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Mikey Garcia-conquerer Sandor Martin and Jose Felix faced off at their final press conference ahead of their fight for the WBA International super lightweight title on Friday night at the Palau Olímpic Vall d’Hebron in Barcelona, Spain. DAZN will televise.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten WBA/IBF bantamweight champion “Monster” Naoya Inoue (22-0, 19 KOs) will square off against WBC titleholder Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire (42-6, 28 KOs) in Tokyo, Japan, on June 7. It was announced today (Wednesday) by Ohashi Promotions along with Amazon Prime Video that will exclusively show this unification rematch, following the Murata-Golovkin showdown on April 9. The fight venue will be same at the Saitama Super Arena the capacity of which is approximately 20,000. Monster and Filipino Flash, in November 2019, put on a grueling do-or-die battle with Naoya following emerging victorious on a unanimous decision thanks to his eleventh round knockdown of Nonito.

Inoue, 28, confidently said, “I’d like to win more convincingly than in our first encounter. I wish to have Nonito counted out this time since people called the previous eleventh-round knockdown a long count.” Continue reading “Inoue to face Donaire again for unification”

Undefeated lightweight star Ryan Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) hosted a media workout today ahead of his scheduled match against Emmanuel “The Gameboy” Tagoe (32-1, 15KOs) on April 9th. The 12-round showdown will take place at San Antonio’s historic Alamodome and will be streamed live worldwide on DAZN.

“Now I’m at the point where I’m going to do amazing when I get into the ring,” said Garcia. “I’ve done all the promotion I can. I’m going to be the best I can be. You have to trust that gut feeling which most guys don’t.

“I knew Joe Goossen was going to be a perfect fit for me. He’s old school and I love that part of the game. He’s someone I can relate to, we have good chemistry. Continue reading “Kingry: I’ll break down or knock out Tagoe”

By Robert Coster

This coming Saturday, The King of Boxing promotional firm is offering Dominican fans an interesting card with three regional titles on the line. The main event has up and coming Dominican lightweight prospect Francis Frometa (15-0, 10 KOs ) facing his toughest test to date against former title contender Oliver Flores (30-4, 19 KOs ) of Nicaragua. Says Frometa, “Flores has twice the number of fights that I have and has fought for a world title. I know it’s a really tough fight but I’m ready.” The 10 round combat will be for the WBA Latino lightweight belt. Continue reading “Regional titles on the line in Santo Domingo”

Fighters competing on the Errol Spence Jr. vs. Yordenis Ugas SHOWTIME PPV undercard previewed their respective showdowns during a virtual press conference Tuesday before they step into the ring on Saturday, April 16 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The virtual press conference featured lightweight contender Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and former world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa, who meet in the co-main event, unbeaten Jose Valenzuela and former world champion Francisco Vargas, who square off in a lightweight attraction, plus welterweights Cody Crowley and Josesito Lopez, who battle in the telecast opener.

Here is what the fighters had to say Tuesday. Continue reading “Spence-Ugas undercard virtual presser”

Unified WBA super, IBF, WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has received special permission from the Ukraine government to step away from the defense line against the Russian invasion and return to the gym to defend his belts. Usyk announced his return to training this week and confirmed he will rematch Anthony Joshua in his next fight. Although it has not been made official, the details of the date and place are said to be sometime in June in the Middle East.

…And My Trip Through the Middle East

By Mauricio Sulaiman
Son of Jose Sulaiman / President of the WBC

This past Friday, my family witnessed an act that has filled us with pride and motivation. My sister Lucy celebrated her third anniversary of overcoming the terrible disease of alcoholism and gave her testimony in front of her AA group.

It was a unique experience, as her courage and strength were highlighted in this face-to-face and virtual session. Some members of the family were there in both modalities to accompany our beloved Lucy in this important day.

The testimony that several of her team members gave about how they managed to make a great change due to her lovely help was amazing. My sister Lucy showed greatness during her speech; Only compliments and messages of thanks, for her constant dedication plus unconditional support from everyone in the group. Continue reading “The Battle of Life…”

WBC strawweight champion Panya Pradabsri (38-1, 23 KOs) scored a twelve round unanimous decision over former long time champion Wanheng Menayothin (55-2, 19 KOs) in their rematch on Tuesday at the City Hall Ground in Nakhon Sawan, Thailand. The bout was a slugfest. 36-year-old Wanheng was very aggressive and Pradabsri, 31, was willing to trade. After four rounds, WBC open scoring showed 39-37 Wanheng, 38-38, 38-38. The back and forth action continued with Pradabsri pulling ahead 77-75, 78-74, 78-74 after eight. Wanheng drove Pradabsri into the ropes in round nine, not called a knockdown. Wanheng desperately tried to make up the gap down the stretch but came up short. Scores were 117-111 across the board.

The 36-year-old Menayothin, also known as Chayaphon Moonsri, ran his ledger to 54-0 to best Floyd Mayweather’s 50-0 career mark only to relinquish the record for an unbeaten career back to Floyd by losing to Pradabsri in November 2020.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Japanese hero, 2012 Olympic gold medalist and WBA 160-pound super champ Ryota Murata (16-2, 13 KOs) demonstrated a public workout to press people to show a good shape in preparation for a highly anticipated showdown against IBF counterpart Gennady Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) on Monday in Tokyo, Japan.

Having been postponed time and again by the COVID19 pandemic, the sensational unification bout at the Saitama Super Arena on April 9 will take place this time for sure. Murata said, “I’m not afraid of facing Golovkin at all but of another postponement. I’m ready.” We are looking forward to watching this historically biggest event since a couple of Mike Tyson events in 1988 and 1990. It will be presented by Teiken Promotions.

Continue reading “Murata ready to rumble against Golovkin”

WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney has reportedly dropped Matchroom/DAZN and signed on to a multi-fight co-promotional pact with Top Rank and DiBella Entertainment. This means ESPN, which is aligned with Top Rank, will air Haney’s June 5 showdown with undisputed champion George Kambosos in Melbourne, Australia. The Kambosos-Haney deal includes a rematch clause for Kambosos should he lose.

The WBA has addressed the call of former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko to cancel the May 7 fight between WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol and Canelo Alvarez due to Bivol’s Russian nationality.

“After careful consideration, we have decided that it would be unfair to both Mr. Bivol and Mr. Alvarez to not sanction their 12-round bout as a WBA title fight. We feel we would unfairly punish Mr. Bivol and Mr. Alvarez by boycotting their fight.”

Full WBA Statement

WBC strawweight champion Panya Pradabsri (37-1, 23 KOs) and Wanheng Menayothin (55-1, 19 KOs) both made weight for their rematch on Tuesday at the City Hall Ground in Nakhon Sawan, Thailand. The champion Pradabsri recorded an exact 105 pounds, while Menayothin tipped the scale at 104.5 pounds.

The 36-year-old Menayothin, also known as Chayaphon Moonsri, ran his ledger to 54-0 to best Floyd Mayweather’s 50-0 career mark only to relinquish the record for an unbeaten career back to Floyd by losing to Pradabsri in November 2020.

Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions returns on Thursday, May 12 as part of its Hollywood Fight Nights series at the Quiet Cannon located in the Montebello Country Club in Mentebello, California. The card is headlined by undefeated junior middleweight Callum Walsh, who is 2-0 with 2 first round KOs.Opponent is TBA. UFC Fightpass will televise.

The Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame (PABHOF) and the Briscoe Awards announced that the two organizations will collaborate on one big event in 2022. The event will celebrate standouts from both the past and present of the Pennsylvania boxing scene, and is scheduled for Sunday, July 24, 2022, at Rivers Casino in Philadelphia.

Former multi-champion Bernard Hopkins leads the PABHOF Class of 2022 which also includes Michael Spinks, Michael Moorer, Freddie Pendleton, Lou Bizzarro, Zahir Raheem, Battling Murray, Dick Welsh, trainers Tom Yankello and Tony Bersani, matchmaker Harold Moore, manager/advisor Rob Murray, and referee Tommy Reid.

Briscoe Award winners for the 2021 fight year include Stephen Fulton Jr., Philly’s only current world champion, Jaron Ennis, Gabriel Rosado, Atif Oberlton, Shinard Bunch, Nahir Albright, James Martin, Juan Rivera, photographer Darryl Cobb Jr., and Christopher Burgos and Gerardo Martinez, who battled in the “Philly Fight of the Year”. Former middleweight KO artist, Cyclone Hart will receive the “Living Legend” award. Continue reading “PABHOF and Briscoe Awards join forces”

Middleweight Isaiah Wise (11-2-2, 6 KOs) got off the deck, and was in serious trouble, but came back to win a six-round split decision over Cameron Krael (18-22-3, 5 KOs). The bout, which took place on Friday night, thrilled an enthusiastic Philadelphia crowd at the 2300 Arena. There was suspense while waiting for the judges’ scores to be announced. Wise took two cards by 58-55 and 58-56 tallies, while Krael won a card 57-56.

Middleweight Temirlan Raimkulov (5-1-2, 1 KO) scored a fourth-round stoppage over Isiah Seldon (14-5-1, 5 KOs) in a scheduled six-rounder. Raimkulov scored two knockdowns, with the finishing blow being a right that may have stayed behind the head. The time of the finish was 1:08. Seldon is the son of former WBA heavyweight champion Bruce Seldon.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Undisputed IBF,WBA, WBO and WBC Franchise lightweight champion George “Ferocious” Kambosos is close to signing to defend the undisputed championship against WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney on June 5 in Melbourne, Australia.

“It’s not official yet,” said Kambosos today. “Obviously no major official announcement has come through yet. We are imminent. It is very close. I am waiting to see his contract. First hand I want to see it properly. He is the B-side – so you do as you are told. We will make sure it looks all good. No fake signatures. Then we have got a fight, no problem.”

On April 22, in Verbania, Piemonte region in Italy, former Italian super middleweight champion Ivan Zucco (15-0, 13 KOs) will challenge Serbian Marko Nikolic (28-1, 12 KOs) for the vacant WBC International title. The show will be promoted by Opi Since 82-Matchroom-DAZN and will be streamed live and later on-demand by DAZN.

Born in Verbania 26 years ago, 184 cm. tall, professional since November 2017, Ivan Zucco won the Italian super middleweight championship against Luca Capuano and defended it against Ignazio Crivello before leaving it to go after the WBC International belt. Continue reading “Unbeaten Zucco returns April 22”

By Joe Koizumi

Unbeaten prodigy, WBC#3, WBA#4, WBO#3, IBF#5 Ginjiro Shigeoka (7-0, 5 KOs), 105, acquired the vacant Japanese national 105-pound belt as he kept whipping taller counterpuncher Tatsuro Nakashima (11-3-1, 7 KOs), 105, with precision and earned a unanimous decision (99-91 twice, 98-92) over ten hard-fought rounds on Sunday in Tomigusuku city, Okinawa prefecture, Japan. The 5’0” southpaw Ginjiro, 22, of fighting brothers along with Yudai Shigeoka (current WBO AP 105lb champ, 24), kept taking the initiative against the defensive counterpuncher, piling up points steadily. Nakashima, in his second attempt to win the national belt, fought well despite the wide margin for Ginjiro and refused to go down against the vaunted hard-punching prospect whose amateur mark was so excellent as 56-1.

Promoter: Hiranaka Boxing School Promotions.

By Ron Jackson

Jackson Chauke retained the South African flyweight title on a majority 12 round draw against Phumelela Cafu in an excellent toe-to-toe encounter at the Premier Hotel and International Convention Centre in East London on Sunday afternoon. The scores were 115-113 for Cafu and 114-114 twice. The home fighter Chauke landed most of the cleaner punches throughout the fight.

It was announced from the ring that Cafu, 23, was the new champion and he was presented with the South African championship belt. However, this was incorrect as with a majority draw Chauke, 36, retains the title.

The sad part of the whole affair was that none of the people or officials at ringside picked up on the incorrect decision and that Cafu, who put up an excellent performance, will wake up on Monday morning and find out that he was no longer the champion. Continue reading “Jackson Chauke retains SA title with a draw”

Former world title challenger Ryan Rozicki (14-1, 14 KOs) of Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada will take on unbeaten Yamil Alberto Peralta (13-0, 6 KOs) of Buenos Aires, Argentina on May 7th. The bout will be a WBC cruiserweight world title eliminator and take place at the Centre 200 in Rozicki’s native Nova Scotia, Canada.

Rozicki fought valiently this past October as the underdog, dropping a close decision to the heavily favored Oscar Rivas for the vacant WBC bridgerweight title. He rebounded by knocking out Mexico´s German Garcia Montes on March 19th. Continue reading “Rozicki-Peralta WBC eliminator set for May 7”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Boxing Hall of Famer Jeff Fenech was at ringside to see WBO #1 light middleweight Tim Tszyu defeat former world title challenger Terrell Gausha on Saturday night at The Armory in Minneapolis.

“The performance was great,” said Fenech. “But there were so many different things that I’ve seen that he can fix. He wasn’t slipping to the side, making the jab miss and coming over with the right hand. He was trying to go straight through it. He was leading with the left hook, which left him open for the straight right hand. And the biggest thing was those pitty-pat punches, where he was trying to set one big one up – instead of just getting to the side and working the body, and then coming up.”

By Damon Gonzalez / LatinboxSports

Unbeaten featherweight Otabek Khmatov (10-0, 9 KOs) came in the fight Saturday night with a bad knee, but completely shut down Andranik Grigorian (20-2, 10 KOs) by scoring a ten round unanimous decision win in a WBA 126lb title eliminator bout at the sold-out Caribre Royal Orlando Florida for the launching of Entrobox Bally’s Fight Night – BoxLab Promotions.

Khmatov went into the book of Winky Wright and just out-jabbed Grigorian on night long, working him with head and multiple body shots. Grigorian somehow just kept on walking into shots throughout the contest. Judges’ scores were 118-110, 119-109 (2x).

Super middleweight Yamaguchi Falcao (21-1, 9 KOs) from Espírito Santo, Brazil became the NABA Gold champion after scoring a ten round unanimous decision over a very tough customer in Damian Bonelli (24-11, 20 KOs) from Buenos, Aires, Argentina. Judges’ scorecards were 92-98, 93-97, 91-99. Continue reading “Khmatov dominates Grigorian, Falcao wins”

Unbeaten WBO #1 Tim Tszyu rose from an early knockdown before finding his footing and securing a twelve round unanimous decision over Terrell Gausha on Saturday night in Minneapolis.

“It was all so quick,” said Tszyu of the knockdown. “It was good that I faced adversity for the first time and I was able to come back. All respect to my opponent, Terrell Gausha. He’s a hell of a warrior and he’s a true gentleman. It was a simple flash knockdown. It was perfect timing. He’s a former Olympian. He’s got great credentials. That’s a great lesson for myself. I got back up and I dug deep. Continue reading “Tszyu: I faced adversity for the first time”

By Ron Jackson

South Africa’s Kevin Lerena coming into the ring with a big roar from the local crowd completely dominated Bogdan Dinu of Romania before scoring a fourth-round stoppage in a scheduled 12 rounder to win the vacant WBA Intercontinental heavyweight title at Emperors Palace near Kempton Park on Saturday night. Continue reading “Lerena wins WBA I/C heavyweight title”

WBC #9 super middleweight Christian “Solide” Mbilli (21-0, 18 KOs) successfully defended his WBC Continental Americas belt with a spectacular fifth round knockout against Nadjib Mohammedi (44-9, 27 KOs) on Saturday night at the Casino de Montréal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was a one-hitter quitter as a crushing Mbilli left hook put Mohammedi on his back and out cold.

In other action, unbeaten super welterweight Artem “Razor” Oganesyan (13-0, 11 KOs) stopped Stephen Danyo (20-4-3, 7 KOs) in round five.