Raymond Muratalla Bests Xolisani Ndongeni in Awkward Catchweight Bout
It’s about time that Raymond Muratalla gets acknowledged as a top lightweight contender – but Friday’s fight might not land in his career highlight reel.
Muratalla started slow but saw his patience pay off with a hard-fought unanimous decision over Xolisani Ndongeni in a 10-round 137-pound catchweight bout at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
The decision ended a four-fight knockout streak for Muratalla (20-0, 16 KOs), of Fontana, California. Judges scored it 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93 for the winner.
Punch stats told the story of the fight: Muratalla landed 194 of 578 punches thrown, compared to just 129 of 637 for Ndongeni (31-5, 18 KOs), of Mount Frere, South Africa.
Muratalla started out by sizing up Ndongeni, whose nickname “Nomeva the Wasp,” may be a reflection of his awkward style. Muratalla made the ring small, pressuring Ndongeni with clever pressure. Although Ndongeni threw often (and landed perhaps even more than expected), his lack of power kept him from changing the demeanor – or slowing the forward advance – of Muratalla.
Muratalla caught Ndongeni with a left hook to the body, slowing him down. Muratalla hurt Ndongeni again in the eighth and stunned his opponent in the 10th, though Ndongeni stayed upright throughout.
Ndongeni entered having lost two in a row (and was stopped in his last fight, at junior welterweight, by Arnold Barboza Jr.), but he proved he is still a contender.
Muratalla – currently ranked No. 2 by the WBC, No. 5 by the WBO and No. 7 by the IBF at lightweight – may not have impressed but should maintain his status near the top of his division.
Lindolfo Delgado Leaves Carlos Sanchez Face-Down on Canvas in KO7
Junior lightweight Lindolfo Delgado scored a spectacular knockout of Carlos Sanchez in the seventh round of a scheduled 10-round fight.
Although the ending of the fight was explosive, the lead-up was mostly tactical – which has become a theme in Delgado’s career. Delgado (20-0, 15 KOs), of Linares, Mexico, seems to draw spiritual inspiration from Juan Manuel Marquez, typically throwing punches with precision, not at volume.
Sanchez (25-3, 19 KOs), of Tijuana, Mexico, outworked Delgado – a 2016 Mexican Olympian now trained by Robert Garcia – for many of the early rounds. Ironically, that may have been what set up Delgado to drop Sanchez at the end of the fifth round, with a well-placed right-hand timed to Sanchez’s jab.
Delgado’s power quickly began breaking down Sanchez. The final blow came in the seventh round, on a short right hand from Delgado that planted Sanchez face-first on the canvas.
When Sanchez was unable to get up, the fight was called at 48 seconds in Round 7.
All-Angles Richard Torrez Jr. Finishes Don Haynesworth in First
Heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr. knocked out Don Haynesworth in the first round of their scheduled eight-round fight.
Torrez (9-0, 9 KOs), of Tulare, California, was as explosive as ever. He outclassed Haynesworth (18-9-1, 16 KOs), of Greensboro, N.C, using brilliant angles rarely seen from a heavyweight boxer.
A straight left from Torrez, in a southpaw stance, rocked Haynesworth near the end of the round, sending him falling into the ropes. Just a few punches later, referee Raul Caiz Jr., having seen enough, stopped the fight. The time of the stoppage was 2:19.
Torrez, a 2020 Olympic super heavyweight silver medalist for the United States, has started his career with nine straight knockout wins.
Sergio Rodriguez Pushes Forward for Gift Decision Over Sanny Duversonne
Sanny Duversonne silenced the Glendale crowd – until the scorecards were read.
Duversonne used his jab and lateral movement to frustrate Sergio Rodriguez, of nearby Phoenix, for much of their six-round middleweight fight, but it was Rodriguez who was awarded the awkward victory.
Judges scored the bout 60-54, 59-55 and 59-55 for Rodriguez.
The win notwithstanding, it was a tough night for the local ticket seller. Rodriguez (11-0-1, 8 KOs), who spent much of the fight seeking to land a big shot, saw his power punching snuffed by Duversonne (12-7-2, 9 KOs), of Sarasota, Florida.
Duversonne accumulated points round after round, while Rodriguez struggled to land a sustained attack. But Rodriguez consistently pushed forward, which the judges seemed to value above all else.
After nearly a full bout of inaction, the fight strangely turned into a slugfest in the last 10 seconds – but with no effect on the final outcome.
Emiliano Vargas Overwhelms Nelson Hampton in Wide Decision
Lightweight Emiliano Vargas won a six-round unanimous decision over Nelson Hampton in a masterful performance.
Vargas (9-0, 7 KOs), of Las Vegas, showed his youthful gifts in overwhelming Hampton (10-9, 6 KOs), of McAllen, Texas – a tough veteran who was unwilling to be stopped.
The judges scored the bout 60-54 for Vargas on all three cards.
The 19-year-old Vargas – youngest of former world champion Fernando Vargas’ three sons – showed his impressive physical gifts and increasing maturity that comes from ring experience.The elder Vargas’ other two fighting sons are Fernando Vargas Jr., 27, and Amado Vargas, 23.
Power-Packed Alan Garcia Wipes Out Gonzalo Fuenzalida
Lightweight Alan Garcia earned a technical knockout over Gonzalo Fuenzalida in the second round of a scheduled eight-round fight.
Garcia (12-0, 10 KOs), of Ulysses, Kansas, dropped Fuenzalida (12-4, 3 KOs) in the second round with an overhand right and right hook to the body. Fuenzalida, of Santiago, Chile, was unable to get to his feet.
The time of stoppage was 1:56.
Garcia is trained by Gloria Alvarado, the Boxing Writers Association of America 2023 Female Trainer of the Year. Alvarado also coaches Yokasta Valle, who would later fight for the undisputed women’s minimumweight title in the co-feature.
Art Barrera Jr. Makes Statement With KO of Keven Soto
Junior welterweight Art Barrera Jr. authored an impressive second-round stoppage of Keven Soto in a scheduled six-rounder.
With trainer Robert Garcia in his corner, Barrera (4-0, 4 KOs), of Linwood, California, used his hand speed and quick combinations to set traps for Soto (5-2, 3 KOs), of Dallas. That led to Barrera landing a one-punch left-hook knockout, which led to Soto’s head bouncing off the canvas.
The fight was waved off as soon as Soto was dropped, with the time of stoppage coming at 2:17.
Barrera has now started his career with four straight knockouts.
Ricardo Ruvalcaba Hammers Avner Hernandez Molina
In the opening bout, junior welterweight Ricardo Ruvalcaba stopped Avner Hernandez Molina in the fifth round of a scheduled six-round contest.
The bout was hard-fought, but the power, size and body-shot assault of Ruvalcaba dictated the outcome. By the end of the fourth round, Ruvalcaba (12-0-1, 10 KOs) of Ventura, California, had sufficiently worn down Mexico City’s Molina (4-4).
In the fifth, Ruvalcaba landed a left hook on the hip that caused Molina to grab his quad. Ruvalcaba threw a few more punches before Molina turned his back, causing referee Chris Flores to stop the fight. The time of the stoppage was 1:44.
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