Fightnews.com

Queensberry returns to the historic York Hall in London on Friday with a show topped by the super bantamweight collision between unbeaten Dennis “The Menace” McCann (14-0, 8 KOs) and Ionut “Il Capo” Baluta (16-4, 3 KOs) for the WBO Intercontinental title belt.

Dennis McCann: He is more like my grandfather…I chose him and he didn’t choose me. He was moaning and groaning and didn’t want to take the fight because he knows what I’m about. You will see a big, strong Dennis McCann and I think this is where the KOs will start coming in…it is going to be a demolition job.

Ionut Baluta: “I am the boss, I am known as Il Capo, the Godfather, and on Friday he will find this out because I am in England again to win the belt…I am not going to be knocked out, I did want the fight and I always said yes to it. On Friday you will see why I am called the Godfather and that doesn’t mean the grandfather.”

Undisputed super middleweight world champion Canelo Álvarez and undisputed junior middleweight world champion Jermell Charlo faced off for the first time on Tuesday at a kickoff press conference in New York to preview their showdown that headlines a Showtime PPV on September 30 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Canelo Alvarez: “Thank you to Jermell for taking this fight. I’m very happy to be in this position and to be in big fights. Jermell is a great fighter who takes on big challenges just like I do. I always take risks…it’s good that people are saying I’ve lost a step. It’s fine. I know why I didn’t look as good in my last two fights. I know why and I’m different now…we’re going to find out if he’s got enough on September 30.

Jermell Charlo: “Me and my brother Jermall have been putting on for boxing and it’s our time now. A lot of people are worried about the wrong things. When you want to win something this big, you have to risk it all…I don’t have any excuses. Whatever happens happens. I came here to win this fight. I’m not laying down. I don’t care what anyone says…I’m gonna be training my ass off. ”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán / WBC President

This past Saturday we remembered, with great nostalgia, a legendary champion who left us on the path of no return after suffering a tragic car accident, Salvador Sánchez.

Sal Sánchez died on August 12, 1982, as he was driving his Porsche on the way to start his camp for what would have been a legendary fight against Alexis Argüello. This great Mexican champion achieved a record of 44 wins, 32 by KO, a controversial loss by split decision, and a draw also in the midst of controversy. Continue reading “The Unforgettable Salvador Sánchez”

ProBox TV resumes their Wednesday Night Fight series on August 23 at the Whitesands Event Center in Plant City, Florida. The headliner is a clash between unbeaten super welterweights as Raul Garcia (13-0-1, 11 KOs) will collide with Leonardo Ruiz (12-0, 8 KOs) .

The evening’s chief support will see lightweight Justin Pauldo (15-1, 7 KOs) collide with Eduardo Estela (14-2, 9 KOs) in a ten-rounder. Pauldo signed with ProBox two months ago and is managed by Jolene Mizzone. Continue reading “Unbeaten super welters collide Aug 23”

Exciting unbeaten 18-year-old Philippines-born prospect Arvin Jhon (AJ) Paciones (4-0, 3 KOs) will attempt to win his first professional title this Sunday versus countryman Jonathan Refugio (22-9-5, 8 KOs). The twelve round bout will take place at the Saigon Sports Club in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam with the WBA Asia light flyweight championship at stake.

It’s a big step up for Paciones, but he is confident that he’s ready for this opportunity to win a professional belt. Continue reading “Teen prospect AJ Paciones steps up Sunday”

Heavyweights Joey Dawejko (25-10-4, 14 KOs) and Colby Madison (11-5-2, 7 KOs) will once again do battle on Friday night, September 15th at The Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia. Their first fight on May 2 was a crowd-pleaser that saw Dawejko pound out a six-round unanimous decision at the same venue. This time the fight will be scheduled for eight-rounds. The card is promoted by King’s Promotions.

Emiliano “El General” Vargas (6-0, 5 KOs) will make his ESPN-televised debut on September 15 at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, more than 18 years after his father “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas headlined at the venue. Vargas returns just one month after scoring a second-round stoppage victory against Jorge Luis Marquez Alvarado last Saturday at Desert Diamond Arena. He will fight in a six-round clash against an opponent to be named.

Vargas’ return will open the televised tripleheader headlined by the IBF featherweight world title showdown between reigning champion Luis Alberto “El Venado” Lopez and two-time world title challenger Joet Gonzalez.

In the 10-round junior middleweight co-feature, Xander Zayas takes on Roberto Valenzuela Jr.

Despite overcoming several pre-fight distractions and challenges in the weeks and months leading up to his title-winning victory over legendary four-weight world champion Nonito Donaire, newly crowned WBC bantamweight champion Alexandro “Peque” Santiago says the truly difficult part of his veteran career starts now.

Fighting on the televised undercard of the Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford pay-per-view superfight on Saturday, July 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Santiago (28-3-5, 14 KOs), from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, notched a unanimous decision victory over “The Filipino Flash” Donaire by scores of 115-113, 116-112 and 116-112.

The victory was made even more impressive by the fact that Santiago trained for the fight while also welcoming the birth of his son less than two months earlier, the fight being rescheduled from its original date of July 15 last minute, and his family duplex partially burning down on June 30. Continue reading “WBC champ Santiago overcame obstacles”

Photos: Sumio Yamada

Check out this GIANT Navarrete-Valdez photo gallery for some incredible shots. Also includes action from Torrez-Jake.

Photos

Super welterweight Chordale “The Gift” Booker (20-1, 9 KOs) scored a seventh round knockout against Nicolas Hernandez (27-7-3, 12 KOs) on Saturday night in front of a capacity crowd of 4,235 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Booker turned in a masterful performance dropping Hernandez twice in round seven to end it. Time was at 2:41. With the win, Booker retained the WBC US title that he won at the same venue in April of this year.

In the co-feature, 47-year-old former world champion Jaime “The Hurricane” Clampitt (25-6-2, 7 KOs) continued her successful comeback, nearly shutting out tough Ecuadorian Josefina Vega (9-6, 4 KOs) for a unanimous eight round decision in a super lightweight contest. Scores were 80-72 (2x) and 78-74. Continue reading “Booker hammers Hernandez”

WBO junior lightweight Emanuel Navarrete spoke about his win over Oscar Valdez Saturday evening in front of 10,246 fans at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

On the fight…

“I feel happy to have been part of this card and of this next great chapter of Mexican boxing history. I am happy and appreciate Oscar for the great fight that we delivered.”

On the hand injury…

“There was some inflammation in my right hand. And the more I used it, the more it hurt. But I had to overcome it.”

On a rematch…

“I think the people can best talk about what they saw. They saw the fight tonight. I was here fighting with Valdez. And I feel good. Thank God, I won. I appreciate what he did in the ring. He is a Mexican warrior. If the people want a rematch, they will demand it.”

Judges Lisa Giampa (119-109) and Chris Wilson (118-110) weren’t giving much to Valdez. Judge Zachary Young had it 116-112, the same way we scored it.

According to Compubox, Navarrete had a wide edge over Valdez in the stats.

TOTAL PUNCHES THROWN
Navarrete: 1038
Valdez: 436
TOTAL PUNCHES LANDED (BODY)
Navarrete: 216 (16)
Valdez: 140 (32)
CONNECT PERCENTAGE
Navarrete: 21%
Valdez: 32%

TOTAL JABS THROWN
Navarrete: 434
Valdez: 118
TOTAL JABS LANDED
Navarrete: 40
Valdez: 26
CONNECT PERCENTAGE
Navarrete: 9%
Valdez: 222%

TOTAL POWER PUNCHES THROWN
Navarrete: 684
Valdez: 318
TOTAL POWER PUNCHES LANDED
Navarrete: 176
Valdez: 114
CONNECT PERCENTAGE
Navarrete: 29%
Valdez: 36%

In a highly anticipated clash, WBO junior lightweight world champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete (38-1, 31 KOs) successfully defended his title in a war with former two-weight champion Oscar Valdez (31-2, 23 KOs) on Saturday night at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Navarrete’s six-inch reach advantage, awkward combinations, and high punch volume gave Valdez all kinds of problems. Valdez was more economical but landed hard shots. Navarrete suffered an injury to his right hand in round nine. Valdez tried to put on more pressure in round ten but Navarrete continued to fight hard with both hands and targeted Valdez’ rapidly closing right eye. Navarrete closed strong to win a unanimous decision 116-112, 118-110, 119-109. Rematch anyone?

Former world champion Emmanuel “Manny” Rodriguez (22-2, 13 KOs) scored a one-sided twelve round unanimous decision over Melvin “Melo” Lopez (29-2, 19 KOs) to reclaim the vacant IBF bantamweight title formerly held by Naoya Inoue on Saturday night at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Rodriguez steadily outworked Lopez the entire fight. Late in the fight, Rodriguez’s right eye was badly swollen, but despite that, he dropped Lopez three times in round twelve. Scores were 120-105 3x.

Unbeaten junior welterweight and 2016 Olympian Lindolfo Delgado (18-0, 13 KOs) outpointed Jair Valtierra (16-3, 8 KOs) in a tactical ten-rounder that drew boos from the crowd in the Navarrete-Valdez co-feature on Saturday night at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Scores were 98-92, 99-91, 99-91.

Unbeaten 2020 Olympic super heavyweight silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (6-0, 6 KOs) crushed Willie Jake Jr. (11-4-2, 3 KOs) in the first round. Torrez dropped Jake face first, then finished him with a barrage of punches. Time was 1:22.

Unbeaten lightweight “El General” Emiliano Vargas (6-0, 5 KOs), son of ring legend Fernando Vargas, annihilated “Bad Boy” Jorge Luis Marquez Alvarado (3-6-1, 2 KOs) in round two. Alvarado came out very aggressively and maybe even shaded round one. The creme rose to the top in round two, however, as Vargas dropped Alvarado twice to end it. Time was 2:17.

Unbeaten 6’9 heavyweight prospect Antonio Mireles (8-0, 7 KOs) stopped 391-pound Dajuan Calloway (7-3, 7 KOs) with a barrage of unanswered punches in round six. Time was 1:38.

Other Results:
Sergio Rodriguez TKO2 Eduardo Ayala (middleweight)
Ricardo Ruvalcaba TKO2 Adrian Orban (junior welterweight)

In a clash between unbeaten super lightweights, Gary Antuanne Russell (17-0, 17 KOs) knocked out Kent Cruz (16-1-3, 10 KOs) in the first round on Saturday night in the Rodriguez-Lopez co-feature at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.. Cruz down twice. Time was 2:39. This was Russell’s eighth first round KO.

In a clash between unbeaten welterweights, 36-year-old two-time Olympian “Capitan” Gabriel Maestre (6-0-1, 5 KOs) destroyed highly regarded Travon Marshall (8-1, 7 KOs) in round two. Maestre dropped Marshall hard in round two, then finished him with another knockdown after a furious barrage. Time was 2:06. WBA #7 Maestre, an 8:1 underdog, was supposed to be a sacrificial lamb in this fight, but it didn’t work out that way.

In a clash between unbeaten bantamweights, Michael Angeletti (9-0, 7 KOs) outpointed Jonathan Lopez (8-1-2, 4 KOs) over eight rounds by scores of 79-73, 79-73, 80-72.

Former world title challenger Jose Benavidez Jr. (28-2-1, 19 KOs) was victorious when the corner of Sladan Janjanin (36-16, 26 KOs) kept their man on the stool after round five in a middleweight match.

Former world title challenger Damien Vazquez (17-3-1, 9 KOs) stopped Jeronil Borres (12-9-2, 6 KOs) in round six of a bantamweight battle. Borres down three times in round six.

Former world title challenger Jesse Hart (29-3, 23 KOs) stopped Elio Trosch (15-11-2, 7 KOs) in round two of a light heavyweight affair.

Two-time former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs) knocked out late sub Robert “The Nordic Nightmare” Helenius (32-5, 21 KOs) in round seven on Saturday night at The O2 Arena in London. Tactical fight early on. AJ landed a few right hands. Helenius mainly worked the jab to the head and body. Joshua upped the pressure in round five. Helenius looked tired in round six, but AJ didn’t let his hands go.

AJ finally laid out Helenius with a huge right hand in round seven. Time was 1:27.

Helenius replaced Dillian Whyte on five days’ notice after Whyte tested positive for a banned substance.

Next up for Joshua could be Deontay Wilder.

Matchroom tonight announced four upcoming events in the USA and Mexico for the second half of 2023 live worldwide on DAZN.

September 15
Angel Fierro (21-1-2, 17 KOs) vs. Brayan Zammaripa (13-1, 4 KOs)
Auditorio Municipal Fausto Gutierrez Moreno in Tijuana, BCN, Mexico
WBO NABO lightweight title

September 23
Richardson Hitchins (16-0, 7 KOs) vs. Jose Zepeda (36-3, 27 KOs)
Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida
WBC Silver and IBF North American super lightweight titles

November 18
Diego Pacheco (19-0, 16 KOs) vs. Marcelo Coceres (32-5-1, 18 KOs)
YouTube Theater in Los Angeles
WBO International and USWBC super middleweight titles

December 16
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (18-0, 11 KOs) vs. Sunny Edwards (20-0, 4 KOs)
Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona
IBF/WBO flyweight world title unification

Undefeated IBF #1, WBA #8, WBO #13, WBC #15 heavyweight Filip “El Animal” Hrgovic (16-0, 13 KOs) scored a sudden twelfth round TKO over previously unbeaten IBF #13, WBO #14 Demsey McKean (22-1, 14 KOs) to preserve his mandatory shot at unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night at The O2 Arena in London. Lots of rabbit punches were allowed in this fight. Hrgovic pressed the action and won the early rounds. McKean became more active midway. Hrgovic rocked McKean in round nine. A lot of holding by McKean for the rest of the way.

The bout looked like it was headed to a workmanlike decision for Hrgovic when he finally connected with a huge right hand that staggered McKean in the final round. McKean reeled around the ring and the bout was stopped. Time was 1:01.

In a clash between former heavyweight title challengers, Derek Chisora (34-12, 23 KOs) scored a ten round unanimous decision over Gerald Washington (20-6-1, 13 KOs). 39-year-old Chisora, coming off a WBC title shot against Tyson Fury in December, pressed the action against 41-year-old Washington in a slow-paced fight. Scores were 98-93, 97-94, 96-94.

Unbeaten heavyweight Johnny “The Romford Bull” Fisher (10-0, 9 KOs) stopped Harry Armstrong (5-2-1, 0 KOs) in round seven to claim the vacant English Southern Area title. Fisher dropped Armstrong in the first ten seconds, then seemingly punched himself out a bit trying unsuccessfully to get the finish. Fisher finally broke through again in round seven, dropping Armstrong, and getting the stoppage with his follow up barrage as Armstrong’s corner threw in the towel. Time was 1:19.

Super lightweight Campbell Hatton (13-0, 5 KOs), son of ring legend Ricky Hatton, outpointed Tom Ansell (10-5, 2 KOs) over eight rounds by a score of 78-74.

Other Results:
George Liddard W6 Bas Oosterweghel (middleweight)
Brandon Scott W6 Louis Norman (featherweight)
Maiseyrose Courtney W6 Gemma Ruegg (female super flyweight)

By Joe Koizumi

Unbeaten puzzling southpaw IBF #5 Ryosuke Nishida (8-0, 1 KO), 118, pounded out a unanimous decision (116-112, 117-111, 118-110) over IBF#6 Christian Medina (21-4, 14 KOs), 117.75, in an IBF bantamweight eliminator to decide the next mandatory challenger over twelve on Friday in Osaka, Japan. Nishida took the initiative with his superior skills over the hard-punching but less aggressive Mexican all the way. Medina, in rounds five and seven, connected with solid left hooks to the cheek of Nishida, who, however, controlled the fight with speed and skills.

Promoter: KWORLD3 Promotions.

Undefeated WBO #2, WBC #10 super featherweight “Prince” Albert Bell (24-0, 7 KOs) stopped Presco “Iceman” Carcosia (11-3-1, 9 KOs) after five one-sided rounds on Friday night at the OTE Arena in Atlanta. Bell was too quick and too slick for Carcosia. Bell dropped Carcosia in round five and Carcosia’s corner kept him on his stool after the round. With the win, Bell claimed the WBC OTX title.

Bell will now be heading to Las Vegas to see the clash between WBO champion Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez as he is in line to fight the winner. Continue reading “WBC#2 Bell dings Carcosia, stays unbeaten”

Both Anthony Joshua and Robert Helenius got into a bit of psychological warfare during today’s final face-off. Joshua seemed triggered by Helenius mean-mugging him and he tried to provoke Helenius. Tomorrow in the ring we might see who intimidated who.

Joshua: You good? Good yeah?
Helenius: Yeah.
Joshua: Yeah, looking at me like you’ve got a problem or something. You got a problem with me?
Helenius: No one has got a problem.
Joshua: Seriously, is everything alright though?
Helenius glares at him.
Joshua: You know all this shit here don’t matter, like. Either we’re gonna fight now or we’re gonna fight tomorrow, like. Either way we’re gonna fight.
Helenius: Yeah
Joshua: So all this shit…acting up here don’t really mean shit to me unless you want to fight me here now. You know what I’m trying to say? So stav calm and stay cool.
Helenius: I am cool.
Joshua: Good.

Emanuel Navarrete 130 vs. Oscar Valdez 129.8
(WBO junior lightweight title)

Lindolfo Delgado 140.7 vs. Jair Valtierra 139.4
Richard 235.4 Torrez Jr vs. Willie Jake Jr 249.6
Emiliano Vargas 134.8 vs. Jorge Luis Marquez Alvarado 133.7
Antonio Mireles 270.7 vs. Dajuan Calloway 391.7
Sergio Rodriguez 161 vs. Eduardo Ayala 160
Ricardo Ruvalcaba 141.6 vs. Adrian Orban 141.5

Note: Navarrete initially weighed 130.1, then stripped down to make weight.

Venue: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Promoter: Top Rank
TV: ESPN, ESPN+

Manny Rodriguez 118 vs. Melo Lopez 117
(IBF bantamweight title)

Gary Antuanne Russell 138.4 vs. Kent Cruz 142.6
Travon Marshall 146.8 vs. Gabriel Maestre 146.6
Michael Angeletti 117.8 vs. Jonathan Lopez 118.2
Jose Benavidez Jr. 158.6 vs. Sladan Janjanin 160.6
Damien Vazquez 120 vs. Jeronil Borres 121.6

Notes: Rodriguez initially weighed in at 118.2, then he stripped down and made weight. Cruz weighed 2.6 pounds heavy and has an hour to lose the weight.

Venue: MGM National Harbor, Oxon Hill, Maryland
Promoter: TGB Promotions
TV: Showtime, YouTube/Facebook (undercard)