Fightnews.com

By Brad Snyder at ringside
Photos: Bob Ryder

Light heavyweight Umar Salamov (21-1, 16 KOs) scored a ninth round KO over Brian Howard (13-2, 10 KOs) on Friday night at the at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan. An uneventful eight rounds quickly changed in the ninth round. Salamov connected with a vicious right hook that landed cleanly that finished Howard, who fell into the ropes at the 53 second mark. The knockout win gives Salamov the IBF North American light heavyweight championship.

In a ten round light heavyweight fight, Aslambek Idigov (13-0, 5 KOs) unanimously defeated James Ballard (10-2, 3 KOs) by UD. Ballard, who appeared to injure his left hand, could not convince the judges to see many rounds his way, as the scores were (97-93, 100-90, 100-90). Continue reading “Shields-Gabriels Undercard Results”

By Brad Snyder

Ten Count Promotions along with Jackie Kallen and Thomas “Hitman” Hearns present Pro Boxing live from the International Banquet Center at the Atheneum Suite Hotel in Detroit Mi on Saturday. Fights begin at 7PM. Tickets available at the door or by Neptix.com

Taylor Duerr 177.7 vs. Leroy Jones 177.7
Derrick Coleman 161.9 vs. Deantuan Jackson 169.4
Ardreal Holmes 155.4 vs. Domonique Foster 155.4
Cedric Paul 162.5 vs. Antonio Hernandez weigh in later
Christion White 145.1 vs. Terrence Arrington 148.7
Paolo Parente 208.4 vs. Daniel Henry 249.5

Photos

Vergil Ortiz Jr 139.4 vs. JC Salgado 139.8

Hector Tanajara Jr 135 vs. Roger Gutierrez 134.2
Ferdinand Kerobyan 154 vs. Edgar Garcia 150.4
Meiirim Nursultanov 163.6 vs. Josue Obando 164

Venue: Belasco Theater, Los Angeles
Promoter: Golden Boy
TV: ESPN2

Miguel Berchelt 130 vs. Jonathan Víctor Barros 130
(WBC super featherweight title)

Venue: Poliforum Zamná in Mérida, Yucatan, Mexico
Promoter: Zanfer Promotions
TV: ESPN+ (USA), Azteca 7 (Mexico)

Photos

Martin Murray lashed out at WBC silver middleweight champion Roberto “Amenaza” Garcia ahead of their big clash on Saturday night at London’s o2. The feuding fighters clashed after both weighing in for Garcia’s title defense against the St Helens man, where the mandatory position for Gennady Golovkin’s WBC crown is at stake.

After weighing in the pair had an intense 15 second stare just inches apart, but when they turned to face the press and TV cameras, Murray saw red. He muttered, then shoved the Mexican sending him hurtling. It sparked a furious reaction from Garcia’s trainers and calm was only restored when security guards separated the teams.

Roberto Garcia 158 vs. Martin Murray 159.6
(WBC Silver middleweight title

Anthony Yarde 174.5 vs. Darius Sek 174.5
(WBO IC & European light heavyweight title

Daniel Dubois 236.5 vs. Tom Little 250
(English heavyweight title)

Paul Kamanga 139.25 vs. Ohara Davies 139.3
(WBC International super lightweight title)

“As far as I am concerned, everything is fine,” said ring legend Manny Pacquiao, responding to rumors that his fight against WBA welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse is headed to a postponement or even cancellation. “Lucas Matthysse and I are getting ready to give the fans their money’s worth and July 15 will be huge for boxing in Malaysia.”

Pacquiao has delegated management of MP Promotions, the lead promoter of his July 15 (July 14 in the US) battle at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to his trusted lieutenants and assigned a team to take care of business and logistics as he concentrated in training alone.

Marketing and sales head Arnold Vegafria echoed Pacquiao’s sentiments. Vegafria, who was monitoring news online on a plane heading back to the Philippines from New York City, said that all concerned decision makers were in agreement with each other.

“Everyone is on board. Everyone understands the situation and the fight is going as planned,” said Vegafria. Continue reading “Pacquiao says Matthysse fight still a go”

Jaime Munguia (29-0, 25 KOs), the newly-crowned WBO junior middleweight world champion of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, will make the first defense of his title against former world champion Liam “Beefy” Smith (26-1-1, 14 KOs) in a 12-round main event Saturday, July 21 at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. The fight will be televised live on HBO.

“I’m proud and excited that this Mexican Kid from Tijuana [Munguia], who’s the hottest fighter in boxing today, will once again fight on July 21 against the tough Liam Smith,” said Fernando Beltran, CEO of Zanfer Promotions. “I know he will prevail again in spectacular fashion like he always does.”

In the co-main event, Alberto “Explosivo” Machado (19-0, 16 KOs) will put his WBA super featherweight world title on the line as he faces undefeated #1 Contender Rafael “Sweet Pea” Mensah (31-0, 23 KOs) in a 12-round battle.

The rest of the card will be announced shortly.

Female middleweight world titles will be on the line for all four major sanctioning bodies tonight at Detroit, Michigan’s Masonic Temple.

The officials for the WBA/IBF female middleweight championship fight between Claressa Shields and Hanna Gabriels are referee Gerard White (California), and judges Michael Ancona (Ohio), Jeremy Hayes (Toronto, Canada), Pasquale Procopio (Montreal, Canada).

The officials for the WBC/WBO female middleweight championship fight between Christina Hammer and Tori Nelson will be referee Frank Garza (Michigan), and judges Katealia Chambers (Michigan), Benoit Roussel (Montreal), Pasquale Procopio (Montreal, Canada)

The fighters had some last minute comments in advance of tonight’s Showtime-televised card, which is being presented by Salita Promotions.

Claressa Shields: “I have John David Jackson now and I’ve learned so much from him since we got together back in February. I’ve had coaches in the past who tried to change my style and game, but at the end of the day, I just have to go in there and fight like I know how to. Continue reading “Shields-Gabriels/Hammer-Nelson Final Words”

Inoue’s brother #9 Takuma to face #3 Yap in WBC 118lb eliminator; IBF 122lb champ Iwasa to meet #1 Doheny

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Boxing Beat, Joe Koizumi

Every week some promoters make public announcements of forthcoming big events here in Japan. Ohashi Promotions, presided by former WBC/WBA 105-pound champ Hideyuki Ohashi, had a press conference on Thursday to announce a WBC bantamweight eliminator to decide the #1 official challenger to the championship that is still vacant at this moment to be disputed by the leading available contenders soon.

Unbeaten prospect Takuya Inoue (11-0, 3 KOs), the younger brother of the WBA bantam ruler “Monster” Naoya, will cope with OPBF titleholder #3 Mark John Yap (29-12, 14 KOs), a Japan-based Filipino import residing in Osaka, in Tokyo, Japan, on September 11. Yap’s OBPF belt will not be on the line. Continue reading “Japan Update”

Zlaticanin suffered both a broken nose and a broken jaw

In a shocker, former WBC lightweight world champion “Dynamite” Dejan Zlaticanin (23-2, 16 KOs) was annihilated in two rounds by massive underdog Tijuana fighter Roberto “The Rifle” Ramirez (18-2-1, 13 KOs) on Thursday night at the Melrose Ballroom in New York City. Action-packed fight. Ramirez was rocked himself but dropped Zlaticanin twice to get the second round stoppage. To give you an idea of how big of an upset this is, Ladbrokes listed Zlaticanin as a 10,000:1 favorite.

In the main event, unbeaten welterweight Mikkel Les Pierre (20-0-1, 9 KOs) halted Gustavo Vittori (20-4-1, 11 KOs) in round seven.

By Joe Koizumi

Somebody up there doesn’t like the Japanese bantamweight championship bout, which hasn’t taken place since January—with three cancellations. The national 118-pound title bout for the vacant throne of former world challenger Suguru Muranaka and Yuta Saito was scheduled to be held today (Friday), but it was abruptly cancelled yesterday since Muranaka, who reportedly failed to make weight, was hospitalized probably due to dehydration.

Before mentioning Muranaka, we pay our attention to the Japanese bantamweight title go at first. On January 18, defending champ Ryo Akaho, who had often committed an overweight incident, was hospitalized because of dehydration a couple of days before the fight and his defense with the top contender Yusuke Suzuki was therefore called off with Akaho’s belt vacant. Continue reading “Muranaka hospitalized; Japan’s bantam title bout cancelled”

Isaac Zarate 122.7 vs. Ramiro Robles 121.7
Manuel Mendez 136.5 vs. Gilberto Espinoza 135.6
Saul Sanchez 118.7 vs. Leonardo Torres 118.8
Brandon Valdes 122 vs. Jose Fabian Naranjo 122.4
George Acosta 134.9 vs. Alberto Castillo 130.7
Anthony Chavez 124.9 vs. Josafath Vazquez 124.1

Venue: Doubletree Hotel
Promoter: Thompson Boxing
TV: Facebook

Undefeated Puerto Rican contender Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz has only one goal on his mind: become a world champion. During a press conference held on Thursday afternoon at ‘The Island of Enchantment’, Díaz guaranteed that on July 28 he will leave the Kissimmee Civic Center as world champion.

On that night, in front of the fans of the city called “Little Puerto Rico” in the state of Florida, Díaz will compete for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) Junior Lightweight title against Japan’s Masayuki Ito. In the co-feature, undefeated Dominican welterweight Carlos “Caballo Bronco” Adames will face Artemio Reyes of San Bernardino, California. Continue reading “Pitufo Diaz: I’ll be the best 130lber in the world”

Weights by Brad Snyder
Photos: Bob Ryder

Claressa Shields 159.6 vs. Hanna Gabriels 159.6
(WBA and IBF female middleweight titles)

Christina Hammer 159.4 vs. Tori Nelson 157.6
(WBC and WBO female middleweight titles)

Umar Salamov 174.4 vs. Brian Howard 174.4
Bakhtiyar Eyubov 146.6 vs. Nicholas Givhan 145.6
Aslamber Idigov 170.8 vs. James Ballard 171.6
Apti Davtaev 261.4 vs. Cory Phelps 246.2
Ja’Rico O’Quinn 116.2 vs. Yaqub Kareem 120.8
Leon Lawson 153 vs. Javier Frazier 155.8
Joseph Bonas 148.6 vs. Michael Klekotta 148.6

Venue: Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan
Promoter: Salita Promotions
TV: Showtime

Photos

Tension was set on high when WBC super featherweight champion Miguel “Alacrán” Berchelt (33-1, 29 KOs) and Jonathan Víctor “Barros” (41-5-1, 22 KOs) came face to face at the final press conference in advance of their world title clash on Saturday at the Poliórum Zamná in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico on the Casa del Boxeo, Azteca 7 in Mexico and ESPN+ in the United States.

Jonathan Barros: “I will defeat Berchelt on the patio of his own house. There will be no doubt who is the best in the ring. Starting Saturday, I will be known as Jonathan “The Executioner of Mexicans” Barros.”

Miguel Berchelt: ”It’s a good thing you come well prepared to give a great fight. I want to tell you that the title will stay at home. It will not go with you or anyone who comes to my house to take my belt. I will win for the people of Merida!”

Photos

Julian “El Niño Artillero” Yedras opened the doors for the Mexican Media on Wednesday, June 20th, exactly one month before his Boxeo Telemundo debut, to show off his great conditioning as he concludes the last 4 weeks of camp in the high altitude of Mexico City, Mexico. The media workout included a sparring session, pad work, double bag, and finished off with a few interviews for the press.

Yedras is very confident of dethroning current WBO/NABO flyweight titleholder Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez (20-2 12KOs) of Caguas, Puerto Rico in his U.S debut and feels’s he has the international experience to do so. Continue reading “Yedra gears up for Bomba Gonzalez”

Rising hot welterweight contender Rashidi “Speedy” Ellis (19-0, 13 KOs) of Boston, Mass. will return to the ring in a 10-round welterweight fight against rugged Panamanian warrior Alberto “Metralleta” Mosquera (25-3-2, 16 KOs) in the main event of the June 29 edition of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN at the Oasis Arena in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. ESPN and ESPN Deportes will air the fights.

In the co-main event, Francisco Horta (16-3-1, 10 KOs) of Cancun, Mexico will face David Reyes (17-4-1, 6 KOs) of Ciudad Obregon, Mexico in an eight-round super bantamweight fight. Eduardo Nunez (10-0, 10 KOs) of Los Mochis, Mexico will battle Hiram Gallardo (6-2-1, 1 KO) of Chetumal, Mexico across six-rounds of 126-pound action in the televised opener.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos: Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten prospect Hironori Mishiro (6-0, 2 KOs), 130, impressively captured the OPBF (Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation) super-featherweight belt as he kept jabbing the shorter but sturdy defending champ Carlo Magali (23-8-3, 11 KOs), 130, Philippines, all night to earn a close but well-received split verdict (115-113 twice for Mishiro, 113-115 for Magali) over twelve hard-fought rounds on Wednesday in Tokyo, Japan. Continue reading “Mishiro wins OPBF 130lb belt from Magali”

A good argument for spending $4.99 a month on ESPN+. On Saturday, the online streaming service will present a full day of boxing with a pair of broadcasts from two continents.

From the O2 Arena in London, Martin Murray will face off against Roberto Garcia in the main event for the WBC Silver middleweight title. Also appearing on the broadcast will be undefeated heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois (7-0, 7 KOs) against Tom Little for the vacant British title, unbeaten light heavyweight Anthony Yarde (15-0, 14 KOs) versus Dariusz Sek (27-3-3, 9 KOs) for the WBO Intercontinental light heavyweight title, and 140-pound contender Ohara Davies (17-1, 13 KOs) will challenge WBC International super lightweight champion Paul Kamanga (21-1, 12 KOs). The broadcast will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET, with the Murray-Garcia bout expected to air shortly after 5:30 p.m. ET.

Then, at 11 p.m. ET, from Poliforum Zamna in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, WBC super featherweight champion Miguel Berchelt (33-1, 29 KOs) will make the third defense of his title against Jonathan Barros (41-5-1, 22 KOs).

Undefeated world-ranked lightweight contender “Ferocious” George Kambosos Jr. (14-0, 8 KOs), of Sydney, Australia, will return to battle in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sunday, July 15 (Sat. July 14 in the United States) in a 10-round clash against JR “Star Boy” Magboo (17-1-2, 8 KOs), of Batangas, Philippines, it was announced today by DiBella Entertainment.

Kambosos vs. Magboo will take place at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the undercard of the WBA welterweight world title bout between boxing legend and challenger Manny Pacquiao and champion Lucas Matthysse.

“I’m thrilled and very excited to get back in the ring on Manny Pacquiao’s undercard,” said the 25-year-old Kambosos. “Manny and I have had some excellent training sessions for this camp and I can’t wait to fight in Kuala Lumpur. I know that Magboo has lost only once, but I’ll be well prepared after training with Manny to be victorious.”

The public and media are invited to the Official Weigh-in for Salita Promotions’ “Shields vs. Gabriels” professional boxing event being held on Friday, June 22, at the Masonic Temple in Detroit.

The three main bouts will be nationally televised on SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION (10 p.m. ET/PT), which features two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and current Unified Women’s Super-Middleweight Champion Claressa Shields (5-0, 2 KOs) taking on unified 154-pound champion Hanna Gabriels for the vacant IBF and WBA Women’s Middleweight World Championships.

The weigh-in is open to everyone and will be held today, Thursday, June 21 in the Jack White Theater in the Masonic Temple. Fighters will be on the scales at 3:00 p.m.

By Gabriel F. Cordero

WBC #1 rated super featherweight Miguel “Micky” Román (59-12, 46 KOs) takes on unbeaten Venezuelan KO artist Michel Marcano (17-0-1, 14 KOs) on Saturday at the Fería de Juárez in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Roman will be Marcano’s first opponent with a winning record.

“There are many hours of work and preparation for a fight,” said Roman. “There are days in which you have to sacrifice a lot, but my single dream is to be world champion, the first from Ciudad Juarez, so every fight has a special value. Every fight is very important and this weekend I want to once again dedicate my fight to all my beautiful people of Ciudad Juarez. Everything I do is for them.”

By Brad Snyder

More quotes from Tuesday’s Shields-Gabriels press conference.

Claressa Shields:

[On the fight]  “I really hope Hanna has trained hard. Because it’s not going to be an easy task. And I really hope Christina Hammer has trained hard. Because in the future, it will not be an easy task for her. To beat me, you have to kill me. I am not going to go down.”

Hanna Gabriels:

[On if Shields has power] “We will see. We will see what her power is. If I feel that she could knock me down, I will be more careful. But if I feel like I can handle it, I will go all the way through. I think when you fight, you have to be smart. You have to adapt to the conditions that fight is presenting at that time.” Continue reading “Shields: To beat me, you have to kill me”

Photos: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

The next chapter of Jose Ramirez’s career — this one as a world champion — will occur with a new voice in his corner. After a long and successful partnership with Freddie Roach, Ramirez (22-0, 16 KOs) hired Robert Garcia as his head trainer following his unanimous decision victory over Amir Imam on March 17 to win the vacant WBC super lightweight championship.

Ramirez, from Avenal, California, will make his first title defense on July 7 at the Save Mart Center in nearby Fresno against Danny O’Connor (30-3, 11 KOs).

Ramirez worked out for the media Wednesday at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy. Continue reading “WBC Champ Ramirez now trained by Robert Garcia”

By Ron Jackson

Rodney Berman of Golden Gloves Promotions presents two top line bouts and three good matchups on the undercard at Emperors Palace near Kempton Park on Saturday night. In the main event, South African and WBC International welterweight champion Thulani Mbenge (13-0, 10 KOs) meets Diego Gabriel Chaves (26-3-1, 22 KOs) from Argentina in a clash for the vacant IBO welterweight belt. Mbenge is listed at #32 and Chaves at #28 in the latest IBO rankings.

In the main supporting bout, a ten round international cruiserweight fight, South Africa’s Thabiso Mchunu (18-4, 11 KOs) of Cato Ridge, KwaZulu/Natal takes on Ricards Bolotniks (11-4-1, 5 KOs) from Riga, Latvia. Continue reading “Two top line bouts at Emperors Palace”