The World This Week by Oliver Fennell Feb 28th 2008

Oliver Fennell sums up the international action of interest. Results with relevance to British boxing are in bold. February 21, Kiev, Ukraine European light-middleweight champion Zaurbek Baysangurov returned from the injury which forced him out of a December defence against Jamie Moore, outpointing Romanian trialhorse Gheorge Danut over 10 rounds. Baysangurov suffered a broken cheekbone in sparring for the Moore fight, and then Moore himself underwent surgery on his back. It was hoped the two would reschedule their match in the first half of this year, but now Baysangurov is down to defend against Roman Dzuman of the Ukraine next month. Will Moore be mandated to fight the winner? February 21, Miami Beach, Florida, USA Cuban veteran Elieser Castillo returned to cruiserweight after a 10-year run at heavyweight, stopping journeyman Lenzie Morgan in five rounds. Morgan, 41, gave Nigel Benn a good fight at super-middleweight a lifetime ago (in 1991, to be precise), but he hasn't won a match in 12 years. February 22, Bangkok, Thailand Aging Thai ex-champ Veeraphol Sahaprom kept busy with a third-round knockout of Japanese bantamweight prospect Kentaro Nakayama. Sahaprom is 39 years old, with a 61-3-2 record, but still one of the top operators in the division. He won the first of two world titles in 1995, in just his fifth pro contest. His second reign spanned seven years and 15 defences. He lost the belt to stand-out Japanese Hozumi Hasegawa and is pinning his hopes on a rematch in the near future. February 22, Reno, Nevada, USA Filipino flyweight Glenn Donaire – brother of current world champion Nonito – came back from his failed attempt at Vic Donaire's then-IBF crown, outpointing Jose Albuquerque over eight rounds. In the nominal main even, Jesse Brinkley stopped Otis Griffin in 11 rounds for the WBC USNBC strap. More importantly, it had ramifications for the fringe world scene at super-middleweight. Brinkley lost a decision to Robin Reid in Britain 11 months ago. February 22, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA Cuban defector Yuriorkis Gamboa continued his meteoric blaze towards the top, whacking out American prospect Chris Edwards in the first round. The win – Gamboa's ninth in an unbeaten campaign – brought with it the NABF super-featherweight belt, expected to be just the first of many. On the undercard, fellow Cuban stand-out Yan Barthelemy outpointed Antonio Maria Cochero Diaz over six at bantamweight. February 22, Wyong, Australia Australian power-puncher Victor Oganov returned to winning action following a September defeat to Fulgencio Zuniga. That was supposed to be Oganov's big break after building a perfect record of 26 knockout victories from 26 fights, but Zuniga showed the stats were cosmetic. Oganov returned to form here, getting his 27th knockout in what was a shocking mismatch on paper. He beat Thai super-middleweight Anont Donpradith, who brought a facile 0-7 record with him to Australia. Oganov will need better opposition than this if he is not to repeat the Zuniga disaster down the line. February 22, Cabazon, California, USA Hollywood-based Scottish middleweight Craig McEwan improved to 10-0 with an eight-round points win over Erik Rafael Esquivel. February 23, Madison Square Garden, New York, USA It was billed as the first heavyweight unification match of the century, and seen as an attempt to save boxing's most famous but most ailing division, but on the night, Wladimir Klitschko and Sultan Ibragimov epitomised exactly what is wrong with it – a striking lack of desire. It was a match between a man who wouldn't and a man who couldn't, as a safety-first Klitschko kept an undersized Ibragimov at the end of his jab and ventured precious little in terms of seeking a stoppage that was seemingly his for the taking. Ibragimov did at least chance his arm occasionally, but had no plan B when, from a very early stage, it became obvious his existing strategy would get him nowhere. And so a stalemate of sorts unfolded, with Klitschko taking a huge points victory, adding Ibragimov's WBO crown to the IBF version he was defending, and while this partial unification is good news for the division, the bad news is that it was achieved in one of the dullest world title contests ever seen at heavyweight – and that is really saying something considering its recent form. Klitschko was seen in London in 2000, belting Monte Barrett in seven rounds back when he still had some inner fire. In contrast, the chief support offered more action than you'll usually see in several contests, as John Duddy reminded at the same time why he is both a huge ticket seller and derided by knowledgeable fans as a world class operator. In what was supposed to be a warm-up for a middleweight world title challenge to Kelly Pavlik, Duddy went through life and death against little-known Canadian Walid Smichet. Duddy was alarmingly easy to hit in the first half of the fight and was cut wide open in the early going. He gutted it out for a points win, but his injury has scuppered his world title fight. On the undercard, hot cruiserweight prospect Johnathon Banks impressed with a first-round demolition of former world champion Imamu Mayfield, and middleweight hope Joe Greene ground down Francisco Mora for a 10th-round retirement. Mora took Robin Reid the 12-round distance over her in 2002. February 23, Halle, Germany A mild upset at light-heavyweight saw Yuri Barashian of the Ukraine relieve world-rated German Thomas Ulrich of the European title with an eighth-round knockout. Ulrich, who has been in with the likes of Glen Johnson, Yawe Davis, Graciano Rocchigiani, Silvio Branco, Tomasz Adamek and Zsolt Erdei, holds victories over Matthew Barney and Ali Forbes. February 23, Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA Reggie Johnson threw his hat back into the competitive – if ageing – light-heavyweight arena by shocking Julio Cesar Gonzalez on a 12-round split decision. Only five months ago, Gonzalez was seen giving Clinton Woods a terrific scrap in Sheffield, but his goal of a second world title has been severely damaged in dropping a decision to the 41-year-old Johnson. But then again, he need only look at Johnson – or 39-year-old Roy Jones, or Bernard Hopkins (43), Glen Johnson (39), Antonio Tarver (39), or even the 35-year-olds Woods and Danny Green – to see age is apparently just a number in this division, and opportunities are seemingly limitless. At “only” 31, Gonzalez is practically immature! February 23, Caguas, Puerto Rico Former WBO light-flyweight champion Nelson Dieppa got back on track with a tenth-round stoppage of countryman and fellow ex-champ (WBO strawweight) Alex Sanchez. The victory earned Dieppa the WBA Fedebol belt and snapped a two-fight losing streak. February 23, Russellville, Arkansas, USA Giant heavyweight Lance Whitaker fought for the first time in over two years, halting journeyman Ron Johnson in the opener. It was fair enough for Whitaker to have a safe assignment on his return, as he was ignominiously manhandled by Sultan Ibragimov last time out and looked at the end of the road. Now 35, he still offers name value, but the jury remains out as to how much he has left. February 23, Bloemfontein, South Africa British-based South African Tshifhiwa Munyai fought at home for the first time since May 2006, outpointing Julio David Roque Ler of Argentina for the WBA International bantamweight belt. Munyai's British campaign has so far spanned five fights and reaped the scalps of Lee Haskins and Martin Power (twice). A battle of the vererans on the same card saw William Gare stop Maselino Masoe in four rounds for the vacant WBF super-middleweight title. Gare dropped a technical decision over here to Steve Roberts at light-middleweight in 2001. Masoe, 41, had a frustrating run as WBA middleweight champion between 2004 and 2006, during which he struggled to find challengers. His combination of advanced age but huge power made him more risk than reward, and he will find that even more the case now he has lost again. February 23, Lapwai, Idaho, USA Universal condemnation descended on this promotion which featured Iran Barkley, reportedly blind in one eye, and the 61-year-old Saoul Mamby. The fights were to be held on a Native American reservation, making the show exempt of usual licensing requirements but therefore unsanctioned, but it was still supposed to be a competitive, full-contact event. Thankfully Mamby failed his pre-fight medical, and a suitable opponent could not be found for Barkley, 47. Instead, promoter and heavyweight boxer Chauncey Welliver engaged Barkley in a non-competitive exhibition over five rounds. The crowd got their big name, Barkley got his payday and Welliver's show was saved – but let's hope he doesn't make another attempt to put such vulnerable people in harm's way again.

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