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Lightweight star Keyshawn Davis, the Olympic silver medalist, has a non-COVID-related virus and was forced to withdraw from his March 19 bout against Esteban Sanchez at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

The new ESPN-televised opener will feature junior welterweight prospect John “El Terrible” Bauza (16-0, 7 KOs) against veteran Tony “Lightning” Luis (29-4, 10 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Bauza joins a pair of his Puerto Rican countrymen atop the MSG bill, as super middleweight Edgar “The Chosen One” Berlanga battles Steve Rolls in the 10-round main event. Xander Zayas takes on Quincy LaVallais in the eight-round co-feature.

Former light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (34-4-1, 29 KOs) will move up to cruiserweight to face Tervel Pulev (16-0, 13 KOs) on May 14 at the Forum in Los Angeles and be streamed live worldwide via PPV or the TrillerVerz subscription on FITE. This is 38-year-old Kovalev’s first fight since facing Canelo Alvarez in November 2019. Pulev, the 2012 Bronze Medalist at the Olympic Games, is the younger brother of two-time heavyweight world title challenger Kubrat ‘The Cobra’ Pulev (28-2, 14 KOs), who will clash with Andrey Fedosov (32-3, 26 KOs) over ten rounds in the co-feature.

Also featured on the undercard are junior middleweight Evan ‘Yung Holy’ Holyfield (9-0, 6 KOs) in a scheduled six-rounder, and junior middleweight Fernando ‘El Feroz’ Vargas Jr. (5-0, 5 KOs), featherweight Amado ‘El Malvado’ Vargas (3-0, 2 KOs) and pro-debuting lightweight Emiliano Vargas, who all compete in four-rounders. Evan is the son on Evander Holyfield, and the other three are sons of three-time junior middleweight world champion Fernando ‘El Feroz’ Vargas.

Boxing will be followed by a to be announced Verzuz battle.

Six years after the physical disappearance of the World Boxing Association (WBA) Emeritus President, the family of the pioneer organization remembers a man who left a mark and a great legacy.

Discipline, perseverance and love, three of the pillars of Mendoza’s life (March 30, 1943 – March 11, 2016), who fell in love with boxing and worked for the sport, fought for the rights of its protagonists and proposed changes that would allow it to be better for everyone.

That made him an undisputed leader who took the reins of the WBA in October 1982 and remained until 2016 itself. Continue reading “Remembering Gilberto Mendoza”

Leigh Wood 125.5 vs. Michael Conlan 125.4
(WBA featherweight title)

Caoimhin Agyarko 159.25 vs. Juan Carlos Rubio 159.25
Terri Harper 133.25 vs. Yamila Belen Abellaneda 134.25
Gary Cully 134.5 vs. Miguel Vazquez 134
Sandy Ryan 144.5 vs. Erica Anabella Farias 141
Nico Leivars 120 vs. Jose Hernandez 121.25
Thomas Carty 271 vs. Michal Boloz 260
Thomas Whittaker Hart 178 vs. Ben Thomas 176.5

Venue: Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, England
Promoter: Matchroom
TV: DAZN

Canadian promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions will present an event on March 19th at the Hamilton Convention Centre, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main event will feature Brandon Brewer (21-1-1, 11 KOs) taking on fellow Canadian and unbeaten Antonio Napolitano (5-0, 3 KOs). The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds and with vacant World Boxing Council United States (USNBC) middle title at stake.

The eight round co-feature will have the return of former world title challenger Ryan Rozicki (13-1, 13 KOs) vs Mexico’s German Garcia (7-3, 7 KOs). Rozicki fought valiently this past October as the underdog dropping a close decision to the heavily favored Oscar Rivas for the newly vacant WBC bridgerweight title. The Rozicki-Garcia fight has both fighters entering with 100% KO ratios in their perspective wins. Continue reading “Rozicki returns March 19”

Olympic gold medallist and unbeaten heavyweight Bakhodir Jalolov (9-0, 9 KOs) has signed a co-promotional deal with Probellum and DiBella Entertainment. Standing at 6’7, the huge punching Jalolov – known as the ‘Big Uzbek’ – fights Kamil Sokolowski over eight rounds on March 18 in Dubai.

Other Probellum signings include unbeaten super bantamweight Carl Jammes Martin (18-0, 15 KOs) and featherweight contender Jazza Dickens (30-4, 11 KOs).

Judge Ian John-Lewis, who scored last week’s Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall fight 114-111 in favor of Taylor, has received a slight demotion for his widely criticized scoring on that fight. Catterall’s response on social media was “Not good enough.”

Here is the British Boxing Board of Control Statement:

MR IAN JOHN-LEWIS
APPEARANCE BEFORE THE
BRITISH BOXING BOARD OF CONTROL

Following an internal review of the scoring of the Josh Taylor v Jack Catterall contest by all three appointed judges, the Stewards of the Board decided to call Mr. Ian John-Lewis to appear before them to explain his returned card.

Having considered Mr. Ian John-Lewis’ explanation, the Stewards of the Board decided to downgrade Mr. John-Lewis from an A Star Class to an A Class Official.

Whilst the Board were satisfied that Mr. John-Lewis’ scorecard did not affect the overall result of the contest, the Stewards of the Board did have issue with his margin. Continue reading “BBBofC demotes Taylor-Catterall official”

Unbeaten welterweight Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (15-0-1, 10 KOs) of Philadelphia hosted a media workout today at the WildCard Boxing Club ahead of his fight against fellow stablemate Alexis Rocha (18-1 (12 KOs) on March 19. Their 10-rounder fight will be the co-main event to Vergil Ortiz, Jr. vs. Michael McKinson at the University of Southern California’s Galen Center in Downtown Los Angeles and will be streamed live, worldwide, on DAZN.

Below is what Cobb had to say about his upcoming fight:

“I can’t wait for this fight. I love every single opportunity to get out there and show the world what Blair ‘The Flair’ is all about. Each moment, each day, I am getting better and better. Every day I am refining my craft, inside and outside of the ring and people are going to see it come March 19. Continue reading “Cobbs ready for spotlight”

Ardreal Holmes 156 vs. Vernon Brown 157.25
Luis Acosta 133.5 vs. Edwin De Los Santos 133.75
Giovanni Márquez 143 vs. Nelson Morales 144.25

Venue: Deadwood Mountain Grand Hotel in Deadwood, S.D.
Promoter: Holden Productions
TV: Showtime

By Héctor Villarreal

Yesica Bopp 108 vs Jessica Nery Plata 107.25
WBA female light flyweight championship

Monica Henao 135 vs Chantal Martinez 136
Veronica Zuluaga 116 vs Marian Salazar 118
Nataly Delgado 115 vs Clara Lescurat 114
Paulina Angel 125.5 vs Itzel Reyes 120.5

WBA KO to Drugs all-female card
Laguna Premium Boxing Promotions
Majestic Casino, Megapolis Outlets, Panama City, Panama.
Tickets $10
First fight 8pm

More photos

Saturday, March 12
Mary Help of Christians Church
6400 E. Chelsea Street
Tampa, FL 33610
12:00 Noon

Continue reading “Celebration of Life for Walter “Butch” Flansburg”

Ryan Adams 165.6 vs. Khainell Wheeler 167,3
Kenny Robles 141 vs. Naim Nelson 139.9
Jonathan Rodriguez 119.6 vs. Jose Flores Chavez 118
James Bernadin 135.7 vs. Kevin Asmat 135.1
Julian Gonzalez 134.1 vs. Carlos Padilla 138.9
LeAnna Cruz 113.7 vs. Anyela Lopez 115.3
Quadir Albright 141.6 vs. Antonio Wattell 140.6
Thanjhae Teasley 147.4 vs. Daniel Jiles 147.5

Venue: Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem, PA
Promoter: King’s Promotions
1st Bell: 7 PM ET
Stream: Flo Combat

WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood and challenger Michael Conlan faced off at the final press conference ahead of Saturday’s world title action at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England, shown live worldwide on DAZN, (excluding New Zealand and Australia).

Leigh Wood: “There’s no excuses after the fight – the best man will win…This is fairy-tale sh*t, honestly, of all the arenas for Carl [Froch] I was at in the seats screaming, I’m now headlining in the same arena. This isn’t the peak or where I stop, I’m going to go further than this. The city ground fight that you’ve tangled in front of me for so long, you [Eddie Hearn] said after this fight it’s happening, so I’ll hold you to that but eyes on Saturday night first. I’m coming to get the job done and look good doing it.”

Michael Conlan: “I know what kind of performance is coming on Saturday night, this is the most relaxed and calm I’ve ever been in a fight week. I don’t feel any pressure, I’m here in the opponent’s back garden and I’ve got to rip the belt off him. Everyone’s here to see him, I’ve got fans coming in the thousands already so it’s nothing new…I’m just here to do a job, I hope Leigh has had a fantastic training camp, I hope he’s the best Leigh Wood there’s ever been because I believe I will be. It’ll make it all the sweeter when I beat him.”

By Héctor Villarreal

Women and men will fight separately on the two boxing cards confirmed by Laguna Premium Boxing Promotions and The World Boxing Association for the upcoming weekend, in the return to Panama of the WBA KO to Drugs International Festival.

WBA light flyweight world champion, Argentine Yesica Boop (37-2, 17 KOs) and her title challenger Mexican Jessica Nery Plata (27-2, 3 KOs) faced off at the final press conference held on Wednesday afternoon at Majestic Casino, where they will star the all-female event on Friday night.

The main card scheduled for Saturday night at the Arena Roberto Duran is headed by former bantamweight super champion, Panamanian Anselmo “Chemito” Moreno (40-6-1, 13 KOs) facing Mexican Gustavo Piña (10-3-2, 5 KOs), as well as undefeated Mexican lightweight Miguel Madueño (27-0, 25 KOs), the opponent for the other local former super world champion Jezreel “Invisible” Corrales (25-4, 10 KOs).

Saturday, March 19 promises to be a night full of action as Bektemir “Bully” Melikuziev (8-1, 6 KOs) of Indio, CA returns to the ring for the first time in 2022, to face seasoned veteran David “La Pantera” Zegarra (34-7, 21 KOs) of Lima, Peru. The fighters are set to face off in a 10-round light heavyweight fight as part of the DAZN broadcast. Then, opening up the DAZN broadcast, undefeated fighter Evan Sanchez (9-0, 6 KOs) from Parlier, CA will participate in a 6-round welterweight fight against Alejandro Munera (6-6-4, 5 KOs) from Medellin, Colombia.

The event is headlined by #1 WBO ranked and undefeated heavy-hander, Vergil Ortiz Jr. (18-0, 18 KOs), of Grand Prairie, Texas taking on #3 WBO ranked, undefeated welterweight Michael “The Problem” McKinson (21-0, 2 KOs) of Portsmouth, Great Britain in a 12-round fight for the WBO International Welterweight Title . The co-main event of the night will pit Orange County’s Alexis “Lex” Rocha (18-1, 12 KOs) of Santa Ana, CA against Philadelphia’s Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (15-0-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight fight. The event will take place at the University of Southern California’s Galen Center in Downtown Los Angeles, streaming live, worldwide on DAZN. Continue reading “Melikuziev returns on Ortiz-McKinson undercard”

Some updates to this weekend’s boxing action…

FRIDAY

ShoBox returns with a tripleheader topped by undefeated super welterweight Ardreal Holmes (11-0, 5 KOs) against Vernon Brown (13-1-1, 9 KOs) live on SHOWTIME from Deadwood Mountain Grand Hotel in Deadwood, South Dakota.

Fightzone.uk has a free worldwide stream from the Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen, Scotland, headlined by unbeaten welterweight Dean Sutherland (12-0, 4 KOs) against the dreaded TBA.

FloSports has a $29.99 PPV at Wind Creek Bethlehem in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Super middleweights Ryan Adams (8-4-1, 6 KOs) and Khainell Wheeler (6-1, 5 KOs) clash in the eight-round headliner. Some undercard action will air on Facebook’s FightNight Live page.

SATURDAY

WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood (25-2, 15 KOs) makes his first world title defense against 2-time Olympian Michael Conlan (16-0, 8 KOs) at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England, streamed live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia as usual). Former IBF lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez (44-10, 17 KOs) is in the co-feature against unbeaten Gary Cully (13-0, 7 KOs).

FITE.tv has a free stream from the Conrad Dubai topped by super welterweight Fatih Keles (14-1-1, 8 KOs) against former WBA interim titleholder Diego “La Joya” Chaves (28-8-1, 23 KOs).

FITE.tv also has a PPV stream featuring a lightweight clash between two-time WBO featherweight champion Scott Harrison (27-3-2, 15 KOs) against Razak Nettey (22-5, 16 KOs) at the Rivals Gym, Wishaw, England. The 44-year-old Harrison is returning to the ring for the first time since 2013. This event is available through their new $4.99/mo FITE+ plan.

Undefeated super featherweight Christian Tapia (13-0, 12 KOs) takes on Luis Lebron (18-2-1, 11 KOs) in a 10-rounder from the Live! Event Center at Live! Casino & Hotel in Philadelphia. The show will be streamed on a $19.99 Facebook PPV on the Hard Hitting Promotions page.

SUNDAY

Fightzone.uk has a free worldwide live stream featuring welterweight Samuel Vargas (31-7-2, 14 KOs) taking on Przemyslaw Runowski (19-2, 5 KOs) from the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Newly crowned WBC diamond super flyweight champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (51-3, 41 KOs) had one request Saturday night after his unanimous decision win against Julio Cesar “Rey” Martinez, (18-2, 14 KOs). Gonzalez wanted to honor his trainer Marcos Caballero with a WBC champion trainer’s belt before he goes back to his native Nicaragua. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman moved fast on this request and brought the belt himself to Los Angeles so Gonzalez’ wish could be fulfilled. Continue reading “Chocolatito trainer gets WBC trainer’s belt”

Former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko says Russian world champion Dmitry Bivol should “absolutely not” be allowed to defend his WBA light heavyweight title against Canelo Alvarez on May 7 in Las Vegas. “It’s nothing against the personalities or athletes, it’s about the politics of Russia,” Klitschko told BBC 5 Live Radio. “Every Russian representative in this case needs to be sanctioned, because this way we show to Russia that the world is against his senseless war, and there is no good in this war.”

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WBC champion Oscar Valdez (30-0, 23 KOs) will meet WBO king Shakur Stevenson (17-0, 9 KOs) in a title unification showdown between undefeated fighters on April 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Promoted by Top Rank, tickets starting at $79 go on sale Thursday, March 10 at 10 a.m. PT and can be purchased by visiting AXS.com.

The two went face to face Wednesday morning and exchanged not-so-pleasant pleasantries. “This is a fight between two fighters in their physical primes, the best fighting the best,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Oscar and Shakur deserve the biggest stage, and it doesn’t get much bigger than ESPN and the MGM Grand Garden Arena. On April 30, a superstar will be born.”

Stevenson is currently as much as a 5:1 favorite. Valdez enters as the betting underdog for only the second time in his career. The first time, he knocked out Miguel Berchelt in devastating fashion.

Conor ‘The Destroyer’ Benn (20-0, 13 KOs) will defend his WBA Continental welterweight title against Chris Van Heerden (28-2-1, 12 KOs) at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday April 16, live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia as usual).

The undercard sees European cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith (14-1, 10 KOs) rematch Tommy McCarthy (18-3, 9 KOs) following their battle at the Matchroom HQ last summer. Also, super featherweight contender Zelfa Barrett (27-1, 16 KOs) challenges European champion Faroukh Kourbanov (19-3, 3 KOs), cruiserweight talent Jordan Thompson (12-0, 10 KOs) faces TBA, lightweight Campbell Hatton (6-0, 2 KOs) quickly returns to action after fighting last month, and super middleweight “Little Lever’s Meat Cleaver” Jack Cullen (20-3-1, 9 KOs) faces TBA.

The World Boxing Association (WBA) Championships Committee ordered the mandatory bout between super lightweight champion Josh Taylor and top challenger Alberto Puello. In a communication sent to both parties, the WBA notified them they will have a 30-day period to negotiate, starting on March 8.

Taylor won his championship on October 26, 2019 and his mandatory defense was already due a year ago. WBA rules state that the champion cannot defend against an opponent other than the mandatory challenger within 60 days after the expiration of his mandatory defense period, so for that reason, the showdown between Taylor and Puello has been ordered. If no agreement is reached or if either party is unwilling to negotiate, the WBA Championships Committee may call for a purse bid for the fight.

Featherweight title contender, Joet Gonzalez (25-2, 15 KOs) spoke about his recent TKO win over Filipino Jeo Santisima over the weekend on ESPN. The fight was all action until it was stopped in Gonzalez’s favor in the ninth round with his opponent absorbing too much punishment. “It was a hell of a fight. He was really tough and we had some back and forth going in the beginning but I persisted and eventually I got the stoppage.” Continue reading “Joet Gonzalez back on track”

Salita Promotions will return to the Lincoln Ballroom of the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, MI, on April 2 for another Detroit Brawl event. The main event will feature the return Detroit lightweight contender Erick De Leon (19-0-1, 11 KOs) after nearly three years’ absence from the sport due to injuries to face hard-nosed Mexico City veteran Juan Jose “Piquet” Martinez (28-11, 20 KOs).

In the main supporting bouts will be undefeated former amateur star Timur Kerefov (12-0, 6 KOs) against Cleotis “Mookie” Pendarvis (21-9-2, 9 KOs) and WBC #9, IBF #15, WBO #14 light heavyweight Ali Izmailov (7-0, 5 KOs) against TBA.

Tickets for “Detroit Brawl” start at $40.

Top super welterweight contender and rising star Tim Tszyu (20-0, 15 KOs)  will make his long-awaited U.S. debut when he takes on U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha (22-2-1, 11 KOs) in a 12-round showdown that headlines action live on Showtime Saturday, March 26 from The Armory in Minneapolis. The telecast will also feature rising undefeated lightweight contender Michel Rivera (22-0, 14 KOs) dueling fellow unbeaten Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno (14-0-2, 12 KOs) in the 10-round co-main event, plus hard-hitting super lightweight contender Elvis Rodríguez (12-1-1, 11 KOs) faces Juan José Velasco (23-2, 14 KOs) in the 10-round telecast opener.

Tim Tszyu: “I’m very excited to be fighting in the U.S., especially on Showtime, where my dad was featured for most of his career. I’m proud and excited to continue on the Tszyu name with Showtime. Once I take care of Gausha, I will be coming for the title.”

Terrell Gausha: “I’ve been ready for this fight for a long time. I came into this game to be a world champion and fight the best. I expect Tim to come in great shape and I’ll also come in my best shape to put on a great fight for the fans. My coaches are getting me prepared perfectly for the kind of fight I need to put on so that I can leave the ring victorious.”

 

Following a stacked event in front of a sold-out crowd in February, ProBox Promotions looks to continue its momentum as Mohamed “The Problem” Mimoune (22-4, 3 KOs) battles super lightweight Cesar “Rainman” Francis (9-0, 6 KOs) in a ten-round headline attraction on Friday, March 25 at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida.

Mimoune is a crafty southpaw who fights under the Roy Jones Jr. Promotions banner. His last time out, in February 2020, Mimoune fought for the WBC International super lightweight crown, one of various regional titles the Frenchman fought for since starting his pro career in 2010. Continue reading “Mimoune-Francis clash on March 25”