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By Joe Koizumi

Unbeaten southpaw Japanese Yudai Shigeoka (7-0, 5 KOs), 105, won the WBC interim minimumweight belt by halting ex-WBO titlist Wilfredo Mendez (18-3, 6 KOs), 105, at 0:25 of the seventh round in a scheduled twelve on Sunday in Tokyo, Japan. The Shigeoka brothers became interim world champs in the same category on the same night.

(More to come)

By Joe Koizumi

Unbeaten southpaw Japanese prodigy IBF#4 Ginjiro Shigeoka (9-0-1NC, 7 KOs), 105, acquired the vacant IBF 105-pound belt as he came off the canvas in the first round, and dropped back IBF#3 Filipino Rene Mark Cuarto (21-4-2, 12 KOs), 105, four times in rounds six, seven and ninth (twice), scoring an impressive knockout at 2:55 of the ninth round in a scheduled twelve on Sunday in Tokyo, Japan. Ginjiro’s southpaw body shot was the haymaker.

(More to come)

By Ron Jackson

South Africa’s Kevin Lerena returns to action Saturday 13 May at Emperors Palace near Kempton Park in South Africa, when he meets the capable former WBA cruiserweight champion, Côte D’Ivoire-born Ryad Merhy who fights out of Brussels, Belgium, in a WBC bridgerweight title eliminator.

The bridgerweight class (200-224 pounds) was created by the World Boxing Council in July 2020 and is the only boxing organiztaion to recognize this weight class.

The first world championship fight took place on 22 October between Oscar Rivas and Ryan Rozicki, with Rivas winning on a 12 round unanimous points decision. The title is currently vacant with Merhy rated at No. 2 and Lerena at No. 4 in the latest ratings. Continue reading “Lerena to return in WBC bridgerweight eliminator”

Flyweight Victor “Chucky” Sandoval (36-3, 23 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico defeated compatriot and WBC #14 world ranked contender Gohan Rodriguez Garcia (12-2-1, 1 KO) by ten round majority decision on Saturday night. It was the first fight for Sandoval in nearly two years but he was able to find his rhythm early on. The bout had many heated exchanges with good two-way action. In the end, judges scored the fight 97-93 and 96-94 for Sandoval and 95-95 even. The event took place at the Auditorio Municipal in Tijuana, Mexico with Zanfer Promotions promoting the event.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

It’s a great shocker that all three outstanding Japanese warriors got badly beaten on Saturday in Inchon, Korea. It was the second event staged by newly established TB (Treasure Boxing) Promotions presided by ex-WBO champ Masayuki Ito at Paradise city plaza.

Previously unbeaten OPBF middleweight champ IBF#13 Kazuto Takesako (15-1-1, 14 KOs), 159.25, put on a competitive performance, but was finally knocked down by WBO#4/WBC#4 Meiirim Nursultanov (19-0, 10 KOs), 159.25, from Kazakhstan, to be promptly halted at 2:33 of the eighth round in a scheduled twelve.

Former IBF 122-pound champ Ryosuke Iwasa (28-5, 18 KOs), 126, dropped a nearly shutout decision (80-72, 79-73 twice) to upcoming Japhethlee Llamido (11-0, 4 KOs), 125, US, over eight. The unheralded Llamido was faster and more skillful than Iwasa, who eventually announced to hang up gloves for good as he had mentioned before his last fight. \\

Another shocker was that previously unbeaten ex-OPBF 130-pound champ WBO#12 Hironori Mishiro (12-1-1, 4 KOs), 134.75, Japan, lost by a unanimous technical decision (48-47, 50-46, 49-47) to Korean Min-Ho Jung (14-4-2, 3 KOs), 134.75, because of his bad bleeding at 1:28 of the fifth round in a scheduled eight. Continue reading “WBO#4 Nursultanov halts IBF#13 Takesako in Korea”

Unbeaten super lightweight Ernesto Mercado (10-0, 10 KOs) demolished former world title challenger Hammerin’ Hank Lundy (31-13-1, 14 KOs) on Saturday night at the LumColor Center in Ontario, California. Mercado, 21, dropped the 39-year-old Lundy in round one, then finished him moments later with a body shot. Time was 2:21. Mercado claimed the WBA NABA gold title.

Heavyweight Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang (25-1-1, 20 KOs), a 10:1 underdog, stopped previously unbeaten WBO interim heavyweight champion Joe “The Juggernaut” Joyce (15-1, 14 KOs) in round six on Saturday night at the Copper Box Arena in London. Zhang landed some big shots in round one. Zhang rocked Joyce with straight lefts in round two. Joyce upped his workrate in round three, but still took some hard shots. Joyce continued his brisk pace while Zhang’s straight left did more damage to Joyce’s closing right eye. The ring doctor finally stopped the fight in round six due to Joyce’s closed right eye. Entering the round, Zhang was up 48-47 on two cards and Joyce was ahead 48-47 on the third card.

Zhilei Zhang: “Today is mine. I’m 39 years old, but I’m disciplined, I trained hard, next step I’m going for the title!”

Joe Joyce: “I’m disappointed with my performance. I couldn’t get out of the way of the left hand he kept hitting me with so respect to Zhilei Zhang, “Big Bang.” It was a good fight. I think I could have done better. I hadn’t fought a southpaw for so long – and credit to him because he’s a good fighter – I gave it my all. It’s just disappointing. I expected to win like I normally do.

“I’d like to apologize to all my fans and supporters..I’ll be back. My journey’s not over. This is just a hurdle I may have tripped over so I’ll be back.”

* * *

Former women’s world champion Mikaela Mayer (17-1, 5 KOs) made her lightweight debut against late sub Lucy Wildheart (10-1, 4 KOs), taking a ten round unanimous decision. Scores were 98-92, 100-90, 98-91 as Mayer claimed the WBC interim 135lb title.

* * *

Former WBO middleweight world title challenger Denzel Bentley (18-2-1, 15 KOs) needed just 45 seconds to demolish Kieran Smith (18-2, 7 KOs). Continue reading “UPSET: Zhang stops Joyce in six”

By Brad Snyder-The Undercard
Photos by Bob Ryder

Detroit Promoter Carlos Llinas worked his magic, again. Llinas continues to throw boxing and mma shows with the Soundboard at Motor City Casino as a partner. On Friday, another show in the series had undefeated Derick Miller (12-0, 7 KOs) in his toughest challenge yet. Facing off versus a quicker and, possibly, a more powerful Crusierweight in Isaiah Thompson (7-3-2, 6 KOs). Round 1 looked like Thompson could produce the first loss for Miller. Thompson looked for combos and had a stronger jab in Round 1. Thompson looked quick. In the 2nd Round, Miller landed his first good right versus the southpaw, Thompson. The round finished with a good exchange with Miller landing the more accurate shots. In Round 3, Miller showcased his uppercuts, easily winning the round. In the 4th, Miller controlled the round the entire time, except in the last 30 seconds. Thompson, finally, picked up his pace trying to steal the round. For the 5th, Thompson, sensing urgency, just started throwing haymakers that could not land. The last round Miller controlled the center and just boxed. Miller beat an impressive opponent by UD (59-55, 59-55, 58-56). Continue reading “Night of Knockouts XXVI”

Weights/Photos: Sumio Yamada

Rene Mark Cuarto 105 vs. Ginjiro Shigeoka 105
(IBF interim strawweight title)

Yudai Shigeoka 104.9 vs. Wilfredo Mendez 104.9
(WBC interim strawweight title)

Venue: Yoyogi #2 Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan
Promoter: Kameda Promotions

More photos

WBO #11 jr flyweight Rene “El Chulo” Santiago (10-3, 5 KOs) scored a hard fought ninth round TKO against WBA #12, WBO #15 Carlos “Arañita” Ortega (15-6-3, 6 KOs) on Friday night at the Centro de Combates, Pandeportes in Panama City, Panama. Ortega’s corner finally asked the referee to stop the fight to save their fighter from further punishment. Time was 1:28. Santiago retained the WBO Latino title.

In a clash for the WBA Fedecentro super welterweight title, reigning beltholder Derrieck Cuevas (25-1-1, 17 KOs) knocked out Damian Rodriguez (13-2, 7 KOs) in the second round. A right/left combination finished Rodriguez. Time was :29.

Undefeated WBA super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr. will now face Olympic bronze medalist and slick-boxing Yamaguchi “The Problem” Falcao in the co-main event of the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia Showtime PPV production taking place Saturday, April 22 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Falcao replaces Sena Agbeko, who was originally scheduled to face Morrell but was forced to withdraw after not being licensed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Showtime’s Tank-Kingry PPV lead-in stream on their YouTube channel and Facebook page will feature unbeaten middleweight Fiodor Czerkaszyn and super welterweight Vito Mielnicki Jr. in separate bouts on Saturday, April 22. Czerkaszyn (21-0, 13 KOs) will take on Elias Espadas (22-5, 15 KOs) and Mielnicki, Jr. (14-1, 9 KOs) faces Jose Charles (20-3-1, 12 KOs) in a pair of ten-rounders.

The non-televised undercard lineup will feature unbeaten lightweight Floyd Schofield (13-0, 10 KOs) against Valentin Leon Jr. (23-1-2, 19 KOs) in a fight scheduled for 10-rounds, plus heavyweight prospect Tristan Kalkreuth (9-1, 7 KOs) in a six-round matchup.

Undefeated super middleweight Edgar Berlanga (20-0, 16 KOs) clashes with Jason Quigley (20-2, 14 KOs) June 24 on DAZN from The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Edgar Berlanga: “I’m excited to be back in my hometown and to perform at the mecca of boxing once again. I want this night to be a historic for my fans and for all the people of Puerto Rico and to witness greatness. I feel like I’m reborn again in the sport signing with Matchroom and getting back to where it all started with my old coach Marc Farrait. I promise it’ll be something big on June 24.”

Jason Quigley: “On June 24, I step into the ring at Madison Square Garden with the confidence that only comes from years of hard work and experience. I’m ready to give it my all. The bright lights, the roar of the crowd, there’s no better stage to showcase my skills. I’ve been here before, I’ve fought at the highest levels, and nothing will faze me. My spirit and my intuition will guide me, and I know by putting on my best performance I will come out on top.”

Super lightweight Reshat Mati and heavyweight Adam Kownacki return to action on the undercard. Mati (13-0, 7 KOs) faces Wesley Ferrer (17-1-1, 8 KOs) and Kownacki (20-3, 15 KOs) meets Joe Cusumano (21-4, 19 KOs).

Joe Joyce 256 vs. Zhilei Zhang 278
(WBO interim heavyweight title)

Mikaela Mayer 134.5 vs. Lucy Wildheart 134.4
(WBC female interim lightweight title)
*Wildheart stepped in after Mayer’s original opponent Christina Linardatou was denied a license by the British Boxing Board of Control due to a permanent contact lens in one of her eyes.

Moses Itauma 247 vs. Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko 241
Sam Noakes 134.5 vs. Karthik Sathish Kumar 134

Venue: Copper Box Arena, London
Promoter: Queensberry Promotions
TV: ESPN+

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Former WBA welterweight champion Luis Collazo (39-8, 20 KOs) locks horns with Angel Ruiz Astorga (17-2-1, 12 KOs) over ten rounds on April 19 night at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida. For Collazo, 41, this is his first outing in 16 months following a no-contest against current world champion Eimantas Stanionis. That fight ended prematurely due to an accidental clash of heads.

“I want to show boxing that I’m back!” Collazo stated. “I’m having one last run at this. I want to fight for another title. I’m not happy with how my last fight ended with the head clash. So, I’m back on ProBox TV again and can’t wait to show everyone some great boxing. I’m bringing fireworks to Plant City on Wednesday, I’m going to put on a real show. I can’t wait to show boxing what they have been missing.”

The fight can be seen on ProBox TV.

By Evan Jacobs

Englebrecht Promotions & Events returned to the Hangar at the OC Fair & Events Center in Costa Mesa, CA for their second sell out Fight Club OC show of 2023. In a featured bout, cruiserweight Tervel Pulev (17-1, 13 KOs) from Bulgaria punished Brooklyn’s Joel Shojgreen (14-5, 13KOs) to get a three round stoppage. Continue reading “T Pulev punishes Shojgreen”

Feargal McCrory 135 vs. Eduard Dos Reis 136.6
Gian Garrido 161.8 vs. Pablos Rojas 161.2
Juan Davila 136.4 vs. Tony Johnson 134.8
Alan Otto 158 vs. Jamar Leach 162
Daniel Bean 246.6 vs. Mike Cooke 213.2
Leonidas Soprandis 145.7 vs. Ryan Schwartzberg 146.2

Venue: 2300 Arena
Promoter: R and B Promotions
Stream: Bxngtv.com
1st Bell: 7:30 PM ET

Omar Trinidad 125.4 vs. Adan Ochoa 125.4
Gabriel Silva 161. vs. Angelo Thompson 159.4
Cain Sandoval 141 vs. Jose Angulo 140.8
Umar Dzambekov 175 vs. Nathan Davis Sharp 175
Osvaldo Lopez 146.4 vs. Jose Manuel Gomez 146.4
Gloria Munguilla 111.8 vs. Nikkia Williams 111.4
Steven von Euw 153.8 vs. Monray Marable 153.8

Venue: The Commerce Casino, Commerce, California
Promoter: 360 Promotions
TV: UFC Fightpass

By Brad Snyder-The Undercard

Derick Miller 187 vs Isaiah Thompson TBA
Vernon Webber 198 vs Twon Smith 199
Justin Johnson 166 vs Sherman Williams 161
Sam Rizzo 132 vs Carlos Ovando 134
David Rojas 110 vs Alonzo Littlejohn 109
Matt Niziolek 154 vs Donquay White 149
Joseph Hicks 161 vs Noah Kidd 163
Luis Quintero 146 vs Joshua Boudreaux 143
Joshua Pagan 141 vs Wesley Rivers 139
Joseph Bonas 156 vs Anthony Smith 152

Night of Knockouts XXVI
Venue: Motor City Casino, Detroit, Michigan
Promoter: CLIP Promotions
Limited tickets are available by Ticketmaster or at the Soundboard Box Office. Doors at 6:30. First Bell at 7pm.

Junior Wright 222.3 vs. Brian Howard 223
Mark Dawson 147.5 vs. Javier Mayoral 147.3
Rasheen Brown 125.2 vs. Eric Manriquez 129.6
Nimal Farmer 149.9 vs. Antonio Allen 147.4

Venue: The Clarion Hotel, Essington, PA
Promoter: RDR Promotions
1st Bell: 7:30 PM
STREAM: BXNGTV.COM

Rene “Chulo” Santiago 108 vs. Carlos “Arañita” Ortega 107
(WBO Latino jr flyweight title)

Derrieck Cuevas 147 vs. Damian Rodriguez 147
Yunior”Bronco Man” Menendez 174 vs. Juan Carlos Chavarria 173
Luis J Rodriguez 166.5 vs. Roger Guerrero 167
Orlando Martinez 134 vs. Richard Trejos 133
Gerardo “Chocolate” Sanchez 107.5 vs. Tomas Villar 108
Giodanni Jimenez 169 vs. Antonio Ocles 172

Venue: Centro de Combates/Pandeportes, Panama City
Promoter: All Star Boxing, Top Rank, Master Promotions
TV: ESPN+, ESPN Knockout (Latin America)

Warriors Boxing and Boxlab Promotions have announced that they are joining forces. Based in Fort Lauderdale and Orlando respectively, Warriors and Boxlab have a large stable of fighters. They will promote more than 10 cards per year in different locations.

Boxers under the Warriors Boxing and Boxlab Promotions banner include WBA super middleweight champion David Morrell, WBA International super lightweight titlist Orestes Velazquez, WBA Continental Americas bantamweight champion Antonio Vargas, WBA Fedecaribe super lightweight champion Kevin Brown, fast rising middleweight Jose Armando Resendiz, Fedecaribe lightweight champion Idalberto Umara, NABO super lightweight champion Nestor Bravo, and world ranked title contender Christopher Diaz. Continue reading “Warriors and Boxlab to team up”

WBO interim heavyweight champion “Juggernaut” Joe Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs) and challenger Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang (24-1-1, 19 KOs) faced off at the final press conference today for their clash Saturday on ESPN+ from the Copper Box Arena in London.

Joe Joyce: “I’ve got the WBO interim, I don’t know how close I could be to a world title. All the others seem to be running scared or doing their own little things. I want the fight to happen, but I get how things work with the governing bodies and I can only fight what’s put in front of me…I respect Zhang’s power and I won’t be going in there recklessly, and also he’s a southpaw so that’s more of a tricky style than I’m used to.”

Zhilei Zhang: “He’g got a tough chin, great stamina, but I’m the Big Bang right here. I bang everything!”

Joyce is a 10:1 favorite.

Super welterweight Brian Ceballo (13-1, 7 KOs), a five-time New York Golden Gloves champion, will headline against Edward Ulloa Diaz (13-5, 10 KOs) in an eight-round super welterweight contest on April 27 at Sony Hall in the heart of Times Square, Manhattan. Ceballo is rebounding from his first defeat, a majority decision setback last October, and figures to get back into the win column against Diaz, who has lost five of his last six. The event will be streamed globally on DAZN.

The undercard will feature two-time Mongolian Olympian Tsendbaatar “Chinggis Khaan” Erdenebat (5-0, 3 KOs) \in an eight-round super featherweight bout against Edy Valencia Mercado (20-9-6, 7 KOs) and former WBO female super flyweight champion Miyo “Miyo Musashi” Yoshida (15-3, 0 KOs) against Indeya Smith (6-6, 1 KO). The event is promoted by BoxingInsider Promotions and DiBella Entertainment.

The full undercard is set for this Friday April 14th from Centro de Combates, Pandeportes, Panama City, Panama. In the evening’s new main event WBO #11 Latino jr flyweight champion Rene “El Chulo” Santiago (10-3, 5 KOs) of Humacao, Puerto Rico, steps in to defend his belt against local WBA #12 WBO #15 Carlos “Arañita” Ortega (15-6-3, 6 KOs) of La Chorrera, Panama. The 10-round fight will air live starting at 9:00PM/EST on ESPN+ (USA/Canada) & ESPN Knockout (Latam)

The co-main event is a 10-rounder for the WBA Fedecentro super welterweight title as champion Derrieck Cuevas (24-1-1, 16 KOs) of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico faces challenger Damian Rodriguez (13-1 7 KOs)of Havana, Cuba but living in Panama City. Continue reading “Santiago-Ortega clash Friday on ESPN+”