Report: Usyk vs. Fury II slated for Dec. 21st |
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Tyson Fury's rematch with undisputed world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk will take place on December 21st in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as announced by Turki Alalshikh on social media. Usyk beat Fury in Saudi Arabia earlier this month to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years and first in the four-belt era. Alalshikk is Saudi Arabia's chair of General Entertainment Authority, with near total control of boxing in that nation and a seemingly unlimited budget.
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Report: Usyk vs. Fury II slated for Dec. 21st
Tyson Fury's rematch with undisputed world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk will take place on December 21st in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as announced by Turki Alalshikh on social media. Usyk beat Fury in Saudi Arabia earlier this month to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years and first in the four-belt era. Alalshikk is Saudi Arabia's chair of General Entertainment Authority, with near total control of boxing in that nation and a seemingly unlimited budget.
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Spotlight on Broner vs. Cobbs |
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Ahead of promoter Don King’s “Fists of Fury” event taking place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, on Friday, June 7th, Adrien “The Problem” Broner (35-4-1, 24 KOs) and Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (16-1-1, 10 KOs) participated in an open workout in Las Vegas. Broner-Cobbs bout marks Broner’s journey back to a world title opportunity, while Cobbs returns to the ring for the first time in nearly two years. Here’s what the competitors in the highly anticipated featured bout had to say:
Adrien Broner (pictured)
“The way this boxing stuff goes, you never know what’s going to happen. They’re just giving out world titles. They’re going to give one of these YouTubers a title. I tip my hat to Errol Spence and Terrance Crawford; they’re doing their thing. Like I said before, my main focus is to become a world champion. All my life, I just wanted to be a world champion, and every time I won one, I cried tears. I’m pretty sure I’ll do the same thing when I win one again.”
“With me being on this side of my career and the way boxing is going right now, I thought, ‘Why not sign with Don King?’ Who wouldn’t want someone like Don King to promote them? It’s just greatness, and to have him a part of my story is just amazing. To be a world champion and to be under Don King will be amazing.”
“Terrance Crawford is the #1 fighter in the world right now for me. But if we’re talking who the main guy is in boxing? It’s Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Going to a “Tank” fight is not just going to a fight. It’s an event, and the whole world comes to see him. A lot of people want to see him lose, and a lot of people want to see him win.”
“My advice to the youngsters is to do what’s best for you. Make the decision that’s best for you because at the end of the day when your career is done and over with, they will be looking for the next up-and-coming boxer.”
Kenny Ellis, Broner’s trainer
“Things are going really well. He’s (Broner) so focused. Ever since he surrendered to us it’s been incredible. He’s shows up every day on time, he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do, and it’s going to show on June 7th.”
“Cobbs is tough for the first half of the fight – kind of wild and some hard shots. But we’re better skilled and have been in there with tougher guys. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
“It was an honor to share the same stage as Don King. Broner and Don together have just been something else.”
Blair Cobbs
“I can’t wait to have my hand raised on June 7th. I’ve been patiently waiting for this moment for years, so there is no one who is more prepared than I am.”
“AB (Adrien Broner) is my toughest opponent. But, at the end of the day, I don’t know who is going to show up or what’s going to happen because I’ve never been this prepared for a fight. I’m very thankful for the team I have and my trainer Justin Gamber.”
“When he’s (Broner) been in there with someone who’s a little bit better, things get a little bit strange. He has to adapt because there is someone in his midst that has a bigger and stronger personality and energy.”
“Honestly, I’m just having a good time – I’m having a ball. I don’t think anything’s gotten too personal, and it’s kind of hard to get too personal. I’m a clown, he’s a clown, and that’s how we get down.”
Justin Gamber, Cobbs’ trainer
“We are more than ready for this. This is our first fight together, but we’ve been working hard since February, day in and day out, and we’ve put in a lot of work for this camp.”
“The ring rust is there for me too. I took a break for a while after Caleb [Plant], and so this is my first fight back since 2021. It’s been a learning process for us, but we’re on the same page and look forward to getting into fight week now.”
“We haven’t thought about the future. Adrien Broner is a tough test and a four-time world champion, and for good reason. He’s a good fighter. I’m not getting caught up in that talk about he’s old or not in shape. I’m staying focused on him because, in order to get where we want to be after this fight, we have to focus on him first.”
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Spotlight on Broner vs. Cobbs
Ahead of promoter Don King’s “Fists of Fury” event taking place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, on Friday, June 7th, Adrien “The Problem” Broner (35-4-1, 24 KOs) and Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (16-1-1, 10 KOs) participated in an open workout in Las Vegas. Broner-Cobbs bout marks Broner’s journey back to a world title opportunity, while Cobbs returns to the ring for the first time in nearly two years. Here’s what the competitors in the highly anticipated featured bout had to say:
Adrien Broner (pictured)
“The way this boxing stuff goes, you never know what’s going to happen. They’re just giving out world titles. They’re going to give one of these YouTubers a title. I tip my hat to Errol Spence and Terrance Crawford; they’re doing their thing. Like I said before, my main focus is to become a world champion. All my life, I just wanted to be a world champion, and every time I won one, I cried tears. I’m pretty sure I’ll do the same thing when I win one again.”
“With me being on this side of my career and the way boxing is going right now, I thought, ‘Why not sign with Don King?’ Who wouldn’t want someone like Don King to promote them? It’s just greatness, and to have him a part of my story is just amazing. To be a world champion and to be under Don King will be amazing.”
“Terrance Crawford is the #1 fighter in the world right now for me. But if we’re talking who the main guy is in boxing? It’s Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Going to a “Tank” fight is not just going to a fight. It’s an event, and the whole world comes to see him. A lot of people want to see him lose, and a lot of people want to see him win.”
“My advice to the youngsters is to do what’s best for you. Make the decision that’s best for you because at the end of the day when your career is done and over with, they will be looking for the next up-and-coming boxer.”
Kenny Ellis, Broner’s trainer
“Things are going really well. He’s (Broner) so focused. Ever since he surrendered to us it’s been incredible. He’s shows up every day on time, he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do, and it’s going to show on June 7th.”
“Cobbs is tough for the first half of the fight – kind of wild and some hard shots. But we’re better skilled and have been in there with tougher guys. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
“It was an honor to share the same stage as Don King. Broner and Don together have just been something else.”
Blair Cobbs
“I can’t wait to have my hand raised on June 7th. I’ve been patiently waiting for this moment for years, so there is no one who is more prepared than I am.”
“AB (Adrien Broner) is my toughest opponent. But, at the end of the day, I don’t know who is going to show up or what’s going to happen because I’ve never been this prepared for a fight. I’m very thankful for the team I have and my trainer Justin Gamber.”
“When he’s (Broner) been in there with someone who’s a little bit better, things get a little bit strange. He has to adapt because there is someone in his midst that has a bigger and stronger personality and energy.”
“Honestly, I’m just having a good time – I’m having a ball. I don’t think anything’s gotten too personal, and it’s kind of hard to get too personal. I’m a clown, he’s a clown, and that’s how we get down.”
Justin Gamber, Cobbs’ trainer
“We are more than ready for this. This is our first fight together, but we’ve been working hard since February, day in and day out, and we’ve put in a lot of work for this camp.”
“The ring rust is there for me too. I took a break for a while after Caleb [Plant], and so this is my first fight back since 2021. It’s been a learning process for us, but we’re on the same page and look forward to getting into fight week now.”
“We haven’t thought about the future. Adrien Broner is a tough test and a four-time world champion, and for good reason. He’s a good fighter. I’m not getting caught up in that talk about he’s old or not in shape. I’m staying focused on him because, in order to get where we want to be after this fight, we have to focus on him first.”
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Emilio Garcia one win away from Olympic dream |
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Emilio Garcia of Laredo Texas is just one win away from qualifying to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Garcia defeated Joseph Commey out of Ghana in dominating fashion. Garcia won each of the judges’ votes in all three rounds including two 10-8 scores in the third round. Garcia is now just one win away from achieving his lifelong dream and qualifying to the Olympic Games. Only one boxer stands in his way and that will be the winner of Abdallah Abou- Arab from Denmark and Oier Ibarreche from Spain. “We are on to the qualification round and make sure you tune in,” Garcia stated after his victory on Wednesday. “I feel good and look forward to Friday.”
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Emilio Garcia one win away from Olympic dream
Emilio Garcia of Laredo Texas is just one win away from qualifying to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Garcia defeated Joseph Commey out of Ghana in dominating fashion. Garcia won each of the judges’ votes in all three rounds including two 10-8 scores in the third round. Garcia is now just one win away from achieving his lifelong dream and qualifying to the Olympic Games. Only one boxer stands in his way and that will be the winner of Abdallah Abou- Arab from Denmark and Oier Ibarreche from Spain. “We are on to the qualification round and make sure you tune in,” Garcia stated after his victory on Wednesday. “I feel good and look forward to Friday.”
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Derrick James funds pediatric mental health initiative in Dallas |
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Frank "The Ghost” Martin and his trainer Derrick James spent time giving back to the Dallas community last week as the pair appeared on the Children’s Health hospital’s morning show in support of the Derrick James Family Foundation’s recent endowment for pediatric mental health at the hospital. Martin and James applied lessons they’ve learned from their experiences and respective journeys in the sport of boxing toward the mental health initiative on the morning show for those at Children’s Health hospital. “Everything that I’m working towards is a lot bigger than me. I do it for the kids and I do it for my family and friends,” said Martin. “I know that I can inspire others through what I do in the ring, and that’s why I’m putting everything I have into being at my best on June 15th.” “I understand how fortunate I am and the opportunities I have been given,” said James. “I also understand my responsibility to the youth in my community. They inspire me to be my best, just like I hope I’m inspiring them.” The Children’s Health hospital has been a pillar of the community, serving the area for 110 years since its inception as an open-air baby camp with four tents. One of the largest pediatric hospitals in the nation, the hospital handles nearly 700,000 patient encounters annually. Martin will have James in his corner when he challenges WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis on a pay-per-view event on Prime Video taking place Saturday, June 15th in the 100th championship fight night to take place at the historic MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
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Derrick James funds pediatric mental health initiative in Dallas
Frank "The Ghost” Martin and his trainer Derrick James spent time giving back to the Dallas community last week as the pair appeared on the Children’s Health hospital’s morning show in support of the Derrick James Family Foundation’s recent endowment for pediatric mental health at the hospital. Martin and James applied lessons they’ve learned from their experiences and respective journeys in the sport of boxing toward the mental health initiative on the morning show for those at Children’s Health hospital. “Everything that I’m working towards is a lot bigger than me. I do it for the kids and I do it for my family and friends,” said Martin. “I know that I can inspire others through what I do in the ring, and that’s why I’m putting everything I have into being at my best on June 15th.” “I understand how fortunate I am and the opportunities I have been given,” said James. “I also understand my responsibility to the youth in my community. They inspire me to be my best, just like I hope I’m inspiring them.” The Children’s Health hospital has been a pillar of the community, serving the area for 110 years since its inception as an open-air baby camp with four tents. One of the largest pediatric hospitals in the nation, the hospital handles nearly 700,000 patient encounters annually. Martin will have James in his corner when he challenges WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis on a pay-per-view event on Prime Video taking place Saturday, June 15th in the 100th championship fight night to take place at the historic MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
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Gustavo Lemos signs with Top Rank |
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Argentinian junior welterweight Gustavo Lemos has signed a long-term promotional contract with Top Rank. Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) is a hard puncher who will be co-promoted by Top Rank in association with O.R. Promotions. His ring return date will be announced shortly. “Gustavo Lemos is a talented, fan-friendly fighter, and we look forward to giving him the platform and fights he deserves,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “He is a handful for any fighter at 135 or 140 pounds.”
Lemos said, "When my promoters from O.R. Promotions told me that they had begun talks with Top Rank, I was thankful. The wait and hard work have paid off, and I will make the most of this opportunity. I am finally entering the big leagues, fulfilling a lifelong dream, and getting closer and closer to the possibility of becoming a world champion. Being part of the best promotional company in the world motivates me to give my best every day in training. Thank you, Top Rank, for your trust. I can’t wait for the future.”
“We have been working for a long time to achieve this great alliance with Top Rank, and we are thrilled that it’s finally happened. Gustavo deserves this opportunity, and boxing deserves a champion like him. Indeed, we dare say it needs him,” said Sebastian Rivero of O.R. Promotions. “And we are happy that one of the most important promoters in the world shares our belief in Gustavo. We are sure that the best opportunities will come from Top Rank.”
Lemos, from Buenos Aires, is an eight-year pro who fought exclusively in his homeland while building a 29-0 record. In March 2022, he demolished former champion Lee Selby in five rounds at Luna Park in an IBF lightweight world title eliminator. He became the first fighter to knock out Selby, a 32-fight veteran who retired shortly after the bout. Lemos returned in December 2023 with a first-round stoppage over Javier Jose Clavero. In April, he faced unbeaten American Richardson Hitchins in an IBF junior welterweight world title eliminator, coming up on the short end of a decision.
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Gustavo Lemos signs with Top Rank
Argentinian junior welterweight Gustavo Lemos has signed a long-term promotional contract with Top Rank. Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) is a hard puncher who will be co-promoted by Top Rank in association with O.R. Promotions. His ring return date will be announced shortly. “Gustavo Lemos is a talented, fan-friendly fighter, and we look forward to giving him the platform and fights he deserves,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “He is a handful for any fighter at 135 or 140 pounds.”
Lemos said, "When my promoters from O.R. Promotions told me that they had begun talks with Top Rank, I was thankful. The wait and hard work have paid off, and I will make the most of this opportunity. I am finally entering the big leagues, fulfilling a lifelong dream, and getting closer and closer to the possibility of becoming a world champion. Being part of the best promotional company in the world motivates me to give my best every day in training. Thank you, Top Rank, for your trust. I can’t wait for the future.”
“We have been working for a long time to achieve this great alliance with Top Rank, and we are thrilled that it’s finally happened. Gustavo deserves this opportunity, and boxing deserves a champion like him. Indeed, we dare say it needs him,” said Sebastian Rivero of O.R. Promotions. “And we are happy that one of the most important promoters in the world shares our belief in Gustavo. We are sure that the best opportunities will come from Top Rank.”
Lemos, from Buenos Aires, is an eight-year pro who fought exclusively in his homeland while building a 29-0 record. In March 2022, he demolished former champion Lee Selby in five rounds at Luna Park in an IBF lightweight world title eliminator. He became the first fighter to knock out Selby, a 32-fight veteran who retired shortly after the bout. Lemos returned in December 2023 with a first-round stoppage over Javier Jose Clavero. In April, he faced unbeaten American Richardson Hitchins in an IBF junior welterweight world title eliminator, coming up on the short end of a decision.
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RDR Promotions has 13-bout show on tap |
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This Saturday night, RDR Promotions is back at Harrahs Philadelphia in Chester, Pennsylvania with a huge thirteen-bout card. One of the thirteen wil be a six-round junior lightweight bout matching Rashan Adams against Mason Wickett. Adams of Philadelphia is 6-1 with five knockouts. The 26 year-old Adams is coming off a second round stoppage over Ryan Picou on March 30th at Harrahs Philadelphia. Wickett of Lakeland, Florida is 1-16-1. Also, Steve Cunningham Jr. (2-0, 2 KOs) of Pittsburgh, PA fights Jonathan Hernan Godoy (7-18, 1 KO) of Buenos Aires in a junior middleweight bout.
Seeing action in a six-round bout will be middleweight Erron Peterson of Philadelphia (6-0-1 with f5 KOs)s. The 28 year-old has defeated undefeated Jeremiah Kendrick (1-0) and is coming off a second-round stoppage over Raeem Davis on April 18th in Philadelphia. Peterson's opponent will be named shortly.
In four-round bouts, junior welterweight Tyreem Haywood of Philadelphia will make his pro debut against Daniel McCall (0-4) of Stone Mountain, GA...
Jacob Cuevas (3-0, 3 KOs) of Las Vegas fights Marcello Williams (4-23-1, 1 KO) of Orlando in a lightweight contest...
Jesse Hayward (1-0) of Philadelphia battles Jonathan Wiles (0-5) of Philadelphia in a heavyweight fight...
Edwin Cortes (5-0, 1 KO) of Millville, NJ takes on an opponent to be named in a bantamweight bout...
Nimal Farmer (5-0, 4 KOs) of Lindenwold, NJ takes on an opponent to be named in a welterweight bout...
Frankie Lynn (3-0, 3 KOs) of Chester, PA fights debuting Isaiaj Jamal Turner of Dorthan, Alabama in a welterweight contest...
Tyler Zwicharowski (1-2, 1 KO) of Philadelphia will fight Tyre Rivera (0-2) of Nevada in a welterweight fight...
Paul Koon (4-0, 1 KO) of Philadelphia returns to the ring after a six-year layoff when he faces Nathaniel Copeland (1-5, 1 KO) of Capitol Heights, Maryland in a heavyweight tussle...
Eliezer Olemeda (4-4) of Gloucester, NJ squares off with Maurice Clemons (2-6, 1 KO) of Riverdale, GA in a welterweight contest and...
Nasheed H. Smith (2-0, 2 KOs) of Washington, DC will take on Leavan Loutsoupitze (0-3) of Queens, NY in a light heavyweight bout.
Doors open at 5 PM ET; 1st bell at 6 PM ET.
Tickets are $75, $100, $130 and can be purchased at rdrboxing@yahoo.com
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RDR Promotions has 13-bout show on tap
This Saturday night, RDR Promotions is back at Harrahs Philadelphia in Chester, Pennsylvania with a huge thirteen-bout card. One of the thirteen wil be a six-round junior lightweight bout matching Rashan Adams against Mason Wickett. Adams of Philadelphia is 6-1 with five knockouts. The 26 year-old Adams is coming off a second round stoppage over Ryan Picou on March 30th at Harrahs Philadelphia. Wickett of Lakeland, Florida is 1-16-1. Also, Steve Cunningham Jr. (2-0, 2 KOs) of Pittsburgh, PA fights Jonathan Hernan Godoy (7-18, 1 KO) of Buenos Aires in a junior middleweight bout.
Seeing action in a six-round bout will be middleweight Erron Peterson of Philadelphia (6-0-1 with f5 KOs)s. The 28 year-old has defeated undefeated Jeremiah Kendrick (1-0) and is coming off a second-round stoppage over Raeem Davis on April 18th in Philadelphia. Peterson's opponent will be named shortly.
In four-round bouts, junior welterweight Tyreem Haywood of Philadelphia will make his pro debut against Daniel McCall (0-4) of Stone Mountain, GA...
Jacob Cuevas (3-0, 3 KOs) of Las Vegas fights Marcello Williams (4-23-1, 1 KO) of Orlando in a lightweight contest...
Jesse Hayward (1-0) of Philadelphia battles Jonathan Wiles (0-5) of Philadelphia in a heavyweight fight...
Edwin Cortes (5-0, 1 KO) of Millville, NJ takes on an opponent to be named in a bantamweight bout...
Nimal Farmer (5-0, 4 KOs) of Lindenwold, NJ takes on an opponent to be named in a welterweight bout...
Frankie Lynn (3-0, 3 KOs) of Chester, PA fights debuting Isaiaj Jamal Turner of Dorthan, Alabama in a welterweight contest...
Tyler Zwicharowski (1-2, 1 KO) of Philadelphia will fight Tyre Rivera (0-2) of Nevada in a welterweight fight...
Paul Koon (4-0, 1 KO) of Philadelphia returns to the ring after a six-year layoff when he faces Nathaniel Copeland (1-5, 1 KO) of Capitol Heights, Maryland in a heavyweight tussle...
Eliezer Olemeda (4-4) of Gloucester, NJ squares off with Maurice Clemons (2-6, 1 KO) of Riverdale, GA in a welterweight contest and...
Nasheed H. Smith (2-0, 2 KOs) of Washington, DC will take on Leavan Loutsoupitze (0-3) of Queens, NY in a light heavyweight bout.
Doors open at 5 PM ET; 1st bell at 6 PM ET.
Tickets are $75, $100, $130 and can be purchased at rdrboxing@yahoo.com
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Eros Correa to face Walter Santibanes on ProBox TV |
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Bantamweight Eros Correa (14-1, 9 KOs) has signed a network agreement with ProBox TV. Correa is set to make his ProBox TV debut on June 5th at the ProBox TV Events Center in Plant City, Florida, against Walter Santibanes (12-3, 2 KOs) in a ten rounder. "Signing with ProBox TV is a major move at this stage in my career,” said Correa, who has been training in Las Vegas. “They have a very impressive platform where everyone from around the world can watch my fights. My ultimate goal is to become a world champion, and I know ProBox will help me get there. I’m excited, and I’m ready to fight.”
Regarding his upcoming fight with Santibanes, Correa, from San Jose, California added, "fans can expect an all-out war when I step in the ring.”
"We're super excited to have Eros back in the ring with ProBox TV,” said co-manager Andrew Bocanegra, President of Boxing VIP. “This partnership is exactly what we wanted for Eros's career, and we believe it's going to bring him amazing opportunities. This is a tough fight with Santibanes, but at this level all fights are going to be a challenge. Fans will see a very skilled and explosive fighter in Eros.”
"Eros has been working hard to get into this position and this agreement with ProBox TV is exactly what we’ve been wanting for him.” added Jessie Sanchez, Correa’s co-manager. “We are confident that Eros will shine on this platform and continue to climb the ranks in the bantamweight division. A world title fight is looming with a few more victories.”
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Eros Correa to face Walter Santibanes on ProBox TV
Bantamweight Eros Correa (14-1, 9 KOs) has signed a network agreement with ProBox TV. Correa is set to make his ProBox TV debut on June 5th at the ProBox TV Events Center in Plant City, Florida, against Walter Santibanes (12-3, 2 KOs) in a ten rounder. "Signing with ProBox TV is a major move at this stage in my career,” said Correa, who has been training in Las Vegas. “They have a very impressive platform where everyone from around the world can watch my fights. My ultimate goal is to become a world champion, and I know ProBox will help me get there. I’m excited, and I’m ready to fight.”
Regarding his upcoming fight with Santibanes, Correa, from San Jose, California added, "fans can expect an all-out war when I step in the ring.”
"We're super excited to have Eros back in the ring with ProBox TV,” said co-manager Andrew Bocanegra, President of Boxing VIP. “This partnership is exactly what we wanted for Eros's career, and we believe it's going to bring him amazing opportunities. This is a tough fight with Santibanes, but at this level all fights are going to be a challenge. Fans will see a very skilled and explosive fighter in Eros.”
"Eros has been working hard to get into this position and this agreement with ProBox TV is exactly what we’ve been wanting for him.” added Jessie Sanchez, Correa’s co-manager. “We are confident that Eros will shine on this platform and continue to climb the ranks in the bantamweight division. A world title fight is looming with a few more victories.”
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IBF orders Alvarez vs. Scull |
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A virtual unknown, William Scull, will either get the next shot at world super middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez or Alvarez will be stripped of the IBF title. Scull, an unbeaten but untested Cuban fighting out of Germany, will learn his fate soon, as the IBF has scheduled a purse bid for Alvarez-Scull in little more than a week. Alvarez is not expected to agree to fight Scull so the next IBF title fight at 168 pounds could be Scull vs. #2 rated Vladimir Shishkin for the vacant title. The IBF notice to all eligible promoters read: "On May 13, 2024 the IBF ordered Saul Alvarez and William Scull to begin negotiations for the IBF super middleweight mandatory defense. On May 22, 2024 Mr. Hagen Doering representing William Scull requested an immediate purse bid because an agreement could not be reached. The IBF is ordering a purse bid in these offices on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at 12:00 PM EST. Bids must be submitted at 11:45 AM EST to be promptly opened at 12:00 PM."
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IBF orders Alvarez vs. Scull
A virtual unknown, William Scull, will either get the next shot at world super middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez or Alvarez will be stripped of the IBF title. Scull, an unbeaten but untested Cuban fighting out of Germany, will learn his fate soon, as the IBF has scheduled a purse bid for Alvarez-Scull in little more than a week. Alvarez is not expected to agree to fight Scull so the next IBF title fight at 168 pounds could be Scull vs. #2 rated Vladimir Shishkin for the vacant title. The IBF notice to all eligible promoters read: "On May 13, 2024 the IBF ordered Saul Alvarez and William Scull to begin negotiations for the IBF super middleweight mandatory defense. On May 22, 2024 Mr. Hagen Doering representing William Scull requested an immediate purse bid because an agreement could not be reached. The IBF is ordering a purse bid in these offices on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at 12:00 PM EST. Bids must be submitted at 11:45 AM EST to be promptly opened at 12:00 PM."
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WBC keeping Crawford's seat warm at welterweight |
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The WBC Board of Governors has voted in favor to accept world welterweight champion Terence Crawford as WBC champion in recess in the welterweight division while Crawfor takes a bout at junior middleweight. Crawford unified the world welterweight championship with a spectacular performance, knocking out previously undefeated Eroll Spence on July 29th, 2023. He will fight on august 3rd at the BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, in the debut promotion of Riyadh Season in the United States. His upcoming fight will be a challenge of WBA 154-pound champion Israil Madrimov.
The WBC Board also voted in favor of officially sanctioning the Crawford vs Madrimov as a final elimination bout for the mandatory position in the junior middleweight division. Crawford will then inform the WBC which division he wishes to compete after the August fight.
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WBC keeping Crawford's seat warm at welterweight
The WBC Board of Governors has voted in favor to accept world welterweight champion Terence Crawford as WBC champion in recess in the welterweight division while Crawfor takes a bout at junior middleweight. Crawford unified the world welterweight championship with a spectacular performance, knocking out previously undefeated Eroll Spence on July 29th, 2023. He will fight on august 3rd at the BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, in the debut promotion of Riyadh Season in the United States. His upcoming fight will be a challenge of WBA 154-pound champion Israil Madrimov.
The WBC Board also voted in favor of officially sanctioning the Crawford vs Madrimov as a final elimination bout for the mandatory position in the junior middleweight division. Crawford will then inform the WBC which division he wishes to compete after the August fight.
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A few words with Xander Zayas |
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Xander Zayas, a 21 year-old junior middleweight will face former world titl holder Patrick Teixeira of Brazil in the ten-round main event on Saturday, June 8th, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Zayas looks to kick off Puerto Rican Day Parade Weekend by taking on his stiffest test to date. In the ten-round featherweight co-feature, Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (11-0, 7 KOs), from Brownsville, Brooklyn, aims to extend his knockout streak against Mexico’s Jose Enrique Vivas (23-3, 12 KOs). Zayas-Teixeira and Carrington-Vivas will be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+ at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT. Sky Sports will broadcast the event in the UK & Ireland. Promoted by Top Rank, tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.com.
Zayas (18-0, 12 KOs) signed with Top Rank at age 16 and debuted as a pro in October 2019. He won his first regional belt with a fifth-round TKO win against Elias Espadas in August 2022 before vanquishing Alexis Salazar following eight rounds that December. In 2023, he beat Ronald Cruz via eight-round decision during Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend and stopped Roberto Valenzuela Jr. in five in September. Zayas ended the year that December by tallying a fifth-round stoppage against Jorge Fortea. Teixeira (34-4, 25 KOs) returns to the United States following three consecutive knockout wins in his home country.
Following a recent training session in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this is what Zayas had to say:
“Patrick Teixeira is a former world champion. He has a lot of experience. He has fought great fighters, and he’s very hungry to return to the top of the sport. So, I have to go in there very prepared because I know he will also be prepared.”
“In this fight, I have to be intelligent. I have to follow the game plan. I have to block out all the emotions that will be a part of that night. Obviously, it’s an important night for Puerto Ricans. But we’re going to have to block that out. We’re going to have to be patient and work little by little. I have 10 rounds to do the damage that I want to do and to put on a great show.”
“I’m excited to get in there with him. I’m excited to explore the things that I’ve seen on video. I’m excited to explore the game plan we have for him. And I’m excited to showcase why my era will begin on June 8th."
“It’s a dream come true to headline at Madison Square Garden. I’ve been asking for this for some time. I was waiting for my turn because we take things step by step, as I’ve done my whole career. But it’s something that, at 21 years of age, is impressive. I still can’t believe it. But at the same time, I try to take it as just another fight and remain focused.
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A few words with Xander Zayas
Xander Zayas, a 21 year-old junior middleweight will face former world titl holder Patrick Teixeira of Brazil in the ten-round main event on Saturday, June 8th, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Zayas looks to kick off Puerto Rican Day Parade Weekend by taking on his stiffest test to date. In the ten-round featherweight co-feature, Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (11-0, 7 KOs), from Brownsville, Brooklyn, aims to extend his knockout streak against Mexico’s Jose Enrique Vivas (23-3, 12 KOs). Zayas-Teixeira and Carrington-Vivas will be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+ at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT. Sky Sports will broadcast the event in the UK & Ireland. Promoted by Top Rank, tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.com.
Zayas (18-0, 12 KOs) signed with Top Rank at age 16 and debuted as a pro in October 2019. He won his first regional belt with a fifth-round TKO win against Elias Espadas in August 2022 before vanquishing Alexis Salazar following eight rounds that December. In 2023, he beat Ronald Cruz via eight-round decision during Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend and stopped Roberto Valenzuela Jr. in five in September. Zayas ended the year that December by tallying a fifth-round stoppage against Jorge Fortea. Teixeira (34-4, 25 KOs) returns to the United States following three consecutive knockout wins in his home country.
Following a recent training session in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this is what Zayas had to say:
“Patrick Teixeira is a former world champion. He has a lot of experience. He has fought great fighters, and he’s very hungry to return to the top of the sport. So, I have to go in there very prepared because I know he will also be prepared.”
“In this fight, I have to be intelligent. I have to follow the game plan. I have to block out all the emotions that will be a part of that night. Obviously, it’s an important night for Puerto Ricans. But we’re going to have to block that out. We’re going to have to be patient and work little by little. I have 10 rounds to do the damage that I want to do and to put on a great show.”
“I’m excited to get in there with him. I’m excited to explore the things that I’ve seen on video. I’m excited to explore the game plan we have for him. And I’m excited to showcase why my era will begin on June 8th."
“It’s a dream come true to headline at Madison Square Garden. I’ve been asking for this for some time. I was waiting for my turn because we take things step by step, as I’ve done my whole career. But it’s something that, at 21 years of age, is impressive. I still can’t believe it. But at the same time, I try to take it as just another fight and remain focused.
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Teresa Tapia to promote June 8th event in Albuquerque |
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Teresa Tapia of Tapia Promotions is set to bring "Gloves On, Grudges Gone" to the Land of Enchantment on Saturday night June 8th in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The event will feature four bareknuckle bouts from the BKFC Prospects series and four professional boxing bouts. The event stems from the vision of the legendary Johnny "Mi Vida Loca" Tapia himself as carried out by his widow Teresa. The Tapia family spoke about how Johnny was always saddened by the problems that plagued New Mexicans such as violence, drugs, and homelessness, and at the height of his career he even created a program “Tickets for Guns” in order to save as many of his New Mexicans as possible. "As his widow, and fellow New Mexican, it is my goal to continue the great legacy that Johnny left behind" said Teresa Tapia, who is promoting the event. The goal of the program is for the youth to not resort to violence in the streets and settle issues in a controlled environment. The program also features mentorship programs and outreach initiatives. The pro boxing will include Albuquerque talents Donald Sanchez, Cody East, Jason Sanchez and Johnny Tapia protege Josh "Pitbull" Torres. The action will take place at the Isleta Resort/Casino in Albuquerque. Doors open at 3PM.
Tickets are available at the Isleta Casino box office and Isleta.com. Boxingtalk writer Christian Schmidt is set to be the ring announcer.
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Teresa Tapia to promote June 8th event in Albuquerque
Teresa Tapia of Tapia Promotions is set to bring "Gloves On, Grudges Gone" to the Land of Enchantment on Saturday night June 8th in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The event will feature four bareknuckle bouts from the BKFC Prospects series and four professional boxing bouts. The event stems from the vision of the legendary Johnny "Mi Vida Loca" Tapia himself as carried out by his widow Teresa. The Tapia family spoke about how Johnny was always saddened by the problems that plagued New Mexicans such as violence, drugs, and homelessness, and at the height of his career he even created a program “Tickets for Guns” in order to save as many of his New Mexicans as possible. "As his widow, and fellow New Mexican, it is my goal to continue the great legacy that Johnny left behind" said Teresa Tapia, who is promoting the event. The goal of the program is for the youth to not resort to violence in the streets and settle issues in a controlled environment. The program also features mentorship programs and outreach initiatives. The pro boxing will include Albuquerque talents Donald Sanchez, Cody East, Jason Sanchez and Johnny Tapia protege Josh "Pitbull" Torres. The action will take place at the Isleta Resort/Casino in Albuquerque. Doors open at 3PM.
Tickets are available at the Isleta Casino box office and Isleta.com. Boxingtalk writer Christian Schmidt is set to be the ring announcer.
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Thorslund retains titles with win over Cetin |
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Dina Thorslund W10 Seren Cetin ... Dina Thorslund successfully defended her WBC and WBO bantamweight belts with a convincing unanimous decision victory over Seren Cetin in Thorslund's native Denmark. Both fighters sought a knockout victory, but as the action abated, Thorslund took control of the match, showing better boxing and crisper punching. The judges’ scores were 100-90 (twice) and 99-91. With this victory, Thorslund makes the second successful defense of her belts, to maintain her undefeated record, raising it to 22 wins. Cetin returns to Turkey with a record of 11-1.
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Thorslund retains titles with win over Cetin
Dina Thorslund W10 Seren Cetin ... Dina Thorslund successfully defended her WBC and WBO bantamweight belts with a convincing unanimous decision victory over Seren Cetin in Thorslund's native Denmark. Both fighters sought a knockout victory, but as the action abated, Thorslund took control of the match, showing better boxing and crisper punching. The judges’ scores were 100-90 (twice) and 99-91. With this victory, Thorslund makes the second successful defense of her belts, to maintain her undefeated record, raising it to 22 wins. Cetin returns to Turkey with a record of 11-1.
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German update: undefeated 130 pounders to square off |
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Two German junior lightweights, both undefeated, will fight each other on Saturday, June 1st at the SWH Arena in Halle and der Saale, Germany. On a show promoted by Rene Mueller, local man David Khachatryan, 9-0 with 1 KO, will face Andres Klein, 6-0 with 2 KOs, who fights out of Altoetting in Bayern. Khachatryan, the younger man by twelve years at 28, turned professional in April of 2022, and has recorded decent wins over the likes of Vincenzo Finiello (15-5-2) and Irving Berry (23-11-2).
Klein, age 40, entered the paid ranks late in 2016, at thirty-two, and didn't have his second bout for another six years, returning to the ring in October of 2022. He too has beaten respectable opposition, especially Bulgarian former amateur star Tinko Banabakov (5-1) and most recently Nicaraguan Kevin Trana (15-8-2). Khachatryan still has time on his side, but for Klein it will be difficult to see a way back to major fights if he falls short on June 1st. He will unquestionably do everything within his power to make up for lost time.
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German update: undefeated 130 pounders to square off
Two German junior lightweights, both undefeated, will fight each other on Saturday, June 1st at the SWH Arena in Halle and der Saale, Germany. On a show promoted by Rene Mueller, local man David Khachatryan, 9-0 with 1 KO, will face Andres Klein, 6-0 with 2 KOs, who fights out of Altoetting in Bayern. Khachatryan, the younger man by twelve years at 28, turned professional in April of 2022, and has recorded decent wins over the likes of Vincenzo Finiello (15-5-2) and Irving Berry (23-11-2).
Klein, age 40, entered the paid ranks late in 2016, at thirty-two, and didn't have his second bout for another six years, returning to the ring in October of 2022. He too has beaten respectable opposition, especially Bulgarian former amateur star Tinko Banabakov (5-1) and most recently Nicaraguan Kevin Trana (15-8-2). Khachatryan still has time on his side, but for Klein it will be difficult to see a way back to major fights if he falls short on June 1st. He will unquestionably do everything within his power to make up for lost time.
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USA Boxing update: quick win for Jamar Talley |
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Camden, New Jersey's Jamar Talley made a statement with his first win at the Second Olympic World Qualification Tournament. Talley went head-to-head with Ali Faithigovashini out of Iran and made it a quick fight, ending the contest in the first round due to a referee stoppage. “I am just thankful for another opportunity to qualify for Paris. All glory to God and I am thankful for my team and coaches and on to the next one,” a determined Talley stated after his debut at the 2024 World Qualification Tournament.
Unfortunately, two teammates did not fare as well as Talley. Robby Gonzales of Las Vegas and Naomi Graham of Fayetteville, North Carolina both lost. Graham was the first Team USA boxer to go this morning as she fought hard but fell short 4-1 to Vivlane Pereira from Brazil. As for Gonzales, he started off strong against Weerapon Jongjoho from Thailand and took the first round 4-1. However, Jongjoho, with the home crowd advantage, took the second round 5-0. Gonzales tried to fight back and took the final round 3-2 but just wasn’t enough and lost in a heart-breaker 3-2.
Team USA will see Shera Mae Patricio (Waianae, Hawaii) and Emilio Garcia (Laredo, Texas) box next. Patricio will make her debut and represent Team USA in the 119-pound weight division. She will go head-to-head with Ulzhan Sarsenbek from Kazakhstan. As for Garcia, this will be his second appearance and he is three wins away from qualifying.
Team USA is represented by eight boxers in Italy who hope to punch their ticket to this summer’s 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The team is being guided by USA Boxing Head Coach Billy Walsh (Colorado Springs, Colo.), along with National Resident Coach Timothy Nolan (Rochester, N.Y.), as well as National Development Coach Chad Wigle (Colorado Springs, Colo.), along with assistant coaches Adonis Frazier (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Christine Lopez (Rowlett, Texas).
Day 1 Results
57 kg: Alyssa Mendoza, Caldwell, Idaho/USA, dec. over Bolortuul Tumurkhuyag, MGL, 5-0
Day 2 Results
80 kg: Robby Gonzales, Las Vegas, Nev./USA, dec. over Ahmed Badrani, MAR, 5-0
Day 3 Results
75 kg: . Vivlane Pereira, BRA dec. over Naomi Graham, Fayetteville, N.C./USA, 5-0
80 kg: Weerapon Jongjoho, THA dec. over Robby Gonzales, Las Vegas, Nev./USA, 3-2
92 kg: Jamar Talley, Camden, N.J./USA, over Ali Faithigovashini, IRI, RSC-1
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USA Boxing update: quick win for Jamar Talley
Camden, New Jersey's Jamar Talley made a statement with his first win at the Second Olympic World Qualification Tournament. Talley went head-to-head with Ali Faithigovashini out of Iran and made it a quick fight, ending the contest in the first round due to a referee stoppage. “I am just thankful for another opportunity to qualify for Paris. All glory to God and I am thankful for my team and coaches and on to the next one,” a determined Talley stated after his debut at the 2024 World Qualification Tournament.
Unfortunately, two teammates did not fare as well as Talley. Robby Gonzales of Las Vegas and Naomi Graham of Fayetteville, North Carolina both lost. Graham was the first Team USA boxer to go this morning as she fought hard but fell short 4-1 to Vivlane Pereira from Brazil. As for Gonzales, he started off strong against Weerapon Jongjoho from Thailand and took the first round 4-1. However, Jongjoho, with the home crowd advantage, took the second round 5-0. Gonzales tried to fight back and took the final round 3-2 but just wasn’t enough and lost in a heart-breaker 3-2.
Team USA will see Shera Mae Patricio (Waianae, Hawaii) and Emilio Garcia (Laredo, Texas) box next. Patricio will make her debut and represent Team USA in the 119-pound weight division. She will go head-to-head with Ulzhan Sarsenbek from Kazakhstan. As for Garcia, this will be his second appearance and he is three wins away from qualifying.
Team USA is represented by eight boxers in Italy who hope to punch their ticket to this summer’s 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The team is being guided by USA Boxing Head Coach Billy Walsh (Colorado Springs, Colo.), along with National Resident Coach Timothy Nolan (Rochester, N.Y.), as well as National Development Coach Chad Wigle (Colorado Springs, Colo.), along with assistant coaches Adonis Frazier (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Christine Lopez (Rowlett, Texas).
Day 1 Results
57 kg: Alyssa Mendoza, Caldwell, Idaho/USA, dec. over Bolortuul Tumurkhuyag, MGL, 5-0
Day 2 Results
80 kg: Robby Gonzales, Las Vegas, Nev./USA, dec. over Ahmed Badrani, MAR, 5-0
Day 3 Results
75 kg: . Vivlane Pereira, BRA dec. over Naomi Graham, Fayetteville, N.C./USA, 5-0
80 kg: Weerapon Jongjoho, THA dec. over Robby Gonzales, Las Vegas, Nev./USA, 3-2
92 kg: Jamar Talley, Camden, N.J./USA, over Ali Faithigovashini, IRI, RSC-1
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Welcome to Matchroom vs Queensberry 5 vs. 5 week |
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Raymond Ford is scheduled to defend his WBA featherweight belt against Great Britain's Nick Ball at Saturday's Riyadh Season event, which will feature a five-fight promoter’s showdown. Also on the show, WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol will defend against Malik Zinad, a bout that will be accompanied by the aforementioned 5 vs 5 between Matchroom Boxing and Queensberry Promotions. Ford will face Ball for the WBA belt in what will be the first defense for the American. In addition, Deontay Wilder will face Zhilei Zhang at heavyweight, Daniel Dubois will fight Filip Hrgovic also at heavyweight, Austin Williams and Hamzah Sheeraz will fight at light heavyweight and Craig Richards will face Willy Hutchinson at light heavyweight. After the huge success of the previous Riyadh event where Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury, the boxing world is eager to know what Riyadh Season will bring next, and this event will be very special because of its composition and the fights it will feature. Ford arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and was welcomed by His Excellency Turki Alalshikh in a friendly ceremony. Now it’s time for him to acclimatize ahead of his defence of the crown. 5 vs 5 line-up: Zhilei Zhang (Q) vs. Deontay Wilder (M)
Filip Hrgović (M) vs. Daniel Dubois (Q)
Hamzah Sheeraz (Q) vs. AustinWilliams (M)
Raymond Ford (M) vs. Nick Ball (Q)
Craig Richards (M) vs. Willy Hutchinson (Q)
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Welcome to Matchroom vs Queensberry 5 vs. 5 week
Raymond Ford is scheduled to defend his WBA featherweight belt against Great Britain's Nick Ball at Saturday's Riyadh Season event, which will feature a five-fight promoter’s showdown. Also on the show, WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol will defend against Malik Zinad, a bout that will be accompanied by the aforementioned 5 vs 5 between Matchroom Boxing and Queensberry Promotions. Ford will face Ball for the WBA belt in what will be the first defense for the American. In addition, Deontay Wilder will face Zhilei Zhang at heavyweight, Daniel Dubois will fight Filip Hrgovic also at heavyweight, Austin Williams and Hamzah Sheeraz will fight at light heavyweight and Craig Richards will face Willy Hutchinson at light heavyweight. After the huge success of the previous Riyadh event where Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury, the boxing world is eager to know what Riyadh Season will bring next, and this event will be very special because of its composition and the fights it will feature. Ford arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and was welcomed by His Excellency Turki Alalshikh in a friendly ceremony. Now it’s time for him to acclimatize ahead of his defence of the crown. 5 vs 5 line-up: Zhilei Zhang (Q) vs. Deontay Wilder (M)
Filip Hrgović (M) vs. Daniel Dubois (Q)
Hamzah Sheeraz (Q) vs. AustinWilliams (M)
Raymond Ford (M) vs. Nick Ball (Q)
Craig Richards (M) vs. Willy Hutchinson (Q)
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Results from Abu Dhabi: Jordan's Bader Al-Dherat now 11-0 |
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Bader Al-Dherat W10 Orlando Mosquera... On the Rising Stars Arabia (RSA) series at Space 42 Arena in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Jordanian lightweight Bader “The Master” Al-Dherat (11-0, 8 KOs) edged Orlando Mosquera (13-3-1, 2 KOs) by way of a ten-round split decision to keep his undefeated pro record intact. The first pro boxer from Jordan, the 23 year-old Al-Dherat faced the stiffest test of his young career versus Mosquera, who had won 10 of his previous 12 fights with one draw.
Faizan Anwar W10 Nurali Erdogan... Indian welterweight Faizan Anwar (18-0, 9 KOs), whose goal is to be India’s first world champion in professional boxing, was pushed to his limits against 2017 French national champion Nurali Erdogan (15-3, 1 KO). The 22-year-old Anwar, who was the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in his native India, moved to Dubai five years ago to improve his pro boxing career. He won a ten-round split decision over the pure boxing Frenchman.
ADDITIONAL RESULTS
Moroccan super featherweight Moussa Gholam (22-1, 13 KOs) won a ten-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Lingjie Xia (9-1-2, 2 KOs), of China...
UAE super flyweight Al Nuaimi remained undefeated with a ten-round unanimous decision versus Muhsin Kizota (20-5, 12 KOs), of Tanzania. Al Nuaimi was a two-time national champion as an amateur and he also became the first boxer in UAE history to win a bout in the Asian Games...
Super featherweight Fahad “Kid Emirati” Al Bloushi (15-1, 3 KOs), the UAE’s most experienced pro boxer, extended his win streak to 14 with a six-round victory by unanimous decision over Tanzania’s Ibrahim “The Puncher” Makubi (11-3-1, 6 KOs)...
Also fighting on the undercard, Egyptian welterweight Marwan Mohamad Madboly (4-0, 2 KOs) won a six-round unanimous decision versus Ibrahim “The Puncher” Makubi (11-3-1, 6 KOs)...
Egyptian super featherweight Mostafa Mohammad Fahmi Komsan (3-0, 3 KOs) stopped Ibrahim Mwalami (4-2-1, 1 KO) of Tanzania, in the second round by technical knockout...
Lebanese super middleweight Nadim Salloum (13-2, 6 KOs) knocked out C Lalhruaitluanga (7-2, 3 KOs), of India, in the fourth round; and...
Ugandan lightweight champion “King” Fahad Mulindwa (8-4, 34 KOs) need only two rounds to eliminate Mohamed Salah Abdelghany (4-5, 0 KOs), of Egypt.
In three other support fights, nobody's O had to go as junior middleweight Eissa Eidan (2-0, 0 KOs), of Kuwait, took a four-round unanimous decision from Pakistani Shahzada Sohail (0-5)...
Syrian heavyweight Kenan Marai (2-0, 2 KOs) blasted out pro-debuting Ahmadzai Abdulahi (0-1) of Afghanistan, midway through round one...
United Kingdom flyweight Tony “Lightning Junior” Curtis (7-1, 3 KOs) outpointed India’s Ismailulah Khan (1-2, 1 KO) in a six-rounder.
AAM Seddiqi Sports has been promoting and managing boxers in this region for 10 years. It boasts a growing stable of more than 30 gifted regional and global talents. Its events have included five world title shows, broadcast globally on ESPN, Sky Sports, and other major networks.
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Results from Abu Dhabi: Jordan's Bader Al-Dherat now 11-0
Bader Al-Dherat W10 Orlando Mosquera... On the Rising Stars Arabia (RSA) series at Space 42 Arena in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Jordanian lightweight Bader “The Master” Al-Dherat (11-0, 8 KOs) edged Orlando Mosquera (13-3-1, 2 KOs) by way of a ten-round split decision to keep his undefeated pro record intact. The first pro boxer from Jordan, the 23 year-old Al-Dherat faced the stiffest test of his young career versus Mosquera, who had won 10 of his previous 12 fights with one draw.
Faizan Anwar W10 Nurali Erdogan... Indian welterweight Faizan Anwar (18-0, 9 KOs), whose goal is to be India’s first world champion in professional boxing, was pushed to his limits against 2017 French national champion Nurali Erdogan (15-3, 1 KO). The 22-year-old Anwar, who was the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in his native India, moved to Dubai five years ago to improve his pro boxing career. He won a ten-round split decision over the pure boxing Frenchman.
ADDITIONAL RESULTS
Moroccan super featherweight Moussa Gholam (22-1, 13 KOs) won a ten-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Lingjie Xia (9-1-2, 2 KOs), of China...
UAE super flyweight Al Nuaimi remained undefeated with a ten-round unanimous decision versus Muhsin Kizota (20-5, 12 KOs), of Tanzania. Al Nuaimi was a two-time national champion as an amateur and he also became the first boxer in UAE history to win a bout in the Asian Games...
Super featherweight Fahad “Kid Emirati” Al Bloushi (15-1, 3 KOs), the UAE’s most experienced pro boxer, extended his win streak to 14 with a six-round victory by unanimous decision over Tanzania’s Ibrahim “The Puncher” Makubi (11-3-1, 6 KOs)...
Also fighting on the undercard, Egyptian welterweight Marwan Mohamad Madboly (4-0, 2 KOs) won a six-round unanimous decision versus Ibrahim “The Puncher” Makubi (11-3-1, 6 KOs)...
Egyptian super featherweight Mostafa Mohammad Fahmi Komsan (3-0, 3 KOs) stopped Ibrahim Mwalami (4-2-1, 1 KO) of Tanzania, in the second round by technical knockout...
Lebanese super middleweight Nadim Salloum (13-2, 6 KOs) knocked out C Lalhruaitluanga (7-2, 3 KOs), of India, in the fourth round; and...
Ugandan lightweight champion “King” Fahad Mulindwa (8-4, 34 KOs) need only two rounds to eliminate Mohamed Salah Abdelghany (4-5, 0 KOs), of Egypt.
In three other support fights, nobody's O had to go as junior middleweight Eissa Eidan (2-0, 0 KOs), of Kuwait, took a four-round unanimous decision from Pakistani Shahzada Sohail (0-5)...
Syrian heavyweight Kenan Marai (2-0, 2 KOs) blasted out pro-debuting Ahmadzai Abdulahi (0-1) of Afghanistan, midway through round one...
United Kingdom flyweight Tony “Lightning Junior” Curtis (7-1, 3 KOs) outpointed India’s Ismailulah Khan (1-2, 1 KO) in a six-rounder.
AAM Seddiqi Sports has been promoting and managing boxers in this region for 10 years. It boasts a growing stable of more than 30 gifted regional and global talents. Its events have included five world title shows, broadcast globally on ESPN, Sky Sports, and other major networks.
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Team USA update from Thailand |
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Team USA is represented by seven boxers in Thailand who hope to punch their ticket to this summer’s 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Robby Gonzales of Las Vegas secured Team USA's second win with a unanimous decision victory over Ahmed Badrani out of Morocco on the second day of boxing in Bangkok, Thailand. Gonzales dominated the whole bout as he won the first two rounds 4-1 and then won the last round 5-0 leading to a unanimous decision victory over the boxer out of Morocco.
The 2021 World Champion gold medalist will now fight on Monday against the winner of Weerapon Jongjoho out of Thailand and Vladimir Mironchikov from Serbia. “Got the first one out the way and I got four more to go,” a determined Robby Gonzales stated after his debut at the 2024 World Qualification Tournament.
The first win was achieved by Idaho's Alyssa Mendoza, who scored a unanimous decision victory over Bolortuul Tumurkhuyag out of Mongolia on day one. Mendoza, who won three medals in 2023, is looking for a similar result in Bangkok. In her first round she took the judges’ scorecards 3-2 but Tumurkhuyag grabbed the second round, and the scores were all tied up going into the third and final round.
The Idaho native came out hot in the third round and took all five judges’ scorecards and won on a unanimous decision. Alyssa needs three more wins to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. “Got the first day and win out the way. It was a tougher fight than I expected, but I am moving on and will make those adjustments and get better every day,” stated Mendoza after her first win in Bangkok.
Mendoza will now wait until May 30th for her next fight. She will go head-to-head against Olga-Pavlina Papadatou out of Greece. Mendoza is looking to make history in this tournament and be the first boxer out of Idaho to qualify to the Olympics.
Team USA is represented by eight boxers in Italy who hope to punch their ticket to this summer’s 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The team is being guided by USA Boxing Head Coach Billy Walsh (Colorado Springs, Colo.), along with National Resident Coach Timothy Nolan (Rochester, N.Y.), as well as National Development Coach Chad Wigle (Colorado Springs, Colo.), along with assistant coaches Adonis Frazier (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Christine Lopez (Rowlett, Texas).
Day 1 Results
57 kg: Alyssa Mendoza, Caldwell, Idaho/USA, dec. over Bolortuul Tumurkhuyag, MGL, 5-0
Day 2 Results
80 kg: Robby Gonzales, Las Vegas, Nev./USA, dec. over Ahmed Badrani, MAR, 5-0
Day 3 Schedule
63.5 kg: Emilio Garcia, Laredo, Texas/USA, vs. Ismail Umar FIN
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Team USA update from Thailand
Team USA is represented by seven boxers in Thailand who hope to punch their ticket to this summer’s 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Robby Gonzales of Las Vegas secured Team USA's second win with a unanimous decision victory over Ahmed Badrani out of Morocco on the second day of boxing in Bangkok, Thailand. Gonzales dominated the whole bout as he won the first two rounds 4-1 and then won the last round 5-0 leading to a unanimous decision victory over the boxer out of Morocco.
The 2021 World Champion gold medalist will now fight on Monday against the winner of Weerapon Jongjoho out of Thailand and Vladimir Mironchikov from Serbia. “Got the first one out the way and I got four more to go,” a determined Robby Gonzales stated after his debut at the 2024 World Qualification Tournament.
The first win was achieved by Idaho's Alyssa Mendoza, who scored a unanimous decision victory over Bolortuul Tumurkhuyag out of Mongolia on day one. Mendoza, who won three medals in 2023, is looking for a similar result in Bangkok. In her first round she took the judges’ scorecards 3-2 but Tumurkhuyag grabbed the second round, and the scores were all tied up going into the third and final round.
The Idaho native came out hot in the third round and took all five judges’ scorecards and won on a unanimous decision. Alyssa needs three more wins to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. “Got the first day and win out the way. It was a tougher fight than I expected, but I am moving on and will make those adjustments and get better every day,” stated Mendoza after her first win in Bangkok.
Mendoza will now wait until May 30th for her next fight. She will go head-to-head against Olga-Pavlina Papadatou out of Greece. Mendoza is looking to make history in this tournament and be the first boxer out of Idaho to qualify to the Olympics.
Team USA is represented by eight boxers in Italy who hope to punch their ticket to this summer’s 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The team is being guided by USA Boxing Head Coach Billy Walsh (Colorado Springs, Colo.), along with National Resident Coach Timothy Nolan (Rochester, N.Y.), as well as National Development Coach Chad Wigle (Colorado Springs, Colo.), along with assistant coaches Adonis Frazier (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Christine Lopez (Rowlett, Texas).
Day 1 Results
57 kg: Alyssa Mendoza, Caldwell, Idaho/USA, dec. over Bolortuul Tumurkhuyag, MGL, 5-0
Day 2 Results
80 kg: Robby Gonzales, Las Vegas, Nev./USA, dec. over Ahmed Badrani, MAR, 5-0
Day 3 Schedule
63.5 kg: Emilio Garcia, Laredo, Texas/USA, vs. Ismail Umar FIN
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Catterall tops Taylor in rematch |
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Jack Catterall W12 Josh Taylor... After 27 months of debate, Jack "El Gato" Catterall finally got his revenge. Catterall defeated Josh Taylor by unanimous decision in their twelve-round junior welterweight rematch on Saturday at First Direct Arena in Leeds, England. It was a far more fan-friendly affair than their first encounter, which Taylor edged by split decision to retain his undisputed junior welterweight title. The rematch was also a tight contest, but Catterall prevailed by scores of 117-111 (twice) and 116-113.
“It’s bittersweet tonight. No world titles. I won the fight. We can close that chapter with Josh Taylor," Catterall said. “Listen, I believe I won the fight. I took more risks this time. Josh is an elite operator, {former} undisputed world champion. We knew we were up against it, but I went through the gears, boxed with my smarts, and even in the second half of the fight, the rounds that I was more reserved, I was controlling the pace and wasn’t getting hit with big punches. And I was landing clean.”
“I thought it was a great fight. Fair play to Jack. He was a better fighter than the first fight," Taylor said. "But, listen, I thought I just nicked the fight, to be fair."
Catterall (29-1, 13 KOs) pressed the action in the early rounds, using an educated jab and crisp left hands to keep Taylor (19-2, 13 KOs) at arm's length. In round five, he had one of his best moments when a left hand pushed Taylor into — and nearly over — the ropes. Taylor rebounded with a big seventh round, digging ferocious body shots into Catterall's midsection.
When it appeared Taylor was regaining the momentum, Catterall stunned him in the 11th with a counter left hand. The 12th round was a back-and-forth stanza, but Catterall had banked enough early rounds on the scorecards. After cries of robbery following their February 2022 showdown, Catterall had evened the rivalry—one apiece.
Taylor said, "If he wants to go and challenge for bigger fights, he deserves it. But it’s one apiece, so let’s do it. Let’s do a trilogy.”
UNDERCARD RESULTS
Cruiserweight Cheavon Clarke (9-0, 7 KOs) won the British cruiserweight title, knocking out Ellis Zorro (17-2, 7 KOs) in the eighth round...
Welterweight Paddy Donovan (14-0, 11 KOs) stopped Lewis Ritson (23-4, 13 KOs) in round nine...
Lightweight Gary Cully (18-1, 10 KOs) defeated former European champion Francesco Patera (29-5, 11 KOs) via ten-round unanimous decision. Official scores were 98-92 and 96-94 (twice).
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Catterall tops Taylor in rematch
Jack Catterall W12 Josh Taylor... After 27 months of debate, Jack "El Gato" Catterall finally got his revenge. Catterall defeated Josh Taylor by unanimous decision in their twelve-round junior welterweight rematch on Saturday at First Direct Arena in Leeds, England. It was a far more fan-friendly affair than their first encounter, which Taylor edged by split decision to retain his undisputed junior welterweight title. The rematch was also a tight contest, but Catterall prevailed by scores of 117-111 (twice) and 116-113.
“It’s bittersweet tonight. No world titles. I won the fight. We can close that chapter with Josh Taylor," Catterall said. “Listen, I believe I won the fight. I took more risks this time. Josh is an elite operator, {former} undisputed world champion. We knew we were up against it, but I went through the gears, boxed with my smarts, and even in the second half of the fight, the rounds that I was more reserved, I was controlling the pace and wasn’t getting hit with big punches. And I was landing clean.”
“I thought it was a great fight. Fair play to Jack. He was a better fighter than the first fight," Taylor said. "But, listen, I thought I just nicked the fight, to be fair."
Catterall (29-1, 13 KOs) pressed the action in the early rounds, using an educated jab and crisp left hands to keep Taylor (19-2, 13 KOs) at arm's length. In round five, he had one of his best moments when a left hand pushed Taylor into — and nearly over — the ropes. Taylor rebounded with a big seventh round, digging ferocious body shots into Catterall's midsection.
When it appeared Taylor was regaining the momentum, Catterall stunned him in the 11th with a counter left hand. The 12th round was a back-and-forth stanza, but Catterall had banked enough early rounds on the scorecards. After cries of robbery following their February 2022 showdown, Catterall had evened the rivalry—one apiece.
Taylor said, "If he wants to go and challenge for bigger fights, he deserves it. But it’s one apiece, so let’s do it. Let’s do a trilogy.”
UNDERCARD RESULTS
Cruiserweight Cheavon Clarke (9-0, 7 KOs) won the British cruiserweight title, knocking out Ellis Zorro (17-2, 7 KOs) in the eighth round...
Welterweight Paddy Donovan (14-0, 11 KOs) stopped Lewis Ritson (23-4, 13 KOs) in round nine...
Lightweight Gary Cully (18-1, 10 KOs) defeated former European champion Francesco Patera (29-5, 11 KOs) via ten-round unanimous decision. Official scores were 98-92 and 96-94 (twice).
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WBA issues confounding bridgerweight ruling |
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On November 28, 2023, the WBA approved Evgeny Tishchenko and Leon Harth to fight for the newly created [224-pound] WBA bridgerweight title. On December 9th, Tishchenko and Harth fought in Dubai, with Tishchenko winning by sixth-round technical knockout and gaining recognition as the champion, recognition that would prove to be unearned and short-lived. Two months later in Russia, Zhaoxin Zhang of China won an elimination bout to become Tischchenko's mandatory challenger. But on March 30th of this year, the Middle East Professional Boxing [Commission in] Dubai, United Arab Emirates notified the WBA that Tishchenko's “A” urine sample from December had tested positive for a banned substance, 2-Amino-5-Methylhexane. The result of the title fight was changed to a no contest. At the time, Tischenko had the right to dispute the positive test and he continued to be listed as the champion by the WBA. Tishchenko and his promoters RCC Boxing were afforded the opportunity to have the “B” sample tested, and RCC did so at its own expense. But on April 5th, the test on the “B” sample was completed, and like the "A" sample, it tested positive. On May 9th, Harth, through his attorneys Rainer Cherkeh and Kurt Emhoff, requested that the WBA apply its rules and strip Tishchenko of championship recognition and reinstate Harth to his previous position, the #2 ranking, in the WBA rankings.
Harth only received a portion of the requested relief. Tischenko was stripped, but Harth was not put back in the same place. On May 22nd, the WBA ruled as follows: "Due to Tishchenko’s positive test for a prohibited substance, his title and recognition are vacated." However, the WBA advised Harth it was not going to follow its own written procedures because, "this is a vacant title of a recent[ly] created division, therefore, the purse bid protocol cannot be applied." Despite the rule, on May 21st, the WBA ordered Zhang, the #1 contender, to fight for the vacant title against Muslim Gadzhimagomedov, the WBA's #7 rated contender. The fight was ordered to take place between 45 and 90 days. Harth was reinstated to the #2 position that he occupied in the November ratings. However, since he is being skipped over for the vacant title fight, he was not being given the same rights that a #2 contender should enjoy. Besides Zhang and Harth, the other boxers affected by this result are those who have appeared above Gadzhimagomedov in the last two months, namely Julio Cesar La Cruz, Evgeny Romanov (who was KO's by Zhang), Roman Fress, Ryad Merhy (just beaten by heavyweight Jared Anderson) and former two-division champion Badou Jack.
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WBA issues confounding bridgerweight ruling
On November 28, 2023, the WBA approved Evgeny Tishchenko and Leon Harth to fight for the newly created [224-pound] WBA bridgerweight title. On December 9th, Tishchenko and Harth fought in Dubai, with Tishchenko winning by sixth-round technical knockout and gaining recognition as the champion, recognition that would prove to be unearned and short-lived. Two months later in Russia, Zhaoxin Zhang of China won an elimination bout to become Tischchenko's mandatory challenger. But on March 30th of this year, the Middle East Professional Boxing [Commission in] Dubai, United Arab Emirates notified the WBA that Tishchenko's “A” urine sample from December had tested positive for a banned substance, 2-Amino-5-Methylhexane. The result of the title fight was changed to a no contest. At the time, Tischenko had the right to dispute the positive test and he continued to be listed as the champion by the WBA. Tishchenko and his promoters RCC Boxing were afforded the opportunity to have the “B” sample tested, and RCC did so at its own expense. But on April 5th, the test on the “B” sample was completed, and like the "A" sample, it tested positive. On May 9th, Harth, through his attorneys Rainer Cherkeh and Kurt Emhoff, requested that the WBA apply its rules and strip Tishchenko of championship recognition and reinstate Harth to his previous position, the #2 ranking, in the WBA rankings.
Harth only received a portion of the requested relief. Tischenko was stripped, but Harth was not put back in the same place. On May 22nd, the WBA ruled as follows: "Due to Tishchenko’s positive test for a prohibited substance, his title and recognition are vacated." However, the WBA advised Harth it was not going to follow its own written procedures because, "this is a vacant title of a recent[ly] created division, therefore, the purse bid protocol cannot be applied." Despite the rule, on May 21st, the WBA ordered Zhang, the #1 contender, to fight for the vacant title against Muslim Gadzhimagomedov, the WBA's #7 rated contender. The fight was ordered to take place between 45 and 90 days. Harth was reinstated to the #2 position that he occupied in the November ratings. However, since he is being skipped over for the vacant title fight, he was not being given the same rights that a #2 contender should enjoy. Besides Zhang and Harth, the other boxers affected by this result are those who have appeared above Gadzhimagomedov in the last two months, namely Julio Cesar La Cruz, Evgeny Romanov (who was KO's by Zhang), Roman Fress, Ryad Merhy (just beaten by heavyweight Jared Anderson) and former two-division champion Badou Jack.
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Watch: Mbilli continues super middleweight run |
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Christian Mbilli KO1 Mark Heffron... In Shawnigan, British Columbia, Canada, super middleweight contender Christian Mbilli annihilated Mark Heffron in less than a minute with a debilitating body shot. Mbilli, based in Canada but born in Cameroon, is 27-0 and avoided like the plague by most super middleweight contenders. Sergey Derevyanchenko could be next for him. Heffron, a former British champion, drops to 30-4-1.
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Watch: Mbilli continues super middleweight run
Christian Mbilli KO1 Mark Heffron... In Shawnigan, British Columbia, Canada, super middleweight contender Christian Mbilli annihilated Mark Heffron in less than a minute with a debilitating body shot. Mbilli, based in Canada but born in Cameroon, is 27-0 and avoided like the plague by most super middleweight contenders. Sergey Derevyanchenko could be next for him. Heffron, a former British champion, drops to 30-4-1.
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Watch: Makhmudov returns with big KO |
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Arslanbek Makhmudov KO2 Miljan Rovcanin... Heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov, a Russian fighting out of Canada, returned from defeat with a second-round knockout of Serbia's Miljan Rovcanin. In both rounds, Rovcanin (27-4) was knocked down and practically through the ropes. The second time he did not beat the count.Makhmudov is listed as 19-1 but plenty of paid bouts in the World Series of Boxing make 32-4 a more accurate record. Last time out, Makhmudov was comprehensively beaten in Saudi Arabia by Agit Kabayel.
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Watch: Makhmudov returns with big KO
Arslanbek Makhmudov KO2 Miljan Rovcanin... Heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov, a Russian fighting out of Canada, returned from defeat with a second-round knockout of Serbia's Miljan Rovcanin. In both rounds, Rovcanin (27-4) was knocked down and practically through the ropes. The second time he did not beat the count.Makhmudov is listed as 19-1 but plenty of paid bouts in the World Series of Boxing make 32-4 a more accurate record. Last time out, Makhmudov was comprehensively beaten in Saudi Arabia by Agit Kabayel.
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Wasserman's June 14th show changes venues |
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Abass Baraou’s maiden defense of the EBU European junior middleweight title on Friday, June 14th will take place at a new venue. Baraou faces Macaulay McGowan, live and free on UK's Channel 5 next month, with the contest originally due to be held at Victoria Warehouse in Manchester. But circumstances outside the control of Wasserman Boxing mean the stacked night of action is moving to the nearby Toughsheet Community Stadium in Bolton. The June 14th date remains the same, all tickets purchased for the original venue will remain valid in Bolton, and the bout lineup is unaffected by the change in event location. Germany's Baraou once again goes into the lion’s den against Manchester favourite McGowan, having won the vacant belt in a Fight of the Year contender against Sam Eggington in Telford, earlier this year.
Supporting bouts on the undercard:
Former IBO super middleweight champion Lerrone Richards takes on the battle-hardened Steed Woodall...
Ryan Kelly and Gerome Warburton promise fireworks in their middleweight collision...
Dan Toward, is back in action after a big KO win last time out and...
Darlington’s Ben Marksby, Leeds debutant Ellis Price and Liverpool's Mikie Tallon also form part of the undercard in Bolton on June 14th.
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Wasserman's June 14th show changes venues
Abass Baraou’s maiden defense of the EBU European junior middleweight title on Friday, June 14th will take place at a new venue. Baraou faces Macaulay McGowan, live and free on UK's Channel 5 next month, with the contest originally due to be held at Victoria Warehouse in Manchester. But circumstances outside the control of Wasserman Boxing mean the stacked night of action is moving to the nearby Toughsheet Community Stadium in Bolton. The June 14th date remains the same, all tickets purchased for the original venue will remain valid in Bolton, and the bout lineup is unaffected by the change in event location. Germany's Baraou once again goes into the lion’s den against Manchester favourite McGowan, having won the vacant belt in a Fight of the Year contender against Sam Eggington in Telford, earlier this year.
Supporting bouts on the undercard:
Former IBO super middleweight champion Lerrone Richards takes on the battle-hardened Steed Woodall...
Ryan Kelly and Gerome Warburton promise fireworks in their middleweight collision...
Dan Toward, is back in action after a big KO win last time out and...
Darlington’s Ben Marksby, Leeds debutant Ellis Price and Liverpool's Mikie Tallon also form part of the undercard in Bolton on June 14th.
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Okolie smashes Rozanski for WBC bridgerweight belt |
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Lawrence Okolie TLO1 Lukasz Rozanski ... Lawrence Okolie knocked down Lukasz Rozanski three times in the opening round to win the WBC bridgerweight (224-pound) world title in Poland on Friday night. The fight was not really of world-level quality as Rozanskio looked out of shape and generally awful, but the win technically makes Okolie a two-weight world champion. The British Okolie (20-1) reigned as the WBO 200-pound champion from 2021-2023. Keep in mind, the undisputed world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk weighed 223 pounds when defeating Tyson Fury last week, so there is really no dispute who is the world's best 224-pound boxer.
BOXINGTALK'S BRIDGERWEIGHT DIVISION TIMELINE MAY 19, 2024.. Although not a bridgerweight fight, Oleksandr Usyk was 223 pounds, below the bridgerweight limit, when he made boxing history by becoming the first undisputed world heavyweight champion of the century. The Ukrainian Usyk outboxed Great Britain's Tyson Fury, although it was ruled a split decision. Boxingtalk scored it 115-112 for Usyk, who remains undefeated as a professional. Usyk was trailing at the midway point but turned the momentum back his way and knocked Fury down towards the end of round nine. Usyk added Fury's WBC heavyweight title to the WBA, WBO and IBF versions he previously owned. An Olympic gold medal winner as well as undisputed world champion at cruiserweight and now heavyweight, Usyk has to be considered an all-time great For those following the new bridgerweight division, Usyk must be considered the world's best.
FEB. 10, 2024... Unheralded Zhaoxin Zhang of China delivered a spectacular knockout against Evgeny Romanov on Saturday to win a WBA elimination bout in the bridgerweight (224-pound) division. Fighting on hostile turf in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Zhang ended the bout in only two rounds after a combination sent the Russian to the canvas in very bad condition. The referee did not allow the favored Romanov to continue despite him beating the ten count. But the fight was not easy for Zhang, who was punished from the first bell and looked vulnerable in the beginning of the fight. Zhang was knocked down by Romanov but he overcame that plus several cuts to his face to fight back and pull off the upset with a dramatic victory. Zhang now becomes the mandatory challenger to another Russian, Evgeny Tishchenko. Zhang puts himself on the boxing map with a record of 12-2-1 with 7 KOs. Romanov lost his undefeated record and is now 19-1 with 12 KOs.
WBA / DEC. 12, 2023: Evgeny Tishchenko is now recognized as the first WBA bridgerweight champion after he defeated Germany's Leon Harth this weekend at the Agenda Arena in Dubai. **NOTE: As of May 2024, Tishchenko was stripped of his title due to a positive doping test.** The Russian Tischenko finished the fight in the sixth round against Harth to join South Africa's Kevin Lerena as the two recognized champions in the nascent 224-pound weight class. Tishchenko dominated the bout, winning every round and getting a knockdown in the second round. The fight ended when Harth took a ten count after a hard body shot. Tishchenko's most accurate pro record is 21-3 including the World Series of Boxing. Harth falls to 22-6-1.
WBC / NOV. 27, 2023: In a 224-pound fight held in South Africa on Saturday, Kevin Lerena outclassed rugged Senad Gashi, landing powerful accurate blows throughout the twelve rounds of the fight. Lerena diminished Gashi’s condition round by round. Gashi never stopped fighting and trying to win, but Lerena remained focused on his fight plan to tilt the fight in his favor. Gashi was penalized a point in the final round after hitting Lerena with a low blow. The South African took revenge for this action by knocking down Gashi seconds before the end of the last round. The judges scored the fight in favor of Lerena, declaring him the new WBC interim bridgerweight champion. He now looks forward to facing champion Lukasz Różański, who is expected to fight two-time world champion Badou Jack first.
WBC / APRIL 23, 2023: Poland's Lukasz Rozanski became the second WBC bridgerweight champion, winning the vacant 224-pound title by knocking out Croatia's Alen Babic in the very first round at the G2A Arena in Rzeszow, Poland. Rozanski didn’t give Babic an opportunity to get comfortable because as soon as the bell rang in the first round, the wild-swinging Pole attacked the visiting Croatian with power, sending him to the canvas. Babic got to his feet, but Rozanski connected with a powerful right hand that again put Babic in bad shape, and then Babic was battered with all kinds of combinations. The referee Guadalupe García decided to stop the fight because Babic was receiving too much punishment. With this victory, Rozanski established himself as the WBC bridgerweight champion, succeeding Oscar Rivas, whose career ended due to eye problems. Rozanski improved his record to 15-0 with 14 knockouts. Babic, who had his manager, English heavyweight Dillian Whyte in his corner, fell to 12-2 (including the World Series of Boxing).
WBC / JAN. 7, 2023: Oscar Rivas is now the first-ever bridgerweight champion in recess. The WBC clarified that Rivas has not been stripped of his bridgerweight championship, but instead has been demoted to champion in recess until he confirms his decision about his boxing future. Rivas suffered a detached retina and will not be able to fight his contracted bout with Lukasz Rozanski of Poland. The WBC Board of governors has voted in favor of the following resolution to immediately address the status of the new 224-pound weight division: Alen Babic and Rozanski will fight for the vacant title with a 50-50 purse split if a purse bid is needed. The winner must commit to comply with two mandatories, the first one against the winner of a final eliminator between Ryad Merhy vs. Kevin Lerena.
WBC / APRIL 27, 2022: Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM), Probellum and Global Jabes 77 held a joint press conference in Bogota, Colombia, to announce WBC bridgerweight champion Oscar “Kaboom” Rivas (28-1, 19 KOs) will make his first title defense on August 13th at home against Poland's Lukasz Rozanski (14-0, 13 KOs) at the Estadio Olimpico Pascual Guerrero stadium (40,000 capacity) in Cali, Colombia. **The fight would never take place after it was revealed that Rivas had a detached retina and could not fight anymore.**
WBC / OCT. 23, 2021: Colombian transplant Oscar Rivas emerged from an all-Canadian slugfest as the first bridgerweight world champion. Rivas defeated Ryan Rozicki in a phone booth-type fight by scores of 115-112 (twice) and 116-111 to win the inaugural WBC 224-pound honors. An exhausted Rivas bloodied Rozicki's nose and brow but had a point deducted in round twelve for excessive holding. Rozicki took the fight on barely three weeks’ notice after Bryant Jennings refusal to get the coronavirus vaccine barred him from fighting in Canada.
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Okolie smashes Rozanski for WBC bridgerweight belt
Lawrence Okolie TLO1 Lukasz Rozanski ... Lawrence Okolie knocked down Lukasz Rozanski three times in the opening round to win the WBC bridgerweight (224-pound) world title in Poland on Friday night. The fight was not really of world-level quality as Rozanskio looked out of shape and generally awful, but the win technically makes Okolie a two-weight world champion. The British Okolie (20-1) reigned as the WBO 200-pound champion from 2021-2023. Keep in mind, the undisputed world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk weighed 223 pounds when defeating Tyson Fury last week, so there is really no dispute who is the world's best 224-pound boxer.
BOXINGTALK'S BRIDGERWEIGHT DIVISION TIMELINE MAY 19, 2024.. Although not a bridgerweight fight, Oleksandr Usyk was 223 pounds, below the bridgerweight limit, when he made boxing history by becoming the first undisputed world heavyweight champion of the century. The Ukrainian Usyk outboxed Great Britain's Tyson Fury, although it was ruled a split decision. Boxingtalk scored it 115-112 for Usyk, who remains undefeated as a professional. Usyk was trailing at the midway point but turned the momentum back his way and knocked Fury down towards the end of round nine. Usyk added Fury's WBC heavyweight title to the WBA, WBO and IBF versions he previously owned. An Olympic gold medal winner as well as undisputed world champion at cruiserweight and now heavyweight, Usyk has to be considered an all-time great For those following the new bridgerweight division, Usyk must be considered the world's best.
FEB. 10, 2024... Unheralded Zhaoxin Zhang of China delivered a spectacular knockout against Evgeny Romanov on Saturday to win a WBA elimination bout in the bridgerweight (224-pound) division. Fighting on hostile turf in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Zhang ended the bout in only two rounds after a combination sent the Russian to the canvas in very bad condition. The referee did not allow the favored Romanov to continue despite him beating the ten count. But the fight was not easy for Zhang, who was punished from the first bell and looked vulnerable in the beginning of the fight. Zhang was knocked down by Romanov but he overcame that plus several cuts to his face to fight back and pull off the upset with a dramatic victory. Zhang now becomes the mandatory challenger to another Russian, Evgeny Tishchenko. Zhang puts himself on the boxing map with a record of 12-2-1 with 7 KOs. Romanov lost his undefeated record and is now 19-1 with 12 KOs.
WBA / DEC. 12, 2023: Evgeny Tishchenko is now recognized as the first WBA bridgerweight champion after he defeated Germany's Leon Harth this weekend at the Agenda Arena in Dubai. **NOTE: As of May 2024, Tishchenko was stripped of his title due to a positive doping test.** The Russian Tischenko finished the fight in the sixth round against Harth to join South Africa's Kevin Lerena as the two recognized champions in the nascent 224-pound weight class. Tishchenko dominated the bout, winning every round and getting a knockdown in the second round. The fight ended when Harth took a ten count after a hard body shot. Tishchenko's most accurate pro record is 21-3 including the World Series of Boxing. Harth falls to 22-6-1.
WBC / NOV. 27, 2023: In a 224-pound fight held in South Africa on Saturday, Kevin Lerena outclassed rugged Senad Gashi, landing powerful accurate blows throughout the twelve rounds of the fight. Lerena diminished Gashi’s condition round by round. Gashi never stopped fighting and trying to win, but Lerena remained focused on his fight plan to tilt the fight in his favor. Gashi was penalized a point in the final round after hitting Lerena with a low blow. The South African took revenge for this action by knocking down Gashi seconds before the end of the last round. The judges scored the fight in favor of Lerena, declaring him the new WBC interim bridgerweight champion. He now looks forward to facing champion Lukasz Różański, who is expected to fight two-time world champion Badou Jack first.
WBC / APRIL 23, 2023: Poland's Lukasz Rozanski became the second WBC bridgerweight champion, winning the vacant 224-pound title by knocking out Croatia's Alen Babic in the very first round at the G2A Arena in Rzeszow, Poland. Rozanski didn’t give Babic an opportunity to get comfortable because as soon as the bell rang in the first round, the wild-swinging Pole attacked the visiting Croatian with power, sending him to the canvas. Babic got to his feet, but Rozanski connected with a powerful right hand that again put Babic in bad shape, and then Babic was battered with all kinds of combinations. The referee Guadalupe García decided to stop the fight because Babic was receiving too much punishment. With this victory, Rozanski established himself as the WBC bridgerweight champion, succeeding Oscar Rivas, whose career ended due to eye problems. Rozanski improved his record to 15-0 with 14 knockouts. Babic, who had his manager, English heavyweight Dillian Whyte in his corner, fell to 12-2 (including the World Series of Boxing).
WBC / JAN. 7, 2023: Oscar Rivas is now the first-ever bridgerweight champion in recess. The WBC clarified that Rivas has not been stripped of his bridgerweight championship, but instead has been demoted to champion in recess until he confirms his decision about his boxing future. Rivas suffered a detached retina and will not be able to fight his contracted bout with Lukasz Rozanski of Poland. The WBC Board of governors has voted in favor of the following resolution to immediately address the status of the new 224-pound weight division: Alen Babic and Rozanski will fight for the vacant title with a 50-50 purse split if a purse bid is needed. The winner must commit to comply with two mandatories, the first one against the winner of a final eliminator between Ryad Merhy vs. Kevin Lerena.
WBC / APRIL 27, 2022: Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM), Probellum and Global Jabes 77 held a joint press conference in Bogota, Colombia, to announce WBC bridgerweight champion Oscar “Kaboom” Rivas (28-1, 19 KOs) will make his first title defense on August 13th at home against Poland's Lukasz Rozanski (14-0, 13 KOs) at the Estadio Olimpico Pascual Guerrero stadium (40,000 capacity) in Cali, Colombia. **The fight would never take place after it was revealed that Rivas had a detached retina and could not fight anymore.**
WBC / OCT. 23, 2021: Colombian transplant Oscar Rivas emerged from an all-Canadian slugfest as the first bridgerweight world champion. Rivas defeated Ryan Rozicki in a phone booth-type fight by scores of 115-112 (twice) and 116-111 to win the inaugural WBC 224-pound honors. An exhausted Rivas bloodied Rozicki's nose and brow but had a point deducted in round twelve for excessive holding. Rozicki took the fight on barely three weeks’ notice after Bryant Jennings refusal to get the coronavirus vaccine barred him from fighting in Canada.
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Boxingtalk's Saturday fight predictions |
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Here are Boxingtalk's Saturday fight predictions:
Josh Taylor (19-1) vs. Jack Catterall (28-1) II (junior welterweights) … prediction: Catterall by decision;
Dina Thorslund (21-0) vs. Seren Cetin (11-0) (WBC & WBO bantamweight titles) … prediction: Thorslund by unanimous decision;
Christian Mbilli (26-0) vs. Mark Heffron (30-3-1) (super middleweights) … prediction: Mbilli by early to mid-round knockout;
Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-1) vs. Miljan Rovcanin (27-3) (heavyweights) … prediction: Makhmudov by early knockout;
Cheavon Clarke (8-0) vs. Ellis Zorro (17-1) (British cruiserweight title) … prediction: Clarke by mid to late knockout;
Paddy Donovan (13-0) vs. Lewis Ritson (23-3) (welterweights) … prediction: Donovan by late knockout; and
Gary Cully (17-1) vs. Francesco Patera (29-4) (lightweights) … prediction: Cully by unanimous decision.
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Boxingtalk's Saturday fight predictions
Here are Boxingtalk's Saturday fight predictions:
Josh Taylor (19-1) vs. Jack Catterall (28-1) II (junior welterweights) … prediction: Catterall by decision;
Dina Thorslund (21-0) vs. Seren Cetin (11-0) (WBC & WBO bantamweight titles) … prediction: Thorslund by unanimous decision;
Christian Mbilli (26-0) vs. Mark Heffron (30-3-1) (super middleweights) … prediction: Mbilli by early to mid-round knockout;
Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-1) vs. Miljan Rovcanin (27-3) (heavyweights) … prediction: Makhmudov by early knockout;
Cheavon Clarke (8-0) vs. Ellis Zorro (17-1) (British cruiserweight title) … prediction: Clarke by mid to late knockout;
Paddy Donovan (13-0) vs. Lewis Ritson (23-3) (welterweights) … prediction: Donovan by late knockout; and
Gary Cully (17-1) vs. Francesco Patera (29-4) (lightweights) … prediction: Cully by unanimous decision.
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Chaney vs. Hunter pre-fight quotes |
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Ahead of his “Fists of Fury” event on Friday, June 7th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, promoter Don King, and the two heavyweights who fight each other that night, Cassius Chaney and Michael “The Bounty” Hunter, addressed the media. Chaney (23-2, 16 KOs) of Connecticut, will battle Hunter (21-1-2, 15 KOs) of Las Vegas, on a stacked card of co-featured fights. [Although not widely reported, Hunter is coming off a loss last month, vs. Artem Suslenkov]. Here is what King and the heavyweights had to say:
“I am very, very happy to be here to talk about this great heavyweight fight. The WBA approved this title fight, featuring Cassius Chaney and Michael Hunter. Cassius is an honorable guy with great integrity. He is coming off a knockout victory over Trevor Bryan, which was just terrific, and I congratulate him on that. Michael Hunter is the former number one heavyweight contender, and is ready to take on Chaney. We have a great card, all with co-features. Every fight is a championship fight in itself. We don’t use the word undercard in this situation. There is no such thing as an undercard.”
“I saw the Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk fight, and I thought it was really good for the sport of boxing, and the right guy won off of one round. It was close, and I think Usyk sealed it with that one round. It was great, but now I’m looking forward to my fight.”
“The fight Tyson Fury and Oleksandr fight was good. I think the right man won, but I’m not here to focus on that fight. I’m here to focus on my fight because that is what’s in front of me.”
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Chaney vs. Hunter pre-fight quotes
Ahead of his “Fists of Fury” event on Friday, June 7th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, promoter Don King, and the two heavyweights who fight each other that night, Cassius Chaney and Michael “The Bounty” Hunter, addressed the media. Chaney (23-2, 16 KOs) of Connecticut, will battle Hunter (21-1-2, 15 KOs) of Las Vegas, on a stacked card of co-featured fights. [Although not widely reported, Hunter is coming off a loss last month, vs. Artem Suslenkov]. Here is what King and the heavyweights had to say:
“I am very, very happy to be here to talk about this great heavyweight fight. The WBA approved this title fight, featuring Cassius Chaney and Michael Hunter. Cassius is an honorable guy with great integrity. He is coming off a knockout victory over Trevor Bryan, which was just terrific, and I congratulate him on that. Michael Hunter is the former number one heavyweight contender, and is ready to take on Chaney. We have a great card, all with co-features. Every fight is a championship fight in itself. We don’t use the word undercard in this situation. There is no such thing as an undercard.”
“I saw the Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk fight, and I thought it was really good for the sport of boxing, and the right guy won off of one round. It was close, and I think Usyk sealed it with that one round. It was great, but now I’m looking forward to my fight.”
“The fight Tyson Fury and Oleksandr fight was good. I think the right man won, but I’m not here to focus on that fight. I’m here to focus on my fight because that is what’s in front of me.”
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Jermaine Franklin stops Devin Vargas |
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Jermaine Franklin Jr. TKO6 Devin Vargas... Jermaine “The 989 Assassin” Franklin Jr. kept his hopes for another run at the heavyweight title alive on Thursday by scoring a sixth-round TKO over a durable, but under-powered Devin Vargas at Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit. Fighting in the ten-round main event of Salita Promotions’ “Big Time Boxing USA” event, Saginaw, Michigan’s Franklin (23-2, 15 KOs) was forced to work harder than expected against a rugged Vargas (22-11, 9 KOs), fighting out of Toledo, Ohio, who came to win and landed his share of counter shots throughout the entertaining six rounds.
However, Franklin’s punches were far more powerful and impacted with a thud whenever he launched an assault. Vargas was down in round four from an accumulation of shots and again from the same in round six. He capitulated after the second knockdown and elected not to come out for round seven. The official verdict was a TKO for Franklin at 0:00 of the seventh round.
“It was a great fight for me, but I felt like I made it harder than it needed to be,” admitted Franklin, post-fight. “I was trying too hard to land power shots. I’m not going to lie. Once I landed the first power punch, I just got happy. I was trying to calm down. It looked like I was letting him get off, but I had to calm down to refocus. I got outside my game plan, but I still got the job done.”
Franklin says he feels his work rate and stamina are what make him a threat to any top heavyweight. “I’m more of a volume punching heavyweight,” he explained. “There are only a couple of us. My greatest aspect is that a lot of guys have the strength early, but don’t have it later on. If I can outpunch you and you can’t match my output, you will slow down and slow down. I want to stay as busy as possible. I want to fight four times a year if I can. I’m not ducking no smoke. If the business makes sense, I’m ready to go.”
“I believe Jermaine is rated in the WBO, so Joseph Parker is the WBO Heavyweight World Champion,” asserted Franklin’s promoter, Dmitriy Salita. “I think it’d be a great fight. Both guys fought Dillian Whyte, and both guys fought Anthony Joshua. That’s the fight we’d like to go for.”
Salita added that if Franklin doesn’t get a big phone call right away, he can still accommodate his heavyweight in the meantime. “We’ve been having discussions with different players in the boxing business to get Jermaine a significant fight. I believe it’s a matter of time and if he doesn’t’ get it, we’ll keep him busy on Big Time Boxing USA. Jermaine is still a top American heavyweight. He showed his skills tonight. He’s explosive, young, and powerful. My respect to Devin Vargas for taking a licking and keep on ticking. What a fighter!”
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Jermaine Franklin stops Devin Vargas
Jermaine Franklin Jr. TKO6 Devin Vargas... Jermaine “The 989 Assassin” Franklin Jr. kept his hopes for another run at the heavyweight title alive on Thursday by scoring a sixth-round TKO over a durable, but under-powered Devin Vargas at Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit. Fighting in the ten-round main event of Salita Promotions’ “Big Time Boxing USA” event, Saginaw, Michigan’s Franklin (23-2, 15 KOs) was forced to work harder than expected against a rugged Vargas (22-11, 9 KOs), fighting out of Toledo, Ohio, who came to win and landed his share of counter shots throughout the entertaining six rounds.
However, Franklin’s punches were far more powerful and impacted with a thud whenever he launched an assault. Vargas was down in round four from an accumulation of shots and again from the same in round six. He capitulated after the second knockdown and elected not to come out for round seven. The official verdict was a TKO for Franklin at 0:00 of the seventh round.
“It was a great fight for me, but I felt like I made it harder than it needed to be,” admitted Franklin, post-fight. “I was trying too hard to land power shots. I’m not going to lie. Once I landed the first power punch, I just got happy. I was trying to calm down. It looked like I was letting him get off, but I had to calm down to refocus. I got outside my game plan, but I still got the job done.”
Franklin says he feels his work rate and stamina are what make him a threat to any top heavyweight. “I’m more of a volume punching heavyweight,” he explained. “There are only a couple of us. My greatest aspect is that a lot of guys have the strength early, but don’t have it later on. If I can outpunch you and you can’t match my output, you will slow down and slow down. I want to stay as busy as possible. I want to fight four times a year if I can. I’m not ducking no smoke. If the business makes sense, I’m ready to go.”
“I believe Jermaine is rated in the WBO, so Joseph Parker is the WBO Heavyweight World Champion,” asserted Franklin’s promoter, Dmitriy Salita. “I think it’d be a great fight. Both guys fought Dillian Whyte, and both guys fought Anthony Joshua. That’s the fight we’d like to go for.”
Salita added that if Franklin doesn’t get a big phone call right away, he can still accommodate his heavyweight in the meantime. “We’ve been having discussions with different players in the boxing business to get Jermaine a significant fight. I believe it’s a matter of time and if he doesn’t’ get it, we’ll keep him busy on Big Time Boxing USA. Jermaine is still a top American heavyweight. He showed his skills tonight. He’s explosive, young, and powerful. My respect to Devin Vargas for taking a licking and keep on ticking. What a fighter!”
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More results from Detroit: Ali Akhmedov wins early |
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Ali Akhmedov TKO2 Encarnacion Diaz ... In Thursday's opening televised bout from Detroit, super middleweight Ali Akhmedov (21-1, 16 KOs) of Kazakhstan cut his scheduled ten rounder against San Francisco’s Encarnacion Diaz (18-5, 11 KOs) short by stopping him at 2:14 of round two. It was one-way traffic in the bout, as Akhmedov’s body shots and straight punches to the head were too much for the outgunned Diaz, who tried switching stances and throwing haymakers to no avail. Trained by Detroit’s own Johnathon Banks, Akhmedov kept his skills sharp while he waits for another opportunity to climb the rankings.
Joshua James Pagan W8 Roger Hilley... In a bruising and bloody eight-round co-feature, Michigan junior weltwrweight Joshua James Pagan (10-0, 4 KOs) stayed undefeated but endured a tough battle to do it against Tennessee’s Roger Hilley (13-1, 8 KOs). Pagan fought through a free-flowing left-eye cut he suffered from an accidental head butt in round one to outwork the durable Hilley for a majority of rounds. To his credit, Hilley came out smoking and looking to bang Pagan’s body from both sides, but Pagan righted the ship quickly and put his amateur pedigree to work by slipping uppercuts and right hands between Hilley’s attempted outbursts. As the rounds wore on, the better conditioning of Pagan showed through, and he was beginning to pull away late in the fight. The scores were 78-74 from all three judges.
“I’m feeling great,” said Pagan, post-fight. “That was my first eight rounder and it was against an undefeated guy, but I trained hard for this and definitely earned it.”
Pagan said that the cut in round one was a bit of a distraction, but he used his experience as a pro and former amateur champion to will his way through the obstacle. “I knew if I got butted or cut, to just stay calm. I’ve been cut before, and I know how to adjust and fight through it. I learned as I went on to fight smarter and not get hit in the eye. I felt like he was trying to back me up and I’ve always heard you have to bully the bully, so I decided to stand my ground and that made him hesitant. So, then I started using my boxing ability to keep him outside and fight my fight.”
Josiah Shackleford W4 Ja'Shar Banks... In a four round all-Detroit middleweight fight that served as a TV swing bout, Josiah “Mighty Joe” Shackleford (2-1, 2 KOs) of Detroit and pro debuting foe Ja'Shar Banks (0-1) put on an entertaining scrap with Shackleford coming out victorious by unanimous decision. Shackleford had too many weapons for the tough Banks, but Banks refused to give in and kept throwing back to the bitter end. Shackleford may have tried for a knockout too hard, giving Banks the opportunity to duck under the potentially finishing blows. The scores were 40-36 from all three judges.
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More results from Detroit: Ali Akhmedov wins early
Ali Akhmedov TKO2 Encarnacion Diaz ... In Thursday's opening televised bout from Detroit, super middleweight Ali Akhmedov (21-1, 16 KOs) of Kazakhstan cut his scheduled ten rounder against San Francisco’s Encarnacion Diaz (18-5, 11 KOs) short by stopping him at 2:14 of round two. It was one-way traffic in the bout, as Akhmedov’s body shots and straight punches to the head were too much for the outgunned Diaz, who tried switching stances and throwing haymakers to no avail. Trained by Detroit’s own Johnathon Banks, Akhmedov kept his skills sharp while he waits for another opportunity to climb the rankings.
Joshua James Pagan W8 Roger Hilley... In a bruising and bloody eight-round co-feature, Michigan junior weltwrweight Joshua James Pagan (10-0, 4 KOs) stayed undefeated but endured a tough battle to do it against Tennessee’s Roger Hilley (13-1, 8 KOs). Pagan fought through a free-flowing left-eye cut he suffered from an accidental head butt in round one to outwork the durable Hilley for a majority of rounds. To his credit, Hilley came out smoking and looking to bang Pagan’s body from both sides, but Pagan righted the ship quickly and put his amateur pedigree to work by slipping uppercuts and right hands between Hilley’s attempted outbursts. As the rounds wore on, the better conditioning of Pagan showed through, and he was beginning to pull away late in the fight. The scores were 78-74 from all three judges.
“I’m feeling great,” said Pagan, post-fight. “That was my first eight rounder and it was against an undefeated guy, but I trained hard for this and definitely earned it.”
Pagan said that the cut in round one was a bit of a distraction, but he used his experience as a pro and former amateur champion to will his way through the obstacle. “I knew if I got butted or cut, to just stay calm. I’ve been cut before, and I know how to adjust and fight through it. I learned as I went on to fight smarter and not get hit in the eye. I felt like he was trying to back me up and I’ve always heard you have to bully the bully, so I decided to stand my ground and that made him hesitant. So, then I started using my boxing ability to keep him outside and fight my fight.”
Josiah Shackleford W4 Ja'Shar Banks... In a four round all-Detroit middleweight fight that served as a TV swing bout, Josiah “Mighty Joe” Shackleford (2-1, 2 KOs) of Detroit and pro debuting foe Ja'Shar Banks (0-1) put on an entertaining scrap with Shackleford coming out victorious by unanimous decision. Shackleford had too many weapons for the tough Banks, but Banks refused to give in and kept throwing back to the bitter end. Shackleford may have tried for a knockout too hard, giving Banks the opportunity to duck under the potentially finishing blows. The scores were 40-36 from all three judges.
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Weigh-in report from Leeds, England |
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Here are the weigh-in results for the three featurd bouts on Saturday's ESPN+ broadcast from the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England:
Josh Taylor 139.6 pounds. vs. Jack Catterall 139.8 (twelve rounds)
Referee: Kevin Parker; Judges: Kieran McCann, Mark Bates and Lee Every;
Cheavon Clarke 199.3 vs. Ellis Zorro 198.6
(vacant British cruiserweight title— twelve rounds); and
Paddy Donovan 145.4 vs. Lewis Ritson 146.8 (ten rounds).
ESPN+ broadcast begins at 3:15 p.m. ET/12:15 p.m. PT
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Weigh-in report from Leeds, England
Here are the weigh-in results for the three featurd bouts on Saturday's ESPN+ broadcast from the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England:
Josh Taylor 139.6 pounds. vs. Jack Catterall 139.8 (twelve rounds)
Referee: Kevin Parker; Judges: Kieran McCann, Mark Bates and Lee Every;
Cheavon Clarke 199.3 vs. Ellis Zorro 198.6
(vacant British cruiserweight title— twelve rounds); and
Paddy Donovan 145.4 vs. Lewis Ritson 146.8 (ten rounds).
ESPN+ broadcast begins at 3:15 p.m. ET/12:15 p.m. PT
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Boxingtalk's Friday fight predictions |
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Here are Boxingtakl's preiction for Friday's biggest bouts:
Lukasz Rozanski (15-0) vs. Lawrence Okolie (19-1) (WBC bridgerweight title) … prediction: Okolie by early knockout;
Fiodor Czerkaszyn (23-1) vs. Jorge Cota (31-6) (middleweights) … prediction: Czerkaszyn by unanimous decision;
Jan Czerklewicz (12-1) vs. Paul Valenzuela (28-11) (super middleweights) … prediction: Czerklewicz by decision;
Ihosvany Garcia (12-0) vs. Lukasz Plawecki (7-1-2) (light heavyweights) … prediction: Garcia by unanimous decision; and
Aleksei Papin (16-1) vs. Isaac Chilemba (27-9-3) (cruiserweights) … prediction: Papin by late knockout.
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Boxingtalk's Friday fight predictions
Here are Boxingtakl's preiction for Friday's biggest bouts:
Lukasz Rozanski (15-0) vs. Lawrence Okolie (19-1) (WBC bridgerweight title) … prediction: Okolie by early knockout;
Fiodor Czerkaszyn (23-1) vs. Jorge Cota (31-6) (middleweights) … prediction: Czerkaszyn by unanimous decision;
Jan Czerklewicz (12-1) vs. Paul Valenzuela (28-11) (super middleweights) … prediction: Czerklewicz by decision;
Ihosvany Garcia (12-0) vs. Lukasz Plawecki (7-1-2) (light heavyweights) … prediction: Garcia by unanimous decision; and
Aleksei Papin (16-1) vs. Isaac Chilemba (27-9-3) (cruiserweights) … prediction: Papin by late knockout.
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Batirzhan Jukembayev stops Ivan Redkach |
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Kazakhstan's Batirzhan Jukembayev got a significant win in the junior welterweight division, scoring a fifth-round technical knockout win over Ivan Redkach on Wednesday night at the Whitesands Events Center in Plant City, Florida. Jukembayev showed his dominance from the start of the bout and was cruising, with the entire fight in his favor from early on. He landed punches to both the head and to the body to reach his fifth straight win. The 33-year old has not lost since 2021 when he succumbed to Subriel Matias, who is now the IBF champion. Jukembayev’s record now stands at 23 wins, 1 loss and 17 knockouts, while Redkach lowers his record to 24 wins, 7 losses, 1 draw and 19 knockouts.
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Batirzhan Jukembayev stops Ivan Redkach
Kazakhstan's Batirzhan Jukembayev got a significant win in the junior welterweight division, scoring a fifth-round technical knockout win over Ivan Redkach on Wednesday night at the Whitesands Events Center in Plant City, Florida. Jukembayev showed his dominance from the start of the bout and was cruising, with the entire fight in his favor from early on. He landed punches to both the head and to the body to reach his fifth straight win. The 33-year old has not lost since 2021 when he succumbed to Subriel Matias, who is now the IBF champion. Jukembayev’s record now stands at 23 wins, 1 loss and 17 knockouts, while Redkach lowers his record to 24 wins, 7 losses, 1 draw and 19 knockouts.
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Emiliano Vargas to step up to eight rounders |
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Junior welterweight Emiliano Fernando Vargas is ready for more rounds. The son of former champion Fernando Vargas will fight in his first scheduled eight-rounder against Jose Zaragoza (9-8-2, 3 KOs) on Friday, June 21st, at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Vargas-Zaragoza will support a card headlined by the WBO featherweight title fight between Rafael "El Divino" Espinoza and Sergio Chirino and the junior lightweight co-feature between Andres "Savage" Cortes and Abraham "El Super" Nova. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions, the card will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ in the U.S. and on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland.
"I am steadily progressing toward fulfilling what God has written for me. I am inching closer to my destiny of becoming a world champion," Vargas said. "It's not just a dream; it's my destiny, and I'll continue to show it fight by fight."
Vargas (10-0, 8 KOs) is coming off a sixth-round stoppage over Angel Varela last Saturday in San Diego. “El General” is 3-0 with three second-round knockouts when fighting in Las Vegas. Zaragoza , from Jalisco, Mexico, is a five-year pro who has tested a host of top prospects, including Keyshawn Davis and Ernesto Mercado. He has not been stopped in over two years and is coming off an eight-round draw last November against 36-fight veteran Victor Betancourt Jr.
Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.com.
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Emiliano Vargas to step up to eight rounders
Junior welterweight Emiliano Fernando Vargas is ready for more rounds. The son of former champion Fernando Vargas will fight in his first scheduled eight-rounder against Jose Zaragoza (9-8-2, 3 KOs) on Friday, June 21st, at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Vargas-Zaragoza will support a card headlined by the WBO featherweight title fight between Rafael "El Divino" Espinoza and Sergio Chirino and the junior lightweight co-feature between Andres "Savage" Cortes and Abraham "El Super" Nova. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions, the card will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ in the U.S. and on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland.
"I am steadily progressing toward fulfilling what God has written for me. I am inching closer to my destiny of becoming a world champion," Vargas said. "It's not just a dream; it's my destiny, and I'll continue to show it fight by fight."
Vargas (10-0, 8 KOs) is coming off a sixth-round stoppage over Angel Varela last Saturday in San Diego. “El General” is 3-0 with three second-round knockouts when fighting in Las Vegas. Zaragoza , from Jalisco, Mexico, is a five-year pro who has tested a host of top prospects, including Keyshawn Davis and Ernesto Mercado. He has not been stopped in over two years and is coming off an eight-round draw last November against 36-fight veteran Victor Betancourt Jr.
Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.com.
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Spotlight on Adames vs. Gausha |
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Recently elevated to WBC middleweight champion after making two defenses of his interim belt, Carlos Adames of the Dominican Republic will step in to make the first defense of his newly minted title when he faces former Olympian Terrell Gausha in a Las Vegas matchup that kicks off PBC's pay-per-view show on Saturday, June 15th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Adames (23-1, 18 KOs) is looking to establish himself as number one in the historic weight class. [Erislandy Lara holds the WBA title while Zhanibek Alimkhanuly is the unified WBO and IBF champion]. The 30-year old’s last outing saw him earn a ninth-round TKO of former unified 154-pound champion Julian Williams in June 2023. Prior to that, Adames bested perennial contender Sergiy Derevyanchenko in December 2021 and followed that up by knocking out Juan Macias Montiel in the third round to capture his interim belt in October 2022.
Adames was born in Comendador, Dominican Republic, lives in Washington Heights, New York and trains in Las Vegas. He established himself as a contender with a slew of victories over the likes of former 140-pound title holder Carlos Molina, plus Frank Galarza, Joshua Conley and Alejandro Barrera, Adames' only defeat coming by narrow decision in a 2019 154-pound title fight against Patrick Teixeira.
“I’m very excited to be back fighting in Las Vegas on a mega fight card, especially making the first defense of my WBC Middleweight World Championship,” said Adames. “Terrell Gausha has a lot of experience fighting at the top level in the pros and in the amateurs. I know this is a tough fight and that makes me focus even more in training. Right now my mind is right, my body feels great and I’m going to be able to put on a spectacular performance for everybody watching on June 15. I’m going to defend my title with everything I’ve got.”
ADAMES OPEN WORKOUT QUOTES
“I’m very excited to be stepping into the ring once again. It’s been a while since I’ve been in the ring, but I’ve been in the gym for a long time getting into the best shape possible mentally and physically. I want to make a really big statement. Not just for me, but for my supporters. I owe it to everyone who helped me get here. I made a commitment to be on top and I like to keep my promises.
“I’m not concerned about Gausha’s resume or who he’s fought, because I’m the best fighter he’s gonna face. I’m the best fighter in the 160-pound division, so he better be ready for what he’s coming up against. I’m not underestimating anyone, but I’m not worried about his experience. “June 15th is going to be full of spectacle and fireworks, because I’m relentless in the ring. My opponents know everything is on the line when they step in against me. I’m definitely going to show I’m the best middleweight in the world. “Gausha has the reputation of a guy who’s hard to knock down, but he hasn’t felt my power yet. I’ll tip my hat to him if he can go the distance. Either way, I’m not focusing on the knockout. I’m making sure I’m ready for anything that happens in the ring. “I was truly happy to be elevated to world champion on my birthday. That news was just the cherry on top of my birthday. What I really wanted was for Jermall Charlo to fight me, but he made his choice.” ***
A member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team, Gausha (25-3-1, 12 KOs) was born in Cleveland, Ohio but now fights out of Encino, Calif. and is trained by Manny Robles. He enters this fight having won his last two bouts as he knocked out Brandyn Lynch in March of last year before winning a decision over KeAndrae Leatherwood in September. Gausha has faced top competition throughout his career, having fought former champion Austin Trout to a draw in 2019 in addition to decision losses against former champions Erislandy Lara and Tim Tszyu and top contender Erickson Lubin.
“I’ve been training since way before this fight was signed and I’m feeling ready for the challenge,” said Gausha. “Adames is a good fighter, but so am I. I’m confident that I’m gonna come out on top on June 15th. My experience and my skill set are gonna be huge factors that help me get this victory.”
GAUSHA OPEN WORKOUT QUOTES
“I’m very confident and blessed to be in this position. I’m one of the type of guys that you can’t just run over. I’m the easiest person to make a fight with, because I don’t fear anybody. “Carlos Adames is a very solid fighter who brings a lot to the table. Everyone has holes and I’ve been watching him since I moved up to middleweight. I know he brings the action and I’ve been preparing for a fight like this. “I’m more comfortable now at middleweight. I can just focus on training, because I’m already on weight. I don’t make any excuses, but getting down to 154 put more wear and tear on my body. “I fight the best. That’s what I do. We’ll see come June 15 who the best is. Styles make fights. I don’t fear him and he doesn’t fear me. That’s gonna make it an exciting fight for the fans. “I’m just ready to get what’s mine. I’m here for a reason. I don’t take this opportunity lightly. There’s no pressure for me. I’m just looking to go put on a great show. “I feel confident coming into this fight. We’re putting the work in. I never cut corners and I’m a true professional. I’m coming to get the win. I have a great team behind me and we’re prepared for sure.”
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Spotlight on Adames vs. Gausha
Recently elevated to WBC middleweight champion after making two defenses of his interim belt, Carlos Adames of the Dominican Republic will step in to make the first defense of his newly minted title when he faces former Olympian Terrell Gausha in a Las Vegas matchup that kicks off PBC's pay-per-view show on Saturday, June 15th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Adames (23-1, 18 KOs) is looking to establish himself as number one in the historic weight class. [Erislandy Lara holds the WBA title while Zhanibek Alimkhanuly is the unified WBO and IBF champion]. The 30-year old’s last outing saw him earn a ninth-round TKO of former unified 154-pound champion Julian Williams in June 2023. Prior to that, Adames bested perennial contender Sergiy Derevyanchenko in December 2021 and followed that up by knocking out Juan Macias Montiel in the third round to capture his interim belt in October 2022.
Adames was born in Comendador, Dominican Republic, lives in Washington Heights, New York and trains in Las Vegas. He established himself as a contender with a slew of victories over the likes of former 140-pound title holder Carlos Molina, plus Frank Galarza, Joshua Conley and Alejandro Barrera, Adames' only defeat coming by narrow decision in a 2019 154-pound title fight against Patrick Teixeira.
“I’m very excited to be back fighting in Las Vegas on a mega fight card, especially making the first defense of my WBC Middleweight World Championship,” said Adames. “Terrell Gausha has a lot of experience fighting at the top level in the pros and in the amateurs. I know this is a tough fight and that makes me focus even more in training. Right now my mind is right, my body feels great and I’m going to be able to put on a spectacular performance for everybody watching on June 15. I’m going to defend my title with everything I’ve got.”
ADAMES OPEN WORKOUT QUOTES
“I’m very excited to be stepping into the ring once again. It’s been a while since I’ve been in the ring, but I’ve been in the gym for a long time getting into the best shape possible mentally and physically. I want to make a really big statement. Not just for me, but for my supporters. I owe it to everyone who helped me get here. I made a commitment to be on top and I like to keep my promises.
“I’m not concerned about Gausha’s resume or who he’s fought, because I’m the best fighter he’s gonna face. I’m the best fighter in the 160-pound division, so he better be ready for what he’s coming up against. I’m not underestimating anyone, but I’m not worried about his experience. “June 15th is going to be full of spectacle and fireworks, because I’m relentless in the ring. My opponents know everything is on the line when they step in against me. I’m definitely going to show I’m the best middleweight in the world. “Gausha has the reputation of a guy who’s hard to knock down, but he hasn’t felt my power yet. I’ll tip my hat to him if he can go the distance. Either way, I’m not focusing on the knockout. I’m making sure I’m ready for anything that happens in the ring. “I was truly happy to be elevated to world champion on my birthday. That news was just the cherry on top of my birthday. What I really wanted was for Jermall Charlo to fight me, but he made his choice.” ***
A member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team, Gausha (25-3-1, 12 KOs) was born in Cleveland, Ohio but now fights out of Encino, Calif. and is trained by Manny Robles. He enters this fight having won his last two bouts as he knocked out Brandyn Lynch in March of last year before winning a decision over KeAndrae Leatherwood in September. Gausha has faced top competition throughout his career, having fought former champion Austin Trout to a draw in 2019 in addition to decision losses against former champions Erislandy Lara and Tim Tszyu and top contender Erickson Lubin.
“I’ve been training since way before this fight was signed and I’m feeling ready for the challenge,” said Gausha. “Adames is a good fighter, but so am I. I’m confident that I’m gonna come out on top on June 15th. My experience and my skill set are gonna be huge factors that help me get this victory.”
GAUSHA OPEN WORKOUT QUOTES
“I’m very confident and blessed to be in this position. I’m one of the type of guys that you can’t just run over. I’m the easiest person to make a fight with, because I don’t fear anybody. “Carlos Adames is a very solid fighter who brings a lot to the table. Everyone has holes and I’ve been watching him since I moved up to middleweight. I know he brings the action and I’ve been preparing for a fight like this. “I’m more comfortable now at middleweight. I can just focus on training, because I’m already on weight. I don’t make any excuses, but getting down to 154 put more wear and tear on my body. “I fight the best. That’s what I do. We’ll see come June 15 who the best is. Styles make fights. I don’t fear him and he doesn’t fear me. That’s gonna make it an exciting fight for the fans. “I’m just ready to get what’s mine. I’m here for a reason. I don’t take this opportunity lightly. There’s no pressure for me. I’m just looking to go put on a great show. “I feel confident coming into this fight. We’re putting the work in. I never cut corners and I’m a true professional. I’m coming to get the win. I have a great team behind me and we’re prepared for sure.”
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Golden Boy signs junior lightweight Joshua Garcia |
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Golden Boy Promotions has announced on social media that it has signed undefeated junior lightweight Joshua "El Americano" Garcia to a promotional contract. From Moreno Valley, California, Garcia is 21 years old and has a pro record of 8-0 with 4 KOs. He was inactive in 2023 but has two wins in his 2024 campaign, a knockout over Eric Argueta Lozada and a split decision wn over veteran Diuhl Olguin.
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Golden Boy signs junior lightweight Joshua Garcia
Golden Boy Promotions has announced on social media that it has signed undefeated junior lightweight Joshua "El Americano" Garcia to a promotional contract. From Moreno Valley, California, Garcia is 21 years old and has a pro record of 8-0 with 4 KOs. He was inactive in 2023 but has two wins in his 2024 campaign, a knockout over Eric Argueta Lozada and a split decision wn over veteran Diuhl Olguin.
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Taylor: "It's music to my ears" to hear Catterall predict a KO |
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The tagline for Josh Taylor-Jack Catterall II is "Hate Runs Deep," but for Taylor, the former undisputed world 140-pound champion and Catterall, who many feel was robbed in their first fight, winning is the primary mission. More than two years after they dueled for twelve rounds in Taylor's home country, Scotland, Taylor (pictured) and Catterall will meet in a highly anticipated rematch this Saturday at First Direct Arena in Leeds, England. Taylor (19-3, 13 KOs including the World Series of Boxing) prevailed by a roundly criticized split decision in their first fight, while Catterall (28-1, 13 KOs) and his supporters insist he deserved the verdict and Taylor's undisputed title. After multiple postponements, the grudge match will be settled, putting to bed two-plus years of debate. Taylor-Catterall II and select undercard fights will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 3:15 p.m. ET/12:15 p.m. PT. Here's what the main event fighters and their trainers said at Thursday's press conference.
Josh Taylor
"Look at the history of boxing. All the great fighters of the past have taken defeats and come back and won world titles again. Just because you take one defeat doesn't mean you're a finished fighter. I think that's where boxing has taken a turn for the worse because when a fighter takes a loss, everyone goes, 'Ah, he's finished,' and stuff like that. In the UFC, there are fighters with 20 fights and 10 losses, and they are still at the top of the game. Just because you take a loss doesn't mean you're a bad fighter. I still feel like I'm at the top of the game, and on Saturday, I'll take care of business, and I'll be back in the picture to recapture my titles."
"The last fight was a stinker for both of us. Jack did a lot of holding and spoiling and slowing the pace down. I was very poor as well. So, I believe the two of us can be a lot better. It will be a better fight for the fans. Expect that on Saturday as well. I feel it's going to be a great fight and a barnburner. The arena — I was in there on Monday — and, wow, I got a bit of a surprise. The fans are right on top of you, so it's going to be a great experience and a great atmosphere in there. I'm looking forward to it."
On Catterall predicting a stoppage between rounds 7-9: "Good. Let him think that. If he wants to do that, great. Absolutely fantastic. Music to my ears."
"I don't really care how I win this fight, whether it's by points or stoppage. The way I've been performing in the gym, the shots I've been throwing and catching people with... if I catch him with these shots, it will be over. It will be devastating for him. But we'll see what happens. It's just a win for me."
Joe McNally (Taylor's trainer)
"It's one of the biggest shows of this year, and I'm expecting a magnificent contest, a vintage Josh Taylor performance, a good victory. I just hope and pray that there is no controversy."
"I hope they both get to show the best of their abilities and give a fantastic performance for the fans. I can see nothing but Josh Taylor turning up Saturday night and coming away with that nice victory."
Jack Catterall
"We've had the delays, the setbacks, but it's fight week. We're here in Leeds. It's exciting, and I've done all the hard work. We're two days now from fighting, so it's very real, and I'm very much looking forward to it."
"We both know what stands in front of us now. We're fighting on Saturday. All the talking is done. We've had the buildup. The fight is sold. Obviously, we don't see eye to eye. I think we're ready to make weight and fight."
"It's a must-win Saturday. That's what all my energy is focused on. I don't want to talk about what's after this. I know you've got a great division at 140. There's a lot of big fights to be made. And that's an exciting prospect, but right now, all I can think about is beating Josh on Saturday."
Jamie Moore (Catterall's Trainer)
"My confidence is in Jack Catterall. I'm not really concerned with anything else because I know what he's done. I know how he's prepared. He's ready to go."
"This is what boxing is all about. There's nothing I love more than a British rivalry."
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Taylor: "It's music to my ears" to hear Catterall predict a KO
The tagline for Josh Taylor-Jack Catterall II is "Hate Runs Deep," but for Taylor, the former undisputed world 140-pound champion and Catterall, who many feel was robbed in their first fight, winning is the primary mission. More than two years after they dueled for twelve rounds in Taylor's home country, Scotland, Taylor (pictured) and Catterall will meet in a highly anticipated rematch this Saturday at First Direct Arena in Leeds, England. Taylor (19-3, 13 KOs including the World Series of Boxing) prevailed by a roundly criticized split decision in their first fight, while Catterall (28-1, 13 KOs) and his supporters insist he deserved the verdict and Taylor's undisputed title. After multiple postponements, the grudge match will be settled, putting to bed two-plus years of debate. Taylor-Catterall II and select undercard fights will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 3:15 p.m. ET/12:15 p.m. PT. Here's what the main event fighters and their trainers said at Thursday's press conference.
Josh Taylor
"Look at the history of boxing. All the great fighters of the past have taken defeats and come back and won world titles again. Just because you take one defeat doesn't mean you're a finished fighter. I think that's where boxing has taken a turn for the worse because when a fighter takes a loss, everyone goes, 'Ah, he's finished,' and stuff like that. In the UFC, there are fighters with 20 fights and 10 losses, and they are still at the top of the game. Just because you take a loss doesn't mean you're a bad fighter. I still feel like I'm at the top of the game, and on Saturday, I'll take care of business, and I'll be back in the picture to recapture my titles."
"The last fight was a stinker for both of us. Jack did a lot of holding and spoiling and slowing the pace down. I was very poor as well. So, I believe the two of us can be a lot better. It will be a better fight for the fans. Expect that on Saturday as well. I feel it's going to be a great fight and a barnburner. The arena — I was in there on Monday — and, wow, I got a bit of a surprise. The fans are right on top of you, so it's going to be a great experience and a great atmosphere in there. I'm looking forward to it."
On Catterall predicting a stoppage between rounds 7-9: "Good. Let him think that. If he wants to do that, great. Absolutely fantastic. Music to my ears."
"I don't really care how I win this fight, whether it's by points or stoppage. The way I've been performing in the gym, the shots I've been throwing and catching people with... if I catch him with these shots, it will be over. It will be devastating for him. But we'll see what happens. It's just a win for me."
Joe McNally (Taylor's trainer)
"It's one of the biggest shows of this year, and I'm expecting a magnificent contest, a vintage Josh Taylor performance, a good victory. I just hope and pray that there is no controversy."
"I hope they both get to show the best of their abilities and give a fantastic performance for the fans. I can see nothing but Josh Taylor turning up Saturday night and coming away with that nice victory."
Jack Catterall
"We've had the delays, the setbacks, but it's fight week. We're here in Leeds. It's exciting, and I've done all the hard work. We're two days now from fighting, so it's very real, and I'm very much looking forward to it."
"We both know what stands in front of us now. We're fighting on Saturday. All the talking is done. We've had the buildup. The fight is sold. Obviously, we don't see eye to eye. I think we're ready to make weight and fight."
"It's a must-win Saturday. That's what all my energy is focused on. I don't want to talk about what's after this. I know you've got a great division at 140. There's a lot of big fights to be made. And that's an exciting prospect, but right now, all I can think about is beating Josh on Saturday."
Jamie Moore (Catterall's Trainer)
"My confidence is in Jack Catterall. I'm not really concerned with anything else because I know what he's done. I know how he's prepared. He's ready to go."
"This is what boxing is all about. There's nothing I love more than a British rivalry."
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JC Martinez vacates title to campaign at 115 |
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Mexico's Julio César “Rey” Martínez has notified the WBC that he will vacate its flyweight championship in order to move up to the super flyweight division. Martínez (21-2-2, 15 KOs) won the title in 2019 and made seven successful defenses of his crown. He fought his most recent bout on March 30th, vanquishing the previously unbeaten Angelino Cordova of Venezuela. During his 112-pound reign, Martinez ventured up to 115 pounds once, losing to Roman Gonzaez in 2022.
Rey, a popular and charismatic champion, commented: “After careful reflection, I vacated the flyweight title to pursue new opportunities at super flyweight. This step will allow me to continue growing as a boxer and face new challenges. I am very grateful to the WBC for their support throughout my career.”
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JC Martinez vacates title to campaign at 115
Mexico's Julio César “Rey” Martínez has notified the WBC that he will vacate its flyweight championship in order to move up to the super flyweight division. Martínez (21-2-2, 15 KOs) won the title in 2019 and made seven successful defenses of his crown. He fought his most recent bout on March 30th, vanquishing the previously unbeaten Angelino Cordova of Venezuela. During his 112-pound reign, Martinez ventured up to 115 pounds once, losing to Roman Gonzaez in 2022.
Rey, a popular and charismatic champion, commented: “After careful reflection, I vacated the flyweight title to pursue new opportunities at super flyweight. This step will allow me to continue growing as a boxer and face new challenges. I am very grateful to the WBC for their support throughout my career.”
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Cruiserweight update: European title now vacant |
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Isaac Chamberlain will face Jack Massey for the vacant European and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles on Saturday, June 15th at South London’s Selhurst Park stadium, live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and Peacock in the USA. Chamberlain was set to challenge Poland's Michal Cieslak for the European championship, but Cieslak has withdrawn from the contest due to injury and has chosen to vacate his European title, thus giving Massey a golden opportunity to step in and fight Chamberlain. On the same card, Chris Billam-Smith defends his WBO cruiserweight championship vs. Richard Riakporhe.
Massey (21-2, 12 KOs) is a former IBO champion. He tried his hand at heavyweight in 2023, losing to ex-WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker. Massey returned to cruiserweight for a win over Steve Eloundou Ntere in January.
Chamberlain (16-2, 8 KOs) was named mandatory challenger for the European crown following a dominant points victory over London rival Mikael Lawal for the British and Commonwealth titles in October 2023.
Boxxer CEO and founder Ben Shalom said: “We now have another cruiserweight battle of Britain confirmed for our historic event at Selhurst Park as Isaac Chamberlain and Jack Massey clash for the European and Commonwealth Titles. We’d like to wish Michal Cieslak a speedy recovery. He’s been a great champion and we’re sure he will be back and in more big fights soon. This is a massive fight for both men with huge rewards for the winner and a very big addition to June 15th.”
ADDITIONAL BOUTS
Fans attending the show will be part of history as boxing returns to Selhurst Park in its centenary year.
Ben Whittaker faces undefeated rival and press conference crasher Ezra Arenyeka at light heavyweight... another 175 pounder, ight star Dan Azeez returns to action and bantamweight Francesca Hennessy is also slated to compete.
A percentage of every ticket sold will be donated to the Palace For Life Foundation, the official charity of Crystal Palace F.C, which has been working with the community for over 25 years, helping young people grow through the power of sport, inspiring them to find a better path in life and to lead a healthier life.This event is presented in association with official partners bet365, Integritas Property Group and HELL Energy.
RECENT CRUISERWEIGHT DEVELOPMENTS
WBC / MAY 23, 2024: WBC cruiserweight champion Noel “The Dark Horse” Mikaelian (27-2, 12 KOs) has been forced out of his world title defense against Canada's Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1, 19 KOs) due to a cut near his eye. Mikaelian suffered the injury while preparing for his June 7th showdown. Although disappointed, Mikaelian says that he will be ready for Don King’s next show: “I’m sorry to my fans and the boxing community. I’ll be ready to return to action and defend my world title in time for Don King’s next massive event.”
IBF / MAY 19, 2024: In the chief supporting bout in Riyadh, Jai Opetaia (25-0, 19 KOs) defeated former two-time champion Mairis Briedis (28-3, 20 KOs) by unanimous decision in a bruising battle that saw both men finish with possible broken noses. Briedis rallied late but lost by scores of 117-111 and 116-112 (twice). Opetaia regained the IBF cruiserweight world title that the IBF basically forced him to vacate. This was a rematch. In July 2022, Opetaia, a 2012 Australian Olympian, overcame an injured jaw to claim Briedis’ IBF cruiserweight championship. Briedis was considered the top 200-pounder in the world since Oleksandr Usyk moved up to heavyweight but Opetaia bloodied and defeated the Latvian favorite by unanimous decision. Official scores for the first bout were 116-112 (twice) and 115-113, all in favor of Opetaia, who improved to 22-0 with 17 KOs. He joined Usyk as the only man to defeat Briedis, who is now 28-2. In December 2023, Opetaia vacated the IBF cruiserweight championship to move forward with a bout in Saudi Arabia against Great Britain's Ellis Zorro. Opetaia was ordered to grant Briediis a rematch by the IBF but when Briedis got injured, Opetaia sought to sneak in a lucrative voluntary defense on the huge show in Riadh. Reportedly, Briedis had no objection to the voluntary, but the IBF rigidly refused to budge, so Opetaia moved on without the belt and KO'd Zorro in one round.
WBC / NOV. 4, 2023: There is a new WBC cruiserweight champion as Noel Mikaelian (27-2, 12 KOs) stopped the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ilunga Makabu (29-4, 25 KOs) one minute into the third round. After flooring Makabu in the second round, Miami’s Mikaelian, by way of Armenia, flustered the former champion with a barrage of punches. The title was recently vacated by Badou Jack. Mikaelian said about his knockout victory: “I didn’t expect the knockout so early, but I knew my hand would be raised (in victory) at the end of the night. I’m so happy. I waited two years. I was so close to winning that belt and this time I didn’t want to leave any doubts.” Mikaelian noted the significance of his win: “I had a great camp…I’m the first German to win a world championship on American soil in 90 years, since Max Schmelling.”
WBA / OCT. 12, 2023: The WBA Championships Committee has ordered a 200-pound title bout between champion Arsen Goulamirian and his mandatory challenger, Yuniel Dorticos. Goulamirian is 27-0 but has only fought once since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. A former IBF champion, Dorticos is 26-2 but has fought only once per year for the last four years. The WBA gave the boxers a thirty-day negotiation window which began this Tuesday, October 10th and will end on November 10th. Both parties received the formal notification signed by Carlos Chávez, president of the championships committee. In case both parties do not reach an agreement, the WBA may call for a purse bid under the WBA rules.
IBF / SEPT. 30, 2023: IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia made a successful first title defense in London, stopping previously unbeaten Jordan Thompson in the fourth round. The end came with a left-right combination from Opetaia's southpaw stance. Opetaia returns home to Australia with his belt plus a record of 24-0. Thompson is now 15-1.
WBO / MAY 28, 2023... In a crazy fight in Bournemouth, England, Chris Billam-Smith won the WBO cruiserweight champion from his fellow Brit, good friend and former sparring partner Lawrence Okolie. Billam-Smith scored thee knockdowns and Okolie was penalized two points for non-stop holding. But the championship rounds saw Okolie furiously pressing for a knockdown and Billam-Smith dealing with a bad cut over his left eye. Despite Okolie's late rally, when the final bell sounded, the three knockdowns and two point deductions seemed impossible for the champ to overcome, but there was one more plot twist to come. When the first score was read by the ring announcer, Billam-Smith was shocked to hear 112-112. Sanity prevailed as the other two judges favored Billam-Smith by 116-107 and 115-108. As the majority win was revealed, Billam-Smith broke down in tears and described how he was sick during the week. He also dedicated the win to his mother who was battling breast cancer. During his post-fight interview, Okolie acknowledged his loss but revealed that he had a rematch clause that he planned to invoke.
WBC / FEB. 26, 2023: Badou Jack (28-3-3, 17 KOs) is now a two-division world champion.* The 39-year old scored a technical knockout victory over Ilunga Makabu (29-3, 25 KOs) to capture the WBC cruiserweight world title. Jack boxed an intelligent fight, mixing footwork and counterpunching to consistently find a home for his right hand. Makabu, on the other hand, seemed too cautious and had trouble putting his punches together. In the fourth round, Jack dropped Makabu with a right hand, and he repeated the knockdown in the eleventh. In the final round, Makabu was clearly worn out from Jack’s offense, and Swedish standout only needed an additional right hand and a brief fusillade of shots to force referee Mark Lyson to stop the fight.
*Some list Jack as a three-division champion because he won the WBA regular light heavyweight title in 2017. Boxingtalk does not recognize that as a legitimate world title because Sergey Kovalev was recognized as WBA super champion at that time.
WBA / NOV. 22, 2022... Arsen Goulamirian retained his WBA cruiserweight championship this weekend against Aleksei Egorov with a unanimous decision victory at La Palestre in Le Cannet, France. The Armenian native and French national came off a nearly three-year layoff and came away with a win on the cards by scores of 116-112 and 117-111 (twice). Inactive since 2019, this was Goulamirian's mandatory fight. Goulamirian (27-0) went from strength to strength in the bout and improved as the rounds went by. He faced a very active opponent in the early rounds but was able to figure out his Russian foe to come on strong at the end of the bout. Egorov’s record stands at 16 wins and 3 losses including the World Series of Boxing. [Goulamirian would remain inactive for more than a year].
IBF / JULY 3, 2022: 2012 Australian Olympian Jai Opetaia overcame an injured jaw to claim Mairis Briedis’ IBF cruiserweight championship. Briedis was considered the top 200-pounder in the world since Oleksadr Usyk moved up to heavyweight but Opetaia bloodied and defeated the Latvian favorite by unanimous decision on Saturday in Broadbeach, Australia. Official scores were 116-112 (twice) and 115-113, all in favor of Opetaia, who improves to 22-0 with 17 KOs. He joins Usyk as the only man to defeat Briedis, who is now 28-2.
WBO / MARCH 21, 2021: Lawrence Okolie crushed Krzysztof Glowacki to be crowned the new WBO cruiserweight champion in just his sixteenth fight at The SSE Arena, Wembley. Okolie unloaded a huge finishing punch to drop Poland’s Glowacki heavily in the sixth round and referee Marcus McDonnell waved off the fight to confirm the coronation of Britain’s newest champ. [The WBO title was vacant coming in after Mairis Briedis vacated it in order to pursue the IBF title in the World Boxing Super Series final]. The unbeaten 28 year-old from Hackney had emulated the likes of Tony Bellew, David Haye and Johnny Nelson, who previously held world crowns in the weight class.
IBF / SEPT. 27, 2020: Season II of the World Boxing Super Series came to its conclusion on Saturday with Latvia's Mairis Briedis taking home the coveted Muhammad Ali Trophy and the IBF championship by defeating Yuniel Dorticos in Munich. The WBSS cruiserweight Final, contested behind closed doors, was a close battle. Briedis repeatedly troubled the Cuban Dorticos with powerful counter-punches during a commanding performance. Dorticos was never far behind, and one judge scored it a draw, 114-114, while the other two handed in wide verdicts of 117-111 for Briedis. The Latvian Briedis would only defend the title once in 2021 before losing to Jai Opetaia in 2022.
WBC / FEB. 1. 2020: Ilunga "Junior" Makabu is the new WBC cruiserweight champion, having won the vacant title by defeating Poland's Michal Cieslak via twelve-round decision. The judges’ scores were Omar Mintum 114-112, Carlos Flores 115-111 and Humberto Olivares 116-111, all in favor of Makabu. The fight took place in Makabu's home nation, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Makabu is now 27-2, while Cieslak is 19-1.
WBO / NOV. 26, 2019: The WBO cruiserweight championship has been declared vacant as part of a months-long legal battle arising from Maris Briedis' foul-tainted victory over Krzysztof Glowacki last June. That fight was part of the World Boxing Super Series. Briedis landed a deliberate foul, an elbow to the jaw of Glowacki, that hurt him badly but went unpunished by referee Robert Byrd. A few seconds after Glowacki got up from the foul, Byrd allowed the boxers to continue fighting well after the bell sounded to end round two, leading to Glowacki suffering a hard knockdown about ten seconds after the bell rang. Again, Byrd did nothing. Briedis admitted in his post fight interview that the elbow was deliberate and that he heard the bell but kept fighting anyway. Glowacki protested to the WBO, and after an arbitration was held in Puerto Rico, the WBO ordered Briedis to give Glowacki an immediate rematch. Briedis refused, intending to fight IBF champion Yuniel Dorticos in the finals of the World Boxing Super Series, although that fight still has not been scheduled. Glowacki will now await the WBO to name the co-challenger for the vacant title. NOTE: Glowacki was represented in the arbitration by Scott Shaffer, the author of this article.
WBO / JUNE 15, 2019: In a wildly entertaining and controversial bout in Riga, Latvia, Mairis Briedis took advantage of horrendous refereeing by Robert Byrd to become the new WBO cruiserweight champion. Fighting in his home nation, Briedis committed a blatant foul that led to a third-round technical knockout win over Kyrzysztof Glowacki. The win advanced Briedis to the World Boxing Super Series finals, where he will meet newly minted IBF cruiserweight champion Yuniel Dorticos. In round two, Glowacki twice hit Briedis on the back of the head during a clinch as Byrd yelled stop. The second time, Briedis decided to use self help, throwing a nasty, deliberate elbow that caught Glowacki flush on the jaw and sent the Polish man to the canvas. Byrd took a point away, but Glowacki was not fully recovered when the action resumed. Briedis pressed the action and the knocked Glowacki down with about nineteen seconds left in the round. Glowacki beat the count, but was foggy eyed, and definitely needed the minute rest between rounds. As the action resumed, one of Briedis' cornermen jumed up on the ring apron, which is grounds for disqulaification. Then, the bell sounded to end round two, but Byrd did not hear it, and the the boxers engaged in a wild slugfest, with Briedis again knocking Glowacki down. The knockdown came a full ten seconds after the bell. In his post-fight interview, Briedis smiled and admitted he heard the bell but kept fighting. To recap round two, Glowacki was down three times: once from an illegal elbow, once from a legal blow while still buzzed from the illegal elbow, and once from a punch that landed well after the bell sounded. In round three, the boxers engaged in a wild slugfest, but it was clear Glowacki was fighting at a diminished capacity. He was knocked down again, hard, with his arms flailing, and beat the count, but was in no shape to continue. Byrd, who put in a terrible performance tonight, stopped the fight, to the delight of the Latvian audience. Note: Briedis has the WBO title only, as the WBC threw a hissy fit and pulled the sanction. The WBC cruiserweight title remains vacant.
IBF / JUNE 15, 2019: In Riga, Latvia, Cuba's Yuniel Dorticos got a career-changing win, landing a hard right hand that put previously undefeated Andrew Tabiti to sleep in round ten of the World Boxing Super Series semi-final bout. The win was doubly significant because, in a surprise move, the IBF announced earlier in the day that the winner would be recognized as the IBF cruiserweight champion (Oleksandr Usyk formally vacated the belt in furtherance of his heavyweight campaign). Dorticos was ahead on points, but had to deal with a bad cut over his right eye. Dorticos will await the winner of the other semi-final, a WBO title fight in which Kryzysztof Glowacki defends against former WBC titlist Mairis Briedis. An emotional Dorticos shed tears of joy in the ring. He's now 24-1, with the only loss to Murat Gassiev in last years World Boxing Super Series. The disappointed Tabiti heads home to the United States with a 17-1 record.
WBO / JUNE 6, 2019: The WBO promoted its interim cruiserweight champion, Krysztof Glowacki of Poland, to its full champion in the 200-pound division. According to WBO social media, "With Oleksandr Usyk moving to the heavyweight division, interim champion Krysztof Glowacki is now recognized as the new WBO champion and will face Mairis Briedis in a voluntary defense on June 15th in Riga, Latvia" [as part of the World Boxing Super Series]. Glowacki (31-1) previously held the WBO title from 2015-2016, but lost it to Usyk in 2016. Briedis (25-1) held the WBC version of the title from 2017-2018, also losing his belt to Usyk.
WORLD / NOV. 11, 2018: World champion Oleksandr Usyk said goodbye to the 200-pound division with yet another road win to add to his resume. Fighting in his opponent's coutry, Usyk stopped Tony Bellew, who had earned this shot with an impressive run of five quality wins. After seven hotly contested rounds, Usyk knocked out Bellew with a left hand to Bellew's jaw that violently sent him crashing to the canvas. Promoter Eddie Hearn nearly cradled Bellew's head as he made his way to his feet. Bellew might have been able to beat the count, but the referee did the right thing by stopping the fight. After uifying all four major titles, Usyk will campaign as a heavyweight in the future.
WORLD / JULY 22, 2018: In Moscow, cruiserweight Oleksandr Usyk of the Ukraine put on a master boxing class to become only the fifth boxer in history to gain undisputed world championship recognition from the IBF, WBO, WBC and WBA. Usyk accomplished this by defeating Murat Gassiev of Russia by unanimous decision. The win also made Usyk the winner of the World Boxing Super Series eight-man tournament. Official scores were for Usyk 120-108 and 119-109 (twice). Seeing Usyk draped in the Ukraine flag with four championships belts wrapped around him and the Ali Trophy raised over his head was quite an impressive ending to a fantastic tournament pulled off by Comosa AG. Usyk joins Bernard Hopkins, Jermain Taylor, Cecilia Braekhus and Terence Crawford as the only boxers to hold all four major belts since the WBO gained recognition in the early 1990s. (In the cruiserweight division, the great Evander Holyfiled conquered all three championships in 1988 prior to the emergence of the WBO). Both men were undfeated coming into this bout, and Gassiev, if not Usyk as well, will likely move up to heavyweight.
WBA / MARCH 26, 2018: Arsen Goulamirian got a significant win, plus a paper title in Marseille, France, defeating Ryad Merhy via eleventh-round technical knockout. The win gives Goulamirian the WBA regular cruiserweight title (Murat Gassiev is recognized as WBA super champion and Denis Lebedev as WBA champion in recess). A combination of many consecutive unanswered blows to Merhy forced the referee to stop the fight. Goulamirian, an Armenian living in France, is 23-0 while Merhy, from the Ivory Coast and living in Belgium, is now 24-1. Goulamirian would go on to inherit the WBA full title, emerging from a mess of WBA corruption involving Denis Lebedev, Murat Gassiev and Beibut Shumenov who repeatedly switched title designations as part of machinations of the WBA.
WBO & WBC / JAN. 28, 2018: Fighting in Latvia, his opponent's home country, Oleksandr Usyk defeated Mairis Briedis to add the WBC cruiserweight championship to the WBO version he already held. The Ukrainian Usyk, a 2012 Olympic champion, won by majority decision, with scores of 115-113 (twice) and 114-114. The unification bout was part of the World Boxing Super Series, and Usyk now qualifies for the finals, which will be held in Saudi Arabia. Usyk will face the winner of the bout between Murat Gassiev and Yunier Dorticos, which will be contested next week in Sochi, Russia.
IBF & WBA / DEC. 4, 2016… In an all-Russian cruiserweight battle, Murat Gassiev defeated Denis Lebedev to become the IBF cruiserweight champion, and, along with WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk, one of the top two cruiserweights in the world. Gassiev, a 23 year-old trained by Abel Sanchez, knocked the Freddie Roach-trained Lebedev down in round five and went on to win by split decision. Scores were 116-111, 116-112 for Gassiev and 114-113 for the 37 year-old Lebedev. In the very worst of boxing politics, Denis Lebedev will retain the WBA cruiserweight title because his promoter “convinced” the WBA that the title should not be on the line against an IBF mandatory.
WBO / SEPT. 18, 2016: A professional boxing star was born as Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk dethroned WBO cruiserweight champion Krzysztof Glowacki (26-1, 16 KOs) by twelve-round unanimous decision on Saturday night at the Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland. The official scores were 119-109 and 117-111 (twice). Undefeated as a pro, Usyk was the 2012 heavyweight gold medal champion and also holds the distinction of being the 2011 World Amateur Champion at heavyweight and 2008 European Amateur Champion at light-heavyweight.
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Cruiserweight update: European title now vacant
Isaac Chamberlain will face Jack Massey for the vacant European and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles on Saturday, June 15th at South London’s Selhurst Park stadium, live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and Peacock in the USA. Chamberlain was set to challenge Poland's Michal Cieslak for the European championship, but Cieslak has withdrawn from the contest due to injury and has chosen to vacate his European title, thus giving Massey a golden opportunity to step in and fight Chamberlain. On the same card, Chris Billam-Smith defends his WBO cruiserweight championship vs. Richard Riakporhe.
Massey (21-2, 12 KOs) is a former IBO champion. He tried his hand at heavyweight in 2023, losing to ex-WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker. Massey returned to cruiserweight for a win over Steve Eloundou Ntere in January.
Chamberlain (16-2, 8 KOs) was named mandatory challenger for the European crown following a dominant points victory over London rival Mikael Lawal for the British and Commonwealth titles in October 2023.
Boxxer CEO and founder Ben Shalom said: “We now have another cruiserweight battle of Britain confirmed for our historic event at Selhurst Park as Isaac Chamberlain and Jack Massey clash for the European and Commonwealth Titles. We’d like to wish Michal Cieslak a speedy recovery. He’s been a great champion and we’re sure he will be back and in more big fights soon. This is a massive fight for both men with huge rewards for the winner and a very big addition to June 15th.”
ADDITIONAL BOUTS
Fans attending the show will be part of history as boxing returns to Selhurst Park in its centenary year.
Ben Whittaker faces undefeated rival and press conference crasher Ezra Arenyeka at light heavyweight... another 175 pounder, ight star Dan Azeez returns to action and bantamweight Francesca Hennessy is also slated to compete.
A percentage of every ticket sold will be donated to the Palace For Life Foundation, the official charity of Crystal Palace F.C, which has been working with the community for over 25 years, helping young people grow through the power of sport, inspiring them to find a better path in life and to lead a healthier life.This event is presented in association with official partners bet365, Integritas Property Group and HELL Energy.
RECENT CRUISERWEIGHT DEVELOPMENTS
WBC / MAY 23, 2024: WBC cruiserweight champion Noel “The Dark Horse” Mikaelian (27-2, 12 KOs) has been forced out of his world title defense against Canada's Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1, 19 KOs) due to a cut near his eye. Mikaelian suffered the injury while preparing for his June 7th showdown. Although disappointed, Mikaelian says that he will be ready for Don King’s next show: “I’m sorry to my fans and the boxing community. I’ll be ready to return to action and defend my world title in time for Don King’s next massive event.”
IBF / MAY 19, 2024: In the chief supporting bout in Riyadh, Jai Opetaia (25-0, 19 KOs) defeated former two-time champion Mairis Briedis (28-3, 20 KOs) by unanimous decision in a bruising battle that saw both men finish with possible broken noses. Briedis rallied late but lost by scores of 117-111 and 116-112 (twice). Opetaia regained the IBF cruiserweight world title that the IBF basically forced him to vacate. This was a rematch. In July 2022, Opetaia, a 2012 Australian Olympian, overcame an injured jaw to claim Briedis’ IBF cruiserweight championship. Briedis was considered the top 200-pounder in the world since Oleksandr Usyk moved up to heavyweight but Opetaia bloodied and defeated the Latvian favorite by unanimous decision. Official scores for the first bout were 116-112 (twice) and 115-113, all in favor of Opetaia, who improved to 22-0 with 17 KOs. He joined Usyk as the only man to defeat Briedis, who is now 28-2. In December 2023, Opetaia vacated the IBF cruiserweight championship to move forward with a bout in Saudi Arabia against Great Britain's Ellis Zorro. Opetaia was ordered to grant Briediis a rematch by the IBF but when Briedis got injured, Opetaia sought to sneak in a lucrative voluntary defense on the huge show in Riadh. Reportedly, Briedis had no objection to the voluntary, but the IBF rigidly refused to budge, so Opetaia moved on without the belt and KO'd Zorro in one round.
WBC / NOV. 4, 2023: There is a new WBC cruiserweight champion as Noel Mikaelian (27-2, 12 KOs) stopped the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ilunga Makabu (29-4, 25 KOs) one minute into the third round. After flooring Makabu in the second round, Miami’s Mikaelian, by way of Armenia, flustered the former champion with a barrage of punches. The title was recently vacated by Badou Jack. Mikaelian said about his knockout victory: “I didn’t expect the knockout so early, but I knew my hand would be raised (in victory) at the end of the night. I’m so happy. I waited two years. I was so close to winning that belt and this time I didn’t want to leave any doubts.” Mikaelian noted the significance of his win: “I had a great camp…I’m the first German to win a world championship on American soil in 90 years, since Max Schmelling.”
WBA / OCT. 12, 2023: The WBA Championships Committee has ordered a 200-pound title bout between champion Arsen Goulamirian and his mandatory challenger, Yuniel Dorticos. Goulamirian is 27-0 but has only fought once since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. A former IBF champion, Dorticos is 26-2 but has fought only once per year for the last four years. The WBA gave the boxers a thirty-day negotiation window which began this Tuesday, October 10th and will end on November 10th. Both parties received the formal notification signed by Carlos Chávez, president of the championships committee. In case both parties do not reach an agreement, the WBA may call for a purse bid under the WBA rules.
IBF / SEPT. 30, 2023: IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia made a successful first title defense in London, stopping previously unbeaten Jordan Thompson in the fourth round. The end came with a left-right combination from Opetaia's southpaw stance. Opetaia returns home to Australia with his belt plus a record of 24-0. Thompson is now 15-1.
WBO / MAY 28, 2023... In a crazy fight in Bournemouth, England, Chris Billam-Smith won the WBO cruiserweight champion from his fellow Brit, good friend and former sparring partner Lawrence Okolie. Billam-Smith scored thee knockdowns and Okolie was penalized two points for non-stop holding. But the championship rounds saw Okolie furiously pressing for a knockdown and Billam-Smith dealing with a bad cut over his left eye. Despite Okolie's late rally, when the final bell sounded, the three knockdowns and two point deductions seemed impossible for the champ to overcome, but there was one more plot twist to come. When the first score was read by the ring announcer, Billam-Smith was shocked to hear 112-112. Sanity prevailed as the other two judges favored Billam-Smith by 116-107 and 115-108. As the majority win was revealed, Billam-Smith broke down in tears and described how he was sick during the week. He also dedicated the win to his mother who was battling breast cancer. During his post-fight interview, Okolie acknowledged his loss but revealed that he had a rematch clause that he planned to invoke.
WBC / FEB. 26, 2023: Badou Jack (28-3-3, 17 KOs) is now a two-division world champion.* The 39-year old scored a technical knockout victory over Ilunga Makabu (29-3, 25 KOs) to capture the WBC cruiserweight world title. Jack boxed an intelligent fight, mixing footwork and counterpunching to consistently find a home for his right hand. Makabu, on the other hand, seemed too cautious and had trouble putting his punches together. In the fourth round, Jack dropped Makabu with a right hand, and he repeated the knockdown in the eleventh. In the final round, Makabu was clearly worn out from Jack’s offense, and Swedish standout only needed an additional right hand and a brief fusillade of shots to force referee Mark Lyson to stop the fight.
*Some list Jack as a three-division champion because he won the WBA regular light heavyweight title in 2017. Boxingtalk does not recognize that as a legitimate world title because Sergey Kovalev was recognized as WBA super champion at that time.
WBA / NOV. 22, 2022... Arsen Goulamirian retained his WBA cruiserweight championship this weekend against Aleksei Egorov with a unanimous decision victory at La Palestre in Le Cannet, France. The Armenian native and French national came off a nearly three-year layoff and came away with a win on the cards by scores of 116-112 and 117-111 (twice). Inactive since 2019, this was Goulamirian's mandatory fight. Goulamirian (27-0) went from strength to strength in the bout and improved as the rounds went by. He faced a very active opponent in the early rounds but was able to figure out his Russian foe to come on strong at the end of the bout. Egorov’s record stands at 16 wins and 3 losses including the World Series of Boxing. [Goulamirian would remain inactive for more than a year].
IBF / JULY 3, 2022: 2012 Australian Olympian Jai Opetaia overcame an injured jaw to claim Mairis Briedis’ IBF cruiserweight championship. Briedis was considered the top 200-pounder in the world since Oleksadr Usyk moved up to heavyweight but Opetaia bloodied and defeated the Latvian favorite by unanimous decision on Saturday in Broadbeach, Australia. Official scores were 116-112 (twice) and 115-113, all in favor of Opetaia, who improves to 22-0 with 17 KOs. He joins Usyk as the only man to defeat Briedis, who is now 28-2.
WBO / MARCH 21, 2021: Lawrence Okolie crushed Krzysztof Glowacki to be crowned the new WBO cruiserweight champion in just his sixteenth fight at The SSE Arena, Wembley. Okolie unloaded a huge finishing punch to drop Poland’s Glowacki heavily in the sixth round and referee Marcus McDonnell waved off the fight to confirm the coronation of Britain’s newest champ. [The WBO title was vacant coming in after Mairis Briedis vacated it in order to pursue the IBF title in the World Boxing Super Series final]. The unbeaten 28 year-old from Hackney had emulated the likes of Tony Bellew, David Haye and Johnny Nelson, who previously held world crowns in the weight class.
IBF / SEPT. 27, 2020: Season II of the World Boxing Super Series came to its conclusion on Saturday with Latvia's Mairis Briedis taking home the coveted Muhammad Ali Trophy and the IBF championship by defeating Yuniel Dorticos in Munich. The WBSS cruiserweight Final, contested behind closed doors, was a close battle. Briedis repeatedly troubled the Cuban Dorticos with powerful counter-punches during a commanding performance. Dorticos was never far behind, and one judge scored it a draw, 114-114, while the other two handed in wide verdicts of 117-111 for Briedis. The Latvian Briedis would only defend the title once in 2021 before losing to Jai Opetaia in 2022.
WBC / FEB. 1. 2020: Ilunga "Junior" Makabu is the new WBC cruiserweight champion, having won the vacant title by defeating Poland's Michal Cieslak via twelve-round decision. The judges’ scores were Omar Mintum 114-112, Carlos Flores 115-111 and Humberto Olivares 116-111, all in favor of Makabu. The fight took place in Makabu's home nation, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Makabu is now 27-2, while Cieslak is 19-1.
WBO / NOV. 26, 2019: The WBO cruiserweight championship has been declared vacant as part of a months-long legal battle arising from Maris Briedis' foul-tainted victory over Krzysztof Glowacki last June. That fight was part of the World Boxing Super Series. Briedis landed a deliberate foul, an elbow to the jaw of Glowacki, that hurt him badly but went unpunished by referee Robert Byrd. A few seconds after Glowacki got up from the foul, Byrd allowed the boxers to continue fighting well after the bell sounded to end round two, leading to Glowacki suffering a hard knockdown about ten seconds after the bell rang. Again, Byrd did nothing. Briedis admitted in his post fight interview that the elbow was deliberate and that he heard the bell but kept fighting anyway. Glowacki protested to the WBO, and after an arbitration was held in Puerto Rico, the WBO ordered Briedis to give Glowacki an immediate rematch. Briedis refused, intending to fight IBF champion Yuniel Dorticos in the finals of the World Boxing Super Series, although that fight still has not been scheduled. Glowacki will now await the WBO to name the co-challenger for the vacant title. NOTE: Glowacki was represented in the arbitration by Scott Shaffer, the author of this article.
WBO / JUNE 15, 2019: In a wildly entertaining and controversial bout in Riga, Latvia, Mairis Briedis took advantage of horrendous refereeing by Robert Byrd to become the new WBO cruiserweight champion. Fighting in his home nation, Briedis committed a blatant foul that led to a third-round technical knockout win over Kyrzysztof Glowacki. The win advanced Briedis to the World Boxing Super Series finals, where he will meet newly minted IBF cruiserweight champion Yuniel Dorticos. In round two, Glowacki twice hit Briedis on the back of the head during a clinch as Byrd yelled stop. The second time, Briedis decided to use self help, throwing a nasty, deliberate elbow that caught Glowacki flush on the jaw and sent the Polish man to the canvas. Byrd took a point away, but Glowacki was not fully recovered when the action resumed. Briedis pressed the action and the knocked Glowacki down with about nineteen seconds left in the round. Glowacki beat the count, but was foggy eyed, and definitely needed the minute rest between rounds. As the action resumed, one of Briedis' cornermen jumed up on the ring apron, which is grounds for disqulaification. Then, the bell sounded to end round two, but Byrd did not hear it, and the the boxers engaged in a wild slugfest, with Briedis again knocking Glowacki down. The knockdown came a full ten seconds after the bell. In his post-fight interview, Briedis smiled and admitted he heard the bell but kept fighting. To recap round two, Glowacki was down three times: once from an illegal elbow, once from a legal blow while still buzzed from the illegal elbow, and once from a punch that landed well after the bell sounded. In round three, the boxers engaged in a wild slugfest, but it was clear Glowacki was fighting at a diminished capacity. He was knocked down again, hard, with his arms flailing, and beat the count, but was in no shape to continue. Byrd, who put in a terrible performance tonight, stopped the fight, to the delight of the Latvian audience. Note: Briedis has the WBO title only, as the WBC threw a hissy fit and pulled the sanction. The WBC cruiserweight title remains vacant.
IBF / JUNE 15, 2019: In Riga, Latvia, Cuba's Yuniel Dorticos got a career-changing win, landing a hard right hand that put previously undefeated Andrew Tabiti to sleep in round ten of the World Boxing Super Series semi-final bout. The win was doubly significant because, in a surprise move, the IBF announced earlier in the day that the winner would be recognized as the IBF cruiserweight champion (Oleksandr Usyk formally vacated the belt in furtherance of his heavyweight campaign). Dorticos was ahead on points, but had to deal with a bad cut over his right eye. Dorticos will await the winner of the other semi-final, a WBO title fight in which Kryzysztof Glowacki defends against former WBC titlist Mairis Briedis. An emotional Dorticos shed tears of joy in the ring. He's now 24-1, with the only loss to Murat Gassiev in last years World Boxing Super Series. The disappointed Tabiti heads home to the United States with a 17-1 record.
WBO / JUNE 6, 2019: The WBO promoted its interim cruiserweight champion, Krysztof Glowacki of Poland, to its full champion in the 200-pound division. According to WBO social media, "With Oleksandr Usyk moving to the heavyweight division, interim champion Krysztof Glowacki is now recognized as the new WBO champion and will face Mairis Briedis in a voluntary defense on June 15th in Riga, Latvia" [as part of the World Boxing Super Series]. Glowacki (31-1) previously held the WBO title from 2015-2016, but lost it to Usyk in 2016. Briedis (25-1) held the WBC version of the title from 2017-2018, also losing his belt to Usyk.
WORLD / NOV. 11, 2018: World champion Oleksandr Usyk said goodbye to the 200-pound division with yet another road win to add to his resume. Fighting in his opponent's coutry, Usyk stopped Tony Bellew, who had earned this shot with an impressive run of five quality wins. After seven hotly contested rounds, Usyk knocked out Bellew with a left hand to Bellew's jaw that violently sent him crashing to the canvas. Promoter Eddie Hearn nearly cradled Bellew's head as he made his way to his feet. Bellew might have been able to beat the count, but the referee did the right thing by stopping the fight. After uifying all four major titles, Usyk will campaign as a heavyweight in the future.
WORLD / JULY 22, 2018: In Moscow, cruiserweight Oleksandr Usyk of the Ukraine put on a master boxing class to become only the fifth boxer in history to gain undisputed world championship recognition from the IBF, WBO, WBC and WBA. Usyk accomplished this by defeating Murat Gassiev of Russia by unanimous decision. The win also made Usyk the winner of the World Boxing Super Series eight-man tournament. Official scores were for Usyk 120-108 and 119-109 (twice). Seeing Usyk draped in the Ukraine flag with four championships belts wrapped around him and the Ali Trophy raised over his head was quite an impressive ending to a fantastic tournament pulled off by Comosa AG. Usyk joins Bernard Hopkins, Jermain Taylor, Cecilia Braekhus and Terence Crawford as the only boxers to hold all four major belts since the WBO gained recognition in the early 1990s. (In the cruiserweight division, the great Evander Holyfiled conquered all three championships in 1988 prior to the emergence of the WBO). Both men were undfeated coming into this bout, and Gassiev, if not Usyk as well, will likely move up to heavyweight.
WBA / MARCH 26, 2018: Arsen Goulamirian got a significant win, plus a paper title in Marseille, France, defeating Ryad Merhy via eleventh-round technical knockout. The win gives Goulamirian the WBA regular cruiserweight title (Murat Gassiev is recognized as WBA super champion and Denis Lebedev as WBA champion in recess). A combination of many consecutive unanswered blows to Merhy forced the referee to stop the fight. Goulamirian, an Armenian living in France, is 23-0 while Merhy, from the Ivory Coast and living in Belgium, is now 24-1. Goulamirian would go on to inherit the WBA full title, emerging from a mess of WBA corruption involving Denis Lebedev, Murat Gassiev and Beibut Shumenov who repeatedly switched title designations as part of machinations of the WBA.
WBO & WBC / JAN. 28, 2018: Fighting in Latvia, his opponent's home country, Oleksandr Usyk defeated Mairis Briedis to add the WBC cruiserweight championship to the WBO version he already held. The Ukrainian Usyk, a 2012 Olympic champion, won by majority decision, with scores of 115-113 (twice) and 114-114. The unification bout was part of the World Boxing Super Series, and Usyk now qualifies for the finals, which will be held in Saudi Arabia. Usyk will face the winner of the bout between Murat Gassiev and Yunier Dorticos, which will be contested next week in Sochi, Russia.
IBF & WBA / DEC. 4, 2016… In an all-Russian cruiserweight battle, Murat Gassiev defeated Denis Lebedev to become the IBF cruiserweight champion, and, along with WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk, one of the top two cruiserweights in the world. Gassiev, a 23 year-old trained by Abel Sanchez, knocked the Freddie Roach-trained Lebedev down in round five and went on to win by split decision. Scores were 116-111, 116-112 for Gassiev and 114-113 for the 37 year-old Lebedev. In the very worst of boxing politics, Denis Lebedev will retain the WBA cruiserweight title because his promoter “convinced” the WBA that the title should not be on the line against an IBF mandatory.
WBO / SEPT. 18, 2016: A professional boxing star was born as Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk dethroned WBO cruiserweight champion Krzysztof Glowacki (26-1, 16 KOs) by twelve-round unanimous decision on Saturday night at the Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland. The official scores were 119-109 and 117-111 (twice). Undefeated as a pro, Usyk was the 2012 heavyweight gold medal champion and also holds the distinction of being the 2011 World Amateur Champion at heavyweight and 2008 European Amateur Champion at light-heavyweight.
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Mikaelian out of title defense due to sparring injury |
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WBC cruiserweight champion Noel “The Dark Horse” Mikaelian (27-2, 12 KOs) has been forced out of his world title defense against Canada's Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1, 19 KOs) due to a cut near his eye. Mikaelian suffered the injury while preparing for his June 7th showdown. Although disappointed, Mikaelian says that he will be ready for Don King’s next show: “I’m sorry to my fans and the boxing community. I’ll be ready to return to action and defend my world title in time for Don King’s next massive event.”
“This is why we have so many fights on the card,” said King. “June 7th’s Fists of Fury will still have multiple [fights] on the line for boxing fans, and Mikaelian will be back to defend his title as soon as possible.”
Featured on the “Fists of Fury” event taking place at the Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL, will be a clash between one of the sport’s most decorated fighters, former four-division champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner (35-4-1, 24 KOs) taking on Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (16-1-1, 10 KOs). This bout marks Broner’s journey back to a world title opportunity while Cobbs returns to the ring for the first time in nearly two years.
A heavyweight special attraction title bout will spotlight Cassius Chaney (23-1, 16 KOs) of New London, CT who will battle Michael “The Bounty” Hunter (21-2-2, 15 KOs) of Las Vegas. American Championship belt.
Recently added to the show is a cruiserweight attraction featuring Sarasota, FL’s Johnnie Langston (11-3, 4 KOs) squaring off against Mike Perez (29-3-1, 20 KOs) of Cuba.
New Jersey middleweight Ian “The Young General” Green (18-2 with 12 KOs) will be in against Ohio’s Roy Barringer (10-4, 6 KOs). The fan-favorite Green enters this bout on the strength of six straight victories.
Lightweight Antonio Perez (9-0, 5 KOs) of Harrisburg, PA, will challenge local favorite Antonio Williams (16-0-1, 7 KOs) of Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
In addition, Newburgh, NY’s Tre’Sean Wiggins (16-5-3, 9 KOs) will collide against Chicago’s own Semajay Thomas (11-1, 8 KOs) in a welterweight attraction.
The fight card will be broadcast on Pay Per View via Triller TV, DonKing.com and Itube247.com.
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Mikaelian out of title defense due to sparring injury
WBC cruiserweight champion Noel “The Dark Horse” Mikaelian (27-2, 12 KOs) has been forced out of his world title defense against Canada's Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1, 19 KOs) due to a cut near his eye. Mikaelian suffered the injury while preparing for his June 7th showdown. Although disappointed, Mikaelian says that he will be ready for Don King’s next show: “I’m sorry to my fans and the boxing community. I’ll be ready to return to action and defend my world title in time for Don King’s next massive event.”
“This is why we have so many fights on the card,” said King. “June 7th’s Fists of Fury will still have multiple [fights] on the line for boxing fans, and Mikaelian will be back to defend his title as soon as possible.”
Featured on the “Fists of Fury” event taking place at the Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL, will be a clash between one of the sport’s most decorated fighters, former four-division champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner (35-4-1, 24 KOs) taking on Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (16-1-1, 10 KOs). This bout marks Broner’s journey back to a world title opportunity while Cobbs returns to the ring for the first time in nearly two years.
A heavyweight special attraction title bout will spotlight Cassius Chaney (23-1, 16 KOs) of New London, CT who will battle Michael “The Bounty” Hunter (21-2-2, 15 KOs) of Las Vegas. American Championship belt.
Recently added to the show is a cruiserweight attraction featuring Sarasota, FL’s Johnnie Langston (11-3, 4 KOs) squaring off against Mike Perez (29-3-1, 20 KOs) of Cuba.
New Jersey middleweight Ian “The Young General” Green (18-2 with 12 KOs) will be in against Ohio’s Roy Barringer (10-4, 6 KOs). The fan-favorite Green enters this bout on the strength of six straight victories.
Lightweight Antonio Perez (9-0, 5 KOs) of Harrisburg, PA, will challenge local favorite Antonio Williams (16-0-1, 7 KOs) of Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
In addition, Newburgh, NY’s Tre’Sean Wiggins (16-5-3, 9 KOs) will collide against Chicago’s own Semajay Thomas (11-1, 8 KOs) in a welterweight attraction.
The fight card will be broadcast on Pay Per View via Triller TV, DonKing.com and Itube247.com.
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ESPN+ to stream Taylor vs. Caterall II |
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ESPN+ will broadcast the highly anticipated rematch between former world junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor (pictured) and Jack Catterall this Saturday, May 25th at 3:15 p.m. ET/12:15 p.m. PT exclusively in the U.S. The event takes place at First Direct Arena in Leeds, England. Since the controversial split decision in February 2022, when Taylor (19-1, 13 KOs) protected his unbeaten record to retain his undisputed junior welterweight title, he and Catterall (28-1, 13 KOs) have been engaged in a heated war of words. The fierce rivals will go head-to-head again in Saturday’s twelve-round junior welterweight contest in an eagerly anticipated rematch. Calling the action will be Hall of Famer Timothy Bradley, Jr. and Bernardo Osuna, who was recently inducted into the National Boxing Hall of Fame. ESPN UK’s James Regan will be on the ground in Leeds, providing the latest news from the pre-fight press conference, weigh-in, and fight night. Here is Saturday's ESPN+ line-up, starting at 3:15 p.m. ET/12:15 p.m. PT:
Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall 2, twelve rounds, junior welterweight;
Cheavon Clarke vs. Ellis Zorro, twelve rounds, vacant British cruiserweight title; and
Paddy Donovan vs. Lewis Ritson, ten rounds, welterweight.
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ESPN+ to stream Taylor vs. Caterall II
ESPN+ will broadcast the highly anticipated rematch between former world junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor (pictured) and Jack Catterall this Saturday, May 25th at 3:15 p.m. ET/12:15 p.m. PT exclusively in the U.S. The event takes place at First Direct Arena in Leeds, England. Since the controversial split decision in February 2022, when Taylor (19-1, 13 KOs) protected his unbeaten record to retain his undisputed junior welterweight title, he and Catterall (28-1, 13 KOs) have been engaged in a heated war of words. The fierce rivals will go head-to-head again in Saturday’s twelve-round junior welterweight contest in an eagerly anticipated rematch. Calling the action will be Hall of Famer Timothy Bradley, Jr. and Bernardo Osuna, who was recently inducted into the National Boxing Hall of Fame. ESPN UK’s James Regan will be on the ground in Leeds, providing the latest news from the pre-fight press conference, weigh-in, and fight night. Here is Saturday's ESPN+ line-up, starting at 3:15 p.m. ET/12:15 p.m. PT:
Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall 2, twelve rounds, junior welterweight;
Cheavon Clarke vs. Ellis Zorro, twelve rounds, vacant British cruiserweight title; and
Paddy Donovan vs. Lewis Ritson, ten rounds, welterweight.
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Elvis Rodriguez rejoins the Top Rank family |
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Junior welterweight Elvis Rodriguez (15-1-1, 13 KOs) has signed a long-term promotional contract with Top Rank, the company that guided him from 2019 to 2021. Rodriguez is scheduled to fight in a ten-rounder on Saturday, June 29th on the Teofimo Lopez-Steve Claggett undercard at James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida. “Elvis Rodriguez is a supreme talent, and we are thrilled that he’s decided to re-join the Top Rank family,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “There are many great fights for Elvis at 140 pounds, and if he fights up to his potential, he will be a world champion one day.”
“It truly feels great to be back home. I have always felt like a Top Rank fighter," Rodriguez said. "Top Rank made me a star, and they will make me a champion. I am looking forward to June 29th. Elvis will finally be back in the building! It’s been a long layoff, the longest of my career, but I am 100 percent focused on June 29th.”
“We are very excited and happy to be back with Top Rank. Elvis is such an exciting fighter, and he brings much-needed excitement to the sport,” said Benny Lieblein, Rodriguez’s manager. “We are looking for an opportunity at the top guys in the division, and we believe Top Rank can get us those fights. All these guys have been choosing the path of least resistance. With Top Rank keeping him active and using their promotional power, they won’t be able to avoid us much longer.”
Rodriguez, trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach, emerged in the sport inside Top Rank's Las Vegas Bubble during the pandemic. From July 2020 to February 2021, he went 5-0 with four knockouts, demonstrating power from the southpaw stance. His momentum temporarily stalled after being upset by Kenneth Sims Jr. in May 2021. Since his Top Rank departure, Rodriguez has gone 4-0, including a February 2023 decision verdict over Joseph Adorno. He made a serious statement that July, stopping former champion Viktor Postol in seven rounds, but has not fought since then.
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Elvis Rodriguez rejoins the Top Rank family
Junior welterweight Elvis Rodriguez (15-1-1, 13 KOs) has signed a long-term promotional contract with Top Rank, the company that guided him from 2019 to 2021. Rodriguez is scheduled to fight in a ten-rounder on Saturday, June 29th on the Teofimo Lopez-Steve Claggett undercard at James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida. “Elvis Rodriguez is a supreme talent, and we are thrilled that he’s decided to re-join the Top Rank family,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “There are many great fights for Elvis at 140 pounds, and if he fights up to his potential, he will be a world champion one day.”
“It truly feels great to be back home. I have always felt like a Top Rank fighter," Rodriguez said. "Top Rank made me a star, and they will make me a champion. I am looking forward to June 29th. Elvis will finally be back in the building! It’s been a long layoff, the longest of my career, but I am 100 percent focused on June 29th.”
“We are very excited and happy to be back with Top Rank. Elvis is such an exciting fighter, and he brings much-needed excitement to the sport,” said Benny Lieblein, Rodriguez’s manager. “We are looking for an opportunity at the top guys in the division, and we believe Top Rank can get us those fights. All these guys have been choosing the path of least resistance. With Top Rank keeping him active and using their promotional power, they won’t be able to avoid us much longer.”
Rodriguez, trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach, emerged in the sport inside Top Rank's Las Vegas Bubble during the pandemic. From July 2020 to February 2021, he went 5-0 with four knockouts, demonstrating power from the southpaw stance. His momentum temporarily stalled after being upset by Kenneth Sims Jr. in May 2021. Since his Top Rank departure, Rodriguez has gone 4-0, including a February 2023 decision verdict over Joseph Adorno. He made a serious statement that July, stopping former champion Viktor Postol in seven rounds, but has not fought since then.
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French update: Riviere to face Sangue for third time |
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French lightweight Anthony Riviere (12-6-1 with 2 KOs) will be looking to close a chapter on a domestic rivalry when he fights his countryman Alain Sangue (14-9-2 with 3 KOs), in a rubber-match on June 7th in his hometown of Blagnac. Riviere defeated Sangue by split decision in a non-title fight in March of last year but in June, Riviere lost a rematch by split decision. Riviere then came up short again in December, dropping a majority decision to Khalil El Hadri.
Born in Cameroon, Sangue, at age 23, is the younger man by four years, and enters his third clash with Riviere with momentum, having won their most recent bout. Before that he had sandwiched the loss to Riviere between victories over Nathan Laib (9-0) and Kodjo Yetongnon (11-5-3). As previous results show, this is such an evenly matched fight that its anyone's guess who will emerge as the winner, but its safe to say that both will, again, do everything they can to win.
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French update: Riviere to face Sangue for third time
French lightweight Anthony Riviere (12-6-1 with 2 KOs) will be looking to close a chapter on a domestic rivalry when he fights his countryman Alain Sangue (14-9-2 with 3 KOs), in a rubber-match on June 7th in his hometown of Blagnac. Riviere defeated Sangue by split decision in a non-title fight in March of last year but in June, Riviere lost a rematch by split decision. Riviere then came up short again in December, dropping a majority decision to Khalil El Hadri.
Born in Cameroon, Sangue, at age 23, is the younger man by four years, and enters his third clash with Riviere with momentum, having won their most recent bout. Before that he had sandwiched the loss to Riviere between victories over Nathan Laib (9-0) and Kodjo Yetongnon (11-5-3). As previous results show, this is such an evenly matched fight that its anyone's guess who will emerge as the winner, but its safe to say that both will, again, do everything they can to win.
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