Fightnews.com

By Boxing Bob Newman

Doña Marta Saldivar Sulaiman, widow of former WBC president Don Jose Sulaiman, mother of WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman and matriarch of the Sulaiman and WBC family, passed away this morning surrounded by family.

Mauricio issued the following statement on his Facebook page just two hours ago:

“Martha has joined Jose, the love of her life for eternity. Our dear mother Martha has passed away in peace in the company of her loved ones. Her memory will be eternal and she will be remembered as a kind adorable woman who lived life at its fullest, always caring for others with sacrifice, love & compassion. So many boxers called her “Mama” as she took them all under her wing, whether it was Tyson or Chavez or an amateur humble kid. Thank you for everyone’s care, concern and attentions during these difficult times.”

The mother of six children, grandmother of fourteen, Doña Marta will be interred at Panteón Francés de la Piedad cemetery in Mexico City.

Descanse en paz (Rest in peace) Doña Marta.

Heavyweight Guido Vianello (13-2-1, 11 KOs) registered the most important win of his career by upsetting Arslanbek Mahkmudov (19-2, 18 KOs) via eighth-round TKO victory in Saturday night’s co-feature. At the start of the eighth, the ring doctor deemed Makhmudov no longer fit to continue due to a swollen shut eye. Mahkmudov had just been rated #9 in the new WBC ratings.

Guido Vianello: “I am a contender now. I am ready for the world level, and I proved that tonight…I thought I beat Efe Ajagba, and I came into this fight with a lot of confidence. I was in the best shape of my career, and that showed tonight. I dominated him and then knocked him out…I just had to stay composed. There was a knockdown that wasn’t called, but I knew if I stuck to my strategy, I would get the knockout.”

Vianello and Mahkmudov originally met in the World Series of Boxing nearly 10 years ago, with Vianello retiring in the fourth due to an ear injury. This time, things were different.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Having their baby just a fortnight ago, his wife worked the corner of Japanese flyweight champ WBA#11 Jukiya Iimura (7-1, 2 KOs; amateur mark 68-13), 111.5, who successfully kept his national belt on a nearly shutout decision (100-90, 99-91 twice) over JBC#9 Tetsuya Mimura (12-5, 3 KOs), 112, over ten heats on Friday in Tokyo, Japan.

Mrs. Iimura, former amateur lightweight boxer (retired), wrapped the husband’s hands and served as a corner-person to see Jukiya’s onesided victory. Making his third defense, Iimura, whose idol is Ricardo “Finito” Lopez, made good use of lateral footwork, confused the less skillful challenger and steadily piled up points with his hit-and-run tactics thanks to his better half’s encouragement in the corner. After the triumph they rushed back home to see their two-week old daughter. Continue reading “Iimura shuts out Mimura, keeps Japanese 112lb belt”

Unbeaten WBC #1, WBA #2, IBF #3, WBO #3 super middleweight Christian Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs) scored ten round unanimous decision over three-time world title challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko (15-6, 10 KOs) on Saturday night at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada. The 38-year-old Derevyanchenko showed good skills, but Mbilli simply overpowered him with his attacks. In round four, Derevyanchenko appeared to injure his left arm and after that he mostly fought with his right hand with some success. Mbilli aggressively attacked in round six to get the momentum back. Derevyanchenko was drastically handicapped with the arm injury as Mbilli broke him down. Derevyanchenko showed incredible heart, but Mbilli was a clear winner by scores of 100-90, 99-91, 98-92.

In a crossroads heavyweight fight, Guido “The Gladiator” Vianello (13-2-1, 11 KOs) upset Arslanbek Makhmudov (19-2, 18 KOs) by eighth round stoppage. Vianello got the better of the early rounds with Makhmudov’s left eye completely closed by round three. Makhmudov was game but got the worst of the exchanges. Makhmudov was deducted a point for hitting behind the head in round six. Vianello landed some big shots that rocked Makhmudov in round seven. The bout was finally stopped by the ring doctor at the start of round eight.

IBO super middleweight champion Osleys “El Tornado” Iglesias (12-0, 11 KOs) impressively crushed Sena “The African Assassin” Agbeko (28-4, 22 KOs) in a non-title fight. Iglesias floored Agbeko toward the end of round one. The bout was stopped at 1:16 of round two with Iglesias mercilessly teeing off.

Unbeaten lightweight prospect Abdullah Mason continues to impress. Mason (15-0, 13 KOs) destroyed Mike Ohan Jr. (19-2, 9 KOs) in round two. Mason dropped Chan in round one, then in round two, Ohan’s corner stopped it after Mason scored a second knockdown. Time was :40. Continue reading “Mbilli beats D’chenko, Vianello halts Makhmudov”

The 10 round main event saw young unbeaten prospect Harvin “Manimal” Aguirre (13-0, 9 KOs) of Managua, Nicaragua unanimously decisión veteran Alberto “Metralleta” Mosquera (28-7-2, 16 KOs) of Panama at the Coliseo De Combates in Panama City, Panama.

Mosquera came out aggressive in round 1 stalking Aguirre but it was Aguirre who counter punched and had Mosquera staggering badly but Mosquera survived the round. Mosquera seemed to have very poor balance a fact mentioned multiple times by Hall of Famer and former two-division world champion Ivan “Iron Boy” Calderon who was on the ESPN Knockout broadcast team commentating the fight. Continue reading “Aguirre decisions Mosquera in Panama”

Former world title challenger and current #1 WBC cruiserweight contender Ryan ‘ The Bruiser’ Rozicki (20-1, 19 KOs) is dialed in for his challenge against WBC cruiserweight world champion Norair Mikaeljan (27-2, 12 KOs). The main event bout will take place September 28 at the Casino Miami Jai Alai, Miami, Florida. The Cape Breton Nova Scotia native Rozicki is looking to become his hometown´s first world champion boxer. He and his promoter Dan Otter (Three Lions Promotions) are confident he will pull off the upset. Continue reading “Rozicki vows to KO Mikaeljan”

The World Boxing Association (WBA) Championships Committee has called for the purse bid to grant the promotional right of the cruiserweight championship bout between Gilberto Ramirez and Yuniel Dorticos, which will take place on August 27th in Houston, Texas. The minimum amount to obtain the rights to the fight is $200,000 and the purse split will be 75% for the champion Ramirez and 25% for the challenger Dorticos.

On the same day, the auction for the WBA bantamweight world title fight between Muslim Gadzhimagomedov and Leon Harth will be held.

Christian Mbilli 167.4 vs. Sergiy Derevyanchenko 167.1
(WBC Continental Americas/WBA International super middleweight titles)

Arslanbek Makhmudov 260 vs. Guido Vianello 245.8

Osleys Iglesias 169.3 vs. Sena Agbeko 168.7
Abdullah Mason 136 vs. Mike Ohan Jr. 136.7
Leila Beaudoin 129.7 vs. Lizbeth Crespo 129.2
Wilkens Mathieu 178 vs. Facundo Nicolas Galovar 180.9
Jahi Tucker 160 vs. Santiago Fernandez 159.1
Thomas Chabot 128.6 vs. Matias Ezequiel Guenemil 128.6
Dzmitry Asanau 136.3 vs. Alexis Camejo 136.4

Venue: Videotron Centre, Quebec City, Canada
Promoter: Top Rank, EOTTM
TV: ESPN

Harvin “Manimal” Aguirre 146.25 vs. Alberto “Metralleta” Mosquera 146.75
(WBC Fecarbox welterweight title)

Leonardo Carrillo 121.5 vs. Lester Santi 121.5
(WBA FEDELATIN super bantamweight title)

Erick Pino 155.75 vs. Regis Mendoza 154.75
Lorena Ascaino 121.5 vs. Eliana Medina 121.5
Abelardo “Cholon” Gonzalez 213.25 vs. Marvin “La Mole” Mendoza 256.5
Jose Cordoba 140 vs. Luis Rosario 136.75

Venue: Coliseo de Combates Pandeportes, Panama City, Panama
Promoter: All Star Boxing
TV: ESPN Knockout (Latin America)

Former unified world champion Stephen “Cool Boy Steph” Fulton Jr. (21-1, 8 KOs) will take on Carlos Castro (30-2, 14 KOs) in a featherweight clash that will headline a three-fight PBC on Prime Video lineup on Saturday, September 14 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This will be Fulton’s first fight since suffering his only loss and losing his WBC and WBA super bantamweight titles to Naoya Inoue 12 months ago.

The live-streaming action will be available via free access to all fans, regardless of Prime membership or purchase of the Canelo-Berlanga PPV it leads into.

The streaming presentation will also feature welterweight Roiman Villa (26-2, 24 KOs) dueling Ricardo Salas (19-2-2, 14 KOs) in a 10-round battle, plus unbeaten prospect Jonathan Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) squaring off against Richard Medina (15-2, 8 KOs) in an eight-round super featherweight clash that kicks off the action.

Unbeaten WBC #1, WBA #2, IBF #3, WBO #3 super middleweight Christian Mbilli (27-0, 23 KOs) and three-time world title challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko (15-5, 10 KOs) faced off at the final press conference for their ESPN clash this Saturday at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada.

Christian Mbilli: “I hope this opportunity is the final step towards a world title…I want to show that I’m the best. I want to show that I’m the real monster. We’re going to see who has the best conditioning. We’re going to see who has the best boxing. For me, it will be no surprise because I’m the best…I don’t know {if this fight goes 10 rounds}. But I know that if he gives me any opportunity to knock him out, I will knock him out.”

Sergiy Derevyanchenko: “Every fight that I’ve had has helped me get this opportunity. I’m ready for an aggressive fight. I’ve seen him fight. He is strong. He is aggressive. But I’m ready…as soon as I heard about this fight, I decided I was going to sign to fight him because this is the number one guy…my experience is an advantage. It has helped me. And we will see what happens.”

* * *

In the 10-round heavyweight co-feature, Arslanbek Makhmudov (19-1, 18 KOs) faces Guido Vianello (12-2-1, 10 KOs).

Arslanbek Makhmudov: “I respect my opponents. But I go in there to hunt. It’s nothing personal, but I will make this the baddest night of his life. This is my goal. I’m sorry, but the sport is like that…ever since I started my career, my goal has been to become a champion, and I have to destroy anyone who is against me.”

Guido Vianello: “I’m really happy to be here. I’ve trained a lot. This is my sixth year as a professional. I’m ready. I respect my opponent a lot…my opponent is the perfect guy to make a big step in the heavyweight division. I want to be among the top heavyweights in one year from now. So it’s the perfect time for me.”

Local light heavyweight Deon “Equalizer” Nicholson (20-1, 17 KOs) of Tuscaloosa, Alabama will take on California’s Sergio “El Checo” Jimenez (15-0-1, 13 KOs) for the WBA Continental North American title Friday night (Aug 16) at the Tuscaloosa Rivermarket in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The fight will headline a seven-bout card promoted by Jay Deas’ Skyy Boxing. It will be Skyy’s 100th promotion over 30 years. The Alabama Boxing Hall of Fame ceremony will also take place at the show.

Deon Nicholson: “It’s something I’ve been working hard to do for a very long time. I’ve put in a lot of work and sacrificed a lot to fight for this title. My opponent has a brawler style and he’s awkward too, so it should be interesting while it lasts.”

Sergio Jimenez: “Blessed to be able to be given the opportunity to fight for the WBA Continental North American title. It’s been a long road and I’m most definitely eager to fight for that title. As far as my opponent, not much to say. Just another opponent that gets sent my way. I’m going to seize my moment!”

He’s back. Former WBA super lightweight world champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero (15-2, 13 KOs) has promised to make a statement when he fights Manuel Jaimes (16-1-1, 11 KOs) in the opening bout of the Canelo-Berlanga Pay-Per-View available on Prime Video Saturday, September 14 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“This fight is about making a statement and getting back in the win column,” said Romero. “As always, I’m coming for the knockout.”

“Manuel Jaimes is a tough opponent, and I’m not taking him lightly. He’s got good skills and a lot of heart, but I believe my power and speed will be the difference. I’ve studied his style, and we’ve put together a game plan that I’m confident will win this fight. I’m going to win this fight because I have to win this fight, that’s the only thing on my mind. Continue reading “Rolly: I’m coming for the knockout”

Unbeaten WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) will make a first defense of his title in a Liverpool homecoming fight on Saturday October 5 at the M&S Bank Arena, exclusively live on TNT Sports in the UK. Ball will face Ronny Rios (34-4, 17 KOs), who is coming off of a fifth-round KO victory back in April.

“I literally cannot wait to fight in Liverpool again, this time as a world champion,” said Ball. “It has been over four years and it will be really special for me. Continue reading “Ball to defend WBA feather belt Oct 8”

The World Boxing Association (WBA) Championships Committee has ordered the mandatory fight between WBA bantamweight champion Muslim Gadzhimagomedov and challenger Leon Harth. The organization gave both parties 30 days to negotiate, which will end on September 14. In the event no deal is reached, the WBA can send the fight to purse bid with a split of 75% for the champion and 25% for the challenger.

Photos: Sumio Yamada

Check out this GIANT photo gallery from Saturday’s spectacular IBF featherweight title fight between Venado Lopez and Angelo Leo in Albuquerque, New Mexico, featuring some incredible shots + the scorecard.

Photos

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Perennial contender Ryusei Kawaura (12-2, 8 KOs), 114.75, finally seized the belt when he scored a come-from-behind TKO victory over WBA#3, WBO#6, IBF#9 defending champ Tetsuro Ohashi (12-4-1, 3 KOs), 114.5, at 2:05 of the eleventh round and wrested the WBO Asia Pacific junior bantamweight title on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan. The dethroned ex-champ was leading on points—96-94 twice, 95-95. Ohashi connected with persistent combinations to the challenger, pinning him to the ropes midway in the speedy contest of southpaws.

The ninth saw the tide turn in Kawaura’s favor with the champ’s fatigue. The challenger, in round eleven, positively accelerated his attack to have the champ temporarily at a standstill, when the referee Tanaka called a halt. Continue reading “Kawaura dethrones WBO AP 115lb champ Ohashi”

Undefeated WBO #2, WBC #9 junior lightweight Andres “Savage” Cortes (22-0, 12 KOs) and WBO #6, IBF #6 Charly Suarez (17-0, 9 KOs) will collide in a high-stakes ten-rounder on ESPN September 20 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Cortes-Suarez will be the co-feature to the 12-round super middleweight main event between Jaime Munguia and the unbeaten Erik Bazinyan.

The eight-round televised opener sees undefeated junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (11-0, 9 KOs) step up in class against upset-minded Larry Fryers (13-6-1, 5 KOs). Vargas is the youngest fighting son of former world champion Fernando Vargas.

Undercard action on ESPN+ includes an eight-round step-up fight between heavyweight knockout artist and Olympic silver medal star Richard Torrez Jr. (10-0, 10 KOs) and Joey “Tank” Dawejko (28-11-4, 16 KOs). Continue reading “Munguia-Bazinyan Undercard Set”

This week’s big fights land on ESPN+ this Saturday at Quebec City’s Centre Vidéotron. Headlining the night, WBC #1, WBA #2, IBF #3, WBO #3 super middleweight Christian Mbilli (27-0, 23 KOs) will defend his WBC Continental Americas and WBA International titles against three-time world title challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko (15-5, 10 KOs). Mbilli is a -450 favorite.

The evening’s co-main event will feature WBC #11 heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov (19-1, 18 KOs) against Guido ‘The Gladiator’ Vianello (12-2-1, 10 KOs). Makhmudov is about a 3:1 favorite.

In a clash between undefeated super middleweights, Junior ‘The Young God’ Younan (20-0-1, 12 KOs) will square off with Luzlim Bajrami (9-0, 4 KOs) in a ten rounder headlining Star Boxing’s Rockin’ Fights 48 on September 14 at The Paramount in Huntington, New York. Younan will defend his WBA Continental American Gold crown. Bajrami will be making his United States debut.

By Joe Koizumi

Lately it is rare to see Thai boxers victorious here in Japan. More rare is for a Thai fighter to dethrone our Japanese champion here. But it happened when unheralded Thananchai Charunphak (25-1, 15 KOs), 112, wrested the WBO Asia Pacific flyweight belt by winning a majority but well-received decision (116-112, 115-113, 114-114) over previously unbeaten WBC#14, IBF#13 defending champ Kento Hatanaka (15-1, 10 KOs), 112, over twelve hard-fought rounds on Sunday in Nagoya, Japan.

Kento, the son of former WBC 122-pound titlist Kiyoshi Hatanaka (who dethroned Argentine Pedro Decima in Nagoya in 1991), was a pre-fight favorite thanks to his unbeaten credentials despite a long hiatus caused by an injury since last September when he acquired the vacant WBO AP belt by scoring a close but unanimous nod over Akira Hoshuyama in Nagoya. The taller Thailander displayed his good judgment of distance, jabbing and countering with better precision. With the face badly puffed by his absorption of punishment, Kento gamely fought with jabs and body punches, but it was Thananchai that demonstrated his cleverness in dominating the championship rounds.

Promoter: Hatanaka Promotions.

By Mauricio Sulaimán
WBC President – Son of José Sulaimán

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games have ended, and in my opinion many good things were achieved in general during this, which is the most important event in the world of sports.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has always extremely complicated decisions in its hands, to achieve a balance between what the Olympic Letter says, and the changes it must make to maintain media and ratings interest, in addition to the total financial results and the interest of the new generations, both to practice in various sports and for the audience, to follow these competitions with interest.

I want to share my conclusions about boxing, as this is the sport that is my concern.

Phew! Where to start? As of today, boxing is out of Los Angeles 2028. A titanic task is required, for our sport to be in the Olympic Games in four years. Continue reading “Rescuing Olympic boxing for 2028”

Featherweight prospect Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez (10-0, 6 KOs), the latest power-punching standout from the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy, has signed a long-term promotional contract with Top Rank. Gonzalez picked up his third win of 2024 last Saturday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a third-round TKO over Damian Alcala. His next ring outing will be announced shortly.

“Albert Gonzalez is a ferocious, aggressive puncher, someone I feel is going to be a real force at featherweight and beyond for years to come,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “With Robert Garcia and his team guiding him inside the ring, combined with his natural talent, he has all the tools to become a champion.”

Welterweight Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (17-1-1, 10 KOs) is gearing up for a return to the ring before the end of 2024. Cobbs, who is promoted by the legendary Don King, is coming off the most monumental victory of his career, a 10-round unanimous decision victory against multiple division world champion Adrien Broner.

“I’m ready to fight anyone who dares to step in the ring with me,” said Cobbs. “I’ve proven myself against Broner, and now I’m looking for bigger challenges. I want the top contenders, the world champions, and ultimately, I want to destroy Ryan Garcia when he comes back.” Continue reading “Blair Cobbs Update”

Former WBC and WBO light heavyweight title challenger Tommy Karpency (31-8-1, 19 KOs) won a unanimous decision over rugged cruiserweight Joe Jones (14-12-1, 10 KOs) on Saturday night at Packard Music Hall in Warren, Ohio. Karpency dropped Jones with a straight left / right hook combination in the third round. Jones weathered the storm and had his moments throughout the bout. The win marked Karpency’s 40th professional fight as he plans to compete at light heavyweight. Continue reading “Karpency cruises in 40th fight”