Quezon City, Philippines, Nov. 30
Merlito Sabillo D 12 Carlos Buitrago, WBO strawweight title
Bragging rights in boxing’s lightest division are up for grabs after the exit of some of their most relevant fighters in search for challenges at higher weight divisions, and this fight promised to deliver some clues about the future of the division. Looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer to find out who’s the man to beat, as Sabillo (23-0-1, 12 KO) and Buitrago (27-0-1, 16 KO) gave it all through 12 spirited rounds but failed to impress the judges enough to take a victory. Nicaragua’s Buitrago appeared to be the stronger fighter in the late rounds, but Sabillo was defending his title in front of his people and was not to be denied. A rematch in neutral turf would not be a bad idea.
Donnie Nietes TKO 3 Sammy Gutierrez, WBO junior flyweight title
Nietes (32-1-4, 18 KO) made his third defense of his title with a third round KO of former titlist Gutierrez (33-10-2, 23 KO) of Mexico. Three KDs were scored by Nietes before the referee decided he had seen enough at 2:58 of the third round.
The winner goes on to: lots of option for Nietes in this division, where he will hopefully make the most of his talents in a unification bout.
Milan Melindo UD 12 Jose Rodriguez, flyweights
A.J. Banal UD 10 Manuel Gonzalez, featherweights
Two respected and tough local fighters advanced their careers with solid victories. Melindo (30-1, 12 KO) outworked Mexico’s Rodriguez (29-3, 18 KO) in a regional title fight. Banal (30-2-1, 21 KO) continued his search for a new title bout after two failed bids by outpointing Dominican Republic’s Gonzalez (16-8-2, 5 KO) with a good effort over ten entertaining rounds.
Colon, Panama, Nov. 30
Javier Prieto UD 12 Vicente Mosquera, lightweights
One of the upsets of the night took place in this main event, as the unheralded Prieto (24-7, 18 KO) took a twelve round unanimous decision over Mosquera (33-3-1, 18 KO), a former champ and local hero originally slated to fight a much tougher challenger. Looking out of his element and later claiming to be fighting with a severe injury during most of the bout, Mosquera dropped a decision by scores of 115-112 (twice) and 116-111, visiting the canvas in the 12th round in the process. Mosquera ended a 9-fight winning streak since his loss to the late Edwin Valero back in 2006 and goes now into rebuilding mode.
The winner goes on to: not much, unfortunately. A rematch will probably be his best bet for a bigger payday.
Celestino Caballero TKO 2 Jimmy Aburto, featherweights
Caballero (37-5, 24 KO) is a former two-division titlist who’s been slightly unlucky in the matchmaking department, and is always ready to take on a challenge anywhere in the world to prove his mettle. This time he had an unexpectedly easy night after his original opponent cancelled his appearance and Nicaraguan Jimmy Aburto (14-3-2, 5 KO) was sent in as a late replacement, to be hopelessly slaughtered by the awkward but supremely talented local fighter.
The winner goes on to: calling out the best of the best in the division. Again.
London, England, Nov. 30
Dereck Chisora TKO 3 Ondrej Pala, heavyweights
True to his nature as one of boxing’s most controversial and colorful (for the wrong reasons) characters, Zimbabwe-born Chisora (19-4, 13 KO) took the fight to late-replacement Czech fringe contender Pala (32-4, 22 KO) after being surprised with a barrage of punches in the initial round. Chisora managed to stay afloat and then waited for his moment to strike. That moment came in round 3, and the strike did not appear to be entirely legal as Pala complained of a rabbit punch before the referee stepped in to stop the contest.
The winner goes on to: with a successful 2013 already in the books, Chisora should be able to secure another title shot next year.
Mexicali, Mexico, Nov. 30
Jorge Paez Jr. TKO 7 Ivan Hernandez, welterweights
Paez (37-4-1, 22 KO) got off to a slow start, but he let his hands go in the third round and never looked back, scoring a terrific knock-down after a solid left uppercut to the head that sent Hernandez (29-5, 23 KO) on his knees for the full count. The referee was a bit quick on the trigger with the stoppage, but it definitely looked as if the end was inevitable for Colombia’s Hernandez. Solid win for Paez, who got positive comments from former champs Marco Antonio Barrera and Julio Cesar Chavez at ringside after a good performance.
The winner goes on to: if we believe the hype (which included an overacted challenge during the post-fight celebration), Paez is headed to a clash with Erik Morales sometime next year.
Zolani Tete KO 10 Juan Carlos Sanchez, super flyweights
A stunning upset took place in this bout, intended to be a step-up challenge for local hero and former titlist Sanchez (17-2-1, 9 KO), who ended up being starched by South Africa’s Tete (18-3, 16 KO) in ten rounds. They both visited the canvas in the middle rounds, but the visiting fighter rallied towards the end to score a convincing stoppage with a long straight left that landed flush in Sanchez’s chin.
The winner goes on to: this very entertaining duel of southpaws warrants a rematch, and we hope they get it.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Nov. 30
Jeff Lacy TKO 3 Martin Verdin, super middleweights
A former Olympian and 168 lb titlist, Lacy (26-4, 18 KO) is now looking for a second chance after a three-year layoff, which officially ended with this entertaining stoppage victory over Verdin (20-17-2, 11 KO) in an uneventful fight that will not do much to prove Lacy is ready for bigger challenges. We will have to wait until his next fight if we hope to see more clues about his progress.
The winner goes on to: another cautious comeback fight at 168 before attempting an unlikely return to the top of the ranks.
Reading, Penn., Nov. 30
Travis Kauffman TKO 1 Jason Barnett, heavyweights
Fighting in front of his home crowd, Kauffman (27-1, 20 KO) had planned to face Manuel Quezada in a stay-busy fight, but he had to settle for late replacement Barnett (14-15, 7 KO) as Quezada failed to provide the necessary paperwork for this challenge. Kauffman easily managed to send put his foe’s record below .500 with a three-KD technical stoppage at 2:09 of the first round. A solid statement by a solid contender we’d like to see in tougher challenges in the future.
The winner goes on to: looking for bigger challenges in order to improve his WBA top-10 status.
