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

While Being outside of Mexico on a family trip, I received the information about what happened in the stadium during a soccer match between Querétaro and Atlas, a horrifying riot as the local fans of Queretaro broke the gates and attacked the visiting fans of Atlas; the game had to be stopped by the referee and players fled to the dressing rooms while fans entered the field trying to escape from the attack only to find themselves in a battlefield. I refuse to watch the videos circulating on social networks and WhatsApp chats. When one watches these violent events, sensitivity is lost and, in this way, we stop being shocked and things are taken as normal.

It is a sad day for Mexico, for soccer, for sports, and for our society. God grant solace to all the families who are suffering at this time and help us to learn from this event. I hope that all those who participated in the senseless violence, pay the consequences and that this tragedy moves all of us in sports to work on implementing preventive measures and protocols. Continue reading “Many things must change in the sports world”

The World Boxing Association (WBA) Championships Committee ordered a rematch for the super welterweight eliminator fight between Israil Madrimov and Michel Soro, who will have 30 days to negotiate the bout starting March 7.

The two fought last December 17 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and the official decision of the bout was a technical knockout in the ninth round in favor of Madrimov. However, Soro’s team requested a direct rematch on the grounds that the fight was wrongly stopped by a punch after the bell. After reviewing the case carefully and consulting with the authorities present, the WBA accepted the request made by Soro’s team.

We have boxing action on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this week, including a world title fight

ShoBox returns Friday with a tripleheader topped by undefeated super welterweight Ardreal Holmes (11-0, 5 KOs) against Vernon Brown (13-1-1, 9 KOs) live on SHOWTIME from Deadwood Mountain Grand Hotel in Deadwood, South Dakota.

The highlight Saturday is WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood (25-2, 15 KOs) in first world title defense against 2-time Olympian Michael Conlan (16-0, 8 KOs) at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England, streamed live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia as usual). Former IBF lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez (44-10, 17 KOs) is in the co-feature against unbeaten Gary Cully (13-0, 7 KOs).

On Sunday, there will be a live stream featuring welterweight Samuel Vargas (31-7-2, 14 KOs) taking on Przemyslaw Runowski (19-2, 5 KOs) from the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Fightzone.uk is streaming the event worldwide and completely FREE. Vargas is known to boxing fans for his previous fights against Errol Spence, Danny Garcia, Amir Khan, Vergil Ortiz, and Conor Benn.

By Ron Jackson

The legal liability of the various role players in professional boxing for an injury or death suffered by a boxer during a bout held in South Africa has never been documented to my knowledge.

However, Gerald Ramsden a local attorney from Fairland in Johannesburg has rectified this with his dissertation submitted in conformity with the requirements for the Degree of LLM (Research) Postgrad.

On page two Ramsden quotes Sugar Ray Leonard “You don’t play boxing, You really don’t. You play golf, you play tennis, but you don’t play boxing.” Continue reading “Legal Liability in pro boxing in South Africa”

By Joe Koizumi

Former WBO 105-pound champ Ryuya Yamanaka (16-3, 5 KOs), 108, returned to action after a hiatus of three years and eight months, and impressively scored a fine TKO victory over Daisuke Sudo (7-8-3, no KO), 107, at 1:52 of the fifth round on Sunday in Kobe, Japan. Ryuya was once diagnosed unable to fight on because of subdural hematoma after his forfeiture of the WBO belt at the hand of Vic Saludar in July 2018, but the JBC’s new medical guideline allowed him to be eligible to fight after three-time MRI tests. Dropping Sudo with a solid right counter in round one, Yamanaka took the initiative and accelerated his attack so furiously that the ref finally called a halt in the fatal fifth.

Promoter: Shinsei Promotions.

By Brad Snyder-The Undercard
Photos by Bob Ryder

Salita Promotions had some of the top prospects in the sport of boxing showcased on Saturday night in Dearborn, Michigan. These fighters were led by Super Middleweight Vladimir Shisken (13-0, 8 KOs), who was cornered by Sugar Hill Steward. Shisken looks the part of a future world champion. And that road began with his fight vs. Jeyson Minda (14-7-1, 8 KOs). The 8-Round bout offered some challenge in the form of a cut under Shisken’s right eye, that Referee Frank Garza deemed from an accidental head butt. Continue reading “Detroit Brawl Results”

By Brad Snyder-The Undercard
Photos by Bob Ryder

Troy Speakman brought back boxing in association with the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio Friday night after a two year lay off from holding the event due to Covid. The main event featured Alante “Bam Bam” Green (10-0-1, 7 KOs) vs. Samuel Clarkson (22-7-1, 15 KOs). What was supposed to be a Cruiserweight championship fight for the IBF/USBA and WBC/NABF titles, which Green holds, turned into a Heavyweight contest due to Clarkson weighing in over the limit. The early rounds showcased Green’s speed with a fast jab. Rounds 2 and 4 produced incredible action, as both fighters traded hard blows. In the end, Green proved too much and was able to score a knockdown that Clarkson could not rightfully stand up and continue. The 2:28 Round 6 TKO victory puts Green on the fast track for some bigger fights in the near future. Continue reading “Arnold Sports Festival Pro Boxing”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten WBA #2 Shokichi Iwata (8-0, 6 KOs), 107.75, needed just 72 seconds of the first round to halt challenger Toshimasa Ouchi (22-12-3, 8 KOs), 107.75, to retain his Japanese 108-pound belt on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. Iwata, ten years his junior at 26, demonstrated his power punching in landing a pulverizing overhand right to Ouchi, who fell with a thud to have his leg cramped to be unable to raise himself properly. The ref Someya quickly halted the affair to save the loser from further punishment.

Iwata, formerly an amateur boxer of Waseda university, once defeated Takuma Inoue, Monster Naoya’s younger brother, on points in an amateur contest. Shokichi made a successful professional debut by disposing of Joel Bermudez in the fourth in Carson, CA in 2018. Iwata is worth watching. Continue reading “Unbeaten Iwata stops Ouchi in 72 seconds”

Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Álvarez was on hand to support his stablemate Julio Cesar Martinez on Saturday night at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California. He was interviewed in the ring just before the main event.

On fighting Dmitry Bivol

I chose Bivol because he’s a good fighter. For me, he’s the best at 175 and he has something to offer me. I just want to make history in my career and I’m going to continue dealing with these guys. [Bivol is] really good. He knows what to do in the ring, he has a lot of experience in the amateurs, he’s been champion for a long time. I know what kind of fighter he is but I really don’t care. I’m in my prime and I have a lot of skills. Continue reading “Canelo talks Bivol, Golovkin, others”

Former four-division world champion Roman Gonzalez (51-3, 41 KOs) outclassed and dismantled current WBC flyweight champion Julio Cesar Martinez (18-2, 14 KOs) in a super flyweight bout on Saturday night at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California. Both were happy to exchange. Martinez attacked with naked aggression while Chocolatito was the more accurate puncher and landed the cleaner shots. Gonzalez took over in the middle rounds and began to punish Martinez. Chocolatito demonstrated elite skills, backing up the normally hyper-aggressive Martinez and connecting at a nearly 50% rate. After twelve rounds, scores were 118-110, 117-111, 116-112.

In an all-out war, IBF #3, WBO #4 featherweight Mauricio “Bronco” Lara (24-2-1, 17 KOs) scored a third round KO over Emilio Sanchez (19-2 12 KOs). Lara came out winging power shots from the get-go. He dropped Sanchez in round one and rocked Sanchez again in round two. Both fighters were hurt in round three and Lara spectacularly laid out Sanchez at the bell. Time was 2:59. Continue reading “Chocolatito dominates Martinez”

The World Boxing Association (WBA) Championships Committee has announced the purse bid for the bout between world heavyweight champion Trevor Bryan (22-0, 15 KOs) and official challenger Daniel Dubois (17-1, 16 KOs) will be held on Monday, March 14. The proceedings will be directed by the chairman of the Championships Committee Carlos Chavez at 10AM US Eastern time through the Zoom platform.

Bryan must defend the title against Dubois after having received special permission to face Jonathan Guidry last January. Dubois is the mandatory challenger because he held the division’s interim title when the WBA’s world title reduction plan kicked off.

By Damon Gonzalez/LatinBox

We are sending our prayers for Guillermo Rigondeaux, who was injured in a cooking accident Thursday night at his residence. Sources indicate that a pressure cooker exploded on the former world champion and caused burns to his body and face. He was immediately taken to a hospital in Miami, Florida. Rigo is stable at this time and we are hoping for a healthy recovery.

Friday Night Fights returned to ESPN+ for a one-night stand at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.

In a WBC super lightweight eliminator between former world champions, WBC #2, WBO #7 Jose Ramirez (27-1, 17 KOs) won a twelve round unanimous decision over WBO #6, WBC #10 Jose “Sniper” Pedraza (29-4, 14 KOs). Hometown favorite Ramirez aggressively pressed the action and forced Pedraza into survival mode over the last few rounds. Scores were 116-112 3x.

Ramirez stated afterward, “Jose Pedraza is a smart, experienced fighter. He was going to find a way to survive and put up a fight. He was there boxing towards the end of the fight. My hat’s off to him and his team. He was well-prepared. It was a great fight. I got to see where I am right now.

“I was a little tense coming into this fight because of my last fight. Fighting at home, last minute, I got a little more tense than I thought I was going to be. I went out there and just boxed, had fun in there. I played it smart, used my jab, and I think I won more than eight rounds.

“Against anybody at 140… I’m going to go back, work and stay focused and stay active. That’s one thing that’s affected me these last couple of years. I’ve trained so many times for a little bit of fights. My inactivity, my discouragement throughout training camps, it really took a big toll on me. I’m ready to stay active and stay motivated. There’s a lot of really great fighters coming up to 140. There’s a lot of really good fighters at 140 right now. Continue reading “Ramirez defeats Pedraza, Torrez wins pro debut”

Moses Johnson 259 lbs. VS. Robert Simms 260 lbs.
Winfred Harris Jr. 166.6 lbs. VS. Dashon Johnson 167.6 lbs.
Husam Al Mashhadi 156.4 lbs. vs. Devin Garrett 156.6 lbs.
Vladimir Shishkin 171 lbs. vs. Jeyson Minda 172 lbs.
Marlon Harrington 153 lbs. vs. Andres Viera 150.6 lbs.
Vernon Webber 220.2 lbs. vs. Luke Sills 213.4 lbs.
Gordie Russ II 169 lbs. vs. Jarrell Murray 170.4 lbs.

Promoter: Salita Promotions
Venue: Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, Dearborn, MI
Tickets start at $35

By Hesiquio Balderas

Marcos Caballero, chief trainer of Nicaraguan legend and former multi-division world champion Roman “Chocolatito” González, talks to Fightnews.com® about this weekend’s fight against Julio Cesar Martinez.

“We made a lot of changes, especially in the mental part and what I mean by this is to focus more on strategy, to be more focused on that department. With Estrada, we did so but not 100%. I still think we won the fight fair and square but we didn’t apply the strategy as we planned it during the fight, but this time is different. He listens more and sticks to our game plan in the gym and he will do it in the fight. This is one of the best camps we ever had. Continue reading “Trainer: Chocolatito has no distractions this time.”

By Hesiquio Balderas

Saul “Canelo” Álvarez was at hand this week in San Diego to kick off his upcoming against Dimitri Bivol on May 7th in Las Vegas. He also commented on Saturday’s fight between Roman “Chocolatito” González and Julio Cesar “Rey” Martinez.

“It’s going to be a very good fight,” said Canelo. “It’s going to be a tough fight for Rey, he is coming up in weight. Chocolatito is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. It’s a tough fight like I said but Rey is in top form, great shape and we trust him. We have confidence in him — and plus he doesn’t give a fu**. He is relentless.”

Regarding Kingry, Canelo stated, “I have nothing to say about Ryan. Just check the facts. Eddy [Reynoso] is the best trainer in the world. This kid hasn’t been in the gym so whatever he says, it doesn’t really matter. My opinion is that I don’t like that type of stuff. I don’t like ungrateful people.”

Roman Gonzalez 114.8 vs. Julio Cesar Martinez 116.4
(WBC diamond super flyweight title)
Note: Martinez failed to make the championship limit at the second attempt, title only on the line for Gonzalez.

Mauricio Lara 126 vs. Emilio Sanchez 126
Angel Fierro 134.6 vs. Juan Carlos Burgos 134.2
Souleymane Cissokho 153.8 vs. Roberto Valenzuela Jr 154
Diego Pacheco 170 vs. Genc Pllana 171
Marc Castro 134.8 vs. Julio Madera 134.4
Fernando Angel Molina 139.6 vs. Angel Aispuro 139.8
Skye Nicolson 129 vs. Jessica Juarez 129
Anthony Herrera 118.6 vs. Jose Toribio 118.2

Venue: Pechanga Arena, San Diego, California
Promoter: Matchroom
TV: DAZN

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

IBF cruiserweight champion Mairis Briedis (28-1, 20 KOs) will defend his world title against undefeated mandatory challenger Jai Opetaia (21-0, 17 KOs) on Wednesday May 11 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia. The fight was originally scheduled for April 6 but was pushed back after Briedis contracted Covid. This will be the first world title bout to be held in Australia since Jeff Horn defended his crown against Gary Corcoran just over five years ago in Brisbane. Promoter is Dean Lonergan for D and L Events in association with Wasserman Boxing. This will be the first world title bout to be held in Australia since Jeff Horn defended his crown against Gary Corcoran just over five years ago in Brisbane.

Ace boxing photographer Naoki Fukuda was on hand at the press conference announcing the April 9 unification clash between WBA middleweight super champion Ryota Murata and IBF titleholder Gennady Golovkin, taking place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Check out these shots…

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Boxing Beat

WBA middleweight super champion Ryota Murata (16-2, 13 KOs), Japan, and IBF titleholder Gennady Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs), Kazakhstan, will square off for unification in Saitama, Japan, on April 9. Originally their confrontation was scheduled at the same venue on December 29 last, but was inevitably put off because of the Omicron outbreak last year.

The re-scheduled promotion was announced on Thursday by Teiken Promotions in a press conference in Tokyo. Murata, Japan’s national hero and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, jubilantly said, “I’m happy to have this big fight realized after our long patience and anticipation. I wish to be victorious with my best performance.”

Golovkin sent a written message, saying, “I’m also happy to have it finally decided. I’ll demonstrate a show of a big drama.” Continue reading “Murata-GGG Kickoff Press Conference”

WBA #6, WBO #8 super middleweight Erik Bazinyan (27-0, 21 KOs) successfully defended his NABF title with an ninth round TKO against Reinaldo Paniagua (17-2, 16 KOs) on Thursday night at the Montreal Casino in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Bazinyan progressively broke down the rugged Paniagua. In round nine, Bazinyan unleashed a sustained barrage of punches as Paniagua languished on the ropes and the referee waved it off at 1:10.

Former WBA middleweight title challenger Steven “Bang Bang” Butler (29-3-1, 25 KOs) got back in the win column for the first time since 2019 after a third round KO over Hector Manuel Zepeda (20-4, 6 KOs). Butler dropped Zepeda twice in round one, then blasted Zepeda to the canvas again in round three to end it. Time was 2:50.

Super lightweight Steve “The Dragon” Claggett (31-7-2, 21 KOs) was victorious after the corner of Sebastian Ezequiel Aguirre (18-4, 11 KOs) pulled their man out after round nine.

Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez and Julio Cesar Martinez faced off at the final press conference for their clash at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California on Saturday night, live worldwide on DAZN.

Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez: “I have an opponent that comes forward but I’m going to come forward, it’s going to be a tremendous fight and I think the fans are going to be really happy with the fight.

Julio Cesar Martinez: “As always, we’re prepared for everything, decision, for it to be a clash, a technical fight. We’re coming in here well trained; I want to make sure the public walks away with a good taste in their mouth.”

By Gabriel F. Cordero

Authorities in Puerto Rico entered the home of three-time world champion Wilfredo “Bazooka” Gómez on Wednesday afternoon and extracted the 65-year-old former fighter after allegations that he was being abused and kept in deplorable conditions by a woman he is currently involved with.

For many months, the family had no communication or access to Gomez and they got a court order to have him transferred to a hospital. In a live broadcast on Telemundo, the unshaven Gomez didn’t look well as he was taken from the house in a wheelchair and then moved onto a gurney and into an ambulance.

Undefeated super welterweight prospect Ardreal Holmes will now face once-beaten Vernon Brown in the 10-round main event of ShoBox: The New Generation on Friday, March 11 live on SHOWTIME from Deadwood Mountain Grand Hotel in Deadwood, S.D. Mekhrubon Sanginov, who was originally slated to take on Holmes (11-0, 5 KOs) in the main event, was forced to withdraw from the bout after suffering an injury in training camp. Brown (13-1-1, 9 KOs), who was previously set to fight the undefeated Hurshidbek Normatov in the co-main event, now steps in to face Holmes. Normatov also suffered an injury in training camp and is unable to fight on March 11.

The previously-announced eight-round lightweight matchup between undefeated Luis Acosta (12-0, 11 KOs) and the power-punching Edwin De Los Santos (13-1, 12 KOs) serves as the co-main event and 2021 National Golden Gloves Champion Giovanni Márquez, the son of former world champion and ShoBox commentator Raul Márquez, makes his professional debut against Dominican Nelson Morales (2-0) in a four-round super lightweight bout that opens the three-fight telecast. Raul Márquez will occupy dual roles during the broadcast, first as his son’s trainer and cornerman and then later as an expert analyst alongside his colleagues ringside.

Jose Pedraza 140 vs. Jose Ramirez 139.8
(WBC super lightweight eliminator)

Richard Torrez Jr. 228.2 vs. Allen Melson 201.8
Joet Gonzalez 125.8 vs. Jeo Santisima 125.2
Gabriel Flores Jr. 131.6 vs. Abraham Montoya 131.8
Hector Tanajara 135 vs. Miguel Contreras 134.2
Karlos Balderas 134.2 vs. Aelio Mesquita 131.2
Javier Martinez 161.8 vs. Donte Stubbs 163
Charlie Sheehy 134.2 vs. Johnny Bernal 135
Antonio Mireles 259.4 vs. Brandon Hughes 282.4

Venue: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Promoter: Top Rank
TV: ESPN+