The past weekend was a busy one for boxing, and for some of those bouts, the outcomes were shocking and somewhat controversial. This is the sport of boxing, after all.
Some of the sport’s biggest names were trading leather, such as Keith Thurman, Tony Harrison, Terry Flanagan and Donnie Nietes. Here’s a roundup of those boxing results:
Weekend Boxing Results
Keith Thurman vs Luis Collazo
At the USF Sundrome, Tampa, Florida, Keith Thurman didn’t score the most crowd-pleasing of knockouts. Not that it was his fault per se – Luis Collazo retired himself following the 8th due to a cut suffered in the early rounds. It was the result of an unfortunate head clash. Leading up to the 8th, Thurman (26-0, 22 KO) didn’t look quite like a Mayweather-beater, but he did showcase that athletic ability and prowess we’re used to seeing.
Not that Collazo (36-7, 19 KO) was the man being bullied all night long. After being pressured heavily in the first two rounds, Collazo starting coming forward and walking Thurman down. Collazo ate a lot of shots, but landed a peach of a left-hook to Thurman’s body in the 5th. And it did some serious damage, causing Thurman to ride out the round on his bicycle.
A Mayweather showdown would have gone up in smoke – perhaps – if Thurman had taken a knee. Luckily for him, he didn’t. Thurman came straight back into the fight, doing what he does best. Thurman vs Collazo was a pure showcase encounter, however, and hasn’t really told us anything about WBA Welterweight champ ‘One Time’. This was more of a ‘get Mayweather knocking’ fight akin to that of Amir Khan vs Chris Algieri.
Catch Premier Boxing Champion’s Video Highlights below:
Tony Harrison vs Willie Nelson
An upset was to be witnessed on the chief support bout to Thurman vs Collazo. Going in, then-unbeaten prospect Tony Harrison was the harder banger on paper. But after Harrison was tagged with a right during a 9th round exchange, and then dropped with another, it was Nelson who looked just as dangerous. Harrison (21-1, 18 KO), whose eyes were glazed over following the knockdown, managed to find his feet but was waved off. The referee made the right choice without question.
Nelson (24-2-1, 14 KO) made one hell of a statement, and what a big stage to make it on. Going into the 9th round, this bout was neck-and-neck. Boxing Base was indecisive with a lot of rounds, it has to be said. But Nelson found that one fight-changing punch and made it count. At 6′ 3″ and much improved, he could be a big obstacle in the Junior Middleweight division.
Terry Flanagan vs Jose Zepeda
At the Velodrome, Manchester, England, Terry Flanagan captured the vacant WBO Lightweight title by beating the dangerous Jose Zepeda. It was one of those rare, truly unfortunate nights for boxing that sends a paying crowd into frenzy. And that literally happened in Manchester.
During an exchange in the 2nd round, Jose Zepeda (23-1, 20 KO) swung and missed with a left-hook. Usually in boxing this isn’t an issue – but on this occasion, it lead to a dislocated shoulder. Zepeda saw the round through, and then burst into agony as his corner – astonishingly – tried to reset the bone. (Like resetting it would have allowed Zepeda to carry on…) More surprisingly the doctor, who was already in the ring, didn’t protest the act.
For what it’s worth, Flanagan (28-0, 11 KO) seemed to be on top and landing the cleaner, scoring shots before the abrupt end. Of course, anything could have happened in the scheduled 10 rounds remaining. Will Zepeda get a rematch? This was a freak incident and the guy sure deserves one.
Donnie Nietes vs Francisco Rodriguez Jr
The only mainstream fight of the weekend with a truly conclusive outcome. At the Waterfront Hotel, Cebu City, Philippines, Donnie Nietes won an unquestionable Unanimous Decision against Francisco Rodriguez Jr. Nietes, the RING and WBO Junior Flyweight champ, retained his titles with little problems over the mandatory challenger, receiving scores of 115-113, 119-109, 118-110. Yes, the first score was a little dubious, to say the least.
Rodriguez, of Monterry, Mexico, was simply out of his depth against the champion. Nietes (36-1-4, 21 KO) still looks like he has a lot to offer in the fight game at 33, and proved it by out-maneuvering, working and jabbing his foe. Nietes even rocked Rodriguez (17-3-1, 11 KO) courtesy of uppercuts and left hooks in the 6th, which further demonstrated his dominance.
Mauricio Herrera vs Hank Lundy
At the Sports Arena, LA, California, another unsatisfactory ending materialized for fight fans. Mauricio Herrera beat Hank Lundy via Technical Decision after a cut (caused by an accidental butt in the 1st) stopped the fight. The referee and ringside physician agreed the flapping cut over Herrera’s eye had become too severe, calling it a night in the 5th round.
This is another bout that will divide opinion – but really, given the circumstances, it’s probably easier to just forget about it completely. For what it’s worth, there are a lot of spectators out there claiming Lundy was robbed (48-47 twice, 48-48) in the few rounds that had been scored. It has to be said Lundy (25-5-1, 12 KO) seemed the quicker, craftier fighter who was getting to Herrera. But again, Herrera (22-5, 7 KO) was dealing with an awful cut. In-con-clus-ive.
Let us know your thoughts on Thurman vs Collazo, Flanagan vs Zepeda, and the rest of the weekend’s boxing results below.
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