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2020 Olympics gold medalist Andy Cruz will step through the ropes for the first time as a professional on Saturday night in Detroit at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, live worldwide on DAZN.

The 28-year-old signed a long-term promotional deal with Eddie Hearn in May, and on Saturday night will face two-time world title challenger Juan Carlos Burgos (35-7-3 21 KOs) over ten rounds for the IBF international lightweight title. The experienced and rugged Mexican took Cruz’s old foe Keyshawn Davis the eight round distance in December and has never been stopped, ensuring the world gets to see Cruz tested in his very first outing as a pro.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time, and since I’m here, I want to take advantage of it,” said Cruz. “It feels spectacular to be back in the ring. Continue reading “Andy Cruz set for pro debut”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

WBC #9 Japanese speedster Taku Kuwahara (13-1, 8 KOs), 112, impressively scored a successful first defense when he beautifully sank WBA #11 ex-world title challenger Wulan Tuolehazi (15-5-2, 7 KOs), 112, from China, with a single body shot for the count at 2:10 of the fourth round in a scheduled twelve rounder on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan. Having wrested the regional belt from Filipino Giemel Magramo this March, Kuwahara, fast on hand and foot, mixed it up on very close terms in the first three rounds. The fourth, however, witnessed a countering left hook to the side of the belly drop the Chinese challenger, who couldn’t beat the count in agony.

Kuwahara, formerly an amateur university boxer whose mark was 50-18, 10 stoppages, once failed to win the national belt via tenth round TKO by Seigo Yuri Akui in 2021, but kept winning five straight since his sole pro defeat. Continue reading “Kuwahara ices Wulan, keeps OPBF 112lb belt”

By David Finger

Benjamin Franklin once coined the famous cliché “nothing is certain but death and taxes.” But had he been a boxing fan it is likely that he would have added to that famous adage. Nothing is certain but death and taxes…and a last-minute change in opponent on a boxing card.

For Aaron Perez and Legacy Promotions, it would be visa trouble that would derail Mexican brawler Jose Angel Perez Diaz, who was originally slated to fight undefeated Abraham Perez (7-0, 3 KOs) in the main event of Saturday’s Expo Explosion card in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Continue reading “New opponent for Perez in WBC Youth clash”

Unbeaten super middleweight Lester Martinez (16-0, 14 KOs) knocked out Lucas De Abreu (14-4, 11 KOs) in the fourth round on Wednesday night the ProBox TV Event Center in Plant City, Florida. The heavy-handed Martinez dropped De Abreu twice in round three and he got the W after another knockdown in round four. Time was :33.

Unbeaten light heavyweight Najee Lopez (7-0, 6 KOs) needed just 48 seconds to destroy Chris Brooker (16-14, 6 KOs). A right hand to the side of the head ended Brooker’s night.

Unbeaten lightweight Julio Solis (9-0, 6 KOs) pounded on Yesner Talavera (15-15-1, 4 KOs) for eight rounds. Scores were 80-72 3x.

Unbeaten welterweight Kelvin Davis (9-0, 6 KOs) knocked out Derrick Whitley Jr. (7-4, 0 KOs) in round four. Time was 2:02. Davis is the brother of Olympian Keyshawn Davis.

The original main event between undefeated, world-ranked junior lightweight William Foster III and Fradimil Macayo was scrapped after Macayo fell ill.

Future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire versus Alexandro Santiago for the vacant WBC bantamweight title will now take place on the July 29  Spence-Crawford PPV undercard at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Donaire-Santiago, which was originally scheduled to take place this Saturday on Showtime, will be the second fight of the pay-per-view.

In the telecast opener, super welterweight Sergio Garcia will now face Yoenis Tellez in a ten rounder. Garcia was originally scheduled to face Jesus Ramos Jr. However Ramos was forced to withdraw due to a hand injury.

The previously announced Gurgen Hovhannisyan vs. Viktor Faust bout was removed after Faust was forced to withdraw because of a back injury.

The Spence-Crawford pay-per-view also features lightweight Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz against Giovanni Cabrera in a WBC and WBA title eliminator in the co-main event.

Emmanuel Moreno 118 vs. Manuel Chavez Garcia TBA
Jose Gomez 145.8 vs. Raul Garcia 145.4
Malik Calhoun 164.4 vs. Austin Dulworth TBA
Alexis Mones 117 vs. Macy Breaux 117.8
Jordan Najar 122 vs. Raymond Goodine 121.4
Fernando Solis 125.6 vs. Waldo Zamudio 127,2
Jaycob Ramos 133.4 vs. Xazvier Jackson 138.6

Venue: El Corral West Night Club
Promoter: King’s Promotions
1st Bell: 7 PM CT
Stream: DFTV

Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. and Terence “Bud” Crawford previewed their showdown for the undisputed welterweight championship during a virtual press conference on Wednesday. They clash on PPV July 29 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Errol Spence Jr: “I came out here to Las Vegas three weeks early to train and acclimate. We’ve been 100% focused and training hard. We’re going over the game plan and making sure we’re on point and not leaving any stone unturned. This is a legacy fight and a fight people are gonna talk about for a long time.

“There have been fighters way more gifted than Terence who have lost in boxing. They can say what they want about him, but I know my capabilities. I know my mindset when I step into the ring. I believe that I can beat any fighter.”

Terence Crawford: “I’m not focusing on a potential rematch. I plan on winning the first match. The rematch is not in my mind. I’m focused on the job at hand right now. I’m not worried about any size difference. Look at Jeff Horn and Shawn Porter. Even Jose Benavidez Jr. was a big welterweight. This is nothing new. I was always the smaller guy, even when I was fighting at 140-pounds. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

“Everyone Errol faced had a loss and had something already taken from them. He faced guys who already knew how to lose. I take a fighters’ belt and their ‘0’. Those fighters are never the same after that face me.”

Hard-hitting welterweight prospect Freudis Rojas (10-0, 10 KOs) will take on Diego Sanchez (19-2, 16 KOs) in the ten round telecast opener on Showtime this Saturday from Las Vegas. Rojas-Sanchez replaces the previously announced Nonito Donaire vs. Alexandro Santiago bout, which will now take place on July 29.

The main event is undefeated top contender Frank “The Ghost” Martin against undefeated Olympic bronze medalist Artem Harutyunyan in a WBC lightweight title eliminator. In the co-main event, super lightweight contender Elvis Rodriguez meets former world champion Viktor Postol in a 10-rounder.

Rojas was already set to face Sanchez in an undercard fight prior to being moved to the telecast.

Heavyweight contender Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson (15-0, 14 KOs) will next face 39-year-old Andriy Rudenko (35-6, 21 KOs) on ESPN August 26 according to the network. Anderson is making a quick comeback just 56 days after a tough ten round unanimous decision against former world champion Charles Martin on July 1.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Boxing Beat

Thick-bearded Santa Claus-like WBC, WBO 122-pound champ Stephen Fulton (21-0, 8 KOs), 28, arrived on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan to put his belts on the line against also unbeaten Japanese “Monster” Naoya Inoue (24-0, 21 KOs), 30, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo on July 25. Fulton confidently said, “I’m in great shape, and I’ve come to win and defend my titles.” Will Santa Fulton bring a gift to the hungry Monster who is eager to win his fourth division title?

Also arrived here today (Wednesday) WBO featherweight ruler Robeisy Ramirez (12-1, 7 KOs), 29, who will face 2012 Olympic bantam bronze medalist Satoshi Shimizu (11-1, 10 KOs), an elongated Japanese southpaw at 37, on the same bill as Fulton and Inoue will collide. Having dethroned Isaac Dogboe this April, the WBO 126-pound champ Ramirez previously won the Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016. It will be a confrontation of the ex-Olympians to be staged by Ohashi Promotions.

WBC President Mauricio Suliaman has clarified the details of the Fury-Ngannou fight.

“Last night it was announced that heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will be fighting in Saudi Arabia against the UFC’s former champion in a ten round fight. He asked for special permission from the WBC. As you know, Fury did everything possible to fight Usyk since December of last year, has tried everything possible to fight Joshua, to fight against Andy Ruiz…anyway he wasn’t able to land a top-tier fight and because of that, and not having an official challenger, he has been granted permission to do a fight on October 28 in Saudi Arabia.”

So Fury’s next fight will be a ten round, non-title affair.

The WBA Championships Committee has called for a purse bid to grant the promotional rights for the super lightweight world title fight between champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero and challenger Ohara Davies on July 24 in Panama City, Panama. The event will be held at the WBA’s office and will be directed by the Committee’s vice-president Julio Thyme. The minimum amount to win the rights to promote the fight is US $110,000 and the purse split will be 75% for the champion Romero and the remaining 25% will go to the challenger Davies.

Romero won the belt against Ismael Barroso last May 13, in Las Vegas, and now he must face Davies as ordered by a resolution issued by the WBA prior to his coronation.

According to the World Boxing Council, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed that Tyson Fury received special permission to face MMA fighter Francis Ngannou on October 28, as there is no official challenger. Sulaiman mentioned that the Fury camp tried to close fights against Andy Ruiz, Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk, but no agreement was reached. So Fury won’t be stripped of the title, but it’s not clear whether the bout will be sanctioned as an official WBC world title fight.

The WBO World Championship Committee has ordered the commencement of negotiations for a jr. welterweight clash between Arnold Barboza, Jr. and Jose Carlos Ramirez, Jr. The parties are granted 20 days to reach an agreement or purse bid proceedings will be ordered with a minimum bid of $150k.

As of now, Teofimo Lopez, Jr., who has declared his retirement, is still officially the reigning WBO junior welterweight champion, however, he has 24 hours to notify the WBO if he intends to keep the title. Otherwise the title will become vacant and the Ramirez-Barboza bout will determine the new champion.

If Teofimo decides to come back within one year, he will immediately become WBO mandatory challenger at 140 pounds.

Welterweight Marlon “La Furia” Aguas (14-1, 9 KOs) of Quito, Ecuador has inked a multi-year exclusive promotional agreement with Tuto Zabala Jr’s All Star Boxing, Inc. He is slated to appear this fall in the United States, marking his first fight under the promotional banner.

“We are happy to welcome Marlon Aguas as keep adding worldwide talent to the All Star Boxing roster,” States President Tuto Zabala Jr “Aguas is a crafty veteran who I first met in Mexico City after a hard-fought win, not every fighter can win abroad and he showed his quality that night.” Continue reading “All Star Boxing inks Aguas”

Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou
October 28 in Saudi Arabia
Tyson Fury -1000 (1/10)
Francis Ngannou +600 (6/1)

Canelo Alvarez vs Jermell Charlo
September 30 in Las Vegas
Canelo Alvarez -300 (1/3)
Jermell Charlo +240 (12/5)

Odds courtesy of BetOnline.ag

Undefeated WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will fight on October 28th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The clash to find out who is the “Baddest Man on the Planet” will take place under the official rules of professional boxing in a regulation boxing ring with three judges ringside adopting the 10-point must system. Both fighters, however, are promising to meet in the middle of the ring, go to war and win by knockout in devastating fashion.

Tyson Fury: “As soon as that bell goes, it’ll be bombs away! This guy is supposed to be the hardest puncher in the world, but let’s see how he reacts when he gets hit by the Big GK. I can’t wait to get back out there under the lights. I’m looking forward to showing the world that The Gypsy King is the greatest fighter of his generation in an epic battle with another master of his craft. Francis looked tough when he jumped in the ring after the Whyte fight, but there is no one tougher than me, and you’ll all see that in devastating fashion on October 28…it’s going to be a fight for the ages. Get up!”

Francis Ngannou: “I’ve been waiting to meet Tyson in the ring for the past three years. My dream was always to box, and to box the best. After becoming the undisputed MMA heavyweight champion, this is my opportunity to make that dream come true and cement my position as the baddest man on the planet… all I will say to Tyson for now is he better dance in that ring because if I touch him, he’s going to sleep.”

The event will be promoted by Queensberry, Top Rank and Ngannou’s promotional banner, GIMIK Fight Promotions, in partnership with Riyadh Season.

By Mauricio Sulaimán
WBC President – Son of José Sulaimán

One of today’s great prospects was unable to fight this past weekend due to a medical situation that the Texas Boxing Commission rightly detected. Vergil Ortiz Jr. received the order from the medical services to withdraw from the bout, in which he was going to fight Eimantas Stanionis, for the WBA title.

Boxing is a complicated sport, it is not a game and there are no teams; It is an individual sport that does not allow substitutions, and in history there have been many tragedies with boxers who entered the ring with medical issues, injuries from the gym or from private life or illnesses which were not reported.

It is a reality that many of the ring accidents have happened due to injuries prior to the fights.

There are other cases in which boxers entered the ring, with the knowledge that they would give their rival an advantage, due to various circumstances. What would have happened if those fighters had decided not to enter the ring, postpone the fight or even cancel it? Continue reading “Protecting the boxer”

Victor Hernandez 133.6 vs. Mike Fowler TBA
Desmond Lyons 139.6 vs. Ivan Reyes 140.2
Eric Arellano 224.4 vs. Javier Frazier 204
Ermes Orta 139 vs. Jason Page Jr. TBA
Kevin Torian 198.4 vs. Raphael Carolina 200.6

Promoter: Jimmy Adams Promotions
Venue: Troubadour Nashville
1st Bell: 7 PM CT (8 PM ET)
Free Stream: countrybox247.com / FITE.TV (Marc Abrams & Former NFL All-Pro Albert Haynesworth on the call)

The WBA Championships Committee has issued a new resolution for the minimumweight in which it ordered a purse bid to be held via Zoom on July 21 for a fight between super champion Thammanoon Niyomtrong and regular champion Erick Rosa.

The situation has been unprecedented due to a series of events that have prevented both fighters from stepping into the ring to fight for the world championship. For that reason, the WBA decided to make an unprecedented decision with the intention of resolving the situation and leave the 105lb division with only one champion. Continue reading “WBA orders minimumweight purse bid”

Three Lions Promotions has announced a September 30th card in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, headlined by a twelve-round cruiserweight clash between former world title challenger and WBC #7 Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (18-1, 17 KOs) of Sydney, NS and current WBC NABF champion, WBC #18 Alante “Bam Bam” Green (10-1-1, 7 KOs) of Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

Rozicki, ranked in the top 10 by all four major sanctioning bodies, suffered his only loss against Oscar Rivas (28-1, 19 KOs) in October of 2021 when he challenged for the vacant WBC bridgerweight title. Since, Rozicki has gone on to win all of his last five scheduled bouts, four of them being stopped before the end of the third round. Continue reading “Rozicki-Green clash Sept 30”

Saturday night in Managua, Nicaragua, unbeaten super lightweight Tito Mercado (11-0, 10 KOs) stayed perfect with a dominant 10-round decision over South African veteran Xolisani Ndongeni (31-3, 18 KOs). Scores were 99-91 on all three judges’ scorecards. The 21-year-old Mercado, fighting out of Pomona, CA, controlled the action from the opening bell. Details of Mercado’s next fight will be announced shortly.

Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and domestic rival Dillian Whyte faced off at a press conference today in London to announce their rematch at The O2 in London on August 12, shown exclusively live on DAZN around the world and on DAZN PPV in the UK and Ireland.

Anthony Joshua: “[Dillian] is just another body. They’ve got a lot of hate for me. But I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about my lane and what I’m trying to do. I don’t focus on other peoples opinions…forget Wilder and all them lot. They’ve been doing my head in for years. Even with Fury. You can see all the lies that have been going on. I’m 34 this year and I’m not wasting my time chasing people.”

Dillian Whyte: “I just prepare for the best version of him. I don’t care what people are saying about him. I’m still coming to fight and I haven’t got anything to lose. I’m calm now – but the more you f*** about, we’ll soon find out.”

WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Uysk and WBA “regular” champion Daniel Dubois faced off for the first time at the kickoff press conference for their August 26th clash in Wroclaw, Poland.

Oleksandr Uysk: “I’ve been traveling around the world fighting in the different backyards of my opponents, but this fight here in Poland will be the closest one to my home. I hope you’re going to enjoy everything that’s going to happen on the 26th of August.”

Daniel Dubois: “This has been a long time coming and I’m ready to take it on. He’s been a great champion, but everything with a beginning has an end.”