By Arne K. Lang
Las Vegas, NV – Golden Boy Promotions was at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas tonight with a seven-bout card. In the main event, a 10-round match that was contested at a catchweight of 193 pounds but somehow packaged as a WBA cruiserweight eliminator, Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez improved to 45-1 (30) with a clear-cut decision over Joe Smith Jr (28-5). All three judges had it 99-91.
Both fighters were former champions in lower weight classes. Mazatlan’s Ramirez won the WBO 168-pound title from Germany’s Arthur Abraham in 2016 and made five successful defenses before out-growing the division. Smith Jr briefly held the WBO 175-pound title. But both were coming off losses. In his last fight in May of last year, Zurdo was widely out-pointed by Dmitry Bivol in Abu Dabai. Smith Jr made one defense of his belt before being whacked out in two rounds in a unification fight with Artur Beterbiev. This was his first test since that mishap 16 months ago.
Despite his outstanding record, Ramirez, a Top Rank castoff, was never an outstanding middleweight and may have lost something moving up in weight. He’s somewhat lead-footed, but compensates with excellent upper body movement and a sturdy chin. As for Joe Smith, he had strong round tonight, the fourth, when he snapped Ramirez’s head back on several occasions, but other that that, his performance was an exercise in ineffective aggression. Now 34 years old, he launches his punches a millisecond later than he did in his younger days and tonight his swings caught mostly air.
Co-Feature
In the middleweight co-feature, 27-year-old southpaw Bektemir Melikuziev lived up to his nickname, ‘Bully,’ with a fourth-round stoppage of Alantez Fox. A crowd-pleaser who fights with a bounce in his step, Melikuziev, a former Olympic silver medalist for Uzbekistan, came out swinging for the fences. In the fourth round, Fox took a knee for a respite and Melikuziev was all over him when he arose, backing him into a neutral corner and flailing away until the referee intervened.
It was the sixth straight win for Melikuziev (13-1, 10 KOs) since his wheels temporally fell off in a bout with grizzled Gabe Rosado who took him out with one punch in a major upset. Melikuziev avenged that defeat, winning a wide decision in a 10-round chess match, and would likely be a handful for anyone in the division. The lanky six-foot-four Fox, the older brother of welterweight campaigner Mykal Fox, declined to 28-5-1.
Houston’s Darius Fulghum (8-0, 8 KOs) made short work of Mexico’s Alan Campa, stealing the show in a match where both contestants weighed in a shade over 168 pounds. Fulghum ended the contest at the 2:58 mark of the opening round with a short left hook to the liver. Campa reacted as if paralyzed and crumpled to the canvas. The referee didn’t bother to count.
Fulghum, the subject of a recent profile in these pages, has won all eight of his pro fights inside the distance. Campa lost for the sixth time in his last seven tries as his record fell to 18-9.
Albuquerque junior middleweight Jose Luis Sanchez took the fight to previously undefeated Eric Tudor and copped a well-earned unanimous decision, advancing his record to 14-3-1 (4). The judges had it 78-74 and 77-75 twice. Tudor, who was born in Romania but grew up in South Florida, was 9-0 (6) heading in.
Duncanville, Texas cruiserweight Tristan Kalkreuth, who turns 22 next month, improved to 12-1 (9 KOs) at the expense of Georgia’s Aaron Casper (7-5-2) whose corner threw in the towel after five rounds, Kalkreuth had Casper on the deck twice before the match was terminated.
In a lightweight contest, Guadalajara southpaw Erick Garcia mauled his way to a 4-round unanimous decision over Victorville, California’s Daniel Luna who suffered his first defeat after opening his pro career with three straight knockouts. Garcia, who evened his record at 5-5, had the wrong style for Luna and won by scores of 39-37 and 40-36 twice.
Niles, Ohio middleweight Victor Toney opened the show with an upset, one of three on the undercard. In an 8-round fight with little sustained action, Toney (7-3-1) prevailed on a majority decision over Schenectady’s Jahyae Brown (13-2). The judges had it 76-76 and 77-75 twice.
Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy
Las Vegas, NV – Golden Boy Promotions was at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas tonight with a seven-bout card. In the main event, a 10-round match that was contested at a catchweight of 193 pounds but somehow packaged as a WBA cruiserweight eliminator, Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez improved to 45-1 (30) with a clear-cut decision over Joe Smith Jr (28-5). All three judges had it 99-91.
Both fighters were former champions in lower weight classes. Mazatlan’s Ramirez won the WBO 168-pound title from Germany’s Arthur Abraham in 2016 and made five successful defenses before out-growing the division. Smith Jr briefly held the WBO 175-pound title. But both were coming off losses. In his last fight in May of last year, Zurdo was widely out-pointed by Dmitry Bivol in Abu Dabai. Smith Jr made one defense of his belt before being whacked out in two rounds in a unification fight with Artur Beterbiev. This was his first test since that mishap 16 months ago.
Despite his outstanding record, Ramirez, a Top Rank castoff, was never an outstanding middleweight and may have lost something moving up in weight. He’s somewhat lead-footed, but compensates with excellent upper body movement and a sturdy chin. As for Joe Smith, he had strong round tonight, the fourth, when he snapped Ramirez’s head back on several occasions, but other that that, his performance was an exercise in ineffective aggression. Now 34 years old, he launches his punches a millisecond later than he did in his younger days and tonight his swings caught mostly air.
Co-Feature
In the middleweight co-feature, 27-year-old southpaw Bektemir Melikuziev lived up to his nickname, ‘Bully,’ with a fourth-round stoppage of Alantez Fox. A crowd-pleaser who fights with a bounce in his step, Melikuziev, a former Olympic silver medalist for Uzbekistan, came out swinging for the fences. In the fourth round, Fox took a knee for a respite and Melikuziev was all over him when he arose, backing him into a neutral corner and flailing away until the referee intervened.
It was the sixth straight win for Melikuziev (13-1, 10 KOs) since his wheels temporally fell off in a bout with grizzled Gabe Rosado who took him out with one punch in a major upset. Melikuziev avenged that defeat, winning a wide decision in a 10-round chess match, and would likely be a handful for anyone in the division. The lanky six-foot-four Fox, the older brother of welterweight campaigner Mykal Fox, declined to 28-5-1.
Houston’s Darius Fulghum (8-0, 8 KOs) made short work of Mexico’s Alan Campa, stealing the show in a match where both contestants weighed in a shade over 168 pounds. Fulghum ended the contest at the 2:58 mark of the opening round with a short left hook to the liver. Campa reacted as if paralyzed and crumpled to the canvas. The referee didn’t bother to count.
Fulghum, the subject of a recent profile in these pages, has won all eight of his pro fights inside the distance. Campa lost for the sixth time in his last seven tries as his record fell to 18-9.
Albuquerque junior middleweight Jose Luis Sanchez took the fight to previously undefeated Eric Tudor and copped a well-earned unanimous decision, advancing his record to 14-3-1 (4). The judges had it 78-74 and 77-75 twice. Tudor, who was born in Romania but grew up in South Florida, was 9-0 (6) heading in.
Duncanville, Texas cruiserweight Tristan Kalkreuth, who turns 22 next month, improved to 12-1 (9 KOs) at the expense of Georgia’s Aaron Casper (7-5-2) whose corner threw in the towel after five rounds, Kalkreuth had Casper on the deck twice before the match was terminated.
In a lightweight contest, Guadalajara southpaw Erick Garcia mauled his way to a 4-round unanimous decision over Victorville, California’s Daniel Luna who suffered his first defeat after opening his pro career with three straight knockouts. Garcia, who evened his record at 5-5, had the wrong style for Luna and won by scores of 39-37 and 40-36 twice.
Niles, Ohio middleweight Victor Toney opened the show with an upset, one of three on the undercard. In an 8-round fight with little sustained action, Toney (7-3-1) prevailed on a majority decision over Schenectady’s Jahyae Brown (13-2). The judges had it 76-76 and 77-75 twice.
Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy
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