Boxing Challenge: Garcia busts Benn

   Ryan Garcia dropped Conor Benn with a right hand and finished him off after a shaky Benn got to his feet in round two, for a painless stoppage of Benn in the biggest fight promoted by Zuffa Boxing in their short existence.

Benn slugged it out evenly with Garcia in the first round, but his drop from the middleweight division may have weakened him, as the Englishman crumbled with the big right hand from Garcia.

Garcia has spoken of several opponents for his next fight, asking for a return from retirement from former three-division undisputed champion Terence Crawford, a rematch with Gervonta Davis, who stopped Garcia in seven rounds in 2023, or a unification fight with WBA champion Teofimo Lopez.

Benn will likely rise in weight but doesn't have an obvious opponent for his next fight and will have to revitalize himself after a devastating loss.

Unbeaten former IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opietaia stopped WBC champion Noel Mikelian in nine rounds in the co-feature, but didn't win the title as Mikaelin was stripped of the title before the fight.

Andres Cortes won a unanimous decision over former featherweight champion Mark Magsayo in a lightweight ten rounder and in the best fight of the night, welterweight contender Alexis Rocha won a competitive unanimous decision over former junior welterweight champion Jose Ramirez.

I'd like to see Rocha and Ramirez in a rematch.

Boxing Challenge

TRS:  106 Pts (5)

Ramon Malpica: 91 Pts (4)

Vince Samano: 60 Pts (0)

 

Boxing Challenge

 Boxing Challenge

WBC Welterweight Title, 12 Rds

Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn

Ramon Malpica: Garcia KO 8

TRS: Garcia KO 4

Vince Samano:

Cruiserweights, 12 Rds

Jai Opietaia vs Noel Mikaelian

R.L: Opietaia KO 6

TRS: Opietaia Unanimous Decision

V.S:

Lightweights 10 Rds

Mark Magsayo vs Andres Cortes

R,L and TRS: Magsayo Unanimous Decision

V.S:

Welterweights 10 Rds

Jose Ramirez vs Alexis Rocha

R.L: Ramirez Unanimous Decision

TRS: Rocha Unanimous Decision

V.S:   

Boxing Challenge: Knyba upsets Ruiz

         In Newark, New Jersey, former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz's comeback stumbled from the start as Damian Knyba won a much closer-than-it-should-have-been unanimous decision.

The 6'7 Knyba danced on his toes for most of the fight and pounded Ruiz consistently with his jab.

Knyba dropped Ruiz in the seventh, and the fight could have arguably been stopped, but Ruiz deserves credit for surviving and even winning a few rounds later in the fight.

The scores were bad, with Knyba winning 117-110 (my score was 116-111) and by two scores of 114-113, which means that without the seventh-round knockdown, the fight would have been scored a majority draw and would have been a horrible result.

Knyba will likely move on to an eliminator of some sort, while Ruiz looks like a fighter far past his prime and might want to consider retirement.

Middleweight Vito Mielnicki scored the biggest win of his career with a dominant unanimous decision over former title challenger Austin "Ammo" Williams in the co-feature, scoring a knockdown and winning by scores of 98-91 on all three scorecards.

In Ireland, the IBF's top welterweight contender Paddy Donovan stopped countryman Tyrone McKenna on cuts in the fifth round.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 101 pts (2)

Ramon Malpica; 87 Pts (3)

Vince Samano: 60 Pts (0)

Boxing Challenge

  The boxing challenge is rather light but interesting, with the comeback of former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz.

Ruiz has been inactive since his August 2024 draw with Jarrell Miller, but he's matched well with Damian Knyba.

The 6'7 Knyba has only one loss, but it was against his best opponent earlier this year, losing in three rounds to WBC champion Agit Kabayel, before Kabayel was named champion following Oleksandr Usyk's vacating all of his titles/

Ruiz needs a win first of all, but an impressive win could go a long way in earning Ruiz a better opponent in his next fight.

The co-feature is interesting with a crossroads middleweight match between popular but untested Vito Mielnicki and former world title challenger Austin Williams.

Williams lost both his bouts against world-class opposition (Hamzah Sheeraz and Carlos Adames) but Mielnicki has fought no one of that status.

On the Katie Taylor undercard, top welterweight contender Paddy Donovan meets countyman Tyrone McKenna.

Donovan is the mandatory challenger for IBF champion Liam Paro.

Boxing Challenge

Heavyweights 12 Rds 

Andy Ruiz vs Damian Knyba

Ramon Malpica: Ruiz KO 9

TRS: Ruiz KO 6

Vince Samano:

Middleweights 10 Rds

Vito Mielnicki vs Austin Williams

R.L: Mielnicki Unanimous Decision

TRS: Williams Unanimous Decision

V.S:

Welterweights 10 Rds

Paddy Donovan vs Tyrone McKenna

R.L: Donovan Unanimous Decision

TRS: Donovan KO 8

V.S:

Boxing Challenge:Hrgovic survives Itauma

    Saturday was supposed to be the coronation for heavyweight Moses Itauma.

Itauma had been compared to Mike Tyson for his electrifying power, and Filip Hrgovic was the foil in Itauma's first title fight, the vacant IBF championship.

And Itauma showed his power, winning all eight rounds and showing Hrgovic that the reviews of the twenty-one-year-old's offense were correct.

However, those rounds came at a price- sapping the stamina of Itauma and changing the attack to wild, looping punches that won rounds but didn't have the impact of earlier blows.

Itauma scored a knockdown in round two with a glancing hook, but Itauma landed many other power punches that Hrgovic was able to essentially shrug off.

In round nine, Itauma was still throwing wild punches, but Hrgovic battered Itauma around, avoiding his desperate counters, and just as the referee moved in to stop the fight, the towel flew in from Itauma's corner.

For Hrgovic, mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez is next, as Sanchez took a large cash-out to allow Itauma and Hrgovic to meet for the IBF title under the condition that he would be next to face the winner.

Itauma suffered a leg injury during the fight, and he'll have to take time to recover, but he's young enough and talented enough to bounce back and become a force in the division.

Lightweight contender Sam Noakes won an easy unanimous decision over former WBO champion Denis Berinchyk in the co-feature.

And in California, super middleweight contender Lester Martinez stopped Luca Planic in ten rounds.

Boxing Challenge

TRS:99 Pts (5)

Ramon Malpica: 84 Pts (3)

Vince Samano; 60 Pts (0)

Boxing Challenge

   Vacant IBF Heavyweight Title, 12 Rds

Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic

Ramon Malpica: Itauma KO 7

TRS: Itauma KO 3

Vince Samano:

Lightweights 10 Rds

Sam Noakes vs Denis Berinchyk

R.L and TRS: Noakes Unanimous Decision

V..S:

Super Middleweights 12 Rds\

Lester Martinez vs Luka Plantic

R.L: Martinez Unanimous Decision

TRS: Martinez KO 10

V.S: 

Boxing Challenge: McKenna wins 160 pound gold

    Dublin, Ireland, hosted the only two fights in the boxing challenge last week, and both were dull and hard to get through. 

In the main event, Aaron McKenna won a unanimous decision over  Etinosa Olina to win the IBF middleweight title, which was stripped from Janibek Alimkhanuly for failing a drug test.

McKenna's win was dull, but Callum Walsh's unanimous decision over Tyler Denny was worse.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 90 Pts (3)

Ramon Malpica: 76 Pts (2)

Vince Samano: 60 Pts (0)

 

Boxing Challenge

  The middleweight division may be the weakest in boxing right now, and the division's status shows with two unbeaten and mostly untested fighters meeting for the IBF title, which was stripped from Janibek Alimkhnauly for a positive test for PED's.

The home crowd in Dublin, Ireland, will be biased towards their fighter, Aaron McKenna, who owns a solid win over former junior middleweight champion Liam Smith, but few other noteworthy wins, while his opponent, Etinosa Olina of Italy, lacks any interesting wins, and his win entering this fight was over a fighter with a 19-33 record.

In the co-feature, unbeaten middleweight Callum Walsh meets light-punching Tyler Denny, who has stopped only one opponent in his career.

Boxing Challenge

Vacant IBF Middleweight Title. 12 Rds 

Aaron McKenna vs Etinosa Olina

Ramon Malpica: Olina Unanimous Decision

TRS: McKenna Unanimous Decision

Vince Samano: 

Middleweights. 10 Rds

Callum Walsh vs Tyler Denny 

R.l; Walsh Unanimous Decision

TRS: Walsh KO 4

V.S:

Boxing Challenge: Zepeda zaps Roach, Muratalla retains title.

     From the better late than never department, William Zepeda bounced back from his loss to Shakur Stevenson with a tremendous win over Lamont Roach to win the WBC lightweight title that was stripped from Stevenson.

I gave Roach the first two rounds, but only one round after that, as Zepeda's overwhelming barrage of punches was far too much for Roach to overcome.

My 118-110 was the same as one judge, with the other two scoring 117-111.

Raymond Muratalla won an easy if workmanlike decision over Robson Conceicao to retain his IBF version of the lightweight title.

After the win (119-109 on two cards and 118-110 on the third), Muratalla announced plans to move to the junior welterweight division.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 87 Pts (2)

Ramon Malpica: 74 Pts (4)

Vince Samano: 60 Pts (2)

Boxing Challenge

     It's a lightweight title doubleheader on TNT in the boxing challenge.

The vacant WBC title, which was stripped from Shakur Stevenson, will be filled after William Zepeda meets Lamont Roach in the main event.

Zepeda hasn't fought since losing to Shakur Stevenson for this title last July, while Roach hasn't fought since his December draw with Issac Cruz.

I think the pressuring style of Zepeda and the boxer/puncher mentality of Roach make a good mix, and this should be a very close and intriguing fight.

The co-feature pairs IBF champion Raymond Muratalla against former WBC junior lightweight champion Robson Conceicao.

The unbeaten Muratalla earned his best victory in January with his decision win over former Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz, while Conceicao has won two lower-level fights in his native Brazil since dropping his title to O'Shaquie Foster.

The hope is perhaps the victors in the two fights can be matched next in a unification fight.

Boxing Challenge

Vacant WBC Lightweight Title, 12 rds 

William Zepeda vs Lamont Roach

Ramon Malpica and Vince Samano: Zepeda Unanimous Decision

TRS: Roach Split Decision

IBF Lightweight Title. 12 Rds

Raymond Muratalla vs Robson Conceicao

R.L and TRS:Muratalla Unanimous Decision

V.S: Conceicao Unanimous Decision

Boxing Challenge: Joshua Dropped, Tsyzu retires Spence

      No upsets over the weekend, but the biggest news came from a near-upset as unknown Kristian Prenga dropped former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua twice in the first round before Joshua would return the favor by stopping Prenga in the second.

Joshua's next opponent, Tyson Fury, won his warm-up fight over veteran Mariusz Wach when Wach was unable to answer the bell for the eighth round.

Fury and Joshua are scheduled to meet sometime in the fall.

In Australia, former junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu won a unanimous decision over comebacking former welterweight champion Errol Spence.

Spence announced his retirement after the fight.

Former junior middleweight and middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade won his ring return with a first-round KO of Douglas Ataide.

Josh Kelly retained his IBF junior middleweight title with a unanimous decision over Caoimhin Agyarko, and Hamzah Sheeraz kept his WBO super middleweight title with a unanimous decision over Simon Zachenhuber in two boring fights on the Joshua-Prenga undercard.

Edgar Berlanga stopped Steven Butler in seven rounds in the Zuffa main event from New York City.

Richardson Hitchins won a unanimous decision over Ricardo Salas, and Jalil Hackett earned a unanimous decision over Sergey Dereyvanchenko in the supporting bouts.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 85 Pts (13)

Ramon Malpica: 70 Pts (10)

Vince Samano: 58 Pts (12)

Boxing Challenge

    Due to time constraints (Ruby and Work), here is the boxing challenge with just the facts.

Boxing Challenge

Heavyweights. 12 Rds 

Anthony Joshua vs Christian Prenga

Ramon Malpica: Joshua KO 8

TRS: Joshua KO 5
Vince Samano: Joshua KO 7

WBO Super Middleweight Title. 12 Rds

Hamzah Sheeraz vs Simon Zachenhuber

R.L: Sheeraz KO 9
TRS: Sheeraz KO 2
V.S: Sheeraz Unanimous Decision

IBF Junior Middleweight Title 12 Rds

Josh Kelly vs Caoimhin Agyarko

All: Kelly Unanimous Decision

Middleweights 12 Rds

Errol Spence vs Tim Tszyu

R.L: Tszyu KO 9
TRS: Tszyu KO 10
V.S: Spence KO 7

Junior Lightweights 12 Rds

Stephen Fulton vs Liam Wilson

All: Fulton Unanimous Decision

Super Middleweights 10 Rds

Edgar Berlanga vs Steven Butler

R.L: Berlanga Split Decision
TRS: Berlanga KO 5
V.S: Butler KO 8

Welterweights 12 Rds

Richardson Hitchins vs Ricardo Salas

R.L: Hitchins KO 9
TRS and V.S: Hitchins Unanimous Decision

Middleweights 10 Rds

Sergiy Dereyvanchenko vs Jalil Hackett

R.L and TRS: Dereyvanchenko Unanimous Decision
V.S: Hackett Unanimous Decision

Boxing Challenge

   The boxing weekend starts early on Fridaty with two former world champions making returns to the ring.

In Thailand, former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will try to stay busy before an expected match with Anthony Joshua later this year.

Fury will meet veteran Mariusz Wach, who once challenged Wladimir Klitschko for the heavyweight title but in recent years has become a journeyman.

The fight isn't live-streamed as it is going to be shown eventually on Fury's Netflix reality show.

In Uncasville, Connecticut, former junior middleweight and middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade returns for the first time since his first defeat, a knockout loss to David Benavidez.

Andrade will face unknown Brazilian Douglas Ataide, who has been stopped in three of his five losses.

Boxing Challenge

Heavyweights. 10 Rds

Tyson Fury vs Mariusz Wach

All: Fury Unanimous Decision

Super Middleweights 10 Rds

Demetrius Andrade vs Douglas Ataide

Ramon Malpica and Vince Samano; Andrade Unanimous Decision

TRS: Andrade KO 6

Boxing Challenge: Pacheco stops Aleem

    The Matchroom card from Carson, California, didn't look to be thrilling or competitive, and it wasn't.

In the main event, unbeaten super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco stopped veteran Immanuel Aleem in the eleventh round.

Pacheco wore down the durable Aleem with a commitment to body work that had been missing in his recent fights, and his aggression looked more like the rising prospect than the more tentative boxer/puncher, who had settled for decision victories in his last three wins.

Lightweight contender Andy Cruz knocked out late replacement Abraham Montoya in the third round,

Cruz announced after the fight that he was going to move down in weight to the junior lightweight division.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 72 Pts (2) 

Ramon Malpica: 60 Pts (2)

Vince Samano: 46 Pts (2)

Boxing Challenge

     It's an uninspiring card from Carson, California, from Matchroom, in the only action in the boxing challenge.

Unbeaten super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco meets trialhorse Immanuel Aleem in the main event.

Pacheco hasn't been exciting in his recent wins, and he's not facing a top contender in Aleem, who lasted the distance with Lester Martinez but was pounded in a lopsided loss.

Former Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz returns to action for the first time since his majority decision defeat in an IBF lightweight title attempt against Raymond Muratalla against late replacement Abraham Montoya.

Montoya is replacing Albert Bell, who was allowed to drop out of the bout to face WBO champion Abdullah Mason.

Boxing Challenge

Super Middleweights. 12 Rds 

Diego Pacheco vs Immanuel Aleem

All: Pacheco Unanimous Decision

Lightweights 10 Rds

Andy Cruz vs Abraham Montoya

All: Cruz Unanimous Decision

Boxing Challenge: Mason stops Bell in final round

    On a night that saw boxing's return to cable television on TNT, Abdullah Mason saved a less-than-exciting show and his WBO lightweight title with a twelfth-round stoppage of Albert Bell in Cleveland.

Mason gave away the first half of the fight to Bell, who fought somewhat cautiously but effectively in picking Mason apart from the outside, but Mason began to work the body of Bell, and it was Mason dominating the second half of the fight.

Mason led on the three official scorecards entering the final round, but I had the fading Bell ahead by one point, with his early lead being whittled to a point.

Mason would drop Bell twice in the first forty seconds, with the referee ending the fight without a count after knockdown number two.

The stoppage was thought to some to have been a little early, but I don't think Bell had the legs to survive for another two and a half minutes anyway.

Mason has become a can't-miss champion with his explosive punching power, somewhat questionable chin, and ability to rally from behind.

Top Rank still shouldn't be in a hurry to match him against the elite in the division, but I think they have a coming star in Abdullah Mason.

In the co-feature, touted Bruce "Shu Shu" Carrington made his first defense of the WBC featherweight title a successful one with a unanimous decision over Rene Palacios, but didn't dazzle in the victory.

In fact, the most exciting part of a dull twelve rounds was when Palacios buzzed Carrington in the eighth round, with Carrington hitting the floor after what was ruled a punch to the back of the head.

Carrington was the easy victor 118-110, 117-111 (my score), and 116-112, but he may have caused more questions than answers.

Boxing Challenge:

TRS: 70 Pts (3)

Ramon Malpica: 58 Pts (4)
Vince Samano: 44 Pts (0)

Boxing Challenge

   Boxing debuts on TNT from Cleveland on July fourth with young powerhouse Abdullah Mason defending the WBO lightweight title against fellow Ohioan Albert Bell.

Bell replaced former IBF junior lightweight champion Joe Cordina, when Cordina wasn't allowed to enter the country due to a previous criminal conviction.

Mason is entering this fight off a tremendous victory in a war over Great Britain's Sam Noakes last November.

Bell is unbeaten but is stepping up in quality competition, and in his twenty-eight wins, he has stopped only nine opponents.

I think Bell will win a few rounds and show his skill, but eventually Mason's power will wear Bell down and stop him in the late rounds.

Bruce "Shu Shu" Carrington will also be making the first defense of his title, the WBC featherweight champion, against unbeaten Rene' Palacios.

Carrington stopped Carlos Castro in nine rounds in January to win the vacant title.

The unbeaten Palacios won his biggest fight last time out with a split decision win over Suliaman Segawa.

Boxing Challenge

WBO Lightweight Title. 12 Rds 

Abdullah Mason vs Albert Bell

Ramon Malpica; Mason KO 8
TRS: Mason KO 10
Vince Samano: Bell Split Decision

WBC Featherweight Title. 12 Rds

Bruce Carrington vs Rene' Palacios

R.L: Carrington Unanimous Decision
TRS: Carrington KO 8
V.S Palacios Split Decision

Boxing Challenge: Boots stops Zayas

    The boxing weekend saw Jaron "Boots" Ennis do more than just snatch the WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles from Xander Zayas. Ennis solidified himself as a star in the sport and did it excitingly as Ennis stopped Zayas in seven rounds in Brooklyn, New York.

Ennis dropped Zayas in the first and fifth rounds before finishing Zayas in the seventh, but was forced to survive in the third round when Zayas appeared to have Ennis in trouble.

While Ennis was far ahead on my card at the time of the stoppage (59-53), Zayas had his successes as well in a fight that will be considered for fight of the year.

Ennis's promoter, Eddie Hearn, stated Zayas has a rematch clause should he activate it, but before the fight, Zayas stated he was likely to rise to 160 pounds, so a rematch is not guaranteed.

Ennis seems most likely to meet IBF champion Josh Kelly in a unification fight unless a more lucrative ( and long-awaited) fight against Vergil Ortiz.

Kelly is also promoted by Matchroom.

Two prospects notched impressive KO wins as the co-features as Emiliano Vargas stopped Bryce Mills in four rounds and Ben Whittaker swatted Richard "Popeye" Rivera aside in two rounds.

In the main event from Zuffa on Paramount Plus, former WBC junior welterweight champion Jose Valenzuela avenged a 2022 knockout loss to Edwin De Los Santos with a second round stoppage.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 67 Pts (5)

Ramon Malpica: 54 Pts (4)

Vince Samano:  44 Pts (2) 

Boxing Challenge

   Boxing finally has a top-notch fight to discuss as Xander Zayas defends his WBA and WBO junior middleweight titles against former welterweight champion Jaron "Boots" Ennis in New York City.

Zayas has won his titles in his last two fights, winning the vacant WBO title over Jorge Perez and adding the WBA strap with a win over Abass Baraou.

Ennis knocked out Uisma Limia in one round in his first bout at the weight.

The difference to me seems to be that Zayas lacks the power to keep Ennis at bay and eventually would be worn down by the pop of Ennis.

The undercard features two prospects on the verge of the top ten in their divisions, with junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas facing Bryce Mills and light heavyweight Ben Whittaker meeting Richie Rivera.

Sunday, former champion Jose Valenzuela meets Edwin De Los Santos in a rematch of their 2022 where De Los Santos stopped Valenzuela in three rounds, handing him his first loss and establishing De Los Santos as a division contender.

Boxing Challenge

WBA and WBO Junior Middleweight Titles, 12 Rds

Xander Zayas vs Jaron "Boots" Ennis

Ramon Malpica and TRS: Ennis Unanimous Decision
Vince Samano: Zayas Split Decision

Junior Welterweights. 10 Rds

Emiliano Vargas vs Bryce Mills

R.L: Vargas KO 7

TRS: Vargas KO 4

V.S:  Mills Unanimous Decision

Light Heavyweights. 10 Rds

Ben Whittaker vs Richie Rivera

All; Whittaker Unanimous Decision

Lightweights. 10 Rds

José Valenzuela vs Edwin De Los Santos

R.L: De Los Santos Unanimous Decision

TRS: De Los Santos Split Decision

V.S: Valenzuela Unanimous Decision