Fightnews.com

By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® caught up with former world champion Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson as he discussed being avoided by the likes of Michael Carbajal, Manny Pacquiao and Johnny Tapia in his Hall of Fame career. “Too Sharp” talked about Estrada-Chocolatito 3 and how he would have fared in today’s boxing. He also gave his thoughts on the great, young talent of Shakur, Tank, Devin, Kingry and Teofimo, who he likes in Tank vs. Kingry, and much more in this exclusive interview.

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By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Three-time world champion Lovemore Ndou was awarded the Professional Excellency Award in recognition for outstanding all-round performance as an African-Australian in the state of New South Wales at the Ashfield Leagues Club in Sydney on Saturday.

“I’m honored to receive the award. It means my good work is not in vain. It is recognized. I thank my family and my good friends for their continued support.” Ndou told Fightnews.com®.

“I thank God for good health and giving me strength to continue fighting the good fight. I look forward to my big fight in the near future in South Africa in the fight against corruption and building a better South Africa for all.”

World ranked unbeaten mínimumweight Huu Toan Le (6-0, 3 KOs) of Vietnam is rapidly climbing up the world rankings. He is currently ranked #9 by the WBA and could move further up the rankings following his recent win on November 30th over Filipino Jake Amparo where he claimed the WBA Asia Minimum title. Le spoke with Fightnews.com® about his plans for 2023 and making boxing history for Vietnam.

What was the extent of your amateur career?

For amateur boxing, I am now competing in national boxing competitions. I have been the national gold medalist for two consecutive years.

How would you describe your style of fighting?

My style is more about pressing, I am always actively trying to get close to to put pressure on my opponents. Continue reading “Huu Toan Le seeks history for Vietnam”

Photos: Sumio Yamada

Check out this GIANT Estrada-Chocolatito photo gallery for some incredible shots. Also includes shots from Martinez-Carmona and Pachecho-Luna.

Photos

Former NFL star Frank Gore (2-0, 1 KO) scored a first round TKO against Joshua Romero (0-3) in a heavyweight clash on Saturday night at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas. The former 49er running back connected with some huge shots prompting a referee’s stoppage. The 39-year-old Gore won his pro boxing debut in May after getting his feet wet in an exhibition fight on a Jake Paul undercard last year.

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) won his legendary trilogy against Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (51-4, 41 KOs), taking a twelve round majority decision in a clash for the WBC super flyweight title on Saturday night at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Estrada effectively used his mobility and repeatedly connected with combinations early on. The tide started to change midway as Chocolatito picked up the pace. Estrada won the last round to clinch it. Scores were 114-114, 116-112, 115-113.

WBC flyweight champion Julio Cesar “El Rey” Martinez (18-2, 14 KOs) retained his title with a twelve round majority decision over 2016 Olympian Samuel Carmona (8-0, 6 KOs) on Saturday night at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Carmona got off to a good start but then hurt his right hand and spent much of the second half of the fight on his bicycle. Martinez stalked but wasn’t particularly effective either. In the end, scores were 114-114, 117-111, 116-112.

Unbeaten WBO #12 super middleweight Diego Pacheco (17-0, 14 KOs) scored a spectacular second round TKO against Adrian Luna (24-9-2, 16 KOs) on Saturday night at the Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona. Pacheco dropped Luna twice in round two, prompting Luna’s corner to request a stoppage. Time was 2:08. Pacheco retained his WBC USNBC title.

In a war, former world champion and WBC #5, WBA #9 ranked flyweight Cristofer Rosales (35-6, 21 KOs) outworked previously unbeaten IBF #3, WBC #11 flyweight Joselito Velazquez (15-1-1, 10 KOs) over ten rounds. Rosales’ experience made the difference en route to a 97-93 3x win.

Unbeaten WBA #5 middleweight Austin “Ammo” Williams (13-0, 9 KOs) outpointed previously unbeaten Simon Madsen (13-1, 10 KOs) over ten rounds. Pretty one-sided fight. Madsen was deducted a point in round nine for throwing an elbow. Scores were 99-90 3x.

Unbeaten super featherweight Marc Castro (9-0, 6 KOs) hammered out an eight round unanimous decision over Maickol Lopez (16-4, 8 KOs). Scores were 80-71 3x. Castro forced Lopez to take a knee in round seven.

Unbeaten super bantamweight Anthony Herrera (4-0-1, 3 KOs) halted previously unbeaten Christian Sullivan (8-1, 5 KOs) in round three. Herrera dropped Sullivan in round three and got the stoppage moments later. Time was 1:41.

Female super featherweight Beatriz Ferreira (2-0, 1 KO) scored a second round stoppage against Carisse Brown (7-3, 4 KOs)

WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) made it 3-0 against Derek Chisora (33-13, 23 KOs), winning by tenth round TKO on Saturday night before 60,000 shivering boxing fans at the outdoor Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Fury began punishing Chisora in round two and battered him some more in round three. Fury then eased up, content to outbox Chisora the rest of the way. Chisora was running on fumes by round eight as he continued to eat shots. Referee Victor Loughlin finally waved it off in round ten. Time was 2:51.

WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk took in the action from ringside, seated next to top contender Joe Joyce. After the fight, the pair came up to the ring ropes. After Fury verbally abused Usyk, he told Joyce he’d fight him if the Usyk fight can’t be made. He also teased a fourth fight against Deontay Wilder.

Fury added that he has injuries to his right hand and right elbow that may require surgery.

WBA regular heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois (19-1, 18 KOs) came back from the dead to stop Kevin Lerena (28-2, 14 KOs) in round three on Saturday night in the Fury-Chisora co-feature at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Lerena surprisingly dropped 16:1 Dubois three times in round one and Dubois was saved by the bell! Then Lerena inexplicably took his foot off the gas pedal in round two, letting Dubois clear his head. Dubois took full advantage of that courtesy and turned the tables in round three. He dropped Lerena and then savagely smashed him into the ropes at the bell. The ropes held up Lerena and a count started, but referee Howard Foster waved it off.

The bell actually rang nine seconds early in round one helping Dubois. Conversely, Lerena was on his feet after the bell rang in round three, but wasn’t given the minute between rounds to recover.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London:

Unbeaten 2012 Olympian Denys Berinchyk (17-0, 9 KOs) dethroned 37-year-old European lightweight champion Yvan Mendy (47-6-1, 22 KOs) by workmanlike twelve round unanimous decision. Unremarkable fight. Scores were 117-112, 116-112, 116-112.

Unbeaten light heavyweight Karol Itauma (9-0, 7 KOs) got a referee’s stoppage against Vladimir Belujsky (12-6-1, 8 KOs) in round eight.

Other Results:
Royston Barney Smith TKO1 Cruz Perez (lightweight)
Hosea Burton W6 Reinis Porozovs (cruiserweight)
Isaac Lowe W6 Sandeep Singh Bhatti (super featherweight)

David Stevens 172.8 vs. Christopher Brooker 167.5
Brendan O’Callaghan 155.4 vs. Antonio Allen 149.6
Najeem Johns 139.2 vs. Anthony Young 144.2
Jalique Holden 131.1 vs. Nathan Benichou 134.9
Erron Peterson 160.4 vs. Dewayne Williams 159.4
Jayon Timmin 118 vs. Juan Gutierrez 117.4
Romelle Terrelle 221.1 vs. Jerome Aiken 218.4

Venue: Grand Yesha Ballroom
Promoter: RDR Promotions
TV: $19.99 PPV (bxngtv.com)
1st Bell: 7 PM ET

Former world title challenger Ryan Rozicki (16-1, 14 KOs) of Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada thrilled his hometown fans with a first round knockout of late sub Mario Aguilar (22-9, 18 KOs) of Mexico. The main event took place in Rozicki´s native Nova Scotia, Canada at the Centre 200. Roziki dropped Aguilar three times in route to the stoppage victory. It was the first time Aguilar had been stopped in the opening stanza. Continue reading “Rozicki blows out Aguilar in one”

The ten round main event at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta, Georgia, saw super welterweight Derrieck “Pretty Boy” Cuevas (24-1-1, 16 KOs) of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico stop Esneiker “La Maravilla” Correa (15-3-1, 13 KOs) of Venezuela in round two. Cuevas dropped Correa twice in round two. Correa was on unsteady legs after the second knockdown and the referee immediately waved off the bout at 2:55 seconds. Cuevas won the vacant WBA FEDECENTRO title.

The co-main event saw WBA #13 ranked NABA lightweight champion Chann Thonson (13-0, 10 KOs) made the first defense of his belt, stopping challenger Aelio “Biro” Mesquita (21-9-1, 19 KOs) of Sao Paulo, Brazil in the second round. It was an impressive performance by Thonson who unleashed a vicious nonstop body attack on Mesquita. He dropped Mesquita three times in round two. Mesquita valiently beat the count all three times but the referee rightfully stopped the bout at 2:43 after the final knockdown. Continue reading “Cuevas, Thonson obliterate foes”

In a clash between unbeaten world-rated cruiserweights, WBO #6 David “Great White” Light (20-0, 12 KOs) survived a tenth round knockdown to claim a ten round split decision over WBO #7 Brandon “Bulletproof” Glanton (17-1, 14 KOs) on Friday night at the White Sands Events Center in Plant City, Florida. The first nine rounds were close and could have been fought in a phone booth. In round ten, Glanton dropped Light and battered him for the rest of the fight. In the end, however, judges saw it 95-94 for Glanton, and 95-94, 97-92 for Light. Light claimed the WBO International title. Continue reading “Light dropped late, but edges Glanton”

By Joe Koizumi

Yoshikawa follows manager Yoshikawa’s footstep

In a WBO Asia Pacific 105-pound title bout for the vacant championship, Japan’s Riyuna Yoshikawa (5-1-1, 1 KO), 104.75, acquired the belt as she made best use of footwork and outhustled WBC#3 veteran Filipino Norj Guro (12-8-1, 4 KOs), 105, winning a unanimous decision (all 78-74) over eight hot rounds in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, last Sunday (November 27). Riyuna is handled by manager ex-two-time world champ Nana Yoshikawa (no relation to her) and her husband/promoter Shinji Nogami. She is Diamante Promotions’ first champion that the couple has ever produced with their fruitful collaboration.

Koshikawa fails to appear at the weigh-in

On the same day (November 27), there happened an unexpected fiasco in Osaka, Japan. The main event was a Japanese super welter eliminator to decide the next mandatory challenger to the national belt between JBC#1 Rei Nakajima and #2 former three-time title challenger Koki Koshikawa, but Koki didn’t appear at the official weigh-in to have it abruptly cancelled. Instead, the slated semi-final became the main attraction, where former world champ Ryo Miyazaki, 115, was held to a surprising draw with Toma Kondo, 115, over eight. The JBC will severely punish Koshikawa for his negligence of the weigh-in regardless of any reason.

2016 Olympian Josh “Pretty Boy” Kelly (13-1-1, 7 KOs) scored a one-sided twelve round unanimous decision to dethrone previously unbeaten British super welterweight champion Troy Williamson (19-1-1, 14 KOs) on Friday night at the Newcastle Arena in Newcastle, England. Kelly in command all the way en route to a 118-110, 119-109, 119-111 verdict.

Former WBO #1 light heavyweight “King” Lyndon Arthur (21-1, 14 KOs) got a referee’s stoppage in round two against “El Toro” Joel McIntyre (20-5, 5 KOs). Arthur couldn’t miss with the right hand.

In a walk-out rematch, heavyweight Franklin Ignatius (5-0-1, 1 KO) outpointed 320-pound Hosea Stewart (2-1-1, 0 KOs) over six round rounds. The referee’s score was 58-56. They battled to a draw back in July.

Juan Francisco Estrada 115 vs. Roman Gonzalez 114.7
(WBC super flyweight title)

Julio Cesar Martinez 111 vs. Samuel Carmona 111.4
(WBC flyweight title)

Venue: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Promoter: Matchroom
TV: DAZN

Tyson Fury 268.75 vs. Derek Chisora 260.75
(WBC heavyweight title)

Daniel Dubois 240.25 vs. Kevin Lerena 231
(WBA “regular” heavyweight title)

Yvan Mendy 134.6 vs. Denys Berinchyk 134.75
(European Lightweight title)

Karol Itauma 177.1 vs. Vladimir Belujsky 176.6
Royston Barney Smith 133.8 vs. Cruz Perez 132.25

Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Promoter: Top Rank, Queensberry
TV: ESPN+ (USA), PPV (UK)

Former world-ranked contender Bryan De Gracia (28-2-1, 24 KOs) of David, Panama, takes on local favorite Manuel Felipe Gonzalez (11-3, 11 KOs) of San Pelayo, Colombia, on December 17 in an eight round featherweight bout in the highly popular beach tourist city of Santa Marta, Colombia. De Gracia last fought in Medellin, Colombia, this past August, impressively stopping Venezuelan veteran Jose Alfaro by third round TKO. The hard-punching southpaw Gonzalez has a 100% knockout percentage and fought ten hard rounds in his last bout, dropping a decisión to an unbeaten prospect.

The most active promoter in all of Texas, Team Morones Boxing, is having a show this Saturday at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas. Former NFL star Frank Gore (1-0) is headlining the event against Joshua Romero (0-2) in a four round heavyweight clash. The 39-year-old former 49er running back won his pro boxing debut in May after getting his feet wet in an exhibition fight on a Jake Paul undercard last year. Continue reading “Frank Gore returns Saturday”

Heavyweight Kaleel Carter (4-2, 3 KOs) knocked out previously unbeaten Ricky Frausto (7-1, 1 KO) in round three on Thursday night in the Fight Club OC main event inside the Hangar at the OC Fair & Events Center in Costa Mesa, California. Frausto started off with movement and snapping punches, as Carter seemed content to wait and land counter shots. It seemed like it would be a boxing match all the way until Carter exploded with a series of combinations knocking Frausto down and out.

Other Results:
Tayden Beltran TKO1 Trenton Gibson (super featherweight)
Antonio Garcia TKO3 Josias Gonzalez (super welterweight)

Englebrecht Promotions & Events sold out every single Fight Club OC show (1500 in attendance) in 2022.

Chann Thonson 135.1 vs. Aelio Mesquita 138.9
Derrieck “Pretty Boy” Cuevas 152.3 vs. Esneiker Correa 146.9
Trevor Thonson 136.5 vs. Sebastian Chaves 136
Justin Goodson 125 vs. Weusi Johnson 126
Roddricus Livsey 154.3 vs. Jorge Munguia 154.3
Darrin Austin 176.3 vs. Tavorus Teague 170.5
Antonio Todd 165.3 vs. Larry Smith 160.2

Venue: Georgia International Convention Center, Atlanta, Georgia
Promoter: Boswell Promotions/Tuto Zabala/All Star Boxing
TV: ESPN Knockout (Latin America)

Weights from Nova Scotia

Former world title challenger Allan Greene pulled out of Friday’s clash with cruiserweight contender Ryan Rozicki, citing a hand injury suffered in sparring. Mario Aguilar (22-8, 18 KOs) steps in on short notice.

Ryan Rozicki 204.6 vs. Mario Aguilar 212.4
Antonio Napolitano 164.6 vs. Tonathiu Mendez 168
John Blanco 167.6 vs. Victor Flores 164
Derek Kuchmey 174.2 vs. Osvaldo Martinez 169.4
Brett Beaton 159 vs. Jon Johnson 158.8
Reda Benbaziz 135 vs. Luis Ramirez 135.8

Venue: Centre 200, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
Promoter: Daniel Otter (Three Lions Promotions)

Brandon Glanton 200 vs David Light 198.8
(WBO Global jr heavyweight title)

Marques Valle 153.6 vs. Luis Sanchez 153.4
Jusiyah Shirley 140 vs. Mohamed Soumaoro 140
Kelvin Davis 143 vs. Jalen Hill 140.8
Jaycob Gomez 131 vs. Juan Lopez 131
Jan Paul Rivera 126 vs. Miguel Carrizo 125.6

Venue: ProBox Event Center, Plant City, Florida
Promoter: ProBox
TV: ProBox TV