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Avila Perspective, Chap. 243: Welterweights in July

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History repeats itself when it comes to the welterweights.

Every generation or so a crop of welterweights grabs the attention of not only boxing fans, but casual sports fans too.

Think late 1990s when Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, Ike Quartey and Sugar Shane Mosley roamed the 147-pound landscape. Three of the four mentioned were voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

And before that, in the early 1980s, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy “Hit Man” Hearns, Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran and Wilfredo “Radar” Benitez captured interest of all sports fans. Every one of those fighters is in the Hall of Fame.

July has become the month of the welterweights with four young punishing welterweight contenders battling to see who fights the kings, Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr., who fight to claim undisputed status later this month.

It’s the month of all months.

Flaming hot Philadelphia welterweight Jaron Ennis (30-0, 27 KOs) meets Venezuela’s brick busting Roiman Villa (26-1, 24 KOs) on Saturday, July 8, at The Ballroom in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  Showtime will televise the TGB Promotions event.

Saturday was also supposed to feature Vergil Ortiz Jr. but the Texas welterweight with all knockouts on his record was physically unable to fight Eimantas Stanionis. Medical issues forced Ortiz to withdraw.

But in Atlantic City, the highly-touted Ennis will exchange blows with once-beaten Villa to see who will get a crack at the future undisputed welterweight world champion.

Ennis has a complete set of tools to ascend to the very top.

“I’m ready for anybody. But right now, we have business to take care of. I’m focused on Roiman Villa and then we’ll worry about what’s next,” said Ennis.

Styles make fights and you never know what will happen. He does have a size advantage over Villa who is listed at 5’7”. Ennis is 5’10”.

“When you get an opportunity to fight a world class fighter like Ennis, you have to take that chance. It’s my duty to go after the toughest challenges and take advantage of opportunities like this. I’m not afraid of anybody,” said Villa.

These two know a victory catapults them to the forefront of the talented welterweight division where the two kingpins, Spence and Crawford, roam. And if Ortiz is able to overcome his medical issues, will he or Stanionis be part of the new quartet of welterweights to rival those of yesteryear?

Back in the late 1990s though Trinidad fought De La Hoya, he did not face Quartey or Mosley. I distinctly remember Mosley chasing down Trinidad in the lobby of Caesars Place in Las Vegas itching for a chance at the Puerto Rican bomber. It never happened.

In the late 70s and early 80s all the top welterweights fought each other. Leonard fought Duran three times, Hearns twice and Benitez once. Many regard that era as the best era for welterweights in the history of prizefighting.

Can that happen again with this generation of welterweights?

Vergil Ortiz Jr.

The sad news that Vergil Ortiz Jr. was forced to withdraw just days before the fight left fans torn.

It was the third time the likeable undefeated welterweight was scratched in the last days before a showdown.

I’m not a medical expert but Ortiz did have two bouts with Covid-19 and perhaps that had something to do with his health problems. Doctors have said after-effects of the coronavirus could remain forever in people afflicted.

Undefeated lightweight Floyd Schofield (14-0, 11 KOs) has been elevated to main event status as he faces Haskell Rhodes (28-4-1, 13 KOs) in defense of the WBA International title. The Golden Boy Promotions card will be streamed on DAZN.

Schofield hails from Austin, Texas and trains with Ronnie Shields. He made his pro debut during the pandemic and has already acquired 14 fights in a short time considering the circumstances.

“Thank you for not canceling this fight and my best wishes to Virgil Ortiz. Make sure you tune in on Saturday. It’s gonna be a good show,” said Schofield, 20.

Rhodes, 35, was equally grateful the card will proceed.

“I know he’s super talented, but I’ve seen a lot like him, and I’m used to styles like his, so I bring the experience and I’m ready,” said Rhodes who fights out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He’s faced world champions like Sergey Lipinets and contenders such as Edner Cherry.

The co-main event features WBA and WBC flyweight titlist Marlen Esparza (13-1, 1 KO) clashing with Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz (14-0, 6 KOs) the WBO flyweight titlist in a unification match set for 10 two-minute rounds.

It should be interesting. Alaniz can punch.

“I am ready to show everyone the kind of fighter I am. I am very excited to be able to defend my world title and be able to fight for two more world titles,” said Alaniz (14-0, 6 Kos) who fights out of Buenos Aires.

Esparza remains confident.

“My goal is to become undisputed and this is what I need to do to get there. I understand I’m also facing a world champion,” said Esparza who fights out of Houston, Texas. “So, we’re taking this very seriously.”

Friday Night Fights

Super middleweight hotshot Diego Pacheco (18-0, 15 KOs) gets a chance to unleash those hands against Mexico’s Manuel Gallegos (19-1-1, 16 KOs) on Friday July 7, at Monterrey, Mexico. DAZN will stream the Matchroom Boxing card.

Pacheco, 6’4” in height, was last seen destroying England’s Jack Cullen in four rounds. Mexico’s Gallegos is almost as tall as Pacheco. The Los Mochis fighter is 6’3”.

Nery is Back

Luis Nery returns after his blazing firefight earlier this year in Pomona with Azat Hovhannisyan.

Nery (34-1, 26 KOs) meets Filipino Froilan Saludar (33-6-1, 23 KOs) in the main event on Saturday July 8 at Metepec, Mexico. How much does he have left after that vicious encounter last February? ESPN Knockout will stream the fight card.

Fights to Watch

Fri. DAZN 5 p.m. Diego Pacheco (18-0) vs Manuel Gallegos (19-1-1).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Floyd Schofield (14-0) vs Haskell Rhodes (28-4-1), Marlen Esparza (13-1) vs Gabriela Alaniz (14-0).

Sat. ESPN+ 6 p.m. Luis Nery (34-1) vs Froilan Saludar (33-6-1).

Sat. Showtime 6:30 p.m. Jarron Ennis (30-0) vs Roiman Villa (26-1).

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Skavynskyi and Bustillos Win on a MarvNation Card in Long Beach

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Skavynskyi and Bustillos Win on a MarvNation Card in Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Ca.-A cool autumn night saw welterweights and minimumweights share main events for a MarvNation fight card on Saturday.

Ukraine’s Eduard Skavynskyi (15-0, 7 KOs) experienced a tangled mess against the awkward Alejandro Frias (14-10-2) but won by decision after eight rounds in a welterweight contest at the indoor furnace called the Thunder Studios.

It was hot in there for the more than 600 people inside.

Skavynskyi probably never fought someone like Mexico’s Frias whose style was the opposite of the Ukrainian’s fundamentally sound one-two style. But round after round the rough edges became more familiar.

Neither fighter was ever damaged but all three judges saw Skavynskyi the winner by unanimous decision 79-73 on all three cards. The Ukrainian fighter trains in Ventura.

Bustillo Wins Rematch

Applerose2

In the female main event Las Vegas’ Yadira Bustillos (8-1) stepped into a rematch with Karen Lindenmuth (5-2) and immediately proved the lessons learned from their first encounter.

Bustillos connected solidly with an overhand right and staggered Lindenmuth but never came close to putting the pressure fighter down. Still, Bustillos kept turning the hard rushing Lindenmuth and snapping her head with overhand rights and check left hooks.

Lindenmuth usually overwhelms most opponents with a smothering attack that causes panic. But not against Bustillos who seemed quite comfortable all eight rounds in slipping blows and countering back.

After eight rounds all three judges scored the contest for Bustillos 78-74 and 80-72 twice. Body shots were especially effective for the Las Vegas fighter in the fifth round. Bustillos competes in the same division as IBF/WBO title-holder Yokasta Valle.

Other Bouts

In a middleweight clash, undefeated Victorville’s Andrew Buchanan (3-0-1) used effective combination punching to defeat Mexico’s Fredy Vargas (2-1-1) after six rounds. Two judges scored it 59-55 and a third 60-54 for Buchanan. No knockdowns were scored.

A super lightweight match saw Sergio Aldana win his pro debut by decision after four rounds versus Gerardo Fuentes (2-9-1).

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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Tedious Fights and a Controversial Draw Smudge the Matchroom Boxing Card in Orlando

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Matchroom Boxing was at the sprawling Royale Caribe Resort Hotel in Orlando, Florida tonight with a card that aired on DAZN. The main event was a ho-hum affair between super lightweights Richardson Hitchins and Jose Zepeda.

SoCal’s Zepeda has been in some wars in the past, notably his savage tussle with Ivan Baranchyk, but tonight he brought little to the table and was outclassed by the lanky Hitchins who won all 12 rounds on two of the cards and 11 rounds on the other.  There were no knockdowns, but Zepeda suffered a cut on his forehead in round seven that was deemed to be the product of an accidental head butt and another clash in round ten forced a respite in the action although Hitchins suffered no apparent damage.

It was the sort of fight where each round was pretty much a carbon of the round preceding it. Brooklyn’s Hitchins, who improved to 17-0 (7), was content to pepper Zepeda with his jab, and the 34-year-old SoCal southpaw, who brought a 37-3 record, was never able to penetrate his defense and land anything meaningful.

Hitchins signed with Floyd Mayweather Jr’s promotional outfit coming out of the amateur ranks and his style is reminiscent in ways of his former mentor. Like Mayweather, he loses very few rounds. In his precious engagement, he pitched a shutout over previously undefeated John Bauza.

Co-Feature

In the co-feature, Conor Benn returned to the ring after an absence of 17 months and won a unanimous decision over Mexico’s Rodolfo Orozco. It wasn’t a bad showing by Benn who showed decent boxing skills, but more was expected of him after his name had been bandied about so often in the media. Two of the judges had it 99-91 and the other 96-94.

Benn (22-0, 14 KOs) was a late addition to the card although one suspects that promoter Eddie Hearn purposely kept him under wraps until the week of the fight so as not to deflect the spotlight from the other matches on his show. Benn lost a lucrative date with Chris Eubank Jr when he was suspended by the BBBofC when evidence of a banned substance was found in his system and it’s understood that Hearn has designs on re-igniting the match-up with an eye on a date in December. For tonight’s fight, Benn carried a career-high 153 ½ pounds. Mexico’s Orozco, who was making his first appearance in a U.S. ring, declined to 32-4-3.

Other Bouts of Note

The welterweight title fight between WBA/WBC title-holder Jessica McCaskill (15-3-1) and WBO title-holder Sandy Ryan (6-1-1) ended in a draw and the ladies’ retain their respective titles. Ryan worked the body effectively and the general feeling was that she got a raw deal, a sentiment shared by the crowd which booed the decision. There was a switch of favorites in the betting with the late money seemingly all on the Englishwoman who at age 30 was the younger boxer by nine years.

The judges had it 96-94 Ryan, 96-95, and a vilified 97-93 for Chicago’s McCaskill.

In the opener of the main DAZN stream, Houston middleweight Austin “Ammo” Williams, 27, improved to 15-0 (10) with a 10-round unanimous decision over 39-year-old Toronto veteran Steve Rolls (22-3). All three judges had it 97-93. Rolls has been stopped only once, that by Gennady Golovkin.

Photo credit: Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing

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Zhilei Zhang KOs Joe Joyce; Calls Out Tyson Fury

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Joe Joyce activated his rematch clause after being stopped in the sixth frame by Zhilei Zhang in their first meeting. In hindsight, he may wish that he hadn’t. Tonight at London’s Wembley Stadium, Zhang stopped him again and far more conclusively than in their first encounter.

In the first meeting, Zhang, a southpaw, found a steady home for his stiff left jab. Targeting Joyce’s right eye, he eventually damaged the optic to where the ring doctor wouldn’t let Joyce continue. At the end, the fight was close on the cards and Joyce was confident that he would have pulled away if not for the issue with his eye.

In the rematch tonight, Zhang (26-1-1, 21 KOs) closed the curtain with his right hand. A thunderous right hook on the heels of a straight left pitched Joyce to the canvas where he landed face first. He appeared to beat the count by a whisker, but was seriously dazed and referee Steve Gray properly waived it off. The official time was 3:07 of round three.

Zhang, who lived up to his nickname, “Big Bang,” was credited with landing 29 power punches compared with only six for Joyce (15-2) who came in 25 pounds heavier than in their first meeting while still looking properly conditioned. One would be inclined to say that age finally caught with the “Juggernaut” who turned 38 since their last encounter, but Zhang, 40, is actually the older man. In his post-fight interview in the ring, the New Jersey resident, a two-time Olympian for China, when asked who he wanted to fight next, turned to the audience and said, “Do you want to see me shut Tyson Fury up?”

He meant it as a rhetorical question.

Semi-Windup

Light heavyweight Anthony Yarde was matched soft against late sub Jorge Silva, a 40-year-old Portuguese journeyman, and barely broke a sweat while scoring a second-round stoppage. Yarde backed Silva against a corner post and put him on the deck with a short right hand. Silva’s body language indicated that he had no interest in continuing and the referee accommodated him. The official time was 2:07 of round two.

A 30-year-old Londoner, Yarde (24-3, 23 KOs) was making his first start since being stopped in eight rounds by Artur Beterbiev in a bout that Yarde was winning on two of the scorecards. Silva, a late replacement for 19-3-1 Ricky Summers, falls to 22-9.

Also

Former leading super middleweight contender Zach Parker (23-1, 17 KOs) returned to the ring in a “shake-off-the-rust” fight against 40-year-old Frenchman Khalid Graidia and performed as expected. Graidia’s corner pulled him out after seven one-sided rounds.

In his previous fight, Parker was matched against John Ryder who he was favored to beat. The carrot for the winner was a lucrative date with Canelo Alvarez. Unfortunately for Parker, he suffered a broken hand and was unable to continue after four frames. Tonight, he carried 174 pounds, a hint that he plans to compete as a light heavyweight going forward. Indeed, he has expressed an interest in fighting Anthony Yarde. Graidia declined to 10-13-4.

The Zhang-Joyce and Yarde-Silva fights were live-streamed in the U.S. on ESPN+.

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