The World This Week by Oliver Fennell Jun 26th 2007

Oliver Fennell sums up the international action of interest from the past seven days. Results with relevance to British boxing are in bold. June 20    Peter Manfredo kept up his busy schedule, outscoring Oregon hope David Banks over 10 sessions in Mashantucket, Connecticut. It was Manfredo's second fight in just the two months since he was stopped by Joe Calzaghe in Cardiff. Women's veteran Jane Couch took part in her umpteenth world title fight, losing a unanimous 10-round decision to Jaime Clampitt on the Manfredo card. Clampitt won by wide margins in a fight for the vacant IWBF 10st strap. James McGirt Jr – son of the modern great better known as Buddy – enjoyed an easy night's work in New York, where he knocked out novice Delray Raines in the opener. McGirt is now 16-0 (9). On the same bill, Jaidon Codrington posted a TKO 2 over journeyman Carl Cockerham. Codrington is best known for his stunning 18-second defeat at the hands of Allan Green in 2005. June 21    Wandee Singwancha, a former world champion of sorts (two “interim” reigns) ticked over with a six-round points workout against Falazona Fidal of Indonesia. Last October, Singwancha dropped his WBC interim flyweight title on the scales but still defeated challenger Munetsugu Kayo. He has now scored three wins since and will presumably be looking for a title shot at 8st 3lb. On the same Bangkok promotion, one-time WBA bantamweight title challenger Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym retained his PABA super bantam belt with a one-round knockout of Indonesian Sonny Manakane. Euro level Italian welterweight Sven Paris avenged a defeat suffered last time out in fine fashion in Tucson, Arizona. Paris' American debut in May had ended in disaster in May when he was unanimously outpointed by trialhorse Arthur Brambila, but he turned the tables in the rematch by knocking out his former conqueror in the first round. The Contender alumnus Jesse Brinkley returned from his defeat to Robin Reid in March and punched out a sixth-round stoppage over Washington trialhorse Luis Lopez in Worley, Idaho. Brinkley, from Las Vegas, was “old-manned” out of his UK vs USA Contender match by Reid but was angered by the Briton's tactics. June 22    In a battle of perennial cruiserweight contenders, Vincenzo Cantatore of Italy outscored Alexander Gurov of Ukraine for the vacant European championship. The title had been vacated by David Haye and both co-challengers are well-known to British fans. Cantatore was beaten by Johnny Nelson in 2005 and is being talked of as a future challenger for Enzo Maccarinelli, while Gurov was flattened in a round by Haye 18 months ago and by Terry Dunstan in 1998. This Rome encounter ended in a majority decision for Cantatore. Thai veteran Fahsan 3K-Battery retained his IBF Pan Pacific super bantamweight laurels for the 12th time by knocking out Yuvensius La Ende of Indonesia in two rounds in Bangkok. June 23 Ricky Hatton reignited his career with a stunning performance against Jose Luis Castillo in Las Vegas. This fight is covered elsewhere on BritishBoxing.net. Promotional wrangling scuppered the American debut of touted Aussie puncher Victor Oganov on the Hatton undercard. Middleweight Oganov, sporting a perfect 25-0 (25) record, was due to met American veteran Antwun Echols, but the contest was sidelined when Oganov reportedly signed with US promoter Gary Shaw, despite having supposedly reached an agreement with Hatton handlers Fight Academy. With Oganov off the bill, Colombian contender Fulgencio Zuniga stepped up at late notice and made light of the lack of preparation to post a 10-round unanimous decision over the veteran.    Bernard Dunne rocked Dublin once again with a wide, unanimous decision over Norwegian Reidar Walstad. Dunne was making the second defence of his European super bantamweight belt and is now hoping to defend against Belfast's Wayne McCullough in what would be an enormous occasion for Ireland. McCullough was supposed to launch his comeback on this show, but couldn't find a suitable opponent in time. The decline of Neil Sinclair continued underneath Dunne-Walstad as Belfast's former British welterweight champion was knocked out in five rounds by Englishman Francis Jones. Sinclair has now lost three of his last four fights.  As Tom Podmore revealed in his ringside report from Dublin, whispers say that Sinclair has now decided to hang them up, whilst Jones inches closer towards his goal of a British title shot.  Sebastian Sylvester gained revenge and the European middleweight crown by stopping defending champion Amin Askikainen in 11 rounds in Zwickau, Germany. Finland's Asikainen had stopped Sylvester in eight rounds a year ago and was treating this rematch as a money-making exercise while he awaited a world title opportunity. Unfortunately for him, his German rival had improved since their last meeting. Another result of importance on the European scene saw Russian heavyweight Timor Ibragimov top Germany's Timo Hoffman over 10 rounds on the Sylvester-Asikainen bill. Ibragimov, cousin of new WBO heavyweight ruler Sultan, floored and widely outcored the veteran Hoffman, who has shared rings with Michael Sprott and Henry Akinwande. Still in Zwickau, Danish super middleweight Mads Larsen continued his comeback with a valuable eight-round points wib over former WBO middleweight titlist Hector Velazco. Former European champion Larsen has won two fights since returning after a four-year absence. He was outscored by Sven Ottke in a 2003 world title bid. Formerly British-based Ugandan Jackson Asiku resurfaced Down Under after proving too dangerous for his own good on these shores. Asiku had scored a brace of first-round wins, over Marc Callaghan and Jamie McKeever, in the UK and then found himself short of challengers for his Commonwealth feathwerweight title. After being kept on the sidelines for a year, Asiku returned to Australia, where he has launched his career. In a non-title fight in Perth, Asiku continued his big-hitting ways, registering another one-rounder, this time against Thai import Singdaeng Pattanasing. Grizzled Argentinian featherweight Pastor ‘Bad Cow' Maurin returned to winning ways with a fourth-round stoppage over compatriot Santiago Allione in Salta. Maurin, 38, had lost his previous four contests but is best known in Britain for giving Michale Brodie a tumultuous distance fight in London in 2002. Andrei Isaev showed his capabilities in a good scrap with Kevin Mitchell last year. Fighting in Cheboksary, Russia, the young Belarussian improved to 15-1 and picked up IBF Intercontinental featherweight honours with a second-round knockout of Tanzania's Francis Miyeyusho.

Go back Comment on this article | Send to a friend | Print

Friend name: Friend email: Your name: Your email:   Privacy Statement

There are no comments. Click here to be the first who comment on this article.