. Eddie Hearn signed him after he was released by Top Rank with an eye toward eventually sending Berlanga in against Canelo Alvarez, a match that may never materialize now that Canelo flew the coop, inking a three-fight deal with Hearn’s rival Al Haymon.

Berlanga opened his pro career with 16 first-round knockouts but tonight he was forced to go the distance for the fifth straight time. He almost took the fight out of the judges hands in the 12th and final round when he scored two knockdowns, but Quigley, who was knocked down twice previously without being seriously hurt (the second knockdown in round five should have been called a slip) was still standing at the final bell.

The scorecards (118-106 and 116-108 twice) were misleading as Quigley, who declined to 20-3, out-boxed Berlanga in several of the middle rounds. Considering the odds, one could say that the Irishman from Ballybogey, who was cut loose by Golden Boy Promotions, actually over-achieved.

Co-Feature

Heading into his match with Virginia journeyman Joe Cusumano, Brooklyn fan favorite Adam Kownacki told reporters that if he didn’t win in a dominant fashion, he would likely hang up his gloves. Hopefully, the likable Pole will be a man of his word.

In a stunner, Kownacki (20-4, 15 KOs) suffered his fourth straight defeat. Cusumano, one year older at age 35, knocked Kownacki down hard in the first round. Kownacki was out on his feet when the bell sounded. The ringside physician gave him a good look-over before the fight was allowed to continue. In the ensuing rounds, Kownacki absorbed a lot of punishment although he often gave as good as he got. The donnybrook was almost stopped in round seven, but Kownacki rallied from the brink of defeat before the bout turned sharply once again in Cusumano’s favor in the waning seconds.

Two hard right hands wobbled Kownacki in the early going of the eighth frame and the match, which could have been stopped sooner, was wisely terminated at that point. Cusumano, a huge underdog, improved to 22-4 (20 KOs) with the biggest win of his career.

Other Bouts of Note

Despite suffering an apparent injury to his left hand in round five, Staten Island’s Reshat Mati (14-0, 8 KOs) was able to wear down and eventually stop West Virginia’s Dakota Linger who lasted into the ninth round before the referee thought it imperative to stop the fight. The 24-year-old Mati, a child prodigy in multiple combat sports, was the first U.S. boxer signed by Eddie Hearn when Hearn raided the U.S. amateur ranks for promising prospects.

Nicknamed the Albanian Bear, Mati is the son of an Albanian immigrant father and an Albanian-American mother. This was a good win for him. Linger, now 13-6-3, is better than his record as he demonstrated in his previous fight when he manhandled Josue Vargas in a major upset.

Jersey City, NJ light heavyweight Khalil Coe improved to 6-0-1 (4 KOs) with a seventh-round stoppage of Buneet Bisla (7-1). Coe had Bisla on the deck twice in the opening frame, but Bisla, a 25-year-old Canadian with a kickboxing background, hung on until the seventh when a volley of punches forced the referee to intervene. Managed by the influential David McWater, Coe’s signature win came in his amateur days when he flattened the great Cuban boxer Julio Cesar la Cruz in the opening round at a tournament in Germany.

Minneapolis Armory

In the main go, a 12-round middleweight fight, Carlos Adames, a New Yorker by way of the Dominican Republic, advanced to 23-1 (18 KOs) with a ninth-round stoppage of Philadelphia’s Julian “J-Rock” Williams. Referee Mark Nelson stopped the fight with 15 seconds remaining in the ninth frame. Williams was clearly taking the worst of it, but he wasn’t badly hurt and he and his trainer Stephen “Breadman” Williams vociferously protested the stoppage.

Adames, an 11/2 favorite, was ahead by 8, 4, and 3 points through the eight completed rounds. The 33-year-old Williams, now 28-4-1, is 1-3 since his signature win over WBA/IBF super welterweight title-holder Jarrett Hurd.

Lin

Co-Feature

In a 10-round match contested at the catchweight of 157 pounds, Erickson Lubin rebounded from his loss to Sebastian Fundora in their 2022 barnburner with a fifth-round stoppage of Luis Arias. Lubin was ahead on two of the cards and even on the other heading into the fifth when he put Arias away with a looping right hand to the side of the head which Arias claimed was a rabbit punch. Arias appeared to beat the count, but his body language suggested that he really didn’t want to continue.

Lubin, who grew up in Florida, a child of Haitian immigrants, improved to 25-2 (18 KOs). Arias, a Milwaukee native of Cuban descent, fell to 20-4-1. Once considered a bright prospect, Arias is 2-4-1 in his last seven.

Also


In the TV opener, Argentina’s Fernando Martinez (16-0, 9 KOs) successfully defended his IBF world flyweight title with an 11th-round stoppage of previously undefeated Jade Bornea (18-1). The lasting image from the fight was Bornea’s damaged right ear which was almost literally knocked off his face by a punch in the ninth round.

Martinez, known for his aggression, gradually pulled away and was ahead by margins of 6, 4, and 4 points through the completed rounds. Bornea, whose twin brother Jake is also a professional boxer, trained for this match with Filipino countryman Jerwin Ancajas who had fought 24 rounds with Martinez.

Ancajas was also on the card. The former flyweight title-holder whose long reign was halted by Fernando Martinez, carried a career-high 121 Ÿ pounds for his confidence-restorer against Colombia’s Wilner Soto.

Ancajas (34-3-2, 23 KOs) put Soto on the deck in the fourth round with a three-punch combination and put him down again in the following frame with a body punch. On both occasions, Soto took a knee and the second knee-down in round five prompted the referee to waive it off. It was the seventh straight loss for Soto (22-13) and the sixth time that he has been stopped.

Photo credits: Ed Mulholland (Matchroom) and Esther Lin (Showtime)

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Argentina’s Fernando Martinez Wins His Rematch with Kazuto Ioka

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In an excellent fight climaxed by a furious 12th round, Argentina’s Fernando Daniel Martinez came off the deck to win his rematch with Kazuto Ioka and retain his piece of the world 115-pound title. The match was staged at Ioka’s familiar stomping grounds, the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.

In their first meeting on July 7 of last year in Tokyo, Martinez was returned the winner on scores of 117-111, 116-112, and a bizarre 120-108. The rematch was slated for late December, but Martinez took ill a few hours before the weigh-in and the bout was postponed.

The 33-year-old Martinez, who came in sporting a 17-0 (9) record, was a 7-2 favorite to win the sequel, but there were plenty of reasons to favor Ioka, 36, aside from his home field advantage. The first Japanese male fighter to win world titles in four weight classes, Ioka was 3-0 in rematches and his long-time trainer Ismael Salas was on a nice roll. Salas was 2-0 last weekend in Times Square, having handled upset-maker Rolly Romero and Reito Tsutsumi who was making his pro debut.

But the fourth time was not a charm for Ioka (31-4-1) who seemingly pulled the fight out of the fire in round 10 when he pitched the Argentine to the canvas with a pair of left hooks, but then wasn’t able to capitalize on the momentum swing.

Martinez set a fast pace and had Ioka fighting off his back foot for much of the fight. Beginning in round seven, Martinez looked fatigued, but the Argentine was conserving his energy for the championship rounds. In the end, he won the bout on all three cards: 114-113, 116-112, 117-110.

Up next for Fernando Martinez may be a date with fellow unbeaten Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, the lineal champion at 115. San Antonio’s Rodriguez is a huge favorite to keep his title when he defends against South Africa’s obscure Phumelela Cafu on July 19 in Frisco, Texas.

As for Ioka, had he won today’s rematch, that may have gotten him over the hump in so far as making it into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. True, winning titles in four weight classes is no great shakes when the bookends are only 10 pounds apart, but Ioka is still a worthy candidate.

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

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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

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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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