Keyword
BOXING
Champions
Schedule
SPORT SECTIONS
Saturday, July 22
 
Bailey suffers stunning split decision loss

Associated Press

MIAMI -- A big upset marked the last of three title fights that highlighted the undercard for Saturday night's Felix Trinidad-Mamadou Thiam super-welterweight championship bout.

Colombia's Ener Julio, the WBO's 10th-ranked boxer, stunned champion Randall Bailey (21-1) in a split decision for the WBO junior welterweight title. Bailey had never gone more than nine rounds before and had knocked out each of his 21 previous foes.

In the main event, Trinidad retained his WBA super welterweight title with a third-round technical knockout of Thiam.

Bailey hit the canvas in the first round after Julio (21-3) nailed him with a straight left to the chin, and slipped and lost his footing several more times.

Bailey floored Julio in the sixth and the ninth with a pair of big rights. But Bailey's right eye swelled shut late in the fight and the challenger took advantage with repeated left's in the 11th round.

The bout was a voluntary defense for Bailey.

Felix Machado (19-3-1) pounded Julio Gamboa (24-5-1) to win the vacant IBF junior bantamweight title. Machado cut Gamboa's eye in the second round, and then opened a gash in the right front of Gamboa's head in the seventh round that poured blood down his face for the rest of the 12-round fight.

"Steel" Will Grigsby (15-2-1) won his second junior flyweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Nelson Dieppa (16-2-2) for the vacant WBO belt. Grigsby once held the IBF junior flyweight championship.

Juan "Golo" Gomez-Trinidad (19-2, 12 knockouts) dominated Wilfredo Ruiz (29-5) in a second-round TKO for the vacant NABO lightweight championship.

Joel Casamayor (21-0) defeated Bernard Harris (19-9-2) by unanimous decision in an abbreviated 10-round match. Harris failed to make the 130-pound limit required to make it a super-featherweight title fight as scheduled.




 More from ESPN...
Trinidad pummels Thiam to defend WBA super welterweight title

 ESPN Tools
Email story
 
Most sent
 
Print story