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Photos by David Martin Warr

In a clash for the vacant WBC cruiserweight title, #1 rated Noel Mikaelian (27-2, 12 KOs) stopped former champion Ilunga Junior Makabu (29-4, 25 KOs) in round three on Saturday night at Casino Miami Jai Alai in Miami Florida. Mikaelian dropped Makabu in round two with a right hand. Mikaelian tried to finish Makabu but Makabu weathered the storm. In round three, Mikaelian floored Makabu again. Makabu beat the count but the referee waved it off. Time was 1:00.

“I didn’t expect the knockout so early, but I knew my hand would be raised (in victory) at the end of the night,” said Mikaelian. “I’m so happy. I waited two years. I was so close to winning that belt and this time I didn’t want to leave any doubts.

“I had a great camp…I’m the first German to win a world championship on American soil in 90 years, since Max Schmelling.”

Photos by David Martin Warr

WBA #13 heavyweight Jonathan Guidry (20-1-2, 12 KOs) knocked out previously unbeaten Jesus Escalera (19-1, 19 KOs) in round two on Saturday night at Casino Miami Jai Alai in Miami Florida. Guidry connected with a right hand to the head and Escalera sank to a knee for the count. Time was 2:00. Escalera, 43, compiled his entire unbeaten pro record in an eleven month time span.

“I thought he would be stronger,” said Guidry. “I know he is a dangerous fighter but tonight I was on a different level and it showed…we’re going to see what’s next. This felt like a sparring session so I will be ready for December 2nd. I always fight whoever Don King puts in front of me and that’s why I am champion. I am ready for whoever.”

Heavyweight Cassius Chaney (23-1, 16 KOs) knocked out former WBA “regular” heavyweight champion Trevor Bryan (21-1, 15 KOs) in round seven. Cheney dropped Bryan in round two and Bryan was saved by the bell. Chaney continued to punish Bryan in round three. In round four, Cheney’s punch output slowed and Bryan began to dictate the pace. Cheney came out aggressive in round seven and landed a huge right hand that dropped Bryan face first to end it. Time was 2:03. Bryan remained down for several minutes and was taken out on a stretcher.

“I saw everything,” said Cheney. “He couldn’t really get out of the way of my jab…it’s huge because that was a big-time knockout. My mindset was just to win but once I got yelled at in the corner I knew to step to him and throw the overhand right. I thought ‘I could probably get him’ and he just ran right into it.”

Other Results:
Alexander Castro TKO3 Hector Bobadilla (middleweight)
Isaiah Riquelmy W6 Rondale Hubbert (welterweight)
Cory Caad W6 Isiah Hart (super middleweight)

WBO #2, IBF #6, WBC #7 cruiserweight Michal Cieslak (25-2, 19 KOs) scored a seventh round stoppage of Tommy McCarthy (20-5, 10 KOs) to retain his EBU European title on Saturday night at the Nosalowy Dwor Resort & Spa in Zakopane, Poland. Cieslak, a former world title challenger, systematically broke down McCarthy, prompting the referee’s intervention.

Two-time former cruiserweight world champion Krzysztof “Diablo” Wlodarczyk (64-4-1, 44 KOs) needed just 84 seconds to destroy Edwin Mosquera (10-3-2, 6 KOs) in the very first round.

Former middleweight title challenger Kamil Szeremeta (25-2-1, 8 KOs) outscored Omir Rodriguez (13-12-1, 6 KOs) over eight rounds by scores of 80-71 3x. Szeremeta challenged GGG for the IBF belt in 2020 and fought Jaime Munguia the following year.

IBF super featherweight champion Joe Cordina (17-0, 9 KOs) scored a hard-fought twelve round majority decision over Edward Vazquez (15-2, 3 KOs) on Saturday night at the Casino de Monte Carlo in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Tough gritty fight with judges scoring it 114-114, 116-112, 116-112.

Unheralded light flyweight Adrian Curiel (24-4-1, 5 KOs) sensationally knocked out and dethroned previously unbeaten IBF world champion Sivenathi Nontshinga (12-1, 9 KOs) in the second round. Curiel connected with a right hand that shockingly laid out Nontshinga. Time was 1:09.

Unbeaten WBC #3 welterweight Souleymane Cissokho (17-0, 9 KOs) outscored Isaias Lucero (16-2, 10 KOs) over twelve mostly lackluster rounds. Cissokho, a 2016 Olympic medalist, dropped Lucero with a short right in round two, then cruised through the full twelve, winning 118-109, 118-109, 117-110. The fighters touched gloves after each round.

In a rematch, female super bantamweight Ramla Ali (9-1, 2 KOs) outboxed Julissa Alejandra Guzman (13-3-2, 7 KOs) over ten rounds to avenge her only loss. Scores were 96-94 3x.

Unbeaten light flyweight Luis Castillo of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico kept his 0 intact (21-0-1, 13 KOs) decisioning countryman Miguel Angel Herrera (22-7-5, 8 KOs) in the 10 round main event in Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, Mexico. Good two-way action between the pair with Herrera the agressor most of the fight and landing a fair amount of his punches. The southpaw Castillo landed the more eye catching punches mainly his left snapping the head back of Herrera throughout the fight. There were no official scores read, just that Castillo had won by unanimous decision.

Unheralded Karia Ramos Zamora (11-10-1, 4 KOs) of Mexico upset fomer two-division (135, 140) WBC female world champion Eric Faris (27-8, 10 KOs) by fifth round TKO in a scheduled eight round bout. Farias started out strong in round one, but it was all Zamora after that putting on a full display of volume punching head and body consistently. A series of punches with Farias against the ropes in round five prompted the referee to understandably stop the fight.

London, England, Friday 3rd November 2023: GBM Sports, the new promotional force in boxing, and national broadcaster talkSPORT today announced a multi-fight agreement that will see talkSPORT’s boxing YouTube channel live stream GBM Sports’ Championship boxing events.

The first event will be broadcast in early 2024 starting in Sheffield, followed by further regular shows in key cities around the UK where GBM Sports will be breaking new ground. Continue reading “GBM Sports inks deal with talkSPORT”

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

More photos

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”