Fightnews.com

By Matt Richardson

Robert Easter: “I’ve been calling out these champions for so long. I want these champions on top.”

Barry Hunter: “I thought we took too much damage early in the fight and we got too far behind. If he never fight another day in his life it’s OK by me.”

Lou DiBella: “Errol Spence has an argument as pound-for-pound. This kid is the highest level of talent. In the ring, he is a dangerous man. There’s a lot of things that reminds me of Ray Leonard. He’s the whole package…I’ve never seen a guy like him, who’s a champion as good as him, running around calling out everybody on earth.”

Derrick James: “He looked good. He fought a very tough guy. He was able to keep coming, keep pressuring and do what he gotta do to be successful.”

Errol Spence: “I’m not going to say I’m pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world but I’m definitely heading that way. I’m looking to come back in May or June. Looking for a homecoming in Dallas. But at least fighting three times this year…I’ve been telling people I can do it all.”

DiBella said it’s more likely that a Keith Thurman-Spence fight would occur down the line than a Spence-Terence Crawford bout. But, if the money is there, a Spence-Crawford is also possible, he said. “I have no doubt that Keith Thurman is going to fight Errol Spence,” DiBella said. “It’s going to happen. Relax.”

WBA #3, WBO #9 super bantamweight Emmanuel “El Vaquero” Navarrete (23-1, 20 KOs) showed why he is a serious contender with a spectacular second round knockout Glenn “The Rock” Porras (32-7, 19 KOs) on Saturday night at the Deportivo de los Trabajadores del Metro in Mexico City. Navarrette dropped Porras twice in round one and again in round two before the Mexico vs. Philippines-themed bout was halted. Time was 1:37. “We are ready for a title shot when Zanfer tells us,” said Navarrete.

On Saturday night, TMB & PRB Entertainment presented “Fight Nite at the Scottish Rite”, an eight-bout event that took place at the Scottish Rite Theatre in San Antonio, TX. In the four-round main event, Daniel “Da Beast” Biaz (11-1, 5 KOs) scored a unanimous decision over, Ray “The Warrior” Trujillo (3-4-1, 2 KOs).

Biaz, a southpaw who is managed by Prince Ranch Boxing, wobbled Trujillo in every round, with hard shots to the head. Trujillo was trying to force his way into the chest of Biaz throughout the fight, but was unsuccessful as he was countered with by accurate punches. Trujillo, who was a last-minute replacement, showed a lot of heart but was outgunned by Biaz, who landed the cleaner blows. Scorecards read 40-36 across the board, all in favor of Biaz. Continue reading “Results from San Antonio”

“Everybody knows I’ve been waiting on “Sometimes” Thurman. Since I was 15-0 I’ve been calling this guy out and he keeps making excuses. Let’s get it on!” proclaimed IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. after dispatching Lamont Peterson in one-sided fashion on Saturday night in Brooklyn. “I didn’t know I would dominate like that. I expected to get the knockout, but this was a great performance. We were facing a great fighter like Lamont Peterson and we did well in there. I could tell Lamont was wobbling before I got him down. It was just a great feeling to put on a strong performance.

“I want Keith Thurman. He has two of the belts and we both have big names. It’s an easy fight to make and I want it!”

By Matt Richardson at ringside
Photos: Emily Harney

Errol Spence Jr. continued to make his case as one of the hottest young stars in boxing Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn with yet another impressive knockout performance.

This time the IBF welterweight title-holder showcased his growing set of skills against veteran Lamont Peterson. The former two-division belt-holder, fighting for the first time in 11 months, was perceived as a real test for Spence but the fight only further illustrated the disparity between most boxers and Spence.

Spence (23-0, 20 KO’s) dominated the fight from start to finish. He slammed Peterson (35-4-1, 17 KO’s) with combinations to the head and body. He knocked him down in the fifth. And he almost completely shut both of Peterson’s eyes with a series of hard, quick combinations to the face.

Finally, by the start of the eighth, Peterson’s team had witnessed enough and they held their boxer back in the corner, giving Spence the well-earned TKO win. Continue reading “IBF welter champ Spence crushes Peterson”

By Arvin Nundloll at ringside
Photos: Emily Harney

Robert Easter Jr battled through a tough 12 round split decision fight against Javier Fortuna to barely defend his IBF Lightweight Championship belt. It was a close fight, both on the cards and physically as Easter Jr. opted to box on the inside which led to a frustrating 12 rounds on both fighter’s parts with constant clinching and scuffed shots.

Fortuna was deducted a point for repeat blows to the back of the head. Fortuna took on a more aggressive stance from rounds 3-4, targeting Easter Jr. in close exchanges before hurling inside hooks to the head, some still reaching around the back of Easter Jr.’s head. Continue reading “Easter barely retains IBF lightweight title”

By Matt Richardson and Arvin Nundloll at ringside
Photos: Emily Harney

Staten Island’s own Marcus Browne blew away Canadian Francy Ntetu in the first round of a scheduled 10-round light heavyweight match-up. Browne (21-0, 16 KO’s) came out aggressively and, in the midst of a wild combination along the ropes, dropped Ntetu (17-2, 4 KO’s) to the seat of his pants with a right. Ntetu rose unsteadily after taking a count from referee Arthur Mercante Jr. and Browne jumped on his wounded opponent.

Ntetu briefly punched back and tried to keep Browne off of him but his attempts were for naught. After Browne connected with another combination that occasionally broke through Ntetu’s guard, Mercante decided to jump in and call the fight off with Ntetu still standing. The fight lasted a total of 135 seconds.

* * *

Adam Kownacki put up with a tough and aggressive challenger in Iago Kiladze for 6 rounds in a back-and-forth action-packed heavyweight battle before finally stopping Kiladze in round 6. Kownacki took a heavy right hook flush on the nose and began bleeding in round 1. Kiladze grew in confidence and began trading with Kownacki although showed little head movement and took too many unnecessary counter punches.

Kiladze used the ring to force Kownacki to chase him down in the second round in an attempt to slow down his opponent while getting off some heavy-handed body combinations.

By the end of the third round, Kownacki’s face resembled a war zone with a cut appearing near his right eye and blood running from his nose. Kiladze stepped off the pedal to force Kownacki to exert more energy chasing him down much to the anger of those in attendance.

Kownacki turned the fight around and knocked down Kiladze in round 4 with a sharp inside right hook. Kiladze got complacent and paid the price. Round 6 brought out a faded and fatigued Kiladze as he was unable to land anything meaningful and was being tagged by nearly every shot Kownacki threw. After an uppercut stunned him, Kownacki followed up with a sharp right hook again that floored Kiladze. The ringside doctor had seen enough and stopped the fight even though Kiladze beat the count. Official time of the stoppage was 2:48 in round 6. Adam Kownacki is now 17-0, 14 KOs while Iago Kiladze is 26-2, 18 KO. Continue reading “Undercard Results from Brooklyn, NY”

By Terrell Groggins

Alexey Zubov is tough. He’s a 17-1, 9 KOs cruiserweight hailing from Russia. The problem? He’s one of several coming out of the region. So how does one stand out from this crowd? Leaving your friends and family behind and migrating to the world famous Kronk Gym in Detroit, that’s how.

He’s been alone in the States for the past two years, training hard everyday with the great Sugar Hill Steward. He’s been a sponge, soaking up everything that Sugar Hill has to offer. Zubov is another fighter I have had the opportunity to document during his last two training camps. He works hard and he’s eager, which makes him a great student. The lessons have been paying off as evident with his two most recent fights, both victorious.

More

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker (24-0, 18 KOs) is confident he can knock out IBF, WBA champion Anthony Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs) on March 31 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. “I think he’s a good champion and I see myself as a great champion,” Parker told Talk Sport. “That’s the reason why I want to fight him because I see it as a good challenge. We’re both good fighters, and we all want to see who the best in the world is.” Continue reading “Parker: Joshua is good, I am GREAT”