Tag: Kamil Szeremeta

Jaime Munguia pounds, stops overmatched Kamil Szeremeta in 6

Middleweight contender Jaime Munguia knocked out overmatched Kamil Szeremeta in six rounds Saturday in El Paso, Texas.

Jaime Munguia committed legal assault on Saturday afternoon in El Paso, Texas.

The 24-year-old Mexican pounded game, but overmatched Kamil Szeremeta for almost all of six rounds of a scheduled 12-round middleweight bout, after which the Polish fighter made it clear to the referee that he could take no more.

Szeremeta (21-2, 5 KOs) took the fight on late notice after Maciej Sulecki pulled out and gave a courageous effort. He just didn’t have the tools — the ability, the power and ultimately the durability — to cope with Munguia’s impressive offensive arsenal.

Munguia (37-0, 30 KOs) threw and landed almost every punch ever invented, including many particularly hard ones to the body. Szeremeta, who guarded his face with his hands the entire fight, blocked some and landed his own punches here and there.

However, Munguia landed more and more punishing blows as the fight progressed, which wore Szeremeta down.

By the sixth and final round, referee Rafael Ramos obviously was watching Szeremeta closely and considered stepping in but he waited until the end of the round. Ramos approached Szeremeta as he sat on his stool, asked if he was OK, got his answer and waved off the fight.

Munguia can say he stopped Szeremeta one round earlier than 160-pound titleholder Gennadiy Golovkin did, although Triple-G put the Pole down four times.

The former 154-pound titleholder from Tijuana, trained by Erik Morales, said afterward that he hopes to get a shot at a middleweight title before the end of the year or face Gabriel Rosado, who stopped Bektemir Melikuziev earlier on the card.

He definitely took a step in that direction on Saturday.

[lawrence-related id=21236,21233]

Jaime Munguia pounds, stops overmatched Kamil Szeremeta in 6

Middleweight contender Jaime Munguia knocked out overmatched Kamil Szeremeta in six rounds Saturday in El Paso, Texas.

Jaime Munguia committed legal assault on Saturday afternoon in El Paso, Texas.

The 24-year-old Mexican pounded game, but overmatched Kamil Szeremeta for almost all of six rounds of a scheduled 12-round middleweight bout, after which the Polish fighter made it clear to the referee that he could take no more.

Szeremeta (21-2, 5 KOs) took the fight on late notice after Maciej Sulecki pulled out and gave a courageous effort. He just didn’t have the tools — the ability, the power and ultimately the durability — to cope with Munguia’s impressive offensive arsenal.

Munguia (37-0, 30 KOs) threw and landed almost every punch ever invented, including many particularly hard ones to the body. Szeremeta, who guarded his face with his hands the entire fight, blocked some and landed his own punches here and there.

However, Munguia landed more and more punishing blows as the fight progressed, which wore Szeremeta down.

By the sixth and final round, referee Rafael Ramos obviously was watching Szeremeta closely and considered stepping in but he waited until the end of the round. Ramos approached Szeremeta as he sat on his stool, asked if he was OK, got his answer and waved off the fight.

Munguia can say he stopped Szeremeta one round earlier than 160-pound titleholder Gennadiy Golovkin did, although Triple-G put the Pole down four times.

The former 154-pound titleholder from Tijuana, trained by Erik Morales, said afterward that he hopes to get a shot at a middleweight title before the end of the year or face Gabriel Rosado, who stopped Bektemir Melikuziev earlier on the card.

He definitely took a step in that direction on Saturday.

[lawrence-related id=21236,21233]

Gabriel Rosado scores stunning knockout of Bektemir Melikuziev

Gabriel Rosado scored a stunning third-round knockout of Bektemir Melikuziev on Saturday in El Paso, Texas.

Gabriel Rosado finally had his big moment on the Jaime Munguia-Kamil Szeremeta card Saturday in El Paso, Texas.

The 35-year-old veteran, known primarily as a tough, but hard-luck opponent, knocked out former amateur star Bektemir Melikuziev with a single right hand in the third round and he couldn’t recover.

Melikuziev, in control from the outset, had put Rosado down in Round 1 and battered his veteran foe to the body much of two-plus rounds. It seemed as if Rosado couldn’t handle his power.

Then, in an instant, the opposite turned out to be the case. Melikuziev (7-1, 6 KOs) walked into an overhand counter that put him flat on his face and hurt him badly.

The 25-year-old made an effort to get up but had no chance of doing so successfully and the referee stopped the fight.

The official time of the stoppage was 1:21 of Round 3.

Rosado (26-13-1, 15 KOs) figured to be a stepping stone for Melikuziev, who had been a fast-rising young star. After all, Rosado had come up short in his big fights and was only 2-1-4 in his last seven outings.

No one ever questioned Rosado’s resilience and determination, though. And it paid off on Saturday.

Now, with a victory over a hot prospect, Rosado is in position to get yet another big fight. He called out Munguia after the fight, assuming that the Mexican would emerge victorious.

Evidently, anything is possible when it comes to Rosado.

[lawrence-related id=21233]

Gabriel Rosado scores stunning knockout of Bektemir Melikuziev

Gabriel Rosado scored a stunning third-round knockout of Bektemir Melikuziev on Saturday in El Paso, Texas.

Gabriel Rosado finally had his big moment on the Jaime Munguia-Kamil Szeremeta card Saturday in El Paso, Texas.

The 35-year-old veteran, known primarily as a tough, but hard-luck opponent, knocked out former amateur star Bektemir Melikuziev with a single right hand in the third round and he couldn’t recover.

Melikuziev, in control from the outset, had put Rosado down in Round 1 and battered his veteran foe to the body much of two-plus rounds. It seemed as if Rosado couldn’t handle his power.

Then, in an instant, the opposite turned out to be the case. Melikuziev (7-1, 6 KOs) walked into an overhand counter that put him flat on his face and hurt him badly.

The 25-year-old made an effort to get up but had no chance of doing so successfully and the referee stopped the fight.

The official time of the stoppage was 1:21 of Round 3.

Rosado (26-13-1, 15 KOs) figured to be a stepping stone for Melikuziev, who had been a fast-rising young star. After all, Rosado had come up short in his big fights and was only 2-1-4 in his last seven outings.

No one ever questioned Rosado’s resilience and determination, though. And it paid off on Saturday.

Now, with a victory over a hot prospect, Rosado is in position to get yet another big fight. He called out Munguia after the fight, assuming that the Mexican would emerge victorious.

Evidently, anything is possible when it comes to Rosado.

[lawrence-related id=21233]

Marlen Esparza outpoints Ibeth Zamora in brawl to win title

Marlen Esparza outpointed Ibeth Zamora in a brawl to win her first world title Saturday in El Paso, Texas.

Marlen Esparza is a world titleholder.

The 2012 Olympic bronze medalist from Houston survived a first-round knockdown to defeat Ibeth Zamora of Mexico by a unanimous decision and take Zamora’s flyweight title Saturday in El Paso, Texas.

Esparza (10-1, 1 KO) went down from a right hand with about 40 seconds to go in the first round, although she didn’t seem to be hurt.

The fight was close after that, with the more-skillful Esparza outboxing Zamora at times and the two exchanging a high volume of punches inside at other times.

Zamora (32-7, 12 KOs), making her third defense, threw more punches than Esparza but the new champ was more accurate with her shots.

The judges scored it 97-92, 96-94 and 95-94, all for Esparza. Boxing Junkie had it 95-94 in Zamora’s favor.

Esparza has now won three consecutive fights since he lost a technical decision to Seneisa Estrada for an “interim” title in November 2019, a fight that was stopped because of cut on Esparza’s forehead.

Zamora, 32, hadn’t lost since she was outpointed by Esmerelda Moreno in 2017.

Marlen Esparza outpoints Ibeth Zamora in brawl to win title

Marlen Esparza outpointed Ibeth Zamora in a brawl to win her first world title Saturday in El Paso, Texas.

Marlen Esparza is a world titleholder.

The 2012 Olympic bronze medalist from Houston survived a first-round knockdown to defeat Ibeth Zamora of Mexico by a unanimous decision and take Zamora’s flyweight title Saturday in El Paso, Texas.

Esparza (10-1, 1 KO) went down from a right hand with about 40 seconds to go in the first round, although she didn’t seem to be hurt.

The fight was close after that, with the more-skillful Esparza outboxing Zamora at times and the two exchanging a high volume of punches inside at other times.

Zamora (32-7, 12 KOs), making her third defense, threw more punches than Esparza but the new champ was more accurate with her shots.

The judges scored it 97-92, 96-94 and 95-94, all for Esparza. Boxing Junkie had it 95-94 in Zamora’s favor.

Esparza has now won three consecutive fights since he lost a technical decision to Seneisa Estrada for an “interim” title in November 2019, a fight that was stopped because of cut on Esparza’s forehead.

Zamora, 32, hadn’t lost since she was outpointed by Esmerelda Moreno in 2017.

Which card should you watch? Ranking the four shows on Saturday

What should you watch? Ranking the four cards on Saturday.

Fans know by now that this Saturday will be packed with big fights, although one fell off the calendar Tuesday.

Four notable cards are now scheduled for that day, all in different locations. And three of them will overlap, which means you’ll have to make choices unless you watch on multiple TVs or devices.

Jermall Charlo defends his middleweight title against Juan Montiel Macias, Naoya Inoue defends his bantamweight belts against Michael Dasmarinas and Jaime Munguia faces Kamil Szeremeta in a middleweight bout. Also, in an exhibition, Julio Cesar Chavez takes on Hector Camacho Jr.

Teofimo Lopez’s defense of his lightweight championship against George Kambosos Jr. — originally scheduled for Saturday — was postponed to Aug. 14 after Lopez tested positive for COVID-19.

To help you, here is a ranking of the cards in terms of the magnitude of the matchups and watchability.

A quick note: None of the sanctioned main events is even close to the ideal 50-50 matchup. In other words, quantity doesn’t necessarily mean quality.

Here’s the list:

No. 1 Jermall Charlo vs. Juan Macias Montiel
Site: Houston
Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
TV: Showtime
Summary: Charlo, like Lopez and Inoue, is much-watch TV for boxing fans. The middleweight half of the remarkable Charlo Twins is one of the best in the business, as he demonstrated with a convincing victory over Sergiy Derevyanchenko in his most-recent fight. Montiel is around a 20-1 underdog, which makes this a mismatch on paper. And, yes, Charlo almost certainly will win handily. However, Montiel isn’t a complete pushover. We like the fact all his victories have come by knockout. And he has some experience in high-level fights. Also, there’s a can’t-miss war on the undercard: Isaac Cruz vs. Francisco Vargas. This is worth watching.
Grade: C+

No. 2 Jaime Munguia vs. Kamil Szeremeta
Site: El Paso, Texas
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
TV: DAZN
Summary: The Munguia-Szeremeta matchup isn’t the best but this fight and card has an advantage over the others: It takes place in the afternoon in the U.S., which means it will have no direct competition. And while this might sound like faint praise the main event could be worse, particularly in light of the fact Szeremeta is a last-minute opponent. The Pole was overwhelmed by Gennadiy Golovkin in his last outing but he’s not a bad fighter. Munguia, only 24, is a rising star with improving ability and world-class power. Szeremeta will probably test him for a while and then fade. Bektemir Melikuziev fights Gabriel Rosado on the undercard.
Grade: C

No. 3 Naoya Inoue vs. Michael Dasmarinas
Site: Las Vegas
Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
TV: ESPN, ESPN+
Summary: Inoue, the complete package, is the best boxer in action on Saturday – and always worth watching — but that doesn’t mean this fight is particularly compelling. It isn’t. This is how bizarre the matchup is: Dasmarinas is ranked No. 1 by the IBF but is around a 30-1 underdog, meaning he has almost no chance of winning. The Filipino hasn’t lost since 2014 but you haven’t heard of any of his victims, the only possible exception being Karim Guerfi in 2018. He’s done nothing to demonstrate that he compete with a thoroughbred like Inoue. This one won’t last long. The undercard – featuring Mikaela Mayer – is solid.
Grade: C-

No. 4 Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Hector Camacho Jr.
Site: Guadalajara, Mexico
Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
TV: Pay-per-view
Summary: Fans of the great Mexican champion who want one more trip down memory lane might be interested in this event, which also features a sanctioned cruiserweight matchup between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and former MMA star Anderson Silva. Silva, 46, took part in two boxing matches, one in 1998 and the other in 2005. Chavez Sr., 58, easily outpointed fellow Hall of Famer Hector Camacho Sr. in 1998. That’s a storyline the organizers are using to sell the fight. Camacho Jr., a capable fighter in his day, is 42.
Grade: D

[lawrence-related id=21081,14776,20982,20385,15201,15114,15163]

Which card should you watch? Ranking the four shows on Saturday

What should you watch? Ranking the four cards on Saturday.

Fans know by now that this Saturday will be packed with big fights, although one fell off the calendar Tuesday.

Four notable cards are now scheduled for that day, all in different locations. And three of them will overlap, which means you’ll have to make choices unless you watch on multiple TVs or devices.

Jermall Charlo defends his middleweight title against Juan Montiel Macias, Naoya Inoue defends his bantamweight belts against Michael Dasmarinas and Jaime Munguia faces Kamil Szeremeta in a middleweight bout. Also, in an exhibition, Julio Cesar Chavez takes on Hector Camacho Jr.

Teofimo Lopez’s defense of his lightweight championship against George Kambosos Jr. — originally scheduled for Saturday — was postponed to Aug. 14 after Lopez tested positive for COVID-19.

To help you, here is a ranking of the cards in terms of the magnitude of the matchups and watchability.

A quick note: None of the sanctioned main events is even close to the ideal 50-50 matchup. In other words, quantity doesn’t necessarily mean quality.

Here’s the list:

No. 1 Jermall Charlo vs. Juan Macias Montiel
Site: Houston
Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
TV: Showtime
Summary: Charlo, like Lopez and Inoue, is much-watch TV for boxing fans. The middleweight half of the remarkable Charlo Twins is one of the best in the business, as he demonstrated with a convincing victory over Sergiy Derevyanchenko in his most-recent fight. Montiel is around a 20-1 underdog, which makes this a mismatch on paper. And, yes, Charlo almost certainly will win handily. However, Montiel isn’t a complete pushover. We like the fact all his victories have come by knockout. And he has some experience in high-level fights. Also, there’s a can’t-miss war on the undercard: Isaac Cruz vs. Francisco Vargas. This is worth watching.
Grade: C+

No. 2 Jaime Munguia vs. Kamil Szeremeta
Site: El Paso, Texas
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
TV: DAZN
Summary: The Munguia-Szeremeta matchup isn’t the best but this fight and card has an advantage over the others: It takes place in the afternoon in the U.S., which means it will have no direct competition. And while this might sound like faint praise the main event could be worse, particularly in light of the fact Szeremeta is a last-minute opponent. The Pole was overwhelmed by Gennadiy Golovkin in his last outing but he’s not a bad fighter. Munguia, only 24, is a rising star with improving ability and world-class power. Szeremeta will probably test him for a while and then fade. Bektemir Melikuziev fights Gabriel Rosado on the undercard.
Grade: C

No. 3 Naoya Inoue vs. Michael Dasmarinas
Site: Las Vegas
Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
TV: ESPN, ESPN+
Summary: Inoue, the complete package, is the best boxer in action on Saturday – and always worth watching — but that doesn’t mean this fight is particularly compelling. It isn’t. This is how bizarre the matchup is: Dasmarinas is ranked No. 1 by the IBF but is around a 30-1 underdog, meaning he has almost no chance of winning. The Filipino hasn’t lost since 2014 but you haven’t heard of any of his victims, the only possible exception being Karim Guerfi in 2018. He’s done nothing to demonstrate that he compete with a thoroughbred like Inoue. This one won’t last long. The undercard – featuring Mikaela Mayer – is solid.
Grade: C-

No. 4 Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Hector Camacho Jr.
Site: Guadalajara, Mexico
Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
TV: Pay-per-view
Summary: Fans of the great Mexican champion who want one more trip down memory lane might be interested in this event, which also features a sanctioned cruiserweight matchup between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and former MMA star Anderson Silva. Silva, 46, took part in two boxing matches, one in 1998 and the other in 2005. Chavez Sr., 58, easily outpointed fellow Hall of Famer Hector Camacho Sr. in 1998. That’s a storyline the organizers are using to sell the fight. Camacho Jr., a capable fighter in his day, is 42.
Grade: D

[lawrence-related id=21081,14776,20982,20385,15201,15114,15163]

Gennadiy Golovkin looks like GGG of old, not old GGG

Gennadiy Golovkin stopped Kamil Szeremeta after seven rounds to retain his middleweight title Friday in Hollywood, Fla.

Gennadiy Golovkin demonstrated that he’s far from finished at 38.

Triple-G overwhelmed Kamil Szeremeta from the opening bell, putting the Pole down four times before the referee stopped the fight after the seventh round Friday at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fla.

The victory was described as the middleweight champ’s 21st successful title defense, which would break the record of Bernard Hopkins. However, five of his defenses came when he held only a secondary title that Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize.

Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) hadn’t fought since October of last year, when he struggled to outpoint Sergiy Derevyanchenko to win the vacant IBF title.

The so-so performance – which followed a draw and loss against Canelo Alvarez — raised questions about whether Golovkin had begun to decline. He looked as good as ever on Friday.

Golovkin began unleashing his signature punch – his hard, accurate jab – from the outset, which rocked Szeremeta (21-1, 5 KOs) and set up the power shots that gradually broke down the brave, durable but overmatched challenger.

Gennadiy Golovkin (right) was at his most ferocious against Kamil Szeremeta. Cliff Hawkins / Getty Images)

Szeremeta went down from a left hook in the final seconds of the first round. He hit the canvas again in the second, this time from an overhand right. A short left hook accounted for knockdown No. 3 in the fourth.

And, in the seventh, a jab put Szeremeta on his behind about a minute into round.

By then, Szeremeta had taken a significant beating and landed few punches himself as Golovkin – on top of the offensive onslaught – boxed well defensively. In other words, there was no point in letting the fight continue.

Referee Telis Assimenios made the official decision before the start of the eighth round. And no one in Szermeta’s corner complained.

“I told you I come back,” Golovkin said in English afterward.

Alvarez challenges super middleweight titleholder Callum Smith on Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio. If the Mexican star wins, a third fight with Golovkin would be one of his most obvious options.

Golovkin, who last fought Alvarez in September 2018, has grown tired of waiting for another shot at his rival but he made it clear he isn’t ruling anything out.

Golovkin celebrated a successful night. Cliff Hawkins / Getty Images

“I’m absolutely open to anybody,” he said. “The best option for me, the best for business, for DAZN, for people, for the fans … I’m ready.”

Eddie Hearn, Golovkin’s promoter, isn’t demanding a third Alvarez-Golovkin fight either but he too is open to it.

“Listen, Gennadiy is the boss,” Hearn said. “He’s earned the right to fight who he wants to fight. Of course, he had incredible two fights with Canelo Alvarez. If [a third] fight presents itself and he wins [on Saturday] – Callum Smith can win – then we’ll see.

“[Golovkin] will guide his own career. And we’ll be there to support him.”

Gennadiy Golovkin looks like GGG of old, not old GGG

Gennadiy Golovkin stopped Kamil Szeremeta after seven rounds to retain his middleweight title Friday in Hollywood, Fla.

Gennadiy Golovkin demonstrated that he’s far from finished at 38.

Triple-G overwhelmed Kamil Szeremeta from the opening bell, putting the Pole down four times before the referee stopped the fight after the seventh round Friday at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fla.

The victory was described as the middleweight champ’s 21st successful title defense, which would break the record of Bernard Hopkins. However, five of his defenses came when he held only a secondary title that Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize.

Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) hadn’t fought since October of last year, when he struggled to outpoint Sergiy Derevyanchenko to win the vacant IBF title.

The so-so performance – which followed a draw and loss against Canelo Alvarez — raised questions about whether Golovkin had begun to decline. He looked as good as ever on Friday.

Golovkin began unleashing his signature punch – his hard, accurate jab – from the outset, which rocked Szeremeta (21-1, 5 KOs) and set up the power shots that gradually broke down the brave, durable but overmatched challenger.

Gennadiy Golovkin (right) was at his most ferocious against Kamil Szeremeta. Cliff Hawkins / Getty Images)

Szeremeta went down from a left hook in the final seconds of the first round. He hit the canvas again in the second, this time from an overhand right. A short left hook accounted for knockdown No. 3 in the fourth.

And, in the seventh, a jab put Szeremeta on his behind about a minute into round.

By then, Szeremeta had taken a significant beating and landed few punches himself as Golovkin – on top of the offensive onslaught – boxed well defensively. In other words, there was no point in letting the fight continue.

Referee Telis Assimenios made the official decision before the start of the eighth round. And no one in Szermeta’s corner complained.

“I told you I come back,” Golovkin said in English afterward.

Alvarez challenges super middleweight titleholder Callum Smith on Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio. If the Mexican star wins, a third fight with Golovkin would be one of his most obvious options.

Golovkin, who last fought Alvarez in September 2018, has grown tired of waiting for another shot at his rival but he made it clear he isn’t ruling anything out.

Golovkin celebrated a successful night. Cliff Hawkins / Getty Images

“I’m absolutely open to anybody,” he said. “The best option for me, the best for business, for DAZN, for people, for the fans … I’m ready.”

Eddie Hearn, Golovkin’s promoter, isn’t demanding a third Alvarez-Golovkin fight either but he too is open to it.

“Listen, Gennadiy is the boss,” Hearn said. “He’s earned the right to fight who he wants to fight. Of course, he had incredible two fights with Canelo Alvarez. If [a third] fight presents itself and he wins [on Saturday] – Callum Smith can win – then we’ll see.

“[Golovkin] will guide his own career. And we’ll be there to support him.”