Shailezov outpoints Roque Ler!

By Alexey Sukachev

After a recent chain of setbacks (including 0-1-1 against losing journeyman Sergey Yurovskih), Kyrgyz top super flyweight Timur Shailezov (13-2-1, 1 KO) came back strong yesterday at Metro Bar in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Shailezov scored his third win in a row and this time a sound one, convincingly outpointing experienced Argentinean Julio David Roque Ler (26-6, 15 KOs) over twelve rounds: 115-112, 115-113 and 118-110. Kyrgyz fighter seized a vacant WBA international belt with this victory. Roque Ler fought Jorge Arce in a WBC eliminator in 2007. The show was promoted by Akyl Beckbolotov.

Burgos batters Lizarraga!

Photo: Big Joe Miranda

By Francisco Salazar at ringside

Unbeaten Featherweight contender Juan Carlos Burgos (22-0, 15 KO’s) stopped Omar Lizarraga in the second round of a 10 round bout at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, CA. Burgos dropped the game Lizarraga twice in the second round, both on left hooks. Burgos went in for the kill and landed a hard right hand that wobbled Lizarraga (16-7-1, 12 KO’s) prompting referee Dr. James Jen-Kin to step in and stop the bout at 2:19 of the round. With the victory, Burgos won two regional belts. Burgos is the nephew of former world champion, Victor Burgos, who was present at ringside. (more…)

Ruiz named WBA mandatory!

The World Boxing Association Championship Committee has declared two-time WBA heavyweight champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz (43-8-1, 29 KOs), presently rated No. 3, as the mandatory challenger for the winner of this year’s Ruslan Chagaev-Nicolai Valuev WBA title fight.

Hatton beats Pacquiao (at darts)!

Photo: Chris Farina/Top Rank

As expected, Ricky Hatton was victorious over Manny Pacquiao in a game of darts on Saturday afternoon at the New Inn in Manchester, England. Playing a game of 501, “The Hitman” won in sixteen throws, nailing a double two to end it as the place went wild. Darts is a pro sport as well as a traditional pub game in the United Kingdom. After the match, Hatton presented Pacquiao with a Manchester City football jersey.
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Later, trainers Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Freddie Roach met in a special challenge match: the first to get a bullseye wins. The match ended in a draw after fifteen shots each with no bullseyes for either side.

Pacquiao-Hatton Presser!

William Sheratt - Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions

6,000 fight fans, surprisingly about a third of them Filipino, turned out at the Trafford Centre in Manchester, England for a kick-off press conference for the May 2 ‘The East vs the West’ world title fight between Manny Pacquiao and Ricky HAtton at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. “On May 2 I’ll be the new pound-for-pound king,” promised Hatton. “I’ve never been beaten at 10 stone (140lbs). This is my weight. This is where I do best. I promise all my fans I’ll win for Manchester!” Pacquiao wished Ricky good luck and stated “I’m going to win it for the Philippines. Ricky’s a very good fighter.” Pacman’s promoter Bob Arum promised victory “for all our Filipino brothers and sisters.” Manny will face Ricky in a darts competition at a pub in Manchester this afternoon.

Califano wins Italian title!

By Enrico “Erik” Crociati

Italian warrior Simone ‘Chico’ Califano (13-1, 7 KOs) won the domestic title at lightweight on Friday night in his hometown of Acqua Acetosa Sports Hall in Roma, Italy, when defending champion Pasquale ‘El puma’ Di Silvio (9-1, 4 KOs) was stopped at ten seconds of the end of round three by referee Renato Mosella. It was a heated fight, until the interruption both fighters gave more than expected and went toe-to-toe without any stop with 4,000 screaming fans standing on their feet in a real ‘Mexican atmosphere.’, The clash is easily the “Fight of the Year” so far in Italy. Di Silvio got off to a good start in the first round, but Califano turned the tide in the second and dropped the titlist with a devasting right hand in the third. Di Silvio got to his feet only to be punished again by Califano, who landed more big shots and forced referee to step in and stop the action. Time was 2:50. It was the second match between two real warriors and every boxing fan can only wish a third match as Italian boxing needs fights like this. Topping the undercard of the Unicorner promoted show, local boy, Gianluca Cima (2-0, 2 KOs) stopped Albanian puncher Kadri Xhulaj (4-2, 3 KOs) in the third stanza of a scheduled eight rounder to win a cruiserweight Trophy ‘Italy Pro Cup.’ The show was televised in Italy by Rai Sport Piu.

Lefele retains SA title!

By Ron Jackson

Tshepo Lefele retained his South African minimumweight title when challenger Sakhumzi Mqadaru could not answer the bell for the seventh round at the Nasrec Indoor Arena in Johannesburg on Friday night. (more…)

Adamek KOs Banks!

Photo: Ed Mulholland

By Andreas Hale at ringside

IBF cruiserweight world champion Tomasz Adamek (37-1, 25 KOs) retained his world title with an impressive eighth round KO over previously unbeaten Johnathon Banks (20-1, 14 KOs) on Friday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It took Adamek five rounds to figure Banks out, but after that Adamek took over, finally dropping Banks twice in round eight before referee Eddie Cotton waved off the bout. Time was 1:30.

In an IBF middleweight eliminator, Giovanni Lorenzo (27-1, 19 KOs) scored an explosive second round knockout of Dionisio Miranda (19-3-2, 17 KOs). It was a big right hand that spectacularly laid out Miranda for the count. Time was 2:48. Lorenzo is now the mandatory challenger for IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham. (more…)

Johnson punishes Judah!

Photo: Javiel Centeno

By Jason Kotar at ringside

Former light heavyweight world champion Glen Johnson (49-12-2, 33 KOs) avenged a controversial 2003 draw against Daniel Judah (23-4-3, 10 KOs) with a dominating ten round unanimous decision on Friday night at the Seminole Hard Rock LIVE Arena in Hollywood, Florida. Risking his lofty WBC #2, WBA #3, IBF #5, WBO #3 ratings, Johnson dropped Judah with a big right hand at the end of round one, and punished Judah the rest of the way, winning clearly 99-89, 99-90, 99-90. (more…)

Weights from Lublin, Poland!

Photo: Michał Koper

By Michal Koper / bokser.org

Rafał Jackiewicz 146.8 vs Luciano Abis 145.2
(European welterweight title)
Andrzej Wawrzyk 234.7 vs Edgar Kalnars 215.8
Dawid Kostecki 176.8 vs Martial Bella Oleme 174.8
Łukasz Janik 199.9 vs Remigijus Ziausys 199.9
Damian Jonak 154.9 vs Janos Petrovics 157.6
Łukasz Maciec 141 vs Jevgenijs Fjodorovs 138.8
Artur Szpilka 200.4 vs Viktor Szalai 198.1

Pacquiao London Update!

Photos: Chris Farina/Top Rank

Pound-for-pound boxing king Manny Pacquiao was in his hotel room throwing feathered darts onto a practice dart board on Friday night. “Just want to sharpen up little,” said Manny who will face Ricky Hatton in a darts competition at pub in Manchester on Saturday afternoon. Pacquiao and his team on Saturday morning will take a train from London’s Euston Station to Manchester’s Piccadilly Station for a noontime press conference at the Trafford Centre – Great Hall. There they will talk about their upcoming ‘The East vs the West’ world title fight promoted by Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 2. Pacquiao vs. Hatton will be available on HBO Pay Per View. (more…)

Nonito Donaire Update!

The Filipino Flash, Nonito Donaire, has a new date – April 18 – for his IBF/IBO flyweight title defense against undefeated Raul ‘Cobra’ Martinez of San Antonio. The Donaire vs Martinez and Ulises Solis vs. Brian Viloria title fights were initially scheduled for March 21. The venue is the same, Araneta Coliseum, Metro Manila, Philippines. The Top Rank championship card will be on Pay Per View.

Weights From Oaxaca, Mexico!

By Gabriel F. Cordero
Photos: Gabriel F. Cordero

Donnie Nietes 104.49 vs. Erick Ramirez 104.94
(WBO miniumweight World Tittle)
Chocolate Gonzalez 104.49 vs Francisco Rosas 105
(WBA miniumweight World Tittle)
Ana Maria Torres 114.63 vs Paulina Cardona 113.53
(WBC super flyweight Tittle)
Venue: Auditorio Guelaguetza, Oaxaca
Promoter: KO Entertainment
TV: Televisa (Mexico)

Showtime NYC Roundtable!

Photo: David Greene

Showtime hosted a media roundtable Friday afternoon in New York City to discuss the ShoBox program. Sr. VP Ken Hershman, Executive Producer Gordon Hall, Play-by-Play announcer Nick Charles and Analyst Steve Farhood discussed the upcoming ShoBox matchups plus addressed the current State of the Game and the role ShoBox plays in shaping the sport. In its eight-year history, the ShoBox series has become most influential boxing television series in the industry. A significant percentage of today’s fighters at/or near the top of the world rankings have gotten their first big break on ShoBox. Over 30 ShoBox “alumni” have gone on to capture World titles since the launch of the series in July 2001. Tonight’s showdown between IBF cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek and undefeated challenger Johnathon Banks will be the 120th telecast of the ShoBox series. Attached is a fact sheet that includes the list of ShoBox alums that have gone on to win world titles as well as a list of some of today’s top fighters who also got their starts on ShoBox. (more…)

Banks: Don’t blink!

Johnathon Banks

By Bob Ryder

Undefeated cruiserweight contender Johnathon Banks battles newly-crowned IBF champion Tomasz “Goral” Adamek tonight at Newark’s Prudential Center . FightNews recently caught up with the cruiserweight contender at a local Kronk amateur show. “My training has been going fantastic, my trainers Emanuel Stewart and Sugar Hill have got me completely ready, ” Banks stated. When asked if he had watched the Adamek-Steve Cunningham battle, Banks leaned forward and said: “Oh, yeah. When I saw that one I told Emanuel, please make this match! I’m a much bigger puncher than Cunningham and when I saw Adamek getting hit with those shots, I knew this was my fight.” (more…)

Weights from Los Mochis!

Photo: Zanfer Promotions

Francisco Arce 115 vs Simphiwe Nongqayi 114
(IBF super flyweight eliminator)
Eric Ortiz 113 vs Valentín León 114
Ivan Valle 139 vs Carlos Urías 137
Miguel Beltrán 126 vs Victoriano Nuñez ??
Miguel Vázquez 137 vs Sergio Soto ??
Pablo Lugo 135 vs Daniel Valenzuela 135
David Sánchez 112 vs Jorge Cruz 112
Luis Lugo 114 vs Manuel Valdez 114
Julio César Valenzuela 147 vs Fernando Ibarra 147
Daniel Cota 200 vs Dagoberto Yañez 210
Venue: Gimnasio Polideportivo Centenario, Los Mochis, Sinaloa
Promoter: Zanfer
TV: Azteca America

More weigh-in shots!

All the shots from today’s weigh-in at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas:  Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz, Chris John vs. Rocky Juarez, and more: Click here for gallery by Chris Cozzone

Marquez, Diaz make weight!

Photo: Chris Cozzone

Weights by Byron Spurlock

From the Toyota Center, downtown Houston for tomorrow night’s “Supremacy” card televised on HBO and promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.

For the WBA, WBO, IBO and Ring Magazine lightweight titles:
Juan Manuel Marquez 134.25 vs. Juan Diaz 134.5

For the WBA world featherweight title:
Chris John 125.25 vs. Rocky Juarez 125.5

Danny Garcia 142.75 vs. Cristian Favela 142.75
Daniel Jacobs 165.75 vs. Jose Cruz 164.25
Hylon Williams 134.25 vs. Jonathan Bobadilla 146.25
Jermell Charlo 147.75 vs. Juan Serrano 151.25
Hector Vasquez 135.5 vs. Ramon Flores 139.5
Michael Anderson 147 vs. Oscar Rosales 148.5
Darryl Hayes 132.25 vs. Gerardo Carillo 136.5

Maidana back in training!

Photo: Team Maidana

By Team Maidana

Argentina’s Marcos Maidana is now back at training 20 days after he lost a controversial split decision against WBA Super Welterweight champion Andreas Kotelnik from Ukraine in Rostock Germany. Although he admits it was quite a competitive fight, Maidana (25-1, 24 KOs) is still upset about the decision of the two European judges (Jean Louis Legland and Paul Thomas) that gave the nod to Kotelnik by one and two points, respectively. “I know I didn’t lose the fight. And many people agree with me. I put all the pressure and hit him with the best punches during almost the whole bout. I’ve read that Kotelnik himself has said in a recent interviews that when a fight is close the judges have to award the champion. I respect Kotelnik as a good champion but he knows that it shouldn’t work that way,” Maidana said. “However, I’m thankful at the WBA as in their lastest ranking they’ve kept in the #2 spot. That means that I may another chance very soon, which is exciting. That’s why the Kotelnik loss is now water under the bridge for me. I’ve rested two weeks and I’m already back at the gym. If I was fit 100% last time, I’ll be prepared 110% the next one,” ‘El Chino’ added.

“The Road Warrior” Returns!

By Matt Thompson

Glen Johnson will step in the ring for the sixty-second time of his 16-year career tonight when he battles challenger Daniel Judah at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. Few professionals in boxing today have this kind of experience, particularly at the level of “The Road Warrior.” Johnson fought for his first title shot against Bernard Hopkins 12 years ago. Since the Hopkins fight, Glen Johnson has been in with the who’s who in the super middleweight and light heavyweight division including his signature knockout win over Roy Jones, Jr., and decisions over Antonio Tarver and Clinton Woods earning him 2004 fighter of the year accolades. Recently FightNews had the opportunity to talk with the always charming former champ in Miami as he prepared for his rematch against Judah. (more…)

Murat, Sanavia make weight!

Photo: Sauerland Event

Karo Murat 166.7 vs Cristian Sanavia 166.4
(European Super-Middleweight Title)
Sebastian Sylvester 159.6 vs Gaetano Nespro 159.8
(IBF International Middleweight Title)
Yoan Pablo Hernandez: 200 vs Micky Steeds 203.9
Dominik Britsch 158.1 vs Rachid Ouafi 158.3
Robert Helenius 244.1 vs Enrico Garmendia 236.1
Venue: Jahnsportforum in Neubrandenburg, Germany
Promoter: Sauerland Event
TV: ARD (Germany)

Pacman in London!

Photo: Chris Farina/Top Rank

P4P king Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is greeted by bellman at the Grosvenor House hotel as he arrives in downtown London for a mega UK media tour to announce his upcoming World Jr. Welterweight championship fight against Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton on May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Pacquiao and Hatton will stop first in Manchester Saturday to hold a press rally at the Trafford Center-Great Hall along with a friendly darts competition later in the day. On Sunday,Pacquiao will tour London followed by a press conference Monday at the Imperial War Museum.

Q&A: Tomasz Adamek!

Photo: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

By Alexey Potapov

IBF cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek (36-1, 24 KOs), who faces Johnathon Banks (20-0, 14 KOs) tonight on SHOWTIME (11PM ET/PT), has given an exclusive interview Fightnews.com in which he reveals the latest news before the fight and much more.

Hello, Tomasz. How you feel? How are you doing?

I am well, ready for this fight.

Soon you will be in the ring against Johnathon Banks. What does this fight mean to you?

It’s just another fight, it’s my first title defense. It’s a short time after the Cunningham fight so right now I am just happy to be right here in Newark and to show what I can do for all my fans, Polish and American ones. (more…)