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Welterweights Alexis Rocha and Blair Cobbs faced off at the final press conference for Saturday night’s clash at the University of Southern California’s Galen Center and will be streamed worldwide on DAZN.

Alexis Rocha: “The fight was presented to him last November and we didn’t fight. It wasn’t my fault. Kerobyan was your only notable win. You’re acting like a clown here and there. Let’s remember Blair. Just like there’s clowns in the circus, there’s also lions and tigers there too. Remember this face. You’re one fight from the commentary booth. You’ll be announcing my fights after this.”

Blair Cobbs: “There was no fight offered to me last November. Am I the kind of person to turn down fights? Does Blair the Flair look like he gives a shit? I don’t think so. I actually wanted that fight in November but we couldn’t make it happen. Finally we made it happen. I did not hesitate to sign this contract. Then we waited for Alexis to sign…when I put these young fighters in the fire with me they seem to not look the same. He’s only been tested one time against Brad Solomon and he almost lost. What happened when Solomon fought me with more than two months of training. We got the job done in the fifth round.”

Unbeaten super middleweight Edgar “The Chosen One” Berlanga (18-0, 16 KOs) faced off with Steve Rolls (21-1, 12 KOs) at the final press conference for their clash on Saturday night at the Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Edgar Berlanga: “I don’t like to predict nothing. He’s a tough veteran. He went in there with the best. And for me, I’m just looking forward to putting on a show. I’m ready to blow the roof off this place. I’m just ready to explode. It’ll be fireworks like always.”

Steve Rolls: “I have goals. I want to put a world title around my waist, so we both have pressure on us. He’s not the only one with pressure. This is a fight that we both need.”

Xander Zayas (12-0, 9 KOs) takes the co-feature stage in an eight-round junior middleweight bout against Quincy LaVallais (12-2-1, 7 KOs). In the eight-round ESPN-televised opener, junior welterweight John “El Terrible” Bauza (16-0, 7 KOs) steps up in class against Canadian veteran Tony “Lightning” Luis (29-4, 10 KOs).

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Photos: Sumio Yamada

WBC light flyweight champion Masamichi Yabuki and former champ Kenshiro Teraji faced off at the final press conference for their direct rematch on Saturday night at the City Gymnasium in Kyoto, Japan. Masamichi Yabuki won the WBC crown on September 22, when he dethroned Kenshiro by TKO in the tenth round.

Kenshiro Teraji: “I am very excited. I want to win back that Green and Gold Belt. I want to win, and I will leave no doubt that my loss was just a stumble.”

Masamichi Yabuki: “I have had a great preparation for this fight. I am the champion, and I am going to prove it in the ring. I have no doubt that I am a better fighter, and you will see it on Saturday.”

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Three undercard matchups have been confirmed for the Showtime PPV lineup headlined by WBC and IBF welterweight champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. and WBA welter champ Yordenis Ugas squaring off in a unification clash on April 16 live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Lightweight contender Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (22-2-1, 15 KOs) takes on former world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa (30-4, 18 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature. Unbeaten lightweight Jose Valenzuela (11-0, 7 KOs) battles former world champion Francisco “El Bandido” Vargas (27-3-2, 19 KOs) in a 10-rounder, plus unbeaten welterweight Cody Crowley (20-0, 9 KOs) faces “The Riverside Rocky” Josesito Lopez (38-8, 21 KOs) in a 10-round encounter that kicks off the telecast.

Olympic heavyweight bronze medallist Frazer Clarke underwent hand surgery yesterday and has withdrawn from the BOXXER Fight Night show on March 26 at OVO Wembley Arena, live on Sky Sports. Clarke, 30, sustained a hand injury during a sparring session and following a successful operation, he will now allow time to rest and recover before commencing a course of rehabilitation treatment at Loughborough University.

He was due to face Spain’s Gabriel Enguema on the show, but Clarke will not be able to punch for six weeks and it is anticipated that he will return to the ring again in 10-12 weeks to resume his career.

The March 26 show, headlined by a cruiserweight collision between Richard Riakporhe and Deion Jumah, will go on as scheduled.

Bakhodir Jalolov 255 vs. Kamil Sokolowski 240
Jono Carroll 131.4 vs. Patrick Ayi Aryee 132
Estelle Mossely 134.5 vs. Yanina del Carmen Lescano 134.5
O’Shaquie Foster 129.8 vs. Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov 129.6
(WBC super featherweight eliminator)
Shabaz Masoud 121.7 vs. Yoann Boyeux 121
Rohan Date 149.9 vs. Tom Hill 149.7
Joshua Ridgewell 131.2 vs. Suraj Ram 129
Sultan Al Nuaimi 113.7 vs. Hamza Mchanjo 116.4
Eyrk Apresyan 149.2 vs. Burak Akkus 149.2
Zlad Wael Hamza 177.4 vs. Karanjeet Singh 168.2

Venue: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium
Promoter: Probellum
TV: fuboTV

By Karl Freitag

Hardcore boxing fans tend to gnash their teeth at the recent spate of exhibitions featuring former boxing legends, MMA fighters competing in boxing matches, combination boxing/Verzuz events, and Internet “influencers” squaring off in the ring. But there is a very bright side.

In the most recent Harris Poll, boxing now ranks as the fourth most-popular sport in the United States, behind only football, baseball, and basketball. And ahead of MMA. Ahead of ice hockey. Ahead of soccer. Ahead of tennis. Ahead of golf.

This is rather startling considering boxing wasn’t even in the top ten previously. And perhaps even more shocking is the fact that boxing is no longer just your grandfather’s favorite sport. Young people are flocking to the sweet science, even preferring boxing to baseball! Continue reading “Who says boxing is dead?”

Showtime, DAZN, and ESPN will go mano a mano with three simultaneous telecasts on Saturday, April 9.

Showtime presents Erickson Lubin vs. Sebastian Fundora in a terrific clash for the WBC interim super welterweight title from Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. The all-super welterweight card also includes Tony Harrison vs. Sergio Garcia, and Kevin Salgado vs. Bryant Perrella.

DAZN counters with the return of Kingry. Lightweight star Ryan Garcia meets Emmanuel Tagoe from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Unbeaten prospects George Rincon, Gregory Morales, and Hector Valdez see action on the undercard.

ESPN leads with WBO/IBF female junior lightweight champion Mikaela Mayer against Jennifer Han at The Hangar at the Orange County Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California. Welterweight Giovani Santillan faces Jeovanis Barraza in the co-feature. There is also a strong undercard on ESPN+ with both Maloney brothers, Jason Moloney and Andrew Moloney, IBF #1 featherweight Luis Alberto “El Venado” Lopez, and Olympic silver medalist Duke Ragan.

The biggest fight of the day, however, takes place on DAZN in the early morning hours when Gennady Golovkin faces Ryota Murata in an IBF/WBA middleweight unification clash from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Australian Rules football legend Barry Hall (0-0-1) is confident of defeating former New Zealand heavyweight champion and Rugby League and Rugby Union football legend and popular fan favorite Sonny Bill Williams (8-0, 3 KOs) when they clash over eight rounds at the ICC Exhibition Centre in Sydney, NSW, Australia next Wednesday. The bout is expected to break viewership records when televised on Stan Event Pay-Per-View.

“I love boxing. It’s my number one sport,” said Hall. “Yes, I played AFL football back in the day but even when I was playing I was at home watching boxing all the time. It’s just something I have always loved. We were fully aware coming into (the Sonny Bill Williams fight) that everything was about Sonny. I see it as a bit arrogant, as well. Right through his Rugby League and Rugby Union career, there has been a lot of that shine through. It’s all about him. We have locked a date in now and he is going to have to pay for that. Continue reading “Barry Hall: Beating Sonny Bill is like shooting Bambi”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Tim Tszyu won’t be the only Aussie making his American debut on March 26 at the Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Unbeaten Brisbane heavyweight Joe Goodall (7-0-1, 6 KOs) will see action against Mathew McKinney (8-4-2, 5 KOs).

“I’ve been training three times a day, six times a week,” said Goodall who is trained by Kevin Barry in Las Vegas. “It became too difficult for my manager Steve Scanlan to get me fights back in Australia and the big difference over here is the professionalism and the level of sparring. Iron sharpens iron and I’m getting razor-sharp for these fights. Continue reading “Goodall poised for American debut”

Golden Boy’s March 19 show at the University of Southern California’s Galen Center will now be headlined by Alexis “Lex” Rocha (18-1, 12 KOs) against Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (15-0-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight fight streaming live, worldwide on DAZN. In the new co-main event, Michael “The Problem” McKinson (21-0, 2 KOs) will now face Jesus Antonio Perez (24-3, 18 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight fight. Also part of the DAZN live stream, Bektemir “Bully” Melikuziev (8-1, 6 KOs) will face David “La Pantera” Zegarra (34-7, 21 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round light heavyweight fight. Opening up the stream, Evan Sanchez (9-0, 6 KOs) is set for a 6-round welterweight fight against Alejandro Munera (6-6-4, 5 KOs)

Fans with tickets to Ortiz vs. McKinson do not need to take action to attend Rocha vs. Cobbs, as their tickets and seating locations are still valid. Continue reading “Rocha-Cobbs elevated to main event”

“It’s harder to defend a belt than win one.”

By Przemek Garczarczyk

Ronnie Shields, trainer of WBC #6 middleweight Maciek Sulęcki, talks about Sulęcki’s upcoming world title challenge against WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo (June 18 in Houston, Showtime), Sulecki’s character and skills, Jermall’s work ethic, and gives us a detailed insight into how they prepare for fights.

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Undefeated WBC USNBC silver heavyweight titlist Brandon Moore has been added to the bout lineup of Salita Promotions’ next Detroit Brawl event on April 2 at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, MI. The 6’ 6 southpaw Moore (11-0, 7 KOs) will appear in an eight-round showdown against divisional gatekeeper Curtis Harper (13-7, 9 KOs).

The Moore-Harper clash supports the night’s main event featuring the return of unbeaten lightweight Erick De Leon (19-0-1, 11 KOs) after nearly three years’ absence from the sport due to injuries. De Leon faces Juan Jose “Piquet” Martinez (28-11, 20 KOs) in another eight-rounder.

After a long flight from Australia, WBO #1-ranked contender Tim Tszyu (20-0, 15 KOs) has arrived to the U.S. in preparation for his upcoming showdown with 2012 U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha (22-2-1, 11 KOs). Tszyu vs. Gausha, a 12-round clash, will headline live on SHOWTIME, Saturday, March 26 from The Armory in Minneapolis.

“I have come to America with big visions of taking over the whole super welterweight division and becoming the next great 154-pound champion of the world,” said Tszyu, the son of Hall of Fame fighter Kostya Tszyu. “To become a legend, you must come to America at some point in your career and leave a mark on the sport. I want to continue my family’s legacy in boxing, as well as forge my own journey. March 26 is the start of my era.” Continue reading “Tim Tszyu hits America”

First and foremost l am very sorry and disappointed to not be fighting this Saturday. Camp was going great. I was doing very good in sparring and training in general. But for the last 2 weeks, I didn’t feel like myself. I just felt like my body was deteriorating and I didn’t know why and it was frustrating. Being the fighter that l am, I tried toughing it out, But when it’s your own body fighting against you, there’s little you can do. Luckily my dad was also able to tell I wasn’t right and took me to the doctor. We ran some tests and the doctor concluded that I had Rhabdomyolysis. l was hospitalized yesterday and had to stay overnight. It could’ve been a lot worse and I’m thankful that we caught it on time. I am very sorry if I let you guys down. Believe me, if there was o hair of a chance of me fighting, I would be.

Vergil Ortiz Jr.

“I am ready to fight the best,” top-rated middleweight Jaime Munguia has declared on multiple occasions. However, in recent days Munguia’s braintrust has turned down a WBC middleweight title fight against Jermall Charlo, a WBO interim middleweight title fight against Janibek Alimkhanuly, and a WBC middleweight eliminator against Carlos Adame.

So where does Munguia go from here? Promoter Oscar de la Hoya is on the record saying a Munguia-Charlo fight is “top priority,” however Charlo has now signed to fight Maciej Sulecki on June 18.

Regarding Munguia-Charlo, De la Hoya stated, “Listen we want the fight. Obviously. Charlo’s the champion, he gets the bigger cut. We all know that. That’s common sense. Showtime, yes, you have the fight on Showtime PPV, but I need DAZN to participate. They built Jaime Munguia. That’s only fair, it’s business. More platforms, more pay-per-views, more money for the fighters…what’s wrong with that?”

Michael McKinson’s manager told BBC that McKinson’s fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr. on Saturday is off after Ortiz was forced to withdraw. No confirmation on the reason, but the rumor is Ortiz has weight problems.

Blair “The Flair” Cobbs has offered to step in. Cobbs stated, “Michael McKinnon, it is time. Baby, never fear, Blair the flair is here. Woooooo! And I ain’t pulling out, baby. Come and get this work! You saw I was trying to get it, let’s get it! Let’s get this work baby because I’m gonna f**k you up. Let’s go! Woooooo!”

Golden Boy Statement:

Unfortunately, Vergil Ortiz Jr. has had to pull out of this Saturday’s main event vs. Michael McKinson after being diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis. Vergil is recovering well in hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

“We wish Vergil a very quick and speedy recovery,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. “As fighters, our first instinct is to fight whatever we have and tough it out. It takes a lot of courage to admit that something is wrong and get the care that you need. We are confident that we will be seeing Vergil in the ring again very soon.”

More information on the March 19 event will be announced shortly.

Standing by for further updates.

The ESPN+ streamed undercard is set for the Edgar Berlanga-Steve Rolls card on Saturday night in the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. The ESPN+ bouts, which feature all unbeaten A-sides, will precede the ESPN telecast that includes Berlanga-Rolls, Xander Zayas vs. Quincy LaVallais, and John Bauza vs. Tony Luis.

Featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (2-0, 1 KO) meets Yeuri Andujar (5-4-1, 3 KOs) in a six-rounder.

Welterweight Jahi Tucker (6-0, 4 KOs) faces Tracey McGruder (6-1, 4 KOs) in a six-rounder.

Junior lightweight Henry “Moncho” Lebron (14-0, 9 KOs) takes on Josec Ruiz (23-5-3, 16 KOs) in an eight-rounder.

Junior welterweight Kelvin Davis (3-0, 2 KOs) goes against Phillip Carmouche (2-2, 0 KOs) in a four-rounder.

Lightweight Armani Almestica (4-0, 4 KOs) battles Eliseo Villalobos (2-2, 1 KO) in a six-rounder.

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

I spent a few days in the city of Los Angeles and had the delightfully fortunate opportunity to meet with Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, one of the great current champions, who will surely be enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame during the coming years.

Roman, the Pride of Nicaragua, visited the WBC office in Los Angeles, California, along with his team. He arrived proudly displaying his Diamond belt, which he conquered last weekend, after decisively defeating move-up flyweight champion, Julio César “Rey” Martínez. We coincided and dovetailed this visit, to present the WBC Trainer`s Belt to Marcos Caballero, who has been in his corner since Roman´s early days.

This innovative trophy was created by my dad many years ago, and Stephan Pryor, the son of Aaron Pryor, took the initiative to revive the accolade, which has been greeted in a great welcoming way by the boxing world. Continue reading ““Chocolatito” González and the Trainer’s Belt”

Showtime Sports and Premier Boxing Champions today announced nine boxing events across the first half of 2022. The robust lineup includes:

March 26 – SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
The Armory, Minneapolis, Minn.
Tim Tszyu vs. Terrell Gausha, Super Welterweight Bout
Michel Rivera vs. Joseph Adorno, Lightweight Bout
Elvis Rodriguez vs. Juan Jose Velasco, Super Lightweight (142 LBS) Bout

April 9 – SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
The Theatre at Virgin Hotels, Las Vegas
Erickson Lubin vs. Sebastian Fundora, WBC Super Welterweight Interim Title
Tony Harrison vs. Sergio Garcia, Super Welterweight Bout
Kevin Salgado vs. Bryant Perrella, Super Welterweight Bout

April 16 – SHOWTIME PPV
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Errol Spence Jr. vs. Yordenis Ugas, WBC, WBA & IBF Welterweight World Championship Unification

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (preceding PPV):
Radzhab Butaev vs. Eimantas Stanionis, WBA Welterweight Title Bout
Brandun Lee vs. Zachary Ochoa, Super Lightweight Bout

May 14 – SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
Los Angeles
Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castaño II, Undisputed WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO Super Welterweight World Championship
Jaron Ennis vs. Custio Clayton, IBF Welterweight Eliminator

May 21 – SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
Phoenix
David Benavidez vs. David Lemieux, Super Middleweight Bout
Yoelvis Gomez vs. Jorge Cota, Super Welterweight Bout

May 28 – SHOWTIME PPV
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Gervonta Davis vs. Rolly Romero, WBA Lightweight World Championship

June 4 – SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
Minneapolis
Stephen Fulton, Jr. vs. Danny Roman, WBO & WBC Super Bantamweight World Championship
David Morrell vs. Kalvin Henderson, WBA Super Middleweight World Title

June 18 – SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
Houston
Jermall Charlo vs. Maciej Sulecki, WBC Middleweight World Championship

July 9 – SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
San Antonio
Mark Magsayo vs. Rey Vargas, WBC Featherweight World Championship

The so-called “Heaviest Boxing Match in History” is taking place at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium on Saturday. Almost two years in the making and over five years of bitter rivalry, it all ends in the ring as Game of Thrones star Thor “The Mountain” Bjornsson takes on British strongman Eddie Hall in the boxing ring for six, three-minute rounds under professional boxing rules.

The fight will be available to stream for free on SEGI.TV.

We’ll know at the weigh-in if the Bjornsson-Hall weight eclipses the 731lb combined weight from the 2007 showdown between Eric “Butterbean” Esch (417.5 lbs) and Joe Siciliano (313.5 lbs) won by Butterbean via TKO2.

Matchroom Boxing will return to the Palau Olímpic Vall d’Hebron in Barcelona, Spain on April 1 for a card topped by Sandor Martin (39-2, 13 KOs) taking on Jose Felix (39-5-1, 30 KOs) for the WBA International super lightweight title, live on DAZN.

“I’m so excited to fight again in Barcelona, for me it’s a very special comeback after beating Mikey Garcia in California. I needed to fight in front of my people again and feel their support. It could be my last fight before fighting for the world title. I don’t want any surprises, I’ve worked hard and I want to show that I’m ready,” said Martin.

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DAZN also announced three other Euro events.

On April 22, unbeaten super middleweight Ivan Zucco (15-0, 13 KOs) faces Marko Nikolic (28-1, 12 KOs) at Palazzetto dello Sport in Verbania, Italy.

On May 13, super middleweights Daniele Scardina (20-0 16 KOs) and Giovanni De Carolis (29-10-1 13 KOs) meet in an all-Italian showdown at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, Italy.

On May 20, super welterweight Kerman Lejarraga (34-2, 26 KOs) takes on James Metcalf (21-2, 13 KOs) at the Bilbao Arena in Bilbao, Spain.

By Miguel Maravilla

Popular welterweight Blair Cobbs talks about his upcoming fight vs. Alexis Rocha, plus says PBC is playing with the belts.

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By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Former IBF middleweight champion Sam “King” Soliman (47-16-1, 19 KOs) will clash with Jesse White (6-2, 0 KOs) on Saturday at the Melbourne Pavillion, Flemington, Melbourne, Australia. The 48-year-old Soliman scored a six round split decision over White last December.

Soliman has no thoughts of retirement and is already scheduled to collide with Troy O’Meley on May 7 in Melbourne.

Solomon-White II will be available as a $16.99 PPV stream in the United States, with the show starting around 3AM ET.

By Miguel Maravilla

Welterweight Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (15-0-1, 10 KOs) of Philadelphia will have his toughest test to date as he takes on Santa Ana, California’s Alexis “Lex” Rocha (18-1, 12 KOs) this Saturday night March 19th in the co-main event for Vergil Ortiz, Jr. vs. Michael McKinson at the University of Southern California’s Galen Center in Downtown Los Angeles live on DAZN. We caught up with Cobbs as he discussed his upcoming fight with Rocha.

“This is the main attraction, Blair the Flair vs. a top contender. Let’s see what happens it’s going to be exciting,” Blair Cobbs told Fightnews.com®. “He is a tough contender and won’t give up. He will try to give me as much resistance as possible. He might want to pressure. I have been against multiple guys; Blair the Flair is used to being in the fire. Let’s see what happens when he is in the fire. Can Alexis handle it?” Continue reading “Blair Cobbs: I will keep it exciting”