Fightnews.com

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

WBO #10, IBF #14 elongated southpaw prospect Toshiki Shimomachi (17-1-2, 11 KOs), 122, impressively acquired the vacant Japanese super bantam belt as he utilized his advantageous height and reach, kept moving and oujabbing hard-punching Ryuto Owan (10-2, 6 KOs), 121.5, and pounded out a unanimous decision(97-93 twice, 98-93) over ten on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan. Except in rounds three and nine, it was a nearly lopsided affair with Shimomachi, a 5’10.5” lanky jabber, outpunching the shorter hard-hitter to steadily pile up points. The talented winner is gunning for a future fortune either in the 122-pound or 126-pound categories. Shimomachi, 26, had entered the world top ten thanks to his upset victory over then world rated Jeo Santisima last December. Continue reading “Shimomachi defeats Owan for Japanese 122lb belt”

By Boxing Bob Newman

It is with great sadness that we have learned of the passing of long time boxing judge Hubert Minn. Born in 1946, Minn was a native of Hawai’i and descendant of Korean immigrant grandparents.

A lifelong educator, Minn earned a PhD in education from University of Hawai’i. He received the Hawai’i Teacher of the Year award in 1993 and the Cliff Bailey Outstanding Teacher award in 2002. He followed his father Herbert into the Hawai’i Sports Officials Hall of Fame in 2021.

A boxing judge since 1991, Minn officiated some 60 world title fights over his 28 year career. He chaired the ring officials committees for both the NABF and the WBC and was named 2019 WBC chairman of the year. Continue reading “Boxing Judge Hubert Minn passes”

By Pasi Taavitsainen

Heavyweight Robert “The Nordic Nightmare” Helenius will return to the ring for the first time since his loss to Deontay Wilder last October. The 39-year-old Helenius (31-4, 20 KOs) will face unbeaten Mika Mielonenn (6-0, 6 KOs) on August 5 at the Olavinlinna Castle in Savonlinna, Finland. Mielonenn, 41, started boxing in 2021.

“It’s really nice to be able to fight in Finland, and there’s a lot of atmosphere in Olavinlinna in particular,” said Helenius. “It’s also fun that I get to fight a Finnish boxer. Mielonen is a bit of a slugger-minded guy, that is, he hits heavy and hard. But yes, I’m going to Olavinlinna to win. As for the longer-term plans, let’s first see how the August match feels and continue from there.”

Fighters competing on the Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford PPV undercard on July 29 in Las Vegas previewed their respective matchups during a virtual press conference on Thursday.

Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz vs. Giovanni Cabrera
WBC/WBA lightweight title eliminator

Isaac Cruz:  “I’m gonna put on a show against Cabrera. It’s all part of my effort to close every door that Gervonta has available to escape from facing me again. I want to prove that I’m the best at 135 pounds.”

Giovanni Cabrera: “I’ve seen many examples of fighters with Isaac’s style. I’ve been able to out-class them. That’s the goal on July 29…this is my time. Isaac Cruz is in trouble. I will be ready on July 29.”

Jesus “Mono” Ramos vs. Sergio Garcia
WBC super welterweight title eliminator

Jesus Ramos: “I think with a win over Sergio Garcia I’m top five, or at least top 10 in the division. I’ve been beating top guys and looking impressive against them. I want to earn my shot and these are the fights I have to take.”

Sergio Garcia: “I just have to focus on executing what I do in the ring. I’ve shown that I have courage, but now I have to show my skills as well… I can’t give away my secrets, but I have Jesus well scouted.”

 

Unbeaten super lightweight Kurt Scoby (12-0, 10 KOs) demolished 39-year-old former world title challenger Hammerin’ Hank Lundy (31-14, 14 KOs) in two rounds on Thursday night at Sony Hall in Times Square Manhattan. Scoby dropped Lundy in round two, then put him down again moments later to end it. Time was 1:54. Afterward in the ring, Lundy announced that this was his last fight.

Super welterweight Brian Ceballo (15-1, 7 KOs) dominated Mitch Louis-Charles (7-4-2, 4 KOs) over eight rounds. Ceballo dropped Charles in round five en route to a 80-71, 79-72, 79-72 win.

Unbeaten super lightweight Matthew “Lefty Gunz” Gonzalez (13-0-1, 8 KOs) scored an eight round unanimous decision over speedster Terell Bostic (7-2, 1 KO). Scores were It’s owned by Disney78-74, 77-75, 77-75.

Other Results:
Arnold Gonzalez W6 Alejandro Munera (welterweight)
Raymond Cuadrado W4 Yeuri Andujar (super featherweight)

ShoBox: The New Generation returns August 4 on Showtime with the tripleheader from the Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The main event is a ten round super featherweight clash between Jordan White (14-1, 10 KOs) and undefeated Eridson Garcia (17-0, 11 KOs). Other fights are undefeated super welterweight prospect Paul Kroll (10-0-1, 6 KOs) against Guido Schramm (16-1-1, 9 KOs) in the eight-round co-feature, and super featherweight Julian Gonzalez (10-0-1, 9 KOs) against Johnny Spell (8-0, 4 KOs) in the telecast opener. Promoter is Marshall Kauffman’s King’s Promotions.

By Ron Jackson

South Africa’s Sivenathi Nontshinga “Special One” makes the first defense of his IBF junior flyweight title against the mandatory challenger Regie Suganob of the Philippines on Sunday at the International Convention Centre in East London.

The tournament will be shown live on Supersport

The 25-year-old Nontshinga (11-0, 9 KOs) won the title in September last year when he outpointed Hector Flores in Mexico, in a closely fought encounter.

The challenger Suganob (13-0, 4 KOs) made his pro debut in November 2018 and captured the vacant IBF Youth flyweight title on 12 October 2021 with ten round points win over Jerome Belara (6-0). Continue reading “Nontshinga to make first defense of IBF title”

By Brad Snyder – The Undercard

Heavyweight Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson (14-0, 14 KOs) and former world champion “Prince” Charles Martin (29-3-1, 26 KOs) faced off at the final press conference for Saturday’s ESPN-televised clash at Toledo’s Huntington Center.

Jared Anderson: “I come prepared for anything and everything. Luckily, he is still a southpaw. I think that was the biggest reason that we chose him after the change. He’s also a bigger name. He is a former world champion. He has fought a few world titleholders as well. I’m prepared for everything. It didn’t throw a monkey wrench in the plan, but it definitely made us go back to the drawing board, look at the tapes, and come back with a plan.”

Charles Martin: “I was happy when I got the call. I had been putting in a lot of work, so I was happy that the hard work was finally paying off. I’ve dedicated myself fully. I leave no stones unturned. You can’t do that in this game…I’m up for the challenge. He’s a big, strong, young lion. And I’m here.”

* * *

In the 10-round heavyweight co-feature, Montreal-based wrecking ball Arslanbek Makhmudov (16-0, 15 KOs) takes on Nigeria’s Raphael Akpejiori (15-0, 14 KOs).

Arslanbek Makhmudov: “Camp was good. Everything was great. I just can’t wait for it to be Saturday so I can perform…I came here to compete against the best and become the champion of the world. That’s my goal, my target and my dream.”

Raphael Akpejiori: “This is the best guy I will have faced. But to be a champion, you have to go through some fire. And I have put myself in line to go through that fire. All I have to do is listen to the ‘Road Warrior’ (Glen Johnson) and do everything we’ve done in camp.”

Heavyweight giants Zhilei Zhang (25-1-1, 20 KOs) and Joe Joyce (15-1, 14 KOs) are all set for a highly anticipated rematch at the OVO Arena, Wembley on Saturday 23 September 23 on TNT Sports (currently known as BT Sport until July 18). Big Bang Zhang and Juggernaut Joyce first collided in mid-April at the Copper Box Arena, where it was Zhang who left the venue in possession of the WBO interim heavyweight world championship strap. Referee Howard Foster stopped the fight in the sixth round due to the heavy swelling around the right eye of defending champion Joyce.

Zhilei Zhang: “I created history last time and I believe the best way to inherit history is to create new ones. I look at the rematch as if it was a new fight; I look at Joe Joyce as if I never fought him before. I started from zero and this is the new self.”

Joe Joyce: “I’m coming back to take back what’s mine and I am leaving everything in that ring. No compromises. No underestimating my opponent. Nothing, but a win. Last time out I lost my undefeated professional record. It was hard to take. But after the dust settled, all that will do is make me better. I’ve learned lessons. I’m ready. And I am coming for everything.”

Promoter Frank Warren: “This is a fight with high stakes written all over it. The first fight in April was the best heavyweight fight made this year and I am expecting more of the same at the OVO Arena on September 23. Continue reading “Zhang-Joyce II set for Sept 23”

Former WBC light flyweight champion Pedro “Pedrin” Guevara (40-3, 22 KOs), now competing at super flyweight, scored a one-sided ten round unanimous decision over Miguel “Joyita” Herrera (22-6-5, 8 KOs) on Wednesday night at the Centro de Eventos Figlostase in Culiacan, México. Guevara landed cleanly and often en route to a 100-90 3x. Guevara hasn’t lost since 2017, winning ten consecutive fights.

Kurt Scoby 143.1 vs. Hammerin’ Hank Lundy 139.8
Brian Ceballo 154.8 vs. Mitch Louis-Charles 153.2
Terell Bostic 139.8 vs. Matthew “Lefty Gunz” Gonzalez 140.2
Arnold Gonzalez 150.6 vs. Alejandro Munera 146.2
Raymond “The Scientist” Cuadrado 130.8 vs. Yeuri “Dinamita” Andujar 131.4

Venue: Sony Hall, NYC
Promoter: Boxing Insider
TV: YouTube

Fight week is here, and Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson is home. Anderson (14-0, 14 KOs), who was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, will fight former world champion “Prince” Charles Martin on Saturday evening at the Huntington Center.

Martin (29-3-1, 26 KOs), who accepted the fight on less than two weeks’ notice after Zhan Kossobutskiy was forced to withdraw, is the most notable opponent of Anderson’s career. He briefly held the IBF heavyweight crown in 2016.

Anderson kicked off fight week with a pair of community events. First, he stopped by Tony Packo’s, a Toledo landmark that has been a staple of the city since 1932. Anderson, in keeping with a Packo’s tradition that includes former U.S. Presidents and stars of stage and screen, signed a hot dog bun that will be encased and displayed at the restaurant. Continue reading “Real Big Baby hits Toledo”

By Mauricio Sulaimán
Son of José Sulaimán / WBC President

My father, José Sulaimán, found himself in Thailand, which received him with unimaginable hospitality and loyalty, when the WBC arrived in that nation, in the early 1980s. This inspired the already latent talent of Thai warriors to conquer a large number of championships and world championships, since before that, very few fighters had strayed from Muaythai to enter the international boxing arena. My father had the honor of being with King Bhumibol Adulyadej on five occasions, who in their last meeting asked the WBC to bring the sport to the world, since it had fragmented into many other disciplines.

As I write this column, I am in Venice to witness a historic tournament: the WBC Muaythai World Amateur Cup. With 440 athletes, from 49 countries and 1,400 attendees. They competed for three days in four rings, from sunup to sundown, to reach the sunset final, which will take place in just a few hours. Continue reading “WBC Muaythai World Amateur Cup in Venice”

Unbeaten super lightweight Kurt Scoby (11-0, 9 KOs) will enter the ring for the first time since signing a multi-year promotional deal with DiBella Entertainment on Thurday night. Scoby will face none other than former world title challenger Hammerin’ Hank Lundy (Henry Lundy (31-13-1, 14 KOs) in the eight-round main event at Sony Hall in Times Square, New York City. Lundy, 39, has lost five five.

Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced that undefeated lightweight Ashton “H20” Sylve (9-0, 8KOs) will face William “Baby Face” Dos Santos Silva (30-4, 18 KOs) on the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz pay-per-view card live on August 5 from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

Golden Boy Fight Night: Mexico Edition has been slated for a return on July 15 with a ten round WBC super bantamweight eliminator featuring WBC #3 ranked Alan “Rey David” Picasso (24-0-1, 13 KOs) fighting in his hometown of Mexico City against Sabelo Ngebinyana (15-6-1, 11 KOs) of Cape Town, South Africa. DAZN will stream the fight.

In a direct rematch, WBC strawweight champion Panya Pradabsri a.k.a. Petchmanee CP Freshmart (40-1, 24 KOs) scored an eighth round TKO over very game 38-year-old challenger Norihito Tanaka (20-10, 10 KOs) on Wednesday in a temporary outdoor arena in Rayong, Thailand. Pradabsri dropped Tanaka in round one and staggered him in round three. After four rounds, WBC open scoring had Pradabsri ahead 40-35, 39-36, 39-36. In round eight, Tanaka’s cornerman dashed into the ring to save his fighter from further punishment.

Pradabsri previously outpointed Tanaka in an entertaining fight eleven months ago .

Pedro ‘Pedrin’ Guevara 115.5 vs. Miguel ‘Joyita’ Herrera 115.1
Alexis Molina 117.7 vs. Jesus Ivan Mercado 116.4
Juan Ramirez Marquez 121.5 vs. Nazario Castro 120.8

Venue: Centro de Eventos Figlostase in Culiacan, MéXico
Promoter: ProBox
TV: ProBox TV

• Guevara is a former WBC Light Flyweight Champion with two successful defenses

Panya Pradabsri 105 vs. Norihito Tanaka 105
(WBC strawweight title)

Location: Rayong, Thailand
Promoter: Petpiya Fight
TV: TV Thailand

• This bout is a rematch. Pradabsri previously took a unanimous decision over Tanaka 11 months ago.
• Tanaka, at 38 years and nine months of age, is attempting to break Hozumi Hasegawa’s record as the oldest Japanese boxer to win a world championship.
• The winner must face WBC interim champion Yudai Shigeoka.

Undisputed super middleweight world champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn (8-1, 2 KOs) puts her titles on the line against former WBO middleweight world champion Savannah Marshall (12-1, 10 KOs) this Saturday at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.

In the 10-round co-feature, unified junior middleweight world champion Natasha Jonas (13-2-1, 8 KOs) takes on former two-time title challenger Kandi Wyatt (11-4, 3 KOs) for the vacant IBF welterweight crown.

Promoted by BOXXER, Crews Dezurn-Marshall, Jonas-Wyatt and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.

Tickets go on sale today for the August 12 junior lightweight title showdown between WBO world champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete (37-1, 31 KOs) and former two-division world champion Oscar Valdez (31-1, 23 KOs) at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

U.S. Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (5-0, 5 KOs) will open the televised tripleheader in a six-round heavyweight tilt against Willie Jake Jr. (11-3-2, 3 KOs) This bout was initially scheduled for March, but Torrez tore his oblique in training.

Navarrete-Valdez, a to-be-announced co-feature, and Torrez-Jake will be broadcast live on ESPN. Continue reading “Navarrete-Valdez tix on sale today”

While very few top heavyweights in boxing have a fight scheduled at the moment, there will be two of the most exciting contenders in the division seeing action on Saturday at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.

Unbeaten WBO #7, WBA #8, WBC #9 heavyweight Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson (14-0, 14 KOs) is as much as a 14:1 favorite over former IBF heavyweight champion “Prince” Charles Martin (29-3-1, 26 KOs), who stepped in on one week’s notice to the big ESPN-televised card fight.

In the co-feature, WBC #5, WBA #5 heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov (16-0, 15 KOs) is a 10:1 favorite over unbeaten 6’8 Raphael Akpejiori (15-0, 14 KOs).

Don’t expect either fight to go the distance.

By Héctor Villarreal

Dominican Shuan Boxing Promotions continues to take great steps in the world of boxing, especially those that can take the fighters and the entire Dominican Republic to a higher level, as it has already done with names such as Eric “Mini Pacman” Rosa, Alberto “La Avispa” Puello and the young prospect Kaipo Gallegos.

The company is very proud to have received the opportunity from the sanctioning body, The World Boxing Organization (WBO) to organize the boxing card within the framework of the entity’s annnual convention, which is scheduled to be held from October 9th to 13th with headquarters in Punta Cana, D. R.

Story by John DiSanto – PhillyBoxingHistory.com

Former world champion Tevin Farmer bounced back from an extended layoff with a fluid and speedy unanimous decision over Avery Sparrow in the 10-round lightweight main event at the 2300 Arena. The entertaining, five-bout show was promoted by Hard Hitting Promotions.

On Saturday night, all eyes were on Farmer after his three-and-one-half year career pause. Questions were aplenty regarding how Farmer, after such a lengthy respite, would perform against a tough opponent like fellow-Philadelphian Avery Sparrow. However, the former junior lightweight world champion displayed quick hands and feet, an energetic and elusive head, good stamina, and plenty of offense over the 10-round distance. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but given the layoff, it was impressive and suggested that Farmer is ready to return to the thick of either the 130 or 135-pound division. Sparrow, a tough assignment for any fighter, showed up and gave a good account of his ability. He pressed Farmer and landed his share of punches. However, Sparrow appeared in less-than-perfect condition, and this became a factor late in the fight. Continue reading “Farmer returns with win over Sparrow”

27-year-old former WBA super flyweight champion Joshua Franco has announced on social media that he is retiring from boxing. Franco (18-2-3, 8 KOs) lost his world title on the scale on Friday, then was defeated on Saturday by Kazuto Ioka.

Joshua Franco: I wanted to start off by saying thank you to everyone that has supported me in my career. I appreciate everyone for their continued support. I was able to live my childhood dream of becoming a world champion. I defended my title multiple times all over the world and always tried my best to represent San Antonio, TX proudly.

For the majority of my career, I have been going through a lot of mental problems that I was doing my best to control. I never talked about it publicly because I didn’t want anyone to think I ever made an excuse for anything or for anyone to look at me different. I battled through it as much as I could to still perform and give you guys some great fights. For anyone that battles through any type of mental health issues please know you are not alone. And you can’t let anything stop you from achieving your dreams Continue reading “Joshua Franco retires”

This past Friday at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, CA, super lightweights Jesus Saracho (13-1-1, 11 KOs) of Guanajuato, MX, and Tarik Zaina (12-0-1, 8 KOs) of Tijuana, MX, fought to a majority draw in Thompson Boxing’s Locked ‘N Loaded 10-round main event. Saracho, who was defending his WBO Latino title, lost his belt at the scale, giving Zaina a golden opportunity to capture his first belt. The title is now vacated. Continue reading “Late Results from California”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Previously four-division champ Kazuto Ioka (30-2-1, 15 KOs), 114.75, Japan, acquired the WBA super flyweight belt when he defeated former titlist Joshua Franco (18-2-3-1NC, 8 KOs), 121.5, by a unanimous decision over twelve fast rounds on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. Franco had been stripped of his belt because of his failure to make weight, and Ioka thus won the belt despite a big weight difference by 6.75 pounds. The official tallies were as follows: Guillermo Perez Pineda (Panama) and Giuseppe Quartarone (Italy) both 116-112, and Pawel Kardyni (Poland) 115-113, all for the 34-year-old Japanese challenger. Referee was Luis Pabon (Puerto Rico).

Despite Ioka’s victory our impression on this title bout was in fact so complex and complicated that we couldn’t burst into pleasure or joy. We had a couple of very serious reasons. The Japan Boxing Commission (JBC), just four days before the fight (June 21), abruptly announced that Ioka had tested positive for marijuana, not performance enhancer, for his first Franco bout last December, but the quantity was so small under the WADA standard level that it would go on as scheduled. What a mental shock Ioka took then and there! Continue reading “Full Report: Ioka defeats Franco”