McCaskill rolls to decision vs. Braekhus in rematch to retain undisputed title
Kyoguchi retains junior flyweight world title by TKO
After Jessica McCaskill scraped by to win a disputed majority decision to claim the undisputed women’s welterweight world title from longtime pound-for-pound queen Cecilia Braekhus in August, she felt she did not get the credit she deserved for ending Braekhus’ long title reign and taking her unbeaten record.
But McCaskill should have no such problem after she beat Braekhus again – this time with no controversy --- to retain the title in their immediate rematch on Saturday night in the DAZN co-feature of the Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez-Juan Francisco Estrada rematch to unify junior bantamweight titles at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
McCaskill, the far more aggressive fighter, won by scores of 100-89, 99-90 and 98-91. Although the scores may have been a bit wide there was no doubt the right woman won.
McCaskill (10-2, 3 KOs), 36, of Chicago, got off to a very good start as he wobbled Braekhus with an overhand right hand that her backing toward the ropes in the final seconds of the first round. McCaskill seemed to rock her again with a pair of right hands late in the second round of what had otherwise been a close round.
McCaskill dominated through the first half of the crowd-pleasing bout although Braekhus did have her moments and closed strong. Her chances were further damaged when referee Rafael Ramos docked her one point for holding – which she had been warned for – in the seventh round.
After the ninth round, McCaskill trainer/manager Rick Ramos wanted to leave no doubt and implored McCaskill to go out make sure she won the final round. Neither left anything in their tank in the 10th round as they both tried to go for a knockout. As it turned out, McCaskill did not need to win the round.
“I was very happy with it,” McCaskill said of her performance. “I was doing exactly what my coach was telling me to do. She ate every punch I put on her face.”
Now she looks forward to other challenges and probably much bigger paydays.
“I want to work, I want to fight, I want to train. If Katie Taylor is the next one let’s go,” she said of the undisputed lightweight champion she shares Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn with. “If (undisputed junior middleweight champion) Claressa (Shields) wants to come down to 147 and can make the weight -- I have a lot of options.”
Braekhus (36-2, 9 KOs), 39, of Norway, considered retirement after the first fight but said she will fight on after this loss.
“It was a tough fight. McCaskill is a tough woman and I congratulate her,” said Braekhus, who said she would like a third fight with her. “I love boxing. If there is a good fight out there for me I’ll take it. I feel fine. I’m going on a week’s vacation and then I’m back in the gym.”
When she faced McCaskill the first time, Braekhus was attempting to make her 26th consecutive title defense and break the record she shares with heavyweight legend Joe Louis for the most title defenses in a row, male or female.
Kyoguchi stops injured Vega
Hiroto Kyoguchi (15-0, 10 KOs) retained his junior flyweight title against Axel Vega (14-4-1, 8 KOs) when Vegas suffered an obvious right hand injury during the fifth round.
Japan’s Kyoguchi, 27, making his third title defense and making his United States debut in his first fight since signing with Matchroom Boxing, was getting a tough fight from the much shorter Vega, who was making it a very competitive fight.
However, midway through the fifth round, Vegas landed a right hand near the top of Kyoguchi’s head and he immediately recoiled in pain. He backed into the ropes, bent down and was clearly in duress, and referee Raul Caiz Jr. waved off the fight at 1 minute, 32 seconds.
The 4-foot-9 Vega, 20, of Mexico, lost his second shot at a world title. In 2019, he lost a seventh-round technical decision challenging Wilfredo Mendez for his strawweight belt in Puerto Rico.
Also on the card
— Middleweight prospect Souleymane Cissokho (12-0, 8 KOs), 29, a 2016 French bronze medalist, who is managed by unified heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua, dominated Daniel Echeverria (21-12, 18 KOs), 28, of Mexico, en route to a sixth-round knockout.
Trained by Virgil Hunter, Cissokho, who had not fought since September 2019, mainly because of the coronavirus pandemic, was eager to get back in the ring so he went through with the fight even though Echeverria was dramatically overweight at 167 for a fight contracted at 160 pounds. Cissokho was 159.4.
Cissokho dominated the fight and dropped him with a clean right hand in the fifth round. Echeverria hit the deck later in the fifth round after an accidental head butt rocked him.
Cissokho dropped him again early in the sixth round and continued to batter him until referee Rosario Solis had seen enough and waved it off at 1:29.
— Middleweight prospect Austin “Ammo” Williams (8-0, 6 KOs), 24, of Houston, looked good as he took a step up in competition and outpointed Brooklyn, New York, native Denis Douglin (22-8, 14 KOs), 32, in Williams’ first scheduled eight-rounder. The judges had it 79-73, 79-73 and 77-75, for Williams, who landed many big shots and did damage but could not get the knockout he badly wanted, even though Douglin had been previously knocked out four times.
Douglin, who has vast experience in losses to Jermell Charlo, George Groves, David Benavidez and Anthony Dirrell, was an upgrade of opponent when he replaced Aaron Coley (16-3-1, 7 KOs) on short notice. According to CompuBox, Williams landed almost double the number of punches as Douglin: 154-81.
— Featherweight prospect Raymond Ford (8-0-1, 4 KOs), 21, of Camden, New Jersey, was held to a draw against Aaron Perez (10-0-1, 6 KOs), 23, of El Paso, Texas. One judge had it 77-75 for Ford, one had it 78-74 for Perez and one had it 76-76.
Perez gave the favored Ford issues with hard hooks in the early going but slowed down for a few rounds when Ford came on strong. But Perez closed well in the final two rounds as they fought more toe to toe.
Photos: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing
A real tough card to watch from Vega's injury to a sluggish, amateurish fight as the main event. First, the stoppage should have come sooner as Vega turned his back on his opponent, period. The ref's should halt the contest and, at minimum, deduct a point for turning their back during a fight to avoid a possible hit while walking away and an eventual death. I mean, the ref letting Vega turn his back and letting it slide up until Kyoguchi landed a misplaced punch (fortunately for Vega). Clearly Kyoguchi missed a great opportunity to ensure his opponent's hospitalization. Then, it was so difficult to watch such a superior boxer out worked by a slugger. Sure, we've seen Danny Garcia implement this type of boxing style, but sharper boxers have imposed their technique on him. Braekhus was unable to showcase her jab, poise, and footwork that led her to win so many fights and record defenses. Braekhus is an aged boxer and we need to admit we have seen the best of her.
Unless she needs the money, Braekhus should call it quits. Even though she was better conditioned this time, she still couldn’t pull the trigger or land crisp shots like when she was younger. Be sad to see her fighting into her 40s as just an opponent.