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Unbeaten heavyweight Sonny Conto (8-0, 7 KOs) got a test for a couple of rounds, but he passed it with flying colors as he stopped Joel Caudle (8-6-2, 5 KOs) in round three of a scheduled six-round heavyweight bout in front of a capacity crowd at the inaugural fight card at Live Casino Hotel Philadelphia.

Caudle stood in and landed some flush shots. Conto gave as good as he received as he rocked Caudle several times over the first two rounds. In round three, Caudle continued to stand in and wanted to trade with the bigger Conto., but Conto landed a huge right hand that sent Caudle to the deck, which made the pro-Conto crowd erupt in adulation. Caudle got to his feet, but was wobbly, and referee Benjy Esteves stopped the fight at the end of round three. Five straight losses for Caudle. Continue reading “Conto halts Caudle, remains unbeaten”

By Brad Snyder-The Undercard

Carlos Llinas returns with Night of Knockouts 19 at the Soundboard located inside the Motor City Casino and Hotel this Friday night.

Ray Austin 290 vs. Ryder Booker 277
Garrett Ross 153.7 vs. Isiah Gathings Jr. 153.4
Jermarco Holloway 147 vs. Rodrigo Solis 151.2
Clayton Crosslan 144 vs. Munib Al Salmani 140
Trequan Shields 147 vs. Dwane Taylor 145
Antonio Hernandez 165 vs. Darryl Cunningham 166
Gabrielle Hayes 139 vs. Nicole Reinhart 135.9
Antonio Daniels Jr. 154 vs. Javonni Bennett 152

Tickets: Available at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the box office. 7:00pm is the first bell.

“No catchweight, I will KO Canelo” – Ilunga Makabu
“It’s a fifty/fifty challenge” – Canelo Alvarez

By Boxing Bob Newman

Consensus pound-for-pound king Saul “Canelo” Alvarez had been on the special invitees list for this year’s convention, but coming off his epic win to unify all four 168 lb belts less than two weeks ago, it looked as if Canelo would take a pass on coming, that is until today. The best fighter on the planet did indeed appear before the WBC board and remaining guests, to the delight of everyone on hand. He even came face-to-face with his apparent next foe – WBC cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu.

The two warriors were cordial toward each other with handshakes and an embrace – a far cry from the face-to-face with Caleb Plant, which erupted into a shoving, face-slapping melee.

Said a confident Makabu, “Canelo is the best boxer on the planet right now. So, I want to fight the best, and I accept, but there will be no catchweight for this fight. Canelo wants to prove to people that he can do better than others and I am quite prepared to let Canelo try for this dream, but I`ve got my also story to write down. Yes, this is boxing. I lost to Tony Bellew, but I came back. Now I`m telling you one hundred percent, I will knock out Canelo.” Continue reading “Canelo-Makabu face off as 59th WBC Convention ends”

The undercard for Saturday’s PPV clash between WBO welterweight world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford and two-time champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter had center stage on Thursday in Las Vegas.

The co-feature, a 12-round IBF middleweight world title eliminator, will see Brazilian 2012 Olympic silver medalist Esquiva “La Pantera” Falcao fight fellow unbeaten Patrice Volny. The PPV also includes a 10-round middleweight tilt between rising star Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly and former world champion Hassan N’Dam, and an eight-round lightweight duel between unbeaten prospect Raymond “Danger” Muratalla and Elias Araujo.

Before the PPV begins, ESPN2 and ESPN+ will feature former junior featherweight world champion Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe against two-time title challenger Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz, and an eight-round featherweight rematch between Adam Lopez and Adan Ochoa.

At Thursday’s undercard press conference, this is what the fighters had to say. Continue reading “Crawford-Porter undercard press conference”

Popular broadcaster Paulie Malignaggi will return to the airwaves on Saturday for the first time since being cancel-cultured from Showtime. Paulie will be commentating on the BOXXER’s Sky Sports telecast from SSE Arena in London.

“I’m delighted to be back!,” said The Magic Man. “It’s always a great experience to be able to work fights here in the UK, mingle with the fans, mingle with the press here. Just to be able to soak in the energy and the passion for boxing that is in the UK, it’s always an incredible experience. I always end up leaving here with a smile on my face and feeling energized.”

In the main event, cruiserweight Richard Riakporhe (12-0, 8 KOs) battles Olanrewaju Durodola (36-8, 33 KOs) for the WBC ‘silver’ title.

Triller has announced TrillerVerz IV set for Thursday, December 2 with a “Night of Heavyweights’ at The Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. The main event of the all-heavyweight telecast is a ten-round battle of undefeateds as Cassius ‘C.O.G.’ Chaney, (21-0, 14 KOs) goes against ‘Gentleman’ George Arias, (16-0, 7 KOs).

Co-featured is a scheduled ten-rounder between two more undefeated heavyweights as ‘Son of a Legend’ knockout artist Trey Lippe-Morrison, (18-0, 17 KOs) faces former NFL linebacker Mike Balogun, (17-0, 13 KOs).

In a WBC female heavyweight world title bout, Hannah ‘La Amazona Black’ Gabriels, (21-2-1, 12 KO’s) defends her title for first time against undefeated Danielle Perkins, (3-0, 1 KO) over ten rounds.

Featured in a scheduled ten-round heavyweight battle, Andrey Fedesov, (32-3, 26 KOs) faces Junior ‘Hurricane’ Wright, (18-3-1, 15 KOs).

Fighting in an eight-round heavyweight scrap, Jerry ‘Slugger’ Forrest, (26-4-1, 20 KOs) battles Joe ‘Louis’ Jones, (12-4, 9 KOs).

In a six-round heavyweight bout, Frederic ‘The French Revolution’ Julan, (12-0, 10 KOs) faces Denis ‘Drago’s Son’ Grachev, (20-15-1, 11 KOs).

The FITE.tv boxing telecast will be followed by a VERZUZ battle between music legends Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Three 6 Mafia in LA.

Photos: Emily Harney

Demetrius Andrade 160 vs. Jason Quigley 159.8
(WBO middleweight title)

Julio Cesar Martinez 111.4 vs. McWilliams Arroyo 111.6
(WBC flyweight title)

Murodjon Akhmadaliev 121.8 vs. Jose Velasquez 121.6
(WBA/IBF super bantamweight titles)

Kali Reis 138 vs. Jessica Camara 139
WBA female super lightweight title)

Demsey McKean 243 vs. Don Haynesworth 293.6
Nelson Perez 140 vs. Raymundo Rios 139.6
Thomas O’Toole 186.8 vs. Mark Malone 198.6
Khalil Coe 175.8 vs. Aaron Casper 174.8

Venue: SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
Promoter: Matchroom
TV: DAZN

More photos

Julio Cesar Martinez says he would love to fight IBF champion Sunny Edwards – but admits that tomorrow night’s WBC flyweight title defense against McWilliams Arroyo is his toughest fight yet as they clash at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, live worldwide on DAZN.

Martinez (18-1 14 KOs) puts his belt on the line for the fourth time in a hotly anticipated bout with Arroyo that’s been postponed twice. The Mexico vs. Puerto Rico battle could steal the show on a night with four world title fights, with interim champion Arroyo (21-4 16 KOs) bullish in his belief that he will rip the belt from ‘El Rey’. Continue reading “JC Martinez looking past Arroyo?”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Tim Tszyu: “I was surprised (Inoue’s durability) I kept hitting him with everything. He is a warrior – a Japanese warrior – respect to him. Being able to grind out twelve rounds with a durable opponent. If a fighter is in the top fifteen, of course, it’s going to be a challenge.

“There is no such thing as easy fights at this level. I felt like I won all the rounds in all honesty. I will have to watch the fight. I was in control the whole time and kept pressing forward. I didn’t take a step back. I felt like I needed to go twelve rounds. I have done ten rounders but I felt I needed to do twelve rounds to feel that distance. I did it with ease in all honesty. I was still fresh. Inoue was so durable. I kept hitting him and he didn’t go down. I heard him squealing. Usually, when they squeal they go on the floor. Continue reading “Tim Tszyu post-fight comments”

WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade has vowed to destroy Jason Quigley and make a big statement as he makes the fifth defense of his title on Friday night at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, live worldwide on DAZN.

“I’ve been training to be destructive,” said Andrade. “Someone is going to stop this fight. Put your house on it. Continue reading “Andrade says he’ll KO Quigley”

By Boxing Bob Newman

Even in a somewhat scaled back convention, the WBC gala awards banquet was quite the grand scale spectacle, what with some 500+ guests, a host of legendary champions in attendance such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Julio Cesar Chavez, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Erik Morales, Carlos Zarate and more.

Recognition was given out to several champs. Jackie Nava was presented with a trophy for her epic blood and guts win over Mariana “La Barbi” Juarez, by none other than Juarez herself! Other awards presented, included:

Working Horse Boxing Award: Jill Diamond
MVP: Oksana Semenishina
Lady of the Year: Joanna Aguilar
Boxing Couple of the Year: Daniel & Olena van de Wiele
Good Fellow Award: Bill Kaplan
Committee Member of the Year: Kevin Noone

The highlight of the evening was WBC president calling Floyd Mayweather, Jr. to the stage, surrounding him with roughly 20 other champions and presenting him with the original WBC green belt, which had been decommissioned by the time Floyd had begun winning WBC hardware. Continue reading “WBC 59th Convention Gala Awards Banquet”

The World Boxing Association (WBA) Championships Committee has ordered an elimination fight for the lightweight title between Michel “Zarza Ali” Rivera and Jorge Linares. The WBA sent the communication to both fighters’ teams, who were given a period of 30 days, ending on December 17, 2021. If both parties do not reach an agreement before the deadline, the WBA may order a purse bid,with a split of 50% for each boxer.

Sonny Conto 220.2 vs. Joel Caudle 257.1
Gerardo Martinez 138.7 vs. Christopher Burgos 138.9
Daiyann Butt 142.4 vs. Seifullah Wise 144.6
Maurice Burke 160.6 vs. Bilal Quintyne 158.8
Tunde Fatiregun 178 vs. Tariq Green 174.5
Jeremiah Kendrick 155.9 vs. Tyrone Lewis 157.4

Venue: Live Casino Hotel Philadelphia
Promoters: Joe Hand Promotions in association with BAM Boxing and Peltz Boxing
1st Bell: 7 PM ET

Welterweights Terence “Bud” Crawford and “Showtime” Shawn Porter kept it pretty low key at their final press conference Wednesday.

Terence Crawford: I’m just going to say that I do a lot of things better than Shawn. I’m going to show him come Saturday. Once we signed that contract, the switch was already flipped and I can’t wait to go out there Saturday to display my talent and look good doing it…until then, right now I’m just chilling, playing Call of Duty in the room by myself all day. I’ve been in the room all day isolating.”

Shawn Porter: “I don’t think there’s too much that I can say to Bud that’s going to change the way he thinks about himself and the outcome of this fight. He can’t look at me and say, ‘I’m going to beat your ass’ and I’m going to believe that, and he knows that, and he won’t dare to do it…I’m relaxing, I’m drinking water and just biding my time.”

By Boxing Bob Newman

Boxing Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard held a Q & A session with the attendees of the 59th WBC convention in Mexico City on Wednesday, November 17, 2021. Old foe Roberto “Manos de Piedra” Duran joined Ray on stage to the delight of the crowd. Finally, Both legends as well as all in the room paid homage to common foe, the late “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler.

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Watch today’s final press conference for the big PPV extravaganza featuring WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford against Shawn Porter.

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By Boxing Bob Newman

Day 2 of meetings at the 59th annual WBC convention in Mexico City got underway in the Castillo Room with a variety of reports.

Dr. Margaret Goodman, head of VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency) spoke on the ongoing work that the agency is doing. Dr. Goodman said there is a triple threat of HGH (Human Growth Hormone), Testosterone and Insulin which athletes are using in the latest scourge of PED. Several Asthma treatment are also being used for purposes other than treating the respiratory condition and unless the athlete has the diagnosis of Asthma or a similar respiratory ailment, they will be penalized. Dr. Goodman encouraged any and all athletes and their camps, especially the younger generation, to connect with the agency on their social media platforms, especially Twitter and Instagram. She also stressed to athletes never to take anything being offered by someone, when they haven’t done the research, either themselves or by contacting VADA. Continue reading “WBC 59th Annual Convention Day 2 Meetings”

The new year will kick off with a heavyweight bang, as five exciting heavyweight matchups take center stage on a $39.99 FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View on New Year’s Day live from Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

The main event will see top heavyweight Luis “King Kong” Ortiz (32-2, 27 KOs) take on former world champion Charles Martin (28-2-1, 25 KOs) in a 12-round IBF heavyweight title eliminator. In the co-main event, unbeaten rising heavyweight star Frank “The Cuban Flash” Sanchez (19-0, 13 KOs) will square off against Carlos Negron (25-3, 20 KOs) in a 10-round attraction.

The pay-per-view telecast heavyweight contenders Jonnie Rice (14-6-1, 10 KOs) and Michael Coffie (12-1, 9 KOs) in a 10-round rematch, former title challenger Gerald “El Gallo Negro” Washington (20-4-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round showdown against Turkish Olympian Ali Eren Demirezen (14-1, 11 KOs) and unbeaten Viktor Faust (8-0, 6 KOs) facing Iago Kiladze (27-5-1, 19 KOs) in a 10-round attraction to open the pay-per-view. Continue reading “Ortiz-Martin tops FOX heavyweight PPV on Jan 1”

WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade today addressed claims that his fights are boring:

“As long as Matchroom, DAZN, and everybody does their job to make sure that Demetrius Andrade’s being promoted and we’re doing what we need to do to promote, people are going to come out because they know I have the talent, skill, and I’m going to bring a fight if the other opponent is also going to bring a fight.

“We’re not in here to, you know, bore anybody. Boxing has nothing boring about it. It’s a strategic bout and everything we do is that way. So all I know is I’m 30-0, a 2000 Olympian and two-division world champion. How is that boring? Continue reading “Andrade: I’m going to make a statement”

All the fighters from Friday’s world title quadruple-header in Manchester, New Hampshire live on DAZN. Eddie Hearn hosts the final press conference for Demitrius Andrade vs. Jason Quigley, Murodjon Akhmadaliev vs. Jose Velasquez, Julio Cesar Martinez vs. McWilliams Arroyo, Kali Reis vs. Jessica Camara.

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Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions returns with its Hollywood Fight Nights series on Friday, December 10 at the Quiet Cannon located at the Montebello Country Club. The lineup includes undefeated junior lightweight Adrian ‘Bam Bam’ Corona (8-0, 2 KOs), cruiserweight Marco Deckmann (6-1, 5 KOs), junior lightweight Eric Mondragon, (4-0-1, 2 KOs), and lightweight Ruben ‘Gallito’ Islas, (2-0, 2 KOs) in separate bouts. Opponents are TBA.

With Canelo’s decision to fight his next fight at cruiserweight, #1 rated super David Benavidez has obtained approval to fight for the WBC interim super middleweight championship. David Lemieux is #2 in the rankings.

Light heavyweight Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (42-0, 28 KOs) has been matched against Yunieski “The Monster” Gonzalez (21-3, 17 KOs) on December 18 in San Antonio in the official WBA title eliminator. The winner will become mandatory challenger for WBA champion Dmitry Bivol.

“I was surprised when Bivol turned down the fight we offered because it was something I thought he wanted. I know he’s a tough warrior and aspires to be the best, which is why I was surprised. He publicly called me out and said that he was ‘ready.’ But unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case on his end. Again, in boxing, this seems like a common scenario where a fighter barks and barks, but he can’t back it up when it’s time to fight. With this fight (vs. Gonzalez) in place, Bivol has nowhere to run, and he will eventually have to face me.” Continue reading “Zurdo surprised Bivol turned down offer”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBO #1 light-middleweight Tim Tszyu (20-0,15 KOs) moved closer to a world title bout with a comprehensive twelve round decision victory over WBO #7 rated Takeshi Inoue (17-2-1, 10 KOs) on Wednesday night at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, NSW, Australia. Tszyu took charge from round one and stalked the powerfully built Japanese opponent throughout the contest connecting with left hand leads and right hands to the head followed by hooks to the body that had Inoue wincing. Inoue was down in round twelve and it was ruled a knockdown by referee Will Soulos. Scores at the conclusion were 120-107, 120-107, 119-108. Continue reading “Tszyu defeats Inoue, Castaño next?”

By Hesiquio Balderas

“We would like to face Golovkin for a third time to close that chapter. I think we can make it happen,” said Eddy Reynoso, trainer/manager of undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. “I would like for Golovkin to come to Mexico. We can make that fight happen in Guadalajara or Mexico City.

“We hope to make it happen. He hasn’t mentioned Canelo’s name, he has a fight in December against Murata in Japan. We’ll see what happens in that fight and perhaps we can make Canelo vs. GGG 3 happen.”