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Rising minimumweight prospect Melvin Jerusalem (17-2, 10 KOs) captured the OPBF minumumweight belt by dominating Toto Landero (11-6-2, 2 KOs) via unanimous decision over twelve rounds on Friday at the Tabunoc Sports Complex in Talisay City, Cebu, Philippines. Landero was tough and came in aggressive engaging Jerusalem in a rumble but Jerusalem was just to classy accurate. The fight went the full distance but showed Jerusalem the clear winner.

In the supporting bout, Dave Apolinario (15-0, 9 KOs) made a quick disposal of Charlie Malupangue (15-9-1, 8 KOs) by knocking him out in the third round earning him the WBA Asia super flyweight title. Continue reading “Jerusalem tops Landero for OPBF belt”

WBA featherweight champion Xu Can (18-2, 3 KOs) will defend his world title against Leigh Wood (24-2, 14 KOs) on the first week of Matchroom Fight Camp in Brentwood, Essex on Saturday July 31, live worldwide on DAZN.

Elsewhere on the card, unbeaten welterweight Conor Benn (18-0, 12 KOs) faces Adrian Grandos (21-8-3, 15 KOs) and former world title challenger Avni Yildrim (21-3, 12 KOs) aims to bounce back from his loss to Canelo Alvarez when he takes on ‘Little Lever’s Meat Cleaver’ Jack Cullen (19-2-1, 9 KOs),

Jermell Charlo 153 vs. Brian Castaño 153.25
(WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO super welterweight titles)
The camps getting into it at the weigh-in.

Rolando “Rolly” Romero 135 vs. Anthony Yigit 140.2
(WBA interim lightweight title)
Late sub Yigit 5.2 pounds heavy.

Amilcar Vidal 161.5 vs. Immanuwel Aleem 162

Venue: AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas
Promoter: TGB Boxing
TV: Showtime

Ryad Merhy 199.95 vs. Zhaoxin Zhang 199.95
(WBA Cruiserweight world title)
Antoine Vanackère 139.99 vs. Nazri Rahimov 139.55
Hovo Martirosyan 138.23 vs. Renald Garrido 137.57
Miko Khatchatryan 128.53 vs. TBA
Mohamed El Marcouchi 139.33 vs. TBA
Bruno Jacobs 177 vs. Dario Borosa 169
Dominik Harwankowski 128 vs. Giorgi Gachechiladze 129
Sohaib El Siati 146 vs. Ivan Njegac 144
Samuel Kadje 199 vs. Vukasin Obradovic 199
Youri ‘El Toro’ Kalenga 206 vs. Mikheil Khutsishvili 187
Kevin Lele Sadjo 165 vs. Javier Francisco Maciel 166
Steve Eloundou Ntere 182 vs. Zura Mekershvili 191
Femke Hermans 162 vs. Lili Jumali 163

Venue: Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels, Belgium
Promoter: Alain Vanackere (12 Rounds Promotions) Nicolas Vanackere/matchmaker

Tom Dzemski 174.6 vs. Michael Eifert 173.9
(IBF/WBC Youth light heavyweight titles)
Peter Kadiru 242.5 vs. Adnan Redzovic 250.2
Jurgen Uldedaj 200.0 vs. Dmytro Serguta 198
(WBC Youth cruiserweight title)
Adam Deines 177 vs. Bernard Donfack 173.3
Artur Henrik 168.4 vs. Matus Babiak 166.2
Julian Vogel 144.6 vs. Bazargur Jugder 147.7
Arijan Goricki 123.7 vs. Valerii Romanenia 123.9
Lara Ochmann 124.6 vs. Angela Cannizzaro 124.1

Venue: Seebühne im Elbauenpark, Magdeburg, Germany
Promoter: SES Boxing
TV: MDR (Germany)

The odds are changing a bit in the favor of WBC, WBA and IBF world champion Jermell Charlo ahead of his clash on Saturday with WBO world champion Brian Castaño for the undisputed 154-pound world title. Carlo opened at -275, immediately dropped to -225, leveled off at -250 for a while, then shot back to -275 at about 36 hours till fight time. Sometimes bettors like to look at the fighters on the scales before making their final decision, so there may be further fluctuations. The official weigh-in will take place at 2PM Central time and stream live via the Showtime Sports YouTube channel and the Showtime Boxing Facebook page.

Super welterweight Rodrigo Damian Coria (9-3, 2 KOs) upset previous unbeaten Jose Alberto Vargas (7-1, 2 KOs) by ten round unanimous decision on Thursday night at the Parana Futbol Club, San Pedro, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Vargas started out aggressively but Coria adjusted and begin to counter punch him regularly. There were several heated exchanges throughout the bout with Vargas landing with better precision. The Judges all scored the fight in favor of Coria. 99-91 and 97-73 twice. Coria won the vacant WBA super featherweight fedebol title. Continue reading “Coria upsets Vargas in Argentina”

WBC, WBA and IBF world champion Jermell Charlo and WBO world champion Brian Castaño met face-to-face on Thursday at the final press conference to preview their undisputed 154-pound world championship showdown taking place this Saturday, July 17 live on SHOWTIME from AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Jermell Charlo: “It’s dangerous for him to come forward and walk into shots. Most opponents that I’ve faced who’ve done that, I’ve put them out. We’ll see if he’s able to stand up to the power.”

Brian Castaño: “If Charlo wants to be more finesse, I can deal with that, and if he wants to brawl, then by all means I will welcome that as well.”

Full Quotes

Two-division world champion Guillermo Rigondeaux will face bantamweight world champion John Riel Casimero for his WBO belt on August 14 live on SHOWTIME
from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

“Although I’ve been out of the ring for well over a year, I’m still in great shape and have plans to ruin Casimero’s dreams,” stated Rigo, who currently holds the WBA regular bantamweight title. “I know he has a lot of power, but he’s fighting a man with excellent boxing skills and a high ring IQ. I’m going to box circles around Casimero and show him what ‘El Chacal’ is all about. My trainer Ronnie Shields, and I have been working on some new tricks, so don’t be surprised if I knock him out.” Continue reading “Rigo: I plan to ruin Casimero’s dreams”

Prior to Zurdo Ramirez’ fight versus Barrera, WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol posted the following on social media: “@zurdoramirez, I’ve never avoided a challenge. Good luck to you in the fight against Barrera and after that let’s make it happen.”

Zurdo now hopes Bivol lives up to his words.

“Bivol is definitely one of my main targets,” Ramirez said. “Both our teams have explored the fight and they know where to find me. After calling me out on the internet, I’ll be surprised if he retracts from his comments, but it’s boxing and you can never be too confident until contracts are signed. He called me out on social media and his side knows I’m available. If it doesn’t happen, I’m sure he would have a good reason why, but, at the end of the day, I’m 100-percent for this fight and his team is fully aware of it.”

We already knew YouTuber Jake “The Problem Child” Paul and former UFC champion Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley will meet at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Sunday, August 29, live on SHOWTIME PPV.

And we already knew women’s P4P best and current WBC/WBO featherweight champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano will defend against super bantamweight champion Yamileth Mercado in the co-feature.

Two additional fights were announced Thursday.

Undefeated junior welterweight Montana Love (15-0-1, 7 KOs) will appear against an opponent to be determined and top-10 ranked Charles Conwell (15-0, 11 KOs) will face Mark DeLuca (27-2, 15 KOs) in a junior middleweight fight.

A decorated amateur and competitor at the Rio Olympic Games, Conwell (15-0, 11 KOs) is currently ranked No. 7 by the IBF at 154 pounds, one of boxing’s deepest weight divisions. Conwell fought twice on ShoBox, including a ninth-round knockout of Wendy Toussaint in October 2020 and a unanimous decision over Roque Zapata three years prior.

A United States Marine who served in Afghanistan, the southpaw DeLuca (27-2, 15 KOs) turned pro in 2007 and won his first 21 fights. He suffered his first setback to Walter Wright in 2018, but avenged the loss in an immediate rematch. He was stopped by former world champion Kell Brook in enemy territory in February 2020, but has since rebounded with three consecutive wins.

The Sunday, August 29 event is presented by Most Valuable Promotions and SHOWTIME PPV. The pay-per-view telecast is produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV. Barstool Sportsbook is the official sports betting partner for the event and will contribute to a unique, fully integrated partnership.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten Japanese prodigy WBO#10, WBC#9, WBA#10, IBF#11 Ginjiro Shigeoka (6-0, 5 KOs), 105, greatly stunned the limited audience under the pandemic, when he impressively kept his WBO Asia Pacific minimumweight belt by polishing off previously unbeaten compatriot #3 Toshiki Kawamitsu (6-1, 3 KOs), 104.5, at 2:05 of the second session in a scheduled twelve rounder on Wednesday in Tokyo, Japan. Continue reading “Shigeoka demolishes Kawamitsu, keeps WBO AP 105lb belt”

The heavyweight trilogy showdown between WBC and lineal world champion Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury and former world champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder — scheduled for Saturday, July 24 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas – has been postponed due to Fury’s positive COVID-19 diagnosis.

The two will now meet Saturday, Oct. 9 at T-Mobile Arena, and live on ESPN+ PPV and FOX Sports PPV.

“I wanted nothing more than to smash the ‘Big Dosser’ on July 24, but I guess the beating will have to wait,” Fury said. “Make no mistake, I will be back and better than ever. We will fight Oct. 9, and I will knock him spark out!” Continue reading “New Fury-Wilder III date: October 9”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

A three-day lockdown in Melbourne because of a COVID-19 outbreak has postponed WBA cruiserweight title challenger Kane Watts’ (21-4, 13 KOs) ten round bout with Daniel Russell (7-2-2, 4 KOs) until July 24 at the Melbourne Pavillion, Flemington, Victoria, Australia.

Melvin Jerusalem 104.8 vs. Toto Landero 104.8
(OPBF minimumweight title)

Dave Apolinario 110.8 vs. Charlie Malupangue 111.8
(WBA Asia flyweight title)

KJ Cataraja 116 vs. Cris Alfante 113.8
Jeo Santisima 127.8 vs. Allan Alberca 125.6
Esneth Domingo 111.8 vs. Rolan Jau Biendima 112.8
Criztian Pitt Laurente 130.2 vs. Kim Lindog 130.2
Judy Flores 117.8 vs. Isagani Saludar 117.8
Alex Santisima 122.4 vs. Jay-An Arnates 123.4
Christian Araneta 109.8 vs. Richard Claveras 109.8

Venue: Behind closed doors in Talisay, Cebu, Philippines
Promoter: Sanman and ZIP Boxing Promotions
TV: ZIP and Sanman FB page

Heavyweight Joe Joyce (12-0, 11 KOs) visited Wembley Stadium, the scene of Sunday’s loss by England to Italy in the Euro Championships. “The Juggernaut” stated his intention to stop Carlos Takam at the adjacent SSE Arena on July 24. Joyce-Takam has the date all to themselves thanks to the postponement of Fury-Wilder III.

“I’ll be going for the knockout finish and that is what I am planning to do,” said Joyce. Continue reading “Joyce: I’ll be going for the knockout”

Boxing fans will need to be fully vaccinated to attend the August 3 TrillerVerz event in the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden and must provide proof upon entry of having received their final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine no later than 14 days before the event date. Exceptions will be made for children under the age of 16, who may provide proof of a negative antigen or PCR COVID-19 test, or full vaccination, and who may only attend with a fully vaccinated adult.

The event will pair professional boxing with a Verzuz rap battle between “Dipset” and “The Lox.”

Topping the boxing action is the previously announced ten-round WBA heavyweight eliminator between Michael ‘The Bounty’ Hunter II, (19-1-1, 3 KOs), and Michael ‘White Delight’ Wilson, (21-1, 10 KOs). Co-featured is former world champion Chris Algieri (24-3, 9 KOs) against Mikkel ‘Slikk Mikk’ LesPierre, (22-2-1, 10 KOs) in a scheduled ten-round welterweight clash. Continue reading “Fans must be vaxxed to attend MSG/Triller fights”

EstrellaTV’s monthly “Boxeo EstrellaTV” series returns July 30 with a Continental Américas WBA super lightweight title fight between Erick Leon (14-1, 13 KOs) and Juan Marces Rodriguez (10-3, 8 KOs) in a 10-rounder from Foro Viena in Mexico City. The undercard features undefeated super bantamweight Ernesto Salsedo (13-0, 10 KOs) against Alejandro Jair Gonzales (9-2, 6 KOs) for the Mexican domestic title.

The final press conference was held today in Brussels, Belgium, ahead of the WBA cruiserweight world title fight this Saturday between champion Ryad Merhy (29-1, 24 KOs) and challenger Zhaoxin Zhang (10-1-1) of China. The fighters didn’t have much to say, but here are some quotes from others involved in the various camps.

Alain Vanackère, Ryad Merhy’s manager: “Mr. Zhang comes from China. His promoter is one of the best in China. I had the opportunity to see him box in November 2019 at the WBA convention in Fuchu. I was very impressed by Zhang, he is very big and very strong. Continue reading “Merhy-Zhang Final Press Conference”

Two-time Venezuelan Olympian Gabriel Maestre (3-0, 3 KOs) will get a title shot in his fourth fight. Maestre, 34, will face Cody Crowley (19-0, 9 KOs) for the WBA interim welterweight title on an August 7 telecast from The Armory in Minneapolis. Maestre is rated WBA #4, while Crowley is rated WBA #12.

The card will also include WBA #1 welter Eimantas Stanionis (13-0, 9 KOs) in a non-tltle ten-rounder against former world champion Luis Collazo (39-8, 20 KOs) and former-two division world champion Devon Alexander “The Great” (27-6-1, 14 KOs) against Luke Santamaría (11-2-1, 7 KOs) in another welterweight ten-rounder.

Featherweights Mauricio Lara (22-2, 15 KOs) and Josh Warrington (30-1, 7 KOs) will rematch in an epic showdown at Emerald Headingley Stadium on September 4, live worldwide on DAZN. The co-main event will feature undisputed lightweight world champion Katie Taylor(18-0, 6 KOs), who puts all her belts on the line against IBF mandatory challenger Jennifer Han (18-3-1, 1 KO). Continue reading “Lara-Warrington rematch Sept 4”

IBF #14 light heavyweight Adam Deines (19-2-1, 10 KOs) returns Saturday at the Seebühne in Magdeburg, Germany, after his game effort against WBC/IBF world champion Artur Beterbiev in Moscow last March. Deines gave the fearsome Beterbiev a much tougher fight than people expected before being stopped late. The 30-year-old Deines will face 41-year-old journeyman Bernard Donfack (23-26-4, 11 KOs) in a six-rounder.

Dienes-Donfack notwithstanding, the theme for the card is “Youth Ahead” with a bevy of SES Boxing “1997ers” in the featured bouts.

In the main event, light heavyweight prospect Tom Dzemski (17-0, 10 KOs), son of trainer and former middleweight contender Dirk Dzemski has a rematch Michael Eifert (7-1, 2 KOs). Dzemski won a razor-thin majority decision over Eifert last August. Continue reading “Deines returns Saturday in Germany”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Former WBA cruiserweight challenger Kane Watts (21-4,13 KOs) will clash with Daniel Russell (7-2-2, 4 KOs) in a ten round bout on Saturday at the Melbourne Pavillion, Flemington, Victoria, Australia. Watts challenged WBA cruiserweight champion Arsen Goulamirian in 2019 unsuccessfully losing in four rounds. Former Australian cruiserweight champion Russell is coming off a stoppage loss to 2016 Olympian Jason Whateley in 2019. Promoter: Brian Amatruda

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. faced off at the kickoff press conference in Los Angeles Sunday for their August 21 PPV from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Spence looked quite a bit larger.

Manny Pacquiao: “I don’t think Errol needs advice from Floyd Mayweather. I believe that Errol is a better fighter than Mayweather. Errol can teach Floyd how to fight toe-to-toe…I won’t predict another first round knockdown like I had against Thurman. I’m focusing my mind, body and spirit on winning the fight. That’s the only goal.”

Errol Spence: “I have the ability to finish Pacquiao. For me though, I’m focused on winning the fight. If you rush and go for the knockout, you either look sloppy or something goes wrong. I have to fight my fight and at my pace. If the knockout comes, I’ll go for it.”

In the Charlo-Castaño co-main event, WBA interim lightweight champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero (13-0, 11 KOs) will now take on 135-pound contender Anthony Yigit (24-1-1, 8 KOs). Yigit replaces Austin Dulay, who was originally scheduled to face Romero, but was forced to withdraw due to injury.

The Showtime telecast opens with unbeaten middleweight Amilcar Vidal (12-0, 11 KOs) against Immanuwel Aleem (18-2-2, 11 KOs) in a ten-rounder. Continue reading “New opponent for Rolly Romero”