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Rising 154-pound Mexican contender Damian “Samurai” Sosa (21-1, 11 KOs) scored a unanimous decision victory over Ronald “Diablo” Cruz (18-2-1, 12 KOs) in the 10-round main event of a Toscano Boxing Promotions card on Friday evening at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds in Stockton, California. Sosa was quicker, stronger and more effective with his combinations throughout fight. The native of Mexico City, Mexico who lives in Tijuana and represents both cities won with scores of 98-92, 97-93 and 97-93.

In the co-main event, Giovannie Gonzalez (15-6-1, 12 KOs) of Stockton California defeated Arturo Cortez (7-1-2, 6 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico via unanimous decision in an eight-rounder in the lightweight division. Gonzalez won with scores of 79-73, 77-75 and 77-75. Continue reading “Sosa tops Cruz in Stockton”

Wins OPBF 122lb belt in fifth pro bout

By Joe Koizumi
Photos: Naoki Fukuda

“Japanese Naseem Hamed” former K-1 Grand Prix champ Yoshiki Takei (5-0, 5 KOs), 121.75, impressively wrested OPBF 122-pound belt as he dropped defending champ Pete Apolinar (16-3, 10 KOs), 121.75, a hard-punching Filipino, three times and quickly halted him at 2:07 of the fifth round in a scheduled twelve on Friday in Tokyo, Japan. Continue reading ““Japanese Hamed” Takei stops Apolinar”

While the main event tonight on ESPN features super lightweights Jose Pedraza and Richard Commey, the undercard in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is stacked with three big name heavyweights plus a hot up-and-coming heavyweight prospect.

The co-main event on ESPN features the long-awaited return of unbeaten heavyweight terror Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson (11-0, 11 KOs) against Miljan Rovcanin (24-2, 16 KOs) in an eight round bout. Opening the show, 2020 Olympic super heavyweight silver medal winner Richard Torrez Jr. (2-0, 2 KOs) looks to make it three knockouts in a row versus Marco Antonio Canedo (4-2, 2 KOs) in a bout scheduled for six.

The ESPN+ stream will include heavyweight destroyer Efe Ajagba (15-1, 12 KOs) against Jozsef Darmos (14-4-3, 10 KOs) in an eight round affair. Also seeing action is unbeaten local heavyweight prospect Jeremiah Milton (5-0, 4 KOs) against Nick Jones (9-4, 6 KOs) in a six rounder.

Somewhere Cedric Kushner is smiling.

Pedro Bernal 134.2 vs. George Payne 133.8
Jake Daoust 154 vs. John Mannu 153.4
Diana Tap 153.4 vs. Carolyn Redmond 153.4
Viktor Rangel 158.8 vs. Antonio Napolitano 158.6
JM Bianco 167.8 vs. Tommy Houle 160
Hector Hurtado 173 vs. Derek Kuchmey 175

Venue: Hamilton Convention Centre, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Promoter: Daniel Otter (Three Lions Promotions)

Nathan Rodriguez 130.6 vs. Moises Flores 135
Alejandro Reyes 142.4 vs. Raymundo Rios Cardiel 141.8
Hongke Zeng 145.6 vs. Keith Carson 142.6
Raquel Miller 167.2 vs. Irais Hernandez 167
Daniel Cruz 142.8 vs. Antonio Wattell 147.6
Jacob Macalolooy 147 vs. Josue Zamora 144.4
Scott Alexander 218.6 vs. Jaime Solorio 233.4

Venue: Smith Park, Pico Rivera, California
Promoter: MarvNation Promotions
TV: FITE TV Pay-Per-View

Jose Pedraza 139.8 vs. Richard Commey 138.8
Jared Anderson 241.4 vs. Miljan Rovcanin 230.6
Richard Torrez Jr. 225.4 vs. Marco Antonio Canedo 215.8
Tiger Johnson 141.8 vs. Harry Gigliotti 140.6
Efe Ajagba 232.2 vs. Jozsef Darmos 239.2
Jeremiah Milton 245.6 vs. Nick Jones 217.2
Kelvin Davis 141 vs. Sebastian Gabriel Chaves 142.6
Frevian Gonzalez 135.8 vs. Gerardo Esquivel 135.6
Abdullah Mason 135.2 vs. Angel Rebollar 133.6
Dante Benjamin Jr. 174.2 vs. Leandro Silva 175

* The Haven Brady Jr.-Manuel Guzman fight was called off after Brady missed the 128-pound contract weight by three pounds.

Venue: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Promoter: Top Rank
TV: ESPN, ESPN+

Former cruiserweight champion Murat Gassiev (29-1, 22 KOs), now campaigning at heavyweight, blew away 42-year-old Carlouse Welch (21-3-1, 18 KOs) in the first round on Friday night at The Waterfront in Belgrade, Serbia. A lead right put Welsh down and out. Time was 1:20. Gassiev claimed the vacant Eurasian Boxing Parliament (EBP) heavyweight title.

The WBC has confirmed that WBC, IBF and WBA bantamweight champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue (23-0, 20 KOs) will fight WBO bantamweight champion Paul Butler (34-2, 15 KOs) for all four titles on Tuesday, December 13 at a venue to be determined in Japan. Inoue will be an overwhelming favorite. The Inoue-Butler winner will be the first undisputed bantamweight champion in almost 50 years.

The World Boxing Council acknowledging the tragedy which happened in the Fury Family and in respect of their grief has decided to extend one week until Friday, September 2, the official decision of Tyson Fury regarding his status as heavyweight champion. Fury recently announced that his cousin Rico Burton died after a stabbing.

Ismael “Maelo” Villarreal (12-0, 8 KOs) coming off the biggest win of his professional career, has re-upped on a new promotional deal with Main Events. The two-time New York Golden Gloves Champion’s original Main Events deal began with his 2017 pro debut and lasted till January 31, 2020.

“One of the best parts of having a fighter like Ismael in your stable is that he treats every fight like it’s a title fight, and you know he’ll be in phenomenal shape,” said Main Events CEO Kathy Duva. “He’s a true professional with an old school work ethic and excellent mental strength that will take him places in this sport. It won’t be long before he moves up the rankings and starts to build some enthusiasm in the Super Welterweight division.”

Unbeaten lightweight Keyshawn Davis (5-0, 4 KOs) now has an opponent. Davis, the Olympic silver medalist, will fight Omar Tienda (25-5, 18 KOs) in an eight-rounder on September 23 in the co-feature to WBC/WBO junior lightweight world champion Shakur Stevenson’s hometown title defense against Brazilian Olympic gold medalist Robson Conceição at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. ESPN will televise.

The undercard, streaming live on ESPN+, features an eight-round junior lightweight bout between unbeaten prospect Henry “Moncho” Lebron (16-0, 10 KOs) and Andy “El Tiburon” Vences (23-3-1, 12 KOs). Continue reading “Keyshawn Davis opponent named”

IBF #7 super lightweight Montana Love (18-0-1 9 KOs) will headline at home in Cleveland, Ohio for the first time in his career as he defends his IBF North American title against Stevie Spark (15-2 14 KOs) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse November 12 on DAZN. Love will be looking to put on a statement performance ahead of the vacant IBF world title being claimed by either Jeremiah Ponce or Subriel Matias this fall, while Australian puncher Spark, who was recently inked by Matchroom, goes straight into the Lion’s den on his US debut.

Super middleweight Yamaguchi Falcao (21-1-1, 9 KOs) looks to continue his winning ways on September 17 when he battles Abel Adriel (26-24-3, 5 KOs) at the Alessi Gym in Tampa, Florida. The bout is scheduled for eight rounds. Falcao won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. In the last 12 months, he claimed the WBC Latino, WBA Fedecaribe, WBC Feconsur and NABA titles. In Falcao’s most recent bout, he defeated Damian Bonelli by unanimous decision. Continue reading “Falcao to fight in Tampa Sept 17”

By Rick Scharmberg

Promoter Diane Fischer’s Dee Lee Promotions, in association with Family Legacy Finest, presents the first-ever fight card at the Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday, September 17th.

The first fight card in Delaware since the pandemic hit will have an international flavor, featuring fighters from Portugal, Canada, Hungary, as well as the USA. Pedro “The Black Panther” Gomes (10-3, 2 KOs), of Porto, Portugal will face Germany’s Dante “The Red Cornet” Cox (8-2, 5 KOs) in a lightweight bout. Sharing main event status will be former world title challenger Jessica “The Cobra” Camara (9-3, 1 KO), of Portugal by way of Canada, facing Haitian-born Jaica Pavilus (3-6-1) in a super lightweight bout. Continue reading “Boxing Returns to Delaware Sept 17th”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Hall of Fame broadcaster Colonel Bob Sheridan has given his support to former Australian heavyweight contender and promoter Mick Gatto, who has raised over AUD$4 million for charities in Australia

“Mick has raised millions of dollars for worthy charities in Australia and should be applauded for the work he has done,” Sheridan told Fightnews.com®. “I have seen first hand on my many trips to Australia where he has helped raise money for bushfires and muscular dystrophy.” Continue reading “The Colonel helping charities Down Under”

Ernesto Salcedo 121.6 vs. Hytan Ramos 121
(WBC Fecarbox super bantamweight title)

Ricardo “Capi” Tellez 136 vs. Eduardo Cortes 136
Larry Serrano 124 vs. Jahaziel Vargas 123.6
Bryan Sanchez 121 vs. Abraham Calixtro 122
David Hernandez 141.2 vs. Kennedy Serrano 143.6
Hector Calderon 124.2 vs. Fernando Gutierrez 126

Venue: Foro ZINA, Zinacantepec, Mexico
Promoter: All Star Boxing/Producciones Deportivas
TV: Estrella TV (US), ESPN KO (Latin America)

Unbeaten welterweight Florian “The Albanian King” Marku (12-0-1, 7 KOs) came off the canvas to win a somewhat tainted ten round unanimous decision over Miguel “Maquina” Parra Ramirez (21-3-1, 14 KOs) on Thursday night at the Air Albania Stadium in Tirana, Albania. Marku was credited with a dubious knockdown in round four, and further aided by a questionable point deduction against Ramirez in round seven as the fighters jostled in a clinch. Ramirez dropped Marku hard with a left hook in round eight and was pouring it on when the ref waved off the round 10 seconds early! In the end, Marku was declared the unanimous decision victor and claimed the WBC silver title.

Former world champions Jose “Sniper” Pedraza (29-4, 14 KOs) and Richard “RC” Commey (30-4, 27 KOs) faced off at the final press conference for Saturday’s super lightweight clash on ESPN from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Richard Commey: “It’s very important because I lost my last fight in December. It’s an opportunity to get back to winning ways, and this is my first fight at 140. I just want to announce myself.”

Jose Pedraza: “Same as Richard, I’m coming off a loss. I’m looking for a big win and to stay among the top names in the division. I believe I need to be more active, to be more offensive in this fight. A big win on Saturday against a great fighter like Richard Commey will put me a step closer to a world title opportunity. That’s what we’re looking for.”

Boxing promoter Don King’s comments on the dispute with Frank Warren and Queensberry Promotions, plus a copy of the agreement and wire transfer provided by King.

Don King Statement: For two months DKP has been requesting bank wire instructions for Queensberry Promotions in order to pay Daniel Dubois’s purse. Yet, never received them. The pretender Frank Warren told IFLTV in the UK that Frank Warren wants to make clear that none of that dispute should involve him. And more importantly, Warren says King is trying to distract from having to pay Dubois what he’s owed.

Don King: “That statement from the pretender Frank Warren is totally false!!! And that what Frank Warren said is completely untrue.” Continue reading “Don King Statement”

In part four of this four-part interview with Fightnews.com®, ring legend Bernard Hopkins pulls no punches as he prepares to embark on the biggest fight of his career outside the ring.

By Jeff Zimmerman

Oscar De La Hoya told Fightnews.com® at the weigh-in for the Ortiz-McKinson fight a few weeks ago, that Ortiz Jr. was now the mandatory from all sanctioning bodies to get a shot at the 147lb title held by Errol Spence Jr. [WBC, IBF, WBA] and Terence Crawford [WBO].

Bernard Hopkins shared his thoughts on what that means for Ortiz Jr. and his potential crack at the welterweight title.

“It is worth it right now [getting Ortiz Jr. mandatory status by all sanctioning bodies]. Any other time, I would be like, ah ok, it’s an incentive to get one person and everyone sitting there waiting for someone to come next and I’m in that position. And that statement I support, and it is clear. It’s not end all, be all.” Continue reading “Bernard Hopkins: No Punches Pulled, Part 4”

Unbeaten Matchroom welterweight Florian “The Albanian King” Marku (11-0-1, 7 KOs) fights Miguel “Maquina” Parra Ramirez (21-2-1, 14 KOs) tonight at the Air Albania Stadium in Tirana, Albania, with the WBC silver title at stake. A capacity crowd of 20,000+ fans is expected. Marku should make his entrance to the ring around 8:30PM UK time (3:30PM ET/12:30PM PT US time).

British fans can catch the fight for free via the Sky Sports Boxing YouTube channel and the Sky Sports Boxing Facebook page. The full 11-bout card can be watched in the US, UK, and Ireland via FITE.tv.

By Gabriel F. Cordero

On July 13, TMZ reported that boxing legend George Foreman claimed two women have made up stories that he sexually abused them in an effort to extort him out of millions of dollars. It’s now reported that the women have filed separate lawsuits against Big George seeking unspecified damages for alleged incidents that would have taken place nearly 50 years ago when they were both minors. Foreman, 73, has denied the allegations.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has given promoters a seven-day deadline to make an offer for an undisputed heavyweight title bout against WBA, WBO, IBF heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

“For all these suitors out there that want to make the fight, I’m going to give you all seven days until September 1st to come up with the money. If not, thank you very much, it’s been a blast, I’m retired,” Fury said on social media.

He added, “All offers submitted must be to my lawyer Robert Davis in writing with proof of funds. So let the games begin. Boom!”

Former unified heavyweight champion Andy “The Destroyer” Ruiz Jr. held a media workout at his gym in the San Diego area on Wednesday as he prepares to face top contender Luis “King Kong” Ortiz in a WBC heavyweight title eliminator that headlines a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View on September 4 in Labor Day weekend action at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Andy Ruiz Jr:  “I’m feeling really good. The hard work has already paid off and now it’s just time to have fun on September 4. We’re going to let it all out in the ring. Me and Ortiz are coming to be champions, so you know it’s going to be a hell of a fight.

“I’m just ready. I had a long training camp. I know what Ortiz is bringing to the ring and I know what I’m capable of. I just have to stay focused and execute. Continue reading “Andy Ruiz Training Camp Quotes”

The World Boxing Association (WBA) Championships Committee has approved a joint permit requested by Matchroom Boxing and TGB Promotions to allow featherweight super champion Leo Santa Cruz to face Rey Vargas in a unification fight and regular featherweight champion Leigh Wood to make a defense against Mauricio Lara.

Both fights were approved with the condition that the super champion will face the regular champion to define the sole champion of the category within 120 days after the fight between Santa Cruz and Vargas. Continue reading “WBA approves Santa Cruz-Vargas, Wood-Lara”