ACROSS THE GLOBE
Eric Armit rounds up action from three different continents
GILBERTO RAMIREZ retained his WBO super-middleweight title on Friday December 14 with another close decision over old rival Jesse Hart on a Top Rank promotion at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. There were three phases to this fight – the first seven rounds, rounds eight to 11, and a drama-filled last round that decided the outcome.
Mexican Ramirez (167 1/4lbs) dominated the first phase, with Philadelphia’s Hart (167 1/2lbs) being completely outboxed and outpunched. Ramirez scored with long southpaw jabs and then moved inside to rake Hart with body punches. Ramirez continued to boss the fight, snapping Hart’s head back with sharp lefts. By the seventh, Hart was already looking dispirited. That all changed in the eighth.
Hart stormed forward, forcing Ramirez back and landing hooks to the body. The change was due to Ramirez injuring his left elbow. With the early lead Ramirez had built, even after winning the eighth Hart still needed either a knockout or a 10-8 round to win the fight. He continued to connect heavily over the ninth, 10th and 11th. In the 12th, however, it became obvious that Hart had punched himself out and had nothing left.
Ramirez battered Hart around the ring, with Hart stumbling and almost out on his feet. Hart then landed a huge right uppercut, leaving Ramirez on the ropes and soaking up heavy head punches, but somehow he made to the bell. Javier Alvarez and Chris Flores both scored the fight 115-113 to Ramirez, while Lynne Carter saw it 114-114, with Ramirez winning a majority verdict. Laurence Cole refereed. Ramirez, 39-0 (25), will now look to move up to light-heavyweight. Hart, 25-2 (21), meanwhile, will likely wait to see the lie of the land when Ramirez leaves the 168-pound division.
Joseph Parker earned a much-needed win with a third-round knockout of Alexander Flores on a Duco Events show at Horncastle Arena in Christchurch, New Zealand on Saturday December 15. Parker (238lbs) took the fight to Flores (240 3/4lbs) from the opening bell. He forced Flores to the ropes and threw lefts and rights to the head. Flores showed a useful jab and tried some right crosses, but Parker did enough to win the round.
Parker drove Flores to the corner at the start of the second and launched plenty of punches. Some got through, some were blocked and some were low. Parker continued to push Flores back and connect with heavy rights to the head. Another low punch just before the bell saw Flores given some very brief recovery time.
Parker pinned Flores to the ropes at the beginning of the third. He landed a couple of good head punches but also a low left hook. This time referee John Conway issued the New Zealander with a warning. Parker then scored with a big right to the head that dropped Flores to his knees. The Californian made it to his feet, but Parker connected with seven consecutive head punches which left Flores on his back under the bottom rope for a KO at 2-51. A devastating finish but a controversial win due to the number of low shots from Parker. The former WBO heavyweight champion moves to 25-2 (19). Flores falls to 17-2-1 (15).
On a card staged by Union Boxing Promotion, Artem Dalakian had no trouble retaining his WBA flyweight belt against poor challenger Gregorio Lebron in an ugly, one-sided contest on Saturday December 15 at the Parkovy Convention Centre in Kiev, Ukraine.
Dalakian (111lbs) was far too quick and slick for Lebron (112lbs). The Ukrainian zoomed around the ring, jumping in and landing two or three fast punches, before either leaping out or clinging tight to Lebron. The wild Dominican challenger was frustrated and hardly landed a punch, but it did not help that Dalakian wrestled him to the floor seven or eight times.
Dalakian recorded a knockdown in the second and three more in the sixth. Having leapt immediately to his feet after the fourth knockdown, Lebron was ready and able to continue, but the referee counted to ‘eight’ and then bizarrely waived the fight off, which left not only Lebron but also Dalakian surprised. Dalakian is now 18-0 (13), while Lebron is 21-5 (16).
THE VERDICT Ramirez and Hart combine to produce another action-packed battle.