Fightnews.com

By Karl Freitag

Four-division world champion Adrien Broner patiently answered reporter’s questions during Thursday’s virtual press conference to promote his August 20 Showtime clash against Omar Figueroa. After his meltdown earlier in the week, AB was on his good behavior this time.

“I’m gonna go in there and do what I gotta do to get the victory,” he said. “If I gotta bang to get the victory I’m gonna bang. If I got to be a sniper, I’m gonna sit back and be a sniper, but I’ll tell you one thing. I’ll be ready for whatever Omar Figueroa brings to the table.”

On fighting in the 140lb division for the first time since 2017, Broner stated “Anything in boxing is not easy. More mentally it’s tough, but I’m getting through it every day. I’m working my ass off.” Continue reading “Adrien Broner Virtual Press Conference”

Middleweight Steve Rolls (22-2, 12 KOs) outpointed previously unbeaten Shady Gamhour (13-0, 9 KOs) on Thursday night at the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Rolls, best known for his fights against GGG and Edgar Berlanga, won by scores of 97-93, 97-93, 96-94 and obtained the vacant IBF North American belt.

Sergio Mendoza vs. Francisco Gomez 121.2
(WBC Fecarbox flyweight title)

Jesus Ramirez Rubio 121.1 vs. Anthony Jimenez 120.6
Marco Cota Moreno 136.7 vs. Brandon Garcia Orozco 135.8
Bryan Zamarripa 136.7 vs. Jesus Arevalo 138.9
Yadira Bustillos 109.1 vs. Barbara Martinez Munoz 111.9

Venue: Sonora Arena in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
Promoter: World Cup Boxing Series (WCBS) and De La O Promotions
TV: Canela.tv

George Acosta 129 vs Isaac Avelar 129.2
Richard Brewart Jr. 159.4 vs Ramon Ayala 159.9
Japhethlee Llamido 126.8 vs Dihul Olguin 126.5
Leo Sanchez 131.8 vs. Erick Espinoza 131.7
Stephanie Chavez 114.5 vs. Esli Cervantes 113.7

Venue: Doubletree Hotel Ontario, CA
Promoter: Thompson Boxing
TV: Facebook, YouTube

Super lightweight Omar “Panterita” Figueroa previewed his showdown with four-division world champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner during a virtual media event this week. They headline live on Showtime on August 20 from Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

Omar Figueroa Jr. “I’m excited that this fight is finally happening. I’ve been looking forward to the challenge. I know that Broner has a lot left in the tank and I know that he’s a world caliber fighter regardless of whatever is going on outside of boxing for him. We’re preparing like never before…we’re getting ready for the best Adrien Broner. Whether that’s one that throws 10 punches a round or 50 punches a round, we’re focused on our craft and what we have to do to win the fight. That’s all we have in mind right now…if he’s going for the stoppage, then I’ll meet him in the middle of the ring. That’s it. We’ll see.”

By Héctor Villarreal

Luis Rodriguez 168 vs Michi Muñoz Zavala 171
Giodanny Jimenez 169.5 vs Robinson Aragon 168.25
Jack Hemmings 120 vs Jonathan Carmona 122
Pedro Alarcon 110.5 vs Henry Arrieta 110
Hernan Alarcon 118.5 vs Alexander Armuelles 122

Venue: Centro de Combates, Ciudad Deportiva, Panama City, Panama
Promoter: Rouss Laguna – Laguna Premium Boxing
Matchmaker: Anselmo “Chemito” Moreno
Friday, July 22nd 2022

Continue reading “Weights from Panama”

Two-time title challenger Joet Gonzalez (25-2, 15 KOs) and former junior featherweight world champion Isaac Dogboe (23-2, 15 KOs) faced off at the final press conference for their WBC title eliminator on ESPN+ Saturday night at the Grand Casino Hinckley in Hinckley, Minnesota. Gonzalez will also be defending his WBO International strap

Joet Gonzalez: “This fight has a little bit of everything. There’s motivation. There’s a little more pressure because the opportunity is there for a third world title shot. But I got to get the job done. I’ve got to get past Isaac Dogboe first and then go from there.”

Isaac Dogboe: “One thing I believe is that without risk there is no reward. I love the challenge. I’m always willing to go in there with whoever is in front of me. I’m really looking forward to this fight. I know that Joet is going to bring it. I’m really looking forward to what he’s going to bring.”

By Robert Coster

Felix Valera 200 vs. Felipe Romero 200
Lenin Castillo 185 vs. Wilson Santana 179.5
Thomas Dulorme 147 vs. Abrahan Peralta 147.5
Brainer Vasquez 137 vs. Luis Ernesto Jose 141.25
Carlos Beras 134.25 vs. Berlin Calderon 134
Angel Yomar Mateo 174 vs. Sanderson Diaz ??
Luis De Jesus 124 vs. Carlos Bonilla 127.5
Alfre Ramirez ?? vs. Danilo Terrero 118
Franklin De Paula 114.1/4 vs. Juan G. Guzman 116
Junior Desir 147 vs. Feliberto Infante 152
Edwin Matos 116 vs. Jose Fernandez F. 112.5
Rahman Samuir 147 vs. Dioni Candelario 149.5
Miguel Quelis 132.5 vs. Nathanael Vestaio 134
Katiana Petit Homme 116 vs. Alisha Martinez 118
Wilkin Vidal 178 vs. Juan De Leon Encarnacion 175
Oscar Garcia 141.25 vs. Santiago Soriano Medina 145

Venue: Carlos Teo Cruz Coliseum
Promoter: Domini Boxing Promotion

Unbeaten super lightweight Brandun Lee (25-0, 22 KOs) will face Will Madera (17-1-3, 10 KOs) in the August 6 opener of the Jake Paul-Hasim Rahman Jr. PPV telecast from Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was also announced that unbeaten lightweight Ashton “H20” Sylve (7-0, 7 KOs) will face Braulio Rodriguez (20-4, 17 KOs). Along with the clash between female champ Amanda Serrano and Brenda Carabajal, this completes the PPV lineup.

Unbeaten flyweight Sergio “Yoreme” Mendoza (16-0, 15 KOs) headlines a new boxing series called “Canela Box Nights” starting Friday night on Canela.TV. Mendoza faces Francisco “Charrito” Gomez (14-8, 11 KOs) in the ten round main event at the Sonora Arena in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.

Fan favorite super bantamweight Jesus “Koreano” Ramirez (21-1-3, 13 KOs) takes on Anthony “Boy” Jimenez Salas (17-3-1, 5 KOs) in the eight round co-feature.

“Canela Box Nights” will stream live and free on Canela.TV the third Friday of every month throughout the United States, Mexico, and Latin America.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

The Australian boxing community is in mourning with the passing of former promoter, manager, and matchmaker Stuart Duncan who managed and promoted former IBF middleweight champion Sam Soliman among others. In 2008, Duncan was the matchmaker for the Jeff Fenech vs. Azumah Nelson fight in Melbourne. Stuart was also the matchmaker for former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker, including his world heavyweight championship bout against Andy Ruiz. He was the matchmaker for WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn’s championship fights including his successful title challenge against Manny Pacquiao in 2017 which had an Australian record live gate of over 50,000 in attendance. Stuart recently worked as matchmaker when Jai Opetaia captured the IBF cruiserweight championship from Maris Breidis on July 2nd. Stuart will be sadly missed by family and friends.

By Miguel Maravilla

Former unified heavyweight world champion Andy “The Destroyer” Ruiz Jr. (34-2, 22 KOs) of Imperial Valley, California, talks about his upcoming fight against Luis “King Kong” Ortiz (33-2, 28 KO’s) of Cuba in a WBC title eliminator. Ruiz-Ortiz lands September 4 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles live on FOX Sports PPV.

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By Miguel Maravilla

Luis “King Kong” Ortiz talks Andy Ruiz Jr., heavyweights, translator gets offended by a reporter’s question, and receives a cookie from Ruiz’s son.

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Former unified heavyweight world champion Andy “The Destroyer” Ruiz Jr. and top contender Luis “King Kong” Ortiz faced off for the first time on Wednesday, at a Los Angeles press conference to preview their WBC heavyweight world title eliminator which headlines a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View on September 4 in a Labor Day weekend clash at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Andy Ruiz Jr: “This isn’t a weightlifting contest, so I’ve been getting back to what originally made me a champion. I’m not here to lose weight or look the part, I just want to be the part…I wanted to work with (new trainer) Alfredo Osuna a long time ago, it just wasn’t the right time then. He’s used to training for lefty fighters. I feel like this is exactly what I needed for this fight. My team is going to bring the best out of me. This might not go the distance, but I’m prepared to go all 12 rounds. We’re going to get this victory no matter what on September 4.”

Luis Ortiz: “I don’t believe there’s any advantage to the fact that I’ve been more active than Andy. I believe in hard work and the mental makeup of a fighter. That’s what I’ve been focusing on day after day. My main objective right now is to win on September 4. Then after that, I’ll see who crawls out and steps up. So far there haven’t been too many at the elite level. This fight is going to end in a knockout. I’m sure Andy thinks the same thing. This one isn’t going to go 12 rounds.”

Two-division world champion Danny “Swift” Garcia held a media workout at the DSG Boxing Gym in Philadelphia on Wednesday as he prepares to make his 154-pound debut against Jose Benavidez Jr. on July 30 headlining live on Showtime from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Danny Garcia: “Benavidez is a tough fighter. He has some skills. Obviously, he’s 27-1-1 and he’s fought some good fighters. I expect the best of him. I want to knock him out but if the knockout doesn’t come, then we’re ready for 12 rounds. I just want to go in there and give the fans a great show.”

On the other hand, Danny’s father and trainer, Angel Garcia, wasn’t so complimentary toward Benavidez.

Angel Garcia: “Jose Benavidez Jr. is not a skillful fighter. He can’t fight going backwards. He doesn’t have any skill. He doesn’t dip. He doesn’t slip. He doesn’t duck hits. He just comes forward, I guess. I don’t know what they’re teaching him. I teach perfection. I don’t teach just going in and getting beat up.”

The WBO World Championship Committee has ordered the commencement of negotiations for a WBO middleweight championship contest between champion Demetrius Andrade and interim champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly. Parties are granted 30-days to reach an agreement or purse bid proceedings will be called.

The committee also ruled that Andrade must be medically and physically ready, willing, and able to fight as ordered. If he is not available to fight for “whatever reason,” the WBO middleweight title will be declared “vacant” and Alimkhnauly shall be elevated automatically to “full champion” status.

Likewise, if Alimkhanuly is not available to fight, the interim will be vacated.

The minimum acceptable bid for the WBO middleweight division is $200,000. Andrade is represented by Salita Promotions and Alimkhanuly is repped by Top Rank.

In a video posted on Instagram, WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury says he wants to fight British rival Anthony Joshua for free.

Fury stated, “Right! This is a reconfirmation of what I’ve said about fighting Anthony Joshua for f*ck-all in England. That’s how the fight happens. I’ll sign the contract today. The fight’s got to be for free. Free-to-air television and all tickets go for free. No money is to be made out of this British historic fight if it happens. There’s the terms. I’m in the driving seat, take it or effing leave it. The ball is in your court, guys. Take it or leave it. Either way, I don’t give a damn. That’s the offer.”

Four-division world champion Adrien Broner lasted about two minutes on this week’s virtual press conference to launch the build-up for his August 20 fight against Omar Figueroa. After launching into a tirade about the virtual press conference format that has become common since COVID, “The Problem” abruptly left!

WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE

“I ain’t with none of this shit they got going on,” proclaimed Broner. “I feel like Al Haymon and Steven Espinoza is bullshitting because why is we doing a press conference on a computer? They don’t do Floyd’s shit on no fucking computer when he fights a YouTuber. They don’t do nobody else’s shit on the computer, but they want to do my shit on the computer – so that’s telling me they don’t give a fuck about me. So when you say fuck me, it’s fuck y’all. And at the end of the day, that’s what I really just came here to let y’all know. Anybody can see it. At this point, y’all just bullshitting. Y’all’s been supposed to make this fight. Y’all giving us dates. Y’all keep pushing our dates back. C’mon man. Who the fuck do a six-month camp? Y’all trippin. So what I’m gonna do is tell Omar keep training your ass off. I’m training my ass off too. Let’s go in there and put on the greatest performance.”

Broner later apologized (sort of) on Instagram:

“Listen man, I was just frustrated with a lot of shit that’s going on in my life. Me and Showtime Boxing and Al Haymon have no problems whatsoever.” Continue reading “Broner ERUPTS at virtual press conference”

The World Boxing Association (WBA) recently ordered light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) to next fight current WBA #1 and mandatory challenger Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (44-0, 30 KOs), who has won two title eliminators. The two sides were given until August 10th to consummate a deal to avoid a WBA purse bid hearing, however, promoter Eddie Hearn is reportedly planning to request an exception from the WBA to allow Bivol to make a voluntary defense against #2 rated Joshua Buatsi in October with the winner to face Zurdo.

“I always hear things here and there,” Ramirez said, “but I’m in this position for a reason. The WBA is a tremendous organization and I believe the right process will prevail. Unlike others, I take pride in my craft and will always want to face the best in real life, and not just speak of it like other champions.” Continue reading “Bivol-Zurdo Update”

History was made last Friday night in Worcester, Massachusetts, as 52-year-old welterweight Paul “Rude Dog” Iannuzzi became the oldest boxer in the world to make his professional debut. Iannuzzi knocked out 35-year-old Lucinei Santos (0-5) late in the opening round of their scheduled four-rounder. Santos came out of his corner throwing wild bombs but Iannuzzi buzzed Santos with a left hook that disoriented him, followed by a right that closed the show at the 2:55 mark, much to the delight of the Iannuzzi’s many supporters in attendance at the famed Worcester Palladium.

Iannuzzi (52 years, 10 months, and 20 days old) broke the record of Dewey Bozella, a boxer who was wrongfully convicted of murder and imprisoned for 26 years. Bozella gained celebrity status after his release and set the world record for the oldest pro-debuting boxer (52 years, 4 months). Continue reading “52-year-old wins pro debut, promptly retires”

On Wednesday, August 10, at the historic Garden Theater in Midtown Detroit, the popular Detroit Brawl series continues with IBF #4, WBA #13, WBO #11 super lightweight Shohjahon Ergashev and WBO #12, IBF #11, WBC #7 light heavyweight Ali Izmailov in separate ten-rounders.

Ergashev (21-0, 19 KOs) will face Angel “El Furioso” Martinez Hernandez (14-1-2, 14 KOs) in a 10-round shootout, and Izmailov (8-0, 6 KOs) meets Eric Murguia (14-0, 12 KOs) in a clash of unbeaten.

“On September 10, boxing fans will see two top-rated contenders in Ergashev and Izmailov,” said promoter Dmitriy Salita, “and both have power-punching contenders in front of them, which will be good indicators of where they are. I believe both are a fight or two away from the world title. Our Detroit Brawl series just keeps getting better. Detroit is well on the way to being one of the hubs of professional boxing in the United States.”

In a long-awaited clash between Thai boxing icons, WBA minimumweight champion Knockout CP Freshmart, a.k.a. Thammanoo Niyomtrong, (24-0, 9 KOs) successfully defended his world title by twelve round unanimous decision against against former WBC champ Wanheng Meenayothin, a.k.a. Chayaphon Moonsri (55-3, 19 KOs) on Wednesday in a temporary arena at the Chonburi Provincial Ground in Chonburi, Thailand. Close rounds with both having their moments. Wanheng was maybe a bit busier early, but Freshmart’s combination punching won the day. Scores were 116-112, 119-109, and 117-111. Lots of smiles and hugs during the fight.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

IBF #9, WBO #14 122-pounder Sam Goodman (12-0, 7 KOs) stopped former world title challenger Juan Miguel Elorde (29-3, 15 KOs) in round eight of a scheduled ten round bout at the Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, NSW with the IBF Intercontinental and WBO Oriental titles up for grabs. Goodman controlled every round as he connected with accurate left jabs and right hand power shots to the head that had Elorde on unsteady legs. A three-punch combination to the head of Elorde in round eight had him in trouble and referee Brad Vocale crowned Goodman at 1:26.

Goodman said. “ I thought I fought a smart fight and disciplined fight. I listened to my corner and we had a good game plan. “

Elorde is the grandson of Filipino great Flash Elorde.

In other action hot 154 pound prospect Nikita “ The Butcher” Tszyu (3-0, 2 KOs) outworked Ben Horn (4-5) over six rounds. Tszyu attacked Horn throughout the contest connecting with power shots to the head and body of Horn who responded with solid combinations boxing on the backmove. At the conclusion of six action rounds that had both Horn and Tszyu exchanging bombs at the bell the scores were 60-54, 60-54, 59-55. Continue reading “Goodman and Tszyu victorious”

ProBox TV and Cotto Promotions announced today that Miguel Cotto has become a partner with ProBox TV founders Roy Jones, Jr, Juan Manuel Marquez, Antonio Tarver and Paul Malignaggi – and Cotto Promotions will promote 15 events in Puerto Rico through 2023. The first Cotto Promotions event will take place on August 19 at Coliseo de Roberto Clemente then monthly events consisting mostly of prospects under the Cotto Promotions umbrella. Seating in the Coliseo will be scaled to about 2,500 (lower bowl).

Cotto and Marquez were on location in San Juan to officially make the announcement.

Miguel Cotto: “We had been in talks with ProBox for a couple of months. They are people that know boxing and without hesitation we decided to become a part of this new platform. They know what they’re doing and have a very solid platform for boxing and we’re expecting a great collaboration. It gives us the platform to be able to do boxing as well as serving as a workshop to be able to do right by the boxers that are signed to the promotion. We will also begin to recruit boxers and make an alliance with them as we start to work together. Continue reading “ProBox teams up with Cotto Promotions”

Boxing returns on August 6 to Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland in Hanover, Maryland, as rising super featherweight Jordan “Short Dog” White (13-1, 10 KOs)  takes on Derrick Murray (16-5-1, 5 KOs) for the WBC USNBC super featherweight title in the main event. In the 10-round co-feature, Demond Nicholson (25-4-1, 21 KOs) will take on Christopher Brooker (16-11, 6 KOs) in a super middleweight fight. Tickets for the marathon eleven-bout Jeter Promotions event are priced at $65-$150 and can be purchased at axs.com.