Fightnews.com

Jonathan Rodriquez 118 vs. Brian Cannady 118
(WBC US silver bantamweight title)

Francis Oran 212 vs. Raphael Carolina 212
Joel Flores 133 vs. Hakim Smith 134
Thanjhae Teasley 147 vs. Benjamin Lamptey 146

Venue: Parkview Inn in Allentown, PA
Promoter: Jeter Promotions

Claressa Shields 159.6 vs. Maricela Cornejo 155
(undisputed women’s middleweight title)

Ardreal Holmes Jr 153.4 vs. Wendy Toussaint 149.8
Da’velle Smith 160.6 vs. K.J. Woods 159.8
Joseph Hicks 159.4 vs. Antonio Todd 158.2
Marlon Harrington 152.8 vs. Gheith Mohammed 152.2
Joshua James Pagan 139.4 vs. Ronnell Burnett 137.4
Vernon Webber 197.4 vs. Fernando Almeida 197.4
Sarah Liegmann 124.6 vs. Carisse Brown 125.8

Venue: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Promoter: Salita Promotions
TV: DAZN

WBC interim middleweight champion Carlos Adames (22-1, 17 KOs) will battle former unified champion Julian “J-Rock” Williams in the 12-round main event on Showtime June 24 from The Armory in Minneapolis.

Carlos Adames: “I’ve trained hard for this fight and I’m ready to defend my interim WBC middleweight title against Julian Williams, who we all know is a very tough fighter. I’ve worked tirelessly to earn my way in the sport and I’m ready to prove I belong at the top of the middleweight division.”

Julian Williams: “Training has been going great and I’m extremely well-prepared for this fight,” said Williams. “I’ve just been grinding and making the best of everything that I have. I haven’t seen that much of him, so I’m preparing for anything Adames can bring.”

The Showtime telecast will also feature super welterweight contenders Erickson “Hammer” Lubin (24-2, 17 KOs) and Luis “Cuba” Arias (20-3-1, 9 KOs) squaring off in the 10-round co-main event. Continue reading “Adames, J-Rock Quotes”

Golden Boy Promotions boss Oscar De La Hoya has hit back at lightweight star Ryan Garcia on social media.

Oscar De La Hoya: “It’s been almost two months and you’re still crying about the post presser? The blame for your loss is on YOU and your “advisor” Lupe. He is the only one who pushed you to accept that INSANE rehydration clause and THAT is the reason you lost. Man up. Own that.

“Also, you keep saying ‘Tank’s team offered more support for you.’ blah blah blah. Bro they SET YOU UP TO LOSE with that rehydration clause and most importantly…AL HAYMON DIDN’T EVEN SHOW UP THE ENTIRE WEEK. Actually, he NEVER shows up. How’s that for ‘support’???”

WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis is now in custody in the city of Baltimore for an alleged violation a 90-day house arrest sentence meted out for a hit and run incident. He will serve the remainder of the sentence (about 60 days) in jail.

Undefeated WBC #2, WBA #2, WBO #2, IBF #8 super middleweight contender Erik Bazinyan (30-0, 21 KOs) scored a ten round unanimous decision over Jose de Jesus Macias (28-12-4, 14 KOs) on Thursday night at Casino de Montreal in Montreal, Canada. Macias surprisingly gave 9:1 favorite Bazinyan all he could handle. In round seven, he He rocked Bazinyan and nearly finished him. Bazinyan had his moments also and probably did enough to win – but certainly didn’t deliver a performance worthy of the world’s #2 168-pounder. Scores of 97-93, 98-92, 98-92 heavily supported the local fighter.

Junior welterweight Steve Claggett (35-7-2, 25 KOs) scored a third round KO over former world champion Alberto Machado (23-4, 19 KOs). Claggett dropped Machado twice in round three to end it. Time was 2:29. Claggett claimed the NABF 140lb title.

Other Results:
Avery Martin Duval TKO3 Andres Sanchez Ramirez (junior lightweight)
Thomas Chabot W8 Luis Bolanos Lopez (featherweight)
Alexandre Gaumont TKO2 Piotr Bis (middleweight)

Unbeaten light heavyweights Clay Waterman (10-0, 8 KOs) and Kenmon Evans (10-0-1, 3 KOs) will square off in a new SHOBOX: The New Generation eight-round telecast opener as the popular prospect series returns to Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y., during International Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend on Friday, June 9 live on SHOWTIME. Waterman-Evans replaces a super lightweight clash between Ryan Martin (25-2, 15 KOs) and Mykquan Williams (19-0-1, 8 KOs) after Martin pulled out due to personal reasons.

That means every fighter on the telecast will be unbeaten. Top-10 ranked light heavyweight Ali Izmailov (10-0, 7 KOs) Charles Foster (22-0, 12 KOs) in the main event, super middleweight Richard Vansiclen (13-0-1, 6 KOs) meets Juan Carrillo (10-0, 8 KOs).

Report/Photos: Boxing Bob Newman

After a very late night of fun and celebration, the closing meeting of the 38th annual IBF convention began and ended in seemingly record time.

With a slated 9:30 a.m. start time, all was said and done by 10:03! President Daryl Peoples began by thanking all who made the journeys from their homes near and far. “We appreciate the commitment required to come the convention every year. But we are a family and that makes it worthwhile.” Peoples also reiterated the appreciation for the tireless work ethic.and dedication behind the scenes of the three women who run the offices of the IBF: Tracey Lundy, Ruth Jimenez and Jeanette Salazar. Salazar took a well deserved seat at the board table, along side Peoples. Continue reading “38th Annual IBF Convention Officially Closes”

Unbeaten heavyweight contender Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller (26-0-1, 22 KOs) will take on fellow unbeaten 6’6, 270lb Antonio Zepeda (6-0, 6 KOs) on the PPV undercard of Floyd “Money” Mayweather vs. John Gotti III (the grandson of famous mob boss John Gotti) on Sunday, June 11 at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida. Miller-Zepeda will be a four round exhibition and therefore both 0s will be preserved.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten formerly 13-time amateur national champ Hayato Tsutsumi (3-0, no KO), 125.75, impressively acquired the vacant OPBF featherweight belt as he outlegged and outpunched hard-punching Filipino Jeo Santisima (22-6, 19 KOs), 124.75, to pound out a unanimous decision (120-108, 119-109, 118-110) over twelve fast rounds on Wednesday in Tokyo, Japan. Hayato, whose amateur mark was 88-6, 26 stoppages, utilized faster and more accurate jabs and his versatile mobility all night to confuse the power-punching Filipino. The final session saw Tsutsumi, 23, lopsidedly batter him to have him in great trouble, though Santisima gamely refused to go down until the end. Tsutsumi is a talented speedster whose future may be bright. Continue reading “Tsutsumi wins OPBF 126lb belt in his third pro bout”

Report/Photos: Boxing Bob Newman

The unofficial end of the IBF 38th annual convention in Chicago came with the annual awards dinner tonight in the International Ballroom at the Fairmont Hotel. Scottish ring announcer Craig Stephen conducted the affair with stylish aplomb. The awards were as follows:

Jersey Joe Walcott Award
Naoya Inoue- In spectacular fashion, Inoue unified the Bantamweight division with a second-round knockout win over Nonito Donaire. Naoya won the IBF title in 2019 and defended six times. Accepting the award for Inoue was Masatoshi Ueda.

Female Fighter of the Year
Chantelle Cameron who unified the Female Jr. Welterweight division. Accepting the award for Cameron was Matchroom’s Tom Dallas.

Fight of the Year
IBF– Sivenathi Nontshinga vs. Hector Flores (Vacant Jr. Flyweight title)
Female – Katie Taylor vs. Amada Serrano (Undisputed Lightweight title)
Intercontinental – Mark Heffron vs. Lennox Clarke (Super Middleweight)
USBA – Robeisy Ramirez vs. Abraham Nova (Featherweight)

Continue reading “IBF 38th Annual Awards Banquet”

Boxing will be back at The Troubadour Nashville on Tuesday night with Country Box 4. The first three installments have been a huge success as top boxing prospects were been able to ply their trade, while the sold-out crowds have been treated to concerts featuring Country Music heavyweights Leon Evertette, Clayton Q and Adam Warner.

Country Box is the brainchild of longtime boxing manager turned promoter Jimmy Adams, who guided fighters like Oliver McCall, Greg Page, Tony Tucker, Robert Daniels, Steve Cunningham, Bert Cooper and Sharmba Mitchell. Continue reading “Country Box back in Nashville”

“We have always pursued high-profile fighters like Golovkin and Charlo and those fights haven’t materialized due to circumstances that are out of our control.”

Unbeaten former junior middleweight world Champion Jaime Munguia (41-0, 32 KOs) hosted a media workout today to promote his 10-round super middleweight clash against Sergiy “The Technician” Derevyanchenko (14-4, 10 KOs) on June 10 at Toyota Arena, in Ontario, California.

The event was hosted at Munguia’s training gym in Big Bear Lake and was attended by Golden Boy Chairman and CEO, Oscar De La Hoya.

Jaime Munguia: “Derevyanchenko is a tough fighter. He is someone who has gone to the ring and gone the distance with high profile fighters. No one has been able to knock him down and I think this fight and a victory against Derevyanchenko will show everyone that I am ready for any challenge.” Continue reading “Munguia: I am ready for any challenge”

Medical Seminar, Judges Seminar and Ratings Meeting

Report/Photos: Boxing Bob Newman

Day 2 of the seminars at the 38th IBF annual convention in Chicago kicked off with the medical seminar. Doctors Rick Weinstein and Massimiliano Bianco were the presenters.

Dr. Bianco, who practices sports medicine at Catholic University in Rome, Italy, gave a talk entitled “Sudden Death In Athletes.” Continue reading “IBF 38th Annual Convention Day 2 Report”

AN OPEN LETTER FROM SAMPSON LEWKOWICZ TO EDDY REYNOSO

Dear Eddy Reynoso,

Since you have chosen to conduct our negotiations for David Benavidez to face Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in public, I’m forced to correct a few mistakes you made in claiming you haven’t received any offers.

On Monday May 29 at 4:45 pm, I emailed you what I’m sure would be one of the most lucrative offers of Canelo Alverez’s career to face Benavidez.

Please know that you do indeed have an offer to face Benavidez, a sizeable one, and I must tell you that I’m offended by your claim that I’m “fantasizing” about making this fight happen.

If you are also unable to find this open letter and no one tells you about it, would anyone who knows him please let Eddy know that I will send this same offer any time for him to communicate to Canelo Alvarez.

All he needs to do is provide a working email address, apparently.

Sincerely,
Sampson Lewkowicz

The official Spence-Crawford announcement just dropped.

Who: Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. vs. Terence “Bud” Crawford
What: Undisputed welterweight championship
When: Saturday, July 29
Where: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
How: Showtime PPV, price is TBA.

– Tickets: Pre-sale tickets are available tomorrow, Thursday, June 1 from 10 a.m. PT until 10 p.m. PT through AXS.com by using the code: BOXING

– Public on-sale begins Friday, June 2 at 10 a.m. PT with tickets available through AXS.com.

– The event is promoted by Man Down Promotions, TBC Promotions and TGB Promotions.

By Brad Snyder-The Undercard

Undisputed female middleweight world champion Claressa “G.W.O.A.T.” Shields and #1 rated contender Maricela Cornejo went face-to-face for the first time on Wednesday at the final press conference before they meet in the ring this Saturday, June 3 from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit and streamed live on DAZN in the U.S. and Canada.

Maricela Cornejo on why she feels ready for this fight: “We were just about ending the camp for my fight. So, my fight was scheduled three days after this one. It was perfect timing. I couldn’t have said, no.  This is the week that I peak. Everything lined up so perfectly that I couldn’t say no.”

Cornejo on what she thought of the Marshall fight against Shields: “As I was watching the Marshall and Shields fight, I was saying to myself, ‘What is she doing?!’ With the style of fighting (Marshall) took to her, I was confused by that. It wasn’t working. Everything about that fight is going to be completely different with me. What exactly is it? On fight night, you will see.”

Claressa Shields on the theme that motivated her through this camp: “I want a knockout! That’s my motivation. 13-0, 2 KOs should actually be 4 KOs because I beat some of these girls so bad that I can’t believe the refs let some of these fights go on. So, I feel like I should be 13-0, 4 KOs. If I can come out here and dominate these girls, why aren’t they going to sleep? Why? So, that’s how I keep it interesting to me.”

Dmitry Salita on the last minute replacement for Hanna Gabriels as Clarissa’s opponent: “We had to find the best available opponent out there. In boxing, there’s a saying, ‘When you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.’ We went to the top of the list with the number one contender, Maricela Cornejo.”

Erik Bazinyan 168 vs. Jose De Jesus Macias 168
(NABA super middleweight title)

Steve Claggett 139.8 vs. Alberto Machado 139.6
(NABF super lightweight title)

Avery Martin Duval 130 vs. Andres Sanchez Ramirez 128.4
Thomas Chabot 159.4 vs. Luis Bolanos Lopez 159.6
Alexandre Gaumont 159.4 vs. Piotr Bis 159.6
Heriberto Santillan 157 vs. Christopher Guerrero 156.4
Wilkens Mathieu 167.8 vs. Jesus Frias Rodriguez 166.2
Jhon Orobio 131 vs. Reymundo Guttierez 136

Venue: Cabaret du Casino, Montréal
Promoter: Eye of the Tiger
TV: ESPN+

The WBA Championships Committee has ordered a mandatory defense WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood against Otabek Kholmatov. Wood just defeated Mauricio Lara last Saturday to win the 126-pound belt and now he must face the division’s mandatory challenger. Wood-Kholmatov is due no later than September 26. A 30-day period started on Tuesday, May 30 and will run until next June 29. If no agreement is reached, or if either party expresses unwillingness to negotiate, the Championships Committee may call for a purse bid.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBO interim junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu was reportedly back in the gym on Wednesday after being bitten by a dog over the weekend. According to Fox Sports Australia, Tszyu received 26 stitches on his right forearm. The dog was reported to be a bull terrier.

Tszyu (20-0, 16 KOs) is scheduled to fight WBO #11 contender Carlos Ocampo Carlos Ocampo (35-2, 23 KOs) on June 18 at the Gold Coast Convention Centre at Broadbeach, Queensland televised on Foxtel Main Event and Kayo Sports Pay-Per-View and Showtime in the USA. Tszyu and his team say the fight is still a go.

“I think this is a tougher fight (than Harrison),” Tszyu told Fox Sports. “It’s going to be a standoff. We’ll see who takes the first back step … it isn’t going to be me.”

Undisputed female middleweight champion Claressa “G.W.O.A.T.” Shields pretty much has this weekend’s boxing spotlight all to herself. Shields takes on late sub Maricela Cornejo this Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit and streamed live on DAZN.

Claressa Shields: “No matter who is fighting me…they’re getting their ass kicked. The same thing that was gonna happen to my previous opponent, is what’s gonna happen to Cornejo…the thing is, I just feel like I’m a league above these girls, and I’m gonna show it on Saturday night.”

Hometown favorite Shields is between a 45:1 and 100:1 favorite at online sports books.

* * *

It was announced that hip-hop star Kash Doll will walk Shields to the ring and Motown legends The Four Tops will sing the national anthem. By the way, Duke Fakir, 87, the only living original member, continues to lead the group.

Unbeaten super welterweight prospect Eric Tudor (8-0, 6 KOs) signed a promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions earlier this year. The 21-year-old Tudor had a stellar amateur career winning several titles. His 6’1 frame is equally complimented with a complete fighter skill set. Fightnews.com® spoke with him on his present and future goals.

Where were you born?

I was born in Romania but moved to the U.S. when I was 5 years old.

When did you first begin boxing?

I went to the gym with a friend who was boxing. I was 8 years old and living in Washington DC at the time. It was something to do and to keep busy. I also liked what I saw immediately and within a year after that, I had my first amateur fight. Continue reading “Q&A Eric Tudor”

Photos/Report: Boxing Bob Newman

The afternoon session saw the referees seminar conducted by Steve Willis and Tony Weeks, both introduced by Melvina Lathan. Willis began with a talk entitled “Preventive Officiating.” Preparation can and will prevent mishaps in the performance of the official on the night. Everything from having your passport ready, to knowing the customs of the country to which one is traveling, who is picking you up at the airport, rules of the local commission, etc.

Willis then introduced referee Tony Weeks who discussed his own pre-fight routine. Specific pre-fight instructions in the locker room, giving the opportunity for the fighters or their corners to ask any questions. Continue reading “IBF 38th Convention Referees Seminar”

Undefeated super middleweight contender Erik Bazinyan (29-0, 21 KOs) returns in a 10-round main event against Mexico’s Jose de Jesus Macias (28-11-4, 14 KOs) this Thursday, June 1 at Casino de Montreal in Montreal, Canada. Bazinyan-Macias and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+. In the co-feature, Steve Claggett (34-7-2, 24 KOs) will face former world champion Alberto Machado (23-3, 19 KOs) in a 10-round junior welterweight battle.

Report/Photos by Boxing Bob Newman

The IBF got down to the official business of the 38th annual convention at the Gold Room of the host Fairmont Hotel in Chicago this morning. IBF president Daryl Peoples began with his favorite part of the proceedings- the official self introductions of all board members, referees, judges, promoters, managers and media.

President Peoples then began by declaring 2022 as the Year of the Woman in boxing. “I Think we can all agree that the fight of the year last year, not the women’s fight of the year, but THE fight of the year was Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano.” The IBF sanctioned more female fights in 2022 than male fights.

After discussing the comeback of boxing after COVID, President Peoples introduced, as new vice president, Levi Martinez, who took to the lectern. Martinez first began by asking everyone to turn in all directions and greet their neighbor, in support of each other in boxing. Continue reading “IBF 38th Annual Convention: Opening Session”