Welcome to Under the Radar Fight Results. This week we have Kostya Tszyu’s son, Sam Eggington upset, super elite heavyweight prospect Filip Hrgovic, Joseph Agbeko, and more.
Tim Tszyu (11-0, 9 KOs) TKO1 Marcos Jesus Cornejo (19-4, 18 KOs), junior middleweights & Andrew Moloney (18-0, 11 KOs) TKO10 Luis Concepcion (37-7, 26 KOs), super flyweights – Bendigo, Australia
The potential drawing power of Tim Tszyu, son of legendary Australian-Russian Kostya Tszyu, spoke loudly and clearly here. He main evented over a much more highly respected prospect taking a massive step up and got the card American exposure thanks to Top Rank curating international fights for ESPN+. Andrew Moloney is a great prospect who put on a really solid performance here, but there is no way this level of international exposure happens for him here without young Tim Tszyu’s name value. As for the rising draw’s fight, he rolled pretty quick with some battering shots. Both stoppages here were maybe slightly quick, but nothing to be too up in arms about. The good news is that Tim appears to be a solid prospect in his own right with his quick, sharp right hand unlike some other famous sons. While fighters like Chris Eubank Jr and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr have found some success despite their limitations, 23 year old Tim Tszyu looks better eleven fights in than either of them possibly could have. As for Moloney-Concepcion, it was a pretty good one. The super flyweight Moloney twin is definitely one to watch on the world scene. He dominated this fight early impressively. Though he did fade a bit after the midway point and allow Concepcion to get back in it, he found a second win in the ninth to unleash a round and a half battering that ultimately got the fight called. He’s ready for a title eliminator in my view and would be a very welcome edition to Superfly 4, should that happen early next year.
Filip Hrgovic (6-0, 5 KOs) v Amir Mansour (23-3-1, 16 KOs), heavyweights – Zagreb, Croatia
Many boxing pundits have been quick to crown 26 year old Croatian 2016 bronze medalist Filip Hrgovic as the best heavyweight prospect in boxing, but I’ve been more hesitant. His size, skill, and power are clear. I do see him as an elite prospect. It is just that the men he would lose to in the amateurs, i.e. Joe Joyce, Tony Yoka, and Ivan Dychko, have all recently turned pro too. I had a hard time rationalizing him being a better prospect then the fellow amateur stars he consistently fell short against. Well, color me a convert. I’m on board now. Like most, I really raised my eyebrows when Amir Mansour was announced as a late replacement opponent for Hrgovic. Yes, Mansour is 46, but heavyweights age slowly and he doesn’t have the wear and tear on his body that the age would suggest. More importantly he also given second tier heavyweight names like Fred Kassi, Steve Cunningham, Gerald Washington, Dominic Breazeale, and Travis Kaufman tough fights after the past few years, posting a 2-2-1 record against those men. For Hrgovic to just come in and wipe him away in three is something else. The Croatian standout controlled range beautifully despite coming forward. He also turns a brilliant left hook over his right hand consistently, a move not necessarily found amongst Eastern European big men traditionally. It was one of those left hooks that hurt Mansour at the tail end of the second and it was basically everything that battered him into submission in the third. Hrgovic has the size and talent to be a world class heavyweight. Star trainer Pedro Diaz definitely seems to have him on the right track technically too. 26 is extremely young for the weight as well. If I was his handler I would scale back the opponents for at least a couple more years, but if he continues to step up this early that would be really exciting from a fan’s standpoint.
Joseph Agbeko (35-5, 26 KOs) v Ekow Wilson (18-2, 16 KOs), bantamweights – Ho, Ghana
Joseph “King Kong” Agbeko is now 38. He came to the US eleven years ago to win his first bantamweight belt, but it wasn’t until two years and two fights later that he really got his due when he popular brawler Vic Darchinyan’s bid to become a three division titleholder in a really rough fight on Showtime. That was the peak of his powers, though maybe it shouldn’t have been. Next Agbeko somewhat surprisingly lost his belt to Yonnhy Perez, but he came back with a better plan in the rematch to reclaim his belt. This set up a major unification fight with rising star Abner Mares for one of the more highly anticipated bantamweight bouts in the modern era. Unfortunately, the fight was a mess. Abner Mares was allowed to get away with an absolutely absurd amount of dirtiness, especially concerning low blows. It was extremely frustrating to watch and included one of the worst knockdown calls that there has ever been on one of those obviously low shots late in the fight. Agbeko lost on close cards, but it was safe to argue that the referee really beat him that night in 2011 rather than Mares. They rematched appropriately, but this time Abner won comfortably without controversy. That seemed to be about it for King Kong. He didn’t fight again for two years. When he did take a tune up, it led to a shot at tedious to watch yet hyper elite technician Guillermo Rigondeaux that was never going to end with anything other than a dreadful near shutout for the absolutely untouchable Rigo. Agbeko took a fight a year and a half later, but it was his only fight of 2015. Since then he has fought only back in Ghana, once in 2016, twice in 2017, and this was his second go at it in 2018. He does seem to be looking to contend as he defended a WBO regional title here. There’s no reason to pay those fees unless you’re looking for a shot. Whether he can get it, who knows? I’d hope not, but it wouldn’t surprise me either. It won’t be soon though with the titles locked up in the World Boxing Super Series season two bantamweight tournament though, nor would it likely end well at this point. 38 years old is ancient for 118 lbs.
Hassan Mwakinyo (12-2, 8 KOs) TKO2 Sam Eggington (23-5, 15 KOs), junior middleweights & Gamal Yafai (16-1, 7 KOs) KO9 Brayan Mairena (10-2-1, 4 KOs), super bantamweights & Lewis Ritson (17-0, 11 KOs) KO3 Oscar Amador (10-8, 1 KO), junior welterweights & Qais Ashfaq (3-0, 1 KO) KO1 Gary Austin (0-2), featherweights & Steven Donnelly (2-0) PTS4 Miguel Aguilar (11-48-1, 5 KOs), junior middleweights – Birmingham, England
Disaster struck on the undercard of Eddie Hearn’s Amir Khan headlined show in England. The major promoter was keeping local draw and potential contender Sam Eggington busy at home with a nothing fight to set up a quick turn around for a showdown with well known name Brandon Rios on Anthony Joshua’s upcoming card. About that. Entirely unknown Tanzanian man Hassan Mwakinyo had not seen the script, apparently. The African absolutely battered Eggington for two rounds before the fight was rightfully stopped on his feet. The popular local attraction had struggled with movers before, but despite that he was considering a developing high level Euro talent with realistic if not probable world level aspirations given that he’s still somehow in his early 20s. That has now all gone up in smoke, especially given that Mwakinyo can’t even be argued as some hidden, unbeaten gem. As a relevant fighter beyond British level, the 24 year old’s career is now on life support. Exciting rising star Lewis Ritson had no issue with his stay busy, up a weight class fight in anticipation of his European title fight next month at least. Gamal Yafai, brother of super flyweight titleholder Kal Yafai, also continued to rebuild successfully after his surprisingly one sided loss to Gavin McDonnell in his first step up earlier this year. Finally, two early stage Olympic prospects were in action in England’s Qais Afshaq and Ireland’s Steven Donnelly. Neither man is considered a major prospect by Olympic alumni standards, but the status still makes them both worth keeping an eye on. Donnelly is going to have a particularly tough go of it though given that he’s already 30 after an extended amateur career.
Chris Colbert (9-0, 3 KOs) UD8 Fatiou Fassinou (28-11-3, 15 KOs), featherweights & Richardson Hitchins (6-0, 3 KOs) UD6 Cesar Valenzuela (7-3, 2 KOs), junior welterweights & Dylan Price (7-0, 5 KOs) UD6 Mulapi Enjani (4-6-2, 2 KOs), super flyweights & Clayton Laurent Jr (2-0, 2 KOs) TKO2 Sherman Artis Jr (3-3), heavyweights & Marsellos Wilder (2-0, 2 KOs) TKO1 Ryan Williams (0-2), cruiserweights – Brooklyn, New York
PBC had some nice action prior to television and at least some of it had an outlet for once. Top prospects Chris Colbert, 21, and Richardson Hitchins, 20, had their fights broadcast on Showtime’s Youtube channel with Amanda Serrano’s historic title win. Both men were major American amateurs with Olympic aspirations. Colbert jumped pro before qualifying finished, however, deciding against pursuing the highest level of amateur glory in favor of paychecks. Hitchins had one of my highest regarded prospects in Gary Antuanne Russell ahead of him, unfortunately, and fell to him in qualifying. Undeterred, Hitchins used his parent’s Haitian nationality to fight in Rio for the Caribbean nation. It was poor luck then when he was matched with Russell again in the first round and send packing. As a pro he hasn’t done much yet, but Colbert is building a nice little resume as he already has three wins over fellow unbeaten prospects. Speaking of Caribbean Olympians, Clayton Laurent Jr pulled off the extremely rare feat of representing the US Virgin Islands in the Olympics. To be frank, however, I have absolutely no read on him yet. DiBella has signed him though and he’s 27, for what those things are worth. Mayweather signee Dylan Price was the top rated junior amateur at his weight for two, but he turned pro at 18 before he was really old enough to compete on the full circuit. Finally, Deontay’s 29 year old brother Marsellos Wilder has decided to become a pro boxer too on the strength of his seven amateur fights. I know Deontay didn’t have much experience when he broke out either, but he wasn’t almost 30 and he did end up with an improbable Olympic medal. Let’s just say that the odds are extremely long that Marsellos Wilder ever sniffs say the Top 25 at either cruiserweight or heavyweight and move on. All five young men cruised as expected.
Joselito Velasquez (6-0, 5 KOs) UD6 Jose Alfredo Flores (6-7, 3 KOs), flyweights – Inglewood, California
2016 Mexican Olympian Joselito Velasquez took his sixth fight prior to TV on Superfly 3. Promoted by Mexican powerhouse Zanfer Promotions, expectations are reasonably high for the 24 year old given his uncharacteristically long amateur career for a fighter from our neighbors to the south. Velasquez can’t be viewed as a sure fire, blue chip kind of prospect as he did consistently lose on the amateur’s absolute highest level internationally, but he has extensive experience, won a fight in Rio, and has an outstanding promoter backing him. He also has legendary trainer Freddie Roach in his corner too and Roach is on the record as to saying Velasquez “does very well” in sparring against Donnie Nietes. For what its worth, word also is that Joselito was injured going into Rio and couldn’t train at all in the few months before the 2016 games. I have no way of knowing if this is valid or not, but it could obviously excuse the somewhat disappointing outcome after his second Pan-American Games gold medal in 2015 if true.
Friday, September 7th
Denis Lebedev (31-2, 23 KOs) KO3 Hizni Altunkaya (30-3, 17 KOs), heavyweights & Zaur Abdullaev (10-0, 6 KOs) UD12 Hank Lundy (29-7-1, 14 KOs), lightweights – Chelyabinsk, Russia
Denis Lebedev has been one of the top cruiserweights in the sport for close to a decade now. He spent his first few years as a light heavyweight prospect before apparently becoming disillusioned with the business side of the sport and walking away for four years. He returned in 2008 a cruiserweight and four fights later he was stopping Cuban contender Eliseo Castillo. This earned him his way to the UK where he destroyed Enzo Maccarinelli in three for his big breakthrough. A year and a half later Lebedev was in Germany challenging Marco Huck for his title. Most thought he won, but being on the road in Germany has its downsides and the judges gave it to Huck. Next Lebedev embarked on a sad two fight last generation tour, stopping Roy Jones Jr and dominating James Toney. The Toney fight gave him a secondary belt which became his WBA title that he’d hold for some time. He also had a second title for a bout, but he lost it to Murat Gassiev at the tail end of 2016. He took one tune up last year and then this fight here is his only one of 2018. I’m not sure what his plan is right now, exactly, but there will almost certainly be a bunch of vacant titles going around soon even if the winner of Usyk/Bellew stays at the weight. He’ll likely fight for one. At 39, his days on top are numbered though. Also in action was 24 year old prospect Zaur Abdullaev netting a career best win over Henry “Hank” Lundy. While Lundy has lost to most of the high level fighters he has faced, its still a really nice win for this stage in the young Russian’s career.
Liam Williams (18-2-1, 13 KOs) KO2 Craig Nicholson (4-3-1), light heavyweights – Cardiff, Wales
Former British titleholder and arguably robbed potential secondary world titleholder Liam Williams took his second tuneup since losing his pair of junior middleweight fights to Liam Smith. The first one was stopped as a TKO as the result of a cut highly controversially with Williams winning the fight, but he lost a fair competitive decision the second time around. Despite basically all of his fights having been there at 154, his two fights since have been at 169 and now full light heavyweight. I do believe that this weight was caused by a last minute opponent switch, but it does make me wonder if Williams does plan on going all the way back down to junior middleweight when he rejoins higher levels of competition. As for the brief fight, it had a weird moment in which the fighters tumbled over the ropes and broke the ring in the first round. After an extended break to fix it, Williams came out and finished it with vintage a left hook to the liver in the second round
Wednesday, September 5th
Umar Salamov (22-1, 17 KOs) KO2 Denis Liebau (24-3, 22 KOs), light heavyweights & Dmitry Kudryashov (22-2, 22 KOs) TKO6 Mauricio Barragan (17-4, 10 KOs), heavyweights – Grozny, Russia
Russian light heavyweight Umar Salamov was just starting to make waves as a real prospect of note and emerging contender when he traveled to Australia for spot on the Manny Pacquiao-Jeff Horn undercard last summer. There he was narrowly outboxed and upset by Damien Hooper, a thought to be busted former prospect and Australian Olympian. Is Hooper better than we realized, Salamov worse, or is the likeliest explanation a combination of both? I supposed we’ll find out over time. Salamov has scored three finishes since the loss against this sort of competition wtih good, but largely empty records. Cruiserweight destroyer Dmitry Kudryashov also returned on the undercard. He had not been active since being destroyed by Yunier Dorticos in the first round of the World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight tournament last year. Make no mistake about it, Kudryashov hits extremely hard. He’s up there in that Deontay Wilder echelon of freakish pure power. What he’s not good at, however, is basically anything else. Kudryashov has no real ability to set his power up, no real defense, a seemingly question chin, mediocre athleticism, and no real stamina. He’s a kill or be killed fighter and I will always look for his fights because of this.
