Fightnews.com

Tony Yoka 251.1 vs. Carlos Takam 259.3
Dan Azeez 174.4 vs. Thomas Faure 171.3
Lauren Price 147 vs. Naomi Mannes 146.4
Farrhad Saad 166.2 vs. Macaulay McGowan 166.4

Venue: Zenith de Paris-La Villette, Paris, France
Promoter: BOXXER/All Star Promotions
TV: ESPN+/SkySports

Golden Boy Fight Night on DAZN will return on Thursday, April 6 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino featuring former WBO light flyweight world champion Angel “Tito” Acosta (23-3, 22 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico. An aggressive, forward-pressing KO artist, Acosta trains with Joel Diaz in the Coachella Valley, and will return to the ring after a first-round knockout at Fantasy Springs this past May 2022. “Tito” will participate in a 12-round flyweight bout against unbeaten Angelino “Huracán” Cordova (17-0-1, 12 KOs). The action will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.

With talks between the camps of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk seemingly at an impasse, Fury has uploaded a video stating his terms:

“I see all this talk of boxing fights, they want 50%, Usyk sez all this ‘Tyson is being greedy.’ But from where I’m standing, Usyk, you and your team are worth 30%. You either take it or you leave it. And if you don’t want it, go and fight Daniel Dubois at the Copper Box and get a few million dollars.

“If you want to make some real money, come and fight the Gypsy King. But what I will say, for every day from today that you linger and mess around, I’m going to deduct 1% from the 30%. So every day I’m going to deduct 1% till you take it. And if you don’t take it, fight Dubois for $2 million. Not a problem. But how in the world can you offer me a deal? Not possible. Tick tock. Tick tock. Pussies.”

Diego Pacheco 166.10 vs. Jack Cullen 167.8
Robbie Davies Jr 139.12 vs. Darragh Foley 139.6
Johnny Fisher 240.12 vs. Alfonso Damiani 233.13
Peter Mcgrail 123.8 vs. Nicolas Nahuel Botelli 123.12
Rhiannon Dixon 134.12 vs. Vicky Wilkinson 132.1
Aqib Fiaz 134.7 vs. Dean Dodge 132.15
Campbell Hatton 140.5 vs. Michael Gonxhe 136.14
Paddy Lacey 162.14 vs. James Mccarthy 160.15
George Liddard 162.1 vs. Daniel Przewieslik 161.1

Venue: M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, England
Promoter: Matchroom
TV: DAZN

Tickets are on sale now for “Hardcore Boxing in Dubai,” featuring a heavyweight battle between undefeated Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller and former WBA (regular) champion Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne on Saturday, March 18, at Agenda Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. WBA #10 Miller (25-0-1, 21 KOs) and WBA #9 Browne (31-3, 27 KOs) will meet in the 10-round main event of a boxing card presented by promoter Anatoly Sulyanov of Hardcore Boxing.

In the night’s 10-round super featherweight co-feature, WBA #5- and IBF #11-rated former world title challenger Jono “King Kong” Carroll (23-2-1, 7 KOs) will face three-time world title challenger Miguel “The Scorpion” Marriaga (30-6, 26 KOs). Also on tap is a 10-round heavyweight battle between fast-tracking former amateur star Soslan “Cobra” Asbarov (3-0, 1 KO) and once-beaten Brandon “Bulletproof” Glanton (17-1, 14 KOs).

On fight night, there is no smoking and no cameras are permitted in the arena.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Boxing Beat Magazine

Shigeoka brothers to aim for world belts on same day

Unbeaten Japanese minimum prospect Yudai Shigeoka (6-0, 4 KOs) will have a crack at the WBC 105-pound belt against defending champ Panya Pradabsri (39-1, 23 KOs) of Thailand in Tokyo on April 16. On the same bill, his younger brother, also unbeaten Ginjiro Shigeoka (8-0-1NC, 6 KOs), two years his junior at 23, will vie for the IBF interim minimum belt against Filipino Rene Mark Cuarto (21-3-2, 12 KOs). The sensational show will take place at Yoyoki Second Gymnasium under 3150 Promotions, which was announced on Tuesday.

Fukunaga stops Sonkham, makes 12-0

This is a delayed report. Kochi city, Shikoku Island saw bright local prospect WBO AP#10 junior feather Sora Fukunaga (12-0, 6 KOs), 121.75, drop of Thailand’s Chanon Sonkham (6-5, 3 KOs), 121.5, three times and deck a fine stoppage at 2:45 of the third round in a scheduled eight on February 26. Local promoter Junpei Ogawa passed away last year, and his son Ryuji followed his footstep and staged a good promotion before his warm local adherents.

Julian Rodriguez 144.5 vs. Kashon Hutchinson 145.7
Mikenna Tansley 116.2 vs. Amy Salinas 115.5
Jonathan Rodriguez 118.8 vs. Wilmer Soto 117.4
Thanjhae Teasley 147.2 vs. Emmanuel Tennison 147.9
Johnnie Spell 132.2 vs. Antonio Dunton El Jr. 131.7
Francis Oran 212.3 vs. Joseph Bond 245.4
Devon Young 217.2 vs. Lemir Riley 217.4

Venue: Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem, PA
Promoter: King’s Promotions
Stream: bxngtv.com
1st Bell: 7 PM ET

Gervonta “Tank” Davis and “Kingry” Ryan Garcia squared off for the second straight day on Thursday, this time in Los Angeles as they completed back-to-back, coast-to-coast press conferences to preview their highly anticipated 12-round 136lb catchweight showdown that headlines a Showtime PPV production on Saturday, April 22 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. After an animated face-off at Wednesday’s event in New York City, Davis and Garcia got up close and personal again on Thursday in Beverly Hills, exchanging heated words and more, with Davis playfully throwing a left hook that whizzed inches from Garcia’s chin and Garcia shadowboxing in close proximity to Davis during the ceremonial stare down.

Gervonta Davis: I’m gonna walk you to the deep waters and I’m gonna drown you. They gonna have to pick you up. I promise you that. This guy keeps talking about how he’s gonna hit me with a hook, but he doesn’t have anything else but a hook. What else have you got? He’s not a complete fighter…I’ve put a lot of guys to sleep and Ryan is next.”

Ryan Garcia: “I’m here to win and I promise you that I have heart and determination like you’ve never seen before. ‘Tank’ likes to fight guys that don’t hit hard, but I hit hard. When I hit you with that left hook, you’re gonna be on the floor. Asleep. Good night…I’m gonna beat him and I’m gonna knock him out. See you on April 22.”

Louie Lopez 147 vs. Angel Beltran145.7
Jesus Gonzalez 148.5 vs. Keon Papillion 150
Marcos Hernandez 167.2 vs. Jeremy Ramos 164.3
Rowdy Montgomery 169.1 vs. Antonio Duarte 164.3

Venue: Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, CA
Promoter: Thompson Boxing
TV: Thompson Boxing website + their Facebook and YouTube pages

By Miguel Maravilla

Former world champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (44-1, 30 KO’s) of Mazatlan, Mexico held a media workout Wednesday afternoon at Brickhouse Boxing Club in North Hollywood. Ramirez returns to the ring against seasoned tough veteran Philadelphia’s Gabriel Rosado (26-16-1, 15 KO’s) next Saturday night March 18 at the Pyramid in Long Beach, California live on DAZN. El “Zurdo” suffered his first defeat last November at the hands of WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol. Now he gets ready to get back into world title contention. Here is what he had to say.

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One of the world’s most famous and beautiful beaches was the backdrop for the Tim Tsyzu vs. Tony “Superbad” Harrison open media workout on Thursday as both fighters met the local Sydney media and went through their paces in a pop-up ring just steps from the golden sand of Bondi Beach.

Just like the undefeated hometown hero Tszyu, Detroit’s former world champion Harrison looked relaxed and poised in the hot Australian sun in advance of their showdown for the vacant Interim WBO 154-pound title live on Showtime Saturday. Harrison was joined in the ring by his brother/trainer L.J. Harrison and his sparring partner and good friend Charles Conwell.

Here is what the fighters had to say just three days out from fight night:

Tim Tszyu: I’ve always wanted to get a big name on the resume and now there’s just one job left to do…[Harrison has been talking a lot, but] wait till he feels the first jab and it’s all going to change. On Sunday, we’ll see. I’m feeling intimidating right now. I need someone in front of me. See that water out there. Well, that water’s going to be in this ring and I’m going to drown him and suck the life out of him.”

Tony Harrison: “My trump card is here, and I don’t brag a lot about people, but whenever I fight an orthodox fighter, my trump card is none other than Charles Conwell. Trust me, give it a couple of years and he’ll be fighting for a belt soon. This is Michigan vs. Ohio State, we all know about that.”

Undefeated light heavyweight Ali Izmailov (9-0, 6 KOs) takes on Ariel Armando Basconcel (13-4-1, 12 KOs) in an eight-round bout this Saturday, March 11 from the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, Mass. “Ali is not yet known to the public at large, but in the near future will be a dominant force in the light heavyweight division,” said promoter Dmitriy Salita. “I believe he has all the tools to become one of the prominent fighters in the sport of boxing.” We’ll see.

Super middleweights Diego Pacheco and “Little Lever’s Meat Cleaver” Jack Cullen faced off at the final press conference ahead of Saturday’s action at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena, shown live worldwide on DAZN (excluding Australia and New Zealand).

Diego Pacheco: “I’m just really happy to be here and I’m thankful for the opportunity now I get to headline. It’s unfortunate what happened to Callum Smith but I’m just thankful that the show is going on and I’m the one on top. I’m excited for Saturday and I’m looking forward to a great night of fighting.”

Jack Cullen: “I put everything into this training camp. I’ve left no stone unturned. I’ve done everything right and you’ll see on fight night. I have plenty of experience, big bollocks and I want to fight. I’ve put everything into my training. This is my life and I want to keep this going. Stick to the game plan and we’ll get him out of there.”

Unbeaten junior middleweight prospect Xander Zayas has been forced to withdraw from his April 1 fight against Ronald “Diablo” Cruz at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa due to an undisclosed training injury. Zayas is expected to return to the ring in June. Zayas-Cruz was scheduled to be the ESPN+ co-feature to the WBO featherweight world title clash between Robeisy “El Tren” Ramirez and Isaac Dogboe.

The new co-feature will see two-time world title challenger Joet Gonzalez (25-3, 15 KOs) taking on Mexico’s Jose Enrique Vivas (22-2, 11 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight tilt.

By Ron Jackson

34-year-old Tommy Oosthuizen continues on the comeback trail when he meets the 29-year-old Ugandan Musa “Hitman” Ntege for the vacant African Boxing Union cruiserweight title at the Carousel Casino in Hammanskraal north of Pretoria on Sunday Afternoon.

Oosthuizen (31-3-2, 18 KOs) who fights from the southpaw stance has had an outstanding career winning multiple titles including the IBO super middleweight and light heavyweight titles, since making his pro debut in February 2008.

He will be having his fourth fight since falling foul of the law and has scored wins over Youssouf Masango Mwanza (PTS 8), Limbano Lano (TKO 6) and Godfrey Paulo Kamala (KO 4). Continue reading “Oosthuizen continues on his comeback trail”

Unbeaten super welterweight ‘King’ Callum Walsh (5-0, 4 KOs) will now face Wesley Tucker, (15-4, 9 KOs) in the ten-round main event on the ‘Eve of St. Patrick’s Day, Thursday, March 16 at the Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts, and broadcast live on UFC Fightpass. Tucker steps in for Leonardo Di Stefano Ruiz who suffered a broken finger in sparring.

By Boxing Bob Newman

After 41 years and 1,206 professional fights as a referee, Bill Clancy has retired as third man in the ring and will start his new job as Regulatory Operations Manager for the Virginia Boxing, MMA & Wrestling Commission. Clancy reffed his final show at Maryland Live Casino on February 18 and was celebrated for his long service with a standing ovation from the crowd.

Clancy has moved from his home in North Carolina to Virginia and starts his new post this Friday, March 10. He has reffed such title fights as Jean Pascal-Badou Jack, Markus Beyer-Danny Green #1, Jessica McCaskill-Anahi Sanchez, Jarrett Hurd-Julian Williams, Andre Dirrell-Jose Uzcategui and Victor Terrazas-Cristian Mijares, just to name a few.

Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions’ Hollywood Fight Nights series will move from the Quiet Cannon in Montebello to the Commerce Casino in Commerce, California, on Friday, April 14 and broadcast live on UFC Fightpass. The event is headlined by a cross-town rivalry featherweight showdown between Omar Cande Trinidad (11-0-1, 9 KOs) and Adan Ochoa, (12-2, 5 KOs), scheduled for eight rounds.

“The Commerce Casino has been home to many memorable nights of boxing in the Los Angeles area and we’re excited to bring our Hollywood Fight Nights series to their new venue and to partner with UFC Fightpass for the broadcast,” said Loeffler. “Omar Trinidad versus Adan Ochoa is one of the best LA rivalry fights, one that promises fireworks from the opening bell.”

Undefeated lightweight Luis “Koreano” Torres (18-0, 10 KOs) scored a ten round unanimous decision over Misael “Pinchon” Cabrera (14-2, 10 KOs) in a clash for the WBC Latino title on Wednesday night at the Palenque de la Expo in Cuidad Obregon, Mexico. Torres dropped Cabrera in round two, but Cabrera seemingly fought himself back into the fight. Scores were 98-91, 96-93, 96-93.

Highly touted 6’3 super featherweight Oscar Alvarez (9-0, 7 KOs) scored an eight round majority decision over Diego Lopez (3-2-1, 2 KOs). The shorter Lopez gave as good as he got, but came up on the short end of a 78-74, 77-75, 77-77 verdict for the hometown hero.

Undefeated boxing stars Gervonta “Tank” Davis and “King” Ryan Garcia went face to face for the first time at a press conference in New York on Wednesday as they previewed their highly anticipated 12-round showdown that headlines a pay-per-view event on Saturday, April 22 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The telecast is being produced and distributed by Showtime PPV and will be available across pay-per-view providers including DAZN PPV.

Davis and Garcia squared off for a long and animated face-off at the conclusion of the press conference, offering a glimpse of the intensity on deck for fight night.

Gervonta Davis:  “All I have to do is keep working and beat whoever they put in front of me. That starts with Ryan Garcia. My strategy is going to depend on what he brings that night. Whether he’s coming fast or slow, I always want to take my time. It all depends on what he brings.

“This is going to be an explosive fight. It’s two young guys who are hungry. It’s all about who wants it more. Whoever is really built like that, that’s who’s going to win. Nobody can fight for him. It’s about who’s got that dog in them.”

Ryan Garcia: “We really came together and conquered the poison that’s been stopping boxing from making the biggest fights. We found a way. April 22 is the time where the words won’t matter anymore. The truth will come out. We’re both great fighters and we’ll settle it in the ring…I just didn’t want to take the risk of an interim fight before this one. There are a lot of little things that can happen. I didn’t wait this long to mess it up at the finish line.

“I’m going to be ready for 12 rounds. You have to respect your opponent. You can’t just jump in to get a knockout. It might be more of a mental fight than people might believe. Different opponents make you approach fights in different ways.”

By David Finger

One of the Southwest’s most talented young prospects will return this Friday (March 10th) with a card in El Paso at the El Paso County Coliseum. Headlining the Marines Promotions show will be undefeated super middleweight prospect Jorge Tovar (5-0, 5 KOs) as he takes on Odessa spoiler Herman Rendon (2-1, 0 KOs) in a four round fight. Rendon is a prohibitive underdog, but considering he has been a massive underdog for his entire career that may not bother him much. Continue reading “Tovar, Han headline in El Paso this Friday”

Luis “Koreano” Torres 135 vs. Misael “Pichon” Cabrera 135
(WBC Latino lightweight title)

Oscar Alvarez 131.2 vs. Diego Lopez 132.2
Alex Fuentes 126.8 vs. Mario Valenzuela 126.8

Date: March 8
Venue: Palenque De La Expo, in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico
Promoter: Marquez Promotions, Chiquita Gonzalez Promotions, ProBox Promotions
TV: ProBox TV

By Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán & WBC President

My visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was special for several reasons. In addition to being present at the boxing event in which Badou Jack and Ilunga Makubu fought in a fight of the year candidate and Tommy Fury defeated Jake Paul in a very entertaining match, I had a series of very important meetings with a view to the development of boxing in this part of the world; I spent unforgettable times in the company of beloved champions Mike Tyson, Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, Derek Chisora, Shawn Porter and Devin Haney.

I had the opportunity to experience various memorable social events that taught me the culture of this country, greatly enjoying the similarity of many things that I have lived since I can remember, because of my Syrian-Lebanese roots, and the blood that runs in our veins.

Waking up at five in the morning with the prayers that are heard throughout the city, enjoying sunrise and sunset with unique landscapes, and the delicious food and desserts of the region. Continue reading “Tour of the Middle East – Part 2”

After an injury forced Callum Smith out of his light heavyweight clash with Pawel Stepien at the M&S Bank Arena Liverpool on Saturday, Los Angeles’ Diego Pacheco’s WBO International super middleweight title showdown with Jack Cullen and Robbie Davies Jr’s super lightweight fight with Darragh Foley are now co-headlining. DAZN will stream.

The unbeaten Pacheco (17-0, 14 KOs) looks to impress in his first appearance in the UK, stepping up against “Little Lever’s Meat Cleaver” Cullen (21-3-1, 9 KOs) in what promises to be an all-action affair.

“Jack Cullen I feel is a good opponent, finally someone that the fans know I guess,” said Pacheco. “If I beat him then it’s going to be like, ‘he beat this guy’, and I hope people are going to start believing in me a little bit more. Continue reading “Pacheco ready for spotlight”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Brock Jarvis (22-1, 19 KOs) made a successful return to the ring as a welterweight on Wednesday when he scored a knockout victory over Filipino Marlon Paniamogan (11-2-2, 5 KOs) at the Carriageworks, Eveleigh, Sydney, NSW televised on Foxtel Cable television network

Jarvis was in trouble in round two but rebounded to take control of the bout and dropped Paniamogan with a body shot in round four and referee John Gauchi crowned the Aussie at 2.56.