Las Vegas, NV, USA: Light: Devin Haney (26-0) W PTS 12 Jorge Linares (47-6). Super Feather: Azinga Fuzile (15-1) W TKO 8 Thomas Joseph Ward (24-2-2) W. Middle: Jason Quigley (19-1) W PTS 10 Shane Mosley Jr (17-3).
Haney vs. Linares
Haney takes unanimous decision over Linares in WBC title defence. He outboxes Linares most of the way but is seriously rocked at the end of the tenth and fades late.
Round 1
Easy first round for Haney. His hand speed allowed him to score with jabs and long rights to the body. Linares trailed Haney and landed a couple of jabs but Haney pierced his guard throughout the round and landed a sharp left hook.
Score: 10-9 Haney
Round 2
Brilliant boxing from Haney. He consistently scored with his jab and rights to the body. He also added some left hooks to the body and a sneaky uppercut. Linares padded forward and had some success but was just not quick enough.
Score: 10-9 Haney Haney 20-18
Round 3
Don’t change a winning formula. Again Haney was slotting home his jab firing long rights to the body and an occasional left hook to the body. Linares was just following Haney around the ring unable to land anything of note.
Score: 10-9 Haney Haney 30-27
Round 4
A much better round for Linares. He was working well with his own jab and closing the distance better. Haney was still scoring with his jab but his output dropped and Linares finished the round with a burst of punches.
Score: 10-9 Linares Hany 39-37
Official Scores: Judge Steve Weisfeld 40-36 Haney, Judge Patricia Morse Jarman 39-37 Haney, Judge Dave Moretti 39-37 Haney.
Round 5
Haney was back in control. He had his jab on target and was scoring with hooks and uppercuts. He was using upper body movement to get under the punches and then going back to his jab again. Linares just could not pin him down.
Score: 10-9 Haney Haney 49-46
Round 6
Total change of tactics from Haney. He took the fight to Linares forcing Linares on the back foot and outfighting Linares in close. He was bullying Linares and scoring with hooks. Late in the round Linares landed a good left and Haney banged back with a right to the head
Score: 10-9 Haney 59-55
Round 7
Haney went back to his jab. He was doubling his jab to head and body and connecting with straight rights. Linares pressed hard and had success with his own jab and left hooks but Haney finished the round strongly again with jabs.
Score: 10-9 Haney Haney 69-64
Round 8
Dominant round for Haney. He was coming forward throughout the round. He was getting through with uppercuts from both hands and coming up under Linares jab with rights to the head. Linares now had lumps around both eyes and a snick over his left eye.
Score: 10-9 Haney Haney 79-73
Official Scores: Judge Steve Weisfeld 80-72 Haney, Judge Patricia Morse Jarman 80-72 Haney, Judge Dave Moretti 79-73 Haney.
Round 9
A close round but one for Linares. Haney was continuing to take the fight to Linares but Linares was firing punches as Haney came in. For the first time in the fight Linares was firing burst of punches instead of just one or two at a time. Linares did a little jig as he went back to his corner pleased with his efforts.
Score: 10-9 Linares Haney 88-83
Round 10
Haney was very cautious in this round and he punch output drooped. Linares was jabbing well and scoring with left hooks and Haney was off target with his jab. At the end of the round a right to the head from Linares staggered Haney and he was on shaky legs as he went back to his corner with Linares waiving his hands to politely usher Haney home.
Score: 10-9 Linares Haney 97-93
Round 11
Another round for Linares. For most of the round Haney was not throwing punches but just darting under Linares jab to get close and hold. Linares was not doing a great deal but even then it was more than Haney was doing until Haney connected with a couple of punches late.
Score: 10-9 Linares Haney 106-103
Round 12
Linares was looking to land the big shot he needed to win this fight but just could not find it. He did land a couple of good left hooks and a right. Haney was just looking to avoid trouble. He could have been deducted a point for holding and Linares could have lost a point for punches to the back of the head but neither happened.
Score: 10-9 Linares Haney 115-113
Official Scores: Judge Steve Weisfeld 116-112 Haney, Judge Patricia Morse Jarman 116-112 Haney, Judge Dave Moretti
115-113 Haney.
Haney retains the WBC title in his third defence. He outboxed Linares for eight rounds but fell away badly after that and was lucky that the right that unhinged his legs in the tenth came at the end and not at the beginning of the round. He was ultra cautious and did not look the same fighter over the last two rounds. Vasyl Lomachenko is NO 1 with the WBC and that would be a great match for Haney. Linares showed he still has plenty left and another title shot is well within his reach.
Fuzile vs. Ward
Fuzile stops Ward in IBF eliminator. Both were very tentative in the first round with neither really committing themselves but what action there was saw Ward take the round with his jabs. Fuzile stepped up the tempo in the second going on to the front foot and scoring well. Ward reasserted himself in the third with plenty of slick movement and putting Fuzile under pressure. In the fourth a quick right hook from Fuzile knocked Ward off balance and his gloves touched the canvas resulting in a count and a strong round for Fuzile. There was a pause in the action in the fifth after a low punch from Fuzile and then the fight really caught fire and they stood and traded punches with Ward just having the edge. A left hook from Fuzile in the sixth rocked Ward and the South African attacked hard scoring with lefts and rights with Ward fighting back at the end of the round. Half way through the seventh as Ward came forward his legs slid from under him and he injured a knee then started to limp. Fuzile was able to manoeuvre around the stationary Ward and score from different angles with Ward finding it hard to reset himself. A clash of heads opened a bad cut over Ward’s left eye and then Fuzile cracked him with a peach of a right hook that sent Ward down. Ward had to use the ropes to climb to his feet and was dazed initially looking out into the crowd and bleeding heavily from the cut. The referee decided he was able to continue-which he obviously wasn’t -and although Ward took a couple of steps forward Ward’s trainer stepped up to the ring apron to get the fight stopped. Big win for Fuzile. He was having his first fight since being stopped in eight rounds by Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in September 2019. The IBF title is vacant and with Fuzile having been ranked 5 (4) and Rakhimov No 1 it puts Fuzile in a strong position to contest the vacant title. Ward was very much in the fight until he damaged his knee and hopefully will be able to work his way to another eliminator
Quigley vs. Mosley
Quigley wins the vacant WBO NABO title with a majority decision over Mosley. Lots of studying in the first round with Mosley a bit more active and doing the scoring and connecting with a good overhand right. The action picked up a little in the second. Quigley was scoring well with his jab and straight rights. They started to swop punches in earnest in the third. Mosley seemed quicker and had more variety in his work. The action was suspended for a short while after a low punch from Quigley as he sought to score with left hooks to the body. They traded punches through the fourth and fifth which Mosley edged with a higher work rate. The sixth saw both boxers rocked by big punches and Quigley clawed that round back with right hands. Quigley took the seventh constantly stabbing home his jab and after being shaken by a right from Mosley he connected with two hard rights just before the bell. Both landed heavily in the ninth but Quigley seemed to have more left in the tank. Quigley made the better start to the tenth as they just stood and swung tired punches but Mosley finished the round stronger and just pinched it. Scores 97-93 and 96-94 for Quigley and 95-95. Third win for Quigley since his ninth round loss to Tureano Johnson in July 2019. He is down at No 15 with the WBC and this win should get a rating with the WBO but he has a long way to go to get near a title shot. Mosley had won his last four fights and seems to have reached his ceiling.
