Full details of the supporting cast to the unified heavyweight title rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua rematch on August 20 at the King Abdullah Sports City Arena in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, have now been confirmed. Still no official announcement regarding the network, mainly due to a snafu over the UK rights to the fight.

Filip Hrgovic (14-0, 12 KOs) vs. Zhilei Zhang (24-0-1, 19 KOs)
IBF heavyweight final eliminator

Callum Smith (28-1, 20 KOs) vs. Mathieu Bauderlique (21-1, 12 KOs)
WBC light heavyweight final eliminator

Badou Jack (26-3-3) vs, Richard Rivera (21-0, 16 KOs)
cruiserweight ten-rounder

Andrew Tabiti (19-1, 15 KOs) vs. Tyrone Spong (14-0, 13 KOs)
heavyweight eight-rounder

Other bouts:
Ramla Ali vs. Crystal Garcia Nova (female super bantamweight)
Daniel Lapin vs. Jozef Jurko (light heavyweight)
Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Jose Alatorre (super welterweight)

Super middleweights Ali Akhmedov (18-1, 14 KOs) and Gabriel Rosado (26-15-1 15 KOs) will clash for the IBF North American title on September 17 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as part of the undercard to the trilogy clash between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin. The event, presented by Matchroom, Canelo Promotions and GGG Promotions, will broadcast live on DAZN Pay-Per-View in the U.S. and Canada as well as around the world on DAZN (excluding Mexico, Latin America, and Kazakhstan)​.

By the way, Canelo-GGG III isn’t an instant sellout this time. Tix are still available if you want to attend live.

As we expected, Showtime will offer live coverage of top middleweight contender Sergiy Derevyanchenko against Joshua Conley in a 10-round bout on the Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Showtime Boxing Facebook page on Saturday from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The stream will also cover welterweight Vito Mielnicki Jr. taking on Jimmy Williams in an eight-rounder.

The stream leads into a Showtime tripleheader topped by Danny “Swift” Garcia against Jose Benavidez Jr.

By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® caught with the entertaining and confident super lightweight Kendo “Tremendo” Castaneda (18-5, 9 KOs) out of San Antonio, Texas, as he heads into a showdown with Joseph Fernandez (15-4-3, 5 KOs) on Friday, May 5 at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida and shown live on ProBox TV. ProBox TV was founded by former fighters Roy Jones Jr., Antonio Tarver, Juan Manuel Marquez and Paulie Malignaggi and has recently formed a new partnership with Miguel Cotto and his Cotto Promotions.

Castaneda talked about growing up in the family business which was boxing and his encounter with a 4th grade bully. He shared his relationship with San Antonio boxing legend and former world champion Jesse James Leija and current world champion brothers Jesse “Bam” Rodriquez and Joshua “The Professor” Franco. Castaneda also discussed his fight with top 140lber Jose Zepeda and gave his prediction of fellow Texan Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. and Terence “Bud” Crawford and much more in this exclusive interview.

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IBF #3 heavyweight Filip “El Animal” Hrgovic (14-0, 12 KOs) meets undefeated #15 Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang (24-0-1, 19 KOs) in a final eliminator for the IBF title on the August 20 Usyk-Joshua undercard in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  Hrgovic-Zhang was originally planned for the undercard of Alvarez-Bivol in May but they are now set to do battle on the Red Sea.

Usually final eliminators involve the top-rated fighters in a division. To find an opponent for Hrgovic, however, IBF went down the rankings and got ‘no’ after ‘no’ until they got all the way down to the #15 ranked Zhang, 39, before a fight could be made.

Filip Hrgovic: “I respect a fighter like Zhilei Zhang, especially as there were plenty of others who could have fought me and didn’t. The respect stays outside the ring, and it’ll be business as usual for me when I step in there and look to do what I do best; put people away…there’ll be no doubt about this when Zhang is dealt with and I go on to beat whoever it is out of Usyk or Joshua.”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Undisputed WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF lightweight champion Devin Haney (28-0, 15 KOs) will travel to back to Melbourne, Australia to defend his laurels on October 16 in a rematch against formerly undisputed world champion George “Ferocious” Kambosos (20-1, 10 KOs). This time, the bout will take place at the Rod Laver Arena.

In June, Haney captured all the 135-pound belts with a unanimous decision over Kambosos at the huge Marvel Stadium with over 40,000 fans in attendance. The event attracted the second largest attendance in Australian boxing history – eclipsed only by the Manny Pacquiao vs. Jeff Horn WBO welterweight title bout in Brisbane in 2017 that had over 50,000 fans attending. Rod Laver Arena has a capacity of around 16,000.

…Thanks to my sixth toe!!

By TMZ.com

Danny Garcia has an edge over José Benavidez that cannot be matched, no matter how many miles he runs, or rounds he spars … the former world champ was born with an extra toe, and that’s all the advantage he needs!

Sure, Danny’s totally kidding … but this is an excuse to talk about one of our favorite clips ever.

If you haven’t seen it, back in 2015, the 36-3 welterweight took off his Jordan’s and literally proved he had an extra digit on his foot.

So, when we recently talked to Danny, we asked the 34-year-old about the toe … in addition to a bunch of serious questions about returning after a lengthy layoff, and whether Garcia can once again be champ.

“I’m gonna keep showing it off because when I was a kid, I was ashamed of it,” Danny said, adding, “Now, I’m somebody. That six-toe brought me a long way.” Continue reading “Garcia: I got a leg up on Benavidez…”

Bergen County Fight Night 2 takes place this Friday night at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The main event of the eleven bout Abella Boxing Promotions card features welterweight Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez (24-1, 14 KOs) against Gabriel Punaleaf (24-14-6, 9 KOs) in an eight round clash.

Unbeaten super welterweight Robert “Tiger” Terry (6-0, 0 KOs) meets Isaiah Seldon (14-5, 5 KOs) in the six-round co-feature.

In other six round bouts, super lightweight Mike “The Champ” Lee (8-2, 6 KOs) meets Ryan Schwartzberg (1-6-1, 1 KO), super middleweight KO artist Harley “Heavy Hands” Burke (6-0, 6 KOs) faces Brandon Maddox (8-5, 6 KOs), and super bantamweight Carlos “All In” Vanegas Nunez (5-0, 4 KOs) takes on Ahmond Rayshaun Oates (1-1, 1 KO). Continue reading “Bergen County Fight Night returns Friday”

Undefeated African welterweight Prince “Octopus” Dzanie, undefeated Icelandic heavyweight Kolbeinn “Ice Bear” Kristinsson and three unbeaten young prospects have joined the undercard lineup for Salita Promotions’ next Detroit Brawl, on Wednesday, August 10, 2022, at the historic Garden Theater in Midtown Detroit.

In an eight-rounder, Dzanie (22-0, 18 KOs) faces Ira “Mr. Showtime” Terry (27-21, 16 KOs), In another important supporting bout, Kristinsson will take on Rodney Moore (20-22-2, 9 KOs) in a six-round battle. Continue reading “Undercard announced for Detroit Brawl”

Frank Espinoza: Gonzalez vs. Dogboe was special and special fights deserve a rematch!

“What a great, competitive fight,” said boxing manager Frank Espinoza of this weekend’s fight between his fighter Joet Gonzalez and Isaac Dogboe.

Dogboe (24-2, 15 KOs), #125.8, of London, UK and Accra, Ghana is a former WBO super bantam champ. He won by split decision over Gonzalez (25-3, 15 KOs), #125.6, of Glendora, CA, in a 10 round WBC eliminator.

“Joet did a great job. He attacked the body and was very effective. Dogboe is a hell of a fighter and he had his moments but in the end, I felt that Joet had pulled off the win.” Continue reading “Joet Gonzalez camp calls for return fight”

Triple A Promotions is set to feature their latest installment as “Summer Fight Fest 2022” this Saturday (July 30) at Sames Auto Arena in Laredo, Texas. Eight bouts are scheduled to take place in all.

In the main event, hometown fighter Rodolfo “La Cobrita” Gomez Jr.(14-5-2, 10 KOs) of the well-known Laredo-based Gomez boxing family will take on Lester Martinez (11-0, 10 KOs) of Guatemala City, Guatemala in a ten round super middleweight bout for the WBA-NABA title belt.

In the co-main event, after a long absence from the ring, Joshua Juarez (9-0, 4 KOs) takes on Randy McCarty (5-4-2, 2 KOs) in a heavyweight six round clash. It will be Juarez’s first fight at heavyweight.

General admission is $30. Tickets are available by calling 956-242-9814.

Tickets went on sale today for the bout between WBC, WBO junior lightweight king Shakur Stevenson and Robson Conceição on September 23 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. In the eight-round lightweight co-feature, Tokyo 2020 U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis returns against an opponent to be named. Stevenson-Conceição and Davis’ bout will air live on ESPN.

“The sensational Shakur Stevenson is a once-in-a-generation boxing talent, and he’s back home in Newark as a world champion against a worthy contender in Robson Conceição,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “I also can’t wait to see young talents like Keyshawn Davis and Bruce Carrington perform on such a significant card.” Continue reading “Stevenson-Conceição Update”

On August 12th, former world champions Tevin Farmer (30-5-1, 6 KOs) and Mickey Bey (23-3-1, 11 KOs) will finally square in a 10-round lightweight bout. The fight will take place at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott, Arizona, and can be seen live on pay-per-view at RedemptionPPV.com. The Farmer-Bey fight was rescheduled after the event was moved from Ghana to Dubai. The show then had to be postponed again after the President of Dubai passed away.

The undercard will feature Lorenzo “Truck” Simpson (11-0, 7 KOs) of Baltimore taking on Tyi Edmonds (14-4, 9 KOs) of Meridian, Mississippi in a eight-round super middleweight bout. Continue reading “Farmer-Bey PPV back on for Aug 12”

No head-to-head telecasts this week, but solid action for three nights in a row with fan favorite Danny “Swift” Garcia vs. Jose Benavidez Jr in Saturday’s main attraction.

THURSDAY
DAZN has a card headlined by unbeaten super lightweight Jousce “Tito” Gonzalez (12-0-1, 11 KOs) against Jose Angulo (14-2, 7 KOs) in an eight-rounder from the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.

FRIDAY
ESTRELLA TV presents WBC #13 ranked middleweight Amilcar “El Pety” Vidal (15-0. 12 KOs) against Gabriel Omar “El Loco” Díaz (12-3-0, 4 KOs) for the WBC Latin title from Alberto Isabella’s American Box Gym in Montevideo, Uruguay.

SATURDAY
SHOWTIME returns with a terrific tripleheader headlined by two-division world champion Danny “Swift” Garcia (36-3, 21 KOs) making his super welterweight debut against Jose Benavidez Jr. (27-1-1, 18 KOs) in a twelve-rounder from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The other two fights are heavyweight Adam Kownacki (20-2, 15 KOs) against Ali Eren Demirezen (16-1, 12 KOs) and unbeaten super lightweight Gary Antuanne Russell (15-0, 15 KOs) against two-division champion Rances Barthelemy (29-1-1, 15 KOs) in a pair of ten-rounders. There are some big names fighting on the off-TV undercard that SHOWTIME may stream on their social media. Stay tuned for updates.

By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® is deeply saddened to announce that beloved boxing photographer Stacey Snyder passed away this past week at the age of 57 after a sudden illness. Snyder, a Dallas native, was a mainstay in the Dallas-Fort Worth boxing scene for many years where she honed her skills as a photographer and soon became one of the best in the sport.

Snyder was the photographer for former junior welterweight champ Maurice “Mighty Mo” Hooker from the beginning of his career as he rose from rather obscurity in Dallas to a world title. And most recently she shot photos during fight week for former junior lightweight champion Jamel Herring back in May, who announced his retirement in the ring post fight. Herring shared this sentiment about Snyder upon learning of her death, “One of the best people in boxing you could have in your corner and life.” Continue reading “10 Count for Boxing Photographer Stacey Snyder”

By Damon Gonzalez

In Saturday’s main event at the Caribe Royal in Orlando Florida, super Lightweight Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno (16-1-2, 14 KOs) from Allentown, PA, demolished Roberto Almazan Monreal (10-18, 4 KOs) from Brownsville, Texas, finishing him off with an explosive punch that ended his night at the official time of 2:59 seconds of round two. Very impressive outing for Adorno.

Cruiserweight Adrian “Pretty Boy” Pinheiro (8-0, 8 KOs) from Orlando, Florida. battered Javier Gomez Rueda (21-17, 15 KOs) from Tijuana, Mexico, who couldn’t step out of Pinheiro’s range got stopped in the opening round at 1:21 seconds. Continue reading “Adorno KOs Monreal in two”

By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® caught up with the legendary and now hall of famer Roy Jones Jr. at Gilley’s in Dallas last night at the Kingdom Boxing card where his fighter Zechariah Lewis won his pro debut in spectacular fashion via 4th round knockout. Jones Jr. shared his thoughts on the victory from his prized pupil plus his recent induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and his new quest as a trainer. Jones Jr. also discussed the details and excitement around his new venture ProBox TV he founded with Juan Manuel Marquez, Antonio Tarver and Paul Malignaggi and his newly formed partnership with Puerto Rican legend Miguel Cotto and his Cotto Promotions in this exclusive interview.

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Photos: Sumio Yamada

Check out this GIANT Dogboe-Gonzalez photo gallery for some incredible shots, plus the scorecard.

Photos

By Kurt Wolfheimer at ringside

Saturday night at Filmore in Philadelphia, Hard Hitting Promotions put on a highly competitive seven-bout card. The main event of the evening was an evenly matched eight-round- contest featuring undefeated Connecticut super featherweight William “The Silent Assassin” Foster III against Hard Hitting’s own Avery Sparrow.

This fight looked like a toss-up from the beginning as both fighters needed to make career statements. The reach advantage allowed the counter punching of Foster to seize the opening round. Sparrow wasn’t quiet though and rocked Foster III in the corner just before the bell sounded to end the round.

Rounds three through five appeared to mirror each other with Foster III taking the opening two minutes and Sparrow catching him in the closing minute of the rounds with hard hooks. Sparrow and Foster each had their moments in the later rounds. but Foster’s speed and length was the difference maker in this give-and-take battle. Sparrow did stun him several times but could not put him down.

All three judges scored the bout the same way 77-75 x 3 in favor of William Foster III who ups his record to 15-0, 9 KOs). Sparrow slips to 11-4, 4 KOs. Continue reading “Foster III victorious, remains unbeaten”

Super lightweight prospect Angel “Moreno” Rodriguez (11-1, 8 KOs) of Pico Rivera, California, made quick work of Gabriel Gutierrez (7-14, 5 KOs) of El Paso, Texas by stopping him via second-round knockout in a MarvNation Promotions main event on Saturday evening at the Derby Room in Pomona, California.

Rodriguez’s power was evident from the start as he sent his foe to the canvas on two occasions in the first round. Gutierrez was saved by the bell, but only to be dropped again with a knockdown that forced referee Jack Reiss to end matters at :20 of the second round. Continue reading “Rodriguez crushes Gutierrez in two”

By Jeff Zimmerman at ringside

In an emotional night at Gilley’s Dallas in Dallas, Texas, super bantamweight, and local fan favorite Shurretta “Chiccn” Metcalf (11-4-1, 2 KOs) dominated the game but outgunned Alicia Acero (3-2, 2 KOs) out of Highlandville, Missouri over six fast paced rounds to earn the IBC and NBA titles. “Chiccn” as Metcalf is affectionately called dedicated this fight to the late, beloved boxing photographer Stacey Snyder, a Dallas resident, who passed away earlier this week. Continue reading “Metcalf dominates in Dallas”

Tn a WBC featherweight eliminator, former junior featherweight world champion Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe (24-2, 15 KOs) took a hard-fought split decision over two-time title challenger Joet Gonzalez (25-3, 15 KOs) on Saturday night at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota. Dogboe outboxed Gonzalez early on, but Gonzalez’ pressure began to take effect in round four and it was a tough, gritty fight the rest of the way. Scores were 96-94 Gonzalez, 96-94, 96-94 Dogboe. All three judges gave Dogboe the final round. With the win, Dogboe also claimed Gonzalez’ WBO International strap.

Isaac Dogboe: “I said to the people that my journey can be a Hollywood blockbuster movie, and I praise God always. I’ve always seen {trainer} Barry {Hunter} as a very inspirational person, a father figure. He’s a person that when it seems like it’s all gone, he always has something to say to you. I really needed him in my corner. He was able to pull that extra strength in me out. I want to say thanks to Joet Gonzalez. He’s a true warrior. Whoever the champions are, they should watch out. The ‘Royal Storm,’ I am back, baby!” Continue reading “Dogboe edges Gonzalez in WBC eliminator”

The comeback of heavyweight Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller continued Saturday night at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The 328lb Miller (25-0-1, 20 KOs) scored a fourth round KO over Derek Cardenas (8-19, 7 KOs). Big Baby dropped Cardenas in round three and finished him in round four. Time was 1:43. Miller is now 2-0 since resuming his career last month after a three-and-a-half year hiatus.

In the main event, heavyweight Rydell Mayes Jr. (13-1, 12 KOs) avenged his KO loss last year to Jaden Booth (3-5, 3 KOs) with a first round TKO. A barrage by Mayes prompted a very quick referee’s stoppage. Booth took some shots, but didn’t appear particularly hurt. Continue reading “Big Baby Miller KOs Cardenas, remains unbeaten”

Unbeaten lightweight Giovanni “El Cabron” Cabrera (21-0, 7 KOs) dominated Gabriel Flores Jr. (21-2, 7 KOs) over ten rounds. The Freddie Roach-trained Cabrera dropped Flores twice in round one, again in round five, en route to a ten round unanimous decision. Scores were 98-89 3x.

In a spirited clash between unbeaten middleweights, Javier “Milwaukee Made” Martinez (7-0, 2 KOs) won a six round unanimous decision over Pachino Hill (7-1-1, 6 KOs). Scores were 60-54, 59-55, 59-55.

Unbeaten heavyweight Guido “The Gladiator” Vianello (9-0-1, 9 KOs) scored a fourth round knockout against Rafael Rios (11-4, 8 KOs). A barrage of punches put Rios down for the count. Time was 2:59.

Unbeaten featherweight Haven “The Hitman” Brady Jr. (7-0, 4 KOs) outpointed Aaron Echeveste (6-8, 3 KOs) over six one-sided rounds. Scores were 60-53, 60-54, 60-54.

Unbeaten lightweight Abdullah Mason (3-0, 3 KOs) scored a first round TKO over super game Luis Fernandez (1-4-1, 0 KOs). Total beatdown. Time was 2:39.

Unbeaten 6’9 heavyweight Antonio “El Gigante” Mireles (4-0, 4 KOs) scored a second round KO over Dennys Reyes (3-3, 1 KO). Mireles dropped Reyes twice in round two to end it. Time was 2:19.

Unbeaten light heavyweight Dante Benjamin Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs) won by first round TKO against Corey Thompson (4-1, 3 KOs). Thompson down three times.

Unbeaten middleweight Antonio Woods (11-0, 9 KOs) scored a first round TKO over Darryl Jones (4-5-1, 2 KOs). Referee’s stoppage.

Heavyweight Colton Warner (5-1, 3 KOs) outpointed Jimmy Barnes (1-3, 1 KO) over four 40-36 3x.

By Héctor Villarreal

Unbeaten super middleweight Luis Rodriguez (10-0, 10 KOs), from Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, stopped Mexican Jorge “Michi” Muñoz Zavala (28-17-1, 19 KOs) on the main event of the event promoted by Chemito Moreno´s Laguna Premium Boxing on Friday night at the Centro de Combates of the Ciudad Deportiva Irving Saladino in Panama City, Panama.

Rodríguez knocked Muñoz down three times during the brief fight which was stopped by referee Hector Afu at 2:40 in the second round. Continue reading “Rodríguez beats Muñoz in Panama”