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Erika Cruz stripped of WBA title; Nazarena Romero-Mayerlin Rivas rematch ordered

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Erika Cruz was stripped of her title.

The two-time WBA 122-pound champion was stripped of her title at WBA after a positive drug test in connection with her last fight. A sample taken on April 29 and tested on May 7 showed the stanozolol metabolites 16b-hydroxystanozolol, 3′-hydroxystanozolol and furosemide. The results were discovered eleven days after her ten-round draw with Nazarena Romero on May 11 in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Cruz (17-2-1, 3 KOs) has yet to appear before the Comision de Box Aguascalientes, the presiding body in the fight. The draw verdict remains intact, though it is a matter of dispute even if it is changed to a no-decision. Romero (13-0-2, 7 KOs) will get another shot at the now-vacant title.

At the time the drug test results were released, Cruz’s team told The Ring they planned to fully cooperate with the investigation. A second “A” sample tested on May 31 yielded similar results, which Cruz was informed of on June 5.

Cruz had until June 20 to request testing of her “B” samples. That step was never taken, prompting the WBA to take action.

The samples are stored in WADA-accredited labs for up to 180 days, the length of her current WBA suspension. The sanctioning body has threatened to add another six months to the end of that period if she fails to witness the “B” sample testing procedure.

Cruz is still eligible to fight during that period, pending a ruling from a real boxing commission. The sanctioning bodies only reserve the right to refuse to sanction title fights or elimination bouts.

The ruling ends her second title run after just one invalid defense.

Cruz won the belt in a 10-round decision over Mayerlin Rivas (17-5-3, 11 KOs) last November in Inglewood, California. It came just nine months after her narrow loss to Amanda Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KOs) in their memorable undisputed featherweight title fight in February 2023. The loss ended Cruz’s long stint as WBA featherweight champion.

Meanwhile, Cruz’s final two opponents will be fighting for the WBA 122-pound title.

Romero was ordered to face Rivas in a rematch of their June 2023 meeting. Their fight for the WBA junior featherweight title ended in a technical draw at the end of the fifth round. Romero suffered a cut from a clash of heads that was deemed too severe to continue.

Since then, Rivas’ only fight has been the aforementioned loss to Cruz.

Romero-Rivas was ordered to appear by October 20.

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Nate Diaz takes revenge on Jorge Masvidal with a boxing win

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It took almost five years, but Nate Diaz finally got his revenge on Jorge Masvidal in a professional boxing ring on Saturday.

Diaz defeated Masvidal by majority decision in a 10-round bout that headlined the pay-per-view at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Two of the three judges who scored the close fight scored it 98-92 and 97-93 for Diaz, with the third judge scoring it 95-95.

The win was revenge for Diaz’s third-round technical knockout loss to Masvidal in November 2019, when the two met in the UFC’s first BMF title fight. Masvidal won when a doctor ruled Diaz could not continue due to a laceration; Diaz disagreed. After Saturday’s victory, Diaz called for two more rematches, with Jake Paul, who defeated him in boxing last year, and UFC champion Leon Edwards.

“I’m going to kick Jake Paul’s f**king ass and I’m going to fight the highest-ranked boxer I can find,” Diaz said. “My main goal is to be the best fighter in the world, so I want to come back and win a UFC title. [UFC welterweight champion] Leon Edwards, Jake Paul and anyone else are dead.

Masvidal, 39, who ended his MMA career in April but has already hinted at a possible comeback, said he disagreed with the scorecards and demanded a third fight with Diaz.

“I thought I won,” Masvidal said. “I thought I landed the harder shots. We can do it again, it’s 1-1. We’ll find a spot and do it again.”

It was a classic performance from Diaz, who simply overwhelmed Masvidal with volume throughout the 175-pound fight. Masvidal seemed to be landing the heavier punches, but Diaz’s infamous beard held up great and his pace was a weapon for him all night. At times he would laugh and turn his back on Masvidal, and the two continued to land punches until the final bell.

The event, which aired on DAZN and was co-promoted by Diaz’s Real Fight Inc. and Masvidal’s Gamebred Boxing, featured other substantial names from the combat sports world, including former UFC champion Anthony Pettis, who lost to Diaz’s longtime teammate Chris Avila.

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A Night of Questionable Refereeing: Fernando Martinez Crowned Amid Controversy

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Image: The Night of Questionable Judging: Fernando Martinez Crowned Amid Controversy

Last night’s fight was nothing low of a scandal as Fernando Martinez was crowned the fresh unified IBF-WBA super flyweight champion thanks to some innovative blind judging. With scores like 120-108, 117-111 and 116-112, one has to wonder if the judges were watching the same fight or were they just scribbling random numbers while taking a nap?

From the get-go, Martinez threw everything but the kitchen sink, landing some decent punches. But let’s not get carried away; this wasn’t a one-man show. Ioka responded with precision, targeting the body as if he was drilling for oil, and most of his efforts seemed imperceptible to judges with indigent eyesight.

As the twelfth round approached, both fighters looked like they had gone to war, trading blows that should have settled the score. But according to our bat-blind judges, Martinez was in a league of his own. A convincing victory? More like a grand illusion. I called the fight a draw.

Huge shout out to our judges who had to leave their guide dogs at home. Maybe next time we can get a fair result or just let the dogs judge. At least they would have sniffed out a more right result.

Boxing’s Blind Justice: Should Judges Face Downs After Awarding Outrageous Points?

A low while ago in Tokyo, the Martinez-Ioka fight caused outrage in the boxing world, and with good reason. Fernando Martinez captured the unified IBF-WBA super flyweight title in a fight that reeked of questionable judgment. With stunning scores of 120-108, 117-111, and 116-112, you really have to ask yourself: were the judges even paying attention, or were they just throwing out random numbers between naps?

If you’re looking for a sign that boxing needs a major overhaul, or maybe even a criminal investigation into its scoring practices, this might be it.

All results:

  • Fernando Martinez won a unanimous decision victory over Kazuto Ioka (120-108, 117-111, 116-112) to win the IBF and WBA super flyweight world titles.
  • Seiya Tsutsumi defeated Weerawat Noolae via fourth-round technical knockout in their super bantamweight fight.
  • Shun Sekine defeated Chaiyarat Sawansoda via technical knockout in the third round in their super lightweight fight.
  • Yudai Murakami defeated Hiro Ichimichi via unanimous decision after eight rounds in a lightweight bout.
  • Taiga Kato defeated Shi Dong via unanimous decision after six rounds in the super bantamweight division.
  • Kantaro Juri scored a unanimous decision victory over Phai Pharob after eight rounds of super flyweight action.
  • Aoi Yokoyama defeated Hao Wang via technical knockout in the second round in their bantamweight fight.

Last update 07/07/2024

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Fernando Martinez defeated Kazuto Ioka by unanimous decision in Japan

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Fernando Martinez super-flyweight

FERNANDO Martinez is now the unified WBA and IBF super flyweight titleholder after a thrilling battle of attrition in Tokyo, Japan. The scores were announced as 116-112, 117-111 and 120-108, crowning Martinez the winner by unanimous decision.

It was a great 115-pound fight between two great fighters, worthy of a unification fight. The 120-108 card posted by Eduardo Hernandez Sr. seemed incredibly dismissive of Ioka’s efforts, but the right man got the nod.

Martinez started swift and managed to keep the pace going, aside from a few slower rounds, thanks in huge part to Ioka’s relentless attack. It was an incredible pace considering Martinez, 17-0 (9 KOs), is 32 years senior.

Ioka, 36, is four years older and drops to 31-3-1 (16 KOs). After retiring, Ioka could consider returning to the wilderness as a respected four-division world champion.

Marcos Maidana celebrated in the ring with a visiting fighter he promotes. Martinez can now chase another unification fight with WBC super flyweight champion Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, who defeated Juan Francisco Estrada last weekend. However, a rematch is expected to happen, which could leave Martinez looking for a dance partner elsewhere.

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