Molitor Retains in Rama
October 27 - Steve Molitor survived a 7th round uncalled knockdown to easily outbox his Fahshung 3K Battery in front of 5,200 fans in Rama, Ontario for the IBF super bantamweight title. Molitor, 25-0 (10 KOs) used foot movement and the double jab to keep Battery off rhythm. In the later rounds, Molitor's superior reach, quick hands and combinations to the head and body were more than enough to earn him the decision on the scorecards. The judges all scored the fight for Molitor: 119-109, 119-109 and 120-108. [more...]

Ibragimov Halts Holyfield
October 13 - Sultan Ibragimov's counter punching style was enough to thwart Evander Holyfield's fifth possible title. Holyfield did enough to win the first two rounds, however for the next nine rounds, Holyfield moved forward but rarely threw anything more than single punches as Ibragimov countered effectively. Holyfield was slightly more aggressive in the final round and landed a few good shots but never had Ibragimov in any trouble. The judges all scored the fight for Ibragimov: 118-110, 117-111 and 117-111.

Juan Overwhelms Julio
October 13 - In a near-flawless performance, Juan Diaz, 33-0 (17 KOs) beat, battered and pummeled Julio Diaz, 34-4 (25 KOs) until he quit on his stool one second into the ninth round Saturday night before a sparse crowd of about 3,000 at the 11,000-seat Sears Centre in Chicago. It was the seventh title defense for Juan, who unified two of the belts with a similarly relentless win in April against Acelino "Popo" Freitas. In that fight, Freitas also quit after the eighth round after taking a shellacking.

Pacquiao Outguns Barrera
October 6 - Manny Pacquiao landed harder punches and controlled the action and won a unanimous decision over Marco Antonio Barrera in their junior lightweight fight before an excited crowd of 10,112 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. Afterward, the Mexican legend said it was the last fight in his career. Pacquiao, 45-3-2 (34 KOs), was getting the better of most of the exchanges and was doing it again in the 11th when he knocked Barrera, (63-5 (42 KOs) into the ropes. Judges scorecards read 118-109, 118-109 and 115-112.

Pavlik Stops Taylor in Seven
September 29 - Kelly Pavlik survived a 2nd round knockdown and came back to knock out Jermain Taylor to claim the WBC/WBO middleweight championship. Pavlik remained on his feet for the remainder of round two by showing a lot of heart and clutching on to Taylor. In round seven, Pavlik knew he hurt Taylor with a big right and made sure the champ wouldn't make it to the end of the round. As the champ staggered back into the corner, Pavlik followed and landed a series of heavy blows. Referee Steve Smoger jumped in to stop the fight as a defenseless Taylor slumped to his knees at 2:14.

Junior "Hitter" Witter
September 7 - Junior Witter retained his WBC junior welterweight title by stopping Vivian Harris in the seventh round in Doncaster, England. Witter (36-1-2) controlled the fight from the opening round, using quick jabs while Harris, 28-3-1 (18 KOs) tried to counter with lunging left hooks. Witter ended the bout with a powerful left hook to the head that sent Harris straight to the mat for a count of ten.

Early Stoppage?
September 1 - Ricardo Torres successfully defended his WBO junior welterweight title, stopping Kendal Holt in the 11th round in Bogata, Columbia. Torres was landing solid punches with both hands when a left hook to the chin sent Holt to the canvas. Holt managed to get up, but Torres came back with a new flurry of punches so referee Yino Rodriguez stopped the fight.

Philippines 5, Mexico 1
August 11 - Daniel Ponce De Leon (32-1, 29 KOs), knocked out unbeaten Rey Bautista (23-1) in a stunning first round in Sacramento, California, retaining his WBO 122-pound title and recording Mexico's only victory in a six-fight World Cup of Boxing against the Philippines. In the co-main event, Filipino veteran Gerry Penalosa upset Jhonny Gonzalez with a seventh-round knockout on a perfect body shot to the liver to claim the WBO 118-pound title.