Zurdo wins, Chavez Jr. Returns, Parker and Paul Win Rematches
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
In an action-packed weekend full of boxing, on Saturday night, December 18, 2021, a number of major and minor significant bouts took place. These included the continuing comeback of former World Super Middleweight champion Gilberto Ramirez at light heavyweight, Joseph Parker winning a rematch at heavyweight in the United Kingdom on the road, and social media star Jake Paul winning his rematch.
At Ciudad Deportiva Heiner Ugalde, in San Jose, Costa Rica, 23-2 Yokasta Valle retained her Female International Boxing Federation World Minimumweight title with a 10 round unanimous decision over 10-4-4 Elizabeth Lopez Corzo of Cancun, Mexico.
From Parc Des Expositions, Beziers, Herault, France, 24-0-1 southpaw Bastien Ballesta of Beziers, France, won the vacant EBU European Union Super Lightweight title with a sixth-round referee’s technical decision over 9-2 Maxim Devignaud of Levallois-Perret, France.
At the Maritim Hotel in Magdeburg, Germany, 9-1 Michael Eifert of Magdeburg, the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation Youth Light Heavyweight champion, won the Germany GDG Light Heavyweight title in an upset with a third-round knockout of 20-0 Nils Schmidt of Wismar, Germany, exposing Schmidt’s padded record.
At Palenque De La Feria Ganadera, in Culican, Sinaloa, Mexico, former World Boxing Council World Middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., 53-6-1 with 34 knockouts, age 35, Culican, Sinaloa, Mexico, made a successful comeback, winning a 10 round unanimous decision over visiting tough 34-7 David Zegarra of Lima, Peru.
From Bangkok, Thailand, 12-0 Phoobadin Yoohanngoh made his third successful defense of the World Boxing Association Asia Super Lightweight title with a third-round knockout of 13-6 Sonny Katiandagho of Cebu, Philippines.
From the Ice Palace Terminal, Brovari, Ukraine, Denys Berinchyk, 16-0 with nine knockouts, Kiev, Ukraine, made the sixth successful defense of his World Boxing Organisation Lightweight title with a 12 round unanimous decision win over 15-4 Isa Chaniev of Nazran, Russian Federation.
From Manchester Arena, Manchester, Lancashire, United Kingdom, former World Boxing Organisation World Heavyweight champion, 30-2 Joseph Parker of Auckland, New Zealand, again defeated 32-12 Dereck Chisora of Finchley, London, United Kingdom by 12 round decision to retain the World Boxing Organisation Inter-Continental heavyweight title, and remain in the hunt for a shot at Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, or a rematch with Anthony Joshua or Dillian Whyte. Parker knocked down Chisora in the fourth, seventh and eighth rounds, and the knockdowns proved the difference on the scorecards.
In the preliminary to the Park-Chisora main event, EBU European Super Middleweight champion 16-0 Lerrone Richards of New Malden, London, United Kingdom, won the International Boxing Organization World Super Middleweight title with a 12 round split decision over 20-0 Carlos Gongora of Boston, Massachusetts, by way of Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
Also on the same card, last-minute substitute 17-0 Kevin Lele Sadjo of Saint-Maur, France, ranked eighth in the European rankings, won the vacant EBU European Super Middleweight title with a sixth-round stoppage of 20-3-1 Jack Cullen of Little Lever, Lancashire, United Kingdom. Sadjo worked furiously inside to overcome height and reach disadvantage. A Sadjo left hand body shot dropped Cullen at 1:11 of the sixth round. Cullen beat the count, but collapsed on his back after the referee John Latham wisely stopped it. Sadjo continued mugging the crowd with hand gestures after the win, even going to the floor doing pushups, to the sound of thunderous boos.
At Rainton Meadows Arena, Houghton-le-Spring, United Kingdom, former World Super Featherweight, Lightweight and Super Lightweight champion Ricky Burns, 44-8-1 with 16 knockouts, Coatbridge, Scotland, United Kingdom, made a successful comeback at lightweight at age 38, winning a 10 round unanimous decision over visiting 26-9-1 Emiliano Dominguez of Teodolina, Santa Fe, Argentina. One judge gave Burns every round. 31-0-1 featherweight prospect Thomas Patrick Ward of West Rainton, United Kingdom, won a 10 round decision over 20-4 Leonard Padilla of Petare, Venezuela, winning every round on all three scorecards.
From Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, 23-0 Australian Southpaw super lightweight prospect Liam Paro came off the canvas in the first round and won a 10 round split decision over 20-0-1 WBO Latino champion Yomar Alamo of Caguas, Puerto Rico. 42-1-1 multi-division former world champion Amanda Serrano won a 10 round decision at lightweight over 14-2 Miriam Gutierrez of Madrid, Spain. 25-3-1 J’Leon Love of Las Vegas, Nevada, moved up in weight class to cruiserweight and won an eight-round decision over 28-6-1 faded former contender Marcus Oliviera of Mayetta, Kansas. 5-0 cruiserweight and social media star Jake “The Problem” Paul closed the show by scoring a dramatic insane sixth-round one-punch knockout over 0-2 Tyrone Woodley in a rematch. A perfectly timed overhand right hand power shot pitched Woodley to the canvas face first unconscious.
At Armory, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 6-0 Cuban southpaw David Morrell of Minneapolis by way of Santa Clara, Cuba, retained the World Boxing Association World Super Middleweight title with a fourth-round stoppage of 28-3-1 Alantez Fox of Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Fox’s father threw in the towel after his son rose from a knockdown, with his son then absorbing too much punishment from Morel’s power shots. Morell is currently trained by Ronnie Shields. 13-0 welterweight prospect Richardson Hutchins of New York City won a 10 round decision over 18-2 Malik “Iceman” Hawkins of Baltimore, Maryland.
From AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, former World Super Middleweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo’ Ramirez, 43-0 with 29 knockouts, Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, with a tenth round stoppage of 21-4 Cuban Yunieski, Gonzalez of Miami, Florida. On the undercard, 21-0 Seneisa Estrada of East Los Angeles, California, the female World Boxing Association Minimumweight champion, knocked out Maria Santizo of Guatemala City, Guatemala, in the fourth round to retain her title. 11-1 Marlen Esparza of Houston, Texas, retained her female World Boxing Association World Flyweight title by 10 round decision over 31-5 Anabel Ortiz of Mexico City, Mexico, a former WBA Minimumweight champion. 22-1-1 Lamont Roach of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, won the vacant NABA Super Featherweight title by 10 round decision over 32-11 Rene Alvarado of Managua, Nicaragua. 15-0 Victor Morales of Vancouver, Washington, and 12-0 Rudy Garcia of Los Angeles, California, fought to a 10 round split draw for the vacant World Boxing council International Featherweight title.
In Jefferson, Wisconsin, 11-3-1 southpaw super lightweight Leon Spinks III, Saint Louis, Missouri, son of the late former world heavyweight champion Leon Spinks, was scheduled to appear in a six-rounder against 2-3 Daniel Buonaventura of Chicago, Illinois. Gerald McClellan Jr. of Beloit, Wisconsin, was scheduled to make his cruiserweight debut against 3-19-1 Tahlik Taylor of Durham, New Hampshire. On a four-rounder. McClellan, 31 years old, was six years old when his father, 31-3 World Middleweight champion Gerald “G-Man” McClellan, lost to Nigel Benn and suffered career ending injuries on February 25, 1995, at London Arena, Millwall, United Kingdom, when he got knocked out attempting to win the Benn’s World Super Middleweight title.
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