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Franchon Crews-Dezurn Loses Her Four Title Belts to Savannah Marshall in England
In a brutal and somewhat sloppy fight Savannah Marshall defeated Franchon Crews-Dezurn to become the new undisputed super middleweight champion on Saturday.
It was not picturesque.
Fighting 100 miles from her hometown, Marshall (13-1, 10 KOs) battled her way to victory over America’s Crews-Dezurn (8-2, 2 KOs) in front of a large and vocal crowd at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.
Marshall, a former middleweight title-holder, now holds the WBO, WBA, WBC and IBF super middleweight titles.
“I can’t describe how I feel,” said Marshall.
From the opening round Crews attacked Marshall boring in with punches and never allowing the taller fighter to use her height and leverage to unload her powerful blows. Marshall clinched immediately in the first round.
Marshall made some adjustments in the second round as Crews attacked boldly again. Marshall fired a few counters and clinched again in a closer round than the first.
It was clear that Crews was not going to allow Marshall to fight on the outside and use her reach. The American champion dived in again while pumping blows to the body and head. Most of her overhand rights flew over the target. Marshall connected with a clean right counter.
Beginning in the fourth round Marshall used her jab as Crews attacked. That stalled the champion and allowed for space for the British fighter to connect. Though not many blows were landed by either fighter, Marshall’s were cleaner and more visible.
Both fighters clinched inside and it seemed Crews was the physically stronger between the two in grappling. Little by little the clinching seemed to take energy away from Marshall.
Around the 7th round the constant dive attacks of Crews began to take a physical toll on Marshall. The energy seemed to wane from the British fighter and Crews was able to score more than in the previous three rounds. It was Crews best round since the second.
The constant grappling and clinching continued to take energy away from Marshall. Crews seemed more energized and though few punches were clean, she was scoring to the body and head.
It seemed a rallying point for Crews during the seventh and eighth but the rounds were never clearly defined. Neither fighter was ever visibly hurt.
Marshall mustered up energy in the ninth round, beginning with a clean left hook. Then a three-punch combination followed by a two-punch combination connected for the British fighter. Crews lost the momentum she had gained.
In the 10th and final round, it was unclear who was winning. Neither fighter could truly hurt the other. And were judges scoring the body blows?
Both fighters tangled immediately and though each fired blows it was Crews who was the busier fighter. But neither was able to connect cleanly with any blows. After 10 rugged rounds the judges saw the fight 95-95, 99-92, 97-93 for Marshall who wins by majority decision and becomes the new undisputed super middleweight champion.
“She’s a tough, tough fighter,” said Marshall about Crews-Dezurn.
Natasha Jonas Wins
Despite moving down a weight division Natasha Jonas battered Canada’s Kandi Wyatt before ending the fight by technical knockout in a welterweight world title fight.
The end was seldom in doubt.
Jonas, the former super welterweight champion, dropped down to 147 and immediately displayed her firepower in staggering Canada’s taller Wyatt with a left cross. The southpaw fighter immediately went on attack and tried to end the fight in the first round, but could not.
After expending extra energy in the first round Jonas budgeted her punch outtake in the second round. Her right hooks rocked Wyatt and once again Jonas went back on attack. She ended the round with lead left bombs.
Still, Wyatt was upright.
Jonas boxed and moved toward her left, not her right as southpaws normally do. It seemed to puzzle Wyatt. Jonas was in complete control of the fight through the first four rounds.
Wyatt made her move in the fifth round by targeting the body. Unable to score often to the head in the earlier rounds, the Canadian fighter’s work to the body opened up more targets and changed the momentum slightly. It was Wyatt’s best round so far.
It must have made an impression on Jonas who opened up with crisp one-two combinations one after another. All connected and jolted Wyatt. Jonas was back in control. A succession of three crisp left crosses connected at the end of the sixth round.
Jonas took over completely in the seventh round with three-punch combinations one after the other. Wyatt’s head snapped back causing the referee to look more cautiously. Wyatt fired back or else the fight might have been stopped.
In the eighth round it was evident that Jonas had no fear of Wyatt’s punches and she attacked with more three-punch combinations. Wyatt absorbed the shots but was unable to fire back with any power. A crisp left connect by Jonas caused the referee to rush in and stop the action at 33 seconds of the eighth round.
Jonas was declared the new IBF welterweight world titlist by technical knockout.
Now who will Jonas face next?
“I don’t really care,” Jonas said to SKY Sports. “I’ll fight whoever the fans want to see.”
Other Bouts
Olympic silver medalist Ben Whittaker (4-0) won by stoppage in the eighth and final round over Vlad Belujsky (13-7-1) in a light heavyweight fight. The tall rangy fighter displayed a powerful left hook and agility in his one-sided win.
Callum Simpson (12-0) remained undefeated but had a tough time against Boris Crighton (11-4) who withstood every attack by the favored fighter. Simpson had problems smothering his own attacks but managed to out-punch Crighton to win the super middleweight 10-round fight by unanimous decision.
Mark Jeffers (16-0) used his counter-punching style and quickness to defeat Zak Chelli (13-2-1) and win a regional title by unanimous decision.
In a female super welterweight match April Hunter (7-1) out-worked Kirstie Bavington (7-5-2) to win by decision after eight rounds.
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WBA Feather Champ Nick Ball Chops Down Rugged Ronny Rios in Liverpool
In his first fight in his native Liverpool since February of 2020, Nick Ball successfully defended his WBA title with a 10th-round stoppage of SoCal veteran Ronny Rios. The five-foot-two “Wrecking Ball” was making the first defense of a world featherweight strap he won in his second stab at it, taking the belt from Raymond Ford on a split decision after previously fighting Rey Vargas to a draw in a match that many thought Ball had won.
This fight looked like it was going to be over early. Ball strafed Rios with an assortment of punches in the first two rounds, and likely came within a punch or two of ending the match in the third when he put Rios on the canvas with a short left hook and then tore after him relentlessly. But Rios, a glutton for punishment, weathered the storm and actually had some good moments in round four and five.
The brother of welterweight contender Alexis Rocha and a two-time world title challenger at 122 pounds, Rios returned to the ring in April on a ProBox card in Florida and this was his second start after being out of the ring for 28 months. He would be on the canvas twice more before the bout was halted. The punch that knocked him off his pins in round seven wasn’t a clean shot, but he would be in dire straits three rounds later when he was hammered onto the ring apron with a barrage of punches. He managed to maneuver his way back into the ring, but his corner sensibly threw in the towel when it seemed as if referee Bob Williams would let the match continue.
The official time was 2:06 of round ten. Ball improved to 21-0-1 (12 KOs). Rios, 34, declined to 34-5.
Semi-wind-up
A bout contested for a multiplicity of regional 140-pound titles produced a mild upset when Jack Rafferty wore down and eventually stopped Henry Turner whose corner pulled him out after the ninth frame.
Both fighters were undefeated coming in. Turner, now 13-1, was the better boxer and had the best of the early rounds. However, he used up a lot of energy moving side-to-side as he fought off his back foot, and Rafferty, who improved to 24-0 (15 KOs), never wavered as he continued to press forward.
The tide turned dramatically in round eight. One could see Turner’s legs getting loggy and the confidence draining from his face. The ninth round was all Rafferty. Turner was a cooked goose when Rafferty collapsed him with four unanswered body punches, but he made it to the final bell before his corner wisely pulled him out. Through the completed rounds, two of the judges had it even and the third had the vanquished Turner up by 4 points.
Other Bouts of Note
In a lightweight affair, Jadier Herrera, a highly-touted 22-year-old Cuban who had been campaigning in Dubai, advanced to 16-0 (14 KOs) with a third-round stoppage of Oliver Flores (31-6-2) a Nicaraguan southpaw making his UK debut. After two even rounds, Herrera put Flores on the deck with a left to the solar plexus. Flores spit out his mouthpiece as he lay there in obvious distress and referee Steve Gray waived the fight off as he was attempting to rise. The end came 30 seconds into round three.
In a bantamweight contest slated for 10, Liverpool’s Andrew Cain (13-1, 12 KOs) dismissed Colombia’s Lazaro Casseres at the 1:48 mark of the second round.
A stablemate and sparring partner of Nick Ball, Cain knocked Casseres to the canvas in the second round with a short uppercut and forced the stoppage later in the round when he knocked the Colombian into the ropes with a double left hook. Casseres. 27, brought an 11-1 record but had defeated only two opponents with winning records.
In a contest between super welterweights, Walter Fury pitched a 4-round shutout over Dale Arrowsmith. This was the second pro fight for the 27-year-old Fury who had his famous cousin Tyson Fury rooting him on from ringside. Stylistically, Walter resembles Tyson, but his defense is hardly as tight; he was clipped a few times.
Arrowsmith is a weekend warrior and a professional loser, a species indigenous to the British Isles. This was his twenty-fourth fight this year and his 186th pro fight overall! His record is “illuminated” by nine wins and 10 draws.
A Queensberry Promotion, the Ball vs Rios card aired in the UK on TNT Sports and in the US on ESPN+.
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Alimkhanuly TKOs Mikhailovich and Motu TKOs O’Connell in Sydney
IBF/WBO world middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, generally regarded as the best of the current crop of middleweights, retained his IBF title today in Sydney, Australia, with a ninth-round stoppage of game but overmatched Andrei Mikhailovich. The end came at the 2:45 mark of round nine.
Favored in the 8/1 range although he was in a hostile environment, Alimkhanuly (16-0, 11 KOs) beat Mikhailovich to a pulp in the second round and knocked him down with one second remaining in the frame, but Mikhailovich survived the onslaught and had several good moments in the ensuing rounds as he pressed the action. However, Alimkhanuly’s punches were cleaner and one could sense that it was only a matter of time before the referee would rescue Mikhailovich from further punishment. When a short left deposited Mikhailovich on the seat of his pants on the lower strand of rope, the ref had seen enough.
Alimkhanuly, a 2016 Olympian for Kazakhstan, was making his first start since October of last year. He and Mikhailovich were slated to fight in Las Vegas in July, but the bout fell apart after the weigh-in when the Kazakh fainted from dehydration.
Owing to a technicality, Alimkhanuly’s WBO belt wasn’t at stake today. Although he has expressed an interest in unifying the title –Eislandy Lara (WBA) and Carlos Adames (WBC) are the other middleweight belt-holders — Alimkhanuly is big for the weight class and it’s a fair assumption that this was his final fight at 160.
The brave Mikhailovich, who was born in Russia but grew up in New Zealand after he and his twin brother were adopted, suffered his first pro loss, declining to 21-1.
Semi-wind-up
Topping the flimsy undercard was a scheduled 8-rounder between Mikhailovich’s stablemate Mea Motu, a 34-year-old Maori, and veteran Australian campaigner Shannon O’Connell, 41. The ladies share eight children between them (Motu, trained by her mother in her amateur days, has five).
A clash of heads in the opening round left O’Connell with a bad gash on her forehead. She had a big lump developing over her right eye when her corner threw in the towel at the 1:06 mark of round four.
Motu (20-0, 8 KOs) was set to challenge IBF/WBO world featherweight champion Ellie Scotney later this month in Manchester, England, underneath Catterall-Prograis, but that match was postponed when Scotney suffered an injury in training. Motu took this fight, which was contested at the catchweight of 125 pounds, to stay busy. O’Connell, 29-8-1, previously had a cup of coffee as a WBA world champion (haven’t we all).
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 299: Golden Boy in Saudi Arabia and More
Avila Perspective, Chap. 299: Golden Boy in Saudi Arabia and More
A small brigade of Mexican and Latino-American fighters gathered at the beautiful Mayan Theater in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Their mission: to export Mexican style fighting to the Saudi Arabia desert.
Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez defends the WBA cruiserweight title against WBO cruiserweight titlist Chris Billam-Smith and they will be joined by several other top Golden Boy Promotion fighters on Nov. 16 at the Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
DAZN will stream the Golden Boy and BOXXER promotions card called “The Venue Riyadh Season.”
Mexican fighters are known worldwide for their ferocity and durability. Ramirez, a former super middleweight champion, surprised many with his convincing win over former champion Arsen Goulamirian last March.
Now Ramirez seeks to unify the cruiserweight titles against United Kingdom’s Smith who has never fought outside of his native country.
“I will become the first Mexican cruiserweight unified champion. It’s exciting because my dream will come true this November 16,” said Ramirez.
Smith has a similar goal.
“This opportunity for me is huge,” said Smith. “I’ve been written off many times before.”
The cruiserweights will be joined by two top super lightweight warriors who’ve been itching to face each other like a pair of fighting roosters.
Arnold Barboza, an undefeated super lightweight contender from Los Angeles, has been chasing top contenders and world champions for the past six years. Former super lightweight champion Jose Ramirez simply wants action and a return to elite status.
“I’ve been wanting this fight since 2019 for whatever reason it never happened,” said Barboza. “I want to give credit and thanks to Oscar, he’s a man of his word. When I signed to Golden Boy, he said he was going to give me this fight.”
“It’s honorable Barboza saying he’s been chasing the fight since 2019. Now that he stands in the way for me to reclaim my titles it’s time to get that fight on,” said Ramirez.
Others on the Riyadh fight card include Puerto Rico’s WBO minimumweight world titlist Oscar Collazo defending against Thailand’s Thammanoon Niyomtrong, along with Oscar Duarte and lightweight contenders William Zepeda and Tevin Farmer.
One fighter missing from the card is Charles Conwell, the super welterweight contender they recently signed earlier in the year. He last performed on the Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Serhii Bohachuk clash in Las Vegas.
Conwell has similar talent to those two.
And what about the women fighters”
Yokasta Valle recently re-signed with Golden Boy Promotions. What is her next scheduled fight? She was spotted facing up against Australia’s Lulu “Bang, Bang” Hawton at a fight card. Is that on the horizon?
West Coast venues
Speaking of the Mayan Theater in downtown Los Angeles, its just a few buildings north of the Belasco Theater where Golden Boy was staging its club shows for several years.
A majority of the boxing media favored that location for its cozy atmosphere and proximity to LA Live. A number of prospects that developed into contenders and world champions fought there including Vergil Ortiz Jr., Ryan Garcia, Joshua Franco, and Oscar Duarte.
On any given fight night celebrities like Mario Lopez, George Lopez and others would show up in the small venue that held several hundred fans in its ornate theater setting.
The Mayan Theater and Belasco Theater are still open for business. According to one source, LA Laker owner Jeannie Buss stages a pro wrestling show at one of those theaters.
World title fight
England’s Nick Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) defends the WBA featherweight world title against Southern California’s Ronny Rios (34-4, 17 KOs) on Saturday Oct. 5, at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England. Starting time for the Queensberry and Top Rank promotion card is 11 a.m. PT.
Ball was last seen nearly toppling WBC featherweight titlist Rey Vargas but lost last March. He then defeated Ray Ford for the WBA title
Fights to Watch
Fri. ESPN+ 2 a.m. PT Janibek Alimkhanuly (15-0) vs Andrei Mikhailovich (21-0)
Sat. ESPN+ 11 a.m. PT Nick Ball (20-0-1) vs Ronny Rios (34-4)
Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy
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