Fightnews.com

Matchroom Boxing’s 2023 schedule in the UK is set to begin with a bang at the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Saturday February 18 as hometown hero Leigh Wood (26-2, 16 KOs) puts his WBA featherweight world title on the line against big-punching Mauricio Lara (25-2-1, 18 KOs) live worldwide on DAZN (excluding Australia and New Zealand).

Lara has been waiting patiently for his shot at Wood after their September 24 fight was postponed following a torn bicep suffered by Wood in sparring, but he finally gets his world title shot next month.

ESPN platforms are driving the televised boxing action this week.

FRIDAY
ESPN+ will present a fight card from Place Bell in Laval (Montreal), Quebec, Canada, as undefeated WBC female light flyweight champion Kim Clavel (16-0, 3 KOs) meets WBA champ Jessica Nery Plata (28-2, 3 KOs) in a ten round unification clash.

SATURDAY
ESPN presents a heavyweight twinbill at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. In a pair of ten-rounders, Efe “The Silent Roller” Ajagba (16-1, 13 KOs) faces unbeaten Stephan “Big Shot” Shaw (18-0, 13 KOs), and unbeaten 2016 Olympian Guido “The Gladiator” Vianello (10-0-1, 9 KOs) meets spoiler Jonnie Rice (15-6-1, 10 KOs). The undercard can be seen on ESPN+.

WBA “regular” welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis has confirmed on social media that on Friday he underwent emergency appendectomy surgery. As a result, his March 18 clash against Vergil Ortiz in Dallas is postponed.

“Yesterday I had emergency appendectomy surgery. 2-3 weeks off the gym now. Fight is postponed. We are hoping for April now,” wrote Stanionis on Twitter.

“The only way I can say I’m the best is by fighting the best,” said former two-division champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade after winning his super middleweight debut against Demond Nicholson. “I felt good, I can definitely tell the difference at the new weight. But the speed and combinations and using my IQ was the plan today and that’s what we did. The weight was different.

“We’re going to look to see who’s available at 168 pounds. I’m just going to get stronger, sharper and faster.

“Everyone knows that Demond Nicholson is a dog. That’s why we took this fight. He took this fight because he knew I was coming up and he definitely has the animal in him. He showed it today.”

“I was a little surprised he didn’t come out,” said WBA ‘regular’ lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis after his ninth round stoppage of WBA super featherweight champion Hector Luis Garcia on Saturday night in Washington, D.C. “I knew he was hurt bad but he’s a fighter and he didn’t want to show it. I knew he was hurt though.

“I wasn’t throwing a lot of shots in the beginning because I was trying to beat him mentally. I was trying to trick him with my hands and my eyes and things like that because he’s a tough fighter. I had to bait him.

“God willing I’m ready for the fight with Ryan Garcia. It’s scheduled for April. I’m here. He’s been training. He’s been talking. And let’s see who’s really about that.”

* * *

Garcia stated, “When I got the shot to my head in the final round, that’s when I couldn’t see from my eye. I didn’t know where I was when he hit me with that shot. My vision is back but my head still hurts. I couldn’t see from my right eye. It was going well up until that point. I was picking my shots.”

WBA “regular” lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis (28-0, 26 KOs) retained his title by stopping previously unbeaten WBA super featherweight champion Héctor Luis García (16-1, 10 KOs) between rounds eight and nine on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 19,731 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Competitive fight early on. Davis began to connect midway. Garcia had his moments also. Good exchanges in round seven. Tank staggered Garcia in round eight and Garcia didn’t come out for round nine. Official time was :13 of round nine. At the time of the stoppage, Tank led 79-73 on two cards and 78-74 on the third.

Garcia later stated that a Davis punch short-circuited the eyesight in his right eye. He will return to the 130lb division where he remains champion. Tank moves on to a mega fight with Ryan “Kingry” Garcia.

Unbeaten longtime top 147lb contender Jaron “Boots” Ennis (30-0, 27 KOs) finally got his first world title of sorts when he defeated little-known IBF #4 Karen Chukhadzhian (21-2, 11 KOs) by twelve round unanimous decision to claim the vacant IBF interim welterweight belt on Saturday night in the Tank-HLG co-feature at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Frustrating fight with Ennis pretty much stalking the survival-minded Chukhadzhian the whole way. Scores were 120-108 3x.

This was Ennis’ first fight that went the distance since 2017.

“He ran a lot,” said Ennis. “Hats off to him since a lot of guys didn’t want to fight me. So shout out to him for coming here and taking this fight…everyone knows I want Spence. I’ll keep waiting until the time is right and Spence is ready to take the fight.”

In an IBF welterweight eliminator, IBF #9 KO artist Roiman Villa (26-1, 24 KOs) scored a come-from-behind twelve round majority decision over previously undefeated IBF #8 contender Rashidi Ellis (24-1, 15 KOs) Saturday night on the Tank-HLG PPV undercard at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Ellis easily outboxed Villa over the first half of the fight. However, Villa brutalized Ellis down the stretch, dropping him twice in round twelve to pull it out. Scores were 113-113, 114-112, 114-112. This was the big upset of the night as Ellis entered a 7:1 favorite.

Two-division world champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade (32-0, 19 KOs) scored a one-sided ten round unanimous decision over Demond Nicholson (26-5-1, 22 KOs) in his first bout at super middleweight. The 34-year-old Boo Boo dropped Nicholson in rounds two and ten en route to a 100-88 3x verdict.

40-year-old journeyman super lightweight Michael Ogundo (17-16, 14 KOs) spoiled the comeback of 38-year-old former world champion Lamont Peterson (35-6-1, 17 KOs) with a fourth round TKO. In his first fight since 2019, Peterson was dropped in round four and his corner threw in the towel moments later. The bout took place on the Davis-Garcia off-TV undercard in Washington DC.

Super welterweight prospect Vito Mielnicki Jr. (14-1, 9 KOs) battered Omar Rosales (9-2-1, 5 KOs) in four one-sided rounds. Mielnicki dropped Rosales at the end of round three and Rosales’ corner threw in the towel early in round four.

Undefeated super lightweight knockout artist Brandun Lee (27-0, 23 KOs) punished Diego Luque (21-11-2, 10 KOs) until referee Brent Bovell waved it off in round four.

Unbeaten super welterweight Travon Marshall (7-0, 6 KOs) bumrushed Shawn West (7-3-1, 4 KOs) and got a rather quick referee’s stoppage in less than a minute.

Super middleweight Kyrone Davis (17-3-1, 6 KOs) outpointed Cristián Fabián Ríos (23-16-3, 7 KOs) over eight rounds 80-72, 80-72, 79-73.

Other Results:
Keeshawn Williams W6 Gustavo David Vittori (welterweight)
Jalil Hackett TKO1 Joel Guevara (super welterweight)
Mia Ellis TKO1 Karen Dulin (female super featherweight)

The Florida Boxing Hall of Fame today unveiled the Class of 2023 during a festive Meet & Greet announcement in Fort Myers, Florida.

Fighters: Roy Jones Jr., Ossie Ocasio, David Izonritei, Vivian Harris, Alfredo Escalera, Ada Velez, Joey Negron

Trainers/Managers: Peter Kahn, Jesse Robinson, Alfred Smith

Promoters: Jesus Escalera

Historian: Mario Rivera Martino*

Media: Marc Lichtenfeld, Vonda Carson, John Moceyunas

Participants: Ruben DeJesus, Ali Terah

Officials/Commission: Fred Fluty, John Rupert, Harry De La Vega

Special Achievement Award: Craig Houk, Aaron Snowell

Walter A Flansburg Lifetime Award: John Westerterp

*Deceased

Showtime Boxing host Brian Custer sat down with world champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis on his The Last Stand podcast two days before Davis faces unbeaten world champion Héctor Luis García for Davis’ WBA lightweight title tonight headlining a Showtime PPV from Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

On what he wants people to know about him:

“I’m human. I’m much more of a person than just a boxer. I’m not someone who’s mean or stuck-up 24/7. That’s just me in the ring or making weight. I’m a humble guy. I don’t boast about myself.”

On Ryan Garcia predicting he’ll stop Davis in two rounds:

“Two rounds? That’s crazy. Rolly said the same thing. [Ryan] made a bet with Errol Spence, and he lost that bet. Tell him that again, for sure.”

On Devin Haney’s authenticity as an undisputed champion:

“They gave Devin a belt. He didn’t fight for his belt. When he became undisputed, he waited for Kambosos to win the belts. When Teofimo had the belts (he didn’t fight him). But he has all those belts and people still don’t know him. He knows who the real champ is.”

On facing a difficult opponent in Héctor Luis García before he takes on Ryan Garcia:

“I feel as though it will keep me active so I’m not just sitting around. I feel as though I have a tough fight with Ryan so why not stay active and actually work on mistakes and things like that so I can be sharp for the Ryan fight.”

Light heavyweight contender Anthony Yarde says he knows what he is coming up against on January 28 against unified world champion Artur Beterbiev for the WBC, WBO and IBF belts at the newly titled OVO Arena (formerly known as Wembley Arena) in London.

“I’m relaxed, I’m good and it is the biggest fight of my career,” said the 31-year-old, who happily acknowledges the odds will not fall in his favor going into battle against an 18-0 champion with 18 KOs. “I am definitely happy that I have finally got to this stage and, in my mind, I have got to bring to reality where I am going afterwards, as well.

“You know what? I watched boxing even before I started and I like to watch the big moments and how they all come around. My best performances have always been when I’ve been the underdog. I like being in that position at this stage of my career and I just feel like January 28 is going to be a very special night for me…I had my pro debut in that arena and now I am about to have my unification bout in that arena and leave as the unified champion of the world.”

Beterbiev is currently a 10:1 favorite.

With WBC bridgerweight champion Oscar Rivas out of action indefinitely with a detached retina, the WBC Board of Governors have designated him as “champion in recess” and voted in favor of the following resolution to immediately address the status of the bridgerweight division:

To order #1 Alen Babic vs #3 Lukasz Rozanski to fight for the vacant title with a 50-50 split and the winner committed to comply with two mandatories. The first mandatory against the winner of the final elimination between Ryad Merhy vs. Kevin Lerena.

To order #2 Ryad Merhy vs. #4 Kevin Lerena to fight a final elimination fight with a 50-50 split and the winner fighting vs. the new champion with a 60-40 split in favor of the champion.

The WBC starts a free negotiations period for both fights. If no agreement is reached a purse offer will be held in Mexico City on Tuesday January 31.

Gervonta Davis 134 vs. Hector Luis Garcia 134
(WBA “regular” lightweight title)

Jaron Ennis 145.6 vs. Karen Chukhadzhian 146.2
(IBF interim welterweight title)

Rashidi Ellis 146.2 vs. Roiman Villa 145.8
(IBF welterweight eliminator)

Demetrius Andrade 167 vs. Demond Nicholson 167.2
Vito Mielnicki Jr 153.2 vs. Omar Rosales 152.8
Brandun Lee 141.4 vs. Diego Luque 141.2
Travon Marshall 149.8 vs. Shawn West 151.2
Keeshawn Williams 146.2 vs. Gustavo David Vittori 145.6
Lamont Peterson 141.6 vs. Michael Ogundo 140.2
Kyrone Davis 163.8 vs. Cristián Fabián Ríos 164.4
Jalil Hackett 156.2 vs. Joel Guevara 155.8
Mia Ellis 128.2 vs. Karen Dulin 129.8

Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington DC
Promoter: TGB Promotions
TV: PPV, undercard on YouTube, Facebook

Late last night, Jean Pascal informed Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) that he had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. His symptoms are too severe for him to continue training for his IBF light heavyweight title elimination fight against German Michael Eifert, scheduled for Place Bell in Laval on February 9th.

Co-promoter of the event, DiBella Entertainment (DBE) President Lou DiBella, contacted Eifert’s promoter, Benedikt Poelchau, President of Blanko Sports, and also informed the IBF of the situation. It was agreed that the fight and the entire event would be postponed to a later date to be determined in March.

Golden Boy will kickstart 2023 with NABO welterweight tileholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (21-1, 13 KOs) against Anthony “Juice” Young (24-2, 8 KOs) in a 12-round main event on Saturday, January 28 at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California, and broadcast worldwide on DAZN.

The co-main event will feature blue-chip lightweight prospect Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield (12-0, 10 KOs) in a 10-round match against Alberto Mercado (16-1-1, 3 KOs) for the vacant WBA International belt. Also, scheduled is a 12-round WBO minimumweight world title eliminator between Oscar “El Pupilo” Collazo (5-0, 3 KOs) and Wilfredo “Bimbito” Mendez (18-2, 6 KOs). and super middleweight Bektemir “Bully” Melikuziev (10-1, 8 KOs) will return in a 10-rounder against TBA in the opener.

YouTube Theater is a 6,000-seat performance venue located under the same structure that houses SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, on the site of the former Hollywood Park Racetrack.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos: Sumio Yamada

Filipino puncher Melvin Jerusalem (20-2, 12 KOs), 103, surprisingly dethroned WBO minimumweight champion Masataka Taniguchi (16-4, 11 KOs), 105, by a stunning knockout with a single right shot to the champ’s chin at 1:04 into the second round on Friday in Osaka, Japan. Taniguchi, a prefight favorite, controlled the initial round with his southpaw lefts to the still nervous Filipino. A trick happened when Jerusalem landed a perfect right to the button, dropping him on the seat of his trunks. The champ attempted to stand up too quickly (he should have stayed there for some more seconds) and couldn’t regain his equilibrium properly. He badly lost his balance and referee Roberto Ramirez Jr. from Puerto Rico waved it off to declare a TKO victory. It’s a great shocker. Continue reading “Jerusalem sinks Taniguchi, wins WBO 105lb belt”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos: Sumio Yamada

IBF minimumweight champion Daniel Valladares (26-3-1-1ND, 15 KOs), 105, Mexico, retained his belt by No Decision at 2:48 of the third round as he failed to go on because of a severe pain caused by an accidental headbutt with Japanese challenger Ginjiro Shigeoka (8-0-1ND, 6 KOs), 105, a faster southpaw, in a scheduled twelve on Friday in Osaka, Japan. Shigeoka, whose amateur mark was 59-1, was highly expected to annex the belt from the Mexican who had wrested the belt from Filipino Rene Mark Cuarto last July. The shorter Japanese seemingly took the initiative in the first two rounds, but an accidental butt made Valladares complain of a too severe pain to go on. Referee Chris Flores (US) generously accepted his appeal and declared a No Decision. The spectators, mostly Shigeoka adherents, were greatly disappointed at the abrupt stoppage in a bizarre fashion. Continue reading “Valladares keeps IBF 105lb belt via no decision”

The return of heavyweight contender Agit Kabayel has been postponed to March 4 due to a very severe flu that halted Kabayel’s training shortly before the turn of the year. As a result, the planned date of the fight on January 28th was no longer tenable based on the advice of the treating physicians. Kabayel will now face Croatian Agron Smakici for the vacant European heavyweight championship at the same location, the RuhrCongres Hall in Bochum, Germany, Kabayel’s hometown. Tickets for the SES Box Gala will, of course, remain valid for the new date.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Former IBF 130 pound Gairy St Clair was successful in his appeal against a three-month prison sentence which was aborted on Friday at the Downing Centre Courthouse in Sydney after the presiding judge heard evidence from lawyer and former IBF 140 pound champion Lovemore Ndou that St Clair had no previous criminal history and had been a respected member of the community. St Clair had been jailed for assaulting a security guard after a disagreement over the former world champion not wearing a mask.

Character references from Hall of Fame trainer Johnny Lewis and several respected Australian boxing identities were submitted in St Clair’s favor.

St Clair is the owner of Gairy StClair gym in Gymea, Sydney, where former WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO 135-pound champion George Kambosos trained.

WBC Statement: The World Boxing Council has learned that the International Boxing Association (IBA) recently: (1) organized, advertised, and publicized an event called IBA’s Champion Night; and (2) awarded a boxing belt in connection therewith confusingly similar to the WBC Championship Belt. In short, IBA is using the Intellectual Property Assets of the WBC in an infringing manner and without authorization of the WBC as the assets’ rightful owner. (See side-to-side images of IBA’s infringing belt and the WBC famous World Championship Belt).

The WBC wants to make it absolutely clear that it has put IBA on notice of the WBC’s complete rejection and opposition to IBA’s unauthorized use of a belt that is confusingly similar to the iconic WBC World Championship Belt. The WBC has also informed IBA and it will take any legal measures available to stop IBA’s infringing activities and to seek appropriate redress therefrom. The WBC is in no way associated with IBA. Continue reading “WBC says IBA infringing on belt design”

WBA “regular” lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis and unbeaten world champion Héctor Luis García went face to face Thursday and exchanged shoves before cooler heads prevailed at the final press conference before they meet Saturday headlining a Showtime PPV from Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. A win for Davis paves the way for the recently announced blockbuster clash against unbeaten Ryan “Kingry” Garcia in the Spring of 2023.

Tank Davis: “He’s been saying some things that have turned me up. You definitely don’t want to miss this one. We’re going to make sure this is a tough fight for him. Don’t get no popcorn during this fight. Keep your butt glued to the seat. I promise you it’s gonna be fireworks.”

Héctor Luis García: “Gervonta better watch out on Saturday night. Because he lit the competitive fire under me when he put his hands on me during the face off.”

Continue reading “Tank-Garcia Final Press Conference”

By Joe Koizumi

The weigh-in results were as follows:

WBO minimumweight title bout (main event)
Champion Masataka Taniguchi (Japan)105
Challenger Melvin Jerusalem 103 (Philippines) two pounds under the limit

IBF minimumweight title bout (semi-final)
Champion Daniel Valladares (Mexico) 105
Challenger Ginjiro Shigeoka (Japan) 105

Promoter: Koki Kameda’s 3150 Promotions
Fight venue: Edion Arena Osaka, Japan

Hall of Fame promoter Don King is returning to Casino Miami Jai Alai on Saturday, January 21. Looks like the originally announced clash between WBC cruiserweight champion Ilunga Junior Makabu and Noel Mikaelyan is off. The card will now be topped by NABA gold heavyweight champion Jonathan Guidry (18-1-2, 10 KOs) against former WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne (25-5-1, 21 KOs). Continue reading “Guidry-Stiverne to headline Jan 21 DKP card”

In case you missed it, here’s the full episode of All Access: Gervonta Davis vs. Hector Garcia, which premiered last Friday night on Showtime.

_