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Report and photos by Boxing Bob Newman

One of the high points of any convention is a tour of the local area where that convention is being held. That is no different regarding the IBF conventions. This year was especially interesting as the convention is held in one of America’s great cities – Chicago. Continue reading “IBF 38th Annual Convention: Chicago Tour”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBO #14 heavyweight Justis Huni (7-0, 4 KOs) will be in action when he travels to the USA to clash with Andrew Tabiti (20-1, 16 KOs) over ten rounds on the undercard of WBC super lightweight champion Regis Prograis vs. Danielto Zorrillo at the Smoothie King Centre, New Orleans and televised on DAZN. Huni was last in action outpointing Kiki Toa Leutele last November and Tabiti was last seen stopping James Wilson in five rounds last August.

By Boxing Bob Newman

The International Boxing Federation kicked off its 38th annual convention with a lively cocktail party this evening at Chicago’s Fairmont Hotel at Millennium Park. Due to the covid pandemic, while this is only the 38th convention, the IBF is celebrating 40 years with this year’s convention in the Windy City.

IBF board members, as well as ring officials, promoters, managers and members of the press were all on and to reflect and build on last year’s success, with more of the same in 2023/24. Continue reading “IBF Convention Opening Cocktail Party”

Featherweight contender Michael “Mick” Conlan (18-2, 9 KOs) sent a message to his fans on social media after his brutal KO loss to IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto “El Venado” Lopez on Saturday evening at The SSE Arena in Conlan’s hometown of Belfast.

“I’m good folks. Wasn’t at the races tonight, Couldn’t seem to get going and paid the price for it. Congratulations to Venado Lopez on a great performance. I wish you all the best in the future champion. Thank you for the opportunity. Thanks to everyone who reached out and wished me luck. I can’t get back to you all but I appreciate it! I’m gonna take some time away from social media now to enjoy my family and decide what the next steps for me are. Again thank you Belfast for an amazing atmosphere and turn out tonight! Love MC X.”

Fast-tracking WBO #1 minimumweight Oscar “El Pupilo” Collazo (7-0, 5 KOs) dethroned WBO 105lb champion Melvin “Gringo” Jerusalem (20-4, 12 KOs) by seventh round TKO on Saturday night at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. Collazo began breaking down Jerusalem midway and Jerusalem was kept on his stool after round seven. Collazo won the world title in just his seventh pro fight.

“We knew we had a solid challenge ahead of us, but thanks to my corner, they helped me stay calm throughout the fight,” said Collazo afterward. “I knew I had to establish the pace with my jab, and by the fourth or fifth round we started to hit the body and he didn’t like it. We chopped the tree and we made history for Villalba. I will see you all in Puerto Rico in August, where I will make my first title defense.”

WBO #1 welterweight Alexis “Lex” Rocha (23-1, 15 KOs) stopped WBO #10 Anthony “Juice” Young (24-3, 8 KOs) in round five on Saturday night at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. Rocha overpowered Young with heavy shots from the get-go. In round five, Rocha sent Young to the canvas with a straight left. Young beat the count, but the referee stopped the fight at 2:15. Rocha retained his NABO title.

Afterward, Rocha said, “I want the winner of the Spence-Crawford fight, and I am confident with the help of my amazing promoter, Golden Boy and Oscar De La Hoya, we’ll make it happen.”

* * *

Lightweight Oscar Duarte (25-1, 21 KOs) scored an impressive seventh round TKO over D’Angelo Keyes (17-3, 11 KOs). Duarte dropped Keyes in rounds three and seven. The ring doctor stopped the fight after round seven.

Unbeaten super flyweight John “Scrappy” Ramirez (12-0, 8 KOs) got all he could handle from Fernando “Leoncito” Diaz (12-4-1, 4 KOs) for ten rounds, but managed to win 96-94, 96-94 on two cards. Diaz was ahead 96-94 on the third card. The split decision for Scrappy was greeted with boos.

Other Results:
Eric Priest W8 Ricardo Ruben Villalba (middleweight)
Leonardo Sanchez KO2 Uhlices Avelino-Reyes (super featherweight)
Jonathan Canas W4 Jose Valenzuela (super lightweight)

Leigh Wood (27-3, 16 KOs) avenged his KO loss to Maurico Lara (26-3-1, 19 KOs) and reclaimed the WBA featherweight title by workmanlike twelve round unanimous decision on Saturday night at the AO Arena in Manchester, England.

Only Wood was eligible to win the title after Lara lost the belt Friday on the scale. Lara was dropped in round two and never exhibited his trademark ferocity as Wood outboxed him and banked round after round. Scores were 118-109, 118-109, 116-111.

WBO #1 contender and hometown favorite Chris Billam-Smith (18-1, 12 KOs) defeated and dethroned previously unbeaten WBO cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie (19-1, 14 KOs) by twelve round majority decision on Saturday night at Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, England. Billam-Smith dropped Okolie in round four. Okolie was hurt but managed to survive the round. Okolie was deducted a point for holding in round five. Okolie was deducted another point for holding in round seven. Billam-Smith looked like he was running out of gas in round eight. Okolie went to his knees in round ten and Billam-Smith was credited with another knockdown although it appeared to be a pushdown. Billam-Smith scored another questionable knockdown in round eleven. In the end, Billam-Smith won by scores of 112-112, 116-107, 115-108.

* * *

Super welterweight Sam Eggington (34-8, 20 KOs) stopped previously unbeaten Joe Pigford (20-1, 19 KOs) in round five. Eggington rocked Pigford prompting a referee’s stoppage.

In his first fight since his controversial loss to Josh Taylor 15 months ago, super lightweight Jack Catterall (27-1, 13 KOs) scored a ten round unanimous decision over Darragh Foley (22-5-1, 10 KOs) on Saturday night in the Lara-Wood co-feature at the AO Arena in Manchester, England. Catterall dropped Foley in round seven, then was deducted a point after Foley immediately popped right back up and Catterall hit him again. Catterall dropped Foley again in round nine. Scores were 99-88, 98-89, 97-90.

WBA female super welterweight champion Terri Harper (14-1-1, 6 KOs) outpointed Ivana Habazin (21-4, 7 KOs) over ten rounds by scores of 97-93, 98-92, 97-93.

Other Results:
Danny Ball TKO8 Jamie Robinson (welterweight)
Aqib Fiaz W8 Costin Ion (super featherweight)
Campbell Hatton TKO5 Michal Bulik (super lightweight)

IBF featherweight champion Luis Alberto “El Venado” Lopez (28-2, 16 KOs) brutally knocked out Michael “Mick” Conlan (18-2, 9 KOs) in round five to retain his world title on Saturday night a sold-out SSE Arena in Conlan’s hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Lopez took the fight right at Conlan and got the better of most exchanges. A right uppercut in round five laid out Conlan to end it. Time was 1:14.

Lopez said, “I hope all the world champions at the featherweight division are ready for ‘Venado’ Lopez. I’m coming for all of them. I want all their belts. One by one, I’m taking all their belts with me to Mexico.”

More Results…

Ageless 52-year-old former cruiserweight world champion Firat Arslan (54-9-3, 39 KOs), still ranked at #5 by the WBA, needed just 70 seconds to finish 21-year-younger Ibrahim Yildirim (11-4, 10 KOs) on Saturday night at the Helios Arena, in Villingen-Schwenningen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Arslan landed a medium power left hook that sent Yildirim went down for the count. Arslan is planning to return in October.

The IBF’s 38th Annual Convention will kick off this weekend at The Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park, in Chicago, Illinois from May 28 – June 1, 2023. After 38 years, the organization will be returning to the Midwest to celebrate the IBF’s 40th year. The IBF celebrated its 2nd Annual Convention in Dearborn, Michigan in 1985 and a return to the region is long overdue. “We are excited for this milestone event and are looking forward to gathering with the boxing community in Chicago and the Midwest,” said IBF President Daryl Peoples. Continue reading “IBF Convention Slated to Start this Weekend”

Highly regarded 19-year-old super lightweight prospect Ashton “H2O” Sylve (9-0, 8 KOs) went the distance for the first time against left sub Adam Kipenga (11-4-1, 7 KOs) on Friday night at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida. Sylve in command all the way. Scores were 80-72 3x.

Flashy Cuban super lightweight “The Alpha” Kevin Hayler Brown (3-0, 2 KOs) outpointed Julian Smith (6-2, 4 KOs) over ten rounds to claim the WBA Continental Americas title. Scores were 98-92, 96-94, 96-94.

In a clash between unbeaten heavyweights, Lorenzo Medina (7-0, 6 KOs) topped Angel Napoles (1-1, 1 KO) over six rounds 58-56 3x.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

IBF #11, WBO #11 heavyweight Demsey McKean has already been mooted as a possible challenger to WBC champion Tyson Fury, who has expressed interest in defending his belt in Australia. Now a new possibility has emerged: IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia.

“It’s a legitimate fight.” Mick Francis the manager of Opetaia told the Sydney Morning Herald. “Tyson Fury won’t get knocked out and Jai Opetaia won’t get knocked out. It’s a fight that will go the distance, it would be an absolute war. It’s all about bang for buck and you couldn’t wish for a better domestic fight. Jai’s got nothing to prove in the cruiserweight division and he would take the fight in a heartbeat. He spars heavyweights every day of the week because cruiserweights are too small for him, they’re not strong enough…we are talking about putting Australian boxing on the map with one of the biggest promotions this country has ever seen. People from all around the world would watch this!”

Paul Kroll 153.6 vs. Eduardo Rafael Reyes 157.9
Samuel Teah 138.9 vs. Andrew Rodgers 137.9
Isaiah Johnson 143.5 vs. Marquis Hawthorne 143.1
Erron Peterson 160.9 vs. Nissan Anderson 159.8
Nimal Farmer 154.4 vs. Rah’Quand McDaniel 160.7
Tariq Green 164.7 vs. Courtney Williams 163.3
David Calabro 119.6 vs. Michael Turner 123.5

Venue: Newtown Sports and Events Center
Promoter: RDR Promotions
Stream: BXNGTV.com
1st Bell: 7:15 PM —Amateur will start at 3 PM

Melvin Jerusalem 104.6 vs. Oscar Collazo 105
(WBO minimumweight title)

Alexis Rocha 146.6 vs. Anthony Young 146.4
(NABO welterweight title)

Oscar Duarte 135 vs. D’Angelo Keyes 134.2
John Ramirez 114.6 vs. Fernando Diaz 114.8
Eric Priest 159.8 vs. Ricardo Villalba 160
Johnny Cañas 136.4 vs. Jose Alvarado 138
Leonardo Sanchez 130 vs. Uhlices Reyes 129

Venue: Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, Calif
Promoter: Golden Boy
TV: DAZN

Eduardo ‘Rocky’ Hernandez has signed a long-term promotional deal with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom. Hernandez (33-1, 30 KOs) is ranked #1 in the WBC rankings at 130lbs and the Mexican banger is closing in on a world title shot. Hernandez’s first fight under the Matchroom banner will take place in July and will be announced shortly.

“I’m delighted to welcome Rocky to the team,” said Hearn. “Rocky is such a dangerman for the 130 pound division and he’s right on the edge of landing a world title fight. That’s what we are looking to deliver for him, and once he gets that shot, Rocky could reign at the top level for a long time and carry that power up the weights.”

* * *

Matchroom also announced that unbeaten super middleweight Diego Pacheco (18-0 KOs, 15 KOs) has signed a multi-fight extension and that he will headline their July 7 show in Monterrey, Mexico, defending his WBO International and USWBC titles against Manuel Gallegos (19-1-1, 16 KOs) – live worldwide on DAZN – with Rocky Hernandez in the co-feature against Joniker “Bululu” Tovar (21-0-1, 16 KOs).

Luis Alberto Lopez 125.5 vs. Michael Conlan 125.9
(IBF featherweight title)

Nick Ball 125.9 vs. Ludumo Lamatii 125.5
Anthony Cacace 129.9 vs. Damian Wrzesinski 129.4
Pierce O’Leary 139.3 vs. Alin Florin Ciorcerii 140

Venue: SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Promoter: Queensberry, Top Rank
TV: ESPN+ (US), BT Sport (UK)

Three ten rounders have been added to the the Munguia Derevyanchenko card on DAZN scheduled for Saturday, June 10 at Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.

Returning the ring for the second time in 2023, middleweight Shane Mosley, Jr. (19-4, 10 KOs) will face D’Mitrius “Big Meech” Ballard (21-1-1, 13 KOs) in the co-main event. Also, 43-year-old former female world champion Mariana “Barby” Juarez (55-12-4, 19 KOs) will battle Mayeli Flores (9-1-1, 3 KOs) in a super bantamweight fight and Ricardo “El Niño” Sandoval (21-2, 16 KOs) will face Rocco “So Cal Kid” Santomauro (22-1, 6 KOs) at flyweight. Continue reading “Munguia-Derevyanchenko undercard set”

Lawrence Okolie 199 vs. Chris Billam-Smith 199
(WBO cruiserweight title)

Sam Eggington 153 vs. Joe Pigford 153
Kariss Artingstall 125 vs. Jade Taylor 128
Lee Cutler 153 vs. Stanley Stannard 153
Michael McKinson 148 vs. Lebin Morales 146
Isaac Chamberlain 199 vs. Daniel Bocianksi 196
Mace Ruegg 136 vs. Dean Dodge 136
Lewis Edmonson 181 vs. Petar Nosic 181
Tommy Welch 222 vs. Amine Boucetta 224
Alireza Ghadiri 127 vs. Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira 130

Venue: Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, England
Promoter: BOXXER
TV: FITE+ (US), SkySports (UK)

Mauricio Lara lost the WBA featherweight belt after failing to make weight on Friday. However, he will still step into the ring to face Leigh Wood this Saturday but only Wood will have the option to win the crown.

Lara weighed in at 129.8 pounds on the scale, considerably above the 126-pound featherweight limit. Wood scaled in at 125.9 pounds.

In the lead up to his NABO welterweight title defense, Alexis “Lex” Rocha (22-1, 14 KOs) and his opponent Anthony “Juice” Young (24-2, 8 KOs) hosted a press conference at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino ahead of their scheduled 12-round fight on DAZN this Saturday.

Alexis Rocha: “I am not much of a trash talker either. My respects to him. Whatever his thoughts are, that’s good for him. I am confident in my ability. I am confident in myself. You’ll find out about who I am on Saturday night. I hope he brings this same kind of energy into the ring on Saturday.”

Anthony Young: “I looked at the odds again, and they’re kind of disrespectful – they got me 8-1 underdog. The last time they did that, we shocked the world. I plan to do that again. I didn’t come here to lose; I am not with the script. They built him up good: 22 wins, a couple of tough fights, one step-up fight didn’t go too well. I am going to win on Saturday.”

* * *

WBO minimumweight champion Melvin “Gringo” Jerusalem (20-2, 12 KOs) defends against Oscar “El Pupilo” Collazo (6-0, 4 KOs) in the co-feature.

Melvin Jerusalem: “I am very grateful for this opportunity. I want to thank Golden Boy Promotions for this fight. I am excited to see my opponent today. We will see you all on Saturday night.”

Oscar Collazo: Thank you for this opportunity to make history, history for Puerto Rico, the opportunity to become one of the fastest to become a world champion. We’re feeling very good about this. I earned this, and you’re going to see it this Saturday.”

The WBC has confirmed that welterweight champions Errol Spence Jr.(28-0, 22 KOs) and Terence Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) have reached an agreement to fight July 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The bout came together because both Spence and Crawford were determined to fight so their teams reached an agreement. The winner of this “best of the best” bout will become the undisputed welterweight champion and be de facto the #1 fighter in the division.

K2 Promotions won today’s purse bid to promote the WBA mandatory defense of unified WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk against WBA regular champion Daniel Dubois. Usyk’s promoter K2 bid $8,057,000, far outpacing Dubois’ promoter Queensberry who bid $5,620,050. The target date is August 12 in Wroclaw, Poland. The fight will consolidate the WBA’s heavyweight title as per the WBA’s title reduction plan.

Former teammates turned world title rivals Lawrence Okolie and Chris Billam-Smith faced off in Bournemouth today ahead of this Saturday’s WBO cruiserweight championship showdown at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, England. The fight can be seen on FITE+ in the US and SkySports in the UK.

Lawrence Okolie: “I’m coming to make an extremely big statement. I’m my own man on my own journey and there’s stuff that I want and need and I’m ready to fight for it. I’ve shown time and time again I’m ready to take the risk and do what needs to be done. I can say I’m in amazing shape and I’m coming to do a job. The way Chris fights, he’s always all action. He comes to throw a lot of punches, put a lot of pressure on where he’s the home fighter, he’s going to have 15,000 people screaming for him, hoping that he can dethrone me. So I’m going to have to be devastating and he’s going to make it very easy for me.”

Chris Billam-Smith: “Any fight against Lawrence is dangerous because he can punch and he’s got long levers so you have to take educated risks and you’ve got to really work hard to get the shots off you need to do. That’s what we’ve been doing the whole time. I don’t expect him to stand there and trade with me. He knows he can’t do that. I imagine he’s going to be trying to keep it long and move his feet. The hard thing with Lawrence is getting in position. So we know what we’ve got to do.”