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The World Boxing Association (WBA) Championships Committee ordered a fight for the vacant WBA featherweight title between Otabek Kholmatov and Raymond Ford. Former champion Leigh Wood vacated the belt after his October 7 fight to move up a division, so the WBA called Kholmatov, ranked number one, and Raymond Ford, ranked number two in the division, to fight.

The camps will have 30 days to reach an agreement. If an agreement is not reached within the given period of time or if either party refuses to do so, the WBA may call the fight to auction with a 50% purse split for each contender.

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The WBA also ordered a featherweight eliminator fight between Victor Morales Jr. (5th rated) and Reynaldo Nunez (6th rated).

Louie Lopez 147 vs Salvador Briceno 147
Eros Correa 120.8 vs Robin Ellis 116.2
Alejandro Luis Silva 157.3 vs Janer Gonzalez 160.5
Nelson Oliva 159.9 vs Dario Guerrero-Meneses 159
Abel Mejia 137.6 vs Leslie Summers 138.3
Christopher Gonzalez 146.3 vs Jose Mejia 145
Anthony Saldivar 155 vs Manuel Moreira 154.5

Venue: Infinite Reality Studios, Long Beach, California
Promoter: CBN Promotions
TV: FOX Deportes

Yokasta Valle 104.5 vs. Anabel Ortiz 105
(IBF & WBO female minimumweight title)

Santiago Dominguez 146.7 vs. Nolberto Casco 148
Jose Alvarado 130.5 vs. Moises Garcia 131
Julio Miranda 114 vs. Dennis Espinoza 115.5
Maricela Cornejo 146.9 vs. Cynthia Lozano 144.9
Joshua Jimenez 128 vs. Nicasio Campos 128.9
Antonio Flores 126 vs. Manuel Gonzalez 126
Merari Vivar 117.3 vs. Grisolda Fabiola Tumax 118
Yamil Luna 130 vs. Ivan Ubeda 129

Venue: Polideportivo de Cartago in Costa Rica
Promoter: Golden Boy
TV: DAZN

A federal judge in San Juan, Puerto Rico, sentenced former lightweight contender and 2012 Olympian Felix Verdejo to consecutive life terms for the kidnapping and murder of his pregnant girlfriend in 2021. Verdejo, 30, will serve his time in a federal prison.

Efe Ajagba 237.6 vs. Joe Goodall 233.5
(WBC silver heavyweight title)

Raymond Muratalla 134 vs. Diego Torres Nunez 134.8
(NABF & WBO Global lightweight titles)

Christian Avalos 134.5 vs. Estevan Partida 134.6
Henry Lebron 129.1 vs. William Foster III 129.4
Omar Rosario 140 vs. Angel Rebollar 137.8
Lindolfo Delgado 140.1 vs. Luis Hernandez 140.3
Brandon Moore 234.7 vs. Robert Simms 238.5
Antonio Mireles 268.7 vs. Skylar Lacy 252.7
Charlie Sheehy 134.9 vs. Jesus Vasquez Jr. 134.2
Gabriel Garcia 127.8 vs. Joshua Montoya 127.6
Javier Martinez 161.8 vs. Isaiah Wise 160.8

Venue: Tahoe Blue Event Center, Lake Tahoe, Nevada
Promoter: Top Rank
TV: ESPN+

Two heavyweights in need of a win will collide on December 9 at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France. 2016 Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist Tony Yoka (11-2, 9 KOs), coming off consecutive losses to Martin Bakole and Carlos Takam, takes on former WBA cruiserweight champion Ryad Merhy (31-2, 26 KOs), who is coming off a decision loss to Kevin Lerena in May.

Ilunga Makabu 197.8 vs. Noel Mikaelian 196.6
(WBC cruiserweight title)

Jonathan Guidry 273 vs. Jesus Escalera 254

Trevor Bryan 264 vs. Cassius Chaney 257

Alexander Castro 159 vs. Hector Bobadilla 152
Isiah Hart 161 vs. Cory Caad 165
Isaiah Efrain Riquelmy 140.8 vs. Rondale Hubbert 142.8

Venue: Casino Miami Jai Alai
Promoter: Don King Productions
TV: PPV

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Super lightweight Ohara “Two Tanks” Davies (25-2, 18 KOs) of London will make his U.S. debut against Ismael Barroso (24-4-2, 22 KOs) as chief-support for Garcia vs. Duarte taking place on December 2 at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The bout will be a twelve-rounder for the WBA interim super lightweight title.

Ohara Davies: “Absolutely over the moon to get this fight confirmed, it’s gonna be a tough fight because Barroso should be the real WBA world champion already as he was smoking Rolly Romero…on December 2 I’m coming to knock Ismael Barroso out and become interim world champion.”

Ismael Barroso: “I’m very excited to have another opportunity to show that I’m at the world championship level,” said Ismael Barroso. “I proved it in my last fight, and this time I’m going to make sure there’s no doubt whatsoever…when fight night comes, I’ll be ready to have my hand raised and leave the ring with the title.”

The WBA recently designated 140lb champ Rolly Romero as champion in recess.

Joe Cordina 129.9 vs. Edward Vazquez 128.8
(IBF super featherweight title)

Sivenathi Nontshinga 107.7 vs. Adrian Curiel Dominguez 107.9
(IBF light flyweight title)

Souleymane Cissokho 146.6 vs. Isaias Lucero 147
Julissa Alejandra Guzman 121.5 vs. Ramla Ali 121.8

Venue: Casino de Monte Carlo in Monaco
Promoter: Matchroom
TV: DAZN

Jorge Tovar 164 vs. Marcelo Fabian Bzowski 162.5
Amy Salinas 110 vs. Ashley Sciscente 111.5
Stephanie Han 134 vs. Simone Da Silva 137
Brittany Sims 119 vs. Noemi Bosques 117
Victor Aranda 153.5 vs. Brendon Giaude 154
Josh Hatch 154 vs. Shadi Shawareb 153

Venue: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Promoter: King’s Promotions
Stream: BXNGTV.com (Unified World Flyweight champion Marlen Esparza Part of broadcast team)
1st Bell: 7 PM CT

Heavyweights Efe Ajagba (18-1, 13 KOs) and Joe Goodall (10-1-1, 9 KOs) faced off at the final press conference for their ten round clash this Saturday at Tahoe Blue Event Center in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Ajagba and Goodall fought as amateurs, with Goodall earning a decision in the semifinals of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. Nearly 10 years later, the two are ready to settle the score.

Efe Ajagba: “We sparred each other a long time ago. And I lost to him in the Commonwealth Games in 2014. So, that’s the guy I lost to. This fight will be a rematch for me. This fight means a lot to me because of that loss…I’m going to come as a beast in the ring. I’m going to come with everything, the training, the sparring, everything I did. I’ve been knocking people out in sparring. I’m going to put all of that in the fight.”

Joe Goodall: “Without giving away too much, his only loss was to Frank Sanchez. I watched that fight. Frank’s movement was pretty good in that fight. I don’t want to say that I’ll copy him, but there are some things in that fight that I can implement. But once again, we’ve sparred before. We know each other well. So, it’s about executing the plan on fight night.”

Undefeated knockout artist Vergil Ortiz, Jr. (19-0, 19 KOs) will return to the ring in a new division against Fredrick “General Okunka” Lawson (30-3, 22 KOs). The super welterweight fight is scheduled for 12-rounds and is set to take place at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on January 6, broadcast worldwide on DAZN.

“Vergil is ready to come back stronger than ever to become a world champion in this sport,” said Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “He’s got the heart and dedication, and is on a mission to be a world title holder. I know he will make a statement in this new division against the powerful Ghanaian warrior Fredrick Lawson. Golden Boy will be starting 2024 with a bang, and we’re proud to have Vergil launch our action-packed boxing schedule for the year.”

Ahead of Saturday’s Don King Productions event at Casino Miami Jai-Alai, Hall of Fame promoter Don King addressed assembled media along with the boxers from the main card. In the main event, WBC #1 cruiserweight Noel Mikaelian faces former champ Ilunga Makabu for the vacant WBC title.

Don King: “I’m very thankful to be here because we are taking boxing back to the people. It’s going to be a November and December to remember, and we are kicking it off with this great card we have this Saturday. The best man wins, and everyone who is fighting must be fighting for themselves. That is what we are dealing with here on this celebration of a night. The best of the best.”

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Noel Mikaelian vs. Ilunga Makabu
WBC Cruiserweight Championship

Noel Mikaelian: “I wanted to fight Makabu for a long time, he’s a great southpaw but my fight IQ allows me to adapt to anyone in the ring…I don’t care that he is not here (today). If he is not in the ring on Saturday, then I will be very disappointed.”

Makabu was not in attendance due to Visa issues but is expected to arrive tomorrow.

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Jonathan Guidry vs. Jesus Escalera
Heavyweight

Jonathan Guidry: “I do not have much to say but I am very prepared for this fight, and I believe we will have the best fight of the night. Sparks will fly.”

Jesus Escalera: “A lot of fighters turned me down, but [Guidry] is a true champion and stepped up and it is a complete honor. My uncle (former WBC super featherweight champion Alfredo Escalera) fought in in the same venue 40 years ago for Don King. To fight in same venue as my uncle is an honor. I plan to make my home country of Puerto Rico proud. This will be the best fight of the night and Saturday will answer a lot of questions people have about us.”

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Trevor Bryan vs. Cassius Chaney
Heavyweight

Trevor Bryan: “Everyone is claiming to have the best fight but myself and Cassius Chaney have a lot to prove so I believe we will take that title. I am a former champion, so I have a lot to still prove. Nothing against Chaney but I need to go in there and take care of business.”

Cassius Chaney: “I’ve been training constantly. My team and I have been patient and working hard and I am now in a good space. I’m looking forward to Saturday to put on a great show.”

IBF super featherweight champion Joe Cordina and challenger Edward Vazquez faced off at the final press conference ahead of their world title fight on DAZN Saturday from Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Joe Cordina: “People said I didn’t have power, I knocked out Ogawa. Then they said I can only look pretty, and I showed I can dig down against Rakhimov. If you come into the gym and see how I train and spar, I do that on the daily, but the Rakhimov fight is the only one that I’ve had to get out of first gear. So, me saying you have to be special to beat me, it’s not being cocky, I believe in my ability. I’ve done it time after time as a pro and all through my 180 amateur fights, I’ve beaten some great, great fighters that have won Olympic and World medals. It’s not a fluke, I am the real deal.”

Edward Vazquez: If you have looked at my career, I’ve been the challenger every time and I’ve come out on top, except from that bullshit call, you know what I am talking about (split decision loss to Raymond Ford, February 2022). I’m here to pull the upset and ready to handover a Texas ass-whooping and do what we do…I don’t want to hear any excuses. Every time I beat these guys that I am supposed to lose to, there’s always some bullshit excuse that comes out…he’s never been in there with someone like me and he’s going to find out.”

By TMZ.com

Francis Ngannou knows what he wants next … telling TMZ Sports the clear choice is a rematch with Tyson Fury!

We talked to 37-year-old Ngannou on Tuesday … just days after his incredibly impressive performance against 35-year-old Fury, and asked one of the most coveted athletes in all combat sports who and/or what he wants now that the world’s at his fingertips.

“The rematch is what I want next the most,” Ngannou told us. “As for right now I feel like there is a lot of options for me, but I want to choose wisely, and I would go for the rematch first.” Continue reading “Ngannou: I want immediate rematch w/ Fury”

2016 Olympian welterweight Alberto Palmetta (19-2, 13 KOs) scored a ten round unanimous decision over Janelson Figueroa Bocachica (17-2-1, 11 KOs) on Wednesday night at the Whitesands Events Center in Plant City, Florida. Good tactical fight with Palmetta prevailing 97-93, 96-94, 96-94.

Former super bantamweight champion Angelo Leo (22-1, 10 KOs), now campaigning at featherweight after a 2.5 year layoff, hammered out a hard fought ninth round TKO over rugged Nicolas Polanco (20-5-1, 11 KOs). Polanco couldn’t continue due to a shoulder injury. Time was 1:59.

Jason “Mayhem” Moloney (26-2, 19 KOs) will defend his WBO bantamweight world title against Mexican-American challenger Saul Sanchez (20-2, 12 KOs) on Saturday, January 13, at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada.

Moloney-Sanchez will stream live & exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ before the ESPN-televised doubleheader featuring Artur Beterbiev’s WBC/IBF/WBO light heavyweight title defense against Callum “Mundo” Smith and undefeated super middleweight knockout artist Christian Mbilli against Rohan Murdock.

Undefeated WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs) will battle José Benavídez Jr. (28-2-1, 19 KOs) in a 10-round non-title WBC special event in the co-main event of the Benevidez-Andrade PPV undercard on Saturday, November 25 from Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

The pay-per-view will also see IBF 140-pound world champion Subriel Matías (19-1, 19 KOs) against unbeaten mandatory challenger Shohjahon Ergashev (23-0, 20 KOs), plus WBA super featherweight champion Héctor Luis Garcia (16-1, 10 KOs) against top-rated mandatory challenger Lamont Roach (23-1-1, 9 KOs) in the telecast opener.

The event is headlined by undefeated two-time super middleweight world champion David “El Monstruo” Benavídez defending his WBC interim super middleweight title against unbeaten two-division world champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade.

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

It will be very difficult to describe in this column everything that happened this week in the monumental event called The Battle of the Baddest, via which Riyadh Season opened with the fight between the WBC heavyweight world champion, Tyson Fury, against the former UFC heavyweight monarch, Francis Ngannou.

I had never experienced anything similar. The promotion, prepared by His Excellency Sheik Turki Alalshikh, with the co-promotion of Top Rank and Queensberry, was spectacular in every way. The number of legendary boxers and athletes was a dream come true: Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Larry Holmes, Manny Pacquiao, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Durán, Érik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Lennox Lewis, Ricky Hatton, Naseem Hamed, Amir Khan, Joe Calzaghe, Frank Bruno, Riddick Bowe, Shannon Briggs, Buster Douglas, Roy Jones Jr., Michael Spinks, Jared Anderson, Artur Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol, Badou Jack, Tim Bradley, Bakhodir Jalolov, Antonio Tarver, Miguel Cotto, Conor McGregor, Randy Couture, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Eminem, Liam Payne, and a huge number of other superstars. Continue reading “Battle of the Baddest an event for legends”

World 130lb champion Joe Cordina and Edward Vazquez faced off for the first time of fight week in Monte Carlo ahead of their IBF super featherweight Title fight on DAZN Saturday.

King’s Promotions will host their inaugural event on Friday night at The County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas. The seven-bout card will feature four undefeated fighters.

In the main event, newly signed King’s Promotions fighter, Jorge Tovar (6-0, 6 KOs) will look to thrill his hometown fans when he fights Marco Fabian Bzowski (11-23-4) of Buenos Aries, Argentina a middleweight bout scheduled for eight-rounds. Continue reading “Boxing back in El Paso”

WBO cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith came face to face with today with WBO #5 Mateusz Masternak, the man who aims to dethrone him when they meet in the BOXXER main event on Sunday, December 10th, at the Bournemouth International Centre in Bournemouth, England. The bout can be seen on Peacock in the US and Sky Sports in the UK.

Chris Billam-Smith: “He does everything very well. He’s the most well rounded fighter I will have faced to date. He‘s very well rounded and has no obvious weaknesses. I think stylistically we are very similar in a lot of areas and I think it will be a great fight. It will be an entertaining fight, our styles will mesh really well.”

Mateusz Masternak: “I’ve been waiting for 17 years to get a world title shot. It’s been a long journey with a lot of ups and downs but now I am ready to take a belt. I’ve been very patient but the wait is almost over. Chris has heart but he’s not faced anyone with my experience and my toughness.”

The Superior Court of Quebec has issued its judgment in the case initiated by Eye of the Tiger against welterweight Custio Clayton for breach of the contract between the two parties. Clayton was ordered to pay a sum of $193,293.86 (plus interest and costs) to Eye of the Tiger.

Through its legal action filed against Clayton in 2021, Eye of the Tiger sought a conviction for the breach of the exclusive promotional agreement agreed upon in 2017 and for the loss of income resulting from the athlete’s refusal to honor a three-fight deal negotiated in his favor. Continue reading “Eye of the Tiger wins lawsuit”

Keeps WBO AP 122lb belt

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Former IBF world junior feather champ, WBO#4, WBC#15 TJ Doheny (25-4, 19 KOs), 121.75, impressively scored a hat trick by decking his third victory at the Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, when he successfully kept his WBO Asia Pacific 122-pound belt by halting previously unbeaten prospect Japhethlee Llamido (11-1, 4 KOs), 121.75, at just 2:28 of the opening session in a scheduled twelve on Tuesday.

“I wish to have an opportunity here to challenge “Monster” Naoya Inoue,” said the 36-year-old victor. TJ, who will celebrate his birthday in a couple of days on Thursday, said in the ring, “Happy birthday to me.” Continue reading “Ex-champ Doheny halts Llamido”

Keeps JBC 122lb belt

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Elongated 5’11” southpaw 122-pounder IBF#5, WBO#14 Toshiki Shimomachi (17-1-3, 11 KOs), 122, very barely kept his Japanese super-bantam belt as he struggled to fight to a grueling draw (95-95 twice, 96-93 for him) with JBC#1 Toshiki Ishii (6-1-1, 4 KOs), 121.75, over ten extremely hard-fought rounds on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan. It was truly the Fight of the Month since they kept non-stop punching each other for full thirty minutes. Continue reading “IBF#4 Shimomachi draws with Ishii”