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The Filip Hrgovic team has finally issued a statement on Hrgovic’s IBF heavyweight world title final eliminator withdrawal against Zhang Zhilei following the death of his father. Hrgovic-Zhilei was supposed to be the co-feature on tonight’s Canelo-Bivol PPV telecast.

“We could not in good conscience allow Filip to enter the ring during this tough time. We would like to thank the IBF, Daryl Peoples, Zhang Zhilei and our partners Matchroom Boxing for their understanding and compassion in this matter. Pero Hrgović was a big part of the team and will be forever missed by us all. Filip will take some time out now to be with his family before resuming his training. We look forward to announcing a new date soon for this exciting heavyweight clash to determine the next challenger for the IBF world title and wish both Zhilei Zhang and Scott Alexander good luck in their fight tonight.”

36-year-old former welterweight champion Kell Brook (40-3, 28 KOs) has announced his retirement.

“I’ve had a long chat with my family and my parents, and it’s over for me. I’ll never box again,” Brook told the Sunday Telegraph. “It’s a little emotional to be actually saying this out loud. My mam is relieved. I think everyone around me is pleased. Truth is, boxing is a very very tough, dangerous sport, one in which you can be legally killed in the ring, and I’ve finished now with all my faculties intact.”

Brook ended his career on a high note, getting a sith round TKO against archrival Amir Khan in February.

Danny “El Gallo” Gonzalez 146.8 vs. Paulo Galdino 146.4
Maureen “Real Million Dollar Baby” Shea 121.1 vs. Calista Silgado 118.4
Afunwa King 178.8 vs. Kam Humphrey 175.2
Mat “The Future” Castro 153.4 vs. Angelo Thompson 150.2
Emmanuel Etienne 189 vs. Tunde Fatiregun 189

Note: NYSAC would not license Chaske Heminger for undisclosed medical reasons and the fight is unable to proceed as scheduled. 

Venue: Carnesecca Arena at St. John’s University in Queens, NY
Promoter: Star Boxing

Lenier Pero 245.8 vs. Hector Perez 245.4
(NABA central heavyweight title)

Anthony Martinez 199.6 vs. David Light 198.4
Orestes Velazquez 143 vs. Juan Carlos Salgado 143.8
Victor Abreu 122.6 vs. Ezequiel A Tevez 121.6
John David Martinez 164.8 vs. Sergio S Castellano 154.8
Ulysses Diaz 196.8 vs. Mariano Jose Riva 194.6
Alberto Perez De La Torre 125 vs. Lucas R Baez 125.2
Livan Navarro 152.4 vs. Silverio Ortiz 157
Isaac Carbonell 174.4 vs. Christian Fabian Rios 174.1

Promoter: Warriors Boxing and Rivalta Boxing
Venue: Hialeah Park, Hialeah, Florida
TV: FITE PPV
1st Bell: 7 PM ET

Ryan Rozicki 197.8 vs. Yamil Peralta 197.2
Lucas Bahidi 140.8 vs. Rodolfo Moreno 139.6
Carolyn Redmond 152.6 vs. Simone De Silva 154.2
Jake Daoust 160.4 vs. Juan Monzon 158.6
John Bianco 167.2 vs. Ivan Banach 166.2
Matt Macintyre 153 vs. Jeff Knight 154.4

Promoter: (Dan Otter) Three Lions Promotions
Venue: Centre 200, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
TV: TyC Sports

WBA President Gilberto Jesus Mendoza has announced that the winner of the fight between Saul Alvarez and Dmitry Bivol will get a special belt due to the importance and significance of this Saturday’s bout. The belt, which has a different design and has the inscription of the names and faces of both fighters, will arrive today in Las Vegas. The belt also features a small engraving commemorating the 100th anniversary of the organization.

Canelo Alvarez 174.4 vs. Dmitry Bivol 174.6
(WBA light heavyweight title)

Montana Love 140 vs. Gabriel Gollaz 138.6
Shakhram Giyasov 146.6 vs. Christian Gomez 146
Marc Castro 134.8 vs. Pedro Vicente 134.8
Zhilei Zhang 276.2 vs. Scott Alexander 222.6

Joselito Velazquez 112.4 vs. Jose Soto 113.8
Alexis Espino 163.6 vs. Aaron Silva 164.4
Elnur Abduraimov 129.6 vs. Manuel Correa 128.6
Fernando Molina 139.6 vs. Ricardo Valdovinos 139.4

Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
Promoter: Matchroom
TV: DAZN PPV, DAZN

Light heavyweight Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic (26-2, 18 KOs) will face Ernest Amuzu (26-6, 22 KOs) in a ten-rounder and unbeaten super middleweight Fabian Lopez (5-0, 3 KOs) meets Rufino Lewis (1-1, 1 KO) in a six round clash on May 14 at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida. Both bouts will stream live on iDubbbz YouTube channel as a lead-in to a celebrity boxing card featuring bouts between social media influencers boasting 22 billion lifetime views and over 131 million followers. The entire 11-bout card will be sanctioned by the Florida State Athletic Commission, with all net profits going to charity. Continue reading “Kalajdzic returns May 14”

Denis Radovan 159.75 vs. Rafael Bejaran 158.75
Christina Hammer 165 vs. Luiza Davydova 163.5
Leon Bunn 174.25 vs. Islam Teffahi 167
Sophie Alisch 125.25 vs. Eva Cantos 126
Oliver Zaren 168 vs. Novak Radulovic ??
Arnold Khegai 125.75 vs. Ruben Tostado Garcia 125.5
Tsotne Rogava 253 vs. Michael Basset 243.75

Venue: Sartory Saal, Cologne, Germany
Promoter: Wasserman Boxing
TV: BILDplus (Germany)

Canelo Alvarez vs Dmitry Bivol odds and ends…

Odds courtesy www.BetOnline.ag.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs Dmitry Bivol
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez -500 (1/5)
Dmitry Bivol +400 (4/1)

Will the Fight go the Scheduled Distance?
Yes -250 (2/5)
No +200 (2/1)

Method of Victory
Saul Alvarez by Decision or Technical Decision 5/8
Saul Alvarez by KO, TKO or DQ 5/2
Dmitry Bivol by Decision or Technical Decision 13/2
Dmitry Bivol by KO, TKO or DQ 11/1
Draw or Technical Draw 18/1

Continue reading “Canelo is a 5:1 Favorite”

By Miguel Maravilla

Undefeated featherweight prospect Victor Morales Jr. (15-0-1, 8 KOs) of Vancouver, Washington, looks to showcase as he will take on Alberto Torres (11-4-3, 4 KOs) of Sacramento, CA, in the 10-round co-feature bout next Thursday night at the Fantasy Springs Resort & Casino Events Center live on DAZN.

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Undefeated 28-year-old Joselito Velazquez from Oaxaca, Mexico is ready to shine bright on the undercard of the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas against Jose Soto. Velazquez, whose record is 14 and 0 with 9 KOs was signed to Espinoza Boxing Club after a stellar amateur career. He was a PanAm Games gold medalist in 2011 and 2015. He also represented Mexico in the 2016 Olympic games.

He’s coming off a unanimous decision win over Gilbert Mendoza and is being groomed for a world title shot in the near future. “Joselito is a talented fighter and he’s getting better and better every time he fights,” stated his long time manager Frank Espinoza. “I’m very pleased with his progress.” Continue reading “Joselito Velazquez set to shine on Canelo undercard”

WBC #9 cruiserweight Ryan Rozicki (14-1, 14 KOs) and WBC #10 rated two-time Olympian Yamil Peralta (13-0, 6 KOs) had their first meeting at the final press conference for Saturday’s WBC International title clash on TyC from the Center 200 Stadium in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Yamil Peralta: “It’s a very interesting fight, a clash of styles. I came to win. I came to get the belt.”

Ryan Rozicki: “I really don’t have much to say. At this point, my fists speak for themselves. You know exactly what I’m here to do.”

Heavyweight Terrell Woods (28-50-9, 20 KOs) scored an upset third round TKO over previously unbeaten Rolando Soto (8-1, 3 KOs) on Thursday night at the Pasadena Convention Center and Municipal Fairgrounds in Pasadena, Texas. Woods, who is much better than his record indicates, dropped Soto with a big right hand in round two. Soto got up very wobbly and was saved by the bell. The bout was stopped by the ring doctor at the beginning of round three. Time was :10.

In the co-feature, unbeaten super lightweight Samuel Castaneda (7-0, 6 KOs) stopped Josh Ross (5-17-5, 0 KOs) in round five. Castaneda dropped Ross twice in round four. Ross took a knee in round five and the bout was waved off moments later. Time was 2:17.

With all the press in town for Canelo-Bivol, WBC lightweight world champion Devin Haney and his trainer/father, Bill, conducted a media workout Thursday at the Top Rank Gym. Haney (27-0, 15 KOs) is set to battle unified champion George Kambosos Jr. (20-0, 10 KOs) for the undisputed world title Saturday, June 4, at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.

Heavyweight Zhilei Zhang (23-0-1, 18 КОs) faces off with new opponent Scott Alexander (16-4-2, 8 КОs) at today’s Canelo-Bivol press conference. Zhang was originally slated to face Filip Hrgovic in an IBF eliminator, but Hrgovic pulled out, grieving for his late father, who passed away last month.

DAZN has announced that 1.5 million viewers watched last Saturday’s Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano webstream. This would easily be the most-watched boxing card ever headlined by female boxers. The match caught fire and sold out the mecca of boxing, Madison Square Garden in New York City, and Taylor and Serrano delivered a memorable performance. DAZN subscribers can catch a replay anytime on the platform. In the UK, the fight can be seen tonight on BBC 3 and BBC iPlayer.

The latest event from “the world’s greatest boxing promoter” Don King includes five title fights headlined by the WBA heavyweight championship pitting defending champion Trevor Bryan (22-0, 15 KOs) going up against the number one contender Daniel DuBois (17-1, 16 KOs) from Greenwich, London. The card is set for June 11th at the Casino Miami Jai-Alai in Miami, Florida, and is billed as “The Fight for Freedom and Peace.” Pay-Per-View details and an announcement on ticket availability will be made soon.

In addition to the main event, the NABA Gold heavyweight title fight will feature champion DaCarree Scott (7-0, 6 KOs) of Decatur, GA defending his title against another Georgia slugger in Jonathan Guidry (17-1-2, 5 KOs) from Dulac, GA. Guidry’s lone blemish came at the hands of Bryan. Continue reading “Bryan-Dubois venue, undercard announced”

By Ron Jackson

At long last the story of the fighting Toweel family has been documented and written down by Alida Toweel and Samantha Toweel-Moore in their book A Fistful of Legends. The Toweel family has a strong claim to being the most famous boxing family in the world, with Vic Toweel winning a Universal world title, the only South African boxer in its long boxing history to hold a Universal title.

Jimmy the oldest of the fighting Toweel’s won the South African lightweight title, with Vic winning two South African titles, an Empire title and an undisputed world title, and Willie fighting to a draw in a world title, winning an Empire title and four South African titles.

At the time when Vic was fighting there were only eight weight divisions with eight world champions, not like today where there are multiple world champions from the different sanctioning bodies. Continue reading “The story of the fighting Toweels”

Welterweight John David Martinez will look to thrill his huge fan base when he returns to action on Saturday night at Hialeah Park as part of Una Gran Noche de Boxeo Cubano 2, Martinez of Miami, has a record of 15-2 with 12 knockouts, will be featured in a six-round bout and will take on Sergio Castellano (11-9, 7 KOs) of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Although not looking past Saturday night, but it feels like big fights are in the near future. “I have not seen anything on my opponent, no video. nothing,” said Martinez. Continue reading “Martinez headlines in Miami Saturday”

Tri-Star Boxing returns to Memphis, TN on May 21 to once again put the spotlight on local talent. This installment of the Memphis Boxing Series presents an eight-bout card headlined by resurgent junior middleweight Dedrick “Damage” Bell (30-32-1, 16 KOs). This “Memphis Bell” is riding a seven-fight winning streak and won a six-round unanimous decision on February 26 to help open this series at Beast Mode Fitness at 199 Cumberland Street, Memphis, TN.

Bell isn’t your typical headliner in the sport of boxing. His introduction to the sport is nothing short of hilarious. With no amateur experience to speak of and not even much interest as a fan, Bell stepped into a boxing gym for the first time almost as a challenge or dare.

“It sounds crazy,” Bell stated. “An ex-girlfriend of mine loved boxing and she thought that I should give it a try.” Continue reading “Boxing back in Memphis May 21”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

The youger brother two-time world champion Billy Dib is making a name for himself. Unbeaten super lightweight Youssef Dib (16-0, 7 KOs) talks to Fightnews.com® about his career and future plans. Continue reading “Q&A: Youssef Dib”

Triller Fight Club has announced ‘The Rising,’ a new Monday night fight series debuting on May 9, 2022, and emanating from the Grupo Caliente in Tijuana, Mexico in addition to being broadcast globally on FITE. The eight-bout card kicks off a full fight week of exciting events leading up to Triller Fight Club’s highly anticipated Kovalev vs. Pulev TrillerVerz 5 on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at the Forum in Los Angeles, CA.

Broadcasters on the event include three-time world champion Israel ‘Magnifico’ Vazquez and Ernesto Amador, a leading boxing commentator for over three decades of No Puedes Jugar Boxeo Promotions.

Headlining the boxing event on May 9 in a ten-round lightweight clash, Antonio Lozado (40-5-1 34 KOs), of Baja California, battles Eduard Leonel (9-2-1, 4 KOs), of Aguascaliente, Mexico. Lozado is best known for his upset knockout victory over then-undefeated fast-rising Puerto Rican star Felix Verdejo in March 2018. Continue reading “New Monday Night Fight series to debut on FITE”

By Jeff Zimmerman

Shurretta Metcalf grinding hard in the gym preparing for her May 14th showdown vs Danielle Bennett for the WBC NABF Female Super Bantam title in Dallas, TX. Presented by Kingdom Boxing Promotions, Metcalf vs Bennett will be the co-main event to the Charles Hatley vs Jamshidbek Najimitdinov WBC (USNBC) welter title feature at The Factory in Deep Ellum.