International round-up: Sebastian Fundora beats Erickson Lubin in a thriller
As well as the triumph of Sebastian Fundora, Mikaela Mayer dominates Jennifer Han in Eric Armit’s international action round-up
APRIL 9
LAS VEGAS, USA
In a dramatic super-welterweight battle which saw both fighters on the canvas SEBASTIAN FUNDORA, 19-0-1 (13), eventually battered and bloodied ERICKSON LUBIN, 24-2 (17), into a retirement defeat at the end of the ninth round.
Lubin was giving away lots of height and reach to the freakishly tall Fundora and had to try to work his way inside. He was doing that late in the second round when he was nailed by a right uppercut that dropped him heavily. He was up quickly but shaken when the bell saved him. They fought fiercely from there with Lubin just having the edge, despite an injured nose and a swelling around his eyes. In a thrilling seventh round Fundora looked on the verge of victory as he drove Lubin around the ring under a torrent of punches. Just when it looked as though the referee might step in Lubin exploded a right which stunned Fundora. Now it was Lubin pounding Fundora to the floor with clubbing shots.
Fundora made it to his feet and although Lubin landed two more crunching rights Fundora survived the few remaining seconds in the round. Lubin was in front on two cards but over the eighth and ninth Fundora’s punches worsened the damaged already suffered by Lubin. At the end of the ninth his team pulled their bruised and bloody man out of this epic scrap. Fundora moves up to No.3 in the 154lbs rankings while Lubin, previously third himself, slips to sixth.
In another super-welterweight contest TONY HARRISON, 29-3-1 (21), took a unanimous decision over SERGIO GARCIA, 33-2 (14). Garcia rocked Harrison in the second but after that Harrison outboxed Garcia. The Spaniard pressed hard trying to drag Harrison into a brawl but Harrison stuck to his game plan winning on scores of 100-90 twice and 98-92.
A third super-welterweight match saw Mexican KEVIN SALGADO, 14-0-1 (9), and BRYANT PERRELLA, 17-3-2 (14), end all even after ten rounds with the judges scoring the fight 97-93 for Perrella, 96-94 for Salgado and 95-95.
SAN ANTONIO, USA
A stuttering return from a long time out of the ring for RYAN GARCIA, 22-0 (18). He had trouble pinning down an awkward and elusive EMMANUEL TAGOE 32-2 (15). Fighting at super-lightweight, Garcia had Tagoe down in the second then chased in vain as the Ghanaian went into survival mode. Garcia was not cutting off the ring and too often allowed Tagoe to stifle his attacks by clinching.
Although a winner by a wide margins of 119-108 twice and 118-109, the effects of the out-of-the-ring troubles and understandable rust following 15 months of inactivity showed. In a flyweight contest Olympic bronze medallist MARLEN ESPARZA, 12-1 (1), grouped a couple of alphabet titles together with a wide unanimous decision over NAOKO FUJIOKA, 19-3-1 (7), on scores of 100-90 twice and 97-93.
At super-middleweight, SHANE MOSLEY JNR, 18-4 (10), took a majority verdict over a surely fading GABRIEL ROSADO, 26-15-1 (15). It was a poor contest where the scores varied widely at 98-92 and 97-93 for Mosley and 95-95.
A super-bantamweight fight saw AZAT HOVHANNISYAN, 21-3 (17), drop DAGOBERTO AGUERO, 15-2 (10), twice in the second round with the referee then stopping the fight.
COSTA MESA, USA
Super-featherweight MIKAELA MAYER, 17-0 (5), held on to her two sanctioning body super-featherweight straps as she outboxed JENNIFER HAN, 18-5-1 (1). Mayer was cut over her left by a punch in the first but she dominated the action, bloodying Han’s nose in the fourth and staggering her twice in the eighth on the way to a victory on scores of 100-90 twice and 99-91.
GIOVANI SANTILLAN, 29-0 (16), used a focused body attack to wear down and stop JEOVANIS BARRAZA, 23-3 (15), in the seventh round.
The Moloney twins both scored wins. Bantamweight JASON MOLONEY, 23-2 (18), outfought a tough FRANCISCO PEDROZA, 17-10-2 (10), who was competitive early but fell away under relentless pressure from Moloney with the judges’ cards reading 99-91 twice and 100-90. Fighting at super-flyweight ANDREW MOLONEY, 23-2,1NC (15), handed out a savage beating to gutsy GILBERTO MENDOZA, 19-12-3 (10), before the referee halted the fight late in the 10th round.
LUIS LOPEZ, 25-2 (14), floored RAUL CHIRINO, 19-14 (12), in the second round and twice more in the third before putting Chirino down and out in the fourth. Featherweight Lopez is the mandatory challenger for Josh Warrington’s alphabet title and retains his place at 10th in the world rankings.
Unbeaten Mexican Olympian, LINDOLFO DELGADO, 15-0 (13), floored Argentinian GUSTAVO VITTORI, 25-11-1 (12), twice in the second round of their super-lightweight fight with the referee stopping it after the second knockdown.
METEPEC, MEXICO
Unbeaten ANGEL AYALA, 14-0 (6), pulled off a massive upset as he outpointed former alphabet flyweight title holder CRISTOFER ROSALES, 32-6 (21), on scores of 120-107, 116-111 and 116-112.
HOLSTEBRO, DENMARK
Bantamweight DINA THORSLUND, 18-0 (7), retained her alphabet belt outclassing Venezuelan NIORIKIS CARRENO, 22-3 (17), and winning on scores of 99-91 twice and 100-90. On the undercard, and in his first bout since September 2020, super-featherweight ALEX DILMAGHANI, 20-2-1 (8), took the judges nod at 77-75 twice and 78-74 against Colombian VICTOR JULIO.
Former Commonwealth flyweight champion THOMAS ESSOMBA, 11-7-1 (4), was too good for local fighter MICHAEL NIELSEN with all three cards reading 80-72 for Essomba.
CIVITAVECCHIA, ITALY
Unbeaten super-featherweight MICHAEL MAGNESI, 21-0 (13), impressed with a fifth round stoppage of Mexican DENNIS CONTRERAS, 24-12-1 (22).
SCHENECTADY, USA
Italian cruiserweight SIMONE FEDERICI 19-2-1 (8) overcame a bad cut suffered in the fourth round of his fight against Ukrainian LYUBOMYR PINCHUK 14-3-1 (8) to take the unanimous decision at 97-93 twice and 99-91.
MILAN, ITALY
In bantamweight fights ALESSIO LORUSSO 17-4-2 (6) retained the European Union title with a twelfth round stoppage of Spaniard JACOB BARRETO 13-5 (5) and VINCENZO PICARDI 6-0 (1) successfully defended his national title on scores of 97-93 twice and 98-92 against CLAUDIO GRANDE 6-2 (3).
