Welcome to this week’s edition of Under the Radar Fight Results. This is my every Tuesday column in which I examine all the even remotely significant fights of the week that I had not already covered separately. This week we have a world title fight, a son of a former major heavyweight, former titleholders, and a whole bunch more good fighters. It was a fairly active week for the sport compared to the last few.
On the Radar Results
Derevyanchenko becomes a mandatory, Centeno upsets Aleem
Ugas and Dulorme thrill on FOX
Davis, Jack, and Tabiti win on PPV undercard
Mayweather stops an exhausted McGregor in ten
Cotto batters Kamegai, Vargas defends against Rios
Under the Radar Fight Results
Sunday, August 27th
Ryuya Yamanaka (15-2, 4 KOs) UD12 Tatsuya Fukuhara (19-5-6, 7 KOs), WBO minimumweight title – Japan
When WBO titleholder Katsunari Takayama retired to pursue Olympic glory in 2020, interim titlist Tatsuya Fukuhara was elevated to full champion status for the WBO in the minimumweight division. Unfortunately for the new titleholder, he just lost it in his first defense. In what was an extremely competitive and difficult to score fight, the range and slightly better boxing of Ryuya Yamanaka appealed just a hair better to the judges. He probably got the razor close decision by winning more middle rounds, but ultimately this was as tough of a fight to score as you will see. At 22, Yamanaka is yet another young Japanese titleholder in the sport.
Saturday, August 26th
Kiko Martinez (38-8-1, 28 KOs) KO3 Lorenzo Parra (32-13-2, 19 KOs), junior lightweights – Spain
Despite a pretty good performance against Josh Warrington in May, I still stand by the assertion that Kiko Martinez is done at world level. Him nearly beating the British prospect speaks more to a limited future for Josh Warrington than it does for any Kiko Martinez resurgence. Frampton, Quigg, and Santa Cruz beat him very easily while he also only got a draw against a Spanish journeyman all in the last couple years. This win makes Martinez 2-0 since the Warrington performance. At 31, Kiko can fight at the top of the Spanish domestic scene for probably close to another decade, but I am not excited for when he inevitably gets another step up to world level.
Amnat Ruenroeng (18-1, 6 KOs) TKO3 Thongchai Kunram (6-13, 2 KOs), super bantamweights – Thailand
Amnat Ruenroeng has never been an aesthetically pleasing fighter, but a successful three fight run from 2014-15 over McWilliams Arroyo, Zou Shiming, and John Riel Casimero very much had him on top of not only the division, but near the pinnacle of the sport as a whole in terms of pure recent accomplishment. Unfortunately, a poor performance as one of the first professionals in the Olympics and a four round stoppage loss in a rematch with Casimero completely wiped away the former Thai titleholder’s shine. Fifteen months since the knockout loss, Ruenroeng finally returned here, albeit against a total no hoper. Unfortunately for his future prospects, Amnat is now 37. At flyweight this might as well be 50. It would be a miracle if he won a significant fight again.
Joet Gonzalez (17-0, 9 KOs) KO5 Deivi Julio Bassa (19-3, 11 KOs), featherweights – California
The furthest along of three moderately significant Golden Boy prospects on the off television Cotto/Kamegai undercard, 23 year old Joet Gonzales is also maybe the least interesting. He is a lanky fighter who would do well on the outside, but instead tends to square up to come in and pressure. When Joet does manage a little range, he is a good puncher. When he doesn’t, he smothers his own work. Within the context of being a pressure fighter at the wrong range, Gonzalez is reasonably responsible. He picks his shots well and keeps a good guard in between. Yet, he also isn’t a special athlete by any means. I don’t think Joet Gonzalez’s ceiling is super high, but clearly it was high enough to carry the day here. He dropped Bassa hard in the fifth and battered him around the ring after until it was stopped seconds before the round would have ended.
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Emilio Sanchez (15-0, 10 KOs) KO5 Danny Flores (15-10-1, 8 KOs), super bantamweights – California
Emilio Sanchez, also 23, may not end up reaching any higher heights than Joet Gonzalez, but he has more potential and is a ton of fun. A super aggressive wrecking ball of a fighter, Sanchez charges forward behind tons of pressure, very high volume, and pretty quick hands to attack, attack, and attack some more. This also makes him a walking defensive liability. Being defensively irresponsible may be his downfall, but it sure makes Sanchez a great watch. At his age and experience level this is very much correctable still too.
Alexis Rocha (9-0, 6 KOs) KO1 Esau Herrera (18-10-1, 8 KOs), junior middleweights – California
Alexis Rocha is one of the more significant prospects in Golden Boy’s stable. A six time US national amateur champion and former junior Olympic gold medalist, Rocha was an absolute favorite to represent the US in Rio. However, when the decision was made to remove headgear from the games, Rocha and his team figured they might as well get paid for pro style fights and turned professional. This was actually the first time I had seen Rocha and I was a little disappointed for about ninety seconds. The fight was sort of slow, awkward, and with a lot of clinching. He didn’t look special, until suddenly he did. One epic hook put Herrera down and out. It was such a good KO that HBO later decided to show it, something they don’t do that often from non-scheduled to air fights. Rocha is also half brother to Ronny Rios who lost his title shot in the co-main event on this card.
Chayaphon Moonsri (48-0, 17 KOs) UD6 Jack Amisa (21-45-2, 14 KOs), minimumweights – Thailand
Look out Floyd, your record is in jeopardy already. Chayaphon Moonsri is on a mission to prove just how ridiculous the idea of even paying attention to that is. The WBC minimumweight titleholder since late 2014, Moonsri here took a stay busy fight against a wildly overmatched opponent. Why? Because Thailand, that’s why. It is just what the fight culture demands in that beautiful south east Asian country. Now 31, Moonsri is pretty old for minimumweight. Maybe he will get three more wins and ride off into the sunset.
Friday, August 25th
Demond Nicholson (18-2-1, 17 KOs) RTD2 Josue Obando (15-17-1, 12 KOs), light heavyweights – Oklahoma
Light heavyweight fringe contender Demond Nicholson forced a journeyman to quit on his stool after two off television on the Derevyanchencko/Johnson FS1 undercard. Nicholson is a talented 24 year old power puncher whose own head seems to get in his way. Against both Steve Rolls and Immanuwell Aleeem, he may as well have won if he had only put in a bit more of an effort in terms of making sure he let his hands go. I don’t think Nicholson’s mental game will ever be strong enough for him to live up to his physical abilities, but at 24 at least there is still time.
James McKenzie Morrison (12-0-2, 11 KOs) TKO1 Roberto White (6-9, 6 KOs), heavyweights – Oklahoma
Son of former prominent heavyweight Tommy Morrison, James Morrison is not really a prospect. At 27 he is still in six round fights. He also either knocks his opponent out or really struggles to earn a decision as displayed by his two draws. A local fighter who had fought every single one of his fights at the same venue in Oklahoma, it at least made sense for PBC to stick him deep on their undercard to draw in a few more locals. His half brother Trey Lippe Morrison, also 27, is a better prospect than James almost by default as he works with Freddie Roach, but he isn’t considered a blue chipper either.
Charles Conwell (5-0, 5 KOs) TKO2 Rey Trujillo (1-2-1), junior middleweights – Oklahoma
2016 Olympian Charles Conwell keeps winning against low level competition buried on prominent undercards completely out of sight. At only 19, it makes sense that his team are in absolutely no rush to move him ahead. I just wish we could get some more video. I have only been able to see one of his five fights thus far and it is impossible for me to really evaluate him as a prospect. That in itself could be a sign to the negative, but I’ll reserve judgment until I get some more tape.
Caleb Truax (28-3-2, 18 KOs) TKO10 KeAndrae Leatherwood (20-5-1, 13 KOs), super middleweights – Minnesota
Super middleweight fringe contender and local attraction Caleb Truax returned with a win Friday at home. A former opponent to Jermain Taylor, Anthony Dirrell, and Danny Jacobs, Truax’s ceiling is marked well below world level. He is a decent regional fighter, however, with wins over the likes of the old version of Antwun Echols and Matt Vanda, respectable but not super impressive stuff. I do expect to see him used against a top fighter again at some point again as he is a reliable loser with a good record who will put in a respectable effort. That has some real value in the sport, unfortunately.
Ilunga Makabu (21-2, 20 KOs) KO4 Mussa Ajibu (28-10-5, 24 KOs), cruiserweights – Zimbabwe
Last May “Junior” Makabu fought for a vacant WBC cruiserweight belt against Tony Bellew in the UK. I and many others thought Makabu was a slight favorite in that fight. He started by proving us right, dropping Bellew in the first, but then everything fell apart. The British fighter became very aggressive in response and ended up knocking Makabu out in the third round. This was the Congolese fighter’s second bout since that night, this time against a journeyman in Zimbabwe. I hope Junior gets back in the world game quick because he is an entertaining fighter and there are a ton of good fights to make for him in the super deep cruiserweight division.
