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By Rocky Morales at ringside

In a minor upset, Edward Vasquez (13-1, 3KO) edged a split decision victory over Viktor Slavinskyi (13-2-1, 6KO). The two fighters were very evenly matched but Vazquez seemed to beat Slavinskyi to the punch on many occasions. There were no knockdowns in the bout. Judges score the bout 74-78, 77-75 and 79-73 in favor of Vasquez in the eight round featherweight contest.

20-year-old, 5’9” Gabriela Fundora (9-0, 5KO) put on a boxing clinic to win a clear-cut unanimous decision victory over tough but outmatched Naomi Reyes (9-2, 5KO) in a ten round flyweight bout. It was already the sixth win of 2022 for the busy Fundora who is making her way up the ranks to a world title bout. There were no knockdowns in the bout and judges scored it 99-91, 98-92 and 99-91, all in favor of Fundora.

Eumir Marcial, Zamboanga City, Phillipines, (3-0, 2KO) was the unanimous decision winner over local fighter, Steven Pichardo (8-3-1, 2KO) from nearby Gardena, California. Marcial was badly cut by an accidental headbutt in the second round and was a bloody mess for the remainder of the six round middleweight bout. Judges scored it unanimously 60-54 in favor of Marcial in what appeared to be a much more evenly contested fight.

In opening bout action from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, hometown fighter Brandon Lynch (12-1-1, 9KO) stopped outclassed his Argentinian opponent Roque Junco (11-13-1, 6KO) by third round stoppage. Junco was down in the first round but was able to continue only to get stopped two rounds later in a scheduled six round super welterweight bout.

Elijah Garcia (12-0, 10KO) bludgeoned Edgar Valenzuela (7-2, 6KO), stopping him in the first round of a scheduled six round middleweight bout.

Angel Rebollar (6-1, 3KO) scored the upset over formerly unbeaten Justin Cardona (8-1, 4KO) in a competitive lightweight battle that went the six round distance. Judges saw the bout 57-57, 59-55 and 58-56 in favor of Rebollar who gets the hard fought and well earned victory.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Former world title challenger Dennis Hogan (31-4-1, 7 KOs) claimed the IBO super welterweight title via twelve round majority decision over reigning beltholder Sam Eggington (32-8, 18 KOs) on Saturday night at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre Broadmeadow, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Scores were 114-114, and 116-112, 116-112 for the busier Hogan, whom you might recall dropping back-to-back world title bouts against Jaime Munguia and Jermall Charlo in 2019.

Super welterweight Nikita Tszyu (4-0, 3 KOs) battered previously unbeaten Darkon Dryden (4-1, 4 KOs) for three rounds and got the TKO win when Dryden didn’t come out for round four. Nikita Tszyu

WBO #6, IBF #12 cruiserweight David Light (19-0, 12 KOs) took out Vikas Singh (11-4-1, 6 KOs) with a body shot in round two.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Former WBA heavyweight champion Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne showed his disgust that a proposed WBA title bout in November with current regular champ Daniel Dubois has been shut down by the British Boxing Board of Control.

“So here I am, finally getting great news about possibly fighting,” Browne said in a video he posted on social media. “I’ve agreed. Daniel wants the fight. Fighting for a WBA title again. Finally getting a chance to fight for the WBA ‘regular’ title. All I hear now is that the British Boxing Board of Control won’t sanction the fight because I’m too old. Continue reading “Browne says BBBofC kayoed Dubois fight”

Philadelphia heavyweight Joey “Tank” Dawejko (23-10-4, 13 KOs) scored a six round unanimous decision against Terrell Jamal Woods (28-54-9, 20 KOs) on Friday night at Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Competitive fight with the hometown fighter getting the nod. Scores were 59-55, 58-56, 59-55. Two wins in two months for the rejuvenated Dawejko.

In a surprise, featherweight Brandon “Leoncito” Benitez (19-2, 7 KOs) spoiled the comeback of former WBA featherweight champion Xu “Monster” Can (18-4, 3 KOs) by taking a ten round split decision on Friday night at the ProBox TV Event Center in Plant City, Florida. In his first bout since losing his world title to Leigh Wood, Can was simply outworked by Benitez. Scores were 96-94, 96-94 for Benitez, 97-93 for Can.

Middleweight Kanat Islam (29-1, 22 KOs) rebounded from his first loss to win an eight round unanimous decision over Javier Maciel (34-17, 23 KOs). The 38-year-old Islam dominated the fight and dropped Maciel with 30 seconds left in the contest. Scores were 80-71 3x.

Unbeaten middleweight prospect Darrelle Valsaint (6-0, 5 KOs) impressively knocked out Paul Mendez (21-4-2, 11 KOs) in round two. Mendez down twice in round two. Time was 2:28.

Unbeaten junior welterweight Cesar “Rainman” Francis (12-0, 7 KOs) brutally knocked out Francisco Armenta (12-2, 4 KOs) with a perfect uppercut at :29 of round two.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Dennis Hogan. 153.13 vs. Sam Eggington 153.26
(IBO super welterweight title)

Nikita Tszyu 153.52 vs. Darkon Dryden 153.57
(WBO Oriental super bantamweight title)
Sam Goodman 121.87 vs. Jason Cooper 121.51
Vikas Singh 199.65 vs. David Light. 198.59
(IBO International super lightweight title)
Blake Minto 138.53 vs. Darragh Foley 139.9
Cody Beekin 159.74 vs. Lachlan Higgins 160

Venue: Newcastle Entertainment Centre Broadmeadow, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
Promoter: Matt and George Rose No Limit
TV: Foxtel Main Event and KayoSport

IBO Supervisor: Justin Kennedy
WBO Supervisor: Danny Leigh

Lou DiBella (DiBella Entertainment) and Dan Otter (Three Lions Promotions) have signed Canada-based Ukrainian light heavyweight prospect Artur “The Crimean Lion” Ziyatdinov (14-1, 11 KOs) to a co-promotional agreement. Ziyatdinov is a pupil of the Crimean Boxing Academy named after Sergey Lapin. Current unbeaten unified heavyweight champion of the world Oleksandr Usyk also graduated from the Academy. Continue reading “DiBella, Three Lions ink Ziyatdinov”

Unbeaten super middleweight Isaiah Steen (16-0, 12 KOs) will take Sena Agbeko (26-2, 21 KOs) in the new ShoBox main event on October 21 live from Bally’s Atlantic City Casino and Resort. Steen-Agbeko was booked after light heavyweight prospect Ali Izmailov withdrew from his scheduled main event with Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic citing health reasons. Both Steen and Agbeko are ShoBox alumni.

Sebastian Fundora 153.5 vs. Carlos Ocampo 153.5
(WBC interim super welterweight title)

Carlos Adames 159.25 vs. Juan Macias Montiel 160
(WBC interim super welterweight title)

Fernando Martinez 114.75 vs. Jerwin Ancajas 114.75
(IBF junior bantamweight title)

Egidijus Kavaliauskas 147 vs. Mykal Fox 145.75
Victor Slavinksyi 126.5 vs. Edward Vazquez 129.5
Gabriela Fundora 111.25 vs. Naomi Reyes 111.5

Venue: Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California
Promoter: TGB Promotions
TV: Showtime, YouTube

Can Xu 125.6 vs. Brandon Benitez 126.2
Cesar Francis 147 vs. Francisco Armenta 140
Darrelle Valsaint 162 vs. Paul Mendez 160.8
Kanat Islam 162.6 vs. Javier Maciel 166.8

Venue: Whitesands Events Center, Plant City, Florida
Promoter: ProBox
TV: ProBoxTV.com

Joey Dawejko 256.6 vs. Terrell Jamal Woods 242
Kevin Ford 124.4 vs. D’Angelo Fuentes 126.6
Daiyann Butt 143.3 vs. Juan De La Cruz Rodriguez 144
Brendan O’Callaghan 155.9 – Jeremiah Kendrick 156.2
Soslan Alborov 153.5 vs. Salfeddine Mezzi 153.5
Boris Nde 140.5 vs. Hakim Smith 139.9
Aaron Newmones 146.8 vs. Jahqwon Humbert 146.6

Venue: Parx Casino, Bensalem, Pennsylvania
Promoter: Joe Hand Promotions
1st Bell: 7 PM ET

Unbeaten WBC interim super welterweight champion Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora promised to deliver another memorable night of action at Thursday’s final press conference before he defends his green belt against former title challenger Carlos Ocampo live on Showtime this Saturday from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

Sebastian Fundora: “Ocampo might come into this fight to display his boxing skills, or he might come on the inside looking to exchange. I’m confident in my corner and how we prepared and it’s going to show in the ring.”

Carlos Ocampo: “I’m going to lean on my preparation and training. I’m strong just like Sebastian is. I’m going to have to stick to my training and the results will come with that.”

Thursday’s press conference also featured middleweight Juan Macias Montiel, who squares off against Carlos Adames for the WBC interim 160lb title in the co-main event. Adames was not present at the press conference.

Juan Macias Montiel: “I’m only focused on this fight. A rematch with Jermall Charlo is of course what I want, but I can’t get there unless I win spectacularly in this fight. Saturday night is my time to prove myself.”

Opening the Showtime telecast, IBF junior bantamweight champion Fernando Martinez and former world champion Jerwin Ancajas meet in a rematch.

Fernando Martinez: “I’m very motivated for this fight, as much or more than the first time we fought. We’re familiar with each other now, but I’m not taking anything for granted.”

Jerwin Ancajas: “I was not in as good of shape in our last fight. I fought toe-to-toe because my legs were cramping in the fight. Now we’ve prepared for what he does in the ring and we’ll be ready to reclaim our belt….I can’t wait to get in the ring. Winning my title back is all I’ve been thinking about since we first fought. I know I have what it takes and I’m going to prove it on Saturday night.”

Another fight has been added to the Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva PPV card on October 29 at the Desert Diamond Arena (formerly Gila River Arena) in Glendale, Arizona. Former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell will face MMA fighter Uriah Hall in a four-round cruiserweight bout contracted at 195 pounds.

Three fights will stream live on the Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Showtime Facebook page this Saturday from the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. Welterweight contenders Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas (22-2-1, 18 KOs) and Mykal Fox (22-3, 5 KOs) square off in a 10-round bout. Featherweights Viktor Slavinskyi (13-1-1, 6 KOs) and Edward Vazquez (12-1, 3 KOs) meet in an eight-rounder, while unbeaten female flyweight Gabriela Fundora (8-0, 4 KOs), the younger sister of Sebastian Fundora, kicks off the show battling Mexico’s Naomi Reyes (9-1, 5 KOs) in a 10-round fight.

These bouts will lead into the Showtime Championship Boxing tripleheader featuring WBC interim super welterweight champion Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora defending his belt against former title challenger Carlos Ocampo in the main event.

Saturday’s DAZN clash between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn is now off after lawyers failed to get a court injunction to allow the fight despite the prohibition of the British Boxing Board of Control. The BBBofC pulled the plug after Benn tested positive for a trace amount of a banned women’s fertility drug.

Matchroom/Wasserman Statement: After discussions with various parties, we have taken the decision to formally postpone the bout between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn.

It is undeniable that the British Boxing Board of Control’s decision to withdraw their sanctioning was procedurally flawed and without due process. That remains a legal issue between the promoters and the Board which we intend to pursue.

However, whilst there are legal routes to facilitate the fight taking place as planned, we do not believe that it is in the fighters’ interests for those to be pursued at such a late stage, or in the wider interests of the sport. As promoters, we take our obligations and duties very seriously, and a full investigation will now need to take place. We will be making no further comment at this time and news for ticket holder refunds will follow.

Still no final decision on the Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn fight that has been “prohibited” by the Brutish Boxing Board of Control. The final press conference is scheduled to go on later today.

If the event does go on as scheduled, promoter Eddie Hearn says it will be with the BBBofC’s blessing. “Let’s see what today brings but to make one thing clear, I will not be promoting this fight with a foreign commission or alternative governing body on Saturday night,” stated Hearn on social media.

The World Boxing Association (WBA) Championships Committee ordered the final featherweight eliminator fight between #1 rated Thomas Patrick Ward and #2 Otabek Kholmatov to determine the mandatory challenger in the 126-pound division. The WBA gave a 30-day negotiation period, which will begin on October 5 and end on November 4. The split will be 50% for each of the fighters according to the rules. If the fighters do not reach an agreement or any of the parties refuses to do so, the WBA may send the fight to a bidding process.

Former super middleweight world champions Caleb “Sweethands” Plant and Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell shared insights into their respective training camps and more during a virtual press conference Wednesday ahead of their upcoming WBC super middleweight title eliminator on Saturday, October 15 in the co-main event of the Wilder-Helenius pay-per-view from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Caleb Plant: “I’m going to put a vicious whooping on him on October 15. I’m going to teach him a life lesson when we get into the ring. He’s retiring after this. He’s done. I’m going to beat him in such a way that he won’t want to be a part of this anymore.”

Anthony Dirrell: “He’s just one of those guys that I want to really f**k up. That’s the task at hand, get in there and f**k him up.”

More Quotes

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy “El Tren” Ramirez, the southpaw fighting pride of Cienfuegos, Cuba, is on the precipice of a featherweight title shot. In order to earn that opportunity, Ramirez (10-1, 6 KOs) will have to take care of business against former world champion Jessie Magdaleno (29-1, 18 KOs) in a 10-rounder Saturday, Oct. 29 at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Ramirez-Magdaleno is the co-feature to the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Jamaine Ortiz main event, streaming live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+.

WBA regular super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr. returns to his adopted hometown of Minneapolis on Saturday, November 5, to headline a Showtime-televised card from The Armory. Morrell (7-0, 6 KOs) will defend his world title against unbeaten WBA #1 contender Aidos Yerbossynuly (16-0, 11 KOs).

Welterweight Alexis “Lex” Rocha (20-1, 13 KOs) will return to the ring as the co-feature to Saturday on October 29’s 12-round main event match between former IBF super featherweight champion Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jr. (32-2-1, 15 KOs) and undefeated lightweight William “El Camarón” Zepeda (26-0, 23 KOs). Rocha will defend his NABO welterweight title against Jesus “Ricky” Perez (24-3, 18 KOs) in a 10-round fight to be broadcast worldwide on DAZN and live from the Pechanga Arena San Diego.

Alexis Rocha: “All I care about is stepping into the ring and knocking out my opponents. That is my mindset. As long as I keep knocking opponents out, knocking them down, making them quit, or breaking them down, my opportunities will come and eventually none of the top names will be able to ignore me. That is my mission and that is all I care about. I’m coming for every top fighter.”

Jesus Perez: “This is a great opportunity for me. I know the odds are stacked against me, but I will be more than ready on Oct. 29! Let’s hope my opponent is as well so we can give the fans a show.”

Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall have an added incentive to be victorious on October 15. The winner will claim the new WBC ‘Elizabethan Belt.’ The belt is a tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II after the original fight date was postponed due to a 10-day period of national mourning for the late British monarch following her passing two days before the initial September 10 event at The O2 in London, England.

WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán said, “Queen Elizabeth II will live forever in our hearts and minds. The boxing world unites to render homage to one of the greatest human beings that ever lived, here where boxing was born.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn is not planning to cancel Saturday’s BBBofC-prohibited Eubank-Benn clash without a fight.

“It’s with the lawyers, going backwards and forwards right now,” said Hearn during a public workout today in London. “Both guys signed up to a multitude of testing for this fight. The UKAD testing, which is obviously the testing agency the British Boxing Board of Control use and are governed by, have all been clear and negative and there was an adverse finding on a VADA test previously. So there’s not been an official doping violation. There’s a process that has to be gone through.

“Conor Benn is not suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control. Ultimately, he can’t be because he’s passed all the tests from UKAD. But clearly, the British Boxing Board of Control will take a position on it and we’ll deal with the lawyers. Continue reading “Hearn: No reason the fight should not take place”

BRITISH BOXING BOARD OF CONTROL STATEMENT

On the evening of 4th October 2022, the Board of the British Boxing Board of Control Limited resolved that the contest between Chris Eubank Jnr. and Conor Benn scheduled to take place on 8th October 2022 is prohibited as it is not in the interests of Boxing. That was communicated to the Boxers and Promoters involved on the morning of 5th October 2022.

ROBERT W. SMITH
General Secretary
BRITISH BOXING BOARD OF CONTROL