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Former unified female super featherweight beltholder Mikaela Mayer (17-1, 5 KOs) is fighting back in the U.K. for the second time in a row. Mayer will make her lightweight debut against former two-time super lightweight world champion Christina ‘Medusa’ Linardatou (14-2, 6 KOs) on April 15 at Copper Box Arena in London. Mayer-Linardatou will serve as the co-feature to the WBO interim heavyweight title clash between undefeated British knockout artist Joe Joyce and Chinese contender Zhilei Zhang.

Promoted by Queensberry Promotions, the event will be broadcast live in the U.K. on BT Sport and streamed live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+.

“Mikaela Mayer made such a big hit in the UK that it only made sense to for her to fight across the pond again,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Mikaela is still one of the very best fighters in the world, and she demanded a tough fight for her lightweight debut. Linardatou has proven herself at the world-class level and should give Mikaela a run for her money.”

Former three-time world champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (20-3-1, 13 KOs) will return to the ring for the first time in almost one year when he takes on veteran Jesus Martinez (33-17-1, 16 KOs) in the 10-round bantamweight main event at Hialeah Park on Friday. Rigo, whose last bout was a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Vincent Astrolabio on February 26, 2022 in Dubai, has been sidelined since suffering severe facial burns and eye injuries in a freak kitchen accident at his home in Miami nine months ago. Continue reading “Rigondeaux opponent officially named”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBO #4 super welterweight Tony Harrison (29-3-1, 21 KOs) is worried that WBO #1, WBC #1 super welterweight Tim Tszyu (21-0, 15 KOs) could pull out of their bout with a convenient injury. Their fight is scheduled for Sunday, March 12 (Saturday March 11 in USA) for the WBO interim title at the Quos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia televised on Foxtel Main Event and Kayo Sports PPV and Showtime in the USA.

“If anything happens … if Tim pulls out with a hand injury, it’s a fraud,” Harrison said to Fox Sports’ Ben Damon. “He’s a fraud. And I think the world will consider him a fraud. Because we all know that he found a way to wiggle out of fighting Tony Harrison.”

Harrison says if the roles were reversed, this fight wouldn’t be happening. Continue reading “Harrison: Tzsyu could pull out”

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (22-0, 17 KOs) is having a shoulder operation soon and will be finalizing details of his first world title defense against the IBF mandatory contender Mateusz Masternak (47-5, 31 KOs).

“We have finally pinpointed the problem and now have another surgery to get done,” Opetaia told the Samoan Global News. “It’s very frustrating to be held back by these small things we can’t control but I will be back better and stronger and I will be coming to collect the rest of my belts!!”

Opetaia should be defending the IBF cruiserweight title in June in Australia or the UK. Continue reading “Opetaia facing shoulder operation”

Wednesday’s ProBox TV card will now stream five fights, four of which feature undefeated boxers taking their biggest steps up in competition. The fifth is middleweight Derek Cintron making his pro debut against Dario Guerrero (1-2), a Harvard graduate that received a scholarship via their Undocumented Immigrant/Dreamers program. The event takes place Wednesday at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida, and will be streamed live on ProBoxTV.com and the ProBox app.

Guererro’s story is interesting. “I am a Harvard graduate,” he said. “I studied filmmaking. I was undocumented so Harvard was the only one to give me a (dreamer) scholarship. My mom got cancer, so I left college for a year, after my freshman year, and took a camera home to document her story then it became my thesis. It’s called ROCIO – you can Google it if you want to see it. I never boxed until I got to Harvard. For this fight I know I have had to prepare to my utmost. I watched his amateur fights. He is fast and has some power, so my objective is to box.”

By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® caught up with Amer Abdallah, the new Head of Boxing for Skill Challenge Entertainment, as he orchestrated the highly anticipated Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury clash this Sunday, February 26 in Saudi Arabia, where Paul will fight a “real boxer” for the first time. Abdallah talks about the fight and the co-main where his fighter, former world champ at super middleweight and light heavyweight, Badou Jack, seeks a world title at cruiserweight vs. Illunga Junior Makabu.

Skill Challenge Entertainment was founded by His Highness Prince Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who has been responsible for the biggest fights out of the Middle East, primarily out of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia including Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz II and most recently Oleksander Usyk vs Anthony Joshua II. An announcement is coming in the next week about their strategy to bring some of boxing’s biggest fights to the region.

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Hard-hitting KO artist Subriel Matías plans to defeat unbeaten Jeremias Ponce for the vacant IBF junior welterweight world title this Saturday on SHOWTIME from The Armory in Minneapolis, then take on WBC champion Regis Prograis.

“Ponce is tough and he possesses a unique style,” said Matías. “I would compare him to Marcos Maidana, who’s shocked the boxing world plenty of times. I don’t see a lot of people similar to him in boxing nowadays. Ponce is a great fighter, and I respect both him and Argentina. But my goal is to not let this fight go the distance.

“When I finish this fight with my arm raised high I’ll have only one name in mind: Regis Prograis,” added Matías. “Prograis thinks that he’s the only character in boxing, and I respect him a lot. But I want to show him that there are people in this world that can be even crazier than he is.”

Get ready for five straight nights of boxing action this week.

WEDNESDAY
Boxing returns on ProBoxTV.com and the ProBox app with unbeaten super middleweight Richard Vansiclen (13-0, 6 KOs) against Manuel “El Meno” Gallegos (20-1, 16 KOs) in a ten-rounder from the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida.

THURSDAY
DAZN has popular super flyweight John “Scrappy” Ramirez (10-0, 8 KOs) versus Luis “Callado” Padilla (15-3-2, 2 KOs) from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.

FRIDAY
In a $19.99 bxngtv.com pay-per-view, 42-year-old former world champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (20-3, 13 KOs) returns against the dreaded TBA from Hialeah Park Racing & Casino in Hialeah, Florida.

SATURDAY
Showtime presents KO artist Subriel Matías (18-1, 18 KOs) against unbeaten Jeremias Ponce (30-0, 20 KOs) for the vacant IBF 140-pound world title from the Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Good fight here.

SUNDAY
In a $49.99 ESPN+ PPV, Jake Paul (6-0, 4 KOs) against Tommy Fury (8-0, 4 KOs) at Diriyah Arena in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, with a WBC cruiserweight rating for Paul if he defeats Tyson Fury’s brother. Also, WBC cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu (29-2 25 KOs) defends his world title against Badou Jack (27-3-3, 16 KOs). Will the Makabu-Jack winner get a big payday against Jake Paul next?

Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing will present a boxing card at the White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, New Jersey. In the main event, undefeated super welterweight Jahyae “Golden Child” Brown (12-0, 9 KOs) against Denis “Billabong” Okoth (4-5-1 2 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Okoth previously upset two Star Boxing prospects. Can he do it again?  Continue reading “Boxing back in Jersey City March 4”

Junior welterweight Greg Outlaw Jr, (12-1, 6 KOs) pounded out an eight-round unanimous over Willie Shaw (14-5, 10 KOs) in the headline at The Hall! At Live Casino Hotel Maryland. The 13 fight card was the 10th huge crowd delivered by Jeter Promotions. Outlaw landed solid uppercuts and body shots, and put together eight complete rounds against the durable Shaw. Outlaw of Bowie, Maryland won by scores of 79-73 and 78-74 twice. Continue reading “Late Results from Hanover, Maryland”

With four-division world champion Nonito Donaire in his corner, world-rated bantamweight Dylan Price (16-0, 10 KOs) cruised past gritty Jobert Alvarez (20-5-2, 7 KOs) to win the WBO Global and WBC Intercontinental titles in front of a near-capacity crowd on Saturday night at the Elevations Event Center in Chester, Pennsylvania. Scores were 100-90 and 98-92 twice.

The co-feature opener saw the pro debut of Dylan’s 18-year-old brother Devin Price, who stopped Matias Arriagada (6-11, 3 KOs) in the opening round of their junior welterweight fight. Price dropped Arriagada three times with two of them coming on body shots. The fight was halted at 2:07.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

The boxing community is mourning the passing of former IBF Board member Al Meier who sadly passed away on Wednesday February 15 surrounded by his family at the age of 93 in his home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Al boxed as a professional and an amateur, where he fought as a bantamweight in the National AAU championships during the 1940s. He was a member of the IBF since it was first formed in 1984. He retired as an IBF Board member in 2018. Al is survived by his six children; Rodney, Robert, Ronald, Denise, Deborah and Pam. Continue reading “Former IBF Board Member Al Meier Passes”

In a WBC super bantamweight eliminator, former world champion Luis “Pantera” Nery (34-1, 26 KOs) scored a spectacular eleventh round TKO against Azat “Crazy A” Hovhannisyan (21-4, 17 KOs) on Saturday night at the Fox Theater in Pomona, California. The bout was a violent slugfest with both fighters rocked multiple times. Nery shots progressively busted up Hovhannisyan’s face. However, midway Hovhannisyan’s bodywork seemed to turn the tide in his favor. In round ten, Nery staggered Hovhannisyan with a left hook, then dropped him. Hovhannisyan barely survived the round. Nery staggered Hovhannisyan again in round eleven and referee Ray Corona waved it off. Time was 1:51.

At the time of the stoppage, Nery was ahead on all three scorecards, 95-94, 96-93, 96-93.

“I knew this was going to be a very difficult fight, Azat is a very tough fighter,” said Nery. “We gave the fans an incredible show. I want the winner between Naoya Inoue and Stephen Fulton. I feel ready for a world championship.”

“We are disappointed in this outcome, but that’s boxing,” said Hovhannisyan. “There was a lot of back-and-forth action, and we did all that we could.” Continue reading “Nery stops Hovhannisyan in classic”

Featherweight Mauricio “Bronco” Lara (26-2-1, 19 KOs) scored a one-punch seventh round TKO to dethrone WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood (26-3, 16 KOs) on Saturday night at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England. Local hero Wood was cut over the left eye from a first round head clash, but was clearly winning the fight. In round seven, both simultaneously landed left hooks. Lara took it. Wood went down. He beat the count, but his trainer Ben Davidson threw in the towel before the bout could resume. Time was 2:54.

After the fight, promoter Eddie Hearn announced that Wood has a rematch clause and he expects him to use it.

Unbeaten British super lightweight beltholder Dalton Smith (14-0, 10 KOs) scored a one-sided twelve round unanimous decision over Billy Allington (10-2-4, 0 KOs) in the Wood-Lara co-feature on Saturday night at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England. Smith dropped the mobile Allington in round eight and landed the harder punches throughout the bout. Scores were 120-107, 119-108, 119-108. Next up for Dalton is a clash with Sam Maxwell, who fought on the undercard.

Unbeaten lightweight Gary “The Diva” Cully (16-0, 10 KOs) destroyed previously unbeaten Wilfredo Flores (10-1-1, 5 KOs) in round two in a bout for the vacant WBA Intercontinental title. Flores cut in round one, dropped twice in round two. Time was 1:52.

Unbeaten cruiserweight Cheavon Clarke (5-0, 4 KOs) went the distance for the first time against late replacement Israel Duffus (20-9, 17 KOs), Clarke dropped Duffus twice in round six, once in round seven, and once again at the final bell, but the rugged Duffus got up to finish the full ten. Score was 98-88, 98-88, 98-90.

In an upset, unheralded super bantamweight Diego Ruiz (24-6-1, 12 KOs) surprised former European beltholder Gamal Yafai (19-3, 11 KOs). Ruiz dropped Yafai in rounds two, three, and ten en route to a ten round 98-89, 97-90, 97-91 unanimous decision. Ruiz was 0-3-1 in his previous four bouts. Yafai was an 8:1 favorite.

Super lightweight Sam Maxwell (17-1, 11 KOs) shut out Shaun Cooper (13-5, 0 KOs) over six rounds 60-54.

44-year-old former two-division world champion Felix Sturm (43-6-3, 18 KOs), now fighting at light heavyweight, won a ten round unanimous decision over Sukru Altay (15-3, 14 KOs) on Saturday night at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany. The 38-year-old Altay pressed the action and rocked Sturm in round seven. Sturm responded well in round eight and ultimately prevailed 97-95, 96-94, and a ridiculous 99-91.

In his first fight since 2019, former WBA super middleweight champion Tyron Zeuge (25-1-1, 15 KOs) demolished Michal Ryba (12-10-1, 9 KOs) in the first round. Zeuge, 30, dropped Ryba three times in the opening stanza to end it. Time was 2:33.

In an exhibition bout, 54-year-old former heavyweight champion Francois “White Buffalo” Botha carried 60-year-old Porshe AG chief Uwe Huck for six rounds only to have Huck announced as the decision winner. Botha, who looked to be in pretty good shape, was returning to the same arena where he won the vacant IBF title against Axel Schulz in 1995. After that fight, Botha tested positive for steroids and was stripped of the title.

Unbeaten heavyweight Daniel Dietz moved to 8-0, 8 KOs with a first round demolition of Marko Vucevic (5-3, 4 KOs).

Roy Jones Jr-trained female lightweight Ikram Kerwat (12-3, 5 KOs) punished the smaller Nana Dokadze (3-16, 0 KOs) for six rounds. No scoring announced.

On February 14, IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia requested a 60-day medical extension. The request was approved and the extension will expire on June 1, pursuant to rule 5.D.3 of the IBF Rules Governing Championship Contests. The IBF is due to order Jai Opetaia to begin negotiations for his mandatory defense of the cruiserweight title approximately on April 1, or sixty days prior to his mandatory due date. Jai Opetaia may request a Rule 11 Exception to extend his mandatory due date pursuant to this rule.

Dylan Price 117.8 vs. Jobert Alvarez 117.2
Devin Price 139 vs. Matias Arriagada 135

Venue: Elevations Event Center in Chester, PA
Promoter: Price Promotions
TV: PPV ($24.99 Profetsplus.com)

Greg Outlaw 144 vs. Willie Shaw 144
Francois Scarboro 129.6 vs. Jorge Bargallo 129.6
Jaqeem Hutcherson 124 vs. Prentice Canada 124.8
Jeffrey Yu 126 vs. Cary Caprio 126
Joseph Veazey 139.8 vs. Danny Murray 139.2
Vincent Mosca 178 vs. Albert Tulley 177.4
AJ Williams 167 vs. Derrick Vann 165.6
Colby Madison 252.2 vs. Darryl Clark 248.8
Ahmad Muhammad Jones 141.2 vs. Michael Crain 141.2
Michah Terrill 176.8 vs. Keynan Williams 174.6
Ervin Fuller 121.8 vs. Alejandro Leon 120.4
Vitali Gubkin 166.2 vs. Christopher Brooker 166.8
Francis Oran 204.8 vs. Charles Johnson 207.8

Venue: The Hall: Live Casino Hotel Maryland
Promoter: Jeter Promotions (Tony & Christen Jeter)
1st Bell: 7 PM ET

Anthony Andreozzi 158.8 vs. Jamer Jones 158.2
Jon Gruber 226.2 vs. Justin Rolfe 266.6
Aquila Prote 259.4 vs. Kevin Nagle 278.6
James Perkins 173.6 vs. Juan Celin Zapata 173.2
Mike Ohan, Jr. 141.6 vs. Daniel Sostre 150.4
William Parra Smith 146.4 vs. Vaibhav Singh Yadav 144.8

Venue: Melrose Memorial Hall in Melrose, Massachusetts
Promoter: Granite Chin Promotions
TV: PPV (bxngtv.com)

In a clash of unbeaten super welterweights, Ardreal “Bossman” Holmes Jr. (13-0, 5 KOs) took a ten round split decision over Ismael “Maelo” Villarreal (12-1, 8 KOs) on Friday night at the Stormont Vail Events Center in Topeka, Kanas. Holmes seemed in command most the way, winning 96-94, 97-93 on two cards. Villarreal prevailed 96-94 on the third card.

Featherweight Edward “Kid” Vazquez (14-1, 3 KOs) scored a hard fought ten round split decision over Misael Lopez (14-2, 5 KOs). The pivotal point was when Vazquez dropped Lopez in round two. Scores were 96-93, 95-94 Vazquez, 95-94 Lopez.

In a clash between unbeaten super lightweight knockout artists, former NCAA Division I college football running back Kurt Scoby (11-0, 9 KOs) blew away John “The Beast” Mannu (7-1-1, 4 KOs) in less than two rounds. Scoby dropped Mannu four times in round two to end it. Time was 1:40.

Luis Nery 122 vs. Azat Hovhannisyan 121.6
(WBC super bantamweight title eliminator)

Shane Mosley Jr. 167.4 vs. Mario Lozano 165.2
Ricardo Sandoval 111.8 vs. Jerson Ortiz 111.6
Rowdy Montgomery 167.2 vs. Christian Olivas 167.6
Asa Stevens 127 vs. Jenn Gonzalez 129.8
Andrii Novytskyi 232.2 vs. Gabriel Costa 204.2

Venue: Fox Theater, Pomona, California
Promoter: Golden Boy
TV: DAZN

BLK Prime has announced the cancellation of the Adrien Broner vs Michael Williams Jr. fight scheduled to take place on February 25 at The Gateway Center @ College Park, GA. Broner’s next fight will be postponed to a later date with a new opponent.

Adrien Broner: “I worked my ass off and I see what the bottom really looked like for the first time. I looked in the mirror and I told myself I am not that person and I got off my ass and went to work! These last four months I got in amazing shape and I’m in a great space in my life. I know this ain’t the WWF but right now I feel like Triple H cause I’m back healthy, happy, and HUNGRY!!! Sorry to all my fans but I will continue this journey – support me and I fight for you!”

Four unbeaten young fighters will see action Wednesday, February 22 at the ProBox Events Center in Plant City, Florida, live on ProBoxTV.com and the ProBox app.

In the main event, unbeaten super middleweight Richard Vansiclen (13-0, 6 KOs) takes on Manuel “El Meno” Gallegos (20-1, 16 KOs) in a ten-rounder. In a trio of six round fights, unbeaten middleweight and 2020 Tokyo Olympian Darelle Valsaint (6-0, 5 KOs) faces Lucas de Abreu (14-2, 11 KOs), unbeaten super middleweight (Najee Lopez (5-0, 5 KOs), dropping down from cruiserweight, meets Cristian Rios (23-16-3, 7 KOs), and unbeaten super featherweight Marques Valle (7-0, 6 KOs) goes against Jarrod Tennat (8-1, 4 KOs).

The Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California, will host the matchup featuring former world champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramírez (44-1, 30 KOs) and Gabriel “King” Rosado (26-16-1, 15 KOs). The 12-round light heavyweight matchup is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 18 and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN. Also, returning for redemption after his loss against William Zepeda in October 2022, former world champion Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jr. (32-3-1, 15 KOs) will face former world title challenger Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (33-3-3, 17 KOs) as the co-main event in a 12-round lightweight fight.