Chris John v Simpiwe Vetyeka

In boxing every great run comes to an end one way or another. Whilst we always hope that greats can bow out with their head held high, a title over their shoulder and and their dignity, it's very rare we actually get to see that done.

Last weekend saw Paul Spadafora coming undone as he dropped a decision to Johan Perez. Going in to that bout Spadafora had a remarkable unbeaten record that read 48-0-1, he was going for win #49. Today saw Chris John of Indonesia also going for win #49 as he attempted to extend his 48-0-3 record and also maintain his standing as the WBA Featherweight super champion. Like Spadafora however, John suffered a major set back and fell to 48-1-3 (22).

John was facing Simpiwe Vetyeka (26-2, 16), a South African better known in Asia than most places. Prior to this year Vetyeka was known as the man who gave Hozumi Hasegawa a really, really hard nights work. This year however he's become the "Indonesian Assassin" with back to back wins over top tier Indonesian fighters.

Earlier this year Vetyeka stopped the teak tough Daud Cino Yordan. That fight had lead to this one, dubbed "Revenge". What was supposed to be a case of Chris John sticking up for Indonesia became a night to forget for the Indonesian and his people.

The fight started in forgettable fashion with neither man really do a great deal. John appeared to land the better punches but the only real damage of the fight seemed to be a small cut around John's left eye. Presumably that was just the re-opening of scar tissue that had occured in his previous bout, a 3rd round technical draw with Japanese fighter Satoshi Hosono.

The scrappy and forgettable action continued through rounds 2, 3 and 4. In fact so forgettable was the actual action that the key things I noted happening were John falling to the canvas twice in the second round, John firing off a decent looking ineffective attack in round 3 and a completely uncalled for "Chris John" chant in round 4. Yeah it was one of those fights.

Everything one man tried seemed to be neutralised by the other, every time something promised to ignite a clinch killed off the action, every time it appeared we'd have a fight things just ended up not happening.

Things changed in round 5. This was a round where John went from "world champion boxer" to a man looking old, and beaten up. Out of nowhere his balance had gone, his stance had gone and most worrying he didn't seem to know where he was. Twice he was knocked to the canvas and twice the referee botched calls. Instead of giving Vetyeka the knockdowns it appeared the referee wanted to see John hurt. The first, at the end of round 5, should have been stopped. John was gone.

Unfortunately the referee's botched calls in round 5 lead us on to round 6. Vetyeka, sensing that John hadn't recovered, went on the offensive. John tried to fight back but was sent down again as he started to look messy and like a desperate but beaten man. The referee again botched the knock down though by now the referee was looking ridiculous. Thanfully he knew it as he ruled the next knockdown as a knockdown and rightfully gave the first count to John, he could, and probably should, have given him 3 previously.

With John just seeing out the round the Indonesian camp appeared to do the right thing and their man remained in his corner being retired between rounds 6 and 7.

Evgeny Gradovich v Billy Dib II

Russian fighter Evgeny Gradovich (18-0, 9) successfully defended his IBF Featherweight title for the second time as he defeated Australian Billy Dib (36-3-0-1, 21) for the second time inside a year.

The two men, who fought to a scrappy decision earlier this year, knew that this fight meant a lot. For Dib it was his chance to become a 2-time world champion and a chance to avenge a loss that he probably didn't feel he deserved. For Gradovich however it was a chance to prove he really did deserve to be "a world champion".

Unfortunately for Dib he looked like a fighter who had regressed massively from their first meeting. It was obvious from the first round that he didn't believe in himself and this allowed Gradovich, typically a slow starter, to take the opening round as he began to that infamous engine of his rolling.

Although it took a few rounds for Gradovich to reach full output it was obvious he was claiming rounds with his work rate, aggression and pressure. Dib was struggling to have more than a flash of success here and there and Gradovich on the other hand was beginning to grind down his Australian opponent.

With Gradovich in charge after 4 rounds it was then Dib's turn to have success as he showed some genuine skill and fought back well from off the ropes. Unfortunately for Dib his success was easy to forget as Gradovich managed to flurry excellently just before the bell with what may have stolen him the round.

However round 5 was scored didn't really matter a Gradovich moved up a gear and scored a flash knockdown in the sixth. This was the start of the end for Dib who was ground down in rounds 7 and 8 as the Russian landed at will to the head and body of the Australian who was beginning to mentally fold.

Dib did manage to make it to round 9 though he was a spent force and it was little wonder that the bout was stopped after just 70 seconds of the round. Dib's speed and movement had been sapped and his defense had become porous to say the least.

With the stoppage loss on his record here I actually hope this is the last time I see Dib in action.

Nicholas Walters v Alberto Garza

In the first of three world title fights in the US this weekend Jamaican Nicholas Walters (23-0, 19) made his first title defense as he took on Mexican Alberto Garza (25-6-1, 20) in a WBA Featherweight title bout.

Making his US debut Walters set out to make a statement and appeared to hurt Garza midway through the opening round. Whilst Garza did look limited it was great to see the positivity of a man looking to make a first impression.

Realising he was in deep Garza tried something new by fighting as a southpaw to start the second round. It worked well for a few moments before Walters took charge once again and showed why some regard this kid as one of the sports hidden gems.


Walters continued to pile up the rounds by taking the third with his jab. He did at times look reckless but had realised that Garza lacked the power to hurt him and merely walked through the shots when he had to in search for a bomb.

It took less than 2 minutes of round 4 for Walters to land a bomb. In fact several. The first, a very hard body shot, saw Garza drop to the canvas in agony. Unfortunately for Garza this was ruled an accidental low blow and Garza, as a result wasn't given a count. This meant Garza had to continue, thankfully for the Mexican he wasn't given too much more of a beating as a huge right hand layed him down and forced the referee to wave the contest off.

Although some may feel Chris John, the WBA "super" champion is the only real WBA champion it's fair to say that Walter is the truly entertaining WBA champion and a man who now has the world at his hands. He could face any of the other Top Rank guys at 126, including Evgeny Gradovich, Orlando Salido, Vasyl Lomachenko or even the winner of the Nonito Donaire/Vic Darchinyan contest (which takes place in just a few hours time).

Orlando Salido v Orlando Cruz

In the first of two world title fights in the US this weekend Mexican Orlando Salido (40-12-2-1, 28) defeated his namesake Orlando Cruz (20-3-1, 10) and claimed the WBO Featherweight title as we added yet another chapter to the excellent Mexico/Puerto Rico rivalry.

Unfortunately this wasn't one of those legendary Mexico/Puerto Rican contests however as it seemed one sided from the off with Cruz fighting like, and looking like a beaten man before the opening bell. In fact Cruz almost seemed to refuse to look at Salido as the referee gave his final instructions.

The opening round further saw Cruz looking scared. He tried to jab and move though looked apprehensive from the off, almost as if he was terrified of being hit by Salido whilst Salido himself seemed to be trying to figure out what he had in front of him.Although the first round was quiet from both men it was certainly a round that Salido won by virtue of doing something as opposed to nothing.

After taking the opening round Salido went on a roll taking rounds 2,3 and 4 as he moved up through the gears letting shots go up close and walking through the weak looking attack of Cruz who appeared almost scared of putting his weight behind a shot. The fact Cruz didn't have the fire power to keep Salido honest saw the Mexican coming in and unloading to the body and head at will, with the body a very clear target early on.

By the end of round 4 the body work of Salido seemed to be paying dividends as Cruz began to hold his feet. It appeared as if the end was nigh though Cruz then had his best round in round 5 as he moved well and clearly won the round making Salido look clumsy. It was odd that Cruz, who had started to slow in round 4 would have his best round in the fifth though it was a sign of the Puerto Rican's heart.

Unfortunately for Cruz it was fair to say that the fourth round was his successful one as Salido turned it on in round 6 with a very intelligent and accurate attack. The ineffectiveness of round 5 was well forgotten as Salido walked him down and landed some lovely combinations as he destroyed what was left of Cruz's confidence

Although Cruz was still standing at the end of the sixth he was starting to get beaten up and whilst he was showing fantastic heart his body was starting to break down. The destruction of Cruz's body was complete in the seventh with a devastating body that left him down in agony forcing the referee to wave it off.

With Vasyl Lomachenko getting past Jose Ramirez on the undercard it would appear likely that Salido will be defending against the Ukrainian superstar. For Cruz however this almost certainly ends his dream of ever being a world champion

Abner Mares v Jhonny Gonzalez

Mexican youngster Abner Mares (26-1-1, 14) started Saturday as a genuine contender for the pound for pound lists, he was expected by many, including myself, to continue his rise to super stardom he took on the hard hitting Jhonny Gonzalez (55-8, 47) in a defense of the WBC Featherweight title. Unfortunately not everything goes the way people expect, especially not when you face a dynamite puncher like Gonzalez.

The bout started tentatively with both men looking to use their jab and box the other. Neither man could really muster much success in the first 2 minutes of action though Gonzalez finally manged to connect in the final minute or so of the round sending Mares down hard with a hard single left.

Mares, showing the champions heart managed to recover to his feet his feet but was still feeling the ill effects of the shots when he was allowed to continue by the referee. Gonzalez sensed the fact Mares hadn't had time to recover his feet and jumped on him with a with a powerful combination of shots that dropped Mares for a second time. This time the referee didn't allow the bout to continue and instead, rightfully, protected Mares from himself.

After the fight Mares congratulated Gonzalez, who he described as a friend and said that he'll be back again. Gonzalez, seemed vindicated by the result and will be looking for a long and fruitful reign this time, his third as champion

Claudio Marrero v Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar

In a battle for the interim WBA Featherweight title Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar  (23-1, 18) upset the hotly tipped Claudio Marrero (14-0, 11)

The fight started on a very even keel with both men looking to establish their jabs in the opening round. Although Cuellar seemed to do just enough to claim it it was very even and certainly not a round many would deny could have gone either way. Marrero seemed to claim the second round, though again it was close. In fact many of the early rounds were close with 38-38 seeming the likely outcome but scores of 39-37 or even 40-36 could have been argued either way.

Through the first 4 rounds it was obvious that we had two fighters were not only evenly matched but also had contrasting styles. Cuellar was the busier man easily throwing and landing more than Marrero however Marrero was the man looking more skillful and using his defensive techniques well.

Cuellar's pressure was starting to take it's toll in the fifth round, a round that he appeared to clearly win before opening up some space on the scorecards by dropping Marrero in round 6 to take a 10-8 round. Although the first 4 rounds had been razor thin it now appeared that Cuellar was taking over the bout against his previously unbeaten opponent.

Although Marrero fought back hard in the following round it was obvious that Cuellar was getting to him and the pressure and relentlessness of the Argentinian was really making Marrero work harder and harder than he'd have wanted.

The fact Marrero had a good round 7 was nothing other than a blip as Cuellar re-established control of the bout with his work rate backing up Marrero almost at will. Marrero continued to show good hand speed and movement but by now his lack of power and work effectively allowed Cuellar to do as he wished as he walked in time and time again swinging volley's of shots in Marrero's direction. In fact for many of the later rounds Marrero's best defense was his ability to tie Cuellar who rocked him hard in the final seconds of the bout to confirm his victory.

For Marrero this was disappointing, many had been hyping him, myself included, due to his performances in the past, for Cuellar however it's put him near to the "Big Boys Table" and may well have opened the door to a fight with Vasyl Lomachenko early next year.

Takashi Miura v Sergio Thompson

In a barnstormer in Cancun WBC Super Featherweight champion Takashi Miura (26-2-2, 19) managed to successfully defend his title over-coming hard hitting Mexican Sergio Thompson (27-3, 25).

The fight started with a typical feeling out round before the two men really got down two work in round two with both trading monstrous bombs. Unfortunately for the Mexican challenger it appeared the Japanese champion was the bigger puncher and he managed to drop Thompson in the second. A follow up attack from Miura seemed almost certain to see of the challenger who was wobbly legged but miraculously he managed to be saved by the bell.

Miura built on his success in round 2 by really taking the action to Thompson in rounds 3 and 4 though he couldn't again drop the tough Mexican before the opening scoring was read out for the first time. The scoring after 4 favoured Miura, much to the chagrin of the pro-Thompson crowd who loudly booed the announcement.

Thompson had his first notable success in round 5 a round he boxed well in and seemed to clearly win by ditching the brawling tactics and instead boxing and moving, a strategy that he had ignored in the first rounds as he chose to fight a fighter.

Despite the success of his boxing in the fifth Thompson seemed intent on proving he was the better fighter and he was dropped in round 6 as a result of fighting with Miura, despite actually hurting Miura prior to being dropped.

In round 7 it appeared the Mexican had learned hi lesson and got back to his boxing avoiding a tear up and again winning a round by using his actually skills and not trying to out tough a better brawler. It was possibly only the second round Thompson had won but showed that he did have the skills needed to make Miura look bad.

After losing round 7 Miura went on the attack in round 8 and was himself dropped by Thompson who appeared to have began a comeback of his own turning a 3 point swing in the space of just 2 rounds.

Unfortunately for Thompson however his comeback was short lived and despite a good round 9 he was really out fought in round 10 as Miura hammered him around the ring looking for a knockout. Although the KO didn't come for Miura it was obvious that Thompson didn't have much left in the tank and Miura went for the KO again in round 11.

Despite being hammered around the ring for 2 rounds Thompson had a good final round though it wasn't enough to turn around a big points deficit that he had found himself in and rightfully Miura took a decision to retain his title

Evgeny Gradovich v Mauricio Javier Munoz

In a very high action contest "Mexican-Russian" Evgeny Gradovich (17-0, 8) defended the IBF Featherweight title.

Facing former WBC Super Bantamweight title challenger Mauricio Javier Munoz (26-4, 12) of Argentina it's fair to say that Gradovich had a fighter who was very similar to himself. Both men throw the boxing textbook out of the window preferring instead to wage wars and have genuine fights. When you have 2 fighters in the ring together you very rarely have a disappointing contest.

The bout started at the sort of pace fans of both men would have expected as they both threw leather for fun and took it in turns to be the man coming forward. It seemed that either both men were made of granite or neither man could punch but this didn't prevent the round from being thoroughly enjoyable from the off.

Although Munoz entered as a sizable under-dog he refused to act like an under-dog and as the fight went on he started to force the action more and more. Unfortunately for the Argentinian the more he forced the action the more he walked into a storm of counters from Gradovich. Whilst this was a painful looking experience for the challenger it made for great entertainment for the fans.

Through the middle rounds it was obvious that Gradovich had more to his game than just the come forward all action style that he is known for and he was showing off the other dimensions to his game when needed. Of course it was more fun to watch the high octane stuff but it was still good to see that Gradovich did have a plan B in his locker if he needed it.

In round 9 Gradovich managed to raise the crowd as he moved up a gear just as it seemed that Munoz's resolve was starting to drain. Amazingly just as it looked like he was fading the Argentinian seemed to wake up and found energy from somewhere as he again began to press the action and force the fight with Gradovich resorting to using his legs just as much as his hands.

Going in to the final 3 rounds the Gradovich corner were confident that their man was clearly in the lead with trainer Robert Garcia effectively telling his man to make sure he didn't get caught by anything big. He was of course getting caught, it's almost part of his style, but Munoz lacked the power to really trouble the Russian who was rarely blinking after Munoz tagged him.

Unfortunately for Munoz he was starting to struggle with the pace in the final round and seemed to be on the verge of being stopped though showed the toughness  and heart to see out the round.

Although neither fighter was notably hurt, other than Munoz in the final round, the fight did at times resemble a very fun to watch though oddly one sided contest with Munoz looking like a prototype of Gradovich. Both men throw lots and enjoyed coming forward though Gradovich was busier, more accurate and more technically gifted with his shorts being straighter and his defense, whilst not great, was better than Munoz's.

With the first defense of his title under his belt Gradovich will likely be looking for his next challenger. With Vasyl Lomachenko having now signed with Top Rank a bout between Lomachenko and Gradovich almost certainly needs to be though about somewhere down the line.

For Munoz it's unlikely that we'll see him in another world title fight I'm afraid.

Daniel Ponce De Leon v Abner Mares

Mexican-American Abner Mares (26-0-1, 14) successfully became a 3-weight world champion as he stopped Daniel Ponce De Leon (44-5, 34) for the WBC Featherweight title, in what could well be the best victory of Mares' career so far, and that's actually saying a lot.

Despite having only moved to Super Bantamweight 13 months ago Mares was now starting his campaign at Featherweight and the impressive Mexican seemed to have filled out to 126lbs excellently as he looked the same size as the genuinely big, and strong Ponce De Leon.

With both men looking equal in size the difference it was never going to be a case of who was the bigger man in the ring but who could determine the style of fight. Could Ponce De Leon hurt Mares with his explosive left hand? Could Mares force his fight on to Ponce De Leon?

In the first round the answer to who could dictate the style of the fight became obvious as Mares came forward and forced Ponce De Leon on to the back foot. Although the action wasn't anything notable it was worrying for Ponce De Leon that he was effectively being forced backwards by the smaller man. Things got more worrying just a round later as Mares dropped the champion thanks to his sharp and fast shots that appeared to have more sting on them than they had had at either 118lbs or 122lbs.

Mares continued to force Ponce De Leon on to the back foot though started to mix up what he was doing. For large portions of the following rounds he was fighting as a pure boxer using his jab and movement to keep a controlled distance at other points he was brawling with the champion and landing 3 or 4 punch combinations in little bursts before Ponce De Leon could land much of note. It was this switching between styles and Mares' speed with both hands and feet that really helped to confuse De Leon who landed several left hands but did very little to discourage Mares.

Ponce De Leon, who was, in his defense, forcing the action in several rounds, looked very one dimensional and it didn't take long for Mares to see everything that was coming his way as he became incredibly comfortable in the ring. In fact there was only really one blow that Ponce De Leon landed that really got Mares' attention and that was a major low blow in round 7 that would have seen many fans saying "karma" for the numerous low blows that Mares himself has landed. Aside from that one shot however Mares looked like he could do whatever he want with out taking anything of note.

Having completely dominated the bout with his hand speed it seemed that the challenger could have cruised to a decision victory. Instead however, Mares dropped Ponce De Leon in round 9 before moving in for the finish and forcing the referee to step in and wave the bout off with Ponce De Leon taking major shots with little being fired back.

With the WBC Featherweight title now around his waist Mares has got plenty of options to call out, though he may struggle to get the biggest match ups as the current champions are unlikely to be facing him. The likes of Mikey Garcia, Evgeny Gradovich and Orlando Salido are all Top Rank fighters with the other name of note in the division, Chris John being very comfortable with fighting in the East. It may well be that Mares will have to face someone like the unheralded Robinson Castellanos or a fighter who he could persuade up from 122.

For Ponce De Leon this loss may well spell the end of his hopes at the title level, though the hard hitting Mexican will always be a fighter that fans will want to see in the ring.

Chris John v Satoshi Hosono

Indonesian boxing icon Chris John (48-0-3, 22) may have retained his "super" WBA Featherweight once more though this will not go down as one of his most memorable title defenses as his face was covered in his own blood following a clash of heads that forced a 3rd technical draw with Japanese fighter Satoshi Hosono (23-2-1, 17).

The fight started of by looking very promising. Although the opening round was a somewhat typical "feeling out round" it was a very high paced affair as John showed off his impressive hand speed and footspeed to control the distance. Hosono did occasionally manage to get inside in the opening round but it was John who clearly won the round.

The second round saw the challenger getting much closer and cutting the distance very well as he managed to make the round very competitive. Although Hosono probably didn't quite do enough to win the round is did suggest that we were on the verge of a very exciting fight that was about to come to life.

Hosono's ability to cut the distance off was again prevalent at the start of round 3 as he really got in John's face and started to make the champion's life very difficult with his aggression and power. Sadly Hosono got a little too much in John's face as the two fighters collided heads an John was left with 2 nasty looking cuts which bled immediately. The referee would take John over to the doctor soon after the clash and whilst initially he was allowed to continue a second inspection saw  the bout stopped.

Sadly as we had only completed 2 rounds the clash of heads prevented a winner of the bout either way.

In all honesty a rematch would probably be the most sensible thing to do following the inconclusive finish to the bout, though I think it's unlikely to happen sadly. The match up seemed to be on the verge of becoming very exciting and could well have proven to be one of the toughest fights of John's career were it not for the inconclusive finish.

Billy Dib v Evgeny Gradovich

In a minor upset American based Russian Evgeny Gradovich (16-0, 8) claimed the IBF Featherweight title decisioning the more experienced Australian Billy Dib (35-2-0-1, 21 ) in a messy yet engaging battle that really saw the "Mexican Russian" showing what he's about.

The opening round saw the champion start well as he moved well and landed a number of solid shots whilst making the challenger look silly, reckless and a bit out of his depth and he continued that in the second round as Gradovich applied rather ineffective pressure on to the champion.

Although the first two rounds were easy to score in favour of Dib the fight started to change in the third round as Gradovich's pressure started to have noticeable effect on the flashier champion. Dib better boxing skills were being negated by the bloody mindedness of Gradovich who just refused to back off and appeared to have started to get his engine going. Although the third was close and could have conceivably gone either way it was the turning point in the fight and Gradovich started to get real traction in the 4th as he repeatedly forced Dib on to the ropes and grew in confidence.

As Gradovich's confidence started to bloom so did his success with more and more of his shots landing cleanly on Dib who was almost dropped early in the 5th round, as the momentum swung completely in favour of Gradovich. Not only was Gradovich now coming into his own but Dib appeared to be both mentally welting and physically breaking down as his ear and nose started to bleed.

Although the challenger was really coming in to the bout the champion did manage to have some success through out the 6th round although Gradovich seemed to do enough at the end to just claim it. The following round again saw Dib having some moments of success but simply not enough of them to claim the round with Gradovich relentlessly marching towards him and trying to unload against a fighter who was spending more time trying to establish a safe distance than actually fighting.

Although the first 7 rounds were messy with copious amounts of clinching things got silly afterwards with both men being deducted a point for holding in round 8 as the fight went from a bit messy to a full on grapplefest that wrestling fans would have been proud of. Dib continually held on to Gradovich when the men were close effectively stopping the Russian from hitting him though doing little work himself as the bout really broke down with several awful rounds. Whilst Gradovich wasn't able to land much of note the fact he was simply trying to force the fight was enough for me to award him the rounds against Dib who was intent on spoiling.

Although the holding and hugging continued on a round by round basis until the final bell both rounds 11 and 12 were eye catching with 11 seeing both men rocked whilst 12 saw Dibs face becoming a claret mask as a cut around his eye worsened and dripped across his face. It was obvious from the facial damage of the two men that Dib had been hit numerous times and whilst Gradovich was marked up himself he didn't have the war scars of Dib at the final bell.

To many onlookers it seemed as if Gradovich, who had forced the bout through out was a clear winner. In fact when the bell went to end the bout Gradovich climbed the corner to celebrate whilst Dib had a very muted and short celebration before looking sorry for himself. It was clear that Dib didn't believe he had won whilst Gradovich had obviously though he'd done enough to claim the belt. Thankfully 2 of the judges agreed as Gradovich took a split decision and the world title.


Dib, sung in by American rap-star 50 Cent was fighting in America for the first time since losing in a WBO Super Bantamweight title bout to Steve Luevano back in 2008. The show was supposed to re-introduce him to America yet what it actually did was introduce the wider boxing world to the potentially exciting to watch Gradovich. Rather wonderfully it relieves the dirty and awful to Dib of the world title and likely any more undeserved limelight.

Orlando Salido v Miguel Angel Garcia

Talented 25 year old Miguel Angel "Mikey" Garcia (31-0, 26) showed just what an outstanding young fighter he was as he thoroughly dominated Orlando Salido (39-12-2-1, 27) and claimed both the Ring and WBO Featherweight titles via an 8th round technical decision that few could really complain with.

The opening round was eye opening to say the least as Salido was dropped twice with Garcia's power, speed and accuracy really being the distance. Garcia's jab and straight right were simply keeping Salido too far away for the Mexican to have any success whilst he was putting Salido down almost every time he landed a clean shot.

Garcia's clear domination continued through to round 6 with Salido being dropped in both rounds 3 and 4 from sharp accurate shots. This left Garcia well up on the cards having had 2 10-8 rounds and a 10-7 round, though Salido's heart was impressive and he refused to just quit, instead he started to slowly get in to the fight and appeared to claim round 7 as he managed to successfully get inside Garcia for the first time.

Unfortunately the fight came to a premature end in round 8 after Garcia dominated much of the round, the crude Salido followed through after a punch and connected with an accidental headbutt that sadly broke the nose of Garcia. The accidental foul forced the Dr to call an early end to proceedings as we went to the scorecards and the decision was a clear technical unanimous decision in favour of Garcia who was rightfully crowned the champion.

The clear dominance by Garcia really did open the eyes of the boxing world who may well have seen a new star born tonight. A rematch with Salido is possible, if Salido wants to be beaten up again though a more likely fight could be with Daniel Ponce De Leon in what would be an excellent unification bout allowing Garcia to again show his impressive skills against a veteran title holder.

Javier Fortuna v Patrick Hyland

Unbeaten Javier Fortuna (21-0-0-1, 15) claimed the interim WBA Featherweight title as he defeated Irishman Patrick Hyland (27-1, 12) in a relatively unexciting 12 round affair that was really a fight of two halves.

Fortuna started brightly using his great handspeed, unusual angles and easily claimed the first 5 rounds against a very passive Hyland. Whilst Hyland did block a number of Fortuna's shots he simply didn't fire enough back in those early rounds to claim even a share of a round until round 6. In round 6 Hyland started to fire back a little more and he certainly gave himself a chance to claim the round.

After Fortuna was caught in round 6 the life seemed to suddenly get sucked out of the bout as Fortuna choose to use his boxing ability to box and move and move and move. Hyland fought on the front foot and came forward relentlessly for the final 6 rounds however he simply couldn't catch Fortuna with enough clean shots to claim more than the odd round or two. It just seemed like Hyland was far too passive with Fortuna slowing his own work down and stealing rounds with the odd bit of flashy work here and there.

Although there was some bad blood with both men lading low and the odd shot after the bell by Fortuna there wasn't a great deal of angry aggression by Hyland which effectively cost him the bout on the cards.

This bout probably proved that neither fighter is quite there for a genuine top fight at the division. Fortuna is talented but doesn't hit as hard as his record demonstrates and Hyland, whilst tough simply doesn't do enough to to earn a decision and he also lacks the world level power that he'd need to make an impression amongst the best in the division.

Chris John v Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo

Indonesian Chris John (48-0-2, 22) successfully retained his "Super" WBA Featherweight title as he out pointed the previous unbeaten Thai Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (44-1, 27) in an enthralling 12 round battle that saw both men hurt and both men really giving it their all.

John went out to a quick lead by easily winning the first 2 rounds against Piriyapinyo who was a very slow starter and did little early on. John's speed, accuracy and skill were allowing him to easily dominate against the Thai challenger at both range and up close. Sadly for Piriyapinyo his defense seemed none existent and it allowed John to willingly tee-off on him with combinations and flurries.

Thankfully for the viewers, both on TV and in the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore, Piriyapinyo started to fight back back in round 3. Whilst John still won the round, pretty clearly as well, it was the first time that Piriyapinyo actually tried to force John off him by fighting back. Over the following rounds Piriyapinyo really started to grow in to the bout and a strong case could be made for him winning the following 3 or 4 rounds as the bout became a back and forth battle between two men who were each having their moments. Whilst John's class and speed were looking wonderful, Piriyapinyo seemed to stun John with hurtful right hands, especially in round 7 where John's legs appeared to buckle.

Sadly for the Thai he appeared to shoot his load and in round 9 John took over once again, really giving Piriyapinyo a beating in the bouts most 1-sided round. In fact had it not been for the fact John twice slipped to the canvas, he may well have managed to stop Piriyapinyo who was being forced to weather a real storm. This was really the start of the end for the competitive fight we had seen for a few rounds and John really made sure he was in the lead by clearly winning rounds 10 and 11.

With the challenger needing a stoppage in round 12 we saw Piriyapinyo really letting his hands go, especially late in the round and he seemed to rock John in the dying seconds of the fight, though sadly for the challenger he failed to drop the Indonesian who had done enough to claim the bout by pretty wide scores.

Jimmy Lennon Jr announced the scorecards with John a unanimous winner via scores of 119-109 (twice) and 117-111. I myself had the bout 119-109, though you could have made a real case for Piriyapinyo to have taken as many as 4 rounds. Sadly the Thai, whilst tough and game, simply lacked the defensive ability needed at this level to counter shots however it needs to be said that John doesn't look like the fighter he once was. Yes he clearly won here but Piriyapinyo did look like a heavy bag for much of the bout.

Daniel Ponce De Leon v Jhonny Gonzalez

Hard hitting Mexican Daniel Ponce De Leon (44-4, 35) became a 2-weight world champion as he claimed the WBC Featherweight title via a technical decision victory over fellow hard hitter Jhonny Gonzalez (52-8, 45), in a bout that failed to live up to the expectations many had for it.

The opening round was some what tentative as the two hard punchers seemed to show too much respect to each other early on. Whilst it was competitive it wasn't edge of your seat stuff as both men spent the round try to feel out the other. Sadly the bout didn't catch on fire quickly and the tentative opener was followed by another somewhat tame round as they each felt their way into the fight. Surprisingly however Ponce De Leon was showing some genuine boxing skills, looking to not only find a home for his power but also show that he could land counters and move well.

The bout had it's first major moment in round 3 after a clash of heads opened up a nasty cut on Ponce De Leon. Whilst both men were still being respectful of each other it appeared as if they were both starting to warm to their task and by the end of round 5 it seemed we had a fight on our hands.Ponce De Leon was still looking impressively skilled for a man that many considered a wild slugger whilst Gonzalez seemed to be finding his own rhythm.

With Gonzalez looking to have found his rhythm, Ponce De Leon turned up the heat and in round 6 almost sent Gonzalez out of the ring with a vicious combination that sent Gonzalez partly through the ropes. Despite being really hurt and beaten to the canvas Gonzales was saved by the bell, though it looked like he'd been some what broken by Ponce De Leon's hard body shots. The body shots continued through round 7 as Ponce De Leon continued to break down Gonzalez with heavy, hurtful shots to the midsection.

Sadly with the fight starting to warm up nicely for Ponce De Leon we got a clash of heads in round 8 that left Gonzalez with a nasty cut over his eye and forced the early ending of the bout. The judges scorecards all read in favour of Ponce De Leon who claimed his second world title (having previously held the WBO Super Bantamweight title).