A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:
Saturday at Las Vegas
Manny Pacquiao W12 Timothy Bradley Jr.
Welterweight
Scores: 116-110 (three times)
Records: Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs) Bradley Jr. (33-2-1, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Eleven months ago Pacquiao lost a clear decision to Floyd Mayweather in their massively hyped welterweight title unification fight that the world waited six years for. It generated about $600 million, breaking the boxing revenue record several times over, but the fight stank and then Pacquiao had surgery to repair a torn right rotator cuff that he said had been injured before the fight and used as an excuse for his poor performance. The bandwagon began emptying and then he did more damage to his image with his comments against gay rights earlier this year. And when he elected to face former two-division titleholder Bradley, 32, of Palm Springs, California, for the third time, few were all that interested because they had fought twice before, in 2012 and 2014, and not only was neither fight all that good but Pacquiao totally dominated both bouts, despite the all-time controversy of Bradley's split decision win in the first fight.
So to say there was a decided lack of buzz for the third meeting, which wasn't even for a world title, was an understatement, even though Pacquiao had declared it would be his final fight seven months after Mayweather won what was his supposed career finale.
But in the end it turned out to be the best fight of the trilogy and a superb performance by Pacquiao, who said again after the fight that he was retiring, although he left the door open at least a small crack. As for the fight (which HBO will replay Saturday at 10 p.m. ET/PT), Pacquiao, the 37-year-old Filipino legend who won world titles in a record eight weight classes, and Bradley got off to a slow start. But the action heated up in the fifth round as they produced an entertaining bout the rest of the way.
Pacquiao, a southpaw, was in control thanks to his still-outstanding left hand. He caught Bradley with a left and a right that forced Bradley to double over and touch his gloves to the canvas for a knockdown in the seventh round, although Bradley was not hurt. But he was hurt in the ninth round when Pacquiao landed a solid straight left hand that dropped him again. By that point of the fight, Pacquiao was in total control, although Bradley, with trainer Teddy Atlas doing everything he could between rounds to get him going, still fought as hard as he could. It was not enough, however, and Pacquiao got the well-deserved decision that the judges nailed as the crowd of 14,665 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena -- mostly Pacquiao fans -- cheered for their hero.
We may well see Pacquiao fight again, but if this is the end, it was a fitting one for the PacMan, whose historic run will never be forgotten. Now he is headed back to the Philippines to continue his charitable work and his campaign for a Senate seat there in the May elections.
Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez W12 Arthur Abraham
Wins a super middleweight title
Scores: 120-108 (three times)
Records: Ramirez (34-0, 24 KOs); Abraham (44-5, 29 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: As impressive as the poised Ramirez, 24, of Mexico, was in his first big fight, Abraham, 36, of Germany, was that abysmal. Abraham is a former middleweight titleholder and a two-time super middleweight titlist who was defending his belt for the sixth time in his second 168-pound reign. He's been one of the best in the division for years and has faced many top-notch opponents. And he was also excited about coming to fight for the fourth time in the United States and the first time in Las Vegas. But he laid a giant egg and fought absolutely horribly. It looked more like he was content to go 12 rounds and pick up a check than to actually fight and try to win.
The much taller Ramirez (6-foot-2½) boxed circles around the 5-9 Abraham and tagged him with a lot of shots. Meanwhile, all Abraham did round after round was cover up, follow him around and throw one halfhearted punch at a time. It was a shocking display of ineptitude. Abraham also seemed gassed by the middle of the fight. According to CompuBox punch statistics, Ramirez landed 144 of 532 punches (27 percent) and Abraham landed only 85 of 441 punches (19 percent).
Ramirez rocked Abraham a few times, raised swelling around his eyes and maintained control from start to finish as he accomplished his goal of becoming the first Mexican fighter to win a super middleweight world title and only the second to win a title above middleweight. The other was Julio Gonzalez, who won a light heavyweight title in 2003.
Although Abraham's future appears in doubt after a disastrous performance, Ramirez could be back as soon as July 23 to defend his belt on Terence Crawford's HBO PPV undercard, according to Top Rank promoter Bob Arum.
Oscar Valdez TKO4 Evgeny Gradovich
Featherweight
Records: Valdez (19-0, 17 KOs); Gradovich (21-2-1, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Valdez, 23, a two-time Mexican Olympian and one of boxing's top prospects, picked a great time to have his most impressive performance. He was on a big card and facing his most significant opponent in Gradovich, 29, of Russia, who had won two fights in a row (albeit in shaky fashion) since losing his featherweight world title to Lee Selby by eighth-round technical decision 11 months ago. But Valdez shined and stole the show on the undercard as he destroyed Gradovich. Valdez dominated from the outset, battering Gradovich with a lot of punches and marking up his face by the end of the first round. Things got no better for the former titleholder, who tried to apply pressure but could not deal with Valdez's speed or power. In the fourth round, Valdez absolutely crushed him with a clean left hook to the jaw, dropping him hard. Gradovich had no quit in him and beat the count, but he was in no condition to go on and referee Russell Mora waved it off at 2 minutes, 14 seconds. How good was Valdez at shutting down Gradovich? According to CompuBox punch statistics, Gradovich averaged seven landed punches and 55 thrown per round against Valdez after averaging 25 landed and 79 thrown per round in his previous five fights.
Jose Ramirez W10 Manny Perez
Junior welterweight
Scores: 99-91, 98-92, 97-93
Records: Ramirez (17-0, 12 KOs); Perez (25-12-1, 6 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Ramirez, 23, a 2012 U.S. Olympian from Avenal, California, is a very popular draw in his home region and many of those fans turned out in Las Vegas. Ramirez sold more than $100,000 in tickets for the fight, and his fans came away happy with Ramirez's dominant battering of Perez, 31, of Denver, who had a big heart and a good chin but not much else. Ramirez got in valuable rounds, going past the eighth round for the first time as he boxed in his first scheduled 10-round fight. Ramirez did not get the knockout he would have liked, but he did everything else. He unloaded a ton of punches on Perez with an assortment of shots from both hands, including a very good uppercut that often found a home. Perez, who once boxed to a draw with former lightweight titleholder Brandon Rios in 2008, got in a few decent shots, but Ramirez was never troubled and the judges might have been a bit generous by even giving Perez a couple of rounds.
Saturday at London
Anthony Joshua KO2 Charles Martin
Wins a heavyweight title
Records: Joshua (16-0, 16 KOs); Martin (23-1-1, 21 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: As soon as Joshua won the Olympic super heavyweight gold medal for Great Britain in 2012 in front of his home crowd in London, he was expected to become a professional star and win a world title. He was already a star coming into this fight at the sold-out O2 Arena, and now he has taken care of the second part by winning a world title in very impressive fashion, albeit against Martin, a totally unproven paper titleholder who looked like a deer in headlights.
After a somewhat cautious first round by both fighters, Joshua took Martin out in the second round. The 6-6, 245-pound chiseled Joshua scored two knockdowns. He nailed Martin, who deserves credit for his willingness to fight Joshua in his first defense on Joshua's turf, with a counter right hand on the chin and he went down. Martin, a St. Louis native based in Carson, California, slowly made it to his feet but a moment later was down again after Joshua landed another booming right hand on his chin. This time Martin was hurt even worse than he was on the first knockdown, and, although he once again got to his feet, it was not in time as referee Jean-Pierre Van Imschoot counted him out at 1 minute, 32 seconds. Joshua, so confident he would knock out Martin, barely celebrated. He spread his arms as if to tell the crowd, "I told you so." It was reminiscent of Mike Tyson's muted celebration after obliterating Michael Spinks.
Joshua is still raw and untested because Martin provided nothing. After Tyson Fury beat Wladimir Klitschko to become the recognized world champion in November, he was stripped of one of his belts for not fighting mandatory challenger Vyacheslav "Czar" Glazkov. Martin was next in line, which was a joke because his opposition had been absolutely pathetic. He had an easy road to a heavyweight world title shot and then claimed the vacant belt on Jan. 16, getting credit for a third-round knockout when Glazkov could not continue after blowing out his knee without getting hit. Less than three months later, the 6-5, 249-pound Martin lost it to Joshua, who is now in position for some absolutely huge potential fights against countrymen Fury and David Haye, a former titleholder, who was ringside.
Lee Selby W12 Eric Hunter
Retains a featherweight title
Scores: 116-110 (twice), 115-111
Records: Selby (23-1, 8 KOs); Hunter (21-4, 11 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Selby, 29, of Wales, retained his world title for the second time, but it sure wasn't easy. Hunter, 29, of Philadelphia, the mandatory challenger, gave him problems, including knocking him down in the second round with a left hook. It was the first time Selby has been down in his career, but he popped up immediately and was able to survive the final 30 seconds of the round. In the eighth round, referee Marcus McDonnell docked a point from Hunter for a very low blow. Although Hunter was competitive, Selby maintained control down the stretch and was rewarded with the decision.
"When I got put down, it was only a little flash knockdown. It was nothing," Selby said. "I have one of the best chins in the business. I wasn't even hurt one tiny bit. He was a big puncher, a good fighter, the No. 1 challenger, and he put on a good performance, but I was a little bit too good for him.
Jamie McDonnell TKO9 Fernando Vargas
Retains a bantamweight title
Scores: 116-110 (twice), 115-111
Records: McDonnell (28-2-1, 13 KOs); Vargas (29-10-3, 20 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: McDonnell, 30, of England, was supposed to make the fourth defense of his secondary title against Mexico's Juan Alberto Rosas (41-9, 28 KOs), a former junior bantamweight titlist, but Rosas dropped out a week before the fight after suffering a cut in one of his final sparring sessions. So Vargas, 27, also of Mexico, accepted the fight on short notice. Vargas was coming off his biggest win, an eight-round unanimous decision upset against former junior featherweight titlist Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. this past June, but McDonnell pummeled him until finally forcing him to take a knee after landing heavy shots in the ninth round. While referee Terry O'Connor was administering the count, Vargas' corner threw in the towel, and O'Connor stopped the fight at 2 minutes, 39 seconds.
McDonnell, who has been on a good run, wants to unify titles or move up in weight to challenge for a junior featherweight belt.
Matthew Macklin W12 Brian Rose
Middleweight
Scores: 115-111 (twice), 113-113
Records: Macklin (35-6, 22 KOs); Rose (28-4-1, 8 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Macklin, 33, has challenged for middleweight world titles three times but come up short, getting robbed in a split decision loss to Felix Sturm in Germany in 2011, getting knocked out in the 11th round by Sergio Martinez in 2012 and getting knocked out in the third round by Gennady Golovkin in the third round in 2014. When Macklin was stopped in the 10th round by Jorge Sebastian Heiland in 2014, he talked about retirement but elected to fight on. Since that defeat, Macklin has won four fights in a row after edging Birmingham, England, rival Rose, 31, who got knocked out in the seventh round of his only world title fight against then-junior middleweight titlist Demetrius Andrade in 2014.
It was a competitive fight that got a bit tighter on the scorecards when referee Steve Gray deducted a point from Macklin for repeated low blows in the 10th round. But Rose had a point docked for holding in the 12th round.
"I think I was the one that wanted it more," Macklin said. "I need to think now. I didn't win in the convincing fashion I thought I would, but I am not going to take any meaningless fights now. I will only take big ones. Let's sit tight and see what comes. I started OK, but I got sloppy. He was a lot tougher than I expected, and I wasted some energy going for the body."
George Groves KO4 David Brophy
Super middleweight
Records: Groves (23-3, 18 KOs); Brophy (16-1-1, 1 KO)
Rafael's remarks: Groves, 28, fighting in his hometown, had three super middleweight world title shots but got knocked out twice by Carl Froch and then lost a split decision to Badou Jack in September in Las Vegas. But he has now won two fights in a row since, including against Brophy in this dominating performance. In the fourth round, Groves nailed Brophy, 25, of Scotland, with a hard right hand to the solar plexus to knock him down, and referee Howard John Foster counted him out at 47 seconds.
Conor Benn TKO1 Ivailo Boyanov
Welterweight
Records: Benn (1-0, 1 KO); Boyanov (2-3-1, 0 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: England's Nigel Benn won world titles at middleweight and super middleweight and was a fierce warrior who became one of boxing's most popular fighters in his 1990s heyday. Conor, his 19-year-old son, made his pro debut against Bulgaria's Boyanov and got rid of him in 2 minutes, 7 seconds. With Nigel at ringside, they both came out firing and rumbled throughout the round until Conor Benn nailed Boyanov with a left and a right to the body that hurt him and followed with a left hand to the head, which rocked him again and caused referee Jeff Hinds to step in and stop the fight.
"This is something that will stay with me until the day I die. It is an unbelievable reception I got," Benn said. "I told you I am bringing the Team Benn vibes back, and here it is. There is much more to come. The crowd have welcomed me, and then it is me focusing on what I have got to do -- get in there and do the damage. If I can fight in front of a crowd like this and just embrace it and perform the way I did, then let's fight every month, as much as I can. I have to be three-times world champion, not two."
Saturday at Potsdam, Germany
Jack Culcay TKO9 Jean Carlos Prada
Retains an interim junior middleweight title
Records: Culcay (22-1, 11 KOs); Prada (31-2-1, 22 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Culcay, 30, of Germany, retained his interim belt for the second time in dominant fashion against Prada, a 31-year-old southpaw from Venezuela now based in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Culcay was the boss from the opening bell. He battered Prada, who was hurt by body shots. Fighting for the first time in 15 months, Prada retired on his stool after the ninth round, taking his second loss in his past three fights.
Friday at Moscow
Eduard Troyanovsky TKO7 Cesar Cuenca
Retains a junior welterweight title
Records: Troyanovsky (24-0, 21 KOs); Cuenca (48-2, 2 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In November, Troyanovsky, 35, of Russia, knocked out Cuenca, a 35-year-old southpaw from Argentina, in the sixth round to take his world title. Cuenca traveled back to Russia for the rematch, and he lasted one round longer but still got knocked out. Troyanovsky did a number on Cuenca. He gave him a bloody nose in the third round, knocked him down on a clean left uppercut in the fourth round and then again with a right uppercut in the sixth round. He continued to lay a beating on him until Cuenca's corner asked for the fight to be halted in the seventh round, prompting referee Malik Waleed to stop it at 2 minutes, 14 seconds. Troyanovsky was up big on all three scorecards when the fight was stopped, 60-52, 60-52 and 59-53.