By Miguel Maravilla at ringside

In a clash for the vacant WBC super lightweight title, Regis “Rougarou” Prograis (28-1, 24 KOs) scored an explosive eleventh round KO over Jose “Chon” Zepeda (35-3, 27 KOs) on Saturday night at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. Progress took over in round two and finally blasted Zepeda to the canvas in round eleven to end it. Judges had Prograis ahead 98-92, 98-92 and 97-93 entering the eleventh. Continue reading “Prograis KOs Zepeda, wins WBC 140lb title”

By Miguel Maravilla at ringside

2021 super heavyweight gold medalist and IBF #1 rated Bakhodir ‘The Big Uzbek’ Jalolov (12-0, 12 KO’s) of Uzbekistan continued to build his record in scoring a fourth round stoppage over Curtis Harper (14-9, 9 KO’s) Saturday night on the Zepeda-Prograis undercard at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

Jalolov started slow and pumped the jab as he kept Harper at bay in the opening round. The jab continued to land for Jalolov. Things got rough as Harper was hitting on the break and attempted to hit Jalolov behind the head but referee Thomas Taylor stopped and issued a warning to Harper. In the third Jalolov appeared to let loose as he unloaded the left, a huge straight left in the closing seconds of the third sent Harper to the canvas as he was up to finish the round. The straight left continued to find its mark for Jalolov as he tagged Harper early on in the fourth, Jalolov dropped Harper with a series of punches as he was up on his feet but referee Thomas Taylor waved off the contest. (Note sound was not on as there was a malfunction during the official time/announcement).

By Miguel Maravilla at ringside

Undefeated IBF #4, WBC #5, WBO #8, WBA #12 super welterweight Charles ‘Bad News’ Conwell (18-0, 13 KO’s) of Cleveland won a ten round majority decision over the Dominican Republic’s Juan Carlos Abreu (25-7-1, KOs) in a WBC title eliminator Saturday night on the Zepeda-Prograis undercard at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. Judges scored the fight 98-92, 96-94, and 95-95.

Conwell suffered a nasty gash on his left eye that bled profusely. Continue reading “Conwell wins majority nod over Abreu”

Heavyweight Jermaine Franklin (21-1, 14 KOs) went into the lion’s den and almost defeated former world title challenger Dillian Whyte (29-3, 19 KOs), losing by twelve round majority decision on Saturday night at Wembley Arena in London. Neither fighter was really ever in control. Scores were 115-115, 116-112, 116-112 for the local fighter.

After the bout, Whyte stated that he could have been a bit more active and thrown more big shots, but coming off a loss and with a new coach in Buddy McGirt, he said he was just listening to his coach. Franklin stated that he felt he was robbed in the fight.

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Unbeaten heavyweight Fabio Wardley (15-0, 14 KOs) scored a third round TKO over Nathan Gorman (19-2, 13 KOs) in a bout for the vacant British title. Wardley dropped Gorman twice in round two, but Gorman survived the round. Wardley dropped Gorman again in round three and Gorman’s corner threw in the towel moments later. Time was 2:33.

2020 Olympic silver medalist Pat McCormack (3-0, 2 KOs) shut out Christian Nicolas Andino (16-6-2, 2 KOs) over six rounds in a welterweight bout. Score was 60-54. Continue reading “Whyte edges Franklin with majority decision”

In a clash for the WBO interim super middleweight title, John Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs) was victorious when previously unbeaten Zach Parker (22-1, 16 KOs) couldn’t continue after four rounds citing an injured right hand on Saturday night at the 02 Arena in London. Sudden end to a close fight to that point. Ryder is now in line for a shot at undisputed 168lb champion Canelo Alvarez.

John Ryder: “Zach started well, got behind the job well and was peppering me a bit there. I felt like the tide might be starting to turn and I was getting more on top, but these things happen in boxing. It is a bad injury for him and it feels like half a robbery victory for me.”

Zach Parker: “I was warming into the fight and it was becoming a good fight. When the injury happened at the start of that last round I kept having to move because every time I jabbed him it was hurting and clicking.”

WBC #12 middleweight Hamzah Sheeraz (17-0, 13 KOs) won by second round TKO over River Wilson-Bent (13-2-1, 6 KOs) in a bout for the WBC silver title. Sheeraz simply overpowered Wilson-Bent from the get-go and blasted Wilson-Bent to the canvas to end it at 2:55 of round two. Continue reading “Ryder wins WBO interim super middle title”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBA #1, IBF #2, WBO #7 middleweight Michael Zerafa (31-4, 19 KOs) outpointed Sydney-based Italian Danilo Creati (8-1, 1 KO) over ten rounds in a lackluster bout at the Aware Theatre, Sydney, NSW, Australia, on Wednesday night televised on Foxtel Main Event and Kayo Sport Pay-Per-View. Zerafa was content to exchange long-range punches with the inexperienced Creati, and at no point in the bout was Creati in danger of visiting the canvas. At the conclusion of ten rounds, scores were 99-91, 98-93, 98-92 all for Zerafa.

Zerafa said afterward, “Creati was tricky and he was awkward. I took the fight on four weeks’ notice and my team is in America but full credit to Team Ellis.“

In other action, Australian heavyweight contender and Rugby league legend Paul Gallen (15-2-1, 8 KOs) outscored Justin Hodges (5-3, 2 KOs) over six rounds. Both Gallen and Hodges exchanged accurate left jabs in all the rounds but Gallen also connected with effective body punches and after six action rounds scores were 59-55, 60-54, 60-54. The 41-year-old Gallen announced his retirement after the bout. Continue reading “WBA #1 Zerafa victorious; Gallen wins, then retires”

The WBO World Championship Committee has ordered the teams of WBO middleweight champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly and WBO #1 contender Jaime Munguia to commence immediate negotiations. The parties are granted 15 days to reach an agreement. If an accord is not reached within that time frame, a purse bid will be ordered with a minimum acceptable bid of $200,000. Any of the parties involved may request a purse bid ceremony at any time during the negotiation process. Looks like the WBO won’t let Munguia continue to tie up the #1 rating if he next plans to fight WBA/IBF champion Gennady Golovkin in six months.

Unbeaten WBO #1, WBC #2, WBA #3, IBF #3 middleweight Jaime Munguia (41-0, 33 KOs) scored a one-sided third round KO against little-known Gonzalo “El Mago” Coria (21-6, 8 KOs) on Saturday night at the Arena Astros in historic Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. 100:1 favorite Munguia dropped southpaw Coria with a straight right in round two, then sent Coria to a knee with a body shot in round three. Coria watched the referee count him out. Time was 2:32.

After the fight, Munguia called out WBA/IBF middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin. “This year we couldn’t do Charlo,” said Munguia. “Hopefully we can do it next year. I know GGG has no compromise. He’s signed with nobody and I would love to meet him in May. Golovkin! See you in May!”

WBC #13, WBO #14 super flyweight Argi Cortes (24-3-2, 10 KOs) survived two knockdowns, but managed to escape with a ten round split decision against Erick “Habanerito” Lopez (16-7-2, 10 KOs). Cortes, who gave Juan Francisco Estrada a close fight back in September, had all kinds of trouble with the 5’2 Lopez. Lopez was credited with knockdowns in rounds two and six, but had a point deducted for a rabbit punch in round seven. Scores were 95-92, 95-92 Cortes and 96-91 Lopez. Continue reading “Munguia crushes Coria, calls out GGG”

In a stunner, 320lb former UFC fighter and NFL Pro Bowl defensive end Greg Hardy (2-0, 1 KO) knocked down and defeated pro boxer Hasim Rahman Jr. (12-2, 6 KOs) by four round unanimous decision on Saturday night at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Rahman outboxed Hardy in round one, but Hardy knocked down Rahman and had him in a world of hurt in round two. Hardy staggered Rahman again in round three. Scores were 39-36 3x.

Rahman Jr., the son of former WBC heavyweight champ Hasim “The Rock” Rahman, was originally slated to face Vitor Belfort, but Belfort was forced to pull out with COVID earlier this week. Hardy, 34, stepped in on short notice and made the most of it.

After the fight, Hardy declared “I’ve ready for everybody. Give me some notice, let me lose some weight. I’m gonna hurt everybody. This is my division now!”

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It’s official. WBC, WBO, IBF light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev (18-0, 18 KOs) will defend his belts against WBO #1 Anthony Yarde (23-2, 22 KOs) at London’s OVO Arena Wembley on Saturday, January 28. Promoted by Frank Warren and Queensberry, in association with Top Rank, the fight will be shown exclusively on BT Sport in the UK and streaming live and exclusive on ESPN+ in the U.S. Tickets for Beterbiev-Yarde go on general sale Thursday.

Artur Beterbiev: “I never back down from a challenge, and Anthony Yarde is a top contender who asked for this fight. I look forward to fighting in London for the first time since the Olympics. Yarde called me ‘slow’ after my fight with Joe Smith Jr., but slow and steady wins the race. And on January 28, I will win in London.”

Anthony Yarde: “January 28 will be my night. My destiny playing out in my home city, and this is what I have been longing for throughout my professional career, which started at Wembley. I won’t make any big predictions for this fight against a strong unified champion in Artur Beterbiev, but what I will say is that I will leave nothing to chance, and I am at my best when I fight fire with fire.”

In his first bout in nearly three years, WBA cruiserweight champion Arsen Goulamirian (27-0, 18 KOs) powered his way to a twelve round unanimous decision over mandatory challenger Aleksei Egorov (11-1, 7 KOs) on Saturday night at La Paletre in Le Cannet, France. Egorov kept Goulamirian off balance early on by putting a consistent jab in his face. Midway in the bout, Goulamirian began landing his power shots, noticeably moving Egorov. By round eight, Goulamirian was punishing Egorov, although Egorov kept his hands moving. Lots of clinches down the stretch. Scores were 116-112, 116-112, 117-111.

WBO #1 light heavyweight Anthony Yarde (23-2, 22 KOs) knocked out Stefani Koykov (14-2, 12 KOs) in the third round on Saturday night at Telford International Centre in Telford, England. Yarde stalked Koykov the entire fight and finally dropped him for the count in round three. Time was 2:31. Yarde is now in line for a shot at unified champion Artur Beterbiev in January.

In the main event, Liam Davies (13-0, 5 KOs) outpointed Ionut Baluta (15-4, 3 KOs) over twelve rounds for the vacant European super bantamweight title. Scores were 116-112, 118-110, 117-111.

And it’s not Ryan “Kingry” Garcia…not yet, at least.

Undefeated WBA “regular” lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) returns to his native DMV area to face undefeated WBA super featherweight champion and upset artist Héctor Luis García (16-0, 10 KOs) on Saturday, January 7 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., headlining a Showtime PPV event. Pre-sale tickets will be available Tuesday through Ticketmaster with the code: BOXING

Garcia is coming off consecutive upset wins over Chris Colbert in February and Roger Gutierrez in August. Against Davis, he will be a decided underdog again.

Showtime has confirmed the news released by the fighters earlier today that Tank Davis vs. Ryan Garcia is set for a date to be announced in the first half of 2023. The venue and date are to be announced, but reportedly the date will be April 15 with a 136lb catch weight.

Stephen Espinoza, President, Showtime Sports: “Tank Davis vs. Ryan Garcia is one of the biggest and most exciting fights that can be made in boxing. We have two supremely talented boxers, both in their prime, who have amassed huge fanbases, meeting in a career defining fight. This is the epitome of a crossover boxing event. All credit to Tank and Ryan for staying the course and giving the fans the fight they want. Showtime has delivered the three biggest pay-per-view events in television history and we are thrilled to add this marquee event to our list of culture-moving matchups.”

Oscar De La Hoya: The fans have been crystal clear that the fight they want is Ryan versus Tank. Golden Boy Promotions and I are proud to be leading the drive to get this fight signed and are excited to get a deal finalized ASAP. It’s high time that those outside the ring stop getting in the way of those who want nothing more than to get into the ring and fight. Our motto has always been that the fans come first, and this is just another example of how we’re leading by example.

Unbeaten WBO middleweight champion Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly (13-0, 8 KOs) scored a hard fought twelve round unanimous decision over Denzel Bentley (17-2-1, 14 KOs) on Saturday night inside the Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Bentley gave 20:1 favorite Alimkhanuly all he could handle the entire fight. Alimkhanuly finally rocked Bentley in the final round. Scores were 116-112, 116-112, 118-110.

“It’s boxing,” said Alimkhanuly afterward. “Anything can happen in the ring. He came prepared. I respect my opponent because he was prepared. He was 100 percent, but I am a champion and I fought all 12 rounds as a champion…I am ready for any champion, for unifications. I am ready. Let’s fight.” Continue reading “Alimkhanuly struggles, but retains WBO title”

By Joe Koizumi

A dual world title promotion will take place at the Edion Arena in Osaka, Japan, on January 6. Unbeaten Japanese prospect Ginjiro Shigeoka (8-0, 6 KOs) will have an ambitious shot at the IBF minimumweight belt against Mexico’s defending champion Daniel Valladares (26-3-1, 15 KOs), over twelve rounds. In the main event, WBO 105-pound champ Masataka Taniguchi (16-3, 11 KOs), a Japanese southpaw, will take on WBO#2 Filipino Melvin Jerusalem (19-2, 11 KOs), in his second defense. The winner will be obliged to defend the belt against WBO #1 ex-titlist Wilfredo Mendez of Puerto Rico in the next defense. Shigeoka and Taniguchi both belong to Watanabe Promotions, but the local promoter in Osaka will be former three-class world champ Koki Kameda, who announced the doubleheader on Friday.

WBC flyweight champion Julio Cesar Martinez (18-2 14 KOs) will defend his world title against Samuel Carmona (8-0, 4 KOs) on December 3 at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, live worldwide on DAZN. Martinez-Carmona will serve as the co-main event for the Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez trilogy clash for the WBC super flyweight title. Martinez was previously set to face long-running rival McWilliams Arroyo in a rematch, but neck and back issues have ruled Arroyo out. This opened the door for 2016 Olympian Carmona to land his first world title shot.

Super lightweight Steve Spark (16-2, 14 KOs) won by sixth round disqualification against previously unbeaten IBF #6, WBO #7 rated Montana Love (18-1-1, 9 KOs) on Saturday night at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Sparks dropped Love in round two, but Love was able to recover. Spark was able to rough up Love in round five. A head clash in round six left Love with a cut over his left eye. The ring doctor examined the cut and allowed the fight to continue. Both fighters came at each other aggressively. They wrestled and Spark went over the top rope. Love was then disqualified. Time was :25. Spark won the WBA Intercontinental title.

“Thank you to Cleveland for the hospitality,” said Spark. “My job is to fight, and this has changed my life. I’m devastated how it ended. I got the early knock down and I was fighting with my whole heart, it was growing into a great fight, but we didn’t want it to end this way.”

“He was using dirty rough house tactics all night and I pushed him off me, I didn’t lift him up or throw him out of the ring,” said Love. “We wanted him to tire out and catch him later on, and that’s where it was going. I want to do it again, he can’t outbox me or outfight me, let’s do it again.” Continue reading “Upset: Spark defeats Love by DQ”

IBF flyweight champion Sunny Edwards (19-0, 4 KOs) retained his title with a twelve round unanimous decision over former IBF 108lb champion Felix Alvarado (38-3, 33 KOs) on Friday night at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England. Alvarado pressed the action, but Edwards was able to successfully stick and move, avoiding Alvarado’s aggressions. Alvarado worked over Edwards for stretches in the second half of the fight, but never quite found an answer for Edwards’ speed and movement. Scores were 115-113, 116-112, 115-113.

After the fight, Edwards said, “If I can sit there and mix it with him, and I showed that I could ride shots, take shots and throw my own shots back, I could do it against anyone. He was a very hard puncher, but I would not be denied. I want the big fights. Martinez, he’s running scared. Bam Rodriguez, you promised me the fight next. Come and get it!”

Undefeated WBA “regular” super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr. (8-0, 7 KOs) scored an explosive twelfth round knockout against previously unbeaten mandatory challenger Aidos Yerbossynuly (16-1, 11 KOs) on Saturday night at The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Spectacular performance by Morrell both offensively and defensively. He progressively busted up the extremely tough Yerbossynuly, who walked through fire and gamely kept fighting. Morrell finally dropped Yerbossynuly in the final round, then finished him with another knockdown. Time was 2:34.

WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) retained his title with a wide twelve round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (44-1, 30 KOs) on Saturday night at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. After four cautious rounds, Bivol started to take over in round five. Zurdo didn’t have an answer for Bivol’s counterpunching and he seemed hesitant to throw anything hard. Bivol won rounds with sharp combinations that had Zurdo’s head swiveling. Zurdo upped the pressure late and Bivol made him pay for it. Scores were 118-110. 117-111, 117-111.

In a clash for the undisputed female super lightweight world title, unbeaten Chantelle “Il Capo” Cameron (17-0, 8 KOs) outpointed currently undisputed welterweight champ Jessica “Caskilla” McCaskill (12-3, 5 KOs) over ten rounds on Saturday night at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Cameron schooled McCaskill in the first half of the fight. McCaskill rallied down the stretch, but it was too little, too late. Scores were 97-93, 96-94, 96-94, all for Cameron. McCaskill dropped down in weight in an attempt to secure the 140lb belts. Cameron retained her IBF and WBC belts, and added the vacant WBA and WBO belts to reach undisputed status.

Unbeaten super featherweight Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov (17-0-1, 14 KOs) scored a come-from-behind ninth round KO over Zelfa Barrett (28-2, 16 KOs) to claim the vacant IBF world title on Saturday night at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Barrett dropped Rakhimov in round three and looked headed toward the title, but Rakhimov suddenly turned the tables, flooring a spent Barrett twice in round nine to end it. Time was 2:35.

By Joe Koizumi

WBC light-flyweight champ Kenshiro Teraji (20-1, 12 KOs), 107.25, impressively unified the 108-pound belts as he controlled the fight from the outset, dropped WBA super champ Hiroto Kyoguchi (16-1, 11 KOs), 107.75, with an overhand right in the fifth and finally floored him again en route to a fine stoppage at 2:36 of the seventh round on Tuesday in Saitama, Japan.

(More to come)

By Joe Koizumi

Fast-moving Puerto Rican southpaw Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez (27-3-1-1NC, 14 KOs), 108, kept his WBO 108-pound belt as he kept moving to-and-fro all night, countered previously unbeaten Japanese challenger Shokichi Iwata (9-1, 6 KOs), 107.75, and earned a unanimous decision (117-111, 116-112 twice) on Tuesday over twelve rounds in Saitama, Tokyo, Japan.

(More to come)