Eric’s Snips and Snipes – The Past Week In Action

The Past Week in Action

Highlights:

-Rio gold medal winner Tony Yoka collects the vacant European Union heavyweight title with last round stoppage of Joel Tambwe Djeko

-Brandon Adams comes from behind to stop Serhii Bohachuk and snap the Ukrainian’s run of 18 consecutive inside the distance victories

-Puerto Rican Danielito Zorrilla extends his record to 16-0 with technical decision over Ruslan Madiev after a punch to the back of the head renders Zorrilla unable to continue

-Liam Paro remains at the front of the queue for a fight against the winner of Josh Taylor vs. Jose Ramirez as he goes to 21-0 with victory over Terry Tzouramanis

-Firat Arslan (50) knocks out Gusmyr Perdomo (43) in battle of the ages

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4 March

Guaynabo, Puerto Rico:

Super Welter: Brandon Adams (23-3) W TKO 8 Serhii Bohachuk (18-1).

Super Light: Danielito Zorrilla (15-0) W TEC DEC 8 Ruslan Madiev (13-2).

Feather: Bryan Chevalier (15-1-1) W KO 3 Carlos Zambrano (26-2).

Adams vs. Bohachuk

Facing defeat “Cannon” Adams explodes in the eighth to stop unbeaten Bohachuk. With all of his wins coming inside the distance a confident Bohachuk took the fight to Adams immediately applying lots of pressure. Adams countered well and scored with hooks to the body and looked to have edged the opening round. Adams was giving away height and reach to Bohachuk so he took the fight inside in the second but Bohachuk was matching him.

Adams had landed a few belt-line punches and when he strayed low in the third that cost him a one point deduction. Bohachuk slowly took control of the fight from the fourth and by the seventh Adams was starting to tire and his punch output dropped and he slipped to the canvas three times. Going into the eighth Bohachuk was in front on scores of 68-64 twice and 69-63 and a stoppage looked on the cards.

He was working Adams over on the ropes when Adams connected with a left hook. Bohachuk backed off badly rocked and a left uppercut dropped him heavily. Bohachuk struggled to his feet but wobbled and the fight was stopped. Adams, 31, came to the fore when he won the 5^th series of The Contenders.

He lost a wide points decision against Jermall Charlo for the WBC middleweight title in June 19 and was rated No 7 middleweight  by the WBC. Ukrainian Bohachuk had never gone past the sixth round and his 18 consecutive inside the distance wins had seen him rated WBC 7/IBF 9 at super welterweight.

Zorrilla vs. Madiev

Zorrilla wins technical decision after being unable to continue after a punch to the back of the head from Madiev. Madiev was rolling forward in the first getting past the longer reach of Zorrilla and working to the body. Zorrilla countered well in the second to even things up.

Madiev continued to dig in body punches with Zorrilla doing his scoring with sharp jabs and hooks when forced to stand and trade. The rounds were close and hard to score but the referee deducted a point from Madiev for a punch to the back of the head in the fifth. Madiev continued to press but was warned again in the sixth for a shot to the back of the head a round which Zorrilla won making it a 10-8 round.

The seventh was another close round but Zorrilla was finding it hard to keep Madiev out. In the eighth Madiev was relentless but connected with another illegal punch to the back of Zorrilla’s head. Zorrilla went down on his knees and it was five minutes before he was raised to sit on a stool.

He was unable to continue so the fight was decided on the judge’s cards with two having it 77-75 and 76-75 for Zorrilla and the other 76-73 for Madiev. Zorrilla was taken to a local hospital as a precaution. Zorrilla wins the vacant WBO NABO belt. Kazak Madiev was in his first fight for 20 months. His other loss came on a technical decision against Pablo Cano.

Chevalier vs. Zambrano

Chevalier disposes of Zambrano in three rounds. Chevalier scored a dubious knockdown in the first from a light punch to the back of Zambrano’s head. Chevalier used his long reach to outscore Zambrano in the second and then put Zambrano down twice in the third with body punches with Zambrano being counted out on the second knockdown.

The 5’11” 26-year-old Puerto Rican has 12 wins by KO/TKO and has useful wins over 16-0 Luis Lebron and 17-2 Yeison Vargas. Peruvian Zambrano, a former holder of the interim WBA feather title, was having his first fight since being flattened inside a round by Claudio Marrero in a fight for the WBA interim and vacant IBO feather titles.

5 March

Nantes, France:

Heavy: Tony Yoka (10-0) W TKO 12 Joel Tambwe Djeko (17-3-1).

Yoka marches on with a late stoppage of Djeko. A slow first round saw both fighters cautious with Djeko just edging it. Yoka bossed the second. He was finding gaps for his jab and then stepping in and scoring with heavy rights with Djeko hardly moving from the ropes and throwing few punches.

Djeko stood and traded jabs with Yoka at the beginning of the third but when Yoka’s jabs started to jolt Djeko’s head he went on the retreat and Yoka was connecting with heavy rights. It was a similar pattern in the fourth and fifth with Djeko lively at the start but then having no answer to Yoka’s jab. Yoka was following the jab with solid rights with Djeko too often caught against the ropes and throwing little in return.

Yoka’s output dropped in the sixth and Djeko fired a couple of bursts of punches. Yoka was back in charge in the seventh and eighth  controlling the fight with his jab and connecting with left hooks to the body and rights to the head on a constantly retreating Djeko. The Belgian had a growing bump over his left eye that threatened to become a problem but over the ninth and tenth apart from an occasional clubbing right he looked to be focusing on survival.

Djeko now had a swelling under his right eye and the eye was almost closed but he was a bit more competitive in the eleventh although Yoka had him under heavy pressure at the bell. Yoka ended it in the twelfth. He trapped Djeko in a corner and kept unloading punches until Djeko turned his back leaning over the ropes and the fight was stopped. Yoka wins the vacant European Union title with his eighth inside the distance victory.

The 6’7” Rio gold medallist wins his first pro title. He is showing steady improvement and his jabbing was impressive here. He has come though reasonable tests against Alex Dimitrenko, Johann Duhaupas and Christian Hammer but he still tends to come forward in a straight line with very little head movement.

He is rated IBF 8(7)/WBC 13 and could be ready for a title shot in 2022. “Big Joe” Djeko had won his last eight fights but suffers his first inside the distance loss and perhaps next time he won’t be stupid enough to aim a slap his opponent at the weigh-in.

Culiacan, Mexico:

Super Feather: Eliot Chavez (9-3-1) W TKO 10 Rodolfo Bustamante (16-1-1).

Outsider Chavez wins the vacant NABF title with late stoppage of unbeaten Bustamante.  For most of the fight the superior skills of “Elegant” Bustamante frustrated the ever aggressive Chavez. He was slotting jabs through Chavez guard and stopping Chavez in his attacks with straight rights and left hooks. Chavez just kept coming with Bustamante being forced to stand and exchange shots.

In the tenth Chavez drove a tiring Bustamante into a corner and froze him with a devastating right to the chin. Bustamante dropped his hands and started to slip to the canvas and Chavez landed another right before the referee could leap in to save Bustamante who collapsed to the canvas.

The fight was immediately stopped so that Bustamante could receive medical assistance and he was eventually taken from the ring on a stretcher. No update on his condition at this time. Chavez gets his third inside the distance victory on the trot.

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Brisbane, Australia:

Super Light: Liam Paro (20-0) W RTD 7 Terry Tzouramanis (23-5-3).

Paro puts his name at the head of the queue to face the winner on the Josh Taylor vs. Jose Ramirez unifier with win over Tzouramanis. Impressive display from Paro as he outboxed and outpunched useful Tzouramanis. Paro never allowed Tzouramanis to get a toe-hold in the fight he was too quick and too accurate with his punches for the slower Tzouramanis.

Paro won every round flooring Tzouramanis with a left to the body in the sixth. He handing out steady punishment in the seventh and Tzouramanis was pulled out of the fight at the end of the round. Thirteenth inside the distance win for Paro. He is rated No 2 by the WBO and with positions 1 and 2 vacant is the highest rated fighter at No 3 by the IBF and yet he has not faced a single rated opponent so largely untested but he was defending the WBO Global and IBF International titles which explains his rating. Tzouramanis, 35, was coming off a good domestic win over Brandon Ogilvie in October 2019.

6 March

Goeppingen, Germany:

Cruiser: Firat Arslan (48-9-3) W KO 3 Gusmyr Perdomo (26-10).

Heavy: Ali Kiydin (13-1) W KO 1 Pablo Magrini (19-7).

Cruiser: Huseyin Cinkara (15-0) W TKO 3 Francisco Benitez (16-8).

Arslan vs. Perdomo

Fighting in his own gymnasium Arslan wins with third round count out of fellow-southpaw Perdomo. After two slow rounds Perdomo came out firing and connected with a couple of body punches. Arslan then landed a wicked left hook to the body of his own. Perdomo went down rolled over and took the full count on his hands and knees. First fight for 50-year-old Arslan since sixth round stoppage defeat against Kevin Lerena for the IBO title in February last year. Third inside the route loss for Perdomo, 43, and third fight in over two years.

Kiydin vs. Magrini

Kiydin disposes of an obese Argentinian Magrini inside a round in a terrible example of matchmaking. This one was never going to last long and Kiydin caught up with Magrini late in the opening round putting him down with a short left hook to the jaw. Magrini started to rise then pitched forward on his face.

He finally managed to make it to his feet and staggered to the ropes leaning on them to hold himself up but the referee insisted on counting to eight before waving the fight over. German Kiydin, 29, a Arslan-look-alike, gets his ninth first round win. Magrini, 42, 5’9 ½” and 250lbs, which tells you all you need to know about his conditioning, has lost his last five contests by KO/TKO.

Cinkara vs. Benitez

German Cinkara beats up another Argentinian oldie as he halts poor Benitez in three rounds. Cinkara floored Benitez and although the visitor made it to the vertical he was in no condition to continue. The former undefeated German International champion makes 8 wins by KO/TKO in his last 9 fights. Benitez, 40, was having his first fight for three years and all eight of his losses have come inside the distance and he is really just a fattened super middle.

Accra, Ghana:

Light: Michael Ansah (20-10-2) W TKO 5 Sherrif Quaye (19-3-1).

Ansah lives up to his nickname of “One Bullet” and his prediction to stop Quaye inside the distance in this Commonwealth Boxing Council final eliminator. Quaye was the better boxer and worked well with his jab to keep the slower Ansah out. Ansah kept pressing but was coming up short with his punches and being caught with counters. Quaye had built a lead by the end of the fourth but at the start of the fifth Ansah hurt him with a left hook.

Quaye tried to steady himself but a leaping left hook sent him crashing to the floor. He made it to his feet but his legs were wobbling and after the eight count the referee stopped the fight. Ansah retains the National title and goes in front 2-1 in his series of fights with Quaye with his two wins in the series both being stoppages. The earlier loss to Ansah was Quaye’s only defeat in his last nine fights.

Fight of the week: (Significance): Tony Yoka’s win over Joel Tambwe Djeko shows he can be a threat at heavyweight

Fight of the week: (Entertainment): Nothing to set the pulses racing

Fighter of the week: Brandon Adams for his fight-saving late stoppage of 18-1 Serhii Bohachuk

Punch of the week: The left hook from Michael Ansah that put Sherrif Quaye down was a beauty with honourable mentions to left hooks to the body from Bryan Chevalier that finished Carlos Zambrano and Firat Arslan which left Gusmyr Perdomo writhing in agony

Upset of the week: Eliot Chavez (8-3-1) was meant to be just another victim for 16-0-1 Rodolfo Bustamante but ended up the winner

Prospect watch: None stood out

Observations:

A fall off in activity from last week but it will pick up again next weekend with Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Roman Gonzalez and David Benavidez vs. Ronald Ellis looking the pick.

Boxing a young man’s sport! We had Firat Arslan 50, Diego Juncos 46, Gusmyr Perdomo 43, Pablo Magrini 42, Rad Rashid 41, Ricardo Ramirez  40 and Francisco Benitez 40 all on the Firat Arslan show in Germany. In the cases of Argentineans Juncos, Magrini, Ramirez, and Benitez I have this vision of a bus stopping outside a care home in Buenos Aires asking if any of the residents fancied a little holiday in Germany. It was an awful show as ten of the eleven fights were over early, six in the first round and the others inside three rounds. I guess no one would fancy asking Firat for their money back.

Not making weight for a fight is rarely forgivable but perhaps a pound or two is not too bad. Australian Hayden Wright went a bit too far he came in 44lbs over!