Fightnews.com

By Héctor Villarreal

Since all of the very few active promoters in Panama have been presenting mostly foreign fighters on their shows, former world super champion Anselmo “Chemito” Moreno and his wife Rousse Laguna, will keep trying to rescue the young local talent.

In a press conference on Thursday, Laguna Premium Boxing announced its next boxing event scheduled for Friday, July 28, at the new Combat Center, just beside the old Arena Roberto Duran in Panamá City.

“The best of the next generation of Panamanian fighters will perform under the spotlight in our night of ‘Boxeo del Patio’, against very competitive opposition, including undefeated newcomers and the 2022 Rookie of the Year, our exclusive fighter Hibrahim Valdespino,” said Rousse, who added that having “Chemito” as her matchmaker is a guarantee of a very exciting show. Continue reading “Laguna-Moreno activates Panamanian talent”

Louie Lopez 149.2 vs. Benjamin Lamptey 152.7
George Acosta 130.5 vs. Edy Valencia Mercado 130.8
Nelson Oliva 166.2 vs. Jeremaine Whittington 165.3
Kevin Salgado 144 vs. Izaiah Vargas 146.8
Esteban Muñoz 142.4 vs. Nelson Morales 144.4

Venue: Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California
Promoter: Thompson Boxing
TV: YouTube and Facebook

By David Finger

It’s been a long, hard road but for 43-year-old junior middleweight contender Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia, he is just days away from finally capturing that elusive prize that he has been chasing since turning pro back in January of 2001: a world title. Garcia (47-5, 29 KOs) moves down to the super welterweight division to take on 25-year-old prospect Kevin Salgado Zambrano (15-2-1, 10 KOs) from San Antonio in a bout for the vacant IBA 154-pound title on Saturday in Mercedes, Texas in a Marenes Promotions televised PPV card at the Llano Grande Event Center. Continue reading “Garcia-Zambrano collide on Saturday”

Heavyweight Efe Ajagba (17-1, 13 KOs) will take on unbeaten southpaw Zhan Kossobutskiy (19-0, 18 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature on Saturday, August 26 at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa. Kossobutskiy was originally slated to face Jared Anderson on July 1 but was kayoed by visa problems. Ajagba-Kossobutskiy will be the co-feature to the heavyweight showdown between Jared Anderson and Andriy Rudenko.

Also confirmed, Olympic gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov (12-0, 12 KOs) will make his Top Rank debut in the eight-round televised opener against Onoriode Ehwarieme (20-2, 19 KOs). Continue reading “Ajagba-Kossobutskiy confirmed”

Undefeated WBC, WBA and IBF welterweight world champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. showed off his skills at a media workout in Las Vegas on Thursday as he nears his much anticipated PPV showdown against WBO welterweight world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford on July 29 at the T-Mobile Arena.

Errol Spence Jr: “I’m not worried about being the underdog (Crawford is a -150 favorite). People can say what they say and have their opinions. I just have to go prove them wrong…I’ve been fighting the best for a long time. When you see all the legends of the sport, they fought each other and made historic fights. That’s what I want to do. Terence is one of the best fighters in the world and I’m one of the best fighters in the world, so we had to make this happen…I don’t know how much the size will factor into the fight until we get into the ring. They say he’s a strong guy and we’ll see next week.”

Derrick James, Spence’s Trainer: “We’ve been training and sparring a lot since Errol last fought, so it’s not like he hasn’t been in the ring. He’ll just have to adjust to Terence’s timing in the fight. It might take a couple of rounds, but once he figures it out, he can do everything he has to do…the perfect performance is a victory. I don’t care how he gets it, it’s just that he gets it. That’s what we’re working for.”

The World Boxing Association (WBA) will do a “Back to Back,” staging its 102nd Convention at the Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando, Florida, from December 5 through December 9. After the resounding success of the 100th anniversary convention held in 2022, the organization made the unprecedented decision to repeat the city for the first time in its history. On this occasion, the WBA will focus the Convention on promoting boxing as a vehicle for social improvement around the world.

“The centennial convention was very special and we were able to have a very strong impact with all the tools ‘The City Beautiful’ gave us. For the first time we will do two conventions back to back in the same place and this will be full of surprises and novelties. I can’t wait for the boxing world to see everything we have prepared,” said WBA President Gilberto Jesus Mendoza. Continue reading “WBA Convention returns to Orlando”

By Jeff Zimmerman

Former 2x world champ Keith “One Time” Thurman got personal about his life outside the ring, his big fight with living legend Manny Pacquiao and why the Floyd Mayweather Jr fight didn’t happen. He also discussed why he never fought Errol Spence Jr when he was champion and breaks down the Super Fight between Terence “Bud” Crawford and Errol “The Truth” Spence and much more in this Fightnews.com® exclusive interview.

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Former undisputed lightweight king George Kambosos Jr. and Maxi Hughes faced off at the final press conference for their ESPN clash on Saturday at FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

George Kambosos: “I’ve never been the kind of fighter who says, ‘Oh, I’ve got a loss. It’s taken my confidence away.’ I lost to Devin Haney. I think the boxing world has forgotten that he’s the only guy I’ve lost to. I’ve got to remind them again. We have learned a lot. And we have worked on a lot. But the biggest thing is that I’ve become a greedy motherf***er now. I’m going to take advantage of every hole there is. I’m only focused on Maxi Hughes. We give him the utmost respect. He’s here. We know what he’s going to bring. Whatever there is to come, that will be spoken about after Saturday. But for now, there is only man in front of me. I’m going to take his head off. That’s what’s going through my mind. I’m ready. I’m looking to absolutely destroy this man in my path.”

Maxi Hughes: “The preparation has gone very well. My training team has been together for five years. After my last fight in September, I gave myself a week off and went back to the gym. I’m a full-time professional. That’s my job. I don’t just train for fights. I train and learn all the time. And then in February, we got the deal done with George. Since then, George’s face and name has been imprinted in my brain. Preparation went well and I’m very confident.”

Former undisputed lightweight champion George “Ferocious” Kambosos Jr. (20-2, 10 KOs) is a -350 favorite against Maxi Hughes (26-5-2, 5 KOs) in their twelve round IBF world title eliminator on Saturday night from the FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

In the ten round co-feature, U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis (8-0, 6 KOs) is 35:1 to beat former European champion Francesco Patera (28-3, 10 KOs).

ESPN will televise.

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On the competing UFC Fightpass stream, junior middleweight KO artist Serhii “El Flaco” Bohachuk (22-1, 22 KOs) is a 30:1 pick against former world title challenger Patrick Allotey (42-4, 32 KOs) at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California.

If you can’t get enough of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, here’s good news. Netflix has announced that a new reality series called “At Home With The Furys” will debut on Wednesday, August 16 and there will be nine episodes shot during the Gypsy King’s recent retirement.

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Undefeated WBO welterweight world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford held his media workout in Las Vegas on Wednesday as the three-division champion prepares to take on unified WBC, WBA and IBF welterweight world champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. headlining a SHOWTIME PPV on Saturday, July 29 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Terence Crawford: “This fight means everything. This puts the cherry on top of my career. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time and I can’t wait to get it on.

“We’re here in Las Vegas early to get used to the atmosphere and the heat. Come fight night, we’re gonna be 110% prepared. We’re adjusting well. Continue reading “Terence Crawford Workout Quotes”

A pair of showdowns featuring an unbeaten super middleweight contender and a rising super bantamweight prospect will enter the ring on the Showtime PPV Countdown Show on July 29 leading up to the much-anticipated Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford clash taking place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Undefeated 168-pound contender and Terence Crawford stablemate Steven Nelson (18-0, 15 KOs) will top the lineup as he takes on Rowdy Montgomery (10-4-1, 7 KOs) in a 10-round showdown, plus super bantamweight prospect Jose Salas Reyes (12-0, 9 KOs) competes in a 10-round attraction against former world title challenger Aston Palicte (28-5-1, 23 KOs) opening up the live stream on the Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Showtime Boxing Facebook page.

Undefeated 6’7 heavyweight Bakhodir Jalolov (12-0, 12 KOs), who recently signed a multi-year promotional contract with Top Rank, will make his Top Rank debut in an eight-rounder August 26 on the ESPN-televised undercard of the Jared Anderson-Andriy Rudenko heavyweight showdown at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa. The opponent for Jalolov, the 2020 Olympic gold medalist, will be announced shortly.

Bob Arum: “Bakhodir Jalolov is one of the finest heavyweight talents in boxing today. His tremendous amateur credentials speak for themselves, and as a professional, he has proven to be equally devastating. I truly believe he will be a heavyweight champion one day.”

The highly-anticipated rematch between bitter middleweight rivals Liam ‘Beefy’ Smith and Chris Eubank Jr has a new date, with the two now set to collide in at the AO Arena, Manchester, England, on Saturday, September 2nd.

Liam Smith: “I’m glad that the date is set now and we can look forward to getting rid of this itch that needs scratching. I’m fully healed up now, injury-free, and I’m looking forward to finishing Chris Eubank Jr’s career on September 2nd.”

Chris Eubank Jr: “No more excuses, no more postponements. Smith can’t run forever. September 2 is the day of my revenge.”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

WBO featherweight champion Robeisy Ramirez (12-1, 7 KOs), originally from Cuba, showed a public training on Tuesday in Yokohama, Japan. Ramirez, accompanied by Cuban trainer Ismael Salas, looked relaxed and well-prepared before many media people at Ohashi Gym. Ramirez, a southpaw like his challenger Shimizu, looked deft in lateral mobility and defensive skills as well.

The champ said, “I know Shimizu is a very tall challenger, but I believe I can handle him by giving a lesson.” Time will tell.

More Photos

By Joe Koizumi

An elongated Japanese southpaw featherweight, 5’11” ex-Olympian Satoshi Shimizu (11-1, 10 KOs) participated in a public workout on Monday at Ohashi Gym in Yokohama, Japan. Shimizu, former bronze medalist in 2012 Olympic Games in London, will have an ambitious crack at the WBO 126-pound belt against Robeisy Ramirez of Cuba at the Ariake Arena, Tokyo, on Tuesday next week.

Shimizu, 37, said, “I’m preparing some strategies to cope with such a crafty champ as Ramirez, Olympic gold medalist twice in 2012 and 2016. I wish to be victorious and win the world belt from him.”

The U.S. broadcast situation for the big August 26 heavyweight clash between unified WBA/WBO/IBF world champion Oleksandr Usyk and WBA “regular” champion Daniel Dubois has been resolved. Usyk-Dubois and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ starting at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. The bout takes place at the Tarczyński Arena in Wroclaw, Poland.

By Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán / WBC President

This past Saturday I attended a boxing card, which was held in the bullring of the traditional and historic Arroyo Restaurant, precisely where the WBC held the opening ceremony during our annual convention back in 2021. in Mexico City.

It had been a long time since I had experienced an atmosphere as great as on this occasion, and it was all because of the fans, who came in droves to see the young prospect of great promise, David Picasso, who is known as Rey, “The KING.“ Continue reading “The birth of the next Mexican idol?”

WBC/WBA/IBF welterweight champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. previewed his July 29 PPV superfight against WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford on “The Pivot Podcast.” Here’s some of what he had to say.

On the pre-fight build-up…

“The press conference gets you more pumped up because you see each other face to face. My trainer’s talking, his trainer’s talking, we’re saying stuff to get each other ticked off. That gets us ready to go.”

On who is the A-side…

“I’m the guy for sure, but he didn’t wanna believe that I was the A-side. When you talk about putting butts in the seats, I’m him. He didn’t wanna believe that. His accolades are cool, but take them to the bank and see what you get for them. He didn’t wanna understand that.” Continue reading “Spence: This is one of the legendary fights”

The World Boxing Association’s World Title Reduction Plan has made significant progress toward having a single champion in each division. 12 of the 17 weight categories currently have a sole ruler and the others are moving forward to achieving the goal set by President Gilberto Jesus Mendoza and the Championships Committee.

At minimumweight, the WBA has made several attempts to achieve a single champion between Thamanoon Niyomtrong and Erick Rosa. A purse bid will be held on July 21 to make the fight before the end of the year.

At heavyweight, Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois will fight on August 26, the winner will be the only WBA champion the division of the pioneer organization. Continue reading “WBA title reduction progress”

WBC #2 ranked super welterweight Serhii ‘El Flaco’ Bohachuk (22-1, 22 KOs) is hoping the logjam atop the 154lb division breaks free in the near future. In the meantime, he will fight former world title challenger Patrick Allotey (42-4, 32 KOs) this Saturday at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, CA and broadcast globally on UFC Fightpass.

“I’m ready now for a world title fight but if one is not available it’s important for me to stay busy. This is my third fight in the last nine months and I’m very grateful to my promoter Tom Loeffler and UFC FIGHT PASS for these fights. When the time comes to fight for a world title, I’ll be more than ready.” Continue reading “Bohachuk: I’m ready now for a world title fight”

By Miguel Maravilla

Undefeated super flyweight Daniel “Chucky” Barrera (2-0-1, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles is back in action this Saturday night, July 22, as he will be featured on 360 Promotions Hollywood Fight Nights event at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California live on UFC Fight Pass.

“This is a good opportunity, and I am super excited to be fighting a six rounder and on UFC Fight Pass. I can’t wait,” Barrera told FightNews.com®. Continue reading “Daniel “Chucky” Barrera: Remember My Name”

Former world champion Emmanuel “Manny” Rodriguez (21-2, 13 KOs) will take on streaking contender Melvin “Melo” Lopez (29-1, 19 KOs) for the vacant IBF bantamweight title (formerly held by Naoya Inoue) headlining action live on Showtime on August 12 from The Theater at MGM National Harbor in Maryland. The telecast will also see undefeated super lightweight Gary Antuanne Russell (16-0, 16 KOs) taking on fellow unbeaten Kent Cruz (16-0-3, 10 KOs) in the 10-round co-main event, plus welterweight Travon Marshall (8-0, 7 KOs) duels unbeaten two-time Olympian Gabriel Maestre (5-0-1, 4 KOs) in the 10-round welterweight telecast opener.

August 12 will be a busy day with AJ vs. Whyte, and Navarrete vs. Valdez on separate telecasts.

The last Fight Week prior to the mega Fulton-Inoue/Spence-Crawford showdowns offers up some interesting action.

FRIDAY
Thompson Boxing sadly bids farewell after 23 years of promoting boxing in Southern California. Their final show is headlined by welterweight Louie Lopez (13-2-1, 4 KOs) against an opponent TBA. You can catch the action on YouTube and Facebook.

SATURDAY
ESPN presents former undisputed lightweight champion George “Ferocious” Kambosos Jr. (20-2, 10 KOs) against Maxi Hughes (26-5-2, 5 KOs) in a twelve round IBF world title eliminator from the FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

UFC Fightpass has exciting junior middleweight KO artist Serhii “El Flaco” Bohachuk (22-1, 22 KOs) against former world title challenger Patrick Allotey (42-4, 32 KOs) at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California.

ProBox TV has a pro fight card from the Radisson Victoria Plaza in Montevideo, Uruguay, with middleweight Amilcar Vidal Jr (16-1, 12 KOs) rebounding from his first loss against Domicio Rondon (17-5, 11 KOs).