Weekend Boxing Roundup: King Arthur Upsets Yarde, Spence and Saunders Retain Titles
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
*Photo Credit: Frank Warren Boxing
Westminister, UK (December 6th, 2020)– Unbeaten Lyndon ‘King’ Arthur scored a huge major upset over the weekend, retaining the Commonwealth British Empire Light Heavyweight title with a 12 round split decision upset over heavily favored top ten contender, Anthony Yarde, at Church House, Westminster, United Kingdom, Saturday, December 5, 2020.
Arthur, 18-0 with 12 knockouts, Manchester, United Kingdom, dedicated the bout to his dead brother Zennen, who was killed in a gangland robbery when he was 10 years old. Enough left hands were landed by Arthur to win many of the early rounds that Yarde, 20-2 with 19 knockouts, Ilford, Essex, United Kingdom, could argue robbery, but the bout was close enough it could have gone either way and did. Yarde wants a rematch. Arthur is better off to go after a world title shot immediately. With this win, he gets a world title shot.
Result: Lyndon Arthur Win Split 12 Anthony Yarde, Light Heavyweights
Scoring: 117-111, 115-114 Arthur. 115-114 Yarde. Referee: Victor Loughlin
Arhur retains Comnmonwealth (British Empire) Light Heavyweight title
Arthur wins World Boxing OrganizationInter-Contienta Light Heavyweight title
Southpaw super middleweight Billy Joe Saunders retained the World Boxing Organization World Super Middleweight title with a 12 round unanimous points win a decision over challenger Martin Murray at Wembley Arena, London, United Kingdom, Friday, December 4, 2020. Saunders, 30-0, 14 knockouts, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom got taken the distance by the 38-year-old Murray, 39-6-1 with 17 knockouts, St. Helens, Merseyside, United Kingdom. It was the fifth and probably final world title attempt for Murray, who briefly held the World Boxing Council interim title in 2012. Murray’s chin remained solid, but he was outworked all night and beyond hanging in there, was not competitive. His luck of surviving is owed to the fact Saunders was inactive for one year.
Result: Billy Jo Saunders Win 12 Martin Murray, Super Middleweights
Saudners retains World Boxing Organizatoin World Super Middleweight title
Scoring: 120-109, 120-109, 118-110 Saunders. Referee: Phil Murray
On the undercard, Irish lightweight James ‘The Assassin, Tenneson, 28-3 with 24 knockouts, Belfast, Northern Ireland, exposed 16-0 Canadian pretender Josh O’Reilly, sending back to Hamilton, Canada, knocking him down twice in 2:14 of the first round.
Results: James Tenneson TKO 1 Josh O’Reilly, Lightweights (2:14)
O’Reilly down twice in first rond. Referee; Phil Edwards
At InterContinental Miami, in Miami, Florida, two bouts stunk out the house.
Cuban Yunieski Gonzalez scored a second-round stoppage of a blubbery Alex Theran to win the World Boxing Association Fedelatin Light Heavyweight title. Theran shored up at 189 pounds, 14 pounds over the weight limit, and got stopped at 2:52 of the second round. Columbian southpaw Theran’s 22-5 record is padded with wins over regional tomato cans. Also on the card 23-0-1 Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico welterweight, Derrick Cuevas got exposed, losing a six-round split decision to unheralded 42-year-old Damien Ezekiel Bonelli, a 24-8 a club fighter out of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who had lost seven consecutive bouts. Usually, with six consecutive losses, a fighter is not allowed to fight in the United States. In Bonelli’s last nine significant bouts, his opponents had a combined record of 159-6-2, including five opponents with a combined record of 100-0-1. Bonelli went the distance in eight of the nine significant bouts of recent note, and greater experience paid off for him.
At the East Cessnock Bowling Club, Cessnock, New South Wales, Australia, 11-0 super welterweight Troy O’Melley of local New South Wales got exposed by 17-9 southpaw club fighter Wade Ryan, also of New South Wales, by 10 round split decision upset, wining the Australian Super Welterweight and the vacant International Boxing Organisation International Super Welterweight titles.
From AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday, December 5, 2020, Errol Spence returned from a one-year absence to retain the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation World Welterweight titles by 12 round decision over Danny Garcia. Spence, 27-0 with 21 knockouts, DeSoto, Texas, backed up Garcia, 36-3 with 21 knockouts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with a sharp left jab. Spence landed 84 jabs to Garcia’s 14, and head and bodywork like that leaves no room for counterpunching, mistakes, or traps. Terence Crawford or Manny Pacquiao could be next for Spence
Result: Errol Spence Jr. Win 12 Danny Garcia, Welterweights
Scoring: 117-111, 116-112, 116-112 Spence. Referee: Thomas Taylor
On the undercard, 6-0 Dallas, Texas light heavyweight prospect Burley Brooks lost a six-round split decision in an upset to 7-1 Marco Delgado of Turlock, California, after referee Neal Young deducted points from Brooks in rounds five and six for low blows.
Also on the undercard, unlucky Tyrone Luckey, 12-13-4, Galloway, New Jersey, was knocked out in the fifth round by 12-0 Indianapolis, Indiana light-welterweight southpaw Frank Martin. Lucky has been written up in Real Combat Media previously as the unlucky fighter whose opponents are often unbeaten. Martin was Luckey’s tenth undefeated opponent. Luckey entered this bout with three recent comeback wins. His undefeated opponents had a combined record of 75-0 when he fought them. Luckey’s unbeaten opponents are 8-1-1 against him.
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