Fightnews.com

By Ron Jackson

Lightweight Simiso Buthelezi died on Wednesday at the King Edward Hospital in Durban after his bout against Siphesihle Mntungwa for the vacant World Boxing Federation All Africa title, at the Greyville Convention Centre in Durban on Sunday.

He passed away after being in an induced coma and suffering with bleeding on the brain, after appearing completely disorientated in the tenth and last round of the fight against Mntungwa.

According to reports, the 24-year-old Buthelezi (4-1, 2 KOs) was ahead going into the tenth round and never suffered any punishment during the fight. After Buthelezi had knocked Mntungwa (7-1-2, 4 KOs) just about through the ropes it was a bizarre turn around to see the fighter walking towards the corner throwing punches in the air. Continue reading “Simiso Buthelezi dies after bout”

Two-division world champion Danny “Swift” Garcia will make his super welterweight debut against Jose Benavidez Jr. in a 12-round showdown that headlines a Showtime tripleheader on July 30 from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The telecast will also see heavyweight Adam Kownacki returning to the ring to take on former Olympian Ali Eren Demirezen in a 10-rounder, while unbeaten rising super lightweight Gary Antuanne Russell faces two-division champion Rances Barthelemy in the 10-round opener.

By Miguel Maravilla

Undefeated lightweight superstar Ryan Garcia (22-0, 18KOs) of Victorville, California returns to fight in Southern California as he takes on former two-time world champion Javier “El Abejon” Fortuna (37-3-1, 26 KOs) of the Dominican Republic on Saturday July 16 at the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles live on DAZN. Continue reading “Ryan Garcia: Fortuna is a dirty veteran”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten “Monster” Naoya Inoue (23-0, 20 KOs), 118, unified the WBC, WBA and IBF bantamweight belts as he annihilated Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire (42-7, 28 KOs), 117.75, at 1:24 of the second round on Tuesday in Saitama, Japan. Naoya quickly decked Nonito with a solid right counter in the closing seconds of the opening session with the Filipino having a narrow escape. The second round witnessed Monster accelerate his attack and finally deck Filipino Flash with a vicious left hook following a flurry of strong shots to the face. The victor jubilantly said, “I intended to be one-sidedly victorious like this. I did it.” He strongly wishes to unify all the four belts with WBO ruler Paul Butler within this year and then move up to the 122-pound category. Some 17,000 people were in attendance at the Saitama Super Arena. Continue reading “Inoue-Donaire Full Report”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

In the semi-windup of the Inoue-Donaire super fight, unbeaten IBF#8, WBO#14 Andy Hiraoka (20-0, 15 KOs), 140, easily kept his WBO AP and Japanese national super-light belt as he floored Shun Akaiwa (7-4-1, 5 KOs), 140, in the first round and finally halted him with a barrage of unanswered punches at 1:24 of the sixth round in a scheduled ten on Tuesday in Saitama, Japan. Andy, an elongated southpaw under Top Rank’s promotional agreement, wasn’t so sharp and swift as usual, but he handled the game but less experienced opponent with ease, battering him from all angles.

Photos

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Once-beaten ex-WBC interim bantamweight champ, Monster Naoya’s brother Takuma Inoue (16-1, 3 KOs), 122, defeated Japanese titlist Gakuya Furuhashi (28-9-2, 16 KOs), 122, by a nearly shutout decision (120-108 twice, 119-109) over twelve rounds beneath the Inoue-Donaire showdown on Tuesday in Saitama, Japan. WBO Asia Pacific 122-pound ruler Takuma collected Gakuya’s national belt since both belts were on the line. Furuhashi was an aggressor all the way, but he was too less accurate to catch up with the elusive Takuma, who kept countering with uppercuts while retreating to pile up points steadily.

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To kick off the promotion for Garcia-Fortuna, undefeated lightweight contender Ryan Garcia (22-0, 18KOs) hosted a press conference today at the Crypto.com Arena (formerly the Staples Center). The fight is set to take place on Saturday, July 16 at Downtown Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena and will stream live, worldwide on DAZN. Garcia’s opponent, former two-time world champion Javier “El Abejon” Fortuna (37-3-1, 26 KOs), joined virtually.

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

Once again boxing fulfilled a dream I had since I was a child: to visit Australia. The influence that the rock group, one of the greatest in history, AC/DC, had on my childhood and adolescence was enormous.

My brothers Pepe, Héctor and Fernando encouraged my passion for music, and it was this band that captivated me, from the first time I heard a song by this Australian group, and hence that dream of one day visiting this beautiful country was kindled.

What a pleasant surprise to get to know this culture! Where people are kind and respectful, with a great love of sports, mainly rugby, Australian football, similar American football, and of course boxing. Continue reading “My Trip to Australia”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos: Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten “Monster” Naoya Inoue (23-0, 20 KOs), 118, unified the WBC, WBA and IBF bantamweight belts as he annihilated Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire (42-7, 28 KOs), 117.75, at 1:24 of the second round on Tuesday in Saitama, Japan. Naoya quickly decked Nonito with a solid right counter in the closing seconds of the opening session with the Filipino having a narrow escape. The second round witnessed Monster accelerate his attack and finally decked Filipino Flash with a vicious left hook following a flurry of strong and accurate shots to the face.

The victor jubilantly said, “I intended to be one-sidedly victorious like this. I did it.” He strongly wishes to unify the four belts with WBO ruler Paul Butler within this year and then move up to the 122-pound category.

(More to come)

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Heavyweights Derek Chisora (32-12, 23 KOs) and Kubrat Pulev (29-2, 14 KOs) will meet for a second time at The O2 in London on July 9 at the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany, live worldwide on DAZN (excluding Australia, New Zealand and France). Six years ago, Pulev beat Chisora by twelve round split decision in an IBF world title eliminator.

“I’m delighted to get this fight over the line,” said Matchroom Sport Chairman Eddie Hearn. “Initially we worked on some other opponents for Derek, but this fight came out of nowhere a few days ago and I absolutely love it! I think the strapline, ‘Total Carnage’, is absolutely perfect for this fight, in terms of the build-up and in terms of the fight itself. Expect the unexpected but expect a thriller at The O2 on July 9. Both men have been longstanding fixtures of the world heavyweight division and it’s all or nothing at The O2 for both, as defeat could lead to the end of the road. Fans can expect a huge undercard and a brilliant main event for another brilliant event live on DAZN.”

Former WBA Heavyweight champion Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne (31-3, 27 KOs) took his boxing career into his own hands, or should that be into his right hand, by obliterating Junior Fa in two minutes on the Kambosos-Haney undercard. A huge 15:1 underdog leading into the fight, the 43-year-old Aussie stunned his opponent with a thunderous right hand that left him quivering on the canvas. Fa beat the count, but another right hand ended matters just seconds later.

“I know that if I land that right hand on anyone, they’re going to sleep,” said Browne. “Somewhere along the line I perhaps got a little too cute, trying to box more rather than bombing people out. Heading into this fight I knew I wanted to get back to doing what I do best, putting people to sleep. Continue reading “Lucas Browne revives his career”

The Jermall Charlo vs. Maciej Sulecki event, scheduled to take place Saturday, June 18 live on Showtime from Toyota Center in Houston, has been postponed after Charlo suffered a back injury in training. The card will be rescheduled to a new date that will be announced pending an assessment of when Charlo can return to training.

Here is the complete eight-bout lineup for Hall of Fame promoter Don King’s $29.99 pay-per-view event on Saturday night at the Casino Miami Jai-Alai:

Trevor Bryan (22-0, 15 KOs) vs. Daniel Dubois (17-1, 16 KOs)
(WBA heavyweight title)

DaCarree Scott (7-0, 6 KOs) vs. Jonathan Guidry (17-1-2, 5 KOs)
(NABA gold heavyweight championship)

Johnnie Langston (10-3, 4 KOs) vs. Isaiah Thompson (6-1-1, 5 KOs)
(NABA cruiserweight title)

Tre-Sean Wiggins (13-5-3, 7 KOs) vs. Travis Castellon (17-4-1, 12KOs)
(NABA welterweight title)

Ahmed Elbialo (21-1, 18 KOs) vs. Dervin Colina (16-1, 14 KOs)
(NABA light heavyweight title)

Anthony Lenk (17-8, 7 KOs) vs. Ian Green (15-2, 11 KOs)
(WBA Continental Americas middleweight title)

Raynel Mederos (6-0, 1 KO) vs. Ryan Wilson (1-0, 1 KO)
(six-rounds, super lightweight)

Luis Rodriguez (8-0, 8 KOs) vs. Ryan Adams (8-5-1, 6 KOs)
(six-rounds, super middleweight)

Former world title challenger Axel “Mini” Vega (15-4-1, 8 KOs) returns to the ring to take on undefeated Venezuelan knockout artist Angelino “Huracan” Cordova (16-0-1, 12 KOs) in the co-main event of WBO jr flyweight title clash between champion “Bomba” Gonzalez and “Da Baby Boy” Barriga. The 10-round Vega-Cordova fight will be for the WBO Latino junior flyweight title. The event takes place on Friday, June 24 at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida and will be streamed live on ProBox TV.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Naoya Inoue 118 vs. Nonito Donaire 117.75
(WBC, WBA, IBF bantamweight title bout)

Andy Hiraoka 140 vs. Shun Akaiwa 140
(WBO Asia Pacific, Japanese super-lightweight title bout)

Takuma Inoue 122 vs. Gakuya Furuhashi 122
(WBO Asia Pacific, Japanese super-bantamweight title bout)

Fight Venue: Saitama Super Arena
Promoter: Ohashi Promotions

Photos

Absolutely a huge boxing week with the highlight being the early morning world championship rematch between Naoya Inoue and Nonito Donaire.

TUESDAY
WBA/IBF bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue faces WBC bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire in a unification showdown at the Super Arena in Saitama, Saitama, Japan. The ESPN+ telecast begins at 5:30AM ET, 2:30AM PT!!

FRIDAY
Showtime has a ShoBox telecast featuring two-time Olympian and 2020 super heavyweight gold medalist Bakhodir “Big Uzbek” Jalolov against “Big” Jack Mulowayi from Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY.

DAZN delivers the WBA light flyweight clash between WBA titleholders Hiroto Kyoguchi and Esteban Bermudez to crown one WBA champion in the 108lb division. The bout takes place at the Domo Alcalde in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

SATURDAY
ESPN presents Edgar Berlanga vs. Roamer Alexis Angulo in a super middleweight clash from the MSG Theater in New York City.

DAZN counters with middleweight contender Jaime Munguia moving up to the 168lb division against Jimmy “Kilrain” Kelly from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

There is also a $29.99 pay-per-view topped by WBA “regular” heavyweight champion Trevor Bryan defending against #1 contender Daniel Dubois from Miami Jai Alai in Miami, Florida.

Report/Photos by Bob Ryder

DeAndre Ware was back in the friendly confines of the Glass City Center in downtown Toledo Saturday night scoring a unanimous decision in the eight round main event over Philadelphia’s Christopher Brooker. Super middleweight Ware whose day job is a firefighter with the Toledo Fire Department, prevailed in what was a messy fight. After a tactical feeling out first round the contest devolved into one that featured more clutching and grabbing than clean punches. Ware attempted to gain some punching distance and had an excellent flurry in the third but by the fifth stanza the pattern for the remainder of the bout was firmly established. Referee Jaime Howe did his best in admonishing both contestants about their holding but whether it was just the contrasting styles or their mutual desire to keep the fight at close quarters, the pace of the bout remained the same until the final bell. Judges saw Ware the winner (15-3-2, 9 KOs) scoring it 79-74 x 2 and 78-75 and dropping Brooker to (16-11, 6 KOs).

The six round middleweight semi final bout on promoter Ron Greer’s show was clearly the fight of the night. Toledo’s Roy Barringer and Lansing’s Antonio Urista also engaged at close quarters the difference being both continually swapped punches with little clinching and mauling. Their fast paced encounter featured excellent exchanges in the fourth and fifth rounds as neither battler wanted to yield an inch. No one was staggered or visibly shaken in the contest that went the distance with the judges awarding Barringer (8-3, 5 KOs) the fight on scores that seemed a little too wide of 59-55 x 2 and a more accurate score of 58-56. With the loss Urista falls to (10-4, 2 KOs).

Another scheduled six rounder had hometown Antwan Jones stop Tucson’s Rafael Garcia at :35 of round four. The bout was originally contracted at super middleweight but contested in the light heavyweight range. Jones had by far the better skills and speed, mixing up his attack to both the head and body. Garcia could only launch one wild punch at a time that Jones mostly avoided with ease. Garcia, cut over the left eye in the second round, was steadily worn down by Jones’ attack. Jones trapped Garcia in a corner at the beginning of the fourth stanza and unloaded with a sustained barrage necessitating referee Howe to wave it off and stay undefeated at (10-0, 5 KOs) while Garcia declines to (9-5, 6 KOs).

Two scheduled four round bouts filled out the evening. An entertaining super welterweight matchup saw Toledo’s James Westley II take a split decision ( 38-37 x 2, 37-38) against Monroe, Michigan’s Matthew Niziolek. There wasn’t much to choose between the boxers in the first three rounds. Westley concentrated his attack to the body with more than a couple shots straying low causing Niziolek’s corner to voice heated protests to referee James Easter. The deciding punch of the bout came from a clean body punch that dropped Niziolek in the final round and that provided Westley his margin of victory and take his mark to (2-1, 0 KOs) while Niziolek goes to (2-1, 1 KO). The opening match of the program had two super lightweights making their first starts in the paid ranks. As an even first round was drawing to a close, Toledo’s Jeremiah Lewis-Watts uncorked a big right hand that spun Ashtabula’s Bryon Crockett half way around landing him hard face first to the canvas prompting referee Howe to immediately wave off the match at 2:59.

_

“I was comfortable,” said Devin Haney after becoming undisputed lightweight champion by defeating reigning champ George Kambosos. “I was just sticking to the game plan. The game plan was to go there and hit and not get hit, and I did that for the majority of the fight. I took the last round off just because I knew I was comfortably ahead, but I fought a good, smart fight.

“I handicapped him of his best things. He wanted to land the overhand right, and he wanted to land the big left hook. I handicapped him. I was fighting both ways. When I would go to the left, I would fight his right hand. When I would go to the right, I would fight his left hook. And he couldn’t hit me with neither one of them. Continue reading “Haney: I handicapped him of his best things”

Formerly undisputed lightweight champion George Kambosos commented on his loss to new champion Devin Haney.

“This was amazing for the sport,” said Kambosos. “It was amazing for the country. At the end of the day, I wanted to take the best and hardest tests. I’m going to give him full respect after his victory today. Let him have his time, and we’ll do it again. I have to implement a few things, but I thought the fight was very close. I’m not going to wreck his moment. I’ll let him have his moment. Last November, my moment was wrecked, so let’s let him have his moment, and I’ll see you again real soon.” Continue reading “Kambosos: He had a smart game plan”

In a clash for the undisputed lightweight title, Devin “The Dream” Haney (28-0, 15 KOs) scored a one-sided twelve round unanimous decision over George “Ferocious” Kambosos Jr (20-1, 10 KOs) on Sunday morning in front out 40,000+ fans at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. The elusive Haney’s jab was sharp as he largely neutralized and frustrated Kambosos (and the crowd) in a very technical fight. Scores were 116-112, 116-112, 118-110.

There is a rematch clause, so they will likely run this back in the Fall.

Official attendance number 41,129. This makes it the second biggest attendance in Australian modern boxing history (behind Pacquiao v Horn in 2017). It surpasses Fenech v Nelson 1992, making it the largest attended fight ever in the state of Victoria.

“I made a hell of a statement tonight,” said WB/WBO 122-pound world champion Stephen Fulton after his unanimous decision over Danny Roman. “I prepared for this and I told y’all I was going to make it easy and fight depending on how I wake up, and I woke up feeling good.

“It was very important to control the distance tonight. Like I said before, in the last outing with Brandon Figueroa, I didn’t have the energy because I didn’t make the weight the right way. So shout out to my dietician. Any moment he had, I took it right away from him. I neutralized the threat. Continue reading “Fulton: I want Akhmadaliev”

Unified WBC and WBO super bantamweight champion Stephen “Cool Boy Steph” Fulton Jr (21-0, 8 KOs) outboxed and outpunched former champion Danny Roman (29-4-1, 10 KOs) over twelve rounds on Saturday night at The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Roman had no answer for Fulton’s speed and movement. Scores were 119-109, 120-108, 120-108.

After defending his title with a TKO4 against Kalvin Henderson, WBA super middleweight champion David Morrell declared his intention to face the best at 168-pounds. “It’s David Benavidez, it’s Caleb Plant, it’s Anthony Dirrell, it’s whoever wants to get in the ring with me,” said Morrell. “I’m ready for any of them.” Continue reading “Morrell: I’m ready for the best”

WBA super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr (7-0, 6 KOs) retained his title with a fourth round TKO over the very durable Kalvin Henderson (15-2-1, 11 KOs) on Saturday night at The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Morrell teed off on Henderson in the first round but Henderson withstood the assault. More punishment in rounds two through four and referee Luis Pabon finally waved off the mismatch at 2:35.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

43-year-old former WBA heavyweight champion Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne (31-3, 27 KOs) demolished Junior Fa (19-2, 10 KOs) in the first round. Browne dropped Fa twice with big right hands to end the contents after just 1:58. 15:1 favorite Fa was looking to get his career back on track after losing to former world champion Joseph Parker in his last outing, but “Big Daddy” had other plans.

In a clash between former world title challengers, bantamweight Jason Moloney (24-2, 19 KOs) scores a spectacular third round KO against Aston Palicte (28-5-1, 23 KOs) in a bout for the WBO International and WBC Silver bantamweight titles. Maloney Brooke open a competitive fight by dropping Palicte twice in round three to end it. Time was 2:35.

Former WBA super flyweight champion Andrew Moloney (24-2, 16 KOs) pounded on Alexander Espinoza (21-4-2, 8 KOs) for two rounds. Espinoza didn’t come out for round three. Continue reading “Browne KOs Fa, Maloneys stop foes”