By Raffaele Fratto
In another fast-paced and bloody battle, undisputed female bantamweight champion Cherneka Johnson (Australia) and Amanda Galle (Canada) threw down over 10 closely contested rounds. Johnson was cut in the first round from a clash of heads and Galle suffered the same fate in the second round. Both ladies bled freely throughout the fight. The final tallies were as follows: 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93 for Johnson, who retains her undisputed championship at 19-3, 8 KOs. Galle loses her first at 12-1-1, 1 KO.
Female WBC lightweight champion Caroline Dubois (GB) had too much pedigree for Camilla Panatta (Italy) in defense of her title. Dubois released a perfectly timed right hook that dropped Panatta late in the sixth round. Dubois dished out a steady beating to the tough-as-nails Panatta for the remainder of the fight. The judges saw it a predictable: 99-90 x 3 for Dubois, now 12-0-1, 5 KOs. Panatta falls to 8-3-1, 1 KO.
In a battle for the female WBC strawweight championship, defending champ Yokasta Valle and challenger Yadira Bustillos fought through 10 fierce and bloody 2-minute rounds. The pace was frenetic from beginning to end. In the third, a clash of heads left Valle with a bad cut on her right temple and Bustillos with a cut right ear. There were many close rounds throughout. In the end the judges scored it: 95-95,98-92 and 96-94, for Valle, via majority decision, to retain her title and move to 34-3, 10 KOs. Bustillos falls to 11-2, 2 KOs.
Avious Griffin bounced back from his first professional loss with a devastating first round KO over Justin Cardona. Things actually looked as if they were going Cardona’s way when a short and powerful left hook from Griffin caught Cardona’s jaw and sent him to the ropes on spaghetti legs. The follow-up barrage sent Cardona down where he took referee Christopher Young’s full 10-count on one knee, ending the fight at 2:59 of the first. Griffin improves to 18-1, 17 KOs, while Cardona falls to 10-2, 5 KOs.
Opening the Jake vs Joshua show was two-time Brazilian Olympian Keno Marley, who dropped his opponent Diarra “Gift” Davis, Jr. 35 seconds into the first round of his pro debut. Marley couldn’t close the show though, and coasted to an easy decision by scores of 40-35 across the board, to start out at 1-0. Davis, Jr. falls to 2-2, 1 KO.
