Boxing Results From Around the World (Jul 31 – Aug 2)

By Jeremiah “Griffo’s Handkerchief” Preisser

Rising Australian prospect and former Olympian, Jeff “The Hornet” Horn, 11-0-1, 8 KO’s, came out the victor against his most demanding opponent yet, a tough Ukrainian by the name of Viktor Plotnykov, 32-3, 15 KO’s.

“The Hornet” showed improvement in what looked on paper to be a fairly sturdy test. Horn dictated every minute with a massive variance in his offense, feints, speed, power, and crafty footwork which offset the Ukrainian’s game. Horn suffered a significant gash in his head in the sixth and the bout was halted in the very next round. The baby faced Australian added a technical decision win to his expanding resume.

Luke “The Golden Boy” Campbell, 12-0, 10 KO’s, squared off with fellow British lightweight Tommy “Boom Boom” Coyle, 21-3, 10 KO’s, to determine who was top dog in the City of Hull. Campbell managed to drop Coyle with a nice left to the body, but Coyle, a man who possesses one of the biggest hearts in the game, got up and fought on. Coyle finally succumbed in the tenth, when after a series of hard shots and hitting the canvass three times, the ref finally waved the bout off.

It was a good win for Campbell who can look forward to fights with a number of talented men in his class.

Bounce TV featured and interesting card that featured John Jackson, Yudel Jhonson, and Rau’shee Warren. The earliest televised bout was Julian Jackson’s son, John, 20-2, 15 KO’s, squaring off with hardened Filipino pugilist Dennis Laurente, 49-6-5, 30 KO’s.

John has suffered some setbacks against Willie Nelson and Andy Lee, but this wasn’t another one. “Dah Rock” outboxed “Mr. Humble” easily, moving and punching to great effect. Jackson’s hand-speed was overwhelming, as well, but his power showed in very few spots in this fight. One of those spots was the 3rd, when Laurente hit the deck. The scorecards indicated a clear shutout, as the scores of 89-100 were penned by all three judges.

Jackson versus Antoine Douglas or Chris Eubank Jr. would be highly competitive matches and I think many of us would love to see them.

The next portion of the card showcased former Olympic silver medalist Yudel Jhonson, 17-2, 9 KO’s, against unheralded Mexican light-middleweight Jorge “Demonio” Cota, 25-1, 22 KO’s. Going in, Jhonson was perceived as a gifted fighter who had lackluster training habits. Well, that guy showed up again, as the Cuban dropped a decision to the raw but active Cota.

The fistic pairing proved exciting, especially in the early going, as both men unleashed power punch after power punch. Unfortunately, Jhonson didn’t have the stamina to keep pace and was simply outworked by a man he should have been able to handle fairly easily. Jhonson is 34 years of age and if he doesn’t get it together soon, he may be footnote in history and largely remembered for his amateur successes.

The main event pitted one of the greatest American amateurs ever, Rau’shee Warren, 13-1, 4 KO’s, a lighting fast southpaw who was a three-time Olympian and 2007 World Amateur flyweight champion, against WBA bantamweight champion, Juan “Baby Pacquiao” Payano, 17-0, 8 KO’s, a Dominican fighter who is also a southpaw.

Through most of the first eight or so rounds, Payano was very aggressive and at times dirty, punching Warren in the back of the head. It cost him one point in round three. However Payano was also the more active of the two. He banged Warren wherever he could and Warren seemed content holding and pot-shotting whenever they were at distance.

A cut to Payano’s head in the ninth allowed for a distinct momentum change, as Warren started to turn up the heat. In the process of getting the better of the champion, and because the contest was rough and tumble, Warren ended up losing two points for pushing Payano down and hitting him. The former Olympian’s hand-speed and accuracy were telling throughout the final segments and a knockdown was scored against Payano in the 12.

In a fight that could have gone either way, the Dominican champion retained his belt by the scores of 111-113, 111-113, and 115-109. A rematch seems to be a logical choice, seeing as how close and somewhat controversial it was.

One of the most powerful punchers in the game, Jhonny Gonzalez, 58-9, 49 KO’s, got back on the winning trail with a second round knockout over inexperienced Japanese fighter, Kazuki Hashimoto, 11-5, 7 KO’s. Gonzalez was able to hurt Hashimoto thirty-seconds into the first frame with his patented left hook. The veteran never relented afterwards and finished the Japanese featherweight with a left that clipped his forehead and a jab which sent him down.

What becomes of Gonzalez in spite of the win is hard to say, but maybe if Mares gets past Santa Cruz later this year, Mares can try and redeem himself.

Also scoring victories this week were: Chris Avalos, Izaac Cardona, Ricky Burns, and future Anthony Joshua opponent and amateur rival, Dillian Whyte.

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