Unified light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev outpointed a rugged Isaac Chilemba by unanimous decision Monday to keep his November superfight alive with Oakland’s Andre Ward.
Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs), known as “The Krusher,” sent Chilemba sprawling to the canvas in the seventh round off a solid one-two combination, but the challenger rose off the canvas and endured his opponent’s barrages through the final bell.
The fight took place before a partisan crowd in Ekaterinburg, Russia—a three-hour drive north of Kovalev’s hometown of Kopeysk. However, much to the spectators’ chagrin, the champion joined all 29 of Chilemba’s prior foes in their inability to knock him out.
The Malawi-born fighter’s movement didn’t exactly make him untouchable, but it was enough to fluster a power puncher like Kovalev. The Russian’s momentary lapses after grazing air occasionally resulted in him eating a sharp left hook from the challenger.
Unfortunately for Chilemba (24-4-2, 10 KOs), such moments were too intermittent for him to steal rounds, and despite a game effort, Kovalev was comfortably ahead on the cards after the 12th and last round.
The judges scored the bout 116-111, 117-110, and 118-109 for the champion.
Though this win would likely find itself on the cutting-room floor if Kovalev ever put together a Greatest Hits album, the Russian was content with the win.
“Isaac’s not a punching bag,” Kovalev told HBO’s Kieran Mulvaney after the decision was announced. “He was a [moving] target, but I got experience for my next fight.”
That subsequent scrap will be against a technically superior boxer in Ward (29-0, 15 KOs) if he can win a relative tune-up at Oracle Arena on Aug. 6 against Colombia’s Alexander Brand (25-1, 19 KOs). Not surprisingly, both Kovalev and HBO—who is slated to broadcast the November clash—will be present in the East Bay that night.
“Yeah, I think I will be at the show to watch,” Kovalev said.
CACHE CREEK: ‘TINO’ PITCHES SHUTOUT
A sellout crowd of 800 at Cache Creek Casino and Resort in Brooks (Yolo County) witnessed Fairfield’s Manuel “Tino” Avila run his record to 21-0, 8 KOs last Saturday after a dominant 10-round unanimous decision over Ghana’s Prosper Ankrah.
Scores were 100-87 across the board, as Avila annexed his second regional belt, the vacant IBA Americas featherweight title. Referee Dan Stell deducted three points over two separate incidents from Ankrah (24-8, 15 KOs) due to excessive holding.
The NorCal boxer picked his rival apart with veteran poise, but found stopping him within the distance to be an exercise in futility. After eating several piercing left hooks, the Ghanaian favored the right side of his face and buried it into his glove. By parrying Avila’s best punch and daring the North Bay stalwart to beat him with his right hand, Ankrah discovered an effective way to survive in a losing effort.
Now the question is if Avila, who recently reunited with original trainer Al LaGardo of Vacaville, can still make the junior featherweight limit of 122 pounds. If not, he would remain a full-fledged 126-pound featherweight, where young contenders like SoCal’s Joseph Diaz Jr. (20-0, 11 KOs) fight under the same Golden Boy promotional banner as Avila.
“If he wants to fight, I’m ready,” Avila said of Diaz, who’s rated No. 8 by the IBF and fights July 30 on HBO Latino against Victor Proa. “Let’s make it happen.”
On the undercard, Sacramento featherweight Alberto Torres (7-0-2, 3 KOs) had a harder time than expected with Redwood City’s Jesus Sandoval (5-10-3, 1 KO) but settled for a six-round majority decision victory. Vacaville light heavyweight Ryan Bourland (10-1, 4 KOs) got off the canvas to edge Mexico’s Gilberto Rubio (6-3, 4 KOs) by controversial split decision over six frames.
Promoters Don Chargin and Paco Damian plan to hold their next card at Cache Creek in an outdoor venue to accommodate demand.
SAN MATEO SHOCKER: PAGARA STOPPED IN 8
Filipino junior featherweight sensation Albert Pagara’s unbeaten streak disintegrated last Saturday when Mexican underdog Cesar Juarez knocked him out in eight rounds at the San Mateo Event Center.
ALA Promotions is an outfit from the Philippines building in-roads in California with a Filipino-American fan base that has staunchly supported Manny Pacquiao and San Leandro’s Nonito Donaire in previous years. Pagara (26-1, 18 KOs), a top 10-ranked 122-pounder in three of the four major organizations, appeared ready to take the next step toward stardom—especially with the bout televised globally on BeIN Sports.
With a sellout crowd of 2,000 on hand and several other fans turned away at the door for their latest “Pinoy Pride” card, getting a glimpse of the newest star from the Pacific was suddenly the hottest ticket on the Peninsula. However, despite scoring an early knockdown with a laser left hook, Pagara would have no answer for Juarez’s relentless pressure and body punching—traits evident when the Mexican went life and death in a surprisingly competitive loss to Donaire last year.
Though Pagara would attempt to keep Juarez at bay by moving out of harm’s way and counterpunching, the Mexican would not soften his approach, and the countless assaults had the Filipino grasping for air in the middle rounds.
Finally, in the eighth stanza, Juarez unleashed a four-punch combination that ended with a vicious right hand. On contact, Pagara was down, and eventually out, face-first on the canvas. Moments later, a stretcher would take him out of the ring and fears arose that the worst was yet to come. But hours later, his trainer Edito “Ala” Villamor relayed that he was thankfully standing on two feet and able to speak without issue in the hospital.
With the win, Juarez (18-5, 14 KOs) earned a WBO Inter-Continental belt and reinforced his label in boxing circles as someone who proves that quality—and not quantity—of wins is the true hallmark of a fighter’s ultimate world title prospects.
On the undercard, WBO No. 1 junior welterweight contender Jason Pagara (39-2, 24 KOs)—Albert’s brother—had a luckier night, as he knocked out Abraham Alvarez (21-10-1, 10 KOa) in three. Also, San Francisco’s Ricardo Pinell (14-2-1, 8 KOs) won his middleweight bout over Ricardo Yong (5-9-2, 4 KOs) by second-round stoppage.
RAMIREZ, VENCES HOLD SERVE IN LEMOORE
A third sellout (3,500) involving Northern California fighters last Saturday occurred at the Tachi Palace in Lemoore, where former Region 11 amateur stars Jose Ramirez of Avenal and Andy Vences of San Jose kept their records unblemished.
In the Top Rank-promoted and UniMás-televised main event, Ramirez (18-0, 13 KOs) successfully defended his WBC Continental Americas junior welterweight regional belt with a fourth-round knockout of Tomas Mendez (21-8, 14 KOs). Ramirez, a 2012 U.S. Olympian, put his opponent on the floor three times in the first round before an unanswered assault to the Dominican’s ribcage in the fourth prompted referee Jack Reiss to wave the bout off.
Meanwhile, Vences (16-0, 10 KOs) utilized a piston of a left jab to set up his power shots in a workmanlike eight-round unanimous nod over Mexico’s Moises Delgadillo (15-16, 8 KOs). While both fighters had their moments, the South Bay slugger’s right hand thudded with much more precision and impact as the encounter progressed.
Other undercard bouts of note: Lightweight Eric Altamirano (8-0, 6 KOs), a Concord native, dispatched Daniel Tran (4-5-1, 2 KOs) in six rounds. In his pro debut, highly decorated amateur Efren Lopez of Fresno knocked out Barry Dudley (0-3) in the first frame.
‘SACTOWN BLOODHOUND’ IN WORLD TITLE ELIMINATOR
Explosive featherweight Guy Robb (18-1, 8 KOs) of Sacramento will face Colombia’s Miguel Marriaga (23-0, 19 KOs) on Aug. 27 at the Churchill County Fairgrounds in Fallon, Nevada. The winner earns the No. 1 contender spot and mandatory title shot in the WBO 126-pound rankings. UniMás will broadcast the fight.
LOCAL POUND-FOR-POUND TOP 10*
1. Andre Ward, Oakland, light heavyweight (29-0, 15 KOs)
2. Nonito Donaire, San Leandro, junior featherweight (37-3, 24 KOs)
3. Robert Guerrero, Gilroy, welterweight (33-4-1, 18 KOs)
4. Ava Knight, Chico, female flyweight (14-2-4, 5 KOs)
5. Karim Mayfield, San Francisco, welterweight (19-3-1, 11 KOs)
6. Martha Salazar, San Francisco, female heavyweight (13-5, 3 KOs)
7. Alan Sanchez, Fairfield, welterweight (18-3-1, 9 KOs)
8. Manuel Avila, Fairfield, junior featherweight (21-0, 8 KOs)
9. Paul Mendez, Bakersfield, middleweight (19-2-2, 8 KOs)
10. Mike Dallas Jr., Bakersfield, welterweight (21-3-2, 10 KOs)
NEXT 5: Guy Robb, Jose Ramirez, Tony Hirsch, Andy Vences, Daniel Valdivia
*To be eligible, fighter must claim a hometown in USA Boxing’s Region 11 (Northern/Central California) and can’t be inactive for one year. Both total body of work and recent achievements are taken into account.
Ryan Maquiñana is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow him on Twitter @RMaq28.