WBA bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux wants to return to the ring before the end of this year. “Very soon,” he told El Nuevo Herald about his return to the ring. “It seems like something finally came up for me. I don’t know if it’s November or December, but I can assure you that I will fight before the end of 2020. I know that many out there are waiting for me to get back in the ring, but believe me, nobody wants to fight more than I do,” said the 40-year-old veteran.

“The division is pretty good, but the question is, who wants to fight me at 118? That’s the big question, but I’m expecting opponents to show up. What fans should ask themselves is what do the others think about fighting me?”

By Robert Coster

Jose Rafael Lantigua, a top boxing promoter and manager in the Dominican Republic, passed away last Friday at the age of 62. “Papin,” as he was commonly known by his friends, was a well-loved figure in the local boxing scene. A successful businessman, Lantigua got involved in boxing solely motivated by his love of the Sweet Science. Over two decades, he promoted over a hundred cards under the banner of “Domini Boxing Promotion.” Continue reading “Promoter Jose Rafael Lantigua Passes”

By Miguel Maravilla

South El Monte’s undefeated junior welterweight Arnold Barboza Jr. (24-0, 10 KOs) expects a tough battle as he takes on Oklahoma’s Alex Saucedo(30-1, 19 KOs) this Saturday night inside “The Bubble” at MGM Grand in Las Vegas live on ESPN as the co-feature to Vasyl Lomachenko vs Teofimo Lopez unification bout.

“I feel like my style and his style will bring out the best in both of us. We both need each other in some sense. He’s trying to get back to where he was, and I’m trying to get where he was at when he fought for the belt.” Arnold Barboza told reporters. Continue reading “Barboza: Saucedo going to bring out the best in me”

By Ray Wheatley -World of Boxing

Former WBO light welterweight champion DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley (51-33-1, 28 KOs) spoke to Peter Maniatis about fights with Zab Judah in the street and in the ring, also world title bouts with Ener Julio, Felix Flores, Randall Bailey, Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Lucas Mathysse, Ruslan Provodnikov and also mentions promoters he has worked with and shooting craps in Nashville and Colorado Springs with friends. Continue reading “Interview: DeMarcus Corley”

Some of the fighters competing on Saturday’s Loma-Lopez undercard met the media Tuesday for a Zoom press conference. Participating were junior welterweights Alex Saucedo and Arnold Barboza Jr., who meet in the co-feature, along with super middleweight Edgar Berlanga (14-0, 14 first-round KOs).

In was also announced that Clay Collard tested positive for COVID-19, so his fight against Quincy LaVallais is off. LaVallais will now fight Quatavious Cash in an eight-round middleweight contest. Continue reading “Saucedo, Barboza, Berlanga Presser Quotes”

Fighters competing on the October 31 Gervonta Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz Showtime PPV undercard previewed their respective showdowns during a virtual press conference Tuesday before they meet in the ring on Saturday, October 31 from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

The press conference featured unbeaten San Antonio native and WBA super lightweight champion Mario “El Azteca” Barrios and Ryan “Cowboy” Karl, who meet in the co-main event, plus former super lightweight world champion Regis “Rougarou” Prograis and unbeaten contender Juan Heraldez, who square off in in a 10-round showdown, and lightweight contenders Isaac Cruz and Diego Magdaleno, who battle in an IBF title eliminator to kick off the pay-per-view. Continue reading “Davis-Santa Cruz Undercard Presser”

The Golden Contract featherweight and light heavyweight finals will take place on December 2 at Production Park Studios in Wakefield, England. Sky Sports and ESPN+ will televise.

The featherweight final between Jazza Dickens (29-3, 11 KOs) and Ryan Walsh (26-2-2, 12 KOs) was originally set for September 30 before a positive COVID-19 test for Dickens postponed the fight. In the light heavyweight final, Ricards Bolotniks (17-5-1, 7 KOs) faces Serge Michel (11-1, 8 KOs).

Both winners will get a two-year, five-fight “golden contract” with six-figure purses for each fight guaranteed.

Welterweight Sebastian Formella (22-1, 10 KOs) will return against Conor Benn (16-0, 11 KOs) on November 21st in London for Benn’s WBA Continental title. The ten round bout will take place on the card headlined by the heavyweight rematch between Alexander Povetkin and Dillian Whyte. Formella lost by unanimous decision to Shawn Porter in August. Benn is the son of boxing legend Nigel Benn, who won middle and super middleweight world titles in the 1990s.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unheralded and JBC unranked ex-amateur novice Rei Nakajima (4-0, no KO), 159.5, surprisingly scored an upset victory by a split decision (77-75 twice for him, 74-78) over ex-OPBF middleweight ruler Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa (12-6-1, 11 KOs), 159, over eight fast rounds on Friday in Tokyo, Japan.

Charlie, the younger brother of former Japanese national 140-pound titlist Valentine Hosokawa, both being from a Nigerian father and a Japanese mother, appeared for the first time—chiefly because of the coronavirus outbreak—since he forfeited his OPBF 160-pound belt to Kazuto Takesako last January. Continue reading “Novice Nakajima upsets ex-OPBF 160lb champ Charlie”

Hearing reports that WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is looking for a December 2020 opponent, Sweden’s IBF #14-ranked Otto Wallin (21-1, 14 KOs) says that he’s the rightful choice for a rematch against the “Gypsy King.” Yesterday, Fury and his team stated they are moving on from the prospect of a trilogy fight with former champion Deontay Wilder and are looking for a late 2020 opponent.

Wallin and Fury met in a savage slugfest in December 2019, where Wallin opened two gruesome cuts around Fury’s right eye so severe that many experts assert Fury was extremely lucky to have avoided a TKO loss. Fury required close to 50 stitches and had to have a web mesh inserted surgically into the horrific wounds. Continue reading “Wallin ready to step in for Fury rematch”

Watch Blood, Sweat and Tears: Lomachenko vs. Lopez, a two-part, behind-the-scenes look at the fighters’ camps.

Part 1
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Part 2
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By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Former IBF bantamweight challenger Jason Moloney (21-1, 18 KOs) spoke to Fightnews.com® to advise on how his training and sparring are going for his October 31st showdown in Las Vegas with pound-for-pound best IBF and WBA bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16 KOs).

Moloney is preparing in Las Vegas under the guidance of Angelo Hyder.

“Training has been going great,“ said Moloney. “I’m working extremely hard and feeling fantastic. I sparred twelve rounds yesterday with three different sparring partners and got through the rounds with ease. I wake up every day hungry to work hard and to be the best that I can be.” Continue reading “Moloney: There will be fireworks on Oct 31”

WBC franchise, WBA super, and WBO lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) returns to the ring this Saturday against undefeated IBF lightweight champion Teofimo López (15-0, 12 KOs) in a unification showdown at the MGM Grand Bubble in Las Vegas live on ESPN.

“I feel great. I can’t wait for Saturday night,” Vasyl Lomachenko told media. “I have a goal, I have a dream and he holds the IBF title. I need this belt. Saturday I will take his belt.”

Having wrapped up his training camp in Camarillo, California with his father, Team Lomachenko is ready to come out on all cylinders. Continue reading “Lomachenko: It won’t be an easy fight”