JANUARY 14
MONTERREY, MEXICO
Filipino JADE BORNEA, 17-0 (11), gets his biggest win to date as he beats MOHAMMED OBBADI, 22-2 (13), in three rounds in their super-flyweight contest. Obbadi used slick foot work and quick jabs to edge the first round. Bornea switched to southpaw in the second and began to get through with some right hooks to the body and shook Obbadi with a straight right. In the third Bornea dug in a wicked left hook to Obbadi’s body and Obbadi dropped to his hands and knees and was counted out. In other bouts, local hero FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ, 35-5-1 (25), was too experienced and punched too hard for southpaw ARNULFO SALVADOR, 15-2-1 (9). Rodriguez floored Salvador with a right in the third and continued to hand out severe punishment before the referee stopped their bantamweight fight in the seventh. A light-flyweight match saw DANIEL VALLADARES, 26-3-1 (15), outpoint late substitute GABRIEL LORANCA, 4-6-1(2), over eight rounds on scores of 80-71, 79-72 and 79-73.
BELLA VISTA, PANAMA
In both of the main events on this card the eventual winner had to climb off the floor twice for victory. A super-lightweight fight saw Argentinian HUGO ROLDAN, 21-0-1 (7), remain unbeaten as he decisioned Colombian GERMAN DEL CASTILLO, 10-2-2 (7). Roldan was down in both the second and the fourth rounds but both knockdowns were very questionable with the first coming from a forearm slam and the second a push. The speed and clever movement from Roldan were enough to see him winning the other rounds and he took the majority verdict on scores of 96-92 twice and 94-94. There was no question over the two knockdowns suffered by lightweight JAIME ARBOLEDA, 18-2 (14), but he bounced back to decision Dominican NICOLAS POLANCO, 20-2-1 (11). Arboleda just edged the opening round but in the second he walked onto a left hook and went down. He beat the count but as they swapped wild punches he was down again from a right and only just survived to the bell. Arboleda recovered to take control of the fight and to hold off a strong finish from Polanco and take the decision with the judges turning in cards of 95-93 twice and 94-94. At flyweight Floridian southpaw GABRIELA FUNDORA, 5-0,1NC (2), floored and outpointed local NATALY DELGADO, 8-5-1 (3), 80-71 on the three judge’s cards. She is the sister of the excellent super-welterweight, Sebastian Fundora.
LAGOS, NIGERIA
A farcical mismatch saw cruiserweight OLAN DURODOLA, 37-9 (34), win on a first round retirement against IDOWU OKUSOTE, 2-5 (2). Durodola had height, reach, weight and experience over Okusote and just trundled around the ring as Okusote skittered about trying to stay out of trouble. Durodola managed to land a couple of glancing blows and Okusote did not come out for the second round.
JANUARY 15
VERONA, USA
In a disappointing fight JOE SMITH JNR 28-3 (22) retained his alphabet light-heavyweight title with ninth round win over STEVE GEFFRARD, 18-3 (12). Smith opened the first round with a fierce attack, firing hooks and uppercuts with Geffrard just hiding behind a high guard and throwing an occasional punch. That set the pattern for the one-sided fight. Smith dominated the action but alternated between pounding the defensive Geffrard and then just backing up and allowing Geffrard the space to fire a few low powered counters. Smith handed out some brutal punishment over the fourth and fifth rounds, with one judge making the fifth a 10-8 round, but in each case Smith did not sustain his attacks and Geffrard was able to recover and throw some jabs and straight rights before retreating again behind his defence.
Smith dialled back the pressure in the sixth and seventh, fighting only in bursts before coming to life again in the eighth. After boxing on the back foot early in the round Smith suddenly launched a fierce attack that had Geffrard reeling along the ropes under a series of punches until the bell saved Geffrard. It was all over very quickly in the ninth. Smith resumed his attack and trapped Geffrard on the ropes with Geffrard not punching back and dropping to one knee and being counted out. Too easy for Smith who at times seemed content to let Geffrard off the hook to get in a few rounds in his first fight for nine months. Geffrard came in at just eight days notice after Callum Johnson was ruled out due to a positive COVID-19 test.
In an entertaining super-featherweight bout ABRAHAM NOVA, 21-0 (15), impressed as he stopped WILLIAM ENCARNACION, 19-2 (15), in the eighth round. Ukrainian cruiserweight LYUBOMYR PINCHUK, 14-2-1 (8), took a unanimous decision over JOSE FLORES, 8-2-2 (4), on scores of 79-73 twice and 80-72. Tokyo Olympian TROY ISLEY, 4-0 (2), decisioned HARRY CRUZ, 6-3 (2), in a middleweight six on scores of 59-54 twice and 59-53 and unbeaten Puerto Rican Puerto Rican super-lightweight OMAR ROSARIO, 6-0 (2), took the decision over RAEKWON BUTLER, 4-1 (2), with two judges scoring the fight 59-54 and the third 58-55.
MAR del PLATA, ARGENTINA
YAMILA PERALTA, 13-0 (6), retained the national cruiserweight title with a wide unanimous decision over MARIANO GUDINO, 14-5 (9). Double Olympian Peralta scored knockdowns in the second, sixth and 10th rounds on his way to winning on scores of 99-88 twice and 98-89.
TIJUANA, MEXICO
Poor matching saw a couple of early finishes on this show. Super-welterweight CARLOS OCAMPO, 32-1 (20), scored two knockdowns in stopping Panamanian novice OMAR RODRIGUEZ, 11-4-1 (5), in the first round and super-lightweight CARLOS SANCHEZ, 22-0 (18), took just 60 seconds to put poor JORGE PACHECO, 9-2-1 (5), down and out. In a super-bantamweight contest DAVID PICASSO, 20-0-1 (9), stopped CESAR PAREDES, 15-4-1 (5), in the seventh round.
CHESWICK, USA
Unfancied AVERY SPARROW, 11-3, 1NC (4), halted MATT CONWAY, 20-3, 1NC (9), in the 10th round to win the Pennsylvanian State super-featherweight belt.