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WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood has decided to move up to the super featherweight division, leaving the WBA featherweight belt vacant. The British fighter recently defended his crown with a spectacular knockout over Josh Warrington on October 7 and had already announced unofficially his intention to move up to 130 pounds. This week, his team sent the formal communication of his decision to the WBA. The WBA Championships Committee will now make a decision regarding who will fight for the vacant belt.

By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® caught up with rising star and knockout artist, super lightweight, Ernesto “Tito” Mercado who is back in the ring for the fifth time this year against the hard-hitting Jeremia Nakathila on Sat, Nov. 11 at the LumColor “Phoenix” Center in Ontario, CA. Tito talked about his coming fight and is desire to get in the ring in the stacked 140lb division with the likes of Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, Teofimo Lopez and Regis Prograis and gave his prediction on Haney vs. Prograis. He also shared his experience from fighting in Nicaragua, the birthplace of his father, and much more in this exclusive interview.

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It’s official. After a successful 38-year run, the Showtime network will no longer air boxing after the end of 2023.

Parent company Paramount Global issued the following statement:

“As we evolve our strategy to more efficiently allocate resources and align our content offering across the business, we’ve made the difficult decision not to move forward with boxing and other content produced by the Showtime sports team. Showtime will continue to air and support the remaining 2023 boxing slate and honor obligations through the end of the year.”

Showtime is the main broadcast vehicle for Premier Boxing Champions, so PBC will need to find another outlet.

Devin Haney and Regis Prograis faced off at the kickoff press conference announcing their DAZN PPV fight on December 9 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom.

Devin Haney: “I’m going to beat the shit out of him. I’m thankful to be in this position and it’s a dream come true. This is a huge fight for boxing and it’s a big opportunity for me because I have always dreamed of becoming a two-weight division world champion. I’m happy that I can hold on to my titles but also happy that I can challenge Regis, who is the best at 140. But I will show that I’m on a different level and that I am the best. I’m excited for it, and I think the fight is going to fireworks. I’m far above him.”

Regis Prograis: “We can go back-and-forth but I don’t try to get underneath anyone’s skin. That’s not what I do. Maybe he doesn’t get the respect he deserves. He could have had it the easy way and I heard that they bought their losses away. I heard that from a bunch of people. But that shit don’t matter for me. For me, I’m going to fight him, and I don’t care what you got. It’s about me and you now. I look at who he is now because that’s who I’m fighting. I don’t care about all his past shit. I care about fighting him now and that’s what I’m looking forward to. I believe I have the power to take anyone out. “

The PPV undercard is set for the clash between WBC super lightweight champion Regis Prograis and lightweight champion Devin Haney at Chase Center in San Francisco.

• Junior welterweights Liam Paro (23-0 14 KOs) and Montana Love (18-1-1 9 KOs) will clash for the WBO Global.
• 2020 Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz (1-0, 0 KOs) returns against Hector Tanajara (21-1-1, 6 KOs) for the WBA Continental Latin Americas lightweight title.
• IBF female bantamweight champion Ebanie Bridges (9-1, 4 KOs) defends her title against Avril Mathie (8-1-1, 3 KOs).

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

This last week was one of significant activity, and one of the most important events was the sensational meeting with General Luis Cresencio Sandoval González, Secretary of National Defense of Mexico.

I had the honor of accompanying a great leader of national sports, Daniel Aceves, medalist in Los Angeles 1984, who is President of the Association of Mexican Olympians, and my brother Héctor, President of Valores del Deporte por el Desarrollo y la Paz, to notify the General of the nomination for the National Sports Award (PND), in the field of protection and promotion of the practice of sports. Continue reading “Working for the Good of Boxing”

The undefeated all-British clash between #1 and #2 world-ranked light heavyweights Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez has been postponed after Azeez suffered an injury in his final training session. They were set to meet this Saturday in a hugely anticipated bout at The O2 with London bragging rights and a shot at world honors on the line.

Doctors have ruled Azeez unable to compete due to a back injury.

“I’m devastated for this to happen on fight week,” said Azeez. “It still hasn’t sunk in. I’ve never had to withdraw from a fight in my career before. I want to apologize to all the fans, especially those traveling to the fight. I am also extremely sorry to my opponent Joshua Buatsi, to my promoter and to everyone involved who has worked so hard on this date. I hope this fight can be rescheduled as soon as possible.” Continue reading “Injury forces postponement of Buatsi-Azeez”

As initially planned, WBC #1, WBA #2, IBF #3 super middleweight Christian Mbilli will be part of the boxing card on January 13 at the Centre Vidéotron, featuring unified WBC, WBO, and IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev against Callum Smith. Mbilli (25-0, 21 KOs) will defend his WBC Continental Americas and WBA International titles in the evening’s semifinal against the #9 IBF contender Rohan Murdock (27-2, 19 KOs), broadcast live on ESPN in the United States and Punching Grace in Canada.

Christian Mbilli: “Rohan Murdock is a quality opponent with a completely different style from my recent opponents. It will also be an opportunity to gain new fans before my crowning as a world champion. I look forward to starting training camp and can’t wait to be in Quebec on January 13 to wow the crowd!”

Rohan Murdock: “I am very excited about this opportunity and look forward to the challenge. I have been in enemy territory before and learned my lessons. I know what it takes to win at this level, and on January 13, I will emerge victorious.”

The full undercard involving stable boxers will be announced in the coming weeks.

Saturday’s showdown between unbeaten and highly rated light heavyweight contenders Joshua Buatsi (17-0, 13 KOs) and ‘Super’ Dan Azeez (19-0, 13 KOs) from the O2 Arena in London can be seen in the USA on the NBC streaming platform Peacock. Buatsi is rated WBA #1, WBO #1, WBC #2, IBF #3. Azeez is rated WBA #2, WBC #3, WBO #3, IBF #5. The bout will air on Sky Sports in the UK.

The Buatsi-Azeez clash kicks off a media rights partnership between BOXXER and NBC Sports that brings BOXXER Fight Nights to American audiences. The bouts will stream LIVE exclusively on the Peacock subsciption. service with select events airing on NBC.

BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom said, “We’re delighted to announce this landmark partnership with NBC Sports, in what is a major moment for the company, allowing audiences across the USA to watch our stars in action throughout the year. NBC Sports reaches millions of fans every day, providing an incredible platform Stateside for BOXXER and our elite roster. We look forward to kickstarting the partnership with a huge show on 21st October, as Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez put it all on the line at The O2 in London.”

In a clash between undefeated super welterweights, local German hero Slawa Spomer (19-0, 10 KOs) scored a tenth round KO over European champion Milan Prat (20-1, 16 KOs) in a clash for the WBO Global and WBA Intercontinental on Saturday at the Rudolf Weber-Arena, in Oberhausen, Germany. Spomer dropped Prat in rounds four, five, and nine, before finishing him with 21 seconds left in the tenth round.

The undercard included some notable names seeing action.

Former world champion Austin “No Doubt” Trout (37-5-1, 18 KOs) outpointed journeyman Omar Rodriguez (13-10-1, 6 KOs) over eight rounds in another super welterweight showdown. This was Trout’s 2023 boxing debut.

Former cruiserweight world title challenger Mike “The Rebel” Perez (29-3, 20 KOs) destroyed Rashad Karimov (36-4, 32 KOs) in the first round. Perez sent Karimov to the canvas three times before the referee waved off the contest.

The event was presented by Legacy Sports Management.

Hall of Fame promoter Don King has been mixing and matching title fights and suddenly found himself with too many fights. So he has decided to split them off into two separate boxing events on November 4 and December 2 at the Casino Miami Jai Alai.

“It’s going to be a November and December to remember,” said King. “I want to thank owner Phil Ruffin and general manager Daniel Licciardi for their support in allowing us to have two super nights of boxing at their Casino Miami Jai Alai. The Only in America 92 Celebration” extravaganza will be like no other and it will encompass two exciting nights of championship boxing.”

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The November 4 card will have three co-feature title fights headlined by the 12-round battle for the vacant WBC cruiserweight title between #1 Noel Mikaelian (26-2, 11 KOs) and #2-rated former champion Ilunga Makabu (29-3, 25 KOs). Makabu, who lost his title to Badou Jack, is hoping to regain his belt after Jack relinquished the title.

Other bouts feature heavyweight Jonathan Guidry (19-1-2, 11 KOs) against Jesus Escalera (19-0, 19 KOs), and former WBA champion Trevor Bryan (22-1, 15 KOs) against Cassius Chaney (22-1, 15 KOs).

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The December 2 card will feature welterweight Adrien “The Problem” Broner (35-4-1, 24 KOs), a four-time world champion in four weight divisions, continues his return against Chris Howard (18-2-1, 8 KOs) for the “People’s Championship.” Broner will dedicate this fight to his late trainer and mentor Mike Stafford, who passed away at the age of 67 in September.

In the co-feature, WBA Continental America’s middleweight champion Ian Green (17-2, 11 KOs) defends his title against an opponent to be named.

Photos: Sumio Yamada

Check out this GIANT Alimkhanuly-Gualtieri photo gallery for some incredible shots + action from the Davis-Albright and Torrez-Herndon fights.

Photos

WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu called out WBC/WBA/IBF champion Jermell Charlo immediately after defeating Brian Mendoza on Sunday morning in Australia. His first words were “Charlo, where you at? Where you at buddy?” He added, “In his delusional head he’ll probably say he’s gonna beat me. Come and get it…he’s the best 154, but let’s prove to everyone who is really the king of the division.”

Tszyu is planning to fight next in Las Vegas in the spring. #1 on his hit list is Charlo, but he says there are other options if Charlo isn’t interested.

As far as the Mendoza fight, Tszyu said, “I thought he was out. Like I could hear his breathing he was like, no offense, but he was like moaning. He was doing all these weird noises in one of the rounds and I was like, man how is he still standing? I was landing all these uppercuts and, yeah, he’s got a heart. That’s for sure. You know, a lot of fighters would have quit. That’s facts.”

“This is my style of fighting. This is Qazaq style, and this is what I will continue to do,” stated Janibek Alimkhanuly after unifying the IBF/WBO middleweight titles on Saturday night. “We knew from the beginning that [Gualtieri] wasn’t going to fight back. He was waiting because he thought I was going to get tired. But I didn’t get tired.

“We would like to add another two belts to this collection. We hope that our promoter Top Rank can organize that.”

It won’t be easy to get those last two belts, however, since both are held by fighters promoted by rival promoter PBC. To become undisputed, Alimkhanuly would need to beat WBA champion Erislandy Lara (29-3-3, 17 KOs) and WBC champion Jermall Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs).

Recently elevated WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu (24-0, 17 KOs), making his first world title defense, scored a twelve round unanimous decision over iron-jawed Brian Mendoza (22-3, 16 KOs) on Sunday at the Gold Coast Convention Centre in Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia. Close first half of the fight with both having their moments. Tszyu started to take over in round seven and he methodically broke down Mendoza the rest of the way. Scores were 116-111, 116-112, 117-111.

Former world champion Miguel “El Alacrán” Berchelt (39-3, 35 KOs) beat up former world champion challenger Diego “El Profeta” Ruiz (24-8-1, 12 KOs) in a lightweight clash on Saturday night at the Poliforum Zamna in Mérida, Yucatan, Mexico. After Berchelt dominated the first two rounds, Ruiz said he couldn’t continue due to a hand injury.

In an IBF flyweight eliminator, undefeated Angel Ayala (17-0, 7 KOs) scored a very controversial twelve round unanimous decision over former world champion Felix “El Gemelo” Alvarado (39-4, 34 KOs). Alvarado seemed to do more than enough to win, but the judges scored it for Ayala 114-113 3x. To add insult to injury, Alvarado was initially announced as the winner.

In a middleweight unification clash, WBO world champion Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KOs) took the belt of IBF world champion Vincenzo “Il Capo” Gualtieri (21-1-1, 7 KOs) with a sixth round TKO on Saturday night at Fort Bend Epicenter in Rosenberg, Texas. Alimkhanuly overpowered Gualtieri from the get-go. A counter left uppercut from Janibek in the fifth round hurt and dropped Gualtieri. After buckling Gualtieri multiple time in round six, the bout was waved off by referee David Fields. Time was 1:25.

Unbeaten featherweight Sam Goodman (16-0, 7 KOs) outscored former world title challenger Miguel Flores (25-5-1, 12 KOs) over twelve rounds in the Tszyu-Mendoza co-feature on Sunday at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia. Goodman dropped Flores with a body shot in round eight. Flores also had two point deductions for low blows. Goodman was in command, but Flores was game the whole way. Scores were 118-107, 120-105, 120-105.

Heavyweight Toese Vousiutu (6-1, 6 KOs) scored a fourth round KO against 46-year-old Julius “The Towering Inferno” Long (18-27-1, 14 KOs). The 7’1 Long was down twice.

Other Results:
Jackson Jon England W10 Nathaniel May (super featherweight)
Wade Ryan W10 Sergei Vorobev (super welterweight)

U.S. Olympic silver medalist and lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis (10-0, 6 KOs) scored a ten round majority decision over Nahir Albright (16-3, 7 KOs) in the Alimkhanuly-Gualtieri co-feature on Saturday night at Fort Bend Epicenter in Rosenberg, Texas. Scores were 95-95, 96-94, 97-93.

Unbeaten 2020 Olympic super heavyweight silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (7-0, 7 KOs) stopped Tyrrell Anthony Herndon (21-5, 14 KOs). All action Torrez dropped Herdon twice in round two and got a referee’s stoppage soon after. Time was 1:26. Continue reading “Olympian medalists Davis, Torrez victorious”

Unbeaten cruiserweight Tommy Fury (10-0, 4 KOs), younger brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, won a six round majority decision over YouTuber KSI (1-1, 0 KOs) on Saturday night in front of 20,000+ at the AO Arena in Manchester, England. KSI went down in round one after a rabbit punch by Fury. No point taken. Fury was deducted a point in round two after another rabbit punch. Tedious fight with constant clinching by KSI, but Fury couldn’t take advantage of it. Scores were 57-57, 57-56, 57-56.

In a cruiserweight fight, Logan Paul, older brother of Jake Paul, early defeated MMA fighter Dillon Danis, who couldn’t box at all. Danis was deducted a point in round six for a ju-jitsu move. The bout ended when more than a dozen black-clad security guards jumped into the ring after more illegal moves by Danis. End result was a disqualification win for Paul. Big build-up for the fight, but Danis didn’t deliver. This was a sanctioned pro match.

Tim Tszyu 153 vs. Brian Mendoza 154
(WBO jr middleweight title)

Sam Goodman 124.7 vs. Miguel Flores 124.8
Nathaniel May 129.8 vs. Jackson England 129.7
Shanell Dargan 121.1 vs. Amber Amelia 120.7
Julius Long 291.5 vs. Toese Vousiutu 247.3
Hassan Hamdan 141.9 vs. Danvers Cuschieri 142.3
Sergei Vorobev 153.7 vs. Wade Ryan 153.8

Venue: Gold Coast Convention Ctr, Broadbeach, Queensland, Australia
Promoter: No Limit Boxing Promotions
TV: Showtime

The City of Santa Ana honored WBO#1 rated welterweight Alexis “Lex” Rocha (23-1, 15 KOs) with a mural created by local artist Jose Ortiz ahead of his fight against undefeated Giovani “Gallo de Oro” Santillan (31-0, 16 KOs) on Saturday, October 21. The special unveiling, which was open to fans and friends, took place at Manny V. Padilla’s Main Cave located at 210 N Broadway in Santa Ana, California.

By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® caught up with MMA legend and UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock as he re-launches his Valor Bare Knuckle promotion on Fri, Oct. 27 at the UNF Arena in Jacksonville, FL, with his innovative, new Bout Circle concept. Shamrock explains this and shares amazing stories on his trilogies with Royce Gracie and Tito Ortiz in the UFC as well as his wrestling days where he squared off against The Rock. He also dives into the Jake and Logan Paul phenomenon and cross-over fights plus much more in this exclusive interview.

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Heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov (17-0, 16 KOs) has a new foe for October 28 on the Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou PPV undercard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Makhmudov’s original opponent Agron Smakici has had to withdraw from the fight for undisclosed reasons. The “Lion” will instead face 37-year-old former cruiserweight title challenger Junior Anthony Wright (20-4-1, 17 KOs).

Janibek Alimkhanuly 159.3 vs. Vincenzo Gualtieri 159.5
(WBO/IBF middleweight unification)

Keyshawn Davis 135 vs. Nahir Albright 134.9
Richard Torrez Jr. 233.1 vs. Tyrrell Herndon 234.8
Guido Vianello 241.3 vs. Curtis Harper 275.5
Giovanni Marquez 141.3 vs. Donte Strayhorn 140.2
Duke Ragan 125.3 vs. Jose Perez 126.4
Kelvin Davis 142 vs. Narciso Carmona 142.6
Alan Garcia 137.8 vs. Nelson Hampton 137.3
Humberto Galindo 131.7 vs. Oscar Bravo 130.8
Jakhongir Zokirov 263.5 vs. Guillermo Del Rio 217.1

Venue: Fort Bend Epicenter in Rosenberg, Texas
Promoter: Top Rank
TV: ESPN, ESPN+