The World This Week by Oliver Fennell Oct 9th 2007

Oliver Fennell sums up the international action of interest. Results with relevance to British boxing are in bold. We will not reveal The Contender results out of respect for those who wish to watch the series without knowing what happened. October 2 Irish Olympian Andy Lee returned to America following his home debut in August. Fighting in Merrionette Park, Illinois, middleweight Lee stopped trialhorse James Morrow in the first round. October 3 Former IBF strawweight champion Ratanapol Sor Vorapin extended his latest winning run to 13 by knocking out previously unbeaten novice Yanus Emaury of Indonesia in three rounds in Nakornrachasima, Thailand. Sor Vorapin is now campaigning at flyweight and is 51-6-1 following this win. On the same bill, world-ranked featherweight Terdsak Jandaeng knocked out Moses Seran, also of Indonesia, in two rounds. Jandaeng lost to Juan Manuel Marquez in seven rounds last year. October 4 Three-time WBO champion Fernando Montiel made the fifth defence of his second super-flyweight reign by stopping Luis Melendez of Colombia in the final round of their Las Vegas confrontation. Montiel has also reigned at flyweight and failed in an attempt on bantamweight honours. October 5 Undefeated heavyweight Donnell Holmes edged past awkward trier Billy Zumbrun on an eight-round split decision in Corona, California. Holmes is now 28-0 and Zumbrun is the best name on a slow-burning résumé. Light-welterweight veteran Mike Stewart's career is almost at an end. The Delaware brawler, who lost to Ricky Hatton in 2004 and who has challenged for a world title and appeared on The Contender, was outscored by club fighter Robert Frankel over 10 rounds in Philadelphia. The defeat prompted Stewart to announce he would have a “farewell” fight next and then hang up his gloves. October 6 One of the recent era's finest careers reached an end in Las Vegas as Marco Antonio Barrera was outpointed by nemesis Manny Pacquiao, who is shaping up to be a modern great himself. Barrera had made it known in advance that this would be his final in-ring appearance. On the night, he fought without urgency, although he did box well and, for me, made it a great deal closer than two absurd scores of 118-109 suggested. The third judge awarded the fight to Pacquaio by a more respectable 115-112, giving the Filipino a unanimous decision. Barrera had a point deducted in round 10. The Mexican finishes with a 63-6-0-1 slate in an 18-year career which encompassed five major world championships across three divisions. During that time, he defeated Brits Richie Wenton and Paul Lloyd. Super-middleweight Librado Andrade opened the telecast with a stirring win over Yusef Mack for the USBA title. The normally rock-jawed Mexican was floored in the first round and was tagged repeatedly throughout the fight by the faster American. But Andrade's resilience and clubbing attacks sapped his opponent's resolve until he forced a seventh-round stoppage via three knockdowns. In the chief support, new WBO featherweight champion Steve Luevano pounded out a clear unanimous decision over the brave but outclassed Antonio Davis. Luevano made the first defence of the title he won by stopping Nicky Cook in London in July. Finally, Francisco Bojado, possibly the youngest boxer to ever make a “comeback”, was derailed again as veteran ex-champ Steve Forbes outhustled him for a 10-round split decision at welterweight. Over in New York, the word “exposed” was being bandied about following Samuel Peter's first defence of the WBC interim heavyweight crown. The Nigerian had been awarded the status less than two weeks previously as full champion Oleg Maskaev withdrew from this fixture with a back injury. Late substitute Jameel McCline was drafted in and was not expected to pose a danger to the rampaging African. Instead, he very nearly forced an upset which would have made Peter's “reign” the shortest in history, at just 12 days. McCline sensationally dropped Peter three times in the second and third rounds but failed to capitalise and came away on the wrong end of a unanimous decision. Also at heavyweight, Kevin McBride's hopes of translating a win over a shopworn Mike Tyson into a title opportunity were dashed once and for all as he was stopped in six rounds by Polish headcase Andrew Golota. Perhaps McBride thought Golota, at 39, was another faded big name ripe for the picking, but even this ancient version of the division's most erratic performer always figured to be better than the lumbering Irishman. McBride was based in Britain early in his career but didn't beat any names of note. Instead, he lost to Michael Murray. Golota, meanwhile, was slain in a round by Lennox Lewis a decade ago. At light-middleweight, Daniel Santos was impressive in stopping Jose Antonio Rivera in a battle of ex-champs to decide the next challenger for the WBA strap. Santos has held WBO belts at light-middle and welter and has beaten British challengers Takaloo and Neil Sinclair. Finally, Fijian heavyweight Kali Meehan returned from the wilderness to upset DaVarryl Williamson via sixth-round stoppage. Meehan has proven in recent years he's much better than his 30-second loss in 2001 to Danny Williams suggested. WBC light-middleweight mandatory contender Sergio Martinez was strictly marking time with his latest assignment, in Madrid. Despite his sparkling 40-1 record and lofty ranking, he was matched with 3-34-2 journeyman Pavel Florin Madalin, who he duly stopped in four rounds. Martinez, a Spain-based Argentine, knocked out Adrian Stone and twice beat up Richard Williams on our shores. His only defeat is to Antonio Margarito. Clearly a class act who deserves better than this. Alejandro Lakatus of Romania, a one-time light-heavyweight world title challenger, also engaged in a farcical mismatch on the same bill. He stopped winless (0-14) Pavel Virgil in the opener. Super-middleweight Jean Pascal returned just two months after his break-out win over Kingsley Ikeke by knocking out Mexico's Esteban Camou in three rounds in Montreal. It was a non-title affair for Pascal, who is now unbeaten in 19 outings and holds the NABF, NABA and NABO titles. Rob Calloway continued his hot cruiserweight run by stopping Galen Brown in four rounds for a trio of regional and inter belts. Calloway, 38, competed at heavyweight for a while without making significant inroads (he was beaten easily by a novice Audley Harrison, among others) but is now a legitimately top-10-ranked 200lb fighter on a run of 10 victories. He might make a fair challenger for Enzo Maccarinelli.

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