The Post-Fight Rundown 03.16.09: Abraham Retains, Upsets in Manchester
Posted by Ramon Aranda on 03.16.2009
We give you a quick rundown of the weekend’s fights which saw plenty of action in Europe. Some upsets, some disappointments and title changes.
Photo courtesy of FrankWarren.TV
Too busy this past weekend? Not enough time on your hands or perhaps you lost power? Those are pretty good reasons for missing some fights so as always, we give you a rundown of what you missed – with a little flavor of course.
Arthur Abraham W12 Lajuan Simon 12-Round IBF Middleweight Title Bout
In Kiel, Germany, IBF middleweight titlist Arthur Abraham earned himself a nice little 12-round decision win over previously unbeaten Lajuan Simon (21-1, 12 KOs). The crowd was hot for Abraham who seemed a bit too defensive in the early going although Simon didn't really take advantage. In the 5th, Abraham (29-0, 23 KOs) stunned Simon but was unable to put him down. Round 7 was much of the same as Simon got hurt again though he managed to stun Abraham towards the end of the round 8 in a nervous moment for the champion. The final round was also a close one but for the most part, Abraham held the upperhand throughout the fight. Not the best performance of Abraham's career but at least he got the job done. We're all hoping he gets a crack at Pavlik next.
Lamon Brewster W8 Michael Sprott 8-Round Heavyweight Bout
Seems like a long time since Brewster was a heavyweight titlist and now he's churning out 8-rounders. Still, the former WBO beltholder got himself an important win over journeyman Michael Sprott (31-13, 16 KOs) which put him as the #11 ranked heavyweight by the WBA. The fight itself actually turned out to be pretty entertaining. They started off slow but the action picked up in the 3rd when Brewster (35-4, 30 KOs) landed a thudding shot that sent Sprott to the canvas towards the end of the round. Sprott dusted himself off and gave Brewster the fits in round 4 while they continued to trade over the next several rounds. Round 8 was particularly fun to watch as they both tried to close the show but it was Brewster who took home the decision with scores of 79-73, 78-73 and 78-73. Though written off after his TKO loss to Wladimir Klitschko, Brewster has looked a little better over his last two bouts.
Lucian Bute TKO4 Fulgencio Zuniga 12-Round IBF Super Middleweight Title Bout
After that controversial finish in his fight against Librado Andrade, doubts have clouded over Lucian Bute who was all but finished in their final round. Bute (24-0, 19 KOs) was eager to get back into the ring to erase the memory of that night as he took on Fulgencio Zuniga (22-4-1, 19 KOs), a formidable opponent. From the start, Bute was boxing well while giving Zuniga different angles that kept him on the defensive. Zuniga was coming forward but was usually met with a one-two and it was difficult to mount much of an offense. In the 4th round, Bute dropped Zuniga with a paralyzing uppercut to the solar plexus that put him down for what appeared to be for the count. Seriously, Zuniga looked like he had just gotten the worse case of heartburn in his life as he winced in pain on his way down. Zuniga surprisingly beat the count but Bute followed it up with a serious of punches against the ropes that forced a stoppage at 2:25 of that same round.
Amir Khan TD5 Marco Antonio Barrera 12-Round Lightweight Bout
This was a crossroads fight for both guys as Khan was trying to prove that he had bettered himself after his first loss (a brutal KO) at the hands of Breidis Prescott. Barrera was trying to show that he still had something left in the tank and the two collided on Saturday night in Manchester at the MEN Arena. Khan (20-1, 15 KOs) looked a little too quick for the veteran Barrera who was having trouble setting his feet to throw a meaningful punch. Every time Barrera (65-7, 42 KOs) threw a combo, Khan threw and landed a combination of his own. Things didn't get any better for Barrera when an accidental headbutt caused a huge gash on his forehead. The cut made it a difficult task for Barrera to see the quick punches coming so needless to say, he ate plenty of leather sandwiches early on. By the 4th round, Barrera had some decent moments but more often than not; found himself along the ropes getting tattooed by his speedier foe. During that round, the gash was looked at by the ringside physician who allowed it to continue. In the 5th, the cut, which had not worsened, was looked at again and this time the bout was stopped. As a no-decision can only be given when an fight is stopped within four rounds, the bout went to the scorecards which favored Khan, giving him a technical decision win.
Roman Martinez KO4 Nicky Cook 12-Round WBO Junior Lightweight Title Bout
Things weren't all rosy for the British contingent at the MEN Arena as Nicky Cook lost his WBO junior lightweight strap to Roman Martinez in a mild upset. Cook (29-2, 16 KOs) knew he was in for a battle as soon as the 1st round was underway as Martinez (22-0-1, 13 KOs) stood toe to toe with the defending champ, staying in his face most of the time. Martinez looked to be landing the harder blows and in the 4th round, two hard uppercuts sent a tired-looking Cook down to his knees. He managed to get up before the count of ten but was on shaky legs and Martinez finally closed the show with series of punches that caused referee Dave Parris to call it off at 2:20 of round 4.
Ola Afolabi KO9 Enzo Maccarinelli 12-Round WBO Interim Cruiserweight Title Bout
In a bit of a shocker, Ola Afolabi stunned both Maccarinelli and the British fans by knocking out Enzo with a single right hand in the 9th round of their interim title bout. Maccarinelli was actually ahead on the scorecards though the fight seemed a little closer than what the cards read. Feeling he was in command, Maccarinelli got a little too confident late in the fight and an overhand right from Afolabi ended things definitively at 1:20 of the 9th.
Z Gorres W12 Roberto Leyva
Milan Melindo W10 Muhammad Rachman
Giovanni Segura TKO4 Cesar Canchila
Matthew Hall TKO2 Bradley Pryce
Oleg Maskaev TKO1 Rich Boruff
Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. W12 Jose Beranza
Paul McCloskey TKO4 Dean Harrison
Takahiro Aoh W12 Oscar Larios
Hozumi Hasegawa TKO1 Vusi Malinga
