A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:
Saturday at Carson, Calif.
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai KO4 Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez - Full recap
Retains a junior bantamweight title
Records: Sor Rungvisai (43-4-1, 39 KOs); Gonzalez (46-2, 38 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: When Thailand's Sor Rungvisai, 30, won a junior bantamweight world title for the second time in March it came by very controversial majority decision against four-division Nicaraguan hero Gonzalez, 30, in a bloody slugfest that is a clear fight of the contender. However, when they met in the much-anticipated mandatory rematch it wasn't close. Sor Rungvisai mowed down Gonzalez in stunningly easy fashion, perhaps sending him into retirement with a massive one-punch knockout of the year candidate. Gonzalez never got into the fight and then got dropped twice in the fourth round, including the finish, a flush right hand on the chin that badly knocked him out at 1 minute, 18 seconds. Gonzalez said he would consider retirement and if he's done it was a great ride and the Hall of Fame beckons.
Naoya "The Monster" Inoue TKO6 Antonio Nieves - Full recap
Retains a junior bantamweight title
Records: Inoue (14-0, 12 KOs); Nieves (17-2-2, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Japan's Inoue, 24, who previously won a junior flyweight world title, made his United States debut and looked fantastic as he made his sixth title defense and punished Nieves, 30, of Cleveland, throughout the fight -- especially with a heavy dose of body shots. Nieves simply could not take the heat. He went down from a shot to the belly in the fifth round and his corner threw in the towel after the sixth round. Inoue's goal was impress a U.S. audience and he did just that, setting the stage for higher profile American fights on HBO, which wants him back.
Juan Francisco Estrada W12 Carlos Cuadras - Full recap
Junior bantamweight - Title eliminator
Scores: 114-113 (three times)
Records: Estrada (36-2, 25 KOs); Cuadras (36-2-1, 27 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: As expected Estrada, 27, a former unified flyweight world titleholder, and Mexican countryman Cuadras, 29, a former world titleholder, produced a very exciting and competitive fight. Estrada had his way early but the heavier-punching Estrada came on strong in the second half, including scoring a 10th-round knockdown with a right hand, and eking out the decision to earn a mandatory title shot against main event winner Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. There was some initial confusion as to who won because ring announcer Michael Buffer announced Cuadras as the winner before making a correction moments later.
Brian Viloria TKO5 Miguel Cartagena - Full recap
Junior bantamweight
Records: Viloria (38-5, 23 KOs); Cartagena (15-4-1, 6 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Viloria, 36, who won world titles at flyweight and junior flyweight, hopes to make another run and won his second fight since a ninth-round stoppage loss challenging then-flyweight titleholder Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez sent him into a 17-month layoff. He broke down Cartagena, 25, of Philadelphia, laid a beating on him in the fourth and when he badly staggered him with a right hand in the fifth round referee Raul Caiz Sr. waved off the fight at 44 seconds.
Saturday at Berlin
Oleksandr Usyk TKO10 Marco Huck
Retains a cruiserweight title - World Boxing Super Series quarterfinals
Records: Usyk (13-0, 11 KOs); Huck (40-5-1, 27 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In the opening bout of the World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight tournament, No. 1 seed Usyk, a 30-year-old southpaw from Ukraine, retained his title for the third time as he advanced to the semifinals early next year. He put on a dominant performance against former longtime titleholder Huck, 32, of Germany, who appears all done at this point after so many tough fights, a second loss in a row and a third defeat in his last five bouts. Usyk advanced to a unification fight against the winner of the Sept. 30 quarterfinal bout between titlist and No. 3 seed Mairis Briedis (22-0, 18 KOs), of Latvia, and Ireland-based Cuban defector Mike Perez (22-2-1, 14 KOs). Huck, as always, came to fight his heart out but Usyk was too fast, too skilled and too strong. He laughed off Huck's punches and in the 10th round battered Huck all over the ring with unanswered punches that Huck in big trouble when referee Robert Byrd intervened at 2 minutes, 18 seconds.
Friday at Las Vegas
David Benavidez W12 Ronald Gavril
Wins a vacant super middleweight title
Scores: 117-111, 116-111 Benavidez, 116-111 Gavril
Records: Benavidez (19-0, 17 KOs); Gavril (18-2, 14 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In a highly competitive fight of the year contender, Benavidez made boxing history in the Showtime main event with a well-deserved split decision over Gavril, 31, a native of Romania fighting out of Las Vegas. At 20 years, 9 months old, Benavidez, of Phoenix, became boxing's youngest active world titleholder and the youngest in super middleweight history, shattering the record previously held by Darin Van Horn, who as 22 when he claimed a title in 1991. Benavidez, who turned pro at 16, had to weather a knockdown in the 12th round of the wild fight when Gavril caught him with a left hook with 50 seconds to go.
J'Leon Love Tech. Draw 8 Abraham Han
Super middleweight
Scores: 79-73 Love, 76-76 (twice)
Records: Love (23-1-1, 13 KOs); Han (26-3-1, 16 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Love, 29, of Las Vegas, returning from a one-year layoff, and Han, 32, of El Paso, Texas, put on a competitive fight that came to a brutal ending 1 minute, 2 seconds into the eighth round when they had a terrible accidental head butt that was so bad Han was knocked to the mat as blood gushed from his forehead above his left eye. He was unable to continue and the fight was sent to the scorecards for a technical decision that turned out to be a majority draw.
Caleb Plant W10 Andrew Hernandez
Super middleweight
Scores: 100-90 (three times)
Records: Plant (16-0, 10 KOs); Hernandez (19-7-1, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Plant, a 25-year-old rising prospect who recently moved from Nashville to Las Vegas, rolled to a shutout decision against Hernandez, 31, of Phoenix, in the opening bout of Showtime's tripleheader. Plant was originally supposed to fight Mexico's Alan Campa (16-3, 11 KOs), but he dropped out and Hernandez replaced him on eight days' notice. Plant was sharp with his jab, landed a ton of power shots and controlled the fight from start to finish as he toyed with Hernandez. Plant opened a cut under Hernandez's left eye in the third round and it caused him problems throughout the fight.
"Kid Chocolate" Peter Quillin W8 Dashon Johnson
Super middleweight
Scores: 79-72, 79-73, 78-74
Records: Quillin (33-1-1, 23 KOs); Johnson (22-22-3, 7 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Former middleweight titlist Quillin, 34, of Brooklyn, New York, had been out of the ring since suffering a shocking first-round knockout in just 85 seconds to Daniel Jacobs in a world title fight in December 2015. Returning from the 21-month layoff and moving up to super middleweight, Quillin faced journeyman Johnson, who has a terrible record but is known for his durability, having only been stopped three times. To no surprise, Johnson, who sparred with Conor McGregor to help him prepare for Floyd Mayweather, went the distance with Quillin, who is now being trained by Virgil Hunter. But Quillin, shaking off the rust, struggled at times in a spotty performance in which Johnson badly rattled him late in the third round with a right hand. Quillin stayed on his feet, hurt Johnson in the fifth round and won a tough fight.
Friday at Mendoza, Argentina
Juan Carlos Reveco W12 Komgrich Nantapech
Flyweight
Scores: 120-108, 118-110, 117-111
Records: Reveco (39-3, 19 KOs); Nantapech (22-5, 15 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Reveco, 34, of Argentina, a former flyweight and junior flyweight world titleholder, will have a chance to win another belt. He squared off with Nantapech, 28, of Thailand, for the right to become the mandatory challenger for 112-pound world titleholder Donnie Nietes (40-1-4), of the Philippines, and cruised to a one-sided decision victory on home turf.