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Lem’s latest: Shafikov, Diaz, Ramirez win

Fighters Network
18
Aug

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Junior welterweight/lightweight contender Denis Shafikov, former lightweight titleholder Juan Diaz, and junior welterweight Jose Carlos Ramirez all won by knockout on Saturday night during a Top Rank-promoted event in Laredo, Texas.

Shafikov (33-0-1, 18 KOs), who signed with Top Rank last month, came up with a sixth-round knockout over Santos Benavidis (23-4-2, 17 KOs) in the Russian winner’s debut on American soil.



Diaz (37-4, 19 KOs) earned his second straight knockout with a fifth-round TKO over Adailton De Jesus (30-8, 24 KOs), and 2012 Olympian Ramirez (5-0, 4 KOs) scored his second consecutive first-round knockout against Mike Maldanado (6-2, 1 KO).

Diaz last suffered defeat in July of 2010 to Juan Manuel Marquez by unanimous decision before taking nearly three years off.

“I am still young — Only 29 — and I have a lot of fight left,” said Diaz. “I went right to the body to break him down. I felt good doing it. I threw a lot of hard, accurate punches.”

Note: Diaz quotes provided by Top Rank’s Lee Samuels

GIOVANNI SEGURA STOPS JONATHAN GONZALEZ

Former two-belt titleholder Giovani Segura (30-3-1, 26 KOs) of Mexico scored a fourth-round knockout of Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Gonzalez (13-1, 11 KOs) in a flyweight bout on Saturday.

Segura, who is 31, is perhaps best known for his unification victory over Ivan Calderon in August of 2010, the first career loss for the Puerto Rican legend.

Segura also stopped Calderon in the third round of their rematch in April of 2011, but suffered the second loss of his own career by eighth-round stoppage against Brian Viloria in December of 2011. Segura was coming off a unanimous decision loss to Edgar Sosa in May.

Meanwhile, Gonzalez, 22, had last been in the ring for a unanimous decision over Francisco Perez in April.

GOLDEN BOY LIVE HAS DANNY JACOBS, EDDIE GOMEZ, TERRELL GAUSHA, EMMANUEL GONZALES

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Monday’s Golden Boy Live! series, which will air twice a month on Fox Sports 1 and be promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, will be headlined by Brooklyn middleweight Danny Jacobs (25-1, 22 KOs) against Giovanni Lorenzo (32-5, 24 KOs) at the Best Buy Theater in midtown Manhattan.

The card will also feature welterweight Eddie Gomez of The Bronx against Philadelphia’s Steve Upsher Chambers, as well as 2012 U.S. Olympian Marcus Browne against Robert Hill in a light heavyweight bout.

Also part of the event are U.S. Olympian and middleweight Terrell Gausha and junior lightweight Emmanuel Gonzalez. Gausha will face Austin Marcum, and Gonzalez, Michael Doyle.

Also expected to make appearances ringside at the event are Golden Boy President Oscar De La Hoya, RING junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia, former 147-pound beltholder Luis Collazo and once-beaten lightweight Michael “The Artist” Perez.

Bernard Hopkins and Paulie Malignaggi will join Dave Bontempo calling the action for the event.

Former titleholder Collazo (33-5, 17 KOs) will face Alan Sanchez (12-2-1, 6 KOs) on the second edition of Golden Boy Live! Sept. 2 in San Antonio.

Photos by Chris Farina-Top Rank; Rich Kane-Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions

Lem Satterfield can be reached at [email protected]

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