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‘The Ghost’ Has Too Much Class for Artem Harutyunyan at the Cosmo

The Ghost’ Has Too Much Class for Artem Harutyunyan at the Cosmo
Las Vegas, NV – The Chelsea Theater at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas is the best venue in the city for watching a boxing event. A smaller than usual crowd turned out tonight for the latest PBC offering, understandable as the show lost luster when future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire was bumped off the card; his match with Alexandro Santiago was shifted to the undercard of Spence-Crawford happening down the block in two weeks.
Main Event
In a fight that harked in many ways to his previous fight against Michel Rivera, Frank “The Ghost” Martin started slow but finished with a flourish to win a unanimous decision to retain his undefeated record. His opponent on this particular night, Atrem Harutyunyan, a fighter of Armenian descent from Germany who was making his U.S. debut, proved to be tougher than expected, but it was plain from the beginning had Martin was more athletic and had quicker hands and that ultimately proved the difference.
Rounds six, 10 and 12 were the most lopsided and these rounds were won by Martin (18-0, 12 KOs), a stablemate of Errol Spence Jr who was in the building. Harutyunyan fought his way back into the fight after the sixth, but ran out of steam after the ninth, partly the result of a damaged left eye. In the final stanza, he took a knee to protect the eye from further damage and some in attendance thought that referee Tom Taylor should have stopped it, but the rugged German, who declined to 12-1 (7), was still standing at the final bell.
The judges scored it 114-113 and 115-112 twice for the victorious Martin in a bout framed as a WBC eliminator.
In his post-fight interview, Martin said that he felt that his timing was off, but he gave Harutyunyan his props: “He was definitely tough. I take my hat off to him because he took some big shots.”
Semi-windup
In a match fought at the catchweight of 142 pounds, youth prevailed as Elvis Rodriguez, 27, scored a seventh-round stoppage of 39-year-old Viktor Postol who was on his feet when referee Celestino Ruiz waived it of at the 23-second mark. In the waning seconds of the previous round, Rodriguez put Postol on the deck with a short right uppercut.
These two were well-acquainted, having sparred dozens of rounds at Freddie Roach’s LA-area gym. Tonight, Roach was in the corner of Rodriguez, a Dominican who raised his record to 15-1-1 (13 KOs). This may be the end of the trail for Postol, a Ukrainian, who has lost five of his last eight after opening his career 28-0. In his last start, 17 months ago in this very ring, Postol was stopped by Gary Antuanne Russell, marking the first time that he failed to go the distance.
Also
Local fan favorite Freudis Rojas, a tall welterweight, was extended beyond the fourth round for the first time in his brief pro career, but won inside the distance once again, improving to 11-0 (11) with a seventh-round stoppage of Diego Sanchez whose corner pulled him out at the 0:57 mark.
It appeared that this fight would be over in a hurry, but Sanchez (19-3) wasn’t intimidated after tasting Rojas’s power and became the aggressor. In the end, however, he was simply outclassed.
Other Bouts
In a match that never really heated up, welterweight Quinton Randall improved to 13-0-1 (3 KOs) with a unanimous decision over Willie Jones (8-3). The judges had it 78-74 and 79-73 twice.
Randall, 32, turned to boxing after serving three years in a maximum-security Texas prison for burglary after previously being in and out of juvenile detention facilities and then went on to become a two-time national amateur champion. Jones, a fighter from Burlington, North Carolina with an MMA background, scored a big upset in his last start, knocking out undefeated Derrick Jackson, but tonight he didn’t bring his hammer.
Salinas, CA lightweight Justin Cardona improved to 9-1 (5 KOs) at the expense of Chicago’s Angel Barrera (4-2). Referee Kenny Bayless called a halt after seven rounds on the advice of the ringside physician.
A feisty 6-round lightweight affair between young Angelinos opened the show. Anthony Cuba (6-0, 2 KOs) was awarded a majority decision over Angel Rebollar (6-3). The scores were 60-54, 59-55, and a very reasonable 57-57.
Photo credit: Stephanie Trapp / SHOWTIME
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Skavynskyi and Bustillos Win on a MarvNation Card in Long Beach

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
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

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

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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