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World Cup Boxing Series (WCBS) has finalized plans for its inaugural “4-Man Lightweight Tournament,” presented by Roy Jones Jr. (RJJ) Boxing Promotions, with the semifinals on February 24th at Palenque De La Expo in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico.

The semifinals match-ups have been announced: Luis “Koreano” Torres (14-0, 9 KOs) vs. Rodolfo “Rudy” Flores (14-5, 6 KOs), Alberto “El Alacan” Ruiz (11-4, 8 KOs) vs. Isai “Gaga” Hernandez (11-2-2, 7 KOs).

Semifinal action will be contested in 8-round bouts, 10 rounds for the championship final. The WCBS will also feature one “overtime” round, if needed, to declare a winner in the event of a draw upon the conclusion of the scheduled distance.

WCBS will also be offering a “Fight of the Night” and “Knockout” bonuses to each contestant through the duration of its “4-Man Lightweight Tournament.

Not surprisingly, WBO light heavyweight champion Joe Smith Jr. is an overwhelming favorite against late sub Steve Geffrard on Saturday night at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY. The “Common Man” is around a 12:1 pick at most sportsbooks.

Featherweight contender Abraham Nova is a 25:1 favorite over late sub William “El Gago” Encarnacion in the co-feature, while cruiserweight Lyubomyr “The Demolition Man” Pinchuk is a 10:1 pick against Mario “Bazooka” Flores.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBA, WBO, IBF, WBC franchise lightweight champion Greorge “Ferocious” Kambosos says he will be making the first defense of the undisputed 135-pound championship in Australia against one of the best credentialed in that division. The list includes Vasiliy Lomachenko, Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis, and Ryan García.

“My whole career has been the hard road,” Kambosos told Fox Sports. “There hasn’t been an easy options for me. I have always had to grind. I wouldn’t be real or true to myself if I said I was coming for a defense and had an easy fight and you are going to see three rounds. What for? I am coming for the big names. Continue reading “Kambosos: I am coming for the big names”

WBC mandatory featherweight title challenger Mark Magsayo has vowed to end the seven-year reign of WBC 126lb world champion Gary Russell Jr. January 22 on SHOWTIME from Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, NJ.

“I don’t think Gary has faced anyone since he became champion that has the skills that I have,” said Magsayo. “I’m going to go in there to show him something he’s never seen before and we’ll see how he reacts. I learned a lot from the Ceja fight. That gave me a lesson on how to adjust in the middle of a fight. It’s going to help me against Russell.

“I respect Gary Russell Jr., he’s a great champion, but I’m winning this fight on January 22. I want to prove to the people everywhere that I’m the best featherweight in the world. Continue reading “Magsayo: I’m not trying to be the next Pacquiao”

WBC featherweight world champion Gary Russell Jr., who owns the longest reign of any current male champion and has held his 126-pound belt since 2015. On January 22, Russell takes on WBC mandatory challenger Mark Magsayo live on SHOWTIME from Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J. Russell, who is making just his sixth defense in seven years, says he has problems getting opponents.

“I’ve been willing to compete against whoever, whenever and wherever, but I can’t force these guys to get in the ring and fight me,” Russell told reporters Tuesday. “I just have to prepare to the best of my ability. I need a dance partner. Continue reading “Gary Russell: I can’t force these guys to fight me”

Heavyweight Joe Joyce (13-0, 12 KOs) has been told he will be able start punching in six weeks following a wrist injury that ruled him out of an early 2022 date. The Juggernaut was scheduled for February action with the intention of beefing up his resume and topping up his experience ahead of a potential world heavyweight title tilt later this year. The 36-year-old is #1 ranked by the World Boxing Organisation and is next in line to face the winner of the forthcoming Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony Joshua rematch, which looks likely to take place in May.

Promoter Frank Warren has indicated a preference for April when it comes to Joyce’s return to action.

The Florida Boxing Hall of Fame, which began in 2009 and has become one of the leading Halls of Fame in the world, made the official announcement of the Class of 2022 over the weekend at the SJC Boxing Gym in Fort Myers, Florida. There were 47 Hall of Famers in attendance along with legendary promoter and best-selling author J Russell Peltz.

Induction Weekend will be at the Marriott St. Petersburg/Clearwater June 17, 18, 19, 2022.

FIGHTERS
Al “Ice” Cole, Fres Oquendo, David Tua, Shannon Briggs, Keith Mullings Sr.*, David Armstrong, Randall Bailey, Cory Spinks

TRAINERS
Gus Curren, Tito Tiburon Ocasio, Armando Wiz Fernandez

PROMOTERS
Richard Dobal

MEDIA
Claudia Trejos

Continue reading “FBHOF announces 2022 inductees”

Floyd Mayweather is reportedly close to finalizing a fight with YouTuber “Money Kicks” a.k.a. Rashed Belhasa in an eight-rounder on the helipad at the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah Hotel in Dubai on a date to be determined in February. Terms such as “real fight” are being thrown around.

Still no opponent for WBA heavyweight champion Trevor Bryan on January 29 in Warren, Ohio. WBA #1 rated Daniel Dubois is calling out Bryan, but with less than three weeks to go unbeaten Jonathan Guidry (17-0-2, 10 KOs), recently installed at WBA #13, could be getting the title shot.

Heavyweight Mahmoud Charr, who had been mandated to face Bryan, is no longer listed as “champion in recess” in the WBA rankings.

The Chris Eubank Jr vs. Liam Williams card in Cardiff, Wales was pushed back a week to February 5 due to covid restrictions. The bout will be a $29.99 afternoon PPV in the United States. By the way, Claressa Shields vs. Ema Kozin gets top billing in the U.S. advertising for that card.

Still no PPV price for the February 5 Keith Thurman vs. Mario Barrios pay-per-view telecast. Tank-Cruz was $74.99, so if Thurman-Barrios follows suit, fight fans can enjoy more than $100 of pay-per-view action plus a DAZN card on the same day.

Lightweight prospect Charlie Sheehy (1-0, 1 KO), a 23-year-old former Team USA amateur standout from the Bay Area town of Brisbane, California, has signed a multi-year professional contract with Top Rank. Sheehy, who is managed by Peter Kahn, will make his Top Rank debut March 4 on the Jose Ramirez-Jose Pedraza undercard.

6’3 lightweight Marcell Davidson has joined his younger brother, welterweight Marcus Davidson (2-0, 2 KOs), in Ryan Roach’s Fighter Locker stable having recently signed an exclusive managerial contract. He debuts February 12 on Vertex Promotions’ “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” card at Moseley’s On The Charles in Dedham, Massachusetts.

Boston Boxing Promotions has announced a four-round super middleweight bout between two fan favorites as David Tubbs (5-1, 5 KOs) takes on Malik Jackson (5-10-4, 3 KOs) on January 29th at the Castleton Banquet & Conference Center in Windham, New Hampshire.

WBA and WBC franchise super flyweight champion Juan Francisco “Gallo” Estrada (42-3 28 KOs) and former champion Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (50-3 41 KOs) will meet in their mouth-watering trilogy fight on DAZN March 5 at the Pechanga Arena San Diego in San Diego, California.

Chocolatito won their first fight by unanimous decision in 2012 at light flyweight. Estrada edged out Chocolatito via split decision last March. This time Estrada plans to leave no doubt. Continue reading “Estrada: I am the better fighter”

Top Rank has announced that the February 5 clash between super lightweights Jose Ramirez and Jose Pedraza is being moved to March 4 after Pedraza fell ill with flulike symptoms that turned out to be COVID-19. The Save Mart Center in Fresno, California, will still be the venue.

Ramirez-Pedraza was facing stiff competition on the original February 5 date, going up against the Thurman-Barrios PPV and a world title twinbill on DAZN.

Two-time middleweight world champion Daniel Jacobs (37-3, 30 KOs) will collide with Britain’s word rated super middleweight contender John Ryder (30-5, 17 KOs) at the famous Alexandra Palace in London on February 12, live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia).

Daniel Jacobs: “I’m super excited to be returning to the ring. It has always been a dream of mine to fight in London as a professional, and I’m looking forward to fighting in front of a great crowd. I’m putting my best foot forward on February 12.”

John Ryder: “This is the fight I need to really bring the best out in me. Jacobs is a great fighter but he has had his time and now it’s my time to shine! My dreams are at stake on February 12 and destiny awaits. It’s time to get right back to where I need to be.”

Olympic heavyweight hero Frazer Clarke, who captained Team GB at the 2020 Olympic Games and won a bronze medal for Great Britain, will make his highly anticipated professional debut at the BOXXER: KHAN vs BROOK event taking place Saturday, February 19 at the AO Arena in Manchester, England.

Clarke signed an exclusive long-term promotional agreement with BOXXER and Sky Sports soon after announcing his decision to turn professional. Anthony Joshua – Clarke’s former sparring partner at Team GB – will play a key role in guiding Clarke’s career having signed him to Joshua’s 258 MGT management label.

We originally had two major fights on tap for Saturday.

ESPN+ was planning to stream the heavyweight showdown between world-rated contenders Tony Yoka and Martin Bakole, however that bout was postponed due to COVID restrictions in Paris, France.

COVID also played a role for Top Rank’s ESPN card from the Turning Stone Resort in Verona, New York. WBO light heavyweight champion Joe Smith Jr. (27-3, 21 KOs) was slated to defend against Callum Johnson, however Johnson was knocked out by COVID. Happily, Top Rank managed to find a replacement in WBO #15 Steve Geffrard (18-2, 12 KOs), who was training for a fight card Saturday night in Delray Beach, Florida.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman talks to Peter Maniatis about Canelo Alvarez, Tyson Fury, George Kambosos Jr., and visting Australia in 2022. Continue reading “Interview: Mauricio Sulaiman”

The WBC has extended the free negotiations period for the WBC mandatory heavyweight title fight between champion Tyson Fury and interim champion Dillian Whyte. If there is no agreement between the parties, a purse bid will be held on Tuesday, January 18 at noon in Mexico City WBC headquarters.

Super welterweight Cristian “Azteca” Ayala (7-1-1, 3 KOs) destroyed Nicolás “El Elegante” Andino (16-3-1, 2 KOs) by a resounding knockout in the second round on Saturday night at the Palacio de Los Deportes in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ayala dropped Andino in round one and finished the job in round two to claim the WBA Fedelatin belt.

Undefeated bantamweight Lawrence “Big Time” Newton (15-0, 7 KOs) won a hard-fought ten round unanimous decision over on Mario Hernandez (10-2-1, 3 KOs) on Saturday night at the Tennis Center in Delray Beach, Florida. Scores were 96-94, 96-94, 98-92.

WBA regular heavyweight champion Trevor Bryan (21-0, 15 KOs) will be featured in a co-main event special attraction on Hall of Fame promoter Don King’s January 29 card at the W.D. Packard Music Hall in Warren, Ohio. Bryan’s opponent is TBA.

The previously announced main event will pit WBC cruiserweight champion Ilunga Junior Makabu (28-2, 25 KOs) against the number one challenger Thabiso Mchunu (23-5, 13 KOs). The winner is hopeful of the opportunity to fight Canelo Alvarez. Continue reading “Trevor Bryan added to Jan 29 DKP card”

In a clash between unbeaten super featherweights, Luis Nuñez (16-0, 12 KOs) scored a tenth round TKO against Carlos Arrieta (14-1, 8 KOs) on Friday night at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida. Nuñez looked headed to a decision win when he staggered Arrieta in round ten and got a referee’s stoppage with his follow-up barrage. Time was 1:41.

In a clash between unbeaten lightweights, all-action Otar Eranosyan (11-0, 6 KOs) scored a one-sided eight round unanimous decision over Starling Castillo (16-1, 12 KOs. Eranosyan dropped Castillo twice in round one, but the bout went the full eight. Scores were 80-70, 80-70, 79-71. Continue reading “Nuñez stops Arrieta, Eranosyan wins again”

WBO light heavyweight world champion Joe Smith Jr will make his first title defense against an unlikely contender. With original foe Callum Johnson testing positive for COVID-19, Smith will now face Steve Geffrard on January 15 at Turning Stone Resort Casino and LIVE on ESPN. Geffrard (18-2, 12 KOs), a 31-year-old native of Miami, Florida, has won 18 straight fights since starting his career 0-2. He had a fight scheduled for January 8 but jumped at the chance to fight Smith on eight days’ notice.

In the 10-round co-feature, featherweight contender Abraham Nova (20-0, 14 KOs), who was originally slated to fight Jose Enrique Vivas, will fight William “El Gago” Encarnacion (19-1, 15 KOs) after Vivas dropped out with an injury.

Other than ShoBox, there’s not much happening in boxing this weekend. However, there is still hope for boxing junkies needing their weekend fix. BXNGTV.com will kick off the new year with back-to-back $19.99 boxing PPVs.

Tonight in New Orleans, undefeated light heavyweight Sean Hemphill (13-0, 8 KOs) fights in front of his hometown fans when he takes on Jayson Minda (14-5-1, 8 KOs) in the eight-round main event. Also seeing action will be Jeremy Hill (15-2, 10 KOs) taking on Jonathan Perez (38-29, 30 KOs) in a six-round lightweight contest. Seven fights in all.

Saturday night in Delray Beach, Florida, undefeated bantamweight Lawrence Newton (14-0, 7 KOs) headlines an eight-bout card when he takes on Mario Hernandez (10-2-1, 3 KOs) in a 10-round fight. Also seeing action will be undefeated fighters featherweight Dominique Francis (9-0, 6 KOs), heavyweight Fernely Feliz Jr. (1-0, 1 KO) middleweight Carlos Arredondo (1-0, 1 KO) and featherweight Cameron Pankey (3-0, 2 KOs).

DAZN has announced eight boxing events to kick-off 2022.

Saturday, February 05: Jessie Vargas vs. Liam Smith
Headlining the event is former two-weight World Champion Jessie Vargas vs. former WBO Light-Middleweight champion Liam Smith with Srisaket Sor Rungvisai vs. Carlos Cuadras clashing for the vacant WBC Super-Flyweight title also on the card at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The show will be live worldwide on DAZN (excluding Thailand).

Saturday, February 12: Daniel Jacobs vs. John Ryder
Super-Middleweight John Ryder looks to step up in 2022, taking on two-time Middleweight World Champion Daniel Jacobs at the famous Alexandra Palace in London. The event will be live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia).

Saturday, February 19: Jaime Munguía vs. D’Mitrius Ballard
Mexican middleweight Jaime Munguía takes on D’Mitrius Ballard in a rescheduled middleweight battle between the pair for the WBO Inter-Continental middleweight title. The event will be live worldwide on DAZN (excluding Mexico).

Sunday, February 27: Lawrence Okolie vs. Michal Cieslak
WBO Cruiserweight World Champion Lawrence Okolie will defend his belt for the second time at the end of February against Poland’s former World Title challenger Michal Cieslak. The event will be live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia).

Saturday, March 05: Estrada vs. Chocolatito III
Juan Francisco Estrada and Román ‘Chocolatito’ González run it back once more for a highly anticipated trilogy fight for the WBA, WBC Franchise and The Ring Magazine Super-Flyweight titles at the Pechanga Arena San Diego in San Diego, California. The event will be live worldwide on DAZN.

Saturday, March 12: Leigh Wood vs. Michael Conlan
Leigh Wood defends his new WBA belt for the first time after producing a stunning 12th-round knockout against Xu Can at Matchroom Fight Camp in July, now facing WBA ‘Interim’ Featherweight champion Michael Conlan on home soil at the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham. The event will be live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia).

Saturday, March 19: Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Michael McKinson
Knockout artist Vergil Ortiz Jr. looks to make it 19-0, taking on flawless British world rated contender Michael McKinson in the first defense his WBO International Welterweight title. The Golden Boy Promotions event will be live worldwide on DAZN.

Saturday, March 26: Kiko Martinez vs. Josh Warrington II
Spanish two-weight World Champion Kiko Martinez puts his newly acquired IBF Featherweight belt on the line against old foe Josh Warrington at the First Direct Arena in Leeds. Warrington outpointed Martinez in a close contest at the same venue back in May 2017. The rematch will be live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia).

Estrella Media has renewed its monthly boxing series, Boxeo EstrellaTV for 2022 with Producciones Deportivas. Fights are scheduled to take place on the last Friday of each month live from Mexico City. Dates for 2022 include January 28, February 25, March 25, April 29, May 27, June 24, July 29, August 26, September 30, October 28, November 25, and December 16.

With its mandatory contender position vacant, the IBF is trying to set up a final heavyweight eliminator. IBF #3 ranked Filip Hrgović (14-0, 12 KOs) is already locked in as one of the participants. Contenders Luis Ortiz and Joseph Parker, both of whom are fresh off big wins, have passed on the opportunity. The IBF will continue to go down its rankings in order until one of the contenders agrees to fight Hrigovic. Undefeated heavyweight Zhang “Big Bang” Zhilei (23-0-1, 18 KOs) currently sitting at IBF #13 says he’s willing to take the fight.

“I don’t understand why top heavyweights are turning this down,” said the former Olympic silver medal winner. “Hrgovic is no boogeyman. I’ve made it known that if my name comes up, I’ll step up and take it.” Continue reading “Zhilei says he’s willing to fight Hrgovic”

Remember, there’s an excellent ShoBox tripleheader tonight featuring six Fighters with undefeated records for first time in 21-year history of the series. The action starts at 9PM ET/PT from Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Promoter Oscar De La Hoya says Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz turned down a very lucrative offer to fight Ryan “Kingry” Garcia, more than Cruz made with Tank.

Four-division world champion Adrien Broner has started an OnlyFans account at https://onlyfans.com/adrienbroner AB says he did it because people were leaking compromising photos taken of him.

A couple of DAZN fight rumors:
February 19: Jaime Munguia vs. D’Mitrius Ballard, middleweight
March 26: Kiko Martinez vs. Josh Warrington, IBF featherweight title