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Oscar Valdez (TKO) and Seniesa Estrada (UD) Victorious in Arizona

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GLENDALE, Az.-Oscar Valdez proved a different style of attack can make a difference as he pounded out a technical knockout win over Australia’s super tough Liam Wilson for the interim WBO super featherweight title on Friday.

On paper, Valdez wasn’t supposed to win.

“It means a lot. People say I’m done,” said Valdez. “

Behind shotgun jabs and riveting combinations Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) overwhelmed bigger and stronger Wilson (13-3, 7 KOs) in front of a roaring hometown crowd at Desert Diamond Arena on the Top Rank show.

Wilson was coming off a loss to current world titlist Emanuel Navarrete a year ago in a clash that many felt should not have been stopped. Once again Wilson was guilty of allowing a fight to be stopped after absorbing a battering. This time from Valdez.

Wilson started strong in the first two rounds with sizzling uppercuts from distance that connected. But after two rounds Valdez made adjustments.

Rocket jabs from Valdez stopped Wilson from advancing strongly and suddenly the temperature of the fight changed. The two-division world titlist from Nogales was able to fire combinations then slip away from Wilson’s dangerous blows.

Round after round Valdez bounced combinations off the head of Wilson who seldom seemed to be affected by the blows. Occasionally Wilson fired back from distance with big blasts and stopped Valdez from several attacks.

Several times Valdez was hurt. “He carries a punch,” he admitted.

In the sixth and seventh round Valdez opened up with several volleys. All connected in the body and head. Almost three dozen blows battered Wilson from corner to corner with few blows in return. Two times the referee allowed the onslaught and on the third volley referee Mark Nelson stopped the fight though Wilson had never hit the canvas.

The end for Wilson came at 2:48 of the seventh round. Once again he was stopped while on his feet. First against Navarrete a year ago and now Valdez, the new interim WBC super featherweight titlist and in line for the actual world title.

“I take my hat off to him. The best want to fight the best,” Valdez said. “I want to unify and fight the best.”

Seniesa Estrada Becomes Undisputed Champ

East L.A.’s Seniesa Estrada used her defensive niftiness and accuracy to become the first undisputed minimumweight champion by unanimous decision over Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle.

In front of a large vocal crowd, Estrada (26-0, 9 KOs) slipped under most of Valle’s (30-3, 9 KOs) early attacks and proved she was the better, more well-rounded fighter..

Still, many in the crowd thought otherwise.

Both fighters walked into the boxing ring with two world titles in the minimumweight category and both confident of winning.

In the first round, during an exchange of blows Valle grabbed Estrada and that caused the two to collide heads. The Costa Rican fighter walked back to her corner with a large gash on her forehead.

“I had to struggle through that for the last nine rounds,” said Valle, 31.

It was a bad start for Valle.

Estrada began in a southpaw stance and switched to orthodox repeatedly throughout the bout. It took several rounds before Valle could adjust to the varying defensive stances and land a solid blow. Meanwhile Estrada targeted the body with shots and escaped under the counters by Valle.

“I knew she would come in and be aggressive like she always is,” said Estrada, 31. “That’s her style and I knew I would take everything away that she does best.”

It’s been a while since Estrada faced someone as quick and speedy as Valle. She maintained a specific distance and used shots to the body and left hook counters when Valle attacked.

The left hook seemed to be the favorite weapon for Estrada who used it to the body and head effectively. Valle never stopped attacking and firing blows. But she missed far more than Estrada throughout the fight.

Defense was the difference in this fight.

Both fighters showed off their quickness in close. Valle connected often with big rights but not often enough to counter the left hooks to the head.

Estrada landed numerous combinations both inside and out. That proved the difference in the fight. Valle ignored the blood dripping down her face through the entire fight and never slowed her pace.

After 10 rounds with no knockdowns all three judges scored 97-93 for Estrada who becomes the first woman to become undisputed minimumweight world champion.

Many fans booed the decision but all three judges saw Estrada the winner. Perhaps it was the site of Estrada taunting Valle in the last few rounds. Still, fans saw the two best minimumweights in the world collide.

“I’m beyond overwhelmed and happy,” said Estrada.

Other Bouts
Southern California’s Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (20-0, 16 KOs) slugged it out with South Africa’s Xolisani Ndongeni (31-5, 18 KOs) for 10 rounds in a super lightweight match. Despite both connecting with vicious shots throughout the fight neither fighter touched the canvas.

Muratalla was the slicker, more advanced fighter defensively, and was able to connect with just about any punch. But the South African fighter had a great chin and was resilient against everything Muratalla fired at him. Though he was staggered several times he never seemed in danger of a knockdown.

After 10 rounds all three judges saw it for the Fontana fighter 99-91, 98-92, 97-93.

A battle between Mexican super lightweights saw Lindolfo Delgado (20-0, 15 KOs) fall behind Tijuana’s hard-punching Carlos Sanchez (25-3, 19 KOs) in the first two rounds. Then he rebounded with a pair of knockdowns in their back-and-forth battle. A counter-right delivered Sanchez to the canvas in the fifth round. Sanchez rallied the next round, but when he continued to push the aggression, he was met by a sidewinder right to the chin by Delgado. He could not make the count at 48 seconds of the seventh round.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank via Getty Images

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Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

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Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.

Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.

Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.

Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is the winner of the Feb. 2 match between Brandon Figueroa and Stephen Fulton. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa/Fulton have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.

Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”

Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.

Semi-wind-up

In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

Also

In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.

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Eric Priest Wins Handily on Thursday’s Golden Boy card at the Commerce Casino

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Model turned fighter Eric Priest jabbed and jolted his way into the super middleweight rankings with a shutout decision win over veteran Tyler Howard on Thursday.

In his first main event Priest (15-0, 8 KOs) proved ready for contender status by defusing every attack Tennessee’s Howard (20-3, 11 KOs) could muster at Commerce Casino, the second fight in six days at the LA County venue.

All ticket monies collected on the Folden Boy Promotions card were contributed to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation as they battle wildfires sprouting all over Los Angeles County due to high winds.

Priest, 26, had never fought anyone near Howard’s caliber but used a ramrod jab to keep the veteran off-balance and unable to muster a forceful counter-attack. Round after round the Korean-American fighter pumped left jabs while circling his opposition.

Though hit with power shots, none seemed to faze Howard but his own blows were unable to put a dent in Priest. After 10 rounds of the same repetitive action all three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Priest who now wins a regional super middleweight title.

Priest also joins the top 15 rankings of the WBA organization.

In a fight between evenly matched middleweights, Jordan Panthen (11-0, 9 KOs) remained undefeated after 10 rounds versus DeAundre Pettus (12-4, 7 KOs). Though equally skilled, Panthen simply out-worked the South Caroliina fighter to win by unanimous decision. No knockdowns were scored.

Other Bouts

Grant Flores (8-0, 6 KOs) knocked out Costa Rica’s David Lobo Ramirez (17-4, 12 KOs) with two successive right uppercuts at 2:59 of the second round of the super welterweight fight.

Cayden Griffith (3-0, 3 KOs) used a left hook to the body to stop Mark Misiura at 1:43 of the second round in a super welterweight bout.

Jordan Fuentes (3-0) floored Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) in the third round and proceeded to win by decision after four rounds in a super bantamweight fight.

A super featherweight match saw Leonardo Sanchez (8-0) win by decision over Joseph Cruz Brown (10-12) after six rounds.

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 310: Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue and More

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Many proclaim super bantamweight world champ Naoya Inoue to be the best fighter in the world today. It’s a serious debate among boxing pundits.

Is he Japan’s best fighter ever?

Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) takes another step toward immortality when he meets Korea’s Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs) on Friday Jan. 24, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. ESPN+ will stream the Top Rank and Ohashi Promotions card.

Inoue defends the IBF, WBC, WBA and WBO world titles.

This is Inoue’s third defense of the undisputed super bantamweight division that he won when he defeated Philippines’ Marlon Tapales in December 2023.

Japan has always been a fighting nation, a country derived from a warrior culture like Mexico, England, Russia, Germany and a few others. Professional boxing has always thrived in Japan.

My first encounter with Japanese fighters took place in March 1968 at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. It was my first visit to the famous boxing venue, though my father had performed there during the 1950s. I was too young to attend any of his fights and then he retired.

The main event featured featherweights Jose Pimentel of Mexico against Sho Saijo of Japan. Both had fought a month earlier with the Mexican from Jalisco winning by split decision.

Pimentel was a friend of my female cousin and gave my father tickets to the fight. My family loved boxing as most Latino families worldwide do, including those in the USA. It’s a fact that most sports editors for newspapers and magazines fail to realize. Latinos love boxing.

We arrived late at the boxing venue located on Grand Avenue and 18th street. My father was in construction and needed to pick me up in East L.A. near Garfield High School. Fights were already underway when we arrived at the Olympic Auditorium.

It was a packed arena and our seats were fairly close to the boxing ring. As the fighters were introduced and descended to the ring, respectful applause greeted Saijo. He had nearly defeated Pimentel in their first clash a month earlier in this same venue. Los Angeles fans respect warriors. Saijo was a warrior.

Both fighters fought aggressively with skill. Every round it seemed Saijo got stronger and Pimentel got weaker. After 10 strong rounds of back-and-forth action, Saijo was declared the winner this time. Some fans booed but most agreed that the Japanese fighter was stronger on this day. And he was stronger still when they met a third time in 1969 when Saijo knocked out Pimentel in the second round for the featherweight world title.

That was my first time witnessing Japan versus Mexico. Over the decades, I’ve seen many clashes between these same two countries and always expect riveting battles from Japanese fighters.

I was in the audience in Cancun, Mexico when then WBC super featherweight titlist Takashi Miura clashed with Sergio Thompson for 12 rounds in intense heat in a covered bull ring. After that fight that saw three knockdowns between them, the champion, though victorious, was taken out on a stretcher due to dehydration.

There are so many others going back to Fighting Harada in the 1960s that won championships. And what about all the other Japanese fighters who never got the opportunity to fight for a world title due to the distance from America and Europe?

Its impossible to determine if Inoue is the greatest Japanese fighter ever. But without a doubt, he is the most famous. Publications worldwide include him on lists of the top three fighters Pound for Pound.

Few experts are familiar with Korea’s Kim, but expect a battle nonetheless. These two countries are rivals in Asian boxing.

Golden Boy at Commerce Casino

Middleweights Eric Priest and Tyler Howard lead a Golden Boy Promotions fight card on Thursday, Jan. 23, at Commerce Casino in Commerce, CA. DAZN will stream the boxing card.

All ticket money will go to the Los Angele Fire Department Foundation.

Kansas-based Priest (14-0, 8 KOs) meets Tennessee’s Tyler Howard (20-2, 11 KOs) in the main event in a match set for 10 rounds.

Others on the card are super welterweights Jordan Panthen (10-0) and Grant Flores (7-0) in separate bouts and super lightweight Cayden Griffith seeking a third consecutive win. Doors open at 5 p.m.

Diego Pacheco at Las Vegas

Super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs) defends his regional titles against Steve Nelson (20-0, 16 KOs) at the Chelsea Theater at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday, Jan. 25. DAZN will stream the Matchroom Boxing card.

It’s not an easy fight for Pacheco.

“I’ve been fighting for six years as a professional and I’m 22-0 and I’m 23 years old. I feel I’m stepping into my prime now,” said Pacheco, who trains with Jose Benavidez.

Also on the card is Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz and Southern California’s dangerous super lightweight contender Ernesto Mercado in separate fights.

Fights to Watch (All times Pacific Time)

Thurs. DAZN 6 p.m. Eric Priest (14-0) vs Tyler Howard (20-2).

Fri. ESPN+ 1:15 a.m. Naoya Inoue (28-0) vs Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2).

Sat. DAZN 9:15 a.m. Dalton Smith (16-0) vs Walid Ouizza (19-2); Ellie Scotney (9-0) vs Mea Motu (20-0).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Diego Pacheco (22-0) vs Steve Nelson (20-0).

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