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O’Shaquie Foster (21-2, 12 KOs), the reigning WBC junior lightweight world champion, has signed a multi-fight promotional contract with Top Rank. A native of Orange, Texas, who trains out of Houston, Foster will make his Top Rank on ESPN debut in early 2024.

“O’Shaquie Foster is a supremely talented champion in the prime of his career,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “We are thrilled to welcome him to Top Rank, and I eagerly await his next world title defense.”

Queensberry, Top Rank & Riyadh Season will hold a press conference tomorrow in London to announce a new date for the Fury vs. Usyk undisputed heavyweight world championship contest, taking place in early 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The rumored date is February 17.

By David Finger

At the 61st annual WBC Convention in Tashkent, Uzbekistan the eagerly anticipated ratings session kicked off in the heavyweight division. The most recent WBC rankings were unveiled at the convention and perhaps the most notable development was the presence of Francis Ngannou, who lost a split decision to Tyson Fury earlier this month in his professional debut, ranked at #10. Although it is hard to deny that any fighter who drops the world champion and loses a split decision deserves a top ten ranking, it is nonetheless an unprecedented development to see a fighter with only one fight in the world rankings.

The other major development was the WBC board voting to switch places of #12 Joe Joyce and #14 Daniel Dubois in the rankings. The move was suggested to Francis Warren by Mauricio Sulaiman after Warren asked to see Dubois move up from #14, citing his performance in his word title fight with Oleksandr Usyk. Continue reading “Ngannou gets WBC #10 ranking”

With the Fury-Usyk showdown being pushed off the December 23 date, a mega replacement event is in the works with both Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua fighting in separate bouts.

The lineup reportedly includes:

Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker
Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin
Dmitry Bivol vs. Lyndon Arthur
Daniel Dubois vs. Jarrell Miller
Frank Sanchez vs. Junior Fa
Jai Opetaia vs. Ellis Zorro
Filip Hrgovic vs. Mark De Mori

Everything will be confirmed tomorrow at a press conference in London. The December 23 event will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In a slugfest, NABF junior welterweight champion Steve Claggett (37-7-2, 25 KOs) hammed out a ten round unanimous decision over Miguel Madueno (30-2, 28 KOs) on Tuesday night at the Casino De Montreal. Claggett and Madueno went toe-to-toe the whole way with Claggett earning a 99-91, 99-91, 98-92 verdict.

Two-time middleweight world title challenger Steven Butler (33-4-1, 27 KOs) scored a ninth round KO over Ivan Alvarez (32-15-4, 21 KOs). After a tough eight rounds, Butler dropped Alvarez twice in round nine to end it. Time was 2:36.

Olympic Bronze Medalist Imam Khataev (5-0, 5 KOs) knocked out Fernando Galvan (8-9-1, 2 KOs) in round two of a light heavyweight bout. Time was :44.

Hard-hitting IBF 140-pound world champion Subriel Matias, unbeaten top contender Shohjahon Ergashev, WBA Super Featherweight World Champion Hector Luis Garcia and mandatory challenger Lamont Roach previewed their respective SHOWTIME PPV undercard world title fights during a virtual press conference Tuesday before they step into the ring on Saturday, November 25 from Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Subriel Matias

“My preparations have been great. I’m healthy and we’re heading into the home stretch before the fight. I can tell you this, the fight won’t reach the final bell because if you look at the way both of us like to fight and how our fights have gone, you can expect a knockout. Continue reading “Matias-Ergashev/Garcia-Roach Press Quotes”

The final press conference was held Tuesday for the world title doubleheader on THURSDAY night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Shakur Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) faces Edwin De Los Santos (16-1, 14 KOs) for the vacant WBC lightweight world title and WBO junior lightweight champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete (38-1, 31 KOs) defends two-time world title challenger Robson Conceição (17-2, 8 KOs).

Shakur Stevenson: “This means the world to me. I’ve been grinding my whole life for these moments. I’m back in the same situation I was before, fighting for another vacant title. I’m just here to do what I got to do. I’m focused. I’m ready. Showtime on Thursday…my performance is based on how I feel. I’m performing for myself. I know that if I come in at my best, I will be hard to deal with for everybody.”

Edwin De Los Santos: “Like I’ve always said, I’m not here to hesitate, I’m here to fight…I know that with the help of God I am going to be victorious, and the win will change my life. On November 16, you will see an upset. Don’t be surprised.”

Emanuel Navarrete: “Robson represents an enormous threat in this fight. His style is very difficult. He’s a fighter who has an Olympic style. That makes it difficult for anyone with my style. But we worked on that. We worked on that in order to make the fight easier for me in that regard.”

Robson Conceição: “It’s tough to get three title opportunities. But that’s what happened in the amateurs. It took me three attempts to become an Olympic champion. So, the same will happen in professional boxing.”

By David Finger

Day three of the 61st annual WBC Convention in Tashkent, Uzbekistan continued with a series of presentations, and although fans were a bit disappointed that the ratings committee meeting would not take place on day three (it will kick off on Thursday) it was nonetheless an exciting an informative day filled with exceptional presentations.

Before the first session, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman took some time to thank the WBC Board of Governors before reiterating that 2023 was “a great year for WBC.” Noting that the WBC had 24 championship fights over the year, Sulaiman then introduced what he promised would become one of the biggest developments of the sport in the coming years: BoxMed.

BoxMed, quite simply, is a cell phone application (app) that will collect data on fighters and create a central database for the sport. A app that will create an individual ring history of every fighter. He then turned the presentation over to Dr. Ricardo Moriel of the WBC Medical Committee, who also spoke on the BoxMed app. Continue reading “WBC Convention Day Three Report”

By David Finger

During the 61st annual WBC Convention in Tashkent, Uzbekistan a touching memorial took place remembering all of those in boxing that we lost this year. And for readers and fans of Fightnews.com®, a very familiar face was part of this memorial. Ray Wheatley, the former international editor and a frequent contributor on the boxing scene in Australia, was honored and remembered during the WBC Convention. Wheatley passed away back in June at the age of 74. Wheatley was a Hall of Fame official and former Australian heavyweight contender, but he also was one of early pioneers of this website. Wheatley was described by Fightnews.com® Editor in Chief Karl Freitag as one of the “original crew” of the webpage, having covered the boxing scene in Australia for nearly a quarter of a century.

Golden Boy Promotions announced today the signing of the undefeated WBO #1, WBC #4 super lightweight Arnold Barboza Jr. (28-0, 10 KOs). Barboza Jr. will participate on the DAZN broadcast of the Ryan Garcia vs. Oscar Duarte card in Houston, Texas at Toyota Center on Saturday, December 2.

Arnold Barboza Jr: “I’m ready for the big fights. I’m ready for the big events, I’m ready to fight in LA where I was born and raised. I feel that Golden Boy and Oscar will deliver this for me and they stepped up and gave me what I asked for.”

Promoter Oscar De La Hoya: “The mold of a Golden Boy fighter is talent and hunger to become a world champion, which are all the qualities that Arnold Barboza Jr. possesses. We will position him to fight for a world title belt in the very near future. We’re the best in the business at building the next generation of stars and Arnold Barboza Jr. will put the 140 pound division on notice.”

Manager Rick Mirigian: “Value is not determined by those who set the price, value is determined by those who choose to pay it. Golden Boy has placed a high value on Barboza and wasted no time to show it.”

Two-weight world champion Natasha Jonas (14-2-1, 9 KOs) will defend her IBF welterweight world title against former unified world champion Mikaela Mayer (19-1, 5 KOs) on Saturday, Jan. 20 at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England, live on ESPN+ in the U.S. and Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland.

Jonas will be making the first defense of the IBF crown she claimed with an emphatic stoppage win over Canadian Kandi Wyatt earlier this year, having previously unified the WBC, WBO and IBF junior middleweight world titles.

Newly crowned British champion ‘Little Leaver’s Meat Cleaver’ Jack Cullen (22-4-1, 10 KOs) also returns to action, defending his Lonsdale strap against former foe Zak Chelli (14-2-1, 7 KOs) in a repeat of their all-action 2020 contest that ended in a draw. Continue reading “Jonas-Mayer confirmed for Jan 20”

All Star Boxing returns with its popular series “Panama Fight Night IV” on Friday December 1st featuring rising world ranked welterweight puncher WBA #11 WBO #11 Derrieck “Pretty Boy” Cuevas (26-1-1, 18 KOs) of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico against Ecuadorian Marlon “La Furia” Aguas (14-1, 9 KOs) in a 10-round clash. The bout will air live from Centro de Combates in Panama City, Panama at 9PM / EDT on ESPN+ and ESPN Knockout.

“We are happy to be back with our 3rd show from Panama this year in a series that has already seen the rise of contenders to world champions like WBO interim jr flyweight titlist Rene “El Chulo” Santiago,” notes Tuto Zabala Jr President & CEO of All Star Boxing, Inc “Derrieck Cuevas is a young, hungry welterweight contender looking to close the year in big fashion.” Continue reading “Derrieck Cuevas returns Dec 1 on ESPN+”

The WBA world title final eliminator clash between #1 and #2 world-ranked light heavyweights Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez has been rescheduled for Saturday, February 3 and will be broadcast live and exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and Peacock in the USA.

Buatsi (17-0, 13 KOs) and Azeez (20-0, 13 KOs) were set to meet on October 21st at The O2 but a back injury suffered by Azeez in his final training session forced the postponement of their all-British showdown. The rescheduled contest will now take place at The OVO Arena Wembley due to a lack of available dates at The O2.

January 13th was held by BOXXER as the targeted date at The O2 but a clash with the light heavyweight world title contest between Artur Beterbiev and Callum Smith meant Azeez’s coach Buddy McGirt, who also trains Smith, would be unavailable.

By Gabriel F. Cordero

In an unexpected development, the WBC announced at its annual convention in Uzbekistan that it will suspend cooperation with Boxrec.com, the official boxing recordkeeper, which the WBC has supported for more than a decade. At issue is Boxrec’s handling of the bridgerweight division (200-224 lbs.), which simply hasn’t been acknowledged by Boxrec since it was created by the WBC three years ago. Current WBC world champion Lukasz Rozanski (15-0, 14 KOs) does not have any title listed. His fights are written up as heavyweight without a title and he does not appear in any rankings.

The WBC made an official request for Boxrec to support the bridgerweight classification and the decision to suspend cooperation for the time being until the update is implemented was immediately and firmly supported by the WBC Board of Governors on Tuesday afternoon during the presentation of the Boxrec representatives.

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

Finally, the moment awaited by the community of our sport has arrived, namely, the Annual Convention of the World Boxing Council.

The most important week in our sport, in which delegates from the 170 affiliated countries gather, combine and unite for this meeting, in which a large number of decisions are made that, year after year, revolutionize our sport, to make it safer, and project it towards integral growth.

Hundreds of people have gathered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in central Asia, a country that many of the attendees could not previously locate on the map…with a pin.

We have discovered and found a beautiful, hospitable, safe nation full of ancient traditions. Smiling is one of the qualities that is experienced step after step, delicious food based on organic vegetables, cheeses, bread and dishes, with influence from the East and the Arab world. Continue reading “The most important week in boxing”

Pound-for-pound star Shakur Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) and Dominican slugger Edwin De Los Santos (16-1, 14 KOs) hosted their public workouts today ahead of their vacant WBC lightweight world title showdown this Thursday, Nov. 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the world championship co-feature, Mexico’s Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete (38-1, 31 KOs) defends his WBO junior lightweight strap against Brazilian two-time world title challenger Robson Conceição (17-2, 8 KOs).

At Monday’s media workout, this is what the fighters had to say.

Shakur Stevenson

“I can’t wait. It’s going to be very exciting. You’ve got the tough Edwin De Los Santos, but I’m here to whoop his a**!”

“We can’t think about what comes after. I’m not worried about after. We’ve got a job to do Thursday night. I’m coming here to get my belt.”

“I think that Edwin is a good fighter. I think he’s more of a boxer than what he’s trying to act like. So, he’s going to try to move around. And I’m going to figure him out by the fourth round.” Continue reading “Shakur, De Los Santos, Vacquero, Conceição Quotes”

Report/Photos: David Finger

The 61st annual WBC Convention continued for its second day on Monday with a lengthy, but throughly enjoyable, opening ceremony.

Although historically day two of the WBC Convention is one of the busier ones, with medical seminars and ratings committee meetings, this year the choice was made to go with fewer scheduled events.

It proved to be a wise decision as it allowed for what was one of the most memorable opening ceremonies in convention history.

The event kicked off with an incredible concert performed by the Bulbulcha Children’s Choir, which was conducted by Alibek Kabdurakhmanov, Director of the National Symphony Orchestra. The choir sang the National Anthem, which was followed by an introduction of a handful of local government officials including first vice president of the Uzbekistan Boxing Federation and the former President of the International Boxing Association (AIBA), Mr. Gafur Rakhimov. From there Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Archilbay Ramatov gave a speech welcoming the WBC and the attendees of the convention.

Following the introductions, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman (alongside former light-welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu) presented a WBC belt to Deputy Prime Minister Archilbay Ramatov. Continue reading “WBC Convention Day 2 report”

Golden Boy has announced the undercard for the return of super lightweights “King” Ryan Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) against Oscar “La Migraña” Duarte (26-1-1, 21 KOs) taking place at Toyota Center in Houston on December 2 broadcast worldwide on DAZN.

The co-main event features Ohara “Two Tanks” Davies (25-2, 18 KOs) against Ismael Barroso (24-4-2, 22 KOs) for the WBA interim super lightweight title.

Unbeaten Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield (15-0, 11 KOs) faces Ricardo “Explosivo” Torres (17-7-3, 12 KOs) in a 10-round fight.

NABO middleweight champion Shane Mosley Jr. (20-4, 11 KOs) faces Joshua Conley (17-5-1, 11 KOs) in a 10-round fight.

Opening the DAZN card, light heavyweight Darius Fulghum (8-0, 8 KOs) will fight Pachino “Chino” Hill (8-4-1, 6 KOs). Continue reading “Kingry-Duarte undercard set”

Steve Claggett 139.8 vs. Miguel Madueno 139.7
(NABF/NABO super lightweight titles)

Steven Butler 161.9 vs. Ivan Alvarez 160.9
Fernando Galvan 178.6 vs. Iman Khataev 179.4
Jaime Lopez 173 vs. Mehmet Nadir Unal 175.5
Grzegorz Mardyla 168.6 vs. Wilkens Mathieu 169.5
Christian Lopez Lozano 160.9 vs. Moreno Fendero 163.6

Venue: Théâtre du Casino in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Promoter: Eye of the Tiger
TV: ESPN+

Undefeated WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo discussed training camp and more ahead of his showdown against Jose Benavidez Jr., which serves as the Showtime PPV co-main event on November 25 from Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Charlo-Benavidez in a 10-round non-title WBC special event as Charlo ends an over two-year layoff.

Jermall Charlo

“I’m excited to be back – back where I belong. I’m really re-learning boxing, like in the amateurs all over again. I feel new to it. It’s a thrill at the same time. I’m putting my life on the line once again, to shock the world and let people know that I’m on top.

“A lot of people consider mental health when can’t stabilize your mind and think forward. And that’s kind of where I was at. I was in a place of not being able to explain it to anyone and kind of always shielded it and I had to fight through that through my learning experiences. The main thing I’ve learned this whole time is patience. I got ready on my own terms. I’m back in the ring on my own terms. I feel better at my own pace and I’m going to go in and face my battles on my own timing. Continue reading “Charlo: I’m back on my own terms”

The heavyweight division’s fastest-rising prospect looks to close out 2023 in crushing fashion.

Olympic super heavyweight silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (7-0, 7 KOs) will test himself against Curtis Harper (14-10, 9 KOs) on Saturday, December 9 at Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines, Florida. This will be the first scheduled eight-rounder for Torrez, who has ended all seven of his professional outings in three rounds or less. Harper is best known for walking out of the ring prior to a fight with Efe Ajagba, but otherwise has proven to be a credible journeyman.

Torrez-Harper will stream LIVE & exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ before the ESPN-televised doubleheader (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) featuring Robeisy Ramirez’s WBO featherweight world title defense against Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza and undefeated junior middleweight sensation Xander Zayas versus Spain’s Jorge Fortea.

Another busy week with Thursday night’s world title twinbill from Las Vegas being the highlight.

TUESDAY
ESPN+ has WBC #15 super lightweight Steve Claggett (36-7-2, 25 KOs) against heavy-handed Miguel Madueno (30-1, 28 KOs) from the Casino De Montreal with the NABF and NABO titles on the line. Also, two-time middleweight world title challenger Steven Butler (32-4-1, 26 KOs) against Iron Alvarez (32-14-4, 21 KOs)

WEDNESDAY
ProBox TV has a super welterweight showdown between super welterweights Guido Schramm (16-1-2, 9 KOs) and Johan Gonzalez (33-2, 33 KOs) from the Whitesands Events Center in Plant City, Florida.

THURSDAY
ESPN delivers two world title fights as Shakur Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) meets Edwin De Los Santos (16-1, 14 KOs) for the vacant WBC lightweight title. In the co-feature, WBO junior lightweight champion Emanuel Navarrete (38-1, 31 KOs) will defend his belt against 2016 Olympic gold medalist Robson Conceição (17-2, 8 KOs). T-Moble Arena in Las Vegas it the site of the telecast.

SATURDAY
DAZN presents unbeaten super middleweight Diego Pacheco (19-0, 16 KOs) facing former world title challenger Marcelo Coceres (32-5-1, 18 KOs) for the WBO International and USWBC titles at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California.

ESPN+ delivers unbeaten featherweight Nick Ball (18-0, 11 KOs) versus former world champion Isaac Dogboe (24-3, 15 KOs) from the AO Arena in Manchester, England.

Peacock will air the European title twinbill featuring fast-tracking super lightweight prospect Adam Azim (9-0, 6 KOs) challenging EBU 140lb champion Franck Petitjean (24-6-3, 6 KOs) and EBU middleweight champion Matteo Signani (32-6-3, 12 KOs) versus Tyler Denny (17-2-3, 0 KOs) + WBO #1 cruiserweight Richard Riakporhe (16-0, 12 KOs) against Dylan Bregeon (13-4-1, 3 KOs). The action comes from The Halls in Wolverhampton, England.

Report/Photo: David Finger

The legendary Panamanian former WBC world champion Roberto “Manos De Piedra” Duran stopped by in “The City of Stone”,
Tashkent, Uzbekistan to help kick off the 2023 WBC Boxing Convention. Also present was former WBC word champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson, a fighter well remembered for his rock-hard punching power. Once introduced to Stevenson, Duran immediately took to the Haitian-born Canadian. It was a legendary meeting of “rock stars” in the Stone City.

Report/Photos by David Finger

The 61st Annual WBC Convention kicked on Sunday night in a new and exotic location of Tashkent, Uzbekistan. But despite “The City of Stone” being located about as far from the Western Hemisphere as possible, the welcome cocktail that unofficially opened the event was a packed house with many recognizable faces from Mexico and the United States.

Former Mexican word champions Julio Cesar Chavez, Daniel Zaragoza, and Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez, were three of the notable guests from Mexico. Continue reading “2023 WBC Convention kicks off in Uzbekistan”

Report and Photos by Bob Ryder

Albert “Prince” Bell scored a destructive second round TKO over Jayson Velez at Toledo’s Glass City Center Saturday night. Despite his post-fight statement to the contrary (“I just wanted to put on a performance”) Bell seemed much more intent on scoring a stoppage win than usual. Sometimes criticized for his perceived lack of power, Bell jumped on Velez quickly. Velez went to the mat in the first round in a flash knockdown and did not seem to be badly hurt. In the second round, however, Bell really poured it on. He opened up a bloody gash over Jayson’s left eye and floored him heavily for a second knockdown in the fight. Velez arose only to be again sent down hard requiring referee James Easter to immediately rush in and wave off the bout at 1:39 of the round. Continue reading “WBO #1 Bell Crushes Velez in Toledo”