It is that time of the week once again where I scour the week’s results and report back on fights of even minor note that I had not already previously covered. This week was one of the lightest weeks in recent memory, but we still have a former world titlist getting upset, a 2016 US Olympian, a hell of a rat tail, and more.
On the Radar Results
Haskins loses belt to Burnett in wide decision
Rios returns with a win on FS1
Under the Radar Fight Results
Emiliano Marsili (35-0-1, 15 KOs) UD8 Zoltan Szabo (17-7, 7 KOs), lightweights – Italy
Italy’s Emiliano Marsili has fought outside of his home country just once. In 2012, he went to the UK and dominated Derry Mathews, stopping him in seven one sided rounds. He has held the IBO belt, the Euro belt, the WBC silver belt, and a minor WBA belt. Yet, here he is in Italy, fighting fighters like Hungarian Zoltan Szabo that are not anywhere near his level. This is all he has done his entire career save for that one night. Marsili was supposed to fight Dejan Zlaticinin last year for the full WBC belt, but he pulled out last minute with a stomach bug. Your guess is as good as mine as to why he has never advanced his career.
Erik Bazinyan (16-0, 11 KOs) TKO4 Rolando Paredes (13-5-2, 10 KOs), super middleweights – Quebec
As a fight city, Montreal has supplied an impressively continuous line of top fighters in the middleweight to light heavyweight corridor of the sport over the last decade or so. 22 year old super middleweight Erik Bazinyan looks to be another one on the way. Though he is not yet a complete fighter, Bazinyan is a very sharp, accurate puncher with enough ability to rise high in the sport. He does need polishing, however, particularly in not backing himself into the ropes. At only twenty two there is plenty of time for it.
Karim Aliliche (10-6-2, 2 KOs) SD10 Souleymane M’baye (42-6-1, 22 KOs), welterweights – France
This is likely the end of the line for longtime French fringe contender Souleymane M’baye and his 19 year career. Now 43 years old, the former world titlist was never truly a top fighter despite his brief time with a junior welterweight belt over a decade ago. He has fought only sporadically over the past few years and here is registering by far a career worst loss to a French club fighter. M’baye additionally held an interim world title as recently as 2010, but now six years past that and with a result like this one, it is time.
Pedro Campa (26-0, 19 KOs) UD10 Juan Antonio Rodriguez (29-7, 25 KOs), junior welterweights – Mexico
Mexican junior welterweight prospect Pedro Campa has built his record against a list of usual suspects featuring the likes of Marvin Quintero, Jose Alfaro, and Aaron Herrera. If you know those names it is because you’ve seen other prominent fighters using them for wins over the past couple years. Juan Antonio Rodriguez did not represent a change in opposition here. Campa is nearing thirty fights and is now twenty five years old. He is clearly above this level and it is time to move his career past it.
Thabiso Mchunu (18-3, 11 KOs) UD12 Johnny Muller (20-8, 12 KOs), cruiserweights – South Africa
After a two fight sequence from late 2013 to early 2014 that saw Thabiso Mchunu beat former heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers and then fellow top prospect Olanrewaju Durodola, Mchunu was riding very high. A 2015 eleventh round stoppage loss to Junior Makabu in a fight that was even up to that point brought him back down, however. Two fights later he also ran into the machine that is current division king Oleksandr Usyk and suffered his second stoppage loss, this time in a fight that was not competitive. Veteran journeyman Johnny Muller represented a rebound fight for the South African contender and he won by a shutout on all cards.
Sergio Garcia (24-0, 12 KOs) UD12 Isaac Real (17-3-1, 9 KOs), junior middleweights – Spain
Spanish super middleweight contender Sergio Garcia picked up the WBC silver belt here. That is the only reason I am calling him a contender. In theory that puts him in line to fight for their world title, but thankfully the WBC doesn’t always honor the supposed point of the silver titles right away. Before he won this minor belt I had no idea who Garcia existed. This is due to the woeful competition he has been fighting in Spain. This bout was only his third win against a fighter who both had ten wins and less than ten losses, for example. Needless to say the jury is still out on whether Garcia can function at world level, but he did at least win this fight comfortably.
Mike Perez (22-2-1, 14 KOs) KO1 Viktor Biscak (10-1, 7 KOs), cruiserweights – Northern Ireland
Perez’s story is well documented. In brief, he was a product of the Cuban amateur system who escaped to Ireland. He was still unbeaten and considered a top prospect when he met Magomed Abdusalamov on HBO. Perez delivered a beating that night and it became a medical tragedy when Abdusalamov suffered serious brain injuries. Since that night, Perez has never quite looked the same. Here, after two years out of the ring, Perez was trying to reboot his career as a cruiserweight. Physically he looked great, but we did not get to see much of him as his Slovakian opponent basically flopped to the ground at the first excuse he could find. Smaller heavyweights usually do not fight the success they hope for when they drop to cruiserweight, but here is to hoping that the once super promising Cuban can be the exception.
Kerman Lejarraga (22-0, 18 KOs) TKO2 Jose Antonio Abreu (13-2, 8 KOs), welterweights – New York
Sergio Martinez promoted Jon Fernandez got the ShoBox slot Friday night, but Maravilla also brought Lejarraga with him. Sporting a gaudy knockout record and a disgusting rat tail, Lejarraga otherwise remains a complete unknown. If Martinez can continue to procure ShoBox fights, expect to see him in the future. Sergio Martinez is the real news here, however, as he finally, officially announced his retirement in Canastota at the Hall of Fame festivities the day after this card.
Charles Conwell (3-0, 3 KOs) TKO2 Jeffrey Wright (4-7-1, 4 KOs), junior middleweights – New York
2016 US Olympian Charles Conwell picked up his third in two months win here deep on the off television ShoBox undercard. Still only 19, it will be years before we see him in a meaningful fight. For now his career is being guided by Lou DiBella. There doesn’t seem to be any video of this contest that I can find. Olympic alternate Maliek Montgomery and his brother Michael were also supposed to make their pro debuts in Georgia on Friday, but I cannot find any hint that the fights actually happened. Anyone else have any luck there?
