Fightnews.com

Luis Nery 122 vs. Azat Hovhannisyan 121.6
(WBC super bantamweight title eliminator)

Shane Mosley Jr. 167.4 vs. Mario Lozano 165.2
Ricardo Sandoval 111.8 vs. Jerson Ortiz 111.6
Rowdy Montgomery 167.2 vs. Christian Olivas 167.6
Asa Stevens 127 vs. Jenn Gonzalez 129.8
Andrii Novytskyi 232.2 vs. Gabriel Costa 204.2

Venue: Fox Theater, Pomona, California
Promoter: Golden Boy
TV: DAZN

BLK Prime has announced the cancellation of the Adrien Broner vs Michael Williams Jr. fight scheduled to take place on February 25 at The Gateway Center @ College Park, GA. Broner’s next fight will be postponed to a later date with a new opponent.

Adrien Broner: “I worked my ass off and I see what the bottom really looked like for the first time. I looked in the mirror and I told myself I am not that person and I got off my ass and went to work! These last four months I got in amazing shape and I’m in a great space in my life. I know this ain’t the WWF but right now I feel like Triple H cause I’m back healthy, happy, and HUNGRY!!! Sorry to all my fans but I will continue this journey – support me and I fight for you!”

Four unbeaten young fighters will see action Wednesday, February 22 at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida, live on ProBoxTV.com and the ProBox app.

In the main event, unbeaten super middleweight Richard Vansiclen (13-0, 6 KOs) takes on Manuel “El Meno” Gallegos (20-1, 16 KOs) in a ten-rounder. In a trio of six round fights, unbeaten middleweight and 2020 Tokyo Olympian Darelle Valsaint (6-0, 5 KOs) faces Lucas de Abreu (14-2, 11 KOs), unbeaten super middleweight (Najee Lopez (5-0, 5 KOs), dropping down from cruiserweight, meets Cristian Rios (23-16-3, 7 KOs), and unbeaten super featherweight Marques Valle (7-0, 6 KOs) goes against Jarrod Tennat (8-1, 4 KOs).

The Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California, will host the matchup featuring former world champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramírez (44-1, 30 KOs) and Gabriel “King” Rosado (26-16-1, 15 KOs). The 12-round light heavyweight matchup is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 18 and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN. Also, returning for redemption after his loss against William Zepeda in October 2022, former world champion Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jr. (32-3-1, 15 KOs) will face former world title challenger Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (33-3-3, 17 KOs) as the co-main event in a 12-round lightweight fight.

WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood and challenger Mauricio Lara made weight ahead of their world title tomorrow night in Nottingham, England. Wood and Lara both weighed 126 pounds. DAZN will stream the event.

Other Weights:
Dalton Smith 139 vs. Billy Allington 139
Gary Cully 134 vs. Wilfredo Flores 134
Cheavon Clarke 199 vs. Israel Duffus 197
Gamal Yafai 124 vs. Diego Alberto Ruiz 123
Aaron Bowen 165 vs. Mathieu Gomes 167
Junaid Bostan 155 vs. Peter Kramer 155
Kieron Conway 168 vs. Jorge Silva 167
Sam Maxwell 144 vs. Shaun Cooper 143

Venue: Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, England
Promoter: Matchroom
TV: DAZN

By Bob Caico

Trainer Michael Williams Sr has announced that his son will not be fighting four-division world champion Adrien Broner on February 25th due to an “unnecessary injury in training camp.” He shared an x-ray showing what appears to be a broken jaw.

“Hopefully, the fight will be postponed. I’m sorry. 300%.” He also added that Roy Jones Jr is no longer one of his son’s trainers.

Williams Jr. becomes the third Broner opponent to fall through for this event. Previously Ivan Redkach pulled out due to promotional issues, then Hank Lundy was removed due to a suspension by the California Boxing Commission.

DAZN has announced that effective March 23, the monthly subscription price in the USA will be $24.99 a month or $224.99 a year. There is also an option to lock in $19.99 a month with a twelve month contract.

When the service started, it was $9.99 a month. Then the price was upped to $19.99 a month or $99 a year.

DAZN stated that the new pricing is “reflective of the steady increase in live sports and original content.”

The streaming service assures that long-term partnerships with Golden Boy and Matchroom mean that subscribers will get a boxing schedule of at least 50 top-tier fight nights annually as well as discounted PPV events and nonstop access to a multitude of other sporting events such as celebrity crossover boxing, MMA, women’s soccer, darts, pool and more.

By TMZ.com

WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis has pleaded guilty to four traffic offenses in his hit-and-run case.

Davis entered the pleas in a Baltimore courtroom on Thursday — over two years after he was accused of running a red light in his Lamborghini and striking another vehicle … before ultimately fleeing the area.

Davis pleaded guilty to one count of leaving the scene of an accident involving bodily injury, driving with a revoked license, running a red light, and failing to notify of property damage.

His sentencing hearing has been set for May 5. Continue reading “Tank pleads guilty in hit-and-run case”

By Evan Jacobs at ringside

Starting off 2023 with another sell-out, Englebrecht Promotions & Events came back to the Hangar at the OC Fair & Events Center in Costa Mesa, CA with a bang!

The opening bout saw Long Beach’s Julian Bridges 2-0 (2KOs) blitz Hawthorne’s Michael Jackson 0-1 in the first minute of their bout. Bridges connected with nearly every shot he threw and the scheduled four round Super Lightweight bout was stopped in short order. Continue reading “Fight Club OC Results”

Former two-division world champion Luis “Pantera” Nery (33-1, 25 KOs) and Azat “Crazy A” Hovhannisyan (21-3, 17 KOs) faced off at the final press conference for their WBC super bantamweight eliminator on Saturday at Fox Theater Pomona and streamed on DAZN.

Luis Nery: “It’s going to be a great fight. Azat is a great fighter. I have been watching him for a long time. He is a strong fighter – he throws punches and has resilience in the ring and has never been knocked out before. These are the types of challenges that I like to have that make me a better fighter.”

Azat Hovhannisyan: “I am in good shape, I had a very good training camp. Everything is very good. We are ready for February 18. I know Luis Nery. He is a good fighter with a good left hand. I have a great new coach named Julian Chua. We are ready to put on a good show.”

Oscar De La Hoya: “This main event fight was made by the actual fighters positioning themselves, and putting themselves in this place. This is an eliminator for the WBC – we have the #1 and #2 fighting each other which is unheard of in boxing these days – but that’s what Luis Nery and Azat Hovhannisyan bring to the table. They are old school, they are fighters who understand exactly what it takes to become a world champion. It’s never an easy road. But winning, and going down that road and performing gets you to the big prize of winning a world title.”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

37-year-old veteran southpaw Japanese Kenta Nakagawa (23-4-1, 12 KOs), 115, acquired the vacant WBO Asia Pacific junior bantamweight belt as he outfought game compatriot Akio Furutani (10-6, 3 KOs), 114.5, to earn a unanimous decision (115-113, 116-112, 117-111) over twelve hard-fought rounds on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan. WBC#15 Nakagawa, formerly national titlist, controlled the contest by a slight margin in every round, and had the badly bleeding Furutani in great trouble in round nine. But it was Furutani that had him at bay in return with a furious retaliation in the next session. Kenta was in command down the stretch to confirm his coronation. Continue reading “Nakagawa defeats Furutani for WBO AP 115lb belt”

Ardreal Holmes Jr. 152.6 vs. Ismael Villarreal 152.6
Misael Lopez 124.4 vs. Edward Vazquez 125.2
Kurt Scoby 139.8 vs. John Mannu 139.8

Venue: Stormont Vail Events Center in Topeka, Kansas
Promoter: DiBella Entertainment
TV: Showtime

WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood and challenger Mauricio Lara faced off at the final press conference ahead of their world title fight on Saturday night at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England. DAZN will stream worldwide (excluding Australia and New Zealand).

Mauricio Lara: When opportunities come around I take them with both hands and I’m convinced that I will win. I’m not disrespecting him in any way but I just know the capability of ‘Bronco’ Lara who will go on to win the world title. I’ve prepared better than ever and I’ve prepared not for a fight, but for a war and I’m prepared to leave absolutely everything in there…this will definitely not go to the scorecards I can tell you that.”

Leigh Wood: “There’s nothing that’s going to beat me on Saturday night, nothing at all. There’s nothing that he can bring that I’m not prepared for. He’s ready for war but I’m ready for a smart tactical knockout…it’s going to be special. It’s going to be a wolf pit. It’s going to be a cauldron, very hostile.”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBO #1,WBC #1 super welterweight Tim Tszyu (21-0, 15 KOs) says he’s in the best shape of his career as he prepares for his March 12 (March 11 in USA) clash against Tony Harrison (29-3-1, 21 KOs) for WBO interim title at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia televised on Foxtel Main Event and Kayo Sports PPV and Showtime in USA. Tszyu has been helped by American sparring partners who include IBF #3, WBC #4, WBO #5 super welterweight Charles Conwell, middleweight D’Mitrius Ballard, and super-middleweights Justin and Jason Bell.

“I’ve got boys from America here. I flew them over,” Tszyu told foxsports.com.au. “Two boys. That type of style, African-American, slick type of style. I got to mix it up with sparring partners that have got a similar style to Harrison. I understand how to fight these guys, these quick American top fighters.”

In the wake of the recent postponement of the Josh Taylor/Jack Catterall WBO voluntary title defense, the WBO World Championship Committee has now officially ordered the commencement of negotiations for the mandatory title defense obligation of WBO jr welterweight champion Josh Taylor and Teofimo Lopez, Jr. The camps are granted 10 days to reach an agreement or purse bid proceedings shall be conducted with a minimum bid of $150,000. Either party may request a purse bid at any time during the negotiation process. Top Rank was already working on the bout, but now there is a WBO deadline to get it done.

The three fights for the Benavidez-Plant PPV taking place March 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas were announced Wednesday. In the co-main event, unbeaten super welterweights Jesús “Mono” Ramos (19-0, 15 KOs) and Joey Spencer (16-0, 10 KOs) will collide in a ten-rounder. Lightweights Chris “Primetime” Colbert (16-1, 6 KOs) and Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela (12-1, 8 KOs) meet in a ten rounder and unbeaten welterweight Cody Crowley (21-0, 9 KOs) faces Abel Ramos (27-5-2, 21 KOs) in the telecast opener.

WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has confirmed that if Jake Paul wins his upcoming bout against Tommy Fury on February 26 in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, the WBC Ratings Committee will rank him in the Cruiserweight division. Jake Paul has been close to the WBC for several years, starting with the first event promoted in the UK when his brother, Logan, fought KSI; On that night Jake won the WBC amateur belt in the undercard fights.

“Jake has dedication and respect to the sport and the WBC will not tolerate discrimination against anyone. He deserves the opportunities that any other boxer has,” said Sulaiman. “He demonstrated punching power and improved skills as well as a solid chin, Tommy Fury represents a clear challenge to Paul in a battle of two undefeated professional boxers. Continue reading “Jake Paul fighting for a WBC world ranking”

Since the World Boxing Association (WBA) president prioritized the World Title Reduction Plan, much progress has been made towards the goal of having only one champion per division. With different decisions and resolutions, significant progress has been made and 11 of the 17 divisions are now fully resolved, while the others are on track.

To date, there are 10 single WBA champions, with the addition of the bantamweight division, which is currently vacant. The champions are Kenshiro Teraj in light flyweight; Artem Dalakian, flyweight; Joshua Franco, super flyweight; Murodjon Akhmadaliev, super bantamweight; Leigh Wood, featherweight; Hector Garcia, super featherweight; Alberto Puello, super lightweight; Jermell Charlo, super welterweight; Dmitry Bivol, light heavyweight; and Arsen Goulamirian, cruiserweight. Continue reading “WBA world title reduction plan update”

Featherweight contender Mauricio Lara has warned WBA champion Leigh Wood that if he switches off during their world title showdown this Saturday at the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham, shown live worldwide on DAZN (excluding Australia and New Zealand), then “the fight will be over quickly.”

Mexico’s Lara (25-2-1, 18 KOs) has waited patiently for his first world title shot following his brilliant win over ‘The Leeds Warrior’ Josh Warrington back in February 2021 – a win that would have seen him crowned the new IBF 126lbs king if Warrington had not vacated his title a month prior to their behind closed doors clash.

‘Bronco’, who is the much younger man of the two aged 24, believes his 34-year-old opponent has a lot of miles on the clock following his breath-taking back and forth battle with Ireland’s Michael Conlan in March last year – the defending champion hasn’t fought since. Continue reading “Lara primed for first world title shot”

This past Saturday night, bantamweight Emmanuel Rodriguez (13-0, 7 KOs) won an eight-round unanimous decision over Sharone Carter (13-6, 3 KOs) that headlined a six-bout R and B Promotions card at The Showboat Hotel Carousel Room in Atlantic City. Rodriguez won by scores of 78-74 twice and 77-75.

Lightweight Feargal McCrory (13-0, 6 KOs) remained undefeated with a 95-second knockout over Aeilo Mesquita (21-10-1, 19 KOs) in a scheduled eight-round bout. McCrory dropped Mesquita with a right hand that sent him to the canvas for the 10-count.

Top Rank has announced that ESPN+ will stream the April 8 world title twinbill at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, which was announced today. The main event is the high-stakes light flyweight unification clash between WBC/WBA champion Kenshiro “The Amazing Boy” Teraji and WBO champ Jonathan “La Bomba” Gonzalez. It will be another early a.m. special.

After three postponements, it looks like the rematch between WBO jr welterweight champion Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall is off altogether. Top Rank is now reportedly working on making Taylor vs. Teofimo Lopez in the UK this summer.

Sampson Lewkowicz (Sampson Boxing) and Paco Damian (Paco Presents) have signed featherweight Christian Olivo Barreda (20-0-1, 7 KOs) and lightweight Omar “Super” Salcido Gamez (16-0, 11 KOs) to multi-year, co-promotional contracts. The move is expected to open up opportunities for the two in the US with PBC and Showtime.

The WBO has announced a February 23 purse bid for the mandatory title clash between WBO jr. bantamweight champion Kazuto Ioka and former flyweight champion Junto Nakatani. However, there are reports that Ioka will instead vacate the title in favor of a rematch with WBA champion Joshua Franco, whom he fought to a draw with on December 31.

The undercard is set for Saturday’s WBC super bantamweight title eliminator between Luis “Pantera” Nery (33-1, 25 KOs) and Azat “Crazy A” Hovhannisyan (21-3, 17 KOs) at Fox Theater in Pomona, California. DAZN will stream worldwide, including Australia and New Zealand.

In the co-main, super middleweight Shane Mosley, Jr. (18-4, 10 KOs) will return in a ten-rounder against Mario “Aguila” Lozano (33-10, 24 KOs). Also flyweight Ricardo “El Niño” Sandoval (20-2, 15 KOs) will participate in a ten-rounder against Jerson Ortiz (17-6, 8 KOs) and Rowdy “Legend” Montgomery (8-4-1, 6 KOs) will face Christian “Ruso” Olivas (22-8, 19 KOs) in an eight-round super middleweight match.

By Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán & WBC President

The Holy Father, Pope Francis, has given a significant number of messages in response to two events that have impacted the world in an unusual way.

Firstly, concerning the terrible invasion of Russia in Ukraine, which this month marks a year since it began, nowadays the topic gets lost until another bombing happens, and it reminds us that in the midst of 2023, we are experiencing a situation like this.

The other event is the earthquake that has caused so much damage to Turkey and Syria. The images are terrifying and the need for help is urgent and imminent. The Pope’s messages are a guide of wisdom and compassion for those who read them and they help to put ideas and feelings in order as well as perspective. Continue reading “Pope Francis”

Unbeaten super featherweight Joe Cordina (15-0, 9 KOs) has the opportunity to regain his IBF world 130lb title when he faces current beltholder Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov (17-0-1, 14 KOs) at the Cardiff International Arena on April 22, live worldwide on DAZN (excluding Australia and New Zealand). Cordina was scheduled to make the first defense of the IBF title against Rakhimov in Abu Dhabi last November but suffered a hand injury that required surgery and was subsequently stripped of his title by the IBF. Rakhimov then won the vacant title by stopping Zelfa Barrett.

“I never lost my belt in the ring,” said Cordina, “so my mindset is that I’m going to be walking in as the champion and leaving as the champion.”

Middleweight Chris Eubank Jr. will force a rematch with Liam “Beefy” Smith and seek to avenge his shock KO loss to Smith on January 22. In a short message on Twitter, Eubank wrote, “This morning I activated the rematch clause via my lawyers and sent to my promoters Wasserman. Happy Valentines Day Liam Beefy Smith.”

The Smith Team has indicated that they wish to stage the rematch at the 54,000-seat Anfield Stadium in Smith’s hometown of Liverpool at the end of May.