Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga (1-0), a former UFC heavyweight title challenger made a successful professional boxing debut as he defeated Alejandro Esquilin Santiago (0-1) over four competitive, back-and-forth rounds with two scorecards (58-56) and one scorecard (38-38), for a majority decision victory. Both fighters had their moments in this entertaining heavyweight bout, especially in the third-round; however, Gonzaga landed the more powerful punches and was the aggressor throughout the fight.
Month: October 2017
Results: Matt Remillard Halts Yardley Cruz
Headlining the event, Manchester, CT’s Matt “Sharp Shooter” Remillard, 129, lived up to his nickname, as he just could not miss against the tough-yet-stationary Mexican southpaw Yardley Cruz, 130, of Sacramento, CA. Once ranked #2 in the world before his loss to future world champion Mikey Garcia in 2011, Remillard’s edge in speed and power were on display as he picked up the third victory of his comeback that began in April of this year. Trained by Connecticut Boxing Hall of Famer Paul Cichon, Remillard proved to be effective at cutting off the ring and trapping Cruz in corners, tagging the midsection with stinging straight rights. As the bout wore on, the very accurate Remillard unleashed more of his arsenal, battering Cruz with uppercuts and straights that snapped his adversary’s head back. The punishment continued until the referee felt Cruz had taken enough, ending the contest at 2:31 of round four, awarding Remillard the TKO victory and improving his record to 26-1 (15 KOs). Cruz is now 22-9 (12 KOs).
Anthony Joshua proves once again he is the most exciting heavyweight on the planet; but is he the best?
He has fought just twice this year, but how Anthony Joshua entertained us, thrilled us and given us value for money in doing so. There seems to be little doubt AJ, the WBA/IBF heavyweight ruler, is THE most consistently exciting big man on the planet today.
Some fans will point to WBC champ Deontay Wilder, but never has Wilder given us the kind of sustained action Joshua gave us last night in finally (and via premature stoppage) getting rid of an incredibly game Carlos Takam, as well as earlier in the year in his titanic, off the floor win over Wladimir Klitschko.
Hearn again calls out Wilder for Whyte, says Whyte will fight again in February regardless
Though he failed to make an explosive statement in his winning fight with a reluctant Robert Helenius last night, Dillian Whyte is “in a great position” according to his promoter Eddie Hearn. Whyte, troubled by Helenius in the second-round when his legs appeared wobbly, swung and missed frequently during the largely dull 12 rounds, winning via lopsided but unimpressive unanimous decision.
Team-Parker liked what they saw in Joshua-Takam battle, more convinced than ever Joseph beats AJ
It can often prove to be a tricky assignment facing a late replacement foe after having spent weeks training to prepare for another fighter with totally different physical dimensions coupled with a different fighting style, and WBA/IBF heavyweight ruler Anthony Joshua found this out last night in Cardiff.
Joshua got the job done in the end, winning practically every round before stopping (via terribly premature stoppage) a game Carlos Takam, but the critics have come out in force nonetheless. Expected by almost everyone to have a relatively easy time of things with Takam (who replaced an injured Kubrat Pulev) Joshua instead had to dig deep, take a few shots and find his second wind. As a result, the AJ critics have offered some harsh words.
Anthony Joshua stops incredibly gutsy Carlos Takam in tenth-round; Takam cries premature stoppage, crowd unhappy
Tonight in Cardiff, in a fight that surpassed ALL expectations, IBF/WBA heavyweight ruler Anthony Joshua finally overcame an incredibly gutsy late Carlos Takam; a late replacement foe for the injured Kubrat Pulev.
The end came in the 10th round, as Takam, bleeding from both eyes, was under fire. Still, the stoppage angered Takam and a large section of the massive crowd who booed the stoppage decision from the British referee. Joshua is now 20-0(20). Takam falls to 35-4-1(27).
Dillian Whyte decisions Robert Helenius in 12 round snoozer
The chief support to the Joshua-Takam heavyweight title fight, between Dillian Whyte and Robert Helenius promised plenty but sadly delivered very little. Whyte did far more work than Helenius, who was content to box on the back-foot and basically survive.
After 12 frustrating rounds – frustrating for the fans and no doubt for Whyte – the Londoner won via lopsided scores of 119-109 twice and 118-110 .Whyte is now 22-1(16). Helenius of Finland falls to 25-2(16).
Results: Joshua defeats Takam in premature stoppage
Undefeated and Unified Heavyweight World Champion Anthony Joshua stopped IBF mandatory challenger Carlos Takam in the 10th round on Saturday night at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, where the British sensation improved to 20 wins, all by knockout, and retained both his IBF and WBA world title belts.
Joshua vs. Takam was contested before a record 78,000 fans, the largest ever for an indoor boxing event and was the first of back-to-back heavyweight world title fights airing live on SHOWTIME. Next Saturday, Nov. 4, WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder headlines a three-fight telecast when he faces former world champion Bermane Stiverne at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
Kal Yafai retains WBA super-fly title with unanimous decision win over Sho Ishida
Tonight in Cardiff on the big Joshua-Takam card, WBA super-flyweight champ Kal Yafai retained his title with a wide 12 round UD over a somewhat reluctant Sho Ishida of Japan. The Birmingham man, making the second defence of the title he won back in December of last year, won by a wide (and accurate) score of 118-110 on one card and a too close 116-112 on the other two cards. Yafai is now 23-0(14). Ishida, who was having his first fight outside of his homeland, is now 24-1(13).
Results: Whyte defeats Helenius
Dillian “The Body Snatcher” Whyte (22-1, 16 KOs) labored to a 12 round unanimous decision over Robert Helenius (25-2, 16 KOs) to win the vacant WBC Silver heavyweight title on Saturday night at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
This was supposed to be a showcase fight for the 29-year-old Whyte. Instead, it turned out to be showcase of how technically flawed Whyte still is at this point in his career. Helenius, 33, highlighted the fact that Whyte cannot cut off the ring against an opponent that uses movement. Whyte also showed that he was unable to put his punches together in a sustained combination form.