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By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten hard-punching Filipino WBA#1 flyweight Dave Apolinario (20-0, 14 KOs), 111.5, came off the canvas in round three, and badly dropped formerly world rated ex-WBA Asia champ Tanes Onjunta (12-2, 6 KOs), 112.75, twice and for the count at 1:44 of the fourth round in a scheduled eight on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan.

It was a very competitive undercard to a regional tripleheader at the Korakuen Hall. Onjunta scored with a well-timed right counter, decking the prefight favorite Apolinario to stun the crowd midway in the third. But Tanes sustained a bad gash at the side of his skull, bleeding profusely in the same third. The lefty Filipino, however, caught up with the Thailander with a beautiful southpaw left and sent him to the canvas. Though standing up quickly, Tanes took another vicious right hook to fall and was unable to beat the count. It’s a crowd-pleasing give-and-take affair. Continue reading “WBA #1 Apolinario survives, finishes Tanes”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Former OPBF bantam champ Kazuki Nakajima (15-2-1, 12 KOs), 121.5, acquired the vacant OPBF 122-pound belt (renounced by his stablemate Yoshiki Takei) when he scored a nearly shutout decision (120-108 twice, 119-109) over Mugicha Nakagawa (28-10-3, 18 KOs), 122, over twelve lopsided rounds on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan.

Nakajima, a southpaw hard-puncher with a suspect chin whose WBO AP 122-pound belt was wrested by TJ Doheny via TKO route last year, made good use of footwork to keep his distance against the wild swinger. Nakagawa, who previously upset former world challenger and ex-OPBF super bantam champ Shingo Wake to raise his stock, kept stalking the footworker but failed to catch the crisp punching southpaw all the way. For Nakajima, formerly an Ashiya university amateur boxer, it was his third regional belt acquisition. Continue reading “Nakajima defeats Nakagawa for OPBF 122lb belt”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten IBF#13 Keisuke Matsumoto (10-0, 7 KOs), 126, barely kept his Japanese featherweight belt as he survived a last-round visit to the canvas and eked out a unanimous decision (all 96-92) over JBC#1 Jinki Maeda (13-2, 8 KOs), 125.5, over ten see-saw heats on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan.

The shaven skulled champ Keisuke, the son of former three-time world challenger and now his trainer Koji Matsumoto, utilized his hand speed and quick reflexes, comfortably piling up points almost in every round. He finely sent him to the deck with an eye-catching left-right combination to the southpaw ex-kick boxing champ in the fourth.

Maeda, whose left optic was badly puffed with his absorption of the champ’s sharp combinations, showed his determination as he turned loose and displayed an incredible last surge. Jinki decked the champ with a southpaw left and had him at bay with the bell coming to his rescue.

This fight may be a good candidate for Fight of the Year in the domestic category with each hitting the deck in dramatic fashion. Continue reading “Matsumoto beats Maeda, keeps Japan’s 126lb belt”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

The press conference of the forthcoming world title tripleheader was held on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan. All the participants look so fit and confident that they eloquently express their will to be victorious, as follows:

WBA BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE BOUT

Defending champion TAKUMA INOUE (18-1, 4 KOs), Japan:
“I am in a career-best shape and also have done a very best training. I know Ancajas is the strongest opponent that I exchange gloves with. I’ll concentrate on beating him with my best effort.”

Challenger and ex-IBF junior bantam champion having defended his belt nine times JERWIN ANCAJAS (34-3-2, 23 KOs), Philippines:
“Now we don’t have no Filipino world champion. That makes me hungry for the championship belt. I’ll win.

WBC BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE BOUT

Defending champion ALEJANDRO SANTIAGO (28-3-5, 14 KOs), Mexico:
“I’m in very best condition mentally and physically. I’ve done a strenuous training to defend my title successfully. I’m sure to win and keep my belt.”

Challenger and former two-division titlist JUNTO NAKATANI (26-0, 19 KOs), Japan:
“I’ve done 276 sparring sessions. I wish to demonstrate a good performance and become a new WBC champion. Having moved up to the bantamweight class, I feel very fit and believe I’m physically stronger.”

WBO JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE BOUT for the vacant championship

Former three-division champ and WBO#1 KOSEI TANAKA (19-1, 11 KOs), Japan:
“I have fully studied my opponent’s style. I’m ready to win my fourth world championship.”

WBO#2 CHRISTIAN BACASEGUA (22-4-2, 9 KOs), Mexico:
“I’ve been training very hard. My condition is perfect. I’m very much confidence to acquire the world belt.”

Akihiko Honda of Teiken Promotions is the promoter of this deluxe show at Kuramae Sumo Arena.

More photos

The World Boxing Council has approved a fight between WBC interim super middleweight champion David Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) and former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk (20-1, 16 KOs) for the vacant IBF interim light heavyweight title. Benavidez comes into this fight after successfully defending his WBC 168lb belt against Demetrius Andrade last November. Former 175lb champion Gvozdyk is 3-0 since coming off a three-year layoff. More information regarding this fight will be released in the coming days.

Gor Yeritsyan 146.4 vs. Quinton Randall 146.4 – 10 Rounds
WBC Continental Americas Welterweight Title
Cain Sandoval 139.2 vs. Javier Molina 140 – 10 Rounds
Daniel Barrera 114 vs. Jonathan Almacen 138.8 – 6 Rounds
Jorge Maravillo 152.2 vs. Jesus Gonzalez 151 – 6 Rounds
Alfredo Castro Villafuerte 122 vs. Ezequiel Flores 122 – 6 Rounds
Osvel Caballero 127.6 vs. Jason Buenaobra 122

Venue: Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez, California
Promoter: 360 Promotions
TV: UFC Fightpass

Unfortunately, due to visa issues, the Wendy Toussaint vs. Mponda Kalunga main event bout has been postponed. Federici-Caparello has been elevated to the main event, and the Gonzalez-McMahon bout has been elevated to the co-feature.

Simone Federici 198 vs. Blake Caparello 195.8
(WBC Continental America cruiserweight title)

Danny Gonzalez 149.2 vs. Keane McMahon 147.8
Kamil Bednarek 170.2 vs. Victor Hugo Exner 170.8
John “Warrior” Gjini 134.6 vs Manuel Guzman 135.4
Frank Monaco 166.6 vs. Levan Loutsoupitze 166.4
Ronny Reyes 129.4 vs. Markus Bowes 132.6
Lous Maietta 169.6 vs. Tevin Terrance 170

Venue: The Paramount, Huntington, NY
Promoter: Star Boxing
TV: StarBoxing.TV

Unbeaten super middleweights Edgar Berlanga and Padraig McCrory faced off today at the final press conference for Saturday’s fight in Orlando, Forida, on DAZN.

Edgar Berlanga: “At this time, Saturday is my focus, Padraig McCrory. I don’t give a f**k about Canelo, Munguia, it’s this man across from me that’s trying to take my ‘0’, so I have to put my focus on him and handle my business and then eventually, we can focus on those guys.

Padraig McCrory: “I’m just a guy from West Belfast, no-one expects anything from me. But I think I have got what it takes to win this fight, we’ve trained hard and meticulously gone through tactics so whether it’s Game A, B or C, we’re ready for what he brings.”

Heavyweight Francis Ngannou, who is currently set to face former two-time unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in the boxing ring on March 8th, will then return to MMA to make his Professional Fighters League (PFL) debut against the winner of a fight between Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader, who tussle this weekend at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Ngannou, a former UFC champion, lost a narrow decision against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury last year before signing to face Joshua in another boxing match.

On March 30, WBA cruiserweight champion Arsen “Feroz” Goulamirian (27-0, 19 KOs) makes his U.S. fighting debut to defend his title against former world champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (45-1, 30 KOs) at the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California and broadcast live on DAZN.

Arsen Goulamirian: “I am excited to fight for the first time in the United States, and of all places Los Angeles. There are no excuses now. I know Zurdo wants to be a world champion, but he’s going to have to go through me first. I will successfully defend my world championship belt this March 30!”

Zurdo Ramirez: “I’m back! And I’m ready to become the first Mexican cruiserweight champion. When I made the move to this division, I had my eyes set on Arsen and I can’t wait to showcase my skills in the ring. I feel extremely comfortable at this weight class and will look to become the undisputed champion.”

Promoter Oscar De La Hoya: “There has never been a Mexican world champion in both the super middleweight and cruiserweight divisions, but ‘Zurdo’ has always been special, and I fully expect him to walk away with the WBA belt on March 30…with all of this motivation, I would expect a knockout — and a spectacular one.”

Still no May 4 opponent has been finalized for undisputed super middleweight Champion Canelo Alvarez. According to ESPN in Mexico, Premier Boxing Champions, who will cough up around a $35 million purse for Canelo, considers Jaime Munguia to be a more attractive PPV attraction. Team Canelo, however, is insisting on Jermall Charlo, who PBC fears could end up being a money-loser. A decision one way or another is expected by the end of the month.

WBA regular heavyweight champion Mahmoud “Diamond Boy” Charr (34-4, 20 KOs) of Germany will defend his title against two-time former world title challenger and WBA #10 rated Kubrat “The Cobra” Pulev (30-3, 14 KOs) on March 30 at the Arena Sophia in Sophia, Bulgaria. The fight will be presented by Epic Sports & Entertainment, led by CEO Ivaylo Gotzev.

“Everything is finally coming together and we are all in alignment. This fight promises to deliver an old school heavyweight barn burner. Both men are ready and it’s a make or break fight for them both. There is a lot on the line. This fight sets up multiple angles and we are excited about this year’s plans, watch this space,” said Gotzev.

By Gabriel F.Cordero

Sad to report the passing of legendary boxing official Manuel Landero of Panama at the age of 98. Landero had been a member of the WBA since 1967 when he joined the officers’ committee and eventually ended up as a supervisor in world title fights. In 1982, it was Landero who nominated Gilberto Mendoza Sr. for president of the WBA. He then carried out extensive lobbying to convince other WBA members to elect Mendoza.

By Jeff Zimmerman

Super middleweight star Edgar Berlanga talked about his upcoming fight this weekend against the undefeated Irishman Padraig McCrory at the Caribe Royale in Orlando and live on DAZN. He opened up about his career where he won his first sixteen fights by first round knockout, plus his “bite fight” vs. Angulo. He spoke about a Canelo-Benavidez potential showdown and what a Super Fight against them and Munguia at Madison Square Garden – Mexico vs. Puerto Rico – would look like. Plus, he shared a non-profit close to his heart – Cristian Rivera Foundation https://cristianriverafoundation.org/ – created in 2009 by family friend John Rivera to help find a cure for DMG/DIPG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma) after his son Cristian passed away at the age of six from DIPG.

Photo credit: Ed Mulholland @muls96 / Matchroom Boxing

WBC flyweight champion Julio Cesar Martinez (20-2, 15 KOs) previewed his title defense against unbeaten contender Angelino Cordova (18-0-1, 12 KOs) during a virtual press conference this week. They fight March 30 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The bout is available via free access on Amazon Prime Video to all fans regardless of Prime membership or purchase of the Tszyu-Thurman PPV card later that evening.

Martinez and Cordova were originally scheduled to fight to fight on the final Showtime telecast in December, however, Martinez experienced visa issues trying to enter the country, forcing the bout to be rescheduled.

“I was very frustrated to have this fight postponed the first time, but now we’re just looking forward to the fight happening and having my hand raised,” said Martinez. Continue reading “JC Martinez: I’m the best at 112 pounds”

Former undisputed lightweight champion and current WBC super lightweight champion Devin “The Dream” Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) and popular contender Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) will host a multi-city press tour to promote their April 20 world championship clash, with stops in New York City (February 27, Palladium Times Square at 1:30PM ET) and Los Angeles (February 29, Avalon Hollywood at 1PM PT). Both stops will be open to the public. Get there early.

The Haney-Kingry fight will be available in the U.S. on DAZN PPV, while the rest of the world gets it with their DAZN subscription.

By Brad Snyder-The Undercard
Photos by Bob Ryder

Salita Promotions introduced “Big Time Boxing” and debuted boxing Tuesday night at the Wayne State Fieldhouse on the campus of Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Big Time Boxing USA is set to be a regular boxing program on the DAZN network. Continue reading “Holmes lights up Harrington”

Unbeaten IBF #5, WBO #5, WBA #8, WBC #11 super middleweight Edgar Berlanga (21-0, 16 KOs) is a -550 favorite over WBA #3 Padraig McCrory (18-0, 9 KOs) when they collide on Saturday night on DAZN from Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida.

There is also wagering interest in the winning method since Berlanga, who opened his career with 16 consecutive first round KOs, now has a streak of five consecutive decision wins.

Here’s how that stacks up:

Berlanga By Decision: +105
Berlanga By KO/TKO/DQ: +130
McCrory By Decision: +850
McCrory By KO/TKO;DQ: +800
Draw: +2500

Unbeaten WBA #3 super middleweight Padraig McCrory (18-0, 9 KOs) believes Edgar Berlanga (21-0, 16 KOs) and his team have made a mistake in picking him to fight this Saturday when they clash at Caribe Royale in Orlando, live worldwide on DAZN.

“He’s looking past me talking about [Jaime Munguia and Canelo Alvarez], he’s not worried about me but that’s a big mistake, he’s in for a nightmare,” said McCrory. “I’m definitely his hardest fight. I’m a big 168 and he’s never taken anyone’s ‘O’. He sounds confident but I think it’s all show. He’s trying to convince himself and on Saturday you’ll see that I’m his biggest test.  Continue reading “McCrory: I see myself knocking Berlanga out”

USBA junior middleweight beltholder Ardreal “Bossman” Holmes Jr. (15-0, 6 KOs) destroyed crosstown rival Marlon Harrington (10-2, 9 KOs) in two rounds on Tuesday night at Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit. Holmes dropped Harrington three times in round two to end it. Time was 1:25.

Undefeated IBF #7, WBO #8 light heavyweight Ali Izmailov (12-0, 8 KOs) successfully defended his USBA title with a punishing fourth round TKO against rugged Britton Norwood (13-5-1, 10 KOs). Izmailov dropped Norwood with a body shot in round two. Another body shot knockdown in round four and Norwood’s corner stopped the bout soon after. Time as 1:28.

Unbeaten cruiserweight Viddal Riley (10-0, 6 KOs) has signed a long-term contract extension with BOXXER and Sky Sports. Riley is also a rapper and a YouTube personality with 1.2 million followers.

The camp of heavyweight Daniel Dubois has passed on an EBU European title fight against Granit Shala. The EBU board then unanimously picked Joe Joyce to replace Dubois against Shala. We’ll see what happens.

Triller TV is presenting Hasim Rahman Jr (12-2, 6 KOs) against “a mystery opponent” on March 16. The fight will be a $19.99 PPV.

Super middleweight contenders Edgar Berlanga and Padraig McCrory face-off for the first time for Saturday’s fight at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Surrounded by security, bitter rivals Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall wrapped up their two-city press tour on Tuesday to launch their rematch on April 27 at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England, shown live on DAZN in the UK and around the world and on ESPN+ in the U.S.

Josh Taylor: “I’m looking forward to getting this fight done. The first one is done, he couldn’t beat me the first time and he certainly won’t beat me this time, so I’m looking forward to it…when I beat him this time again, he’s got nowhere to go. His biggest night is me and when I beat him again, he’ll have nowhere to go and he’ll retire without a prime, with no belts and he’ll never be a world champion…on April 27, I end Jack Catterall’s career, one that he never got going, and he’ll never be a world champion.”

Jack Catterall: It’s good to have the rematch locked in, and I’m ready to settle it…I think he’s there to be beaten and I’ve got his number, and it’s only a matter of time before he touches the canvas again. Josh, you are finished after this fight. In nine weeks’ time, we get to put him to bed.”

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

A historic meeting took place during the month of January, in which the most important promoters in the world met for an informal talk that was highly positive, and for which I am infinitely grateful for the trust from all of them, to serve as facilitator of said meeting that was held at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas.

Bob Arum and Carl Moretti of Top Rank; Tom Brown, TGB; Luis de Cubas, from PBC; Fernando Beltrán, from Zanfer; Eddie Hearn of Matchroom; Salvatore and Christian Cherchi, of Opi2000, and Tom Loeffler, of 360 Promotions, were present, while others, due to health or scheduling reasons, were unable to attend.

The main theme unanimously accepted is 1) the unity and respect that must exist between all members of the boxing industry, 2) working together to make the fights that the fans want to see happen, and 3) leaving behind individual egos and pretensions.

As Don King has always said, ‘Working together works.’ By the way, Don was confirmed to attend, unfortunately, medical issues have prevented him from flying for some time now. However, he keeps on working and is active. Continue reading “Working together for the good of boxing”

Super featherweights Jordan Gill and Zelfa Barrett faced off at a launch press conference ahead of their domestic clash at Manchester, England’s AO Arena on Saturday, shown live worldwide on DAZN.

Jordan Gill: “I’m like a half-Indian Golovkin…to be the best you have to beat the best. So, to have a claim to a World title you have to go through these fights. Zelfa is a very good fighter, he wants a World title shot and he’s probably at the front of the queue, so I have to beat him to leapfrog him. That’s why we’re here and we said yes to the fight, so I am looking forward to it.”

Zelfa Barrett: “This is what I have been waiting for and I’ll surprise you with how many tickets I sell because Manchester has been screaming for a fighter and I’m top of the tree. If I can get a win over Jordan, the world is mine and you can deliver me anything that you can, and I believe I will do.”