Iron Man Charlo and Ramirez Shine; Segura, Ennis, Kovalev and Pulev Return; Five Upsets Include Bakole Over Yoka in Paris
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
The boxing weekend of May 13 to 15, 2022, was action-packed, and featured many big names, significant comebacks, and a few upsets which proved the better prepared you are, the better the chance you will have. As always the fighters who did the work came out on top over the fighters who did not put in the time and effort required to get the job done.
Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo settled the question on the 154 pounds division, winning a rematch with Brian Carlos Castano at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, on Saturday, May 14, 2021, and solidifying the division as World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association, World Boxing Organisation, International Boxing Federation and lineal undisputed World Super Welterweight champion. Charlo, 35-1-1 with 19 knockouts, Richmond, Texas, dropped Castano, 17-1-2 with 12 knockouts, Buenos Aires, Argentina, twice in the tenth round, for a KO at 2:33 of the tenth round awarded under California rules by referee Jerry Cantu.
On the undercard, Philadelphia welterweight contender Jaron “Boots’ Ennis, the contender nobody wants to fight, 29-0 with 27 knockouts, disposed of pretender Custio Clayton, 19-1-1 with 12 knockouts, Ottawa, Canada, by second round stoppage. Clayton went down early, got up but could not continue. The moral of the story if nobody wanted to fight Boots then, nobody will want to fight Boots now, considering the way Boots snacks on unbeaten fighters.
At The Forum in Inglewood, California, heavyweight contender Kubrat “The Cobra” Pulev, age 41, 29-2 with 14 knockouts, Sofia, Bulgaria, made a comeback after 17 months of inactivity with a 10 round unanimous decision over Jerry Forrest, 26-5-2 with 20 knockouts, Newport News, Virginia, on May 14, 2022. Forrest had recent draws with contenders Michael Hunter and Zhilei Zhang, so Pulev’s win puts him back in the mix.
Also at The Forum, former World Light Heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev, 35-4-1 with 29 knockouts, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, made a successful comeback at cruiserweight after 30 months inactivity with a 10 decision win over Tervel Pulev, 16-1 with 13 knockouts, Sofia, Bulgaria, Kubrat Pulev’s younger brother. Both Kovalev and Tervel Pulev are 39 years old, so the matchup was even, but still does not answer the question as to how Kovalev will fair against a legitimate cruiserweight contender of experience.
At Toyota Arena in Ontario, Canada, Gilberto Ramirez, 44-0 with 30 knockouts, Mazatlan, Mexico, knocked out Dominic Boesel, 32-3 with 12 knockouts, Freyburg, Germany, the IBO World Light Heavyweight champion, in the fourth round. The IBO title was not at stake. On the same card, WBA Continental Americas Lightweight champion William Segura, 26-0 with 23 knockouts, San Mateo Atenco, Mexico, retained his title with a 10 round decision over 43 bout veteran Rene Alvarado of Managua, Nicaragua.
Other Boxing Results, May 13 to 15, 2022
Martin Bakole Win Majority Decision 10 Tony Yoka, Heavyweights, Paris, France
18-1 Democratic Republic of the Congo fighter Bakole, now out of Scotland, decisions 11-0 undefeated 2016 Olympic Heavyweight Gold Medalist Yoka in his hometown to get win.
Armend Xhoxhaj Win Split Decision 10 Roman Fress, Cruiserweights, Magdeburg, Germany. 14-2 Xhoxhaj wins WBO Inter-Continental Cruiserweight title over 15-0 Fress. Both fighters from Germany. Scoring went 96-94, 94-96, 98-92 for WBF GBU champ Xhoxhaj.
Denzel Bentley Win Split Decision 12 Linus Udolfia, Middleweights, Greenwich UK
16-1-1 Bentley wins BBBofC vacant British Middleweight title over 17-0 Udolfia.
Giovanni De Carolis Win TKO 5 Daniel Scardina, Super Middleweights, Milan, Italy
31-10-1 veteran De Carolis, age 37, Wins WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight title from 20-0 Scandina, Lombardia, Italy.
Brenda Karen Carbajal Win Majority Decision 10 Debora Dionicius, Featherweights, San Lorenzo, Argentina. Carbajal, 18-5-1 with nine knockouts, San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina, wins interim WBO World Female Featherweight title over 32-4 champion Dionicius, 32-4, six knockouts, Villaguay, Argentina. Scoring: 95-95, 96-94, 96-94 Carbajal.
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