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On January 22, in the Lincoln Ballroom of the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, Michigan, Salita Promotions returns for another installment of their popular “Detroit Brawl” series of professional boxing shows.

Appearing in the night’s 10-round middleweight main event will be WBC #9- and WBO #15-ranked middleweight Hugo “The Boss” Centeno Jr. (28-3-1, 15 KOs) taking on an opponent to be announced shortly. Continue reading “Hugo “The Boss” Centeno returns Jan 22″

World light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (16-0, 16 KOs), boxing’s only world champion with a 100% knockout rate, will defend his WBC and IBF titles against 2012 U.S. Olympian Marcus Browne (24-1, 16 KOs) this Friday at Bell Centre in Montreal. The fighters previewed their bout at Wednesday’s press conference.

Artur Beterbiev: “We are ready. We had a good training camp, and I am ready to show my best on Friday night.”

Marcus Browne: “We trained hard for the fight. He’s a tough customer, but on Friday night, we are changing the narrative. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe, and come Friday night, you will see. I’m tired of talking. I want to fight.”

WBO #2, WBC #4, IBF #4 heavyweight Joseph Parker (29-2, 21 KOs) says his career is on the line when he meets British veteran Derek Chisora for a second time at the AO Arena in Manchester this Saturday live worldwide on DAZN.

“The first fight wasn’t the longest camp together with Andy, we were just getting to know each other and getting ready for the fight,” said Parker. “A longer camp is more beneficial as I am understanding more what Andy is trying to teach me. We’ve worked so hard every day and I think that it’s really going to show on the night. Continue reading “Parker: I just want to fight hard and beat him up”

Unbeaten heavyweight Alen Babic (9-0, 9 KOs) hits the pads during today’s fighter workout ahead of his fight this weekend on DAZN. An opponent for Babic has finally been found. “The Savage” will face David Spilmont (11-7-1, 7 KOs).

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten “Monster” Naoya Inoue (22-0, 19 KOs), 118, retained his WBA, IBF bantamweight belts as he kept sticking strong jabs to hurt durable Thai challenger Aran Dipaen (12-3, 11 KOs), 117.5, finally dropped him with a looping left hook following a solid combination and another left hook prompted the referee’s halt at 2:34 of the eighth round on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan. Naoya kept battering IBF#5, WBA#10 Dipaen upstairs and downstairs, but the game but nose-bleeding Thailander withstood the champ’s continual assault and occasionally retaliated with big shots, though averted by the champ. Dipaen was visibly slowing down with his absorption of the champ’s persistent body bombardments, and Naoya finally caught up with the durable challenger with a vicious left hook following effective combos. Down he went. Dipaen, reportedly with some fifty Muay-thai victories, barely stood up and resumed fighting on. A smashing left hook caught the challenger’s chin, when the referee Michiaki Someya promptly declared a halt. The crowd praised Naoya’s expected victory as well as Dipaen’s much better performance than expected. Continue reading “Full Report: Inoue stops Dipaen in eight”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Japanese southpaw Masataka Taniguchi (15-3, 10 KOs), 105, impressively captured the WBO 105-pound belt as he dropped southpaw defending champ Wilfredo “Bimbito” Mendez (16-2, 6 KOs), 105, in the second round, pressed the action and finally caught up with him with a flurry of punches to prompt the referee’s intervention at 1:08 of the eleventh session on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan. It looked a competitive fight before the trick happened. The tallies prior to the stoppage were as follows: Kazunobu Asao and Michiaki Someya both 97-91, and Yuji Fukuchi 95-93—all for the challenger. Mendez, in round six, was penalized a point for holding by referee Nobuto Ikehara (former world challenger who failed to win the WBA bantam belt from Volodymyr Sydoreno on points in 2008). Continue reading “Full Report: Taniguchi upsets Mendez”

By Miguel Maravilla

Fightnews.com® writer Miguel Maravilla caught up with former world champion, light heavyweight Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (42-0, 28 KOs) of Mazatlán, Mexico, as he takes on Cuba’s Yunieski “The Monster” Gonzalez (21-3, 17 KOs) in a WBA light heavyweight title eliminator this Saturday night from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas live on DAZN. Here is what Zurdo had to say.

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By Miguel Maravilla

Super featherweight Lamont Roach, Jr. (21-1-1, 9 KOs) spoke with Fightnews.com® writer Miguel Maravilla on his upcoming fight against former world champion Rene “Gemelo” Alvarado (32-10, 21 KOs) this Saturday night for the vacant NABA super featherweight title. Here is what he had to say.

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By Miguel Maravilla

2016 U.S Olympian and current WBC women’s flyweight world champion Marlen Esparza (10-1, 1 KOs) of Houston, Texas, goes up against former WBA world champion, Anabel “Avispa” Ortiz (31-4, 4 KOs) of Mexico City, Mexico, this Saturday night live on DAZN. Here is what Esparza had to say.

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Derek Chisora has promised to exact revenge on Joseph Parker when they rematch for the WBO Intercontinental heavyweight title at the AO Arena in Manchester this Saturday on DAZN.

Chisora (32-11, 23 KOs) was left angered by what he felt was more rough treatment by boxing judges following his split decision points loss to former WBO world champion Parker earlier this year – the eleventh loss of his 43-fight career in boxing’s glamour division. Continue reading “Chisora: It’s going to be sick”

Super welterweights Mikaël Zewski (35-2, 23 KOs) and Serhii Bohachuck (20-1, 20 KOs) will clash March 25 In a ten-rounder at the Colisée Vidéotron in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. This will be Zewski’s first bout in his hometown.

Also featured will be popular welterweight Sébastien Bouchard (19-2, 8 KOs).

Unbeaten WBA minimumweight champion Knockout CP Freshmart (23-0, 9 KOs) defended his belt with a fifth round KO over Robert Paradero (18-2, 12 KOs) on Tuesday night in a temporary arena erected in Saphan Hin Park, Phuket, Thailand. Paradero was down twice in a wild round four and Freshmart was down once but the ref didn’t start a count on any of them. The end was dramatic. Freshmart again dropped Paradero with a right hand in round five. He got up reeling, fell, got up again, staggered and fell again.

CP Knockout, also known as Thammanoon Niyomtrong, won the WBA interim title in 2014 and the full title in 2016. He has 13 title defenses.

By Joe Koizumi

Unbeaten “Monster” Naoya Inoue (22-0, 19 KOs), 118, retained his WBA, IBF bantamweight belts as he kept sticking strong jabs to hurt durable Thai challenger Aran Dipaen (12-3, 11 KOs), 117.5, finally caught him with a looping left hook following a solid combination and another left hook prompted the referee’s halt at 2:34 of the eighth round on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan. Naoya kept battering Dipaen upstairs and downstairs, but the game but nose-bleeding Thailander withstood the champ’s continual assault and occasionally retaliated with big shots, though averted by the champ. Dipaen was visibly slowing down with his absorption of the champ’s persistent body bombardments, and Naoya finally caught up with the durable challenger with effective combos following a vicious left hook. The crowd praised Naoya’s expected victory as well as Dipaen’s much better performance than expected.

Promoter: Ohashi Promotions.

(More to come)

By Joe Koizumi

Japanese southpaw Masataka Taniguchi (15-3, 10 KOs), 105, impressively captured the WBO 105-pound belt as he dropped southpaw defending champ Wilfredo “Bimbito” Mendez (16-2, 6 KOs), 105, in the second round, pressed the action and finally caught up with him with a flurry of punches to prompt the referee’s intervention at 1:08 of the eleventh session on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan.

(More to come)

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBO #3, IBF #3 super lightweight Liam Paro (21-0, 13 KOs) could steal the show on the Saturday PPV card headlined by Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley. Paro has an opportunity to move closer to a world title shot with a win against unbeaten WBO #8 Yomar Alamo (20-0-1, 12 KOs) at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

“I am getting some real good work in Las Vegas,” Paro told Fightnews.com®. “We have impressed a lot of people. I have been sparring WBO 130-pound champion Shakur Stevenson. After our first sparring session, he dropped using other (southpaw) sparring partners and only used me. It has been great to get that world-class sparring. Stevenson is hands down the best boxer I have ever been in the ring with. His boxing IQ is next level. He was also a great amateur – he is the best of the best. I also sparred with two-time world champion Rances Barthelemy.”

Here is a photo of Monster Naoya Inoue’s sparring, which discloses the secret of Inoue’s tremendous power punching – his back muscles. Inoue will be in the ring in a few hours.
-Joe Koizumi

ShoBox: The New Generation will kick off the 2022 boxing calendar with a tripleheader featuring six undefeated fighters January 7 from Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida.

The three matchups include fighters with a combined record of 80-0 and 57 knockouts and marks the first time ShoBox has featured a tripleheader in which all six fighters enter fight night without a loss in the 20-plus year history of the prospect series. The event is also the first time ShoBox will take place in Orlando.

In the main event, lightweight Luis Nunez (15-0, 11 KOs) faces Carlos Arrieta (14-0, 8 KOs) in a 10-rounder. Lightweight Starling Castillo (16-0, 12 KOs) meets Otar Eranosyan (10-0, 6 KOs) in the eight-round co-feature. In the opener, super featherweight Edwin De Los Santos (13-0, 12 KOs) battles William Foster III (12-0, 8 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Continue reading “ShoBox card to feature all unbeaten fighters”

Still no opponent for heavyweight knockout artist Alen ‘The Savage’ Babic (9-0, 9 KOs), who looks to make it ten knockouts from ten fights on Saturday’s Parker-Chisora undercard. Babic has been feuding with Filip Hrgovic on social media.

Hammerin’ Hank Lundy announced his retirement after losing over the weekend. He ends with a record of 31 wins, 10 losses, 1 draw, and 14 KOs.

Unbeaten welterweight Conor Benn has called out Adrien “The Problem” Broner.

Rising super lightweight contenders Richardson Hitchins (12-0, 5  KOs) and Malik Hawkins (18-1, 11 KOs) will square off in a 10-round showdown that headlines FS1 PBC Fight Night on Saturday from The Armory in Minneapolis. The FS1 telecast begins at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT and also features unbeaten Dominican Olympian Héctor Luis García (13-0, 10 KOs) dueling Isaac Avelar  (16-3, 10 KOs) in an eight-round super featherweight bout and undefeated light heavyweight prospect Suray Mahmutovic (3-0, 3 KOs) taking on fellow unbeaten Pachino Hill (6-0, 5 KOs).

Following the action on FS1, FOX PBC Fight Night will be headlined by unbeaten WBA super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr.  (5-0, 4 KOs) defending his title in his adopted hometown when he faces 168-pound contender Alantez Fox (28-2-1, 13 KOs). The broadcast begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and also features exciting rising unbeaten lightweight José Valenzuela (10-0, 6 KOs) taking on Austin Dulay (14-2, 10 KOs) in the 10-round co-main event, plus unbeaten super lightweight contender Alberto Puello (19-0, 10 KOs) dueling VeShawn Owens (13-2, 12 KOs) in a 10-round attraction.

Two months out from the night both boxers will enter the ring to settle one of the bitterest rivalries in British sport, the February 19 clash between Amir ‘King’ Khan (34-5, 21 KOs) and Kell ‘Special K’ Brook (39-3, 27 KOs) has already written itself into the record books. Tickets for the event have sold out in just ten minutes, making Khan vs Brook at the Manchester AO Arena one of the fastest-selling events not only in British boxing history but in British sporting history as a whole.

A clue to the unprecedented level of demand came when fans signed up for last week’s presale at a ratio of six fans for every one ticket available. When Friday’s presale opened, it sold out in just four minutes. Continue reading “Khan-Brook sells out in just ten minutes”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

WBA, IBF bantamweight title bout
“Monster” Naoya Inoue 118
Aran Dipaen 117.5

WBO mini-flyweight title bout
Wilfredo “Bimbito” Mendez 105
Masataka Taniguchi 105

It will take place at the Ota City General Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan. Ohashi Promotions will present the world title twinbill in association with Watanabe Promotions.

More photos

Thammanoon Niyomtrong (Knockout CP Freshmart) 104.9 vs. Robert Paradero 104.6
(WBA minimumweight title)

Venue: Temporary arena at Saphan Hin Park, Phuket, Thailand
Promoter: Petpiya Fight
TV: Tru4U (Thailand)

By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® caught up with undefeated, rising contender super lightweight Ruben “Ace” Torres (16-0, 13 KOs) out of Southern California as he goes to battle against the also undefeated Francisco, “La Roca” Armenta (12-0, 4 KOs) out of Mexico as the co-feature on Friday in Ontario, CA on the Thompson Boxing card. The card is headlined by Saul “The Beast” vs. Jose “Hollywood” Estrella.

Torres shared his experiences moving around a lot as a kid and having his first amateur fight at 9 years old, why Terence “Bud” Crawford is his favorite fighter and his thoughts on a potential Bud vs. Spence Jr. blockbuster in 2022. Torres talks about the recent fights of Teofimo, Tank and Haney plus his sparring experience with Regis Prograis as he hopes for a title shot in 2022 and much more in this exclusive interview.

Starting off the week, U.S. platforms are somehow missing the boat.

TUESDAY

P4P boxing superstar Naoya “Monster” Inoue defends his WBA and IBF bantamweight titles against Aran Dipaen in Tokyo, Japan. On the same card, WBO strawweight champion Wilfredo “Bimbito” Mendez defends against Masataka Taniguchi. So far, no U.S. TV, but hoping ESPN+ will pick this up.

The same day in Phuket, Thailand, WBA minimumweight champion Knockout CP Freshmart defends his belt against Robert Paradero. Again no U.S. carrier.

FRIDAY

World-rated super welterweights Israil Madrimov and Michel Soro collide in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. DAZN will stream the card.

WBC and IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev defends against Marcus Browne in a can’t miss fight taking place in Montreal. ESPN+ will stream the card.

SATURDAY

Heavyweights Joseph Parker and Derek Chisora clash in a rematch on DAZN from Manchester, England.

Later that day DAZN returns with a WBA light heavyweight eliminator between Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez and Yunieski Gonzalez from San Antonio, Texas.

Showtime has a $49.99 pay-per-view headlined by Jake Paul’s rematch against Tyron Woodley in Tampa, Florida. Women’s P4P best Amanda Serrano is also in action.

FOX returns with WBA super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr. against Alantez Fox from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Leading into the FOX telecast, FS1 will air undercard bouts topped by a clash between super lightweights Richardson Hitchins and Malik Hawkins.

Probellum presents their second boxing card on AXS from the UK with Lewis Ritson, Ricky Burns, and Thomas Patrick Ward seeing action in separate fights.

Also, former WBC champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has a fight scheduled in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico. That bout will likely pop up on a PPV stream somewhere.

Light heavyweight Robin Krasniqi is still protesting his split decision loss to Dominic Bösel in October, where Bösel claimed Krasniqi’s IBO belt. It has gotten nasty with allegations against former promoter SES Boxing and the German Boxing Commission.

Over the weekend, Krasniqi rounded up five active boxing judges to watch and unofficially score a replay of the fight. The evaluation of the judges was Timo Hoffmann 116-112, Tengis Sade 116-112, Sergej Kovalenko 115-114, Mathias Eichler 115-113, and Jens Kluge 115-113 all for Krasniqi

“I am very happy that this reassessment took place,” said Krasniqi. “Now it has been confirmed by official judges that I am the actual winner of this fight. I’m looking forward to the third fight, but of course I want to enter as world champion.”