Fightnews.com

By Miguel Maravilla at ringside

In a huge upset, undefeated Giovani “Gallo de Oro” Santillan (32-0, 17 KOs) knocked out WBO #1 welterweight Alexis “Lex” Rocha (23-2, 15 KOs) in round six on Saturday night at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. Santillan put a beat down on Rocha. Rocha’s nose was pouring blood early. Santillan dropped Rocha twice in round five and finished him with another knockdown in round six.

Going straight at it and fighting on the inside, Rocha and Santillan went right at it a phonebooth fight. Santillan staggered Rocha to begin the second round. Pressing to begin the third, Santillan pumped the jab as Rocha’s nose appeared to be busted gushing blood, but that did not stop the Santa Ana fighter’s momentum. The fourth round began with Santillan landing a chopping left, the San Diego fighter continued and connected with a sharp combination as Rocha appeared very sluggish and on the receiving end of Santillan’s offensive.

Santillan dropped Rocha to begin the fifth. The bloodied Rocha got up and continued showing grit. Rocha was droped again was saved by the bell. Santillan finished off Rocha in the sixth, knocking him down for a third time as referee Ray Corona waved it off at 1:13.

In the co-feature bout, Los Angeles’s John “Scrappy” Ramirez (13-0, 9 KOs) scored a fourth-round knockout over Ronal Batista (15-4, 9 KOs) of Panama in a WBA super flyweight title eliminator. It was a slow start for Ramirez as he took his time stalking and measured Batista early in the fight. Things began to sizzle as Ramirez connected and cornered Batista in the third landing with hooks and chopping rights flush on the chin to finish the round. A crunching left hook to the body by Scrappy dropped Batista in the fourth, then Ramirez finished him off with a vicious right knocking down Batista for a second time as referee Jack Reiss stopped the fight at 2:33.

Gabriela Fundora (12-0, 5 KOs) of Coachella, California won the IBF flyweight champion by knocking out Arely “Ametralladora” Muciño (32-4-2, 11 KOs) of Monterrey, Mexico in the fifth. Mucino attacked Fundora at the opening bell, taking swings at the much taller opponent as Fundora adjusted to strike with a solid straight, later to close the round Fundora staggered Mucino to the corner as she was saved by the bell from the attack. Continuing where they left off, Mucino charged as Fundora countered and connected with straight shots. Mucino was dropped to begin the fifth and continued to fight, referee Jack Reiss gave Mucino a standing eight count but she couldn’t continue and Reiss stopped the fight at 1:18 of the fifth. Continue reading “Upset: Santillan knocks out #1 Rocha in six”

Cruiserweight Isaac Chamberlain (16-2, 8 KOs) became the new British and Commonwealth champion, winning a dominant unanimous decision victory (119-111, 118-111, 118-111) against previously undefeated beltholder in Mikael Lawal (17-1, 11 KOs) on Saturday night at London’s historic York Hall.

Chamberlain said to Sky Sports after the fight: “I didn’t have the best amateur career, I had nine fights, they chucked me in the deep end and I kept going. When I was younger I had low self-esteem, but I said I believe in the ability I have. Even though I had niggles coming to this fight, I said ‘it’s now or never’. All the fights that are there now – let’s make them happen.”

Other Results:
Sam Gilley W12 Louis Greene (super welterweight)
Joe Laws W8 Michael Hennessy Jr (super welterweight)
Karriss Artingstall TKO2 Vanessa Bradford (female featherweight)

Super lightweight contender Jack Catterall (28-1, 13 KOs) scored a twelve round unanimous decision against 38-year-old former multi-weight world champion Jorge Linares (47-9, 29 KOs) on Saturday night at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England. Linares pressed the action, but had problems getting past Catterall’s jab. Catterall drove Linares into the ropes with a big shot at the end of round five, but he never really went for an early finish and was content to win a cat and mouse game. Scores were 117-111, 116-112, 116-112. Fourth straight loss for Linares.

In what was billed as his final fight, ageless former world champion Firat Arslan (55-9-3, 40 KOs) knocked out Edin “Iron Puki” Puhalo (23-2, 22 KOs) in round six to claim the WBA gold cruiserweight title on Saturday night at the EWS Arena in Goeppingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The aggressive 53-year-old Arslan, rated #4 in the world by the WBA, mostly got the better of the exchanges with Puhalo, 35, who is rated WBA #5. Arslan dropped Puhalo with a left hand late in round two, then floored Puhalo three times in round six with lefts to the ear that really rattled Puhalo. Time was 1:29.

By Brad Snyder / The Undercard

Vernon Webber 199 vs Joe Jones 197
Derick Miller 191 vs Dionardo Minor 198
Hassain Bilal 168 vs Corey Caad 163
Luis Quintero 149 vs Jonathan Hampton 151
Justin Johnson 172 vs Martinez Stevenson 170
David Rojas 114 vs Cameron Vallier 117
Ardarrieon Williams 167 vs Brodyx Gilman 156.7
Joshua Pagan 137 vs Braulio Rodriquez 140.3
Kewan Burns 146 vs Floyd Russell 146
Justin Lacey-Pierce 141 vs Lo’Vonte Towns 134
Christopher Thompson 167 vs Marques Flowers 167

Venue: Motor City Casino, Detroit, Michigan
Promoter: Carlos Llinas Productions

Rashan Adams 130.1 vs. Jabril Noble 131.4
Tariq Green 159.5 vs. Dewayne Williams 159.4
Frankie Lynn 144.5 vs. Anthony Young 144.3
David Calabro 125.5 vs. Michael Turner 122.9
Jalique Holden 128.7 vs. Daniel McCall 134.3
Francisco Rodriguez 133 vs. Braulio Avila 133.8
Monyae Gregory 162 vs. Maurice Clemons 160.2
Eliezer Olmeda 145.5 vs. Raekwon Butler 144.7

Venue: Harrahs Philadelphia
Promoter: RDR Promotions
1st Bell: 7 PM ET
Stream: BXNGTV.com

Alexis “Lex” Rocha 147 vs. Giovani Santillan 146.6
(NABO welterweight title)

John “Scrappy” Ramirez 115 vs. Ronal Batista 114.2
(WBA super flyweight eliminator)

Arely Mucino 111.8 vs. Gabriela Fundora 110.8
(IBF female flyweight title)

David Stevens 167 vs. Joeshon James 166.8
Ricardo Sandoval 111.8 vs. Victor Sandoval 111.2

Venue: Kia Forum, Inglewood, California
Promoter: Golden Boy
TV: DAZN

Mikael Lawal 198 vs. Isaac Chamberlain 199
(British, vacant Commonwealth cruiserweight titles)

Louis Greene 152 vs. Sam Gilley 154
Michael Hennessy Jr 164 vs. Joe Laws 165
Karriss Artingstall 126 vs. Vanessa Bradford 125

Venue: York Hall, London
Promoter: BOXXER
TV: Peacock (US), SKY Sports (UK)

Jack Catterall 140 vs. Jorge Linares 140
(WBA Intercontinental super lightweight title)

Peter McGrail 121.4 vs. Fran Mendoza 119.8
Jack Turner 117.3 vs. Adam Yahaya 116.6
Aqib Fiaz 130 vs. Reece Bellotti 128.9
Shabaz Masoud 121. 8 vs. Jose Sanmartin 122
Khaleel Majid 141.3 vs. Tom Farrell 141.9
Campbell Hatton 142.9 vs. Jamie Sampson 141.1
Paddy Lacey 163.1 vs. Owen Kirk 163.6
Muhammad Ali 123.9 vs. Giulio Commerso 123.6
William Crolla 153.9 vs. Martin Shaw 153.1

Venue: M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, England
Promoter: Matchroom
TV: DAZN

Welterweight Michael Williams Jr (21-1, 14 KOs) faces Michael Whitt (32-2-2, 25 KOs) for fhe NBA title on Saturday night at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina. After professional boxing took a three year hiatus from the state, Team Williams put on the first pro boxing show on August 12 with Williams Jr scoring a highlight reel stoppage of Ricardo David Ocampo. Whitt will be a major step up for Williams Jr.

In the lead up to their welterweight showdown to prove they are on the top of the division, WBO #1 Alexis “Lex” Rocha (23-1, 15 KOs) and undefeated #5 Giovani “Gallo de Oro” Santillan (31-0, 16 KOs) hosted a press conference today to promote their match taking place at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, on Saturday and streaming worldwide on DAZN.

Alexis Rocha: “We both knew this fight would come one day. We’re knocking on the door for title contention. He’s ready. I’m ready. We’re going to bring it. This is a fan-friendly fight that could potentially end in a knockout either way, so you guys do not want to miss this.”

Giovani Santillan: “I plan on making a statement. I’m finally getting a chance to show the world who I am as the main event at the Kia Forum. This is something very meaningful for me and it’s going to be an exciting night.”

By Héctor Villarreal

To celebrate its most important event of the year, Laguna Premium Boxing has prepared a card that includes 8 undefeated fighters, 5 debutants and a women’s boxing match, all of them Panamanians fighting between themselves or against opponents of their same level.

“Throughout this season we have used the slogan ‘Boxeo del Patio’, referring to activating a new generation of national fighters, demonstrating that Panamanian boxing has a promising future and we are going to prove it on Friday, October 27 at the Combat Center, just behind the Roberto Duran Arena,” said promoter Rouss Laguna de Moreno, whose matchmaker is her husband, former super world champion, Anselmo “Chemito” Moreno, currently ranked sixth by the World Boxing Association at featherweight. Continue reading “Best new Panamanian talent in action”

The hometown challenger Gerardo “Cascabel” Zapata(14-1-1, 5 KOs) held his own media day this morning as he gets set to challenge Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez for the WBO jr flyweight belt on October 27 at 9PM/EST from the famed Alexis Aguello Complex in Managua, Nicaragua.

Nicaragua has hosted 6 world title fights and all six have resulted in victories for the local fighters. The last title fight took place over two decades ago when Adonis Rivas won a split decision over Jair Jimenez on May 4, 2002. Continue reading “Gerardo Zapata Media Day”

MVP Promotions and DAZN have announced the renewal of the “Most Valuable Prospects” series for six events in 2024. MVP co-founders Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul issued the following statement:

“We are thrilled to renew Most Valuable Prospects for six events in 2024 to bring more exhilarating young boxer matchups to fans around the world. Boxing is going through a transformational period and we want to spearhead the change that drives value to fighters first. We look forward to an exceptional 2024 with ten events already in place and an expansion of the MVP roster.”

Jake Paul is scheduled to return to the ring on December 15 with the opponent to be announced later this month.

WBC #5, WBO #5, WBA #7, IBF #7 super lightweight contender Jack Catterall and former three-division world champion Jorge Linares faced off today at the final press conference for their DAZN clash on Saturday at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England.

Jack Catterall: He’s had his time in the sun and now it’s my time…he’s been a three-time world champion, I would never look past this fight or disrespect Jorge. I think he understands that the winner of this fight puts themselves in the picture for much bigger fights…we’ve had conversations about a number of fights in the future but all of that means nothing without beating Jorge on Saturday.”

Jorge Linares: “So this is a big night for me, I am close to retirement, I’m coming in great shape, better than the other times I’ve come to England, I feel like a 20 year old…I’m coming off three losses but I don’t think about that, I know I’m in with a great fighter but I’ve been here before and have had a great camp.”

Unbeaten super lightweight Alex “El Toro” Vargas (13-0, 5 KOs) will now face Julio “El Pantera” Rosa (8-3, 4 KOs) in the eight round main event of Star Boxing’s “Rockin’ Fights” 45 on October 28 at The Paramount in Huntington, New York. Rosa stepped in for Vargas’ original opponent Matt Conway, who was forced to pull out of the fight due to a fractured elbow suffered in training.

The six-fight card also features super welterweight Wendy “Haitian Fire” Toussaint (14-2, 6 KOs) against Jermone “Quadruple J” Jones Jr. (7-1, 6 KOs) in an eight round clash.

Cruiserweight contender Brandon “Bulletproof” Glanton (18-2, 15 KOs) ended a two-fight losing streak with an impressive third round stoppage against Carlos Frometa (12-2, 7 KOs) on Wednesday night at the Whitesands Events Center in Plant City, Florida. Glanton dropped Frometa at the end of round two. Frometa was then deducted a point for holding in round three and Glanton dropped him again moments later to end it. Time was 2:14.

Super lightweight star “King” Ryan Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) and knockout artist Oscar “La Migraña” Duarte (26-1-1, 21 KOs) of Parral, Mexico will host a press conference on October 25 ahead of their December 2 twelve-round collision. The fight will take place at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas and will be broadcasted worldwide on DAZN. Tickets go on sale October 25 at 10AM CT, and are priced at $500, $350, $250, $150, $100 and $50

Jaqeem Hutcherson won the UBF All Americas and UBO Intercontinental Super Bantamweight Titles in the main event of a massive 14-bout card at The Hall! at Live Casino Hotel Maryland.

Chambers dropped Hutcherson in round one and then once again in round seven. Hutcherson was credited with two knockdowns in round four, with the second knockdown being controversial as it appeared that Chambers tripped. That was the difference. The scores were 76-72, 76-73 and 74-74. Those official scores were corrected Sunday after wrong scores were announced fight night,

Hutcherson is 10-1-1. Chambers is 9-2-1. Continue reading “Late Results from Hanover, Maryland”

Jack Catterall and former world champion Jorge Linares face off for the first time ahead of their WBA Intercontinental super lightweight title fight Saturday night on DAZN from the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England.

Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez (27-3-1, 14 KOs) of Caguas, Puerto Rico held his media day at Felix Pagan Pintor Gym in Guaynabo. The champion was all smiles and relaxed as he gears up for his 3rd title defense next Friday, October 27 from the Polideportivo Alexis Arguello in Managua, Nicaragua against #14 Gerardo “Cascabel” Zapata (14-1-1, 5 KOs) on ESPN+ and ESPN Knockout.

On hand to join the champion was his promoter Felix “Tuto” Zabala Jr of All Star Boxing, former WBO world champion Ivan Calderon ,WBO President Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel, trainer Luis Espada, his father/second Luis Gonzalez and personal trainer Victor Martinez. Continue reading “Bomba Gonzalez media day”

Unbeaten super lightweight Joshua Pagan (8-0, 4 KOs) will return to action this Saturday against veteran Braulio Rodriguez (20-7, 17 KOs) at the Motor City Casino in Detroit. Pagan had originally been scheduled to face Rodriguez on September 8, before he was forced to withdraw due to an illness. The bout will be a six round matchup as the 23-year-old Pagan looks for his fifth victory of 2023.

On Friday, December 29th, GH3 Promotions will kickoff a new boxing series called Brick City Friday Night Fights at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Scheduled to appear in an eight-round bout will be local welterweight Michael Anderson (23-3-1, 17 KOs). Seeing action in a ten-round bout will be former world title challenger and current WBA #3 ranked middleweight Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna (36-5-1, 15 KOs). Super lightweight Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez (22-1, 14 KOs) has an eight-round bout. Other eight-rounders include welterweight Paul Kroll (10-0-2, 6 KOs) and heavyweight Kristian Prenga (14-1, 14 KOs). Opponents and broadcast distribution are TBA.

The highly-anticipated showdown between Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez will be rescheduled to a new date at The O2 in London. The bout between the #1 and #2 ranked light-heavyweights had been due to take place this Saturday but is now being postponed due to an injury suffered by Azeez in his final training session. A date for the rescheduled world title final eliminator will be announced shortly. All tickets for this Saturday’s event at The O2 will remain valid for the new date. Once announced, any customers unable to attend the new date will be able to obtain a full refund.

This Saturday’s chief support bout and undercard bouts will now relocate to the iconic York Hall in London, headlined by Mikael Lawal defending his British cruiserweight championship against bitter rival Isaac Chamberlain in one of the most keenly-anticipated domestic clashes of the year. Continue reading “Buatsi-Azeez Update”

Two big fights this Saturday with both streaming on DAZN.

First, super lightweight contender Jack Catterall defends his WBA Intercontinental title against former multi-weight world champion Jorge Linares at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England. Catterall is a 10:1 favorite over Linares, who has dropped three straight.

Then, WBO #1 welterweight Alexis “Lex” Rocha (23-1, 15 KOs) faces undefeated Giovani “Gallo de Oro” Santillan (31-0, 16 KOs) at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. Rocha is a 7:1 favorite to erase the O from Santillan’s ledger.

Unfortunately, the debut of boxing on Peacock was canceled when the Buatsi-Azeez light heavyweight clash was postponed due to a back injury suffered by Azeez.