Barry Hugman's World Championship Boxing

18 April 2009. Malcolm Klassen w rsc 7 Cassius Baloyi.

Venue: North-West University Arena, Mafikeng, South Africa. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Sam Williams.

Fight Summary: This was yet another all-South African affair at the weight, and between stablemates at that. The two men went punch for punch as the challenger gradually edged ahead of Baloyi (129¼). With the fight turning into a war, Klassen (128¾), hunting the body while mixing it up and Baloyi smashing in combinations to the head, by the sixth it was clear that the intensity and pace could not continue at such a lick. It was Baloyi who gave way first, and following a tremendous barrage of blows from Klassen in the seventh that left him tottering on wooden legs the referee came to his rescue at 2.26 of the session.

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28 March 2009. Humberto Soto w rsc 4 Antonio Davis.

Venue: The Bullring, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Roberto Ramirez Jnr.

Fight Summary: Making his first defence, Soto (130) soon made his mark when flooring Davis (130) with a solid left hook to the head in the opening session. Although the challenger got himself back into the fray he was quickly put under the cosh as Soto let the punches go, cracking in lefts and rights to head and body. Having been cut on the left eye in the second, Davis came back hard in the third before being dropped in the fourth by a thunderous left-right that left him dazed. On getting up late in the count, after Davis was again put down by a one-two for 'eight' he was rescued by the referee at 2.38 of the session when being bombarded by shots from both hands.

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14 March 2009. Roman Martinez w rsc 4 Nicky Cook.

Venue: MEN Arena, Manchester, England. Recognition: WBO. Referee: Dave Parris.

Fight Summary: The champion started well, slotting in left jabs and almost putting Martinez (129) down in the second with a solid left hook before boxing well in the third. However, all of Cook's good work was undone in the fourth when Martinez began to attack the body. Responding to the Puerto Rican's heavy-handed work, Cook (130) met fire with fire and was made to pay for it when two left hooks to the jaw dropped him. Having got up and then been deposited on the canvas again by another cracking left hook, although Cook managed to make it to his feet the referee stopped the contest on the 2.20 mark.

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20 December 2008. Humberto Soto w pts 15 Francisco Lorenzo.

Venue: Andres Quintana Roo Park Arena, Cozumel, Mexico. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Jay Nady.

Scorecards: 117-109, 118-108, 117-109.

Fight Summary: In a contest for the vacant title after Manny Pacquiao handed in his belt on moving up in weight, Soto (130) took revenge for a disqualification defeat at the hands of Lorenzo (129) in a previous meeting. Dominating from the opening bell, Soto outboxed Lorenzo with stinging left jabs and rights over the top, only for the latter to turn it into a brawl when going low several times. Eventually he was deducted points in the seventh for a head butt and for a low blow in the eighth. While the cards showed that Soto was an easy winner, it being difficult to award Lorenzo more than three rounds, he certainly knew he had been in a fight.

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28 November 2008. Jorge Linares w rsc 5 Whyber Garcia.

Venue: ATLAPA Convention Centre, Panama City, Panama. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Steve Smoger.

Fight Summary: Contested for the vacant title after Edwin Valero handed in his belt on moving up in weight, Linares (129), the former undefeated WBC featherweight champion, became the new title holder when stopping Garcia (129½) at 1.08 of the fifth. It was a tough fight for Linares, who had to avoid countless looping rights to the head while attempting to jab Garcia off, especially in the third when under pressure. With swellings under both eyes, Linares seemed up against it in the fourth, but when Garcia swung himself off balance in the fifth the Venezuelan seized the opportunity to batter the local so badly that the referee stopped the contest on the 1.08 mark.

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13 September 2008. Cassius Baloyi w rsc 3 Javier Osvaldo Alvarez.

Venue: Emperor's Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Sparkle Lee.

Fight Summary: Having kept Alvarez (129¾) on the end of a solid jab in the first round, the champion opened up in the second with both hands firing before a left-right to the jaw dropped the Argentine for an 'eight' count. Allowed to box on, Alvarez, now cut over the left eye, was soon down again after Baloyi (129) cracked in punches from both hands, but although groggy on getting up he was saved by the bell. Coming out for the third Alvarez was quickly set upon, and after being floored by more combinations the female referee came to his aid just 28 seconds into the session.

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6 September 2008. Nicky Cook w pts 12 Alex Arthur.

Venue: MEN Arena, Manchester, England. Recognition: WBO. Referee: Mickey Vann.

Scorecards: 117-112, 117-111, 115-114.

Fight Summary: Defending the title that was handed to him after it was relinquished by Joan Guzman, a below par Arthur (130) lost it at the first time of asking when beaten on points by Cook (129½). For whatever reason Arthur appeared to lack motivation, winning three or four rounds at most, while Cook scored with jabs and rights over the top before moving on. Although picking it up in the eighth Arthur failed to turn things around, and despite going well in the 11th when cutting the ring down he failed to build on it.

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12 June 2008. Edwin Valero w rsc 7 Takehiro Shimada.

Venue: Nihon Budokan Arena, Tokyo, Japan. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Guillermo Perez Pineda.

Fight Summary: Fighting a defensive battle from the start against the hard-hitting southpaw champion, Shimada (129¾) went reasonably well for three rounds before being hurt in the fourth by a solid left to the body and then being cut over the left eye in the fifth. Having been under a lot of pressure in the sixth, after Valero (129¾) had crashed in a right hook that forced him onto the ropes in the seventh, Shimada was then belted to the mat with a similar punch that brought about a stoppage at 1.55 of the session. Shimada finished with a badly swollen left eye, testament to Valero's heavy punching.

 

Valero relinquished the WBA title on 3 September on moving up a division, following which Jorge Linares and Whyber Garcia were matched to find a new champion.

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12 April 2008. Cassius Baloyi w pts 12 Mzonke Fana.

Venue: University Sports Complex, Mafikeng, South Africa. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Luis Pabon.

Scorecards: 117-111, 116-112, 114-114.

Fight Summary: Regaining his old title when taking a majority decision over Fana (128¾), the current champion, Baloyi (129) took the opening four rounds before his fellow South African woke up. Coming on strong in the sixth, Fana began to make some of the leeway up before Baloyi started to hit back hard towards the end of the eighth. Although the ninth was closely fought, Fana picked it up again in the tenth through to the final bell, but according to the cards he had left his run to the finishing line too late.

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15 March 2008. Manny Pacquiao w pts 12 Juan Manuel Marquez.

Venue: Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: WBC/The Ring. Referee: Kenny Bayless.

Scorecards: 115-112, 114-113, 112-115.

Fight Summary: With his WBC title on the line and the vacant Ring Championship Belt up for grabs, Marquez (130) was looking to improve on his earlier meeting with Pacquiao (129) which ended in a draw. It was always going to be a tough ask, and in the third he was dropped by a heavy Pacquiao southpaw left to the jaw before getting up and fighting back hard. There were no more knockdowns, but each round was keenly contested as first one man took the initiative and then the other. At the final bell it was Pacquiao who received the split decision, but it was tight enough to have gone either way. Both men were cut badly, Pacquiao above and below the right eye (18 micro stitches needed) and Marquez over the right optic, which required eight regular stitches. Pacquiao became a three-weight world champion on winning, having been an undefeated WBC flyweight champion and an undefeated IBF junior featherweight champion.

 

Pacquiao relinquished The Ring Championship Belt and WBC title on 16 July having beaten David Diaz for the WBC lightweight crown at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on 28 June. On that same bill Francisco Lorenzo beat Humberto Soto by a fourth-round disqualification in a fight for the vacant WBC ‘interim’ title, but instead of creating a champion it went down as a ‘fake’ in the eyes of many of those who saw it. Prior to the finish Soto was well on top, but after putting Lorenzo down twice in the fourth round he made the mistake of throwing a punch at the latter that clipped the back of his head at most. The referee then gave Lorenzo five minutes to recover and when the latter said he was unable to continue he was handed the win. Following the contest the WBC failed to credit Lorenzo as champion due to the way he had been given the decision, and looked to make a return for the full title. However, the Dominican was so busted up that it had to be put on hold until later in the year.

 

Meantime, the WBC set up a vacant ‘interim’ title match between Soto and Gamaliel Diaz at The Bullring, Coahuila, Mexico on 11 October, the latter being stopped ten seconds into the 11th after not getting off his stool.

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15 December 2007. Edwin Valero w rsc 3 Zaid Zavaleta.

Venue: The Bullring, Cancun, Mexico. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Luis Pabon.

Fight Summary: Dominating the contest from the opening bell, the hard-hitting southpaw champion charged into the luckless Zavaleta (130), who was soon in trouble when a right hook had him sitting on the lower strand in the first before being dropped by a straight left. Although holding up in the second as Valero (130) waded in, at 1.18 of the third Zavaleta was rescued by the referee on the 1.18 mark after being caught by a terrific right uppercut that left him staggering along the ropes.

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17 November 2007. Joan Guzman w pts 12 Humberto Soto.

Venue: Borgata Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA. Recognition: WBO. Referee: Harvey Dock.

Scorecards: 117-111, 117-111, 118-110.

Fight Summary: After getting caught up fighting the opening two rounds on the inside the moment the champion began to use his boxing skills Soto (130) had a problem. From that point on, apart from the seventh, Guzman (129¾) was in charge, his movement, speed of foot and countering being too much for Soto, who was left chasing shadows. Clearly the better man, Guzman upset the fans in the last couple of sessions as he ran the clock down.

 

On 15 December, Alex Arthur successfully defended the WBO ‘interim’ title when outpointing Stephen Foster over 12 rounds at the Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland, and with Guzman moving up in weight on 14 May 2008 the Scot was immediately confirmed as being the WBO champion.

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3 November 2007. Juan Manuel Marquez w pts 12 Rocky Juarez.

Venue: Desert Diamond Casino, Tucson, Arizona, USA. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Bobby Ferrara.

Scorecards: 117-111, 118-110, 120-108.

Fight Summary: Making the worst possible start, Juarez (129) received a badly cut left eye in the first round following a clash of heads as he and the champion unintentionally collided. With his fight plan now well and truly messed up Juarez was forced to sit tight and hope he could come again in the latter stages if the wound held up. Strangely, the end of the fourth (the last completed session in which a technical draw could be announced) came early when the timekeeper closed the round after two minutes rather than three. Although Juarez picked it up in the ninth, Marquez (128), his right eye now swollen, remained the boss, especially when landing body shots. Why Juarez was allowed to get through the last four sessions was a mystery as his left eye was spurting blood while he was also bleeding from the right optic and taking more punches than he should have with his vision so badly impaired.

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31 August 2007. Mzonke Fana w co 9 Javier Osvaldo Alvarez.

Venue: Civic Centre, Klerksdorp, South Africa. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Deon Dwarte.

Fight Summary: Right from the off the champion got his smooth left jab working when dissecting Alvarez's defence with certainty. Even when Alvarez (129) put a high guard in place it was not enough to stop Fana (128¼) from breaching his defence, and for round after round the Argentine marched on to solid countering blows as he tried to find a way through. Having constantly tried to take the fight to Fana, the brave Alvarez was finally undone in the ninth when a solid left hook to the body saw him counted out at 1.05 of the session.

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3 May 2007. Edwin Valero w rsc 8 Nobuhito Honmo.

Venue: Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Pinij Prayadsab.

Fight Summary: Going on the attack from the opening bell the southpaw champion moved in on the high-guarded Honmo (129½), cutting him over both eyes by the fourth, as well as banging in lefts and rights. Shifting his attacks to the body in the fifth, Valero (130) hammered away at Honmo before the referee stopped the contest at 1.54 of the eighth after the ringside doctor had seen enough. Although Honmo had thrown some decent left-right counters throughout they had failed to halt Valero's advance and he was tiring fast at the time of the stoppage.

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20 April 2007. Mzonke Fana w pts 12 Malcolm Klassen.

Venue: Oliver Tambo Hall, Khayelitsha, South Africa. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Lindsey Page.

Scorecards: 116-112, 116-113, 114-115.

Fight Summary: In a clash between fellow South Africans it was Fana (129½) who came out on top when taking the title from Klassen (129¾), who lost his crown at the first time of asking. Although Klassen piled on the pressure from the start he often had difficulty finding the target due to Fana's defensive skills, superb left hand and countering ability. There were no knockdowns, but in a fast-moving fifth round Klassen was badly shaken up by a terrific right cross to the jaw. As Klassen tired in the latter stages, it was Fana who came on at pace to win the remaining three rounds and the split decision.

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17 March 2007. Juan Manuel Marquez w pts 12 Marco Antonio Barrera.

Venue: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Jay Nady.

Scorecards: 116-111, 116-111, 118-109.

Fight Summary: Looking to become a two-weight world champion, Marquez (129), the former IBF/WBA and crrent WBO featherweight title holder, made a decent start against Barrera (130), the current incumbent, when landing the better quality punches and boxing smartly. Barrera was always a threat, his left, hammering into Marquez at times, but by the fifth he was beginning to tail off. Badly hurt by a right to the jaw in the seventh, Barrera took more solid shots on board before dropping Marquez with a right and then being docked a point for hitting the latter when he was on all fours. Strangely, the referee failed to record it as a knockdown. Despite Marquez's left eye closing fast in the ninth, he stormed forward to batter away at Barrera, producing a cut on the latter's left eye in the tenth, before going on to win the remaining three sessions and the unanimous points decision. Marquez, who was also cut over his right eye in the 12th, relinquished his WBO featherweight title on winning.

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3 January 2007. Edwin Valero w rsc 1 Michael Lozada.

Venue: Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Rafael Ramos.

Fight Summary: Stalking Lozada (129½) from the opening bell, the southpaw champion quickly made his presence felt when shooting down his Mexican opponent with a straight left to the jaw. Although staggering up Lozada immediately came under the cosh again as Valero (130) attacked him with both hands, and after touching down following some heavy right-lefts to the head he was rescued on the 1.12 mark.

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18 December 2006. Joan Guzman w pts 12 Antonio Davis.

Venue: Virgilio Travieso Soto Leisure Centre, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Recognition: WBO. Referee: Joe Cortez.

Scorecards: 119-108, 118-109, 119-108.

Fight Summary: Defending the title that he won when beating the overweight Jorge Barrios, Guzman (130) set about the hardy Davis (130) from the opening bell as he looked to finish early. Having survived that onslaught, Davis went on the attack himself, but it was Guzman who landed the most effective punches whether he was on the back foot or on the front. Deducted a point for use of the elbow in the eighth, a round in which he was hurt from a severe body blow, made Davis' job even more difficult, and in the tenth Guzman's defence held sway as he made the American miss time and again on his way to a comprehensive points win.

 

On 21 July 2007, at the International Arena, Cardiff, Wales, Alex Arthur stopped Koba Gogoladze in the tenth round to win the vacant WBO ‘interim’ title.

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4 November 2006. Malcolm Klassen w pts 12 Gairy St Clair.

Venue: Emperor's Palace Conference Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Samuel Viruet.

Scorecards: 118-112, 117-111, 113-115.

Fight Summary: Taking the opening two sessions with a storming offensive, smashing in punches from head to body, Klassen (130) showed the aggressive champion just what his intentions were. From thereon in the contest was fought at a terrific pace as first one man prospered and then the other in what was a gripping affair. Although St Clair (129½) had an excellent sixth, when having Klassen under the cosh, the latter came back strongly as the pair fought it out right through to the final bell. The split decision in Klassen's favour nearly took the roof off as the fans celebrated the title coming back to South Africa.

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16 September 2006. Marco Antonio Barrera w pts 12 Rocky Juarez.

Venue: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Joe Cortez.

Scorecards: 117-111, 115-113, 115-113.

Fight Summary: In a return contest that had been demanded by the public, Barrera (130) again retained his title after being forced to fight every step of the way by the hard-hitting Juarez (129). This time round though, Barrera made Juarez fight his fight when hitting and moving before going on to the back foot. For round after round Juarez chased after Barrera, hoping that he would stand and fight, but he was continually outwitted and outmanoeuvred. Juarez finished with his right eye almost shut.

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5 August 2006. Edwin Valero w rsc 10 Vicente Mosquera.

Venue: Figali Convention Centre, Panama City, Panama. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Luis Pabon.

Fight Summary: Having never gone more than two rounds in his unbeaten career, the hard-hitting Valero (129¾) almost finished the champion off in the opening session. Although Mosquera (130) started on the front foot he quickly took a count after walking on to a cluster of lefts and rights and was dropped again before the round was completed. Coming back hard Mosquera had Valero down in the third following a cracking left hook, only for the latter to fight back strongly. It was thought that tide might have turned in the fifth when Valero was cut over the right eye as well as taking a low blow and being given time out. However, from the sixth onwards the Venezuelan southpaw was all over Mosquera before the fight came to an end two minutes into the tenth when the referee pulled the latter out of the contest after one of the champion's handlers urged him to stop it.

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29 July 2006. Gairy St Clair w pts 12 Cassius Baloyi.

Venue: Emperor's Palace Casino, Johannesburg, South Africa. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Ernest Sharif.

Scorecards: 116-112, 115-113, 115-114.

Fight Summary: Forced to fight on the back foot during the first half of the contest as the aggressive St Clair (129½) kept on coming, the champion was ahead at that stage but beginning to tire. To add to his woes was a bad cut on his left eye that he picked up in the fourth. Continuing to go forward, St Clair was now in full swing as Baloyi (129¼) was forced into the trenches, and although the latter made a big effort in the tenth when going toe-to-toe he could not sustain the effort.

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31 May 2006. Cassius Baloyi w rsc 11 Manuel Medina.

Venue: Northern Quest Casino, Airway Heights, Washington, USA. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Earl Brown.

Fight Summary: Contested for the vacant title after Marco Antonio Barrera handed in his belt, it was Baloyi (130) who picked up the belt after stopping Medina (130) at 2.19 of the 11th. The fight started well for Baloyi as he landed well on the inside before Medina got his long arms working between the fourth and seventh when concentrating on the body. Baloyi picked it up in the eighth with heavy rights hurting Medina, and after going off the boil in the ninth he came back strongly in the tenth. Having been dropped three times in the 11th, a straight right to the head, a left hook to the ear and another left hook doing the damage, it was all over for Medina.

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20 May 2006. Marco Antonio Barrera w pts 12 Rocky Juarez.

Venue: Staples Centre, Los Angeles, California, USA. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Raul Caiz.

Scorecards: 115-114, 115-113, 114-115.

Fight Summary: Surprised by the quality and power of his challenger, Barrera (129) was pushed all the way from start to finish. Hurt in the third by a crashing left hook, Barrera looked to be in some difficulty with his left eye beginning to swell, but remaining calm as Juarez (129¼) picked up the pace he came back strongly. In the sixth, with both men looking to get off big punches, Barrera landed heavily but to no great effect as Juarez brushed them aside. It was Barrera who looked the most battered by the eighth, his face distinctly showing wear and tear, and Juarez continued to wreak damage when winning four of the last five sessions. Although the result was initially announced as being a split decision draw, when it was discovered that there were mistakes on two of the cards it was amended to a split decision win for Barrera.

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20 May 2006. Jorge Barrios w rsc 1 Janos Nagy.

Venue: Staples Centre, Los Angeles, California, USA. Recognition: WBO. Referee: Raul Caiz Jnr.

Fight Summary: Defending for the first time, Barrios (129) did not hang around before dropping Nagy (129¾) with a left hook to the body following a short feeling out period. Although the Hungarian southpaw struggled to get to his feet he did beat the count, only for the referee to decide that he was not sufficiently recovered when stopping the fight with just 49 seconds on the clock.

 

On 16 September, Barrios (131½) forfeited the WBO title when failing to make the weight for a title defence against the former undefeated WBO junior featherweight champion, Joan Guzman, at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada. Despite that the fight went ahead, and following a 12-round points win Guzman (129) was proclaimed the new champion.

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12 May 2006. Vicente Mosquera w pts 12 Jose Pablo Estrella.

Venue: The Orfeo Superdome, Cordoba, Argentina. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Stan Christodoulou.

Scorecards: 117-111, 116-112, 112-116.

Fight Summary: Although it was closely contested during the opening six rounds, Mosquera (130) started to dominate from thereon in, his heavy hitting being difficult for his counter-punching southpaw challenger to handle. Despite being open at times and taking too many hits from Estrella (128¾), Mosquera was never in real trouble, always coming back with blows from both hands, both up and down. According to Estrella's handlers, with the title there for the taking their man did not work hard enough.

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17 September 2005. Marco Antonio Barrera w pts 12 Robbie Peden.

Venue: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: IBF/WBC. Referee: Richard Steele.

Scorecards: 118-109, 118-108, 118-108.

Fight Summary: In what was a unification battle Barrera (130) proved much too good for Peden (130), a former sparring partner, outclassing his limited foe in virtually every category on his way to an easy victory. Heads came together in the fourth, leaving Barrera with a cut left eye, but apart from that Peden had no success at all, his efforts to get into the contest being negated at every turn as the Mexican strolled through the rounds. Deducted a point in the tenth for landing a low blow that nobody but the referee saw it was only in the 11th and 12th that Barrera fully opened up, with Peden just making it to the final bell.

 

Barrera forfeited the IBF title on 19 April 2006 when he could not meet the body's commitments along with those of the WBC, an action that was followed by Cassius Baloyi and Manuel Medina being matched to find a new champion.

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12 August 2005. Jorge Barrios w rsc 2 Victor Santiago.

Venue: Orfeo Superdome, Cordoba, Argentina. Recognition: WBO. Referee: Raul Caiz.

Fight Summary: Making his first defence since being appointed champion, and after showing his intent in the opening round, Barrios (129¾) got down to work quickly in the second to floor Santiago (129¾) three times before the fight was called off on the 2.34 mark. A rough and ready fighter, although Barrios appeared crude at times the hapless Puerto Rican was no match for his hard-hitting foe in front of 15,000 wildly cheering spectators.

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30 April 2005. Vicente Mosquera w pts 12 Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai.

Venue: Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, NYC, New York, USA. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Arthur Mercante Jnr.

Scorecards: 115-112, 118-108, 116-111.

Fight Summary: Mosquera (129) did not take long to let the champion know that he meant business, dropping him in the opener with a short right and controlling a highly-charged second round before both he and Sor Nanthachai (129½) were decked in a dramatic third session. Although the action slowed somewhat during the next few rounds it was Mosquera who was doing the better work, and in the 11th he floored Sor Nanthachai for the third time to make sure of victory.

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9 April 2005. Marco Antonio Barrera w rsc 2 Mzonke Fana.

Venue: Don Haskins Centre, El Paso, Texas, USA. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Laurence Cole.

Fight Summary: Badly overmatched the unfortunate Fana (128¾) was soon in trouble, being staggered by a right to the head, the first punch delivered by the champion. Fana, who appeared at a loss as how to deal with Barrera (130), was soon retreating at speed. Into the second round it was obvious to all that it would be just a matter of time before Barrera got the job done, Fana eventually being dropped by a vicious right hand to the jaw which sent him crashing. Not even bothering to count the referee called an immediate halt, the finish being timed at 1.48.

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23 February 2005. Robbie Peden w rsc 8 Nate Campbell.

Venue: Vodafone Arena, Melbourne, Australia. Recognition: IBF. Referee: John Wright.

Fight Summary: In a contest for the vacant title Campbell (129½) made a good start with his superior speed of both hand and foot allowing him to reach Peden (130) with solid rights to the head. Unfortunately for Campbell, when he was badly cut over the right eye following a clash of heads towards the end of the fourth he began to lose his composure as Peden started to score with solid jabs and body shots. The sixth saw Campbell deducted a point for a head butt, and after being battered from thereon in without let up and cut over both eyes the referee called a halt with just seven seconds of the eighth round remaining.

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27 November 2004. Marco Antonio Barrera w pts 12 Erik Morales.

Venue: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Kenny Bayless.

Scorecards: 115-113, 114-114, 115-114.

Fight Summary: This, the third fight between deadly rivals, was always going to be a close one. Slightly favoured prior to the contest getting underway Morales (130) tried to gain control from the outside but found Barrera (129½) continuously looking to get inside where he could fire in uppercuts from both hands. Unfortunately for the champion it was a left uppercut that broke his nose in the second round. With every round bitterly contested, coming into the penultimate session it appeared that Morales needed to up his work-rate if he was going to get anything out of the fight. Showing added urgency Morales ripped into Barrera during the final two sessions, but with the latter refusing to give way the title changed hands. Barrera became a world champion at three different weights, having previously been a three-time WBO junior featherweight champion (undefeated on the final occasion) and an undefeated WBC featherweight title holder.

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7 August 2004. Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai w pts 12 Steve Forbes.

Venue: Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Connecticut, USA. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Steve Smoger.

Scorecards: 117-111, 117-111, 117-111.

Fight Summary: Now calling himself ‘Yodsanan 3K Battery’, the southpaw champion kept Forbes (130) on the back foot throughout, continually sending in straight rights and left crosses while the latter struggled to find any rhythm. Even when Forbes managed to get his punches off Sor Nanthachai (130) replied with swift counters, and it was not until the seventh and eighth rounds that the former got some joy on the inside with short right hands to the head in an effort to get back into the fight. However, there was to be no breakthrough after Sor Nanthachai came roaring back with heavy combinations to Forbes’ head and body to win by the same margin on all three officials’ cards.

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31 July 2004. Erik Morales w pts 12 Carlos Hernandez.

Venue: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: IBF/WBC. Referee: Vic Drakulich.

Scorecards: 115-113, 119-109, 119-109.

Fight Summary: Trying to unify two titles Morales (130) proved to be the master of Hernandez (130), picking his shots well from both hands, especially when doubling up with accurate rights followed by solid uppercuts. To Hernandez’s credit he took everything that Morales could throw unflinchingly while always looking to get off left hooks to head and body, but try what he might he was generally outworked. Getting more competitive as it went on, the final session saw both men belting away two-handedly as they looked to impress the judges. Despite it being a tough fight there were no knockdowns, but Morales, cut over the left eye in the fourth and on the right eye in the 11th finished the more marked up of the pair.

 

Morales forfeited the IBF title in late September when he failed to ask for an exception to defend against Marco Antonio Barrera on 27 November, the fight going ahead for the WBC crown only. In the wake of that, Robbie Peden and Nate Campbell were matched to contest the vacant IBF title. Although Campbell had been beaten in an eliminator by Peden (l co 5 at the Pechanga Entertainment Centre, Temecula, California on 14 March) he had qualified for the number two spot by beating Daniel Attah (w pts 12 at the Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut on 9 January) and Edelmiro Martinez (w disq 4 at the Mohegan Sun Casino on 30 July) in further eliminating bouts.

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6 March 2004. Diego Corrales w pts 12 Joel Casamayor.

Venue: Foxwoods Resort Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut, USA. Recognition: WBO. Referee: Steve Smoger.

Scorecards: 115-112, 115-112, 113-114.

Fight Summary: Contesting the title left vacant when relinquished by Acelino Freitas it was Corrales (130) who made the early running with good stiff jabs finding their mark, backed up by solid rights, while Casamayor (130) promised much without really taking off. Eventually realising he was not doing enough the Cuban southpaw began to raise his game, with straight lefts beginning to hurt Corrales, and in the ninth a solid left dropped the latter for the only knockdown of the fight. It was now nearly all Casamayor, but Corrales held on during a few sticky moments before coming back well in the 11th when two heavy rights hurt Casamayor. At the final bell it was certainly a tough one to call, but after winning six of the first seven rounds the split decision ultimately went in favour of Corrales, who also won the 11th.

 

Battling to decide the vacant WBO ‘interim’ title on 15 July at the American Airlines Arena, Dallas, Texas, Mike Anchondo outpointed Julio Pablo Chacon over 12 rounds, before being upgraded to full championship status when Corrales vacated the title on winning the WBO lightweight crown on 7 August.

 

Later, on 8 April 2005, at the Miccosukee Indian Gaming Resort, Miami, Florida, Anchondo (134½) failed to make the weight for a defence against Jorge Barrios (128½), who was awarded the title following a fourth-round stoppage win after the fight went ahead.

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28 February 2004. Erik Morales w pts 12 Jesus Chavez.

Venue: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Vic Drakulich.

Scorecards: 118-108, 117-109, 115-112.

Fight Summary: Having been stunned in the opening round the challenger regrouped to drop Chavez (130) twice in the second before the contest turned into a war of attrition with neither man prepared to back down. Although both fighters were injured early on, Chavez damaging his right shoulder and Morales (130) his right hand, the action never slowed. The fourth session saw more damage inflicted when both were cut over their eyes, Chavez on his left side and Morales on the right. It was still exceptionally hard, each round being keenly contested, but as it wore on the quality was coming from Morales who duly became a three-weight world champion, having been an undefeated WBC/WBO junior featherweight champion and a WBC and undefeated WBC featherweight champion.

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8 February 2004. Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai w rsc 7 Ryuhei Sugita.

Venue: Memorial Centre, Gifu, Japan. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Derek Milham.

Fight Summary: In his first defence since being awarded the title Sor Nanthachai (130) quickly got into his stride, scoring with heavy combinations prior to dropping Sugita (129½) in the second round with a cracking southpaw right hook. Back in the fight, Sugita began to prove an elusive target, even scoring with straight rights as Sor Nanthachai walked in, but after being sent reeling into the ropes having been hurt by a barrage of punches in the seventh the Thai was rescued by the referee with 11 seconds of the session remaining.

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4 October 2003. Carlos Hernandez w tdec 10 Steve Forbes.

Venue: Staples Centre, Los Angeles, California, USA. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Pat Russell.

Scorecards: 97-93, 97-94, 98-92.

Fight Summary: Staying close to his cleverer opponent from the start the champion decided that ‘killing’ the body would ultimately win him the fight, and although Forbes (129¼) occasionally found some room for solid punches the pair were mainly confined to close quarters. Badly hurt in the fourth, Hernandez (128½) doggedly stuck to his task, coming back at Forbes in the fifth before a terrible clash of heads saw blood pouring from the former’s left eye. Seemingly fading in the eighth and battered in the ninth, Forbes got going again in the tenth to hand out punishment of his own before colliding with Hernandez, whose face suddenly became a sea of blood. With the latter deemed unable to continue by the referee at the end of the round it went to the cards, Hernandez winning by a technical decision for the second time running in a championship contest.

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15 August 2003. Jesus Chavez w pts 12 Sirimongkol Singwancha.

Venue: Convention Centre, Austin, Texas, USA. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Laurence Cole.

Scorecards: 118-110, 117-111, 117-111.

Fight Summary: Attacking the muscular champion with dangerous left hooks to the body Chavez (130) quickly stated his intent as he tracked his rival from the opening bell, but it was only in the fifth round that both men got off some serious punches to head and body. Although Singwancha (130) threw some pretty good shots in the latter half of the fight he was being outworked, and when he really opened up in the final couple of sessions it was all too little, too late.

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9 August 2003. Acelino Freitas w rsc 12 Jorge Barrios.

Venue: The Arena, Miami, Florida, USA. Recognition: WBA/WBO. Referee: Jorge Alonso.

Fight Summary: With Barrios (129) badly cut over the left eye and the champion having suffered a damaged ear and put down in the eighth, the fight became a war of attrition as both men looked for the punch that would end it. Coming into the 11th it was extremely close, but when Barrios dropped Freitas (130) for the second time, a heavy right doing the job, it looked like it just might go his way. However, Freitas was not finished, and as Barrios tore in for the kill a huge right smashed him to the deck. Although the Argentine made it back to his corner to answer the bell for the final round he was twice slammed to the canvas before being rescued by the referee with 2.10 of the fight remaining.

 

Eventually, Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai, the ‘second tier’ champion, was given full championship status by the WBA when Freitas moved up a division on 15 January 2004 after winning the WBO lightweight crown. At the same time, Freitas automatically vacated the WBO junior lightweight title, an action that was followed by Diego Corrales and Joel Casamayor being matched for the vacancy.

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15 March 2003. Acelino Freitas w rsc 4 Juan Carlos Ramirez.

Venue: UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Recognition: WBA/WBO. Referee: Genaro Rodriguez.

Fight Summary: A replacement for Gabriel Ruelas, the challenger was soon on the back foot as Freitas (130) began to unleash his bombs from the opening bell. However, early in the second with Ramirez (130) proving adept in getting under the blows he suddenly opened up with a left hook to put the champion on the floor. Up immediately, Freitas ripped punches into Ramirez, who made it to the bell only to be assaulted with venom as the third got underway. Down twice from vicious blows to head and body, Ramirez somehow survived into the fourth where another tremendous battering awaited him. Racing out of his corner Freitas quickly got on with business, and following up some big punches a right uppercut smashed Ramirez down to be rescued by the referee 19 seconds into the session.

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1 February 2003. Carlos Hernandez w tdec 8 David Santos.

Venue: Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Tony Weeks.

Scorecards: 77-74, 78-73, 77-74.

Fight Summary: Fighting for the vacant title after Steve Forbes had been stripped of the belt Hernandez (129½) became the first man from El Salvador to win a world title when beating Santos (128½) on a technical decision. In control from the third round onwards the bull-like Hernandez, fighting like he was in a back alley, had just too much power for Santos, knocking him down in the fourth. Although boxing nicely at times Santos was forced to soak up storming attacks to the body. Santos eventually could not get off the ropes, and with Hernandez always dangerous with his head the inevitable happened in the eighth, leaving the former badly gashed on the right eye. With Santos unable to continue, and the referee calling it an accident, the decision went to the cards on the 2.52 mark.

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13 January 2003. Sirimongkol Singwancha w pts 12 Yong-Soo Choi.

Venue: Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Frank Cappuccino.

Scorecards: 119-109, 119-109, 118-110.

Fight Summary: Impressing in his first defence, Singwancha (130) used his superior speed, good footwork and a snappy left jab to keep Choi (130) at bay for long periods. Although Choi, whose right eye was damaged before the first round was over, pushed on with heavy rights in the fifth and came again with non-stop aggression in the eighth and ninth he faded thereafter as the champion cruised through the remaining three sessions.

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24 August 2002. Sirimongkol Singwancha w co 2 Kengo Nagashima.

Venue: Ryoguku Sumo Arena, Tokyo, Japan. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Richie Davies.

Fight Summary: Contested for the vacant title after Floyd Mayweather Jnr had relinquished his belt on winning the WBC championship, the hard-punching Singwancha (130), a former WBC bantamweight champion, made good his opportunity when knocking out the southpaw Nagashima (130) with a crashing right to the jaw at 2.22 of the second. Following a feeling-out first round, with Nagashima moving and jabbing, Singwancha got his right hand working to blast the former to the canvas twice prior to the count-out in the second. Although Singwancha mistakenly threw a punch while his opponent was down and was rightly docked a point, ultimately it counted for nothing when Nagashima failed to take advantage of the extra breather.

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3 August 2002. Acelino Freitas w pts 12 Daniel Attah.

Venue: The Dodge Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Recognition: WBA/WBO. Referee: Bobby Ferrara.

Scorecards: 117-110, 117-110, 117-110.

Fight Summary: While there was no doubting the champion’s power, it was ominous that since moving up in class Attah (130) became the third opponent in succession to deny him an inside-the-distance victory. Although he had not boxed for eight months the wily Attah, making a difficult target, gave Freitas (130) all the problems he could handle and never remained in one place long enough to be blown away. Docked a point for low blows in the tenth Freitas continued to land solidly, but with Attah taking whatever was coming his way without too much difficulty the contest virtually petered out before the final bell.

 

With Freitas still recognised by the WBA as their ‘super’ champion, Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai stopped Lamont Pearson in the ninth round at the Royal Square, Bangkok, Thailand on 5 December to retain the WBA ‘second tier’ title.

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12 January 2002. Acelino Freitas w pts 12 Joel Casamayor.

Venue: Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: WBA/WBO. Referee: Joe Cortez.

Scorecards: 114-112, 114-112, 114-112.

Fight Summary: Dominating the first half of what was a ragged fight between men trying to unify two titles and scoring a knockdown in the third round, Freitas (129½), the WBO champion, was too busy for his WBA counterpart, Casamayor (129½), before being slowed down by rabbit punches in the sixth. Subsequently, Casamayor, who was cut over the left eye in the third, came back into the fight although still not doing enough in terms of punch-rate. By the ninth, however, the Cuban was connecting more often as Freitas, his right eye gashed, was fighting wildly. The last three sessions were close, but Freitas appeared to want it more and kept punching, while Casamayor, although getting in the better shots, probably thought he had done enough and relaxed. Ultimately, the only difference between them on the cards was the third-round knockdown for Freitas and the point deducted from Casamayor in the sixth for hitting on the break.

 

Following this contest, with Freitas considered by the WBA to be their ‘super’ champion, on 13 April Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai outpointed Lakva Sim over 12 rounds at the Provincial Hall, Nakornratchasima, Thailand to claim the ‘second tier’ title.

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10 November 2001. Floyd Mayweather Jnr w rtd 9 Jesus Chavez.

Venue: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, USA. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Jon Schorle.

Fight Summary: Back at his best the champion quickly got the measure of Chavez (129½) but the smaller man never backed off and was always looking to fire punches in, especially to the body, regardless of whether they hit the target or not. As the fight wore on, Mayweather (129½), landing with good jabs and banging in rights to the head, increased his lead virtually in every session before really opening up in the ninth. With Mayweather looking to finish it Chavez was forced to soak up heavy punishment, and although the Mexican was gritting his teeth and fighting back he was retired by his corner prior to the tenth getting underway.

 

After Mayweather relinquished the title on winning the WBC lightweight championship on 20 April 2002, Sirimongkol Singwancha was matched against Kengo Nagashima to find a new champion.

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29 September 2001. Steve Forbes w pts 12 John Brown.

Venue: Miccosukee Gaming Casino, Miami, Florida, USA. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Frank Santore Jnr.

Scorecards: 117-111, 115-113, 115-113.

Fight Summary: Making his first defence, Forbes (130), a clever southpaw, proved too smart for the man he had beaten for the vacant title when boxing his way to victory without any mishaps, apart from being shaken up in the sixth and cut over the left eye in the eighth. The stocky, brawling Brown (130) was always right in front of Forbes as he banged away, but his punches either lacked quality or just did not land, and immediately prior to the final bell he was virtually out on his feet after being stunned by a vicious burst of punches.

 

On 18 August 2002, at the Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California, Forbes (132¾) came in over the weight for a defence against David Santos. Although the fight went ahead, Forbes winning on points over 12 rounds, the title was declared vacant. With the number two ranked Jesus Chavez moving up a division, this was followed by Carlos Hernandez and Santos being matched to decide a new champion.

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29 September 2001. Joel Casamayor w rsc 8 Joe Morales.

Venue: Miccosukee Gaming Casino, Miami, Florida, USA. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Armando Garcia.

Fight Summary: Despite starting as though it was an exhibition bout Casamayor (130) got going in the second round, a solid right hook opening up a cut on the challenger’s left eye, while jabs and southpaw left crosses thudded home. Although controlling the fight with some ease it was not until the eighth that Casamayor began to open up again, Morales (129½) being staggered by a big right hand, and when the damage to his left eye worsened the referee called it off on the 2.04 mark.

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26 May 2001. Floyd Mayweather Jnr w pts 12 Carlos Hernandez.

Venue: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Dale Grable.

Scorecards: 116-111, 117-109, 119-109.

Fight Summary: Complaining that both his hands were injured the champion put on a dismal display against Hernandez (128½), a huge underdog and a man he was expected to beat rather easily. Although Mayweather (130) occasionally cut loose Hernandez did not budge, even forcing the former to stumble to the floor in the sixth for what the referee termed a count. And despite the jab finding Hernandez at will on occasion, the unpopular Mayweather was still unable to maintain any rhythm.

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5 May 2001. Joel Casamayor w pts 12 Edwin Santana.

Venue: Silver Star Casino, Philadelphia, Mississippi, USA. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Armando Garcia.

Scorecards: 120-107, 120-107, 119-108.

Fight Summary: Even though he fought well above himself the challenger was not in the same class as Casamayor (129). That became clear in the second when he struggled to survive, in what was a 10-8 round, being unceremoniously battered from pillar to post by solid southpaw blows. Although Santana (128) somehow got through by the third he had already decided that he would be better served speeding around the ring while firing off punches occasionally. Continuing in that fashion for the rest of the bout, as Casamayor vainly tried to bring him down Santana received warm applause at the final bell for a plucky display.

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27 January 2001. Acelino Freitas w co 1 Orlando Soto.

Venue: Nilson Nelson Gym, Brasilia, Brazil. Recognition: WBO. Referee: Raul Caiz.

Fight Summary: With Freitas (130) coming out fast for the opening session, the under-fire Soto (129¾) was unable to stem the flow of punches coming his way. There was no respite for the challenger, and after getting up, having been dumped by a barrage of blows, he was dropped again and counted out at 2.13 of the first round.

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20 January 2001. Floyd Mayweather Jnr w rsc 10 Diego Corrales.

Venue: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Richard Steele.

Fight Summary: Never really getting into the fight after giving up his IBF Championship Belt in order to go for the WBC title, Corrales (130), who failed to use his height-and-reach advantages, was pounded to defeat at 2.19 of the tenth round. Landing as he pleased throughout with all manner of shots, Mayweather (130) eventually floored Corrales in the seventh with a crunching left hook, knocking him down twice more before the session ended. There were no further knockdowns in the next two rounds as Mayweather took it easy, but all that changed at 2.19 of the tenth when Corrales, having been dropped twice more, was rescued by the referee.

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6 January 2001. Joel Casamayor w rsc 9 Roberto Garcia.

Venue: Texas Station Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Kenny Bayless.

Fight Summary: Having surprisingly built up a lead over the southpaw champion the bustling Garcia (129½) eventually ran foul of heavy punches tossed in during the sixth, ending the round with his right eye cut and lucky to make it to his stool. Deducted a point in that period for rabbit punching, Casamayor (130) tried to pick it up in the seventh, but met with solid resistance as Garcia landed some hurtful blows, including a cracking right to the jaw. Casamayor finally began to take over in the eighth, and in the next session following a terrific shot to the midsection he began to get his left hook working, flooring Garcia twice before the referee intervened at 1.14 of the ninth.

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3 December 2000. Steve Forbes w rsc 8 John Brown.

Venue: Miccosukee Gaming Casino, Miami, Florida, USA. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Jorge Alonso.

Fight Summary: Contesting the title left vacant on Diego Corrales’ decision to challenge for the WBC Championship Belt it was the better boxing of Forbes (130) that ultimately won the day, the tough Brown (130) being pulled out by the referee at 2.22 of the eighth after suffering a perforated eardrum. There was never much between them as the stocky Brown, much the smaller, continually crowded the classier Forbes. At times there was almost no room to breathe. In the fifth and sixth rounds Forbes began to find the space for his punches, landing good jabs and hard rights though lacking the firepower to keep Brown at bay for long. Having opened up in the eighth as the pace died down Forbes was now getting to Brown far more readily, and although the latter was not apparently hurt it was the damaged ear that brought his night to an end.

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23 September 2000. Acelino Freitas w rsc 9 Carlos Rios.

Venue: The Casino, Rama, Ontario, Canada. Recognition: WBO. Referee: Dale Grable.

Fight Summary: For eight rounds Freitas (130) had difficulty getting to grips with Rios (129½), and when he did catch up the challenger proved both tough and resilient. However, sooner or later Freitas had to find his mark. It came in the ninth after a long right had buckled Rios’ knees, Freitas jumping on the Argentine with a flurry of heavy punches which resulted in a right-left hook depositing the latter on the deck with blood spurting from his left eye. Although Rios somehow managed to get up, on realising that he was in no fit way to continue the referee stopped the contest on the 1.18 mark after the towel had been thrown in by the Argentine’s corner.

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16 September 2000. Joel Casamayor w rsc 5 Radford Beasley.

Venue: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Vic Drakulich.

Fight Summary: Although Beasley (129½) won the first round with good straight punches, by the second Casamayor (130) was beginning to find the range, and following two solid left crosses the challenger was cut on the right eye. Throughout the third and fourth it was apparent that Casamayor’s speed was just too much for Beasley, as blinding barrages of blows constantly thudded into him. By now, the American was also cut over the left eye. Up against it in the fifth, Beasley surprisingly remained erect under the avalanche of blows coming his way until the referee brought the fight to a close after 52 seconds of the session had elapsed.

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2 September 2000. Diego Corrales w rsc 3 Angel Manfredy.

Venue: Don Haskin’s Centre, El Paso, Texas, USA. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Jerry McKenzie.

Fight Summary: With an enormous advantage in height and reach the champion made excellent use of his jab before switching to the body, and prior to the end of the opening round Manfredy (130) was dropped by cracking left-hook counter. Handling Manfredy with ease in the second the upright Corrales (129¾) boxed effortlessly, scoring well with two-handed attacks, and in the third the former was ready to go as long, hard punches ripped into him prior to a big left hook eventually putting him down for the second time. Back on his feet, after the challenger got up again from yet another knockdown and was stumbling around the referee stopped the action at 2.38 of the session.

 

Corrales’ management team relinquished the IBF version of the title on his behalf in October in order for him to challenge Floyd Mayweather Jnr for the WBC crown. Following this, Steve Forbes was matched against John Brown in a contest for the vacant title.

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10 June 2000. Acelino Freitas w rsc 2 Lemuel Nelson.

Venue: Fox Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, USA. Recognition: WBO. Referee: Dale Grable.

Fight Summary: Despite having problems making the weight Freitas (130) was soon into action, Nelson (130) being badly wobbled several times before throwing a right hand that put the champion down. As soon as Freitas was back on his feet Nelson was in trouble again from the right hand, and in the second round there was again no respite for the American as he continued to be bombed by heavy rights. It obviously could not last much longer. After Freitas had sent his man staggering along the ropes and was smashing in punches freely, the referee rescued Nelson just before he hit the canvas with one second of the round remaining.

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21 May 2000. Joel Casamayor w rsc 5 Jong-Kwon Baek.

Venue: Harrah’s Hotel & Casino, Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Mitch Halpern.

Fight Summary: After loosening up with a couple of southpaw jabs and a heavy left cross in the opening round it was obvious that the ‘interim’ title holder, Casamayor (130), was going to be too much for the champion. Having started the second by picking Baek (129½) off, when Casamayor began to open up in the third the champion was cut over the left eye and subjected to a battery of jabs and counters. By the fourth Baek was bleeding over both eyes, and even when he did let his punches go the Cuban proved too elusive. With Baek in a worsening position and Casamayor continuing to dominate the referee called it off at 2.18 of the fifth.

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18 March 2000. Floyd Mayweather Jnr w pts 12 Gregorio Vargas.

Venue: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: WBC. Referee: Richard Steele.

Scorecards: 119-108, 119-108, 118-109.

Fight Summary: Coming back to the ring after a six-month layoff, Mayweather (130) easily defended his title against Vargas (130) when taking virtually every round by using his superior speed. Sticking to his boxing, the only time Mayweather had the challenger in trouble was in the sixth when a great left hook to the body put the Mexican down before the bell came to his aid. However much he tried Mayweather could not drop Vargas again, and the last round saw him firing in fast left hooks and uppercuts without the latter being put under too much pressure.

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18 March 2000. Diego Corrales w rsc 3 Derrick Gainer.

Venue: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Recognition: IBF. Referee: Jay Nady.

Fight Summary: Although he kept the champion at bay in the opening two rounds, mainly using the jab and throwing harmless flurries, the southpaw Gainer (130) was living on borrowed time as Corrales (130) gradually moved up a gear to close the gap. In the third, Corrales walked in hooking and uppercutting before flooring Gainer with a cracking left hook, and after the latter clambered up and was dropped again, the referee called it off on the 1.50 mark.

 

On 17 June, at the Staples Centre, Los Angeles, California, Corrales (130) stopped Justin Juuko, weighing 129½lbs, in the tenth round of a contest sanctioned by the International Boxing Association (IBA), but not the IBF who had already lined up Arnulfo Castillo as Corrales’ next challenger.

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18 March 2000. Acelino Freitas w co 1 Javier Jauregui.

Venue: Creditcard Hall, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Recognition: WBO. Referee: Roberto Ramirez.

Fight Summary: Making his third defence, and with a record of 24 straight wins all inside the distance, there were not many betting against Freitas (130). It was soon clear that Freitas could hurt Jauregui (129¾), having caught him with a cracking left hook not long after the opening bell, and after forcing his rival to the ropes with the jab another tremendous left hook sent him down to be counted out on the 1.25 mark.

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30 January 2000. Jong-Kwon Baek drew 12 Kyu-Chul Choi.

Venue: Indoor Gym, Pohang, South Korea. Recognition: WBA. Referee: Fernando Estrella.

Scorecards: 117-112, 115-115, 114-116.

Fight Summary: In a tight battle throughout, with no knockdowns recorded, the champion just about held on to his title when neither man was able to put a winning run together. Although the taller Choi (129½) was the better technician of the pair, continuously trying to outbox Baek (130) from range, the latter stuck to his task aggressively as he looked to get his punches off. Despite winning 22 rounds on the three judges’ scorecards, the result certainly did not favour Choi.

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15 January 2000. Acelino Freitas w rsc 8 Barry Jones.

Venue: The Dome, Doncaster, England. Recognition: WBO. Referee: Samuel Viruet.

Fight Summary: Knocked down inside the opening 15 seconds by a left-hook counter certainly was not in the script for the champion, but having got over his embarrassment he settled down to drop Jones (128½) twice before the first round was over. More pressure ensued in the third as Jones tried to keep on the move, and it was not long before Freitas (130) decked him for ‘eight’ with a left hook under the ribs. Although Jones did his best to avoid trouble in the third a right over the top put him down again for ‘eight’. Despite that, he came back magnificently to win the next two sessions prior to him being on the floor again, in the seventh, having taken a heavy right to the head. Even though Jones, cut over the right eye, came out for the eighth he was soon decked again, this time by a left hook to the ribs for ‘eight’. With Freitas in full flow, and having received a further battering, the referee called a halt on the 50-second mark after Jones' corner threw the towel in.