Sultan Zaurbek destroys Reynoso in one; Bastida and Oyeleye take care of business

Eric Armit scoops up all the results from around the world.

June 22 in Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina

Lucien Bastida WON TKO 8 Nahuel Gonzalo

Bastida stops Gonzalo in the eighth round in an Argentinian title defence. Bastida was letting his punches fly from the start. Taller southpaw Gonzalo was using his jab to push Bastida back and was landing heavy lefts to the body. 

Bastida launched a fierce attack at the start of the second, scoring with a series of shots from both hands, but was cut over the left eye when their heads banged together. Bastida was outworking Gonzalo, getting in close to score with hooks and uppercuts and by the fifth Gonzalo had a nasty bruise under his right eye. 

Gonzalo came to life at the end of the seventh and was scoring with sweeping hooks to the body but now had swellings around both eyes. In the eighth, blood began to stream down Bastida’s face from the cut over his left eye. 

He suddenly landed a right uppercut and battered Gonzalo across the ring, connecting with lefts and rights until Gonzalo lay against the ropes with his arms down and his head snapping about from Gonzalo’s punches, and the fight was stopped. This was Bastida’s first defence. Gonzalo had won his last two fights.

June 22 in Pepinster, Belgium

Faroukh Kourbanov Won PTS 10 Diego Lagos

Kourbanov shakes off some dust with a wide unanimous decision over Lagos. In his first fight for sixteen months, Kourbanov won 100-90 on all three cards. The Kyrgyzstan-born Kourbanov dropped a majority decision against Joe Cordina in 2021 but was outpointed by Zelfa Barrett in a European title challenge in 2022. Colombian Lagos had been beaten in five rounds by Spaniard Salvador Jimenez in April.

June 22 in Munich, Germany

Yusuf Sultanoglu Won TKO 5 Rashad Karimov

Germany’s Sultanoglu wins the vacant WBC International Silver title with a stoppage over Karimov. Sultanoglu dropped Karimov three times in the fifth to force the stoppage. Ninth win by KO/TKO for Sultanoglu. Azeri-born German Karimov, 40, was 11-1 in his last 12 fights, with the loss against Cuban Mike Perez in October.

Luka Plantic W TKO 1 Almir Skrijelj

If Plantic was hoping to get in some ring time, then this was a waste of time, as he stopped Montenegrin Skrijelj midway through the first round. Plantic had halted Jack Cullen in April. This was Skrijelj’s tenth inside-the-distance defeat.

Dilara Yucel W KO 1 Sonja Pilipovic

Turkish “She Wolf” Yucel knocks out Bosnian Pilipovic in a disgraceful match. WBF titleholder gets her eleventh win by KO/TKO. Pilipovic, a substitute, has lost 14 of her 15 fights by KO/TKO including 7 in the first round.

June 22 in Arenzano, Italy

Federico Schinina Won PTS 10 Mohammed Graich

Local fighter Schinina wins the vacant Italian title with a points victory over Graich in an entertaining match. Schinina had the edge in skill and speed and outboxed the aggressive Graich to build an early lead. Graich just kept coming and kept pressing and even with his clever defensive work, Schinina often found himself pinned against the ropes and Graich looked to have closed the points gap.

Schinina then took over in the ninth and tenth and emerged a good winner by scores of 96-94 twice and 97-93. Argentinian-born Schinina had lost in a shot at the national super-lightweight title in August last but moved up to super welter and had scored two wins. Moroccan-born Graich had won his last three fights.

June 22 in Catuingang, Philippines

Jeo Santisima WON KO 4 Arnon Yupang

Santisima beats Thai Yupang in the fourth round. Santisima was in charge from the start landing with heavy punches to the head and body. Yupang tried to punch with Santisima but was weakened by body punches and when yet another body punch dropped him in the fourth, he was counted out.

Santisima wins the WBA Asian Continental title. He put together a 17-bout winning streak before losing to Emanuel Navarrete for the WBO title in 2020, but a subsequent run of four losses in five fights derailed him completely. Yupang was making the first defence of the title.

June 22 in Manchester, New Hampshire, USA

Emeka Nwokolo W PTS 12 Jeovanis Barraza

Nigerian Nwokolo outpoints Colombian Barraza and picks up two titles. Nwokolo boxed cleverly against the taller Colombian. He scored well with counters and when Barraza tried working on the back foot, Nwokolo was quick enough to score and get out before Barraza could respond. Nwokolo set a fast pace and outworked Barraza in round after round to emerge a comfortable winner on scores of 120-108 twice and 118-110.

Nwokolo has done much of his fighting in Colombia and Mexico. He wins the vacant NABA and Universal Boxing Organisation titles. Barraza was 20-0 against some very modest opposition, but a move up to face much higher quality has seen him turn in less impressive figures of 3-4.

June 22 in Philadelphia, PA, USA

Oluwafemi Oyeleye WON TKO 4 Leonardo Di Stefano

Nigerian-born southpaw Oyeleye puts Di Stefano down and out in the fourth. Oyeleye had been boxing on the retreat, using his longer reach to pile up the points. Di Stefano kept moving forward, jabbing to the body but without much success.

As Di Stefano came forward again in the fourth, a short left hook had him staggering, then tumbling to his hands and knees and continuing to fining face first on the canvas with the referee immediately stopping the fight. Tenth victory by KO/TKO for Oyeleye.

June 21 in Bolton Whites Hotel, Bolton, UK

Sultan Zaurbek WON TKO 1 Roman Ruben Reynoso

Kazakh southpaw Zaurbek stops vastly overmatched Reynoso with three knockdowns in 101 seconds. Reynoso came out, head down, throwing wild punches and as Zaurbek side-stepped, Reynoso swept himself off his and landed on the canvas. 

He picked himself up and was again slinging ridiculously crude swings. Zaurbek landed a left to the body. Reynoso knelt on the canvas and watched the count, then spat out his mouthguard to get a few extra seconds. When the action restarted, a left to the body sent Reynoso down to kneel on the canvas again. 

Whilst the count was going on Zaurbek had climbed on the ropes in a corner celebrating, but Reynoso beat the count. A right to the body put him down again and the referee waved the fight over. This was a farce and it is ridiculous that Zaurbek should win the vacant WBA Continental title in a fight like this. Thirteen wins by KO/TKO for Zaurbek, who deserves better opposition.

June 21 in Vigevano, Italy

Mirko Geografo Drew PTS 12 Luigi Alfieri

Geografo and Alfieri end up all square in their fight for the vacant European Silver title. Over the opening rounds Alfieri’s constant aggression had Geografo fighting on the back foot. He was boxing well, but Alfieri was switching his attack from head to body and was well in front after five rounds. Geografo gradually worked his way into the fight over the middle rounds and then used his better skills to outbox the fading Alfieri and the judges were unable to split them with all three cards reading 114-114, so they will have to do it all over again. 

Veronica Tosi WON PTS 10 Natalia Francesca

Home town fighter Tosi wins the vacant European title as she outpoints Spain’s Francesca. The visitor was competitive for the first three rounds, but then the pressure and aggression from Tosi put her in control and a big effort from Francesca in the last round came too late.  Scores 98-92 twice and 97-93. Third win in a row for Tosi. Francesca had previously been unsuccessful in a shot at the European feather belt.

June 21 in Detroit, Michigan, USA

Derick Miller Jr W TKO 2 Brian Houston

Local hope Miller disposes of Houston in two rounds. Miller had Houston down in the first round and again in the second with Houston counted out on the second knockdown. Ninth win by KO/TKO for Miller. He won the vacant American Boxing Federation title. Houston, 43, was having his first fight since February 2022.