Fightnews.com

Due to last minute unforeseen circumstances, Friday night’s R&B Promotions card at Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena featuring former world champion Tevin Farmer against Patrick Okine is postponed. Ticket buyers may be refunded at point of purchase. A new date will be announced shortly.

Nathan Gorman 296.3 vs. Bohdan Myronets 217.4
Chloe Watson 111.6 vs. Justine Lallemand 110.6
James Moorcroft 147.6 vs. Mathew Rennie 147.6
Codie Smith 129.2 vs. Darryl Tapfuma 128.1
Nelson Birchall 129.6 vs. Eliecer Quezada 130.9
Dan Toward 154.5 vs. Fabrizio Rubino 163.3
Isaac Lowe 127.4 vs. Jonatas Rodgrigo 130.4
Adbul Khan 130 vs. Eddy Lopez 130.8

Note: Roman Fury has been forced to withdraw from Friday’s show due to illness.

Venue: Toughsheet Community Stadium, Bolton, England
Promoter: Wasserman Boxing
TV: Channel 5 (UK)

Gavin Gwynne 134.4 vs. Emiliano Marsili 134.3
(EBU European lightweight title)

Sam Noakes 134.6 vs. Carlos Perez 133.6
Raven Chapman 125.1 vs. Lucie Sedlackova 125.2
Brad Strand 121.1 vs. Joshua John 121.6
Oronzo Biradi 197 vs. Israel Duffus 200.5
Moses Itauma 242.5 vs. Michal Boloz 223
Royston Barney-Smith 132.9 vs. Maicol Velazco 132.3
Umar Khan 126.9 vs. Yin Caicedo 124.8
Sonny Liston Ali 150.8 vs. Fernando Mosquera 147
Joel Kodua 151.3 vs. Dario Barosa TBA

Venue: York Hall, London
Promoter: Queensberry Promotions
TV: TNT Sports (UK)

Derrieck Cuevas 149 vs. Marlon Aguas 149
Eveling “La Colocha” Ortega 107.6 vs. Yanissa Castrellon 108
Azael Villar 107.6 vs. Ricardo Astuvilca 108
Uwel Hernandez 168 vs. Alexi Rivera 166
Yunior Menendez 175 vs. Heyder Solis 175
Alex Bray 155 vs. Alcibiades Ballesteros 153
Pedro Veitia 152 vs. Eric Pino 151

Venue: Coliseo de Combates, Panama City, Panama
Promoter: All Star Boxing
TV: ESPN+

Promoter Oscar De La Hoya has reached out through social media to try to fix the broken relationship with junior welterweight star Ryan Garcia, who is fighting Saturday on a Golden Boy card in Houston. Oscar’s message said:

Bernard and I have spent decades putting on the biggest events in the sport – including Ryan’s last fight which generated $30 million for him.

We build champions, help them navigate their careers to the top and make them the highest paid fighters.

Ryan: keep focused on your craft instead of listening to some of your “team’s” interpretations of comments taken out of context.

Bernard and I will remain committed to taking your career to the top.

Super featherweight Orlando Gonzalez (22-2, 12 KOs) won a ten round split decision over Jorge Castaneda (16-3, 12 KOs) on Wednesday night at the Whitesands Events Center in Plant City, Florida. Gonzalez dropped Castaneda in round two, but Castaneda came back to take the late rounds. Scores were 95-94 Castaneda, 97-92, 96-93 Gonzalez.

Unbeaten welterweight Tarik “The Sandstorm” Zaina (13-0-1, 8 KOs) outboxed Marcelino Nicolas Lopez (37-4-1, 22 KOs) over ten uneventful rounds. Scores were 97-93, 98-92, 99-91.

In a clash between unbeaten super welterweights, Marques Valle (10-0, 7 KOs) won a hard fought ten round unanimous decision over Farid Ngoga (10-0, 6 KOs). Scores were 77-75, 78-74, 78-74

Bantamweights Joahnys Argilagos (9-1-1, 4 KOs) and Jose Lopez (4-2-3, 0 KOs) battled to an eight round draw. Scores were 76-76 and 77-75 for Argilagos, 78-74 for Lopez.

Unified lightweight champion Devin Haney told ESPN that he’s planning on vacating his WBA, IBF, and WBO titles at 135 pounds. Haney, who is moving to super lightweight to challenge WBC champion Regis Prograis on December 9 in San Francisco, stated that he’s outgrown the division and plans to go to welterweight after the Prograis fight.

The move would leave Shakur Stevenson as lightweight champion of the WBC and Tank Davis as lightweight champion of the WBA, with a Lomachenko-Kambosos clash reportedly in the works for the IBF lightweight strap.

Ahead of Saturday’s action-packed People’s Championship boxing card at the Casino Miami Jai Alai, legendary promoter Don King addressed assembled media alongside the athletes from the card.

“We’ve got five spectacular and action-packed title fights ready for our boxing fans of South Florida,” said King. “And since we lost one title fight, we’ve set a holiday special price of $25 for this fantastic evening. It’s the People’s Championship.”

Fights include

Ian Green (17-2, 11 KOs) against Vaughn Alexander (18-7-1, 11 KOs)
WBA Continental America’s middleweight title

Tre’Sean Wiggins (15-5-3, 8 KOs) vs. Chris Howard (18-2-1, 8 KOs)
WBA NABA welterweight title

Antonio Perez (8-0, 5 KOs) vs. Haskell Rhodes (29-5-1, 14 KOs)
Vacant WBA International lightweight title

Alex Castro (13-1, 11 KOs) vs. Harry K. Cruz (14-3, 11 KOs)
WBA NABA middleweight title

DeVon Williams (3-0, 3 KOs) vs. Nelson Morales (4-11, 1 KO)
Vacant WBC Youth Intercontinental super lightweight title

Continue reading “DKP People’s Championship Final Press Conference”

Promoter Oscar De La Hoya has announced that this Saturday’s WBA interim super lightweight title fight between
Ohara Davies and Ismael Barroso set for this Saturday at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, has been postponed. “Due to Visa delays, the fight between Ohara Davies and Ismael Barroso scheduled for this Saturday, December 2 will be postponed to a later date. More information will be made available in the coming weeks.
Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield will now be the co-main event on the stacked card December 2.”

Puerto Rican junior middleweight contender Xander Zayas (17-0, 11 KOs) will take on Spain’s Jorge Fortea (24-3-1, 9 KOs) in a 10-round battle on Saturday, Dec. 9 at Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Zayas-Fortea will serve as the co-feature to the WBO featherweight world title showdown between reigning champ Robeisy “El Tren” Ramirez and unbeaten Mexican contender Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza.

Xander Zayas: “I am determined to close the year with a bang and to continue positioning myself as one of the main contenders at junior middleweight. In the new year, I’m aiming to continuing my climb up the ranks step by step. That is why I push myself to give my all every day in the gym. You will see a better version of me every time I fight.”

Ramirez-Espinoza and Zayas-Fortea will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

A seven bout card is coming to the University of Texas at Arlington’s College Park Center on Friday, December 15th. Fans will witness seven live fights headlined by super featherweight Kenneth Taylor (13-2) vs Jorge Ramos (8-4-1) in an eight-rounder. Then, LIVE STREAMED from Orlando, Florida, boxing and YouTube star Jake Paul (7-1) will battle Texas’ own Andre August (11-1) on the College Park Center giant screen video boards.

Tickets are priced at $50, $75 and $100 and available at UTAtickets.com. This week only, Knockout Live is offering a Cyber Week Special with all tickets being 25% off. Offer good through Saturday, December 2nd.

Lightweight Gavin Gwynne (16-2-1, 4 KOs) will have size on his side when he faces unbeaten Emiliano Marsili (42-0-1, 16 KOs) for the EBU European title on Friday on TNT Sports from London’s York Hall.

Gavin Gwynne: “He is 47 and 42-0. He is kicking on now and, to be honest with you, I could have beaten him in his prime. Him being 47 is not going to help his case on Friday night when I start letting my hands go and he is not doing any damage to me…I think the size of me will be a massive factor as well because I am a welterweight, really. He is a featherweight coming up so I think this will play a part…I don’t care what I get hit with and he doesn’t have the power to keep me off him. I know that for a fact. As soon as he sets his feet, that’s game over for him.”

By Ron Jackson

South Africa’s Kevin Lerena should be known as ‘Mr. Courageous’ after winning the WBC interim bridgerweight title with a prior fractured rib against Senad Gashi from Pec, Kosovo in an all-southpaw clash on Saturday night at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park.

Gashi (27-4, 26 KOs) came into the ring with a 96% knockout record and predicted that he would possibly stop Lerena (30-2, 14 KOs) on the way to the title.

However, his big talk before the fight proved to be nothing as he pushed, and fouled throughout the fight and was even knocked down in the last round. Continue reading “Lerena entered ring with broken rib”

According to well-known boxing manager Frank Espinoza, former Olympian and rising Mexican boxing star Joselito Velazquez has signed a promotional contract with Cancun-based promoter Pepe Gomez, who is a well-regarded promoter in Mexico.

“Joselito is very excited to be part of Pepe’s company,” Espinoza stated. “He had a great performance in Cancun on Pepe’s card which was televised on Televisa and the network really liked him. We expect to have him back fighting on Televisa soon.”

Velazquez, who fights as a flyweight, holds a record of 18 wins, 1 defeat and 1 draw is excited. “It was great fighting in my hometown for Pepe. I want to thank him for the great hospitality he showed us. I’m thrilled to be working with him. I think Pepe along with my manager Frank Espinoza and my trainer Carlos Barragan are an amazing team and we’re definitely going places.” Continue reading “Pepe Gomez inks Joselito Velázquez”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

In a semi-windup event to the Japanese minimumweight title bout, fast-rising Kai Watanabe (11-1-1, 6 KOs), 130, barely acquired the vacant national youth super feather belt by eking out a majority decision (76-76, 77-75 twice) over previously unbeaten Shinsei Otani (7-1, 4 KOs), 129, over eight see-saw rounds on Monday in Tokyo, Japan. Watanabe, handled by ex-OPBF champ Lion Furuyama, had a tough time coping with the peek-a-boo stylist coming forward all the way, but occasionally scored with a solid shot at a time, which might be evaluated by a couple of judges. They were previous winners of the national Shinjin-o (novice king) four-round tournament: Watanabe in 2021 and Otani last year. This reporter saw it a draw.

After a long layoff for four years and a half, formerly OPBF and national 154-pound champ and world-rated Charles Bellamy (28-5-2, 18 KOs), 155, of US, made a bitter comeback attempt only to be quickly halted by JBC#1 middleweight contender Eiki Kani (8-3-3, 4 KOs), 159.75, at 1:26 of the second round in a scheduled eight. Bellamy, in 2014, dropped Jermell Charlo in round three but lost a unanimous nod in an IBF eliminator in Quebec, Montreal. The muscular 42-year-old veteran absorbed a solid one-two combo of Kani, twenty years his junior, at the chin and badly fell down with such a heavy damage that he couldn’t resume fighting properly only to be halted by the ref Tanaka. It was a shocker to see such a quick demolition of Charles, formerly invincible and world-rated.

Unbeaten super light prospect Kaiji Nakajima (5-0, 4 KOs), 138.75, looked very impressive when he dispatched Shogo Namiki (6-4-1, 4 KOs), 138.75, at 2:03 of the second session in a scheduled six. Tall, well-proportioned, fast and powerful, Nakajima, former high school baseball player, looked so greatly talented that he might be a future champion.

BoxRec: Kaiji Nakajima

Promoter: Hachioji Nakaya Promotions in association with Ohashi Promotions.

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By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® caught up with super lightweight champ Regis Prograis ahead of his super fight with the undisputed lightweight champ Devin Haney on Sat, Dec 9 at the Chase Center in San Francisco and live on DAZN ppv. Prograis gave an early prediction on a potential Canelo vs. Benavidez showdown next year and how he plans to destroy Haney in their matchup. He also talked about the talent at 140 and what a battle with Tank would look like and much more in this exclusive interview.

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Orlando Gonzalez 130 vs. Jorge Castaneda 128.8
Marcelino Nicolas Lopez 146.4 vs. Tarik Zaina 146.2
Marques Valle 153.4 vs. Farid Ngoga 152.8
Joahnys Argilagos 117 vs. Jose Lopez 116

Venue: Whitesands Events Center, Plant City, Florida
Promoter: ProBox
TV: ProBox TV

All Star Boxing returns this Friday with an international show from Panama City, Panama. In the main event, world ranked welterweight contender WBA #11 WBO #11 Derrieck “Pretty Boy” Cuevas (26-1-1, 18 KO’s) of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico against Ecuadorian Marlon “La Furia” Aguas (14-1, 9 KO’s) in a 10-round clash. The bout will air live from Coliseo de Combates in Panama City, Panama at 9PM / EDT on ESPN+ and ESPN Knockout.

In the co-main event, All Star Boxing’s newest member and WBO Latino flyweight female champion #10 Eveling “La Colocha” Ortega (6-4 2 KO’s) of Acopaya, Nicaragua makes a quick return to the ring after a month off to face Yanissa “Reckless” Castellon (3-1) of Guatemala City but now residing in Panama City in a 6-round battle. Continue reading “Cuevas-Aguas full line-up”

Keeps Japan’s 105lb belt

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Don’t you remember three-time unsuccessful world challenger Lion Furuyama? The iron-chinned southpaw puncher failed to win the world 140-pound belt, losing to Antonio Cervantes in Panama in 1973, Perico Fernandez in Roma in 1974 and Saensak Muangsurin here in Tokyo in 1976. The long-time unsung manager and handler Furuyama, now 75, found his second career fully bloomed this night, as his protégé WBA #4 Yuni Takada (13-8-3, 6 KOs), 104.75, kept his Japanese national minimum belt by defeating his grudge rival WBO #13 Katsuki Mori (11-3, 2 KOs), 105, by a unanimous decision (all 97-92) over ten hard-fought rounds on Monday in Tokyo, Japan. Also, another Lion prospect Kai Watanabe acquired the vacant Japanese youth 130-pound belt on the undercard (to be reported separately). Continue reading “Takada repeats victory over Mori”

Don King will be giving boxing fans an early Christmas gift on Saturday, December 2 with the “People’s Championship Boxing” event featuring five big title fights. The main event will be Ian Green vs Vaughn Alexander for the WBA Continental North America middleweight title. For the first time in boxing history a live professional boxing event will be streamed on four major social media platforms for FREE!

The fight card, which will be at the Casino Miami Jai-Alai, will air live at 7 pm ET on the following platforms:

Youtube: youtube.com/@DonKingProductions
Instagram: donking_official
Facebook: facebook.com/donkingproductionsinc
X: twitter.com/DonKingPrdctns

Plus the fight card will be streamed on:
Donking.com
Itube247.com
Fite.tv

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Boxing Beat

WBA super flyweight champion Kazuto Ioka (30-2-1, 15 KOs) will defend his newly acquired belt against WBA#8 Venezuelan Josber Perez (20-3, 18 KOs) in Tokyo, Japan, on New Year’s Eve. His first defense will take place at Ota-city General Gymnasium. It was publicly announced by Shisei Promotions on Monday with an on-line appearance of the challenger Perez. Originally expected to make a long-awaited unification bout with WBC counterpart Juan Francisco Estrada on the year-end card, but the negotiation finally fell through and then Ioka’s initial defense since his acquisition of the WBA belt from Joshua Franco this June–against Perez–became an alternative card.

Ioka said at the press conference, “I had been highly motivated to fight Estrada, but I wish to fight on the customary New Year’s Eve and win over Perez very convincingly.” Perez, who once had an ambitious crack at WBA flyweight kingpin Artem Dalakian only to lose on points in February 2020, confidently said, “I’ve been always training to welcome any sudden offer to come, and wish to bring the world belt back to Venezuela.” It will be our pleasure that we can watch Ioka fight before the prosperous 2024 comes, wishing a good entertaining fight.

Super welterweight Sona Akale (8-1, 4 KOs), also known as Slink Proper, will headline a boxing card on October 9 at Element Gym in St Paul, Minnesota. , on Saturday, December 9. His opponent will be Tray Martin (3-6, 2 KOs) in a six rounder. Akale made headlines in August when he upset Nico Ali-Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, in a nationally televised fight in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“Slink earned a lot of respect last summer for his victory, but in boxing it’s all about what have you done lately,” said trainer Quincy Caldwell. “Slink has a chance on this card to prove he’s ready to be scheduled regularly for boxing’s primetime.”

Top Rank won the promotional rights for the vacant WBA featherweight world title fight between Otabek Kholmatov and Raymond Ford. TR offered an amount of US$ 317,500.00, while giving three possible options of date and place to make the fight. The first is February 16 in New York; the second is February 17 in Riyadh; and the third is March 2, in New York.

Matchroom Boxing also participated in the bidding, offering US$ 255,555.55 in the bidding that took place through Zoom this morning.

Kholmatov and Ford are the top two rated 126-pounders and will contest the world title that was recently vacated due to former champion Leigh Wood’s move up in weight.

By Mauricio Sulaimán
President of the WBC – Son of José Sulaimán

We enter the final stretch of this wonderful 2023, a year full of great things for boxing worldwide.

Some of the most important fights have taken place around the world, packed arenas and stadiums, with high ratings on multiple television stations and platforms. Women’s boxing has already established itself as a great force in the sport, Saudi Arabia has already positioned itself as a reality to promote mega-cards, and the WBC reaffirmed its convening power and leadership in the sport with its recent annual Convention in Uzbekistan, which produced an extensive plan of action for 2024.

One of the great purposes for the WBC will be to continue the process of unity in all areas of boxing: respect and collaboration between promoters, platforms, organizations, and all members of this industry which is totally fragmented. Continue reading “December, the last round of 2023!”

There is under two weeks to go until Devin Haney and Regis Prograis – and the fierce rivals drew their lines in the sand ahead of the battle in an intense Face-Off that has been compelling viewing since premiering on Matchroom’s YouTube channel on Sunday. Haney and Prograis clash at Chase Center in San Francisco on December 9, live.