Former WBC super featherweight world champion Miguel “El Alacran” Berchelt and Jeremiah Nakathila faced off in advance of their clash Son ESPN Saturday from the Resorts World Event Center at Resorts World Las Vegas. After reigning at 130 pounds for more than four years, Berchelt has set his sights on conquering the lightweight division.

Miguel Berchelt: “I feel better. I feel stronger. I think my body needed to move up in weight. I was a world champion for four years. Now I’m coming for the victory this Saturday…I want to win this Saturday and make it so that the name of Miguel Berchelt is considered among the top of the division. They definitely will have to take me into account.”

Jeremiah Nakathila: “Him being an aggressive fighter is a good thing for me. I can see that he’s awake now. But I want to tell him to be careful because I will put him back to sleep. Expect fireworks. Come Saturday night, I’m going to destroy Miguel Berchelt, and I will be victorious.”

Top super welterweight contender and rising star Tim Tszyu went face-to-face with U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha at the final press conference Thursday before they meet in the main event live on SHOWTIME this Saturday at The Armory in Minneapolis.

Tim Tszyu: “I’m taking it one step at a time, but I’m here to really take over. I believe in what I can do. That’s what’s in my heart and in my destiny. I’m going to do what I always do. The game plan is quite simple. I’m going to make as few mistakes as possible and capitalize on his mistakes.”

Terrell Gausha:  “When I watch Tszyu’s fights, I see that he brings the pressure. That’s just what he does. It’s not something I haven’t seen before. I’m going to go out there and do some things that he hasn’t seen before…I don’t think he’s going to be ready for what I’m going to show him Saturday.”

Cruiserweight rivals Richard Riakporhe and Deion Jumah faced off today at the final press conference for their clash Saturday at Wembley Arena in London.

Richard Riakporhe: Looking into Deion, it’s interesting. He’s been pro for a very long time, only had 14 fights, never had any significant wins. It makes you wonder what is going on with him. He calls himself ‘The Ghost’ – he has been a ghost. It just shows there’s different levels, you know?

Deion Jumah: I’m the superior boxer for sure and if he wants to offload [power] the way he has done in the past, then I’ve got something for him.

Michael Zewski 153.8 vs. Arlos Ocampo Manríquez 153.6
Arthur Byarslanov 148.8 vs. Roberto Verdugo 148.8
Steve Bouchard 148.8 vs. Ricardo Lara 148.8
Marie-Pier Houle 143.8 vs. Valentina Keri 145
Alexis Barriere 222 vs. Marco Antonio Candeo 220.4
Spencer Wilcox 134.6 vs. Armando Lizárraga Osuna 137.2
Petar Gavrilovic 171.4 vs. Greg Weeks 171

Venue: Vidéotron Coliseum in Trois-Rivières, Canada
Promoter: Groupe Yvon Michel
TV: TBA

IBF featherweight champion Kiko Martinez and Josh Warrington faced off at the final press conference ahead of Saturday’s world title action at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England, shown live worldwide on DAZN, (excluding New Zealand and Australia).

Kiko Martinez: “I’m confident because as I said last time, I was going to become World Champion and I did it. I said I was going to beat Kid Galahad within the distance, and I did. The same will happen on Saturday, I will beat Josh Warrington within the distance. Maybe he’s too confident and doesn’t understand he’s facing Kiko Martinez.”

Josh Warrington: “I must have upset him in some way because he’s demanded this fight. I’ve said it in many interviews, it’s how this sport work, it goes in circles. We were meant to be sparring partners for the Lara rematch, it’s funny he’s gone on to win a world title and his first defense is against me. He’s confident and I’m sure he would have trained hard, but I’ll be ready for everything he brings on Saturday night.”

Lewis Ritson 140 vs. Dejan Zlaticanin 139
Pat McCormack TBA vs. Justin Menzie TBA
Troy Williamson 140 vs. Mason Cartwright 139.75
Mark Dickinson 162 vs. Peter Kramer 160
Thomas Patrick Ward 129 vs. Alexis Boureima Kabore 125
Ben Rees TBA vs. Greg O’Neill TBA
Joe Laws 156 vs. Alexey Tukhtarov 153
Robert Ismay TBA vs. Christian Adjoufack TBA
Joe Maphosa 117 vs. Santiago el Eusibio 116
Stephen Sayer 190 vs. Daryl Sharp 194
Alex Farrell TBA vs. Konstantin Alexandrov TBA
Adam Cope TBA vs. Jonny Phillips TBA

Venue: Utilita Arena, Newcastle, England
Promoter: Probellum
TV: FuboTV

By Ron Jackson

South Africa’s Kevin ”Two Guns” Lerena makes his second venture into the heavyweight division when he meets Romania’s Bogdan Dinu for the vacant WBA Intercontinental heavyweight title in a scheduled 12 rounder at Emperors Palace near Kempton Park on Saturday night.

The tournament will be shown live from 19-00 -23.00 on Supersport Variety 3.

Lerena (26-1, 13 KOs) had an outstanding career in the cruiserweight division winning the South African title and the IBO belt, making six successful defenses.

Prior to this fight, Lerena announced that he was moving up to the heavyweight class. He will be having his second fight at the weight, winning on a fifth-round stoppage against Patrick Ferguson in December last year. Continue reading “Lerena to fight for WBA I/C heavyweight title”

Salvatore Tapia 141 vs. Emiliano “Letal” Cruz 140
Lester Martinez 173 vs. Jaime Hernández López 175
Edgar Espinosa Vargas 132 vs. Armando Ramírez Almanza 132
Héctor Pérez Cruz 125 vs. Víctor Tadeo Rodríguez 126
Marco Cota Moreno 136 vs. Jonathan Zúñiga 131

Venue: Nayarit Festival, Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico
Promoter: RJJ Promotions
TV: UFC Fightpass

Unbeaten junior welterweight prospect Ray Seitzhanov (9-0, 6 KOs) will battle fellow unbeaten Jose Macias Enriquez (15-0-2, 7 KOs) in a 10-rounder for the vacant WBO Youth junior welterweight belt Friday at Baluan Sholak Sports Palace in Almaty, Kazakhstan. ESPN+ will air the card in the U.S.

Also on the card is cruiserweight Kamshybek Kunkabayev (4-0, 3 KOs), who earned a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. He makes his 2022 debut against Uzbekistan’s Farrukh Juraev (6-5-1, 2 KOs) in a scheduled 10-rounder. Kunkabayev lost to Top Rank signee Richard Torrez Jr. in the Olympic semifinals. Continue reading “ESPN+ picks up Friday card in Kazakhstan”

Boxing fan favorite “King” Gabriel Rosado (26-14-1, 15 KOs) will face-off against Shane Mosley Jr. (17-4, 10 KOs) in a 10-round fight for the WBA Continental Americas super middleweight title on the undercard for Ryan Garcia vs. Emmanuel Tagoe in April 9 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, live, worldwide on DAZN.

“I’m excited to get back and start the new year with a bang,” said Rosado, who is coming off a loss to Jaime Munguia in November. “I’m back at 168, where I feel more comfortable. I won’t take Shane Mosley Jr. lightly, this is a big step-up fight for him, and I expect him to be at his best. I’m looking forward to making a run at the super middleweight division, and Shane Jr. is in my way. I respect his father, who is one of the best to do it. So this fight is nothing personal, it’s strictly business, and I plan to get the job done and put on a show for the fans in San Antonio, Texas! Get your popcorn ready, the ‘King’ is back!!!”

Also part of the DAZN live stream will be Marlen Esparza (11-1, 1 KOs) against Naoko Fujioka (19-2-1, 17 KOs) in a 10-round fight for the WBC and WBA female flyweight world championships.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Former Rugby League and Rugby Union football legend Sonny Bill Williams (9-0, 4 KOs) destroyed Australian Rules football legend Barry Hall (0-1-1) in the first round on Wednesday night at the ICC Exhibition Centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Sonny Bill dropped Hall three times to end it in just 1:55.

Unbeaten 2008 Olympian super featherweight Paul Fleming (27-0-1, 18 KOs) won a hard-fought ten round unanimous decision over Jackson Jon England (13-1, 8 KOs). Fleming recovered from a second round knockdown to win 95-94, 95-94, 97-92.

Pro-debuting Rahim Mundine, son of former world champion Anthony Mundine, outpointed Lepani Levatia (1-5, 1 KO) over four 40-37, 40-37, 39-37.

Cruiserweight Bilal Akkawy (21-1-1, 16 KOs) dominated Sebastian Singh (13-5-3, 8 KOs) over eight rounds, winning 60-54, 60-54, 60-54

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

I finally had the opportunity to visit the Middle East, and this trip to Dubai has been absolutely wonderful in a myriad of ways.

When I flew that night, countless times my thoughts recalled with such fondness my dad, and how much he enjoyed those tranquil hours on long flights. The atmosphere that generates velvet dark silence, with the view encapsulated through the airplane window which generates moments of reflection, meditation and connection, which leads to conceptualize those dreams on which one must work to make them come true.

It has been a very revealing journey. Syrian-Lebanese blood courses through Sulaiman veins, as my grandmother Wasila was from Syria and my grandfather, Elias, was from Lebanon, and for that reason, my dad worked so very hard for many years trying to bring boxing to the Middle East, where it has never really taken root to flourish into a core sport in most of these countries. Continue reading “Boxing in the Middle East”

This is a time of firsts for Mexican star Miguel “El Alacran” Berchelt. The former WBC super featherweight world champion is now campaigning as a lightweight and will begin his quest to become a two-weight world champion Saturday against Jeremiah Nakathila in the 10-round main event at Resorts World Las Vegas.

Berchelt also moved his training camp from Mexico to Las Vegas to work with a new head trainer, Jorge Capetillo. The Nakathila bout will be his first since his title reign ended via brutal knockout at the hands of Oscar Valdez in February 2021. Berchelt (38-2, 34 KOs) made six successful defenses of the title he won in January 2017, and he hopes the Nakathila fight is the start of a fruitful lightweight campaign.

Berchelt spent camp training alongside UFC star Brandon Moreno, the first Mexican-born champion in the organization’s history. He ran the Mount Charleston roads and had access to more world-class sparring than ever before. This is what Berchelt had to say as he readies to tackle the lightweight elite. Continue reading “Berchelt: This will be a great comeback”

Toscano Boxing Promotions returns on Friday, April 8 as WBO Latino super welterweight champion Damian “Samurai” Sosa (19-1, 10 KOs) faces Jesus “Ingeniero” Vega (22-2-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round main event at Zonkeys Auditorium in Tijuana, Baja California Mexico. The event will be streamed live on pay-per-view via Fite.tv.

In the co-main event, Manuel Jaimes (12-0, 10 KOs) of Stockton, Calif. will defend his WBC Youth lightweight championship against Pedro Bernal (8-1-2, 3 KOs) of Mexico City. Continue reading “Damian “Samurai” Sosa returns April 8”

This Friday night, RDR Promotions will present a six bout card at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. In a featured bout, middleweight Isaiah Wise (10-2-2, 6 KOs) will take on veteran Cameron Krael (18-21-3, 5 KOs) in a bout scheduled for six-rounds.

Also seeing action is middleweight Isiah Seldon (14-4-1, 5 KOs), who will take on Temirlin Raimkulov (4-1-2, 0 KOs).

BXNG.com will offer a $19.99 PPV steam.

Light heavyweights Joshua Buatsi and Craig Richards faced off at the kickoff press conference ahead of their huge domestic showdown on May 21 in London, shown live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia, as usual).

Joshua Buatsi: “I wouldn’t dub it as the hardest test, for me, it’s just the most important fight in my career right now. It’s the next fight, the fight I must win, last time with Bolotniks but this time it’s Spider. I’ll prepared as diligently as I do, come May 21 I’ll be ready…I think that [Canelo] makes this a big fight for me, makes it even more important. I know what is at stake, what the reward is and that’s what I said when I was in Arizona. I’ll fight these guys as long as I know what’s next. This may lead to a world title fight next so for me, I’m easy, no matter who it is I’m prepared.

Craig Richards: “I think I’ve got the capabilities to win in any way, the most important thing is to prepare all-round the board. I’ve got to be prepared for everything, at this level you can’t just say I’m going to win it by a jab or closing him down. You’ve got prepare for Plan A, B, C or D, you might have to get rough and ready or box and be clever. It all depends on the night, you’ve just got to make sure you’ve prepared, have all your game plans and be fit, ready and strong. On the night just make it happen, listen to your team most importantly and execute what you need to win the fight.”

LaManna the promoter returns to Atlantic City on Saturday; plans August ring return

By John DiSanto – PhillyBoxingHistory.com

On March 26th, Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna puts down his boxing gloves temporarily and once again assumes the role of boxing promoter. His Rising Star Promotions will stage a fight card at Atlantic City’s Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in the Adrian Phillips Theater. The show is filled with ring talent from Jersey and beyond, and this will be the first show in the famous building in three years.

LaManna has been toggling back and forth from boxer to promoter for several years now. As a boxer, he fought all the way to a world title shot, and as a promoter, he’s been a steady factor in Atlantic City, while also promoting shows in DC, other New Jersey locals, and even in Mexico. LaManna has been successful doing both jobs, and according to “Cornflake”, fight fans can expect plenty more from him in both roles. Continue reading “LaManna is still hungry for more”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Barry Hall 215.6 lbs.
Age 45 years
Height 6’4
Trainer: Tony Nobbs

Sonny Bill Williams 240.5 lbs.
Age 36 years
Height 6’3
Trainer: Andy Lee

Venue: ICC Exhibition Centre, Sydney, Australia
Televised on Stan Event Streaming Service

Barry Hall: “The press conference yesterday, there was an illustrious line-up (alongside Williams), all the names written down, I had two people with me. There’s a lot of people that don’t want me to win this fight, I understand that. There’s a lot of money lost if he loses, I understand that also. That’s why I need to win by knockout and why I’m going to.”

Sonny Bill Williams: “The last few months just shows what type of character he is – very, very arrogant. Like he’s just going to walk right through me, fight Paul Gallen and then walk off into the sunshine. He’s doing reality shows, saying he doesn’t need money, all this sort of stuff. It seems like all he’s doing it for is money.

“But I’ve got to respect him as a boxer because he can box. And I do respect him – I know he doesn’t respect me as a boxer so that’s what’s fuelling me. God willing, when I’m standing over him, picking him up for a hug after the fight, I’ll look in his eyes and he’ll say ‘yeah, you actually can fight, Sonny.'”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

IBF, WBA, WBO and WBC Franchise lightweight champion George Kambosos looks likely to be defending against WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney, now former world champion Vasiliy Lomanchenko decided to remain in Ukraine to defend his country against the Russian invasion.

“I respect your decision and I totally understand and I pray for you and your country,” Kambosos told Loma on Twitter. “Please stay safe and once I wipe the floor with Devin, we will make this fight between two real champions. God bless.”

Famed New York-based referee Sammy Viruet has been appointed as new director of the WBO Ratings Committee. WBO President Francisco “Paco” Valcárcel recommended Viruet and the Executive Committee approved the appointment during a virtual meeting. Viruet succeeds Edgardo López Sasso, who held the position from December 2016 until the past week. Viruet has been associated with the WBO since 1993 and worked many important fights for both the WBO and IBF.

IBF light flyweight world champion Felix Alvarado (37-2, 32 KOs) of Nicaragua has vacated his title per his manager William Ramirez (WRAM Boxing). The IBF has officially been notified in writing. Alvarado had held the title since 2018 making two successful world title defenses. Alvarado was scheduled to fight on February 19, but the fight was postponed. He tried extremely hard but was unsuccessful in securing any unification fights with the other world champions at 108 before deciding to move up one weight class.

The IBF had to go through their rankings all the way to #13 Zhilei Zhang to find an opponent for #3 Filip Hrgovic to fight in a world heavyweight title final eliminator to name the mandatory challenger for the IBF world title held by Oleksandr Usyk.

“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for more than year,” said Hrgovic. “Finally, I have an opponent willing to face me for the chance to fight for the IBF world title. So many fighters turned down this challenge so credit to Zhang for being brave enough to accept. I know he’s a good opponent. He won silver at the Olympics so that means he’s a good boxer, but he is too slow on his feet and I believe I have the better qualities. My speed, stamina, and footwork will be too much for him. I will break him down and I will beat him. I’m now only one fight away from my dream of boxing for a world title and nothing is going to stop me.” Continue reading “Hrgovic: I will break Zhang down and beat him”

Two new fights on the PPV undercard of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s May 7 clash with WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas were announced on Monday. IBF #12 super lightweight Montana Love (17-0-1, 9 KOs) clashes with Gabriel Valenzuela (25-2-1, 15 KOs) and IBF #3 heavyweight Filip Hrgovic (14-0, 12 KOs) meets Zhilei Zhang (23-0-1, 18 KOs) in a final eliminator for the IBF title.

Don King Productions won the bidding for the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight championship bout between Trevor Bryan and Daniel Dubois. The auction took place on Monday via Zoom and the team representing Bryan, with Don King himself present at the purse bid, won the rights to promote the bout with a bid of three million one hundred and sixteen thousand and one dollars (US$3,116,001.00).

The winning promoter gave June 18 as the date for the fight, while as possible venues are London, South Florida, and New York.

The next bid came from Queensberry Promotions, which offered an amount of two million five hundred and three thousand dollars (US$2,503,000.00) and proposed to hold the fight in Derby, England on May 21 as the first option, Midlands, England on June 11 as the next alternative and another for June 18 in London.

Now, Don King Productions will have 20 days to send the contracts signed by both parties.

Welterweight U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson and Puerto Rican junior featherweight contender Carlos “Purin” Caraballo will see action on the Miguel Berchelt-Jeremiah Nakathila undercard Saturday, March 26 in the Events Center at Resorts World Las Vegas.

Johnson (2-0, 1 KO) will face an opponent to be named in a six-rounder, while Caraballo (14-1, 14 KOs) hopes to bounce back from his first career defeat against Luis Fernando Saavedra (9-6, 3 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Continue reading “Berchelt-Nakathila undercard lineup”