Fightnews.com

By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® caught up with the “Mexican Monster” David Benavidez as he gets ready to face his arch-enemy Caleb Plant on Saturday, March 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Sat March 25 and shown live on Showtime PPV presented by Premier Boxing Champions. Benavidez talked about the buildup to the fight, his genuine dislike for Plant, his new nickname from Iron Mike, plus his relationship with Abel and Jesus Ramos Jr and so much more in this exclusive interview.

_

Felix Zabala III has officially been named Vice President of Miami based All Star Boxing, Inc., third generation of a Boxing Family, Grandfather Felix “Tuto” Zabala RIP was a legendary Promoter with a career that started in 1964 and went on until he suffered a massive stroke and later passed in 2021, and his Father Felix “Tutico” Zabala who has also been in the game for over 40 years and is currently the President.

“Couldn’t be more proud to bring in my son to serve as Vice President, he has grown in the business and is well respected in the boxing world, this is his time, he is ready for the task, the third generation will bring in new ideas and will inject the youth and energy needed to take the company to another level, he will be overseeing the day to day operations” said Felix “Tutico” Zabala. Continue reading “Zabala III named VP of All Star Boxing”

An injury has forced Callum Smith out of his light heavyweight clash with Pawel Stepien at the M&S Bank Arena Liverpool on Saturday March 11.

The event will go ahead, shown live worldwide on DAZN (excluding Australia and New Zealand), with Diego Pacheco’s WBO International super middleweight title showdown with Jack Cullen and Robbie Davies Jr’s super lightweight fight with Darragh Foley now co-headlining.

Refunds for tickets purchased for the March 11 event are available from the original point of purchase.

Brandon “The Heartbreaker” Figueroa is currently a 3:1 favorite over Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo in advance of Saturday’s clash for the vacant WBC interim featherweight title from Toyota Arena in Ontario, California. Both are former world champions. The bout will air on Showtime.

With the opportunity to become Uruguay’s first world professional boxing champion inching closer with every victory, unbeaten WBC #9 middleweight Amilcar “Pety” Vidal (16-0, 12 KOs) is hard at work in the gym with trainer Bob Santos, preparing for his 10-round clash against also unbeaten Elijah Garcia (13-0, 11 KOs) on Saturday from Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.

Vidal and Garcia will meet in the opening bout of the Showtime telecast topped by a high-powered matchup of former world champions, Brandon “The Heartbreaker” Figueroa and Filipino sensation Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo for the vacant WBC interim featherweight title. Continue reading “Vidal poised for breakout fight”

IBF #8, WBO #11, WBA #13 heavyweight Agit Kabayel (22-0, 14 KOs) faced off with Agron Smakici (19-1, 17 KOs) at the final press conference for their EBU European title fight on Saturday night in Bochum, Germany. Broadcast by BILD Plus in Germany.

Agit Kabayel: “I have this great anticipation, this impatience, I notice it in everyone around me. The whole of Bochum is looking forward to this duel for this big title. Now at 30, I’m a full man and a “grown-up” heavyweight. On Saturday, things will finally get down to business in the ring!”

Agron Smakici: “Despite the “victory lap” – the relocation – my preparation was great. I still have a score to settle with Germany. I’l get the European title – and also satisfaction for my bad experiences as a boxer in this country. It will be my comeback in Germany!”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBO #1, WBC #1 super welterweight Tim Tszyu (21-0, 15 KOs) says WBO#4 super welterweight Tony Harrison (29-3-1, 21KO’s) will be in dire straits if their bout for the WBO interim title goes past round four on Sunday, March 12 (Saturday, March 11 in the USA) at the Quos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia televised on Foxtel Main Event and Kayo Sports PPV and Showtime in the U.S.

“If it goes past four he’s going to be in trouble,” Tsyzu told Fox Sports. “My aim is to grab him by the neck and pull him down into the ocean and just let him sink – drown him. It will start from round one and we’ll see when he gets some air. He’s going to want to tap, he’s going to wish it was UFC.

“He’s tall but my sparring partners are much taller. He looks fragile. You can just see it, I’ve been sparring big, strong unbreakable blokes and he looks like I could crack him in half.”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos: Sumio Yamada

Former WBO champ Tomoki Kameda (40-3, 22 KOs), 123.5, proved faster and more ferocious than WBA#13 Luis Castillo (30-5, 20 KOs), 123.25, halting him at 1:18 of the fifth round in a scheduled ten in Osaka, Japan, on Saturday (February 25). WBA#2 Tomoki, the youngest of Kameda brothers, scored four wins in a row since he failed to win the WBC 122-pound belt from Rey Vargas on points in Carson CA in July 2019. Having established his own TMK International Promotions (named after Tomoki), it was his first appearance as its main attraction in his native Osaka. Castillo complained of a nose pain after an accidental butt in round two, the nose-bleeding Mexican looked to have lost his fighting spirit, and the third man called a halt when Tomoki battered him from all angles, though some people criticized it as a premature stoppage. WBA#2 Tomoki, nicknamed ‘Mexicanito,’ looked sharp and smart. Continue reading “WBA#2 Tomoki Kameda halts #13 Castillo”

The WBO Championship Committee has ordered welterweight champion Terence Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) to commence negotiations with Alexis Rocha (22-1, 14 KOs) for a mandatory defense. The parties have twenty days to reach an agreement. If an accord is not reached within that timeframe, a purse bid will be ordered. The minimum acceptable bid is $200,000, but the winning bid will likely be in the millions. Any of the parties involved may request a purse bid procedure at any time during the negotiation process. The purse split will be no be greater than 75/25 for Crawford using a ratio based upon the average purse of each fighter’s last three fights.

By Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán & WBC President

I have visited Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to attend a boxing show which was quite extraordinary. I am extremely impressed by the work put together by Skill Challenge Promotions, as they have put together a memorable event. The Middle East Professional Boxing Commission has grown to be a standalone entity fully equipped to supervise world level shows and the people in Saudi Arabia love boxing.

The boxing card was exceptional. For the first time in history, an Arab woman fought in her homeland, there were three amateur fights backing up the Olympic boxing program, six preliminary fights which included local talent, followed by a sensational and dramatic WBC world title fight.

Former two-division world champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack defeated former champion from the Congo Ilunga Makabu by TKO in Round 12, to win the World Boxing Council cruiserweight title. A Cinderella story on its own, Badou Jack is now a three-division world champion (super middle, light heavy, and cruiserweight). Makabu, a true warrior, put a sensational and courageous fight, landing heavy shots in the middle rounds, making the fight dramatic as he seemed to be getting back strong to finish the fight. Badou had to dig deep to hurt Makabu, and finished with a flurry which prompted referee Mark Lyson to stop the fight. Continue reading “Breaking Ground in Saudi Arabia”

The IBF has officially ordered Melvin “Melo” Lopez (29-1, 19 KOs) and Emmanuel Rodriguez (21-2, 13 KOs) to fight for the vacant IBF bantamweight title. The #2 ranked Rodriguez and the #4 ranked Lopez are the highest availble ranked contenders in the IBF bantamweight world rankings. The winner will be the IBF bantamweight world champion. The IBF has ordered both teams to immediately begin negotiations to be concluded by March 28, 2023.

Lopez manager William Ramirez (WRAM Boxing) is elated about the news. “I am extremely happy for Melvin. I know that he is going to be ready for this opportunity. Well-deserved opportunity” stated Ramirez.

Due to an undisclosed injury sustained by Amanda Serrano, Matchroom Boxing and Most Valuable Promotions have announced that the Taylor-Serrano II bout on May 20 in Dublin will not go ahead as planned. The teams are in discussions about finding a revised date for the bout. Further details will follow in due course.

Heavyweight Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang (24-1-1, 19 KOs) promises that “Juggernaut” Joe Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs) will feel his power when the pair collide at London’s Copper Box Arena on April 15, live on ESPN+ and BT Sport. Joyce is renowned for walking through heavy fire without flinching, but Zhang warns that if Joyce thinks he can take punishment in this fight, it would be a risky strategy.

“Joe Joyce has good punch resistance but he has never felt Chinese power,” proclaimed the 39-year-old Zhang.

Joyce and Zhang will trade bombs with Joyce’s WBO interim heavyweight title at stake, with the pair fighting for the right to challenge for the full world championship, currently held by unified champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Rivalta Boxing (Henry Rivalta) presents its first event of 2023 featuring three title fights this Friday. The show will take place at the DoubleTree Hotel near the Miami Airport & Convention Center in Miami, Florida. The main event will have popular local heavyweight favorite Anthony Martinez (14-2, 13 KOs) of Miami versus former world title challenger Santander Silgado Gelez (32-14, 26 KOs) of Colombia. The bout is scheduled for ten rounds and the NABA Silver title is on the line.

The undercard will feature several Cuban-born fighters with extensive amateur backgrounds. Continue reading “Rivalta Boxing returns Friday”

By Gabriel F. Cordero

Sad to report the passing over the weekend of our friend and colleague Fernando Paramo, an iconic multifaceted journalist from Los Angeles. Páramo had been a journalist, commentator, narrator, reporter, publicist, promoter and a great passionate fan of boxing. He was a regular at LA’s Olympic Auditorium, Sports Arena and The Forum in Inglewood. He was closely involved in Julio Cesar Chavez’s career from the beginning and they maintained good communication. Rest in peace.

By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® caught up with the Philly legend, Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins, and discussed the SuperFight between Ryan “KingRy” Garcia and Gervonta “Tank” Davis slated for April 22 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and live on Showtime PPV. Hopkins shared his thoughts on the Paul-Fury showdown and Badou Jack winning his third division title this past weekend in Saudi Arabia. He discussed Vergil Ortiz Jr. upcoming fight with Eimantas Stanionis on Sat, April 29 in Arlington, TX, streamed via DAZN and his hope for Spence-Crawford sooner than later with Ortiz fighting the winner and much more in this exclusive interview.

_

Unbeaten heavyweight Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson (13-0, 13 KOs) will face fellow unbeaten George Arias (18-0, 7 KOs) in a 10-rounder Saturday, April 8, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Anderson-Arias will be the co-feature to the WBC lightweight title eliminator between Shakur Stevenson and Shuichiro Yoshino. Anderson said, “This is the kind of fight I’ve been waiting for, a big fight between two undefeated heavyweights. I’m excited to once again be fighting on the same card as Shakur Stevenson. Don’t miss this fight. April 8 is going to a special night in Newark.”

U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis (7-0, 5 KOs) will face his stiffest challenge in the 10-round lightweight televised opener against former world title challenger Anthony Yigit (26-2-1, 10 KOs).

Stevenson-Yoshino, Anderson-Arias, and Davis-Yigit will be broadcast live on ESPN.

The rescheduled WBO purse bid for the WBO mini-flyweight mandatory clash between world champion Melvin Jerusalem and  #1 contender Oscar Collazo took place t oday at WBO Headquarters in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Golden Boy/Cotto Promotions bid $152,000 to win the right to promote the fight. Kameda Promotions bid $101,000. The Jerusalem-Collazo clash is scheduled to take place May 27 with possible locations including San Juan, Los Angeles, or Dallas.

Tommy Fury: “For the past two years, this is all that has consumed my life. Broken rib. Denied access. Everybody thought I was running scared. Tonight, I made my own legacy. I am Tommy Fury. All through these past two years, I had a dream and a vision that I would win this fight. And no one believed me. Now I can stand up and everybody can take note. It’s my first main event at 23 years old. I had pressure on my shoulders, and I came through…I’m only going to get stronger, and I’m only going to get bigger. There were a lot of nerves going into that fight, but I override that. If he wants a rematch, bring it on.”

Jake Paul: “All respect to Tommy. He won. Don’t judge me by my wins. Judge me by my losses. I’ll come back. I think we deserve that rematch. It was a great fight. It was a close fight. I don’t know if I agree with the judges. I got a 10-8 round twice. So, it is what it is. I’ve already won in life, man. I’ve already won in every single way. I have an amazing family. Amazing friends. Amazing work ethic. I’ve made it farther than I ever thought I would.”

YouTube boxer Jake Paul (6-1, 4 KOs) finally faced a “real boxer” for the first time and came up short against undefeated Tommy “TNT” Fury (9-0, 4 KOs), losing by eight round split decision on Sunday night at the Diriyah Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Fury stayed at long range and utilized the jab. Paul concentrated on power shots, often missing wildly. When in close, the fighters usually clinched. Paul was deducted a point in round five for hitting behind the head. Fury was deducted a point for holding in round six. Paul dropped Fury with a jab in round eight, but it was too little too late. Scores were 75-74 Paul, 76-73, 76-73 Fury.

With the win, Fury earned a WBC ranking in the cruiserweight division. Paul has a rematch clause and he stated after the fight that he will 100% use it.

After the fight, Paul explained “I felt flat, I got sick twice in this camp and injured my arm. It wasn’t my best performance, but I’m not making excuses and I’ll come back stronger.”

39-year-old former two-division world champion Badou Jack “The Ripper” (28-3-3, 17 KOs) outboxed, battered and dethroned WBC cruiserweight champion Junior Makabu (29-3, 25 KOs) getting a twelfth round TKO on Sunday night at the Diriyah Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Jack dropped Makabu in round four and continually beat Makabu to the punch. Jack dropped Makabu again in round eleven and finished him with a barrage of punches in round twelve. Time was :54. Jack is now a three-division world champion.

Buddy McGirt-trained welterweight Ziyad Almaayouf (2-0, 1 KOs) recovered from a first round knockdown to take a four round unanimous decision over Ronnald Martinez (3-2-1, 0 KOs). Scores were 38-37 3x.

Unbeaten cruiserweight Muhsin “The Muslim Boxer” Cason (11-0, 8 KOs), younger brother of former heavyweight champion Hassim “The Rock” Rahman, scored a first round TKO against Taryel Jafarov (18-6, 17 KOs). Cason dropped Jafarov with his first punch, then dominated the first round. Jafarov didn’t come out for round two.

Unbeaten super lightweight Bader “The Master” Samreen (8-0, 7 KOs) made quick work of 41-year-old Viorel Simion (23-10, 9 KOs). Samreen battered Simeon to the canvas with a barrage of punches. Time was 1:26.

By Brad Snyder-The Undercard
Photos by Bob Ryder

Night of Knockouts XXV, promoted by Carlos Llinas and held at the Sound Board at Motor City Casino and Hotel, was, once again, packed from wall to wall to see a card filled with local top prospects.

Cruiserweight Derick Miller Jr. (11-0, 7 KOs) headlined a card at Motor City Casino, once again. His opponent this time around was Eric Abraham (7-16, 3 KOs). After a calculated start in Round 1 by Miller, the 2nd became a nightmare fast for Abraham. Miller was able to control Abraham by bracing with his forearm to land vicious head shots, that ultimately gave him the KO at the 1:16 mark of Round 2. Abraham crumbled to the ground with the ropes barely holding his head slightly up. It is time for Miller’s name to be on the tongues of other prospects in the Cruiserweight division. He has progressed well with the next step being to level up. Continue reading “Miller Dominates; Hicks Gets Tested”

“I’m on cloud nine right now,” said newly crowned IBF jr welterweight champion Subriel Matias after stopping Jeremias Ponce Saturday night at The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. “I don’t think I’ve woken up from this dream. Maybe I can tell you how it feels tomorrow, but right now, it’s a dream come true. I wanted to work him from the first round on, because I knew he wouldn’t have the same power as me as the fight went on.”

Regarding Ponce retiring in his corner, Matias said “I wasn’t really surprised. Once I saw how his corner reacted. I saw that [Ponce] was hurt. I thought that I was patient in the first four rounds, so I came out with a different approach and mindset in the fifth.” Continue reading “Matias: Regis Prograis I’m coming for you”

Knockout artist Subriel Matías (19-1, 19 KOs) scored a fifth round TKO against Jeremías Ponce (30-1, 20 KOs) to claim the vacant IBF junior welterweight title (formerly held by Josh Taylor) on Saturday night at The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Good fight. Ponce pounced on Matias in round one. Matias responded with big shots in round two and the war was on. Something had to give and it did in round five. Matias landed a series of head and body shots that badly hurt Matias and put him on the mat. Ponce was able to make it to his stool, but his corner had seen enough and suggested that the fight be stopped, with the official result coming as a TKO at the end of round five.