Report/Photos by Boxing Bob Newman

Former middleweight champion of the world, Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez made easy work of the awkward journeyman Noah Kidd in the final fight of a marathon 14-bout WBA KO Drugs Night of Champions boxing card on Sunday evening in conjunction with the WBA Centennial Convention at the Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando, Florida. After a rough and tumble first round, Martinez toyed with Kidd, hanging his arms by his sides as he often did in his prime, waiting for the perfect shot. Finally, a right to the pit of the stomach sagged Kidd to the canvas, gasping for breath and taking the full ten count. Time was 2:35 of round two. Martinez, currently rated #4 by the WBA, goes to 56-3-2, 31 KOs. Kidd dips under .500 at 6-7-2, 5 KOs.

In the first of four after-TV bouts, Nicaragua’s Melvin Lopez and Philippines’ Jolberto Alvarez contested the WBA Continental Bantamweight title. It was a give and take affair with little to choose between the two when a sharp right hook dropped Alvarez on his back in the fourth. As slowly as Alvarez got up, he stormed back in the same round as if nothing had happened! Alvarez appeared to gradually take control over the middle rounds, doing just a bit more with better effect. Both men battled on even terms for the remaining three rounds, equally spent from their collective effort. The judges saw it split…95-94 Lopez, 95-94 Alvarez, 97-92 Lopez. Lopez, currently ranked in the top 5 by the WBA, WBO, and IBF, is now 29-1, 19 KOs, while Alvarez slips to 20-4-2, 7 KOs.

Northern Ireland’s Connor Coyle took on Bosnia & Herzegovina’s Sladan Janjanin for the vacant NABA middleweight title. Janjanin seemed intent on frustrating Coyle rather than making any genuine attempt at winning this fight. He moved around, clowned, mugged, waved Coyle in, juked and jived. For his part, Coyle remained focused, peppering his foe with shots to the head and body as opportunities arose to do so. Finally, in the seventh, Janjanin appeared to voluntarily take a knee while on the receiving end of a Colye barrage. He survived the round, but upon assessment by his corner, it was they who surrendered their fighter between rounds. Coyle, rated WBA #10, moves to 18-0, 8 KOs while Janjanin slides to 34-14, 24 KOs.

The WBA FedeCentro lightweight title was contested by Argentina’s Emiliano Garcia and Cuba’s Idalberto Umara. The bigger Umara played the role of power boxer- mixing style with hard shots as he methodically stalked Garcia around the ring in the first. Suddenly in the third, Garcia was down in a heap, courtesy of an Umara hook. At the bell, he was down again, but made it to his corner. In the fourth, there was a clash of knees, or something that resulted in an injury to Garcia’s left leg. The doctor was brought in to assess the damage. Less than five minutes elapsed and Garcia was ready to go. In round five, Umara Stalked, but Garcia held his own with defense and the occasional counter. Then an Umara right to the body, put Garcia down again. This time he rose to a kneeling position hold his left arm, which seemed to partially deflect the incoming Umara right. At 2:17 referee Frank Gentile waved it off as Garcia’s corner flashed the towel in surrender. Umara now 8-1, 5 KOs. Garcia now 18-9-1, 13 KOs.