Fightnews.com

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Game and crafty Jukiya Iimura (6-1, 2 KOs), 111.75, had a tough time coping with aggressive and agile Yuga Inoue (15-4-1, 3 KOs), 112, but finally retained his Japanese flyweight belt by a dramatic stoppage at 1:28 of the ninth round in a scheduled ten on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. Iimura, a former amateur speedster, wrested the national belt from Josuke Nagata last July, and he registered his second defense to his credit. The champ scored a flash knockdown with a light left hook to the temple in round two, but the challenger furiously retaliated with all he had in every round since. The ninth and fatal session witnessed Jukiya dig a strong shot to the midsection to deck Yuga in agony so that he was obviously unable to raise himself and resume fighting. The ref promptly called a halt without completing the fatal ten. It was Iimura’s best performance in his short career without doubt. Continue reading “Iimura halts Inoue, keeps Japanese 112lb belt”

In an IBF junior welterweight world title eliminator, Richardson Hitchins (18-0, 7 KOs) took a twelve round unanimous decision over Gustavo Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) on Saturday night at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Lemos pressed the action non-stop, but judges preferred the work of Hitchins, 117-111, 115-113, 115-113. Hitchins earned a shot at IBF chanpion Subriel Matias.

Unbeaten super middleweight Diego Pacheco (21-0, 17 KOs) won a tactical ten-rounder over Shawn McCalman (15-1, 7 KOs). Scores 98-92, 97-93, 96-94. Pacheco retained his WBO International and USWBC titles

Olympic gold medalist Galal Yafai (7-0, 4 KOs) stopped Agustin Gauto (21-2, 15 KOs) in round eight of a hard-fought contest. Referee’s stoppage at 2:40. Yafai retained his WBC International flyweight title.

In a clash for the vacant WBC female featherweight title, Skye Nicolson (10-0, 1 KOs) scored a one-sided ten round unanimous decision over Sarah Mahfoud (14-2, 3 KOs). Scores were 100-90, 100-90, 99-91.

Unbeaten super featherweight Marc Castro (12-0, 8 KOs) outscored Abraham Montoya (22-6-1, 14 KOs) over ten rounds, 100-90, 98-92, 97-93.

Unbeaten Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-0, 16 KOs) of Russia stopped former WBA super welterweight champion Jack Culcay (33-5, 14 KOs) of Germany in round 11 to win the vacant IBF world super welter title. The two slugged it out from the beginning to end on very even terms. A true fight of the year candidate giving the fans a memorable fight. Murtazaliev had his breakthrough moment in round 11 where he seriously rocked Culcay with a number of solid punches finally dropping him with a left hook with seconds to go in round eleven. Culcay, on very unsteady legs, beat the count but the referee correctly waved the bout off. The event was promoted by Almin Kuc (Kuc Boxing Promotion GmbH), Ingo Volckmann (Agon Sports) with the site of the event being the Stadthalle, Falkensee, Brandenburg, Germany

Unbeaten super lightweight Ernesto “Tito” Mercado (15-0, 14 KOs) got an easy W against Deiner Berrio (22-5-1, 13 KOs) on Saturday night at the Red Owl Boxing Arena in Houston, Texas. The 22-year-old Mercado pounded on the defensive-minded Berrio for three rounds and Berrio stayed on the stool after the round.

Richardson Hitchins 139.8 vs. Gustavo Lemos 138.4

Diego Pacheco 167.4 vs. Shawn McCalman 167.6

Galal Yafai 111.6 vs. Agustin Gauto 111.2
Skye Nicolson 125,6 vs. Sarah Mahfoud 125
Marc Castro 130 vs. Abraham Montoya 129
Steven Navarro 115.6 vs. Jose Lopez 114.8
Harley Mederos 134.6 vs Pedro Vicente 134.8

Venue: Fontainebleau Las Vegas
Promoter: Matchroom
TV: DAZN

Bakhram Murtazaliev 153.5 vs. Jack Culcay 153.7
(IBF junior middleweight title)
*This is for the vacant IBF world title formerly held by Jermell Charlo

Ismael Seck 159.9 vs. Etinosa Oliha 159
Omir Rodriguez 156.3 vs. Edin Avdic 159.4
Uisma Lima 151.7 vs. Haro Matevosyan 152.6
Yeison Gonzalez 146.6 vs. Viktor Cakiqi 146.9
Simone Bono 153.2 vs. Paul Wall 153.7

Venue: Stadthalle, Falkensee, Germany
Promoter: AGON Sports/Kuc Boxing
TV: RBB (Germany)

Richardson Hitchins (17-0 7 KOs)  says he would jump at the chance to meet IBF king Subriel Matias as he prepares to hit the scales ahead of his final eliminator with Gustavo Lemos (29-0, 19 KOs) for the IBF world jr. welterweight title at Bleaulive at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Saturday, live worldwide on DAZN.

Hitchins has designs on sitting ringside at the Coliseo Juan Aubin Cruz Abreu in Manati knowing that he’ll be next for the winner, and although the IBF 10 pounds check-weigh is always a consideration with the IBF and a showdown with WBC king Devin Haney also whets his appetite, the Brooklyn star would gladly tackle Matias for the belt to prove he’s ready to dominate a division that is rapidly becoming the most exciting in the sport.

“I am not going to lie, I do prefer the WBC route – but if the opportunity presents itself for the world title, and on Saturday I feel good, why not the IBF?’ said Hitchins. “It’s a big fight with me and Subriel Matias, everyone would be interested in that, so let’s see what comes to the table. Continue reading “Hitchins: I am a great fighter”

Unbeaten super bantamweight Tito Sanchez (13-0, 7 KOs) scored a one-sided ten round unanimous decision over Erik Ruiz (17-11-1, 7 KOs) on Thursday night at the Fantasy Springs Resort/Casino in Indio, California. After a slow start, Sanchez dropped Ruiz in round three and punished him for the rest of the fight. Scores were 97-92 3x. The ultra tough Ruiz has never been stopped.

Super bantamweight “Gucci Manny” Flores (17-1, 13 KOs) demolished Alberto Guevara (27-7, 12 KOs) in round two. Flores looked sharp, pressing the action and cutting off the ring. A big right hook ended it at 2:31.

Grant Flores (4-0, 3 KOs) took out Freddy Espinoza (10-4, 7 KOs) with a body shot at 1:59 of the first round. Flores is a cousin of “Gucci Manny” Flores.

Unbeaten heavyweight phenom Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson (16-0, 15 KOs) is gearing up to deliver another spectacle. Anderson will step up in class to face Belgian contender Ryad Merhy (32-2, 26 KOs) on ESPN April 13 at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Following a recent training session in Houston, this is what Anderson had to say:

“I feel like my career is going in the right direction. The only way is up. But I’m still working like it’s my first day. We’re on the job, so make sure you all stay with the journey. Stay with me.”

“I have a better IQ than Merhy. You have to have a high IQ to do this. I have one of the best IQs in the heavyweight division. So, make sure you watch the little things. Make sure you watch for the details.”

“He’s got a beating coming. I always come to entertain. Don’t miss it.”

Ja’Rico O’Quinn has withdrawn from his rematch with Peter McGrail slated for April 27 at the Exhibition Centre in Liverpool, England. McGrail had landed an immediate shot at redemption against Detroit’s O’Quinn following his shock KO loss last December in Arizona. The O’Quinn camp cited personal family matters as the reason for the withdrawal. McGrail (8-1, 5 KOs) will now face former British super bantamweight champion Marc Leach (18-3-1, 4 KOs) on the 27th.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

JBC top contender Fumiya Fuse (14-3, 3 KOs), 118, impressively acquired the vacant Japanese bantamweight belt (renounced by Seiya Tsutsumi after his successful but ill-fated defense against Kazuki Anaguchi last December) when he floored JBC#2 Taichi Sugimoto (10-2-3, 1 KO), 117.5, twice before the referee’s well-received intervention at 1:38 of the fifth round in a scheduled ten on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan. Fuse, a durable southpaw, lost a nearly lopsided decision to Sam Goodman in Australia in 2022, and was stopped by hard-punching compatriot Riku Masuda a year later. Fuse, a road warrior, finally seized the national belt to his credit. Continue reading “Fuse halts Sugimoto, wins Japan’s 118lb belt”

Photos: Sumio Yamada

Check out this GIANT Tszyu-Fundora photo gallery for some incredible shots + the scorecard + action from the Cruz-Romero, Lara-Zerafa, Martinez-Cordova, and Bohachuk-Mendoza fights.

Photos

By Héctor Villarreal

Jonathan “Alta Gamma” Miniel (4-0, 4 KOs) and his opponent Jonathan “El Bloque” Torres (4-0, 1 KO), both hit the scale in 140 pounds, the limit of the superlightweight division, which vacant National Championship will be on the line on the main event of Laguna Premium´s Summer Boxing Fest at the Arena Roberto Duran in Panama City, Panama on Thursday night.

Featherweights Kadir Macias (3-0, 0 KOs) and Hibrahim Valdespino (3-0, 2 KOs) both weighed in at 126 for the 8-round co-main event.

Angel Bethancourt (4-0, 4 KOs) registered the limit of the flyweight division and his opponent Santos Villar (2-1, 1 Ko) weighed in at 111 pounds. Continue reading “Fighters on weight for Summer Fest in Panama”

Tito Sanchez 121.6 vs. Erik Ruiz 121.6
“Gucci Manny” Flores 122. vs. Alberto Guevara 121.8
Grant Flores 153.8 vs. Freddy Espinoza 152
Joshua Garcia 132 vs. Diuhl Olguin 131.2
Anthony Saldivar 159.4 vs. Henry Rivera 158.6
Patricio Manuel 130 vs. Joshua Reyes 128.8

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

All Star Boxing, Inc President and CEO Felix “Tuto” Zabala Jr has announced a revamped multi-year promotional agreement with Los Angeles-based WBA #4, WBO #2 flyweight contender Anthony “Princesa” Olascuaga (6-1, 4 KOs). Olascuaga recently dispatched former WBO global champion #5th Giemel Magramao on the telecast of Prime Video 5 from Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

“We felt confident in Tony’s ability from the beginning with his trainer Rudy Hernandez,” stated promoter Tuto Zabala Jr. “The plan was always to fast track him to a world title shot.”

Olascuaga looks to return to action sometime this summer.

Adrian Trujillo 146.8 vs Michael De la Cruz 145.2
Ricky Fausto 193.3 vs Juan Higuera 190
Will Gibson 169.6 vs Trever Devestern 168.8
Jordan Panthen 161.8 vs Ravshan Hudaynazarov 161.6
Dorian Mendez 141 vs Ezra Rabin 141
Sean Sharaf 260 vs Chadricc Kindle 227

Fight Club OC
April 4th
Venue: The Hangar in Costa Mesa, CA
Promoter: SOCA Fights
TV: Triller.TV

Golden Boy has announced the undercard lineup for the televised Haney vs. Garcia PPV taking place April 20 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, exclusively live worldwide on DAZN PPV.

• In the chief support, undefeated, super lightweight contender Arnold Barboza Jr. (29-0, 11 KOs) will fight for the WBO Intercontinental title against Sean “The Public Nuisance” McComb (18-1, 5 KOs) in a ten-rounder
• Super middleweight Bektemir “Bek” Melikuziev (13-1, 10 KOs) will defend his WBA Intercontinental title in a 10-round fight against Pierre Dibombe (22-0-1, 12 KOs).
• John “Scrappy” Ramirez (13-0, 9 KOs) will challenge Cartago, Costa Rica’s David “Medallita” Jimenez (15-1, 11 KOs) in a twelve rounder for the WBA interim super flyweight title.
• WBC #1 ranked super welterweight Charles “Bad News” Conwell (18-0, 13 KOs) will make his Golden Boy debut against Nathaniel Gallimore (22-7-1, 17 KOs) in a ten rounder.

The IBF’s 39th Annual Convention, slated for next month, will take place at The San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino in San Juan, Puerto Rico from May 6 – 10, 2024. The IBF has hosted successful conventions in Puerto Rico in the past, and the expectation is the same for this one.

In commemoration of the boxers who fight for the organization’s titles, the IBF will present annual awards on Thursday, May 9.

Jersey Joe Walcott Award: Subriel Matias
Female Fighter of the Year: Amanda Serrano

Fight of the Year winners:

• IBF – Ginjiro Shigeoka vs. Rene Cuarto
• Female – Chantelle Cameron vs. Katie Taylor II
• Intercontinental – Sam Goodman vs. TJ Doheny
• USBA – Ali Izmailov vs. Charles Foster

“We proudly celebrate the achievements and careers of our remarkable champions and the boxers that participated in IBF title fights. These distinctions are more than well-deserved as they were realized through hard work and dedication. It is an honor, and we look forward to celebrating them,” remarked Daryl Peoples, IBF President.

WBO #1 rated welterweight Giovani “Gallo De Oro” Santillan (32-0, 17 KOs) will take on fellow unbeaten Brian Norman Jr. (25-0, 19 KOs) in a 12-round ESPN-televised showdown on May 18 at Pechanga Arena. Santillan-Norman will be the co-feature to the vacant WBO lightweight title tilt between Mexican three-division world champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and Ukraine’s Denys Berinchyk.

In the eight-round televised opener, heavyweight knockout artist Richard Torrez Jr. (9-0, 9 KOs) returns against an opponent to be named. Torrez scored a KO1 last Friday on the Oscar Valdez-Liam Wilson card. Continue reading “Giovani Santillan opponent named”

The comeback of 38-year-old former WBO junior lightweight champion Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring was derailed on Wednesday night at the 36ers Arena in Adelaide, Australia. Herring (24-5, 12 KOs), a 4:1 favorite entering the bout, lost by split decision to Jackson Jon England (16-3, 8 KOs). After ten tactical rounds, England edged out a 96-94, 96-94 win on two cards, with Herring prevailing 97-93 on the third card.

Unbeaten featherweight Neslan Machado has been added to Don King’s “The Quest for the best” fight cards at the Casino Miami Jai-Alai, on Saturday, April 27. Machado has put together a perfect 20-0 record with nine KOs. He will be fighting a 10-round special attraction in an evening featuring three regional championship bouts, topped by WBA Continental Americas middleweight champion Ian Green (18-2, 12 KOs) against Roy Barringer (10-4, 6 KOs).

By Jeff Zimmerman

Fightnews.com® caught up with undefeated, rising star and knockout artist Kurt Scoby (13-0, 11 KOs) as he returns to the ring Friday, April 19th, against veteran Dakota Linger (13-6-3, 9 KOs) as the main event on DAZN. Scoby talked about his rough upbringing in Southern California and how he used boxing and football to stay out of trouble. Scoby shared his admiration for his promoter, hall of famer Lou DiBella, plus sparring Jaime Munguia and much more in this exclusive interview.

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By Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán / WBC President

This past weekend, the first boxing card broadcast by Amazon and its Prime Video platform took place.

Spectacular boxing card unlike anything seen in a long time. My memories took me to that golden era when Don King created wondrous galas, with three, four, and even five world championship fights on the same card. Very similar last Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena, and the World Boxing Council was present with three memorable battles. A thrilling crescendo. Continue reading “Amazon’s Prime Video era in boxing has begun”

Junior welterweight standout Jimerr Espinosa (15-2, 14 KOs) looks to regain his career momentum when he takes on Angel Martinez (15-3-2, 14 KOs) this Saturday, April 6 in the 10-round main event at Sala Urbana in Naucalpan, Mexico. Espinosa-Martinez and undercard action will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+.

Espinosa is a 26-year-old puncher who went 11-0 with 10 knockouts before a December 2021 defeat against Jonathan Escobedo Martinez. He rebounded with a four-fight knockout streak before a split decision loss to U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson in December. Martinez, boasting the same number of knockouts as Espinosa, returns following a unanimous decision loss to David Moreno Potrero last April.

Ryan Shaw 115.4 vs. Andre Donovan 115.4
Erick Arellano 212.6 vs. Raphael Carolina 223
Vladyslav Sirenko 256.6 vs. Deon Ronnie Hale 307.2
Chiara Dituri 129.4 vs. Cara McLaughlin 125.6
Lindsey Ellis 133.8 vs. Shaniqua Frazier 130
Dijibril Diakite 163.8 vs. Michael Lemelle 168

Venue: Troubadour Nashville
Promoter: Jimmy Adams Promotions
TV: USA Today Network, and USA Today Sports Network; Trillerr.TV (Marc Abrams and Albert Haynesworth on the Call)
1st Bell 7PM CT (8 PM ET)