Our resident boxing writer Diego Morilla serves up a full weekend wrap-up of the most relevant boxing events in the worldwide scene. Every fight that matters is right here, in one place, and at one click away. Follow Morilla on Twitter at @MorillaBoxing
Macau, China, Nov. 22nd
Manny Pacquiao vs. Chris Algieri, WBO welterweight title
The question of whether Chris Algieri was up to the challenge was answered in a definitive way, as welterweight titlist Manny Pacquiao soundly defeated him on points, scoring six official knockdowns in the process and looking as powerful as ever.
The only question that remains, perhaps, is whether Algieri (20-1, 8 KO) will be remembered for falling to the canvas six times or whether he’ll be remembered for getting up on those six occasions to continue trying to notch an impossible win.
The punch stats favored Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KO) in deceptively close numbers in spite of the enormous difference perceived in the ring. Pacquiao outlanded Algieri 229 to 108 after throwing 669 punches to Algieri’s 469. But the difference in the ring was even more stark, as Pacquiao kept his foe in retreat in every single round and landed the more telling punches throughout the bout. The first knockdown of the fight was actually a slip, but all five other knockdowns (two in the 6th and 9th rounds, and one more in the 10th) were inexcusable, and the first one of the ninth round was particularly demolishing, with Algieri rising at the count of 9 and a half and looking disoriented before getting a pass from referee Genaro Hernandez. In the end, Pacquiao received two scorecards of 119-103 (in agreement with XN Sports) and a more definitive one of 120-102 for one of his most lopsided wins ever.
“I did my best tonight,” said Pacquiao after his victory, before calling out Floyd Mayweather once again with the roaring approval of the crowd. And after such a terrific display of power, there is no reason to believe that Mayweather will be any more inclined to take on his challenge than he was before the initial bell rang.
The winner goes on to: No, there’ll be no Mayweather fight. Ever. Count on Jessie Vargas to step up as the next Top Rank-sanctioned challenger in a mildly more interesting fight for the PacMan’s next title defense.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oGWNwVjN9o
Zou Shiming UD 12 Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym, WBO flyweight eliminator
Onesongchaigym was unable to pull a Pacquiao, but Zou pulled an Algieri in this surprisingly entertaining bout. Shiming (6-0, 1 KO) is an unbeaten two-time Olympic medallist and local icon in China, where he is responsible for bringing in a large number of fans into the country’s blossoming PPV market. His lack of power doesn’t help him, but this time he managed to send Pacquiao lookalike Onesongchaigym (27-1-2, 12 KO) to the canvas twice in the second round, and looked on the verge to scoring a stoppage when his Thai opponent staged a comeback that carried him all the way to the finish line, even though he was unable to create any significant danger for the local fighter. Onesongchaigym lost a point for a low blow in round six and was sent again to the canvas as instant retaliation. After going down a fourth time in round twelve, Onesongchaigym finally lost by scores of 119-106 (twice) and 120-103.
The winner goes on to: As the new mandatory contender for the WBO belt, he should be in line to challenge for that piece of hardware before his 10th fight, but he didn’t exactly look ready for talented current champ Juan Francisco Estrada. Shiming will probably wait for a vacant title before making his move.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SAP_W2BG68
Vasyl Lomachenko UD 12 Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo, WBO featherweight title
Another former amateur star moves along with a stellar young career. Lomachenko (3-1, 1 KO) is the unbeaten WBO featherweight titlist and two-time Olympic gold medalist from Ukraine, and he had to dig deep in this one to turn away a spirited effort by veteran challenger Piriyapinyo (52-2, 33 KO) to retain his title after suffering an injury in his left hand. Knowing that his young career was at stake, Lomachenko trudged on and managed to score a 120-107 victory across the board.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrhYDeFmWug
Jessie Vargas UD 12 Antonio DeMarco, WBA junior welterweight title
Nobody expected DeMarco to score a major upset here, but very few saw this as just another test for Vargas. This one was a true title challenge, and it became one of Vargas’ (26-0, 9 KO) finest performances to date. With legendary multi-division champion Roy Jones Jr. in his corner, Vargas had to overcome a cut and a terrific effort by DeMarco (31-4-1, 23 KO) to keep his unbeaten mark along with his title. DeMarco refused to play second fiddle in this one, and went out trying to claim what would have been his second world title in a very courageous performance. Still, Vargas’ youth and talent were too much for him, and the scores of 116-112 across the board reflected that dominance. A much-needed gritty effort by the usually lackluster Vargas, who is now back in Top Rank’s short list of possible opponents for Pacquiao.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImnYJC2FZx4
Liverpool, England, Nov. 22nd
Tony Bellew SD 12 Nathan Cleverly, cruiserweights
Do we hear trilogy? Certainly, that’s a big possibility now that these two entertaining and highly-ranked fighters with huge local followings have split one victory apiece (Cleverly won the first match in 2011). This time, it was Bellew (22-2-1, 14 KO) the one who got the nod in this grudge rematch against Cleverly (28-1, 14 KO), ruining his unbeaten streak and setting up a possible third match in the near future. The fight was close for the most part, but Bellew clearly surged towards the end against a tired and possibly injured Cleverly, who dropped a split decision by scorecards of 116-112 and 115-113 in favor of Bellew, while taking home a 115-114 in his favor. The likely contract for the rubber match is all but signed, sealed and delivered.
Scott Quigg UD 12 Hidenori Otake, WBA junior featherweight title
Quigg (30-0-2, 22 KO) continued his progress and kept his unbeaten streak alive with a solid decision over a serious challenger in Japan’s Otake (22-2-3, 9 KO), who got cut over the right eye in his losing effort by scorecards of 119-109 (twice) and 118-110.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYDq4gCaOdg
Jamie McDonnell TKO 10 Javier Chacon, WBA bantamweight title
An entertaining affair, and a surprisingly tough challenge from a late-replacement, that was cut short due to an injury. McDonnell (24-2-1, 11 KO) retained his title when Argentina’s Chacon (20-3, 5 KO) waved himself out of the bout when the pain of a nagging right shoulder injury came back to haunt him in this unexpected challenge for him, as he was brought in only a couple of weeks ago in replacement of Walberto Ramos. Still, the fight was quite competitive up until the stoppage, with Chacon fighting out of the crouch and McDonnell trying to outbox him from a safe distance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWOR70uBdlY
Anthony Joshua KO 1 Michael Sprott, heavyweights
Joshua (10-0, 10 KO) took his unbeaten streak to double digits in his usual impressive fashion against a relatively soft touch in Sprott (42-23, 17 KO), overwhelming him and smothering him with punches to provoke a stoppage after only 85 seconds of action. The unbeaten 2012 Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist is on track to become a serious contender within the next two years.
Callum Smith UD 12 Nikola Sjekloca, super middleweights
James DeGale TKO 3 Marco Antonio Periban, super middleweights
George Groves TKO 7 Denis Douglin, super middleweights
A trio of British super middles completed a packed card in Liverpool. Smith (15-0, 11 KO) had an easy time against a willing but terribly limited Montenegro native in Sjekloca (28-3, 8 KO) winning by scores of 118-111, 120-108 and 118-110. DeGale (20-1, 14 KO) was much more assertive in his stoppage victory over highly-regarded Mexican contender Periban (20-3-1, 13 KO), dropping him with a left hand and forcing a stoppage. Groves (21-2, 16 KO) progressively wore down Douglin (17-4, 10 KO) through seven rounds to finally send him down to the canvas and force a stoppage as the round was coming to a close.
Kanagawa, Japan, Nov. 22nd
Takashi Miura TKO 6 Edgar Puerta, WBC junior lightweight title
An impressive win for a talented titlist on the rise. Miura (28-2-2, 21 KO) sent Mexico’s Puerta (23-5-1, 19 KO) to the canvas in the first round, gave him a solid beating and finally forced a stoppage in the sixth round after a terrific, grinding performance. The Japanese southpaw is definitely taking his act to the next level with performances like this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AodIImUuWm0
Roman Gonzalez TKO 6 Rocky Fuentes, WBC flyweight title
One of boxing’s fastest-rising talents does it again. Gonzalez (41-0, 35 KO) is an unbeaten three-time world champ in boxing’s lightest divisions, and is now solidly established at the flyweight level, where he made this terrific defense against Fuentes (35-8-2, 21 KO) of the Philippines in his usual demolishing fashion after decking him with a series of combinations and forcing a stoppage. There are very few serious challenges for Gonzalez at this division but plenty of interesting and lucrative matchups for him while we wait for him to face a serious threat.
Toluca, Mexico, Nov. 22nd
Hugo Ruiz KO 1 Carlos Medellin, bantamweights
Adrian Hernandez KO 2 Armando Torres, flyweights
Two Mexican former world titlists scored solid stoppages in the comeback trail. Ruiz (35-2, 31 KO), a former bantamweight titlist, stopped Medellin (23-18-2, 16 KO) after dropping him three times in the first round, while Hernandez (30-3-1, 19 KO), a still promising former two-time flyweight titlist, scored a second round stoppage of Torres (21-13, 15 KO).
Terracina, Italy, Nov. 22nd
Gianluca Branco TKO 7 Rafal Jackiewicz, vacant European welterweight title
Branco (49-3-1, 23 KO) grabbed the vacant European welterweight belt in lackluster fashion after a dull fight. Jackiewicz (46-12-2, 21 KO) injured his knee and chose not to come out for the seventh round after sending Branco down twice earlier in the fight and looking on the verge of scoring an upset.
Auckland, New Zealand, Nov. 22nd
Kali Meehan UD 10 Shane Cameron, heavyweights
Fiji’s Meehan (42-5, 32 KO) got a 99-91, 98-92, 97-94 points win over Cameron (29-5, 22 KO) in a fight of veteran yet still tough fringe contenders.
Tulsa, Okla., Nov. 21st
Felix Diaz MD 10 Adrian Granados, welterweights
Diaz (16-0, 8 KO), a 2008 Olympic gold medalist, continued his unbeaten streak with this solid win over Granados (13-3-2, 9 KO), sending him down to the canvas in the last two rounds to save the day after hitting a few early bumps on his road to a close victory by scores of 94-94, 97-91 and 98-91.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk7YoYlZpgM
