Fightnews.com

By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® caught up with WBA regular super middleweight champion and rising star David Morrell (9-0, 8 KOs) coming off his first-round knockout of Yamaguchi Falcao as the co-main event on the Super Fight of Tank vs. Ryan last weekend in Las Vegas. Morrell talked about his journey to the United States from Cuban, where he gets his knockout power, and his desire to fight the Mexican Monster David Benavidez in this exclusive interview.

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Unbeaten two-time Olympian Tsendbaatar Erdenebat (6-0, 3 KOs) took an eight round unanimous decision over Edy Valencia Mercado (20-10-6, 7 KOs) in a bout for the NABF super featherweight title on Thursday night at Sony Hall in Times Square, New York City. Erdenebat, who claims he injured Ryan Garcia with a body shot during Kingry’s training camp before Tank Davis landed a similar blow to stop Garcia in their super fight, didn’t particularly excite as he cruised to an 80-72, 78-74, 78-74 win.

In the main event, junior middleweight Brian Ceballo (14-1, 7 KOs) punished Luis Alberto Veron (20-7-2, 9 KOs) for eight rounds en route to a unanimous decision. Scores were 80-72, 79-73, 79-73. Ceballo back in the win column coming off his first loss.

Former WBO female super flyweight champion Miyo “Miyo Musashi” Yoshida (16-3, 0 KOs) took an eight round majority nod over Indeya Smith (6-7-2, 1 KO) by scores of 76-76, 77-75, 78-74.

Other Results:
Sydney Maccow W6 Christian Otero (lightweight)
Larry Fryers TKO6 Joshua David Rivera (jr welterweight)
David Lopez W4 Nelson Morales (super welterweight)

Undefeated knockout artist William “El Camarón” Zepeda (27-0, 23 KOs) and Jaime “Jaimito” Arboleda (19-2, 14 KOs) hosted a press conference today to promote their upcoming 12-round main event this Saturday in Dallas which will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.

Oscar de la Hoya: “When you have the likes of Shakur Stevenson and other top dogs in the lightweight division calling you out, you must be doing something right. Zepeda is undefeated, has faced top contenders like Joseph “JoJo” Diaz and has broken CompuBox records. Zepeda is ready to step up for the difficult fight ahead of him. His opponent, Arboleda, has a lot of power and is hungry to dethrone the undefeated fighter.”

William Zepeda: This is my second time as the main event in my career, the first time in the red corner…I trained hard for this fight, and I am coming with everything come Saturday night. I want to thank my Mexican fan base and I promise to give the fans a very exciting fight.”

Jaime Arboledar: “I haven’t watched Zepeda fight before, but we know what he is capable of inside the ring. Regardless we did a very good preparation, we hope to bring a great fight and show what the Arboleda name is capable of. We will be victorious.”

Matchroom outbid Top Rank at today’s WBO purse bid in Puerto Rico for the junior welterweight elimination bout between Arnold Barboza Jr. and Liam Paro. Matchroom bid $303K to win out against Top Rank’s $271K. Proposed fight dates are June 17 in Las Vegas and July 15 in Detroit.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Okinawa-born Japanese Shuma Nakazato (13-2-3, 8 KOs), 135, stunned the crowd with his one-punch demotion of Japanese lightweight champ, previously unbeaten prohibitive favorite Shu Utsuki (12-1, 10 KOs), 134.75, at 1:40 of the third round of the main event, surprisingly wresting the national belt on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan.  No one might have expected Shuma’s coronation, but anything could happen in the ring.  From the outset the challenger had the upper hand and damaged the champ with his opening attack in the first and second rounds.  His right counter was the haymaker that had Shuma follow his father and manager/trainer Shigeru (24-8-1, 18 KOs), a devastating puncher now at fifty years of age, who unfortunately failed to win the world 122-pound belt on three occasions, losing to Oscar Larios twice here in 2003 (he broke Oscar’s jaw) and 2004, and being halted by Mahyar Monshipour in France in 2005 (his last fight). Continue reading “Nakazato upsets Utsuki, wins Japanese 135lb belt”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

In the third of a quadruple national title attraction, hard-punching Homura Fujita (10-1, 8 KOs), 140, turned the tables and finally dispatched JBC#1 Cristiano Aoqui (16-10-2, 11 KOs), 140, at 3:08 of the second round in a scheduled ten on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan.  Fujita, having graduated from Waseda University, endured Aoqui’s furious opening attacks, and landed a perfectly-timed right counter to the face to drop him badly to the deck.  Aoqui, a half-breed of a Brazilian father and a Japanese mother, had him at bay in the first, but absorbed a very lethal right from the switch-hitting Fujita to sink for the count in round two. Continue reading “Homura sinks Aoqui, wins vacant Japanese 140lb belt”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Previously Mexico-based Japanese puncher, give-and-take warrior Shoki Sakai (27-13-3, 15 KOs and no losses by stoppages that proves his granite chin), 147, impressively seized the vacant national welterweight belt as he withstood an opening attack of Hironori Shigeta (8-3-2, 5 KOs), 147, in round one and furiously battered him back to have him look helpless to cause the ref’s intervention at 2:00 of the second session on Tuesday in Tokyo.  It was their rubber battle since Sakai won the first encounter (the first bout after his return to his native country from Mexico) over Shigeta in 2020 and barely drew with him after surviving a couple of visits to the deck last year.  Sakai’s do-or-die attack obviously hurt the taller southpaw Shigeta to the punch in the fatal session.

Promoter: Ohashi Promotions.

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By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

It was a quadruple national title event in commemoration of the latest passing of “Champion Maker” Kenji Yonekura (who produced 45 champions on aggregate) promoted by his pupil and ex-world champ Hideyuki Ohashi (currently handling “Monster” Naoya Inoue).  In the first title go on the night, unheralded JBC#1 Yuni Takada (11-8-3, 6 KOs), 105, acquired the vacant Japanese minimumweight belt by halting badly nose-bleeding JBC#2 Shuri Hasebe (9-7, 3 KOs), 105, at 2:59 of the sixth session in a scheduled ten on Tuesday at the Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan.

Takada, a late bloomer who had once suffered a bitter come-from-behind TKO loss by Hasebe in their first encounter exactly seven years ago (on the same April 26), demonstrated his new aggressive style, and beat him up to prompt the referee’s stoppage upon his accelerated barrage of punches in the fatal six. Continue reading “Takada stops Hasebe, wins vacant Japanese 105lb belt”

Undefeated knockout artist William “El Camarón” Zepeda (27-0, 23 KOs) and Jaime “Jaimito” Arboleda (19-2, 14 KOs) faced off at a media workout yesterday at Maple Avenue Boxing Gym to promote their clash this Saturday on DAZN from College Park Center at The University of Texas at Arlington campus. Zepeda will be defending his WBA Continental Americas lightweight belt in a twelve-rounder.

William Zepeda: “I am always preparing, and I was ready for this fight. I was lightly training already, at the ready to get the call. When I did, I was overjoyed, as I was excited to fight in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Champions are made by taking advantage of opportunities. When we defeated Joseph Diaz last year, my team and I trained hard to take advantage of the opportunity and it worked out perfectly for us. Getting the opportunity to headline as the red corner this time around is a blessing, and is the result of years of sacrifice, discipline, and hard work. We won’t let the fans down this Saturday, April 29!”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker (31-3, 21 KOs) will clash with Faiga “Django” Opelu (15-3-2, 11 KOs) over ten rounds with the Commonwealth title up for grabs at the Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on May 24 with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury expected to be in attendance.

“The Commonwealth heavyweight title has been held by some of the biggest names in the sport and I’m looking forward to adding my name to that list,” Parker told Fox Sports. “He [Opelu] is a great fighter and deserves his shot, but there are levels to this game and I plan to show that. I’m not taking this lightly and I look forward to putting on a great performance for the fight fans. I believe I can win another world heavyweight title. It just takes time. I just need to keep winning. I can’t afford to lose.” Continue reading “Parker back in action May 24”

Robeisy “El Tren” Ramirez (12-1, 7 KOs) is ready to make the inaugural defense of his WBO featherweight world title against a fellow two-time Olympian. Ramirez will take on Japanese contender Satoshi “Diamond Left” Shimizu (11-1, 10 KOs) on Tuesday, July 25, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Ramirez-Shimizu will serve as the co-feature to the world title showdown between Philadelphia’s WBC/WBO junior featherweight champion Stephen Fulton and Japan’s pound-for-pound king Naoya “Monster” Inoue.

Fulton-Inoue, Ramirez-Shimizu and additional undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+.

Ramirez said, “Next stop, Japan! I am happy to announce my quick return to the ring in what will be the first defense of my WBO world championship. Fighting is what I do best, titles are meant to be defended, and there’s no stopping ‘El Tren!'” Continue reading “Ramirez-Shimizu added to Fulton-Inoue card”

Looks like last weekend’s Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia PPV clash was a big winner. The event reportedly drew 1.2 million PPV buys plus delivered a live gate of $22.8 million – the fifth highest in Nevada history. Davis stopped Garcia in the seventh round.

Kenneth Taylor 133.4 vs. Dan Abrams 134.4
Brittnay Sims 118.1 vs. Alexis Mones 117.3
Jacob Reynolds 155.4 vs. Willie Bender 164
Emanuel Tennison 146.4 vs. Devon Jones 145.6
Jesus Guzman Jr 111.5 vs. Miguel Angel Perez 110.8
Kailia Attry 136.7 vs. Karen Dulin 132.5
Sammy Lee Brown 166.3 vs.Jose Gomez 165.9
Trrrion Claybon 141.1 vs. Xzavier Jackson 141

Venue: El Corral West Nightclub, Fort Worth, Texas
Promoter: King’s Promotions
1st Bell: 8 PM ET / 7 PM CT
Stream: BXNGTV.com (Marc Abrams and Mikenna Tanlsey on the call)

This morning at the main hall of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, the WBC unveiled the commemorative belt that will be presented to the winner of Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez vs. John Ryder PPV on May 6. WBC president Mauricio Sulaimán explained that while the WBC’s green and gold belt is the highest recognition for those who enter the ring aiming to conquer glory, the WBC in its tireless search for innovation has created a series of special and unique belts which Mexico and the WBC award to fighters who face each other on the two most important dates for Mexico and boxing: May 5 (Batalla de Puebla) and September 16 (Mexico’s Independence Day).

Former heavyweight contender Michael “The Bounty” Hunter (20-1-2, 14 KOs) has signed on with the new Team Combat League (TCL). Hunter will join the Team Las Vegas Hustle franchise, which will face the D.C. Destroyers squad on Thursday night at the Mohegan Sun Expo Center in Uncasville, Connecticut. Hunter is set to face off against two formidable opponents in Hasim Rahman Jr. (14-2, 6 KOs) and Norman Neely (14-1, 9 KOs). The event will be livestreamed on the TCL website and TCL’s social media channels.

Team Combat League competitions employ a unique and exclusive point-scoring system. Each match contains 18 three-minute rounds across six weight categories, five male and one female. Each round is scored individually with additional points added for knockouts and knockdowns. There are three judges appointed by a licensed boxing commission. A round is scored 10-9 to the winner for any round judged by decision. A round that features a knockdown is scored 10-8 to the winner and any round in which there is two knockdowns or a stoppage is scored 10-7 for the winner. At the conclusion of the 18 rounds, the team with the most points wins!

Brian Ceballo 152.4 vs. Luis Alberto Veron 153.4
Tsendbaatar Erdenebat 136 vs. Edy Valencia Mercado 136
Miyo Yoshida 111.8 vs. Indeya Smith 114.2
Sydney Maccow 134.2 vs. Christian Otero 134.2
Joshua David Rivera 142.8 vs. Larry Fryers 143.4
David Lopez 148.6 vs. Nelson Morales 148.4

Venue: Sony Hall, Times Square, NYC
Promoter: BoxingInsider Promotions, DiBella Entertainment
TV: DAZN

Sad to report the passing of former cruiserweight champion “King” Arthur Williams, who passed away in his sleep over the weekend at the age of 58. Williams won the IBF cruiserweight title in 1998 when he stopped Imamu Mayfield in the 9th round. He also beat Dwight Muhammad Qawi back in 1992. He lost a pair of split decisions against Orlin Norris and Chris Byrd. He finished his career with a record of 47-17-1 with 30 KOs!

USA Boxing has terminated its membership with the International Boxing Association (IBA) for what they claim is the IBA’S failure to uphold its mission and principles of its constitution and failure to respect the Olympic charter and movement. This means USA Boxing will no longer be a member of the IBA effective immediately. USA Boxing will commit full support to the World Boxing Internation Federation’s efforts to seek provisional recognition of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and as an International Federation (IF) for the sport of Olympic-style boxing, Paralympic Boxing (Adaptive) and Esport Boxing.

Meanwhile, the IBA has announced that due to the establishment of “a rogue international boxing organization,” they have initiated a series of actions that are designed to provide absolute clarity to all boxing stakeholders regarding the autonomy of the IBA as the global governing body of boxing. Among the steps is an official complaint to the Boxing Independent Integrity Unit (BIIU) against individuals and entities involved in creation of said rogue organization.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the IBA’s recognition in 2019, prompting the IOC to step in and oversee the Olympic boxing program in Tokyo 2020 and the scheduled Olympic boxing program in Paris 2024. There is a distinct possibility that boxing (one of the original Olympic sports) will be dropped from the 2028 Olympics altogether.

Boxing Hall of Famer and undefeated legend Floyd “Money” Mayweather (50-0, 27 KOs) will hold a press conference this week to announce his latest exhibition fight as he prepares to take on professional boxer and mixed martial artist John Gotti III (2-0, 1 KO), the grandson of famous mob boss John Gotti.

This showdown will headline “Last Names Matter” taking place Sunday, June 11 from FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida in an event that will also feature musical performances from Ozuna and more. The event is dedicated to the loving memory of Marikit “Kitchie” Laurico, Mayweather’s longtime assistant who passed away suddenly in April.

By Jeff Zimmerman

Just mere days after Gervonta “Tank” Davis laid claim to being the “face of boxing” after his resounding one-punch body shot KO against “King” Ryan Garcia last weekend at the T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas, the self-proclaimed “Biggest Instigator in Boxing,” Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins, bared all in what he described as an attempt by the PBC to silence him during fight week and the fight itself.

Hopkins shed light in a phone interview with Fightnews.com® last night that included the potential riot that was sparked by Hopkins putting his hands on Davis at the weigh-ins, why he was conspicuously not in the ring during the fighter’s ring walk and the “no show” from him and Oscar De La Hoya at the post-fight presser.

Hopkins, as usual, did not pull any punches as he took aim at the PBC and their ringleader Al Haymon in this post-fight rant. In a four-part series on Fightnews.com® earlier this year and well before the Tank-Ryan fight was officially announced in late February, Hopkins put the whole boxing community on blast as he called out fighters, promoters (including his own) and especially Haymon as the main reason why the biggest fights were not getting made, such as Spence-Crawford.

But when Garcia agreed to all the stipulations made by “Team Tank” to make this fight happen such as the 136 catchweight and the 10lb rehydration clause, boxing had its first “Super Fight” in a long time. Hopkins declared during the lead-up, that this fight could be the genesis of the “best fighting the best.” Continue reading “Hopkins: PBC tried to silence me”

By Joe Koizumi

“Champion maker” Kenji Yonekura passed away last Thursday (April 20) here in Japan. He was 88. Yonekura, as a boxer, was a household name in 1960’s since he was Japan’s representative in Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956 (his amateur mark was 71-7) and was a two-time world challenger to his credit.

Kenji was an intelligent speedster with fast footwork and great hand speed. Having acquired the vacant Japanese flyweight belt merely in his fifth pro bout, he had an ambitious crack at the world 112-pound belt against Pascual Perez, losing a 15-round decision in Tokyo in 1959. It was from world-rated Filipino Leo Espinosa that Yonekura captured the Orient (then OBF, not OPBF) bantam belt in January 1960.

A legitimate 118-pounder, Yonekura challenged NBA ruler Jose Becerra and demonstrated his best form, losing a hairline split decision (146-142, 141-147 for Becerra and 143-148 for Kenji) over fifteen fast-paced rounds in Tokyo in May 1960. Continue reading ““Champion Maker” Kenji Yonekura passes”

ESPN has announced that they will air Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson (14-0, 14 KOs) against Zhan Kossobutskiy (19-0, 18 KOs) on July 1 in Toledo, Ohio, Anderson’s hometown. This will be the big-punching “Real Big Baby’s first main event. Kossobutskiy Will be making his U.S. debut. He has previously defeated the likes of Johann Duhaupas and Joey Dawejko, so looks to be a step up for Anderson.

Hot unbeaten welterweight Hugo Noriega (6-0, 4 KOs) of Cuba steps up in his first professional ten rounder. The bout will take place on Saturday at the renowned Miccosukee Indian Gaming Resort in Miami, Florida, on a card promoted by M&R Boxing Promotions (Laura Ching). Welterweight Noriega will take on Jean Rivera-Pacheco (8-1, 1 KO) of Puerto Rico, with the WBA Fedcaribe title at stake. Noriega is on the fast track, having fought four times in 2022 and will now be in his second bout of 2023. Continue reading “Boxing back at the Miccosukee Saturday”

The showdown between undefeated knockout artist William “El Camarón” Zepeda (27-0, 23 KOs) former world title challenger Jaime “Jaimito” Arboleda (19-2, 14 KOs) will take center stage on a sparse Saturday night this weekend. The 12-round main event will be broadcast live worldwide on DAZN from College Park Center at The University of Texas at Arlington campus.

Golden Boy has now announced the finalized lineup with featherweight Diego De La Hoya (24-1, 11 KOs) in a ten-rounder against stablemate Victor Morales, Jr. (17-0-1, 8 KOs). The WBA Intercontinental title is now on the line.

In other action, Frederick “General Okunka” Lawson (29-3, 22 KOs) will fight Estevan “Manos De Oro” Villalobos (16-1-1, 12 KOs) in a 10-round super welterweight bout. Opening up the DAZN broadcast will be eight rounds of super middleweight action, with David “Dynamite” Stevens (12-0, 9 KOs) against Marco Periban (26-6-1, 17 KOs). Continue reading “Zepeda-Arboleda undercard finalized”

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

What an incredible Sunday I spent at the Alfredo Harp Helu Stadium, the home of the Diablos Rojos México, to see the third match of the traditional Mexican Civil War, between the Diablos and Quintana Roo Tigres!

On Friday, the Diablos came back from 10-0 deficit to win with a bases-loaded home run in the final inning, with two outs and two strikes!

The dream of all baseball players in the world, to hit that winning home run, and slugger Japhet Amador achieved it.

This Sunday, we gathered with family and friends to attend the third match, and the Reds won the series, defeating the Tigres, owned by the great Mexican idol Fernando Valenzuela.

Baseball is the sport of the Sulaimans. Continue reading “Baseball and Boxing”