Fightnews.com

By Ron Jackson

South Africa’s Ali Funeka hopes to get his career back on track after his stoppage loss against Jeff Horn in December last year when he challenges Samuel Vargas from Colombia for the WBA/NABA welterweight title at the Brampton Powerade Centre in Toronto, Canada on Saturday. The 39-year-old Funeka (39-6-3, 30 KOs) was smashed to defeat in six rounds by Jeff Horn who won the WBO welterweight belt in his next fight when he outpointed Manny Pacquiao. However, Funeka had Horn on the canvas before the stoppage.

Vargas, 28, who fights out of Toronto made his pro debut in February 2010 and has racked up a record of 27-3-1, 14 KOs. Continue reading “Funeka aims to get career back on track”

Shane Shapiro’s No Limits Mindset, LLC has signed lightweight contender, Mason Menard to an exclusive managerial contract. Menard of Rayne, Louisiana has a record of 33-2, 24 KOs. He suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery that has kept him out of action for the remainder of 2017. They are shooting for an early 2018 return, showcasing Memard in 1-2 fights locally in Louisiana before landing a big fight. Continue reading “Menard inks new managerial pact”

This Saturday night, Thomas LaManna will take on George Sosa in a ten-round bout for the WBC Silver Latino Welterweight bout that will headline a big 11 bout card at what is expected to be a sold out Calridge Hotel in Atlantic City.

The show, promoted by Rising Promotions, is the 9th card that will be staged before a capacity crowd. Continue reading “LaManna-Sosa clash Saturday in AC”

Veteran referee Robert Byrd will be the third man in the ring for the August 26 Mayweather-McGregor PPV clash at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Judges will be Burt Clements, Dave Moretti and Guido Cavalleri.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has unanimously approved the clash between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor to be fought with eight-ounce gloves, rather than the ten-ounce mitts normally required for the junior middleweight division and higher. The decision was a one-time exception for this bout only. McGregor normally uses four-ounce gloves in MMA competition.

By Robert Hough

Light welterweights Terence Crawford and Julius Indongo are set to fight Saturday in an ultra-rare, four-belt unification bout. The match, in Lincoln, Nebraska, will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10 p.m. ET and streamed live via the ESPN app.

Here’s what they had to say today:

Terence Crawford: “(Indongo) is at the end of his career. He doesn’t have a lot of choices. He can’t wait around for a long time…He has good legs. It seems like he can punch a bit. He doesn’t let his opponent get inside.”

Julius Indongo: “It’s something huge. It’s very big. It’s very meaningful…I am a humble guy but I don’t fear anybody. My focus, my game-plan, everything is in position…Although people never knew me, this is the right time to show the world.”

Continue reading “Crawford, Indongo poised to unify”

Tickets for the September 23 World Boxing Super Series clash between WBA cruiserweight champion Yunier Dorticos (21-0, 20 KOs) and Dmitry Kudryashov (21-1, 21 KOs) in a quarter-final bout at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas are now on sale. Prices are $250, $125, $100, $50, and $30.

“It’s a thrill to promote the first World Boxing Super Series fight in the United States,” said Richard Schaefer, Chairman and CEO of Ringstar Sports. “This fight may very well turn out to be the best clash of the entire tournament. The WBSS is a first class organization and I am proud to be working with them to bring the best fighters in the world to the US competing for the Ali trophy. San Antonio is a great boxing town and the Alamodome is the perfect place to kick-off the US leg of the tournament.”

No U.S. television has been announced thus far for the $50 million tournament.

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten Mexican southpaw Luis Nery (24-0, 18 KOs), 118, surprisingly captured the WBC bantamweight belt when he swarmed over previously unbeaten champ Shinsuke Yamanaka (27-1-2, 19 KOs), 118, battered him to the punch and halted him with the towel thrown in from his corner at 2:29 of the fourth round on Tuesday in Kyoto, Japan. Yamanaka, a southpaw upright stylist, failed to score his thirteenth defense, which would have tied the Japanese mark of Yoko Gushiken’s as many defenses registered 37 years ago.

It’s a shocking defeat for a great many adherents in Kyoto city, where he had stayed in high school days and started to learn how to box—along with his younger alumni such as 2012 Olympic gold medalist Ryota Murata and former world challenger Shohei Omori.

Prior to the quick stoppage Nery was leading on points: Oren Shellenberger (US), David Sutherland (US) both 29-28 for Nery, Joel Scobie (Canada) 29-28 for Yamanaka. The referee was Mike Griffin (Canada). Continue reading “Full Report: Nery dethrones WBC bantam champ Yamanaka”

IBF President Daryl Peoples interviewed in China.

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Boxing legend Roberto Duran expects the Gennady Golovkin versus Saul Alvarez contest on September 16 in Las Vegas to be a tough fight, but isn’t picking a winner.

“When Golovkin fought with the gringo Jacobs, he received a lot of punches. Golovkin had Jacobs in a bad situation several times, but he did not know how to finish him off. On the other hand, the Mexican is by nature a brave boxer and when you bring [a Mexican boxer] to fight, they give everything in the ring.

“It will be a very tough fight, because the two of them hit hard. In this fight, the one who will survive is the one who is capable of handling the other’s punch, and for me that will be the one who will take the victory.”

Local favorite Terence Crawford (31-0, 22 KOs) is a huge -2200 favorite to defeat Julius Indongo (22-0, 11 KOs) in their super clash for the undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super lightweight world titles televised live on ESPN Saturday from the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. Indongo backers can get +1100.

Indongo is no stranger to winning in his opponent’s backyard, however, having won the IBF title over Russian Eduard Troyanovsky in Moscow, then adding the WBA belt against Scotsman Ricky Burns in Glasgow.

The winner will be the first undisputed 4-belt champion since Bernard Hopkins in 2005.

Unbeaten heavyweights Tom Schwarz (19-0, 12 KOs) and Marcin Siwy (17-0, 6 KOs) faced off at the kickoff press conference for their September 30 showdown at the Maritim Hotel in Magdeburg, Germany. The WBO-Intercontinental belt will be at stake.

Tom Schwarz: I think you have never seen me so crass. My trainer Dirk Dzemski can already see and feel what good form I’m in. I’ll break Siwy into pieces!

Marcin Siwy: I’ve come to win. We’ll drive home with the belt. Tom Schwarz is a good boxer, but I’m better and I’ll defeat him!

Trainers Abel Sanchez (Gennady Golovkin) and Eddy Reynoso (Canelo Alvarez) have very different opinions on what will happen in the ring when GGG and Canelo collide for the middleweight championship of the world on September 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. But, one thing they do agree on is a lack of interest in the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor clash taking place in the same ring at the same venue next week.

Abel Sanchez: What happens next week is irrelevant to me. I would just rather wait for the 16th and put the two best fighters in the ring.

Eddy Reynoso: Bravo, Bravo.

Miguel Cotto (40-5, 33 KOs) will look to capture his sixth world title when he takes on Yoshihiro “El Maestrito” Kamegai (27-3-2, 24 KOs) Aug. 26 at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, for the WBO Junior Middleweight title. Cotto will make his return to the ring after a layoff of nearly two years and will appear on HBO for the 23rd time.

“Kamegai is the best opponent for me right now in my career — he is a warrior in the ring,” said Cotto in an exclusive Q&A session. “When we were looking through our options, he was one of the first names that popped up. I don’t really worry about what or how my opponent trains – all that matters is how well our team prepares. Freddie Roach has always been good to me, has been critical to my preparation over the years, and our team has always enjoyed working together like a family. I will be prepared for Kamegai on August 26 mentally and physically. It will be a great fight.” Continue reading “Cotto: Kamegai is the best opponent for me”

NABO Super Featherweight champion Alberto “El Explosivo” Machado (17-0, 15 KOs) and NABA Super Featherweight champion Carlos “The Solution” Morales (16-1-3, 6 KOs) hosted a press conference today ahead of their 10-round super featherweight unification fight that will headline the Aug. 18 edition of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN.

Alberto “Explosivo” Machado: I know that Morales has prepared well, and is ready to give a tough fight. I know he has had difficulties before in his career, and he has slowly come up the ranks. However, I had the great career opportunity to train with Miguel Cotto, and I have learned so much from his discipline so that I can one day become Puerto Rico’s next world champion.”

Carlos “The Solution” Morales: “I know Machado prepared very well, as he was training in Los Angeles with Miguel Cotto and Freddie Roach. I trained out of Los Angeles as well – the boxing world is a small one. We have come to take everyone by surprise – something that I have always done in my career in coming as the opponent and coming out victorious. We will be giving Machado “The Solution” come Friday, August 18.”

This Friday, August 18, in Krasnodar, Russia, IBF #14-rated cruiserweight “Hurricane” Junior Wright (16-2-1, 13 KOs) of Chicago will face hometown favorite and IBF #8-rated Ruslan Fayfer (20-0, 14 KOs) in an eliminator for the #2 contender spot.

Wright and his trainer Rick Wilson have spent eight weeks preparing for this fight, and believe that Junior is coming back to the U.S. with the victory. “Fighters come from the U.S. to fight in Russia they all come home with a bad story,” said Wright, “but we’re not. We’re coming out of Krasnodar with a beautiful gift.”

Junior lightweight boxer Joey Laviolette may have a big reputation in Canada, but he is a virtual unknown in the United States. The 29-year-old native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, hopes to change that when he takes on Avery Sparrow, of Philadelphia, PA, in the scheduled eight-round main event Friday evening, Sept. 8, at the 2300 Arena. Continue reading “Unbeaten Laviolette invades Philly”

By Joe Koizumi

Unbeaten Mexican southpaw Luis Nery (24-0, 18 KOs), 118, surprisingly captured the WBC bantamweight belt when he swarmed over previously unbeaten champ Shinsuke Yamanaka (27-1-2, 19 KOs), 118, battered him to the punch and halted him with the towel thrown in from his corner at 2:29 of the fourth round on Tuesday in Kyoto, Japan. Yamanaka, a southpaw upright stylist, failed to score his thirteenth defense, which would have tied the Japanese mark of Yoko Gushiken’s as many defenses registered 37 years ago.

More to come.

Former World Champion Krzysztof Glowacki (27-1, 17 KOs) and fellow Polish star Mateusz Masternak (39-4, 26 KOs) have signed-up to act as reserves in the World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight quarter-finals. Assuming they are not needed to act as reserves, the fighters will box on the undercards of the quarter-final they are assigned to.

Glowacki is the reserve for the Mairis Briedis vs Mike Perez quarter-final and WBC world title match-up at the Riga Arena, Latvia on September 30. Masternak has been named as reserve for the Murat Gassiev vs Krzysztof Wlodarczyk quarter-final and IBF world title bout, date and venue to be announced.

It will be a battle of unbeatens when Adam Lopez (8-0, 3 KOs) of Southern California takes on Stephen Fulton (11-0, 5 KOs) of Philadelphia, PA on September 19th. The bout was confirmed to Fightnews.com® by managers Andrew Zak/Journeyman Managment and Alex Vasyfeld/Union Boxing. The bout is scheduled for eight rounds and will be aired live on Fox Sports 1. The contracted weight will be 124 pounds maximum. The site of the event will be the Sands Bethlehem Event Center, Bethlehem, PA. Continue reading “Lopez-Fulton meet Sept 19 in PA”

By Lucas Ketelle

Boxing returns to the Bay Area this Saturday, August 19th in Pleasanton, Calif., at the Alameda County Fairgrounds as Squarevision Entertainment returns with their third card of the year entitled “Bay Area Titans III”. The card is headlined by junior welterweight Eddie Diaz (3-6-3) taking on a man he knocked out in this very arena in January, Luis Garcia (7-1-1) of Richmond, CA, only this time it will be for the Square Warriors junior welterweight title. Continue reading “Boxing returns to Bay Area Saturday”

By Mauricio Sulaiman
WBC President – Jose Sulaiman’s son

The passing away of Frank Quill in Australia has closed yet another chapter in the history books of boxing and the WBC. Frank Quill wrote with Golden letters several pages with his dedication and passion to make boxing better. A boxing historian who served as President in the Australian National Boxing Federation, he was a member of the WBC Board of Governors and chairman of the WBC Ratings Committee. A man with a sweet smile, always positive and a natural friend to all. The funeral will be held on August 16 at 10 am at Heritage Funerals, in Melbourne Australia.

This past weekend the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame honored some of the great heroes of the sport in a memorable event organized by Rich Marotta who has passed the torch to Michelle Corrales Lewis who will serve as President of NBHF. Continue reading “The 12th Round”

The Fallon Rural Rumble once again delivered a night of professional boxing in its tenth installment last Saturday night at the Churchill County Fair Grounds. In the main event, Reno native and world-ranked flyweight Oscar “Chapito” Vasquez scored an ten round unanimous decision win over Javier Gallo. Vasquez improves to 14-1, 3 KOs, while Gallo falls to 24-14-1, 12 KOs.

Other results
Gabriel Flores Jr. W4 Jorge Padron (lightweight)
Diego Elizondo W4 Chandler Clements (lightweight)
Pedro Moreno TKO2 Curtis Morton (super lightweight)
Quilisto Madera KO2 Austin Marcum (middleweight)

The Fallon Rural Rumble is presented every summer by the City of Fallon and Let’s Get It On Promotions.

Photos: Jeff Zimmerman/Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame

Last weekend’s Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame induction gala capped an excitement-filled weekend of festivities at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

More photos

By Ray Wheatley — World of Boxing

Top trainer Robert Garcia says WBC lightweight champion Mikey Garcia would defeat Floyd Mayweather. “I don’t think Floyd would fight Mikey because he’s already forty and he already told us ‘Look, I’m already tired, my body is sore. I cannot box anymore.’ He’s fighting McGregor because it’s an easy fight for him, but in boxing I don’t think he would fight right now,” Robert Garcia told OTR Radio. Continue reading “Robert Garcia says Mikey beats Floyd”