Tag: Angelo Leo

Stephen Fulton’s mission: Keep winning, keep entertaining

Stephen Fulton said his mission is to continue winning and entertaining fans.

We’ve known for some time that Stephen Fulton is a special boxer. In his most-recent fight he revealed something new, which might not be good news for his rivals.

Fulton probably could’ve outboxed then-WBO 122-pound titleholder Angelo Leo to win his first major belt this past January. Instead, the Philly fighter surprised many by slugging with a slugger and still emerged with a near-shutout decision and the coveted belt.

He faces another pressure fighter in WBC champ Brandon Figueroa on Nov. 27 in Las Vegas, where they’ll unify their titles.

“I like fighting that way,” he told Boxing Junkie. “I feel like my corner doesn’t like me fighting that way. And I respect that. Sometimes they do have to save the fighter from himself. We do want to save some for ourselves and our kids later on in life. And I understand that.

“[But] as a fighter you just want to put on a great performance. We want to be macho men or dogs. That’s what we live for. That’s the joyfulness and excitement that we get out of it.”

We could get more of the same on Nov. 27.

Leo and Figueroa are both strong, aggressive fighters who throw a lot of punches. However, Fulton said Figueroa brings a different level of intensity.

“Even though they’re similar, they’re totally different,” he said. “They bring different type of angles, different heat is thrown at you. Brandon is more of an overwhelming fighter, he’ll overwhelm you. Angelo Leo was just a person that’s going to come forward at you.”

Fulton was asked how he planned to handle that kind of pressure and he laughed, joking that the interviewer must be a spy working for Figueroa.

He wouldn’t reveal too much about his strategy, other than to say that he’ll, ‘Let the fight come to me, let him do his job. And I’ll work off of that.” In other words he’ll box when he needs to box and brawl when he needs to brawl.

One thing is clear: He’s confident. He’s focused on Figueroa – anything else would be suicide – but he’s thinking bigger than that.

Teofimo Lopez, Josh Taylor and Canelo Alvarez have demonstrated recently that it’s possible to become an undisputed champion even in an era of fragmented titles. Alvarez stopped Caleb Plant to win all four major 168-pound belts last week.

That’s what Fulton has in mind: defeat Figueroa and then target unbeaten Uzbek Murodjon “MJ” Akhmadaliev, who holds the IBF and WBA junior featherweight belts.

Fulton (19-0, 8 KOs) already is considered one of the best among a group of talented up-and-coming young stars, led by Lopez at the moment. Back-to-back victories over Figueroa and Akhmadaliev would lift him to the next level.

He believes that’s his destiny.

“For sure,” Fulton said. “I want us to get past Figueroa and then I want to go into the MJ fight. … [I just have to] keep winning, keep being happy, keep embracing the people, keep embracing the fans. That’ll bring me to the top.”

And it’s not enough simply to get to the pinnacle of the sport. He wants to give fans more of what they saw in his fight against Leo.

“I feel the more I … entertain people, the more I’ll be happy at doing my job,” he said. “Seeing the enjoyment [of] others will bring the best out of me. Now I know, ‘OK, they like that?’ I want to do it again. ‘They like that?’ OK, let me do it this way now.’

“That’s what I’m getting out of it right now.”

[lawrence-related id=25864,17278]

Stephen Fulton’s mission: Keep winning, keep entertaining

Stephen Fulton said his mission is to continue winning and entertaining fans.

We’ve known for some time that Stephen Fulton is a special boxer. In his most-recent fight he revealed something new, which might not be good news for his rivals.

Fulton probably could’ve outboxed then-WBO 122-pound titleholder Angelo Leo to win his first major belt this past January. Instead, the Philly fighter surprised many by slugging with a slugger and still emerged with a near-shutout decision and the coveted belt.

He faces another pressure fighter in WBC champ Brandon Figueroa on Nov. 27 in Las Vegas, where they’ll unify their titles.

“I like fighting that way,” he told Boxing Junkie. “I feel like my corner doesn’t like me fighting that way. And I respect that. Sometimes they do have to save the fighter from himself. We do want to save some for ourselves and our kids later on in life. And I understand that.

“[But] as a fighter you just want to put on a great performance. We want to be macho men or dogs. That’s what we live for. That’s the joyfulness and excitement that we get out of it.”

We could get more of the same on Nov. 27.

Leo and Figueroa are both strong, aggressive fighters who throw a lot of punches. However, Fulton said Figueroa brings a different level of intensity.

“Even though they’re similar, they’re totally different,” he said. “They bring different type of angles, different heat is thrown at you. Brandon is more of an overwhelming fighter, he’ll overwhelm you. Angelo Leo was just a person that’s going to come forward at you.”

Fulton was asked how he planned to handle that kind of pressure and he laughed, joking that the interviewer must be a spy working for Figueroa.

He wouldn’t reveal too much about his strategy, other than to say that he’ll, ‘Let the fight come to me, let him do his job. And I’ll work off of that.” In other words he’ll box when he needs to box and brawl when he needs to brawl.

One thing is clear: He’s confident. He’s focused on Figueroa – anything else would be suicide – but he’s thinking bigger than that.

Teofimo Lopez, Josh Taylor and Canelo Alvarez have demonstrated recently that it’s possible to become an undisputed champion even in an era of fragmented titles. Alvarez stopped Caleb Plant to win all four major 168-pound belts last week.

That’s what Fulton has in mind: defeat Figueroa and then target unbeaten Uzbek Murodjon “MJ” Akhmadaliev, who holds the IBF and WBA junior featherweight belts.

Fulton (19-0, 8 KOs) already is considered one of the best among a group of talented up-and-coming young stars, led by Lopez at the moment. Back-to-back victories over Figueroa and Akhmadaliev would lift him to the next level.

He believes that’s his destiny.

“For sure,” Fulton said. “I want us to get past Figueroa and then I want to go into the MJ fight. … [I just have to] keep winning, keep being happy, keep embracing the people, keep embracing the fans. That’ll bring me to the top.”

And it’s not enough simply to get to the pinnacle of the sport. He wants to give fans more of what they saw in his fight against Leo.

“I feel the more I … entertain people, the more I’ll be happy at doing my job,” he said. “Seeing the enjoyment [of] others will bring the best out of me. Now I know, ‘OK, they like that?’ I want to do it again. ‘They like that?’ OK, let me do it this way now.’

“That’s what I’m getting out of it right now.”

[lawrence-related id=25864,17278]

Jermall Charlo dominates, but can’t stop Juan Montiel

Jermall Charlo dominated Juan Montiel en route to a near-shutout decision Saturday in Houston.

Let the criticism begin.

Jermall Charlo dominated Juan Macias Montiel in defense of his middleweight title, winning a near-shutout decision Saturday night at Toyota Center in Houston.

However, he couldn’t do what almost everyone thought he would do — stop the overmatched Mexican, which certainly will have brought out the doubters.

Charlo, making the fourth defense of his belt, outclassed and outworked Montiel, picking the challenger apart much of the fight with his jab and hard, accurate power shots.

The Houston native landed 46% of his power shots, according to CompuBox. He also outlanded Montiel overall 258-127.

And, yes, there were a few moments when it seemed as if Charlo would end the fight inside the distance. He hurt Montiel early in Rounds 5 and 6 and followed with barrages meant to finish the job.

However, Montiel, obviously durable and in excellent condition, survived it all and actually had his best rounds down the stretch.

Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) continued to land more punches than his opponent but Montiel (22-5-2, 22 KOs) connected on some hard, eye-catching blows in the last third of the fight, when it was clear he needed a knockout to win.

Montiel wasn’t particularly good but he definitely was resilient, although that wasn’t reflected on the scorecards. Charlo won 120-108, 119-109 and 118-109. Boxing Junkie scored it 120-107 for Charlo.

And it should be noted that all of Montiel’s victories have come by knockout, meaning he can punch. Thus, Charlo also demonstrated a good chin.

Of course, some will give Charlo credit for a convincing victory. Others will question his power, particularly in light of the fact that Jaime Munguia stopped Montiel in 2017.

Bottom line: He got the job the done and it wasn’t close. He’ll now focus on getting big-name opponents into the ring.

[lawrence-related id=21256,21252]

 

 

Jermall Charlo dominates, but can’t stop Juan Montiel

Jermall Charlo dominated Juan Montiel en route to a near-shutout decision Saturday in Houston.

Let the criticism begin.

Jermall Charlo dominated Juan Macias Montiel in defense of his middleweight title, winning a near-shutout decision Saturday night at Toyota Center in Houston.

However, he couldn’t do what almost everyone thought he would do — stop the overmatched Mexican, which certainly will have brought out the doubters.

Charlo, making the fourth defense of his belt, outclassed and outworked Montiel, picking the challenger apart much of the fight with his jab and hard, accurate power shots.

The Houston native landed 46% of his power shots, according to CompuBox. He also outlanded Montiel overall 258-127.

And, yes, there were a few moments when it seemed as if Charlo would end the fight inside the distance. He hurt Montiel early in Rounds 5 and 6 and followed with barrages meant to finish the job.

However, Montiel, obviously durable and in excellent condition, survived it all and actually had his best rounds down the stretch.

Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) continued to land more punches than his opponent but Montiel (22-5-2, 22 KOs) connected on some hard, eye-catching blows in the last third of the fight, when it was clear he needed a knockout to win.

Montiel wasn’t particularly good but he definitely was resilient, although that wasn’t reflected on the scorecards. Charlo won 120-108, 119-109 and 118-109. Boxing Junkie scored it 120-107 for Charlo.

And it should be noted that all of Montiel’s victories have come by knockout, meaning he can punch. Thus, Charlo also demonstrated a good chin.

Of course, some will give Charlo credit for a convincing victory. Others will question his power, particularly in light of the fact that Jaime Munguia stopped Montiel in 2017.

Bottom line: He got the job the done and it wasn’t close. He’ll now focus on getting big-name opponents into the ring.

[lawrence-related id=21256,21252]

 

 

Angelo Leo gets past Aaron Alameda by majority decision

Angelo Leo defeated Aaron Alameda by a majority decision on the Jermall Charlo-Juan Montiel card Saturday in Houston.

Angelo Leo is fortunate that he doesn’t have consecutive losses.

The former 122-pound titleholder, who lost his belt to Stephen Fulton in January, defeated Aaron Alameda by a majority decision on the Jermall Charlo-Juan Montiel card Saturday night in Houston.

One judge had it 95-95 but the other two scored it for Leo, 98-92 and 96-94. Boxing Junkie scored it 95-95, a draw.

Leo (21-1, 9 KOs) and Alameda (25-2, 13 KOs) threw and landed about the same number of punches and both had good moments in a competitive, back-and-forth fight.

The winner did good body work, which is typical of him. But one could argue that Alameda landed more eye-catching punches, including a number of uppercuts.

Any score between 96-94 either way would’ve been acceptable. The 98-92 card of judge Eva Zaragoza didn’t reflect what happened in the ring.

With the victory, Leo, who lost a clear decision against Fulton, took a significant step toward another shot at a title.

And even in defeat, Alameda demonstrated that he can fight on even terms with a top junior featherweight for a second consecutive fight. He gave Luis Nery all he could handle in a unanimous-decision loss in September.

Angelo Leo gets past Aaron Alameda by majority decision

Angelo Leo defeated Aaron Alameda by a majority decision on the Jermall Charlo-Juan Montiel card Saturday in Houston.

Angelo Leo is fortunate that he doesn’t have consecutive losses.

The former 122-pound titleholder, who lost his belt to Stephen Fulton in January, defeated Aaron Alameda by a majority decision on the Jermall Charlo-Juan Montiel card Saturday night in Houston.

One judge had it 95-95 but the other two scored it for Leo, 98-92 and 96-94. Boxing Junkie scored it 95-95, a draw.

Leo (21-1, 9 KOs) and Alameda (25-2, 13 KOs) threw and landed about the same number of punches and both had good moments in a competitive, back-and-forth fight.

The winner did good body work, which is typical of him. But one could argue that Alameda landed more eye-catching punches, including a number of uppercuts.

Any score between 96-94 either way would’ve been acceptable. The 98-92 card of judge Eva Zaragoza didn’t reflect what happened in the ring.

With the victory, Leo, who lost a clear decision against Fulton, took a significant step toward another shot at a title.

And even in defeat, Alameda demonstrated that he can fight on even terms with a top junior featherweight for a second consecutive fight. He gave Luis Nery all he could handle in a unanimous-decision loss in September.

Angelo Leo gets past Aaron Alameda by majority decision

Angelo Leo defeated Aaron Alameda by a majority decision on the Jermall Charlo-Juan Montiel card Saturday in Houston.

Angelo Leo is fortunate that he doesn’t have consecutive losses.

The former 122-pound titleholder, who lost his belt to Stephen Fulton in January, defeated Aaron Alameda by a majority decision on the Jermall Charlo-Juan Montiel card Saturday night in Houston.

One judge had it 95-95 but the other two scored it for Leo, 98-92 and 96-94. Boxing Junkie scored it 95-95, a draw.

Leo (21-1, 9 KOs) and Alameda (25-2, 13 KOs) threw and landed about the same number of punches and both had good moments in a competitive, back-and-forth fight.

The winner did good body work, which is typical of him. But one could argue that Alameda landed more eye-catching punches, including a number of uppercuts.

Any score between 96-94 either way would’ve been acceptable. The 98-92 card of judge Eva Zaragoza didn’t reflect what happened in the ring.

With the victory, Leo, who lost a clear decision against Fulton, took a significant step toward another shot at a title.

And even in defeat, Alameda demonstrated that he can fight on even terms with a top junior featherweight for a second consecutive fight. He gave Luis Nery all he could handle in a unanimous-decision loss in September.

Angelo Leo gets past Aaron Alameda by majority decision

Angelo Leo defeated Aaron Alameda by a majority decision on the Jermall Charlo-Juan Montiel card Saturday in Houston.

Angelo Leo is fortunate that he doesn’t have consecutive losses.

The former 122-pound titleholder, who lost his belt to Stephen Fulton in January, defeated Aaron Alameda by a majority decision on the Jermall Charlo-Juan Montiel card Saturday night in Houston.

One judge had it 95-95 but the other two scored it for Leo, 98-92 and 96-94. Boxing Junkie scored it 95-95, a draw.

Leo (21-1, 9 KOs) and Alameda (25-2, 13 KOs) threw and landed about the same number of punches and both had good moments in a competitive, back-and-forth fight.

The winner did good body work, which is typical of him. But one could argue that Alameda landed more eye-catching punches, including a number of uppercuts.

Any score between 96-94 either way would’ve been acceptable. The 98-92 card of judge Eva Zaragoza didn’t reflect what happened in the ring.

With the victory, Leo, who lost a clear decision against Fulton, took a significant step toward another shot at a title.

And even in defeat, Alameda demonstrated that he can fight on even terms with a top junior featherweight for a second consecutive fight. He gave Luis Nery all he could handle in a unanimous-decision loss in September.

Good, bad, worse: Stephen Fulton rolls, Canelo Alvarez announces dud

Stephen Fulton turned in a tremendous performance on Saturday, defeating Angelo Leo by a wide decision to win a 122-pound title.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

GOOD

Stephen Fulton enjoys his convincing victory on Saturday night. Amanda Westcott / Showtime

Stephen Fulton warned us ahead of time.

The then-junior featherweight contender suggested he might stand toe-to-toe with brawler Angelo Leo on Saturday night rather than use his superior speed and skill set by boxing and moving.

Not only did Fulton go to war with Leo in close quarters, he performed as if he were in his comfort zone – outslugging the slugger — in a masterful demonstration of his ability in Uncasville, Conn. and on national television.

The scores were 119-109, 119-109 and 118-110, all of Fulton, who took Leo’s junior featherweight title and made this statement with his actions to fellow 122-pound champions Murodjon Akhmadaliev and Luis Nery: “I’m coming for you next and I have a lot of ways I can beat you.”

The brilliance of Fulton’s performance goes beyond beating Leo at his own game.

The 26-year-old Philadelphian threw 1,183 punches overall (almost 100 per round) and  an astounding 913 power shots, according to CompuBox, against a rugged fighter who generally smothers his opponents with pressure. Remarkable.

And Fulton seemed to be as fresh at the final bell and he was at the opening bell, this after a grueling, nearly 2,000-punch (Leo threw 810) battle in the trenches. It was a testament to his conditioning.

Also, remember: He was coming off a prolonged battle with COVID-19, which prevented him from fighting Leo for the then-vacant title as planned on Aug. 1.

I don’t know whether Fulton will beat his fellow titleholders to become undisputed champion – which is his goal – but I certainly won’t be surprised if he does. His diverse talents, his determination and his work ethic could take him a long way.

***

BAD

Fulton (left) was able to land punches even when he wasn’t looking. Amanda Westcott / Showtime

You have to feel for Leo.

No one fights harder than the product of Albuquerque, as we saw at the Mohegan Sun. He took a beating from Fulton but never stopped coming, never stopped winging punches in a determined effort to hold onto his first title belt. It was a courageous performance on his part.

He simply ran into a better fighter in Fulton. No shame in that.

Here’s a positive spin on Leo’s fate: Had Fulton been able to fight on Aug. 1 as planned, Leo probably wouldn’t have become a titleholder at that time. He outpointed capable, but less-talented late replacement Tramaine Williams to realize a lifelong dream of wearing a major belt.

No matter what happens going forward, he can always say he was a world champion.

And Leo, also 26, isn’t going anywhere. You can see by the way he trains and fights that he’s fully committed to the sport. He’ll get some rest, take a look at the video with his team to learn what he can from the setback and then get back into the gym.

We didn’t get to hear what Leo had to say after the fight because he was taken to a hospital for precautionary reasons immediately after the winner was announced.

You can bet he would’ve said, “This is boxing. I’ll be back.”

***

WORSE

No one is going to get excited about Canelo Alvarez’s next fight.  Ed Mulholland / Matchroom

I understand why Canelo Alvarez decided to fight Avni Yildirim on Feb. 27. The Mexican star wanted a fight in February, Yildirim is the mandatory challenger to his WBC 168-pound title and he wants to keep his belt, which is part of a plan to unify all the titles.

Here’s the problem: No one wants to see that fight.

I’m only being honest when I say that the limited Yildirim has virtually no chance of winning the fight. And aren’t fights at all levels of the sport supposed to be at least reasonably competitive? The fans deserve that much.

Again, I don’t blame Alvarez. He’s simply working within the system. The system is the problem. Mandatory challengers were created to force champions to face top contenders. Instead, because of the self-serving manner in which fighters are ranked, the opposite occurs.

Yildirim is coming off a technical-decision loss to Anthony Dirrell two years ago. How is he even in this position? There are certainly better fighters than Yildirim at or near Alvarez’s weight who would love a crack at one of the biggest figures in the sport.

The only way we’re going to see change is if the fighters and their handlers buck the system. Some stars have refused to pay sanctioning fees. I support that. And, more generally, we all should put more emphasis on matchups than titles.

Remember: There are so many championship belts that we’ve lost count. And the more titles there are, the less they mean. That’s why the top fighters want to unify them. They know that’s a path to a more genuine championship.

I’ll watch the Alvarez-Yildirim fight because I’m a fan of boxing and Alvarez. Let’s call it what it is, though: a glorified workout.

***

RABBIT PUNCHES

Ra’eese Aleem (18-0, 12 KOs) gave an impressive performance in his knockout victory over Victor Pasillas (16-1, 9 KOs) on the Fulton-Leo undercard. The matchup of unbeaten young contenders was expected to be a 50-50 fight but Aleem proved to be too quick and simply too good for Pasillas, who was stopped in the 11th round. Aleem put the top 122-pounders on notice. … Lightweight contender Rolando Romero (13-0, 11 KOs) bounced back nicely from a shaky performance in his previous fight, stopping last-minute replacement Avery Sparrow (10-3, 3 KOs) in seven rounds on the Fulton-Leo card. Romero boxed well while still delivering his potent power shots, which he didn’t do in a controversial decision over Jackson Marinez in August. … The Boxing Writers Association of America announced it’s 2020 award winners. Here they are: Fighter of the Year, Teofimo Lopez; Fight of the Year, Jose Zepeda vs. Ivan Baranchyk; Trainer of the Year, Teofimo Lopez Sr.; Manager of the Year, David McWater (Lopez); and Courage Award, Magomed Abdusalamov family. The younger Lopez upset Vasiliy Lomachenko to become undisputed lightweight champion on Oct. 17.

[lawrence-related id=17278,17269,17271,17232,17215]

Good, bad, worse: Stephen Fulton rolls, Canelo Alvarez announces dud

Stephen Fulton turned in a tremendous performance on Saturday, defeating Angelo Leo by a wide decision to win a 122-pound title.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

GOOD

Stephen Fulton enjoys his convincing victory on Saturday night. Amanda Westcott / Showtime

Stephen Fulton warned us ahead of time.

The then-junior featherweight contender suggested he might stand toe-to-toe with brawler Angelo Leo on Saturday night rather than use his superior speed and skill set by boxing and moving.

Not only did Fulton go to war with Leo in close quarters, he performed as if he were in his comfort zone – outslugging the slugger — in a masterful demonstration of his ability in Uncasville, Conn. and on national television.

The scores were 119-109, 119-109 and 118-110, all of Fulton, who took Leo’s junior featherweight title and made this statement with his actions to fellow 122-pound champions Murodjon Akhmadaliev and Luis Nery: “I’m coming for you next and I have a lot of ways I can beat you.”

The brilliance of Fulton’s performance goes beyond beating Leo at his own game.

The 26-year-old Philadelphian threw 1,183 punches overall (almost 100 per round) and  an astounding 913 power shots, according to CompuBox, against a rugged fighter who generally smothers his opponents with pressure. Remarkable.

And Fulton seemed to be as fresh at the final bell and he was at the opening bell, this after a grueling, nearly 2,000-punch (Leo threw 810) battle in the trenches. It was a testament to his conditioning.

Also, remember: He was coming off a prolonged battle with COVID-19, which prevented him from fighting Leo for the then-vacant title as planned on Aug. 1.

I don’t know whether Fulton will beat his fellow titleholders to become undisputed champion – which is his goal – but I certainly won’t be surprised if he does. His diverse talents, his determination and his work ethic could take him a long way.

***

BAD

Fulton (left) was able to land punches even when he wasn’t looking. Amanda Westcott / Showtime

You have to feel for Leo.

No one fights harder than the product of Albuquerque, as we saw at the Mohegan Sun. He took a beating from Fulton but never stopped coming, never stopped winging punches in a determined effort to hold onto his first title belt. It was a courageous performance on his part.

He simply ran into a better fighter in Fulton. No shame in that.

Here’s a positive spin on Leo’s fate: Had Fulton been able to fight on Aug. 1 as planned, Leo probably wouldn’t have become a titleholder at that time. He outpointed capable, but less-talented late replacement Tramaine Williams to realize a lifelong dream of wearing a major belt.

No matter what happens going forward, he can always say he was a world champion.

And Leo, also 26, isn’t going anywhere. You can see by the way he trains and fights that he’s fully committed to the sport. He’ll get some rest, take a look at the video with his team to learn what he can from the setback and then get back into the gym.

We didn’t get to hear what Leo had to say after the fight because he was taken to a hospital for precautionary reasons immediately after the winner was announced.

You can bet he would’ve said, “This is boxing. I’ll be back.”

***

WORSE

No one is going to get excited about Canelo Alvarez’s next fight.  Ed Mulholland / Matchroom

I understand why Canelo Alvarez decided to fight Avni Yildirim on Feb. 27. The Mexican star wanted a fight in February, Yildirim is the mandatory challenger to his WBC 168-pound title and he wants to keep his belt, which is part of a plan to unify all the titles.

Here’s the problem: No one wants to see that fight.

I’m only being honest when I say that the limited Yildirim has virtually no chance of winning the fight. And aren’t fights at all levels of the sport supposed to be at least reasonably competitive? The fans deserve that much.

Again, I don’t blame Alvarez. He’s simply working within the system. The system is the problem. Mandatory challengers were created to force champions to face top contenders. Instead, because of the self-serving manner in which fighters are ranked, the opposite occurs.

Yildirim is coming off a technical-decision loss to Anthony Dirrell two years ago. How is he even in this position? There are certainly better fighters than Yildirim at or near Alvarez’s weight who would love a crack at one of the biggest figures in the sport.

The only way we’re going to see change is if the fighters and their handlers buck the system. Some stars have refused to pay sanctioning fees. I support that. And, more generally, we all should put more emphasis on matchups than titles.

Remember: There are so many championship belts that we’ve lost count. And the more titles there are, the less they mean. That’s why the top fighters want to unify them. They know that’s a path to a more genuine championship.

I’ll watch the Alvarez-Yildirim fight because I’m a fan of boxing and Alvarez. Let’s call it what it is, though: a glorified workout.

***

RABBIT PUNCHES

Ra’eese Aleem (18-0, 12 KOs) gave an impressive performance in his knockout victory over Victor Pasillas (16-1, 9 KOs) on the Fulton-Leo undercard. The matchup of unbeaten young contenders was expected to be a 50-50 fight but Aleem proved to be too quick and simply too good for Pasillas, who was stopped in the 11th round. Aleem put the top 122-pounders on notice. … Lightweight contender Rolando Romero (13-0, 11 KOs) bounced back nicely from a shaky performance in his previous fight, stopping last-minute replacement Avery Sparrow (10-3, 3 KOs) in seven rounds on the Fulton-Leo card. Romero boxed well while still delivering his potent power shots, which he didn’t do in a controversial decision over Jackson Marinez in August. … The Boxing Writers Association of America announced it’s 2020 award winners. Here they are: Fighter of the Year, Teofimo Lopez; Fight of the Year, Jose Zepeda vs. Ivan Baranchyk; Trainer of the Year, Teofimo Lopez Sr.; Manager of the Year, David McWater (Lopez); and Courage Award, Magomed Abdusalamov family. The younger Lopez upset Vasiliy Lomachenko to become undisputed lightweight champion on Oct. 17.

[lawrence-related id=17278,17269,17271,17232,17215]