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“Golden Boy Promotions has exclusive rights to Ryan Garcia’s fights. The organizers of this event (Garcia vs. Anpo) have acknowledged as such and have agreed in writing that our sign-off is needed for this event to occur. As no such sign-off has been given, as of today there is no event with Ryan Garcia. ” – Golden Boy

Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza and Robeisy “El Tren” Ramirez thrilled fans with a Fight of the Year contender last December, and both look to pick up where their dramatic 12th round left off in their December 7 rematch at Phoenix’s Footprint Center. 6’1 Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) edged Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs) via majority decision to capture the WBO featherweight world title in ESPN’s Upset of the Year. From the time ring announcer Mark Shunock said “AND NEW,” a rematch appeared inevitable.

Rafael Espinoza: “I know it will be a war. And it’ll help that I can fight against any version of Ramirez. I’ll be ready whether he wants to fight at a close range or from a distance. Like I said before the first fight, I’m not leaving without the title…my top priority is to defeat Ramirez on December 7. After that, we’ll see who I can unify with. For now, my sole focus is beating Ramirez.”

Robeisy Ramirez: “In camp, my father got really sick. He almost passed away. That affected me a lot. My father is in Cuba, and I can’t go back. I couldn’t visit him in the hospital. So, that affected me greatly…a victory would put me where I belong. We have to see how this fight will unfold, but unification showdowns and fights against the best of the division are always on the table.”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

We are about to leave for Hamburg, Germany, to celebrate our annual Convention, which will be from December 8 to 13 in a city that will greet us with great Christmas spirit and a shimmer, with its traditions which are so special.

This week is a very special one in the United States, as the Thanksgiving holiday unites many families for memorable times together. May the spirit of unity and love reign in as many as possible. Stay away from the phone and computer, put it down and out and enjoy those who are close to you in person. This who really matters. Give thanks for what you have, as there are many who are not as fortunate.

The World Boxing Council was founded in 1963 when the then President of Mexico, Don Adolfo López Mateos, called a meeting in Mexico City of the most important commissions of the boxing world. Don Adolfo was a boxer in his youth, and was a passionate fan who saw that very few Mexicans obtained opportunities to fight for a world championship. From that meeting arose the establishment of the WBC on February 14, 1963, that being the first Convention.

Continue reading “The WBC Conventions”

Team GB Olympian Pat Brown has signed a long-term promotional deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing and will make his professional debut at cruiserweight in 2025, live worldwide on DAZN. Brown, who will be trained by Jamie Moore and Nigel Travis at the V.I.P Gym in Astley alongside Matchroom stablemates Jack Catterall, Cameron Vuong and Conner Tudsbury, broke into the Great Britain set-up in 2022 with his heavy-handed, all-action style.

A clash of former world title challengers headlines All Star Boxing’s last show of 2024 as Cristian “Chicharito” Gonzalez (15-2-1 8 KO’s) of Mexico City, Mexico takes on Leroy “El Sensacional” Estrada (18-4 5 KO’s) of La Chorrera, Panama in a 10 round main event this Friday at the Coliseo de Combates in Panama City, Panama. Continue reading “Gonzalez-Estrada clash in Panama”

After dropping two of his last three bouts, super welterweight Wendy “The Haitian Fire” Touissant (16-3, 7 KOs), got back into the win column in his return on Saturday night at the sold out Paramount in Huntington, NY. Touissant, the hometown favorite, hammered out a majority decision over Brian “El Capitan” Arregui (now 10-5, 7 KOs). The scores were 80-72, 79-73, and a shocking 76-76.

In the co-feature, unbeaten super welterweight Micky Scala (11-0, 6 KOs) rtook a six round unanimous decision over Luis “Conrazon De Oro” Caraballo Ramos (7-6-1, 7 KOs). Scores were 60-54, 59-55, 60-54.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by The Won Promotions, Ohashi Promotions

Former champ Deok-No Yun (9-2, 7 KOs), 167.25, impressively regained his WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight belt when he avenged his previous defeat and forfeiture of the title in Japan, battered defending titlist Tyson Koki (17-6-3, 14 KOs), a 6’3” southpaw Japanese at 168, all the way and finally halted him with a towel fluttering in from the dethroned champ’s corner at 2:02 of the seventh round in a scheduled twelve on Friday in Seoul, Korea.

It was Koki in their first encounter that survived a bad visit to the deck with Yun’s opening solid right, resumed fighting and quickly landed a countering southpaw left, pulverizing the Korean in the first give-and-take round this June. It was such a shocking scene that the flattened loser Yun got a cramp in his legs like Ingemar Johansson against Floyd Patterson in 1961. The sturdy Korean, in this rematch, maintained the pressure and outhustled the awkward champ, steadily piling up a point in every round. The seventh saw Yun accelerate his attack to batter him from pillar to post, prompting the champ’s corner throwing in the towel. After the well-received stoppage the bloodied Tyson Koki stayed flat on the canvas for minutes. Continue reading “Yun halts Koki, regains WBO AP 168lb belt”

Former world champion Elwin Soto (22-3-1, 13 KOs) of Mexico and countryman/ local Moises Caro (11-3-4, 5 KOs) fought to an exciting 10 round split draw Saturday night in a bout for the WBO Latino light flyweight title. The main event took place at the Plaza de Toros Calafia, Mexicali, Mexico. The bout was actually backed with many heated exchanges. Many close rounds where one dominated the rounds beginning and the other closed the round strong. The official scores were 97-93 Soto, 96-94 Caro, and 95-95 even.

Report/Photos by Boxing Bob Newman

Topeka’s favorite son John “The Iron Man” Cantrell, not only promoted Saturday night’s Westridge Fight Night at Westridge Mall, he headlined the 8-round heavyweight main event! Nearly 2500 raucous fans packed the venue to capacity to watch Cantrell take on the much more experienced Jesse Bryan. It became apparent from the outset that Bryan didn’t come to lay down and would use his vast experience to pull every trick out of his bag. Cantrell for his part, utilized his speed, and superior conditioning to power box his way through this bout. In the third round, Cantrell trapped Bryan in his own corner for a solid minute, trying his best to end it, but Bryan wouldn’t budge. The fourth, however, was a different story. This time, Cantrell trapped Bryan in a neutral corner and didn’t crowd his own punches, allowing room to deliver solid right after solid right to the head of Bryan. Bryan buckled, sagged and finally went down, the referee stopping matters at 1:16, raising Cantrell’s record to 11-0-1, 10 KOs. Bryan falls to 21-10-2, 16 KOs. Cantrell called out Jake Paul immediately afterward, to the roars of the partisan crowd. We shall see. Continue reading “Results from Topeka, Kansas”

Friday night’s fight at Philadelphia’s Liacouras Center on the University of Temple campus headlined by two-time world title challenger Jesse Hart against Ricardo Luna in a scheduled eight-round light heavyweight bout was abruptly cancelled due to an issue between the Pennsylvania Commission and Teflon Promotions.

Wendy Touissant 154 vs. Brian Arregui 154
Micky Scala 155.2 vs. Luis Caraballo Ramos 154.6
David Malul 147.4 vs. Zachary Davis 146.2
Harley Burke 170 vs. Tevin Terrance 170.2
John Gjini 127.6 vs. Luis Porozo 127.8
Frank Monaco 166.8 vs. Victor Pradis 168.2

Venue: The Paramount, Huntington, New York
Promoter: Star Boxing
TV: Star Boxing $19.99 PPV

By Boxing Bob Newman

John Cantrell 214.8 vs Jesse Bryan 230.8
Tyler Rowe 243.2 vs Russell Harris 209.6
Kory Rupp 182 vs. Tyler Smith 179.2
Brittany Dukes 120 vs Jessica Links 120.4
Kayla Williams 135 vs Nataley Pendergrass 133
Colors Campos 198.4 vs Byron Clayton 202
Danielle Bennett 124.6 vs Jasmine Blanson 121.6
Ira Johnson 144.4 vs Deonta Williamson 141
Anthony Adams 146.8 vs Michael Stevens 147.4
DeAngelo Clardy 172 vs Benito Mayorga 174.6

Venue: West Ridge Mall, Topeka, KS
Promoter: John Cantrell (Iron Man Promotions) Damon Reed
Commission: Kansas Athletic Commission
Doors open at 6 p.m.
First Bell at 7p.m.

Hometown favorite Christian ‘Chispa’ Medina (24-4, 17 KOs) stopped countryman and previously unbeaten Alexis Molina (12-1-1, 4 KOs) on Friday night. The 10 round batamweight main event took place at the Domo del Codo Guadalajara, Mexico. After a closely contested first few rounds of the fight Medina broke through sending Molina to the canvas with a barrage of punches near the middle of round five. Molina valiantly beat the count and fought back but the referee waved the bout off moments later. The official time of the stoppage was 1:04 of round five. Medlina won the WBO Latino title.

In a war, undefeated super welterweight Andreas “Katz” Katzourakis (15-0, 10 KOs) scored a ten round split decision over world-rated former world title challenger Brandon “The Cannon” Adams (25-4, 16 KOs) in the final of the OTX 154lb tournament on Friday night at the Corey Studios in Atlanta. Georgia. After ten hotly contested rounds, scores were 97-93, 96-94 for Katzourakis, and 97-93 Adams. With the win, Katzourakis gets a $100,000 bonus and a promotional contract with OTX.

George Kambosos Jr. (21-3 10 KOs) has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom, DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions. The former lightweight ruler has confirmed he will move up to 140lbs and start his bid to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, in an event to be announced soon.

Kambosos shot to fame by ripping Teofimo Lopez’s world titles from him with a stunning victory over in New York in November 2021, flooring the champion in the opening round en-route to handing the Brooklynite his sole defeat to date.

Boxing star “King” Ryan Garcia and Japanese kickboxer Rukiya Anpo will go face-to-face at a press conference in Beverly Hills next week to preview their special exhibition showdown taking place Monday, December 30, in Tokyo, Japan. The PPV will be $49.99 and the bout will be an eight-round affair with two-minute rounds.

Garcia has vowed to knock out Anpo, citing Anpo’s exhibition with Manny Pacquiao. Kingry is currently serving a one-year suspension from the New York State Athletic Commission due to a positive drug test in April, but that ban does not stop Ryan from participating in exhibitions outside of the U.S.

Israel Vázquez, the former super bantamweight world champion who thrilled boxing fans with his courageous performances in the classic boxing trilogy against Rafael Marquez is now fighting cancer. Vazquez and Marquez’s second and third fights both won the fight of the year award for 2007 and 2008. They were thrilling performances that cemented the legacies of these tremendous Mexican warriors.

Frank Espinoza who managed Vazquez throughout his career is making a plea for him. “Vazquez gave his all in the ring. I would like to ask the boxing fans to join.me in helping Israel in this difficult time” he said, “let’s show him the love and appreciation he deserves by donating to this important cause on his behalf.”

Let us pray for Vazquez and send him our love and support. Please donate to Israel Vazquez’s go fund me page and let’s help him through this journey: Go Fund link! Please donate.

Unifies OPBF, WBO AP 135lb belts

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Korakuen Hall witnessed an unbelievable extravaganza near the end of the year. In a regional unification bout OPBF champ Shu Utsuki (15-1, 13 KOs), 134.5, collected another 135-pound belt when he survived a knockdown-studded war and finally chalked up a TKO victory over WBO Asia Pacific titlist Katsuya Yasuda (14-2, 9 KOs), 134.75, at 2:47 of the sixth round in a scheduled twelve on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan. Since it was such a busily tide-turning slugfest that this reporter had better put my fight memorandum in order, as follows:

Round Four: Yasuda (by a short right of Utsuki), Utsuki (southpaw right hook of Yasuda, groggy)

Round Five: Utsuki (straight left, narrow escape)

Round Six: Yasuda (one-two combo), Yasuda (left hook, groggy)

Referee Someya called a well-received halt to the badly damaged Yasuda midway in the fatal sixth with the give-and-take affair having the audience into a frenzy. Continue reading “Utsuki halts WBO #6 Yasuda”

Former world title challenger Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1, 19 KOs) will rematch Yamil Alberto Peralta (17-1, 9 KOs) of Argentina on December 7th at the Centre 200, in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. The pair squared off close to two-and-a-half years ago where Perlata narrowly lost his 0 to Rozicki by split decision. The stakes will be much higher this time, with the WBC interim cruiserweight world title on the line. Rozicki and promoter Dan Otter (Three Lions Promotions) spoke on the upcoming bout and the significance of a victory. Continue reading “Rozicki ready to decisively beat Peralta”

By Jeff Zimmerman

Hall of Fame boxing legend and trailblazer for women’s boxing, Christy “Coal Miner’s Daughter” Martin, gives her take on Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor 2, shares her thoughts on Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson and the opportunity “Iron Mike” gave her fighting on his cards in his heyday. She also shared thoughts on her longtime promoter Don King and her current promotion and much more in this Fightnews.com® exclusive interview.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten 5’10” southpaw prospect Taiga Imanaga (7-0, 5 KOs), 134.5, gained the Asian lightweight tournament prize of five million yen (some 33,333USD) as he defeated Yoji Saito (8-5-2, 8 KOs), 134.75, by a unanimous decision (80-71, 79-72, 78-73) over eight hard-fought rounds on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan. Imanaga, under Ohashi Promotions, scored a sole knockdown of the bout with his trade-mark southpaw right hook in round three. Continue reading “Imanaga wins Asian 135lb tourney”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Former OPBF, WBO AP champ, JBC#2 super welter Ryota Toyoshima (20-3-1, 11 KOs), 153.25, defeated previously undefeated JBC#1 Yasuomi Soda (7-1, 4 KOs), 152.75, by a shutout decision (all 80-72) over eight hard-fought rounds to acquire the right to have a mandatory shot at the national 154-pound champ Yuichi Ideta in the forthcoming Carnical of Champions next spring. Toyoshima’s aggression prevailed all the way despite the loser’s tremendous durability and fighting spirit. Continue reading “Ex-OPBF champ Toyoshima defeats JBC#1 Soda”

The PPV for the December 21 heavyweight title rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury are now on sale at DAZN. The PPV price has been set at $39.99. The return match will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia under the Riyadh Season banner. Usyk is a -175 favorite to defeat Fury again.

Brandon Adams 153.8 vs. Andreas Katzourakis 153.8
(WBA Continental Americas super welterweight title)
Note: Adams-Katzourakis is the final for the OTX super welterweight tournament with a $100K first prize, plus an OTX promotional contract.

Oshae Jones 154 vs. Femke Hermans 153.8
(IBF female junior middleweight title)

Nathan Lugo 169.2 vs. Mardoche Ilunga 168.2
Maliek Montgomery 136.6 vs. Sakaria Lukas 132.2
David Lopez 143 vs. Marlin Sims 142.4
Jonny Mansour 134.6 vs. Luciano Ramos 138.2

Venue: Corey Studios in Atlanta!
Promoter: OTX
TV: DAZN