A roundup of the past weeks notable boxing results from around the world:Saturday at Paisley, ScotlandBilly Joe Saunders W12 Artur Akavov -- Fight recap Retains a middleweight title Scores: 116-113, 116-112, 115-113 Records: Saunders (24-0, 12 KOs); Akavov (16-2, 7 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Saunders, 27, of England, claimed a world title last December by majority decision against Andy Lee. Saunders had not fought since because during the past year he pulled out of multiple fights, blatantly dodged unified titleholder Gennady Golovkin and rejected a deal that would have eventually matched him with Canelo Alvarez. Instead he wanted to face fellow southpaw Akavov, an unknown 30-year-old from Russia. He got his wish, and it was a near-disaster. Saunders looked flat, disinterested, out of shape and appeared to be trailing through the first half of the fight as Akavov simply outworked the lethargic Saunders. He did find a second wind down the stretch and was able to pull out the win, but it was one that did nothing to make anyone clamor to see him against GGG or Alvarez. And even Saunders admitted after the fight that he is nowhere ready for either of them.Also on the card, Englands Paul Butler (23-1, 12 KOs), 28, a former bantamweight world titleholder, won his sixth fight in a row as he cruised to a one-sided decision against Alexander Cazares (13-8, 6 KOs), 25, of Mexico. Butler won 100-91 on the scorecard rendered by the referee, which is how it is done in some nontitle fights in the United Kingdom).Saturday at MoscowMurat Gassiev W12 Denis Lebedev Wins a cruiserweight title Scores: 116-112, 116-111 Gassiev, 114-113 Lebedev Records: Gassiev (24-0, 17 KOs); Lebedev (29-3, 22 KOs)Rafaels remarks: In an upset, Gassiev, 23, of Russia, got the split verdict in a very close fight against countryman Lebedev, 37, a victory that also gave reigning trainer of the year Abel Sanchez a win over Hall of Famer and seven-time trainer of the year Freddie Roach. Gassiev had a lot of trouble early dealing with Lebedevs combination punching and punishing jab, but he was able to change the flow of the fight in the fifth round when he dropped Lebedev to a knee with a brutal left hook to the body. Lebedev barely beat referee Earl Browns count and had a rough go of it the rest of the way. Gassiev was the bigger puncher, although Lebedev seemed to win several of the later rounds, making it a tough fight to score.Although Gassiev won, he only collected one of Lebedevs two world title belts. Before the fight, Lebedevs team asked for and received a special permit in order to not put the WBA belt on the line. It was a terrible decision by the sanctioning body that already struggles so severely for credibility. Lebedev lost the IBF belt but somehow comes out of the ring still holding a world title, even though he lost at the division weight and to an opponent ranked by the WBA. What a farce.Julius Indongo KO1 Eduard Troyanovsky Wins a junior welterweight title Records: Indongo (21-0, 11 KOs); Troyanovsky (25-1, 22 KOs)Rafaels remarks: The heretofore completely unknown Indongo, 33, of Namibia, who had never faced an even remotely top opponent and who was fighting outside his home country for the first time, made a massive impression in this shocking victory. The fight lasted all of 42 seconds and included only one punch worth talking about. That was the overhand left that Indongo landed flush on Troyanovskys chin. It stretched him flat on his back in the center of the ring. Referee Mark Calo-Oy did not bother to count as he immediately waved off the fight. It is obviously a knockout of the year contender and was quite reminiscent of Manny Pacquiaos brutal second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton in 2009 in the same division. Troyanovsky, 36, of Russia, who was making the third defense of the 140-pound belt he won 13 months ago, never knew what hit him. Troyanovsky had been offered $425,000 by Top Rank to come to the United States for a Dec. 10 unification fight with Terence Crawford but turned it down and instead fought for probably about half that amount against the hand-picked Indongo.Maxim Vlasov TKO7 Rakhim Chakhkiev Cruiserweight Records: Vlasov (37-2, 20 KOs); Chakhkiev (26-3, 19 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Vlasov, 30, upset former world title challenger and 2008 Russian Olympic gold medalist Chakhkiev, 33. Vlasov, who won his seventh fight in a row since a decision loss to Gilberto Ramirez (who went on to win a super middleweight world title, in January 2015) scored knockdowns in the second, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds while Chakhkiev dropped Vlasov in the sixth round. In the seventh round, Vlasov unloaded with an eight-punch combination that sent Chakhkiev to the mat for the fourth time in the fight, prompting referee Jean Robert Laine to wave off the fight without a count 17 seconds into the round.Saturday at Sofia, BulgariaKubrat Pulev TKO4 Samuel Peter Heavyweight Records: Pulev (24-1, 13 KOs); Peter (36-6, 29 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Bulgarias Pulev, 35, has been boxed primarily in Germany throughout his seven-year professional career and was very excited to fight in his home country (and hometown) for the first time. He gave a wild hometown crowd something to cheer as Pulev, who got badly knocked out in the fifth round by then-heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko in the 2014 KO of the year, won his fourth bout in a row since then. He did so easily against the washed-up former world titleholder Peter, 36, a Nigeria native fighting out of Las Vegas.Peter, who won a belt in 2008 but lost it in his first defense to Vitali Klitschko, was shell of what he once was as he was fighting only the third time since 2011. He came into the fight at 271 pounds (second heaviest of his career) and had nothing. Pulev used him as a human heavy bag for three rounds and was ahead 30-27 on all three scorecards. Then, just after the bell rang to begin the fourth round, Peter quit with an apparent right hand or arm injury.On the undercard, 33-year-old Tervel Pulev (1-0, 1 KOs), Kubrats younger brother and a 2012 Olympic heavyweight bronze medalist, made his pro debut by stopping Tomislav Rudan (6-16-1, 2 KOs), 28, of Croatia, in the third round.Friday at Fresno, Calif.Jose Ramirez TKO6 Issouf Volcano Kinda Junior welterweight Records: Ramirez (19-0, 14 KOs); Kinda (18-4, 7 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Ramirez, 24, of Avenal, California, is a major draw in his home region and once again packed the Save Mart Center for a UniMas-televised main event. The 2012 U.S. Olympian drew some 13,700 for this fight and put on a good show for his fans against late replacement Kinda, 28, of the Bronx, New York, who stepped in when Gabriel Tito Bracero withdrew for unspecified reasons.Referee Marcos Rosales credited Kinda with a questionable knockdown in the second-round knockdown when he appeared to graze an off-balance Ramirez with a right hand on the shoulder, and Ramirez was forced to touch his glove to the mat to steady himself. Nonetheless, Ramirez did not appear hurt and shook it off. About 30 seconds into the sixth round, Ramirez floored Kinda with a left hook to the body. He was all over Kinda when the fight resumed, and as he was pummeling him along the ropes, Rosales stepped in and waved it off at 58 seconds.Also on the card, 2012 Brazilian Olympic silver medalist Esquiva Falcao (16-0, 12 KOs), a 26-year-old southpaw, cruised to a decision against Luis Hernandez (15-3, 8 KOs), 30, of Puerto Rico, winning by scores of 79-73, 79-73 and 78-74.Friday at MoscowDenis Shafikov W12 Richard Commey - Title eliminator Lightweight Scores: 116-112, 115-113 Shafikov, 116-112 Commey Records: Shafikov (38-2-1, 20 KOs); Commey (24-2, 22 KOs)Rafaels remarks: In a fight to earn the mandatory position for a title bout against Robert Easter, Shafikov, 31, of Russia, and Commey, 29, of Ghana, waged a fast-paced and close battle that could have gone either way. Both were seeking another title opportunity as Commey, fighting on Shafikovs turf because his team won a purse bid, lost a heartbreaking split decision to Easter in September, and Shafikov had dropped two title bouts, decisions to Miguel Vazquez in 2014 and Rances Barthelemy in 2015.Although both fighters exited the ring believing they had won, Shafikov, a southpaw, got the nod from two judges most likely because he was a bit more accurate with his punches and closed stronger. Commey set a fast pace and had success with his right uppercut, but he was not effective enough. According to CompuBox punch statistics, Commey landed 210 of a very high 1,241 punches (16 percent) and Shafikov connected on 221 of 730 blows (30 percent).Friday at Los AngelesAbraham Lopez W10 Sergio Lopez Featherweight Scores: 100-90, 99-91 (twice) Records: Lopez (22-0-1, 15 KOs); Lopez (21-12-1, 14 KOs)Rafaels remarks: In June, Abraham Lopez, 29, of La Puente, California, scored the best win of his career against then-unbeaten prospect Julian Ramirez on HBO. Lopez followed up that win with this one-sided victory against Sergio Lopez, 30, a Mexico native living in Los Angeles, in the main event of Golden Boy Promotions final LA Fight Club card of 2016. Abraham Lopez dominated with his jab and left hook but also wobbled Sergio Lopez (no relation) with a right hand in the fifth round. Sergio Lopez showed tremendous toughness to stay on his feet for the whole bout.Friday at Mendoza, ArgentinaJuan Carlos Reveco W10 Diego Liriano Flyweight Scores: 100-89 (three times) Records: Reveco (37-3, 19 KOs); Liriano (16-9-1, 3 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Fighting in his hometown, Reveco, 33, was fighting for the first time in nearly a year after he got knocked out in the 11th round and lost his flyweight world title to Japans Kazuto Ioka last Dec. 31. Reveco returned and shook off the rust with a shutout victory against Liriano, who posed no threat and got knocked down in the sixth round. Liriano, 31, a native of the Dominican Republic fighting out of Argentina, lost his third fight in a row, all by lopsided decision.Friday at PhiladelphiaTevin Farmer W10 Dardan Zenunaj Junior lightweight Scores: 99-91 (twice), 98-92 Records: Farmer (24-4-1, 5 KOs); Zenunaj (12-3, 9 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Farmer, 26, of Philadelphia, who fought two previous bouts this year at 135 pounds and upset Ivan Redkach, returned to the 130-pound division for this fight and rolled to a one-sided victory against Zenunaj, 29, a native of Kosovo based in Los Angeles, who lost his second decision in a row. The quicker, slicker Farmer, a southpaw, who should find himself in the hunt for a world title shot, won his 17th bout in a row since getting stopped in the eighth round by Jose Pedraza (who went on to win a junior lightweight title) in October 2012.Anthony Davis Pelicans Jersey . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator. ETwaun Moore Jersey . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. http://www.shoppelicansonline.com/Authentic-Jahlil-Okafor-Pelicans-Jersey/ . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. Jrue Holiday Pelicans Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. New Orleans Pelicans Jerseys .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche.FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Devonta Freeman was a breakout star in 2015 as a dual-threat player who more than doubled the carries and yards rushing of any other Falcons running back.Freeman no longer is an every-down back for Atlanta (1-1). Tevin Coleman has emerged as a near equal to Freeman in the backfield. Like Freeman, Coleman also is effective as both a runner and receiver, lending more versatility to the Falcons offense entering Monday nights game at New Orleans (0-2).Freeman and Coleman combined for 164 total yards in last weeks 35-28 win at Oakland. It was the second straight week the tandem topped 150 yards.Theyre a monster together, Falcons coach Dan Quinn said Thursday. They love battling and competing. It was great to see them both really getting in the action over the last two weeks.Giving Coleman a larger role wasnt an obvious call for Quinn, considering Freemans big success last season when he ran for more than 1,000 yards with 11 touchdowns and trailed only All-Pro receiver Julio Jones on the team with 73 catches.Quinns plan is to keep Freeman fresh by utilizing Colemans speed, providing a change of pace to the shifty Freeman.The running back tandem has played a big role in the diversification of the Falcons offense. Quarterback Matt Ryan already has completed passes to 11 receivers, including nine against the Raiders.Freeman has 28 carries, only eight more than Coleman, for 113 yards. Freeman said he enjoyed the heavy workload in 2015 but doesnt mind sharing the job with Coleman -- as long as Atlanta is winning.If it works, dont try to fix it, Freeman said. Whatever weve got to do to win. Whatever Ive got to do to help my team win, thats what Im all about.Coleman said he competes with Freeman through the week and cheers for him in games.In practice were competing against each other to make each other better, Coleman said. Hes still my boy. If he makes a big play, of course Im going to be the first one down there to tell him `good job.ddddddddddddhe Falcons have plays for each back to line up wide as receivers as well as behind Ryan. That gives Ryan more weapons -- and gives opposing coaches more worries.Its important to what theyre doing offensively, said Saints coach Sean Payton. Both backs are explosive. We know them both well from the draft. Coleman is kind of more of a slasher, straight-line speed guy.Payton said the Falcons do a great job, as good as anyone in using the running backs in multiple looks.So just simulating that speed of the running game and the angles with which it hits is always one of the challenges, he said.Some teams may line up running backs outside just to spread out the defense. Ryan said defenses have to respect the threat posed by Freeman and Coleman.Its huge, Ryan said. Were not putting those guys out to spread anything out. Were putting them out to throw it to them. Both those guys have showcased just how talented they are with the ball in their hand.Game notesJones (calf) was held out of practice for the second straight day. Quinn said he anticipates Jones participating in some things on Saturday and playing on Monday night unless theres a setback. ... SS Keanu Neal (knee) had limited participation. Neal could make his debut after missing the first two games. ... WR Mohamed Sanu (ankle) and DE Brooks Reed (shoulder) also were limited. ... RB Terron Ward, who was released on Thursday, was signed to the practice squad. RB Blake Sims, the former Alabama quarterback signed to the practice squad on Sept. 13, was released.---AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '
