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By Joe Koizumi
Photo: Naoki Fukuda

Japan seems to be a hub port of smaller class super fights. WBA super flyweight champion Kazuto Ioka (31-2-1, 16 KOs) has decided to fight IBF counterpart Fernando Martinez (16-0, 9 KOs) in Tokyo on July 7. It was publicly announced with the Argentinian in attendance. The unification bout will take place at Ryogoku Sumo Arena, where many aficionados will be expected to watch this showdown of the champions. Martinez said, “I like Ioka’s style as the opponent. I’ll defeat him and bring back both belts to Argentina.” Ioka said, “I have to cope with Martinez’s style and exchange punches with him to finally score a knockout victory.” It will be a very competitive fight without doubt.

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By Joe Koizumi

Former WBC bantamweight champ Luis Nery (35-1, 27 KOs), the Mexican southpaw challenger to “Monster” Naoya Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) on this coming May 6, arrived on Sunday in Tokyo, Japan. Accompanying his wife and three daughters, Nery said, “I’m fully aware that Inoue is an excellent boxer, but I’m not scared of fighting him. I don’t believe Naoya, in the pound-for-pound ratings, is superior to Terrence Crawford or Gervonta Davis. I’ll knock him out and win the world belts from him.” Reportedly he is already at 127, just five pounds over the super bantam class limit. He has a couple of weeks prior to the highly anticipated super fight at Tokyo Dome.

Former two-time amateur world champion and WBA #15 ranked middleweight Yoenlis Hernandez (3-0, 3 KOs) of Cuba is currently training with undisputed super middleweight world champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. Both are currently preparing for upcoming fights. Hernandez will fight June 7th against TBA in a 10 round bout at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Promoter Kris Lawrence believes Hernandez’ takeover of the middleweight division will happen more sooner than later. “If given the opportunity I know he could beat anyone at 160 right now,” said Lawrence. “Hopefully before the end of the year he could fight for a world title. He is ready to fight any of the beltholders right now.” Continue reading “Interview: Yoenlis Hernandez”

By Joe Koizumi
Photo by Boxing Beat Magazine

WBO Asia Pacific junior flyweight champ Jayson Vayson (12-1-1-1NC, 5 KOs) 107.75, retained his regional belt as he outscored Japanese challenger Takeru Inoue (4-1, 2 KOs), 108, by a unanimous decision (96-94 twice, 97-94) over ten hard-fought rounds on Sunday in Osaka, Japan. Filipino Vayson upset ex-world champ Ryuya Yamanaka via stunning second round stoppage to wrest the WBO AP belt last December, and it was his initial defense. Inoue, formerly a policeman after graduating from Kinki university though he retired to enter the paid ranks, fought well, but Vayson showed his superior ring experience, and compiled points steadily. It is said that Vayson, in his second defense, will engage in a rematch with ex-champ Yamanaka.

Promoter: Muto Promotions.

By Joe Koizumi
Photo by Boxing Beat Magazine

Hard-punching perennial contender Tsubasa Narai (13-2, 10 KOs), 129.5, very impressively wrested the Japanese super feather belt when he dropped defending champ Yuna Hara (14-3-1, 8 KOs), 129.75, three times and scored a fine TKO victory at 2:10 of the fifth round in a scheduled ten on Saturday in Osaka, Japan. Like a triangle, Narai previously put on a give-and-take performance with JBC 130-pound champ Kosuke Saka only to lose on a come-from-behind TKO defeat last September, and it was Hara that dethroned Saka via upset stoppage in April last year. Narai looked so sharp and powerful this night that he decked the champ with a vicious left hook in round four and twice more in the fatal fifth. Despite a five-inch height disadvantage Narai swarmed over the taller titlist and exploded touted strong shots to dispatch the prefight favorite.

Promoter: Shinsei Promotions.

After months of enduring ridicule and scorn from so-called experts who gave who him no shot at victory, Ryan “Kingry” Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) shocked the world Saturday night in Brooklyn, flooring Devin “The Dream” Haney (31-1, 15 KOs) three times en route to a majority decision victory.

Ryan Garcia: “I shouldn’t have put too much pressure on myself to stop him, because every time I hurt him, I went crazy and I couldn’t stop him. I think the ref should’ve stopped the fight. He was really hurt. I felt bad, I even looked at Bill to stop the fight.”

[Regarding the point being deducted in seventh round] “The guy was holding me for dear life, and I felt the opportunity to keep swinging while my hands were free. I should’ve knocked him out that seventh round. They stole that from me. I’m surprised he has so much heart and recovery. He got wobbled bad in the first round. I thought it was over. He even hurt me with a hook. At the end of the day, I’m going to fight him, win or lose.”

Photos: Emily Harney

“KingRy” Ryan Garcia (26-1, 20 KOs) scored a twelve round majority decision over previously unbeaten WBC super lightweight champion Devin “The Dream” Haney (31-1, 15 KOs) on Saturday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. With Garcia’s erratic behavior before the fight and failure to make weight by 3.2 pounds, on one knew what to expect. Garcia rocked Haney with a left hook in round one. Haney outboxed Garcia from round two to six. Garcia dropped Haney with a left hook in round seven, but Garcia was also deducted a point for hitting on the break. Garcia dropped Haney a second time in round ten. Garcia dropped Haney again in round eleven. Scores were 112-112, 114-110, 115-109. Since Garcia didn’t make weight, Haney remains champion.

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Unbeaten WBO #1, WBC #6, IBF #7 super lightweight Arnold Barboza Jr. (30-0, 11 KOs) scored a controversial ten round split decision over WBO #8 Sean “The Public Nuisance” McComb (18-2, 5 KOs). The lanky and awkward McComb controlled the action and never let Barbosa into the fight. Scores were 98-92 McComb, 96-94, 97-93 for Barbosa. The fans booed the decision.

WBA #5, WBO #10, WBC #14 super middleweight Bektemir “The Bully” Melikuziev (14-1, 10 KOs) took an eight round technical decision over previously unbeaten Pierre Dibombe (22-1-1, 12 KOs). Dibombe was cut over the right eye from a headbutt early on. Melikuziev later suffered a deep cut over the left eye. Melikuziev dropped Dibombe in round five. The bout was stopped at the beginning of round eight and went to the scorecards with Melikuziev winning 79-73, 79-73, 78-74.

In a fight for the WBA interim super flyweight title, WBA #5 David “Medallita” Jimenez (16-1, 11 KOs) outworked previously unbeaten WBA #1 John “Scrappy” Ramirez (13-1, 9 KOs) over twelve rounds. Scores were 117-111, 117-111, 116-112.

WBC #3 super welterweight Charles “Bad News” Conwell (19-0, 14 KOs) won his Golden Boy debut by sixth round TKO against Nathaniel Gallimore (22-8-1, 17 KOs). Conwell battered Gallimore until a referee’s stoppage at :52 of the sixth.

WBC #7 super middleweight Sergiy Derevyanchenko (15-5, 10 KOs) shut out Vaughn Alexander (18-11-1, 11 KOs) over ten rounds. Derevyanchenko dropped Vaughn with a body shot in round eight en route to a 100-89 3x decision.

Unbeaten super middleweight Darius Fulghum (11-0, 10 KOs) stopped Cristian Olivas (22-11, 19 KOs) in round four.

Unbeaten super middleweight Amari Jones (12-0, 11 KOs) halted Armel Mbumba-Yassa (10-2, 7 KOs) in round six.

By Miguel Maravilla at ringside

Undefeated super lightweight Cain Sandoval, (13-0, 11 KOs), of Sacramento, CA and Angel ‘Sharky’ Rebollar, (8-4, 3 KOs) of South Gate, California went the distance Saturday night at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, California in headlining Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions Hollywood Fight Nights series. The fight saw Sandoval earn a hard fought decision against a very tough elusive Rebollar. Continue reading “Cain Sandoval remains unbeaten”

Unbeaten WBO #10, WBC #15 lightweight KO artist Sam Noakes (14-0, 13 KOs) dominated 38-year-old veteran Yvan Mendy (48-7-1, 22 KOs) over twelve rounds to claim the vacant EBU European title on Saturday night at York Hall in London. Noakes went the distance for the first time, winning 120-108 3x.

More than three years since his last ring appearance, former super welterweight world title challenger Brandon “The Cannon” Adams (24-3, 16 KOs) scored a third round KO against Ismael “Maelo” Villarreal (13-3, 9 KOs) on Friday night at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Adams, last seen stopping current WBC interim 154lb world champion Serhii Bohachuk in eight rounds back in March 2021, took out Villarreal with a brutal left hook to the liver. Time was 2:59.

Adams-Villarreal was a first round match in an 8-man OTX 154lb tournament. In another first round affair, unbeaten Olympian Francisco “Bebu” Veron 14-0-1, 10 KOs) outworked Angel “Relampago” Ruiz (18-3-1, 13 KOs) over ten rounds. Scores were 99-91, 100-90, 96-94.

In the main event, super lightweight gatekeeper Dakota “Lone Wolf” Linger (14-6-3, 10 KOs) upset previously unbeaten Kurt “Scooby” Scoby (13-1, 11 KOs). Linger pressed the action and turned the fight into a brawl. The bout was stopped with Linger punishing Scoby at 2:21 of round six. Scoby was a 50:1 betting favorite.

With several injuries forcing cancellations of several of the title fights planned for Don King’s “Quest for the Best” fight card slated for next Saturday, April 27th at Casino Miami Jai-Alai, the fight card has been postponed to a future date.

“Injuries are part of this game,” said King. “It’s unfortunate, but we’ll aim to get these championship fights together again to bring boxing fans another exciting night of boxing. Ian Green and Ahmed Elbiali will return to defend their respective titles. We appreciate Dan Licciardi and all our friends at Casino Miam Jai-Alai for their friendship and support and look forward to working again with them in the future.”

Fans who purchased tickets for the April 27th fight card can obtain refunds at the Casino Miami Jai-Alai box office.

Unbeaten IBF #13, WBC #14 super welterweight ‘King’ Callum Walsh (10-0, 8 KOs) will return to Southern California to defend his WBC Continental Americas title against Carlos Ortiz (14-5, 14 KOs) on June 7 at the Chumash Casino Resort and broadcast globally on UFC Fightpass.

Fighting in the ten-round co-feature, world-ranked featherweight Omar Trinidad (15-0-1, 12 KOs) makes the first defense of his WBC Continental Americas title against TBA.

The WBA Championships Committee has granted special permission for WBA regular super middleweight champion David Morrell to move up a division and fight for the WBA regular light heavyweight title against #6 ranked Radivoje Kalajdzic in June. The approval was made with specific conditions, among which is that Morrell must vacate his super middleweight title if he wins the 175-pound belt.

The committee also decided that with Morrell’s weight move, Edgar Berlanga will become the mandatory super middleweight challenger.

By Przemek Garczarczyk

All the fire before the fight: Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia weigh-in from Brooklyn.

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Cain Sandoval 139.2 vs. Angel Rebollar 138.8
Daniel Barrera 114 vs. Hector Valdes Pena 112.2
Jaybrio Pe Benito 131 vs. Christian Lorenzo 130.4
Guadalupe Medina 104.4 vs. Sabrina Persona 104
Abel Mejia 131.6 vs. Rodney Mondala 131.4
Brook Sibrian 107.4 vs. Ashley Felix 106.4
Rodrigo Mosquera 132.6 vs. Ryan Mondala 128.6
Eliezer Silva 152.6 vs. Jonathan Moskowitz 153.4

Venue: Commerce Casino, Commerce, California
Promoter: 360 Promotions
TV: UFC Fightpass

WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney weighed in at 140 pounds, while challenger Ryan Garcia came in 3.2 pounds overweight at 143.2. Garcia will now pay Haney $1.5 million ($500,000 per pound). As for the fight, even if Garcia defeats Haney, he will not win the WBC title.

Golden Boy Statement: “Ryan has weighed-in over his contractual weight. He will honor the handshake made at the final press conference yesterday. We have a fight.”

Other Weights:
Arnold Barboza Jr. 139.4 vs. Sean McComb 139.4
Bektemir Melikuziev 167.8 vS. Pierre DiBombe 166.6
John “Scrappy” Ramirez 114.2 vs. David Jimenez 114.8
Charles Conwell 153 vs. Nathaniel Gallimore 153

Sergiy Derevyanchenko 167.4 vs. Vaughn Alexander 167.4
Darius Fulghum 167.4 vs. Cristian Olivas 167.4
Jonathan Cañas 137.6 vs. Markus Bowes 140
Amari Jones 159.2 vs. Armel Mbumba-Yassa 160.4
Kevin Newman II 173.4 vs. Eric Robles 177.8
Shamar Canal 135 vs. Pedro Borgaro 135.8

Venue: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Promoter: Golden Boy
TV: PPV

By Jeff Zimmerman

Junior middleweight contender and undefeated rising star Xander Zayas returns to the ring Sat, June 8 to face former interim world champ Patrick Teixeira at Madison Square Garden and live on ESPN. Zayas, only 21, appears to be the next in line of Puerto Rican greats and sees Teixeira as a step-up fight in the process. Zayas talked about the fight as well as the big one Saturday – Haney vs. Garcia. He also gave predictions on Canelo-Mungia, Beterbiev-Bivol and Fury-Usyk as well as his thoughts on Tyson-Paul plus paid respect to fellow Puerto Rican legend Amanda Serrano who gets the long-awaited rematch against Katie Taylor and much more in this Fightnews.com® exclusive interview.

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WBC super lightweight champion Devin “The Dream” Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) and super lightweight contender Ryan “KingRy” Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) did not face off at the final press conference for their PPV clash on Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Promoter Oscar De La Hoya promised they would face off at tomorrow’s weigh-in.

Ryan Garcia: “I’m ready to kick ass. I’m going in there to f**k this man up. You don’t understand. I’m going to f**k him up. You don’t know what I’ve been training like. You don’t know the vision I have. I’m on fire!”

Devin Haney: “This is not an easy fight, but it is a fight that I will make look easy…all his antics and everything that he’s been doing will betray him.”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

In Japan, a failure to make weight is a crime to be severely criticized and punished logically and morally. Therefore, our boxers endeavor to make weight to have this sports fair and square. So, Luis Nery had been suspended indefinitely by the JBC though lately revoked to materialize his WBC mandatory shot at “Monster” Naoya Inoue as ordered by the WBC. Under our strict circumstances undefeated highly expected prospect WBC#8, WBA#10 featherweight Hayato Tsutsumi shamefully failed to make weight by no less than three and a half pounds against ex-WBA bantam ruler Anselmo Moreno in a 126-pound contracted bout in Tokyo, Japan.

Tsutsumi (5-0, 2 KOs), 129.5, displayed his superior physical power and finished currently WBA#9 Panamanian Moreno (43-7-1, 15 KOs), 125.25, at 2:45 of the third round in a scheduled ten on Wednesday. The audience jeered his overweight scandal rather than praised his victory after he dropped the 38-year-old soldier twice and for the full count. Continue reading “Overweight WBC#8 Tsutsumi halts ex-champ Moreno”

WBC super lightweight champion Devin “The Dream” Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) and super lightweight contender Ryan “KingRy” Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) hosted a media workout at the historic Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn to promote their PPV clash on Saturday night.

Devin Haney: “I mean none of Ryan’s antics has really gotten under my skin. I’m a true professional. When I get into that ring, I am going to do my job. No matter how I feel, no matter what Ryan shows up, or whatever he says. He can say whatever he wants to say. I am going to let my hands talk in the ring on Saturday night…I just want to show how I am levels above this guy.”

Ryan Garcia: “It’s right in front of your face! How am I going to miss weight?! I am just a motherf***er on a mission. I am still here, I am strong, and I am ready to destroy him. If Devin doesn’t land face first, then I did something wrong…the social media is all just noise! I post something and then people think I’m crazy. I know what I am doing, and I’m in the middle of a promotional fight.”

George Arias 228.6 vs. Skylar Lacy 251.9
Roney Hines 247.8 vs. Robert Hall Jr. 240.8
Romuel Cruz 122.5 vs. Robin Ellis 121.4
Erron Peterson 165.3 vs. Raheem Davis 167.3
Kestna Davis 158.7 vs. Abdalla Nagy 153.8

Venue: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Promoter: DiBella Entertainment
TV: bxngtv.com

Former undisputed lightweight champion and current WBC super lightweight champion Devin “The Dream” Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) is more than an 8:1 favorite for his upcoming PPV title defense against “King” Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) on Saturday in Brooklyn.

Haney opened as a -550 favorite, but has been bet up to a -850 favorite in the final days before the fight.

More than three years since his last ring appearance, former super welterweight world title challenger Brandon Adams (23-3, 15 KOs) returns to the ring in a ten-rounder against Ismael Villarreal (13-2, 9 KOs KOs) on Friday night on DAZN from the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Adams was last seen stopping current WBC interim 154lb world champion Serhii Bohachuk in eight rounds back in March 2021.

Adams-Villarreal is part of a 154lb tournament that also features Francisco Veron 13-0-1, 10 KOs) against Angel Ruiz (18-2-1, 13 KOs) in the other bracket.

The fighters are fighing in a compact 18×18 ft ring.

Unbeaten junior middleweight Xander Zayas (18-0, 12 KOs) is poised to kick off Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend by facing former world champion Patrick Teixeira (34-4, 25 KOs) in a 10-round clash on ESPN Saturday, June 8 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Zayas-Teixeira marks 19 years since Top Rank initiated its parade weekend tradition with Miguel Cotto against Muhammad Abdullaev.

In the 10-round featherweight co-feature, Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (11-0, 7 KOs) aims to extend his knockout streak against Jose Enrique Vivas (23-3, 12 KOs).

“This is a great New York City card featuring two young men, Xander Zayas and Bruce Carrington, who are poised to become two of the sport’s biggest stars,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “Our Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend cards are always special, and I can’t wait for another raucous atmosphere.” Continue reading “Zayas-Teixeira collide June 8”

Another big card on tap at the Cabaret du Casino in Montreal on June 6, topped by a clash between local middleweights Steven “Bang Bang” Butler (34-4-1, 28 KOs) and Patrice “Vicious” Volny (18-1, 12 KOs) for the WBC Francophone title on ESPN+.

In the co-feature, IBO super middleweight titleholder Osleys Iglesias (10-0, 9 KOs) will defend his belt against Evgeny Shvedenko (16-1-1, 7 KOs) in a scheduled 12-rounder. Also scheduled are Arthur Biyarslanov (14-0, 12 KOs), Leïla Beaudoin (11-1, 1 KO), Luis Santana (11-0, 5 KOs), and Jhon Orobio (7-0, 7 KOs) in separate bouts.