Krzysztof “Diablo” Wlodarczyk of Poland successfully defended his WBC cruiserweight title with a unanimous decision against second-time challenger Francisco Palacios of Puerto Rico on Saturday.
Wlodarczyk held the title from Palacios by split decision in April last year in a fight of much less action.
This time, Wlodarczyk was faster and more effective, and the judges agreed, with scores of 116-112, 117-112, 116-113.
Photo: EPA
Wlodarczyk, who improved to 47-2-1 (33 KO) said: “Francisco, you are a very good fighter, very strong. Thank you.”
This was Wlodarczyk’s fourth successive defense of the title he has held since May 2010, when he snatched it by knockout from Italy’s Giacobbe Fragomeni.
BURNS VS MITCHELL
AFP and AP, GLASGOW and Cape Town
Scotland’s Ricky Burns thwarted Englishman Kevin Mitchell’s bid to relieve him of his WBO world lightweight title on Saturday with a convincing fourth-round stoppage.
The 29-year-old had Mitchell on the canvas twice in the fourth round, before the referee stepped in to put the English fighter out of his misery.
“The whole build-up went perfectly. I’ve been feeling so much stronger. My confidence is there too, but I felt so much stronger,” Burns said. “I said I’ll try and suss him out in the first round. When I had him on the ropes, I wanted to rough him up and it worked.”
SANDERS SHOT DEAD
In other boxing news, former WBO heavyweight champion Corrie Sanders has died in hospital after being shot in an armed robbery in his native South Africa.
Initial reports say Sanders, who shocked Wladimir Klitschko to claim the WBO belt in 2003, was shot in the stomach at a restaurant in Brits, near Pretoria, on Saturday. He died in the early hours of yesterday.
The 46-year-old Sanders was reportedly attending a family celebration when armed men entered the restaurant in the country’s North West Province.
Sanders’ second-round knockout of Klitschko in Germany was considered one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight boxing. He lost to Wladimir’s older brother, Vitali, for the vacant WBC title the following year.
A southpaw renowned for his hand speed, Sanders retired in 2008 with a 42-4 record.
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