Matthysse blasts out Ajose

Matthysse blasts out Ajose (Photo: Tom Casino/Showtime) LAS VEGAS (Sept. 8, 2012) – Lucas Matthysse powered his way through previously undefeated Olusegun Ajose to claim the WBC Interim Super Lightweight World Championship Saturday night on SHOWTIME® from The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Matthysse’s power proved to be too much for the game Ajose and after a fantastic display of courage from both fighters, Matthysse scored a fight ending knockdown at 2:59 of the 10th round.

In the co-feature on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, up-and-coming prospect J’Leon Love stepped into the spotlight and claimed the win over fellow prospect Ramon Valenzuela by disqualification due to unsportsmanlike conduct at 0:37 of the eighth round.

In the main event, Matthysse proved to be stronger and faster from the opening bell. Matthysse, who has had great success against left handers, stayed busier throughout and landed punishing combinations against his southpaw opponent. But Ajose showed his mettle and proved his toughness and resilience by staying on his feet through the biggest punches Matthysse could dole out.

As the rounds went on, Ajose tried to keep his opponent at a distance, but Matthysse continuously broke through, often attacking the body before going for the head. While neither fighter had ever been knocked down, Matthysse’s strength sent Ajose to the canvas in the tenth forcing referee Russell Mora to step in and halt the action. It was the first loss of Ajose’s professional career.

Ward stops Dawson; DeMarco destroys Molina in 1st round knockout

Ward stops Dawson; DeMarco destroys Molina in 1st round knockout By Michael Collins: It’s safe to say that Chad Dawson (31-2, 17 KO’s) learned a tremendous lesson tonight about the dangerous of losing weight to fight out of his weight class. Dawson, 30, was completely dominated in every sense of the word by WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward (26-0, 14 KO’s) in losing by a 10th round TKO at the Oracle Arena, in Oakland, California. Dawson was knocked down three times in this fight, if you want to call it fight. After the 3rd knockdown, Dawson told referee Steve Smoger that he’d had enough and the fight was halted.

You don’t want to make excuses for Dawson, but it was hard looking at how poorly he fought and how weak he looked throughout the fight and not feel that he was perhaps weight drained from making the foolish mistake of agreeing to drain down to 168 lbs to take the weight. I’m betting that Dawson wishing he hadn’t done that right now because he really got a humiliating beating by Ward. This wasn’t even close after the 2nd.

Ward was just battering Dawson with left hooks, right hands and hard body shots and Dawson just looked like he was trying to survive. He was getting badly punished in this fight and it’s too bad his trainer John Sculley didn’t step and stop the massacre by the midpoint of the fight because there was no reason to let the fight continue after the 6th round.

Klitschko stops Charr in 4th; Abdusalamov stops McCline with a jab

Klitschko stops Charr in 4th; Abdusalamov stops McCline with a jab By Rob Smith: WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (45-2, 41 KO’s) added his 41st knockout of his career on Saturday night in stopping a game but badly overmatched Manuel Charr (21-1, 11 KO’s) in a 4th round stoppage at the at the Olimpiyskiy, in Moscow, Russia. The fight was halted after Vitali opened up a bad cut over the 27-year-old Charr’s right eyebrow in the 4th round after connecting with a left hook to the head. Charr was furious with the stoppage and packed back and forth, swearing.

However, he wasn’t doing anything in the fight other than just taking terrible punishment. Vitali knocked Charr down with a hard right hand at the end of the 3rd round. It was pretty clear that Charr would have been badly hurt if the fight had gone into the second half of the fight because he was literally a punching bag tonight, and unable to land any shots. Vitali landed whatever he wanted against the helpless Charr and made it look easy.

Undefeated heavyweight contender Magomed Abdusalamov (16-0, 16 KO’s) was knocked down by a hard right hand from journeyman Jameel McCline (41-14-3, 24 KO’s) tonight but was able to come back to get a 2nd round stoppage by knocking McCline down with a jab. Abdusalamov, #13 WBA, was badly hurt after McCline tagged him with a tremendous right hand early in the 1st round. Abdusalamov stayed down a long time from that shot, and probably would have been finished off had McCline not stopped punching after that. It’s unclear why McCline backed off, because he Abdusalamov where he wanted him but he just seemed to go into a hole after that knockdown.

Adamek stops Walker

Adamek stops Walker By Dwight Chittenden: Heavyweight contender Tomasz Adamek (47-2, 28 KO’s) survived a 2nd round scare tonight when he was knocked down by the power punching Travis Walker (39-8-1, 31 KO’s) at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. However, Adamek, 35, was able to get back up and survive the round, which also saw the 6’4 1/2″ Walker get knocked down. Adamek then boxed smart and was able to take control of the fight and get a 5th round stoppage when he had Walker out on his feet. The fight was then stopped at 1:08 of the round.

It was a good win for Adamek, #4 IBF, #9 WBC, #12 WBA, as it keeps him within grasp of a title shot against IBO/IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. Adamek hopes to get a shot against Wladimir next year if everything goes alright with his next fight or two.

Christina Hammer Outclasses Hernandez

World Boxing Federation (WBF) Women’s World Middleweight Champion Christina Hammer had no problems dealing with durable, but outclassed, challenger Yahaira Hernandez on Friday September 7 in Muelheim, Germany. Hammer won a landslide unanimous decision in front of around 4000 fans at the RWE Rhein-Ruhr Sportshalle. Both boxers started the fight at a high pace, but it was Hammer, 13-0 (7), who continuously had more success and it was clear early on that she was at another level than Hernandez technically. With quick hands and fast footwork, the defending champion put her challenger under pressure and rarely eased off as she thoroughly dominated the Dominican in every round.

Golovkin destroys Proksa in easy win; Dzinziruk-Gonzalez fight to 12 rd draw

Golovkin destroys Proksa in easy win; Dzinziruk-Gonzalez fight to 12 rd draw By Dwight Chittenden: WBA World middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (24-0, 21 KO’s) made it look easy tonight in halting Poland’s Grzegorz Proksa (28-2, 21 KO’s) in a a 5th round knockout at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino, in Verona, New York. Golovkin knocked the badly overmatched Proksa down three times before the brutal slaughter was ended in the 5th round with Proksa knocked face down on the canvas.

Golovkin put Proksa down in the 1st, 4th and the last time in the 5th. You could tell that the end was near in the 4th round when Golovkin knocked Proksa down with a powerful right hand to the head. Although Proksa was also knocked down in the 1st, but this time he was really hurt and he took punishment for the remainder of the round.

In the 5th round, Golovkin came out like a shark smelling blood in the water, ignoring Proksa’s futile attempts to fight him off with wild shots, Golovkin got Proksa near the ropes and badly hurt him with a big right hand. Proksa, now staggering, was helpless as Golovkin added the finishing shots to the head to put him down face first on the canvas. Proksa gamely got to his feet but he was badly dazed and the referee did the right thing by calling a halt to the fight at 1:11 of the round.

Daniel Geale: New Unified WBA & IBF World Middleweight Champion

By Srithar Visuasam: Daniel ‘The Real Deal’ Geale (28-1, 15 KOs) has performed the unthinkable in world boxing and has won his second world title in Germany by defeating WBA middleweight super champion Felix Sturm (37-3-2, 16 KOs) via split decision in becoming the first Australian born fighter to unify world titles within a weight division.

Abraham defeats Stieglitz in close fight, wins WBO super middleweight title

Abraham defeats Stieglitz in close fight, wins WBO super middleweight title By Michael Collins: Arthur Abraham (35-3, 27 KO’s) finally found success at 168 lbs in beating WBO super middleweight champion Robert Stieglitz (42-3, 23 KO’s) by a 12 round unanimous decision to capture his World Boxing Organization title on Saturday night at the O2 World Arena, Kreuzberg, in Berlin, Germany. Abraham used his power punches, high guard and a lot of pressure to get the better of the volume puncher Stieglitz throughout the fight. Abraham started out slow but really came on from the 4th round until the 9th, fighting effectively with his big power shots and showing some slickness at times.

The judges scored it 116-112, 116-112 and 115-113. There was no question that Abraham was the better man, as he was able to land his power shots tonight and block many of the return punches from Stieglitz. He did, however, tired in the last three rounds, which is normal for him. Luckily, he had a lead built up by then so he didn’t lose too much despite his obvious fatigue problems.

Abraham did a lot of showboating for the Berlin crowd and seemed to be really enjoying himself against Stieglitz. You really can’t blame Abraham because his career was thought to be near over after getting beaten by Carl Froch, Andre Dirrell and Andre Ward in the Super Six tournament. However, Stieglitz didn’t have the same kind of talent as those guys, and it made things a lot easier for Abraham to control the action with his big wind up shots.

Oquendo Displays Bombing Power in Knockout over Hawkins

by Pavel Yakovlev – photo by Joey Hill – Saturday night, Fres Oquendo reminded the world that he is more than just a skilled technician: he can also bang. Oquendo made his point by stopping Robert Hawkins in seven rounds, dominating the action with crackling right hands and a hurtful body attack. The early finish surprised many, as Hawkins is known for his durability. Oquendo’s speed, punching precision, and power, however, overwhelmed Hawkins and rendered a knockout unavoidable.

After battering Hawkins with jabs and well-placed body punches in the first two rounds, Oquendo shifted his attack to the head. Hawkins was knocked down twice in the third, and absorbed punishment for several more rounds before retiring at the end of the seventh. Repeatedly, the sturdy and thickset Hawkins was rocked by Oquendo’s grenade-like rights.

“I put my combinations together, and I put a lot of pressure on him,” said Oquendo. “In the third, I hit him with a left uppercut and a right, and he went down. After that, I floored him with a left to the body. My speed and power were too much for him. He was hanging in there only because he has so much heart, but my punishment made him quit.”

Particularly satisfying to Oquendo is that the victory came by knockout. “I stopped a guy that Tua couldn’t stop,” he said. “I showed everyone that not only am I a jabber and a mover, but that I have a body attack, and that I can punch.”

Oquendo is now 35-7, including 23 wins by knockout. Presently ranked 14th worldwide by the WBA, He is now seeking an elimination bout against a top contender. A native of Puerto Rico who grew up in Chicago, Oquendo holds the WBA Fedlatin title.

George stops Miranda; Molina decisions Frias

By Michael Collins: In disappointingly dull fight ESPN2 Friday Night Fights card filled with mismatches, junior middleweight contender Carlos Molina (20-5-2, 6 KO’s) completely dominated a gun shy Damian Frias (19-5-1, 10 KO’s) in a 10 round unanimous decision victory on Friday night at the Buffalo Run Casino, Miami, Oklahoma. The final judges’ scores were 100-90, 100-90 and 100-90. I still don’t see the point of this fight being made, because it had mismatch written all over it the moment it was made.