Scorecard: Ferocious Kovalev scores KO
— -- A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:
Saturday in Las Vegas
Sergey Kovalev KO3 Nadjib Mohammedi
Retains unified light heavyweight title
Records: Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KOs); Mohammedi (37-4, 23 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: If there was anything that virtually everybody agreed on it was this: Kovalev was going to destroy Mohammedi with ease. And that's just what happened as Mohammedi, 30, of France, one of the more undeserving mandatory challengers in recent times, got crushed by the "Krusher."
The mere fact that Mohammedi was still standing after the first round was something that may have surprised many. Kovalev used the first round to see what he had in front of him and it turned out not to be much. So when the second round rolled around, Kovalev, 32, a native of Russia living in Los Angeles, began to open up and do damage. Kovalev, who retained his title for the sixth time, dropped Mohammedi with three right hands and a jab. At that point it was clear that Mohammedi had zero chance to win and that this was going to be a quick night. Mohammedi, whose 13-fight winning streak against forgettable competition came to an end, spent the rest of the round trying to hold onto Kovalev for dear life.
In the third round, Kovalev, who was making his sixth title defense, nailed Mohammedi with a right hand and left jab to the eye and he went down. Mohammedi beat the count but was holding his eye and in no condition to continue, forcing referee Kenny Bayless to call off the gargantuan mismatch -- one of the worst in a major world title fight in a long time -- at 2 minutes, 38 seconds. Even Kovalev seemed ticked off that his opponent was so inept and offered so little. He said after the fight he wanted it to go longer so he could put on a better show for the fans. In fact, after the first knockdown, Kovalev was yelling at Mohammedi and motioning for him to get up.
How bad was Mohammedi? Besides the fact that he had no defense and a laughable jab, he landed only 17 of 96 punches (18 percent), according to CompuBox. Not one of those shots did an ounce of damage, either. Meanwhile, Kovalev, one of boxing's best punchers, connected with 67 of 170 blows (39 percent).
Kovalev was coming off back-to-back huge wins against the great Bernard Hopkins (to unify three world title belts) in November and an exciting eighth-round knockout of former world champion Jean Pascal on Pascal's home turf in Montreal in March. So taking a bit of a breather, and getting the mandatory out of the way -- because he has no intention of giving up any belts -- was not terrible, especially because he is going to remain busy. But Mohammedi was just terrible.
At least Kovalev will be back in action on Nov. 28 in Moscow, where he hopes to face two-time Olympian Artur Beterbiev (9-0, 9 KOs), 30, who defeated Kovalev in the amateur ranks. It's a tough fight to make because of Beterbiev's ties to manager Al Haymon, but at least Main Events promoter Kathy Duva said she will try to make a deal. Then look for Kovalev to return to North America in early 2016, perhaps in a rematch with Pascal. But at some point the big fight has to happen: Kovalev against super middleweight champion Andre Ward (28-0, 15 KOs), a fantastic match between two of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
Jean Pascal W10 Yunieski Gonzalez
Light heavyweights
Scores: 96-94 (three times)
Records: Pascal (30-3-1, 17 KOs); Gonzalez (16-1, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: There are two things to know about this bout: It was a terrific action fight worthy of a sequel and the decision was terrible. Pascal, the former light heavyweight world champion, was coming off an eighth-round knockout loss to unified titleholder Sergey Kovalev in March and fighting on his undercard hoping to set up a possible rematch in early 2016. It might happen, but it's hard to see there being a different result because Gonzalez, 30, a Cuban defector living in Miami, spent 10 rounds softening up Pascal, 32, of Montreal, for that fight by punishing him during this incredibly violent and high-contact battle.
Gonzalez had never faced a top opponent before but he came to the fight with big amateur credentials as a former member of the powerhouse Cuban amateur national team and is nicknamed "The Monster," seemingly for good reason. He is a rough, physical fighter who seems to have good power and a good chin. He pressured Pascal from the outset and appeared to shock him with his power, although Pascal has a tremendous chin and never went down, despite taking some massive shots. He creamed Pascal with right hands throughout the fight. The second round was a round of the year candidate that featured a terrific extended exchange in which they traded with abandon. The sixth round was another terrific round and they finished the 10th round pounding each other.
The action was terrific throughout the fight although Pascal was not nearly as active as Gonzalez, fought in spurts at times and landed fewer punches. According to CompuBox punch statistics, Gonzalez connected with 163 of 632 punches (26 percent) and Pascal landed 154 of 397 blows (39 percent).
They both landed some vicious punches, but Gonzalez appeared to have opened such a large lead that even when Pascal had some success in the later rounds it did not seem to be enough -- until the judges' scorecards were read. Gonzalez burst into tears upon the result being read. He deserves a rematch, or even the shot at Kovalev next year over Pascal.
Virtually every media member at ringside had Gonzalez winning the fight, with a couple of draws. Harold Lederman, HBO's unofficial judge, had Gonzalez winning wide. After such a strong performance in what was a coming-out party for him, it was a shame Gonzalez did not get the decision, even if it was close, that he deserved.
Saturday in Las Vegas
Beibut Shumenov W12 B.J. Flores
Wins a vacant interim cruiserweight title
Scores: 116-112 (three times)
Records: Shumenov (16-2, 10 KOs); Flores (31-2-1, 20 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This was a close fight but not a particularly good one. Shumenov, 31, a 2004 Olympian for his native Kazakhstan living in Las Vegas, got the nod, but Flores, 36, of Chandler, Arizona, complained that all Shumenov did was run. Well, he did move quite a bit and the strategy paid off. But he must have landed something because Flores' face was marked at the end of the fight.
After Shumenov, a former light heavyweight titlist, lost his belt by decision to Bernard Hopkins in their April 2014 unification fight, he moved up to cruiserweight and notched a low-level win in December with new trainer Ismael Salas. This fight was a big step up and Shumenov, the smaller man, landed some nice jabs and did a good job avoiding the bigger puncher Flores' heavy shots until getting wobbled in the closing seconds of the fight. If Flores, known more as an NBC boxing commentator than as a fighter, has an argument for deserving the decision, it was that he countered nicely and landed more power punches. The crowd booed the decision even though Las Vegas is Shumenov's adopted hometown. Shumenov collected an interim belt that put him in position to be the mandatory challenger for full titleholder Denis Lebedev (27-2, 20 KOs) of Russia.
Shumenov's take on the fight: "Boxing is an art. I used my skills, positioning, angles and footwork to win the fight. I followed the instructions from my corner and thought I won the fight clearly."
Flores' opposite view of the fight: "Beibut always comes forward. He's very tough, but tonight he ran the whole night. It's tough to win a fight when the guy is trying to run in circles. My punches were crisp and effective and I hurt him. He had nothing on his punches and never hurt me."
Claudio Marrero KO3 Rico Ramos
Featherweights
Records: Marrero (19-1, 14 KOs); Ramos (24-5, 12 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Boom! Here's a knockout of the year candidate for you. Not much happened through the first two rounds as Marrero, a 26-year-old southpaw from the Dominican Republic, and Ramos, 28, a former junior featherweight world titleholder from Pico Rivera, California, feinted, danced and felt each other out. But then, 20 seconds into the third round, Marrero connected with a sweet overhand left hand that Ramos never saw coming. It landed on his chin and knocked him flat on his back as he crashed his head into the canvas in the fall. Referee Jay Nady immediately waved off the fight. It was spectacular.
Ramos has dropped two of his past three fights and seems well faded and unable to take a solid shot. Marrero won his fifth fight in a row since a close decision loss to Jesus Cuellar for an interim featherweight title in August 2013.
"I've improved a lot since my loss and I come into each fight better and better," Marrero said. "I'm more confident in my preparation and I have a great fight plan. I want to fight the best of the best. Whoever it is, I'm ready."
Also on the card, southpaw cruiserweight prospect Isiah Thomas (15-0, 6 KOs), 26, of Detroit, handed Jordan Shimmell (19-1, 16 KOs), 26, of Hudsonville, Michigan, his first defeat, winning a unanimous decision on scores of 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93.
Saturday in Hollywood, Calif.
Brian Viloria KO1 Omar Soto
Flyweights
Records: Viloria (36-4, 22 KOs); Soto (23-12-2, 15 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In 2010 in the Philippines, Viloria, 34, of Hawaii, bounced back from a loss to Carlos Tamara that cost him his junior flyweight world title by moving up to flyweight and taking on Soto. Viloria edged him in a split decision and later unified flyweight world titles.
Now, as Viloria awaits another likely flyweight title shot, he stayed busy as the headliner on UniMas' "Solo Boxeo Tecate" by facing Soto in a rematch after Soto was pressed into service when the California State Athletic Commission declined to approve original opponent Danny Flores (13-6-1, 8 KOs) of Mexico.
As little resistance as Soto, 35, of Mexico, showed, perhaps Flores would have been a better bet to at least extend the fight a few rounds. Viloria won his fourth fight in a row since losing his flyweight title to Juan Francisco Estrada in April 2013 as he dropped Soto three times in the quick victory.
First, Viloria sent him to a knee with a right-left combination a little over a minute into the fight. Moments later Viloria dropped him to a knee again with a right hand to the head. And then almost immediately, Viloria dropped him to all fours courtesy of a left hook to the body. As soon as Soto went down referee Zac Young waved off the fight at 2 minutes, 2 seconds. This sure was a lot easier work for Viloria than in their first meeting five years ago.
Soto suffered his third loss in a row by knockout and has been stopped in four of his past five fights. Viloria is likely headed for another title shot before the end of the year.
Saturday in Los Mochis, Mexico
Cesar Juarez W12 Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr.
Junior featerweights
Records: Juarez (17-3, 13 KOs); Sanchez (20-4-1, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In an action-packed fight, Juarez, 23, of Mexico, scored the mild upset over former junior bantamweight titlist Sanchez, a 24-year-old southpaw, also from Mexico, in a very close affair. Sanchez was docked a point for a head-butt that cut Juarez in the first round and the action never really let up. In the 10th round, Juarez knocked Sanchez down with a right hand just as the round was coming to an end.
Things got weird in the 12th round. Sanchez, who was on fumes at this point, was taking punishment during the final minute of the fight. When he took a step back toward the ropes, he slipped between them and fell clear out of the ring down to the floor. He collected himself, got to his knees and was able to beat the referee's 20-count (which is what is administered in the event a fighter is ejected from the ring) and climb back into the ring as his hometown crowd cheered. The fighters then clinched and went tumbling to the mat with just a few seconds left in the fight, which ended before they both could get up.
Moises Fuentes KO6 Oswaldo Novoa
Flyweights
Records: Fuentes (22-2-1, 12 KOs); Novoa (14-6-2, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In a meeting of former strawweight world titleholders it was Fuentes, 29, of Mexico, who notched the authoritative victory. He got off to a strong start by dropping Novoa to his rear end with a left hand midway through the first round. In the second round, Fuentes was sternly warned by referee Julio Cesar Mariscal after fouling Novoa with a terrible low blow that caused him to go down.
Early in the sixth round Fuentes fired another very low left hand that caused Novoa to sink to his knees. This time Mariscal docked a point from Fuentes but later in the round, Fuentes backed Novoa into the ropes and landed a left to the head and a right to the gut -- this shot was perfectly legal -- sending Novoa to the canvas, where he was in agony as Mariscal counted him out at 1 minute, 1 second. Fuentes won his third fight in a row since being knocked out in the ninth round in May 2014 challenging junior flyweight titlist Donnie Nietes in the Philippines. Novoa, 33, of Mexico, dropped to 0-2-1 in his last three fights, a stretch that began with the loss of his world title in November.
Friday in London
Frank Buglioni KO5 Fernando Castaneda
Super middleweights
Records: Buglioni (17-1-1, 13 KOs); Castaneda (23-10, 14 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Buglioni, 26, of England, was supposed to headline this card by challenging Russia's Fedor Chudinov (13-0, 10 KOs) for his secondary world title. However, Chudinov suffered a broken nose in a sparring session two weeks before the fight and it was postponed. So Buglioni took on late replacement Castaneda, 26, of Mexico, who lost for the third time in his past four fights and the fourth time in his past six.
The change from a world title bout to a journeyman opponent did not seem to lessen Buglioni's focus or enthusiasm for combat as he took Castaneda apart. The quicker Buglioni eased into the fight behind his jab before beginning to let his right hand go in a dominant performance. In the fifth round, Buglioni backed Castaneda into the ropes with a left hand to the head and then connected with a nice right hand behind the ear that dropped Castaneda to all fours and referee Terry O'Connor counted him at 2 minutes, 56 seconds.
With Buglioni safely through the fight against Castaneda, the fight with Chudinov is due to take place Sept. 26 at the same place as this card, the SSE Wembley Arena.
Billy Joe Saunders TKO4 Yoann Bloyer
Middleweights
Records: Saunders (22-0, 12 KOs); Bloyer (17-28-2, 3 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Saunders, 25, of England, has a mandatory world title shot scheduled against Ireland's Andy Lee (34-2-1, 24 KOs) on Sept. 19 in Lee's hometown of Limerick. But since Saunders had not fought since his split decision victory against rival Chris Eubank Jr. in November, he felt he needed a tuneup fight. So with the world title shot at stake, Saunders faced Bloyer, 32, of France, who was not a threatening opponent -- even though you just never know what will happen when the bell rings or if there will be a cut or some other injury that could derail the fight.
But Saunders came through against Bloyer with no issues. He accomplished what he hoped to, which was to shake off some rust, get the win and suffer no injuries.
Saunders, a southpaw, was quicker with his hands and feet, much more skilled and a harder hitter. The result was the expected one-sided domination that ended with a stoppage. In the third round, Saunders dropped Bloyer twice. Midway through the round, Saunders landed a left hand to the chin that dropped him to his knees. Then, with a few seconds left in the round, Saunders landed a flush left uppercut to drop Bloyer to his knees again. He beat the count and the bell sounded so Saunders did not have the opportunity to finish him. But 53 seconds into the fourth round the fight ended when Saunders nailed him near the nose to drop him to a knee and although he again beat the count, referee Bob Williams called off the one-sided mismatch. On to the world title fight for Saunders.
Dereck Chisora KO1 Beqa Lobjanidze
Heavyweights
Records: Chisora (21-5, 14 KOs); Lobjanidze (13-4, 10 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: It could take you longer to read this recap of the fight than it lasted. Chisora, 31, of England, who lost a decision in a 2012 world title fight against Vitali Klitschko, took a beating from Tyson Fury in their rematch in November, which was a world title eliminator for the right to challenge champion Wladimir Klitschko. Making his return from that defeat, Chisora was (as expected) matched rather softly with Lobjanidze, 34, of Georgia (the country, not the state).
The fight was over with the first real punch as Chisora landed a flush overhand right on Lobjanidze's jaw and he went down in a heap. Referee Bob Williams began to count, reached six and then waved it off because Lobjanidze wasn't moving. He could have counted to 100. The fight proved nothing whatsoever about what Chisora might have left in the tank, but it was the first step in what he hopes is a rebuilding process that will eventually land him another major fight.