Boxing Challenge

   Tonight's WBA junior bantamweight title rematch between champion Fernando Martinez and former champion Kazuto Ioka was scheduled to be the final boxing challenge fight for 2024.

However, Martinez was forced to withdraw because of influenza, and the fight was canceled.

This leaves the boxing challenge for 2024 complete as follows

TRS: 190 Points

Ramon Malpica 186 Points

Vince Samano: 116 Points

Boxing Challenge: Usyk repeats win

    It wasn't as dramatic as their first match but it was probably a better fight as Oleksandr Usyk repeated his win from the spring with a unanimous decision over Tyson Fury in Riyadh Saudi Arabia.

It was similar to the first match as Fury banked some early rounds and Usyk slowly wore the much larger man down winning most of the final two-thirds of the bout.

The problem that Tyson Fury has with Oleksandr Usyk is this- all of the skills that have made Fury an excellent champion are skills that Usyk possesses and better.

All three judges scored Usyk a winner 116-112, the same as mine, and I think this is the consensus score.

If you give every remotely close round to Fury, you might get to a draw but even that feels wrong.

Usyk was challenged by IBF champion Daniel DuBois after the fight and it came off especially classless, especially since Usyk knocked out DuBois last year and DuBois has a difficult title defense in February against Joseph Parker on tap.

Fury can always fight Anthony Joshua for a big payday and draw a stadium-sized crowd in the UK, so I wouldn't think his career is over.

In the other challenge bouts, promising heavyweight Moses Itauma impressively mowed down Demsey McKean in one round, and junior middleweight Serhii Bohachuk defeated Ishmael Davis when Davis's corner stopped the fight after the end of the sixth round.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 190 Pts (6)

Ramon Malpica: 186 Pts (2)

Vince Samano: 116 Pts (0)

Boxing Challenge

      The boxing challenge will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The main event will feature the three titles in the heavyweight division that Oleksandr Usyk was allowed to keep after his split decision win over Tyson Fury earlier this year. 

Usyk held the WBA, IBF, and WBO crowns and added the WBC held by Fury with the victory but the IBF stripped Usyk about thirty seconds after the win for taking the lucrative Fury rematch rather than face Daniel DuBois, who Usyk knocked out in 2023. 

Fury dominated the early rounds but was fortunate to survive the eighth round after Usyk knocked him down and had Fury staggering around the ring.

Usyk controlled the late rounds and deserved the decision but it was close enough to make a rematch intriguing.

Fury was thought to be the harder puncher of the two, yet it was Usyk who scored the fight's only knockdown. Fury never really used his larger bulk to try to wear down the naturally smaller fighter, so one can see how Fury could turn the tables and win the rematch, much as he did against Deontay Wilder in their second fight after a first-fight draw.

Still, I'd favor the more versatile Usyk against Fury, who may have been a little overrated as a boxer because he outboxed opponents who couldn't cope with Fury's skills but might have been outboxed by many top heavyweights.

The undercard isn't as dazzling as the usual cards from Riyadh Season with the co-feature a junior middleweight bout between Serhii Bohachuk and late replacement Ishmael Davis in which the winner will be the mandatory challenger for WBC champion Sebastian Fundora.

Bohachuk was originally scheduled to face former WBA champion Israil Madrimov but Madrimove dropped out when given a chance to face Vergil Ortiz in February.

Bohachuk lost a majority decision to Ortiz in his last fight despite dropping Ortiz twice in the match and a fight with Madrimov was highly anticipated but instead faces Davis, who lost his first fight in September to Josh Kelly by majority decision.

The remaining challenge bout is in the heavyweight division with talented prospect Moses Itauma battling Demsey Mckean in a ten-rounder.

Itauma won impressively in his last fight, stopping trialhorse Mariusz Wach in two rounds, and is thought of by many as the best prospect in the division.

McKean hasn't fought in sixteen months after losing for the first time in his career, being stopped by Filip Hrgovic in the twelfth round.

Boxing Challenge

WBA/WBC/WBO Heavyweight Titles. 12 Rds 

Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury

Ramon Malpica: Fury Split Decision
TRS: Usyk Unanimous Decision

Vince Samano: Fury Unanimous Decision

Junior Middleweights 12 Rds

Serhei Bohachuk vs Ishmael Davis

R.L: Bohachuk Unanimous Decision

TRS: Bohachuk KO 10

V.S: Davis Unanimous Decision

Heavyweights, 10 Rds

Moses Itauma vs Demsey McKean

R.L: Itauma Unanimous Decision
TRS: Itauma KO 3
V.S: McKean KO 6 

Boxing Challenge: Munguia Vaporized!

    The boxing weekend appeared to have a few interesting bouts, mainly to keep contenders in action, but one right hand from the sky felled a contender and became the star of the weekend.

Unbeaten and unknown Bruno Surace of France hadn't beaten anyone of note and had only fought a few ten-rounders before he traveled to Tijuana, Mexico to face super middleweight contender Jaime Munguia.

Few gave Surace a chance, and even if you thought Surace had a chance, with only four knockouts in his twenty-five wins, no one thought Surace could stop the durable Munguia. After the expected Munguia win, he would face Christian Mbilli in a WBC-ordered eliminator, which would be sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Surace was better than advertised and despite losing most of the first five rounds and being knocked down in the second round by a Munguia hook, Surace was hanging around in a fight that he appeared to be overmatched.

That was before Surace bounded off the ropes with a pulverizing right hand that dropped Munguia to the floor.

Munguia bravely beat the count but couldn't continue as the fight ended as what will likely be named the upset of the year for 2024.

Munguia vs Mbilli will be delayed as Munguia will likely look for a chance to redeem himself against Surace as quickly as possible.

Monte Carlo was the site of the first of DAZN's two cards with their main event featuring former WBA and IBF junior featherweight champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev, who knocked Ricardo Espinoza down three times in the third round before the referee stopped the fight in that round.

Akhmadaliev is the best fighter in the division that has yet to meet the undisputed champion, Naoya Inoue, and in winning a WBA minor title,  Akhmadaliev will hopefully receive his chance at "The Monster" sometime in 2025.

In the evening DAZN program, welterweights Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel swapped punches for twelve exciting rounds with the judges deciding on a majority decision draw.

Rocha banked the early rounds by boxing a bit and keeping Curiel at bay from the outside but began to exchange more often, which made the fight more fan-friendly but took away Rocha's tactical advantage.

The scorecards were 116-112 for Rocha and two at 114-114, which is how I saw the fight.

Both fighters seemed amenable to a rematch; considering this fight, a rematch would be well received.

Unbeaten junior middleweight Charles Conwell continued his march to a title shot with a dominating seventh-round knockout of Gerardo Vergara.

Conwell should be in line for either a title chance or a final title eliminator next year.

On Sunday, heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte won a surprisingly entertaining slugfest over Ebenezer Tetteh when Tetteh's corner ended the fight after the seventh round.

Tetteh's only loss entering the fight came to Daniel DuBois via first-round knockout and most expected Tetteh to look for a way out as soon as Whyte hit him but showed plenty of heart in exchanging with Whyte throughout the fight.

Whyte hurt Tettah badly in both the sixth and seventh rounds and the fight was stopped at the right time.

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica: 184 Pts(5)

TRS: 184 Pts (5)

Vince Samano: 116 (1)

Boxing Challenge

 The boxing weekend isn't filled with compelling matchups, but several top contenders are in action, and they will continue to stay sharp for bigger matches in 2025.

ESPN+ and Top Rank bring back super middleweight contender Jaime Munguia in a homecoming bout in Tijuana, Mexico.

Munguia stopped contender Erik Bazinyan in ten exciting rounds in September and faces a question mark in unbeaten Frenchman Bruno Surace, who has faced zero recognizable foes, so who knows how good Surace is.

Munguia stays sharp in his hometown against an opponent he should shine against, which is fine with me considering he's fought Canelo Alvarez and Erik Bazinyan already this year.

DAZN will offer a day/night doubleheader with the opening card's main event pairing former WBA and IBF junior featherweight champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev fighting for a minor title against Ricardo Espinoza in Monte Carlo.

Akhmadaliev has won one fight since his stunning split decision defeat to Marlon Tapales, which cost him his titles and a unification match with Naoya Inoue, while Espinoza lost to his two best opponents in former champions Daniel Roman and John Reil Casimero.

Golden Boy takes over in the evening with a welterweight main event with Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel.

Rocha was in line for a mandatory chance at then-WBO champion Terence Crawford or the vacant title before his surprising knockout loss to Giovani Santillan last October.

Rocha has won twice since and faces the unbeaten Curiel, who has stopped thirteen of his fifteen foes.

This shapes up as the best fight of the weekend.

Junior middleweight contender Charles Conwell continues to stay busy against unbeaten Argentine Gerardo Vergara.

Conwell should be in line for a title shot soon and an impressive win over Vergara would help make his case for a chance in 2025.

DAZN returns on Sunday from Gibraltar with veteran heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte continuing to rebuild his career after his 2022 KO loss to Tyson Fury for Fury's WBC title at the time.

Whyte has defeated Jermaine Franklin and Christian Hammer since losing to Fury and will meet 23-1 Ebenezer Tetteh, who is remembered most for his only loss, a one-round defeat to Daniel DuBois in 2019.

Boxing Challenge

Super Middleweights. 10 Rds 

Jaime Munguia vs Bruno Surace

Ramon Malpica: Munguia KO 6

TRS: Munguia KO 4

Vince Samano: Surace Unanimous Decision

Junior Featherweights 12 Rds

Murodjon Akhmadaliev vs Ricardo Espinoza

R.L; Akhmadaliev Unanimous Decision 

TRS: Akhmadaliev KO 9
V.S:  Espinoza Unanimous Decision

Welterweights 12 Rds

Alexis Rocha vs Raul Curiel

R.L: Curiel KO 9

TRS: Curiel KO 6

V.S: Curiel Unanimous Decision

Junior Middleweights 10 Rds

Charles Conwell vs Gerardo Vergara

R.L:  Conwell KO 7

TRS: Conwell KO 6
V.S; Vergara KO 6

Heavyweights 10 Rds

Dillian Whyte vs Ebenezer Tettah

R.L: Whyte KO 8

TRS: Whyte KO 4

V.S: Tettah KO 6

Boxing Challenge: Navarrete, Espinoza keep titles, Hitchins wins one

    As the final month of 2024 began, the boxing weekend was stuffed to the brim with action from several platforms worldwide, and there were many entertaining battles for the fans' viewing pleasure.

Top Rank and ESPN+ appeared to have two excellent rematches for championships after both original fights were good action fights. However, the best-laid plans can go up in smoke, and both fights were disappointing in different ways.

In the Phoenix main event, Emanuel Navarrete repeated his victory over Oscar Valdez in a far more dominant manner as Navarrete dropped Valdez three times (rounds one, four, and six) and won via knockout after a body shor finished Valdez to retain his WBO junior lightweight crown.

Navarette won by a clear but entertaining unanimous decision in their first fight over Valdez but had struggled to a draw against Robson Conceicao and a loss to Denis Berinchyk in an attempt to win the vacant WBO lightweight title and didn't seem to be putting the time in to prepare properly.

Navarrete was prepared for Valdez and stormed from the gate and never allowed Valdez to get started and won every round on my card.

Navarrete is rumored to perhaps face WBC champion O'Shaquie Foster in a unification match next year while Valdez might need a confidence builder or two after taking a shellacking from Navarrete.

In the co-feature, Robiesy Ramirez appeared to be building a lead against Rafael Espinoza in their rematch for the WBO featherweight title that Espinoza took from Ramirez by a thrilling majority decision last December.

However, seconds into round six, Ramirez ended the fight with a "No Mas" to allow Espinoza to retain the title,

Throughout the fight, Joe Tessitore and Tim Bradley stated that the Ramirez team had told the referee to watch for elbows from Espinoza, which they claimed was a major factor in the first fight, and sure enough, that's exactly what Ramirez complained about in the post-fight interview and used as his reason for quitting-double vision caused by elbows that the referee did nothing to stop.

Ramirez is reported to have suffered a broken orbital bone around his right eye, which lends some credibility to his surrender.

I gave Ramirez the first four rounds and while I gave the fifth to Espinoza, it was a close round.

The judges saw it closer with two judges scoring Ramirez up by one point and the other with an incredulous card of a three-point lead for Espinoza, which I don't see in any case.

On the undercard, welterweight contender Giovani Santillan rebounded from his first loss to Brian Norman, when veteran Frederick Lawson surrendered after one round, and unbeaten junior welterweight Lindolfo Delgado knocked out Jackson Marinez in five rounds.

Richardson Hitchins won the IBF junior welterweight title in San Juan Puerto Rico via a split decision over Australia's Liam Paro.

Paro started quickly but Hitchens dominated the second half of the fight and I thought won easily at 116-112.

Two judges agreed with me at 116-112 for Hitchins with a way out of bounds score for Paro at 117-111.

Hitchins called for WBO champion Teofimo Lopez after the fight, which I find highly unlikely with Hitchins's boxing style known for bothering Lopez, differing promoters, and Hitchins not bringing a large paycheck to the table.

Unbeaten junior lightweight Henty LeBron earned his biggest career win with a unanimous decision win over former world title challenger Christopher Diaz.

I thought the fight was close for LeBron at 96-94 which was the same as one judge with the other two scoring for LeBron 97-93.

LeBron scored well with counters against Diaz, who marched forward the entire fight and deserves future fights against young prospects after a strong performance.

A fun and entertaining heavyweight match between two veterans over forty for a minor title may not have been at the world-class level but it was worth watching with two former world title challengers hooked up in Sofia Bulgaria.

In the end, it was the hometown fighter, Kubrat Pulev boxing a bit smoother with the jab and Pulev's more active offense that earned him the WBA minor title by unanimous decision over Mahmoud Charr.

Pulev's scores were 117-11 times two and 116-112 with my score at 117-111 for Pulev.

The question for me will be this, will Pulev eventually decide to keep himself as the eventual WBA mandatory challenger for a title attempt? Or at 43, will he use the "title" to bring mid-level heavyweights to Bulgaria and earn Pulev larger paydays than he could dream of making anywhere else?

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica:  179 Pts (11)

TRS: 179 Pts (11)

Vince Samano: 115 Pts (7)

Boxing Challenge

     It's a packed boxing weekend with ESPN/Top Rank leading the pack with two rematches of action title battles from Phoenix Arizona.

Emanuel Navarrete returns to the junior lightweight division to defend a title that he had hoped to jettison, as he defends the WBO belt against Oscar Valdez in a rematch of their thrilling August 2023 war.

Since then Navarrete drew with Robson Conceicao and lost a split decision to Denis Berinchyk for the vacant WBO lightweight title, while Valdez nabbed the WBO interim belt with a seventh-round knockout of Liam Wilson, which most assumed would see Valdez elevated to the full title with Navarrete favored to win the lightweight title,

Their first fight was exciting and this one should be as well, the question is this- How motivated is Navarrete to return to the division to fight someone he has already beaten, and will the drop in weight drain the champion and cost him late in the fight?

In the co-feature, Rafael Espinoza will attempt to repeat his surprising win over Robeisy Ramirez in a rematch for the WBO featherweight title.

Espinoza entered their first fight unbeaten and untested and won a majority decision with both fighters scoring knockdowns.

The 6'1 Espinoza is extremely tall for a featherweight and holds a sizable advantage over the former gold medalist, Ramirez.

Ramirez did have distractions entering their first fight. His father, still in Cuba, was in serious condition, and he says he will be better prepared for the rematch.

This is an extremely close fight and I've been back and forth on my pick, it's that close.

Also on the card, unbeaten junior welterweight contender Lindolfo Delgado faces veteran Jackson Marinez and welterweight Giovani Santillan returns after his first defeat, losing via tenth-round knockout to Brian Norman for the then-vacant WBO title, against journeyman Fredrick Lawson.

DAZN takes the stage with a Matchroom card from Puerto Rico as IBF junior welterweight champion Liam Paro will defend the title against mandatory challenger Richardson Hitchens for the first time.

Paro upset Subriel Matias in June to win the title while Hitchens won a close unanimous decision over Gustavo Lemos in April to secure the mandatory position.

Unbeaten junior lightweight Henry Lebron returns from a thirteen-month layoff against former world title challenger Christopher Diaz in the co-feature.

Also from DAZN, a minor heavyweight title isn't the attraction but an evenly matched fight between two former title challengers past forty is , as Kubrat Pulev faces Mahmoud Charr in what could be fun or a bore.

Boxing Challenge

WBO Junior Lightweight Title 12 Rds

Emanuel Navarrete vs Oscar Valdez

All: Navarrete Unanimous Decision

WBO Featherweight Title. 12 Rds

Rafael Espinoza vs Robeisy Ramirez

Ramon Malpica: Espinoza KO 8

TRS and Vince Samano: Espinoza Unanimous Decision

Junior Welterweights, 10 Rds

Lindolfo Delgado vs Jackosn Marinez

R.L and V.S: Delgado KO 8

TRS: Delgado KO 5

Welterweights. 10 Rds

Giovani Santillan vs Fredrick Lawson

R.L:  Santillan KO 5

TRS: Santillan KO 4

V.S: Lawson Unanimous Decision

WBO Junior Welterweight Title 12 Rds

Liam Paro vs Richardson Hitchins

R.L and TRS: Paro Unanimous Decision

V.S: Hitchins Unanimous Decision

Junior Lightweights. 10 Rds

Henry Lebron vs Christopher Diaz

R.L and TRS: Lebron Unanimous Decision

V.S: Diaz Unanimous Decision

Heavyweights. 12 Rds

Kubrat Pulev vs Mahmoud Charr

All: Pulev Unanimous Decision

Boxing Challenge: Yafai stops Edwards

      The only fight on the world title scene last weekend was expected to be a nip-and-tuck affair with both fighters having their fair share of support for a minor flyweight title.

Considering the combatants were a former champion with only one loss and an unbeaten Olympic gold medalist, it was reasonable to pick either fighter to win.

This means, of course, that the fight was a lopsided beatdown and would see one of the more memorable scenes from a fight that didn't happen during the action.

Gal Yafai's six-round battering of former IBF flyweight champion Sunny Edwards was surprising as the former Gold Medal winner swarmed over Edwards from the start and never allowed him to breathe.

The surprising part was how passive Edwards was in defeat and his remarkable admission between rounds two and three that he really didn't want to be in the ring.

That's almost unheard of to hear from a world class fighter and for Edwards, who announced his retirement after the fight, it may have explained how he fought so limply after battling bravely in his only career defeat to Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez just two fights before.

As for Yafai, he dominated a former world champion, picked up a minor title, and is in a position to battle Japanese star Kenshiro Teraji for Teraji's WBC flyweight title next year in Japan which is likely to be an exciting pairing.

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica: 168 Pts (0)

TRS: 168 Pts (0)

Vince Samano: 108 Pts (1)

Boxing Challenge

   Only one match on a tepid boxing weekend and it's from Matchroom/DAZN from Birmingham, England for an interim flyweight title.

Former IBF champion Sunny Edwards faces 2020 Olympic gold medalist Gal Yafai for the minor title with the winner in position to next face WBC champion Kenshiro Teraji.

Edwards has fought once since the battering that he took in a courageous losing effort to Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez. winning a technical decision in eight rounds over former IBF light flyweight champion Adrian Curiel.

Yafai hasn't faced anyone of Edwards caliber as a pro but his extensive amateur career will carry him well against the former champion.

Edwards is a smooth boxer but lacks much of a wallop and Yafai is the harder puncher of the two.

The key here is how much has the punishment that Edwards took from Bam Rodriguez affected his ability to take a punch?

Yafai will test that and if Edwards retained his chin, this is a 50/50 fight.

Boxing Challenge

Flyweights 12 Rds

Sunny Edwards vs Gal Yafai

R.L and TRS: Yafai Unanimous Decision

V.S: Edwards KO 9

Boxing Challenge: Ramirez, Collazo unify, Barboza, Zepeda win

    After a Friday that saw the attention of the sports world focused on Arlington, Texas, the true boxing fan turned their eyes to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for an excellent card from Golden Boy Promotions.

In the main event, Gilberto Ramirez added the WBO cruiserweight title to the WBA version that he possessed entering the fight with a unanimous victory over Chris Billam-Smith.

Ramirez finally appears to have found a weight division that he comfortably resides in and he was able to control the always brave Billam-Smith throughout the fight.

Billam-Smith bravely fought through a nasty cut and landed his share of punches during a fight that was more interesting than expected.

Ramirez is expected to meet IBF champion Jai Opietaia next with three of the four titles at stake and Billam-Smith will always have fights available due to his proclivity for entertaining battles.

Junior welterweight Arnold Barboza notched the biggest win of his career with a unanimous decision win over former WBC and WBO champion Jose Ramirez in a pairing of two former stablemates.

Barboza landed the jab with ease against a listless Ramirez, who seems to have lost the fire for boxing in a career headed for stardom.

I've always thought Barboza was a solid contender that might be lacking that small difference between champion and challenger but it's more than time for Barboza to receive that chance.

As for Ramirez, he once appeared to be a star in the making but for various reasons turned down big fights and championship opportunities and if his energy has departed, he should consider retiring.

Lightweight contender William Zepeda is ranked first by all four sanctioning bodies but Zepeda was very fortunate to skim by former IBF junior lightweight champion Tevin Farmer by split decision.

Farmer isn't noted as a strong puncher but knocked Zepeda down in the fourth round and was just slick enough to trouble Zepeda, who usually overwhelms his opponents with constant offense.

Zepeda did enough offensively to get by Farmer, who has revitalized his career in recent days but this fight could have gone to either fighter close.

Scores were 95-94 times two for Zepeda and 95-94 for Farmer, which was my score.

This fight had several close rounds, so if I rewatched it, my score could change in a very close match.

The best performance on the card may have been Oscar Collazo's, who ended the reign of Knockout CP Freshmart, which was the longest in boxing entering the fight, taking his WBA minimumweight title by a seventh round knockout.

Collazo added the WBA title to the WBO belt that he held after knocking Freshmart down three times, once in the sixth and twice in the seventh with the fight ending without a count.

Collazo stated he wanted a full unified title, which has never happened in this division and is unlikely but showed the type of talent that might see him become a multi-division champion.

Oscar Duarte hammered out a unanimous decision over Batyr Akhmendov in the opening fight.

Akhmendov was effective early and banked some rounds but Duarte landed the harder punches and was the more effective fighter down the stretch.

Scorecards for Duarte at 96-94 (same as mine), 97-93 and 98-92.

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica: 168 Pts (5)

TRS: 168 Pts (7)
Vince Samano: 107 Pts (2) 

Tyson-Paul overshadowed, Taylor, Barrios win

     Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson may have attracted the media and fan attention but while that sideshow may have been the main event, the real fights directly under it on the card were the saving grace in salvaging the evening.

While the main event lacked any excitement after round one as I gave Tyson the first round and then Paul won the next seven rounds backing away from a rapidly tiring former champion (I scored Paul the winner 79-73), the semi-main gave the fans more than their money's worth as Katie Taylor notched her second close decision win over Amanda Serrano in a terrific battle.

Serrano threw and landed more than Taylor, who was more efficient and landed harder punches.

Taylor headbutted Serrano several times, opening an ugly cut over Serrano's right eye via a fourth-round headbutt, Taylor would lose a point on the scorecards for a headbutt in round eight but the headbutt wouldn't figure in the decision with the three judges agreeing for Taylor by a score of 95-94.

I thought Serrano won at 95-94 but the result wasn't a robbery at all.

I would have no problems seeing these two hook it up one more time in the future.

Mario Barrios retained his WBC welterweight title when he drew with veteran Abel Ramos..

Barrios was dominating the fight when Ramos knocked Barrios down in round six with the champion fortunate to survive the round.

Ramos was knocked down in the second and Barrios was robbed of a knockdown in the first round when Ramos's glove touched the canvas and should have ruled a knockdown.

Had Barrios received credit for the knockdown, he would have won by split decision.

The official scores were 116-110 for Barrios, 114-112 for Ramos, and even 113-113.

I scored for Barrios 114-112 and even though Barrios-Ramos was an excellent action fight, Barrios is one of the most vulnerable champions in the sport after being pushed to the limit by the aging Ramos.

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica: 163 Pts (0)

TRS: 161 Pts (1)
Vince Samano: 105 Pts (2)

Boxing Challenge

        The boxing weekend has started in Arlington, Texas but it ends in Riyadh with a solid Golden Boy card with two world champion unifications, the top lightweight contender in action, and two top junior welterweights finally facing off.

The main event will unify two cruiserweight titlists as WBA champion Gilberto Ramirez meets WBO king Chris Billam-Smith for more than only two titles but the likely chance to next meet IBF champion Jai Opietaia, who is thought by most as the top cruiserweight in the world.

Both are coming off impressive wins as Ramirez won his title over Arsen Goulamirian, while Billam-Smith defended his title by avenging his only career defeat over Richard Riakporhe.

This has the chance to be an excellent fight but both men aren't afraid to clinch and grab, so that is a concern for this one.

The undercard is excellent, with junior welterweight contenders Jose Ramirez and Arnold Barboza battling in a WBO eliminator featuring two fighters who were once under the same management.

Ramirez once held the WBC and WBO titles but hasn't seemed to be motivated in recent years and has been noted more for turning down big fights than recent ring action of late.

Barboza is unbeaten but struggled earlier this year in a split-decision win against Sean McComb.

A fighter is rarely the number one contender in all four sanctioning bodies but lightweight William Zepeda is the exception and the whirlwind will face slick boxing former IBF junior lightweight titleholder Tevin Farmer for a minor title.

Zepeda's aggressiveness is always in play, and Farmer's boxing style might be an excellent test for Zepeda against boxers before his title chance.

Farmer narrowly lost a unanimous decision in July to contender Raymond Muratalla, which brought Farmer back into the world title picture.

A strawweight title unification seldom occurs but the best two fighters in the division will unify in that division as WBO champion Oscar Collazo will meet WBA king Knockout CP Freshmart.

The unbeaten Collazo has defended his title three times while Freshmart is unbeaten in twenty-five fights.

The opener will be a welterweight ten-rounder between Oscar Duarte and late replacement Batyr Akhmedov.

Duarte knocked out former junior lightweight champion Joseph Diaz in his last fight, while Akhmedov has lost all three of his fights by close decision, including an awful loss that I thought he won easily against current WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios.

Boxing Challenge

Unification WBA-WBO Cruiserweight Titles. 12 Rds

Gilberto Ramirez vs Chris Billam-Smith

Ramon Malpica and TRS: Ramirez Unanimous Decision
Vince Samano: Billam-Smith Unanimous Decision

Junior Welterweights. 12 Rds

Jose Ramirez vs Arnold Barboza

R.L: Ramirez Unanimous Decision
TRS: Barboza Unanimous Decision
V.S: Ramirez KO 6

Lightweights. 10 Rds

William Zepeda vs Tevin Farmer

R.L and TRS: Zepeda Unanimous Decision
V.S: Farmer Unanimous Decision

Unification WBA-WBO Strawweight Titles. 12 Rds

C.P. Freshmart vs Oscar Collazo

R.L: and TRS: Collazo Unanimous Decision
V.S: Freshmart Unanimous Decision

Welterweights. 12 Rds

Oscar Duarte vs Batyr Akhmedov

R.L: Duarte KO 8
TRS: Duarte Split Decision
V.S: Duarte Unanimous Decision

Boxing Challenge

      The boxing challenge will see two fights from the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul undercard take place, both with world titles at risk.

In the men's title bout, arguably the least deserving welterweight champion in years defends his WBC title against an equally undeserving challenger as Mario Barrios battles Abel Ramos.

Barrios, who somehow turned a knockout loss to WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis and the achievement of being the only person to lose to Keith "No Time" Thurman in this decade, into an interim title shot against Yordenis Ugas and was then promoted to full champion , can be a fun fighter when matched properly (not against the best in the division) and appears to be so matched against the veteran Ramos, who has lost three of his last five fights but always tries to give his best.

So while Barrios-Ramos could be an entertaining matchup, it's far from a worthy welterweight championship pairing,

The co-feature to Tyson-Paul is a rematch of arguably the biggest fight in women's boxing history as undisputed junior welterweight champion Katie Taylor meets Amanda Serrano in a return bout of their 2022 fight from Madison Square Garden that saw Taylor win a split decision.

While Serrano has been a professional for many more years than Taylor. Serrano is actually the younger fighter at thirty-six to Taylor's thirty-eight.

Neither woman is quite the same as they were two years ago and there is a little slippage from both fighters but it may make another excellent action battle.

Boxing Challenge

WBC Welterweight Title. 12 Rds 

Mario Barrios vs Abel Ramos

Ramon Malpica and TRS: Barrios Unanimous Decision
Vince Samano: Ramos Unanimous Decision

Women's Undisputed Junior Welterweight Title. 12 rds

Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano

R.L: Serrano Split Decision
TRS: Taylor Split Decision
V.S:  Taylor Unanimous Decision

Boxing Challenge: Ennis, Rodriguez retain titles.

      Two young champions defended their titles in Philadelphia with one dazzling and the other given a surprisingly difficult battle.

In the main event, IBF welterweight boss, Jaron "Boots" Ennis repeated his 2023 unanimous decision victory over Karin Chukhadzian but differently than in their first fight.

Chukhadzian spent their first fight in reverse and while he lasted the distance against Ennis, Chukhadzian made no fans in doing so and was the subject of raspberries entering the fight for receiving another undeserved mandated title opportunity.

To the surprise of everyone, including Ennis, Chukhadzian changed his tactics completely by embracing an aggressive attack, marching forward, and landing punches that few would have expected before the fight.

Chukhadzian even won a few rounds but was sent to a knee in round five from an Ennis charge and was deducted a point for holding in the tenth round.

Ennis won easily on the scorecards 119-107, 117-109, and 116-110, the latter was the same as mine but he took many more punches than expected and talked of possibly moving up to junior middleweight and vacating his welterweight title.

And while I have no desire to see Ennis-Chukhadzian III,  Chukhadzian's effort makes me want to see him against other fighters, something I didn't think I'd ever write entering this fight.

The star of the night made his appearance in the co-feature as Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez crushed former light flyweight champion Pedro Guevara in three rounds.

Rodriguez dropped Guevara in the third round with Guevara rising but was floored by an uppercut that ended the show without a count.

Rodriguez is rumored to possibly face Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez in what would be a big purse for each fighter but might not be competitive in the ring.

Raymond Ford looked very impressive in dominating Orlando Gonzalez in his junior lightweight bow, winning a unanimous decision and knocking Gonzalez down in the second and eighth,.

Ford won by scores of 100-88 times two (and my score) and 99-89 and looked like he could have a serious chance at a world title at 130 pounds.

In Bayamon, Puerto Rico, former IBF junior welterweight champion Subriel Matias returned from his upset loss to Liam Paro to knock out Roberto Ramirez in two rounds finishing Ramirez with a shot to the body.

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica: 163 Pts (6)

TRS: 160 Pts (7)

Vince Samano:103 Pts (7)

Boxing Challenge: Davis Destroys Lemos

     Gustavo Lemos didn't show very much respect for the game when he missed weight for a lightweight title eliminator by a full division.

Keyshawn Davis would make Lemos pay for his lack of respect as Davis knocked Lemos down three times in the second round to force the referee to shorten the evening in Davis's homecoming to his native Norfolk, Virginia.

Lemos entered the fight after his first loss to junior welterweight contender Richardson Hitchins and somehow thought he was going to drop five pounds to fight Davis in a lightweight eliminator.

It was thought that Lemos could enter the ring at over one hundred fifty pounds, raising questions about Davis's ability to handle a larger fighter.

None of that mattered as Davis overwhelmed Lemos in the second with three knockdowns and showed complete control with an impressive victory that is likely to move Davis into a title opportunity against WBO lightweight champion Denys Barinchyk in his next bout.

Barinchyk is a talented champion as he showed in his upset of Emanuel Navarrete to win the vacant title but Davis is a step above in talent and I would favor Davis in that matchup.

The better question might be will Barinchyk take more money to defend against Davis in Norfolk or fight in a neutral site that gives him a better chance to win?

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica: 157 Pts (1)

TRS: 153 Pts (1)
Vince Samano: 96 Pts  (2)

Boxing Challenge

     The boxing challenge heads to Philadelphia with two of the brightest young champions in the sport defending their titles on a Matchroom/DAZN card.

The main event is a rematch of a fight that no one wanted to see once, let alone twice.

IBF welterweight champion Jaron "Boots" Ennis looked as poor as he had previously in a spectacular career when he won every round against a reluctant Karen Chukhadzhian in January 2023.

Chukhadzhian was determined only to last the distance, not to attempt to upset Ennis and every round was similar.

Most figured that was all that would be seen from Chukhadzhian but he won three fights against middling to average competition with the best win a decision over Harry Scarff, who is a fine domestic fighter in England but not world-class.

Those wins returned Chukhadzhian to the top of the IBF ratings and an undeserved rematch of a fight that was unwanted once.

Ennis had no choice but to make the fight or lose his title from the strip-happy IBF and I look for Ennis to attack and try to make this look as ridiculous as it is with an early knockout.

Another young superstar will defend his title as WBC junior bantamweight king Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez will defend his title against former WBC light flyweight champion Pedro Guevara.

Rodriguez earned his biggest career victory in his last fight when he stopped Juan Francisco Estrada in seven rounds to win the WBC title while Guevara upset Andrew Moloney via a split decision in May in Moloney's native Australia to earn his title shot.

Guevara has never been stopped in his four losses, so a knockout win by Rodriguez would be an added bonus to his expected triumph.

Former WBA featherweight champion Raymond Ford moves to the junior lightweight division for the first time against Orlando Gonzalez.

Ford won his title with an electric final round knockout of Otabek Kholmatov in March and came right back in June against Nick Ball on the "Five vs Five" card between Queensbury and Matchroom promotions.

Ford lost a split decision to Ball that was a very close fight and the best matchup on the Five vs Five card.

Ford faces Orlando Gonzalez, who once lost a decision to former WBO featherweight champion Robiesy Ramirez, who appears to be the perfect foil for Ford's junior lightweight debut.

In Puerto Rico, former IBF junior welterweight champion Subriel Matias returns from his title loss to Liam Paro against Roberto Ramirez in a fight that is somehow on pay-per-view.

Matias was considered to be the champion no one wanted to face before his loss to Paro and he'll attempt to rejuvenate his career against Ramirez, who has been stopped by William Zepeda and Abel Ramos and is being brought in to boost Matias with a spectacular knockout.

Boxing Challenge

IBF Welterweight Title. 12 rds

Jaron Ennis vs  Karen Chukhadzhian 

Ramon Malpica: Ennis KO 7
TRS: Ennis KO 3
Vince Samano: Ennis Unanimous Decision

WBC Junior Bantamweight Title. 12 Rds

Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez vs Pedro Guevara

R.L: Rodriguez Unanimous Decision
TRS: Rodriguez KO 10
V.S: Rodriguez KO 7

Junior Lightweights 10 Rds

Raymond Ford vs Orlando Gonzalez

All: Ford Unanimous Decision

Junior Welterweights 10 Rds

Subriel Matias vs Roberto Ramirez

R.L: Matias KO 7
TRS: Matias KO 5
V.S: Matias Unanimous Decision

Boxing Challenge

     It's a Friday night main event from ESPN for the boxing challenge.

Undefeated lightweight Keyshawn Davis fights in what was a scheduled title eliminator but is now an over-the-weight bout with Gustavo Lemos, who missed weight by a few pounds.

Davis decisioned veteran Miguel Madueno in July and assuming that he defeats Lemos, Top Rank is targeting WBO champion Denys Barinchyk for an early 2025 challenge by Davis's first world title opportunity.

Lemos suffered his first loss in a junior welterweight eliminator to Richardson Hitchins in April and it seemed odd that he was in a lightweight eliminator after losing and dropping in weight.

Boxing Challenge

Lightweights 12 Rds

Keyshawn Davis vs Gustavo Lemos

R.L.Malpica and TRS: Davis Unanimous Decision

Vince Samano:  Davis KO 5

Boxing Challenge: Foster regains title

       The first fight between Robson Conceicao and O'Shaquie Foster is better remembered for the controversial decision than the actual fight.

Their second fight was far more entertaining but this time the right man received the decision as Foster regained the WBC junior lightweight title that he lost to Conceicao via split decision. 

Conceciao took the early rounds, Foster took over in the middle rounds, and the late rounds were fought evenly with the winner of those rounds in the eye of the beholder.

Two judges scored for Foster 115-113 (same as mine) with the other's card favoring Conceicao 115-113, all of which are very reasonable scores.

Foster may next face the winner of December's WBO title encounter between Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez in a unification bout, while Conceciao will look to establish himself for a third fight with Foster, which seems far more interesting now than it did before Saturday night.

The outstanding performance of the weekend was by lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla, who smashed durable Jesus Perez in two rounds.

Perez had never been stopped in losses to WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman, welterweight contender Alexis Rocha, or former title challenger Danielito Zorrilla but Muratalla blitzed Perez in only two rounds with the type of outing that fighters that are prepared for a championship attempt make.

Muratalla is expected to challenge IBF champion Vasyl Lomachenko, should Lomachenko decide to continue boxing.

If Lomachenko retires, as is rumored, Muratalla would fight for the vacant title against Zaur Abdulaev as the highest-rated available challengers in the IBF ratings.

Abraham Nova and Humberto Galindo struggled to a draw in a dull junior lightweight ten-rounder.

Neither fighter deserved the win with one judge scoring 95-95 (my score) with the others scoring 96-94 for Nova and 97-93 for Galindo.

In Las Vegas, unbeaten lightweight prospect Floyd Schofield defeated solid Rene Tellez Giron by unanimous decision in another fight that was more interesting than anticipated as Schofield was willing to exchange more than predicted and make things entertaining.

Schofield did slow down in his first twelve-rounder as Tellez-Giron won a few late rounds and scored a flash knockdown in the eleventh round.

Schofield won on the cards 118-109 times two and 116-111. I scored 117-110 for Schofield, who is over-ranked by the WBA at second in the world.

Schofield is talented but Tellez-Giron is his biggest win and that doesn't qualify him to be rated second in the world.

In what was scheduled to be a WBA super middleweight eliminator but was reduced after Bektemir Melikuziev missed weight, and then is reported to have struggled with David Stevens (I haven't seen it yet) in winning a split decision.

Scores 118-110 and 117-111 for Melikuziev and 116-112 for Stevens.

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica: 156 Pts (5)

TRS: 152 Pts (5)

Vince Samano: 94 Pts (3) 

Boxing Challenge: Ortiz returns

   Two Friday main events in the boxing challenge saw interesting bouts with contender Jamaine Ortiz dropping late replacement Cristian Mino four times before the fight was mercifully stopped in round four.

Ortiz vowed before the fight that he was going to scrap the boxing style that allowed him to fight close fights with Vasyl Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez and planned to make more exciting fights.

Ortiz lived up to those statements against Mino but time will tell if Ortiz actually exchanges toe to toe with the best in the division or how effectively he will be in such swaps.

Earlier in the day from Belfast, Northern Ireland, junior welterweight Robbie Davies narrowly defeated Javier Fortuna in a ten-rounder filled with sloppy exchanges and physicality without lots of punches landed.

Fortuna scored the only knockdown with under a minute in the tenth round but Davies would survive until the final bell.

In the ridiculous English system that has only the referee judging the fight in a non-title event, Davies was judged the winner 95-94.

I scored Fortuna the winner 95-94.

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica : 151 Pts (2)

TRS: 147 Pts (2)

Vince Samano: 91 Pts (3) 

 

Boxing Challenge

       The boxing challenge on Saturday will feature two different cards with a world title at stake, a promising contender, a title eliminator, and a prospect who could be a future champion in the Saturday matchups.

The main event from Top Rank/ESPN+ will be a rematch for the WBC junior lightweight title after a controversial first fight saw Robson Conceicao win an extremely unpopular decision to take the title from O'Shaquie Foster.

I had Foster winning easily at 117-111 and others had the score even more lopsided towards Foster, so the only surprise was that the normally silly WBC ordered an immediate rematch between the two.

Foster was more efficient, landing more despite throwing fewer punches but Conceicao claims he had an illness during camp and he'll be a different fighter in the rematch.

The co-feature will see lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla against veteran Jesus Perez.

The unbeaten Muratalla is nearing a title shot while the veteran Perez upset former junior lightweight champion Joseph Diaz in his last fight.

Junior lightweight contender Abraham Nova attempts to cut a two-fight losing streak against Humberto Galindo.

Nova lost a split decision to O'Shaquie Foster for Foster's WBC title and then lost a unanimous decision to unbeaten Andres Cortes, which I thought Nova clearly deserved.

Galindo lost in his two attempts to move into the world level to Artem Hartyunyan by decision and was stopped in nine by Raymond Muratalla.

The other two fights come from Golden Boy/DAZN from Las Vegas with unbeaten lightweight prospect Floyd Schofield in the main event against Rene Tellez Giron in a twelve-rounder.

Schofield is fighting his first twelve-rounder against Giron, who has twice upset well-connected unbeaten boxers in Karlos Balderas and George Acosts, so while Schofield's skills make him a deserved favorite, Giron has pulled off surprising wins before.

In what was scheduled to be a WBA super middleweight eliminator, Bektemir Melikuziev is scheduled to face David Stevens but "Bek the Bully" missed weight and is ineligible for the eliminator.

Boxing Challenge

WBC Junior Lightweight Title 12 Rds

Robson Conceicao vs O'Shaquie Foster

All: Foster Unanimous Decision

Lightweights. 10 Rds

Raymond Muratalla vs Jesus Perez

Ramon Malpica; Muratalla KO 7
TRS: Muratalla Unanimous Decision
Vince Samano: Perez Unanimous Decision

Junior Lightweights. 10 Rds

Abraham Nova vs Humberto Galindo

R.L and TRS: Nova Unanimous Decision

V.S: Galindo KO 8

Lightweights 12 Rds

Floyd Schofield vs Rene Tellez Giron

R.L: Schofield KO 10

TRS and V.S: Schofield Unanimous Decision

Super Middleweights. 10 Rds

Bektemir Melikuziev vs David Stevens

R.L: Melikuziev Unanimous Decision

TRS: Melikuziev KO 5

V.S: Stevens Unanimous Decision