The Pastime Boxing Association

[G-Force]

JUNE 2010 TITLE FIGHTS

Heavyweight (Mandatory rematch)
CHAMP Vitali Klitschko (20-1-1, 16 KO) vs #3 John L Sullivan (21-5, 19 KO)

The Sullivan/Klitschko rivalry continues here as Sullivan gets his mandatory rematch for the title he lost by unanimous decision in December. But their history goes back further than that. Sullivan lost to Klitschko in the semifinal of the championship tournament to determine the PBA's initial champion when Sullivan was disqualified in the 11th round of a 12-round affair. He was leading on two cards and even on the third at the time of the DQ. Sullivan would get a title shot later against eventual champion Jack Dempsey and win the belt, only to lose to Klitschko via a close but unanimous decision.

Here, Klitschko comes storming out and blast Sullivan early and often in a dominating round 1 that seems close to being stopped. But Sullivan hangs on and goes on to hammer Klitschko with everything but the kitchen sink over the next several rounds. In the sixth, Klitschko starts to find his range again but he's merely giving what he's getting as he has no answer to stop Sullivan's attack. Klitschko's right eye has been swelling since the third and Sullivan is taking full advantage. In the ninth, the champ is essentially leading with his face and Sullivan is greeting him rudely and repeatedly when the bout is stopped as Sullivan regains the heavyweight title by TKO in round 9.

Cruiserweight
CHAMP Wayne Braithwaite (15-1, 14 KO) vs #3 Guillermo Jones (11-3, 8 KO)

Less than two months after winning the title with a 4th round TKO of David Haye, Braithwaite defends against Jones, who has won five straight by knockout within six rounds. And now Braithwaite will have to try and regain the title, after Jones annihilates him, knocking him down twice in the first, pummeling him in the second and continuing the assault into the third before the referee jumps in to stop the fight. Jones is the new PBA cruiserweight champion!

Light Heavyweight
CHAMP Philadelphia Jack O'Brien (21-1, 10 KO) vs #2 Jack Dillon (12-3, 4 KO)

Six months after being stopped in the 10th round in a title shot, Dillon gets a rematch. A back and forth battle seems to see Dillon get the better of it by a hair, as there are at least four rounds he wins decisively and only two no-doubters for O'Brien, including the 15th. So when it goes to the cards, it's a matter of how much advantage is given to the defending champion. The cards read 143-143 and a pair of 144-142 scorings, both for the winner and NEW PBA Light-Heavyweight champion, Jack Dillon!

Jr. Bantamweight
CHAMP Luis Alberto Perez (18-1, 18 KO) vs #1 Jose Carita Lopez (14-2, 13 KO)

Perez makes his mandatory #1 defense in the last possible month a year after winning the title. And he does so impressively, dominating Lopez for four rounds before knocking him down in the fifth and hammering him until the ref jumps in to halt the fight in the sixth for the TKO win and his third successful title defense.

Flyweight
CHAMP Omar Narvaez (16-2, 11 KO) vs #12 Habible Straichaipani (8-6, 2 KO)

In his fourth defense, Narvaez takes on the lightly regarded Straichaipani but appears to have not taken the fight as seriously as he should have. The fight is never in doubt, but Narvaez is taken the distance, earning a lackluster unanimous decision 146-138, 145-141, 144-140.

[G-Force]

PBA RANKINGS AS OF JULY 1, 2010

Heavyweight

Champion: John L. Sullivan (22-5, 20 KO)

1. Jack Dempsey (17-2, 16 KO)
2. Jack Johnson (16-2-1, 15 KO)
   
3. Vitali Klitschko (20-2-1, 16 KO) FORMER CHAMP
   
4. James Jefferies (9-2-1, 7 KO)
   
5. Shannon Briggs (10-3, 9 KO)
6. Serguei Lyakhovich (13-5, 7 KO) -1
7. Chris Byrd (10-2-1, 2 KO) +1
8. Ruslan Chagaev (14-4, 10 KO) NEW
   
9. Samuel Peter (19-5, 17 KO) -3
   
10. Sultan Ibragimov (11-4, 9 KO)
    

Dropped out: James J Corbett

Cruiserweight

Champion: Guillermo Jones (12-3, 9 KO)

1. David Haye (16-3, 10 KO) FORMER CHAMP
2. Kelvin Davis (17-4, 14 KO) +1
3. Wayne Braithwaite (15-2, 14 KO) -2 (FORMER CHAMP)
   
4. O’Neil Bell (10-3, 8 KO) +1
5. Juan Ramon Acevedo (13-5-1, 3 KO) -1
   
6. Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (15-3-1, 11 KO)
   
7. Giacobbe Fragomeni (16-6, 7 KO)
   
8. Valery Brudov (12-5, 11 KO)
   
9. Steve Cunningham (17-3, 8 KO)
10. Victor Emilio Ramirez (9-6, 7 KO)

Dropped out: None


Light Heavyweight

Champion: Jack Dillon (13-3, 4 KO)

1. Philadelphia Jack O’Brien (21-2, 10 KO) FORMER CHAMP
2. Zsolt Erdei (18-5, 11 KO) +1
3. Tomasz Adamek (16-4, 13 KO) +1
4. Antonio Tarver (12-2, 11 KO) -3
   
5. Chad Dawson (19-4, 12 KO)
6. Georges Carpentier (13-4, 9 KO)
   
7. Jack Root (8-4-1, 4 KO) +3
8. Danny Green (11-4-1, 9 KO) NEW
   
9. Mehdi Sahnoune (13-6, 12 KO)
10. Adrian Diaconu (12-3-1, 9 KO) NEW
    

Dropped out: Gabriel Campillo, Hugo Garay

Middleweight

Champion: Billy Papke (24-0-1, 17 KO)

1. Nonpareil Jack Dempsey (19-3, 15 KO) +2
2. Stanley Ketchel (11-1, 8 KO) +2
   
3. Guillermo Carriles (18-6-1, 12 KO) -2
   
4. Frank Klaus (17-4, 6 KO) -2
   
5. Jermain Taylor (10-1, 3 KO)
   
6. Mike O'Dowd (12-4-1, 3 KO) NEW
   
7. Bob Fitzsimmons (15-5, 13 KO) -1
   
8. Antonn Miklosko (15-3-1, 11 KO) -1
9. Charles McCoy (11-4-2, 11 KO) +1
   
10. Arthur Abraham (12-4, 10 KO)
    

Dropped out: Kelly Pavlik

Jr. Middleweight

Champion: Winky Wright (18-0, 13 KO)

1. Sergio Martinez (18-3, 9 KO)
2. Sergio Mora (9-1-1, 2 KO)
   
3. Joachim Alcine (10-3, 10 KO)
   
4. Travis Simms (11-4, 11 KO) +1
5. Santiago Samaniego (14-6, 14 KO) +2
   
6. Verno Phillips (13-4-2, 6 KO) -2
   
7. Alejandro Garcia (15-3, 14 KO) +1
8. Roman Karmazin (13-3, 12 KO) -2
   
9. Kassim Ouma (15-1-1, 13 KO)
   
10. Peter Bacon (8-11-2, 3 KO) NEW
    

Dropped out: Gilberto Baez

Welterweight

Champion: Tommy Ryan (16-1-2, 14 KO)

1. Vernon Forrest (19-3-1, 12 KO)
   
2. Antonio Margarito (13-2-1, 12 KO)
3. Joshua Clottey (10-1-1, 2 KO)
   
4. Paul Williams (14-2-1, 8 KO) +2
5. Keddy Burke (18-3, 17 KO) +2
6. Cory Spinks (12-2, 1 KO) -1
7. Tom McCormick (12-2-1, 5 KO) +3
8. Ted Kid Lewis (12-3, 4 KO) NEW
9. Dixie Kid (10-3-1, 3 KO)
   
10. Rube Ferns (8-2, 6 KO) NEW
    

Dropped out: Andre Berto, Michele Piccirillo

Jr. Welterweight

Champion: Junior Witter (15-3-2, 11 KO)

1. Juan Urango (19-4, 17 KO) +4
2. Ricky Hatton (16-4, 14 KO) -1
3. DeMarcus Corley (14-2-1, 8 KO) +1
4. Miguel Cotto (12-4-1, 9 KO) +2
5. Randall Bailey (10-3-2, 10 KO) +2
6. Vivian Harris (12-5-1, 10 KO) +4
7. Zab Judah (11-3, 9 KO) -4
8. Carlos Maussa (13-3, 10 KO) +2
9. Marcos Maidana (12-2, 10 KO) NEW
   
10. Ricardo Torres (14-3, 13 KO) -8
    

Dropped out: Kendall Holt

Lightweight

Champion: Benny Leonard (18-1, 10 KO)

1. Joe Gans (15-2, 7 KO) +1
2. Jose Luis Castillo (17-2-1, 16 KO) +2
3. Battling Nelson (10-3-1, 6 KO) -2
   
4. Paulus Moses (18-4-2, 16 KO) -1
   
5. Jose Alfaro (14-6-2, 10 KO) +2
6. David Diaz (16-4-1, 11 KO) +4
   
7. Raul Balbi (13-4, 10 KO) -2
8. Pedro Lanusse (14-11, 8 KO) +2
9. Nate Campbell (8-2, 5 KO) NEW
10. Juan Diaz (14-4-1, 4 KO) -1

Dropped out: Jack McAuliffe

Jr. Lightweight

Champion: Edwin Valero (14-2, 13 KO)

1. Joel Casamayor (15-2-1, 10 KO) +1
2. Yodsanan Nanthachai (15-3, 12 KO) +2
   
3. Vicente Mosquera (14-5-2, 4 KO) -2
   
4. Roman Martinez (12-1-1, 8 KO) +1
5. Jorge Barrios (14-6-1, 12 KO)
6. Robbie Peden (10-2-1, 5 KO) +1
7. Cassius Baloyi (18-3-1, 14 KO) +1
8. Gairy St. Clair (7-2-1, 4 KO)
   
9. Alex Arthur (11-7, 8 KO) -3
   
10. Steve Forbes (13-4-1, 1 KO) NEW

Dropped out: None

Featherweight

Champion: Chris John (12-1-2, 7 KO)

1. Abe Attell (14-2, 4 KO) +3
2. Juan Manuel Marquez (18-4-1, 13 KO) -1
3. Young Corbett II (19-5, 11 KO) +2
4. Frank Erne (18-4, 12 KO) -4
5. Humberto Soto (14-3, 9 KO) +1
6. Steven Luevano (15-2-1, 7 KO) NEW
7. Young Griffo (10-1, 2 KO)
   
8. Manuel Medina (16-5-1, 4 KO) -6
9. Ike Weir (18-7-2, 15 KO) +1
10. Yuriorkis Gamboa (10-3, 7 KO)
    

Dropped out: Frankie Toledo, George Dixon

Jr. Featherweight

Champion: Bones Adams (20-4, 13 KO)

1. Celestino Caballero (17-2, 16 KO)
2. Oscar Larios (15-0, 14 KO)
3. Ricardo Cordoba (16-3, 11 KO)
   
4. Mahyar Monshipour (11-3, 8 KO)
5. Israel Vazquez (13-2-1, 11 KO) +2
6. Somsak Sithchatchawal (15-1, 11 KO) +2
7. Toshiaki Nishioka (17-6, 12 KO)
   
8. Daniel Ponce-DeLeon (11-2, 11 KO) -3
9. Bernard Dunne (14-3, 10 KO)
10. Yober Ortega (18-5, 17 KO)

Dropped out: None

Bantamweight

Champion: Jimmy Barry (22-1, 13 KO)

1. Terry McGovern (14-3, 13 KO) +1
2. Pete Herman (12-2, 3 KO) +1
3. Cruz Carbajal (18-6, 12 KO) -2
   
4. Paulie Ayala (17-1-1, 2 KO) +2
5. Harry Harris (12-2, 1 KO) +1
   
6. Hozumi Hasegawa (11-1-1, 3 KO)
   
7. Monte Attell (15-4, 7 KO) +1
8. Harry Forbes (12-3-1, 4 KO)
   
9. Kid Williams (10-3, 3 KO) +1
   
10. Wladimir Sidorenko (16-4, 2 KO) -2
    

Dropped out: None

Jr. Bantamweight

Champion: Luis Alberto Perez (19-1, 19 KO)

1. Martin Castillo (18-2, 14 KO) +1
2. Nobuo Nashiro (14-4, 13 KO)+3
3. Celes Kobaysashi (17-2, 13 KO) +1
4. Katsuhige Kawashima (7-2-1, 5 KO) NEW
   
5. Masanori Tokuyama (11-1, 4 KO) +2
   
6. Jose Carita Lopez (14-3, 13 KO) -5
   
7. Ivan Hernandez (16-4, 12 KO) +1
8. Pedro Alcazar (15-6-1, 15 KO) -2
   
9. Dimitri Kirilov (11-3, 1 KO) -6
   
10. Danpetch Chojaitrong (10-5-4, 2 KO)

Dropped out: Cristian Mijares

Flyweight

Champion: Omar Narvaez (17-2, 11 KO)

1. Malcolm Tunacao (11-0, 10 KO)
2. Eric Morel (14-3-1, 10 KO)
3. Vic Darchinyan (11-2, 9 KO)
   
4. Pongsaklek Wongjongkam (14-2, 8 KO)
   
5. Percy Jones (13-4, 8 KO)
   
6. Lorenzo Parra (13-4, 13 KO)
7. Daisuke Naito (7-6-1, 7 KO) +1
8. Justin Simon (7-3, 5 KO) +1
9. Jimmy Wilde (14-1-1, 13 KO) +1
10. Joe Symonds (9-6-1, 5 KO) NEW
    

Dropped out: Nonito Donaire

Jr. Flyweight

Champion: Koki Kameda (12-2, 11 KO)

1. Beibis Mendoza (20-2, 18 KO) +1
2. Ulises Solis (25-2, 20 KO) FORMER CHAMP
   
3. Masibulele Makepula (15-3, 13 KO) -1
   
4. Nelson Dieppa (20-6, 14 KO) -1
   
5. Hugo Fidel Cazares (10-3, 9 KO) -1
   
6. Brian Viloria (9-2, 8 KO) -1
   
7. Edgar Sosa (14-5, 5 KO) -1
   
8. Ivan Calderon (11-5, 1 KO)
   
9. Rosendo Alvarez (8-4, 7 KO)
   
10. Brahim Asloum (17-5, 13 KO) NEW
    

Dropped out: Roberto Vasquez

Strawweight

Champion: Songkram Porpaoin (15-2, 3 KO)

1. Oleydong Sithsamerchai (16-2, 12 KO) FORMER CHAMP
   
2. Miguel Barrera (11-2, 9 KO)
3. Jorge Mata (12-3, 5 KO) +3
4. Donnie Nietes (13-3-1, 5 KO) +1
5. Yutaka Niida (19-4, 8 KO)
6. Roman Gonzalez (16-4-1, 12 KO) +1
   
7. Muhammad Rachman (12-3-1, 4 KO) +4
8. Eagle Den Janlaphan (15-1-1, 8 KO) NEW
9. Ng Lok (13-17-1, 3 KO) +1
10. Eduardo Marquez (10-3, 6 KO) -1
    

Dropped out: Isaac Bustos

[G-Force]

PBA CHAMPIONS - MANDATORY DEFENSES

PBA guidelines require a champion to defend against a #1 contender once every 12 months. New champions must also grant a rematch to the former champion regardless of ranking within 12 months of winning the title. Defending against a former champion who is also the #1 contender WILL satisfy both requirements.

Below is the list of PBA champions as of July 1, 2010, and the timelines for their required mandatory defenses, if applicable.

Heavyweight
Champion: John L Sullivan
Date won: 6/29/10 from Vitali Klitschko
Mandatory defenses: Klitschko and #1 by 6/29/11

Cruiserweight
Champion: Guillermo Jones
Date won: 6/24/10 from Wayne Braithwaite
Mandatory defenses: #1 and rematch with Braithwaite OR David Haye by 4/20/11

Note: Braithwaite lost his title to Jones before giving Haye his mandatory rematch. So Jones can fight either and satisfy his requirement.

Light-Heavyweight
Champion: Jack Dillon
Date won: 6/20/10 from Jack O’Brien
Mandatory defenses: #1 and rematch with O’Brien by 6/20/11

Middleweight
Champion: Billy Papke
Date won: 2/25/09 in tournament final
Mandatory defenses: #1 by 4/25/11

Jr. Middleweight
Champion: Winky Wright
Date won: 5/6/09 in tournament final
Mandatory defenses: #1 by 5/25/11

Welterweight
Champion: Tommy Ryan
Date won: 3/15/10 from Vernon Forrest
Mandatory defenses: #1 and Vernon Forrest rematch by 3/15/11

Jr. Welterweight
Champion: Junior Witter
Date won: 8/5/09 from Ricky Hatton
Mandatory defenses: #1 and Ricky Hatton rematch by 8/5/10

Lightweight
Champion: Benny Leonard
Date won: 2/23/09 in tournament final
Mandatory defenses: #1 by 4/12/11

Jr. Lightweight
Champion: Edwin Valero
Date won: 11/20/09 from Joel Casamayor
Mandatory defenses: #1 and Casamayor rematch by 11/20/10

Featherweight
Champion: Chris John
Date won: 3/24/10 from Juan Manuel Marquez
Mandatory defenses: #1 and Marquez OR Young Corbett II by 4/24/11
Note: Marquez lost title to John before giving Corbett his mandatory rematch. So John can fight either and satisfy his requirement.

Jr. Featherweight
Champion: Clarence "Bones" Adams
Date won: 8/31/09 from Celestino Caballero
Mandatory defenses: #1 by 2/15/11
Note: Adams defeated Caballero, who was the #1 seed, in his title rematch on 2/15/10, thereby fulfilling both requirements.

Bantamweight
Champion: Jimmy Barry
Date won: 6/21/09 in tournament final
Mandatory defenses: #1 by 1/9/11

Jr. Bantamweight
Champion: Luis Alberto Perez
Date won: 6/21/09 in tournament final
Mandatory defenses: #1 by 6/22/11

Flyweight
Champion: Omar Narvaez
Date won: 5/23/09 in tournament final
Mandatory defenses: #1 by 2/15/11

Jr. Flyweight
Champion: Koki Kameda
Date won: 5/29/10 from Ulises Solis
Mandatory defenses: #1 and mandatory rematch with Solis by 5/29/11

Strawweight
Champion: Songkram Porpaoin
Date won: 4/15/10 from Oleydong Sithsarnerchai
Mandatory defenses: #1 and rematch with Sithsarnerchai by 4/15/11

[Hanson Bros]

good stuff

[G-Force]

July 2010

Top 10 Matchups

Jr. Lightweight
#1 Joel Casamayor (15-2-1, 10 KO) vs #10 Steve Forbes (13-4-1, 1 KO

Featherweight
#8 Manuel Medina (16-5-1, 4 KO) vs #4 Frank Erne (18-4, 12 KO)

Featherweight
#9 Ike Weir (18-7-2, 15 KO) vs #1 Abe Attell (14-2, 4 KO)

Jr. Featherweight
#6 Somsak Sithchatchawal (15-1, 11 KO) vs #2 Oscar Larios (15-0, 14 KO)

Bantamweight
#3 Cruz Carbajal (18-6, 12 KO) vs #6 Hozumi Hasegawa (11-1-1, 3 KO)

Jr. Flyweight
#4 Nelson Dieppa (20-6, 14 KO) vs #10 Brahim Asloum (17-5, 13 KO)

TITLE FIGHTS

Jr. Middleweight
CHAMP Ronald "Winky" Wright (18-0, 13 KO), vs #9 Kassim Ouma (15-1-1, 13 KO)

Welterweight
CHAMP Tommy Ryan (16-1-2, 14 KO) vs #4 Paul Williams (14-2-1, 8 KO)

Jr. Welterweight
Mandatory rematch
CHAMP Junior Witter (15-3-2, 11 KO) vs #2 Ricky Hatton (16-4, 14 KO)

[G-Force]

July 2010 RECAPS

Top 10 Matchups

Jr. Lightweight
#1 Joel Casamayor (15-2-1, 10 KO) vs #10 Steve Forbes (13-4-1, 1 KO)

A close, competitive fight is left to the judges, where the result goes as expected. Several too-close-to-call rounds that could have gone either way, but not enough of them go Forbes' way to counteract the five rounds Casamayor won clearly. At the end of the day, it's unanimous: 96-95, 96-95, 98-93 for Casamayor, who stays busy while awaiting his mandatory rematch with Edwin Valero for the title.

Featherweight
#8 Manuel Medina (16-5-1, 4 KO) vs #4 Frank Erne (18-4, 12 KO)

This is a rematch from a January bout that saw Medina win via DQ after Erne, fed up with Medina's roughhouse tactics, headlocks him and wails away at the back of his head, costing him a fight he led 67-65 on all three cards at the time of the stoppage. This one goes the distance, and Medina is warned once and cautioned twice in addition to Erne suffering a pair of "accidental" butts. But Erne keeps his composure well enough to get the distance, where his early control of the bout and fourth-round knockdown lift him to a majority decision: 97-93, 97-93, 95-95.

Featherweight
#9 Ike Weir (18-7-2, 15 KO) vs #1 Abe Attell (14-2, 4 KO)

In a division where the title has been a hot potato, Abe Attell just keeps waiting for his shot. More performances like this and nobody will fight him unless forced. Weir makes it the distance, but Attell pitches a virtual shutout including a sixth-round knockdown for his 10th straight win in a unanimous decision victory: 100-89, 100-90, 98-91.

Featherweight
#2 Juan Manuel Marquez (18-4-1, 13 KO) vs #3 Young Corbett II (19-5, 11 KO)

This marks an absurd sixth fight between these two: two early in their careers, once in the PBA championship tournament semifinal, once when Corbett beat Marquez for the title and once when Marquez won the rematch. The PBA office ruled that this matchup would determine who new champ Chris John would owe a defense to, since Marquez lost to John before Corbett got his rematch. The office also said it would no longer sanction another bout between the two unless it was a title fight. Marquez had only lost one of the prior bouts, the first title fight. And he wins this one in convincing fashion, dropping Corbett three times, taking the fight over after a hotly contested first three rounds. Corbett, for now, is out of the title picture, and Marquez is set for his rematch after a unanimous decision win, 98-89 on all three cards.

Jr. Featherweight
#6 Somsak Sithchatchawal (15-1, 11 KO) vs #2 Oscar Larios (15-0, 14 KO)

Larios enters undefeated but criticized for building that record against nobodies, holding no wins against a Top 10 fighter. He shows what he thinks of that here against a tough customer in Sithchatchawal, whose only loss was to Celestino Caballero - a first round knockout in the PBA championship tournament final. Larios doesn't polish him off that quickly, but after a furious third round, Larios puts him down in the fourth and is strafing him about the ring when the ref jumps in to call a halt. Larios called out champion Clarence "Bones" Adams after the bout, so we'll see what happens.

Bantamweight
#3 Cruz Carbajal (18-6, 12 KO) vs #6 Hozumi Hasegawa (11-1-1, 3 KO)

Carbajal doesn't do much in the first few rounds but does enough from there on, punctuating his effort with a 10th round knockdown for a unanimous decision and a much-needed victory after dropping two of his last three - a title shot against Jimmy Barry and a unanimous decision to Pete Herman. Here, the cards read: 98-91, 97-92, 95-94.

Jr. Flyweight
#4 Nelson Dieppa (20-6, 14 KO) vs #10 Brahim Asloum (17-5, 13 KO)

Asloum beat Dieppa in the third professional fight of his career (Dieppa's seventh). They meet here with more experience and a potential title shot on the line. After a terrific and even first four rounds, Dieppa simply doesn't do enough for the next three and when he wakes back up in the 8th, Asloum won't allow him to make up ground. The end result is a unanimous decision victory for Asloum, 98-94, 97-95, 97-94.

[G-Force]

JULY 2010 TITLE FIGHTS

Jr. Middleweight
CHAMP Ronald "Winky" Wright (18-0, 13 KO), vs #9 Kassim Ouma (15-1-1, 13 KO)

Wright decisioned Ouma in the initial Jr. Middleweight tournament semifinal, so these two know each other. Here, Wright further stakes his claim as the best pound for pound fighter in the PBA, dominating Ouma before an 11th round knockout. Wright led 98-93 on all three cards at the time of the stoppage in his fifth successful title defense.

Welterweight
CHAMP Tommy Ryan (16-1-2, 14 KO) vs #4 Paul Williams (14-2-1, 8 KO)

Ryan was knocked out by Williams in the 10th round of their Welterweight tournament semifinal, so taking him on in his first title defense showed a courage that could be appreciated. And there was plenty of courage in this bout, as both men took a ton of punishment but neither would go down. But Ryan's right eye started to well badly in the fourth and eventually would be almost completely shut. Williams eviscerated him in the 8th and it was likely only champion's courtesy that kept the fight from being stopped. But when the blows rained down again in the 9th and Ryan had spent the better part of 5 minutes being pummeled with little response, ref Kevin Champion jumps in to halt the bout and crown Williams the NEW PBA Welterweight champion via TKO!

Jr. Welterweight
Mandatory rematch
CHAMP Junior Witter (15-3-2, 11 KO) vs #2 Ricky Hatton (16-4, 14 KO)

With Juan Urango having just beaten Hatton by unanimous decision, Witter faces the former champion coming off a loss for his mandatory rematch 11 months after winning the strap from Hatton. Witter was content to be a champion who didn't fight, and mocking critics might say he didn't fight here either as Hatton drops him twice in the third and again in the ninth before pummeling him after rising until the bout is stopped with Ricky Hatton regaining the PBA Jr. Welterweight crown in convincing fashion. While a third bout is a certainty sometime within the next year, Urango was in attendance and was quick to declare he wants to beat Hatton again, this time for the title.

[G-Force]

August 2010

Top 10 Matchups


Middleweight
#2 Stanley Ketchel (11-1, 8 KO) vs #1 Nonpareil Jack Dempsey (20-3, 15 KO)


Middleweight
#10 Arthur Abraham (12-4, 10 KO) vs #8 Antonn Miklosko (15-3-1, 11 KO)



Jr. Middleweight
#3 Joachim Alcine (10-3, 10 KO) vs #2 Sergio Mora (9-1-1, 2 KO)


Welterweight
#2 Antonio Margarito (13-2-1, 12 KO) vs #1 Vernon Forrest (19-3-1, 12 KO)


Jr. Featherweight
#4 Mahyar Monshipour (12-3, 9 KO) vs #10 Yober Ortega (18-5, 17 KO)



Jr. Bantamweight
#8 Pedro Alcazar (15-6-1, 15 KO) vs #7 Ivan Hernandez (16-4, 12 KO)


Flyweight
#1 Malcolm Tunacao (11-1, 10 KO) vs #10 Joe Symonds (9-6-1, 5 KO)



TITLE FIGHTS


Heavyweight
Mandatory Rematch
CHAMP John L. Sullivan (22-5, 20 KO) vs #3 Vitali Klitschko (20-2-1, 16 KO)

Jr. Flyweight
Mandatory Rematch
CHAMP Koki Kameda (13-2, 12 KO) vs #2 Ulises Solis (25-2, 20 KO)

[G-Force]

August 2010

Top 10 Matchups

Middleweight
#2 Stanley Ketchel (11-1, 8 KO) vs #1 Nonpareil Jack Dempsey (20-3, 15 KO)

A fight sought for months - and that many presumed would be for the title when it happened - isn't for the title and doesn't last long. After Dempsey wins the first round with clarity, he's knocked into a fog in the second when Ketchel knocks him down and OUT at 2:04 of the 2nd round!

Middleweight
#10 Arthur Abraham (12-4, 10 KO) vs #8 Antonn Miklosko (15-3-1, 11 KO)

Miklosko's been under the radar thus far, but probably won't be after this one, as he send Abraham to dreamland 30 seconds into the fourth round.

Jr. Middleweight
#3 Joachim Alcine (10-3, 10 KO) vs #2 Sergio Mora (9-1-1, 2 KO)

Alcine rebounded from his title shot loss to Winky Wright with a first-round KO of Gilberto Baez in April. In a battle that could have title-shot implications, Alcine and Mora battle in an even and largely uneventful bout. It seems to be leaning Alcine's way - even more so after he drops Mora midway through the 10th. But when the scorecards come in, two have it even, yielding a majority draw.

Welterweight
#2 Antonio Margarito (13-2-1, 12 KO) vs #1 Vernon Forrest (19-3-1, 12 KO)

Forrest comes out dominantly in the first and, despite suffering a cut in the opening minute, looks sharp and in control. But Margarito turns it into a brawl quickly and that works to his advantage as he takes the second and third as Forrest tries to go outside his comfort zone. He's less comfortable 15 seconds into the 4th when he hits and canvas, and even less so two minutes later when the ref jumps in to call a halt to a savage beating for a most impressive TKO win for Antonio Margarito over the former champ.

Jr. Featherweight
#4 Mahyar Monshipour (12-3, 9 KO) vs #10 Yober Ortega (18-5, 17 KO)

Ortega delivers a fantastic performance, keeping Monshipour off his game all night long en route to a unanimous decision victory, 99-91, 98-82, 98-82.

Jr. Bantamweight
#8 Pedro Alcazar (15-6-1, 15 KO) vs #7 Ivan Hernandez (16-4, 12 KO)

Alcazar had won eight straight before losing a unanimous decision to Martin Castillo in May. He faces Hernandez, who is tough but has split his last four fights. This one is a back and forth battle without any knockdowns, and it appears, on the strength of a 10th round that was the most decisive of the fight, that Hernandez would eek out the win. But Alcazar gets the nod in more of the tight rounds and manages a tough split decision win, 96-95, 96-94, 95-96.

Flyweight
#1 Malcolm Tunacao (11-1, 10 KO) vs #10 Joe Symonds (9-6-1, 5 KO)

What was supposed to be a tuneup fight for the #1 contender becomes a stunner when Symonds takes everything Tunacao gives him and answers it. Each fighter drops the other twice, and when it goes to the cards it's a majority decision, the two decisive cards both reading 94-93 for Joe Symonds in a shocker!

[G-Force]

AUGUST 2010 TITLE FIGHTS

Heavyweight
Mandatory Rematch
CHAMP John L. Sullivan (22-5, 20 KO) vs #3 Vitali Klitschko (20-2-1, 16 KO)

Klitschko won the title from Sullivan in December, then lost it to him in the rematch in June. Sullivan was eager to turn around quickly and give Klitschko his rematch and strike while the iron was hot. And so the pair meet again here where, after a measured first round, Sullivan dominates Klitschko in the second only to have Klitschko turn the tables and batter Sullivan in the third and again in the fourth when he both knocks Sullivan down and cracks open a gash over his right eye. Sullivan is able to calm things down in the fifth and in the sixth another measured round takes an abrupt turn at the 2:30 mark when Sullivan's cut reopens into a crimson mask. The ringside doctor calls a halt to the bout to the fury of Sullivan and the crowd, and even by appearances Klitschko, who while content to have regained the championship doesn't appear to be satisfied with how it was won.

Jr. Flyweight
Mandatory Rematch
CHAMP Koki Kameda (13-2, 12 KO) vs #2 Ulises Solis (25-2, 20 KO)

Kameda and Solis waste no time in their rematch after Kameda took Solis' belt in May. Solis was perceived as arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in the PBA before losing the belt, and Kameda said flatly upon signing the rematch he had no reason to wait because he had no reason to fear Solis, whom he'd defeated early in their careers as well. But after a balanced opening stanza, Solis looks dominant. He sweeps rounds 2-5 including a knockdown in the fifth. But in a furious sixth it seems Kameda gets the best of the action, and that's punctuated when in the seventh he drops Solis not once, not twice, but three times before the bout is stopped as Koki Kameda retains! Ulises Solis has won 25 bouts. He's lost 3...all to Kameda.

[G-Force]

Hope all is well!

Been a while...I took a few months away from this game, and pretty much all the games as I was just short on time. But I've been getting back into it and have gotten a web site going for the Legends Sports Universe, which basically will be the dumping point for all my dynasty stuff for boxing, baseball, hockey and football (I'll get to basketball eventually). I've been doing "broadcasts" recapping things, which started with the football project I worked on for Pro Strategy Football. And I'm enjoying the hobby again...so I figured I'd pop on and drop some stuff on here to play catchup.

When I left it it was in 2010. I'm just kicking off 2013 now and the name's changed...it's the Legends Sports Universe Boxing Federation. So I'll drop the title histories for each weight class in here and then pick up with odds and ends. I know there's like five people left in here, but gotta keep it alive somehow

The site link is in my sig. I haven't done any boxing on the YouTube yet, and I really don't know what I should be putting on Twitter so that's a big nothing at the moment, but the site's coming along slowly.

GH

[G-Force]

HEAVYWEIGHT

The Legends Sports Universe Boxing Federation's heavyweight title is the crown jewel of the LSUBF. From the initial pool, starting with champions prior to 1920 and between 2000 and 2010, the four fighters to qualify for the initial heavyweight championship tournament were Vitali Klitschko, Samuel Peter, Jack Dempsey and John L. Sullivan.

After Dempsey obliterated Peter with a second-round knockout, Klitschko found himself locked in a war with Sullivan that would end stunningly when Sullivan, up on two cards and even on the third in the 11th, is disqualified for a flagrant foul. Dempsey would become the first champion after stopping Klitschko on cuts in the 9th.

From there, the strap has had an eventful course.

Klitschko knocked out Sergei Lyakovich in his first defense, then took out James Corbett in the 15th round. But Klitschko would lose the belt to Sullivan by 9th round TKO before regaining the title from Sullivan later that year via a 6th round TKO, ending that trilogy for the time being.

The next year, Klitschko would defend twice, stopping Dempsey in the fifth and then Corbett in the 13th.

The stunner happened the following April, when Chris Byrd would cut Klitschko badly and shockingly won the strap. His reign was short-lived as his first defense was a rematch with Klitschko, and Dr. IronFist would eviscerate Byrd en route to a 7th round TKO to regain the title once again.

In the past few months, several terrific fighters who weren't in the LSUBF at its inception have worked their way into the Top 10 rankings as new challenges loom: Slots 2 through 5 are currently held by Max Schmeling, Jersey Joe Walcott, Rocky Marciano and Joe Frazier. That's quite a line of formidable challengers, to say nothing of the fact Dempsey has worked himself back to the Number One contender's slot, meaning an eventful next couple of years for Klitschko to say the least.

[G-Force]

Light-Heavyweight

The preliminary bouts to build records landed the LSUBF with a pair of undefeated fighters heading into the four-man tournament to crown the first light-heavyweight champion.

Philadelphia Jack O’Brien emerged 16-0 with 7 KOs, while Gabriel Campillo achieved an 11-0 mark, though with only four knockouts. Tomasz Adamek (11-2, 8 KO) and Georges Carpentier (10-1, 6 KO) rounded out the field.

Antonio Tarver, Jack Dillon and Glen Johnson hadn’t fought the requisite 10 bouts to qualify, so they would have to wait to earn their chances down the line.

Adamek knocked out Campillo in the 7th round of their semifinal matchup, while O’Brien picked apart a very frustrated Carpentier who, clearly down in the fight in the 10th, headbutted O’Brien to draw a disqualification, sending O’Brien into the title match.

In the title fight, O’Brien would weather a pair of knockdowns and take Adamek into the deep end of the pool, where he couldn’t stay afloat. On the strength of a clean sweep of rounds 10-14, O’Brien is crowned the first LSUBF Light Heavyweight champion by unanimous decision, 145-139, 145-139, 144-140.

O”Brien’s first defense would come the following June, when he would drop the belt via majority decision in a terrific bout to Dillon, 144-142 (x2), 143-143.

O”Brien would also break his hand in the fight, sidelining him and putting and possible rematch on hold.

Dillon meanwhile would take a unanimous decision over Jack Root in a successful first defense before being stunningly obliterated by Zsolt Erdei in a 6th round TKO defeat.

Erdei would then defend against Tarver, who would win the belt via TKO in the ninth of a bout that started with Tarver putting the champ on the canvas twice.

Tarver wouldn’t defend for 10 months, and when he did it would be to give Erdei his rematch. Tarver would take a unanimous decision to keep the belt, and then dominate Glencoffe Johnson three months later in what would become a technical unanimous decision after a gruesome cut to Johnson caused by a butt caused the fight to be stopped.

Most recently, Tarver defended against O”Brien, getting his first shot since losing the title two years prior. With the cards even through five, referee Kenny Bayless becomes the most hated man in the room when he disqualifies Tarver for an intentional head butt, putting the title back in the hands of its first holder, Philadelphia Jack O’Brien!

Tarver is due a rematch in the next five months, and will meet both the mandatory rematch and #1 contender requirements for O’Brien. From there, it will be interesting to see where O’Brien heads if he retains, as there are several up and comers recently into the Top 10, including Joe Knight (9-1-1, 7 KO), a resurgent Bob Foster (9-6, 8 KO) and a much talked about young fighter by the name of Archie Moore.

Attached Images

[G-Force]

Middleweight

The Legends Sports Universe Boxing Federation's middleweight title was contested by an odd mix given the eligible fighters. Billy Papke faced Kelly Pavlik in one semifinal, while Nonpareil Jack Dempsey fought Frank Klaus in the other.

Stanley Ketchel didn't fight enough by the time the tournament came about, so despite being a perfect 8-0 he wasn't allowed entry. Bob Fitzsimmons had piled up on tomato cans and was ranked fifth, missing the cut as well.

Papke would top Pavlik by unanimous decision, and Dempsey - trailing on all cards, would knock Klaus out at 2:46 of the 12th and final round of their semifinal match, setting up Dempsey vs Papke for the Middleweight crown.

A seesaw battle would tilt toward Papke late as he'd drop Dempsey twice in the 10th and once in the 11th before the fight was stopped and Papke declared the first LSUBF middleweight champion.

Looming all along was Fitzsimmons, and to a greater extent, Ketchel.

Papke dealt with Fitzsimmons first, defeating him by unanimous decision in his first defense before wiping out Guillermo Carriles in his second with a second round TKO. He would then face Pavlik in a rematch and Paviik would again give him fits but again fall short, stopped by TKO in the 14th round.

By November, Ketchel had reached the 10 fights needed to be ranked, and Papke was left to deal with the fight everyone wanted. Ketchel would put Papke on the canvas, but Papke would recover to stop Ketchel, dealing him his first loss with a ninth round TKO, raising his own mark to 25-0-1. He would then go on to stop Fitzsimmons by TKO in the 13th in a rematch before eviscerating Jermain Taylor in two rounds later that year.

Fifteen months after their first fight, Ketchel would get his rematch with Papke and this contest became a war. Pape would get a point deduction and be knocked down three times before the bout was stopped in the fifteenth of what to this day remains Ketchel's finest performance.

Ketchel would have a year to give Papke his mandatory rematch, but he'd wait only six months, in the interim stopping Frank Klaus via 13th-round TKO. Ketchel would emerge victorious in the rubbermatch, earning a close but unanimous decision 144-141, 143-142, 143-141.

Ketchel would then turn to Fitzsimmons, who had never left the Top 5 rankings. An accidental butt in the 9th round of the tightly contested battle would lead to a gash that would get significantly worse in the 11th round, bringing a stoppage to the bout. When they went to the cards, Bob Fitzsimmons, the forgotten man to a large degree, was crowned the new LSUBF middleweight champion, 96-93, 95-94, 95-94. An irate Ketchel now sits awaiting his rematch due sometime in the next 10 months.

Keep an eye out on the surging Jake LaMotta and Canadian Lou Brouillard, who each just broke into the Top 10.

[G-Force]

Jr. Middleweight

When the preliminary fights to set the stage for the initial tournament to determine the LSUBF’s first Jr. Middleweight champion were complete, the division was the only one to have THREE undefeated fighters: Sergio Martinez, Kassim Ouma and Winky Wright. Alejandro Garcia would get the fourth slot.

Martinez would fight Garcia in one semifinal while Ouma and Wright would square off in the other.

Garcia would shock many when, in an action-packed battle, Garcia would knock Martinez out with seconds left in the fifth round to earn his place in the final.

Wright would put together an absolute virtuoso performance against Ouma on his way to a dominant unanimous decision victory, 117-110, 117-110, 116-111 and face Garcia for the title.

Wright dominated the early parts of the early rounds and Garcia would respond later in the round over the first several. But gradually, Wright’s accuracy and movement made Garcia’s comebacks less powerful, and Wright would put a worn down Garcia down twice, the second time for good, in the ninth to become the first LSUBF Jr. Middleweight champion.

Wright would stake claim to being the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world over the next two years, successfully defending against Joachim Alcine (KO9), Martinez (KO3), Ouma (KO11), Jair Da Silva (TKO7), Travis Simms (UD15) and Sergio Mora (UD15).

But the following January, Garcia would get a rematch, and chaos would ensue. With Wright leading 87-83, 87-83, 88-82, and with Garcia’s left eye badly swollen, the fight is stopped for a gash over Wright’s eye after he weather’s a pair of blistering shots from Garcia and paws at the cut, though Wright never went down. Garcia would get the TKO victory to hand an irate Wright his first defeat and hand Garcia the title.

Garcia would make a successful unanimous decision defense against Ouma and then fight Martinez, with Wright a mandatory over the next several months. But Garcia would never get to the Wright rematch, as Martinez would defeat him by majority decision to take the title.

Because Garcia lost the belt before Wright got his rematch, Martinez had the option of giving Garcia a rematch or defending against Wright and leaving Garcia out in the cold. Martinez chose Garcia, whom he would stop by TKO in the 10th round to retain the title and meet his rematch requirement, leaving Wright to wait.

Wright has been surpassed as the #1 contender by upstart Nino Benvenuti. Martinez must defend against the #1 contender sometime over the next 10 months, so it will be interesting to see the paths Benvenuti and Wright take to lock up that #1 spot and how Martinez plans his course to defend.

[G-Force]

Welterweight

The chain of the Legends Sports Universe Boxing Federation Welterweight title began with a terrific title bout in which Vernon Forrest survived a fourth-round knockdown from Paul Williams and took advantage of a cut that seemed to alter Williams’ style over the final five rounds as Forrest earned a close but unanimous victory.

Forrest would drop the strap in his first defense, a 12th round TKO loss to the man Williams stopped in the semifinal, Tommy Ryan.

Ryan and Williams would get very well acquainted over the next two years.

Ryan would lose his first defense to Williams via a 9th round TKO, but regain the title in a rematch three months later by unanimous decision.

The rapid succession of changes left Forrest out in the cold for a while until Ryan gave him his title shot eight months after regaining the title from Williams.

Ryan stopped Forrest by TKO when he knocked him down three times in the 14th. Three months later, Ryan would coast to a unanimous decision win over Ted “Kid” Lewis before knocking out Keddy Burke in the 8th the folliwing February.

But in May, Williams would get another shot at the belt and defeat Ryan by unanimous decision in dominant fashion, dropping Ryan in the 10th and 14th on his way to a 147-138, 146-138, 145-139 decision.

Ryan would get a mandatory rematch for the pair’s fifth fight in the span of three years, and it would end in hotly debated fashion, the judges calling it 142-141 Williams, 142-141 Ryan, and 142-142...a draw.

Williams retained and Ryan will have to wait his turn before he gets another crack.

[G-Force]

Jr. Welterweight

Ricky Hatton entered the LSUBF Jr. Welterweight tournament as the #3 seed, yet was assumed to be the favorite entering the four-man title quest. The top fighter in the class was probably Marcos Maidana, who was 9-0 with 8 knockouts, but was a fight short of eligibility.

Hatton drew Carlos Maussa in the semifinal, while Amir Khan would do battle with Lovemore N’Dou.

Khan would win a seesaw battle with N’Dou that saw lots of heavy leather. N’Dou drops Khan in the 8th, but getting there seemed to exhaust N’Dou. Khan rises, and in the ninth rocks N’Dou into a corner and fires away with a series of unanswered blows before the fight is stopped sending Khan to the championship bout via a 9th round TKO.

Tough Colombian Carlos Maussa brought an unorthodox style in against the gritty Hatton, who made prognosticators look brilliant with a second round knockout of Maussa in devastating fashion.

Their title fight was a war of Khan’s slickness and accuracy against Hatton’s grinding style. Khan lands more often but Hatton lands the heavier blows. The purist would favor Khan after 15 rounds...but purists weren’t at the judge’s table, as Hatton would win the title via unanimous decision 143-140 (x2), 144-141.

The decision was debated, and even moreso when Hatton was taken out in his first defense, knocked out in the 6th round by Junior Witter.

Witter didn’t defend the title until giving Hatton his mandatory rematch 11 months later, and when he did Hatton made the most of the chance, stopping WItter by TKO in the 9th to regain the belt.

Hatton stopped Witter in the 11th in their rubbermatch, and in a move that angered many potential challengers, fought Witter AGAIN four months later, ending in a 10th round Hatton win - with a 7th round TKO over Diosbelys Hurtado sandwiched in between.

The next year, Hatton knocked out Zab Judah in the 7th, stopped Juan Urango in the 6th and Souleymane Mbaye in the 9th.

Last year, Hatton slowed his pace, defending only once, in April - a 3rd round knockout of DeMarcus Corley.

Hatton, however, has not defended since April and is past the time by which he needed to defend against the #1 contender. It is sounding increasingly likely that the LSUBF is going to strip Hatton of his title, with contenders for the belt including Argentina’s Niccolino Locche, Jack “Kid” Berg and Timothy Bradley - 8-0-2 over the last 3 ½ years - who has long beat the drum that Hatton is ducking him.

[G-Force]

Lightweight

The Legends Sports Universe Boxing Federation's lightweight title was originally contested through a four-man tournament featuring Jack McAuliffe, Benny Leonard, Jose Luis Castillo and Julio Diaz.

McAuliffe stopped Diaz via sixth round TKO in one semifinal while Leonard got the better of Castillo via split decision on the strength of landing more than half of his punches in the bout.

The presumed bout for the title happens and lives up to billing. But the presumption Leonard would take on McAuliffe from a distance proves incorrect, as Leonard proves the aggressor en route to a unanimous decision victory to become the first LSUBF lightweight champion.

Leonard would cement his claim to the strap with three unanimous decision victories in his first year as champion, taking out Battling Nelson, Castillo and Joe Gans over the first 12 months.

Diaz's camp long complained his stoppage loss in the semifinal was a bad stoppage, and Leonard gave him a shot at the belt, defeating him by unanimous decision as well in February.

After four defenses in 14 months, Leonard didn't fight for eight, and when he did it would be a rematch against Joe Gans. Leonard showed no sign early of being ring rusty when he dropped Gans in the first, but he'd be cut in the sixth and with the cut getting worse as the fight went on, there was concern for a stoppage. Once Leonard reached the 15th - the champion and again, albeit close on cards - it was assumed he'd hold on. But the ringside physician ordered the bout stopped, handing Gans the TKO win and the lightweight title with 1:15 left in the bout.

Gans would wait eight months to make his first defense, stopping David Diaz by TKO in the 8th. He'd then have to give Leonard his long-awaited rematch.

This time it would end in the 13th...and with the same result. Leonard ahead on all cards is deprived of a victory as the bout is stopped because of damage, swelling and two cuts around his left eye. This stoppage is more legitimate than the first, but still a bitter pill for Leonard to swallow. Gans won't have to fight him again for at least a year, and that's only if Leonard is the #1 contender.

New to the Top 10 are Jimmy Carter, Tony Canzoneri and Lauro Salas.

[G-Force]

Jr. Lightweight

The Legends Sports Universe Boxing Federation's junior lightweight title was originally contested through a four-man tournament featuring Cassius Baloyi, Yodsanan Nanthachai, Joel Casamayor and Jesus Chavez.

Though he came out of the preliminary fights as the #3 seed, Casamayor was regarded as the favorite entering the tournament, which unnerved Baloyi, who had been quite impressive in building a 15-0-1 mark with 11 KOs.

Baloyi's semifinal match would be against Chavez, who dominates him for much of the fight, putting him down in the fifth and again in the seventh. But Chavez accomplished all that despite a gash over his right eye that is opened, reopened and reopened even wider as the fight proceeds. So needless to say Chavez's corner in incredulous when the bout is stopped and Baloyi is awarded the TKO victory in the 10th round because the of severity of Chavez's cuts - with Chavez up 87-82 (x2), 86-83 at the time of the stoppage.

Meanwhile, Nanthachai would give Casamayor absolutely all he could handle in an action packed affair that sees both fighters averaging more than 70 punches a round through the first six rounds. Interestingly, the fight becomes more tactical despite its closeness, and in the end it goes to the cards, where Casamayor takes a majority decision 115-111 (x2), 115-110.

Baloyi is more impressive in the title fight than he was against Chavez, but ultimately runs out of steam trying to match Casamayor's pace. Casamayor pours it on and, ironically given the Chavez bout, a cut to Baloyi has the referee on extra guard and when Casamayor unloads without response in the 10th the bout is halted, making Casamayor the first LSUBF Jr. Lightweight champion.

Casamayor knocked out Mzonke Fana in the 5th of his first defense, but five months later lost the title to Edwin Valero via unanimous decision.

But Valero, riding high after having blistered Nanthachai by knockout to earn the shot against Casamayor, goes AWOL and is ultimately stripped of the title a year later having never defended it.

Casamayor battles Robbie Peden for the vacant title and regains the belt via TKO in the 13th.

But Casamayor wouldn't defend the title for a year, when he was forced to face #1 contender Nanthachai or be stripped of the belt himself. Casamayor would honor the commitment and stop Nanthachai with an 11th round TKO in January 2012, then wait 10 months before defending it again, knocking out Roman Martinez in the sixth round in November.

Casamayor has a mandatory bout against the #1 contender, which with a year having passed since their last fight is once again Yodsanan Nanthachai, who will hope the third time is the charm.

[G-Force]

Featherweight

Of the “major” weight classes in the LSUBF, the Featherweight title has been contested the fewest times.

After their introductory bouts, the four-man tournament to crown the inaugural champion was set.

Juan Manuel Marquez would face Young Corbett II, who he had beaten twice in the very beginning of their professional careers. Steven Luevano would face Eric Aiken, with the notable absences at the time being Marco Antonio Barrera, who was one fight shy of eligibility; and Abe Attell, who was 8-2 yet not in the top 10.

Marquez defeated Corbett yet again, this time by unanimous decision, as Luevano would against Aiken, though his would come after six rounds as a result of an accidental butt causing a cut to Luevano that ended the bout.

Marquez would go on to dominate Luevano 146-134, 146-135, 145-136 to become the first LSUBF Featherweight champion.

From there, it’s been a hot potato.

Marquez would, somewhat ridiculously, make his first defense against Corbett in a fight nobody wanted to see, and he would again defeat him by decision.

But Marquez would lose the belt in his second defense in an upset majority decision against Chris John.

John would defeat Solly Smith by unanimous decision in his first defense before getting smoked by Marquez in the second round of Marquez’s rematch.

Marquez would go nine months without defending the belt, and per LSUBF rules he had a year to fight the #1 contender as well as give John his rematch. He opted for the contender first, and it proved to be a mistake, as Abe Attell, kept out of the initial tournament, would defeat an apparently stale Marquez via unanimous decision.

The change left Attell with the option of giving Marquez a rematch or denying him the rematch and fighting John instead, since John never got his rubbermatch with Marquez for the strap.

Attell would choose Marquez, surprisingly, but wouldn’t face him for a year and until he was threatened with being stripped of the belt.

Attell would again defeat Marquez, via a close but unanimous decision, 144-142, 144-142, 143-142.

John’s been left out in the cold, as have fans of the Featherweight division - the title having now been defended only twice in the past two years.

Corbett has worked himself back to the No. 1 contender spot, and if he holds it he’ll get a title shot within the year. But also rising in the ranks are a new wave of fighters: Kid Chocolate, Benny Bass and Tommy Paul.