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The “Maratón Boxística” (Boxing Marathon) event will be the grand finale of the boxing season in Latin America. The 20 fight program will take place on the beautiful beaches of the Kilymandiaro Club in Barranquilla, Colombia on December 17th. The event was announced Thursday morning during a press conference was held online with the presence of WBA President Gilberto Jesús Mendoza.

Organized by Alberto Agámez Producciones with the support of the Colombian Boxing Federation, the National Commission and the WBA, the show will feature WBA minimumweight champion Carlos Cañizales defending his title against Jesús Silvestre. Also “The Captain” Gabriel Maestre will return to the ring to face Daniel Vega in the welterweight division.

Continue reading “WBA announces marathon boxing card Dec 17”

Unbeaten WBA interim super featherweight champion Chris “Primetime” Colbert and hard-hitting Jaime Arboleda previewed their upcoming showdown taking place live on SHOWTIME this Saturday at the bubble inside the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Chris Colbert: “I didn’t watch film on Arboleda. I know he is going to come game and I know his trainer is going to have him in great shape and ready to fight. I am coming to execute my game plan on Saturday night on SHOWTIME. I am just going to be me – ‘Primetime’ – and this time on primetime TV. Continue reading “Colbert-Arboleda preview Saturday showdown”

Former WBO featherweight world champion Shakur Stevenson is ready to add a second world title to his trophy case. But, first he must get past Toka Kahn Clary in Saturday’s 10-round junior lightweight main event from the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble on ESPN.

Two days before fight night, they took to the socially distanced stage for the final press conference. This is what they had to say.

Shakur Stevenson: “The short notice for this fight doesn’t bother me. I’m one of those fighters that always stay in shape. This is nothing new to me. The Bubble days feel like the amateur days all over again. There is not a lot of people around you, and you only focus on the fight.” Continue reading “Stevenson-Kahn Clary Final Press Conference”

Quotes from today’s Anthony Joshua vs. Kubrat Pulev press conference ahead of Saturday’s action The SSE Arena, Wembley, shown live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and Ireland and on DAZN in the U.S.

Anthony Joshua: “The pressure that I went through last year was tough, but it made me mentally stronger. I grew a thicker skin. I’ve always been tough and wanted to fight the best, that’s never been an issue.

“What have I got to lose? I’ve got everything to gain. I want to be successful in boxing and the only way to be successful is take on big challenges. This is just another one I’m looking forward to competing with. Continue reading “Joshua-Pulev Final Press Conference”

Sam Eggington 153.2 vs. Ashley Theophane 153.2
Kaisee Benjamin 146 vs. Ben Fields 146
Stephen McKenna 147.12 vs. MJ Hall 147.9
Idris Virgo 163 vs. Kevin McCauley 161.12
Aaron McKenna 156.2 vs. Jordan Grannum 161.8
Michael Hennessy Jr 156.3 vs. Dale Arrowsmith 156.3
Tommy Welsh 227.8 vs. Matt Gordon 248.10

Venue: Fly By Nite TV studio in Redditch, England
Promoter: Hennessy Sports
TV: Channel 5 (UK)

By Joe Koizumi

Today’s papers in Japan reported a sad and sorrowful passing of former WBC super-bantamweight champion Royal Kobayashi, who reportedly had lost his life on November 17. Our deep grief comes from the fact that we have not been informed of his death so long for no less than three weeks from his passing. Once a very popular ring hero at his prime, Kobayashi didn’t stay in our fraternity as a boxing person any longer but worked as a security guard in his native Kumamoto, a southern local place very far from Tokyo. He was 71.

His real name was Kazuo Kobayashi, and when he turned professional, he began to fight under the nom-de-guerre Royal Kobayashi named by his manager Yoshinori Takahashi, former world 140-pound challenger who failed to win the belt from Eddie Perkins via lopsided thirteenth round stoppage here in 1964. It was also said “Royal” originated from royal jelly so that he would be as sweet and strong as that. Continue reading “Requiem to ex-WBC 122lb champ Royal Kobayashi”

Unbeaten super middleweight destroyer Lester Martinez (7-0, 7 KOs), who knocked out former champ Ricardo Mayorga in his pro debut, stopped Uriel “Big Bang” Gonzalez (18-7-1, 14 KOs) in the first round on Wednesday night at the Maninaterra Hotel & Spa Event Center in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico. Martinez battered Gonzalez to the canvas late in round one. Gonzalez beat the count and seemed good to go but the referee waved it off. Time was 3:00. Martinez claimed the vacant WBC Latino title. Continue reading “Lester Martinez moves to 7-0, 7 KOs”

10:1 underdog Kubrat Pulev, 39, says he’ll derail plans for an all-British undisputed heavyweight world title showdown between IBF, WBA, WBO ruler Anthony Joshua and undefeated WBC king Tyson Fury.

The former world title challenger (28-1, 14 KOs) arrived in London over the weekend ahead of his second shot at world honors at The SSE Arena, Wembley this Saturday, shown live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and Ireland and on DAZN in the U.S. and more than 200 countries and territories on its just-launched global platform.

Bulgaria’s Pulev says he can see himself exposing the flaws of Joshua in the same manner as Andy Ruiz, who famously dropped the superstar four times on route to a shock seventh round stoppage win at Madison Square Garden in June 2019. Continue reading “Pulev: The world needs a world champ like me”

Knockout artist Elvis “The Dominican Kid” Rodriguez aims to leave the building with one last knockout to end 2020. Rodriguez, who has four knockouts in three rounds or less since July, will face veteran “Lethal” Larry Fryers in a six-round welterweight contest Saturday at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Rodriguez-Fryers will be part of the ESPN+ undercard stream preceding the ESPN-televised tripleheader headlined by the junior lightweight battle between Shakur Stevenson and Toka Kahn Clary. Continue reading “Dominican Kid on Stevenson-Clary undercard”

Boxing fans already know that undefeated cruiserweight Lawrence “The Sauce” Okolie is a dangerous-punching 6′ 5″ tall, 200-lb top contender. But if Okolie (14-0, 11 KOs) is victorious this Saturday against Nikodem Jezewski (19-0-1, 9 KOs) for the WBO International title, he will be just one victory away from becoming the world’s first full vegan to win a cruiserweight world championship and just the second to win any world championship in all of boxing history.

Okolie, who once worked flipping burgers for $8 an hour at McDonald’s in London’s Victoria train station, cannot become boxing’s first vegan to win a belt. That distinction is reportedly owned by former WBC middleweight world champion Keith Holmes, but Okolie could become boxing’s only current vegan champion. Continue reading “Okolie aims to be second vegan world champ”

DAZN
Anthony Joshua -1050 vs.Kubrat Pulev +750
(WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight titles)

ESPN
Shakur Stevenson -4000 vs. Toka Khan Clary +2000
(super featherweight)

SHOWTIME
Chris Colbert -1475 vs. Jaime Arboleda +800
(WBA interim super feather title)

WRAM Boxing (William Ramirez) and Nica Boxing (Pablo Osuna) continue their run of monthly events and close out 2020 on December 18 at the Nuevo Gymasio Nicarao in Managua, Nicaragua. The super flyweight main event will feature former world title challenger and local favorite Keyvin Lara (29-3-1, 10 KOs) vs countryman Ricardo Blandon (14-2, 8 KOs). The bout is scheduled for 9 rounds and the WBA Fedcentro title. Continue reading “Boxing back in Managua December 18”

Thompson Boxing Promotions has a new main event for their Sunday, December 20th 3.2.1. Boxing event. Ruben “Ace” Torres (13-0, 11 KOs) will be replacing his stablemate, Michael “The West Texas Warrior” Dutchover (14-1, 10 KOs), of Midland, TX, who will no longer compete on the card. Torres will be taking on Jose Luis “La Boa” Rodriguez (23-13-1, 13 KOs) in the new eight-round main event. No details were given on why Dutchover is off the card other than “some unfortunate situations.”

The free stream will air live on the Thompson Boxing Promotions website, as well as their Facebook and YouTube pages from the Omega Products International Event Center in Corona, CA.

By Zach Hirsch

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The new WBC Channel on VIVE TV kicked off on Tuesday with a closed-door event in Tijuana, BCN, Mexico.

In the main event, former world title challenger and WBC #5 bantamweight Alejandro “Peque” Santiago (23-2-2, 12 KOs) punished Erick “Lobito” Gonzalez (13-1-2, 7 KOs) for four rounds. Santiago dropped Gonzalez hard in round two, but couldn’t finish him. After two more rounds of punishment, Gonzalez didn’t come out for round five. Official time was :10 of round five.

Undefeated lightweight prospect Francisco “Chino” Lopez (12-0-1, 8 KOs) and Ivan Leon “Cachorro Canonerof” Benitez (14-4-1, 6 KOs) battled to a ten round draw. Scores were 94-94, 96-92, 92-96. Lopez lost a point in round six for rabbit punching and another when a headbutt opened a gash on Benitez’s right eyelid in round eight. Continue reading “WBC #5 Santiago stops Gonzalez in five”

Light heavyweight slugger Joe “The Beast” Smith Jr. (26-3, 21 KOs) is officially set to take on Maxim Vlasov (45-3, 26 KOs) on February 13th for the vacant WBO light heavyweight world title on ESPN.

With his August win over Elieder Alvarez, Smith Jr. was originally set to take on the winner of Maxim Vlasov vs Umar Salamov, in the finals of the WBO title eliminator. However, Vlasov-Salamov was postponed once due to the global pandemic, again in October, and again in November when Salamov tested positive for COVID-19. Promoter Joe DeGuardia then requested and was granted the right for Smith Jr. to take on Maxim Vlasov for the vacant WBO world title.

Super welterweight Evan Holyfield and heavyweight Cassius Chaney will fight this Saturday in four and eight round bouts at Champion Boxing Gym, Jonesboro, Georgia.

Holyfield (4-0, 3 KOs) is now being trained by Olympic gold medalist and two-time world welterweight champion Mark Breland. Breland was also Olympic teammates with Evan’s father, four-time world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield.

Baltimore native Cassius Chaney (19-0, 13 KOs) is riding an eight fight knockout streak dating back to October 2017.