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See a non-televised bout between super lightweight knockout sensation Bakhtiyer Eyubov (13-0, 11 KOs) against Maurice Chalmers on Friday night in Verona, NY.

Sad news. All-action featherweight Luis Rosa (23-1, 11 KOs) was killed in a tragic accident.

Matchroom Boxing has invited all media to a press conference on Tuesday in Central London ahead of the world heavyweight title unification clash between WBA / IBF world champion Anthony Joshua and WBO world champion Joseph Parker. The bout will take place at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales, on March 31. Joshua made the announcement himself on Twitter.

🇬🇧🤜🏾🤛🏻🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/RS4NXgLX08

— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyfjoshua) January 14, 2018

By Ricardo Ibarra
Photos by Mike Blair/Boxingprospects.net

Kicking off the 2018 season of Brian Halquist Productions’ long-running ‘Battle at the Boat’ series, Colorado journeyman Manuel Perez (29-12-1, 7 KOs) claimed his fourth consecutive win on Friday night at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington, scoring a ten round decision victory over Florida’s John Jackson (17-4-2, 13 KOs).

Perez was the busier and more aggressive fighter throughout the fight, overcoming an early round knockdown to take the win on all three judges’ scorecards in the Jr. welterweight main event. Continue reading “Full Report: Battle at the Boat”

January 27, Cruiserweight Semi-Final:
Aleksandr Usyk vs. Mairis Briedis (WBO World & WBC World)
Riga Arena, Riga, Latvia

February 3, Cruiserweight Semi-Final:
Murat Gassiev vs. Yunier Dorticos (IBF World & WBA World)
Bolshoy Ice Dome, Sochi, Russia​

February 17, Super Middleweight Semi-Final:
George Groves vs. Chris Eubank Jr (WBA Super World & IBO World)
Manchester Arena, Manchester, UK

February 24, Super Middleweight Semi-Final:
Callum Smith vs. Juergen Braehmer (WBC Diamond Belt)
Arena Nürnberger Versicherung, Nuremberg, Germany

The Ali Trophy semi-final clash in the super middleweight edition of the World Boxing Super Series between Callum Smith (23-0, 17 KOs) and Juergen Braehmer (49-3, 35 KOs) takes place at the Arena Nürnberger Versicherung, Germany on February 24. “We are very much looking forward to bring the Ali Trophy experience to Nuremberg on February 24,” said Kalle Sauerland, Comosa’s Chief Boxing Officer

“Smith vs. Braehmer – England vs. Germany – it’s a classic anyway, but this one pits youth vs. experience. Smith is eager to show the world he is the best while Braehmer is entering the last chance saloon. The outcome is unpredictable, it’s going to be a thrilling night in Germany and a fitting event for the last of our semi-final fixtures.“ Continue reading “Smith-Braehmer set for Germany February 24”

By Joe Koizumi

In an OPBF title twinbill, Japan’s Rikki Naito (19-2, 7 KOs), 140, impressively acquired the vacant OPBF super-lightweight belt as he lopsidedly battered Filipino Jeffrey Arienza (16-7-1, 10 KOs), 140, and finally halted him at 1:14 of the ninth round on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. Also, OPBF 130-pound champ, Filipino puncher Carlo “Ferocious” Magali (22-8-3, 11 KOs), 129.25, kept his regional belt when he hammered Japan’s Masatoshi Kotani (22-3, 15 KOs), 130, all the way en route to a fine stoppage at 0:50 of the tenth session in a scheduled twelve.

(More to come)

Manuel Perez overcame a second-round knockdown to defeat John Jackson by unanimous decision in the main event of Battle at the Boat 114 Friday at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington. Perez appeared as the overwhelming 99-92, 97-92, 96-93 winner on the scorecards in the 10-round welterweight bout to improve his record to 29-12-1 with 7 KOs. Jackson fell to 17-4-2 with the loss.

Walter Wright was victorious in his comeback fight, defeating Rafael Valencia by unanimous decision in a 6-round middleweight bout. Wright, who appeared on ESPN’s “The Contender Season 2,” was the 60-54 winner on all three judge’s scorecards to up his record to 15-4. It was the first fight in five years for Wright, a former U.S. Championship finalist as an amateur.

Trainer Peter Fury has confirmed that his nephew and former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will not be training under him for his comeback. The partnership was very successful, with Tyson dethroning long-term heavyweight ruler Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015. “He’s doing his own thing, so best of luck to him,” Peter Fury told the latest BoxNation Podcast. “I’m just going to concentrate with young fighters – my son, and one or two others I’ve got around me.” Last month, Tyson revealed he is training with Ben Davison, who is connected to WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders. To hear the podcast, click here.

Now that unified women’s WBC and IBF super middleweight world champion Claressa Shields (5-0, 2 KOs) has defeated previously undefeated Tori Nelson, the 22-year-old 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medalist now has her sights set on the middleweight division where she will eventually target undefeated and unified women’s middleweight world champion Christina Hammer, who was ringside Friday in Verona, NY.

“I have to drop down and see how I feel (first),” Shields said. “I think I could make 160 easy, I’m going to be bigger and stronger than any girl. Hammer just wants to scope. I think she’s pretty scared to be honest. She is more worried about me than I am about her. I’m going to kick Hammer’s ass. People think Hammer is more skilled than me so I can’t wait to show her that she’s not.” Continue reading “Claressa Shields takes aim at Christina Hammer”

By Boxing Bob Newman at ringside
Photos: Andy Newman

WBC/IBF female super middleweight champion Claressa Shields retained her world titles with a one-sided ten round unanimous nod over Tori Nelson on Friday night at the Turning Stone Resort in Verona, NY.

In the first, both ladies eyed each other with some degree of respect, not looking to make a fight-ending mistake. Shields made the first move firing away with combinations, but Nelson was not awed. In fact, at the end of round one, it was Nelson who landed a hard left in a simultaneous exchange. Shields looked to take control in the second, landing lead rights to start two and three punch combos. Nelson signaled “no big deal” with a dismissive shake of her head. In the third, Shields voluntarily backed into a neutral corner, luring Nelson in for counters and in turn avoiding everything Nelson threw with deft bobbing and weaving. Continue reading “Shields dominates Nelson, retains WBC, IBF belts”

By Boxing Bob Newman at ringside
Photos: Andy Newman

In the first televised fight of the ShoBox card in Verona, New York, Super lightweights Sonny “Pretty Boy” Fredrickson and Shohjahon “Descendant of Tamerlane” Ergashev lived up to the expectation of “this is going to be the fight of the night!” After a weigh-in full of disdain for each other, it was expected that this matchup would bring fireworks. At the bell for round one, Ergashev showed no fear, rushing right at Fredrickson. For his part, Fredrickson seemed tentative and unsure of his distance, often lunging with his punches, despite a distinct height and reach advantage.

Perhaps it was Ergashev’s southpaw stance, or just respect for the Uzbek’s power (ten-for-ten KOs to wins). Suddenly in the third, a hard left got through the guard of Fredrickson, hurting him badly. Fredrickson tried to tie Ergashev up, but the relentless slugger wailed away, eventually forcing the ring doctor to step up on the ring apron, signaling referee Benji Esteves to halt matters at 1:58 of round three. Ergashev moves to 11-0, 11 KOs. Fredrickson suffers his first defeat at 18-1, 12 KOs. Continue reading “Ergashev stops Fredrickson, Hernandez tops Garza”

By Boxing Bob Newman at ringside

In a classic Mutt-n-Jeff affair, the 6’5” Apti Davtaev and 5’8” Garrett Wilson presented quite a scene in the ring during this heavyweight scrap. The fireplug Wilson’s only chance appeared to be landing a hay-maker on the bearded lumberjack Davtaev, but doing so would prove difficult due to the massive reach difference. Wilson did sting Davtaev on occasion and at times even pressed the action. When Davtaev sensibly employed his jab, he controlled the action. The fourth brought cheers from the crowd as the under-sized underdog Wilson caught Davtaev high on the temple with a looping right the left the Russian momentarily swaying in the breeze, visibly hurt. Wilson tried to capitalize, but couldn’t land a follow-up blow. Wilson had more success in the fifth, with several more right handed leads landing flush on Davtaev’s noggin, thrilling the crowd. It was more of the same in the sixth, Davtaev pressing at times and paying for it with sneaky counter bombs from Wilson. Suddenly at the end of the sixth, confusion arose as referee Gary Rosato, and the handlers for each fighter began conferring in the ring. Rosato then met with members of the Oneida commission. Both fighters were poised to come out for the seventh, but to everyone’s surprise, the bout was over as it was now a six rounder!

Who knew? Apparently Wilson’s corner did as they produced a photo from a cell phone of the contract, showing a signed-for six rounds. Thank you modern technology! All three judges, Glenn Feldman, John McKaei and Wynn Kintz saw it the same at 58-56 for Apti Davtaev, now 14-0-1, 13 KOs. Wilson falls to 18-15-1, 9 KOs. A look at Davtaev’s record shows why he was 13 KOs out of 13 wins. Garrett was by far his best opponent, if not by win/loss record, then in quality and fighting pedigree! This was the second time Wilson won the hearts of the Turning Stone fans. In 2013, he lost a hard fought decision to then top prospect Vyacheslav Glazkov. Continue reading “Off-TV Results from Turning Stone”

Professional live boxing returns to the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, California on Saturday, February 10 with the 83rd edition of World Fighting Championships (WFC), a card headlined by the all action fighter Andrew Cancio of nearby Blythe, California, along with some of the best local talent in the Southern California desert. The show will also feature local up and coming prospect, Javier Padilla, and the debut of Anthony Reyes (Lee Espinoza’s Prodigy) as well as several amateur bouts before the professional show starts. Continue reading “Boxing back at Agua Caliente Casino”

Another blockbuster boxing event will come to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center when unbeaten heavyweight world champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder defends his title against unbeaten contender Luis “The Real King Kong” Ortiz on Saturday, March 3 in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.

Tickets for the show, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and TGB Promotions, start at $50 and go on sale Tuesday, January 16 at 10 a.m. To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com, BarclaysCenter.com, or call 800-745-3000. Tickets for the event can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center beginning Wednesday, January 17 at noon. Continue reading “Wilder-Ortiz is official for March 3”

Unbeaten middleweight contender and IBF #1 challenger Sergey Derevyanchenko (11-0, 9 KOs) will enter the ring for an eight-round bout versus TBA as part of the January 20 Spence-Peterson undercard from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. 2008 Ukrainian Olympian Derevyanchenko now lives and trains in Brooklyn and most recently earned the top spot in the IBF rankings with an impressive 12th round stoppage over Tureano Johnson.

Additional undercard action will see the brother of Lamont Peterson, once-beaten Anthony Peterson (37-1, 24 KOs) facing Luis Florez (23-7, 19 KOs) in a 10-round super lightweight matchup plus once-beaten welterweight Ivan Golub (13-1, 11 KOs) in an eight-round fight against Colombia’s Fidel Monterrosa (38-14-1, 30 KOs). Continue reading “#1 Derevyanchenko on Spence-Peterson undercard”

Golden Boy Promotions will continue its partnership with ESPN for this exciting new year with a main event featuring 126-pound contender Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jr. (25-0, 13 KOs) defending his NABO featherweight title against former world champion Victor “Vikingo” Terrazas (38-4-2, 21 KOs) on the Feb. 22 edition of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. “I look forward to making my 2018 debut,” said Diaz, Jr. “And what better way than by facing a tough former world champion in Victor Terrazas! I will remind everyone why I deserve a world title shot by headlining this card exciting fashion.” Continue reading “Diaz-Terrazas collide Feb 22”

By Przemek Garczarczyk

“You could feel Murat Gassiev’s energy, his aura – instantly. Always respectful to people, to other fighters. Everything he’s doing is for his family, his friends. Every cent he makes, he sends to his Mom. He trusts her to make wise decisions about what to do with the money,” says Leo Khorolinsky, adviser to undefeated cruiserweight IBF champion Murat Gassiev in an exclusive Fightnews.com interview.

On February 3 in Sochi, Russia, “Iron” Gassiev (25-0, 18 KOs) will challenge another undefeated champ, WBA belt holder from Cuba, Yunier Dorticos (22-0, 21 KO) in World Boxing Super Series semifinal bout. Continue reading “Gassiev wants to create his own legacy”

Christina Hammer talks about progress of woman’s boxing, fight with Claressa Shields.

Unbeaten Super Flyweight Andrew “The Monster” Moloney (15-0, 10 Kos), returns for the biggest test of his professional career February 24 at St Kilda City Stadium in Melbourne Australia for “Punches in the Park 7.” Moloney puts his coveted WBA Oceania title & World rankings on the line (WBA #6, IBF #10, WBC #18) as he challenges IBF #5, WBC #11, WBO #12 Rene “The Commander” Dacquel 20 (6) – 6 -1 for his OPBF Championship. Continue reading “Andrew Moloney returns Feb 24”

By Byron Spurlock

Unified women’s super middleweight world champion Claressa Shields and undefeated IBF mandatory challenger Tori Nelson are set for their 10-round WBC and IBF world title showdown tonight in the ShoBox main event taking place at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY.

The 22-year-old two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Shields (4-0, 2 KOs) will face her second consecutive undefeated opponent in the former world champion Nelson (17-0-3, 2 KOs).

We caught up with Claressa in the lead up to the fight. Continue reading “Interview: Claressa Shields”

Top Rank presented a rare non-televised show on Thursday night at the Tachi Palace Casino in Fresno, California. In the main event, junior middleweight Vladimir Hernandez (10-2, 6 KOs) pounded out a close eight round unanimous decision over local favorite Danny Valdivia (14-2, 10 KOs). Scores were 77-75, 77-75, 78-77.

Also, lightweight Bryan Lua (3-0) outpointed Mario Aguirre (2-11, 2 KOs) over four, super middleweight Calvin Metcalf (8-1, 2 KOs) took a six round majority nod over Joe Louie Lopez (9-3, 6 KOs), and super featherweight Victor Morales (8-0, 4 KOs) remained unbeaten with a fifth round TKO over Edgar Cantu (7-3-2, 1 KO).

Other Action:
Isidro Ochoa W4 Gabriel Rodriguez (featherweight)
Angel Cordon TKO3 Johnny Estrada (featherweight)
Edgar Martinez W4 Javier Rodriguez (super lightweight)

Two-division world champion Lamont Peterson hosted a media workout in his hometown of Washington, D.C. Thursday as he prepares to take on unbeaten welterweight world champion Errol Spence Jr. Saturday, January 20 live on SHOWTIME from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“I feel great. I’m already close to weight,” said Peterson. “I’m happy and eating up to five times a day. I feel strong and I’m ready for this fight. I have to look at this as really just another big fight. When you’re at the top, you try not to make too much of each fight. We know what’s at stake. I know that when I keep it simple, that’s when I perform best. Continue reading “Lamont Peterson Workout”

On February 3, unbeaten WBO #5 heavyweight Tom Schwarz (19-0, 12 KOs) returns against Samir Nebo (10-1-1, 10 KOs) at the Erdgas Sportarena in Halle/Saale, Germany. Schwarz, who will be defending his WBO Inter-Conti title, is returning from a September neck injury that required surgery. Schwarz and Nebo faced off at the kickoff press conference at the Dormero Kongress- und Kulturzentrum.

Tom Schwarz: “The injury in September was a hard and painful turning point for me – but I want to go all the way up and it doesn’t matter what or who stands in the way. Samir Nebo is a great opponent with great will – but he is not going to win against me. I have built up so much aggression in recent months and need to get it out. Samir will experience it in the ring!” Continue reading “WBO #5 Schwarz back in action”