The Riyad season hosted a Latin night, with Gilberto Ramirez adding the WBO cruiserweight title to his WBA belt with a high-octane points win against Chris Billam-Smith.

Former WBO super middleweight champion Ramirez (47-1, KO30) moved up to cruiserweight last year and followed up a wide-scoring victory over Joe Smith Jr. won the WBA belt in March by defeating Arsen Goulamirian ten rounds to two. Billam-Smith (20-2, KO13) won the WBO belt with a majority decision victory over Lawrence Okolie in May last year and was last eliminated in June, taking revenge on Richard Riakporhe by scoring at Selhurst Park.

Billam-Smith had a very good start in the first round, landing some solid punches, but Ramirez found his moment in the second round, landing a piercing left arm that sent the Englishman into a frenzy and his combinations worried the WBO boss. In the fourth, Billam-Smith was bleeding from the nose, and Ramirez landed a phenomenal right hand and landed several impressive combinations to the body before crushing his opponent with the sheer number of punches he was throwing.

Ramirez kept his foot on the gas pedal as the doctor looked at Billam-Smith’s eye ahead of the seventh round, and although the Bournemouth man continued to work tough, he struggled to cope with the cumulative effects of Ramirez’s work. Billam-Smith did rally to the distance, but couldn’t find the punches to break Ramirez’s spirit, and the Mexican was able to maintain enough accuracy to keep his fighter at bay, and after the pair left it all in the ring in the final round the winner was decided by scorecards.

Two scores of 116-112 and a third of 116-113 sent Ramirez home as the unified world champion.

The WBO super lightweight title eliminator didn’t catch fire, but Arnold Barboza Jr (31-0, KO11) did enough to earn a ten-round decision and win over former unified world champion Jose Carlos Ramirez (29-2, KO18) . It was a stop-start match, but Barboza mostly had the advantage and outscored the winner by two scores of 96-94 and one of 97-93.

The interim WBC lightweight title was won by William Zepeda (32-0, KO27), defeating Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, KO8) by an extremely high score, and getting up from the floor in the process. Zepeda was clotheslined in the fourth round, keeping him on the canvas with a powerful left hand, and the fight lasted a full ten rounds, during which Zepeda scored two scores of 95-94 compared to a third score for former world champion Rolnik.

Oscar Collazo (11-0, KO8) defended his WBO minimumweight world title for the fourth time and impressed with a seventh-round victory over Thammanoon Niyomtrong (25-1, KO9). Niyomtrong trailed in the sixth round and trailed twice more before the break.

Oscar Duarte (28-2-1, KO22) won his ten-round super lightweight fight on points against Botirzhon Akhmedov (10-4, KO9). Duarte won by scores of 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94.

Welterweight prospect Ziyad Almaayouf (6-0-1, KO1) suffered a defeat after drawing to a six-round draw against Juan Carlos Ramirez Garcia (5-6-1, KO0). One judge declared Almaayouf the winner 58-56, but two scores of 57-57 ensured the fight ended in a stalemate.

November 16, 2024

Puerto Rican Oscar Collazo made history by defeating Thailand’s Thammanoon Niyomtrong to become the Unified Mini Flyweight Champion in a thrilling tactical battle in Riyad, Saudi Arabia. WBO titleholder Collazo added Niyomtronga’s WBA belt to his collection with his TKO victory. The official stoppage time was 1:29 of the seventh round.

In the fight, Collazo’s superior movement and counter-attacking skills neutralized Niyomtrong’s aggressive style. Despite some sturdy moments from Niyomtrong, particularly in the early rounds, the southpaw’s precise combinations and excellent defense began to control the fight from the middle rounds, and he knocked down the former champion three times before claiming Niyomtrong’s title and perfect record.

With this victory, the 27-year-old Collazo cements himself as the recent face of the 105-pound division, holding both the WBA and WBO titles. The Puerto Rican star, long considered one of the sport’s brightest prospects, is now the undisputed mini flyweight champion. After the fight, Collazo expressed gratitude to his team and fans, stating, “This is for Puerto Rico, for all the people who believed in me.”

Netflix revealed that the co-main event featuring Jake Paul and Mike Tyson and Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor has become the most-watched professional women’s sporting event in U.S. history.

The fight took place on Friday in Twxas, where Paul faced Tyson – it was his first professional boxing match in 19 years – lasting eight rounds. The fight went the full distance, with the YouTuber securing victory based on the judge’s scorecards.

Paul’s performance against Tyson was met with criticism due to the significant age difference between the two fighters, leading many to question his motives for fighting. The 27-year-old was booed for his lack of aggression in the final rounds, and even his own corner expressed disappointment, urging him to aim for the knockout.

Despite the criticism, Paul dominated the fight, highlighting the 31-year age gap between him and “Iron Mike” as Tyson struggled to keep up with the younger fighter. Fans had hoped that the youngest ever heavyweight champion of the world would be able to turn back the clock in his first professional fight in 19 years, but that didn’t happen.

In contrast, the co-main event featuring Taylor and Serrano was fierce. Despite landing fewer punches than Serrano, the Irish star controversially won on points, leaving both women battered and bloody as they gave their all in the ring.

Serrano v. Taylor resulted in an astonishing nearly 50 million households worldwide tuning in live. Netflix data suggests this match is poised to become the most-watched professional women’s sporting event in U.S. history.

Taylor successfully defended her undisputed Women’s Lightweight Championship following a controversial and unpopular unanimous decision against Amanda Serrano. Following on from the memorable 2022 Madison Square Garden event, which was the first-ever female-led main event at the iconic venue, Taylor once again secured victory.

Described as one of the most anticipated feuds in women’s boxing, the fight did not disappoint, reflecting the intensity of their initial fight. Despite the local preference for Serrano, all three judges awarded Taylor scores of 95-94, leaving the Texas crowd disappointed.

Nearly 50 million homes were glued to the screen as Taylor asserted her dominance over Serrano, and Tyson’s defeat of Paul attracted a huge international audience, peaking at 65 million. When Netflix entered the sports streaming market, it faced criticism due to numerous viewer complaints about streaming issues such as connection interruptions and freezing screens.

The triumphant Paul commented after the victory: “Service failure. This is the biggest event.”

Tyson initially performed better in the first rounds, but Paul recalibrated and took control when Tyson appeared tired. Paul managed to land an impressive 78 of 278 punches thrown, in stark relief to Tyson who landed just 18 of 97 punches thrown.

As the final rounds played out, there was a chorus of cheers from the AT&T Stadium crowd as neither boxer seemed to put forth much effort as the two-minute rounds wore on. It’s likely that viewers around the world shared similar sentiments.