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MTK Global has announced that the Golden Contract tournament will be broadcast by Sky Sports in association with Matchroom Boxing. No word if DAZN will pick up the tourney in the U.S. as they do other Matchroom shows. The tournament will feature eight fighters at featherweight, super lightweight and light heavyweight with each divisional winner earning a two-year, five-fight deal with six-figure purses for each fight guaranteed.

The format is similar to the current World Boxing Super Series with quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final. One new innovation is a bonus for knockouts. Continue reading “Golden Contract Tournament Update”

Hall of Famer Erik Morales, the new trainer to WBO junior middleweight champion Jaime Munguia, says you’ll see a difference when Munguia (33-0, 26 KOs) defends against Patrick Allotey (40-3, 30 KOs) on Saturday night at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. DAZN will stream live. Morales replaced Robert Alcazar in Munguia’s corner after Jaime’s last fight against Dennis Hogan, which was not considered a stellar performance.

“In Jaime Munguia’s last fight, he was criticized a lot,” said Morales. “He showed vulnerabilities in his defense. However, he has a lot of potential. He’s young, strong and can hit very hard. We haven’t changed much. Rather, we’ve strengthened his combinations and focused on his offense. We’ve made some minor changes in his defense, but it will nevertheless make a difference.” Continue reading “Munguia’s team impressed by improvement”

Lightweight contenders Devin Haney (22-0, 14 KOs) and Zaur Abdullaev (11-0, 7 KOs) have so far passed all the WBC’s medical requirements, exams and safety protocols in advance of their WBC interim lightweight title fight on Friday at the Hulu Theater/Madison Square Garden in New York City, with live broadcast on DAZN in the USA and Sky Sports in the UK.

As of the seven-day weigh-in, Haney was at 138 pounds and Abdullaev was at 138.2. They have to be down to 135 by Thursday’s weigh-in. Both have passed MRIs and no adverse findings have been reported from random drug testing.

Haney is a prohibitive 27:1 favorite.

Undefeated super lightweight prospect Kendo “Tremendo” Castaneda (16-0, 7 KOs) returns October 25 against Stan Martyniouk (20-2, 6 KOs) when he headlines on UFC Fight Pass inside the Grande Exposition Hall at Silver Legacy Casino at THE ROW in Reno, Nevada.  Castaneda is the reigning North American Boxing Association (NABA) champion.

Following Derek Chisora’s meltdown, super lightweights Regis Prograis (24-0, 20 KOs) and Josh Taylor (15-0, 13 KOs) had their press conference to kick off the World Boxing Super Series super lightweight final on October 26 at the O2 Arena in London.

Regis Prograis: “Everybody always says they are going to beat me. Everybody says it was going to be a 50/50 fight but I blow everyone up. He is taller than me, he is longer than me, but you can’t determine my heart on the tale of the tape. And you can’t determine my IQ, Not to be cocky, but I can’t see him beating me.”

Josh Taylor: “I think I am bigger than him, quicker than him, stronger than him, and I punch just as hard as him. If he walks onto a shot I can get him out of there or I can out-box him for the full 12 rounds. I am headlining the show down here, tapping into the British fans, so I can’t wait.”

At a press conference in London for Regis Prograis-Josh Taylor, heavyweight Derek Chisora demanded that his co-feature bout with Joseph Parker be made the main event. Then after an f-bomb filled tirade, he stormed out. WARNING STRONG LANGUAGE.

Derek Chisora: Either you give me the main event or pull me out of the f__king show. Who’s taking the main event? I’m going to go ballistic now. I want more money now. I’m not selling out the 02 for these guys to come and take my fans. No. If that’s the case, pull me out of it…f__king Muhammad Ali trophy, no one gives a f__k about it no more. Nobody gives a f__k about little guys no more…You’re just f__king me with no vaseline…nobody gives a f__k about the Ali trophy. The heavyweights are back now. When AJ knocked out Klitschko, he said ‘no more money to the small guys, the money’s going back to the heavyweights!'”

.@DerekWarChisora went OFF at the #PrograisTaylor press conference today when he found out he wasn't the Main Event 🤬

Watch the full clip 👇 pic.twitter.com/Vl36nxHsly

— DAZN USA (@DAZN_USA) September 9, 2019

Star Boxing has announced the featured fights for their September 20 card at The Paramount Theater in Huntington, New York. Bantamweight Junior “Bombita” Almonte (12-0, 9 KOs) will be defending his WBC FECARBOX title against Ernesto Garza III (10-3, 6 KOs). Headlining the “Rockin’ Fights” series card will be undefeated local super welterweight Tyrone “Pretty Boy” James (10-0, 7 KOs) in his first main event against Dennis “The Pawnee Express” Knifechief (12-10-1, 7 KOs).

Update: Golden Boy President Eric Gomez stated “Nothing done,” on social media. So we’ll see what ultimately unfolds.

Multi-division world champion Canelo Alvarez will reportedly challenge WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev on November 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. According to ESPN Deportes, the fight has been agreed upon, but is not yet signed. Canelo will be looking to win a world title in a fourth weight division.

Canelo-Kovalev had been on the table before Kovalev’s recent defense against Anthony Yarde and a step-aside offer had even been refused by Yarde. Kovalev knocked out Yarde in round eleven and stated afterward that he wanted Canelo next.

Early odds on the fight have Canelo as a 5:1 favorite. The bout would stream on DAZN.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

For three-division champ Jorge Linares, a Japan-based Venezuelan, Tokyo is his second home where he has a great many adherents and aficionados. Linares (46-5, 28 KOs), 137, came back to the Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, after twelve years and seven months, and defeated durable Filipino Al Toyogon (10-5-1, 8 KOs), 135.75, by a nearly shutout decision (99-90, 100-90, 100-89) over ten fast rounds on Saturday.

It was a nightmare for Jorge to have suffered a first-round shocker at the hand of Pablo Cesar Cano in the WBC 140-pound eliminator at the Madison Square Garden this January. His eight-month hiatus probably caused his ring rust, but he outpunched Toyogon though the Filipino refused to go down despite his absorption of Jorge’s solid combinations.

Linares, 34, replied in fluent Japanese in the ring, “I’d like to fight Lomachenko in a rematch.”

We wish to watch it again.

Photos

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Newly crowned Japanese welterweight ruler Yuki Nagano (17-2, 13 KOs), a hard-punching southpaw at 146.75, kept his national belt in his initial defense as he battered challenger Makoto Kawasaki (11-8-1, 2 KOs), 146.75, so lopsidedly that the referee called a halt to save the loser from further punishment at 2:41 of the second round in a scheduled ten on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan.

It was a main event after Jorge Linares was victorious in his comeback go in the semi-windup bout, but not a few spectators left the Korakuen Hall after watching Jorge’s victory without seeing Nagano fight. Having captured the belt by stopping defending titlist Ryota Yada in the champ’s home turf Osaka this April, Nagano engaged in his first defense and quickly swarmed over the game challenger with an unanswered attack with his repeated southpaw left hand shots. The ref Beney Martin declared a halt even without a knockdown then and there.

Photos

By Ricardo Ibarra
Photos by Mike Blair/Boxingprospects.net

Punctuating what had been an action-packed fight, undefeated Pacific Northwest prospect Cris Reyes (8-0, 7 KOs) scored a brutal tenth round knockout win over the previously unbeaten Manuel Monteiro (7-1, 7 KOs) on Saturday night at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington.

In the welterweight main event of Brian Halquist Productions’ 123rd installment of the ‘Battle at the Boat’ series, Reyes used a non-stop attack to out-work the game Monteiro over the course of the fight before finally dropping him twice and ending matters in the final round. Continue reading “Reyes knocks out Monteiro in ten”

By Bob Caico at ringside

The main event at the Hamilton Convention Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada displayed a boxing clinic performed by lightweight Bradley Wilcox in his hometown. His opponent, Domingo Vazquez (7-3, 2 KOs) who was a late substitute, was willing but unable to outbox the young Canadian in any of the eight scheduled rounds. Wilcox used his jab and ring savvy to frustrate his game opponent throughout the fight. Neither fighter sustained any serious damage as Wilcox (9-0, 4 KOs) kept his perfect record with a unanimous decision by scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73. Continue reading “Bradley Wilcox remains unbeaten”

In a super featherweight bout between popular fan favorites, three-time world title challenger Miguel ”Mickey” Roman (62-13, 47 KOs) scored a twelve unanimous decision over 39-year-old former world champion Tomas “Gusano” Rojas (51-18-1, 34 KOs) on Saturday night at the Gimnasio Municipal “Jose Neri Santos” in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. As always, the 33-year-old Roman was very aggressive and Rojas was happy to trade. It was close midway, but Roman won all the late rounds to pull away to a 117-112, 116-112, 117-111 victory. Roman successfully defended his WBC FECARBOX title.

In an IBF junior flyweight eliminator, Daniel “Cejitas” Valladares (21-1, 13 KOs) won by fourth round TKO over previously unbeaten Christian Araneta (17-1, 14 KOs) on Saturday night at the Jose Sulaiman Arena in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. In the latest installment of the Mexico vs. Philippines rivalry, Valladares battered Araneta in round four and Araneta didn’t come out for round five citing an injury to his right shoulder.

“I am very excited and happy,” said Vallardes. “We knew that this victory would be difficult, but not impossible. We gave a great fight to the people and now we go for the world title!”

Valladares is now the mandatory challenger for IBF 108lb champion Felix Alvarado.

Photos

By David Finger

It’s a story as old as the sport of boxing itself: the former heavyweight champion on the comeback trail. Far removed from the bright lights of Las Vegas he makes a pit stop in some smaller venue hoping to create enough of a buzz to position himself for one more shot at the title. And yet, it’s a story that has never before been told in New Mexico. Sure New Mexico once hosted a heavyweight title fight in 1912, and two future heavyweight champions fought early in their career in New Mexico. But never had a former heavyweight champ stopped off in New Mexico while on the comeback trial.

Until now.

On September 28th boxing history will be made as a former heavyweight champion will step into the ring in the State of New Mexico for the first time ever. Oliver “The Atomic Bull” McCall (59-14, 38 KOs) is slated to take on the durable journeyman Grover Young (13-27-3, 9 KOs) as he tries to position himself for one more run at the title, and he will do it in Hobbs at the Corral Arena. Continue reading “Ex-champ Oliver McCall fights in New Mexico Sept 28”

In a clash for the vacant IBF minimumweight title, Pedro Taduran (14-2, 11 KOs) scored a fourth round TKO over previously unbeaten Samuel Salva (17-1, 10 KOs) on Saturday night at Jurado Hall of the Philippine Marine Corp outside Manila, Philippines. Salva, who entered rated IBF #1, dropped IBF #3 Taduran in round one, but Taduran came back to punish Salva in rounds three and four. After round four, Salva was unable to continue and was taken from the ring on a stretcher.

This was the first world title bout between Filipino boxers on Philippine soil in 94 years.

Former three-division world champion Jorge Linares (46-5, 28 KOs) returned with a ten round unanimous decision over Al Toyogon (10-5-1, 6 KOs) in a super lightweight contest on Saturday night at the Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan. The 34-year-old Linares won by scores of 100-89, 100-90, 99-90, but he had to work for it.

Linares was coming off a shock first round KO loss to Pablo Cesar Cano back in January.

Daniel “Cejitas” Valladares 107.8 vs. Christian Araneta 107.8
(IBF junior flyweight eliminator)

Alan David Picaso 123.4 vs. Carlos Alberto Ocampo 123.4
Ángel E. Nápoles 136 vs. Hiram Rodríguez 135.5
Juan Alejo 115.7 vs. Irvin Ordaz 115.7
Juan Zúñiga 123 vs. Fidel Castro 122.5
Bryan González 109.5 vs. Arturo Infante 109.1
Antonio Olvera 121.6 vs. Alfonso Lumbreras 117.7

Venue: Arena José Sulaiman, Monterrey, NL, Mx
Promoter: Zanfer
TV: TV Azteca

Continue reading “Weights From Monterrey”

WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz and former champ Anthony Joshua were in London today wrapping up their three city international press tour to announce their December 7 rematch that will take place in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.

Anthony Joshua: ”Right now, in my opinion, Andy Ruiz is the best heavyweight out there…I will get the titles back and be respected as the top heavyweight in the division.”

Andy Ruiz Jr: “I know AJ wants to get these belts back. They’re MINE…I still have the hunger. I just got these belts, you think I wanna lose them right away?”

Undefeated lightweight contender Devin “The Dream” Haney (22-0, 14 KOs), has wrapped up training camp for his September 13 showdown with Zaur Abdullaev (11-0, 7 KOs) inside the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, live on DAZN. The bout was upgraded this week from a world title eliminator to a WBC interim world title fight.

“The WBC interim world championship means a lot to me,” said Haney. “Some people kept labeling me a prospect when I knew I was so much more. Being able to fight for an interim world title means everything. This not only makes me the WBC mandatory for Vasiliy Lomachenko, but I’m able to do interim title defenses until Loma is ready to fight. Continue reading “Haney: An interim world title means everything”

On Thursday, September 19, DAZN will stream a boxing card from Florence, Italy. In the main event, WBO Global welterweight champion “Spartan” Dario Morello (15-0, 2 KOs) will defend the belt for the first time against “Black Panther” Luther Clay (11-1, 5 KOs). The location is Tuscany Hall, a beautiful theater which can seat 1,200 spectators. Continue reading “Morello-Clay clash on DAZN Sept 19”

WBO junior featherweight champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete looked extra sharp an open press workout at the Zona Norte Gym in Tijuana. Returning to the ring less than a month after stopping Francisco de Vaca on August 17, Navarrete (28-1, 24 KOs) will face the Juan Miguel “Boss” Elorde (28-1, 15 KOs) on September 14th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He will wrap up his camp in Tijuana on Friday will move to Las Vegas with his team on Monday.

The champion is currently just two pounds over the weight limit, so he won’t need to work extra hours to burn excess calories, much less starve or dehydrate himself. Continue reading “Emanuel Navarrete sharp in press workout”

By Bob Caico

Undefeated lightweight Bradley “The Truth” Wilcox (8-0, 4KOs) of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada will try to keep his undefeated streak alive in his hometown as he is challenged by rugged Maximino Toala (15-7-1, 6 KOs) of Suchiapa, Mexico in the 10-round main event on Saturday at the Hamilton Convention Centre.

“Toala’s a tough guy. He battles hard from bell to bell and has shown he can upset the odds,” said Wilcox. “I’ll have to be the best version of myself Saturday night.” Continue reading “Wilcox risks unbeaten record Saturday”

By Ricardo Ibarra

A pair of heavy-handed, unbeaten upstarts will square off this Saturday at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington. In what has the potential to be an explosive encounter, fast rising local Cris Reyes (7-0, 6 KOs) will take on Las Vegas’ Manuel Monteiro (7-0, 7 KOs) in a scheduled ten rounder, capping off Brian Halquist Productions’ 123rd edition of the long-running ‘Battle at the Boat’ series. Continue reading “Unbeatens Reyes-Monteiro meet at the Boat”

Photos: Tom Hogan – Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions

In a WBA super bantamweight eliminator, #8 rated “Crazy A” Azat Hovhannisyan (18-3, 15 KOs) scored an impressive fourth round knockout over #14 Franklin Manzanilla (18-6, 17 KOs) on Thursday night at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles, California.

Entertaining bout as both fighters are bangers and recent world title challengers (both losing by decision to current WBC champion Rey Vargas). Hovhannisyan’s pressure was very intense and relentless the whole fight. Manzanilla finally sunk to the canvas for the count at 2:58.

“This was a very easy fight at first,” said Hovhannisyan afterward. “I could have made it a 12-round fight, and he would not have touched me. But wanted to make it a tough fight. I wanted to make it an exciting fight. I didn’t even feel his punches. If Rey Vargas doesn’t want a rematch and Danny Roman is injured, then I want Emmanuel Navarrete.” Continue reading “Hovhannisyan smashes Manzanilla in WBA eliminator”