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Natasha Jonas 146 vs. Mikaela Mayer 146.5
(IBF female welterweight title)

Jack Cullen 167.5 vs. Zak Chelli 166.5
(British & Commonwealth super middleweight titles)

Karriss Artingstall 124.5 vs. Lila Dos Santos Furtado 124
Aaron McKenna 168 vs. Micky Ellison 171
Mark Jeffers 167 vs. Germaine Brown 167
Jack Massey 204 vs. Steve Eloundou Ntere 201
Mikie Tallon 111 vs. Adamu Yahaya 113
Ste Clarke 160 vs. Vasif Mamedov 166.5

Venue: M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England
Promoter: BOXXER
TV: ESPN+ (US), Sky Sports (UK/Ireland)

By Joe Koizumi
Photo: Boxing Beat Magazine

The Japanese culture might be so bizarre. Our people strongly hate ominous news mentioned before the new year coming. People wish to welcome 2024 in our fresh mind so that we eliminate bad memories of the past year and then reboot the prosperous new year. Having entered January, we have seen some information on celebrities or athletes having already passed in December. So, this is not an excuse that this reporter has thus delayed reporting the death of some boxing persons.

Shoji Tsujimoto, 75, former Japanese welterweight champ, passed away on December 23. Having scored an excellent amateur mark of 92-10, 46 stoppages and gained some national amateur belts, the tall, handsome and stylish southpaw turned professional as he entered Yonekura Gym presided by former world challenger Kenji Yonekura (who failed to win the world fly and bantam belts from Pascual Perez and Jose Becerra in 1959 and 1960). Tsujimoto entered the world top ten by defeating ex-champ Eddie Perkins on points (unanimous; 49-48, 49-47, 50-47) in 1974, and became the very first Japanese boxer to have an ambitious crack at the world welterweight belt against Jose Pipino Cuevas in his first defense, though, only to be demolished in six hard-fought rounds in Kanazawa in 1976. Continue reading “Ex-world challenger Tsujimoto, promoter Matsuda pass”

Ramon Arellano (Arellano Boxing) presented a night of boxing Thursday in Nashville, Tennessee at his popular San Jose Fiesta Mexican restaurant in front of the excited locals in attendance. The six round main event saw unbeaten super lightweight prospect Stacey Selby (5-0, 4 KOs) of Washington D.C. stop local Tennessee veteran Marlon Lewis in round two. Selby dropped Lewis five times in the bout. The official time of the stoppage was 1:16.

Rounding out the undercard:

Maria Arellano UD Eskemberli Casique Duarte
Mike Nelson KO Romundus Taylor
Brandon Hughes Draw Travis Floyd

H.E. Advisor Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Arabia General Entertainment Authority, announced an agreement has been reached between rival boxing promoters Frank Warren of Queensberry Promotions and Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing which will see the promotional outfits face-off in an historic five-versus-five fight night.

The date and fighters will be announced at a press conference during the Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou fight week in March. Continue reading “Queensberry vs. Matchroom card set”

In this weekend’s big TV fight, two-division world champion Natasha Jonas (14-2-1, 9 KOs) will defend her IBF welterweight world title against former unified junior lightweight world champion Mikaela Mayer (19-1, 5 KOs) on Saturday at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England.

In the co-feature, “Little Lever’s Meat Cleaver” Jack Cullen (22-4-1, 10 KOs) will put his British and Commonwealth titles on the line against Zak Chelli (14-2-1, 7 KOs) in a 12-round rematch of their all-action 2020 slugfest that ended in a draw.

Jonas-Mayer and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. Continue reading “Jonas-Mayer Final Press Conference”

Salita Promotions will launch the “Big Time Boxing USA” series on DAZN on February 20 (a Tuesday) headlined by a ten round all-Michigan showdown between unbeaten Ardreal “Bossman” Holmes Jr. (14-0, 5 KOs) against Marlon Harrington (10-1, 9 KOs). Holmes defends his USBA super welterweight belt topping the card from Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit.

The live streaming action will also see unbeaten USBA light heavyweight champion Ali Izmailov (11-0, 7 KOs) against Britton Norwood (13-4-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-round co-main event. Also on tap is an eight round lightweight battle of unbeaten between Joshua Pagan (9-0, 4 KOs) and Dwane Taylor (7-0, 7 KOs), plus undefeated middleweight Da’Velle Smith competes in a six round affair.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

WBA flyweight champ Artem Dalakian (22-0, 15 KOs), from Ukraine, arrived in Japan to defend his belt against top contender Yuri Seigo Akui (18-2-1, 11 KOs) next Tuesday （January 23） in Osaka, Japan. Dalakian reportedly took eighteen hours to move to Warsaw, and then flew far away to Tokyo this Sunday.

The unbeaten titleholder, who had successfully kept it six times, engaged in a public workout at Teiken Gym on Monday, and showed he’s in good shape despite a long trip from Ukraine. Once postponed from November 15, Dalakian, 36, said, “I could study Akui’s style two months more. I’m confident to defend my belt to dedicate my victory to my mother Marina who will celebrate her birthday on the fight day.” Continue reading “WBA 112lb champ Dalakian, Akui both look sharp”

Stacey Selby 146 vs. Marlon Lewis 140
Maria Arellano 149 vs. Eskemberli Casique Duarte 145
Mike Nelson 181 vs. Romundus Taylor 173
Brandon Hughes 142 vs. Travis Floyd 142

Venue: San Jose Fiesta Mexican Restaurant
Promoter: Ramon Arellano (Arellano Boxing)

Undefeatd super lightweight “Marvelous” Mykquan Williams (20-0-2, 9 KOs) stopped previously unbeaten Luis Feliciano (17-1, 8 KOs) in round six on Wednesday night the Whitesands Event Center in Plant City, Florida. Williams dropped Feliciano twice in round two but Feliciano survived the round. Williams floored Feliciano again in round six. Feliciano got up wobbly and the bout was halted at 1:43. Williams looked good.

A clash between welterweight knockout artists ended up going the ten round distance with unbeaten Freudis Rojas (13-0, 11 KOs) winning a unanimous decision over Cristian Baez (19-4, 17 KOs). Scores were 98-92, 99-91, 99-91. The bout seemed very close and the crowd reacted to the scoring with boos.

In a clash between unbeaten super featherweights, Jaycob Gomez (9-0-1, 6 KOs) scored a fifth round TKO over Ezequiel Borrero (6-1, 2 KOs). Gomez dropped Borrero in round one and got a referee’s stoppage with a barrage of punches at 1:40 of round five.

By Jeff Zimmerman

“Iceman” John Scully, a trainer to pound-for-pound great Artur Beterbiev, shared his thoughts on his masterful performance versus Callum Smith last weekend plus his potential showdown with Dmitry Bivol and discussed Canelo and Benavidez too. Scully also talked about guiding Chad Dawson to a world title against the legendary Bernard Hopkins, the greatness of Roy Jones Jr, how he was as a light heavyweight contender and what he thinks of today’s young fighters plus his great work with former fighters in need and much more in this Fightnews.com® exclusive.

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Golden Boy Promotions has assembled the undercard for the January 27 super middleweight clash between Jaime Munguía and John “The Gorilla” Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs) at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, broadcast worldwide on DAZN.

In the co-main event, WBO minimumweight champion Oscar “El Pupilo” Collazo (8-0, 6 KOs) will defend his title against Reyneris Gutierrez (10-1, 2 KOs). Also, unbeaten super middleweight Darius “DFG” Fulghum (9-0, 9 KOs) will be facing Alantez “SlyAza” Fox (28-5-1, 13 KOs), IBF female flyweight champion Gabriela “Sweet Poison” Fundora (12-0, 5 KOs) defends against Christina Cruz (6-0, 0 KOs), and unbeaten super bantamweight David Picasso Romero (26-0-1, 15 KOs) will go against Erik Ruiz (17-9-1, 7 KOs). All are ten-rounders.

Unbeaten super lightweights Luis Feliciano (17-0, 8 KOs) and Mykquan Williams (19-0-2, 8 KOs) clash in a ten-round bout tonight on ProBox TV from the Whitesands Event Center in Plant City, Florida. The undercard features a clash of welterweight knockout artists as Freudis Rojas (12-0, 11 KOs) meets Cristian Baez (19-3, 17 KOs) and super featherweight Jaycob Gomez (8-0-1, 5 KOs) faces Ezequiel Borrero (6-0, 2 KOs) in a pair of eight-rounders.

WBC #1 junior welterweight contender Sandor Martin (42-3, 15 KOs) has signed a multi-fight co-promotional pact with Top Rank. Martin’s longtime promoter, OPI Since 82, and Top Rank are joining forces to secure the Spaniard his first world title shot against Devin “The Dream” Haney, the current WBC junior welterweight world champion.

Sandor Martin: “Devin Haney calls himself ‘The Dream,’ but I am his worst nightmare. I will be the next WBC junior welterweight world champion. Whether he wants to lose his title to me in the ring or run up the scales to welterweight, the choice is his. I am excited for the next chapter of my career with OPI Since 82 and Top Rank in my corner.” Continue reading “Top Rank inks WBC #1 Sandor Martin”

WBA #11, WBC #15 super welterweight Abass Baraou (14-1, 9 KOs) and WBA #15 Sam “The Savage” Eggington (34-8, 20 KOs) will battle it out in a twelve-rounder for the vacant European title on Friday, March 1 at the Telford International Centre in Telford, England. The fight will air live on Channel 5 in the UK.

Abass Baraou: “Winning the prestigious European title on March 1 will be a major step on my mission to becoming a world champion and I plan on putting on a performance that sends out a statement to the rest of the division…our clash of styles will make for another thriller but make no mistake, I will emerge victorious.”

Sam Eggington: “March 1 in Telford is the night I write the next chapter in my crazy boxing story. My fans will pack out the arena and roar me on to become a two-weight European champion…Baraou may have international amateur medals, just like Frankie Gavin did when we fought, but he has never faced a fighter like me, over 12 grueling rounds, where I don’t let him breathe for a second.”

Super middleweights Jaime Munguia (42-0, 33 KOs) and John “The Gorilla” Ryder (32-6, 18 KOs) inaugurated the newly built Golden Boy Boxing Gym in downtown Los Angeles with a media workout for their January 27 clash at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, broadcast worldwide on DAZN.

Jaime Munguia: “I honestly feel like I can knock John Ryder out. That’s what we are working towards. Obviously, once you step inside the ring anything can change. But we’re training to get inside the ring in optimal condition, and if we can’t get the knockout we will be making sure we get the decision.”

John Ryder: “I want to go in there and make a statement…I’m a different fighter now from when I fought Canelo. I believe I learned a lot about myself.”

1. Former IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia was stripped by the IBF for taking a fight on the lucrative “Day of Reckoning” card in Saudi Arabia rather than fighting mandatory challenger Mairis Briedis.
2. Briedis, rated IBF #3, was ordered by the IBF to negotiate with the next leading available contender to fight for the vacant belt.
3. IBF #1 and IBF #2 ratings are vacant.
4. IBF #4 rated Zurdo Ramirez has apparently opted to challenge WBA champion Arsen Goulamirian instead of Briedis.
5. IBF #5 is Opetaia
6. Opetaia will now reportedly fight Briedis on the February 17 Fury-Usyk undercard.
7. In all likelihood, the bout will be sanctioned by the IBF for the vacant world title.
8. This will be a rematch of their fight in June 2022, won by Opetaia via unanimous decision.

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

The road to recovery for Julio César Chávez Jr. has begun. It will be long and painful, but I am sure it will be the definitive one to have that young man well again, healthy, and with a long life ahead of him.

Julito has been admitted to a rehabilitation clinic with the expectation that he will be there for several months in order to quell and banish the demons of his addictions.

It is important to understand that his addiction is not to recreational drugs, but to pills, which he had to take for a time to address a medical issue and which caused a terrible addiction.

Our great champion, Julio César Chávez Sr., and his family has the support and affection of all of Mexico and the world of boxing during this process, in which his firstborn will be facing his toughest fight ever. May God lead them to a journey of positive vibes, calmness and heavenly strength. Continue reading “Tribute to my Dad”

The WBA Championships Committee has ordered negotiations for a middleweight world title fight between WBA champion Erislandy Lara and his mandatory challenger Michael Zerafa. Official communications were sent to both parties and that they have until February 15 to reach an agreement. In the event the parties cannot reach an agreement or one of them refuses to do so, the Committee may call for a purse bid with a purse split of 75% for the champion and 25% for the challenger.

Lara, 40, has been champion since May 1, 2021 and according to WBA rules he should have defended against the mandatory opponent after a period of nine months, which expired on February 1, 2022. Lara was allowed an optional defense against Gary O’Sullivan in 2022 and didn’t fight at all in 2023.

Heavyweight contender and Olympic silver medalist Joe “The Juggernaut” Joyce (15-2, 14 KOs) will return to action against Kash Ali (21-2, 12 KOs) on March 16 in Birmingham, England. According to TalkSPORT, the bout will take place on another one of promoter Frank Warren’s “Magnificent Seven” cards.

Reportedly, the full Magnificent Seven line-up is:

Nathan Heaney vs Brad Pauls (middleweight)
Liam Davies vs Erik Robles Ayala (super bantamweight)
Joe Joyce vs Kash Ali (heavyweight)
Sol Dacres vs David Adeleye (heavyweight)
Dennis McCann vs Brad Strand (super bantamweight)
Zach Parker vs Tyron Zeuge (super middleweight)
Eithan James vs Owen Cooper (welterweight)

2020 Olympic Silver medallist Ben “The Surgeon” Whittaker (5-0, 4 KOs) will look to steal the show as he returns to action on the undercard of the huge all-British showdown between unbeaten WBA #1 and #2 world-ranked light heavyweights Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez on Saturday, February 3rd at the OVO Arena Wembley in London, live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and Peacock in the USA. He takes on Swiss-based French fighter Khalid Graidia (10-13-5, 2 KOs) over eight rounds.

In other action, Adam Azim makes the first defense of his EBU European super lightweight title against undefeated former champion Enock Poulsen. Rising female featherweight Francesca Hennessy and heavyweight hope Jeamie TKV are also confirmed.

The WBA hampionships Committee has ordered an eliminator between #1 heavyweight Martin Bakole and highest available contender Cassius Chaney, who is sitting at WBA #7. The formal communication has been to both fighters’ teams, giving them 30 days to sign the bout contract and fight for the opportunity to become the next mandatory WBA challenger.

In the event that the parties do not reach an agreement, or either party refuses to sign the contract, the Championship Committee may open the fight to purse bid with a 50% purse split.

By Robert Coster

Smooth boxing Dominican WBA minimumweight world champion Erick “Mini-Pacman” Rosa (6-0, 2 KOs) has renounced his title as he plans to move up to the junior flyweight class.

The baby-faced 22-year-old Rosa, who won the WBA belt in only his fourth professional fight, said “My body has grown and now my desire is to acquire world title belts in the 108 and 112lb divisions.”

Rosa vacated the “regular” version of the WBA belt, leaving “super” champion Thammanoon Niyomtrongtha as the sole WBA 105lb beltholder.

WBC Statement: As it has been widely publicized, a sample collected from WBC [female] super featherweight world champion Alycia Baumgardner on July 12, 2023 in connection with her July 15, 2023 title defense against Christina Lnardatou in Detroit, Michigan yielded an adverse analytical finding for a banned substance (the “Adverse Finding”). In compliance with the governing WBC Rules & Regulations and WBC CBP Protocol, the WBC undertook an investigation of the specific circumstances, health concerns, and legal precedent surrounding the Finding. The WBC convened its Results Management Unit that included experts in scientific, nutrition, and legal matters to investigate, analyze, and evaluate all the available facts and evidence, and to recommend to the WBC how to proceed in that particular case. Continue reading “WBC puts Baumgardner on probation”

The heavyweight division will take further shape when WBO interim champion Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang (26-1-1, 21 KOs) defends his world title against former world champion Joseph Parker (34-3, 23 KOs) on the March 8 Joshua-Ngannou undercard at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Zhang is coming off two consecutive KO wins over Joe Joyce in 2023, while Parker upset former WBC champion Deontay Wilder in December.

In other bouts:

• WBC featherweight champion Rey Vargas (36-1, 22 KOs) will make the first defense of his belt when he takes on #1 contender Nick Ball (19-0, 11 KOs).
• Unbeaten WBA #14, IBF #14, WBO #15 heavyweight Justis Huni (8-0, 4 KOs) will face TBA.
• Unbeaten lightweight Mark Chamberlain (14-0, 10 KOs) will challenge European champion Gavin Gwynne (17-2-1, 5 KOs).
• Cruiserweight Roman Fury (3-0, 1 KO), super welterweight Jack McGann (9-0-1, 6 KOs) and local super lightweight Ziyad Almaayouf (4-0, 1 KO) will also see action.

Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou faced off at the kickoff press conference in London to announce their upcoming fight in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on March 8.

Anthony Joshua: “I will be ready to go once the first bell rings. I will approach this mission with laser focus until the job is complete. I am looking forward to returning to Riyadh and I would like to thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the passion they have shown to myself and the sport of boxing.”

Francis Ngannou: “People have always doubted me and I always proved them wrong. It is clear I am a trouble for elite boxers and AJ should prepare himself for a battle because I am like nothing he has ever faced. It is going to be another spectacle for boxing fans in Riyadh, only this time I have no intention of leaving it in the hands of the judges.”