Scorecard: Joshua, Mares, Charlo and Crawford shine on busy weekend
— -- A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:
Saturday at Manchester, England
Anthony Joshua TKO3 Eric Molina -- Fight recap
Retains a heavyweight title
Records: Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs); Molina (25-4, 19 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Making his second title defense, England's Joshua, 27, blew out Molina, 34, of Raymondville, Texas, as expected. What added to the significance of the bout was what was at stake besides Joshua's belt -- he had to win to set up a mega fight with former champion Wladimir Klitschko on April 29, at Wembley Stadium in London. Klitschko (64-4, 53 KOs), who has not fought since losing his belts by decision to Tyson Fury in November 2015, was ringside and watched as Joshua destroyed Molina much more easily than titlist Deontay Wilder did in June 2015, in a fight with some anxious moments before a ninth-round knockout win.
After Joshua decked Molina with a left hand in the third round and followed up with a brutal assault of punches that left Molina out on his feet, referee Steve Gray stopped the fight at 2 minutes, 2 seconds. The CompuBox punch statistics show just how one-sided this was, as Joshua landed more punches than Molina threw; Joshua landed 38 of 105 shots (36 percent) and Molina landed just 6 of 34 (18 percent). Klitschko then joined Joshua in the ring for a very respectful joint interview -- Joshua is a former Klitschko sparring partner, and they are fond of each other -- as they announced what looms as one of the biggest fights of 2017.
Dillian Whyte W12 Dereck Chisora
Heavyweight title eliminator
Scores: 115-114, 115-113 Whyte; 115-114 Chisora
Records: Whyte (20-1, 15 KOs); Chisora (26-7, 18 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: British countrymen Whyte, 28, and former title challenger Chisora, 32, seemed to have genuine bad blood coming into the fight. Chisora even threw a table at Whyte during a news conference during fight week, in an incident that saw Chisora fined and a chance to win Whyte's British title taken away. But in the ring, they put on a razor-thin, close and thrilling war that could have gone either way -- and it was a fight of the year candidate, to be sure.
They let it all hang out in a grueling brawl that featured massive ebb and flow, with both fighters on the verge of going down or getting stopped several times, including one particular moment in which Chisora badly rocked Whyte in the fifth round (round of the year candidate), only to see Whyte come storming back later in the round. It was like that throughout a terrific fight that could spawn a welcome rematch, though this win certainly moved Whyte one step closer to a mandatory shot at the world title held by Deontay Wilder.
Scott Quigg KO9 Jose Cayetano
Featherweight
Records: Quigg (32-1-2, 24 KOs); Cayetano (20-5, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In February, Quigg suffered a broken jaw in a split decision loss to Carl Frampton in their long-anticipated junior featherweight unification bout. Returning from the loss and injury, Quigg, 28, moved up to featherweight and shook off the rust in front of a hometown crowd against Mexico's Cayetano, who gave a good effort but was outclassed. Quigg ended the fight in spectacular fashion, forcing Cayetano to the corner and absolutely annihilating him with a right hand to the head. This is a KO of the year candidate, as Cayetano's whole body swivelled sideways and banged into the top rope before he dropped to his backside against the corner post with his right leg bent underneath him. Quigg could be in line for a title shot against Wales' Lee Selby (23-1, 8 KOs).
Khalid Yafai W12 Luis Concepcion
Wins a vacant junior bantamweight title
Scores: 120-108, 119-108, 117-110
Records: Yafai (21-0, 14 KOs); Concepcion (35-5, 24 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Panama's Concepcion, 31, was 117.5 pounds -- 2.5 over the division limit -- and he was stripped of the title. That left Yafai, 27, of England, able to win the vacant belt, which he did with ease. Yafai dropped Concepcion to his backside with a left hand in the 10th round and totally dominated.
Callum Smith KO10 Luke Blackledge
Retains British super middleweight title
Records: Smith (22-0, 17 KOs); Blackledge (22-3-2, 7 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: England's Smith, 26, was never in danger against countryman Blackledge, 26, whom he dropped with a combination in the third round and then stopped with a massive left hook to the head at 2 minutes, 34 seconds of the 10th round. This is a KO of the year candidate as Blackledge fell limp immediately and was out cold. The win also kept Smith on track for a mandatory world title shot against the winner of the Jan. 14 Badou Jack-James DeGale unification fight.
Luis Ortiz TKO7 David Allen
Heavyweight
Records: Ortiz (27-0, 23 KOs); Allen (9-2-1, 6 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Fighting for the second time in 28 days (and second time since signing with Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn), top contender "King Kong" Ortiz, a 37-year-old Cuban defector living in Miami, battered England's Allen. Although Allen, 24, never went down, he took a beating and was bleeding from his mouth and being pummeled when referee Darren Sarginson stopped it at 2 minutes, 59 seconds of the seventh round.
Saturday at Los Angeles
Abner Mares W12 Jesus Cuellar -- Fight recap
Wins a featherweight title
Scores: 117-110, 116-111 Mares; 115-112 Cuellar
Records: Mares (30-2-1, 15 KOs); Cuellar (28-2, 21 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: For those that may have written off Mares, 31, you better think again. The three-division titleholder looked sharp, especially considering he had not fought in 16 months because of two postponements, and that he was coming off a grueling decision loss for a vacant title to Leo Santa Cruz. But Mares, a Mexico native living in Los Angeles, did a tremendous job of outboxing the rugged Cuellar, especially in the later stages, to win the secondary title in an entertaining fight. Mares, who dropped Cuellar with a right hand to the chin in the 11th round, had spent the better part of the past year working with new trainer Robert Garcia -- and it was clear he was very well prepared against Argentina's Cuellar, a 29-year-old southpaw whom Garcia used to train.
While the powerful Cuellar, who was making his third defense, was aggressive and awkward, Mares did a fine job of boxing him on the outside, staying in the middle of the ring and rumbling only when necessary -- the exact strategy that Garcia has been drilling into him. With Mares winning (giving Garcia a win over training rival Freddie Roach) the door is now open for very makeable major fights with other titleholders, whether it be the Carl Frampton-Santa Cruz II winner, Gary Russell Jr. or Lee Selby.
Jermall Charlo KO5 Julian "J Rock" Williams -- Fight recap
Retains a junior middleweight title
Records: Charlo (25-0, 19 KOs); Williams (22-1-1, 14 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Charlo, 26, of Houston, had a big chip on his shoulder throughout the build up to this fight, because Williams was trash-talking him before the mandatory bout was even made. Charlo's view was that even though Williams was unbeaten, he had never fought anyone remotely on his level -- and his aim was to prove it. Charlo, making his third title defense, did just that in devastating fashion; he scored three knockdowns in all, and left Williams on the mat in la-la land. Charlo's jab was sensational, and he fired one down the middle to drop Williams in the second round that left him wobbly-legged.
The right uppercut that Charlo dropped Williams with in the fifth round was highlight-reel material, as it spun him halfway around and dropped him face first. Credit to Williams for getting to his feet, but Charlo blitzed him with shots when the fight resumed, including a left hand that dropped him again and forced referee Wayne Hedgepeth to call off the fight at 2 minutes, 6 seconds of that same round. Charlo proved his point impressively, and although he called out titleholder Canelo Alvarez and others (although not fellow titlist and twin brother Jermell Charlo), we could see him abandon his title and move up to middleweight.
Sergey Lipinets KO9 Lenny Zappavigna
Junior welterweight title eliminator
Records:?Lipinets (11-0, 9 KOs); Zappavigna (35-3, 25 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: This was a terrific battle that should go down as a fight of the year honorable mention, as they both left it all in the ring in a bloody slugfest. Lipinets, 27, of Russia, earned a world title shot against newly-crowned titleholder Julius Indongo (21-0, 11 KOs), of Namibia, but it did not come easy against former lightweight title challenger Zappavigna, 29, of Australia. Zappavigna, who opened a bad cut over Lipinets' right eye in the action-packed fourth round, found himself on the ropes in the fifth round when Lipinets cut him over the right eye and dropped him with a left hook. Two judges had the fight 66-66 and one had Lipinets ahead 67-66 after seven rounds, but then Lipinets blasted Zappavigna with a clean right hand to the head, dropping him to his backside as referee Thomas Taylor counted him out at 1 minute, 23 seconds. It was a terrific fight.
Also on the card, blue chip junior middleweight prospect Erickson Lubin (17-0, 12 KOs), 21, of Orlando, Florida, fought as a middleweight to accommodate the heavy Juan Ubaldo Cabrera (23-2, 15 KOs), 37, of the Dominican Republic, but the weight made no difference as Lubin destroyed him. He dropped him twice en route to a knockout at 2 minutes, 9 seconds of the second round.
Saturday at Omaha, Nebraska
Terence Crawford TKO8 John Molina Jr. -- Fight recap
Retains unified junior welterweight title
Records: Crawford (30-0, 21 KOs); Molina (29-7, 23 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Crawford, 29, gave his adoring crowd of 11,270 (including Omaha billionaire Warren Buffett) reason to cheer as he absolutely destroyed the overmatched, overweight Molina in a wicked mismatch. HBO's Max Kellerman went so far as to compare it to the horrific beating then-heavyweight champion Larry Holmes dished out to Randall "Tex" Cobb in a 15-round decision in 1982 that was so bad it caused broadcaster Howard Cosell to quit calling fights. Although Molina, 33, of Covina, California, was coming off of a quality win over ex-titlist Ruslan Provodnikov in June, he was a massive underdog against Crawford. Then he badly missed weight, coming in at 143.4 pounds for the 140-pound fight and was thus not even eligible to win the belts. Crawford, seeking to make his closing argument for fighter of the year honors (which he won in 2014), brutalized the painfully slow Molina.
Crawford beat Molina to the punch and blasted him with every shot in the book. Molina showed only heart as he took a bad beating that finally concluded with Crawford pummeling him with body shots and head shots in the eighth round. He unleashed a 13-punch flurry in which virtually everything connected, including a fight-finishing right hand to the body and one to the head that dropped Molina in a corner and caused referee Mark Nelson to stop it at 51 seconds. The CompuBox punch statistics were incredibly one-sided, as Crawford landed 184 of 419 shots (44 percent) and Molina landed just 41 of 287 blows (14 percent). Crawford, who would like for the oft-discussed fight with Manny Pacquiao to become a reality, is in dire need of a big-time opponent.
Raymundo Beltran KO7 Mason Menard
Lightweight
Records:?Beltran (32-7-1, 20 KOs); Menard (32-2, 24 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The last time Beltran, 35 -- a Mexico native living in Phoenix -- boxed in Omaha, he was routed in a one-sided decision loss challenging then-lightweight champion Terence Crawford. Beltran returned to Omaha to fight on Crawford's undercard and put on a much better display in a tremendous performance against up-and-comer Menard, 28, of Rayne, Louisiana, who replaced injured former titleholder Juan Diaz on about three weeks' notice.
Beltran, the longtime Manny Pacquiao sparring partner, showed he still has something left as he dominated Menard. After a very competitive first round, Beltran took over as he walked Menard down and showed he was a level above him. Although Beltran suffered a cut over his left eye in the fifth round, it was not an issue. His left hook was on point, and he battered Menard until flattening him with a left hook in the eighth round -- causing referee Mark Nelson to stop the fight at 51 seconds. Beltran then called for a fight against any of the titleholders and said he'd be interested in facing junior lightweight titlist Vasyl Lomachenko, too, should he move up.
Saturday at Auckland, New Zealand
Joseph Parker W12 Andy Ruiz Jr. -- Fight recap
Wins a vacant heavyweight title
Scores: 115-113 (twice) Parker, 114-114
Records: Parker (22-0, 18 KOs); Ruiz (29-1, 19 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: When troubled heavyweight champion Tyson Fury gave up his title belts in September, it paved the way for New Zealand's Parker, 24, to meet Ruiz, 27, of Imperial Valley, California, for the vacant belt in one of New Zealand's biggest-ever sports events. Ruiz was bidding to become the first heavyweight titleholder of Mexican descent and he came close, but Parker got the well-deserved nod in a majority decision that was in no way a hometown call. He earned it as he rallied over the second half of the fight (though it was not very exciting).
After Ruiz put several early rounds in the bank against the slow-starting Parker, the latter picked up the pace and landed some nice combinations to do just enough to eke out the rounds he needed for victory. According to CompuBox punch statistics, he landed 119 of 560 punches (21 percent) and Ruiz connected with 107 of 416 (26 percent).
Saturday at Monterrey, Mexico
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. W10 Dominik Britsch
Super middleweight
Scores: 99-91 (three times)
Records: (50-2-1, 32 KOs); Britsch (32-3-1, 11 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Former middleweight world titleholder Chavez has been a huge disappointment in recent years for his failure to take boxing seriously, as he's missed weight regularly and even quit against Andrzej Fonfara three fights ago. But Chavez, fighting for the first time in 17 months (since missing weight for a win against Marcos Reyes), made weight for a change (167.8 pounds) and then rolled to a one-sided decision against Britsch, 29, of Germany. With his legendary father Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. ringside, Chavez, 30, of Mexico, imposed himself on Britsch for most of the fight. It was a textbook outing by Chavez, who relied on left hooks to the body and right hands to head. Britsch took a lot of shots, but he was game to the end in the one-sided loss. Chavez looked okay considering the layoff, and said he hopes to get more active in 2017.
Saturday at Montreal
Eleider "Storm" Alvarez W10 Norbert Dabrowski
Light heavyweight
Scores: 99-91, 98-92, 97-93
Records: Alvarez (21-0, 10 KOs); Dabrowski (19-6-1, 7 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Although Montreal's Alvarez, 32, a native of Colombia, is the mandatory challenger for world champion (and Montreal rival) Adonis Stevenson, he is instead scheduled to face former super middleweight titlist (and Montreal's most popular fighter) Lucian Bute (32-3-1, 25 KOs) on Feb. 24 in Quebec City. To make that fight official, Alvarez had to take care of Dabrowski, 28, of Poland, and he did just that by outpointing a durable opponent who has never been stopped. Dabrowski was picked as an opponent largely because he is a southpaw, so that Alvarez could get that look before facing the left-handed Bute.
Saturday at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Berlin Abreu W10 David Emanuel Peralta
Welterweight
Scores: 96-94, 96-93 Abreu; 97-93 Peralta
Records: Abreu (14-1, 11 KOs); Peralta (26-3-1, 14 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In August, Peralta, 34, who was essentially in retirement from boxing and driving a taxi in his home country of Argentina, took a fight with former two-division titleholder Robert Guerrero and scored perhaps the upset of the year with a split decision win. It was such a big win that Peralta quit driving and relocated to Miami, Florida, to box full time. But in his first fight since that huge victory, he was on the losing end of a split decision to the unheralded Abreu, 24, of the Dominican Republic, which will surely put a dent in the big plans Peralta and his team had following the August victory.
Also on the card, former welterweight titlist Kermit Cintron (39-5-2, 30 KOs), 37, of Reading, Pennsylvania, stopped Rosemberg Gomez (19-6-1, 15 KOs), 30, of Nicaragua, who retired after the fourth round.
Saturday at Miami, Oklahoma
Ivan Baranchyk W8 Wilberth Lopez
Junior welterweight
Scores: 98-91 (twice), 97-92
Records: Baranchyk (13-0, 10 KOs); Lopez (15-7, 10 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: New York-based Russian prospect Baranchyk, 23, has found a home on the regular cards at the Buffalo Run Casino, racking up his fourth win in a row there as he got in good work against a determined Lopez, 21, of Tucson, Arizona, who dropped his second eight-round decision in a row. In the fourth round, the aggressive Baranchyk suffered the first knockdown of his career, but ultimately cruised to the decision.
Also on the card, heavyweight Trey Lippe-Morrison (13-0, 13 KOs), 27, of Vinita, Oklahoma, the son of late heavyweight titleholder Tommy Morrison, dropped Ty Cobb (19-8, 11 KOs), 41, of Wichita Falls, Texas, twice before notching a knocking out at 2 minutes, 10 seconds of the second round.
Saturday at Wroclaw, Poland
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk W12 Leon Harth
Cruiserweight
Scores: 116-112 (twice), 115-113
Records: Wlodarczyk (52-3-1, 37 KOs); Harth (14-2, 10 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Wlodarczyk, 35, of Poland, successfully defended his cruiserweight world title six times during his 2010 to 2014 reign before losing it by decision to Grigory Drozd. Since that loss, Wlodarczyk, who did not fight at all in 2015, has notched three wins in a row, including this victory against Harth; he outboxed the defensive-minded Harth, and put himself in position for another title shot next year. Harth, an Armenian based in Germany, had only one previous loss -- a fourth-round knockout in 2014 to Murat Gassiev, who claimed a world title on Dec. 3.