Tenkai wins WBA 115lb belt!

Photos: Joe Koizumi

Pretty little Japanese girl Tsunami Tenkai (14-3, 5 KOs), 114, captured the WBA female super-flyweight belt as she kept on stalking defending champ Zhang Xi Yan (7-2-1, 2 KOs), 113.75, a Chinese southpaw, and overcame her early deficit on points to earn a split decision over ten heats on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan. It was such a hairline verdict as either could have been the winner, as scored: Namchul Park (Korea) 97-95, Wansoo Yuh (Korea) 98-92, both for the challenger, and Arkom Wannasit (Thailand) 96-95 for Zhang. The referee was Silvestre Abainza (Philippines). It was the very first WBA female world title bout ever held in Japan, a good market for smaller divisions. (more…)

Abraham camp targets Pavlik!

IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham is willing to defend his IBF title against WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik anywhere in the world to prove he is the best in the division, according to his agent Kalle Sauerland. Abraham’s next fight is against Lajuan Simon on March 14. Sauerland told Setanta Sports News that Pavlik was the only fight Abraham wanted. “We’ve been after this fight for a long time and there definitely hasn’t been any offer to come to Germany,” he said. “We put an offer to Top Rank [Pavlik’s promoters] and they seem to be hesitant, but I think in the past 48 hours we’re starting to make roads forward. This match up will show who the best middleweight in the world is. We understand that Kelly’s a big name in the States, but Arthur’s a big name in Germany. All we want is for this fight to happen. We’ll go to his backyard and fight him if necessary.”

Hylon Williams on the rise!

Interview by Byron Spurlock

Lightweight Hylon Williams Jr. will continue to get attention Saturday night, when he  fights on the undercard of the Marquez–Diaz fight card.  Williams was a member of the USA Boxing Elite Junior Olympics Team. He is also a  13-time Regional Golden Gloves champion (Voted Outstanding Boxer), and a 10-time Regional Junior Olympic champion, 13-time Games of Texas champion. The list goes on and on. (more…)

Tijuana Thunder Line-up!

Matchups are set for the big “Tijuana Thunder” pay-per-view event on March 28th in Tijuana, Mexico. As previously announced, Julio César Chávez Jr (39-0-1, 29 KOs) will take on unbeaten Luciano Cuello (23-0, 10 KOs) in the main event. In other bouts, WBC super featherweight champion Humberto Soto (46-7-2, 29 KOs) will face Antonio “T-Rex” Davis (26-4, 13 KOs), former WBO super flyweight champion Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel will meet Diego Silva (24-1, 12 KOs) for a WBO interim bantamweight title belt, and two-time ex-WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo (58-8-1, 49 KOs) will battle Antonio “Toño” Diaz (45-5-1, 20 KOs) in a bout contracted at 143 lbs.

Shields: ‘Diaz will win!’

Interview by Byron Spurlock

Juan Diaz’s trainer Ronnie Shields spoke to Fightnews about Juan’s preparation for the upcoming fight and why he believes this fight has all the makings of a thriller, Saturday night at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. (more…)

TONIGHT: Through the Ropes!

Boxing fans, get ready to climb “Through the Ropes” with the #1 boxing news radio show hosted by award winning boxing writer Marc Lichtenfeld! This week, Johnathon Banks and Joe Tessitore. Call or email your questions to ttropes@earthlink.net.
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Through The Ropes airs live coast to coast on Thursday nights from 9:00 – 10:00 ET on 75 affiliates of the Sports Byline USA Broadcast Network, including great radio stations like KSHP 1400 AM in Las Vegas and WNSR 560 AM in Nashville. The one-hour show will also be heard on American Forces Network, Sportsbyline.com and Fightnews.com. Fightnews readers can listen live by clicking tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Nongqayi ready for IBF eliminator!

By Ron Jackson

South Africa’s Simphiwo Nongqayi faces the toughest fight of his career when steps into the ring with Mexican Francisco Arce in Toluca, Mexico on Saturday night. The 37-year-old Nongqayi (15-0, 6 KOs) and Arce (28-4-2, 19 KOs) will meet in an IBF junior bantamweight title eliminator. The South African who had a long and successful amateur career fought at the 1988 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpar and was eliminated in the second series. (more…)

Matsuda barely keeps 126 belt!

By Joe Koizumi

WBC#10 feather Naoki Matsuda (29-8-4-1NC, 12 KOs), 126, very barely kept his Japanese 126-pound title when he was held to a split draw (97-94, 95-96 and 96-96) by ex-champ Koji Umezu (15-8-2, 6 KOs), 126, over ten heats on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. It was such a close affair, as Umezu seemingly overpowered the champ all the way, while Matsuda (formerly a conqueror of ex-WBC feather champ Rudy Lopez in Mexico) occasionally an effective shot at a time. Undercard: WBA#9/WBC#13 122-pounder Akifumi Shimoda (18-2-1, 8 KOs), 123, fought to a technical draw with Panamanian Jose Arboleda (23-4-2, 9 KOs), 122.75, at 1:08 of the third session because of the Japanese southpaw’s bad vertical laceration at the forehead in a scheduled ten. Promoter: Teiken Promotions.

Kimura upsets #8 Miura!

By Joe Koizumi

31-year-old underdog Shoji Kimura (22-2-2, 8 KOs), 122, surprisingly captured the Japanese super-bantam belt as he stunned the crowd with an unexpectedly quick demolition of WBA#8 prefight favorite Kazuma Miura (12-1-2, 5 KOs), 122, with a single left hook at 1:21 of the second session on Wednesday in Tokyo, Japan. Who had expected such a clearcut knockout by soft-punching speedster Kimura? Miura had upset prohibitive favorite Akifumi Shimoda to win the national belt in a huge upset, and it was his initial defense to show it wasn’t a fluke. Kimura, piloted by ex-WBA fly champ Susumu Hanagata, is on the twilight of his career, having lost twice at his important stage and considering a farewell to the ring after singing a swan song tonight. The champ couldn’t beat the count to forfeit his newly acquired throne. Promoter: B-Tight Promotions.

Ross is Contender champion!

Photo: Emily Harney

By Scott Ploof and Alex Dombroff at ringside

Cruiserweight Troy Ross (18-1, 13 KOs) scored a sudden fourth round TKO over Ehinomen “Hino” Ehikhamenor (12-4, 7 KOs) to earn the Season Four Contender championship on Wednesday night at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Connecticut. A competitive fight ended when a massive right-left combination by Ross left Ehikhamenor unable to defend himself in a corner forcing referee Steve Smoger to stop it at the 2:00 mark.
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Cruiserweight Rico Hoye (20-2, 15 KOs) took a one-sided eight round unanimous decision over Akinyemi “AK” Laleye (10-1, 5 KOs) in the Contender semi-windup. Hoye outworked Laleye in a good action bout to win by scores of 79-72 on all cards.

Gunn TKOs Gregory!

Photo: Ed Mulholland

By Kurt Wolfheimer at ringside

Former WBO cruiserweight title challenger Bobby “The Celtic Warrior” Gunn (21-3-1, 18 KOs) scored a fourth round TKO over Brad Gregory (11-3, 9 KOs) on Wednesday night at the Medieval Times Castle in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. Gunn dropped Gregory twice with bodyshots in the fourth to claim the WBA-NABA belt and retain the WBC-USNBC belt. Time was 2:14.

George destroys Ballogou!

Photo: Marty Rosengarten ringsidephotos.com

By Andreas Hale at ringside

It was a short night for light heavyweight contender Shaun George (18-2-2, 9 KOs) as he needed just 86 seconds to take out Jaffa Ballogou (46-8, 40 KOs) on Wednesday night at BB King Blues Club & Grill in New York City’s Times Square. George rocked Ballogou early and battered him until the bout was halted at 1:26. George is currently ranked #8 by the WBC, #9 by the IBF and #11 by the WBA.
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Heavyweight Tor Hamer (4-0, 4 KOs) destroyed Clarence Tillman (1-2-1) via first round TKO. Tillman was knocked down twice before the bout was stopped after just 1:44.

F. Arce headlines Saturday!

Photo: Rafael Soto/Zanfer

This Saturday night in his hometown of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico Francisco “Panchito” Arce, the younger brother of three-time world champion Jorge”Travieso” Arce, will step into the ring to face Simphiwe Nongqayi of South Africa in an IBF super flyweight eliminator bout. Arce (28-4, 19 KOs) is currently ranked #13 by the IBF while Nongqayi (14-0, 6 KOs) is ranked #6. The Zanfer Promotions promoted card will be televised via Azteca America here in the US from the Gimnasio Polideportivo Centenario in Los Mochis. Arce currently holds a minor belt after having disposed of William De Sousa last November that open the door to this elimination bout. “I’ve got to take advantage of this opportunity – Nongqayi looks like a difficult and tough opponent but I’ve got to fight this type of fighters if I want to fight for a world championship. I’ve got to show my fans and my people in Los Mochis that I can beat high level fighters and I’ll prove it to them that I can on Saturday Night,” said Arce.

Adamek-Banks Presser!

The always-exciting Tomasz Adamek will defend his International Boxing Federation (IBF) cruiserweight title against undefeated Johnathon Banks in the main event this Friday, Feb. 27, on ShoBox: The New Generation on SHOWTIME (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast). The aggressive-minded Adamek (36-1, 24 KOs), of Jersey City, N.J., by way of Poland, will be making the first defense of his IBF title against Detroit’s Banks (20-0, 14 KOs), the IBF’s No. 8-ranked contender who is managed by Hall of Famer Emanuel Steward, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. In the 12-round ShoBox co-feature, Giovanni Lorenzo (26-1, 18 KOs), of New York City via the Dominican Republic, will meet Dionisio Miranda (19-3-2, 17 KO’s) of Barranquilla, Colombia, in an IBF middleweight elimination bout. The winner could be next in line to challenge champion Arthur Abraham. The event is promoted by Main Events and Ziggy Promotions, in association with K2 Promotions. Tickets, priced from $38, can be purchased at the arena box office or by calling Ticketmaster (201) 507-8900. The first live fight starts at 8:30 p.m. ET. Here’s what the fighters and camp members said Wednesday: (more…)

Indonesian Boxing Buzz!

By Jeff Pamungkas

WBA featherweight champion Chris John finished his final sparring session on Tuesday, 2/24, at his training camp in Houston, Texas, prior to his encounter with the hometown hero Rocky Juarez, Feb. 28 at the Toyota Center in Houston. The official weigh-in will be conducted on Friday, 2/27.
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Indonesian young star Daud “Cino” Yordan (23-0, 17 KOs) departed to California last week for the long preparation and adaptation for his most important fight in his boxing career against the former IBF featherweight champion, Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (23-1, 16 KOs), March 7, at the Tank in San Jose, California. The bout is scheduled in 10 rounds, in the jr. lightweight division.
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Besides his brother/trainer Damianus Yordan, Indonesian jr. welterweight Daudy Bahari also included in Yordan’s entourage. Besides demonstrating his ability in front of the US public during sparring sessions with Yordan, Daudy will also make his US debut against Argentina’s Hector David Saldivia. The 25-year-old Bahari (38-2-1, 14 KO), a former jr. welterweight PABA champion, will try to seize Saldivia’s WBA fedelatin welterweight title in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands on 3/27.

Contender Finale Undercard!

By Scott Ploof and Alex Dombroff at ringside

The local flare added to the card by Tim Flamos was extinguished quickly by Felix Cora, Jr. Cora(20-3-2, 10 KOs) and Flamos(20-6-1, 8 KOs) fought most of the first round on even terms, each trying to break the other down by working the body. As the action wore on, Cora began finding his range, and battering Flamos, from nearby Brockton, Mass. In round three, with Cora pinned in the corner, Cora unleashed a series of uppercuts that backed Flamos off him. A series of looping power punches in the middle of the ring dropped Flamos, whose subsequent trouble rising to his feet cause referee John Callas to stop the bout at 1:57 of round three.
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In the opening bout of the evening from the brand new MGM Grand Arena at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, CT, Alfredo Escalera Jr. (17-2-1, 12 KO’s) led by his powerful jab and explosive combinations, battered and beat his opponent Erick Vega (8-4-1, 6 KO’s) over six masterful rounds until referee Johnny Callas called a halt to the bout at 2:50 of the final round. Escalera Jr. was explosive with his combinations and out landed and out worked his opponent throughout.
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“The Contender’s” Ryan Coyne (10-0, 2 KO’s) kept his perfect record unblemished as he landed the more effective punches and combinations, typically in the later minutes of each round to score a six round unanimous decision over Richard Gingras (9-3, 5 KO’s). Scores of the bout were 60-54 twice and 59-55 all in favor of Coyne.

Diaz on ‘the fight I’ve been waiting for!’

Interview by Byron Spurlock

With probably his biggest fight to date, only days away, IBO Lightweight  Champion Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz held little back expressing his opinion of opponent, Juan Manuel Marquez, Saturday night at the Toyota Center in Houston, Tex. (more…)

Juarez: ‘This fight is everything to me!’

Interview by Byron Spurlock

Featherweight contender Rocky Juarez (28-4, 20 Kos) will get another shot at world title Saturday night when he takes on Chris John for his WBA featherweight title on HBO Championship Boxing in Houston, Texas at the Toyota Center.  Juarez will be fighting in hometown while John will be making his US debut. Fightnews was able to catch up with Juarez early in the week.   (more…)

Andrade opens ESPN2 telecast!

On Friday March 6th, the 2007 amateur world champion and 2008 Olympian Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade (2-0, 2KO) will look to showcase his talent to the boxing world when he opens up the March 6th ESPN2 “Friday Night Fights” telecast at the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in Uncasville, CT against Tom Joseph (4-1-1). The bout against Joseph will be held in the light middleweight division and is scheduled for four rounds. It will be the second time in just three fights the 20-year-old Andrade (Andrade turns 21 on 2/26) will be fighting on National T.V. (pro-debut was on the Versus network). The card, which is being promoted by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing in association with the Mohegan Sun, is being headlined by Delvin Rodriguez (23-2-2, 14KO) defending his USBA welterweight championship against highly touted contender Shamone “The Truth” Alvarez (20-1, 11KO). Also on the line will be the number two ranking in the IBF world ratings. . . . Click here for more

Barrera faces the wrath of Khan!

The hype surrounding 22-year-old lightweight prospect Amir Khan may not be the same since his stunning first-round knockout loss to Breidis Prescott last September, but the 2004 Olympic silver medallist has the full confidence of his head trainer, Freddie Roach, as they prepare in Los Angeles for Khan’s showdown with multiple world champion “The Baby Faced Assassin” Marco Antonio Barrera, Saturday, March 14 at The M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, United Kingdom . . . Click here for more

Johnson-Judah Presser!

Photo: Kurt Freitag

Former world light heavyweight champion Glen Johnson and Daniel Judah faced off at today’s final press conference at the Seminole Paradise in Hollywood, FL. On Friday night, they will pick up from where they left off in their 2003 showdown (which ended in a disputed draw), at the Seminole Hard Rock LIVE Arena. ESPN2 will televise nationally.

Murat: I’ll beat Sanavia again!

European super-middleweight champion Karo Murat will be hoping for history to repeat itself when he takes on former world champion Cristian Sanavia in Neubrandenburg on Saturday night. Ten months ago, the 25-year-old clinched a points victory over the experienced Italian to celebrate the biggest success of his career. Murat is now looking to do the same trick again as he prepares for the rematch. “A lot of things have changed in my life since I won the European title,” Murat stated. “I am very proud to be the champion and I will do everything to defend the belt. I have beaten Sanavia once and I will beat him again.” (more…)

Shafikov returns Apr. 18th!

By Alexey Sukachev

Fresh off his recent two-round destruction of Thai Decho Bankluaygym, junior welterweight contender Denis Shafikov (18-0, 10 KOs) is ready for more. Shafikov, promoted by Finnish P3 Boxing promotional group, will take part in a local tournament, which is scheduled to take place on April 18 in Helsinki, capital of Finland. Shafikov is slated to collide with the reigning Mexican champion Juan Carlos Rodriguez (57-22-2, 41 KOs), who has sound names of former world champions Jose Luis Lopez and Livingston Bramble on his rich resume. (more…)

Klitschko files complaint!

WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko has filed a complaint against the WBC at the International Court of Arbitration for Sport to try to avoid making two mandatory defenses in a row. Klitschko is slated to face mandatory challenger Juan Carlos Gomez on March 21, with the winner to face ex-champ Oleg Masklaev within 120 days. Klitscho prefers to make a more lucrative voluntary defense after the Gomez fight, saying “the fight with Maskaev won’t be interesting for me or the spectators.”

Hard Hittin’s debut Friday

Preview by Pat Kelley

Hard Hittin’ Promotions has announced that it will make its much-anticipated promotional debut on Friday, February 27, at Ken Shamrock’s Lions Den Fitness Center in Middletown, Connecticut. The event, which promises to be action-packed, will be headlined by a six-round main event between Hartford, CT heavyweight Tony “TNT” Grano (14-1-1, 12 KO’s) and Rochester, New York’s Jermell “The Truth” Barnes (18-18-2, 4 KO’s). (more…)

More Wednesday Night Weights!

Weights from the Lyndhurst, NJ!
Bobby Gunn 197 vs Brad Gregory 192
Marcus Bianconi 160 vs Nelson Roldan 160.5
K.C. Cunningham 220 vs Tyyab Beale 236
Carlos Zambrano 126.5 vs Javier Dennis 131
Jose Ortiz 129.5 vs. Jonathan Ocassino 127
Kyle White 166 vs Cornelius Blackwell 164
Venue: Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, NJ
Promoters: Mike Indri of Dignity Promotions and David Feldman of Felko Promotions.
Tickets: Available at the box office or call 201.741.4994. Doors open at 6:30 pm and first bout is at 7:30 pm.

Weights from NYC
Shaun George 177.5 vs Jaffa Ballogou 177
Venue: BB King Blues Club & Grill in Times Square.
Promoter: DiBella Entertainment
Tickets: $55-$150. Call 212-947-2577.
“When I saw him at the scales, all I could think about is how much I want to hurt this guy,” said George. “He has to pay for me not getting the fights with the top ten contenders that I want. He has to pay for all the guys that have been ducking me. When I started boxing as a young man, I would take all of my aggressions out on my opponents. That’s what I plan to do with Jaffa tomorrow night.” George is currently ranked WBC #8, IBF #9 and WBA #11. He scored a stirring knockout defeat of two-time heavyweight champion Chris Byrd last May.

ESPN fights headed to Laredo!

Fernando Beltran Jr. (31-3-1, 18 KOs) will battle Aldo Valtierra (25-10, 13 KOs)  for the vacant IBF Latino featherweight title on March 20 at the Laredo Entertainment Center in Laredo, Texas. The bout will be televised live on ESPN2. It will be the first championship fight card at the LEC since 2005 and the first time that ESPN has televised a fight card from the arena. In the co-feature, hard-hitting Russian jr. welterweight prospect Ruslan Provodnikov (11-0, 7 KOs) will face an opponent to be announced. Also 2008 U.S. Olympian Demetrius Andrade (2-0, 2 KOs) will also be featured on the card in a four-round jr. middleweight bout. Andrade is co-promoted by Joe DeGuardia/Star Boxing and Art Pelullo/Banner Promotions, and is considered by most observers to be the top prospect from the 2008 U.S. Olympic team.

Adamek-Banks Update!

Photo: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

IBF cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek poses with Larry Hazzard and Tyrone Smith at the C.O.M.B.A.T. Gym in Newark NJ. Adamek prepared for his Friday night SHOWTIME, ShoBox: The New Generation fight against Johnathon Banks with an open workout on Monday. (more…)

Escobedo to face Kelley!

Vicente Escobedo (19-1, 12 KOs) returns to ARCO Arena to take on former WBC featherweight champion Kevin Kelley (60-9-2, 39 KOs) on March 26. Escobedo, a 2004 Olympian, will be fighting in his fifth main event at ARCO Arena and his first fight back home since June 2008. “I really think Vicente is on his way,” said Hall of Fame matchmaker Don Chargin. “During his last fight, he took on the best fighter he’s ever fought. I think we’ll have him fighting for a world title in six to eight months.” Also featured on the card is southpaw Mercito Gesta of Cebu, Philippines (14-0-1, 5 KOs) versus an opponent to be named later. Gesta, incidentally, has expressed a desire to fight Escobedo so he’ll be looking to upstage the former Olympian. Additionally, California super bantamweight champion Christopher Martin of Chula Vista (13-0, 2 KOs) will take on an opponent to be named later. Lower level General Admission seating is just $20. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10AM.