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While the postponement of Fury-Usyk from February 17 until May 18 leaves a big hole in Saturday’s boxing lineup, it’s still a great week of fights including a world title fight.

THURSDAY
DAZN presents former world champion Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. (33-4-1, 15 KOs) in a ten round super lightweight clash against Jesus “Ricky” Perez (24-5, 18 KOs) at the Commerce Casino.

FRIDAY
ESPN has WBC super featherweight champion O’Shaquie Foster (21-2, 12 KOs) defending against Abraham Nova (23-1, 16 KOs) in the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

DAZN counters with IBF light flyweight champion Adrian Curiel (24-4-1) against the man he dethroned back in November, Sivenathi “The Special One” Nontshinga (12-1, 9 KOs) at the Auditorium Guelaguetza in Oaxaca, Mexico. Also, former featherweight champion Mauricio Lara (26-3-1, 19 KOs) meets Daniel Lugo (27-2, 18 KOs).

ProBox TV has a rare Friday stream headlined by bantamweight Israel Rodriguez Picazo (30-5, 20 KOs) against Ramon Cardenas (23-1, 12 KOs) from the Whitesands Events Center in Plant City, Florida.

A clash between world ranked jr flyweight contenders kicks off All Star Boxing’s first show of 2024 on March 8th from Pharaohs Casino in Managua, Nicaragua. Panamanian WBO #7 WBA #8 WBC #8 Azael “Candelilla” Villar (20-2-4 15 KO’s) faces undefeated WBC #5 WBA #7 WBO #12 Jairo Noriega (13-0 3 KO’s) of Villareal, Spain in a 12-round main event. The show will be televised on ESPN+ and ESPN Knockout.

“We are ready to kick off the new year with a bang,” stated Tuto Zabala Jr., President of All Star Boxing, Inc. “In the main event, we have a high stakes clash on neutral ground. The winner will be in good position to end up as a mandatory contender for any of the three organizations.” Continue reading “Jr flyweight contenders meet March 8”

Eye of the Tiger has announced the signing of unbeaten super lightweight Arthur Biyarslanov (13-0, 11 KOs), and middleweight Shamil Khataev (12-0, 3 KOs). Shamil is the brother of light heavyweight Imam Khataev (6-0, 6 KOs), a 2020 Olympian also signed by EOTTM.

IBO super middleweight titleholder Osleys Iglesias (9-0, 8 KOs) against Marcelo Coceres (32-6-1, 18 KOs) has been added to Eye of the Tiger’s March 7 show, headlined by the previously announced Quebec vs. Ontario Butler-Rolls showdown, will be broadcast on ESPN+ in the United States.

Unbeaten super middleweight Julian Vogel (13-0-1, 7 KOs) will headline an April 13 SES show at the Ballhaus Arena in Aschersleben, Germany.

Women’s boxing champion Claressa “GWOAT” Shields will return to MMA on February 24 in the first-ever female MMA fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Also, Muhammad Ali’s grandson Biaggio Ali Walsh will make his professional MMA debut on the card.

The WBA Championships Committee has ordered a bout between WBA minimumweight champion Thammanoon Niyomtrong and current mandatory challenger Hasanboy Dusmatov. The parties have 30 days to negotiate. If a deal isn’t reached, a purse bid will likely be called. Niyomtrong’s “super champion” status was conditioned to an eighteen month mandatory defense period. His last mandatory fight, however, was on November 29, 2018, so Niyomtrong’s mandatory has been due since May 28, 2020!!! During that period many defenses have fallen through.

Sampson Boxing has announced the signing of undefeated Brazilian cruiserweight Lucas Pontes da Silva (7-0, 7 KOs) to a promotional contract. Pontes da Silva’s father/trainer, Ulisses Pereira, previously worked with former WBO lightweight champion Acelino “Popo” Freitas for more than two decades.

According to Box Azteca in Mexico, undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez will be making an important announcement about his career on the network this Tuesday at noon. Canelo usually fights on Cinco de Mayo weekend, but, as of now, he has no fight confirmed.

By Damon Gonzalez / LatinBox Sports

Unbeaten super lightweight Brayan Fonteboa (4-0, 3 KOs) from Hialeah, Florida, crushed Steven Brabson (3-8, 2 KOs) from Athens, Tennessee, at 0:53 seconds of the opening round on Saturday night at the Miccosukee Casino Resort in Miami Florida. The event was presented by M&R Boxing Promotions.

In the co-main event, super lightweight Hebreux “Smiley” Francois (2-0, 2 KOs) from Winter Haven, Florida, finished off Jaymes Hyder (0-1) from Spokane Valley, Washington, ending his night at the official time 1:47 seconds of round two by way of TKO. Continue reading “Results from Miami, Florida”

In a clash between unbeaten super featherweights, Austin Brooks (12-0, 5 KOs) knocked out Jose Manuel Izaguirre (7-1, 3 KOs) in the seventh round on Saturday night at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California. Brooks took over midway and battered Izaguirre to the canvas for the count. Time was :56.

Lightweight Tayden “The Butcher” Beltran (8-0-1, 4 KOs) had problems with unconventional Willmark Canonico (12-4-2, 10 KOs), but pulled away to an eight round unanimous decision by scores of 77-73, 76-74, 76-74. Both fighters were deducted a point for punching after the bell.

Other Results:
Leonardo Rubalcava TKO1 Lyle McFarlane (super lightweight)
Andrian Alvarado W6 Brayan Ramos Armenta (bantamweight)
Hector Lopez TKO2 Rod Sarguilla (super bantamweight)
Jose Bravo KO1 Rico Tartt (super bantamweight)

Unbeaten WBC #4, WBO #5, WBA #11 middleweight Hamzah Sheeraz (19-0, 15 KOs) annihilated WBO #6, WBC #8 rated former world title challenger Liam Williams (25-5-1, 20 KOs) in the first round of a fight for the WBC silver and Commonwealth belts. Sheeran dropped Williams twice and Williams’ corner eventually waved the towel. Time was 2:36.

Two-time world title challenger and WBA #4, WBO #4, WBC #5, IBF #8 rated light heavyweight Anthony Yarde (25-3, 24 KOs) destroyed Marko Nikolic (32-4, 12 KOs) in three rounds. Yarde dropped Nikolic twice in round two, but the game Nikolic made it through the round. The bout was halted after another knockdown in round three. Time was 1:15.

Unbeaten lightweight knockout artist Sam Noakes (13-0, 13 KOs) halted Lewis Sylvester (13-1, 4 KOs) in round four of a bout for the Commonwealth, British, and WBC International Silver titles. Noakes dropped Sylvester twice in round three with a brutal body attack and finished him with another knockdown in round four. Time was 2:10. Continue reading “Sheeraz, Yarde, Noakes get crushing KOs”

In an entertaining slugfest, super featherweight Reece “The Bomber” Bellotti (18-5, 14 KOs) dethroned previously unbeaten British champion Liam Dillon (13-1-1, 3 KOs) on Saturday night at Indigo at The O2 Arena in London. Toe-to-toe action all the way with Bellotti winning by scores of 117-111, 117-112, 116-112.

Returning after 22 months, former light heavyweight title challenger Craig Richards (18-3-1, 11 KOs) stopped Boris Crighton (12-5, 7 KOs) in round seven. Richards dropped Crighton in round seven and got the stoppage with his follow-up barrage. Time was 2:52. Continue reading “Bellotti defeats Dillon for British belt”

Big shocker in a WBA bridgerweight eliminator on Saturday night at the KRK “Uralets” Arena in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Unbeaten WBA #2 Evgeny Romanov dropped WBA #3 Zhaoxin Zhang in round one and continued to batter him in round two until suddenly, out of nowhere, Zhang floored Romanov face first with a right/left/right combination. Romanov tried to get up but was out of it. Zhang moves to 12-2-1, 7 KOs, while Romanov falls to 19-1, 12 KOs. What a turnaround!

In other action, WBA #14 lightweight Zaur Abdullaev (19-1, 11 KOs) outpointed former WBA super featherweight champion Roger “The Kid” Gutierrez (27-6-1, 21 KOs) over ten rounds.

Austin Brooks 129 vs Jose Manuel Izaguirre 129
Tayden Beltran 140.4 vs Willmark Canonico 143.8
Leonardo Rubalcava 141.1 vs Lyle McFarlane 141
Andrian Alvarado 120 vs Brayan Ramos Armenta 120
Hector Lopez 119.6 vs Rod Sarguilla 119
Jose Bravo 121.6 vs Rico Tartt 123.5

Venue: Thunder Studios, Long Beach, California
Promoter: CBN Promotions
TV: Fubo Sports

The WBA Championships Committee has recognized Jono Carroll as the mandatory challenger in the super featherweight category after an extensive analysis of the division. Carroll, who won a September 2021 eliminator against Andy Vences, sent a formal request to WBA and after analyzing the scenario, the decision was reached on Friday, February 9. The teams of WBA super featherweight champion Lamont Roach and Carroll will have a 30-day period to negotiate the fight. The winner of the bout will face Otar Eranosyan within 120 days of his victory. Eranosyan defeated Roger Gutierrez in an eliminator in August 2023.

WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) will defend against Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) on April 20 in Las Vegas. Both sides have confirmed the fight on social media. Fight now also confirmed by Golden Boy and Matchroom.

BetOnline (www.BetOnline.ag) set odds on the boxing match this morning, and Haney is a huge favorite.

Fight Odds
Devin Haney -500 (1/5)
Ryan Garcia +350 (7/2)

The above odds equate to an 83.3% implied probability that Haney will come out ahead in the fight.

WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu and WBA super lightweight champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero made the rounds with general sports reporters at Radio Row in Las Vegas this week ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday to discuss their respective matchups that top a PBC pay-per-view available on Prime Video March 30 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Tszyu attended Thursday’s festivities while Romero conducted interviews on Wednesday, as both are training in Las Vegas, the host city of Sunday’s game. Tszyu will face two-time world champion Keith “One Time” Thurman in the March 30 main event, while Romero will defend his title against Mexican star Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in the co-feature.

Photos: Sumio Yamada

Check out this GIANT Teofimo-Ortiz photo gallery for some incredible shots + the scorecard + action from the Davis-Pedraza fight.

Photos

Hamzah Sheeraz 159.4 vs. Liam Williams 159
(WBC Silver & Commonwealth middleweight titles)

Sam Noakes 134.6 vs. Lewis Slyvester 133.6

Anthony Yarde 177.7 vs. Marko Nikolic 179.6

Masood Abdullah 125.7 vs. Qais Ashfaq 134.13
Karol Itauma 181.12 vs. Eros Seghetti 182.13
Tommy Fletcher 202.5 vs. Alvaro Terrero 204.13
Aloys Junior 204.6 vs. Miloslav Savic to weigh-in tomorrow
Umar Khan 128 vs. Maicol Velazco 129.2
Billy Adams 132.5 vs. Engel Gomez 133.9
Charlie Hickford 127.4 vs. Yin Caicedo 126.7
Sam King 160 vs. Bartos Glowacki 159.13

Venue: Copper Box Arena, London
Promoter: Queensberry
TV: ESPN+ (US), TNT Sports (UK)

Liam Dillon 129.9 vs. Reece Bellotti 129.4
(British and Commonwealth super featherweight titles)

Cameron Vuong 136.5 vs. Ishmael Ellis 135.9
Craig Richards 176.7 vs. Boris Crighton 176.2
Shannon Ryan 114.9 vs. Jasmina Zapotoczna 114.5
John Hedges 199.2 vs. Erdogan Kadrija 195.4
Jack Oliphant 161.7 vs. Jensen Irving 162.3
Ibraheem Sulaimaan 135.3 vs. Jordan Patrick Tomasoni 136.5
Emmanuel Odiase 259.6 vs. Amine Boucetta 231

Venue: Indigo at The O2, London
Promoter: Matchroom
TV: DAZN

Super Bowl weekend kicked off in Las Vegas with WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo “The Takeover” Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs) taking a twelve round unanimous decision against Jamaine Ortiz (17-1-1, 8 KOs) on Thursday night at the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Lopez stalked Ortiz, who stayed out of range and frustrated Lopez. Ortiz was cut by an accidental headbutt in round seven. Lopez continued to press while Ortiz had little offense in response. In the end, scores were 117-111, 115-113, 115-113. Not a fan-friendly fight.

U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis (10-0, 7 KOs) dominated and stopped former two-division world champion Jose “Sniper” Pedraza (29-6-1, 14 KOs). Davis was fast and accurate, hitting Pedraza almost at will. Finally waved off by the ref in round six. Time was 1:09. Continue reading “Teofimo defeats Ortiz in snoozer”

Middleweight contenders Hamzah Sheeraz and former world title challenger Liam Williams faced off at the final press conference for their clash at London’s Copper Box Arena, with the WBC Silver and Commonwealth titles on the line.

Liam Williams: “Camp has gone really, really well and I’ve trained my nuts off! I am ready and, if I’m not ready now, I never will be…I don’t think he has been in with someone yet who has really tested him and stuck it on him. On Saturday night we are going to see how he holds up to that.”

Hamzah Sheeraz: “The ideal night is a Hamzah Sheeraz win, it all depends on that. For me to achieve my dreams and make people proud, I have to put on a performance. A stoppage is the plan and I don’t see why I can’t do it. The way I work and my mentality is elite level. I am rubbing shoulders with great champions in LA and only learning off them.”

WBC flyweight champion Julio Cesar Martinez (20-2, 15 KOs) will defend against Angelino Cordova (18-0-1, 12 KOs) on PBC’s March 30 event in Las Vegas. Martinez, who is part of “Team Canelo” and trained by Eddy Reynoso, was slated to face Cordova in December on the final Showtime telecast, but due to visa problems the fight had to be postponed.

Jamaine “The Technician” Ortiz (17-1-1, 8 KOs) is in the biggest fight of his career as he challenges WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo “The Takeover” Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs) for his world title tonight at the Michelob Ultra Arena and live on ESPN.

“To be honest, I don’t know how this fight came to be,” admitted Ortiz on The Final Bell podcast only 9 days from fight night. “I saw Teofimo at the Benavidez vs. Andrade fight, and a few weeks later, I got the call…it’s a rivalry in the sense that we fought in the past…it was a very competitive fight, and we gotta get even on that”.

“He’s a great fighter. I think he’s the best at 140 right now. I feel like it’s a harder challenge [than Stevenson and Haney], but I can’t take anything away from the guys at the top. They’re world champions for a reason. It takes a lot to get there, but I feel like once I beat Teofimo, I’ll be the top guy. Continue reading “Jamaine Ortiz: You’re gonna see fireworks”

Undefeated super featherweight Austin Brooks will be in the spotlight on Saturday night. With no major U.S. shows on Super Bowl eve, the eight-rounder between Brooks (11-0, 4 KOs) and Jose Manuel Izaguirre (7-0, 3 KOs) will be just about the only free fight card available during the evening time slot in the U.S.

The event will be broadcast live on Fubo Sports and take place at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California.

Here is what Brooks, who hails from La Mesa, California, had to say about his recent training camp, his matchup with Izaguirre, fighting in the main event on national television, and more. Continue reading “Austin Brooks in spotlight”

By Jeff Zimmerman

Former 2x unified welterweight champ Keith “One Time” Thurman takes on the hard-hitting WBO junior middleweight champ, Australia’s Tim Tszyu on March 30 in Las Vegas for the first fight on the Premier Boxing Champions new platform, Amazon. Thurman has been out of the ring for 2 years as he moves up in weight against the son of Hall of Famer, Kostya Tszyu. Thurman talks about his big fight plus shares his thoughts on a Spence-Crawford rematch and Crawford moving up to face Canelo plus much more in this Fightnews.com® exclusive.

Teofimo Lopez 139.6 vs. Jamaine Ortiz 139.6
(WBO junior welterweight title)

Keyshawn Davis 134.7 vs. Jose Pedraza 134.5

George Acosta 131.3 vs. Rene Tellez Giron 132
Javier Martinez 161.6 vs. Raul Salomon 164.4
Abdullah Mason 135.3 vs. Benjamin Gurment 136.8
Charlie Sheehy 135.7 vs. Abdel Sauceda 135.4
Alan Garcia 136.6 vs. Tomas Ornelas 134.6
Antonio Zepeda 299.7 vs. Lemir Isom-Riley 257
Art Barrera Jr. 141 vs. Michael Portales 140

Venue: Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas
Promoter: Top Rank
TV: ESPN, ESPN+