Fightnews.com

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

Next Saturday, August 20, Don King will be turning 91 years old, and that is why I decided to dedicate this column to this icon who is undoubtedly one of the most influential and most important men in the history of the sport of boxing worldwide.

There are books and movies that describe the life of Don King, but there is no official production in which he recounts his life, and perhaps it will never exist, because he refuses to do so as he wishes to continue his boxing promoter career. In almost all of these biographical productions, he is portrayed as a dark and even almost diabolical being. It would be necessary to study who has produced these films, series, etc., and check the interest behind these works because none of them does justice to how much he has achieved for the good of our sport in so many different ways.

The famous Don was born in Cleveland. He grew up in troubled neighborhoods in the midst of a society at a time when racial discrimination was at its peak in the USA. I don’t know his childhood very well, but in his youth, he was dedicated to collecting money from the famous clandestine lottery of that time called “numbers.” He eventually married Henrietta, who was in charge of that business. Continue reading “Don King and his 91 Years of Life”

By Joe Koizumi

Younger brother of former WBC 108-pound champ Masamichi Yabuki, southpaw prospect Masanori Rikiishi (12-1, 7 KOs), 130, kept his OPBF 130-pound belt as he scored a fine TKO victory over Filipino Tomjune Mangubat (15-2, 12 KOs), 130, at 2:45 of the fourth round on Sunday in Osaka, Japan. His left uppercut to the face was the haymaker.

Mitsuro Brandon Tajima (2-0, 2 KOs), 264.75, acquired the vacant Japanese heavyweight belt by pummeling Korean champ Sung-Min Lee (7-3-1, 2 KOs), 246, into submission at 1:09 of the first round in a scheduled ten.

Former WBA 105-pound champ Ryo Miyazaki (26-3-3, 11 KOs), 112, was badly halted by WBC #8 light-fly Azael Villar (19-1-3, 15 KOs), 110.75, at 2:43 of the opening session in a scheduled eight. Miyazaki showed nothing before he was lopsidedly battered by the Panamanian and the ref called a halt.

Formerly WBA#1 ranked feather Hiroshige Osawa was badly dropped by a left hook of Filipino Joe Santisima twice and was declared a TKO loser at 1:56 of the fifth round in a scheduled eight. Osawa, 37, announced his farewell to ring activity.

Promoter: KWORLD3

Sportbooks have unified heavyweight world champion Oleksander Usyk listed as a 2:1 favorite to successfully retain his WBA, IBF, and WBO titles against former champion Anthony Joshua in Saturday’s rematch in Saudi Arabia. The bout will air on DAZN in the U.S. market.

The World Boxing Council has announced that it has been in communications with Tyson Fury and his promoters regarding his status as WBC heavyweight champion. The organization has set Friday, August 26th as the final day to receive official written confirmation from them. No further comments from the WBC regarding Fury will be made until then.

Former world champions Omar “Panterita” Figueroa Jr. (28-2-1, 19 KOs) and Sergey Lipinets (16-2-1, 12 KOs) have commented on their hastily arranged WBC super lightweight title eliminator on Showtime this Saturday. Lipinets, who was already scheduled to appear in an off-TV bout on the undercard, was elevated as a replacement for Adrien Broner in the main event following the sudden pullout of Broner due to mental health issues.

Omar Figueroa Jr: “This is going to be a great fight against Lipinets and I hope he’s ready for what I’m bringing. I’ve made changes in my life and I’m excited to see the kind of fighter that I am now. I’m going to show what I can do now that I have a clear head and a clear path ahead of me. With the opponent change, I’m even more ready to take all the frustrations and anger that have built up in camp and bring it into the ring on Saturday and come out victorious.”

Sergey Lipinets: “We’ve actually been in camp for almost three months getting ready for whoever they put in front of me. We’ve been training with no particular opponent in mind. There have been a few different guys that have said they wanted to fight me. So, we’ve been sparring with and preparing for all types of styles. And now we get this great news that I get to fight Figueroa this Saturday. I can’t wait to show everyone that I’m still a force to be reckoned with at 140 pounds.”

The World Boxing Association (WBA) will hold its Centennial Convention from December 11 through 14 at the Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando, Florida. The event will mark the celebration of 100 years of existence of boxing’s pioneer organization.

“Caribe Royale Hotel is proud to welcome the World Boxing Association to Orlando, Florida for their Annual Convention in December, 2022. We are looking forward to hosting Gilberto Jesus Mendoza and the entire team of professionals at the WBA. The entire team at Caribe Royale is looking forward to hosting visitors from around the world as part of this Centennial Celebration of the WBA,” Caribe Royale announced.

The WBA has had to postpone its convention for different reasons since 2019, when the 99th was held in Fuzhou, China. Now the United States has been chosen because it was the country where the organization was born, in addition to the fact that the relocation of its offices to North America has begun.

The guests and activities will be announced as the months go by while the WBA works to have one of the most productive and differential conventions ever seen in the sport.

“I’ve watched a lot of people die playing with their boxing career and that is something I won’t do. Just pray for me” – Adrien Broner

Four-division world champion Adrien Broner has pulled out of Saturday’s clash against Omar Figueroa citing mental health issues.

Figueroa will now face Sergey Lipinets in a 12-round WBC super lightweight title eliminator headlining live on Showtime this Saturday from Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Adrien Broner: “Man, I’m going [through] a lot at this moment in my life, but I ain’t gonna give up. I set some more goals and I finish what I started but sorry to say this, but I’m not fighting August 20.

“Sorry to all my fans but mental health is real and I’m not about to play inside the ring. I’ve watched a lot of people die playing with their boxing career and that is something I won’t do. Just pray for me. I love the sport of boxing too much to not give my all and I feel like I came up short before because my mind wasn’t 100% there and I’ll be damned if I make that mistake again.

“I need to make some changes for the better instead of worrying about other peoples’ feelings and pleasing them when in all reality I have nothing to prove to nobody. I’m a four-time world champion in four different weight classes and if I never lace up a pair of gloves again, I feel like it’s safe to say I will be inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame. So, I have to step back and overcome this obstacle before I go put my life on the line inside the square circle again. I know I’m far from being finished with the sport. See y’all soon.’’ Continue reading “Broner pulls out of Showtime fight”

Heavyweight knockout artist Arslanbek “Lion” Makhmudov has signed a multi-year co-promotional contract with Top Rank, who will work in conjunction with Camille Estephan’s Eye of the Tiger. Makhmudov, born in Russia and now residing in Montreal, Canada, has knocked out all 14 of his professional opponents, including 10 in the first round.

The co-promotional agreement will see Makhmudov fight on Eye of the Tiger-promoted shows in Canada and on Top Rank on ESPN cards.

Makhmudov will defend his NABF belt against Carlos Takam on Friday, Sept. 16, at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal. Makhmudov-Takam headlines a loaded fight card that will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+. Continue reading “Top Rank inks Arslanbek Makhmudov”

The WBC has issued a statement addressing the issue of transgender athletes in boxing:

World Boxing Council Statement/Guidelines Regarding Transgender Athletes participation in professional Combat Sports

1. The World Boxing Council (WBC) firmly and unequivocally supports transgender rights and recognizes the gender identity of an individual athlete. This commitment is grounded in the WBC values of inclusion.

2. The WBC shall continue to champion to protect transgender individuals against discrimination at their workplace, in employment, education and access to healthcare.

3. The WBC is committed to its value of fair competition. A combat sport bout should occur between two equally matched competitors. At present there is no consensus whether a bout between a transgender woman against a cisgender (biological) woman is a fair bout between two equally matched competitors. Metric such as testosterone level less than 10 nanomoles per liter (achieved by using testosterone suppression medication in the transgender woman), in isolation is inadequate to ensure fairness at the time of the bout. It can be argued that by the time a transgender woman combatant launches her professional career she has already gone through male puberty thus conferring her with the musculature and bony structure of a male. So, a transgender woman combatant may have an unfair advantage over her cisgender woman combatant. Continue reading “WBC statement on transgender atheletes”

Huge weekend on tap with no less than three major fight cards taking place on what is certainly a Super Boxing Saturday.

The big one is the DAZN-streamed rematch between WBA/IBF/WBO unified heavyweight champion Oleksander Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) and Anthony Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) in Saudi Arabia. The event airs on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK. The undercard includes an IBF heavyweight eliminator between Filip Hrgović (14-0, 12 KOs) and Zhang “Big Bang” Zhilei (24-0-1, 19 KOs) plus a WBC light heavyweight eliminator between Callum Smith (28-1, 20 KOs) and Mathieu Bauderlique (21-1, 12 KOs)

Showtime presents a loaded show topped by former four-division world champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner (34-4-1, 24 KOs) against former WBC lightweight champion Omar “Panterita” Figueroa (28-2-1, 19 KOs) from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Also on tap are 140-pounders Alberto Puello (20-0, 10 KOs) and Batyr Akhmedov (9-1, 8 KOs) squaring off for the vacant WBA super lightweight title, plus WBA super featherweight champion Roger Gutierrez (26-3-1, 20 KOs) defending against unbeaten Hector Garcia (15-0, 10 KOs).

ESPN has WBO featherweight champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete (35-1, 29 KOs) against Eduardo Baez (21-2-2, 7 KOs) at the Pechanga Arena (formerly known as the San Diego Sports Arena) in San Diego, California.

Photos: Sumio Yamada

Check out this GIANT Teofimo-Campa photo gallery for some incredible shots, plus the scorecard.

Photos

“I was at 135 pounds for nine years. It was killing my body, since I was a teenage kid, man. We want Josh Taylor. We want these guys. We want {Regis} Prograis. We want {Jose} Zepeda. We want all the belts. We want to become two-time undisputed champion,” said former lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez after winning his junior welterweight debut by TKO over Pedro Campa on Saturday evening in front of a sold-out crowd of 3,553 at Resorts World Las Vegas.

“If Josh Taylor is too busy with his wedding and there’s nobody else around because the WBA belt is taken and the WBC is going to be fought with Zepeda and Prograis, then so fuc*ng be it,” Lopez added.

There was another interested observer ringside, Oscar De La Hoya, who promotes Ryan Garcia. Lopez wants the biggest challenges and has no issue with a Garcia fight.

Former undisputed lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez (17-1, 13 KOs) began his “Takeover” of the junior welterweight division with a seventh round TKO against Pedro Campa (34-2-1, 23 KOs) on Saturday night at Resorts World Las Vegas. Lopez progressively broke down and busted up the game Campas, finally dropping him in round seven and getting a stoppage from referee Tony Weeks soon after. Time was 2:14.

Unbeaten 19-year-old junior middleweight sensation Xander Zayas (14-0, 10 KOs) scored an impressive fifth round TKO against Elias Espadas (22-5, 15 KOs). Zayas dropped Espadas in round one, then got a rather quick stoppage from referee Russell Mora with another knockdown in round five. Time was :23. Continue reading “Teofimo stops Campa, launches 140lb TAKEOVER”

Unbeaten heavyweight Igor Shevadzutskiy (10-0, 8 KOs) scored an eight round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Kevin “Kingpin” Johnson (35-20-1, 19 KOs) on Saturday night at the ECB Gym in Hamburg, Germany. Shevadzutskiy pressed the action but couldn’t break through Johnson’s defense in a bout that resembled a sparring session.

Unbeaten heavyweight Victor Faust was also supposed to fight on the card, but unfortunately his opponent Adnan Redzovic was infected with COVID.

By Damon Gonzalez/LatinBox

In front of a sold out crowd, lightweight Wesley “El Bongocero” Ferrer (17-1-1, 8 KOs) won an eight round majority decision over Jayson “La Maravilla” Velez (30-9-1, 21 KOs) to claim the NBA Intercontinental title on Saturday night at the Plaza Live Orlando in Orlando, Florida. Scores were 76-76, 77-75, 77-75. Continue reading “Ferrer edges Velez for NBA belt”

In a rematch, welterweight Brandon Higgins (9-2, 5 KOs) scored a sixth round unanimous decision over 47-year-old Dustin Reinhold (7-6, 3 KOs) in the main event on Saturday night at Memorial Hall in Melrose, Massachusetts. Scores were 57-56, 57-56, 59-54. A second round knockdown provided the margin of victory for Higgins, who also won their first fight via majority decision.

WBC #12 super middleweight Carlos “Carlito’s Way” Gongora (21-1, 16 KOs) scored a fourth round TKO over Oscar Riojas (28-16-1, 16 KOs). 2008, 2012 Olympian Gongora dropped Riojas twice in round one, but Riojas lasted until round four when the referee waved it off.

Unbeaten super lightweight “Marvelous” Mykquan Williams (18-0-1, 8 KOs) outpointed Saul Corral (23-20, 13 KOs) over eight rounds. Scores 79-73, 80-72, 80-72.

Unbeaten 2016 Olympian light heavyweight Juan Carlos Carrillo (8-0, 6 KOs) stopped Victor Fonseca (18-12-1, 14 KOs) in round three.

The latest in the dispute between Hall of Fame promoters Don King and Frank Warren over the finances of the Daniel Dubois vs. Trevor Bryan fight is the following open letter from King to Warren:

Dear Frank,

I am very hurt, and terribly disappointed about the nasty things that you are saying about me. I have always held you in very high esteem. Your word has been your bond. You acknowledge to me that you owed me $200,000 dollars, and you guaranteed me with your word that you would pay me what you owed me. You said things were a little rough for you at the time cash-wise but that I have your word and your personal guarantee that when you were able, you would take care of the debt owed. With your word given to me that you would take care of the debt owed, that was good enough for me, my friend. Who is this guy pretending to be you mouthing out this total bullshit, if I owed you any money, why didn’t you sue me? Continue reading “Don King’s Open Letter to Frank Warren”

Looks like WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury won’t be returning after all. A few days ago, The Gypsy King announced that he had teamed up with trainer Isaac Lowe and was planning a trilogy fight with Derek “War” Chisora. However, Fury has now reversed course.

“Massive thanks to everyone who had an input in my career over the years and after long hard conversations, I’ve finally decided to walk away. And on my 34th birthday, I say bon voyage,” Fury wrote on Twitter. He then named a list of people who helped him in his career and concluded with “See you all on the other side you big dossers. 2008-2022.”

WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed Fury’s intentions. “Just finished a touching video conference with Tyson Fury, who has confirmed his official retirement from boxing. We fully support his decision, which is a dream for anyone to retire undefeated and as WBC champion of the world. The WBC will prepare a special farewell event soon.”

After two postponements, the long-awaited PPV lightweight clash between former world champions Tevin Farmer (30-5-1, 6 KOs) and Mickey Bey (23-3-1, 11 KOs) seemed like it would finally take place on Friday night at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott, Arizona.

However, in a bizarre situation, after four undercard bouts were completed it was announced that Farmer-Bey and the super middleweight co-feature between unbeaten Lorenzo “Truck” Simpson (11-0, 7 KOs) and Tyi Edmonds (14-4, 9 KOs) were simply CANCELED with no explanation given. Continue reading “Farmer-Bey clash canceled AGAIN!!!”

Wesley Ferrer 136.2 vs. Jayson Velez 135.4
Corey Marksman 136.4 vs. Angel Albelo 138
Antraveous Ingram 156.8 vs. Julian Valerio 158.2
Ryan Venable 147.2 vs. Jimmy Brenes 147
Joshua Lebron 121.2 vs. Michael Turner 120
Jocksan Blanco 147.2 vs. Travis Floyd 145
Daniel (Danny) Suarez 124.6 vs. Kenneth Sabino 123
Julio Rosa 149 vs. Osmel Mayorga 154

A Dominican vs. Puerto Rican rivalry is in play as Wesley “El Bongocero” Ferrer (16-1-1, 8 KOs) from Brooklyn, New York way of Santo Domingo will be battle tested as he collides against Jayson “La Maravilla” Velez from Juncos, Puerto Rico for the NBA Intercontinental lightweight title on Saturday at the Plaza Live Orlando in Orlando, Florida presented by Undisputed Promotions.

The purse bid for the World Boxing Association (WBA) super lightweight eliminator fight between Ohara Davies and Sandor Martin, scheduled for this Friday, was canceled after Martin announced that he would not participate.

The WBA ranking committee has now started the process to appoint Davies’ next opponent and will be looking for the next available ranked fighter to face the Englishman in this elimination bout. The name of the next opponent will be announced in the coming days, once the next ranked fighters are spoken to and checked for their availability to take on the challenge.

The teams of Leo Santa Cruz and Leigh Wood informed the World Boxing Association (WBA) Championships Committee that they have reached an agreement to fight for the featherweight world title and the auction, which was scheduled for today has been suspended.

The mandatory bout between both champions is tentatively scheduled for November 5 or 12, according to the WBA, although the details will be announced as soon as the parties send the official contracts. Continue reading “Santa Cruz-Wood reach deal, purse bid canceled”

The WBA Championships Committee continues making decisions and ordering fights to reach the goal of having only one champion for each weight class.

The latest division to be sorted out is cruiserweight where Arsen Goulamirian is now the sole champion after Ryad Merhy formally resigned his “regular” champion position and will not fight Goulamirian in a bout ordered by the committee between the two fighters.

There are now 10 divisions with only one champion as the WBA’s plan to reduce the number of world titles continues to move forward.

Teofimo Lopez 138.8 vs. Pedro Campa 139
Xander Zayas 153 vs. Elias Espadas 153.6
Andres Cortes 130.6 vs. Abraham Montoya 131
Jose Enrique Vivas 127.8 vs. Edy Valencia 127.6
Troy Isley 156 vs. Victor Toney 156.8
Duke Ragan 126.6 vs. D’Angelo Fuentes 125.6
Omar Rosario 140.8 vs. Esteban Munoz 140.6
Charlie Sheehy 134.4 vs. Juan Castaneda 133.8

Venue: Resorts World Las Vegas
Promoter: Top Rank
TV: ESPN

DiBella Entertainment has signed WBC #12 super middleweight Carlos “Carlito’s Way” Gongora (20-1, 15 KOs). He returns to the ring tomorrow night against Oscar Riojas (28-15-1, 16 KOs) at Memorial Hall in Melrose, Massachusetts. The fight takes place on a $19.99 PPV stream presented by Boston Boxing Promotions.

Gongora is managed by Mike Criscio and trained by Hector Bermudez. When not home in Ecuador, h lives and trains out of an old fire station that Bermudez converted into a boxing gym in Springfield, MA, called Universal Training Academy.