Edgar Berlanga 167.4 vs. Steve Rolls 167.8
Xander Zayas 152.6 vs. Quincy LaVallais 152.6
John Bauza 140.2 vs. Tony Luis 140.8
Jahi Tucker 147.8 vs. Tracey McGruder 147.8
Henry Lebron 130.6 vs. Josec Ruiz 130.4
Bruce Carrington 129.8 vs. Yeuri Andujar 129.6
Armani Almestica 139.2 vs. Luis Valentin Portalatin 140.2
Kelvin Davis 143.6 vs. Phillip Carmouche 144.8

Venue: Madison Square Garden Theater, New York City
Promoter: Top Rank
TV: ESPN, ESPN+

Unbeaten Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov (10-0, 10 KOs) continued his reign of terror with a fifth round KO over Kamil Sokolowski (11-25-2, 4 KOs) on Friday night at the Duty Free Tennis Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The 6’7 Jalolov dropped Sokolowski scored a knockdown in round two with a cuffing shot that Sokolowski brushed off. At the beginning of round five, a Jalolov left hand dropped Sokolowski just seconds after the bell. After further punishment, Sokolowski fell to the canvas once more under a barrage of clubbing shots, prompting the referee to step in and bring a halt to the contest. Quick stoppage by the ref prompting complaints from Sokolowski. Time was 1:17.

“I’m ready to compete with the best in the heavyweight division and I am coming for all of the belts, and I know my time is coming,” Jalolov proclaimed after the fight.

WBC #1 super featherweight O’Shaquie Foster (19-2, 11 KOs) scored a twelve round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten WBC #2 Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov (18-1, 10 KOs) in a WBC eliminator. Foster dropped Yaqubov in round twelve to punctuate a 118-109, 117-110, 117-110. Foster retains his WBC silver belt.

Former world title challenger and currently WBA #2 rated super featherweight Jono Carroll (22-2-1, 7 KOs) got a fourth round stoppage against previously unbeaten Patrick Ayi Aryee (21-1-1, 13 KOs). A sustained barrage of unanswered punches prompted the referee to step in at 2:07 of the fourth.

Unbeaten female lightweight Estelle Yoka Mossely (10-0, 1 KO) made history as the first woman to headline a world title boxing card in the Middle East by defending her IBO title via ten round split decision against Yanina Lescano (10-2, 2 KOs). Scores were 97-93, 96-94 Mossley, 96-94 Lescano.

Unbeaten rising star Tim Tszyu held a media workout in Las Vegas Thursday as he nears his much anticipated U.S. debut against U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha taking place Saturday, March 26 live on Showtime from The Armory in Minneapolis.

“I’m coming to fight and I’m coming to win. I’m not here to ‘tip-tap’. If that means going for the knockout, I’ll go for it right away. I’m not here to out-jab someone and win on the scorecards. From the first second when the fight starts, my objective is to take him out. Every second of every round, I’m going to be in front of my opponent’s face. Continue reading “Tszyu: My objective is to take him out”

By Joe Koizumi

WBC light-flyweight champion Masamichi Yabuki (13-3, 12 KOs), 29, and former titlist Kenshiro Teraji (18-1, 10 KOs), 30, both made weight at the official weigh-in ceremony on Friday in Kyoto, Japan, as follows:

Yabuki 48.8 kg (the 108-pound limit is 48.9 kg)
Teraji 48.7 kg

Their weight in pounds will be announced tomorrow upon the title bout to take place at Kyoto City Gymnasium.

The local promoter is Shinsei Promotions presided by Masato Yamashita.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Former world featherweight champion Billy Dib spoke to Fightnews.com® about his showdown against WBO#5 lightweight Jacob Ng on Saturday and how a win will put him in a position to challenge undisputed IBF, WBA, WBO and WBC franchise champion George “Ferocious” Kambosos

“I had a fantastic camp, I did everything in my power to make sure I left no stone unturned,” said Dib. “Injury-free. I put in some great work with my trainer Billy Hussein. I had some fantastic sparring with Manuer Matet and other tall boxers including my brother Yousef (who holds an amateur victory over Conor Benn). I sparred one hundred and six rounds in total. I have lived clean and healthy for the last fourteen weeks which has made making weight so easy. I woke up this morning (Friday) and I am only 600 grams over the weight. Continue reading “Dib: I will stop Ng and challenge Kambosos”

Sunny Edwards 111.3 vs. Muhammad Waseem 111.7
(IBF flyweight title)

Regis Prograis 138.9 vs. Tyrone McKenna 139.5
(WBC super lightweight eliminator)

Peter McGrail 125 vs. Alexandru Ionita 123
TJ Doheny 126.1 vs. Cesar Juarez 125.9
Hovhannes Bachkov 142.4 vs. Cristian Coria 142.4
Jamie King 202.8 vs. Naveen Verma 198.4
Bander Samreen 135.8 vs. Denis Bartos 134.9
Khalid Ayub 175.4 vs. Annem Sivareddy 176.4
Faizan Anwar TBA vs. Khojiakbov Qodirokhunov TBA
Fahad Al Boushi 131.8 vs. Mohamed Kashinde 132

Venue: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium
Promoter: Probellum
TV: fuboTV

Super middleweight Cem Kilic (16-1, 11 KOs) scored a second round KO over Tony Hernandez (6-13-2, 4 KOs) on Thursday night at the Quiet Cannon in Montebello, California. Formerly world-rated Kilic dropped journeyman Hernandez at the end of round one and again in round two prompting a referee’s stoppage at 2:51. Kilic is trained by Brian Viloria.

In the main event, southpaw super welterweight Callum Walsh (2-0, 2 KOs) needed just 33 seconds to demolish Gael Ibarra (5-7, 4 KOs). A straight left finished Ibarra. Continue reading “Kilic punishes Hernandez”

Oleh Dovhun 121.2 vs. Geram Eloyan 120.8
Tyrone James 153.4 vs. Jimmy Williams 154
Wendy Toussaint 155 vs. Travis Gambardella 160.8
Louis Maietta 175.4 vs. Kamron Humphrey 175.4
Isaah Flaherty 159.4 vs. Angelo Thompson 154.2

Venue: Huntington Hilton in Melville, New York
Promoter: Star Boxing
TV: FITE+

By Héctor Villarreal

Norbelto “Meneito” Jiménez (30-9-6, 16 Kos) will be back in action in his native Dominican Republic on a card that will be promoted by Shuan Boxing Promotion, the leading boxing company throughout the Caribbean island. The 10-round fight will take place on April 8 at the Fencing Pavilion of the Olympic Center in Santo Domingo against Nicaraguan Keyvin Lara (31-4-1, 11 Kos), who has also fought for a world championship.

On his recent fights, the Dominican superfly has proven his worth as one of the best boxers of his division and a tough contender for any opponent in the world. After fighting to a draw with unbeaten Nigerian Aliu Bamidele Lasisi, in Dubai, Jimenez won a unanimous decisión at home over his countryman Marvin Solano. Then he went back to Dubai to face legendary Filipino Donnie Nietes in a fight which was ruled a draw despite many experts considered “Meneito” the rightful winner. Continue reading “Norbelto “Meneito” Jimenez heads Shuan Boxing mega event”

Olympian and super welterweight contender Terrell Gausha says he’ll be spoiling the stateside debut of unbeaten Tim Tszyu when they square off on March 26 live on Showtime from The Armory in Minneapolis. Training in Los Angeles with Manny Robles and Prenice Brewer, Gausha has been sparring with the likes of Brian Castaño and Vergil Ortiz, and he plans to be ready for anything the aggressive Tszyu brings.

“I expect Tim to try to bring pressure and come forward,” said Gausha. “He’s a one-trick pony. What you see is what you get. He doesn’t do too many things spectacularly, but what he does do well, he does it very well, and that’s bring the pressure. We have something ready for that and we’re going to do our thing no matter what he tries to do.” Continue reading “Gausha: Tszyu a one-trick pony”

Welterweights Alexis Rocha and Blair Cobbs faced off at the final press conference for Saturday night’s clash at the University of Southern California’s Galen Center and will be streamed worldwide on DAZN.

Alexis Rocha: “The fight was presented to him last November and we didn’t fight. It wasn’t my fault. Kerobyan was your only notable win. You’re acting like a clown here and there. Let’s remember Blair. Just like there’s clowns in the circus, there’s also lions and tigers there too. Remember this face. You’re one fight from the commentary booth. You’ll be announcing my fights after this.”

Blair Cobbs: “There was no fight offered to me last November. Am I the kind of person to turn down fights? Does Blair the Flair look like he gives a shit? I don’t think so. I actually wanted that fight in November but we couldn’t make it happen. Finally we made it happen. I did not hesitate to sign this contract. Then we waited for Alexis to sign…when I put these young fighters in the fire with me they seem to not look the same. He’s only been tested one time against Brad Solomon and he almost lost. What happened when Solomon fought me with more than two months of training. We got the job done in the fifth round.”

Unbeaten super middleweight Edgar “The Chosen One” Berlanga (18-0, 16 KOs) faced off with Steve Rolls (21-1, 12 KOs) at the final press conference for their clash on Saturday night at the Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Edgar Berlanga: “I don’t like to predict nothing. He’s a tough veteran. He went in there with the best. And for me, I’m just looking forward to putting on a show. I’m ready to blow the roof off this place. I’m just ready to explode. It’ll be fireworks like always.”

Steve Rolls: “I have goals. I want to put a world title around my waist, so we both have pressure on us. He’s not the only one with pressure. This is a fight that we both need.”

Xander Zayas (12-0, 9 KOs) takes the co-feature stage in an eight-round junior middleweight bout against Quincy LaVallais (12-2-1, 7 KOs). In the eight-round ESPN-televised opener, junior welterweight John “El Terrible” Bauza (16-0, 7 KOs) steps up in class against Canadian veteran Tony “Lightning” Luis (29-4, 10 KOs).

More quotes

Photos: Sumio Yamada

WBC light flyweight champion Masamichi Yabuki and former champ Kenshiro Teraji faced off at the final press conference for their direct rematch on Saturday night at the City Gymnasium in Kyoto, Japan. Masamichi Yabuki won the WBC crown on September 22, when he dethroned Kenshiro by TKO in the tenth round.

Kenshiro Teraji: “I am very excited. I want to win back that Green and Gold Belt. I want to win, and I will leave no doubt that my loss was just a stumble.”

Masamichi Yabuki: “I have had a great preparation for this fight. I am the champion, and I am going to prove it in the ring. I have no doubt that I am a better fighter, and you will see it on Saturday.”

More Photos

Three undercard matchups have been confirmed for the Showtime PPV lineup headlined by WBC and IBF welterweight champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. and WBA welter champ Yordenis Ugas squaring off in a unification clash on April 16 live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Lightweight contender Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (22-2-1, 15 KOs) takes on former world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa (30-4, 18 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature. Unbeaten lightweight Jose Valenzuela (11-0, 7 KOs) battles former world champion Francisco “El Bandido” Vargas (27-3-2, 19 KOs) in a 10-rounder, plus unbeaten welterweight Cody Crowley (20-0, 9 KOs) faces “The Riverside Rocky” Josesito Lopez (38-8, 21 KOs) in a 10-round encounter that kicks off the telecast.

Olympic heavyweight bronze medallist Frazer Clarke underwent hand surgery yesterday and has withdrawn from the BOXXER Fight Night show on March 26 at OVO Wembley Arena, live on Sky Sports. Clarke, 30, sustained a hand injury during a sparring session and following a successful operation, he will now allow time to rest and recover before commencing a course of rehabilitation treatment at Loughborough University.

He was due to face Spain’s Gabriel Enguema on the show, but Clarke will not be able to punch for six weeks and it is anticipated that he will return to the ring again in 10-12 weeks to resume his career.

The March 26 show, headlined by a cruiserweight collision between Richard Riakporhe and Deion Jumah, will go on as scheduled.

Bakhodir Jalolov 255 vs. Kamil Sokolowski 240
Jono Carroll 131.4 vs. Patrick Ayi Aryee 132
Estelle Mossely 134.5 vs. Yanina del Carmen Lescano 134.5
O’Shaquie Foster 129.8 vs. Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov 129.6
(WBC super featherweight eliminator)
Shabaz Masoud 121.7 vs. Yoann Boyeux 121
Rohan Date 149.9 vs. Tom Hill 149.7
Joshua Ridgewell 131.2 vs. Suraj Ram 129
Sultan Al Nuaimi 113.7 vs. Hamza Mchanjo 116.4
Eyrk Apresyan 149.2 vs. Burak Akkus 149.2
Zlad Wael Hamza 177.4 vs. Karanjeet Singh 168.2

Venue: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium
Promoter: Probellum
TV: fuboTV

By Karl Freitag

Hardcore boxing fans tend to gnash their teeth at the recent spate of exhibitions featuring former boxing legends, MMA fighters competing in boxing matches, combination boxing/Verzuz events, and Internet “influencers” squaring off in the ring. But there is a very bright side.

In the most recent Harris Poll, boxing now ranks as the fourth most-popular sport in the United States, behind only football, baseball, and basketball. And ahead of MMA. Ahead of ice hockey. Ahead of soccer. Ahead of tennis. Ahead of golf.

This is rather startling considering boxing wasn’t even in the top ten previously. And perhaps even more shocking is the fact that boxing is no longer just your grandfather’s favorite sport. Young people are flocking to the sweet science, even preferring boxing to baseball! Continue reading “Who says boxing is dead?”

Showtime, DAZN, and ESPN will go mano a mano with three simultaneous telecasts on Saturday, April 9.

Showtime presents Erickson Lubin vs. Sebastian Fundora in a terrific clash for the WBC interim super welterweight title from Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. The all-super welterweight card also includes Tony Harrison vs. Sergio Garcia, and Kevin Salgado vs. Bryant Perrella.

DAZN counters with the return of Kingry. Lightweight star Ryan Garcia meets Emmanuel Tagoe from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Unbeaten prospects George Rincon, Gregory Morales, and Hector Valdez see action on the undercard.

ESPN leads with WBO/IBF female junior lightweight champion Mikaela Mayer against Jennifer Han at The Hangar at the Orange County Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California. Welterweight Giovani Santillan faces Jeovanis Barraza in the co-feature. There is also a strong undercard on ESPN+ with both Maloney brothers, Jason Moloney and Andrew Moloney, IBF #1 featherweight Luis Alberto “El Venado” Lopez, and Olympic silver medalist Duke Ragan.

The biggest fight of the day, however, takes place on DAZN in the early morning hours when Gennady Golovkin faces Ryota Murata in an IBF/WBA middleweight unification clash from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Australian Rules football legend Barry Hall (0-0-1) is confident of defeating former New Zealand heavyweight champion and Rugby League and Rugby Union football legend and popular fan favorite Sonny Bill Williams (8-0, 3 KOs) when they clash over eight rounds at the ICC Exhibition Centre in Sydney, NSW, Australia next Wednesday. The bout is expected to break viewership records when televised on Stan Event Pay-Per-View.

“I love boxing. It’s my number one sport,” said Hall. “Yes, I played AFL football back in the day but even when I was playing I was at home watching boxing all the time. It’s just something I have always loved. We were fully aware coming into (the Sonny Bill Williams fight) that everything was about Sonny. I see it as a bit arrogant, as well. Right through his Rugby League and Rugby Union career, there has been a lot of that shine through. It’s all about him. We have locked a date in now and he is going to have to pay for that. Continue reading “Barry Hall: Beating Sonny Bill is like shooting Bambi”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Tim Tszyu won’t be the only Aussie making his American debut on March 26 at the Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Unbeaten Brisbane heavyweight Joe Goodall (7-0-1, 6 KOs) will see action against Mathew McKinney (8-4-2, 5 KOs).

“I’ve been training three times a day, six times a week,” said Goodall who is trained by Kevin Barry in Las Vegas. “It became too difficult for my manager Steve Scanlan to get me fights back in Australia and the big difference over here is the professionalism and the level of sparring. Iron sharpens iron and I’m getting razor-sharp for these fights. Continue reading “Goodall poised for American debut”

Golden Boy’s March 19 show at the University of Southern California’s Galen Center will now be headlined by Alexis “Lex” Rocha (18-1, 12 KOs) against Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (15-0-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight fight streaming live, worldwide on DAZN. In the new co-main event, Michael “The Problem” McKinson (21-0, 2 KOs) will now face Jesus Antonio Perez (24-3, 18 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight fight. Also part of the DAZN live stream, Bektemir “Bully” Melikuziev (8-1, 6 KOs) will face David “La Pantera” Zegarra (34-7, 21 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round light heavyweight fight. Opening up the stream, Evan Sanchez (9-0, 6 KOs) is set for a 6-round welterweight fight against Alejandro Munera (6-6-4, 5 KOs)

Fans with tickets to Ortiz vs. McKinson do not need to take action to attend Rocha vs. Cobbs, as their tickets and seating locations are still valid. Continue reading “Rocha-Cobbs elevated to main event”

“It’s harder to defend a belt than win one.”

By Przemek Garczarczyk

Ronnie Shields, trainer of WBC #6 middleweight Maciek Sulęcki, talks about Sulęcki’s upcoming world title challenge against WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo (June 18 in Houston, Showtime), Sulecki’s character and skills, Jermall’s work ethic, and gives us a detailed insight into how they prepare for fights.

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Undefeated WBC USNBC silver heavyweight titlist Brandon Moore has been added to the bout lineup of Salita Promotions’ next Detroit Brawl event on April 2 at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, MI. The 6’ 6 southpaw Moore (11-0, 7 KOs) will appear in an eight-round showdown against divisional gatekeeper Curtis Harper (13-7, 9 KOs).

The Moore-Harper clash supports the night’s main event featuring the return of unbeaten lightweight Erick De Leon (19-0-1, 11 KOs) after nearly three years’ absence from the sport due to injuries. De Leon faces Juan Jose “Piquet” Martinez (28-11, 20 KOs) in another eight-rounder.

After a long flight from Australia, WBO #1-ranked contender Tim Tszyu (20-0, 15 KOs) has arrived to the U.S. in preparation for his upcoming showdown with 2012 U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha (22-2-1, 11 KOs). Tszyu vs. Gausha, a 12-round clash, will headline live on SHOWTIME, Saturday, March 26 from The Armory in Minneapolis.

“I have come to America with big visions of taking over the whole super welterweight division and becoming the next great 154-pound champion of the world,” said Tszyu, the son of Hall of Fame fighter Kostya Tszyu. “To become a legend, you must come to America at some point in your career and leave a mark on the sport. I want to continue my family’s legacy in boxing, as well as forge my own journey. March 26 is the start of my era.” Continue reading “Tim Tszyu hits America”

First and foremost l am very sorry and disappointed to not be fighting this Saturday. Camp was going great. I was doing very good in sparring and training in general. But for the last 2 weeks, I didn’t feel like myself. I just felt like my body was deteriorating and I didn’t know why and it was frustrating. Being the fighter that l am, I tried toughing it out, But when it’s your own body fighting against you, there’s little you can do. Luckily my dad was also able to tell I wasn’t right and took me to the doctor. We ran some tests and the doctor concluded that I had Rhabdomyolysis. l was hospitalized yesterday and had to stay overnight. It could’ve been a lot worse and I’m thankful that we caught it on time. I am very sorry if I let you guys down. Believe me, if there was o hair of a chance of me fighting, I would be.

Vergil Ortiz Jr.