Several ranked fighters were in action this week, but only two changes in the rankings were registered: Leo Santa Cruz, with a dominant win over Vusi Malinga to capture the vacant IBF bantamweight title debuts at #10 in the 118 lb. class. Rolly Matsushita, a Filipino based in Japan, has been moved out of the Top 10 to make room for Santa Cruz. Normally, only a win over a Top … [Read more...]
Freitas Stops Oliveira, Shumenov Blanks Ornelas, The Rest of Saturday’s Action
For Results of the "Four Warned" Card from The Home Depot Center, Click HERE Hotel & Casino Conrad, Punta del Este, Uruguay-- Acelino Freitas (39-2, 33 KOs) proved that a world class fighter, eight years and three weight classes beyond his best, is still better than a prime, over-hyped club fighter as he tore right through fellow Brazilian, Michael Oliveira (17-1, 12 … [Read more...]
The People Vs. Paper Champions
by Fox Doucette Quick question. What do Beibut Shumenov (in action this weekend), Guillermo Jones, Robert Stieglitz, Cornelius Bundrage, and Billy Dib have in common? If you guessed “they're fringe contenders calling themselves world champion”, give yourself a pat on the back and a cookie. Sechew Powell is also in action this week, fighting Gabriel Rosado for a minor trinket … [Read more...]
Beibut Shumenov To Defend Title vs. Enrique Ornelas
by Fox Doucette WBA 175-pound titlist Beibut Shumenov (12-1, 8 KOs) defends his piece of the alphabet soup crown against fringe contender Enrique Ornelas (33-7, 21 KOs) Saturday night in Shumenov's adopted hometown of Las Vegas, where he now trains after beginning his career in his native Kazakhstan. Shumenov is one of those “champions” who may hold a world title belt but who … [Read more...]
Euro-Champ Malaise: The Growth of Boxing’s Protected Class
by Paul Magno Back in the 90's the WBO was slow to receive recognition as a "real" sanctioning body-- and that's saying something in the often skeezy world of professional boxing. The reason for the snub was due to the sanctioning body's perceived "friendly" matchmaking for their title holders. When it comes to sketchy matchmaking, a finger could be pointed at the WBC, … [Read more...]