Fightnews.com

By Robert Coster

Be on the lookout for unbeaten 18-year-old junior lightweight standout Rene Tellez (10-0, 6 KOs). He’s a young star in a hurry, hoping to showcase his talent in the United States very soon.

Tellez remembers the day he fell in love with boxing. It was in his native city of Queretaro, Mexico, when as an 11-year-old he went with a cousin to see his first boxing card. Continue reading “New Faces: Rene Tellez”

Super middleweights Rob Brant (22-0, 15 KOs) and Juergen Braehmer (48-3, 35 KOs) went head-to-head at the final press conference before their Ali Trophy quarter-final clash on Friday in Schwerin, Germany.

“Juergen has done it all, seen it all, but he hasn’t fought me,” said 27-year-old Brant. “I am very confident that I will win on Friday. I have to be sharp mentally, but I feel in better shape than ever in every way. I know it’s a cliché to say that, but on Friday the crowd and the world will see what I am talking about.” Continue reading “WBSS: Brant-Braehmer Final Presser”

Report/Photos: David Finger

Day two at the WBO’s 30th annual congress began bright and early at 8am on Tuesday, October 24th. The congress kicked off in the Stardust Theater onboard the Norwegian Sky cruise line and it began on a somber note. Three notable members of the WBO family passed away this year and WBO president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel took time to speak about Luis A Perez, (who was chairman of the ratings committee), Rudy Paz (a beloved member from Arizona), and noted Boxing publicist Mario Rivera Martino. They then played a short video commentating the life of Luis Perez, who was one of President Valcarcel’s closest aides in the WBO.

The first order of business was the Treasurer’s report and the financial health of the WBO remained strong in 2017 as the WBO maintained a healthy $1.2 million in the bank after a revenue increase of $200,056. Continue reading “2017 WBO Congress Day 2”

The off-TV undercard has officially been set for the Saturday, Nov. 11 showdown between Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs and undefeated Luis Arias at NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and televised live on HBO.

As previously announced, opening the telecast will be super lightweights Cletus Seldin and Roberto Ortiz squaring off in a 10-round bout. In the chief-support bout, exciting heavyweight Jarrell Miller looks to stake his claim on a heavyweight title shot and in his way is Polish giant Mariusz Wach. Continue reading “Jacobs-Arias undercard set”

IBF super-middleweight world champion James DeGale and IBF featherweight world champion Lee Selby will defend their belts on a huge night of boxing at London’s Copper Box Arena on Saturday December 9th. Opponents are TBA.

Promoter Frank Warren said: “I am delighted James and Lee are showcasing their talents on our last big show in London this year. I expect it to be a special night for James, defending his world title in his home city for the first time. Selby is a class operator and should he come through this fight, we will be looking to make the long-awaited fight with Josh (Warrington) in 2018. Rising stars Anthony Yarde and Daniel Dubois will also feature on this unmissable card and I know fans will be in for a real treat.”

By Gabriel F. Cordero

Hall of Fame Mexican trainer Nacho Beristain has commented to Fightnews.com® that he did not travel from Mexico City to the United States on Tuesday to start training former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. because of a lack of communication. “I will wait for about 15 days for the start of the training to be confirmed for his possible return in December,” said Beristain, “otherwise I will continue my daily work at the Romanza Gym.”

By Robert Hough

WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder; his Nov. 4 opponent Bermane Stiverne, a late replacement for Luis Ortiz, who failed a drug test; and promoter Lou DiBella took part in a conference call Tuesday to discuss the fight.

Lou DiBella: “Bermane Stiverne has absolutely nothing to lose. He must feel like this is Christmas Day.”

Bermane Stiverne: “I always thought the fight was never going to happen with Deontay and Ortiz. When they announced it, the first thing I thought was, ‘This fight is not gonna happen so I gotta get ready for it.’ I’ve known Ortiz since 2004. He’s always been who he is now. In the first fight with Deontay, everything he gave me, I ate it for breakfast and I was a sick man.”

Deontay Wilder: “If you ate my punches for breakfast, I hope you left room for lunch, baby. The way I feel about boxing, if Bermain Stiverne beats me, I will retire. If I lose to him, I’m done. I’m out. That’s it. I might move to MMA or some shit!” Continue reading “Wilder: If Stiverne beats me, I will retire”

By Robert Hough

Anthony Joshua was sure he’d finished Vladimir Klitschko after dropping him in the fifth round of their heavyweight title fight. A round later, the Englishman was scraping himself off the Wembley Stadium canvas. The 28-year-old Englishman (19-0, 19 KOs), who finished that fight with an 11th-round TKO, fights again on Saturday, facing Carlos Takam (35-3-1, 27 KOs), with an enlightened perspective that’s come from the battle for the crown. The fight in Cardiff, Wales, will be shown live on Showtime at 5 pm ET.

“When you watch a George Foreman and Ron Lyle kind of fight or an Ali and Foreman fight where a bit of their soul and spirit disappears, I always wondered how they were doing it and how they were taking those shots,” Joshua said recently during a conference call. “You always question how, why, and what makes people do what they do. Until I went through it, I would always watch boxing, but now I don’t just watch it, I understand it. I know the thing that you can’t be taught is how to survive in the trenches I just feel like my heart is very big and I wear it on my sleeve in this sport.” Continue reading “Anthony Joshua: Ready for Takam, Wilder, Everything”

Former world champion Randy “Razor” Petalcorin of General Santos City will be facing former WBO Asia Pacific minimumweight and Indonesian light flyweight champion Oscar Raknafa of Indonesia on November 10 at the Malvern Town Halll in Melbourne, Australia. It will be a 10-round non-title fight according to Jim Claude Manangquil, CEO of Sanman Promotions. Petalcorin (27-2-1, 20 KOs) is handled by Sanman Promotions and Peter Maniatis of Australia.

“I’m happy to be fighting back in Melbourne. Last time was not great but I will make sure I will have a good performance on Nov. 10,” said the 25-year old Petalcorin. Continue reading “Petalcorin to fight in Melbourne on Nov 10”

The World Boxing Association (WBA) 96th Convention will start within a week. The boxing environment can be felt in Medellin, the city that will be hosting this event promising to build even stronger bonds between Colombia and the world’s oldest boxing association. The event will start on Monday 30 with a moving tribute to Kid Pambele during the opening dinner and will last through Thursday, November 2nd. “The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya and “The Executioner” Bernard Hopkins are among those planning to attend.

The event final preparations are moving forward at top speed. This convention promises to offer many novelties in comparison to previous conventions and aim to be beneficial to the city. The association will discuss topics for improving this activity in the global arena and also how this sport can be used as a mean for social development. Continue reading “Getting ready for the 96th WBA Convention”

The upcoming battle between former unified light heavyweight world champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev and Vyacheslav “Lion Heart” Shabranskyy already has fans buzzing. Now this much-anticipated event on Saturday, November 25 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden will also include another exciting bout in the light heavyweight division between Cuban Sullivan Barrera (20-1, 14 KOs) and former WBA Interim Light Heavyweight Champion Felix “Mangu” Valera (15-1, 13 KOs) of the Dominican Republic. The bout will serve as the televised co-feature of HBO World Championship Boxing telecast which begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. This bout is presented by Main Events in association with Shuan Boxing Promotions, LLC.

Former 147-pound world champion Devon Alexander will battle rugged contender Walter Castillo in the main event of Premier Boxing Champions TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS on FS1 and BOXEO DE CAMPEONES on FOX Deportes Tuesday, Nov. 21 from The Coliseum in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The 10-round bout will headline a show promoted by Warriors Boxing and Fire Fist Boxing Promotions and features a 10-round co-main event between unbeaten welterweight prospect Miguel Cruz against once-beaten David Grayton. Two of the fighting Russell brothers, Antonio and Antuanne, brothers of featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr., will enter the ring in separate six-round matches.

Juergen Braehmer (48-3, 35 KOs) has respect for Rob Brant (22-0, 15 KOs), but is confident in advancing to the semi-finals after Friday’s Ali Trophy quarter-final clash in Schwerin, Germany. “I have never underestimated an opponent and I will not underestimate Brant either,” said 39-year-old Braehmer at Tuesday’s public workout in Schwerin.

All the seeded fighters in the World Boxing Super Series have won their quarter-finals. Fourth seed super middleweight Braehmer is aiming to do the same, but he takes his upcoming challenge very seriously. Continue reading “Braehmer: I am not underestimating Brant”

By David Finger

The 30th annual WBO Congress formally set sail Monday, October 23 on the cruise ship Norwegian Sky. The ship set sail from Miami and is set to stop in Havana, Cuba before sailing on to the Bahamas. The Congress had an informal reception after the ship left Miami where president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel briefly spoke to the members in attendance. Business is set to kick off on Tuesday morning at 8AM.

WBC #3 heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte says he’s going to make life hell for Robert Helenius when they clash for the WBC silver title at Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday night. Whyte wants to secure a showdown with WBC king Deontay Wilder in 2018 and knows that an impressive win over Helenius will take him a giant step towards that goal.

“Wilder is a disgrace,” said Whyte. “I want to get into a position to fight for his belt because he is not going to do it voluntarily. They will say AJ is number one. He has multiple belts and he’s the only one who is fighting the names. Wilder is a chump, he’s not fought a mandatory in two years and Joseph Parker is defending his title on YouTube so that shows his level. That says it all. Continue reading “Whyte: Wilder is a disgrace”

By David Finger

The 30th annual WBO Congress kicked off on Sunday, October 22 in Miami, with the ever-popular golf tournament. The tournament started at 1 pm at the Delaire Country Club, in Delray Beach, Florida.

WBO undisputed jr. welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford took part in the event and even received some coaching from WBO President Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel. In the end, the winner of the tournament was Tomas Schmidt.

More photos

European light heavyweight Karo Murat handed Dominic Bösel his first defeat via eleventh round TKO back in July. They will meet again on December 16 in an SES boxing event at the Stadthalle in Weißenfels, Germany. Here’s what they had to say at their kickoff press conference:

Karo Murat: “The first fight was a very good one. I said that I would win the title and I did. I also expected respect after the fight. But that didn’t happen. The fight didn’t go the full rounds so Dominic has no idea how it is to be against me for 12 rounds. He has false hope that he can win but it’s not possible to improve technically in a few months. For me it’s simple. I’m so happy to fight again. It’s just another stopover. I want more!”

Dominic Bösel: “It’s unusual to be the challenger, but it doesn’t bother me. The loss to Karo Murat was painful and he had his best fight in years. I paid him my respects for this, even though he claims otherwise. I wasn’t really fit in July, therefore after the third round made some technical and tactical errors. A lot went wrong in the run-up, I was repeatedly sick – a cold. But the rematch will be different.”

There was a lot of hostility in the air Monday when WBO World Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders (25-0, 12 KOs) and former IBF World Middleweight Champion David Lemieux (38-3, 33 KOs) hosted a press conference to discuss their upcoming showdown to be held on Dec. 16 at the Place Bell in Laval, Quebec. Saunders-Lemieux will be televised live on HBO.

Billy Joe Saunders: “David is going to eat some, and he’s going to beg me to finish him off…Lemieux shows a lot of heart when he comes to fight but the real truth is, I’m too slick and too good for him. I’m in boxing to win and defend my belt all over the world, Lemieux is my tester for the winner of Canelo and Golovkin. ”

David Lemieux: “I think that you are in for a surprise. I will be at my best and take the title from you. If the fight demands me chasing you, I will chase you. If the fight demands me to go toe-to-toe, I will. On December 16, I promise that I won’t leave the Place Bell without the belt. I’m extremely excited. Let’s get it on!”

Olympic bronze medalist Nico Hernandez will be fighting for his first professional title on Saturday, December 2, when he takes on Hungarian invader Jozsef “Little Red” Ajtai in the eight-round main event for the vacant International Boxing Association (IBA) Flyweight Championship, headlining “KO Night Boxing: Gold & Glory” at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas.

The 21-year-old Hernandez (3-0, 2 KOs), fighting out of Wichita, will be fighting in an eight-rounder for the first time. His three pro fights to date were all scheduled for six rounds and each was held in Kansas, the last two in his second home, Hartman Arena. Continue reading “Nico Hernandez to fight for first belt”

By Ricardo Ibarra

Mike Gavronski (24-2-1, 15 KOs) will face Andrew Hernandez (19-7-1, 9 KOs) for the vacant WBA-NABA Super Middleweight championship in the main event of Battle at the Boat 113 on Saturday, Nov. 18 at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wash.

Gavronski, who recently signed a multi-year promotional contract with Brian Halquist Productions, is currently ranked No. 5 by the WBA-NABA, No. 5 by the IBF-USBA, and No. 2 by the NABF. He brings a four-fight winning streak into the title bout, defeating veteran Brian Vera by TKO in his most recent appearance on Sept. 9. Continue reading “Gavronski-Hernandez tops Battle at the Boat 113”

After back to back weeks of action-packed main events, Boxeo Telemundo Ford returns this Friday from Blackberry Auditorio in Mexico City, Mexico. The main event features Civil War II as Mexican Prospect Antonio “Toño” Moran puts his WBO Latino Lightweight title at stake against Salvador “Buffon” Briseño who is the current national Fecombox Champion.

Moran currently ranked #11 in the WBO is coming off two impressive knockouts on the Telemundo platform as he annihilated Richard Zamora in 1 round and later reappeared in the summer season claiming the vacant WBO Latino Lightweight Title with a 6 round stoppage win over Guadalupe Rosales. Continue reading “Toño Moran Headlines Telemundo Friday”

By Marco Bratusch

Frenchman Ahmed El Mousaui (27-3-1, 6 KOs) is the new official challenger for his countryman Mohamed Mimoune’s European welterweight belt. As previously reported, the southpaw Mimoune (19-2, 2 KOs) brilliantly won the belt outboxing for a split decision victory Sam Eggington two weeks ago in Manchester, United Kingdom. The young local boxer appeared slightly out of tone, perhaps due to some weight difficulties as later stated by his team. However, Mimoune’s footwork and hands speed anticipated and took the taller Eggington out of balance all night to deservedly win the European belt. For El Mousaui, aged 27, facing Mimoune would be his second attempt to win the European belt, after his hard-fought loss to Ceferino Rodriguez last December in Spain.

Sauerland promoted junior welterweight Anthony Yigit (20-0-1, 7 KOs), the reigning European champion of the 140 lbs division who recently defended his belt outpointing young Spaniard Sandor Martin in Solna, Sweden, will now fight on December 2 in a voluntary defense against British Joe Hughes (15-2-1, 6 KOs), a 27-year-old opponent that last April scored a split draw decision against Tyron Nurse in Leicester, United Kingdom. Continue reading “EBU Updates”

The young career of heavyweight Hasim Rahman Jr. (2-0, 2 KOs), son of former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman, took an unexpected turn last week as his scheduled opponent, Joseph Coats, decided not to fight and literally left the ring.

The four-round Rahman vs. Coats bout was supposed to happen at The Durham Armory in Downtown Durham, North Carolina, last Thursday. However, the debuting Coats, trained by reputable trainer Don Turner, initially refused to come out of the locker room. Forty minutes later, Coats finally agreed to get on with the fight only to get cold feet for a second time leaving Rahman waiting in the ring for nearly 10 minutes. Continue reading “Rahman Jr opponent flees ring before fight”

Former world champion Ishe Smith (29-8, 12 KOs) battles top 154-pound contender Julian “J-Rock” Williams (23-1-1, 15 KOs) in a 10-round super welterweight clash that headlines Premier Boxing Champions on Bounce live from The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Saturday, November 18.

In the co-feature, Lionell Thompson (18-4, 11 KOs) clashes with unbeaten prospect Earl Newman (10-0-1, 7 KOs) in a 10-round light heavyweight bout. Televised coverage begins with unbeaten 2012 Olympic silver medalist Tugstsogt Nyambayar (8-0, 8 KOs) and Xavier Martinez (9-0, 5 KOs) going head-to-head in a 10-round featherweight fight.

WBA super flyweight champion Kal Yafai says he will send out a statement to the 115lb division that he’s coming for all the belts when he defends his crown against unbeaten mandatory challenger Sho Ishida at Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday. Yafai puts the strap on the line for the second time and against a second opponent from the land of the rising sun having been taken 12 rounds by the gritty Suguru Muranaka in May.

The unbeaten Birmingham star now travels to Wales to put the belt on the line against Ishida, the tall 25-year-old fighting outside his homeland for the first time. Yafai expects another tough contest but the 28-year-old says he’s ready to dazzle and prove he can head Stateside and dominate the weight-class. Continue reading “Yafai: I’ll send a message to super-fly rivals”