ACTION ROUND-UP
In his international round-up, Eric Armit wonders whether we have another Japanese prodigy on our hands
Featuring the latest Japanese starlet
JULY 14 TOKYO, JAPAN
No. 8 strawweight GINJIRO SHIGEOKA (6-0) exchanged hard punches with TOSHIKI KAWAMITSU (6-1) in the first round then floored him with a right in the second. Kawamitsu beat the count but was then staggered by another right and a straight left, before the fight was stopped. Southpaw Shigeoka, 21, was 56-1 in his time in the amateurs. Another Japanese prodigy?
JULY 16 TALISAY CITY, PHILIPPINES
Some clever boxing from No. 10 strawweight MELVIN JERUSALEM (17-2) saw him outpoint TOTO LANDERO (116-2). Jerusalem boxed for most of the fight on the back foot, scoring well with his jab at distance and countering the advancing Landero, who never stopped coming forward. The scores were 118-110 twice and 116-112 for Jerusalem. On the undercard, flyweight DAVE APOLINARIO (15-0) stopped CHARLIE MALUPANGUE (9-5-3) in four rounds. Meanwhile, at featherweight, JEO SANTISIMA (21-3) destroyed ALAN ALBERCA (11-5) in 101 seconds. Santisima floored Alberca with a left hook to the body and then put him down and out with a left hook to the head. Santisima’s only loss in his last 20 fights was on an 11th-round stoppage against the No. 3-ranked Emanuel Navarrete in February last year.
CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO
Despite some strange scoring, LOURDES JUAREZ (32-2 1NC) deservedly defeated DIANA FERNANDEZ (23-4). Fernandez took the opening round but then Juarez dominated the action. She was on the front foot, taking the fight to Fernandez and landing with power and speed. Juarez looked to have won clearly, but the judges saw a much closer bout. The scores were 96-95 and 95-94 for Juarez, against 96-94 for Fernandez. Juarez’s WBC female super-flyweight belt was on the line.
SHAWINIGAN, CANADA
YVES ULYSSE JNR (20-2) floored DAVID THEROUX (16-5) twice and stopped him in five rounds at super-lightweight. Theroux was put down by a short right hook in the second, and was dropped again by a right in the fifth. Theroux beat the count but just walked back to his corner in surrender. Ulysse had lost a competitive decision to Ismael Barroso in December 2019.
LADISPOLI, ITALY
MATTIA FARAONI (7-1-1) won the Italian cruiserweight title when champion FRANCESCO VERSACI (21-4-1) retired after five rounds with an injured right shoulder. These two had met in March, with the bout being ruled a technical draw after one round when Versaci was unable to continue after a punch to the back of his neck.
GROSSETO, ITALY
Champion VAIRO LENTI (9-4-1) had no trouble retaining the Italian lightweight title as he outboxed perennial challenger LUCA MACCARONI (16-7-4). Lenti constantly found openings for his jab and used some slick footwork and accurate
counters to pile up the points. Despite Maccaroni’s constant pressure, Lenti never lost control of the fight. The scores were 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93 for Lenti. It was a fourth unsuccessful challenge for a national title for Maccaroni.
JULY 17 BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
Cruiserweight RYAD MERHY (30-1) scored three knockdowns and halted China’s ZHAOXIN ZHANG (10-2-1) in the eighth round. Merhy put Zhang down in the second but it was more of a slip. A solid left hook floored Zhang in the third and he took steady punishment before a left hook put him down again in the eighth, leading the fight to be stopped. Zhang came in as a substitute on only five weeks’ notice and his lack of experience showed.
In two super-lightweight fights, HOVHANNES MARTIROSYAN (12-0) beat RENALD GARRIDO (25-29-3) when the Frenchman retired after eight rounds with a jaw injury, while ANTOINE VANACKERE (17-1) was lucky to squeeze past NAZRI RAHIMOV (9-3) on scores of 95-93 twice and 95-94. Elsewhere, superfeatherweight MIKO KHATCHATRYAN (13-0) floored Ghanaian MICHAEL PAPPOE (26-8) twice and KO’D him in three rounds. Cruiserweight YOURI
KAYEMBRE KALENGA (27-6) knocked out MIKHEIL KHUTSISHVILI (31-44-6) in the first round with a ‘phantom punch’, while strong French super-middleweight KEVIN LELE SADJO (16-0) decisioned experienced Argentine JAVIER MACIEL (33-13) on scores of 79-72, 79-73 and 78-73.
SUWALKI, POLAND Vastly seasoned cruiserweight KRZYSZTOF WLODARCZYK (59-4-1) returned to the ring for the first time in 20 months with a win over VADYM NOVOPASHYN (6-3). After a slow start, Wlodarczyk began to find the target, rocking Novopashyn in the fifth and easing his way to a clear victory on scores of 80-72 and 79-73 twice. In other action, middleweight FIODOR CZERKASZYN (18-0) impressed with a first-round destruction of DAMIAN BONELLI (24-9). A fearsome left hook put Bonelli down and although he made it to his feet, he was taking too much punishment and the fight was stopped.
ROCK RAPIDS, IOWA California-based Ukrainian SERHII BOHACHUK (19-1) blew away BRANDON BAUE (16-24) in the first round at middleweight. After shaking Baue with an uppercut, Bohachuk drove home a left hook to the body and Baue dropped to a knee and was counted out. All 19 of Bohachuk’s wins have come inside schedule. In the co-feature, RONALD CRUZ (18-1) extended his winning streak to 16 as he outpointed CHRIS GRAY (13-23-1) in a welterweight contest. The scores were 79-73 and 78-74 twice.
MAGDEBURG, GERMANY Light-heavyweight MICHAEL EIFERT (7-1) outpointed TOM DZEMSKI (171) to avenge a loss from August. Eifert took a majority decision on scores of 97-93 twice and 95-95. Also on the bill, heavyweight hope PETER KADIRU (110) decked Bosnian ADNAN REDZOVIC (21-6) in the first and stopped him in the second. At light-heavy, ADAM DEINES (20-2-1), in his first fight since his defeat to world champion Artur Beterbiev in March, dropped BERNARD DONFACK (23-27-4) in the first and fourth rounds, with Donfack not coming out for the fifth.
LESNIKI, UKRAINE Another California-based Ukrainian, DMYTRO MYTROFANOV (11-0-1), used tireless aggression to grind down Nigerian RILLIWAN BABATUNDE (13-1) at superwelterweight. Mytrofanov, who claimed a victory over Asinia Byfield in December, defeated Babatunde on scores of 99-90, 99-91 and 98-92.