BOURNEMOUTH, England – Ellis Zorro looked unlucky to lose a decision in a close and often unexciting fight with Aloys Junior.
They met for the WBC international cruiserweight title Saturday in chief support of the Ryan Garner-Reece Bellotti main event here at the BIC (Bournemouth International Centre), in a fight that failed to deliver the “execution” Aloys had promised. But Junior did manage to win by scores of 96-94 and two cards of 97-93.
Aloys, trained by Ben Davison, has a familiar and aggressive bob-and-weave style. He said this week it was early impressions of Mike Tyson that inspired him, and in the opening round Zorro’s body started to redden from where Aloys targeted it.
Aloys was clearly looking to get his bombs flying early.
Londoner Junior, who is 11-1 (9 KOs) and called “The Animal,” is still only 22 – and he defeated David Jamieson in Scotland just a couple of months ago. He stalked Zorro, who jabbed through the second and claimed Aloys when he closed the gap.
They jostled for superiority through the next, with neither able to take charge. The fourth was untidy, and both landed on the canvas in a heap with 30 seconds to go.
Losing interest in the fight, the crowd started singing Southampton soccer songs in anticipation of Garner’s ringwalk.
Zorro, who fights out of Lewisham, England, boxed a six-rounder in April, but that was on the back of nearly a year out following consecutive losses to Jai Opetaia and Cheavon Clarke. In the fifth, Zorro looked more comfortable about what was in front of him. That is not to say he was winning or losing, but he at least appeared less apprehensive.
His corner encouraged him to do more work, to target the body, and in Round 5 he cracked Aloys with a right hand coming out of a clinch – and then another just before the bell to end the round.
Former world title challenger Zorro, 17-3 (8 KOs), 10 years older at 32, was dramatically blitzed by IBF titleholder Opetaia in Saudi Arabia in December 2023, but going into the sixth he was well in the fight.
Aloys seemed hesitant to let his hands go, but with 10 seconds remaining in the session, he gave Zorro something to think about as he upped his work.
They were evenly matched, but the styles did not generate fireworks.
Zorro knew he couldn’t stay in front of Aloys, so he used the perimeter of the ring and jabbed. Aloys, who bled from the mouth and was marked beneath his right eye, was not deterred. He kept coming, but he was not busy. Other than occasional double jabs, he threw heavy single shots – but Zorro took them on the arms and gloves.
Aloys landed a right near the end of the 10th and final round, but it was too little too late to put a dent in Zorro.
Southpaw Carl Fail was impressive in scoring an eighth-round victory over fellow unbeaten Amir Abubaker, nicknamed “The Kurdish Knockout King.”
Junior middleweight Fail, 11-0 (4 KOs), fighting out of Coventry in the Midlands after two years out of the ring, looked promising.
Both let their hands go early in the fight. Abubaker seemed to possess the heavier artillery, but Fail timed his attacks and landed several left hands, and a left uppercut-straight left forced Abubaker to retreat.
Fail’s hand speed and combinations were proving tough to negotiate, and Abubaker was caught several times with his chin high in the second.
Both had their moments in the third. Fail sometimes stayed in the pocket too long after scoring, but he also made Abubaker look one-dimensional as he pivoted off his front foot and left Abubaker floundering.
Abubaker was cut by the right eye in the fourth, and Martin Bowers and the Peacock Gym team in Fail’s corner were clearly satisfied with how the fight was unfolding. Fail jabbed well through the fifth to take a more decisive measure of control.
Abubaker was unable to contain Fail’s movement and could not cut off the ring. Instead, he was speared with jabs and left hands, with his only joy coming when he caught Fail retreating in a straight line.
Fail looked more relaxed as the fight wore on, while Abubaker was reduced to more desperate measures. He was guilty of loading up and often missed his shots by a distance.
By the eighth, Abubaker, 9-1 (6 KOs), was flagging, and he unravelled from a left hand. His knees went soft, and Fail flew in behind both hands, landing some heavy blows as his opponent’s arms dropped. It was then, after 2 minutes, 40 seconds of the eighth, when the referee intervened and waved it off.
Highly thought of Hassan “Shooter” Ishaq brought huge support from Slough, England – including Hamzah Sheeraz and Adam Azim – to Bournemouth for his pro debut.
Junior featherweight Ishaq landed hard and early against Brandon Gallardo Vargas, forcing the Mexican to nod warily when he found himself on the end of a right hand.
Vargas couldn’t hit him, and there was a very promising look about Ishaq as he worked the body and head.
Vargas complained about being hit behind the head in the second, then was caught by a right hand on the bell at the end of the session.
Ishaq switched to southpaw in the third and raked Vargas with left hands before switching back and peppering him with rights until the referee stopped it.
Vargas had taken enough by 1 minute, 27 seconds of the session, and is now 3-8-1 (1 KO).
At junior bantamweight, Tony Curtis Jnr outscored Charles Tondo over six rounds to move to 11-1 (3 KOs).
Tondo, a southpaw from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, was made to miss plenty early and was steadied by an early right.
He stood between rounds while Curtis absorbed instructions from his coach, the great Roy Jones Jnr, in his corner.
Tondo beckoned Curtis to attack after the Englishman landed some rights early in the third, but Curtis only reluctantly accepted the invitations as the action slowed. Tondo, now 16-10-3 (7 KOs), couldn’t pin the ever-moving Curtis down long enough to let his hands go.
Tondo continued to play to the crowd and tried to antagonize Curtis, tapping his gloves together and even tapping his feet with his gloves, but it was largely scrappy and Curtis was unable to put a dent in his opponent – although he had done enough for referee Mark Bates to comfortably win by 59-55.
