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WBA super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr. and mandatory challenger Aidos Yerbossynuly went face-to-face at the final press conference on Thursday, before they put their unbeaten records on the line live on Showtime this Saturday from The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Aidos Yerbossynuly: “There is nothing about David Morrell Jr. that concerns me. The danger with boxing is that every fighter is coming to hurt you. Every boxer is dangerous. There’s nothing special about him. I think that we are evenly matched fighters but the difference on Saturday night is going to be that I’m the smarter fighter and I want it more…if he’s promising something to his fans, he might have to apologize to them after he loses. I’m definitely coming to stop Morrell in this fight. I trained hard and I’m here to get the belt.”

David Morrell Jr: “100% I’m coming for the knockout. He’s the one that’s asking for it. It’s going to be for my team and for Cuban boxing. You don’t mess with the people of Cuba…I feel bad for Aidos. He has no idea what’s going on and he doesn’t know anything about boxing history. I’m going to teach him on fight night. I’m taking him to school. He has it coming.”

A $50,000 bonus check will be on the line in ProBox TV’s 140 lb. “Last Chance” Tournament Finale taking place tomorrow night at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida (a Tampa suburb). The fight will be streamed live at PROBOXTV.com and the ProBox TV app. The Last Chance Tournament kicked off on May 20 with eight combatants who were chosen based on having a top amateur trajectory, where fate had not been on the side of their once-promising professional careers. The finalists are Kendo Castañeda (19-5, 9 KOs) vs. Antonio “Toño” Moran (28-5-1, 19 KOs).

Antonio Moran: “I think that Castaneda is a fighter who comes forward and is aggressive, so you must box him. He’s going to come in with his same fighting style and he’s going to try and pick me up at close range, but I’ll handle it. In the first four rounds I will look for the knockout, but if I don’t get it, I will outbox him. I’m going to do the fight my way, connecting with quick combinations and moving around the ring.

Kendo Castañeda: “I’m always ready to fight, so I actually do not envision this as my last chance. Moran thinks he will knock me out in five? I think nothing of Moran, esta pendejo, but it will be a Mexican war for as long as it lasts, and I am ready for 32 rounds. Moran will be running into a brick wall and eventually he falls. The referee stops it, or his corner stops it.”

Kendo Castaneda 140 vs. Antonio Moran 140.2
(“Last Chance” Tournament final)

Miguel Madueno 135 vs. Juan Huertas 134.6
Carlos Rosario 133.6 vs. Ezequiel Borrero 136
Dominic Valle 129.2 vs. Jose Antonio Meza 130.4
Daniel Blancas 167.2 vs. Carlos Cruz 164.2

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

By Przemek Garczarczyk

We caught up with WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) before his clash against undefeated Gilberto Ramirez (44-0, 30 KOs) streaming on DAZN Saturday from the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Bivol talks about being cold as ice, always humble, never fulfilled Olympic dreams, why belts are better than money, and why this fight will be about him, not Zurdo.

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Unbeaten WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol faces off against mandatory challenger Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez at today’s final press conference ahead of Saturday night’s clash at the Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi. Bivol is coming off a huge upset win over Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in May, where he retained his 175lb world title via a unanimous decision to make it 20 wins from 20 fights.

Dmitry Bivol: “I really had a big dream to win this belt and I don’t want to leave it. I will fight for this and I want to keep it. I want more…I have been here since September 27th. I feel like I had everything that I needed for training…when people tell me that I have achieved everything it’s like they pour water on my fire. I try to only think about my dream, to realise my full potential. I try to be hungry and angry every time and be focused on training and my opponents. I try to think about how this Saturday night will be the hardest fight of my career. It makes me more focused on the night.”

Zurdo Ramirez: “I really believe that I can become a two-time world champion on Saturday…I’ve been training hard for this fight and I will take the belt this Saturday that’s for sure. 44 tried, 44 fell. I hope that the people enjoy the fight because this is the type of fight that fans like to see in boxing…my goal is to become a two-time world champion, continue to build my legacy and eventually to become a legend.”

They may not be fighting in the ring anytime soon, but rival welterweight champions Terence Crawford and Errol Spence had plenty to say on social media on Wednesday night.

It all stemmed from this video Crawford posted on Instagram…

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View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Terence Bud Crawford (@tbudcrawford)

Promoter Oscar De La Hoya approved of Bud’s comments, tweeting “My respects to @terencecrawford and exposing the Al Hamon circus. I’ve been dealing with this shit for years, I promoted “all” the PBC fighters and its all the same bullshit with them, they are not in charge. I’ll be going live soon to elaborate and expose the truth.”

Serhii Bohachuk 153.3 vs. Aaron Coley 153.8
(WBC Continental Americas super welterweight title)

Callum Walsh 154 vs. Delen Parsley 154
Daniel Barrera 114.8 vs. Isaac Anguiano 113
Omar Cande Trinidad 125.8 vs. Jose Edgardo Garcia 126
David Romero 135.8 vs. Michael De La Cruz 136.6
Gloria Munguilla 114.4 vs. JoAnna Espinoza 113.4
Steven von Euw 152.4 vs. Matthew Reed 152.2

Venue: Quiet Cannon/Montebello Country Club, Montebello, CA
Promoter: 360 Promotions
TV: UFC Fightpass

By Bob Caico

Newhouse Boxing has announced a professional boxing card to take place at the LaCentre Conference and Banquet Center in Westlake, Ohio (located 12 miles west of downtown Cleveland) on Friday, December 16. Headlining will be three of Cleveland’s top boxers: bantamweight Antonio Nieves (20-3-2, 11 KOs), middleweight Michael Moore (19-3, 8 KOs), and super lightweight Mark Davis Jr. (18-1, 5 KOs). Also featured will be rising Top Rank-signed lightweight Abdullah Mason (5-0, 4 KOs). Advance tickets are now on sale. The event will be streamed via BigPlay.com and their social media platforms.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten ex-WBO flyweight champ, puzzling southpaw Junto Nakatani (24-0, 18 KOs), 114.5, decked his first triumph in the super-fly category when he pounded out a unanimous decision (97-92, 98-91, 99-90) over former WBO#3 Francisco Rodriguez Jr. (36-6-1, 25 KOs), 115, Mexico, over ten heats on Tuesday in Saitama, Japan. Continue reading “Nakatani-Rodriguez Full Report”

By Ron Jackson

On November 3, it will be 49 years since Arnold Taylor became only the third South African fighter in history to win a version of a world title.

The first South Africans to hold a version of a world title was Willie Smith who captured the British Version of the world bantamweight title, when on 6 October 1927 he outpointed England’s Teddy Baldock over 15 rounds at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Vic Toweel, who is rated as one of South Africa’s greatest fighters of all time, won the Universal/ undisputed world bantamweight title when there were only eight divisions, on 31 May 1950 after outpointing the 116 fight Mexican/American Manuel Ortiz over 15 rounds at the Wembley Stadium on a historic night in South African boxing.

According to my records, 88 South African fighters have won one or other version of a world title but Vic Toweel is still the only fighter to be recognized as a universal/undisputed world champion. Continue reading “One of the greatest fights in SA boxing history”

WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol during today’s public workout ahead of his fight with Zurdo Ramirez this weekend on DAZN from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

WBC light-flyweight champ Kenshiro Teraji (20-1, 12 KOs), 107.25, impressively unified the 108-pound belts as he controlled the fight from the outset, dropped WBA super champ Hiroto Kyoguchi (16-1, 11 KOs), 107.75, with a solid right in the fifth and finally floored him again en route to a fine stoppage at 2:36 of the seventh round on Tuesday in Saitama, Japan. Some 11,500 spectators were in attendance at the Saitama Super Arena in an adjacent prefecture to Tokyo.

Now it is the internet age when people can watch the same title bout live at the same time all over the world. If so, this local scribe may show the difference of data on this unification bout. Do you know the following? Both Teraji and Kyoguchi were amateur university boxers. Teraji, Kansai university, met Kyoguchi, Osaka University of Commerce, four times with the former victorious three to one in four encounters. Their amateur marks were: Teraji 58-16, 20 stoppages, while Kyoguchi 52-14, 8 stoppages. For your reference, Teraji once faced Naoya Inoue with Monster scoring a third-round stoppage in 2009 (when Teraji, two years his senior, and Inoue were both high school students). Continue reading “Teraji-Kyoguchi Full Report”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Fast-moving Puerto Rican southpaw Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez (27-3-1-1NC, 14 KOs), 108, retained his WBO 108-pound belt as he kept moving to-and-fro all night, countered game Japanese challenger Shokichi Iwata (9-1, 6 KOs) and earned a unanimous decision (117-111, 116-112 twice) on Tuesday over twelve rounds in Saitama, Tokyo, Japan. Judges Pat Russell and Jesse Reyes (US) both tallied 116-112, and Danrex Tapdasan (Philippines) scored 117-111, all in favor of the defending champ. The referee was Raul Caiz Jr. (US). Continue reading “Bomba-Iwata Full Report”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten WBO Asia Pacific lightweight champ, WBO#9 Shuichiro Yoshino (16-0, 12 KOs), 135, impressively kept his regional belt as he withstood the opening attack of WBC#10 six-footer Masayoshi Nakatani (20-3, 14 KOs), 134.5, and finally caught up with him to score a fine KO victory at 1:14 of the sixth round in a scheduled twelve on Tuesday in Saitama, Japan. Continue reading “Yoshino-Nakatani Full Report”

The World Boxing Association (WBA) Championships Committee issued a resolution on Tuesday ordering a fight for the undisputed female featherweight title between Erika Cruz, the WBA champion, and Amanda Serrano, who holds the IBF, WBO and WBC titles.

The committee determined that there is no need for special permissions and that the best will be facing each other in the ring, so it set Serrano as the mandatory challenger to the title held by Cruz. Now they will have a period of 30 days to negotiate the fight and if they do not reach an agreement or any of the parties refuses to do so, the committee could send the fight to auction with a 50% split for each of the champions.

On the other hand, the winner of the fight will have 12 months to make her next mandatory defense. The resolution issued this Tuesday leaves without effect any previous resolution.

By Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán & President of the WBC

This past Sunday, Mexican Formula 1 Super Star, Sergio “Checo” Pérez, added another great achievement to his career as he made the podium with third place in the Mexico City Grand Prix. Checo already has 25 podium places in his career in the highest category of motorsports.

Checo Perez is a phenomenon. He is just wonderful. Mexico has always found in sports an outlet to feel pride; Hugo Sánchez and his glories at Real Madrid; Fernando Valenzuela and his feats in the Dodgers, and Julio Cesar Chavez, who always crowded the Angel of Independence when he fought, as thousands of people would gather around the monument to celebrate his victories.

Today Saúl Álvarez, Julio Urías and Checo are the ones who move the passion and glory, among other great stars of Mexico. Continue reading “Mexico lives a historic moment”

Showtime Boxing will stream three undercard bouts live on their YouTube channel and Facebook page this Saturday from The Armory in Minneapolis preceding its Showtime Championship Boxing telecast headlined by WBA super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr. against unbeaten mandatory challenger Aidos Yerbossynuly.

The streaming bouts feature longtime contender Andre Dirrell (28-3, 18 KOs) in a 10-round light heavyweight clash against Yunieski Gonzalez (21-4, 17 KOs). The action also includes former unified world champion Julian “J-Rock” Williams (27-3-1, 16 KOs) taking on Rolando Mansilla (18-11-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-round middleweight affair, plus unbeaten super lightweights Kent Cruz (16-0-2, 10 KOs) and Enriko Gogokhia (13-0-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-round rematch of their split-draw in February.

Unbeaten IBF #7, WBO #11, WBA #12 heavyweight Agit Kabayel (22-0, 14 KOs) will headline a January SES boxing card at the RuhrCongress Hall in his hometown of Bochum, Germany. Kabayel’s opponent and the rest of the card is TBA. Tickets go on sale soon.

Agit Kabayel: “I’m really impatient now and I’m really looking forward to this home game. I can promise my people in the Ruhr area a great start to the year with an exciting evening of great boxing!”

By Joe Koizumi

WBC light-flyweight champ Kenshiro Teraji (20-1, 12 KOs), 107.25, impressively unified the 108-pound belts as he controlled the fight from the outset, dropped WBA super champ Hiroto Kyoguchi (16-1, 11 KOs), 107.75, with an overhand right in the fifth and finally floored him again en route to a fine stoppage at 2:36 of the seventh round on Tuesday in Saitama, Japan.

(More to come)

By Joe Koizumi

Fast-moving Puerto Rican southpaw Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez (27-3-1-1NC, 14 KOs), 108, kept his WBO 108-pound belt as he kept moving to-and-fro all night, countered previously unbeaten Japanese challenger Shokichi Iwata (9-1, 6 KOs), 107.75, and earned a unanimous decision (117-111, 116-112 twice) on Tuesday over twelve rounds in Saitama, Tokyo, Japan.

(More to come)

Having recently renounced his WBO flyweight belt, unbeaten Junto Nakatani (24-0, 18 KOs) took a ten round unanimous decision over ex-minimumweight ruler Francisco Rodriguez (36-6-1, 25 KOs) in his first super-fly bout.

Unbeaten WBO Asia Pacific lightweight titlist Shuichiro Yoshino (16-0, 12 KOs) retained his regional belt against elongated ex-OPBF ruler Masayoshi Nakatani (20-3, 14 KOs) via sixth round KO. Nakatani down in rounds five and six

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

The weigh-in results of tomorrow’s quadruple event in Japan are as follows:

WBC/WBA 108lb unification bout
Kenshiro Teraji 107.25
Hiroto Kyoguchi 107.75

WBO 108lb title bout
Jonathan Bomba Gonzalez 108
Shokichi Iwata 107.75

Junto Nakatani 114.5 vs. Francisco Rodriguez Jr. 115

WBO Asia Pacific 135lb title bout
Shuichiro Yoshino 135 vs. Masayoshi Nakatani 134.5

The officials are as follows:
For the WBC/WBA unification bout
Referee Michiaki Someya; Judges Yuji Fukuchi, Nobuto Ikehara, Kazunobu Asao (all of Japan)

For the WBO title bout
Referee Raul Caiz Jr. (US); Judges Pat Russell (US), Danrex Tapudasan, Jesse Reyes (both Philippines)

Promoter: Teiken Promotions.

More photos

By Ron Jackson

South Africa’s Nhlanhla ‘Mount Kilimanjaro’ Tyirha completely dominated Filipino Orlie Rojas Silvestre over 12 rounds to claim the vacant International Boxing Federation junior flyweight title at the International Convention Centre in East London on Sunday afternoon. The 23-year-old South African from Mdantsane who fights from the southpaw stance took control from the opening round as he used his educated right jab to pile up the points. This was the pattern throughout the fight, and it was difficult to find a round where Silvestre could have shaded it.

This is the fourth Filipino in a row that Tyirha has beaten as he added the IBF title to his WBO Global and South African light flyweight titles. Tyirha improved his record to 8-1, 2 KOs, and the 28-year-old Silvestre’s record dropped to 17-7-2, 9 KOs. Continue reading “Tyirha wins IBF Intercontinental jr fly title”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

A press conference of the forthcoming quadruple event took place on Sunday with all the participants attending in Tokyo, Japan. The headliners were WBC 108-pound champion Kenshiro Teraji (19-1, 11 KOs) and WBA super champ Hiroto Kyoguchi (16-1, 11 KOs), both of Japan, who will square off for unification at the Saitama Super Arena on Tuesday. The boyish-looking Kenshiro, 30, said, “If victorious, I wish to fight the WBO champion to unify three belts.” The unbeaten hard-puncher Kyoguchi, 28, said, “I wish to prove I’ll be physically and biologically superior to Teraji, and will concentrate on this fight.”

The WBO junior flyweight defending titleholder Jonathan Gonzalez (26-3-1-1NC, 14 KOs), Puerto Rico, confidently said, “It’s hard to beat and dethrone me.” His Japanese challenger Shokichi Iwata (9-0, 6 KOs) said, “He will move well, but I’d like to catch up with him and finish him.” Continue reading “Press Conference for Quadruple Event in Japan”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Unbeaten Australian heavyweight Justis Huni (6-0, 4 KOs) has been accused of being “a hype job” ahead of Friday’s bout against Kiki Toa Leutele (8-1-2, 7 KOs) at the Nissan Arena, Nathan, Queensland, Australia, televised on Foxtel Main Event Pay-Per-View.

It was recently reported that Huni had punished American sparring partners, but that didn’t impress Isaac Peach, the trainer of Leutele. “Who gives a shit?” Peach told Wide World of Sports. “Jerome Pampellone (fighter in Peach stable) went to Australia to spar Jai Opetaia and broke his rib, but (Huni promoter) Dean (Lonergan) doesn’t want to talk about that does he? Everything they say is full of shit. Continue reading “Trainer: Huni is a hype job”