Fightnews.com

Kenny Robles 138.8 vs. James Bernadin 138.9
(NBA Americas jr. welterweight title)

Victor Padilla 135.9 vs. Jesus Perez 136
Thanjhae Teasley 144.8 vs. Jetter Burgos 145.8
James Martin 156.5 vs. Lukasz Baranasz 157.5

Venue: 2300 Arena
Promoter: King’s Promotions
1st Bell: 7 PM ET
Stream: BXNGTV.com

IBF #1 Fanlong Meng (17-0, 10 KOs) and former two-time world champion Jean Pascal (35-6-1, 20 KOs) made weight for their clash on Friday at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida. Meng weighed 174.4, while Pascal scaled in at 175. The bout can be seen at proboxtv.com.

Hometown favorite Kerman Lejarraga (153.8) and James Metcalf (153.9) weigh in ahead of their EBU European super welterweight title fight tomorrow night in Bilbao, Spain. The bout can be seen live on DAZN.

“The last two fights became too easy for me. I was just knocking guys out. For this fight, I trained like an MF,” said bridgerweight Alen Babic at Thursday’s Buatsi-Richards press conference in London. Babic (10-0, 10 KOs) faces Adam Balski (16-1, 9 KOs) in a twelve-rounder for the WBC silver bridger title on DAZN.

“I expect this to be another knockout, a crazy knockout, because I’m not going to go out there to box. I’m back to my old self. I’m not going to try something new, I’m just going to try to run over this guy. I’m going for it from the first second!“

DAZN and Golden Boy have announced a new multi-year, multi-fight agreement. This venture expands on the relationship that started in 2018 with a five-year deal. The partnership will include championship fight nights alongside a new prospect development series – Golden Boy Fight Night on DAZN – a monthly boxing series hosted by boxing broadcaster Beto Duran and boxing Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins. Additional events to follow in 2022 will include the return of undefeated stars Jaime Munguia, Ryan Garcia, and Vergil Ortiz, Jr. in June, July, and August, respectively.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney has touched down in Australia without his father and trainer Bill Haney but he is still confident of defeating IBF, WBA, WBO, and WBC Franchise lightweight champion George “Ferocious” Kambosos on June 5 (June 4 in the USA) at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. The elder Haney was denied a visa due to a 30-year-old drug conviction.

Devin Haney will instead be trained by Yoel Judah, the father and trainer of former world champion Zab Judah.

Unbeaten two-time world champion David “El Bandera Roja” Benavídez and former world champion David Lemieux officially kicked off fight week events with a media workout at Central Boxing Gym on Wednesday ahead of their 12-round showdown for the vacant WBC interim super middleweight title which headlines live on Showtime this Saturday from Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

David Benavidez: “I definitely want to go out there and follow my game plan. I don’t care [if the KO] comes in the first, second, fifth or 12th round. When it comes, it comes. I visualize everything I’m going to do in the ring…I just hit the weight yesterday and now everything is amazing. We took that stress off the table after four months of hard work. Now, I’m excited to go out there, fight for the title and give the fans a great fight.”

David Lemieux: “If he wants a war, he’ll get a war. I’m strong and I’ve very confident in my abilities. I know he’s a very strong fighter, but we have a plan going in against him. We’re not worried and we will do what we have to do to be at our best on fight night. David Benavídez will have his hands full on Saturday night…he’s a great fighter and you can’t take anything away from him, but he’s never fought David Lemieux and he will see what that means on Saturday night. I know what I’m going in there against. Does he know what he’s going in against?”

Undefeated WBA “regular” super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr. (6-0, 5 KOs) has his eyes on the main event this Saturday night between David Benavidez and David Lemieux.

“I am watching Benavidez vs. Lemieux carefully this weekend on Showtime” said Morrell. “I want the winner, and I am not being shy about it. I feel I am the best fighter in the division, and it is clear that no one wants to fight me. So, I have to call people out because I am so heavily avoided.” Continue reading “Morrell: I’m going to knock Benavidez out cold”

A group of elite Cuban boxers are preparing to make their professional debuts against Mexican fighters this Friday at the Palenque de la Feria de San Marcos in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

That evening, we will see in the ring amateur stars Lázaro Álvarez, Olympic medalist in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, Roniel Iglesias, medalist in Beijing 2008 and Tokyo 2020, Feliciano Hernández amateur champion 2021, Arlen López, medalist Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020; and Julio Cesar La Cruz medalist in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

These will be the first Cuban amateur fighters to fight professionally after the Cuban Boxing Federation gave the green light in April for their participation in paid boxing. Continue reading “Cuban boxers set for debuts in Mexico”

By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® caught up with the undefeated WBO-NABO super middleweight champ Steven “So Cold” Nelson (17-0, 14 KOs) who fights this Saturday night against Louis Rose (17-3, 7 KOs) on the Janibek-Dignum Top Rank card at Resorts World Las Vegas. Nelson talked about his relationship with pound-for-pound great Terence “Bud” Crawford, his stint in the Army where he took up boxing, his many interests outside the ring that includes learning how to fly. He also shared his thoughts on the potential super showdown between Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. in this exclusive interview.

_

Light heavyweights Fanlong Meng and Jean Pascal faced off at the final press conference for their clash Friday night at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida. The action can be seen thru the ProBox app.

The card will also feature the quarterfinals of the ProBox “Last Chance” tournament featuring eight fighters in the 140lb division. All were once-promising boxers who have stumbled in recent bouts. The winner of the tournament will get a Last Chance at revitalizing his career.

The lineup:
Zhiming Wang (11-3, 3 KOs) vs. Francisco Armenta (12-1, 4 KOs)
Kendo Castañeda (17-5, 8 KOs) vs. Sonny Frederickson (21-5, 14 KOs)
Michael Dutchover (15-2, 10 KOs) vs. Clarence Booth (21-4, 13 KOs)
Antonio “Toño” Moran (26-5-1, 19 KOs) vs. Jeffrey Torres (10-1, 6 KOs)

Former world champion and undefeated middleweight Jaime Munguia (39-0, 31 KOs) will return to Anaheim’s Honda Center on June 11 to face off against former world title challenger, Jimmy “Kilrain” Kelly (26-2, 10 KOs) of Manchester, UK. The 12-rounder, which will be contested at super middleweight, will stream live on DAZN worldwide, excluding Mexico.

“I am very excited to return to Anaheim and fight in front of all the fans against a high-quality English rival like Kelly,” said Munguia. “It won’t be an easy night, but we are preparing very hard. This new edition of Mexico vs. England will be very exciting for all fight fans, and I am convinced that I will pass this test and be on my way to a world title soon!”

Undefeated bantamweight Dylan “The Real Dyl” Price (14-0, 10 KOs) will headline a July 16 card at the Elevations Events Center in Chester, Pennsylvania. The opponent is TBA and the NBA bantamweight title will be on the line.

Seeing action in the six round co-feature will be former world title challenger and local favorite “Hammerin” Hank Lundy (31-10-1, 14 KOs) in a junior welterweight bout. The 38-year-old Lundy’s opponent is also TBA.

The PPV exhibition between Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather and ‘Dangerous’ Don Moore is back on for Saturday on the helipad at the Burjal Al Arab Hotel in Dubai. Mayweather announced the new date on Instagram. The bout was postponed for one week due to the death of United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Unbeaten WBA #1 ranked contender Rolando “Rolly” Romero headlined a media workout in Las Vegas Tuesday and promised a first-round knockout victory in his showdown against WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis on Showtime PPV May 28 from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

“One round, I’m knocking him out. If I say I’m going to do it, then I’m going to do it,” promised Romero. “He’s going to get knocked out by the first punch that he eats. He’s going to run right into something.

“I always feel good every time I’m going into a fight. I don’t like ‘Tank’ as a person and I believe he’s going to get whupped in this fight. Continue reading “Romero vows to KO Tank in one”

It’s title night at the Casino Miami Jai-Alai on Saturday, June 11 as “the world’s greatest boxing promoter” Don King stages a night of title fights on the card titled “The Fight for Freedom and Peace”. Tickets are on sale for $100, $75 and $50. The card will also be presented on Pay-Per-View.

The main event of the evening will feature the WBA heavyweight championship pitting defending champion Trevor Bryan (22-0, 15 KOs) going up against the number one contender Daniel DuBois (17-1, 16 KOs) from Greenwich, London.

Promoter King is working away at making an additional title fight or two for the card in his mission to bring an exciting night of boxing in Miami. Continue reading “Bryan-Dubois Ticket Alert”

Looks like unified WBC/IBF/WBO super lightweight champion Josh Taylor will make his next title defense against Jose “Chon” Zepeda, his WBC mandatory challenger. Taylor’s camp has confirmed that Taylor-Zepeda is in the works, but not finalized. The formerly undisputed champion was recently stripped of his WBA belt for not defending against that organization’s mandatory challenger, Alberto Puello.

Eric Gomez: “We did everything possible to make this fight happen.”

By Hesiquio Balderas

Fightnews.com® had the opportunity to speak exclusively to Golden Boy Promotions President Eric Gomez, who gave his thoughts about the situation regarding the Ryan Garcia and Isaac Cruz and the hurdles they encountered during the negotiations, and more importantly, he wants to tell the boxing world the truth about what’s going on.

Eric Gomez: “We did everything possible to make this fight. We also petitioned the WBC to do an immediate purse bid and it got denied. It’s very clear to us now that Isaac’s team doesn’t want the fight.” Continue reading “Kingry-Pitbull clash implodes”

Juan Francisco Estrada will face Joshua Franco on July 16 for the World Boxing Association (WBA) super flyweight title. The bout was confirmed once both parties sent their contracts this week with all the details finalized, except for the venue, which will be announced in the coming weeks.

Golden Boy Promotions had won the bid to stage the mandatory fight, which was mandated as part of the WBA’s world title reduction plan that will leave the division with only one champion. The WBA continues aiming to decrease the number of champions and the decisions it has been making are moving in that direction.

Streaming coverage begins at 5AM ET/2AM PT on June 7

WBA/IBF bantamweight world champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue is 17-0 in world title fights and only once has been pushed to the brink. WBC bantamweight world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire, the four-weight kingpin whose late-career renaissance cemented his status as one of boxing’s greatest lighter weight champions, has one more shot to stun the Japanese pound-for-pound icon.

Inoue and Donaire will meet in a title unification rematch Tuesday, June 7, at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Inoue and Donaire first fought in November 2019 at Saitama Super Arena, with Inoue overcoming a broken orbital bone and nose to win a unanimous decision in the consensus Fight of the Year.

“Naoya Inoue and Nonito Donaire’s first fight is among the greatest championship battles I’ve ever seen, and I am thrilled that American fight fans can watch the rematch on ESPN+,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. Continue reading “Inoue-Donaire Rematch on ESPN+”

Rising featherweight prospect Luis “The Twist” Núñez (16-0, 12 KOs) will battle fellow unbeaten Jonathan Fierro (13-0, 12 KOs) in the 10-round telecast opener live on Showtime Saturday from Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

The telecast is headlined by unbeaten two-time world champion and Arizona-native David “El Bandera Roja” Benavídez returning to fight in his home state for the second-straight bout as he takes on former world champion David Lemieux for the vacant WBC interim super middleweight title. The card also features super welterweight Yoelvis Gómez against Jorge Cota in the 10-round co-feature.

The non-televised undercard will see former world champion “Vicious” Victor Ortiz (32-7-3, 25 KOs) in a 10-round super welterweight attraction against Todd Manuel (20-19-1, 6 KOs) and unbeaten super lightweight Richardson Hitchins (13-0, 5 KOs) in a 10-rounder against Mexico’s Angel Rodriguez (12-10-3, 5 KOs).

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

I will never get tired of repeating that we are living in a new golden age in boxing.

This Saturday there was, once again, a great fight in Carson, California. WBC world champion Jermell Charlo knocked out the now former WBO champion, Argentine Brian Castaño, thus unifying super welterweight and giving the world the first undisputed champion of this division, since he is now the champion of the four world-recognized organizations.

Charlo, a two-time WBC super welterweight world champion, is the owner of the WBC, WBO, IBF and WBA championship belts.

The fight was a rematch, or rather a tiebreaker, as their first fight in San Antonio, Texas, ended in a draw last year after 12 rounds of intensity and drama. The one on Saturday was wonderful; fierce exchanges in the center of the ring, and with a fifth round that will be remembered as one of the best of the year.

The end came in the tenth round, when Charlo dropped the Argentine warrior, who got up with a lion heart only to receive a severe punishment, and that led the Referee to stop the fight. Continue reading “Today’s Golden Era in Boxing”

Anthony Yarde says he is looking to take down the winner of the unification battle between Joe Smith jr and Artur Beterbiev. The two light heavyweight champions put their WBO, WBC and IBF belts on the line on June 18 in New York and Yarde is planning to travel across the pond to Madison Square Garden to size up the opposition for his challenge that should come around later this year.

“I am going to keep a close eye on it when they fight each other and I will be looking to destroy the winner,” stated Yarde, who feels his previous world title shot against Sergey Kovalev will stand him in good stead.

“I definitely feel in a better place,” Yard told The Lowdown. “The reason I feel in a better place is because I have gained more experience and I have been at that level before. I would say there is not as much pressure, but there is always going to be pressure. I’ve got the experience and, with that being said, I feel like I know what I need to do.”

Due to the passing of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan of The United Arab Emirates, this Saturday’s showdown of former world champions Tevin Farmer and Mickey Bey at The Coca-Cola Arena Dubai has been postponed. Farmer and Bey were poised to headline a $34.99 pay-per-event. Continue reading “Tevin Farmer vs Mickey Bey postponed”

The World Boxing Association (WBA) called for a hearing with the representatives of the top six super lightweight ranked fighters this Tuesday with the intention of seeking the best solution to the vacancy of the world title of the category, formerly held by Josh Taylor.

The teams summoned are the representatives of Alberto Puello, Ismael Barroso, Ohara Davies, Sandor Martín, Regis Prograis and Batyr Akhmedov. Each team will have 15 minutes to present its case with no time extension. A WBA panel will have 5 minutes after each presentation to ask questions and after a time of deliberation on each case, will present its opinion to WBA President Gilberto Jesus Mendoza, who will have the final decision.