Unfathomable
A truly atrocious error of judgement from Tony Weeks robs Barroso of his chance to beat Romero, while there’s another simple assignment for Alimkhanuly
MAY 11
CASTEINAU-LE-LEZ, FRANCE
IN an all-french clash for a minor sanctioning body bauble the experience and power of 37-year-old Yvan Mendy,
48-6-1,1NC (22) won out as he took a split decision over local favourite Bastien Ballesta, 25-1-1 (5). Mendy kept walking down the more skilled Bastien, with the local using plenty of movement and hand speed to give Mendy problems. Mendy kept putting Ballesta under pressure and was landing the heavier punches despite conceding advantages in skill.
Neither were in any serious trouble but two judges went for Mendy’s power, 116-112 and 115-113, and the third saw it for Ballesta, 115-113.
MAY 12
PARANAQUE CITY, PHILIPPINES JOHN RIEL CASIMERO, 33-4 (22), a former belt-holder in three divisions, scored a points win over Namibian
Fillipus Nghitumbwa, 12-2 (11). Casimero, as is his custom, came out swinging trying to blow away the Namibian, but Nghitumbwa stayed cool and weathered that storm.
Casimero continued to put Nghitumbwa under pressure and scored heavily in the third and fourth. Casimero slowed in the fifth but connected with a huge left hook in the sixth which put Nghitumbwa down. The Namibian beat the count and made it to the bell.
Casimero continued his attacks with Nghitumbwa sticking to his jab and connecting with straight rights. Casimero tried to drag Nghitumbwa into a brawl over the late rounds and, although being outscored, Nghitumbwa stuck to his boxing only to lose point in the last round for a punch to the back of Casemiro’s head. Casimero took the decision via scores of 116-110 (twice) and 114-112. In a super-welterweight contest Takeshi Inoue, 19-2-2 (11), was surprisingly held to a split draw by Filipino newcomer Weljon Mindoro, 10-0-1 (10). The scores were 117-111 (Inoue), 115-113 (Weljon), and 114-114.
KEMPTON PARK, SOUTH AFRICA KEVIN LERENA, 29-2 (14), rebounded from his loss to Daniel Dubois with a points victory over Belgian Ryad Merhy, 31-2 (26). This was a very technical contest between two experienced and accomplished fighters. It got off to a slow start but Lerena made the fight coming forward and putting Merhy under pressure.
The underdog, however, was comfortable boxing on the back foot and countering even though he was being outworked. After four rounds Lerena was up on two cards and tied on the third. Lerena continued to take the fight to Merhy who was doing some good work but not throwing enough punches. Rather than Merhy eating into
Lerena’s lead by the end of the eighth one judge still had them even but Lerena had increased his lead on the other two cards. The fight finally caught alight over the closing rounds as Merhy stood and traded more and they both scored heavily but by then the fight had slipped away. Lerena was the winner on scores of 118-110, 116-112 and 115-113 with the first score way out of line. Lerena is now the official challenger to Pole Lukasz Rozanski for the spurious WBC bridgerweight title.
MAY 13
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
IN one of the most ridiculous, unfair and badly-judged stoppages in recent memory, Sin City’s own Rolando Romero, 15-1 (13), claimed the vacant WBA super-lightweight division when referee Tony Weeks inexplicably rescued Venezualan veteran Ismael Barroso,
24-4-2 (22) in the ninth round.
There was little to split the pair in the opening round but the power of Barroso triggered the fight’s first incident in the third. Romero’s speed seemed to be gaining control before the strength of 40-year-old Barroso, in the form of a clubbing straight left hand, dropped the favourite at the end of the session.
The 27-year-old became wary of Barroso over the next few rounds as the older man stalked and threw blows with bad intentions. By the eighth round, however, it seemed that the tide was turning in Romero’s favour as he targeted the body of Barroso before varying his work upstairs. Even so, the crowd booed the lack of action. Boos that would soon intensify, and for good reason.
In the ninth, Romero seemed to be putting more power into his punches but the older man – up on all cards (76-75, 77-74 and 78-73) – did not seem overly fazed. A jolting left from Romero landed with a thud but the subsequent pushing and shoving that sent Barroso down was not a legal attack. No matter, Weeks scored it as a knockdown. Worse was to come. The pair exchanged punches but barely anything landed from either combatant, and then it happened. With 19 seconds left in the round the referee stepped between them and stopped the fight in Romero’s favour.
“I think there was an injustice to stop this fight,” Barroso later understated. “He [Weeks] just stopped the fight, he didn’t tell me anything. I don’t understand.”
He was far from the only one.
STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA ZHANIBEK ALIMKHANULY, 14-0 (9), won another mismatch that the WBO had the gall to label a ‘world middleweight title fight’ when he blew away the overmatched Steven Butler, 32-4-1 (26), in two rounds at the
Stockton Arena.
The Kazak southpaw, who won the belt by demolishing an out-of-his depth Danny Dignum 12 months ago, was in control from the start as the Canadian skedaddled around the ring in survival mode.
Two uppercuts were followed by two chopping left hands, delivered in close, from the belt-holder in round two. Down went Butler and the fight, such as it was, was as good as over. The heavy underdog regained his footing, only to lose it again shortly thereafter before the referee, Jack Reiss, ruled no knockdown. Further pressure followed before Alimkhanuly opted to end matters, chucking accurate one-twos which scored another knockdown.
Butler pluckily rose yet again, only to be met with more uppercuts and a left that ended the contest.
A bout that was matched fairly saw Australia’s Jason Moloney, 26-2 (19), tightly outpoint Las Vegas-based Filipino, Vincent Astrolabio, 18-4 (13) over 12 rounds at bantamweight. The scores in the Aussie’s favour (115-113, 116-112) overruled a 114-114 drawn verdict and saw him claim the vacant WBO bantamweight gong. Maloney, making good use of his jab, boxed accurately and smartly and was a worthy winner. He later claimed he had broken his hand as early as the ‘third or fourth round.’