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U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis (9-0, 6 KOs) is eager for a world title opportunity, but first he’ll need to get past two-division world champion Jose “Sniper” Pedraza (29-5-1, 14 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight battle on Thursday, February 8 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Davis-Pedraza will serve as the co-feature to the junior welterweight showdown between WBO champion Teofimo Lopez and Jamaine Ortiz, live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+.

“I’m dialed in and focused,” said Keyshawn. “I’m pushing every day, training two or three times each day. Running, sparring, strength and conditioning. The work I’m putting in is starting to show. I’m not counting down the days until the fight, I’m making these days count. This fight is only the beginning of how far I can go in my career.” Continue reading “Keyshawn Davis ready to step up”

Unbeaten Welterweight Conor Benn is planning to dominate Peter Dobson in their clash at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Saturday, live worldwide on DAZN – and put all of his rivals on notice that he is coming for all the smoke in 2024 and beyond. Benn (22-0 14 KOs) is back in action in his second straight fight in the States after he returned from a 17-month absence in Orlando in September with a ten-round points win over Rodolfo Orozco. ‘The Destroyer’ has signaled his intentions to deal with Dobson (16-0 9 KOs) in a ‘violent’ manner, and then wants to get straight back into action in April or May. Continue reading “Benn: I want all the smoke”

Former WBO super bantamweight champion Angelo Leo (23-1, 11 KOs), now campaigning at featherweight, knocked out Mike Plania (29-4. 16 KOs) in round three with a hook to the ribs on Wednesday night at the Whitesands Event Center in Plant City, Florida. Time was 2:27.

Returning after a four-and-a-half year hiatus from boxing, unbeaten super middleweight Trevor McCumby (28-0, 21 KOs) won a ten round unanimous decision over Christopher Pearson (17-4-1, 12 KOs). McCumby pressed the action with a steady stream of power shots. A fourth round headbutt left McCumby with a cut over his right eye. The savvy Pearson made it to the final bell. Scores were 97-93, 99-91, 100-90.

Lightweight Antonio “Tono” Moran (30-6-1, 21 KOs) impressively knocked out Romero Duno (26-4, 20 KOs) in round six. Moran dropped Duno in round five and put him down for the count with a left hook in round six. Time was 1:25.

Unbeaten super featherweight Mykell Gamble (7-0, 4 KOs) shut out Damian Alcala (7-4, 0 KOs) over six rounds 60-54 3x.

Fighters competing on the inaugural four-fight PBC Pay-Per-View available on Amazon Prime went face to face Wednesday at The Conga Room at L.A. Live in Los Angeles at a press conference to preview their respective matchups before they step into the ring on Saturday, March 30 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The press conference featured reigning WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu and two-time former world champion Keith “One Time” Thurman, who meet in the main event.

Keith Thurman: “He’s a slow-footed fighter with a Mexican style. I’ll meet him in the middle of the ring. He’s gonna go home crying…they say Tszyu comes from ‘down under’, well I am trying to put you under, mate. He might have watched the video on me, but he doesn’t know. He might have signed the contract, but he doesn’t know what he just did. Bitter for you, but sweet for me! …I’m just looking for great fights and great action. Tim Tszyu is filling that void right now and providing me with the fight I want. He’s trying to open up the gates to his new era, but it’s my job to close the door shut, right in his face.”

Tim Tszyu: “I want him to bring this same energy to the fight, and not run around like a gazelle. Because I’m definitely knocking him out in under 12 rounds…my goal is for the Tszyu name to be the greatest boxing family that ever lived. We’ve made it this far and we’ll see how far we can go…I know what Keith is and I know what he’s done, but I think the time is done for him. Now it’s a different era and it’s the ‘Tim Tszyu Era’. I’m not just planning to beat Keith Thurman, I’m planning to make this a spectacle.” Continue reading “Tszyu-Thurman Kickoff Press Conference”

Three-division world champion Vasiliy “Loma” Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) and former unified lightweight world champion George “Ferocious” Kambosos Jr. (21-2, 10 KOs) hosted a virtual press conference Tuesday evening to formally announce their showdown, with Kambosos holding court in Perth and Lomachenko participating via satellite from Los Angeles.

Vasiliy Lomachenko: “Our fight with Devin Haney were two different fights. There were two different styles. If we talk about my fight with Haney, I didn’t lose that fight, in my opinion. If we talk about Haney-Kambosos, Kambosos had two chances and he lost.”

George Kambosos Jr: “Yes, I lost to Devin Haney, but you {Lomachenko} had your chance with Teofimo Lopez and you didn’t take your chance. I did.”

This week, former foes Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales are in Mexico City to present a new documentary on their famed trilogy bouts. The trailer was presented to the media and during the event Morales and Barrera had the opportunity to talk about Jaime Munguía, David Benavidez, and Canelo Alvarez.

Morales, who trained Munguía previously, said, “Jaime looked great against Ryder. It’s basically what we’ve been working on for the past four years. Ryder was a great opponent and Jaime was able to do what he does best and Roach’s game plan worked. He was very patient and it paid off.”

Barrera stated, “As Morales said, Munguía looked very good and showed that he is ready for the champion who is Canelo Alvarez. Munguía is the number one in the world by the WBO and Canelo must grant him an opportunity. He deserves it, but then you have Benavidez, who is the [WBC] mandatory challenger, so I think Canelo should face the long-time mandatory Benavidez and then Munguía in May and September accordingly.” Continue reading “Morales, Barrera: Canelo has to fight his mandatory”

Prizefighter is back and heading to Japan with a world-class $1 million international middleweight tournament beginning on March 31 at the Nagoya Congress Center in Nagoya, Japan – live on Abema in Japan and DAZN worldwide (excluding Asia).

The first round of the tournament will witness four bouts over ten rounds – with a $100k knockout bonus pot split between the fighters who successfully stop their opponent. As the tournament progresses, the latter bouts will be twelve-rounders.

The draw for the first night was made at the launch press conference today in Tokyo:

Riku Kunimoto (10-1, 4 KOs) vs. Eiki Kani (8-3-3, 4 KOs)
Mark Dickinson (6-0, 2 KOs) vs. Anauel Ngamissengue (13-0, 8 KOs)
Aaron McKenna (18-0, 9 KOs) vs. Jeovanny Estela (14-0, 5 KOs)
Kieron Conway (20-3-1, 5 KOs) vs. Ainiwaer Yilixiati (19-1, 14 KOs)

Th overall winning fighter will pocket a whopping $1 million.

The tournament is presented by Matchroom in partnership with Rakuten Ticket and Never Say Never (NSN).

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

2024 began with the greatness with which 2023 closed; with great boxing activity around the world.

One of the most outstanding current champions Artur Beterbiev, defended his light heavyweight crown, with a great demonstration, by knocking out the exacting English warrior, Callum Smith, in what was his WBC mandatory fight, which took place before a sell out crowd, in Quebec, Canada. Beterbiev is the WBC, WBO, and IBF champion, and now the table is set for the long-awaited fight for the undisputed title against Dmitry Bivol. Continue reading “2024 starts with great fights”

\Unbeaten Welterweights Conor Benn and Peter Dobson came face-to-face for the first time Tuesday to kick-off fight week in Las Vegas as they close in on their clash at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Saturday, live worldwide on DAZN.

Benn was in a confident mood as Dobson sized up to him in front of promoter Eddie Hearn at the landmark ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ sign on the famous Nevada strip and outside the entrance to The Chelsea venue where they will battle on Saturday afternoon. In a tense exchange, the pair traded verbal blows as the countdown to their powder keg clash draws closer.

It’s official. Former undisputed lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. and three-division world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko will clash for the vacant IBF lightweight world title as part of a world title tripleheader on Sunday, May 12, at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The card will air live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+.

Vasiliy Lomachenko: “I am excited for the opportunity to fight once again for a world title. George Kambosos Jr. is a good fighter, and I know I must prepare well to earn the victory. Fighting in Australia will be a new experience, and I am Iooking forward to giving the people of Perth a great fight.”

George Kambosos Jr: “I am extremely motivated and eager to face off with the legendary Vasiliy Lomachenko. Once again, I will bring a world championship showdown and a mega stadium fight to Australian shores. This will be a battle between two modern day warriors. This is a fight I’ve always wanted, and it will soon become a reality. This fight means everything to me. It’s about cementing the immortal boxing legacy I want to leave behind. I will be ready, and victory is the only thing on my mind. Thank you to the City of Perth and the Western Australian Government for getting behind this historic event.”

The undercard is pretty much set for the March 29 junior lightweight clash between former two-division world champion Oscar Valdez ((31-2, 23 KOs) against former world title challenger Liam Wilson (13-2, 7 KOs) at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. ESPN will televise.

• In the co-feature, WBC/WBA female minimumweight champion Seniesa “Super Bad” Estrada (25-0, 9 KOs) and WBO/IBF ruler Yokasta Valle (30-2, 9 KOs) collide for the undisputed women’s minimumweight crown.
• WBC #4, IBF #9, WBO #7 lightweight Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (19-0, 16 KOs) will fight Agustin Ezequiel Quintana (19-2-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-rounder.
• U.S. Olympic super heavyweight silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (8-0, 8 KOs) will look to retain his 100 percent knockout ratio in a scheduled eight-round tilt against Don Haynesworth (18-8-1, 16 KOs).
• Lightweight Emiliano Fernando Vargas (8-0, 7 KOs), the youngest son of former world champion Fernando Vargas, will lock horns with Nelson Hampton (10-8, 6 KOs) in a six-rounder.
• Unbeaten middleweight Sergio Rodriguez (10-0-1, 8 KOs) will take on Sanny Duversonne (12-6-2, 9 KOs) in a six-rounder.
• Junior welterweight Ricardo Ruvalcaba (11-0-1, 9 KOs) will also see action.

Celebrity cruiserweight Jake Paul has announced his next opponent, again a pro boxer. Paul (8-1, 5 KOs) will face Ryan Bourland (17-2, 6 KOs) on March 2 at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Bourland, 35, last fought in 2022 and his previous fight before that was in 2018.

Jake Paul: “The goal is simple, build the skillset to become world champion. Next up is a guy who has twice as many professional fights under his belt than I do. Ryan “The Rhino” Bourland. And just like the animal in his bone-chilling nickname… he is also endangered.

“On Saturday, March 2 as co-main to the Puerto Rican GOAT Amanda Serrano, I’m fighting for experience and to show my love to the island I call home. I’ll be donating my entire fight purse to my nonprofit Boxing Bullies to help renovate gyms across Puerto Rico.”

By Damon Gonzalez / LatinBox

Angelo “El Chinito” Leo 125.6 vs. Mike Plania 125.6
Romero Duno 136.8 vs. Antonio “Toño” Moran 137
Christopher Pearson 167.6 vs. Trevor McCumby 167.6
Mykell Gamble 128.2 vs. Damian Alcala 126.6
Ryan “Main Event” Maine 156 vs. Jorge Rodrigo Sosa 155.4
Tristan Gallichan 139.8 vs. Erion Johnson 138
Enzo “The Bandit” Herrera 147.6 vs. Lordgod Pannell 146.4

Venue: Whitesands Events Center, Plant City, Florida
Promoter: ProBox Promotions
TV: Probox TV

Canadian heavyweight Simon “The Grizzly” Kean has decided to retire from the ring at the age of 35. After an amateur career of 70 fights that included participation in the 2012 London Olympics, Kean went onto the pros to post a 23-2 record with 22 KOs. In his final fight, he was stopped by former world champion Joseph Parker on the Fury-Ngannou super card last October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

After a long break due to a back injury, heavyweight Victor Faust (11-1, 7 KOs) is scheduled to return to the ring on February 25 in Wiesbaden, Germany. Faust will face Marcos Antonio Aumada (25-12, 20 KOs), who is known for knocking out previously unbeaten German star Peter Kadiru. Faust is coming off his first loss against Lenier Pero 12 months ago.

In the co-feature, heavyweight Igor Shevadzutskyi (10-1, 8 KOs) returns after his defeat against WBA #1-rated Martin Bakole in April 2023. Shevadzutskyi will face unbeaten Edonis Berisha (7-0, 6 KOs).

“I’m happy that Victor and Igor are getting back in the ring. “The two of them are excited about their fights and of course want to come back with victories so that they can fight at the top again,” said promoter Erol Ceylan.

WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson has announced his retirement from boxing on Twitter. The 26-year-old Stevenson didn’t give a specific reason, but he’s clearly upset about stablemate Emanuel Navarrete and Denys Berinchyk fighting for the vacant WBO lightweight belt. ‘Sickening’ and ‘disgusting’ were a couple of the terms he used for that bout.

Promoter Oscar De La Hoya was quick to respond to the news, saying “Congratulations on what you accomplished Shakur Stevenson. Now time to vacate the title. Really enjoyed your career.”

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Boxing is famous for its short-lived retirements. This has all the signs of being one of them.

Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing returns to The Paramount in Huntington, New York, on February 23 with the 46th edition of the long-running “Rockin’ Fights” series. Super welterweight Wendy “Haitian Fire” Toussaint (15-2, 8 KOs) defends his WBA Continental USA title for the first time against “The Egyptian Prince” Mpondu Kalunga (11-2, 3 KOs) in the ten round main event. This will be Toussaint’s eleventh appearance at The Paramount, and his first as a headliner.

In the other featured bout, WBC #9, WBA #14 (WBA) cruiserweight “The Italian Tank” Simone Federici (20-2-1, 8 KOs) defends his WBC Continental America’s title in a ten-rounder against former world title challenger Blake “Il Capo” Caparello (31-4-1, 14 KOs).

The WBO World Championship Committee has ordered the commencement of negotiations for a clash between current WBO junior lightweight champion Emanuel Navarrete and #2 rated lightweight Denys Berinchyk for the vacant WBO lightweight title formerly held by Devin Haney. The parties have 15 days to reach an agreement. If an accord is not reached within that time frame, purse bid procedures will be ordered with a minimum acceptable bid of $150,000. Any of the parties involved may request a purse bid at any time during the negotiation process.

By Hesiquio Balderas

Super middleweight John Ryder was able to speak to the Mexican media right after his fight with Jaime Munguia comparing Canelo and Munguia.

“They are two different fighters,” said Ryder. “Canelo is sensational. He has a very good brain or IQ inside the ring. The big difference I can see is Canelo has more experience but Munguía hits harder, throws a lot of punches and has a good chin.”

“If they ever fought it would be a very good fight, I can’t decide what would happen. Like I said, Canelo has the brain and experience and Mungia the power, the chin, and volume punching.”

Welterweight Michael “Slick” Anderson (24-3-1, 18 KOs) is slated to return to the ring on the March installment of the Brick City Fight Night series at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Despite being currently unranked by the sanctioning bodies, Anderson is confident that his seven-fight winning streak is catching their attention. He envisions his place among the best in the welterweight division, with names like Vergil Ortiz, Alexis Rocha, and Cody Crawley on his radar.

“I know my moment is coming soon,” said Anderson. “I’ve been working for the right opportunity to showcase my talent and be in a position to win a world title. Fighting in Newark means the world to me, but I’m ready to go wherever anyone is willing to put it all on the line against me.”

Wise Owl Boxing has announced that they will be offering additional services to help professional boxers under it’s management platform. Wise Owl currently manages the careers of WBC #1 super welterweight Charles Conwell and former world title challenger Brandon Adams among others.

Former WBA super welterweight world champion Austin ‘No Doubt’ Trout will headline a BKFC bare-knuckle event on Friday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Happy Birthday to Hall of Fame boxing referee Richard Steele, who turned 80 last Friday.

Promoter George Rose and WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu depart for Las Vegas in preparation to headline on Amazon Prime PPV March 30 at the T-Mobile arena. Tszyu will fight two-time former champion Keith Thurman.

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By Brad Snyder / The Undercard

Carlos Llinas is taking his successful boxing series to different cities across the state of Michigan. Already established and successful within the city limits of Detroit at Motor City Casino, Llinas hinted at more shows in various cities throughout Michigan in the near future.

Llinas teamed up with well known MMA promoter Pete Keung to throw Saturday night’s boxing fight card at Causeway Bay Hotel. This marked the first boxing card in Lansing since 2017.

The main event featured a hometown favorite, Justin Johnson (3-0, 3 KOs) beating fellow super middleweight, Ashaun Bates (0-3) with a right hand, producing a knockout victory in the first round. Continue reading “Results from Lansing, Michigan”

Cruiserweight contender “Bulletproof” Brandon Glanton (19-2, 16 KOs) scored a second round TKO against Emil Markic (35-5, 27 KOs) to claim the vacant WBO International title on Sunday night at the luxurious Casino de Deauville in Deauville, Normandy, France. Markic was cut by a second round head clash. After that Glanton upped the pressure and punished Markic, dropping him at the end of the round. At that point, Markic’s corner pulled their fighter out. Continue reading “Glanton crushes Markic in two”

Unbeaten Rodrigo Fabian Ruiz (18-0, 13 KOs) of Argentina decisioned Ruben Dario Casero (10-3, 3 KOs) of Uruguay to retain his IBF Latino and South American super bantamweight titles. The event took place Saturday night at the Estadio F.A.B. in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ruiz scored knockdowns in rounds five and nine en route to the unanimous decisión victory. The official judges scorecards were 100-88 twice and 99-89.