Fightnews.com

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

It was a customary Japan-China confrontation, and the Japanese team was victorious over Chinese team, but it is remarkable that Chinese boxers showed their rapid progresses and their good performance fully entertained the crowd at the Korakuen Hall on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan.

Hard-punching super-light prospect Hiroki Horiike (3-0, 2 KOs; amateur mark 21-7, 5 stoppages), 139.75, proved more powerful and skillful than China’s Le-Quan Wang (8-2, 5 KOs), 139.25, winning a unanimous decision (78-73 twice, 77-74) over eight. The southpaw Chinese hit the deck midway in round six, but he displayed his admirable recovery and resilience to demonstrate his last surge. The victor Horiike became cautious and defensive in the last round when Wang turned very loose down the stretch. Continue reading “Japan defeats China 3-1”

By Boxing Bob Newman

WBC strawweight champion Melvin Jerusalem easily retained his title Sunday evening, with a one-sided 12 round unanimous decision over Mexico’s Luis Castillo, in front of a partisan crowd at Mandaluyong City College, Mandaluyong City, Philippines.

It looked as if it was going to be a short night when Jerusalem sent Castillo crashing to the canvas with a straight right in the very first round. Castillo beat the count with 15 seconds left and managed to survive the round.

It was easy going the rest of the way, although Jerusalem could not capitalize and finish his foe. He makes his first defense a successful one, moving to 23-3, 12 KOs. Castillo falls from the ranks of the undefeated, dropping to 21-1-1, 13 KOs.

This is Jerusalem’s second title reign at 105 lbs. Last year he briefly held the WBO crown, losing in his first defense to current champ Oscar Collazo.

IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) dropped Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) four times before a record 96,000 fight fans at Wembley Stadium in London. Dubois came out aggressively and dropped Joshua at the end of the first round with an overhand right. Dubois continued to work over Joshua in round two. Dubois floored Joshua again at the end of round three. Joshua down again early in round four but survived. In round five, Joshua rocked Dubois, but then was caught and floored again for the count. Time was :59. Joshua was a 5:1 favorite.

IBF super featherweight champion Anthony Cacace (23-1, 8 KOs) defeated former two-time featherweight champion Josh Warrington (31-3-1, 8 KOs) over twelve rounds with the IBF title not at stake

. Scores were 117-111, 118-110, 117-111 as Cacace successfully defended his IBO 130lb belt.

Unbeaten WBO #1 light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi (19-0, 13 KOs) won by twelve round split decision over WBO #2 Willy Hutchinson (18-2, 13 KO) in a clash for the vacant WBO interim 175lb world title. Buatsi dropped Hutchinson twice en route to a 115-110, 117-108 on two cards. Hutchinson, who also had a point deduction, was somehow up 113-112 on the third card.

WBO #2, IBF #5, WBC #12 super welterweight Josh Kelly (16-1-1, 8 KOs) struggled with unbeaten late replacement fighter Ishmael Davis (13-1, 6 KOs), taking a 115-113, 115-114 and 114-114 majority decision.

Middleweight Hamzah Sheeraz (21-0, 16 KOs) blitzed EBU European champion Tyler Denny (19-3-3, 1 KO) in two rounds.

WBC #2 super middleweight Jaime Munguia rebounded from May’s defeat to Canelo Alvarez with a 10th-round knockout Friday evening over the previously unbeaten Erik Bazinyan at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

“It was a fight I had to do intelligently,” said Munguia afterward. “He’s strong. He hits hard. So, we had to break him down and be careful with shots to the body. And in the 10th round, that’s when I decided to come out with everything. And that’s how we got the knockout.

“There are great things to come, great fights at 168 pounds. There’s Caleb Plant, {Edgar} Berlanga, Christian Mbilli. There are great fights, and we will give great wars as well.”

WBC #2, WBO #5, IBF #6, WBA #10 super middleweight Jaime Munguia (44-1, 35 KOs) scored a spectacular tenth round knockout against previously unbeaten WBO #2, WBA #4, WBC #7, IBF #7 Erik Bazinyan (32-1-1, 23 KOs) in the 12-round main event on Friday night at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Munguia broke open a close fight in round ten with a barrage of shots that put Bazinyan down for the count. Time was 2:36.

In an interesting heavyweight bout, unbeaten Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (11-0, 10 KOs) stepped up in class to get a fifth round DQ win over veteran Joey “The Tank” Dawejko (28-12-4, 16 KOs). Torrez progressively broke down Dawejko. Dawejko was deducted two points and eventually disqualified for repeatedly losing his mouthpiece. Time was 2:02 in round five. The result ended Torrez’ 10-fight knockout streak.

Junior welterweight prospect Emiliano Vargas (12-0, 10 KOs) stopped spoiler Larry Fryers (13-7-1, 5 KOs) in round five. A straight left ended the beatdown. Vargas is the son of former world champion Fernando Vargas.

IBF #8, WBC #10 super welterweight “King” Callum Walsh (12-0, 10 KOs) made quick work of Przemyslaw Runowski (22-3-1, 6 KOs) on Friday night at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. In round two, the fighters exchanged and a Walsh left hook dropped Runowski for the count, sending the large partison crowd home happy. It was the first time Walsh has fought as a professional in his native Ireland.

World-rated super middleweight Ali Akhmedov (21-1, 16 KOs) won a ten round split decision over Pierre Hubert Dibombe (22-2-1, 12 KOs). Akhmedov down once but managed to survive with scores of 96-93, 95-94. The third card was 97-92 for Dibombe.

IBF heavyweight champon Daniel Dubois weighed a few pounds less than former unified champion Anthony Joshua for their clash on Saturday at the sold out Wembley Stadium in London. Dubois weighed 248.6 lbs. while Joshua weighed 252.5.

On November 9, hometown hero Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (32-0 29 KOs) headlines at Philadephia’s Wells Fargo Center once again, defending his IBF welterweight title against Karen Chukhadzhian (24-2, 13 KOs), live worldwide on DAZN.

In the co-feature, WBC super flyweight champion Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) defends his world title against Pedro Guevara (42-4-1 22 KOs).

“I’m excited to be back headlining in my city again,” said Ennis. “I’m ready to continue dominating the division, making a big statement and showing everyone why I’m the best welterweight in the world…it’s time to have some fun, keep crushing whoever is in front of me, put on a beautiful, dominant, crushing performance in front of my family, friends and supporters, while defending and retaining my IBF world title in spectacular fashion. It’s time!”

IBF #8 super middleweight Osleys ‘El Tornado’ Iglesias (12-0, 11 KOs) will defend his IBO title in a 12-round fight against undefeated IBF #11 Petro Ivanov (18-0-2, 13 KOs) on November 7 at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal and broadcast live on Punchinggrace.com and ESPN+.

“Osleys Iglesias is on the fast track because, as seen in his recent performances, he has quickly proven that he is ready for the toughest challenges. Petro Ivanov is one of them. We’re bringing two ranked, undefeated, and hungry boxers into the same ring on November 7, and I won’t hide the fact that we’re aiming to make this an IBF eliminator bout,” revealed Eye of the Tiger president Camille Estephan.

Two-time world title challenger Steven Butler (34-5-1, 28 KOs) will return in the co-main event against former interim world title challenger Diego Chaves (30-10-1, 24 KOs). Continue reading “Unbeaten super middleweights collide Nov 7”

Kris Lawrence (Heavyweight Factory Promotions) presents pro boxing October 11 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, in Hollywood, Florida. The 10 round main event will feature unbeaten former amateur standout and WBA #5 / WBC #12 world ranked middleweight Yoenli Hernandez (5-0, 5 KOs) of Cuba. Hernandez will take on unbeaten 6’3 prospect Bryce Henry(7-0, 5 KOs) of Florida. Hernandez is fresh off of his spectacular knockout on the undercard of Canelo/Berlanga last weekend. Continue reading “Yoenli headlines the Hard Rock Oct 11”

James Bernadin 136.7 vs. Matt Conway 134
(PA. State Lightweight Title)

Euri Cedeno 161.3 vs. Aro Schwartz 160.8
Julian Gonzalez 130.1 vs. Oscar Barajas 132.7
Joseph Adorno 144.6 vs. Luis May 139.1
Adam Atiyeh 218.9 vs. Jonathan Wiles 213
Brittany Sims 120.2 vs. Nancy Franco 116.6
Devon Young 216.4 vs. Kaleb Slaughter 234.8

Venue: Wind Creek Event Center, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Promoter: King’s Promotions.
Stream: BXNGTV.com
1st Bell: 7 PM ET

Jaime Munguia 167.7 vs. Erik Bazinyan 167.9
(WBO International super middleweight title)

Richard Torrez Jr. 232.6 vs. Joey Dawejko 244.1

Emiliano Fernando Vargas 139.2 vs. Larry Fryers 138.2

Charly Suarez 129.4 vs. Jorge Castaneda 129.1
Alan Garcia 137.3 vs. Ricardo Fernandez 137.2
DJ Zamora 130.7 vs. Gerardo Antonio Perez 133.2
Steven Navarro 115.2 vs. Oscar Arroyo 114.4
Jorge Garcia Perez 156.2 vs. Ilias Essaoudi 156.6
Sebastian Hernandez 120.4 vs. Yonfrez Parejo 125

Venue: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Promoter: Top Rank
TV: ESPN, ESPN+

Callum Walsh 153.8 vs. Przemyslaw Runowski 152.8
Ali Akhmedov 169.2 vs. Pierre Hubert Dibombe 169.2
Emmett Brennan 167 vs. Kevin Cronin 167.2
Thomas Carty 258.8 vs. Jonathan Vergara 233.4
Shauna O’Keefe 134 vs. Valgerdur Gudsteinsdottir 134.4
Craig O’Brien 153.2 vs. Edward Donovan 153.6
Gareth Dowling 145.8 vs. Daniel Nowak 147.8
Ella Thompson 101.6 vs. Abbey Molloy 101.6

Venue: 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland, broadcast globally on
Promoter: 360 Promotions
TV: UFC Fightpass

IBF heavyweight champon Daniel Dubois and former unified champion Anthony Joshua faced off at the final press conference for their $19.99 PPV clash on Saturday in London.

Anthony Joshua: “It’s good to be back. I’m ready to rumble and remind everyone what I’m capable of…I could win in a variety of ways. I’m not depending on punch power. It takes a lot more than that to be a great fighter. I’ve got the fighting spirit and that’s how I’ll break him down, with my spirit.”

Daniel Dubois: “It’s a resurrection story of my career. I want the big challenges, to make a name for myself and to make history…I need to retain this world title. It’s a great thing to have but I need to legitimize myself by winning this fight.”

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Mandeep “MJ” Jangra, 129.7 vs. Nilo Guererro 129.7
(NBA super featherweight title)

Keon Papillion 150 vs. Rondale Hubbert 150
Dominique Roundtree 126 vs. Roberto Cantu 124.4
Quinn McKenna 144 vs. Margarito Hernandez 145.6
Nelson Guererro 127 vs. Lavelle Whittington 126.9

Venue: Legends Casino Hotel, Toppenish, Washington
Promoter: Roy Jones Jr Boxing
TV: GlobalSportsStreaming.com

Super middleweight contenders Jaime Munguia (43-1, 34 KOs) and Erik Bazinyan (32-0-1, 23 KOs) faced off at the final press conference for their 12-round main event on ESPN Friday evening at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

Jaime Munguia: “It’s a very important fight. He’s an aggressive fighter who gives a great show to the people. I know it’s going to be a tough fight, but I’m going to walk away with my hand raised.”

Erik Bazinyan: “I’ve been in against top fighters for the past few years. I’ve fought and beaten anyone that my team has brought to me. This is a great opportunity. And I’m here to win.”

Former two-time unified heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua and current IBF champion Daniel Dubois made their Grand Arrivals earlier this evening at Leicester Square in the West End of London ahead of their blockbuster all-British world title showdown at Wembley Stadium this Saturday, shown live worldwide on a $19.99 DAZN PPV.

“It’s really a blessing,” said Joshua. “It’s a big blessing. We’re the most important thing for people right now so they’re all here coming out to have a good time with us. It makes me feel important. Continue reading “Joshua: I believe in myself”

By Gabriel F. Cordero

WBC/WBA/WBO heavyweight chmpion Oleksandr Usyk was arrested at Krakow Airport on Tuesday evening but his manager Serge Lapin and his wife Katerina have indicated that it was apparently a misunderstanding while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Usyk was released after the intervention of the country’s Foreign Ministry.

Usyk later commented on social media: “A misunderstanding took place. It was quickly resolved. Thanks to all who got concerned. Thanks to Ukrainian diplomats for the efficient support. And respect to Polish Police for conducting their obligations with no regards to height, weight, reach and regalia.”

Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán / WBC President

I decided to travel to Las Vegas, even during my period of mourning for my dear mother, to accompany our proud Champion Saúl Canelo Álvarez and well deserved challenger Edgar Berlanga in the traditional Mexican Independence Day boxing fest. It was not easy, as I felt out of place at all times, but receiving so much love, kindness and consideration from so many people, was something that gave me great emotion and will live in my memory forever.

Being in the ring, ready to wait for the boxers to come out, Jimmy Lennon called for the attention of the people, and in front of a packed T-Mobile Arena, he expressed some beautiful words about my Mother, while the screens showed photos of her, followed by 10 bell count in honor of her eternal memory. Continue reading “Canelo-Berlanga: What a night for boxing”

Terence Crawford Says He Wants Canelo Alvarez In Super Fight

By TMZ

Canelo Alvarez’s strength and punching power may scare some boxers, but not Terence Crawford, who tells TMZ Sports he’s absolutely sure he’d get the victory over the Mexican superstar if the two fought.

Of course, at the moment, it’s a big “if” … as even though Crawford’s made it clear he wants the scrap — Canelo doesn’t seem so sure.

If you missed it, following his Saturday night victory over Edgar Berlanga — which Crawford actually attended — Canelo said straight up “no comment” when asked about a potential tilt with Bud.

Nonetheless, when we spoke with Crawford on Sunday, the 36-year-old pugilist told us he still really wants to throw hands with Canelo in a ring.

“I feel as if that’s a legacy fight,” he said. “I feel as if this is the biggest fight in boxing today.” Continue reading “Crawford: Of course, I’d beat Canelo”

Undefeated lightweight Joshua James Pagan (10-0, 4 KOs) takes on unbeaten Trevor Thonson (13-0, 10 KOs) will headline at the iconic Coca-Cola Music Hall in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Friday, October 18. The main event bout is scheduled for 10 rounds and will air live globally on DAZN.

In the co-feature, Juan Carillo (12-0, 9 KO) will face Lenin Castillo (25-5-1, 19 KO) in a 10-round light heavyweight bout. The remainer of the fight card, up to eight bouts in all, are to be announced. The event is promoted by Salita Promotions in collaboration with PR Best Boxing Promotions (PRBBP) and 21 Events and is part of Salita Promotions’ “Big Time Boxing USA” series.

Ermes Orta 139.2 vs. Juan Carlos Pena 138
(WBG Super Lightweight Title)

Isaac Carbonell 174 vs. Twon Smith 174.6
Koby Khalil Williams 135 vs. Weusi Johnson 130.8
Wesley Rivers 140.6 vs. Dan Abram 136

Venue: Troubadour Nashville
Promoter: Jimmy Adams Promotions
TV: Countrybox247.com, itube24.com, Triller.TV (Marc Abrams and Albert Haynesworth on the Call)
1st Bell 7PM CT (8 PM ET

Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) today announced the addition of a WBC welterweight title bout between reigning champion Mario “El Azteca” Barrios (29-2, 18 KOs) and Abel Ramos (28-6-2, 22 KOs). The 12-rounder will take place on the undercard of the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson and Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano super event on Friday, November 15. Paul-Tyson will stream live globally, exclusively on Netflix from the 80,000-seat capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

In a clash between unbeaten super featherweights, Nilo Guerrero, Jr. (9-0, 7 KOs) will face Madeep “MJ” Jangra (10-0, 7 KOs) this Thursday night (Sept. 19) at Yakima Legends Casino in Toppenish, Washington. Jangra-Guerrero will be a ten round main event promoted by Hall of Famer Roy Jones, Jr. (RJJ Boxing) for the vacant National Boxing Association (NBA) belt. All the action will be streamed live at www.globalsportsstreaming.com.

“We have great faith that Nilo will go up there and handle business to show that he is going to be a force,” Guerrero’s promoter (Toro Promotions) Azat Torosyan commented. “We are very high on him.”