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Photos: Sumio Yamada

Brothers Yudai and Ginjiro Shieoka made history last Sunday in Tokyo, Japan, when they both won interim strawweight world titles on the same day. Check out this GIANT Shieoka Brothers photo gallery for some incredible shots. Also includes the official scorecards.

Photos

…follows his father’s footsteps

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten prospect Keisuke Matsumoto (8-0, 7 KOs), 126, very impressively gained the vacant Japanese featherweight belt by scoring a nearly shutout decision (99-91 twice, 98-92) over IBF#8 Ryo Sagawa (12-3, 7 KOs), 126, over ten Tom-and-Jerry rounds on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan. Keisuke followed his father ex-national 126-pound ruler Koji’s footstep by winning the same belt. Koji (26-6-1, 15 KOs), his trainer, unfortunately, failed to win the world belt three times, losing to Young-Kyun Park in 1992, Yong-Soo Choi in 1997 and Freddie Norwood in 1998.

The shaven-skulled son, 23, controlled the fight with his superior speed and skills from the outset, making best use of his faster footwork. He made a beautiful display of hit-and-run tactics all night, though Keisuke, having finished all seven victims by knockouts, was expected to try to swarm over Sagawa and dispatch the 29-year-old ex-champ early. Instead, Matsumoto fully utilized faster jabs, counters and footwork to hit without getting hit. In Japan, it is called “oya-koko” (filial piety) that one fulfills his dad’s unsuccessful dream coming true. Keisuke may pursue oya-koko. Continue reading “Matsumoto wins Japanese 126lb belt”

Gervonta “Tank” Davis and “Kingry” Ryan Garcia officially kicked off fight week events Tuesday afternoon by making their grand arrivals at MGM Grand before they go toe-to-toe this Saturday headlining a Showtime PPV production from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas

Tank Davis: “I won’t let my people down…hopefully he comes ready. If not, it will be an early night.”

Ryan Garcia: “In the blink of an eye, it will be finished. That’s what’s going to happen. Everybody will be shocked. Nobody will have anything to say. No words will be spoken.”

Luis Collazo 152.6 vs. Angel Ruiz 154
Vadim Musaev 147.2 vs. Martin Alvarez 150.8
Prince “Octopus” Dzanie 121.8 vs. Jose Salas 121.8

Venue: ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida
Promoter: ProBox
TV: ProBox TV

By Brad Snyder-The Undercard

Undisputed female middleweight world champion Claressa “GWOAT” Shields and current WBC women’s heavyweight champion Hanna Gabriels faced off at the kickoff press conference for their June 3 rematch at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. This will be the first boxing event in the history of the 20,000-seat venue. DAZN will stream the card.

-On Shields being the first boxing event at Little Caesars Arena
Mark Taffet: “The very first fight at Little Caesars Arena. You can only be the first once. And it lasts forever.”

-On where Shields ranks in his mind
Mark Taffet: “Floyd Mayweather, Roy Jones Jr., and Claressa Shields are the three best I have seen. And not particularly in that order.” Continue reading “Shields-Gabriels II Kickoff Press Conference”

Undefeated WBA “regular” super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr. says he has no concerns about a late change in opponent as he prepares to face Olympic Bronze Medalist Yamaguchi Falcao this Saturday in the co-main event of the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia PPV in Las Vegas. “I have plans to take him out and send another message to the entire super middleweight division,” proclaimed Morrell. “Falcao is a good fighter, but I’m better in all aspects.

“With all the big fights in the super middleweight, winning this fight means everything. If I’m going to fight David Benavidez, Canelo Alvarez, Jermall Charlo or any of the other big names in boxing, I must win this fight. So, everything is on the line on April 22. A win will get me to the biggest fights in the sport.

“My goal is to shine on the big stage and steal the show.”

Three Lions Promotions (Daniel Otter) has announced a June 10 card in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, headlined by a twelve-round cruiserweight clash between former world title challenger and WBC #6 Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (17-1-0, 16 KOs) and current EBU European Union champion Jean Jacques “Hercule” Olivier (15-2-1, 10 KOs) of Paris France.

Rozicki, ranked in the top 15 by all four major sanctioning bodies, suffered his only loss against Oscar Rivas (28-1, 19 KOs) in October of 2021 when he challenged for the vacant WBC bridgerweight title.

Olivier made global headlines in 2019 after being shot in the chest during an alleged confrontation in a supermarket car park in France. Since the life-altering incident, which had left Olivier in intensive care and questioned his abilities to continue boxing, he has made a miraculous comeback and became the Euro champion, beating Olivier Vautrain (18-4-1, 8 KOs) by RTD last March. Continue reading “Rozicki-Olivier collide June 10 in Nova Scotia”

IBF super featherweight champion Shavkatdzhon Rakhmiov and Joe Cordina first face off with the iconic backdrop of Cardiff Castle ahead of their world title fight this weekend on DAZN.

WBA “regular” lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis is currently a 2.5 to 1 favorite to defeat Ryan “Kingry” Garcia on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Showtime’s PPV price is $84.99, however, if you have DAZN you can get the PPV for $60.

A limited number of tickets have been opened up for Saturday’s clash and can be purchased at AXS.com.

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By Joe Koizumi

WBO #3 flyweight, Japanese southpaw Riku Kano (15-3-1, 7 KOs), 112, barely kept his regional belt as he was held to a split draw (115-113, 113-115, 114-114) with lefty compatriot Daiki Kameyama (10-5-2, 3 KOs), 112, over twelve hard-fought rounds on Sunday in Osaka, Japan. Kameyama fought well, taking the initiative in early rounds, but the more experienced champ Kano gradually regained his rhythm and showed his last surge to retain his title with his best effort.

Promoter: Taisei Promotions.

By Joe Koizumi

Unbeaten ex-amateur star Yuga Ozaki (3-0, 3 KOs), 108, impressively acquired the WBC Youth light-flyweight belt as he decked Thailand’s former Muay-thai campaigner Worawut Salaptan (4-2, 4 KOs), 105.5, in the opening session and halted him with a furious combination that dropped him again and prompted the referee’s intervention at 2:12 of the second round on Sunday in Osaka, Japan.

Ozaki, a taller southpaw, kept battering the Thai lefty in the long range and punished him so effectively that Worawut couldn’t fight back well. Ozaki will make his first defense of the WBC Youth belt this summer.

Promoter: Taisei Promotions.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

IBF #8, WBC #10, WBA #11 super lightweight Steve Spark (16-2, 14 KOs) will be in action against tough Mexican Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela (26-3-1, 16 KOs) on May 6 at the Estadio Akron, Zakopan, Jalisco, Mexico on the undercard of the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. John Ryder 168-pound IBF, WBC, WBA, WBO championship event. Spark is currently in Thailand training and was interviewed by Paul Nasari.

Steve Spark: “It’s always hard training in Thailand and that’s why my trainer Brendan Smith brought Michael Katsidis here for all their world title fights as it has the harshest conditions in the world with temperatures up to 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) where you got to spar and run and keep up the same work rate. Continue reading “IBF #8 Steve Spark training in Thailand”

By Ricardo Ibarra
Photos by Mike Blair/Boxingprospects

Pacific Northwest prospect Luis Gallegos (6-0, 2 KOs) maintained his unblemished record on Saturday night at Green River Community College in Auburn, Washington, eking out a six-round split decision win over Gregory Cruz (5-2, 3 KOs). The eighteen-year-old local jr. lightweight, who currently trains out of the Benavidez Sports Gym in nearby Burien, was fighting in the US for only the second time, having fought most of his young career in Mexico. Continue reading “Gallegos edges Cruz in Auburn, WA”

By Joe Koizumi

Unbeaten southpaw Japanese Yudai Shigeoka (7-0, 5 KOs), 105, won the WBC interim minimumweight belt by halting ex-WBO titlist Wilfredo Mendez (18-3, 6 KOs), 105, at 0:25 of the seventh round in a scheduled twelve on Sunday in Tokyo, Japan. The Shigeoka brothers became interim world champs in the same category on the same night.

(More to come)

By Joe Koizumi

Unbeaten southpaw Japanese prodigy IBF#4 Ginjiro Shigeoka (9-0-1NC, 7 KOs), 105, acquired the vacant IBF 105-pound belt as he came off the canvas in the first round, and dropped back IBF#3 Filipino Rene Mark Cuarto (21-4-2, 12 KOs), 105, four times in rounds six, seven and ninth (twice), scoring an impressive knockout at 2:55 of the ninth round in a scheduled twelve on Sunday in Tokyo, Japan. Ginjiro’s southpaw body shot was the haymaker.

(More to come)

By Ron Jackson

South Africa’s Kevin Lerena returns to action Saturday 13 May at Emperors Palace near Kempton Park in South Africa, when he meets the capable former WBA cruiserweight champion, Côte D’Ivoire-born Ryad Merhy who fights out of Brussels, Belgium, in a WBC bridgerweight title eliminator.

The bridgerweight class (200-224 pounds) was created by the World Boxing Council in July 2020 and is the only boxing organiztaion to recognize this weight class.

The first world championship fight took place on 22 October between Oscar Rivas and Ryan Rozicki, with Rivas winning on a 12 round unanimous points decision. The title is currently vacant with Merhy rated at No. 2 and Lerena at No. 4 in the latest ratings. Continue reading “Lerena to return in WBC bridgerweight eliminator”

Flyweight Victor “Chucky” Sandoval (36-3, 23 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico defeated compatriot and WBC #14 world ranked contender Gohan Rodriguez Garcia (12-2-1, 1 KO) by ten round majority decision on Saturday night. It was the first fight for Sandoval in nearly two years but he was able to find his rhythm early on. The bout had many heated exchanges with good two-way action. In the end, judges scored the fight 97-93 and 96-94 for Sandoval and 95-95 even. The event took place at the Auditorio Municipal in Tijuana, Mexico with Zanfer Promotions promoting the event.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

It’s a great shocker that all three outstanding Japanese warriors got badly beaten on Saturday in Inchon, Korea. It was the second event staged by newly established TB (Treasure Boxing) Promotions presided by ex-WBO champ Masayuki Ito at Paradise city plaza.

Previously unbeaten OPBF middleweight champ IBF#13 Kazuto Takesako (15-1-1, 14 KOs), 159.25, put on a competitive performance, but was finally knocked down by WBO#4/WBC#4 Meiirim Nursultanov (19-0, 10 KOs), 159.25, from Kazakhstan, to be promptly halted at 2:33 of the eighth round in a scheduled twelve.

Former IBF 122-pound champ Ryosuke Iwasa (28-5, 18 KOs), 126, dropped a nearly shutout decision (80-72, 79-73 twice) to upcoming Japhethlee Llamido (11-0, 4 KOs), 125, US, over eight. The unheralded Llamido was faster and more skillful than Iwasa, who eventually announced to hang up gloves for good as he had mentioned before his last fight. \\

Another shocker was that previously unbeaten ex-OPBF 130-pound champ WBO#12 Hironori Mishiro (12-1-1, 4 KOs), 134.75, Japan, lost by a unanimous technical decision (48-47, 50-46, 49-47) to Korean Min-Ho Jung (14-4-2, 3 KOs), 134.75, because of his bad bleeding at 1:28 of the fifth round in a scheduled eight. Continue reading “WBO#4 Nursultanov halts IBF#13 Takesako in Korea”

Unbeaten super lightweight Ernesto Mercado (10-0, 10 KOs) demolished former world title challenger Hammerin’ Hank Lundy (31-13-1, 14 KOs) on Saturday night at the LumColor Center in Ontario, California. Mercado, 21, dropped the 39-year-old Lundy in round one, then finished him moments later with a body shot. Time was 2:21. Mercado claimed the WBA NABA gold title.

Heavyweight Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang (25-1-1, 20 KOs), a 10:1 underdog, stopped previously unbeaten WBO interim heavyweight champion Joe “The Juggernaut” Joyce (15-1, 14 KOs) in round six on Saturday night at the Copper Box Arena in London. Zhang landed some big shots in round one. Zhang rocked Joyce with straight lefts in round two. Joyce upped his workrate in round three, but still took some hard shots. Joyce continued his brisk pace while Zhang’s straight left did more damage to Joyce’s closing right eye. The ring doctor finally stopped the fight in round six due to Joyce’s closed right eye. Entering the round, Zhang was up 48-47 on two cards and Joyce was ahead 48-47 on the third card.

Zhilei Zhang: “Today is mine. I’m 39 years old, but I’m disciplined, I trained hard, next step I’m going for the title!”

Joe Joyce: “I’m disappointed with my performance. I couldn’t get out of the way of the left hand he kept hitting me with so respect to Zhilei Zhang, “Big Bang.” It was a good fight. I think I could have done better. I hadn’t fought a southpaw for so long – and credit to him because he’s a good fighter – I gave it my all. It’s just disappointing. I expected to win like I normally do.

“I’d like to apologize to all my fans and supporters..I’ll be back. My journey’s not over. This is just a hurdle I may have tripped over so I’ll be back.”

* * *

Former women’s world champion Mikaela Mayer (17-1, 5 KOs) made her lightweight debut against late sub Lucy Wildheart (10-1, 4 KOs), taking a ten round unanimous decision. Scores were 98-92, 100-90, 98-91 as Mayer claimed the WBC interim 135lb title.

* * *

Former WBO middleweight world title challenger Denzel Bentley (18-2-1, 15 KOs) needed just 45 seconds to demolish Kieran Smith (18-2, 7 KOs). Continue reading “UPSET: Zhang stops Joyce in six”

By Brad Snyder-The Undercard
Photos by Bob Ryder

Detroit Promoter Carlos Llinas worked his magic, again. Llinas continues to throw boxing and mma shows with the Soundboard at Motor City Casino as a partner. On Friday, another show in the series had undefeated Derick Miller (12-0, 7 KOs) in his toughest challenge yet. Facing off versus a quicker and, possibly, a more powerful Crusierweight in Isaiah Thompson (7-3-2, 6 KOs). Round 1 looked like Thompson could produce the first loss for Miller. Thompson looked for combos and had a stronger jab in Round 1. Thompson looked quick. In the 2nd Round, Miller landed his first good right versus the southpaw, Thompson. The round finished with a good exchange with Miller landing the more accurate shots. In Round 3, Miller showcased his uppercuts, easily winning the round. In the 4th, Miller controlled the round the entire time, except in the last 30 seconds. Thompson, finally, picked up his pace trying to steal the round. For the 5th, Thompson, sensing urgency, just started throwing haymakers that could not land. The last round Miller controlled the center and just boxed. Miller beat an impressive opponent by UD (59-55, 59-55, 58-56). Continue reading “Night of Knockouts XXVI”

Weights/Photos: Sumio Yamada

Rene Mark Cuarto 105 vs. Ginjiro Shigeoka 105
(IBF interim strawweight title)

Yudai Shigeoka 104.9 vs. Wilfredo Mendez 104.9
(WBC interim strawweight title)

Venue: Yoyogi #2 Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan
Promoter: Kameda Promotions

More photos

WBO #11 jr flyweight Rene “El Chulo” Santiago (10-3, 5 KOs) scored a hard fought ninth round TKO against WBA #12, WBO #15 Carlos “Arañita” Ortega (15-6-3, 6 KOs) on Friday night at the Centro de Combates, Pandeportes in Panama City, Panama. Ortega’s corner finally asked the referee to stop the fight to save their fighter from further punishment. Time was 1:28. Santiago retained the WBO Latino title.

In a clash for the WBA Fedecentro super welterweight title, reigning beltholder Derrieck Cuevas (25-1-1, 17 KOs) knocked out Damian Rodriguez (13-2, 7 KOs) in the second round. A right/left combination finished Rodriguez. Time was :29.

Undefeated WBA super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr. will now face Olympic bronze medalist and slick-boxing Yamaguchi “The Problem” Falcao in the co-main event of the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia Showtime PPV production taking place Saturday, April 22 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Falcao replaces Sena Agbeko, who was originally scheduled to face Morrell but was forced to withdraw after not being licensed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.