Fightnews.com

By Ray Wheatley — World of Boxing

WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker is confident he has the power to knock out both WBA, IBF champion Anthony Joshua and WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder. “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten the respect of being a world champion, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” Parker said. “I feel as a world champion I have achieved something incredible in our country and am very happy with what I have achieved. But I don’t think I get the respect.

“Now I have the WBO, I want the WBC. I want the IBF. I want the WBA. AJ (Joshua) is a fighter who is champion of the world. My goal is to unify. My goal is to grab his belts and to say that I am the real champion. I don’t think I would have problems knocking them [Joshua or Wilder] out.”

Boxing fans will be treated to a clash on HBO Latino beginning at 1:05 a.m. ET/PT (tape delayed) or immediately following live HBO telecast in addition to the previously announced HBO Boxing After Dark tripleheader on December 9 from the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

Featured on the HBO Latino Boxing telecast in a ten-round junior lightweight contest, two-time world title challenger Denis Shafikov, (38-3-1, 20 KOs), of Miass, Russia now fighting out of Big Bear Lake, California will face-off against Managua, Nicaragua native Rene Alvarado (27-8-0, 19 KOs). Continue reading “HBO Latino picks up Shafikov-Alvarado”

By Gary “Digital” Williams

There will be a pro boxing card coming to a new location in Washington, DC. A TAC Promotions/Putney Promotions card will take place tonight at the Merrick Recreation Center.

Headlining the card will be the return of DC welterweight Jonathan “Bad Badger” Baxter who will be in a six-round contest against veteran Joseph “Trouble” Figueroa of the Bronx, NY. Baxter (8-1, seven KO’s) lost his pro debut in November of 2016 but has won eight straight bouts in North Carolina and Georgia. This includes a second-round TKO of Isaiah Robinson on August 19 in Greensboro, NC. Figueroa (11-62-5, three KO’s) will be the most experienced foe Baxter has faced. Figueroa has lost eight in a row but has gone the distance in every bout. Figueroa is coming off a four-round unanimous decision loss to Osnel Charles on April 27 in Durham, NC. Continue reading “Boxing Returns To DC tonight”

17-year-old Top Rank super featherweight Gabriel Flores Jr (5-0, 4 KOs) scored a second round TKO over Alexander Acuna (2-1, 1 KO) on Friday night at the Reno Sparks Convention Center in Reno, Nevada. Flores scored three knockdowns in the bout.

Former NABF heavyweight champ Daniel “The Mountain” Martz (16-5, 13 KOs) annihilated Tim Washington (6-5, 6 KOs) in the main event on Friday at the Lifestyle Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio. After outworking his opponent in the first round, Martz, 6’8 260 pounds, badly hurt Washington, 6’6 265 pounds, with a big, straight right hand midway through the second stanza. Martz proceeded to pummel Washington with a barrage of power punches dropping him with a right hand/left hook combination. A wobbled Washington rose to his feet but then feel back into the ropes prompting referee Ken Miliner to halt the onslaught at 2:31 of the second round.

In the co-feature, cruiser Brian Holstein (13-7, 7 KOs) earned a majority decision over a game Lawrence Blakey (5-8, 2 KOs). Scores were 60-54, 59-55 and 57-57. Continue reading “Martz wallops Washington”

Report/Photos: Bob Ryder

Former WBC super middleweight champion Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell (31-1-1, 24 KOs) returned to the ring following a 10-month layoff to win by six round technical decision over Denis “Momma’s Boy” Douglin (20-6, 13 KOs) on Friday night at the Dort Federal Event Center in Dirrell’s hometown of Flint, Michigan.

Dirrell rocked Douglin in round one. Douglin showed a lot of heart, but Dirrell continued to land big shots. Referee Frank Garza deducted a point from Douglin for pushing Dirrell down in round six. Dirrell was cut over the left eye later in the round by an accidental headbutt and the bout went to the scorecards. Scores were 49-46, 48-47, 48-47. Continue reading “Ex-champ Dirrell beats Douglin by tech decision”

Giovani Santillan (23-0, 13 KOs), the #7 rated welterweight by the WBO, delivered a masterful performance in knocking out Dodzi Kemeh (13-2, 12 KOs) in the fourth round Friday night at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California. With the knockout win, Santillan successfully defended his WBO NABO Title for the first time. Continue reading “WBO #7 welter Santillan still unbeaten”

Kenia Enríquez 107.8 vs. Jessica Nery Plata 107.8 lbs
(WBC interim world light flyweight title)

Gilberto Parra 107.8 vs. Leyman Benavides 107.8 lbs
(WBC silver light flyweight title)

Promoter: Zanfer, ARA Promotions
Venue: Centro de Usos Múltiples (CUM), Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mx
TV: TV Azteca

Mike Gavronski 167 vs. Andrew Hernandez 167
(WBA-NABA super middleweight championship)

Andre Keys 146 vs. Sean Gee 145
Steve Villalobos 152 vs. Eduardo Torres 150 ­­
Niko McFarland 143 vs. Keith Wolf 141
Cameron Sevilla-Rivera 181 vs. Kian Heidari 174
Austin Springer 143 vs. Jorge Linares 140

Venue: Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington
Promoter: Brian Halquist Productions

By Robert Coster

Alberto Puello 140 vs. Ricardo Gutierrez 140
(WBA Fedelatin jr welterweight title/WBC Latino jr welterweight title)

Guillermo Jones 229 vs. Ytalo Perea 239
(WBA Fedelatin Heavyweight title)

Carlos Adames 156 vs. Adrian Perez 155
Subriel Matthews 140.5 vs. Patrick Lopez 140
William Encarnacion 123 vs. Julio Avendano 124.5
Jhomar Medina 138 vs. Alejandro Ramos 138

Venue: Jaragua Renaissance Hotel And Casino, Santo Domingo
Promotor: Shuan Boxing Promotion

Julian Williams 154.8 vs. Ishe Smith 155.2
Lionell Thompson 177.2 vs. Earl Newman 179
Tugstsogt Nyambayar 125.6 vs. Harmonito Dela Torre 128
Angelo Leo 123 vs. Basilio Nieves 118.2
Lanell Bellows 173 vs. Fabiano Pena 179
Darwin Price 140 vs. Angel Hernandez 142.6
Oluwafemi Oyeleye 153.8 vs. Brandon Adams 154.2
Marlo Moore 225.5 vs. Oswaldo Ortega 216.2

Venue: Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Las Vegas
Promoter: Mayweather Promotions
TV: Bounce TV

Thomas LaManna 147 vs. Samuel Amoako 147
(LBF Intercontinental welterweight title)

Raymond Serrano 146.8 vs. Enver Halili 146.6
(WBC Fecarbox welterweight title)

Adam Lopez 121.4 vs. Jorge Diaz 121.4
(WBC Fecarbox super bantamweight title)

Yurik Mamedov 146.7 vs. Vincent Floyd 147.3
Nicholas Lavin 192 vs. Alvin Varmall Jr. 183
Sidell Blocker 131.4 vs. Tomas Romain 130.5
Jonathan Arroyo 145.7 vs. Steve Moore 146.5
Frederick Julan 181.5 vs. Willis Lockett 182

Venue: The Claridge Hotel
Promoter: Rising Promotions, Greg Cohen Promotions, Winner Take All Productions

Former welterweight champion Jessie Vargas (27-2, 10 KOs) returns to the ring to take on hard-hitting veteran Aaron Herrera (33-7-1, 22 KOs) in the 10-round main event of a special Friday night edition of Premier Boxing Champions TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS on FS1 and BOXEO DE CAMPEONES on FOX Deportes December 15 from Pioneer Event Center in Lancaster, California. Vargas is returning to the ring for the first time in 13 months after dropping a 12-round decision in a welterweight title defense against Manny Pacquiao in November 2016.

The show will also feature a 10-round welterweight showdown between rugged veteran Diego Chaves (26-2-1, 22 KOs) and rising contender Jamal James (21-1, 9 KOs) in the co-main event. Additional televised action will see John Molina Jr. (29-7, 23 KOs) and Ivan Redkach (20-3-1, 16 KOs) squaring off in 10-rounds of super lightweight action and unbeaten featherweight prospects Stephen Fulton (11-0, 5 KOs) and Adam Lopez (8-0, 3 KOs) battling in an eight-round match.

DiBella Entertainment will make its long-awaited return to the historic B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in midtown Manhattan with a special holiday edition Broadway Boxing “Season’s Beatings” card to end the year, on Thursday, December 14. The event will be headlined by junior middleweight contender Patrick Day (14-2-1, 6 KOs) defending his WBC Continental Americas title against Wesley Tucker (14-1, 8 KOs) and will also feature the return of former WBC world lightweight champion Dejan Zlaticanin (22-1, 15 KOs). Continue reading “Broadway Boxing back on Broadway”

After giving a career-defining performance as the HBO Pay-Per-View televised opening bout on the Canelo vs. Golovkin undercard in September against former world champion Randy “El Matador” Caballero, recently crowned NABF and NABO super bantamweight champion Diego De La Hoya (20-0, 9 KOs) will return to the ring on December 14 as the main event for Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. De La Hoya will face Jose “Sugar” Salgado (35-4-2, 28 KOs) of Quintana Roo, Mex. in a scheduled 10-round super bantamweight bout.

In the co-main event, LA’s Carlos “The Solution” Morales (16-2-3, 6 KOs) will face Kosovo’s Dardan Zenunaj (14-3, 11 KOs) in a scheduled 10 rounder for the vacant NABA super featherweight title.

Former WBC super middleweight world champion Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell (30-1-1, 24 KOs) returns tonight against Denis Douglin (19-5, 12 KOs) at the Dort Federal Credit Union Center in Flint, Michigan, live on FS1 and FOX Deportes. For Flint-native Dirrell, this is his third hometown fight as a pro and the first time since knocking out Dante Craig at Atwood Stadium in 2011.

Anthony Dirrell: “I feel great because this gives the people of Flint a chance to see world class boxing with one of their own. We made the tickets cheap so people can come watch great top level boxing…this is something that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. I’ve thought about it for a while but the task is still at hand. I still have to take care of my opponent. I’m prepared mentally and physically to go to war!”

Jerwin Ancajas 115 vs. Jamie Conlan 115
(IBF super flyweight title)

Zolani Tete 117.5 vs. Siboniso Gonya 116
(WBO bantamweight title)

Carl Frampton 127 vs. Horatio Garcia 127

Venue: SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Promoter: Frank Warren
TV: BoxNation (UK)

HBO Sports will take a deep dive into the career of sure-fire Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto as he prepares to make one last ring appearance next month against former U.S. Olympian Sadam Ali. Miguel Cotto: A Retrospective debuts Saturday, November 25 following a live HBO boxing tripleheader.

HBO Sports production cameras visit Cotto as well as family members in Puerto Rico to tell his backstory — both personal and professional – as he trains for the final time in Hollywood, CA under the guidance of Freddie Roach. The Caguas, Puerto Rico native will also sit with Jim Lampley for a retrospective on his accomplishments.

By Ron Jackson

When Zolani Tete defends his WBO bantamweight belt against fellow South African Siboniso Gonya at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Saturday night, it will be the first time two South Africans have contested a world title outside South Africa.

The southpaw Tete (25-3, 20 KOs) from the Eastern Cape is a former WBF flyweight and IBF junior bantamweight champion and has had his last three fights in the United Kingdom winning against Jose Santos Gonzalez (tko 7), Victor Ruiz (tko 7) and Arthur Villaneuva (pts 12) for the interim WBO bantamweight title on April 22 this year. Continue reading “First time outside South Africa”

This past Saturday night, lightweight prospect Thomas Mattice (10-0, 8 KOs) remained undefeated by stopping Orlando Rizo (19-12, 11 KOs) in round seven of their scheduled eight-round bout at the Atrium Arena in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

The 27-year-old Mattice took out a veteran who has been in the ring with several world champions and contenders, but entered with five straight losses. Continue reading “Late Results from Atlanta”

WBO #9 junior bantamweight Jose Martinez (20-0-1, 12 KOs) scored a fourth round KO over Jesus Martinez (23-2, 11 KOs) on Friday night at the Poliforum Benito Juarez in Cancun, Mexico. A Martinez body shot finished Martinez. Time was :19 of round four. Martinez claimed the WBO NABO title.

In the co-feature, welterweight Alexis Rocha (10-0, 7 KOs) scored a first round KO over Pascual Salgado (12-8, 8 KOs).

Also, junior welterweight prospect Vergil Ortiz Jr. (8-0, 8 KOs) scored a first round KO over Evandro Cavalheiro (9-4, 5 KOs).

Sorry to report that former Muhammad Ali cornerman and Showtime boxing commentator Ferdie “The Fight Doctor” Pacheco has passed away at his home in Miami at the age of 89.

Ferdie’s daughter Tina Louise Pacheco announced the following on Facebook:

It’s with a heavy heart that I have to announce to the world the passing of my wonderful Dad, Ferdie Pacheco. He was a pharmacist, a doctor, a boxing commentator, a painter and a writer. But to me he was just Papa. It’s a heartbreak to lose a parent, but I know he’ll always be with me.

Showtime Sports issued the following statement: Continue reading “Ferdie Pacheco passes at 89”

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten OPBF 105-pound champ, WBC#11/WBA#12/IBF#13 Tsubasa Koura (12-0, 8 KOs), 104.5, barely kept his regional belt as he had a tough time coping with game and gallant compatriot Masataka Taniguchi (8-2, 6 KOs), 105, but showed a last surge to earn a hairline majority verdict (115-114, 115-113, 114-114) over twelve see-saw rounds on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan.

It was such a close affair that they mixed it up with solid shots each other. After the fourth, the champ Koue was leading on points—39-38, 39-37, 38-38. After the eighth, however, Taniguchi overcame his early deficits on points and was slightly ahead 77-76 for him, 76-76 twice. It became a four-round fight with Koura scoring with a little more accurate shots to be awarded a very close decision. Continue reading “Koura squeaks by Taniguchi to keep OPBF 105lb belt”

Anthony Dirrell 168.1 vs. Denis Douglin 168.8
Jamontay Clark 150 vs. Domonique Dolton 152.2
Ryan Karl 142.8 vs. Kareem Martin 143.2

Venue: Dort Federal Credit Union Center in Flint, Michigan
Promoter: TGB Promotions/Salita Promotions
TV: FS1

WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder ripped into WBA/IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on ESPN Sports Nation.

“Joshua, let’s make this fight happen man,” said Wilder. “…I’m ready, I don’t know about you. Y’all had it easy. It’s been breezy for you. You’re ready to fight low opposition and get paid millions of dollars and you don’t want that gravy train to end, but I am the man that’s going to end your career!”