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2016 Rio Olympic super heavyweight bronze medallist Filip Hrgović (5-0, 4 KOs) will box at home for the first time as a professional on September 8 as he headlines at the Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia. Having fought all his previous contests away from home, Hrgović says he is delighted to be fighting in Croatia, and has vowed to make his countrymen proud with his greatest performance yet.

“It will be a special moment when I walk out in front of my home fans at the Arena Zagreb,” says Hrgović. “It is a huge opportunity to box as the main event in your hometown. It will give me a lot of confidence and pride but also a lot of responsibility to place Zagreb on the world boxing map. Continue reading “Heavyweight Hrgovic Headlines at Home”

Undefeated heavyweight LaRon Mitchell (16-0, 14 KOs) defends his Junior NABF championship this Saturday from Omega Products International in Sacramento, Calif. In his second title defense, Mitchell, 38, will face Rodney Hernandez (10-7-2, 2 KOs) in the 8-rounder. Mitchell and Hernandez know each another, having logged numerous sparring sessions through the years. Mitchell hails from San Francisco, while Hernandez represents San Jose. The pair, who are friendly outside of the ring, will be fighting for championship hardware and the unofficial title of best Bay Area heavyweight.

“Defending my title is very important, but we’re also fighting for Bay Area bragging rights,” Mitchell said. “There aren’t too many heavyweights in Northern California so this fight is about making my second successful defense and who’s the best from this area.” Continue reading “Unbeaten LaRon Mitchell returns Saturday”

Photos: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

The Azteca Boxing Gym in Oklahoma City hosted a media workout for the biggest fight card to hit the city in years.

In the main event, Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (37-0, 25 KOs) will defend the WBO super middleweight title against fellow unbeaten Alexis Angulo (23-0, 20 KOs). And, in the special co-feature, Oklahoma City native Alex “El Cholo” Saucedo (27-0, 17 KOs) will fight veteran Lenny Zappavigna (37-3, 27 KOs) in a 140-pound slugfest. Continue reading “Zurdo Ramirez Workout”

By Mauricio Sulaiman
WBC President – Jose Sulaiman’s son

It has been a very good year for boxing so far, it is my pleasure to report a disclosure of the WBC administration of each division derived from the convention ruling and happenings during this time.

The WBC goal remains to do everything possible to facilitate and mediate to try to make the best fights possible for the fans. Continue reading “The 12th Round: WBC Mid-year Report”

Boxers have been announced for the reboot of “The Contender,” beginning August 24 on EPIX. The winner gets $250,000. The show is hosted by Andre Ward with two teams of middleweight fighters trained by Freddie Roach and Naazim Richardson.

The fighters are:

Brandon Adams (17-2)
Daniel Valdivia (14-2)
Devaun Lee (10-3-1)
Eric Walker (15-1)
John Thompson (18-3)
Ievgen Khytrov (16-1)
Malcolm McAllister (9-1)
Quatavious Cash (10-0)
Tyrone Brunson (26-6-2)
Shane Mosley Jr. (10-2)
Michael Moore (15-1)
John Jackson (21-3)
Morgan Fitch (18-1-1)
Marcos Hernandez (11-1)
Gerald Sherrell (8-0)
Lamar Russ (17-2)

By TMZSports.com

Floyd Mayweather Sr. is off the hook in his battery case — after a judge found him NOT GUILTY of attacking a woman after the Canelo vs. GGG fight … TMZ Sports has learned. As we previously reported, Floyd Mayweather’s father was arrested after a woman claimed the former boxer grabbed her and then punched her in the leg after the boxing match at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas in Sept. 2017.

The 65-year-old had adamantly denied roughing up the woman and pled not guilty in court. Now, we’ve learned the case went to trial in front of a judge — and, on Tuesday, Floyd Sr. was found not guilty.

A rep for Floyd Sr. tells TMZ Sports … “The truth came out. Floyd Sr. is very happy this is behind him. He was never guilty. He’s happy it’s over.” The rep believes the accuser was only out for money — and tells us, “This is what greed does.”

Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley Jr., the former two-division world titleholder, has agreed to a new multiyear contract extension with ESPN, it was announced today. Under the agreement, Bradley will continue to serve as boxing analyst for Top Rank on ESPN, alongside Joe Tessitore and Mark Kriegel.

“Tim’s expertise as a former champion, combined with his passion for the sport, makes him an incredible analyst for Top Rank on ESPN,” said Mark Gross, ESPN senior vice president, production and remote events. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to his analysis and we look forward to his continued contributions to our telecasts.”

This Saturday, June 30, Bradley will be onsite at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, for ESPN’s telecast of Top Rank on ESPN headlined by WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez who is defending his title against Alexis Angulo.

MARTIN MURRAY DISCIPLINARY POSITION

Martin Murray from the U.K. was involved in an unsportsmanlike conflict during the official weigh-in for his fight against Roberto Garcia for the WBC silver championship in the middleweight division. The WBC Disciplinary Committee has investigated the facts surrounding this incident and WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman established direct contact with Murray.

WBC Statement: The WBC has known Murray for many years and always praised him for his exemplary behavior outside the ring with extensive community work in support of the youth throughout the years. Continue reading “WBC Statement on Martin Murray”

Heavyweight contender Bryant “B.Y.” Jennings was born and bred in Philadelphia, but on Saturday, August 18, he aims to bring some of that Philly firepower to the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Jennings (23-2, 13 KOs) will face off against Alexander “Sascha” Dimitrenko (41-3, 26 KOs) for the WBO International heavyweight title in the 12-round main event at the Ocean Resort Casino’s Ovation Hall. This will be the first boxing event at the Ocean Resort Casino, a state-of-the-art resort property set to open tomorrow, June 28.

In the co-main event, Philadelphia native Jesse “Hollywood” Hart (24-1, 20 KOs) will defend the NABF super middleweight title in a 10-rounder against the battle-tested Mike Gavronski (24-2-1, 15 KOs).

Jennings-Dimitrenko and Hart-Gavronski will be televised LIVE on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, and all undercard bouts will be streamed on ESPN+. Continue reading “Jennings-Dimitrenko set for Aug 18 in AC”

The comeback fight of former world champion Jean Pascal (32-5-2, 19 KOs) on Saturday at the Place Bell in Montreal has been postponed until July 20. Pascal is facing MMA fighter Steve Bosse (1-0, 1 KO). Promoter Yvon Michel needs the extra time to sell more tickets.

EXTREME PROFANITY WARNING

Whoa! WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder has unloaded on WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, who will be defending his title in September against Alexander Povetkin rather than unifying with Wilder. In a series of tweets Wilder stated…

Bro these MF NEVER EVER WANTED THIS FIGHT PERIOD!! it’s obvious they showed sign of it when they didn’t want me in the ring. Coward ass MF lead the boxing fans on for 3 months. They held this shit up for this very moment. The world have seen the truth they are Fucking Coward.

All they had to do is say they were scared to fight period. But instead made themselves look like what they are not stand up guys and fucking scammers. If you’re scared say you’re scared. He can just be the champ of England fuck them🖕🏿

Stop with the bullshit we did it all! you fuckers didn’t want this work you scared MFers . You talk shit but can’t back nothing up you coward and now the ppl see the truth. I’m so happy it’s over now I’ve done my part the world seen that so stay in England with that BS

Over here we understand and can identify a coward ass bitch. I knew I smelt pussy lmao smdh. I’m so happy the Bullshit is done and p.s. fuck your offer bitch we will have the last laugh I promise you this!!

I knew I smelt pussy but damn @anthonyfjoshua I didn’t know the odor was that strong you coward ass bitch. Had the world waiting for 3 months playing games just for this moment. You’re not a true champion!! you’re just a weak-minded coward that’s holding hard metal. #Facts

“I didn’t come all this way JUST to come all this way” #BombZquad #51-0 #Letsgo

New Orleans-based undefeated heavyweight prospect Jonathan Guidry (10-0, 2 KOs) will face Aaron Chavers (8-4-1, 3 KOs), of Oklahoma City, OK, in a six-round clash Saturday, July 14, at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. Presented by Top Rank, in association with DiBella Entertainment, Guidry vs. Chavers will be a featured undercard fight to the highly anticipated main event between WBC interim super lightweight champion Regis “Rougarou” Prograis, of New Orleans, and undefeated challenger Juan Jose Velasco, of Argentina, with the WBC Diamond super lightweight belt at stake. Prograis vs. Velasco and Teofimo Lopez vs. William Silva will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, while the undercard, including Guidry vs. Chavers, will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Promoter Eddie Hearn has announced that a deal has been reached for IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev will defend his world title on October 6 at a site to be named in the USA. Beterbiev, 12-0 with 12 KOs, will be making his first defense. Johnson is 17-0 with 12 KOs and holds the British and Commonwealth light heavyweight titles. The bout will be streamed on the forthcoming DAZN service, which launches in September.

Manny Pacquiao’s morning workout in Maasim, Sarangani, Philippines.

Story by John DiSanto – PhillyBoxingHistory.com
Photos by Darryl Cobb Jr. – dcobbjr.com

In boxing, nothing beats a rematch. The pre-fight expectations are especially sky-high when two local fighters are nudged into a second go, because it usually means that their first meeting was either a terrific battle or an upset. In the case of the first fight between Cherry Hill’s Anthony Prescott, 8-8-2, 2 KOs, and North Philly’s Isaiah Wise, 6-2, 3 KOs, their tussle, three months ago, was both.

House fighter Wise, was on a three-fight winning streak that included a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate bout against Fred Jenkins Jr., and was expected to beat Prescott, a familiar face on the scene with a skillset far better than his rocky record suggests. Continue reading “Promising rematch highlights Parx Casino show”

The Mean Machine, Egidijus Kavaliauskas, is looking to cement his name as a welterweight to watch when he defends the NABF title against Juan Carlos Abreu, July 7 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno as the ESPN-televised co-feature to Jose Ramirez’s WBC super lightweight title defense against Danny O’Connor.

The undercard will also feature heavyweight contender Andy Ruiz Jr. against veteran Kevin Johnson in a 10-round bout, 18-year-old wunderkind Gabe Flores Jr. versus James De Herrera in a six-round lightweight bout, and Andy Vences defending the WBC Continental Americas super featherweight title against Frank De Alba.

Ramirez vs. O’Connor and Kavaliauskas vs. Abreu will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET.

The entire undercard, including Vences-DeAlba, Ruiz-Johnson and Flores-De Herrera will be streamed on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.

The exciting 140lb division will feature in the second season of the World Boxing Super Series and the quest for the Muhammad Ali Trophy. “We are very delighted to announce Super Lightweight as our second weight class of the upcoming season,” said Comosa’s Chief Boxing Officer, Kalle Sauerland. “Super Lightweight is without a doubt one of the most action-packed weight divisions in boxing and we have a sensational line-up to be announced.”

Three weight classes will feature in Season II of the World Boxing Super Series with two categories, Bantamweight and Super Lightweight, already announced. Further details on Season II, the 2018/2019 season of the World Boxing Super Series, will be announced in the coming days and weeks.

Unbeaten featherweight standout Ruben Villa (11-0, 4 KOs) of Salinas, Calif stars in the main event this Saturday when he takes on Mexico’s Ricardo Lopez (7-2-2, 6 KOs) in an 8-round fight that will mark his third start of the year.

The bout will take place this Saturday, June 30, from Omega Products International in Sacramento.

The slick southpaw defends his WBO Youth title that he won in April in his hometown. Villa thoroughly outpointed Marlon Olea for his first championship as a professional.

WBA President Gilberto Jesus Mendoza has ordered heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua to finalize a defense against mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin. Mendoza told Sky Sports, “Today the WBA requested an answer from Anthony Joshua’s team regarding his fight with the mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin. The WBA have allowed over a month extension to negotiations with Povetkin and also ongoing discussions with Deontay Wilder. It appears the Wilder team have not returned the contract for the fight and therefore we are requesting a date for the Joshua versus Povetkin fight with immediate effect.”

Unbeaten Olympian Michael Conlan returns home to Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Saturday when he meets Brazil’s former world title challenger Adeilson Dos Santos at the SSE Arena in a non-title ten rounder on ESPN+. Conlan who hasn’t boxed in his home city since February 2011 stated “Irish boxing is just getting better. I think Irish professional boxing is the strongest it has ever been. We had the golden age of Irish amateur boxing, and right now it is the golden age of professional boxing.”

Besides Conlan, other Irish stars include two-time world champion Carl Frampton, Paddy Barnes (who challenges for the WBC flyweight title in August) and WBA bantamweight champion Ryan Burnett.

Conlan, 26, who has won all seven fights since turning professional in the United States insists he will be home to fight once a year despite being a boxing darling in New York.

By Brad Snyder, The Undercard

Thomas Hearns and Jackie Kallen teamed up with 10 Count Promotions to present Boxing in the D at the Antheneum Suite Hotel in Detroit. The five fight card, matchmade by Carlos Llinas, featured a main event showcase of Taylor Duerr (7-0-1, 6 KOs) vs. a tough opponent in Leroy Jones (3-4, 2 KOs). Record aside, Leroy Jones did come to fight and proved his durability over the 6-Round light heavyweight bout. Continue reading “Results from Detroit”

Just one world title this week and it’s on ESPN, not ESPN+.

WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (37-0, 25 KOs) will make the fourth defense of his world title against Colombian Roamer Alexis Angulo (23-0, 20 KOs) on Saturday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.

In the co-feature, welterweight contender Alex ‘El Cholo’ Saucedo (27-0, 17 KOs) takes on Lenny Zappavigna (37-3, 27 KOs).

—————

There’s no escaping ESPN+ though. The streaming service will present the Ramirez-Angulo undercard, which features the likes of ex-champion Mike Alvarado, Olympic gold medalist Robson Conceicao, and unbeaten prospects Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez and Trey Lippe.

Earlier in the day, ESPN+ will also televise the Michael Conlan vs. Adeilson Dos Santos fight live from Northern Ireland.

By TMZSports.com

Terence Crawford says one of the biggest fights in boxing WILL happen … it just needs a little more time to marinate before it officially goes down. We got the boxing champ outside of Craig’s this weekend and had to ask … when are you fighting Errol Spence Jr.?!

“In the future, it will happen,” Terence told TMZ Sports. “But right now, you know, we’ve got other fights until that one gets bigger.”

FYI … the 30-year-old Crawford is 33-0 … and the 28-year-old Spence is 24-0 … making the possible bout one of the biggest in the entire fighting world.

So, who is Crawford eyeing BEFORE Spence? His promoter, Bob Arum, has floated two names — Jose Benavidez Jr. and Lucas Matthysse.

A battle of unbeaten welterweight prospects will headline a ShoBox: The New Generation tripleheader on Friday, July 20 when Jaron Ennis squares off against Armando Alvarez in the 10-round main event from WinnaVegas Casino in Sloan, Iowa. Philadelphia’s Ennis (20-0, 18 KOs) has knocked out 10 consecutive opponents and was the 2015 National Golden Gloves Champion before turning professional in 2016. The 20-year-old former amateur standout will face his first undefeated opponent in Alvarez (18-0, 12 KOs), a native of the Florida Keys who has knocked out six of his last seven opponents.

In the co-feature, undefeated lightweight Thomas Mattice (12-0, 10 KOs) returns to Iowa for his second ShoBox appearance of the year when he clashes with former Armenian amateur standout Zhora Hamazaryan (9-0, 6 KOs) in a 10-round bout.

Also on the card, undefeated super lightweight prospect Montana Love (11-0, 5 KOs) will take on former national amateur champion Kenneth Sims Jr. (12-1, 4 KOs) in an eight-round super lightweight bout.

Eight-division former world champion Manny Pacquiao has addressed reports that his July 14 fight against Lucas Matthysse in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is in jeopardy due to missed financial commitments. “The fight will proceed as scheduled,” Pacquiao told The Philippine Star. “I am training hard for the fight and I never allow any distraction to destroy my focus.” Pacquiao’s MP Promotions is the lead promoter for the event.