Fightnews.com

By Marco Bratusch

Davide Buccioni’s BBT Promotion has officially confirmed the vacant European Union (EU) featherweight contest between Michael Magnesi (13-0, 5 KOs), a recently signed BBT fighter, and Spanish rangy puncher John Carter Martinez (9-0-1, 5 KOs), promoted by Spain’s MGZ, will be disputed on February 22nd in Rome, Italy. Both men are young fighters who stylistically come to fight aggressively and that translates in solid expectation of entertainment for the scheduled main event. Continue reading “European Boxing Update”

WBA welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao and Adrien “The Problem” Broner went face-to-face Wednesday in Las Vegas at the final press conference before their PPV clash Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Manny Pacquiao: “I don’t need to dislike my opponent to want a knockout. I’m just doing my job in the ring. If the knockout comes, it comes. We’re hoping to have that opportunity Saturday. I have to pressure him to make him open up. Wherever he goes, I’ll be there.”

Adrien Broner: I’m going to beat him up and have a drink with him afterward. I grew up in boxing and I know what’s going on. It’s a business, but don’t get it twisted, I’m going to dominate and win.

Full Quotes

With four title belts at stake, 2019 will start with the World Boxing Association highlighting the presentation of Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao and Keith Thurman defending their respective titles, both on US soil.

This January 19th at the MGM Grand’s Arena Garden the legendary “Pacman” (60-7-2, 39 KOs) returns to action to defend for the first time the regular WBA Welterweight Championship he conquered just last year with a knockout over Argentinian Lucas Matthysse in Malaysia. Continue reading “WBA has four titles in play to start 2019”

Former super middleweight world champion Anthony Dirrell gets an opportunity to rejoin the championship ranks when he battles top contender Avni Yildirim for the vacant WBC super middleweight championship in the main event of Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 and FOX Deportes February 23 from The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Televised coverage begins with welterweight championship contender Jamal James fighting in his hometown for a third straight time against Janer González in a ten-round co-feature.

Consistent with the WBC Board of governors voting regarding the direct rematch between WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, the WBC has notified both camps that the free negotiation period is opened and if there is no agreement between the parties a purse bid will be conducted by the WBC on Tuesday, February 5th. The WBC has modified the 70-30 split and has confirmed a 60-40 split in favor of the champion Wilder considering the market value of Fury.

Boxeo Telemundo Ford kicks off its 30th consecutive year on television February 22 with an intriguing battle of Puerto Rico vs Mexico as Felix “Tutico” Zabala’s All Star Boxing presents Yomar “Magic” Alamo facing Manuel “Tormenta” Mendez over ten rounds for a WBO regional title live from Osceola Heritage Park Events Center in Kissimmee, Florida. Continue reading “Boxeo Telemundo returns Feb 22”

Ray Beltran’s road back to title contention begins Sunday, February 10. The former lightweight world champion will face the unbeaten Hiroki Okada in a 10-round super lightweight fight as the co-feature to the Jose Ramirez-Jose Zepeda super lightweight championship bout at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.

Ramirez-Zepeda and Beltran-Okada will headline a special Top Rank on ESPN card. The entire undercard, including the super bantamweight showdown between Genesis Servania and the undefeated Carlos Castro, will stream live on ESPN+

Rising heavyweight Daniel Dubois will have his tenth professional fight on March 8 when promoter Frank Warren returns boxing to the historic surroundings of the Royal Albert Hall in London. Dubois (9-0, 8 KOs) faces his toughest test to date in the shape of Romanian giant Razvan Cojanu (16-5, 9 KOs), who was scheduled to fight Dubois previously before Dubois succumbed to illness.

The iconic venue has previously staged some of the best fights in British boxing history. Only one professional boxing show has been staged at the Albert Hall in the last nearly 20 years, the occasion being when Billy Joe Saunders fought Tony Hill for the vacant Commonwealth title in April 2012. Continue reading “Dubois-Cojanu back on for March 8”

Manny Pacquiao and Adrien Broner arrived at MGM Grand in Las Vegas to a throng of excited fans for this Saturday’s WBA welterweight world championship. Here’s what the fighters had to say on Tuesday.

Manny Pacquiao: “I’m getting very excited for Saturday night, and I’m ready for Broner. Forty is just a number to me. My sparring partners are in their mid-20s…every day in training camp I have been strong, fresh and fast. I am not ready to retire; I am ready for my next fight.”

Adrien Broner: “I’m so focused that I don’t feel any of this hype surrounding the fight. This just starts another chapter in my book. I’m still writing my story and it’s going to have a happy ending.”

By Ray Wheatley — World of Boxing

Former WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn has challenged former IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook. Horn’s promoter Dean Lonergan told Sky Sports, “I’ve got a text into Eddie Hearn at the moment. My matchmaker has an email and a phone call into Eddie. We love this fight, to have Jeff Horn fight Kell Brook. We would definitely go to England. The boxing market up there is on fire and Kell Brook in Sheffield, which is where he comes from, you’re definitely going to be filling a stadium wherever he fights.”

WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (15-0, 11 KOs) and World of Boxing have signed a promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing USA and the Russian will defend his title against Joe Smith Jr (24-2, 20 KOs) with the date and venue to be confirmed at a press conference in New York this Friday. The bout can be seen live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

Dmitry Bivol: “I am glad to finally meet Joe in the ring. I saw his fights against Fonfara and Hopkins live and always wanted to test my skills against him! Thank you to World of Boxing, Matchroom Boxing USA, and DAZN – I hope to put on a great performance for everybody!”

Joe Smith Jr: “I am very excited for the opportunity to fight Bivol for the world championship. Everything I’ve worked for in and out of the gym was to better myself and become a world champion. All the hard work and my determination will pay off come fight night.”

With fight week underway in Las Vegas, former four-division world champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner hosted a media workout Monday at Barry’s Boxing in Las Vegas.

Broner, along with trainer Kevin Cunningham, have been finishing up training camp before he battles Manny Pacquiao for the World Boxing Association welterweight world title on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Adrien Broner

“Every fighter is different, but I know if I touch him flush, I’ll put him out. It’s no secret, he’s been to sleep before. I’m in shape and ready to go. We had a tremendous training camp. I could have made weight weeks ago. We’re prepared to go out and execute. I’ve been here before, and even though I haven’t been in a fight of exactly this magnitude, I’m just treating it like any other fight. He’s another opponent. Continue reading “Broner: I can take over boxing”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBC #3 heavyweight Tyson Fury has been made an offer from Eddie Hearn to challenge WBA, IBF, WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on April 13.

Eddie Hearn: “Fury, you can have the fight on the 13th, you know the terms. It’s not far off an equal split, same as we offered Wilder and fans must not think Joshua doesn’t want the fights. I am not saying if I have made an offer — make of that what you will — but Fury knows the money he’d make.”

ESPN and Top Rank today announced their first pay-per-view event under the Top Rank on ESPN banner as WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford puts his world title on the line against former unified 140-pound champion Amir “King” Khan on Saturday, April 20. Ticket and venue information will be revealed shortly. Details on the undercard will be announced soon.

Terence Crawford: “It’s always been my goal to fight the best fighters out there, and I look at Amir Khan as one of the top fighters in my division. I know some people are writing him off, but I am by no means overlooking him. He’s a former unified world champion, and come April 20, I’ll be looking to go out there to seek and destroy. I’m excited about this fight because I believe it can push my career to another level.”

Amir Khan: “I’m delighted to announce a much-anticipated world title fight with Terence Crawford, the current WBO welterweight world champion. The decision as to fighting Kell Brook or Crawford has been one of the most difficult decisions of my career to date. Clearly, the UK fans want to see Khan vs. Brook, but I could not turn down the opportunity to fight for the WBO title. That is not to say that the Brook fight won’t happen, as I want that fight to happen as soon as possible. Fighting a world champion won’t be easy, but this is exactly the challenge I need at this stage of my career. I am fully motivated and ready for the best training camp of my life. Crawford is beatable, and I want that WBO title. It’s going to be one hell of a fight.” Continue reading “Crawford-Khan PPV set for April 20”

By Miguel Maravilla

2018 proved to be another banner year for Zanfer Promotions as its stable crowned several new world champions and continued to deliver exciting fights. Fightnews.com caught up with Zanfer Promotions CEO Fernando Beltran, who discussed their plans for 2019.

“This will be a good year for us. I feel that we are on the rise of becoming one of the biggest platforms in boxing,” Beltran told Fightnews.com “The most important thing is that we are the biggest in Mexico.”

In addition to their international contests, Zanfer promotes a wildly popular weekly boxing telecast in Mexico on Azteca 7, la Casa de Boxeo. Beltran made it clear that his duty is to make the best fights possible for his stable of fighters and to give the fans great fights.

“We are the only promotional company working with everybody. Top Rank, Golden Boy, DAZN, and PBC,” Beltran said. Continue reading “Zanfer Planning for Another Great Year”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

In the main event of the first show celebrating this year’s Carnival of Champions, Ryoichi Tamura (12-3-1, 6 KOs), 121.75, acquired the vacant Japanese super-bantamweight belt by an upset decision (99-91 twice, 97-93) over Mugicha Nakagawa (AKA Yuta Nakagawa/his real name Yuta Takeda; 24-6-1, 14 KOs), 122, in a furious ten on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. Continue reading “Tamura upsets Nakagawa to win Japanese 122lb belt”

Middleweight king Demetrius Andrade believes being active will bring the best out of him as he prepares to defend his WBO World Middleweight title against Artur Akavov at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York on Friday night, live on DAZN in the US and Sky Sports in the UK.

Andrade (26-0 16KOs) puts the crown on the line for the first time since claiming the vacant belt in Boston in October, flooring number two ranked Walter Kautondokwa four times en-route to a comprehensive points win. Continue reading “Andrade: Being active will make me even better”

Today is WBA welterweight champion Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao’s final day of training camp. This Saturday, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Pacman will end his 26-month hiatus from a U.S. boxing ring against Adrien “The Problem” Broner. Co-trainer Freddie Roach doesn’t think Broner can keep up with the 40-year-old future Hall of Famer.

“Even at 29, Broner is too old to keep blowing up in weight between fights. It’s taken a toll on his body and his psychology,” Roach said. “He should be fighting at 135 or 140 pounds, but he lacks discipline. It’s obvious to me he has no confidence in his conditioning. Continue reading “Roach: Broner may fight to survive”

The IBF has ordered a purse bid for the mandatory defense of the featherweight title between champion Josh Warrington and #1 ranked contender Kid Galahad. Warrington was ordered to negotiate with Galahad on January 7, 2019. On January 12, the IBF received a written certification from Eddie Hearn on behalf of Kid Galahad and Matchroom Boxing indicating that they were no longer willing to participate in negotiations and requested an immediate purse bid pursuant to IBF Rule 10A. The purse bid for this bout will take place on Thursday, January 24, 2019 at 12 Noon.

Rob “Bravo” Brant upset the odds to win a world title. For title defense number one, he’s returning to his favorite stomping grounds. Brant, a native of St. Paul, Minn., will defend his WBA “regular” middleweight title against the unbeaten Khasan Baysangurov on Friday, February 15 at Grand Casino Hinckley.

Brant, who stunned Japanese superstar Ryota Murata Oct. 20 via unanimous decision to win the title, will be making his 12th professional appearance at Grand Casino Hinckley. Rounding out the ESPN-televised tripleheader will be rising bantamweight star Joshua Greer Jr. defending his WBC Continental Americas belt in a 10-rounder versus Giovanni “Little Giant” Escaner and Mikaela Mayer making the second defense of her NABF female super featherweight crown in an eight-rounder versus Yareli Larios.

Brant-Baysangurov, Greer-Escaner, and Mayer-Larios will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. The entire undercard will stream live on ESPN+

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

The 40th annual Carnival of Champions where all Japanese national champions are obliged to defend their belts against mandatory challengers started with unexpected results on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. The Korakuen Hall became a house of upsets.

Unheralded JBC#1 Norihito Tanaka (18-7, 10 KOs), 105, stunned the crowd when he displayed a remarkable opening attack, dropped WBC#13/WBA#13/IBF#12/WBO#5 defending titlist Shin Ono (23-10-3, 6 KOs), 105, with a smashing right in the third and accelerated his rallies to deck the champ again to cause the referee Biney Martin’s intervention at 0:22 of the eighth round in a scheduled ten. Continue reading “Tanaka upsets Ono to win Japanese 105lb belt”

WRAM Boxing (William Ramirez) and Nica Boxing (Pablo Osunsa) will kick off 2019 with a female world title fight in the main event as WBA super welterweight female world champion Hanna Gabriels (18-2-1, 11 KOs) of Costa Rica defends vs Sarah Dwyer of Australia. The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds. Gabriels impressed in her last bout, stepping up in weight against middleweight world champion Clarissa Shields. She had Shields down early and went on to drop a respectably close decision. Continue reading “Gabriels-Dwyer clash Jan 26 in Nicaragua”

Former IBF featherweight champion Lee Selby will make his big return to the ring on Saturday February 23 at The O2, London, on the James DeGale-Chris Eubank Jr. show. Selby kicks off 2019 with new and fresh ambitions as he makes a daring move up two weight classes to campaign in the talent-packed lightweight division and has targeted a second world title belt before the end of the year.

The Welsh star will face hard-hitting American Omar Douglas with a championship title on the line to be confirmed shortly that will support the mouth-watering showdown between bitter rivals DeGale and Eubank Jr in the UK debut event for Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) promoted by Poxon Sports. Continue reading “Lee Selby to face Omar Douglas Feb 23”

By Rocky Morales at ringside
Photos: Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions

Caleb “Sweet Hands” Plant (18-0, 10 KOr) captured the IBF super middleweight championship with a unanimous decision victory over defending champion, Jose Uzcategui (28-3, 23 KOr) on Sunday night at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. Plant got off to a blazing fast start with two knockdowns in the first four rounds, each with left hooks.

Uzcategui, however, remained the aggressor and came on strong in the middle rounds only to start fading in the late rounds. It was a war of attrition with Uzcategui looking fresher at the end while Plant was a bloody mess but comfortably ahead on the scorecards. Ultimately, Plant simply outboxed Uzcategui who was not busy enough and failed to keep his middle round momentum going. By unanimous scores of 116-110, 115-111 and 116-110, Plant becomes a world champion in his eighteenth professional bout. Continue reading “Plant dethrones Uzcategui, wins IBF 168lb title”

By Rocky Morales at ringside
Photos: Luis Mejia/TGB Promotions

Former unified super bantamweight champion Guillermo “El Chacal” Rigondeaux (18-1, 12 KOs) made his ring return a successful one with a first round knockout over Giovanni Delgado (16-9, 9 KOs) on Sunday night in a super bantamweight clash at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California.

Rigondeaux was fighting for the first time in 13 months following his loss to Vasiliy Lomachenko. A perfectly placed lead left cross landed flush on the chin of Delgado at the bell to put him down for the count at 3:00 of the first round of a scheduled eight round super bantamweight bout. This is the fourth consecutive time, three times in the last 10 months, that Delgado has been stopped. With the victory, the now 38-year-old Rigondeaux instantly becomes a title contender to fellow PBC fighters Leo Santa Cruz and Gary Russell Jr. Continue reading “Rigondeaux destroys Delgado in one round”