Fightnews.com

Coming off a two-and-a-half-year layoff, 39-year-old former two-time world champion Jean Pascal (36-6-1, 20 KOs) upset previously unbeaten IBF #1 light heavyweight Fanlong Meng (17-1, 10 KOs) by twelve round unanimous decision on Friday night from the ProBox TV Events Center in Plant City, Florida. The taller Meng connected cleanly over the first three rounds. Pascal upped the pressure in round four and his wild aggressions began landing more frequently in round five. Pascal dropped Meng at the end of round nine and closed the fight strong. Scores were 115-112, 114-113, 116-111.

Quarterfinals of the ProBox 140lb “Last Chance” tournament

Kendo Castañeda (18-5, 9 KOs) turned in by far the most impressive performance, winning by first round KO over Sonny Frederickson (21-6, 14 KOs). Castañeda laid out Frederickson with a left hook at 2:02.

In a close fight, local hero Joseph Fernandez (13-1, 4 KOs) advanced with an eight round unanimous decision over Zhiming Wang (11-4, 3 KOs). Scores were 77-75, 78-74, 78-74.

Michael Dutchover (15-2, 10 KOs) advanced with an eight round split decision over Clarence Booth (21-4, 13 KOs). Scores were 78-74, 77-75 Dutchover, 77-75 Booth.

In a good action fight, Antonio “Toño” Moran (27-5-1, 19 KOs) advanced with an eight round unanimous decision over Jeffrey Torres (10-2, 6 KOs). Scores were 79-73, 77-75, 77-75.

The semi-finals will be Castañeda vs. Fernandez, and Dutchover vs. Moran.

By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® caught with former 130lb champ Jamel Herring on the eve of his comeback fight, after losing the title to Shakur Stevenson, as he faces the undefeated Jamaine Ortiz on the Janibek-Dignum Top Rank card Saturday night at the Resorts World Event Center in Las Vegas and shown live on ESPN. Herring discussed his fight and relationship with the young, phenom Stevenson, the call he received to fight George Kambosos Jr. in case Devin Haney fell through and working with new trainer Manny Robles. And Herring also weighed in on the potential “Super Fight” between his old stablemate Terence “Bud” Crawford and his former Olympic teammate Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. and so much more in this exclusive interview.

By Joe Koizumi

May 18 is the memorial day that a miracle happened here in Japan in 1965 as huge underdog Masahiko “Fighting” Harada upset previously unbeaten “Golden Bantam” Eder Jofre to wrest the undisputed world bantamweight belt in Nagoya. It was fifty-seven years ago but this reporter, then an eighteen-year-old boxing-addict who already began writing for The Ring Magazine as a correspondent guided by the editor Nat Fleischer a year earlier, still remembers everything in detail on the historic event. I would like to write an untold story thereon. Continue reading “Jofre-Harada Encounter Remembered”

Zhanibek Alimkhanuly 160 vs. Danny Dignum 159
(WBO interim middleweight title)

Jamel Herring 135 vs. Jamaine Ortiz 135
Tiger Johnson 142.4 vs. Agustin Kucharski 143.2
Adam Lopez 126.8 vs. William Encarnacion 126.2
Karlos Balderas 132 vs. Ruben Cervera 130.8
Jessie Magdaleno 127.2 vs. Edy Valencia 126.8
Duke Ragan 127.6 vs. Victorino Gonzalez 127
Giovanni Cabrera 135.4 vs. Elias Araujo 135.4
Kasir Goldston 141.6 vs. Yaniel Alvarez 141.8
Charlie Sheehy 134.8 vs. Burnell Jenkins 133.6

The Steven Nelson-Louis Rose bout was canceled due to Nelson weighing in 6.6 pounds over the contracted weight of 173

Venue: Resorts World Las Vegas
Promoter: Top Rank
TV: ESPN

Felix Alvarado 112.6 vs. Luis Hernandez 112.8
Winston Guerrero 116.8 vs. Misael Acevedo 116.2
Josue Morales 113.2 vs. Gerardo Verde 111.2
Kevin Trafia 114.8 vs. Wilmer Blas 114.4
Bryan Jimenez 139.2 vs. Israel Lopez 140.4
Greyvin Mendoza vs. Manuel Gonzalez 134.2
Kevin Vivas 112.6 vs. Edwin Vallejos 113
Erick Rojas 123 vs. Wilbert Pantin 124

Promoter: WRAM Boxing (William Ramirez) and Nica Boxing (Pablo Osuna)
Site: Gymnasio Nicarao in Managua, Nicaragua
Show will be streamed live on the Nica Boxing Facebook page

Super welterweight JJ Metcalf (23-2, 14 KOs) hammered out a ten round unanimous decision over local hero and WBA #4 rated Kerman Lejarraga (34-3, 26 KOs) in a bout for the vacant WBA Continental title on Friday night at the Bilbao Arena in Bilbao, Spain. After ten tough, torrid rounds, scores were 97-94, 96-94, 96-95.

In a clash for the vacant EBU Euro flyweight title, unbeaten Jairo Noriega (12-0, 3 KOs) won a twelve round unanimous decision over 38-yeqr-old Angel Moreno (21-5-3, 6 KOs). Noriega dropped Moreno in round one and floored Moreno again in round five, but was forced to go the distance. Scores were 116-110, 118-109, 118-109.

Unbeaten welterweight Jon Miguez (17-0, 8 KOs) scored a sixth round KO over James Moorcroft (16-2, 5 KOs).

David Benavidez 166.5 vs. David Lemieux 166.25
(WBC interim super middleweight title)

Yoelvis Gomez 156.5 vs. Jorge Cota 156.5
Luis Nunez 126 vs. Jonathan Fierro 125.5

Venue: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Promoter: TGB Promotions
TV: Showtime

By Héctor Villarreal

Panamanian flyweight prospect, Azael “Candelilla” Villar (17-1-3, 13 KOs) and Dominican veteran warrior Jonathan “El Agua” Arias (17-18, 15 KOs) are both in weight and ready for their 8-round clash scheduled for Friday night on the main event of the international card, which is the first one sanctioned by the Colon´s Province Boxing Commission since December 14, 2018.

Azael Villar 110.6 vs Jonathan Arias 11.6
Carlouse Welch 232 vs John Cortez 240
Omir Rodriguez 152.8 vs Addir Sanchez 154
Kendrae Leatherwood 167.8 vs Dionisio Miranda 166
Carlos Ortega 109.2 vs Victor Berrio 109.2
Yunior Menendez 177 vs Robinson Aragon 179.6
Edwin Gamboa 159.5 vs Aristides Quintero 151.8
Nataly Delgado 126 vs Osiris Renteria 126
Samir Cuentas 142 vs Eric Macias 136.2
Tomas Villar 107.4 vs Pedro Muñoz 108.8

Arena Teofilo Alfonso “Panama Al” Brown, Colon City, Panama.

Joshua Buatsi 174.75 vs. Craig Richards 174.25
(WBA light heavyweight eliminator)

Alen Babic 208.4 vs. Adam Balski 210.25
(WBC bridgerweight silver title)

Robbie Davies Jr 139.75 vs. Javier Molina 139.75
(WBA Continental super lightweight title)

Chantelle Cameron 140 vs. Victoria Noelia Bustos 137.3
(WBC/IBF female super lightweight titles)

Venue: O2 Arena, London
Promoter: Matchroom
TV: DAZN

Middleweights Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly and Danny Dignum faced off at the final press conference for Saturday’s clash for the WBO interim middleweight world title at Resorts World Las Vegas.

Janibek Alimkhanuly: ““I think I’m one of the most avoided fighters. And I think in the future, many are going to continue to step aside. Many will not want to face me in the ring…I’ve been preparing for this fight for a very long time. I’ve learned a lot about him. I’ve learned about all of the mistakes that he does in the ring. I’ve learned what his weaknesses are. I’m going to be playing with him, and I’m going to be showing my ‘Qazaq Style’ of fighting.”

Danny Dignum: “I’m pleased the other fighters didn’t take this fight because otherwise I wouldn’t be sitting here now with the opportunity to box for the interim world title. The opportunity came up, and I just said yes straight away. I’ve boxed to try to prove myself, and now I’ve got the opportunity, and I’ve grabbed it with both hands…I’m going to cause a big upset. I’m going to gain a lot of fans. I’m looking forward to that.”

Unbeaten two-time world champion David “El Bandera Roja” Benavídez and former world champion David Lemieux went face-to-face at the final press conference Thursday as they previewed their 12-round showdown for the vacant WBC interim super middleweight title which headlines live on Showtime this Saturday, May 21 from Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

David Benavídez: “The people are paying good money to see a knockout, and that’s what they’re going to get. I’m leaving with the title on Saturday night.”

David Lemieux: “People are going to see that I’m a serious contender in the super middleweight division when I get that belt around me.”

More quotes

After consultation with camps of Ryan “King” Garcia and Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, it has been confirmed that both fighters had prior scheduled fights, consequently the process ordered by The WBC has been now cancelled. The door remains open for a possible match in the future between these two sensational fighters.

Mauricio Sulaiman
WBC President

By Bob Ryder

Promoter Vick Green (Pulse Boxing) presents hometown favorite Thomas Mattice in a eight round super featherweight main event as he takes on Philippines’ Jessie Cris Rosales at the Civic Center in Cleveland Heights this Saturday night. Mattice currently stands at (17-3-1, 13 KOs) and will be looking to rebound from a loss in his last bout, a close decision loss to Luis Melendez in Las Vegas. Rosales (23-4-1, 10 KOs) won his last contest in his native country and has fought Shakur Stevenson and Jhonny Gonzalez so Mattice will need to be sharp as he seeks to regain his winning form. Continue reading “Boxing Back In Cleveland”

Kenny Robles 138.8 vs. James Bernadin 138.9
(NBA Americas jr. welterweight title)

Victor Padilla 135.9 vs. Jesus Perez 136
Thanjhae Teasley 144.8 vs. Jetter Burgos 145.8
James Martin 156.5 vs. Lukasz Baranasz 157.5

Venue: 2300 Arena
Promoter: King’s Promotions
1st Bell: 7 PM ET
Stream: BXNGTV.com

IBF #1 Fanlong Meng (17-0, 10 KOs) and former two-time world champion Jean Pascal (35-6-1, 20 KOs) made weight for their clash on Friday at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida. Meng weighed 174.4, while Pascal scaled in at 175. The bout can be seen at proboxtv.com.

Hometown favorite Kerman Lejarraga (153.8) and James Metcalf (153.9) weigh in ahead of their EBU European super welterweight title fight tomorrow night in Bilbao, Spain. The bout can be seen live on DAZN.

“The last two fights became too easy for me. I was just knocking guys out. For this fight, I trained like an MF,” said bridgerweight Alen Babic at Thursday’s Buatsi-Richards press conference in London. Babic (10-0, 10 KOs) faces Adam Balski (16-1, 9 KOs) in a twelve-rounder for the WBC silver bridger title on DAZN.

“I expect this to be another knockout, a crazy knockout, because I’m not going to go out there to box. I’m back to my old self. I’m not going to try something new, I’m just going to try to run over this guy. I’m going for it from the first second!“

DAZN and Golden Boy have announced a new multi-year, multi-fight agreement. This venture expands on the relationship that started in 2018 with a five-year deal. The partnership will include championship fight nights alongside a new prospect development series – Golden Boy Fight Night on DAZN – a monthly boxing series hosted by boxing broadcaster Beto Duran and boxing Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins. Additional events to follow in 2022 will include the return of undefeated stars Jaime Munguia, Ryan Garcia, and Vergil Ortiz, Jr. in June, July, and August, respectively.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney has touched down in Australia without his father and trainer Bill Haney but he is still confident of defeating IBF, WBA, WBO, and WBC Franchise lightweight champion George “Ferocious” Kambosos on June 5 (June 4 in the USA) at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. The elder Haney was denied a visa due to a 30-year-old drug conviction.

Devin Haney will instead be trained by Yoel Judah, the father and trainer of former world champion Zab Judah.

Unbeaten two-time world champion David “El Bandera Roja” Benavídez and former world champion David Lemieux officially kicked off fight week events with a media workout at Central Boxing Gym on Wednesday ahead of their 12-round showdown for the vacant WBC interim super middleweight title which headlines live on Showtime this Saturday from Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

David Benavidez: “I definitely want to go out there and follow my game plan. I don’t care [if the KO] comes in the first, second, fifth or 12th round. When it comes, it comes. I visualize everything I’m going to do in the ring…I just hit the weight yesterday and now everything is amazing. We took that stress off the table after four months of hard work. Now, I’m excited to go out there, fight for the title and give the fans a great fight.”

David Lemieux: “If he wants a war, he’ll get a war. I’m strong and I’ve very confident in my abilities. I know he’s a very strong fighter, but we have a plan going in against him. We’re not worried and we will do what we have to do to be at our best on fight night. David Benavídez will have his hands full on Saturday night…he’s a great fighter and you can’t take anything away from him, but he’s never fought David Lemieux and he will see what that means on Saturday night. I know what I’m going in there against. Does he know what he’s going in against?”

Undefeated WBA “regular” super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr. (6-0, 5 KOs) has his eyes on the main event this Saturday night between David Benavidez and David Lemieux.

“I am watching Benavidez vs. Lemieux carefully this weekend on Showtime” said Morrell. “I want the winner, and I am not being shy about it. I feel I am the best fighter in the division, and it is clear that no one wants to fight me. So, I have to call people out because I am so heavily avoided.” Continue reading “Morrell: I’m going to knock Benavidez out cold”

A group of elite Cuban boxers are preparing to make their professional debuts against Mexican fighters this Friday at the Palenque de la Feria de San Marcos in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

That evening, we will see in the ring amateur stars Lázaro Álvarez, Olympic medalist in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, Roniel Iglesias, medalist in Beijing 2008 and Tokyo 2020, Feliciano Hernández amateur champion 2021, Arlen López, medalist Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020; and Julio Cesar La Cruz medalist in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

These will be the first Cuban amateur fighters to fight professionally after the Cuban Boxing Federation gave the green light in April for their participation in paid boxing. Continue reading “Cuban boxers set for debuts in Mexico”

By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® caught up with the undefeated WBO-NABO super middleweight champ Steven “So Cold” Nelson (17-0, 14 KOs) who fights this Saturday night against Louis Rose (17-3, 7 KOs) on the Janibek-Dignum Top Rank card at Resorts World Las Vegas. Nelson talked about his relationship with pound-for-pound great Terence “Bud” Crawford, his stint in the Army where he took up boxing, his many interests outside the ring that includes learning how to fly. He also shared his thoughts on the potential super showdown between Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. in this exclusive interview.

_

Light heavyweights Fanlong Meng and Jean Pascal faced off at the final press conference for their clash Friday night at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida. The action can be seen thru the ProBox app.

The card will also feature the quarterfinals of the ProBox “Last Chance” tournament featuring eight fighters in the 140lb division. All were once-promising boxers who have stumbled in recent bouts. The winner of the tournament will get a Last Chance at revitalizing his career.

The lineup:
Zhiming Wang (11-3, 3 KOs) vs. Francisco Armenta (12-1, 4 KOs)
Kendo Castañeda (17-5, 8 KOs) vs. Sonny Frederickson (21-5, 14 KOs)
Michael Dutchover (15-2, 10 KOs) vs. Clarence Booth (21-4, 13 KOs)
Antonio “Toño” Moran (26-5-1, 19 KOs) vs. Jeffrey Torres (10-1, 6 KOs)

Former world champion and undefeated middleweight Jaime Munguia (39-0, 31 KOs) will return to Anaheim’s Honda Center on June 11 to face off against former world title challenger, Jimmy “Kilrain” Kelly (26-2, 10 KOs) of Manchester, UK. The 12-rounder, which will be contested at super middleweight, will stream live on DAZN worldwide, excluding Mexico.

“I am very excited to return to Anaheim and fight in front of all the fans against a high-quality English rival like Kelly,” said Munguia. “It won’t be an easy night, but we are preparing very hard. This new edition of Mexico vs. England will be very exciting for all fight fans, and I am convinced that I will pass this test and be on my way to a world title soon!”