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The World Boxing Association (WBA) declared heavyweight Mahmoud Charr as champion in recess after 38 months without defending the world title.

Interim champion Trevor Bryan and challenger Bermain Stiverne will fight for the championship tonight in Florida, and the winner will have to fight Charr in a period not exceeding 120 days, according to a resolution issued by the Championships Committee of the pioneer organization.

The decision was made strictly based on WBA regulations. As Rule C.14 dictates, all boxers, promoters and representatives are obliged to know and familiarize themselves with the WBA regulations. On the other hand, Rule C.22-24 states that when a champion is unable to defend the title belt at the time specified, whether for medical, legal or any other reason beyond his control, the Committee may appoint him as champion in recess and call the official contenders to fight. Continue reading “WBA sanctions Bryan vs. Stiverne”

Ring City USA, the new sports media startup that debuted its Thursday night boxing series in November 2020 on NBC Sports Network, announced today the first two events of 2021 will be held on Thursday, March 4 and Thursday, March 18, live from Puerto Rico. Both events will be televised in the United States on NBC Sports Network with undercard action streaming live on Twitch.

On March 4, undefeated Serhii Bohachuk (18-0, 18 KOs) meets former middleweight title challenger Brandon Adams (22-3, 13 KOs) in a 10-round super welterweight main event.

Two weeks later on March 18, former super featherweight world titlist Alberto Machado (22-2, 18 KOs) faces undefeated rising prospect Hector Tanajara (19-0, 5 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight main event. Continue reading “Ring City USA invades Puerto Rico”

By Robert Coster

Shuan Boxing Promotion ( Dominican Republic) has announced a 10 bout boxing card for March 12th in Santo Domingo. Former WBA interim light heavyweight champion Felix Valera (18-3, 15 KOs) will face countryman Bryan Perez (13-1, 9 KOs) for the WBC Latin title held by Valera. This fight is a rematch as Valera won a close decision in 2018 over Perez.

The co-main event will feature 20-year-old Dominican minimumweight phenom Erick Rosa (2-0), rated WBA #9 and WBC #10, defending his WBA Fedelatin and WBC Latin belts against the much more experienced WBA #13, WBO #15 Alexis Diaz (25-2, 17 KOs) of Colombia. Rosa made history by winning his two regional belts in his very first pro bout last year. The winner of this intriguing matchup will fight for the WBA world title in September.

Tonight you can get a double dose of PPV action. In addition to Don King’s PPV stream, you can also catch Amado ‘El Malvado’ Fernando Vargas, son of the legendary three-time junior middleweight world champion Fernando Vargas Sr., make his professional debut against Hector Montijo of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico at the Jardines del Decanso Room in Hermosillo, Mexico. The four-round featherweight bout will be available on pay-per-view through VIVE-TV at a cost of $9.99. Continue reading “Vargas son set for pro debut on PPV”

Matchroom Boxing will return to The SSE Arena, Wembley for Josh Warrington vs. Mauricio Lara on Saturday February 13 and David Avanesyan vs. Josh Kelly on Saturday February 20, with both events shown live on Sky Sports in the UK and on DAZN in the U.S. and more than 200 countries and territories.

Matchroom’s first two events of 2021 kick off a schedule that also features the highly anticipated heavyweight rematch between Alexander Povetkin and Dillian Whyte on Saturday March 6, Lawrence Okolie’s shot at the WBO cruiserweight crown against Krzysztof Glowacki on Saturday March 20 and rising welterweight Conor Benn vs. Samuel Vargas on Saturday April 10.

Bermane Stiverne 267.4 vs. Trevor Bryan 267.6
(WBA heavyweight title)

DeShon Webster 198.2 vs. Johnnie Langston 199.4
Joahnys Argilagos 117 vs. Ernie Marquez 112.8

Venue: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida
Promoter: Don King Productions
TV: Live on PPV (www.dkpboxing.com)

Yes there will be a Don King Promotions pay-per-view stream tonight featuring unbeaten WBA interim heavyweight champion Trevor Bryan (20-0, 14 KOs) against late sub Bermain Stiverne (25-4-1, 21 KOs). There was a weigh-in yesterday at a different hotel, with the fight scheduled to take place at the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, Florida. Hall of Fame promoter Don King has applied to the WBA for a special permit to sanction the bout. The WBA Board is voting on the special permit request.
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Meanwhile, on January 15 attorneys for Fres Oquendo filed a new complaint in Illinois for injunctive relief to stop tonight’s WBA heavyweight title fight. In 2014, Oquendo received a court order for a rematch against Ruslan Chagaev, who later retired. Several subsequent attempts were made to give Oquendo his title fight, but each time the fight fell through. Now 47, “Fast Fres” is still pushing for his court-ordered title shot.
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Oleksandr Usyk vs. Joe Joyce is in the works for the WBO interim heavyweight title. This move allows Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua to proceed this summer.
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WBC interim champion Alexander Povetkin is currently training for his March 6 rematch with Dillian Whyte in Gelendzhik, a Russian resort town on the Black Sea.

Current WBA gold super lightweight champion and former WBA interim lightweight champion Ismael Barroso (23-3-2, 20 KOs) of Venezuela (now based in Miami) will take on veteran Nestor Hugo Paniagua (26-10-2, 17 KOs) in a 10 round main event. The card will take place at the Four Ambassadors Hotel in Miami, Florida. Barroso is coming off of an upset of Yves Ulysse then (18-1) in his last bout December 2019. Continue reading “Barroso headlines in Miami Saturday”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBO #2, IBF #3 light middleweight Tim Tszyu (17-0, 13 KOs) is confident he will defeat WBC #8 middleweight Dennis Hogan (28-3-1, 7 KOs) on March 31 at a venue to be announced.

”I don’t see it like others do,” Tszyu told The Daily Telegraph. “For me, this is not a big gamble. When I go to fight for that world title, I’m going there to win it, not to be a participant and just compete. So this fight against Dennis Hogan is the perfect preparation. Continue reading “Tszyu: Hogan is perfect preparation – March 31”

By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® interview with WBO super welterweight champ Patrick Teixeira and his trainer Roger Romo.

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Featherweight action star Adam “BluNose” Lopez and Jason “El Alacrancito” Sanchez are ready for a phone booth battle. Lopez will defend his NABF belt in a 10-rounder against Sanchez Saturday, Feb. 13, on the undercard of the vacant WBO light heavyweight world title bout between Joe Smith Jr. and Maxim Vlasov at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

In a six-round heavyweight special attraction, 21-year-old knockout artist Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson will take on Kingsley Ibeh, who went 2-0-1 last year inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble. Continue reading “Smith-Vlasov undercard announced”

Boxeo Telemundo kicks off on March 5th live with audience from Osceola Heritage Park events center in Kissimmee, FL. Headlining the bill is undefeated WBO/NABO Jr Welterweight champion Yomar “The Magic” Alamo (18-0-1 12 KO’s) of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico who faces Mexican challenger Jesus “Barreterito Beltran (17-3-2 10 KO’s) of Los Mochis, Sinaloa in a 10 round main event attraction.

After 8 studio setting shows at the same venue to close out 2020, Promoter Felix “Tutico” Zabala has announced they will now open their doors to a 50% capacity with all safety measurements in place including temperature check, social distancing and required mask at all times. Continue reading “Boxeo Telemundo returns March 5”

Entry was imminent. All formalities were settled. Only a valid P1 visa stood in the way of the planned fight between Mahmoud Charr and Trevor Bryan in the USA. This was also already organized and could easily have been issued, but since Don King Productions still refuses to sign a valid fight contract and cannot provide any confirmation for the venue, the US consulate in Frankfurt am Main, to the chagrin of everyone, could not hand over the visa, as the consulate announced in writing. Continue reading “Team Charr Statement”

By Joe Koizumi

“The Monster” Naoya Inoue, WBA and IBF bantamweight champion, was named Japan’s Boxer of the Year today by the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) and our Sports Writers Association in Tokyo, Japan. Naoya was rendered the award in three consecutive years–for the fourth time. He also received the Knockout Award thanks to his impressive stoppage of Jason Moloney in Las Vegas, which was also named Fight of the Year.

Kazuto Ioka, WBA junior bantam titlist, was given Technique Award due to his greatly evaluated triumph over previously unbeaten Kosei Tanaka on New Year’s Eve.

The Valuable Victory award went to the newly crowned WBO flyweight ruler Junto Nakatani. Continue reading ““Monster” Inoue named Japan’s Boxer of the Year”

Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Dr. Anup Patel, Tina Pike, Tobias Roche and Jeremy Wehby to the Florida State Boxing Commission. The Florida State Boxing Commission licenses and regulates all professional boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts in Florida and has exclusive jurisdiction over every boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts match held within the state which involves a professional.

Many oddsmakers have IBF super middleweight champ Caleb Plant listed as a 50:1 favorite against challenger Caleb Truax. Truax backers can get as much as +2750. The bout airs Saturday on FOX.

“I’ve always been the underdog and I embrace that role,” stated Truax. “I fight my best when I’m in that spot and I look forward to proving all the naysayers wrong again.”