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By Joe Koizumi

JBC#1 Yuna Hara (13-2-1, 7 KOs), 130, upset Japanese super feather champ Kosuke Saka (22-7, 19 KOs), 130, to win the national belt by an avenging stoppage at 1:03 of the fourth round in a scheduled ten on Saturday in Osaka, Japan. Hara, a perennial top contender, hit the deck with hard-punching Saka’s solid right cross in the opening session, but fought back hard to dominate the next two rounds. The fourth witnessed Hara explode a left-right combo, dropping the champ back to the deck with the challenger following it up upon resumption of the fight to have the ref wisely intervene it.

It was a night of upsets, as they saw another unexpected result when unheralded Yuto Nakamura (12-7-2, 9 KOs), 117.75, came off the canvas and halted former WBA 105-pound champ Ryo Miyazaki (26-4-4, 16 KOs), 118, at 2:07 of the fourth round in a scheduled eight. Continue reading “Hara dethrones Japanese 130lb champ Saka”

Photos: Sumio Yamada

Check out this GIANT Ramirez-Dogboe photo gallery for some incredible shots. Also includes the official scorecard.

Photos

“For me, I like to come in and entertain the fans,” said 54-year-old ring legend Roy Jones Jr. after losing his fight against pro-debuting MMA fighter Anthony Pettis on Saturday night in Milwaukee. “My job is to come in and make sure that the fans get what they paid for, and I’m all good with that. I think it was a good fight. He did a great job and fought a very smart fight. I think I educated him and taught him a lot in this fight. So I think if I fought him again it would be even better because he knows a lot more now. I think it would be a really good rematch.

“I don’t do exhibitions, I fight real fights,” added Jones Jr. “I’m not an exhibition guy, I’m a real guy. I want to win, or I want to lose. But I’m going to go out on my shield, and I want to be able to do it again as many times as I want to. At 54 years old, that’s a beautiful thing, and he already said he’d do it again because one judge had it even. So that’s what I love.”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Former IBF 130-pound champ Kenichi Ogawa (27-2-1-1NC, 19 KOs), 132.25, made a fine comeback as he badly decked Thailand’s Krai Settaphon (32-10, 22 KOs), ex-WBC Asia continental titlist, three times and scored an impressive stoppage at 2:39 of the fifth round in a scheduled eight on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. The muscular Ogawa forfeited his IBF belt to Joe Cordina with a single right shot in just two rounds in Cardiff, Wales last June, and underwent a surgery on the rotator cuff of right shoulder afterward, which forced him to be inactive accordingly. Ogawa wishes to regain his belt from Cordina upon his comeback road. Continue reading “Ex-IBF champ Ogawa makes ring return”

54-year-old Boxing Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. (66-10, 47 KOs) returned to the ring for his first official fight in over five years against pro-debuting former MMA world champion Anthony Pettis, 36, in an eight round cruiserweight clash on Saturday night at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Slow start with Pettis giving Roy a lot of respect and Jones not doing much either. Pettis was aggressive at times, but largely ineffective. Jones connected with clean jabs and pot shots, and was mostly in command from round four on. Judges, however, scored it 76-76, and 77-75, 78-74 for Pettis, gifting the hometown hero a majority decision.

Former UFC champion Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort, last seen stopping Evander Holyfield in a boxing exhibition, scored a six round unanimous decision over MMA fighter Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in a cruiserweight boxing match. Belfort, 46, dropped Souza twice in round three but Souza managed to reach the final bell. Scores were 58-54, 58-54, 57-55. Continue reading “Jones Jr loses hometown decision to Pettis”

In a clash for the vacant WBO featherweight title, two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Robeisy “El Tren” Ramirez (12-1, 7 KOs) took a twelve round unanimous decision over former junior featherweight king Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe (24-3, 15 KOs) on Saturday night at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ramirez was simply too quick and too slick for Dogboe. A final round knockdown scored by Ramirez punctuated a 117-110, 118-109, 119-108 win.

“I’m living a new stage in my life,” stated Ramirez afterward. “This is a new history that I’m writing, and I did everything I had to do. As an Olympian, I won two Olympic gold medals, and now I can call myself a champion. All the respect to Isaac to a warrior like Isaac Dogboe. He has my admiration, and all it took was me listening to this genius, Ismael Salas, because I did that, and he led me to victory.”

“I believe things happened for a reason. If it wasn’t for that loss in my pro debut, I would have never ended up with Ismael Salas. Yordenis Ugas never would’ve told me, ‘You have to move to Vegas, you have to change your life,’ and I never would have gotten this team together to be where I am today.” Continue reading “Ramirez defeats Dogboe for WBO feather title”

Light heavyweight Daniel Blenda Dos Santos (21-1, 10 KOs) hammered out a twelve round majority decision over local favorite Tom Dzemski (20-2, 11 KOs) in a bout for the vacant EBU EU title on Saturday night at the Kraftverkehr in Chemnitz, Germany. Scores were 114-114, 117-111, 117-111 for Dos Santos.

Cruiserweight Roman Fress (17-1, 10 KOs) knocked out Roman Gorst (8-3, 7 KOs) in round two of a bout for the vacant German domestic belt. Fress dropped Gorst, who beat the count only to be floored again for the full ten count.

Former light heavyweight world title challenger Adam Deines (22-2-1, 13 KOs), currently rated WBO #10, defeated Dmytro Fedas (8-3-2, 5 KOs) by TKO over three rounds. The bout ended after round three with Fedas unable to continue due to a broken nose and a swollen shut eye. Deines gave unified light heavy king Artur Beterbiev a tougher than expected fight in 2021.

Former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) won a lackluster twelve round unanimous decision over Jermain Franklin (21-2, 14 KOs) on Saturday night at the O2 Arena on London. Now under the tutelage of new head trainer Derrick James, ‘AJ’ was content to keep Franklin on the end of his piledriver jab for most the fight. Lots of holding, not many exchanges. Scores were 118-111, 117-111, 117-111.

Unbeaten heavyweight Fabio Wardley (16-0, 15 KOs) won by fourth round TKO over Michael Polite-Coffie (13-4, 10 KOs) in a bout for the vacant WBA Continental title. Wardley opened up in round four and got a very quick stoppage from referee Howard Foster. Coffie didn’t appear hurt.

Unbeaten 2020 Olympic gold medal star Galal Yafai (4-0, 3 KOs) got a referee’s stoppage after dropping Moises Calleros (36-11-1, 19 KOs) in round four of a super flyweight bout. Time was:44.

Unbeaten super lightweight Campbell Hatton (11-0, 4 KOs) took out Louis Fielding (10-8, 1 KO) with a body shot in round one. HAtton is the son of ring legend Ricky Hatton. Continue reading “Joshua beats Franklin, doesn’t impress”

54-year-old Boxing Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. (66-9, 47 KOs) returns to the ring for his first official fight in over five years when he faces pro-debuting former MMA world champion Anthony Pettis, 36, in a six-round cruiserweight clash on Saturday in a $49.99 pay-per-view event from the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Roy Jones Jr: “It’s fun to still be able to do what I love doing. I’m looking forward to an awesome event come Saturday night. I challenged myself to make the 200-pound weight for this fight. You don’t want to be the guy who can’t set an example. I’ve always wanted to set a good example…if I show that at 54 years old, that I can dedicate myself to a training camp and get back down to weight, that’s going to say a lot for the fighters I train. They can’t give me any more excuses.

“With the skill level I bring to the table, I can go anywhere and do anything any time I get ready I feel good and I’m glad to be here…I’m too old to be playing around. I have to come and get it. When I come to get it, I’m the most entertaining thing you’ve ever seen in your life.”

Roy Jones Jr. 199.1 vs. Anthony Pettis 198.5
Vitor Belfort 200.9 vs. Ronaldo Souza 199.9
Jose Aldo 148 vs. Jeremy Stephens 146.9
Luis Feliciano 143.5 vs. Clarence Booth 144.8
Devin Cushing 131.6 vs. Damian Marchiano 130
Pearl Gonzalez 125.7 vs. Gina Mazany 126.5
Cecil Cleckler 248.5 vs. Joshua Burns 275.4

Venue: Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Promoter: Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Boxing
TV: PPV

Idalberto Umara 134 vs. Braulio Rodriguez 139
WBA Fedecaribe lightweight title)

Adrian Pinheiro 200 vs. Demetrius Banks 198.5
Jeovanny Estela 152.5 vs. Saul Corral 154
Henrich Ruiz 238 vs. Jose H. Corral 229
Ramiri DeJesus 156 vs. Bryant Costello (weight in tonight)
Jamar Pemberton 168 vs. Juan Celin Zapata 168
Jonathan Cortes 139 vs. Paul Amaro 141
Shamara Woods 139 vs. Sarah Click 136.5
Daine Smikle 173.5 vs. Angel Vasquez 181
Brandon Lynch 207 vs. Dennys Reyes 231

Venue: Caribe Royal Resort in Orlando, Florida
Promoter: Orlando Boxing Promotions & BoxLab Promotions
TV: PPV ($19.99, bxngtv.com)

Nicky “The Bull” Vitone 142 vs. Jordan Rosario 140
Mike “The Champ” Lee 146.75 vs. Antonio Sanchez 147
Raymond “The Scientist” Cuadrado 134 vs. Usiel Hernandez 134
Christian “Veneno” Otero 134 vs. Vinnie Denierio 135
Dane Guerrero 164 vs. Andre Hinmon 164
Kevin “Hurricane” Hernandez 153.5 vs. George Gethers 153

Venue: The Terrace at Biagio in Paramus, New Jersey
Promoter: Abella Boxing Promotions
TV: PPV ($24.99 https://bergenaudiovisual1.vhx.tv/)

43-year-old former heavyweight title challenger Kevin “Kingpin” Johnson (35-21-2, 19 KOs) schooled MMA fighter-turned boxer Viacheslav “Red Tarzan” Datsik (2-0, 2 KOs) in a three round exhibition on Friday night at the Dynamo Volleyball Arena in Moscow, Russia.

In his post-fight interview, Johnson, who hails from Lawrenceville, Georgia, turned to the camera and stated “This is it right here. I’m really ready to make a life-long change. And I would like to say to THE president, the honorable Vladimir Putin, if you’re watching this and you’re listening, I, Kevin Johnson, am looking to move here to Moscow and become a full resident here to pursue my career. And with your approval, I would like to apply for a Russian passport where Russia can be my home.”
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In the main event on Wednesday April 5, in Mexico City, heavy-handed Carlos “El Tiburon” Sanchez (23-1-19 KOs) will attempt to take the “0” away from undefeated Alexander Duran (21-0, 7 KOs) in a ten-round junior lightweight bout. The six-round co-feature is a battle for Mexico City bragging rights between hometown bantamweights Brandon “King” Reyes, (6-0-1, 2 KOs) and Abraham Arreola (5-2, 4 KOs). Opening the show is Jose Napoles (14-1-2, 6 KOs), the grandson of Cuban American Jose “Mantequilla” Napoles. The Marquez Promotions, Chiquita Gonzalez Promotions and ProBox Promotions card will be streamed live on ProBox TV.

Undefeated super welterweight Jahyae Brown (13-0, 9 KOs) will face Guido Schramm (15-1-1, 9 KOs) in a newly added 10-round co-feature as part of Showtime’s ShoBox tripleheader on April 7 from Cache Creek Casino in Brooks, California. The bout replaces the super featherweight bout between Neri Romero and Frency Fortunato that fell out due to an injury suffered by Romero. The main event will feature Shinard Bunch (20-1-1, 16 KOs) against Bryan Flores (23-0-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round super lightweight contest. The telecast opener pits Raul Garcia (12-0, 10 KOs) against Robert Terry (9-0, 3 KOs) with both fighters putting their unbeaten streaks to the test in an eight-round super welterweight bout.

Robeisy Ramirez 125.6 vs. Isaac Dogboe 124.6
(WBO featherweight title)

Joet Gonzalez 126.2 vs. Jose Enrique Vivas 126.2
Jahi Tucker 151.8 vs. Nikoloz Sekhniashvili 150.2
Jeremiah Milton 255.8 vs. Fabio Maldonado 215.8
Tiger Johnson 142.8 vs. Alfonso Olvera 142.8
Dante Benjamin Jr. 175 vs. Jasper McCargo 177.4
Emiliano Fernando Vargas 133 vs. Edgar Uvalle 132.2
Abdullah Mason 135.2 vs. Erick Garcia Benitez 135.4
Rohan Polanco 142.4 vs. Ricardo Quiroz 142.6

Venue: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tulsa, Okalahoma
Promoter: Top Rank
TV: ESPN, ESPN+

Tom Dzemski 174.2 vs. Daniel Blenda Dos Santos 173.9
(EBU EU light heavyweight title)

Roman Fress 199.5 vs. Roman Gorst 198.4
(German cruiserweight title)

Adam Deines 177 vs. Dmytro Fedas 176.1
Julian Vogel 152.3 vs. Ali Hasso 151.9
Hugo Micaleff 141.8 vs. Alessandro Fersula 142.2
Nenad Stancic 141.1 vs. Michal Bulik 139.3
Marlon Dzemski 146.4 vs. Tornike Gikashvili 145.5
Robin Rehse 159 vs. Bato Barkatsashvili 158.3
Armin Graf 149.9 vs. Martin Friesse 150.4

Venue: Feel Good Club, Chemnitz, Germany
Promoter: SES Boxing
TV: ESPN+ (USA), MDR (Germany)

By Héctor Villarreal

WBA #6 featherweight, and former bantamweight super champion, Panamanian Anselmo “Chemito” Moreno (43-6-1, 15 KOs), scored an eight round unanimous decisión over Colombian Hugo Berrio (28-10-1, 18 KOs) on Thursday night at the Arena Roberto Duran on the main event of the “Tributo 50”, international boxing card. All 3 judges scored the fight 80-72. Continue reading “In 50th fight, Chemito outpoints Berrio”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

WBO 108-pound champ Jonathan Gonzalez, Puerto Rico, pitifully pulled out of a unification bout with WBC, WBA titleholder Kenshiro Teraji because of sudden pneumonia. His emergency substitute, WBA #2 flyweight Anthony Olasuaga (5-0, 3 KOs), US, whose amateur mark was reportedly 23-1, arrived in Japan and appeared in a public workout on Thursday at Tokyo’s Teiken Gym. Olascuaga, under the wing of Californian handler Rudy Hernandez, was supposed to fight in Korea on April 15, and has been training hard prior to his coming to Japan. Anthony displayed a good form in sparring sessions here, and said, “I once had some sparring sessions with the champ Teraji in Los Angeles. I know he’s strong but wish to show my best and try to win his belt.” He said he would have no problem in making the light-flyweight limit although he, as WBA Fedelatin 112-pound champ, is ranked highly in the 112-pound category.

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Anthony Joshua 255.4 vs. Jermaine Franklin 234.12
Fabio Wardley 242.6 vs. Michael Polite-Coffie 269.4
Galal Yafai 113.8 vs. Moises Calleros 114.2
Campbell Hatton 139.12 vs. Louis Fiedling 138.6
Austin Williams 162.8 vs. River Wilson-Bent 162.7
John Hedges 189.14 vs. Daniel Bocianski 186.4
Ziyad Almaayouf 145.14 vs. Georgi Velichkov 142.7
Jordan Flynn 129.10 vs. Kane Baker 129.8
Juergen Uldedaj 203.8 vs. Benoit Huber 200
Peter Kadiru 239.3 vs. Alen Lauriolle 273.2

Venue: O2 Arena, London
Promoter: Matchroom
TV: DAZN

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Fast-moving southpaw, WBO female atomweight champ Yuko Kuroki (21-7-2, 9 KOs) successfully kept her belt as she scored a unanimous decision (96-94 twice, 97-93) over ex-titlist Nanae Suzuki (11-6-1, 1 KO) over ten speedy rounds on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan. It was an all-Japanese rematch since Kuroki dethroned Suzuki last September. Yuko, a police officer’s daughter, coped with Suzuki’s non-stop aggression by utilizing her faster footwork and southpaw counterpunches and made her initial defense.

In a semi-final of female ex-world champions, Chaoz Minowa (8-4, 6 KOs) eked out a hairline majority decision (77-75 twice, 76-76) over Tomoko Okuda (7-5-2, 1 KO) over eight.

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On February 28, 2023 the IBF ordered Sivenathi Nontshinga and Regie Suganob to begin negotiations for the IBF jr. flyweight mandatory defense. An agreement could not be reached within the time frame allowed by the IBF. The IBF ordered a purse bid on 3/30 which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at 12:00 PM EST.

By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® caught up with MMA superstar and former UFC champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis as he makes his pro debut against the legendary Roy Jones Jr this Saturday, April 1 in his hometown of Milwaukee at the Fiserv Forum and shown on UFC FIGHTPASS. It is promoted by MMA star Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Boxing Promotions. Pettis talked about his training in boxing over the years, prepping Caleb Plant to fight “The Monster” David Benavidez and what it will take to beat one of the greatest boxers of all time in Roy Jones Jr and much more in this exclusive interview.

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Undisputed lightweight king Devin “The Dream” Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) and former three-weight world champion and pound-for-pound king Vasiliy “Loma” Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) met face-to-face for the first time Thursday in Los Angeles at the official kickoff press conference for their PPV clash on May 20 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Vasiliy Lomachenko: “We never know what will happen. We can prepare for one strategy, but in the ring it can all change. Right now, I don’t know. I just train hard and prepare. I believe in God and in my team.”

Devin Haney: “When he had the belts, he didn’t want to fight me. But it’s a fight where I truly believe I am the better fighter. I’m the better competitor. I will be victorious. I’m happy that the time has finally come. Continue reading “Haney-Loma Kickoff Press Conference”

The WBC will hold a purse bid for the second mandatory of the super bantamweight division between David Picasso from Mexico and Ra’eese Aleem from the USA.

WBC champion Stephen Fulton will defend his title against Naoya Inoue and the first mandatory is Luis Nery, who won the final elimination in a sensational fight vs Azat Hovhannisyan.

During its Convention, the WBC ordered a final elimination for the second mandatory between Picasso and Aleem, but the camps have not been able to reach an agreement. So, the purse offer ceremony will be held tomorrow March 31at, at noon in Mexico City. Any registered promoter in good standing is able to participate in person or by Zoom.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy “El Tren” Ramirez (11-1, 7 KOs) and former junior featherweight world champion Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe (24-2, 15 KOs) faced off at the final press conference for their clash this Saturday for the vacant WBO featherweight world title at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa.

Robeisy Ramirez: “This camp has been totally different. We did lots of new things with my strength and conditioning coach. But we are ready for this fight, and for the fights that happen after.”

Isaac Dogboe: “I have a second chance now. I know that Robeisy is tough. He is a good fighter. But I know that we will come out with the victory on April 1.”