Fightnews.com

Luis Nery 118 vs. Froilan Saludar 118

Venue: The Fairground in Metepec, Mexico
Promoter: Zanfer
TV: ESPN+

Floyd Schofield 134.5 vs. Haskell Rhodes 134.5
Jo Jo Diaz Jr. 141.5 vs. Jerry Perez 138
Marlen Esparza 111.5 vs. Gabriela Alaniz 110.6
Eric Tudor 154.5 vs. Reggie Harris Jr. 162.5
Tristan Kalkreuth 199 vs. Joe Jones 200.5
Darius Fulghum 176.5 vs. Jeremiah Curtright 178.5

Venue: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Promoter: Golden Boy
TV: DAZN

Jaron Ennis 145.5 vs. Roiman Villa 146.5
(IBF interim welterweight title)

Yoelvis Gómez 159 vs. Marquis Taylor 158
Edwin De Los Santos 133 vs. Joseph Adorno 135
Euri Cedeno 159 vs. William Townsel 157.5
Steven Torres 239 vs. James Evans 225.5
Dwyke Flemmings Jr. 156.5 vs. Henry Rivera 156.5

Venue: Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ
Promoter: TGB Promotions
TV: Showtime, YouTube/Facebook

WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) will defend his belts against WBA “regular” champ Daniel Dubois (19-1, 18 KOs) on August 26 at the Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland. K2 Promotions, Usyk’s promoter, won the WBA purse bid and selected Poland, which is adjacent to war-torn Ukraine as the location for the fight. The fight is part of the WBA’s ongoing world title reduction plan, which will result in only one WBA champion in the heavyweight division.

Former world title challenger Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna (35-5-1, 14 KOs) faces Juan Manuel “El Principito” Witt (33-1-2, 25 KOs) in a ten-rounder on July 22 at Atlantic City’s historic Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. LaManna, also serving as the event’s promoter, will put his WBA Fedelatin middleweight title belt on the line. He is currently trained by Philadelphia-based Derek “Bozy” Ennis, father and trainer of undefeated welterweight star Jaron “Boots” Ennis.

Unbeaten prospects will square off in three matchups streamed live on the Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Showtime Boxing Facebook page tomorrow from the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. The fights will lead into the Showtime telecast topped by Jaron “Boots” Ennis against Roiman Villa.

The live stream will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT and is topped by 2020 Dominican Olympian Euri Cedeño (4-0, 4 KOs) taking on fellow unbeaten William Townsel (5-0, 4 KOs) in an eight-round middleweight affair. The lineup will also see a rematch of unbeaten heavyweights as Steven Torres (5-0-1, 5 KOs) and James Evans ^-0-1, 6 KOs) look to settle the score after their January 2022 split-draw and super welterweights Dwyke Flemmings Jr. (3-0, 3 KOs) and Henry Rivera (2-0, 1 KO) compete in a four-round battle.

Today, Golden Boy Promotions hosted a press conference to announce the new main event for Saturday at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas and streamed live worldwide on DAZN, now featuring lightweight Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield (14-0, 11 KOs) against Haskell “Hackman” Rhodes (28-4-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round fight.

Schofield-Rhodes replaces the original clash between WBA “regular” welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis and #1 contender Vergil Ortiz, Jr.

Oscar De La Hoya: “The health of the fighter is the most important. We are all in Vergil’s corner, wishing him the very best possible recovery and will wait for him with open arms and ready for when he wishes to come back to the ring. Vergil, with the help of his dad, has the potential to be a world champion.”

Bernard Hopkins: “We lost the main event, of course, we’re not happy about it, you’re not happy about it, but his health is most important. But also what’s important is that the fighters to my right and to my left see that adjustments have to be made. It’s no different than life, no different than in the ring, things happen that you can’t control.” Continue reading “Schofield-Rhodes Final Press Conference”

Diego Pacheco 168 vs. Manuel Gallegos 168
Jonathan Rodriguez 115 vs. Israel Gonzalez 115

Venue: Cintermex Centro de Exposiciones. Monterrey, Mexico
Promoter: Matchroom
TV: DAZN

Undefeated lightweight Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (18-0, 15 KOs) makes his third appearance of 2023 in a 10-round clash against unbeaten Diego Torres (17-0, 16 KOs) on August 12 in the co-feature to the junior lightweight title showdown between WBO world champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and former two-division world champion Oscar Valdez at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The opener in the ESPN-televised tripleheader will be U.S. Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. in a six-round heavyweight tilt against Willie Jake Jr.

Undefeated IBF interim welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis and IBF #2 rated Roiman Villa went face-to-face at Thursday’s final press conference before they fight on Saturday headlining action live on Showtime from the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ.

Jaron Ennis: “A victory over Villa keeps me going toward my goal. A lot of people say that he’s a power-puncher, but we’ll see on Saturday night. I’m coming to make a big statement and get a stoppage. I’m ready for anybody. But right now, we have business to take care of. I’m focused on Roiman Villa and then we’ll worry about what’s next.”

Roiman Villa: “You may think the winner of this fight will be the most prepared or the one with the best technique, but I believe that it’s already decided. I put my faith in that and that’s why I’m so confident. I’m here for a reason and I’m gonna come out on top Saturday…I’m not worried about a prediction. We can say whatever we want up here. I just have to do my talking in the ring on Saturday night.”

WBA #1 welterweight Vergil Ortiz Jr. has pulled out of Saturday’s fight against WBA “regular” welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis scheduled for Saturday in San Antonio, Texas. Ortiz reportedly fainted and required hospitalization. This is the third time Stanionis-Ortiz has been postponed. Previously, Ortiz pulled out due to a flare-up of rhabdomyolysis and Stanionis pulled out due to emergency appendectomy surgery.

Statement from Golden Boy Promotions: “Nothing is more important than the safety of our fighters, and we of course support Vergil’s decision 100 percent. This unfortunate event does however open the door for one of Golden Boy’s top prospects, Floyd Schofield, to accelerate his profile by headlining in his home state of Texas. We will, as always, put on a high-action card from top to bottom on July 8 and look forward to showcasing all of our fighters both in San Antonio and on DAZN.”

More information on the July 8 event will be announced shortly.

British heavyweight rivals Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte will meet in a 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. Two-time unified heavyweight world champion Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) and former world title challenger Whyte (29-3, 19 KOs) lock horns again nearly eight years on from their first clash, which Joshua won by seventh-round stoppage to end a thrilling war.

Whyte has a long-running rivalry with Joshua, having defeated him on points as an amateur back in 2009 before Joshua won an Olympic gold medal in 2012.

Anthony Joshua: “I’ve been clear that my plan is to be active this year. August 12 is the date, I’ll be ready to fight. I look forward to dealing with business.”

Dillian Whyte: “I’m looking forward to returning to the London O2 on August 12 and going to war. It’s 1-1 so this is the decider!”

Current NABF super lightweight beltholder Steve “The Dragon” Claggett (35-7-2, 25 KOs), will defend his title for the first time against Carlos Sanchez Valadez (24-1, 19 KOs) on September 8 at the Théâtre du Casino Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The card will stream on ESPN+ in the US and Punching Grace in Canada. In his last fight on June 1st, Claggett stopped former WBA world champion Alberto Machado in round three to claim the vacant belt.

Steve Claggett: “I love challenges, and to me, this guy is still undefeated because his only loss was due to a technicality. I want to be the best, and I want to prove it by facing the best! I’m highly motivated to be the main event, and I want to deliver another spectacular performance to my fans. This guy is a very good boxer, but he hasn’t faced the Dragon yet.”

WBO #3 super middleweight Diego Pacheco from Los Angeles and Manuel Gallegos from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, faced off at the final press conference for the Matchroom Boxing card taking place on DAZN Friday at the Cintermex Centro de Exposiciones in Monterrey, Mexico.

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

The most important boxer of the last decade, Mexican Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, has revealed the details of his immediate future in boxing. He signed with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) to fight his next three bouts in what is sure to be a multi-million-dollar deal.

His first fight has already been announced, which will take place on September 30 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, and will be one of the greats against Jermell Charlo, undisputed super welterweight champion, who will face Canelo, who in turn, is the undisputed champ of super middleweights.

This is something that has never happened in the history of modern boxing, champion vs. champion, each with their four belts: WBC-WBO-IBF-WBA.

This is the new era of Canelo. His fight against Charlo will be one of those confrontations which will remain to be remembered due to its characteristics. Whenever a Mexican fights an American, a tremendous battle is guaranteed. Continue reading “The New Era of Canelo Begins on Sept 30”

Big weekend coming up with four of the top welterweights not named Terence Crawford or Errol Spence seeing action.

FRIDAY
DAZN kicks things off with unbeaten WBO #3, WBA #11, WBC #12 super middleweight Diego Pacheco (18-0, 15 KOs) will take on Manuel Gallegos (19-1-1, 16 KOs) from the Cintermex in Monterrey, NL, Mexico. Pacheco is a 20:1 favorite.

SATURDAY
DAZN is back for the second consecutive night with a mouth-watering clash between unbeaten WBA regular welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) and WBA #1 Vergil Ortiz Jr. (19-0, 19 KOs) at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Ortiz is a 4:1 favorite to dethrone Stanionis.

Showtime delivers undefeated IBF interim welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (30-0, 27 KOs) defending against IBF top-rated Roiman Villa (26-1, 24 KOs) from the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. Ennis is a 13:1 favorite.

ESPN+ offers up exciting former world champion and current WBC #2 super bantamweight Luis Nery (34-1, 26 KOs) against Froilan Saludar (33-6-1, 23 KOs) from the fairground in Metepec, Mexico (90 minutes west of Mexico City). Nery is a 12:1 favorite.

“I Expect The Sanctioning Bodies To Keep Their Word!”

By Boxing Bob Newman

After Savannah Marshall’s hard fought majority decision victory over Franchon Crews Dezurn earned her the undisputed super middleweight titles, the buzz immediately began for a Marshall – Shields rematch, as in Claressa Shields. The only woman to defeat Marshall in the pro ring, Shields was on hand at the post fight press conference and promptly stoked the fires for a rematch. “Come to Detroit and I’ll beat you again!” For her part, Marshall and her team stumped for the fight to be in the U.K. “There’s no money in women’s boxing in the United States. Pay me the money and I’ll beat YOU again,” to which Shields replied, “In the amateurs?” Marshall retorted, “It’s still a win!”

While a rematch may be one of the higher profile fights in women’s boxing, Shadasia Green has something to say about when and if that will take place. Green holds a rare distinction in the boxing world- being unanimously ranked #1 across the board by all four sanctioning bodies. With a gaudy 12-0, 11 knockouts record, Green feels she has waited long enough. The reigning WBC Silver champion at super middleweight, Green attended last year’s WBC convention in Acapulco, Mexico to lobby for her shot at Crews Dezurn. That shot was approved and sanctioned by the WBC, only to see Marshall leap frog ahead of Green and upset the apple cart. Continue reading “Shadasia Green wants Marshall next”

Fightnews.com® is sad to announce the passing of former middleweight contender Antwun “Kid Dynamite” Echols at the age of 52. He reportedly passed away unexpectedly in his hometown of Davenport, Iowa. Echols was a big puncher who fought for the world title three times. Later in his career, he became a gatekeeper going 1-17-3 in his last 21 bouts. Echols last fought in April 2016 and ended with a record of 32-22-4, 28 KOs. Rest in peace.

By Gabriel F. Cordero

2012 Olympic silver medalist Esquiva Falcao (30-1, 20 KOs) doesn’t feel he got a fair shake against Vincenzo Gualtieri (21-0-1, 7 KOs) in their clash for the vacant IBF middleweight title on Saturday night in Wuppertal, Germany.

“I think this fight was very unfair to me,” Falcao said on social media. “I fought for the world belt in my opponent’s house, it’s not in his country, it’s in his house, in his city. And the judges are all German. Oh, there was an Italian. And where is the boy from? He is from Italy. He is Italian but he lives in Germany. So the fight was all for him to win. Continue reading “Falcao: This fight was very unfair to me”

After letting Max Kellerman go last week, ESPN has parted ways with another prominent boxing personality. The contract of popular boxing analyst Andre Ward wasn’t renewed. Ward made the announcement himself on social media.  Ward wrote: “Tonight’s show was the last fight under my ESPN contract. It’s been a great ride and I’m going to miss the whole ESPN crew that I’ve worked with for the last six years. I’m excited about my future and the chance to work on new projects and endeavors. Great things are ahead.”

ESPN has released more than 20 ion-air personalities in a cost-cutting measure. The departure of Ward means more air time for Timothy Bradley on ESPN boxing telecasts.

Now that Savannah Marshall is the new undisputed female super middleweight champion of the world, she is potentially on a collision course for a rematch with arch-rival Claressa Shields, who was the loudest person in the AO Arena when Marshall dethroned Franchon Crews-Dezurn in Manchester, England Saturday night. Shields had some choice comments for Marshall afterwards.

“I will fight her at whatever weight she wants to fight at,” Shields said. “She is going to get beat up… that’s what is going to happen.

“[I saw] a lot of weaknesses and she didn’t learn from her last fight. I agreed with the first judge who had it 95-95. The fight was close – I expected a better performance from both girls.”

The Florida Boxing Hall of Fame – Class of 2023 inductions took place this weekend at the St. Petersburg Hilton in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Front row (L-R): Alfredo Escalera, John Moceyunas, Marc Lichtenfeld, Vonda Carson, Ali Tareh, Ruben DeJesus, Fred Fluty, Harry De La Vega.

Back row (L-R): Vivian Harris, Ossie Ocasio, David Izonreiti, Joey Negron, Ada Velez, Alfred Smith, Jesse Robinson.

By Ron Jackson

South Africa’s Sivenathi Nontshinga (12-0, 9 KOs) retained his IBF light flyweight title for the first time when he outpointed mandatory challenger Reggie Suganob (13-1, 4 KOs) from the Philippines over 12 rounds on Sunday at the International Convention Centre in East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Two judges scored it 116-111 and the third judge had it 117-110.

Nontshinga (48,80kg) made a sensational start as he came out fast in the first round to take to fight to Suganob (48.75kg) and just before the bell sent the Filipino down in the center of the ring with right hand to the side of the jaw for a count from referee Deon Dwarte who once again did a fine job of controlling the fight.

However, this is where the excitement ended as the 25-year-old Suganob spent the rest of the fight pushing forward as he tried to score against the elusive Nontshinga, 25, who literally got on his bicycle as he backed up around the ring to score with counterpunches.

This was the pattern of the fight which never rose to any heights with the South African in control even though he spent most of the fight on the retreat, scoring with the cleaner punches. Continue reading “Nontshinga retains IBF light flyweight title”

Top Rank has inked 2020 Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov (12-0, 12 KOs) to a multiyear promotional deal.

In a cost-cutting measure, ESPN has reportedly axed 20 on-air personalities, including Max Kellerman, the former boxing analyst who went on to become involved in all sports with the network.

Looks like hopes for a December bout between WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk have collapsed. Fury’s camp has now teased a “game changer” for Fury’s next outing, which could be a boxing exhibition against former UFC champion Francis Ngannou.

Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson spoke about his ten round decision win over “Prince” Charles Martin (29-4-1, 26 KOs) on Saturday evening in front of 7,234 hometown fans at Toledo’s Huntington Center.

Jered Anderson: “It felt great. I had my team with me. I got my family with me. I got Toledo with me. They showed up and they’re in the building. They were with me the entire 10 rounds. I heard them all the way through. I’m grateful for my opponent. He took the fight on short notice. He came and performed really good. I think we put on a hell of a show for Toledo.

“I wanted to go the distance. It was my first time. I just wanted to make sure that I could go the distance and especially be able to withstand power the whole 10 rounds. He had power until the last round, and I was happy to get the rounds in. I think I took his best shots very well. I don’t think there was a time in the fight where I looked unsteady or where I couldn’t hold my own. Did feel like he got me with a good shot and stunned me? No. But do I feel like he got me with a good shot and made me aware? Yes, so I had to readjust and get back to the game plan.”

Charles Martin: “I took the fight on 11 days’ notice. I did the best I could. He’s a real champion. He’ll be making his way to the top soon. I’m proud of him. He’s really good. He’s a crafty boxer. Usually, when I catch somebody and hurt them, I can finish them. If they don’t fall, usually I can follow up and put them away. But he is like a little middleweight. He is crafty. He was able to get out even when he was rocked. He was able to maneuver and get out the way. He’s going to be a champion.”