Fightnews.com

Sky Sports has outlined the next phase in its long and proud 30-year association with the sport of boxing, bringing two new partnerships that will deliver more boxing than before. Beginning on Saturday, Sky Sports will be the UK & Ireland home to Top Rank events from the United States. Sky Sports will also team up with BOXXER for UK events. Fans can look forward at least 18 Fight Nights a year, approaching 100 hours of boxing on Sky Sports. Top Rank steps into the void left by Matchroom, which moved all their shows to DAZN.

Lewis Ritson 139.8 vs. Jeremias Ponce 139.7
(IBF junior welterweight eliminator)

Thomas Patrick Ward 128.75 vs. Edy Valencia Mercado 126.8
Alen Babic 209 vs. Damiam Chambers 198.75
Cyrus Pattinson 151.3 vs. Yoncho Markov 152.7
Solomon Dacres 225 vs. Alvaro Terrero 215
April Hunter 152.25 vs. Klaudia Vigh 149.3

Venue: Vertu Arena, Newcastle, England
Promoter: Matchroom
TV: DAZN, SkySports

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten novice JBC#5 Masahiro Suzuki (6-0, 4 KOs), 140, scored a stunning upset as he captured the Japanese super-lightweight belt by a dramatic stoppage over defending champ Daishi Nagata (15-3-2, 6 KOs), 140, at 2:09 of the tenth and final round on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan.

Game and gallant Nagata failed to make his second defense since he dethroned Koki Inoue, Monster Naoya’s cousin, via seventh round halt last July. Continue reading “Suzuki upsets Nagata, wins Japanese 140lb belt”

Unbeaten WBA super lightweight champion Mario “El Azteca” Barrios shared updates on training camp and previewed his upcoming showdown against four-time world champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis before they square off in the Showtime PPV main event on June 26 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

The 26-year-old Barrios will be looking for a signature victory on June 26, and will bring a 5 ½ inch height advantage into the matchup against Davis. Since moving up to 140-pounds, Barrios is 9-0 with eight knockouts, and scored multiple knockdowns in the only fight that went the distance, his title-winning performance over Batyr Akhmedov. The San Antonio-native is buoyed by having renowned veteran trainer Virgil Hunter in his corner. Continue reading “Barrios: Tank bit off more than he can chew”

Michael “The Bounty” Hunter (19-1-1, 13 KOs) hits the mitts during a recent training session at the Delray Beach Boxing Club in Delray Beach, Florida as he is just 10 days away from his WBA eliminator against former amateur foe Mike “White Delight” Wilson (21-1, 10 KOs) on June 19th.

The bout which is also for the WBA Continental America’s heavyweight title, will be on the undercard of the Triller promoted main event featuring undefeated and unified world lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) making his first defense against mandatory challenger unbeaten George Kambosos Jr. (19-0, 10 KOs) at the LoanDepot Park, Miami, Florida.

Hunter defeated Wilson when they were amateurs and Wilson feels that there is unfinished business to be settled between the two.

“It’s going to be a tough fight but this is my coming out party! I see him being stopped. I don’t know what round but I feel like I am going to knock him out,” said Hunter.

The 10 round main welterweight event Thursday night in Argentina saw Leonardo Fabio Amitrano (17-5, 7 KOs) of Argentina stop countryman Elias Mauricio Haedo (11-2, 8 KOs) by TKO in round eight. Haedo touched the canvas in rounds three and eight where the referee put a halt to the action. Continue reading “Amitrano stops Haedo in 8”

The MMA debut of two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-division boxing world champion Claressa “GWOAT” Shields was a success Thursday at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City. After losing the first two rounds, Shields stopped Brittany Elkin in round three with a ground-and-pound attack.

Middleweight boxer “Cassius” Clay Collard won a three round split decision over Joilton Lutterbach in an MMA match. Scores were 29-28, 29-28 for Collard, 29-28 for Lutterbach.

Super middleweight Manuel Gallegos (18-1, 15 KOs) won a ten round unanimous decision over Kevin Newman (11-3-1, 6 KOs) on Thursday night at the Benito Juarez Auditorium in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico. Newman got points deducted in both round six and round eight. Scores were 96-94, 96-92, 97-91 for the local fighter. Roy Jones Jr. was working Newman’s corner. Continue reading “Gallegos defeats Newman”

By Ron Jackson

One of South Africa’s longest-serving ring officials Neville Hotz died of the Covid 19 virus yesterday. He was 69.

Neville who was born on 27 August 1951 operated a well-known panel beating business in the Johannesburg area for many years before he retired about ten years ago, and then had more time to follow his passion of boxing. Continue reading “Long service official Neville Hotz dies”

Shakur Stevenson doesn’t know much about Saturday’s opponent, Namibian puncher Jeremiah Nakathila, but don’t expect him to step off the gas. Stevenson (15-0, 8 KOs), a former WBO featherweight world champion, will battle Nakathila (21-1, 17 KOs) for the vacant WBO interim junior lightweight world title at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

This will be Stevenson’s third bout at 130 pounds, and a big step towards a potential showdown with WBO junior lightweight world champion Jamel Herring or WBC king Oscar Valdez. Nakathila has won 10 straight fights, all by knockout, since the lone loss of his career. Continue reading “Stevenson-Nakathila Final Press Conference”

Matchroom and DAZN have announced a series of fight nights live from Mexico in partnership with Canelo Alvarez and Canelo Promotions and Eddy Reynoso and Clase y Talento. The first event in the new four-part Mexico series will see Julio Cesar Martinez (17-1, 13 KOs) defend his WBC flyweight title against Joel Cordova (12-4-2, 3 KOs) at the Domo Alcade – Code Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico on June 26. This follows on from DAZN and Matchroom’s five-year global deal announced last week.

“This is a great chance for Mexican fighters to follow their dreams,” said Canelo. “Sometimes our champions have to travel internationally to defend their belts and land opportunities. We plan on providing those opportunities in Mexico and giving young fighters the chance to develop and change their lives.” Continue reading “Matchroom announces Mexico fight series”

Four-time world champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis held a media workout in Las Vegas Wednesday as he approaches his showdown against WBA super lightweight champion Mario “El Azteca” Barrios which headlines a Showtime PPV Saturday, June 26 from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

With a victory, Davis will hold world championships in three different divisions simultaneously, a feat only accomplished by a few fighters in history, including Henry Armstrong and Canelo Alvarez. Continue reading “Tank Davis: I’m bringing everything”

The World Boxing Council has created a special Freedom Belt to commemorate “Juneteenth.” It will be presented to the winner of the bout between WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo vs. Juan Macias Montiel on June 19th in Houston. The Juneteenth Freedom Belt is epitomized by the famous quote of journalist Jimmy Cannon about Joe Louis, which said: “Joe is a credit to his race…The Human Race!”

Undisputed 154lb women’s champion Claressa Shields’ makes her MMA debut tonight in Altantic City against 3-6 Brittney Elkin tonight in ESPN2/ESPN+.

Tomorrow night, P4P best woman boxer Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano will face pro-debuting Valentia Garcia in another MMA fight in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, on UFC Fight Pass.

Unbeaten WBC middleweight world champion Jermall Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs) and challenger Juan Macías Montiel (22-4-1, 22 KOs) previewed their upcoming showdown during a virtual press conference Wednesday. They collide on SHOWTIME June 19 from the Toyota Center in Houston.

“Montiel is going to see on June 19 that Jermall Charlo is for real,” – Charlo

“My record speaks for itself. I am all about the knockout and that’s what I’m coming for on June 19,” – Montiel

In case you don’t know, Montiel’s big claim to fame was his first round KO of James Kirkland last December. All 22 of his wins are by KO.

Full Quotes

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Australian heavyweight champion Justis Huni (4-0, 3 KOs) will be in action against Rugby League legend Paul Gallen (11-0-1, 6 KOs) on June 16 at the ICC Exhibition Centre, Sydney, New South Wales and according to Gallen’s own trainer Graham Shaw, his charge should not be in the ring with Huni.

“Let’s be honest, at 39, a former rugby league player has no business in a boxing ring with a 22-year-old they’re calling ‘the next big thing.’ He shouldn’t be in there.” Continue reading “Shaw: Gallen shouldn’t be in ring with Huni”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBA # 5 light heavyweight Faris Chevalier (12-1, 7 KOs) has targeted WBA 175 pound champion Jean Pascal (35-6-1, 20 KOs) and WBC#2 Badou Jack (24-3-3, 14 KOs). Chevalier told Fightnews.com® “I defeated Blake Caparello and now I am top rated #5 in the world, also IBF # 13 and WBO # 14. I will talk with my manager Peter Maniatis and my team. We offered a fight to Badou Jack, but we were ignored. He fought unranked Dervin Colina instead of me. Our team would take the fight in the future.” Continue reading “WBA#5 Chevalier targets Pascal and Jack”

Team Marones Boxing(TMB) Promotions gears up to bring the city of San Antonio a night of “Bad Intentions.”

The co-main event will be Alex “El Bazooka” Ramos (2-0) out of Laredo, Texas taking on Javier Fernandez Jr (5-0) of San Antonio, TX in a six rounder in the featherweight division.

The main event will pit Tyrell “Too Real” Herndon (14-3) of San Antonio, TX against Vaughn “Minister” Parham (5-1) of New York, NY in a six round heavyweight showdown. Continue reading “Boxing in San Antonio this Saturday”

Claressa Shields 154.8 vs. Brittney Elkin 155.2 (MMA)
Clay Collard 155.8 vs. Joilton Lutterbach 159.4 (MMA)

Venue: Ocean Casino Resort, Atlantic City, NJ
Promoter: Professional Fighters League
TV: ESPN2, ESPN+

WBC interim lightweight champion Ryan “Kingry” Garcia took a temporary rest in his career due to mental health problems that he has been dealing with.

Ryan, who is trained by Eddy Reynoso, confirmed that he is back in the gym hoping to return to the ring soon. Continue reading “Kingry returns to training”

By Ron Jackson

Anthony Macashelana Sithole one of the select few South African double champions passed away at his home in Rockville, Soweto on Saturday. He was 77.

Born in Soweto on 10 June 1943 he would have celebrated his 78th birthday on Thursday.

It has been reported that Hezekial “Ziggy” Mtshali who trained and managed him at one time said that earlier he had been admitted to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto and subsequently discharged, but his condition continued to deteriorate before he passed away. Continue reading “Former double South African champ dies at 77”

Manuel Gallegos 169 vs. Kevin Newman 168.7
Alan Solis 127 vs. Pablo Robles 127.2
Luis Torres 135.1 vs. Diego Eligio 134.9
Ricardo Bracamontes 131.2 vs. Nazario Castro 130.2

Venue: Benito Juarez Auditorium, Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
Promoter: RJJ Boxing
TV: UFC Fightpass