Fightnews.com

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Hard-punching perennial contender Yamato Hata (15-2, 14 KOs), 129.75, impressively captured the OPBF 130-pound belt when he caught up with defending champ Kosuke Saka (23-8, 20 KOs), 130, and halted him at 2:32 of the third round in a scheduled twelve on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. From the outset Hata, a sumo wrestler’s relative, stayed aggressive with more combinations to the onrushing but less aggressive champ. The younger southpaw challenger, in round three, connected with solid combinations to have the champ so rubbery-legged near the ropes that the ref Nakamura took a well-received count against Saka. When they resumed fighting, it was Hata that swarmed over the still groggy champ to prompt the third man’s intervention. Continue reading “Hata dethrones OPBF 130lb champ Saka”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Ten-time amateur national champ with a 154-20 mark, WBO#14 Japanese southpaw Kenji Fujita (7-0, 3 KOs), 125.5, kept his WBO Asia Pacific featherweight belt as he complied good points in the first half, suffered a left hand fracture in the eighth but eked out a close but unanimous decision (116-111, 115-112, 114-113) over Filipino Rodex Piala (10-1, just a KO), 125.5, over twelve on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. Scoring a flash knockdown of the Filipino in round two, Fujita looked to show an easy triumph over the slower and less aggressive challenger. But the tide turned from the tenth on, as Fujita only kept circling without throwing positive shots while Piala displayed his last surge to the fast-moving and elusive champ. Continue reading “WBO#14 Fujita defeats Piala, keeps WBO AP 126lb belt”

In a crossroads heavyweight showdown, “Big Bang” Zhilei Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs) knocked out “The Bronze Bomber” Deontay Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) in round five on Saturday night at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 41-year-old Zhang, with a 68-pound weight advantage, stalked the 38-year-old Wilder, who looked to catch Zhang with right hands. Zhang worked over Wilder on the ropes for a stretch in round two. Zhang continued to walk down Wilder as the action slowed. Zhang laid out Wilder in round five with a right hand that spun him around and a follow-up right that ended Wilder’s night. Time was 1:51.

Team Queensberry defeated Team Matchroom 10—0 to win the inaugural 5v5 competition.

In a clash for the IBF interim heavyweight title, former WBA “regular” heavyweight champion and IBF #4 rated “Dynamite” Daniel Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) stopped previously unbeaten IBF #1 Filip “El Animal” Hrgovic (17-1, 14 KOs) in round eight on Saturday night at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Good fight with both landing big shots. Hrgovic repeatedly connected ealy on with hard right hands – that Dubois somehow took. Hrgovic bled from cuts over both eye. Dubois rocked a tiring Hrgovic in round seven and the bout was stopped by the referee at :57 of round eight. Queensberry went up 8-0 in the 5v5 tournament.

WBA light heavyweight champion Dimitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) scored a sixth round TKO over previously unbeaten IBF #2, WBA #7 Malik Zinad (22-1, 16 KOs) on Saturday night at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Bivol dropped Zinad with a right/left combination in round one and later got a referee’s stoppage with a barrage of punches in round six. Time was 2:06. It was Bivol’s first KO since 2018. Next up for Bivol is an October 12 undisputed showdown with WBC/IBF/WBO champion Artur Beterbiev.

Sheeraz stops Ammo Williams, Hutchinson tops Richards

Unbeaten WBA #9 Nick “Wrecking” Ball (20-0-1, 11 KOs) dethroned previously unbeaten WBA featherweight champion Ray “Savage” Ford (15-1-1, 8 KOs) by twelve round split decision on Saturday night at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ball pressed the action and outworked Ford for the first half of the fight. Ford broke Ball’s nose in round seven and got the better down the stretch. In the end, the scores were 115-113 Ford, 115-113, 115-113 Ball.

In a WBC middleweight eliminator between unbeaten fighters, WBC #2 Hamzah Sheeraz (20-0, 16 KOs) scored an eleventh round TKO over WBC #5 Austin “Ammo” Williams (16-1, 11 KOs). Williams rocked Sheeraz in round one, but Sheeraz found his range and dominated Williams after that. Sheeraz dropped Williams at the end of round ten and got a referee’s stoppage in round eleven. Time was :45. The win put the Queensberry team ahead 6-0 against the Matchroom squad after three bouts, ensuring at least a draw in the 5v5 tourney.

WBC #7, WBO #7 light heavyweight and former amateur champion Willy Hutchinson (18-1, 13 KOs) scored a twelve round unanimous decision over former world title challenger and WBA #4 rated Craig “The Spider” Richards (18-4-1, 11 KOs). Scores were 116-112, 117-111, 119-109.

Unbeaten super lightweight Kevin Hayler Brown (5-0, 3 KOs) took an unpopular ten round split decision over Idalberto Umara (12-3, 8 KOs) on Friday night at the Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando, Florida. Brown overcame a fourth round knockdown to win on two cards 97-92, 96-93. Umara was up 97-92 on the third card. Brown retains the WBA Continental Americas title.

Heavyweight Gurgen “Big Gug” Hovhannisyan (6-0, 6 KOs) stopped Luis Pascual (19-11, 17 KOs) after two rounds. The 6’7 Hovhannisyan dropped Pascual in round two and the bout was halted between rounds.

The July 20 boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson will unfortunately be postponed. During a follow-up consultation on Thursday with medical professionals on his recent ulcer flare-up, the recommendation is for Mike Tyson to do minimal to light training over the next few weeks and then return to full training with no limitations.

MVP Promotions anticipates rescheduling the match later this year at AT&T Stadium, and the new fight date will be announced by next Friday, June 7th.

Mike Tyson: “My body is in better overall shape than it has been since the 1990s and I will be back to my full training schedule soon. Jake Paul, this may have bought you some time, but in the end, you will still be knocked out and out of boxing for good.”

Jake Paul: “My fans know I don’t want to face Iron Mike at anything but his best, but let there be no mistake- when he steps into the ring with me, I will be ready to claim my W with a sensational finish.”

Zhilei Zhang 282.8 vs. Deontay Wilder 214.6

Filip Hrgovic 247.4 vs. Daniel Dubois 245.8
(IBF interim heavyweight title)

Dimitry Bivol 175 vs. Malik Zina 174.2
(WBA light heavyweight title)

Craig “Spider” Richards 174.2 vs. Willy Hutchinson 174

Hamzah Sheeraz 159.6 vs. Austin “Ammo” Williams 159.4
(WBC middleweight eliminator)

Ray Ford 125.4 vs. Nick Ball 125.8
(WBA featherweight title)

Venue: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Promoter: Queensberry, Matchroom
TV: PPV

WBC bantamweight world champion Junto Nakatani will defend his strap against Filipino contender Vincent Astrolabio on Saturday, July 20, at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.

Nakatani-Astrolabio tops a world title tripleheader that also includes WBO junior bantamweight world champion Kosei Tanaka against Jonathan “Titan” Rodriguez and the vacant WBO flyweight world title showdown between Riku Kano and Los Angeles native Anthony Olascuaga.

Additionally, the card features former kickboxing world champion Tenshin Nasukawa, who will take on Jonathan “Torres” Rodriguez in a 10-round bantamweight special feature.

The three world title fights and Nasukawa-Rodriguez will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ in the early morning hours in the U.S.

No Limit Boxing, promoter former WBO champion Tim Tszyu, has announced that the highly anticipated WBA interim super welterweight title showdown between Tszyu and Vergil Ortiz Jr. scheduled for Saturday, August 3 has been cancelled due to medical advice provided to Tszyu requiring him take additional time for his head wound to heal.

Tszyu suffered a nasty gash that bled profusely in his March fight with Sebastian Fundora.

Statement from Ryan Garcia Camp: The test results from samples of two supplements declared by Ryan Garcia on VADA Doping Control Forms, signed on April 19th and 20th, have returned positive for Ostarine contamination. This confirms what we have consistently maintained: Ryan was a victim of supplement contamination and has never intentionally used any banned or performance-enhancing substances. Any claims to the contrary, questioning Ryan’s integrity as a clean fighter, are unequivocally false and defamatory. Continue reading “Ryan Garcia Update”

Fighters participating in the history-making 5 vs. 5 collision between promotional rivals Queensberry and Matchroom faced off at the final press conference before their $69.99 PPV event taking place Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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By Jeff Zimmerman

After a stellar career with a record of 45-3, 32 KOs, Manchester’s own Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as part of hall of fame weekend June 6-9 in Canastota, NY, along with former world champs Michael Moorer, Ivan Calderon and Diego Corrales, trainer Kenny Adams and boxing manager Jackie Kallen. Hatton talked about his career defining win against Kostya Tszyu for his first world title at home in Manchester as well as mega fights in Las Vegas against Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao and the love for his fans that followed him across the Atlantic. He also opened up about his personal struggles through his career especially after his loss to Mayweather. Hatton also weighed in on the Garcia-Haney PED controversy, thoughts on a Fury-Usyk rematch and a possible Fury-Joshua all British showdown. He also had high praise for Tim Tszyu, son of hall of famer Kostya Tszyu, who has a big fight this summer versus Vergil Ortiz Jr and gave his assessment of Jake Paul matchup versus the legend, “Iron Mike” Tyson.

Kevin Hayler Brown 139.8 vs. Idalberto Umara 139.2
(WBA Continental super lightweight title)

Gurgen Hovhannisyan 274 vs. Luis Pascal 293.8
Hendri Cedeno 140.2 vs. Matt Conway 138
Aaron Aponte 145.2 vs. Mario Aguirre 146
Chavez Barrientes 125.8 vs. Levale Wittington 127.6
Kaipo Gallegos 138.2 vs. Carlos Aguilera Martinez
Angel Ilarraza 154.4 vs. Orlenis Licea 156.2
Zeleck Ruiz 173.2 vs. Arthur Brown 175.2
Angel Barrientes 125 vs. Ernesto Sebastian Franzolini 125.2
Antraveous Ingram 153 vs. Luis Solis 154.4

Venue: Caribe Royale Resort, Orlando, Florida
Promoter: BoxLab Promotions
TV: DAZN

It’s official. Unified middleweight champion Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KOs) will put his WBO and IBF world titles on the line against Andrei Mikhailovich (21-0, 13 KOs) on July 13, at Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

In the 10-round lightweight co-feature, Raymond Muratalla (20-0, 16 KOs) will face former world champion Tevin Farmer (33-5-1, 8 KOs).

The card will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ and Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland.

Continue reading “Alimkhanuly-Mikhailovich confirmed for July 13”

Ahead of Don King’s “Fists of Fury” event taking place at the Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., on June 7, Adrien “The Problem” Broner (35-4-1, 24 KOs) participated in a media open workout in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Broner faces Blair “The Flair” Cobbs (16-1-1, 10 KOs) for the WBC “People’s Championship.”

“The way this boxing stuff goes, you never know what’s going to happen,” said Broner. “They’re just giving out world titles. They’re going to give one of these YouTubers a title. I tip my hat to Errol Spence and Terrance Crawford; they’re doing their thing. Like I said before, my main focus is to become a world champion. All my life, I just wanted to be a world champion, and every time I won one, I cried tears. I’m pretty sure I’ll do the same thing when I win one again.” Continue reading “Broner: I just want to be a world champion”

Here are the latest betting odds for the history-making 5 vs 5 tourney between promotional rivals Queensberry and Matchroom, a $69.99 PPV event taking place Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arebia.

Heavyweight “Big Bang” Zhilei Zhang is a -150 favorite against former heavyweight champion Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder, who is +125

IBF #1 heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic is a -250 favorite against former WBA regular champion Daniel Dubois, +200.

WBA featherweight champion Ray Ford is a -160 favorite over Nick Ball, +130.

Middleweight Hamzah Sheeraz is a -225 favorite over Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams, +175.

Former light heavyweight title challenger Craig ‘Spider’ Richards is a -150 favorite over Willy Hutchinson +125.

In addition, WBA light heavyweight champion Dimitry Bivol is a 25:1 favorite over late sub Malik Zinad.

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Below are some photos of todays Open Workouts in Riyadh, courtesy of Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing.

Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, has announced that the rematch between undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and former champion Tyson Fury is now scheduled for December 21 during Riyadh Season. “The world will watch another historical fight again…our commitment to boxing fans continues…we hope you enjoy it,” he said.

The Usyk-Fury rematch was originally planned for October, but will now take place four days before Christmas.

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

After the storm came calm, following the memorable and momentous battle between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. Here is my analysis of the facts.

Fury, from England, faced Usyk, from Ukraine, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in what is already considered one of the great fights in history, compared to Ali-Frazier, Ali-Foreman or Tyson-Holyfield, among other legendary fights.

Both were fighting for the UNDISPUTED, but more so Fury for redemption and legacy while Usyk for his country and Ukrainian strength. Continue reading “Analysis After the Storm, Usyk Vs. Fury”

Following his 40-second demolition of Mark Heffron last week, WBC #1, WBA #2, IBF #3, WBO #3 super middleweight Christian Mbilli (27-0, 23 KOs) will next face three-time world title challenger Sergiy “The Technician” Derevyanchenko (15-5, 10 KOs) in the 10-round main event on August 17 at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada.

Christian Mbilli: “It’s an honor to fight Sergiy Derevyanchenko. I’ve been hearing about him since I was 16, in the amateur ranks, where he defeated several Frenchmen. In the pros, he has only fought big names, so this will definitely be my biggest fight to date. I can’t wait for it. It’s going to be a war.”

Sergiy Derevyanchenko: “If I win this fight, I expect to fight for a world title next, which has always been my ultimate goal. I expect August 17 to be a war and a Fight of the Year-type candidate, and I will be the winner.”

Two weeks ago, the IBF ordered undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez to defend against IBF #1 contender William Scull (22-0, 9 KOs), who has been the IBF mandatory since July 2022. Both parties were given until June 12th to reach an agreement, however according to Scull’s promoter Ingo Volckmann, the Canelo camp hasn’t responded and the IBF has granted the Scull camp an early purse bid on June 6.

“Canelo has to fight us now or he will give up the title,” said Volckmann. “Since the IBF has now officially announced the purse bid, Canelo cannot apply for a special permit, as Oleksandr Usyk has now done. The only thing they could do is agree on a ‘step aside’ fee with us in order to postpone the fight again. It’s all well and good that he’s Canelo, but he also has to play by the rules no matter how popular he is. We’ve waited long enough. There will definitely be an offer from us at the purse bid because we want the fight!”

The WBC Board of governors has voted to designate current WBC welterweight champion Terence Crawford as champion in recess. Crawford will next move up to super welterweight to fight for the WBA title against Israil Madrimov on August 3 in Los Angeles. The WBC has officially sanctioned Crawford-Madrimov as a final elimination bout for the mandatory position in the super welterweight division. Crawford will inform the WBC which division he wishes to compete in after the August fight.

Today is Media Day ahead of the history-making 5 vs 5 collision between promotional rivals Queensberry and Matchroom, a $69.99 PPV event taking place Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arebia.

Heavyweight: “Big Bang” Zhilei Zhang vs. “Bronze Bomber” Deontay Wilder
Heavyweight: IBF #1 contender Filip Hrgovic vs. Daniel Dubois
Featherweight: WBA world champion Ray Ford vs. Nick Ball
Middleweight: Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams
Light heavyweight: Willy Hutchinson vs. Craig ‘Spider’ Richards

In addition, WBA light heavyweight champion Dimitry Bivol will defend against Malik Zinad.

Here are a few shots from Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing: