Fightnews.com

By Gabriel F. Cordero

Former two-division world champion Hugo “Cuatito” Ruiz (36-4, 32 KOs) will return to the ring on August 11 at the Arena Mexico in Mexico City with an opponent to be determined. Ruiz left the ring almost two years after his last fight in September 2016 when he lost the WBC super bantamweight championship to Hozumi Hasegawa. Ruiz has fully recovered from the nose injury suffered in his fight with Hasegawa.

Also on the card will be female legend Mariana “Barby” Juarez, who will expose the WBC bantamweight female title against Terumi Nuki.

By Ron Jackson

In a scintillating display of boxing, South Africa’s Gideon Buthelezi scored a unanimous 12 round points victory over Lucas Emmanuel Fernandes Leone of Argentina at the International Convention Centre in East London on Friday night to retain his belt for the fourth time.

Judge Roger Barnol scored it 118-110 and judges Sazi Xamlashe and Patrick Mokindiwa handed in cards of 117-111 and 116-112. Continue reading “Buthelezi retains IBO belt for fourth time”

With a wide unanimous decision, Puerto Rican Jeyvier Cintrón was crowned WBO Youth World champion in only his seventh fight, while his countryman Luis “Popeye” Lebrón successfully defended his belt with a TKO victory in fights held on Friday night at Hotel El Prado in Barranquilla, Colombia, in a presentation of Pro Box del Caribe in association with PR Best Boxing Promotions (PRBBP) and Spartan Boxing. Continue reading “Cintron, Lebron win in Barranquilla, Colombia”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Fast-punching southpaw IBF#8 Shingo Wake (25-5-2, 17 KOs), 121.75, impressively wrested the Japanese super-bantam belt when he decked WBC#7/WBA#7 defending champ Yusaku Kuga (16-3-1, 11 KOs), 121.75, in the second and finally halted him at 0:36 of the tenth and final session in a very sensational sell-out contest on Friday in Tokyo, Japan.

Wake, a taller stylish lefty footworker, made good use of hand speed and sent the prefight favorite Kuga to the canvas with a smashing southpaw left midway in round two. Taking the initiative in the first half, Wake, however, sustained a gash at the forehead caused by an accidental butt in the fifth, after which the open scoring system indicated he was ahead on points: 49-45 twice, 48-45. Continue reading “Wake-Kuga: Full Report”

Photos: Pablo Lozano Reyes

WBO #5, WBC #8, WBA #9 light flyweight and former world title challenger Saul “Baby” Juarez (24-8-2, 13 KOs) and upstart Mario “Mayonesas” Andrade (13-7-6, 3 KOs) battled to a ten round draw on Friday night at the Blackberry Auditorium in Mexico City.

Neither fighter was ever in trouble and both had their moments. Scores were 95-94 Andrade, 96–93 Juarez and 95-95.

Photos

By Marco Bratusch

Italian southpaw puncher Fabio Turchi (15-0, 11 KOs) finally seems to have a new dance partner to battle with for the vacant European Union cruiserweight championship in Bulgarian Tervel Pulev (11-0, 10 KOs), the younger brother of heavyweight Kubrat Pulev, a former two-time European titlist. A former decorated amateur boxer, Pulev decided to turn Pro quite late and as a result he is now fighting pretty often since his debut in the paid ranks less than two years ago. The European Boxing Union already set the purse bid for August 9 in Rome if the parties had not reach a deal by that date. The matchup appears an intriguing one, however it remains to see whether OPI Since 82 which has just started to manage Turchi’s career intends to take such risks rather than move Turchi to other paths, being the Italian still a pretty young and green fighter who has just turned the 25th birthday. Continue reading “European Updates”

Byron Rojas 107.2 Daniel Mendoza 107
Keyvin Lara 119.9 Alexander Taylor 120
Jerson Larios 109 Moises Mojica 109.2
Jerson Larios 108.6 Juan Gonzalez 107.8
Eduin Palacios 174.2 Jose Varela 176
Wiston Gerrero 114.6 Numan Hernandez 114.9
Hilton Tercero 127.2 Hancito Santiag 131
Carlos Carballo 160.2 Wilbert Altamirano 156.8
Ricardo Martinez 111.3 Norian Paredez 111.3

Venue: The Gimnasio Nicarao in Managua, Nicaragua.
Promoter: WRAM Boxing (William Ramirez) and Nica Boxing (Pablo Osuna)

Doors open at 3PM and there is no charge for entry into the show, which will also be streamed on the Nica Boxing Facebook page

By Ray Wheatley — World of Boxing

Former IBF middleweight champion Sam “King” Soliman (46-14-1, 19 KOs) won a ten round majority decision over Tej Pratap Singh (13-5-2, 7 KOs) at the Melbourne Pavillion, Flemington, Victoria, Australia, with the World Boxing Association (WBA) Oceania title up for grabs.

Soliman told Fightnews.com®, “Singh is a very tough boxer. I can understand now why he defeated my last opponent Wes Capper who has been rated by the IBF. Two of the Judges got the fight right last night and gave it to me by a wide margin. I’m 44 years now but I felt fresh throughout the ten rounds. This is my last year so I want to have more two more fights in next five months. Thank you to Team Soliman.”

The promoter was Brian Amatruda.

Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz 129.2 vs. Masayuki Ito 129.6
(WBO junior lightweight title)

Artemio Reyes 149.6 vs. Gabriel Bracero 148
Esquiva Falcao 161.8 vs. Jonathan Tavira 161.2
Antonio Vargas 118.2 vs. Aaron Echeveste 117.8
Yomar Alamo 141.2 vs. Wilfrido Buelvas 141.8
Henry Lebron 131 vs. Luis Diaz 129.6
Jose Lopez 145 vs. Jorge Rodriguez 149.2
Luis Melendez 126.4 vs. Vicente Loredo 125.8
Vladimir Nikitin 125.2 vs. Edward Kakembo 126.2

Venue: Kissimmee Civic Center, Kissimmee, Fla.
Promoter: Top Rank
TV: ESPN+

Mikey Garcia 135 vs. Robert Easter Jr. 134.6
(WBC and IBF lightweight titles)

Luis Ortiz 241 vs. Razvan Cojanu 269
Marrio Barrios 141.6 vs. Jose Roman 142

Venue: Staples Center, Los Angeles
Promoter: Ringstar
TV: Showtime

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) has advised the camps of junior welterweight champion Maurice Hooker (Matchroom) and mandatory challenger Alex Saucedo (Top Rank) that they have twenty days an agreement. If an accord is not reached within the time frame, a purse bid will be ordered. The minimum acceptable bid is $150,000. Either party may request an immediate purse bid at any time during the negotiation process.

Former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker weighed in at 242.5 lbs., while WBC #1 rated Dillian Whyte scaled in at 258.5 for their twelve round heavyweight showdown on Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London.

In another notable heavyweight fight, Carlos Takam weighed 246.25 lbs., and Dereck Chisora weighed 249.5.

Results Of Asian Sensation

By Joe Koizumi

Japanese defending champ Sho Kimura successfully defended his WBO world flyweight belt by finishing Filipino challenger Froilan Saludar at 0:54 of the sixth round on Friday in Qingdao, China.

In a sensational encounter of world-rated 122-pound compatriots, Shingo Wake dropped Japanese national champ Yusaku Kuga in round two, took the initiative thereafter and finally halted the prefight favorite with a fine stoppage by a thrown towel at 0:36 of the tenth and final round on Friday at the Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan. Wake, a lanky stylish southpaw who once failed to win the WBA belt from Jonathan Guzman via eleventh round stoppage in 2016, was leading on points: 88-82 twice, 87-82. Wake captured the national 122-pound belt from Kuga.

Unbeaten future-star Juiki Tatsuyoshi (9-0, 6 KOs), 121, impressively demolished Indonesian junior feather champ Noldi Manakane (32-26-2, 18 KOs), 121.5, with a vicious left hook to the belly at 2:37 of the fifth round in a scheduled ten.

(More to come)

By Miguel Maravilla

WBC lightweight champion Mikey Garcia (38-0, 30 KOs) is set to take on IBF undefeated lightweight champion Robert Easter Jr. (21-0, 14 KOs) in a unification bout this Saturday, July 28 at the Staples Center live on Showtime Championship Boxing. Fightnews.com caught up with the champ as he talked about his upcoming unification bout with Easter and his ambitions to becoming the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

“I am well prepared for this fight physically and mentally I am ready for whatever he brings. I am confident to come out with the victory,” Mikey Garcia told Fightnews.com®. “I will do whatever is necessary to win. If I have to get inside and brawl or if I stay and box on the outside I will catch him reaching in,” Garcia added. Continue reading “Mikey: These are challenges I’m willing to take on”

The Boxeo TELEMUNDO Ford summer series continues on tonight with a light flyweight civil war. World ranked and former world title challenger Saul ‘Baby’ Juarez (24-8-1, 13 KOs) faces countryman and veteran Mario ‘Mayonesas’ Andrade (13-7-5, 3 KOs).

The site of the event will be the Blackberry Auditorium in Mexico City, Mexico and presented by All Star Boxing, Inc in association with Producciones Deportivas. The ten round main event will see the WBC Latin light flyweight title at stake. Each fighter is from Mexico city so a lot of personal pride will be on the line as they exchange leather in front of their fellow locals. Continue reading ““Baby” Juarez seeks KO on Telemundo tonight”

The World Boxing Super Series super middleweight final between George Groves and Callum Smith will take place on September 28 at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

George Groves: “Smith is a good fighter but I believe I am the best super middleweight on the planet. I’m world champion, number one in the division and am now looking forward to putting on a show in Jeddah and winning the Ali Trophy.”

Callum Smith: “It has been a long time since my semi-final win over Holzken. But the most important thing to me is that my opponent is George Groves. It means that by the end of September I have the chance to be the WBA champion and the number one super middleweight in the world. I believe I will do it!”

Ticket details are currently being finalized.

WBA/IBF/WBO world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (21-0, 20 KOs) has signed a new promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing. The new deal will see the undefeated boxer fight on Sky Sports Box Office for at least another three years, starting with his unification blockbuster with Russian powerhouse Alexander Povetkin at Wembley Stadium on September 22.

“When I decided to become a professional boxer I felt the boxing market was stagnated and in need of new energy, both Matchroom and Sky have backed me and have given me opportunity after opportunity and I will always deliver,” said Joshua. “They’ve worked very hard to give me a platform to showcase my skills and tell my story. So choosing to renew our deal was always a matter of when not if. We have created history together and we are dedicated to keeping the UK scene in high demand for all boxers and boxing fans, but for me personally, the journey is nowhere near finished yet.”

By Ray Wheatley — World of Boxing

A clash between top-rated light flyweights Randy Petalcorin and Felix Alvarado for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) 108lb world title could be headed to Australia.

“I will try bring the vacant IBF title to Melbourne, Australia,”said promoter Peter Maniatis. “It’s a great 50/50 fight. Both Alvarado and Petalcorin have power and both box very smart and set up attacks well with great boxing records.”

Randy is currently training at Sanman Gym with co-manager Jim Managquil. Continue reading “Petalcorin-Alvarado clash headed Down Under?”

It was announced this morning that heavyweight David Price (22-5, 18 KOs) will not be fighting as scheduled on tonight’s MTK Global boxing card in Bolton, England. “Pricey” has been ruled out with an alleged back injury. The fight had been announced back on May 4, and as of yesterday the bout was still on although suspiciously no opponent had yet been named.

Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions has announced details of the latest installment of the Superfly series set for Saturday, September 8 at the ‘Fabulous’ Forum in Los Angeles, CA. The triple-header will be televised live on HBO.

The card is headlined by a 12-round super flyweight clash between former world champion Juan Francisco ‘El Gallo’ Estrada, (36-3, 25 KOs) and two-time world title challenger Felipe ‘Galito’ Orucuta, (36-4, 30 KOs).

Co-featured over 12-rounds for the vacant WBO super flyweight world title is Donnie ‘Ahas’ Nietes (41-1-4, 23 KOs), who moves up one division to challenge ‘Mighty’ Aston Palicte (24-2, 20 KOs).

Opening the telecast, three-division world champion Kazuto Ioka (22-1, 13 KOs) battles two-time world title challenger McWilliams Arroyo (17-3, 14 KOs) in a ten-round super flyweight bout.

Advance tickets for Superfly 3, priced at $150, $100, $75, $50 and $25 will go on sale this Friday.

Lightweight world champions Mikey Garcia and Robert Easter Jr. went face-to-face Thursday at the final press conference two days before they enter the ring for a 135-pound title unification Saturday on Showtime from Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Mikey Garcia: “Me and Robert Easter Jr. are the only unbeaten champions in the division. So in my eyes, the winner is the best fighter in the division.

Robert Easter Jr: “The only big name Mikey Garcia has beaten is Adrien Broner. I’m going to give him problems. I believe with our skills and record, the winner of this fight is the best fighter in the weight class.

Continue reading “Garcia-Easter Final Press Conference”

Saul “Baby” Juarez 108 vs. Mario “Mayonesas” Andrade 106.5
(WBC light flyweight Latino title)

Giovanni Godinez 126 vs. Osvaldo Nuñez 124.5
Ricardo Garcia 126 vs. Ivan Basurto 129
Ernesto Ortega 120.5 vs. Bryan Zuniga 120.5
Eduar Meza 133.5 vs. Pedro Ivan Bernal 133.5
Jose Benitez 123 vs. Jesus Figueroa Martinez 120
Juan Carlos Garcia 135.5 vs. Jairo Flores 138

Venue: Blackberry Auditorium in Mexico City
Promoter: All Star Boxing/Producciones Deportivas
TV: Telemundo

Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz (23-0, 15 KOs) and Masayuki Ito (23-1-1) crossed paths for the first time Thursday at the final press conference for Saturday’s WBO junior lightweight title clash on ESPN+ at the Kissimmee Civic Center.

Christopher Diaz: “I never expected to be at this point in my career. I had my pro debut in 2013, and I didn’t even know that I was going to get to 10-0, 20-0. And I never expected to be fighting for a world title. But my hard work every day, my anger, my passion for this sport, made me be here for this opportunity…{My fans} know that I always make a war. I know Masayuki Ito is going to come to give me a war. That’s the kind of fight that I want for the fans.”

Masayuki Ito: “Thanks for giving me the opportunity to fight here. Also, I appreciate Top Rank, All Star Boxing, and Teiken Promotions. I did not have enough English training, but I did have hard training in boxing every day. I promise I’ll show a very good fight on Saturday night.” Continue reading “Diaz-Ito Final Press Conference”

Below are quotes from the final Dillian Whyte vs. Jospeh Parker press conference ahead of Saturday night’s action at The O2 in London, shown live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Dillian Whyte: “Joseph is a fighting man, that’s his heritage, but he’s short of options. He could have gone to USA to fight Bryant Jennings for a small purse and no attention or come to the UK in front of a sell-out crowd and get better pay and a more prestigious fight. He’s motivated – he knows beating me gets him close to another shot at AJ, so that’s what makes him dangerous: “if I do Dillian, I’m back in the big time again” – but he’s got to get past me first.

Joseph Parker: “It was important to get back in the ring in another big fight straight away. Dillian is on the cusp of fighting for a world title and beating him would put me right back at that top table. There won’t be any excuses from me. I’m here to do damage and I’m here to punch with bad intentions. I’m going to break him down and he’s going to take a lot of punches. He’s been talking a lot of smack in the build up and I believe that is a sign of self doubt. I hope he’s ready to take a lot of punches because I’m going to give it to him real bad. He thinks I can’t go to war, let’s wait and see.”

Continue reading “Whyte-Parker final press conference”

The Boxeo TELEMUNDO Ford summer series continues tomorrow with light flyweights taking center stage. Veteran Mario ‘Mayonesas´ Andrade (13-7-5, 3 KOs) of Mexico City gets a major opportunity to boost his career versus countryman and former world title challenger Saul ‘Baby´ Juarez (24-8-1, 13 KOs).

The 10 round main event will see the WBC Latin light flyweight title at stake. The site of the event will be the Blackberry Auditorium in Mexico City, Mexico. The show is being presented by All Star Boxing, Inc in association with Producciones Deportivas. Continue reading “Andrade eyes upset on Telemundo Friday”