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Sad to report Jeff Wald, executive producer of the popular boxing reality television series The Contender, passed away last Friday in Los Angeles. He was 77. Wald’s death was first reported by Variety. In addition to The Contender, Wald was the manager of celebrities like Sylvester Stallone and many others. He also worked with George Foreman and Mike Tyson. The Contender ran for five seasons between 2005 and 2018 on four different networks.

Top Rank and Teiken Promotions, two of the world’s foremost boxing promotion companies, today announced a partnership with Amazon Prime Video Japan to livestream multiple events in 2021 and 2022. The world-class fight action — under the Prime Video Presents Live Boxing umbrella exclusively in Japan — debuts December 29 with the middleweight unification fight between Japan’s WBA super champion Ryōta Murata and Kazakhstan’s IBF world champion Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin. Murata vs. Golovkin will air live on DAZN in the U.S.  The deal is probably good news for U.S. -based boxing fans also, with potentially more early morning streams of big fights coming from Japan.

The big fights just keep on coming. This week we have the long-awaited clash between WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford and “Showtime” Shawn Porter at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. Crawford is currently about a 7:1 favorite. PPV price is $69.99 and you have to subscribe to ESPN+ to get it.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBO #7 light-middleweight Takeshi Inoue (17-1-1, 10 KOs) may be powerfully built, but WBO #1 light middleweight Tim Tszyu (19-0, 15 KOs) says he will be the stronger fighter on Wednesday when they will collide at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, NSW, Australia, televised on Foxtel Main Event pay-per-view.

“I couldn’t care less about my body,” Tszyu told the Sydney Morning Herald.” As long as I’m feeling fit and strong, that’s the main thing. It’s not a body-building contest – it’s a fight. I saw a few photos. I saw he was ripped. I’m quite happy for him that he’s got himself into real good shape and he’s confident. There’s no better feeling than facing a confident fighter and then take the soul out of them. Continue reading “Tszyu: I’m ten times stronger than Inoue”

Irish middleweight Jason Quigley arrives at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, for Friday’s fight title challenge against WBO world champion Demetrius Andrade on DAZN in Manchester, NH.

By Boxing Bob Newman

Attendees from around the globe descended on Mexico City today to attend the first live boxing convention in 2 years. The Intercontinental Presidente hotel in Mexico City’s trendy Polanco district is the host site for the WBC’s 59th annual convention.

In keeping with strict COVID protocols and safety precautions, the WBC implemented a screening process which included a rapid COVID test for all attendees before they could even register for the convention. Continue reading “WBC 59th Annual Convention Opening Cocktail mixer”

Jaime Munguia: “I didn’t think that Rosado would last that long in the ring. He was very resilient, but I think I showed in the ninth round and on that I was dominating the fight. I am happy we were able to take the victory today. Now, I want to go back to the gym, work on a few things and fight for a world title eliminator or a world championship at 160.”

Gabriel Rosado: “I think I did all I could to win, the scorecards are bullshit. I won the fight.”

Unbeaten WBC and WBO #1, WBA #4, IBF #9 middleweight Jaime Munguia (38-0, 30 KOs) won an exciting twelve round unanimous decision over WBA #4, WBC #9, WBO #11 rated super middleweight “King” Gabriel Rosado (26-13-1, 15 KOs) on Saturday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Rosado landed a lot of clean shots, but Munguia’s power combination punching and non-stop work rate won him most the rounds. Scores were 118-110, 119-109, 117-111.

Unbeaten WBC #1 super middleweight David Benavidez (25-0, 22 KOs), considered the main threat to undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez, scored a seventh round TKO over game late sub Kyrone Davis (16-3-1, 6 KOs) on Saturday night at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Two-time former WBC champion Benevidez stalked Davis the first three rounds. Davis then stood his ground in an exciting two-way round four. Davis continued to fight valiantly while taking a lot of punishment. The towel finally came in in round seven. Time was :48.

“Everybody wants to see me against Canelo, right? I don’t care what his assessment of my fight is but they keep putting these contenders in front of me. My last fight was a WBC title eliminator and that’s why I’m here holding my belts. They need to give me the opportunity. I’ll go through anybody. Whoever they want me to go through. If (Jermall) Charlo wants it, he can get it too. But he doesn’t want to get in the ring with me.” Continue reading “Benavidez stops Davis, Canelo next?”

IBF #13 welterweight Alexis “Lex” Rocha (18-1, 12 KOs) battered Jeovanis Barraza (22-2, 15 KOs) until the bout was halted by the referee in round nine. Time was :33. The bout was the co-feature of Munguia-Rosado on Saturday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Unbeaten middleweight D’Mitrius Ballard (21-0, 11 KOs) struggled with awkward journeyman Paul Valenzuela Jr (26-9, 17 KOs), but got the win by ten round unanimous decision. Scores were 98-92 3x.

Unbeaten WBA #11, WBO #12 lightweight William Zepeda (24-0, 22 KOs) punished John Moralde (24-5, 13 KOs) for four rounds and finally got a referee’s stoppage. Time was 1:59. Zepeda retained his WBA Continental America’s title.

In a women’s flyweight bout, Arely Mucino (30-3-2, 10 KOs) survived a ninth round knockdown to take an unpopular ten round split decision over Jacky Calvo (14-7-2, 1 KO). Scores were 96-93, 96-93 Mucino, 96-93 Calvo.

New England welterweight champion Mike “Bad Boy” Ohan, Jr. destroyed Israel “Filipino Tigre” Rojas in two rounds to headline Saturday night’s “Championship Road,” event presented by Granite Chin Promotions, at The RIM Sports Complex in Hampton, New Hampshire. Continue reading “Ohan stops Rojas in New Hampshire”

In a huge upset, 35-year-old former IBF 122lb beltholder Kiko Martinez (43-10-2, 30 KOs) brutally knocked out IBF featherweight champion and hometown favorite Kid Galahad (28-2, 17 KOs) in the sixth round on Saturday night at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England. Galahad won the first four rounds handily but got dropped by a big right hand at the end of round five. Martinez then laid him out with another crushing right hand 6 seconds into round six to end it. Galahad, a 7:1 betting favorite making his first defense, struggled to make the weight yesterday.

After the fight, Martinez said “this may be a surprise for everyone else, but not for me.”

Bingham Farms, Michigan’s Alycia Baumgardner (11-1, 7 KOs) ripped the WBC female super featherweight belt from the waist of previously unbeaten champion Terri Harper (11-1-1, 6 KOs) in the Galahad-Martinez co-feature on Saturday night at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, England. Baumgardner was in command all the way and got a referee’s stoppage after staggering Harper at :23 of round four. Harper was a 4:1 favorite. Promoter Eddie Hearn said there is a rematch clash, so expect to see these two again.

European cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith (14-1, 10 KOs) scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Dylan Bregeon (11-2-1, 3 KOs). Scores were 120-109, 119-109, 119-109.

Unbeaten super featherweight Donte Dixon (6-0, 3 KO) scored an eight round decision against Jordan McCorry (19-8-1, 4 KOs). Score was 77-73. In a nightmare round six for McCorry, he was dropped, then deducted a point for holding.

In a clash of unbeaten welterweights, Dom Hunt (8-0, 1 KO) outpointed James Flint (9-1-1, 2 KOs) over ten rounds for the British central area title. Score was 98-93.

In case you haven’t seen it, you can catch the replay of last weekend’s Canelo Álvarez vs. Caleb Plant PPV bout on tonight’s Showtime boxing telecast. On the same card, you can check out the boxer who most consider to be Canelo’s most dangerous threat in the super middleweight division, unbeaten two-time WBC champion David “El Bandera Roja” Benavídez (24-0, 24 KOs), who squares off against Kyrone Davis in the main event.

Raeese Aleem and his team informed the World Boxing Association (WBA) that he will step into the ring on November 27 to fight Eduardo Baez and will not fulfill his WBA-ordered eliminator fight against Azat Hovhannisyan. Therefore Hovhannisyan will be named mandatory challenger at super bantamweight in the next WBA rankings. Continue reading “Hovhannisyan named WBA super bantam mandatory”

By Joe Koizumi

Let’s get ready to rumble. WBA middleweight super champion Ryota Murata (16-2, 13 KOs), Japan, and IBF titleholder Gennady Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs), Kazakhstan, will collide for unification in Saitama, Japan, on December 29. It was announced on Friday by Teiken Promotions in a press conference with GGG’s Zoom appearance. Murata, Japan’s national hero and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, ambitiously said, “I wish to be victorious so that I will prove I’m the strongest in this division.” Golovkin said, “It’s my great pleasure to fight in Japan. I also have Asian blood. Murata is a good fighter with a strong heart. It’s great that a couple of champions square off to decide the best.” Continue reading “Murata, GGG to collide for 160lb unification”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Three-time world champion Jeff Fenech says WBO #1 light middleweight Tim Tszyu has the skills and work rate to defeat undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez if they clash in the future

“I heard Tim mention not that long ago, that Canelo was beatable,” Fenech told Fox Sports’ Ben Damon. “I wouldn’t put that past him. Canelo is big and strong and throws eight to ten punches a round. Tim throws fifty or sixty or maybe more. It’s a big difference. Continue reading “Fenech likes Tszyu-Canelo matchup”

By Joe Koizumi

Unbeaten ex-amateur champ Yudai Shigeoka (4-0, 2 KOs), 105, barely acquired the vacant WBO Asia Pacific 105-pound belt as he edged former OPBF titlist Tsukasa Koura (15-2, 10 KOs), 104.75, by a hairline majority decision (115-113 twice, 114-114) over twelve close rounds on Friday in Tokyo, Japan. With his twin brother Ginjiro Shigeoka’s relinquishment, WBO AP#3 Yudai was given an opportunity to dispute the belt with more experienced WBO AP#2 Koura. They too often mixed up to clinch each other and had it difficult to score until Yudai seemingly swept the last three rounds with countering southpaw lefts. Continue reading “Shigeoka edges Koura for vacant WBO AP 105lb belt”

Jeter Promotions has announced the signing of undefeated junior welterweight Tyrek Irby to a multi-fight promotional contract.

Irby, of Landover, Maryland, has a pro record of 9-0 with three knockouts.

“We are excited to add Tyrek to Jeter Promotions,” said promoter Tony Jeter. “He was a major amateur, and he has a ton of potential to go far in the sport. We will have him back in February, and that will be the start of a long partnership that will hopefully culminate in major fights in the future.” Continue reading “Jeter Promotions inks undefeated Tyrek Irby”

By David Finger

For local boxing fans in Hobbs, New Mexico, November 13th was supposed to be an opportunity to see popular undefeated junior middleweight prospect Mario Gonzalez (5-0, 4 KOs) as he took on journeyman Michael Sanchez (2-8, 2 KOs) of Midland, Texas. It wasn’t expected to be a major test for Gonzalez, Sanchez was coming into the fight on the heels of a seven fight losing streak while Gonzalez was showing signs of being a legitimate world class prospect. But after Covid nearly scored a knockout over boxing in New Mexico, most local fans were just excited at the opportunity to come out and support their local prospect on his way towards a potential world ranking.

Unfortunately an injury in training derailed Gonzalez’s homecoming and the much anticipated main event was forced to be scrapped at the last minute. Continue reading “Rezzaq, Perez headline in Hobbs, NM Saturday”

Unbeaten heavyweight David Adeleye (8-0, 7 KOs) took apart Dominik Musil (6-4, 5 KOs) over four rounds on Friday night in the main event at York Hall in London. In his first eight-rounder, Adeleye started slow in round one. He upped the pressure in round two landing some big shots in round two. The pace then slowed until Adeleye drove Musil reeling into the ropes with a right hand for a knockdown with moments left in round four. Musil looked done and didn’t come out for the next round.

David Benavidez 169 vs. Kyrone Davis 167.75
Jose Benavidez Jr 158.75 vs. Emanuel Torres 157.5

Micky Scala 153.2 vs. Martez Jackson 153.8
Jesus Ibarra 126.9 vs. Hector Suarez 130
Farid Ngoga 152.6 vs. Isaac Freeman 152
Jonathan Fierro 130 vs. Victor Ruiz 121.8
Keenan Carbajal 126.6 vs. Josean Figueroa-Bonilla 125.8
Elijah Garcia 161 vs. Todd Manuel 160

Venue: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Promoter: TGB Promotions
TV: Showtime

Jaime Munguia 160 vs. Gabriel Rosado 159.4

Alexis Rocha 146.2 vs. Jeovanis Barraza 146.4
D’Mitrius Ballard 159.8 vs. Paul Valenzuela Jr
William Zepeda 134.4 vs. John Vincent Moralde
Arely Mucino 111.8 vs. Jacky Calvo 112
William Zepeda vs. John Vincent Moralde
Alejandro Reyes 139.8 vs. Osmel Mayorga 144.2
Jorge Chavez 130 vs. Gilberto Aguilar 130
Asa Stevens 121.6 vs. Felix Vasquez 121.2

Venue: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Promoter: Golden Boy
TV: DAZN

Murodjon Akhmadaliev (9-0, 7 KOs) will now defend his WBA and IBF world super-bantamweight titles against José Velásquez (29-6-2 19 KOs) at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire on Friday November 19, live worldwide on DAZN, after mandatory challenger Ronny Rios was forced to withdraw with COVID. Continue reading “New opponent for Akhmadaliev”

Update: As expected, Kid Galahad came back later and made weight.

IBF featherweight champion Kid Galahad weighed in at 126.1 despite stripping naked. He has two hours to drop 1/16 of a pound. Kiko Martinez weighed 125.4. Galahad has two hours to lose the weight, which should be a formality. They clash Saturday night in Sheffield, England.