Fightnews.com

By Miguel Maravilla at ringside

Undefeated former two-time WBC super middleweight champion David “The Mexican Monster” Benavídez and former IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant settled their long-simmering feud on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Close fight for the first half of the bout. But Benavídez (27-0, 23 KOs) then took over after Plant (22-2, 13 KOs) slowed down and starting dealing out the punishment en route to a twelve round unanimous decision by scores of 115-113, 116-112, 117-111. Continue reading “Benavidez defeats Plant”

Three-time world title challenger and WBC #7 rated super lightweight Jose “Chon” Zepeda (36-3, 27 KOs) won an easy ten round unanimous decision over survival-minded Neeraj ”Gangster” Goyat (17-4-2, 7 KOs) on Saturday night at the Domo Alcalde in Guadalajara, Mexico. Zepeda pressed the action but Goyat wasn’t interested in engaging or winning. Scores were 100-90 3x.

Former world title challenger and WBC #10 super welterweight Carlos “Chema” Ocampo (35-2, 23 KOs) battered Mauricio Gutierrez (7-2, 5 KOs) for four rounds and Gutierrez didn’t come out for round five.

In a WBC super lightweight eliminator, former unified champion Jose Ramirez (28-1, 18 KOs) scored an eleventh round KO against former lightweight world champion Richard “RC” Commey (30-5-1, 27 KOs) on Saturday night in front of 11,201 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. Both fighters came right at each other and threw large volumes of punches. Ramirez finally dropped Commey twice in round eleven and the second time Commey was counted out. Time was 2:31.

In a female minimumweight unification clash, WBA champion Seniesa “Super Bad” Estrada (24-0, 9 KOs) swept past previously unbeaten WBC champ “Tiny” Tina Rupprecht (12-1-1, 3 KOs) over ten by scores of 100-90 3x.

6’9 heavyweight prospect Antonio “El Gigante” Mireles (7-0, 6 KOs) was lucky to get a split decision against 321lb Patrick Mailata (6-2, 3 KOs) in a six-round bout. Mireles came off the canvas in round three to win 57-56, 57-56 on two cards. Mailata was up 57-56 on the third card.

Unbeaten lightweight Raymond Muratalla (17-0, 14 KOs) recovered from a first round knockdown to stop Humberto Galindo (14-3-1, 11 KOs) with a body shot in round nine. Time was 2:40.

Other Results:
Charlie Sheehy W6 Angel Rebollar (lightweight)
Eduardo Alvarez D4 Jessie James Guerrero (light flyweight)
Ricardo Ruvalcaba KO1 Marco Antonio Cardenas (junior welterweight)
Subaru Murata KO1 Jose Negrete (junior featherweight)

WBO cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie (19-0, 14 KOs) scored a sloppy twelve round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten mandatory challenger David “The Great White” Light (20-1, 12 KOs) on Saturday night at the AO Arena in Manchester, England. The lanky Okolie kept Light at long range and controlled the early rounds. Lots of wrestling with few clean punches landed. Scores were 116-112, 119-108, 117-110.

2020 Olympic super heavyweight bronze medalist Frazer “Big Fraze” Clarke (6-0, 5 KOs) punished late sub Bogdan Dinu (20-5, 16 KOs) for two rounds. Dinu didn’t come out for round three.

Super featherweight Michael Gomez Jr (19-1, 5 KOs), son of Manchester boxing legend Michael Gomez, won a ten round split decision over previusly unbeaten Levi Giles (13-1, 3 KOs) in a bout for the vacant English belt. Scores were 97-93 and 97-94 Gomez, 96-95 Giles.

Other Results:
Karriss Artingstall W6 Linzi Kuczyński (female featherweight)
Callum Simpson KO3 Celso Neves (super middleweight)

Kristian Prenga 255 vs. Sam Crossed 208
(NBA Continental and NABA heavyweight titles)

Anthony Johns 112 vs. Ramon Velasquez 116.5
Justin Figueroa 154 vs. Manuel Moreira 154
Malik Nelson 125,5 vs. Joseph Adorno 127.5
Francisco Rodriguez 134 vs. Marco Dorame 134.4
Gabe Gerena 131 vs. Joshua Maldonado 132
Avious Griffin 146.5 vs. Jose Gazzo 140=9
Isaah Flaherty 157.5 vs. Dewayne Williams 161,5
Derek Starling 276 vs. Dennis Vance Jr. 273

Venue: Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City
Promoter : Rising Star Promotions
1st Bell: 7 PM ET
Stream: BXNGTV.com

All hell breaks loose tonight with THREE huge boxing cards running simultaneously.

But before that happens, be sure to catch the WBO cruiserweight title clash between champion Lawrence Okolie and David “The Great White” Light on ProBox TV starting about 3PM ET/noon PT.

After Okolie-Light, Showtime has a $74.99 four-bout PPV headlined by undefeated two-time champion David Benavidez against former champion Caleb Plant for the WBC interim 168-pound title. Start time is 9PM ET/6PM PT. Undercard bouts start at 7PM ET/4PM PT on the Showtime Sports YouTube Channel and the Showtime Boxing Facebook page.

ESPN airs a WBC super lightweight title eliminator between former champions Jose Ramirez and Richard Commey at 10PM ET/7PM PT, with undercard bouts streaming on ESPN+ starting at 7PM ET/4PM PT)

DAZN offers up the return of exciting super lightweight contender Jose “Chon” Zepeda against Neeraj ”Gangster” Goyat. The four-bout stream starts at 8PM ET/5PM PT.

WBO #11 light heavyweight Lyndon Arthur (22-1, 15 KOs) scores a ten round unanimous decision over late sub Boris Crighton (10-2, 7 KOs) on Friday night at the University of Bolton Stadium in Bolton, England. Arthur dropped Crighton with a right hand with about ten seconds left in the bout. Scores were 98-92, 96-93, 99-91. Crighton stepped in when Arthur’s original opponent Brian Suarez failed a late medical.

* * *

Unbeaten WBC #15 super middleweight Ivan Zucco (17-0, 14 KOs) scored a ten round unanimous decision over Germaine Brown (12-2, 3 KOs) on Friday night at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, Italy. Scores were 99-91 3x. Zucco retained his WBC International title.

Canadian super middleweights Antonio Napolitano (7-0-1, 3 KOs) of St. Catharines, Ontario, and Brandon Brewer (26-2-2, 11 KOs) of Fredericton, New Brunswick will run it back June 24th at the Niagara Convention Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. The ten-rounder will be for the NABA Continental Americas Super Middleweight title.

The duo fought to a split-draw for the WBC US title in March 2022 at the Convention Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Continue reading “Napolitano-Brewer II set for June 24”

David Benavídez 166.75 vs. Caleb Plant 167.25
(WBC interim super middleweight title)

Jesús Ramos 153.25 vs. Joey Spencer 153.25
Chris Colbert 134.5 vs. Jose Valenzuela 134
Cody Crowley 145.25 vs. Abel Ramos 146

Kevin Gonzalez 121.5 vs. José Sanmartin 121.5
Orestes Velazquez 142 vs. Marcelino Lopez 141.75

Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
Promoter: TGB Promotions
TV: Showtime PPV

Jose Ramirez 140 vs. Richard Commey 140
(WBC Junior Welterweight Title Eliminator — 12 Rounds)

Seniesa Estrada 104.2 vs. Tina Rupprecht 104.8
Antonio Mireles 265.4 vs. Patrick Mailata 321.4
Raymond Muratalla 136.6 vs. Humberto Galindo 136
Charlie Sheehy 134.8 vs. Angel Rebollar 133.4
Jessie James Guerrero 109 vs. Eduardo Alvarez 108.6
Ricardo Ruvalcaba 140.8 vs. Marco Antonio Cardenas 140.4
Subaru Murata 121.6 vs. Jose Negrete 121.4

Venue: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Promoter: Top Rank
TV: ESPN, ESPN+

Truong Dinh Hoang 167.5 vs. Dae Huyn Baek 167
(WBA Asia super middleweight title)

Le Huu Toan 104 vs. Garen Diagan 104
(WBA Asia minimumweight title)

Nguyen Ngoc Hai 139 vs. Campee Phayom 139.5
(WBA Asia South welterweight title)

Chien Vinh Tyson 124.2 vs. Tran Van Hoai Thuong 124.2
Nguyen Dai Cat 116.9 vs. Nguyen Van Hieu 115.7
Doan Gia Dai 109.5 vs. Thomas Abati 109.5
Doan Gia Thanh 111.6 vs. Do Thanh Do 111.9
Do Ngoc Hoan 135 vs. Nguyen Hoai Thanh 135
Lam Dai Phat 134 vs. Pham Van Tu 135.2
Avazalbek Kuranbaev 109 vs. Bordin Peepueh 108
Vo Hong Dat 135 vs. Rachata Khaophimai 138
Arvin Jhon Paciones 109 vs. Sarawut Jiamthong 108

Venue: Saigon Sports Club, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Promoter: Jenny Do (Shadow Entertainments)

Lawrence Okolie 200 vs. David Light 198.3
(WBO cruiserweight title)

Frazer Clarke 271 vs. Bogdan Dinu 234
Michael Gomez Jr 130 vs. Levi Giles 128.3
Karriss Artingstall 126 vs. Linzi Kuczyński 128
Callum Simpson 158.2 vs. Celso Neves 168.3
Rhys Edwards 128.3 vs. Brian Phillips 129.3
Shakiel Thompson 166.3 vs. Robert Talarek 165
Samiel Antwi 153 vs. Omar Rodriguez 153
Frankie Stringer 138 vs. Jacob Laskowski 137
Harvey Lambert 153 (10st 13lbs) vs. 159.1

Venue: AO Arena, Manchester, England
Promoter: BOXXER
TV: ProBox TV, Sky Sports

By Damon Gonzalez / LatinBox

Randy Ochoa 136.4 vs Alex De Oliviera 139.2
Corey Marksman 137.6 vs. Brandon Idrogo 136.2
Angel Hernandez 134.6 vs. David Botos 136.8
David Garcia 234.8 vs. Joshua Sanchez 272.8
Antraveous Ingram 152.2 vs. Elliott Hicks 154
Jimmy Brenes 149 vs. Christopher Puryear 146.8
Roberto Gomez 131.8 vs. Daniel Silva 128.2

Date: Friday March 24
Venue: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Florida
Promoter: Undisputed Promotions

Undefeated WBC #2, WBA #5, WBO #11 super middleweight Christian Mbilli (24-0, 20 KOs) scored an exciting ten round unanimous decision over WBC #9, IBF #13 Carlos Gongora (21-2, 16 KOs) on Thursday night at the Cabaret du Casino de Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. High level fight between legit contenders with Mbilli mostly outworking Gongora. Gongora rocked Mbilli twice with uppercuts, but Mbilli recovered and fought back. Mbilli punished Gongora late. Scores were 97-93, 98-92, 99-91. Mbilli retained his WBA International and WBC Continental Americas titles. Great fight!

Heavyweight Simon Kean (23-1, 22 KOs) scored a seventh round KO over former world title challenger Eric “The Drummer Boy” Molina (29-9, 21 KOs). Slow-paced bout for the most part until things opened up in round seven. Kean finally connected with a right hand that put Molina on the canvas. Time was 2:39.

Super lightweight Steve Claggett (34-7-2, 24 KOs) broke down and stopped Rafael Guzman (26-3-2, 16 KOs) over seven brutal rounds of infighting. Guzman finally didn’t come out for round eight.

Unbeaten lightweight Luis Santana (9-0, 3 KOs) TKO’d Francisco Arturo Ramirez Martinez (11-5, 6 KOs) in round three. The bout was halted when Martinez turned away after taking a liver shot. Time was 1:23.

Other Results:
Leila Beaudoin W6 Laura Avendano (super featherweight)
Wilkens Mathieu W4 Jose Gonzalez Saldana (super middleweight)
Jhon Orobio KO1 Alejandro Medina (super featherweight)
Vanessa Lepage Joanisse W4 Princess Hairston (female cruiserweight)

Former unified world champion Jose Ramirez (27-1, 17 KOs) faced off with former lightweight world champion Richard “RC” Commey (30-4-1, 27 KOs) in advance of their twelve round junior welterweight showdown on ESPN this Saturday at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.

Jose Ramirez: “We’re focused on Richard Commey. This is a fight that is going to deliver a lot of excitement on Saturday. It’s always an honor for me to fight here in Fresno in front of the people who saw me grow up as a fighter. I hope to go out there on Saturday to showcase my talent in front of the people who love me the most.”

Richard Commey: “I’m always excited to get back in the ring. This is what I do. It’s going to be an interesting fight on Saturday. I really want to become a two-time world champion, so I’m coming strong this Saturday.”

Super middleweight rivals David “The Mexican Monster” Benavídez and Caleb Plant stated their intention to settle their rivalry emphatically during Thursday’s final press conference before they meet for Benavidez’s WBC interim title headlining action live on SHOWTIME PPV this Saturday from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

David Benavidez: “I’m gonna break Caleb’s jaw on Saturday night, by the sixth round…I’ve hurt everyone I’ve gotten in the ring with, and I can’t say the same for him. I guarantee I’m gonna hurt him…I really don’t like that guy at all…This is definitely the grudge match that everybody wants to see.

Caleb Plant: “The fans are going to see me get my hand raised. That’s what I’m guaranteeing…I feel I’m the better boxer, I have the better IQ and I have more experience. I have the better pedigree and it’s gonna show on Saturday night. I’m one of the best in the world at what I do. We’ve yet to see if he can perform at this level, but we’re gonna find out on Saturday.”

WBO cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie (18-0, 14 KOs) came face to face with David Light (20-0, 12 KOs) in Manchester today at the pre-fight press conference ahead of this Saturday’s world title clash at the AO Arena Manchester, which will air live on Sky Sports in the UK and ProBox TV in the USA..

Lawrence Okolie: When I see him I know what he really is. I’m prepared for what he may bring and will do what I need to do. I am going to be matching him and overmatching him for pressure and power from round one. Saturday’s going to come. One of us is going to win and the other one’s going to become irrelevant. So I’m looking forward to it.”

David Light: “I’m not here on somebody’s else’s terms… I’ve earned the shot. I’m coming to win. I know he’s a proud man and he’s going to defend with everything he’s got. I could have taken this fight a few years ago, for the money, but I am not here for the money – I’m here for the title.”

Ivan Zucco 167.3 vs. Germaine Brown 168
(WBC International super middleweight title)

Francesco Russo 153.7 vs. Christian Mazzon 154
Maxim Prodan 150.1 vs. Mirko Marchetti 149.5
Giovanni Sarchioto 162.8 vs. Houcine Moulahi 163.1

Promoter: OPI Since 82
Date and venue: March 24, Allianz Cloud, Milan
Tv: ESPN+ (3 pm ET), DAZN (Italy only)

Christian Mbilli 167 vs. Carlos Gongora 167.2
Simon Kean 248.8 vs. Eric Molina 253
Steve Claggett 141.2 vs. Rafael Guzman Lugo 141.8
Luis Santana 136.6 vs. Francisco Martinez 141.8
Leila Beaudoin 129.6 vs. Laura Mondragon 136.6
Wilkens Mathieu 164.2 vs. Jose Saldana 163.8
Jhon Orobio 129.2 vs. Alejandro De La Rosa 127.8
Vanessa Lepage Joanisse 184.8 vs. Princess Hairston 189.2

Date/Venue: March 23, Cabaret du Casino de Montreal
Promoter: Eye of the Tiger
TV: ESPN+

Professional boxing makes its long-awaited return to the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington on Friday April 7 when Toro Promotions Incorporated in association with Whitfield Haydon brings a seven bout card to the state of the art EQC Event Center at 8PM. At stake in the main event will be a matchup for the WBA Fedebol featherweight title when Mexico’s upset specialist Angel Antonio “Cachorro” Contreras (15-5-2, 7 KO) takes on Colombian Brandon Valdes (14-3, 7KO) in what figures to be a rough ten round affair. Continue reading “Boxing Returns to Emerald Queen April 7”

Undefeated former two-time WBC super middleweight champion David “The Mexican Monster” Benavídez and former IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant officially kicked off fight week events Wednesday with open media workouts before they meet in the Showtime PPV main event this Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.:

David Benavidez: “I have tremendous power. Everybody I hit gets hurt. I end up breaking them down little by little. This is the most focused I’ve ever been for a fight. I know Caleb Plant is going to be a hard fighter moving around a lot. But whatever he brings to the table, I’m going to be ready for it. I’m looking for that knockout and I’m going to get it.”

Caleb Plant: “I’ve been here before. I’ve been in big fights before. I know what this is all about and I know what it takes. Me and my team are fully prepared to get my hand raised on Saturday night.”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Looks like WBO interim 154-pound champion Tim Tszyu should get his unified world championship opportunity against undisputed super welterweight champion Jermell Charlo in July or August.

Charlo gave an update on his hand injury to Brian Custer on The Last Stand Podcast. “The hand is going. I’m just doing everything I can with rehab,” Charlo said. “I have not punched yet. When you break two bones in one hand, it takes a lot. The hand is real delicate, but these are my moneymakers. It’s gonna be stronger than what it was before. Continue reading “Jermell Charlo injury update”

Lightweight Mohamed “El Bufalo Negro” Soumaoro (13-1, 6 KOs) pummeled previously undefeated Angel “El Chocolatito” Vazquez (12-1, 6 KOs) for eight brutal and one-sided rounds on Wednesday night at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida. After prolonged punishment, Vazquez’ corner finally stopped the fight. Time was 2:50.

In a clash of unbeaten welterweights, Axl Melendez (6-0, 4 KOs) took a six round majority decision over Demontaze Duncan (8-1, 8 KOs). Scores were 57-57, 58-56, 58-56.

Unbeaten jr welterweight Omar Rosario (10-0, 3 KOs) scored a first round KO against Zach Hill (3-4, 2 KOs). A body shot put Hill down for the count. Time was 2:32.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

World championship referee Bill Clancy talks to Fightnews.com® about working as the third man in the ring for 41 years. Continue reading “Interview: Referee Bill Clancy”

IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto “El Venado” Lopez may have to start calling himself “The Road Warrior.” Lopez will make the first defense of his world title against Michael “Mick” Conlan on Saturday, May 27, at The SSE Arena in Conlan’s hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Lopez captured the title last December, venturing to Josh Warrington’s home base of Leeds, England, to grind out a majority decision.

Lopez-Conlan and undercard bouts will be broadcast live and exclusively on BT Sport in the UK and Ireland. Fans in the United States can watch the action on ESPN+.