The World This Week by Eric Armit Jul 24th 2008

Eric Armit sums up the international action of interest. July 16 San Antonio USA Local favourite Oscar Diaz(26-3, two no contests) and Dominican Delvin Rodriguez (23-2-1) belted away at each other in this match-up of welterweights who were both trying to re-build after set backs. Both were hurt in the fourth, but from the sixth round Rodriguez took control and by the tenth Diaz had one eye closed and was walking into steady punishment. Things took a dramatic turn at the start of the eleventh as Oscar was on very shaky legs as he stood up to leave his corner, and promptly collapsed unconscious. He was treated immediately in the ring and just two hours later was being operated in a local hospital for a subdural haematoma. The surgeon reported that he had removed a part of Oscar's skull to relieve the swelling to his brain. As I write, Oscar is still in a coma, but doctors are sounding hopeful that he will make a recovery. Rodriguez warded an eleventh round kayo victory, but there are no winners in these circumstances. 16 July Temecula, USA The fight between James Toney and Hasim Rahman ended in unsatisfactory and confused circumstances. The 39-year-old Toney seemed to be getting the better of it as he rocked Rahman(35-years-old) in the third. However a clash of heads (now known as an accidental butt) saw Rahman cut over the right eye. In his corner Rahman said that with the blood running into his eye that he could not see out of that eye (but did not say he could not continue) and the doctor ordered the referee to stop the fight. Normally if a fight is halted due to an accidental butt before four rounds have been completed, then the fight is ruled a no contest, and that seemed to be the decision held by the referee. However when the decision was officially influenced it was given as a stoppage win for Toney presumably on the basis that Rahman had already indicated he could not see before the Doctor ordered the stoppage. However that appears to be contrary to the rules so Rahman will protest the decision-naturally. Meanwhile Toney collected the vacant NABO title and improved to 71-6-3 and weighed the lowest(226lbs) since beating Evander Holyfield in 2003. Rahman drops to 45-7-2. July 18 Houston, USA Hector Camacho Senior really is senior in age to both of the above. Now 46, and fighting at light-middleweight, “Macho Man” returned after over three years of inactivity and halted 41-year-old Perry Ballard in seven rounds. With Angelo Dundee training him, Camacho claims to be serious about his comeback and his record is now 79-5-2 and he also collected the WBE title for this win (Please, no! - Ed.). Ballard is 20-2, but as this was built on the Virginia, Tennessee, Carolina's circuit it is meaningless. July 18 Primm, USA Cuban hot-shot Yuriorkis Gamboa produced one thundering right hand to the chin of former WBO super-bantamweight challenger Al Seeger and it was all over after 150 seconds. It was the third loss in a row for Seeger who never even saw the punch coming. The 26-year-old Cuban featherweight has eleven wins, nine inside the distance. In heavyweight action unbeaten Malik Scott and Fres Oquendo scored wins. Scott continued his very slow progress with a seventh round stoppage of Canadian Arthur Cook. It has take Malik almost eight years to accumulate his 31 wins. Oquendo kayoed Dom Alexander in three rounds. It was the first fight for Fres since July 2007 and the former IBF and WBA challenger is 29-4. July 19 Nassau, Bahamas The vacant Commonwealth super-middleweight title finally found a new home as localite Jermain Mackey outpointed late substitute Michael Gbenga for the vacant title. A clash of heads left Mackey with a bad gash, but he finished the fight strongly to take the verdict. The 6'1” southpaw has a 17-3 record with 13 inside the distance and is mandated to defend against Ghanaian Charles Adamu, who had to pull out of this fight after suffering a serious stabbing injury. July 19 Navojoa, Mexico Hard-punching southpaw featherweight Leonilo Miranda scored his biggest win as he kayoed the former WBO bantamweight champion Cruz Carbajal in eight rounds. The 25-year-old used his height and reach advantage to outbox the tough Carbajal and then floored him twice in the eighth for a kayo. For some reason the local crowd, Miranda's fans, threw rubbish in the ring at the end! Miranda has 30 wins, 28 inside the distance. Carbajal has now lost 3 of his last 4 but all toughies. July 19 Chekov, Russia Alex Povetkin scored his expected win as he too much of everything for Taurus Sykes. The baby-faced Russian had Sykes on the floor three times, none of which were counted as knockdowns, but ended it with a big combination early in the fourth. It was win No 16 for Alex (12 inside the distance) and now he wants Wladimir Klitschko. Sykes had been inactive for over a year, being outpointed by Hasim Rahman in June 2007, and was kayoed by Samuel Peter in two rounds in 2005. In a middleweight bout Russian champion Dmitry Pirog continued unbeaten with a ten rounds points win over British-based Serbian Geard Ajetovic. Pirog has twelve wins. Geard was losing for the second time in 22 days having lost on points to Daniel Geale in Sydney for the IBO title on June 27.

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