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The WBO has rendered a decision on the situation in the 154lb division after current undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo opted to move up two divisions to fight undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez rather than proceed with his overdue mandatory fight against Tim Tszyu.

Charlo will be allowed to enter the ring and be announced as the undisputed junior middleweight champion against Canelo for their September 30 fight, but once that happens, Charlo’s status and recognition as WBO champion will be terminated and Tim Tszyu will be automatically elevated from interim champion to full champion status.

If the Canelo-Charlo bout does not take place on September 30, for whatever reasons, the WBO junior middleweight title shall be declared “vacant” and Tim Tszyu shall be automatically elevated from interim champion to full champion status.

Welterweights Derrieck Cuevas (25-1-1, 17 KOs) and Alberto “Metralleta” Mosquera (28-5-2, 16 KOs) had their first face off leading up to there anticipated grudge match this Friday live at 9PM/EST on ESPN+ & ESPN Knockout from Coliseo de Combates Pandeportes Panamá City, Panamá.

Derrieck Cuevas: “Thank you Panama for the always warm welcoming and my promoter All Star Boxing. Mosquera better come prepared we had a great camp going into this fight and on Friday night you will see Derrieck Cuevas shine again.”

Alberto Mosquera: “Cuevas made a big mistake coming into my backyard. On Friday night I’m going to take his ranking and show out for my fans.” Continue reading “Cuevas-Mosquera Final Press Conference”

By Jeff Zimmerman

HOFer and legend “Sugar” Shane Mosley and one Jake Paul’s trainers for his upcoming battle versus UFC superstar Nate Diaz shared his thoughts on the growth of the “The Problem Child,” the Super Fight between Terence “Bud” Crawford and Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr and the all-time greatness of Crawford.

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By Jeff Zimmerman

Former world class fighter – turned trainer of Jake Paul “The Problem Child,” J’Leon Love talked about the growth of his prized pupil as he prepares to face UFC superstar Nate Diaz on Saturday night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

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By Jeff Zimmerman

Jake Paul “The Problem Child” interview after today’s media morkout for the big showdown against UFC superstar Nate Diaz Saturday at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

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After Terence Crawford scored a brutal stoppage win over Errol Spence Jr. last Saturday night, the two stars shared a heartfelt moment in the ring during the immediate aftermath of the fight.

In a newly released clip, Crawford approaches Spence and tells him, “I appreciate you. You know why? Because if it wasn’t for you, this would never have happened. So I appreciate you. You’re a hell of a fighter. You already know that. I don’t even gotta tell you that. I appreciate this opportunity.”

You can catch the replay on Showtime this Saturday, August 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The replay will be followed by All Access: Spence vs. Crawford Epilogue.

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By Jeff Zimmerman

Former world champ Chad “Bad” Dawson talked about being in camp with Jake Paul “The Problem Child” as he gets ready to take on UFC legend Nate Diaz on Saturday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

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By Jeff Zimmerman

World champ Amanda Serrano talks about her rematch with Heather Hardy as the co-main to Jake Paul and Nate Diaz this Saturday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. She also discussed her potential rematch with Katie Taylor.

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Three-division world champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete (37-1, 31 KOs) is ready for an all-Mexican war. Navarrete puts his WBO junior lightweight world title on the line against former two-division world champion Oscar Valdez (31-1, 23 KOs) on Saturday, August 12, at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

After a recent training session at The BXNG Club in San Diego, this is what Navarrete said:

“The training camp has been intense. The preparation was very tough. Fortunately, we were able to carry it out quite well. I had always done things in a conventional way, but now we have included a physical trainer, Francisco Javier Orozco. This fight with Valdez merited that change, and I will come into this fight much better physically.” Continue reading “Navarrete: Let’s see how much Valdez can endure”

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

My first trip to Las Vegas was when I was 16 years old. I was studying in high school in Boston, and my dad invited me to accompany him in that historic fight in which Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion of the world in history at just 20 years of age.

Arriving at “Sin City,” as it is popularly called, I was immediately surprised by the street lights and the spectacles, that everything itself captivates.

Back then, there was Caesars Palace, a few other hotels on the strip like the Ballys, Flamingo, Sahara, and far away from everything, the Hilton, which is where the bout was held.

I had the great fortune to live that end of the 80s in an intimate way, in which I attended many historic boxing cards that Don King put together, the Mike Tyson and Julio César Chávez era! Continue reading “Las Vegas”

Undisputed female super lightweight Chantelle Cameron (18-0, 8 KOs) returns to the Lion’s Den to put her world titles on the line for a second time against undisputed female champion Katie Taylor (22-1, 6 KOs) in a rematch at the 3Arena in Dublin on November 25, live worldwide on DAZN.

“Last time out Chantelle Cameron proved that she in one of the very best female fighters on the planet by handing Katie Taylor her first loss in the professional ranks,” saod promoter Eddie Hearn. “Katie will be desperate to avenge that loss but Chantelle is determined to prove that it wasn’t a one off. Don’t miss this one, live and exclusive around the world on DAZN.”

Ticket details will be announced soon.

A decade-long friendship will be put to one side on Saturday, October 21st when unbeaten and highly rated light heavyweight contenders Joshua Buatsi (17-0, 13 KOs) and ‘Super’ Dan Azeez (19-0, 13 KOs) collide in London at the O2 Arena. Buatsi is rated WBA #1, WBO #1, WBC #2, IBF #3. Azeez is rated WBA #2, WBC #3, WBO #3, IBF #5. The bout will air on Sky Sports.

Joshua Buatsi: “We’ve been friends for years but there’s too much on the line here for either of us to say no to this fight. We can be friends again afterwards but on October 21st it’s all business. I’m preparing to beat the best version of Dan Azeez and I’m doing everything I need to do to achieve that, whether that’s by decision or knockout.”

Dan Azeez: “I’ve earned my way to get to this stage of my career and there’s still more to earn and prove. This fight is another step closer to the top and it means a lot to me so I’m preparing like I always do for everything and anything in order to be victorious come October 21st.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed the co-feature for Leigh Wood’s WBA featherweight world title defense against Josh Warrington at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England, live worldwide on DAZN.

“I’m delighted to announce the chief support bout for what will a monster night of world title action on Saturday October 7,” said Matchroom Sport Chairman Eddie Hearn. “Two-weight world champion Terri Harper gets the biggest fight of her life as she makes the first defense of her WBA super welterweight world title against former pound-for-pound #1 and undisputed welterweight ruler Cecilia Braekus, with the vacant WBO crown now also on the line.”

Harper and Braekhus were originally slated to square off on the Katie Taylor vs. Chantelle Cameron show in Dublin earlier this year, but Braekhus, 41, was forced to withdraw on the morning of the fight due to an illness.

Shakur Stevenson to fight against highest available contender for WBC lightweight title

The World Boxing Council received several requests concerning its lightweight and super lightweight divisions. WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney petitioned to fight WBC super lightweight champion Regis Prograis. Haney wished to remain as WBC lightweight champion until after his fight with Prograis takes place, at which point he would decide in what division he would remain.

The WBC Board of Governors considered those requests and has arrived at the following:

1. Approved Haney’s petition to fight Prograis for the WBC super lightweight world championship
2. Designated Haney as champion-in-recess in the lightweight division
3. Ordered a lightweight championship bout between lightweight mandatory challenger Shakur Stevenson and the highest available contender in the division
4. After fighting Prograis, Haney will be allowed to choose between remaining at 135 or 140 pounds on a timetable that the WBC would order
5. If Haney decides to return to the lightweight division within that timetable, the WBC will order a fight between Haney and the WBC’s current lightweight champion on a 50-50 basis

The current WBC lightweight rankings are:

1. Vasyl Lomachenko
2. Shakur Stevenson
3. Isaac Cruz Jr.
4. William Zepeda
5. Frank Martin
6. Edwin de los Santos
7. Jamaine Ortiz
8. Artem Harutyunyan
9. Shuichiro Yoshino
10. Raymond Muratalla
11. George Kambosos Jr.
12. Maxi Hughes
13. Francesco Patera
14. Michel Rivera
15. Keyshawn Davis

Who will step up against Shakur?

WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood (27-3, 16 KOs) and former 2x champ Josh Warrington (31-2-1, 8 KOs) announced their all-British WBA featherweight world title fight at a press conference in Leeds today. The bout takes place on neutral ground at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England, on Saturday October 7th, shown live worldwide on DAZN.

Leigh Wood: “I don’t take confidence from knowing Lara beat Josh and that I beat Lara. I take confidence in the fact that I know I’m the better fighter. It has taken me so long for me to prove this and I’ve waited a long time for this fight to happen.”

Josh Warrington: “There’s mutual respect, We don’t have to be shouting and screaming or chucking tables at each other to have a barnstormer of a fight…I went into the Lopez fight after jaw surgery and I was just too worried about it getting whacked.”

The WBO Championships Committee has denied a request by the management of WBO #1 rated junior welterweight Arnold Barboza to be named mandatory challenger for current champion Teofimo Lopez.

The Committee ruled that Barbosa’s request is premature considering that there is no mandatory title defense to be discharged at this time. No mandatory is due. Lopez is currently in a voluntary period and can defend his title against any of the 15 world-rated contenders in the jr welterweight division. Therefore, the issue is not ripe for intervention.

The Committee also laid out numerous circumstances where a mandatory defense obligation may be extended or modified and strongly recommended that Barboza keep active and compliant with WBO regulations of world championship contests.

For many decades, the Arena Coliseo in downtown Mexico City hosted high quality boxing events. This week, after an eight year hiatus, boxing returns to the famed venue. Former WBC super flyweight world champion Carlos Cuadras will headline this historic card on Friday against an opponent to be named. The event is being promoted by Producciones Joaco Arvizu.

Last week we saw boxing greatness in Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue. This week’s highest profile fight is a $59.99 PPV featuring none other than cruiserweight Jake “The Problem Child” Paul (6-1, 4 KOs) against debuting MMA icon Nate Diaz on Saturday from the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas.

Other fights on the DAZN/ESPN+ stream include:

• Undisputed female featherweight world champion, Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano defends against former world champion Heather “The Heat” Hardy
• Undefeated lightweight H20 Sylve against William “Baby Face” Dos Santos Silva over eight rounds
• Super middleweight Chris Avila faces MMA fighter Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens in an eight-rounder
• Female super middleweight Shadasia Green, the mandatory challenger for the undisputed title, will fight Olivia Curry in a ten-rounder
• Welterweight Alan Sanchez will take on 17-1 Angel Beltran Villa in an eight round bout

Japan’s unified WBC/WBA light flyweight world champion Kenshiro Teraji (21-1, 13 KOs) will defend his titles against South African two-division world champion Hekkie Budler (35-4, 11 KOs) on Monday, September 18, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. In the co-feature, undefeated Japanese southpaw Junto Nakatani (25-0, 19 KOs) makes the first defense of his WBO junior bantamweight world title against Mexican contender Argi Cortes (25-3-2, 10 KOs).

Teraji-Budler, Nakatani-Cortes and additional undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. in the early morning hours on ESPN+. Continue reading “ESPN+ picks up Teraji-Budler/Nakatani-Cortes”

The big question for Terence Crawford after his evisceration of Errol Spence Jr. is who’s next? Spence Jr. has a rematch clause in the contract, but it may take some time for him to heal after that brutal beatdown he took.

BetOnline (BetOnline.ag) has created odds on who Bud will fight next and Jaron Ennis is the favorite followed by Jermell Charlo and Spence.

Terence Crawford Next Opponent
Jaron Ennis 3/2 (+150)
Jermell Charlo 2/1 (+200)
Errol Spence Jr. 5/2 (+250)
Keith Thurman 12/1 (+1200)
Eimantas Stanionis 16/1 (+1600)
Alexis Rocha 18/1 (+1800)
Canelo Alvarez 20/1 (+2000)

Update: Matchroom has confirmed that Wood-Warrington will take place on neutral ground at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England, on October 7th, shown live worldwide on DAZN.

The WBA Championships Committee has approved a special permit requested by Matchroom Boxing for featherweight champ Leigh Wood, to fight Josh Warrington. Wood just regained the 126-pound crown in a rematch against Mauricio Lara last May and has a mandatory fight with Othabek Kholmatov. However, the champion’s team requested special permission from the WBA to make an optional fight against Warrington.

After a review of the case, the committee decided to approve the fight on the condition that the winner, or Wood in case of a draw, will fight Kholmatov no later than 120 days after the bout.

While the Wood-Warrington bout is taking place, Kholmatov will be allowed to make an optional fight against an approved opponent.

Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions has announced the signing of undefeated welterweight Gor Yeritsyan, (15-0, 13 KOs) of Armenia to a multi-year promotional contract. The 28-year-old, residing in Los Angeles, is trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach at the famed Wild Card Boxing Gym. Yeritsyan will debut under the 360 Promotions banner on August 26 against Rogelio Jun Doliguez, (24-4-2, 19 KOs), of the Philippines in a scheduled eight round welterweight clash at the Commerce Casino and broadcast globally on UFC Fightpass.

By Jeff Zimmerman

Coach Red Spikes talks about Bud Crawford’s dominating performance. He also shared his thought on a potential showdown with Canelo and much more in this Fightnews.com® exclusive.

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By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® caught up with former world champ and Showtime broadcaster Raul Marquez walking out of the arena and he shared his thoughts on Bud Crawford’s dominating performance versus Errol Spence Jr.

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WBC/WBO/IBF light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev’s title defense against former super middleweight world champion Callum Smith—originally scheduled for Saturday, August 19, at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada—has been postponed due to a bone infection to Beterbiev’s jaw. He underwent surgery earlier today in Montreal, Canada.

Promoted by Eye of the Tiger and Top Rank, in association with Matchroom Boxing, information regarding a rescheduled date will be announced in due course.

Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs), who resides in Montreal, is boxing’s only world champion with a 100 percent knockout ratio. Smith (29-1, 21 KOs), the WBC’s mandatory challenger, has won two bouts by stoppage since dropping a decision in a 2020 title unification fight against Canelo Alvarez.