Fightnews.com

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBO #4 130-pounder Liam Wilson (11-1, 7 KOs) has targeted a shot at the vacant WBO super featherweight world title formerly held by Shakur Stevenson, who lost the belt on the scale last week and will now move out of the division.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Liam Wilson is going to be Australia’s next male world champion after Tim Tszyu,” Wilson’s promoter George Rose told Fox Sports. “Liam is the most dangerous fighter in Australian boxing and the world is about to learn it for themselves.” Continue reading “Promoter: Wilson beats Valdez and Sharp”

Melvin “Melo” Lopez (28-1, 19 KOs) of Nicaragua (now based in Miami) returned to action Saturday night stopping veteran Victor Ruiz (23-14, 16 KOs) of Mexico in round two of their scheduled eight round bout on Saturday night at the Manual Artime Community Center Theater, Miami, Florida. Lopez is closing fast on a world title opportunity and is currently ranked #4 by the WBA, #5 WBO, and #8 IBF.

Highly touted unbeaten super flyweight propsect Winston Guerrero (18-0, 11 KOs) of Nicaragua made his U.S. debut scoring an eight round unanimous decisión over veteran Sammy Gutierrez (16-38-6, 6 KOs). Continue reading ““Melo” Lopez scores KO in Miami”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Chiba upsets Kurihara, wins OPBF 118lb belt

Unheralded Kai Chiba (15-3, 9 KOs), 117.75, stunned the crowd as he surprisingly dethroned WBC#11, IBF#11, WBO#15 OPBF bantamweight titlist Keita Kurihara (16-7-1, 15 KOs), 118, by an unexpected stoppage at 0:50 of the twelfth and final round on Thursday (September 22) in Tokyo, Japan. The hard-punching champ made a good start, leading on points: all 39-37 after the fourth. As the underdog Chiba mixed it up from the fifth, he overcame a points deficit to have it back to all 76-76 after the eighth. Chiba impressively accelerated his attack to hurt the champ in the eleventh and finally caught up with him with a last surge to prompt the ref’s intervention in the final session.

Saka barely keeps Japanese 130lb belt in a seesaw game

Hard-punching Japanese champ Kosuke Saka (22-6, 19 KOs), 130, very barely kept his national 130-pound belt when he came off the canvas twice, dropped back Tsubasa Narai (8-2, 7 KOs), 129.5, twice and finally halted him at 0:55 of the sixth session in Osaka, Japan, on September 17. The ambitious challenger had the champ on the deck in the first and fourth, but Saka retaliated with a beautifully well-timed right to floor Nara in the fifth. The champ again decked the badly hurt challenger in round six, when the ref waived it off to save the loser. Narai deserves a rematch soon.

Continue reading “JAPAN UPDATE”

45-year-old ring legend Floyd “Money” Mayweather knocked out MMA fighter Mikuru Askakura in round two of an exhibition match headlining a Super RIZIN pay-per-view event on Sunday at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Floyd dropped Askakura with a right hand at the end of round two and Askakura couldn’t beat the count of referee Kenny Bayless.

Among the interested spectators was Manny Pacquiao, who stated he was on hand to support fellow Asian Askakura.

* * *

In an “open weight” boxing exhibition, veteran kickboxer Kouzi “Emperor” Tanaka stopped Floyd Mayweather’s bodyguard Jizzy Mack in round three. Tanaka, giving up 42 pounds, dropped Jizzy twice in round three to end it. After the bout, Tanaka called out Jizzy’s boss.

Unbeaten prospect Isaac Arias (11-0, 9 KOs) of Venezuela upset former world title challenger Dewayne Beamon (21-5-2, 15 KOs) of North Carolina by majority decisión to win the vacant WBC International silver super flyweight title. The event took place Saturday night at the Coliseo Elias Chegwin, in Barranquilla, Colombia.

It was an exciting fight with a lot of back-and-forth heavy exchanges. The second half of the fight saw both fighters having trouble with their footing due to a slippery canvas. Arias closed the fight strong to edge out the victory on the scorecards. The official judges’ scorecards were 96-94 twice for Arias and 95-95.

Unbeaten heavyweight “Juggernaut” Joe Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs) knocked out former world champion Joseph Parker (30-3, 21 KOs) in round eleven to claim the WBO interim heavyweight title on Saturday night at the AO Arena in Manchester, England. Joyce pumped the jab repeatedly and quickly caused damage to Parker’s face. Joyce continued to outwork Parker in the middle rounds. Parker landed his share of shots, but they seemingly had little effect on Joyce. Joyce finally closed the show by dropping Parker with a crushing left hook in round eleven and Parker failed to beat the count. Time was 1:03.

Lightweight Maxi Hughes (26-5-2, 5 KOs) hammered out a twelve round majority decision over former IBF featherweight champion Kid Galahad (28-3, 17 KOs) on Saturday night at the Nottingham Arena in Nottingham, England. Close fight with Hughes prevailing by scores of 114-114, 116-111, 114-113. Hughes retained his IBO title.

Former 130lb female champ Terri Harper (13-1-1, 6 KOs) moved up three weight divisions to dethrone WBA super welterweight champion Hannah Rankin (12-6, 3 KOs) via ten round unanimous decision. Scores were 98-92, 98-92, 97-93.

Heavyweight Solomon Dacres (5-0, 1 KO) outworked 305lb Ariel Esteban Bracamonte (11-10, 6 KOs) over ten rounds. Scores were 99-90 3x.

WBC/WBO female featherweight champion Amanda Serrano (43-2-1, 30 KOs) added the IBF title of previously unbeaten Sarah Mahfoud (11-1, 3 KOs) with a one-sided ten round unanimous decision on Saturday night in the Joyce-Parker co-feature at the AO Arena in Manchester, England. Serrano was simply better in every category of a forgettable bout. Scores were 99-92, 97-93, 97-93.

IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington (31-1-1, 8 KOs) will defend his title against Luis Alberto Lopez (26-2, 15 KOs) at the First Direct Arena in Leeds on December 10, live worldwide on DAZN.

Josh Warrington: “It’s going to be a hard fight, he comes forward, he’s wild and erratic, I’ve got history with Mexican fighters, but I’m hoping to put on a great performance in front of my home crowd…I’ve been saying it for so long about going over to the States and fighting in a unification fight. That’s the dream but due to delays with injuries to my jaw and hand I have to fight my mandatory now. I’m fully focused on doing a job, getting the show closed early and finishing 2022 with a bang.”

Luis Alberto Lopez: “I remember, not too long ago, when a Mexican fighter knocked Josh out in his country. On December 10, in his hometown, I am going to silence his fans. The IBF featherweight title will return to Mexico. I dedicate this fight to the Mexican people and everyone from my hometown of Mexicali. This one’s for you, and Josh, enjoy that belt while you still have it.” Continue reading “Warrington-Lopez set for Dec 10”

If you’re thinking about buying tonight’s $29.99 Floyd Mayweather PPV, here are the details on the telecast. The action starts at 11PM ET, 8PM PT and all four fights are three-rounders.

Floyd “Money” Mayweather vs. Mikuru Askakura (boxing exhibition)
Nada Yoshinaro vs. Bandasak So Trakunpet (kickboxing)
Kouzi “Emperor” Tanaka vs. Jizzy Mack (boxing exhibition)
Kota Miura vs. Bunchual Phonsungnoen (MMA)

Venue: Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan
Promoter: RIZIN Fighting Federation,
TV: PPV

Unbeaten super welterweight Harold “King” Calderon (27-0, 18 KOs) of Miami stopped Ezekiel Fernandez (28-6-1, 3 KOs) of Argentina in round three on Friday night at the Doubletree by the Hilton Hotel Miami Airport and Convention Center in Miami, Florida.

Formerly world-ranked contender Ryan “Blue Chip” Martin (25-2, 15 KOs) stopped veteran Carlos Padilla (18-13-1, 12 KOs) of Colombia in round one of a scheduled ten round junior welterweight bout.

Unbeaten super bantamweight Jorge De Jesus Romero (23-0-1, 14 KOs) of Cuba kept his unbeaten record intact by unanimously decisioning Julian Evaristo Aristule (35-16, 18 KOs) of Argentina.Scores after ten rounds were 99-89, 98-90,  99-89. Continue reading “Calderon remains unbeaten”

In a clash between unbeaten welterweights, Joeshon James (7-0, 4 KOs) won by seventh round KO against Richard Brewart Jr. (12-1, 4 KOs) on Friday night in the main event at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California. James dropped Brewart in round five and finished him two rounds later. Time was 2:49.

Unbeaten super bantamweight Cristopher “Pollo” Lopez (16-0-1, 8 KOs) scored a ten round unanimous decision over Alejandro “Conejo” Gonzalez (11-5-2, 6 KOs) on Friday night at the Grand Oasis Arena in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Scores were 96-94, 99-91 and 97-93. The fight headlined the first ProBox TV show from Mexico.

In the co-feature, super bantamweight Bryan Mercado Vazquez (23-1, 18 KOs) knocked out Victor “Pintor” Albino (14-2, 5 KOs) in round four.

Photos: Sumio Yamada

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

Photos

Former two-division world champion Shakur Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) scored a one-sided twelve round unanimous decision over Robson Conceição (17-2, 8 KOs) on Friday night before a record crowd of 10,107 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Stevenson walked down Conceição all night, dropping him in round four. Stevenson was deducted a point for throwing Conceição to the canvas in round nine. Scores were 117-109, 118-108, 117-109.

Stevenson missed the 130-pound weight limit by 1.6 pounds on Thursday and was stripped of his WBC and WBO world titles, so only Conceição was eligible to win the titles with a victory.

“I had a long week,” stated Stevenson afterward. “I killed myself to make weight. All I want to do is come in here and perform. I did everything I could to do that.

“I’m just a dominating individual. With me versus him, the ref, I did everything I could to try and beat {Conceicao} up as much as I could. He held me the whole night, but I did everything I could. I think he was doing a lot of holding whenever I was getting on the inside. As soon as I got on the inside, he grabbed me. Continue reading “Stevenson dominates Conceição, heads to 135”

Unbeaten lightweight and U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn “The Businessman” Davis (6-0, 5 KOs) stopped Omar Tienda (25-6, 18 KOs) in round five on Friday night in the Stevenson-Conceição co-feature at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Davis dropped Tienda in round five, then brutally finished him. Time was 1:38.

“Honestly, it felt like a dream come true,” stated Davis afterward. “I couldn’t believe I got a chance to perform {on a card of this magnitude again being that I was out with health issues. I didn’t really know what to expect in myself, but I always said since I went pro, God has me. And he definitely had me tonight…we’re working toward becoming a contender. My next fight will put me in that process faster. Then next year, we’re definitely going to be contending, and we’re going to be top 10, for sure.” Continue reading “Davis stops Tienda, remains unbeaten”

In an interesting interview, WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion said he wants to fight WBC champion Tyson Fury, then Canelo Alvarez, before finishing his career with a farewell fight in Ukraine.

[On fighting Tyson Fury] “I only need to beat him. Then that’s it. Time to retire.”

[On fighting Canelo Alvarez] “He wanted to fight with me. But it will be a freak fight, just for the sake of making money.”

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Maxi Hughes 134.4 vs. Kid Galahad 134.7
(IBO lightweight title)

Hannah Rankin 153.4 vs. Terri Harper 152
(WBA female super welterweight title)

Solomon Dacres 229.4 vs. Ariel Esteban Bracamonte 305.5
Cheavon Clarke 199.3 vs. Marcos Nicolas Karalitzky 197.5
Cyrus Pattinson 146.4 vs. Jorick Luisetto 147
Junaid Bostan 154.9 vs. Anas Isarti 153.6
Rhiannon Dixon 134.8 vs. Edina Kiss 134.4
Mohammed Sameer 158.8 vs. Dale Arrowsmith 159.1

Venue: Nottingham Arena, Nottingham, England
Promoter: Matchroom
TV: DAZN

Joe Joyce 271.4 vs. Joseph Parker 255.25
(WBO interim heavyweight title)

Amanda Serrano 124.5 vs. Sarah Mahfoud 124.6
(WBC/IBF/WBO female featherweight titles)

Michael Magnesi 129 vs. Anthony Cacace 129.5
(IBO super featherweight title)

Ekow Essuman 146.25 vs. Samuel Antwi 145.6
(British/C’wealth welterweight title)

Raven Chapman 125.25 vs. Jorgelina Guanini 124.1
Nathan Heaney 160 vs. Jack Flatley 159.1
Mark Heffron 169.25 vs. Martin Bulacio 168

Venue: AO Arena in Manchester, England
Promoter: Queensberry Promotions
TV: ESPN+

By Ron Jackson

Veteran 37-year-old Jackson Chauke from Gauteng retained the South African flyweight title with a unanimous 12 round points decision against Sinethemba Kotana of the Eastern Cape at the Galleria in Sandton on Thursday night. The scores 118-110, 116-114 and 116-112.

The more experienced champion improved his record to 22-1-2, 15 KOs, and the gutsy challenger saw his record drop 8-3-2, 5 KOs. Continue reading “Chauke retains South African flyweight title”

Nahir Albright 137 vs. Estivan Falcao 137
Romuel Cruz 122.3 vs. Roberto Pucheta 121.4
Dominique Mayfield 263 vs. Jonathan Wiles 206
Erron Peterson 160 vs. Igor Pesterev 158.2
Mark Dawson 154.2 vs. Vincent Floyd 154.2
Famous Wilson 161 vs. Tyler Jacques 161
Marvelous Corbin 142 vs. Kaywann Sistrunk 146

Venue: Clarion Hotel, Essington, PA
Promoter: RDR Promotions
Stream: www.BXNGTV.com | 1st Bell: 7 PM ET

Harold “King” Calderon 152 vs. Ezekiel Fernandez 154
Ryan “Blue Chip” Martin 140.2 vs. Carlos Padilla 141
Viictor Abreu 125.2 vs. Maickol Lopez 126
Frank “El Perro” Zaldivar 137.4 vs. Daulis Prescott 140
Nestor Santana 276 vs. Alexis Nieuwkerk 220.6
Yordan Barrera 157 vs. Luis Florez 156
Yankiel Navarro 163 vs. Nicholas Draine 160.8
Fernando Cruza 212 vs. Cody Kerr 298.8
Jorge De Jesus Romero 121.4 vs. Julian E. Aristule 121.4
Luis Rivera 116.4 vs. Juan Carlos Centeno 118.4
Gustavo Trujillo 231 vs. Joseph Bond ??
Uly “Monster” Diaz 198 vs. Quintell Thompson 202

Venue: Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Miami Airport and Convention Center
Promoter: Henry Rivalta (Rivalta Boxing)
TV: will stream live on FiteTV for $19.99

Richard Brewart Jr. 157.9 vs. Joeshon James 158
Roberto Meza Jr. 126.8 vs Isaac Avelar 127
Ruben Islas 134.5 vs. Erick Garcia Benitez 133.3
Esteban Muñoz 144 vs. Miguel Angel Barajas 143.5
David Salinas 122.5 vs. Alexis Salido 122.6

Venue: Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, CA
Promoter: Thompson Boxing
TV: Thompson Boxing social media

Jonathan Rodriguez 118.7 vs. Oscar Vazquez 120.3
James Bernadin 136.9 vs. Jairo Lopez 136.1
Thanjhae Teasley 144.1 vs. Maycon Oller Di Silva 143.9
Julian Gonzalez 134.9 vs. Rondale Hubbert 141.8
Joseph Jackson 154.2 vs. Anthony Lenk 154.8
Joseph George 175.9 vs. Juan De Angel 178.5

Venue: Wind Creek Event Center, Bethlehem, PA
Promoter: King’s Promotions
Stream: Flo Combat, 1st Bell: 7 PM ET

Cristopher “Pollo” Lopez 123 vs. Alejandro “Conejo” Diaz 122
(WBC super bantamweight regional title)

Bryan Mercado Vazquez 122 vs. Victor Albino 121
Jaycob Gomez-Zayas 130 vs. Luis Reyes Carmona 132
Jusiyah Shirley 139 vs. Jorge Batalla 140
Tony Curtis 99 vs. Javier Calderon 105

Venue: Oasis Resort in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Promoter: Marquez Promotions and Pepe Gomez’ Cancun Boxing
TV: ProBox TV