AVILA’s BOXING CHATTER

Lots of action taking place internationally this week with Japan, Armenia, Sweden and Mexico hosting world title bouts.

Two world titles will be contested in Tokyo, Japan, where WBA bantamweight titleholder Koki Kameda (25-1, 16 KOs) fights David De La Mora (23-0, 16 KOs) and WBA junior bantamweight titleholder Hugo Cazares (35-6-2, 25 KOs) of Mexico fights Tomonobu Shimizu (18-3-1, 9 KOs). Both fights take place on Wednesday, Aug. 31 at Nihon Budokan.

Undefeated Eloy Perez (21-0-2, 5 KOs) fights Puerto Rico’s Daniel Jimenez (20-3-1, 12 KOs) on Friday, Sept. 3, at the Sports Complex in Salinas, Calif. Also on the fight card is middleweight James Parison (14-1, 4 KOs) of San Diego facing Paul Mendez (6-1, 2 KOs).

IBO bantamweight titleholder Vic Darchinyan (36-3-1, 27 KOs) fights Evans Mbamba (18-1, 9 KOs) of South Africa on Saturday, Sept. 3. The title challenge takes place in Darchinyan’s homeland of Armenia.

Former lightweight world champion Humberto Soto (55-7-2, 32 KOs) fights Jose Alfaro (25-7, 22 KOs) on Saturday, Sept. 3 in Los Mochis, Sinaloa in Mexico. Soto recently signed a contract with Golden Boy Promotions.

Sweden’s Frida Wallberg (9-0, 2 KOs) defends the WBC junior lightweight world title against Canada’s Olivia Gerula (13-11-2) on Saturday, Sept. 3 in Karlstad, Sweden. It’s a rematch of their first encounter that took place last November in an eight round affair that is unusual for world title bouts. This title fight will be 10 rounds.

James McDonnell (17-2-1, 7 KOs) will fight Stuart Hall (11-0-1, 7 KOs) for the EBU, BBB and Commonwealth bantamweight titles on Saturday, Sept. 3, in Yorkshire, United Kingdom. McDonnell has been unbeaten in three years.

WBA super middleweight titleholder Andre Ward and WBC titleholder Carl Froch of United Kingdom announced in Oakland that they will be fighting each other on Oct. 29, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. It’s the finale of Showtime’s Super Six Super Middleweight tournament. The WBA, WBC and Ring Magazine world title belts are for grabs. “It’s the UK versus the USA. We’re the two finest fighters in the division. So everyone is in for a treat. I will not be denied,” said Froch.

Lightweight contenders Vicente Escobedo (23-3, 14 KOs) and Rocky Juarez (28-8-1, 20 KOs) will headline a boxing card at Fantasy Springs Casino on September 23, announced Golden Boy Promotions. Escobedo trains in nearby Indio with Joel Diaz and is a former U.S. Olympian. Juarez trains in Texas and is also a former U.S. Olympian. For more information call (800) 827-2946.

East L.A.’s Frankie “Pitbull” Gomez (11-0, 8 KOs) won by majority decision over Adrian Granados (8-2-1) in an eight round junior welterweight match. Granados was floored in round two. The fight took place in Chicago last Friday. Gomez trained in Big Bear for this fight and was a sparring partner for Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero.

Big Bear’s Juanito Garcia (15-3, 5 KOs) beat Perris’s Hector Serrano (13-3, 5 KOs) by majority decision in a bloody and brutal six round bout last Thursday in Los Angeles. It was Garcia’s first fight in more than two years. Despite bleeding profusely from a bloody nose Serrano kept the pressure on and nearly pulled out a win. “I like fights like this,” Serrano said.

Undefeated Omar Chavez (26-0-1, 19 KOs), the youngest son of Julio Cesar Chavez and formerly of Riverside, meets Alberto Martinez (15-1, 10 KOs) on Saturday in Mexicali, Mexico. He had been scheduled to meet Jorge Paez Jr. but that fight was scuttled. Instead, Paez, the son of former champion Jorge “Maromero” Paez, is fighting Rodigo Juarez (15-13-1, 11 KOs).

IBF welterweight titleholder Jan Zaveck (31-1, 18 KOs) defends against former welterweight champion Andre Berto (27-1, 21 KOs) on Saturday in Biloxi, Miss. Zaveck, 35, is making his fourth world title defense. Berto’s last fight was a title loss to Victor Ortiz.

Southern California’s Librado Andrade (30-4, 23 KOs) knocked out Matt O’Brien (18-3) at 2:20 of round three in a super middleweight match. His younger brother Enrique Ornelas (32-7, 20 KOs) won by decision over Alfredo Contreras (11-12-2) after 10 rounds. Both fights took place in Guanajuato, Mexico the brother’s birth place. They now live in Orange County.

Mexico’s Mariana “Mexican Barbie” Juarez (30-5-3, 14 KOs) won by unanimous decision over Japan’s Asami Shikasho (5-3) to retain the WBC flyweight world title in Tlaxcala, Mexico. Also, Zulina Munoz (30-1-2) stopped Verena Crespo (6-5-1) in round two.

Russia’s Alexander Povetkin (22-0, 15 KOs) won the vacant WBA heavyweight world title over former champion Ruslan Chagaev (27-2-1, 17 KOs) by decision. The title fight took place last Saturday in Germany.

IBF junior flyweight titleholder Ulises Solis (34-2-3) retained the title by decision over Jether Oliva (17-1-1), but WBO mini-flyweight titleholder Raul Garcia (30-2-1) lost by split decision to Moises Fuentes (14-1). The title fights took place last Saturday in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Australia’s Daniel Geale (25-1,15 KOs) makes the first defense of the IBF middleweight title on Wednesday, Aug. 31, against Canada’s Eromosele Albert (24-4-1, 12 KOs). Geale beat Germany’s Sebastian Sylvester for the title and will face Albert in Tasmania, Australia.