The 31st May was a boxing extravaganza for fight fans across the globe, with a hefty number of big names either defending their world titles or working toward one. The stacked Carl Froch vs George Groves II card in Wembley, London, which included a knockout reel victory for ‘The Cobra’, was just the beginning.
Next, Felix Sturm failed in his Middleweight title defense against Sam Soliman in Krefeld, Germany. Sturm, who inflated his career by dethroning IBF titlist Darren Barker last December, lost a Unanimous Decision following scores of 118-110, 118-110, 117-111. Soliman now raises his profile to 44 wins, 18 knockouts, 12 losses, while Sturm drops to 39 wins, 18 knockouts, 4 losses, 3 draws.
In Macau, China, Nonito Donaire’s encounter with Simpiwe Vetyeka ended in a less than pleasing outcome. The always dreaded clash of heads occurred in the opening round, and later caused the fight to be stopped when Donaire’s cut was deemed too severe at the start of the 5th round.
Donaire’s dominating performance up to that point, which included a knockdown of Vetyeka in the 4th, made him the winner by Technical Decision. Following matching scores of 49-46, Donaire climbs to 33 wins, 21 knockouts, 2 losses, while South Africa’s Vetyeka falls to 26 wins, 16 knockouts, 3 losses.
Rising star Nicholas Walters proved all too dangerous for Vic Darchinyan on the undercard, stopping the seasoned banger in the 5th round. Darchinyan was out of his depth from the onset, being dropped once in round 2 and twice in round 5. Walters added his 24th win to his unbeaten record – which includes 20 knockouts – and left the arena with his WBA Featherweight title in tow. Darchinyan’s record now drops to 39 wins, 28 knockouts, 7 losses, 1 draw.
Evgeny Gradovich defended his IBF Featherweight title against Alexander Miskirtchain, winning by Unanimous Decision despite hitting the canvas in round 6. Ringside judges scored the contest 118-110, 117-110, 117-110. Russian-born Gradovich now improves to 19 wins, 9 knockouts, no losses, while Miskirtchain falls to 24 wins, 9 knockouts, 3 losses, 1 draw.
Chris Avalos became next in line for a shot at the IBF Junior Featherweight title after taking out Yasutaka Ishimoto in the 8th round. The end came at 0:44 when Ishimoto’s corner threw in the towel. Avalos now extends his record to 24 wins, 18 knockouts, 2 losses, while Ishimoto’s reduces to 24 wins, 7 knockouts, 7 losses.
Carlos Cuadras became the new WBC Junior Bantamweight Champion in Distrito Federal, Mexico, but had to settle for an always displeasing Technical Decision victory. Following an accidental clash of heads, which deducted a point from opponent Rungvisai (as per WBC rules), the bout went to the scorecards following the 8th round. The numbers came in at 78-73, 77-74, 77-75. Cuadras improves his unbeaten record to 30 wins, 24 knockouts, while Rungvisai’s drops to 27 wins, 25 knockouts, 4 losses.
In Las Vegas, Nevada, Javier Fortuna scored a wide Unanimous Decision over Juan Antonio Rodriguez following matching scorecards of 98-91. Unbeaten Fortuna climbs to 25 wins, 18 knockouts, 1 draw, while Rodriguez drops to 26 wins, 23 knockouts, 5 losses.
Luis Orlando Del Valle won his contest with Luis Rosa via Unanimous Decision on the evening’s undercard. Rosa was dropped in the 5th round, and was deducted a point in the 7th after repeatedly landing low blows. Scorecards tallied at 92-97, 91-97, 91-98. Sergio Mora also enjoyed success after putting away Samuel Rogers inside 5 rounds. The TKO came 5 seconds before the end of the round.
What are your thoughts on these boxing results? Share your take with us below!
The BoxingBase.com writing staff provide worldwide boxing news, coverage and analysis – they can be contacted via email and social media.
