Possible Wilder v Wawrzyk undercard.

On February 25th at the Legacy arena in Alabama, it's now Been announced that WBC champion Deontay Wilder (37/0 36 knockouts) will face Andrzej Wawrzyk of Poland (33/1 19 Knockouts) in his 5th defence of the championship he won nearly 2 years ago from Bermaine Stiverne in Las Vegas..    The undercard has not yet been finalised but word has it that tough Pole Artur Szpilka (20/2 15 Knockouts) will face Dominick Breazeale (17/1 15 Knockouts) in a battle of two former world title challengers, Szpilka having lost via stoppage to Wilder in his last outing while Breazeale received his only loss in an IBF title challenge to Anthony Joshua back in June via 7th round stoppage..   There looks to be another heavyweight co-feature on this card between tough Amir Mansour (22/2 16 Knockouts) and Travis Kauffman (31/1 23 Knockouts) a bout that looked destined to happen almost a year ago.. Amir looked set for a day in the sun last year when he dropped the unbeaten Breazeale before succumbing to an injury a round later, whereas Travis was unlucky not to have received a title shot in July against Wilder.. Having appeared to have done enough in his bout with Chris Arreola, even dropping the Riverside fighter in the third.. The fight was scored a razor thin split verdict for Arreola, before being changed to a NC following an Arreola drug test failure..  Arreola was given the call last minute to get his third shot at a title against Wilder back in July, regardless of his drug test failure after Wilders bout with Povetkin collapsed, ironically following a test failure by the Russian for Meldonium..  Although these two are probably the two more capable fighters on the card, they are the only two out of the 6 heavyweights that have yet to get a title shot..   I expect the winner of this bout at some point to get rewarded with such..

Briggs v Oquendo, WBA title fight in the works.

Word has it that a fight between WBA #5 Fres Oquendo and WBA #4 Shannon Briggs (60-6-1, 53 KOs) is expected to be announced in the near future for the vacant WBA  championship..  Australian Lucas Browne was lined up to fight Oquendo for the WBA title but a second drug test failure has sidelined Browne..  Briggs spent the best part of his comeback, first pursuing Wladimir Klitschko publicly before turning his attention on David Haye, even boxing on his undercard to initially honour a verbal contract to fight the former two weight champion until David opted for an easier route against WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew, reneging on the deal..  As luck would have it, the publicity proved fruitful, a championship bout with Browne was on the table 2 months ago, and now this more realistic deal against a live fighter in Fres who has stood as mandatory ever since his last bout, a decision loss to Ruslan Chagaev over 2 years ago for the Russians then WBA crown..
Oquendo is about to turn 44 in April, and a 2 year layoff is a long time for someone jumping straight back into a title fight..  Oquendo did however look competitive in his losing effort back in July 2014, the last time Oquendo actually won a fight was against journeyman Galen Brown in May of the same year..  His last meaningful victory was over journeyman Derric Rossy in 2013..
Both guys have had bouts of inactivity and have had suffered setbacks throughout their careers, even if Briggs is from another era, it could be an interesting fight between two very capable heavyweights..

Upcoming Tv dates for January.

Friday, January 13
Erislandy Lara vs. Yuri Foreman
(WBA super welterweight title)
Hialeah park casino, Hialeah Florida..
(Spike Tv)

Saturday, January 14
Badou Jack vs. James DeGale
(WBC/IBF super middleweight titles)
Jose Pedraza vs. Gervonta Davis
(IBF junior lightweight title)
Barclays centre, Brooklyn.
(Showtime Tv)

Friday, January 27
Erick De Leon vs Jose Salinas
(super featherweight)
Sportsmans lodge, Studio City, California.
(UniMas Tv)

Saturday, January 28
Carl Frampton vs. Leo Santa Cruz II
(WBA featherweight title)
Dejan Zlaticanin vs. Mikey Garcia
(WBC lightweight title)
MGM Grand, Las Vegas Nv.
(Showtime Tv)

Saturday, January 28
Francisco Vargas vs. Miguel Berchelt
(WBC super featherweight title)
Takashi Miura vs. Mickey Roman
(WBC super featherweight eliminator)
Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio California.
(HBO Tv)

Shumenov and Dorticos make WBA appeal against Lebedev.

An interesting appeal is taking place by two holders of the WBA cruiserweight championship..  WBA champion Beibut Shumenov and interim champion Yunier Dorticos are looking to have WBA (super) champion Denis Lebedev stripped of his title having recently lost by decision to Murat Gassiev in a championship bout where Lebedev's WBA crown was not up for grabs..  President Gilberto Mendoza has acknowledged the appeal and the WBA seriously considering action..  it was however noted that throughout boxing history it has occurred several times where a champion has lost and returned in his next bout to defend a crown..  Mendoza's example was that of Zabdiel Judah, who lost his WBC title to Carlos Baldomir, yet held on to his IBF belt (which was not on the line) only to defend it in his next fight against Floyd Mayweather..   I understand the implications here, the ideals behind a super champion status was consider the particular holder to be recognised as the divisions premier champion, in which case having lost his alternate title in a previous bout, the Super status is questionable..  

Beterbiev gets rid of Prieto in one.

IBF #2 world ranked light heavyweight Artur Beterbiev (11-0, 11 KOs) took very little time to demolish the usually durable Isidro Ranoni Prieto (26-2-3, 22 KOs) in the opening round of their NABA title fight on Friday at the Lac Leamy Casino in Gatineau, Quebec. The writing was on the wall as Beterbiev dropped Prieto within the opening 25 seconds. The relentless Russian had Prieto down a second time from a flurry of punches moments later, finishing the job at 2:44 of the round with referee Michael Griffin calling a halt with the Argentinian in no state to continue..
Beterbiev who lost marginally to the current WBO cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk at the 2012 olympics, looks on course for a shot at a version of the world championship in 2017, Prieto on paper looked to be a sturdy test for Artur at this stage of his career, but on this form its obvious that he is well ahead of schedule.

Other Results:

Danyk Croteau KO1 Alex Ebanks (middleweight)

Vislan Dalkhaev W8 Salvador Hernandez (super bantamweight)

Louisbert Altidor KO6 Alvaro Enriquez (super middleweight)

Vanessa Lepage Joanisse TKO3 Maria Jose Velis (female cruiserweight)

Determined Fury aiming at April return.

News has emerged today from Team Fury that Tyson is back in moderate training and could be in the ring as soon as April-May 2017..  Fury hasn't boxed since winning the unified championship from Wladimir Klitschko 13 months ago in Germany..   Tyson vacated his championships in September after revealing that he was suffering with depression and had struggled with bouts of substance abuse..
Fury is said to be weighing close to 270lbs but is determined that he can steadily return to the kind of condition that put him to the top of the division..
People are forgetting that Fury is still undefeated and has get to falter in the ring..
Peter Fury, Tyson's uncle and trainer has said Tyson is training hard everyday and will prove that he is the number 1 heavyweight in the world, his preferred direction would be to aim for Deontay Wilders title after a couple of tune ups..   since vacating the belts we now have three certified holders of the separated belts..    Fury still believes that he is far superior to the men that he says "Picked up the scraps."

Golovkin v Jacobs ticket information.

The long awaited unification match between WBC, WBA and IBF middleweight king Gennady Golovkin (36/0, 33 Ko's) and WBA regular champion Danny Jacobs (32/1, 29 Ko's) was announced last week..  The fight will take place on March 18th at New York's Madison Square Garden, the bout is to be distributed live via HBO pay-per-view..

Presented by K2 Promotions, Golovkin-Jacobs tickets are priced at $1000, $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100, and go on sale Christmas Eve, this Saturday, December 24th at 12:00 p.m. ET and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com.

Who's next to face Joshua v Klitschko winner.?

Following the announcement of their huge unification match on April 29th, arguments have arisen as to whom the Wladimir Klitschko v Anthony Joshua winner should face as immediate mandatory. It was originally thought that the winner of the Wembley Stadium mega fight would face the now WBO champion Joseph Parker, but considering he veered down another route, it looked highly likely that it would either be WBA #1 Luis Ortiz or WBA intercontinental champion Kubrat Pulev.. Over the last few days WBA President Gilberto J. Mendoza told Media that the WBA wants the winner of the fight to face WBA #1 Luis Ortiz, but since the IBF championship is also on the line, Team Sauerland have made it known through social media that the winner has to face their fighter, IBF mandatory Kubrat Pulev, who recently beat an ageing Samuel Peter in Bulgaria..   it does look more than likely that because the WBA super title is going to be up for grabs, Ortiz should be the pick..  Pulev has been less willing to fight opponents of any note of late, since losing to Wladimir he has beaten George Arias, a 39 year old Mo Harris before squeezing past Derrick Chisora by the skin of his teeth in May and beating a Samuel Peter who had no business in the ring last month..   Pulev was already offered the opportunity to fight Anthony Joshua for the IBF prior to Molina getting the call, Pulev declined..

Recent tweet reveals Whyte could face Stiverne for WBC mandatory.

The boxing grapevine has an interesting rumour circulating tonight, revolving around WBC number 9 ranked heavyweight Dillian Whyte (20/1) 15 Knockouts, being the suggested opponent to fight the soon to be #1 contender Bermaine Stiverne (25/2) 21 Knockouts, for a shot at Deontay Wilders title..   Stiverne should have boxed his eliminator last week against Povetkin in Ekaterinburg, before Alexander failed a drug test for the substance Ostarine, when the WBC pulled its sanctioning of the fight, Stiverne saw no reason to fulfil any obligation to box a drug cheat with such little reward..  Victory on Saturday should have brought the winner the interim title and a direct shot at Deontay..   Looking at the top 10 rankings it could be understood how Whyte may be the considered opponent, although he is at number 9, those placed ahead of him have either other obligations or have recently been beaten. Duhaupas and Ruiz lost high profile bouts only a week ago, while Szpilka and Takam have been inactive for 18 months collectively. Pulev recently turning down a shot at the IBF to face an over the hill Samuel Peter..  and with Povetkin's number 1 ranking in jeopardy, Whyte looks the natural choice having recently beaten a highly regarded former title challenger in Derreck Chisora..  Dillian has made no secret of it, that he isn't afraid to face anyone and he's shown that he is enthusiastic to stay busy..
If Dillians recent tweet is to prove fruitful, it could make for an interesting fight..

Wilder looks to make ring return in February.

Word has it that WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (37-0, 36 KOs) will return to the ring on February 25 at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, in a voluntary defense against WBC #12 Andrzej Wawrzyk (33-1, 19 KOs). Wawrzyk has mixed in moderate company, his only loss in 34 was to Alexander Povetkin in 2013, his more notable wins came against former WBC title challenger Danny Williams and a faded Franz Botha.. Wilder suffered multiple injuries in his win over Chris Arreola last July, this will be his first active appearance in 7 months... Wawrzyk has won six straight by KO since his sole loss in May 2013.  Deontay won his crown from Bermaine Stiverne in January of 2015 and has made 4 successful defences against reasonable opposition, in Molina, Duhaupas, Spilka and Arreola..  the Arreola defence came about on short notice following the collapse of the Povetkin fight, due to the Russians drug test failure for the substance Meldonium.

Don King sounds off about the Povetkin situation.

In the aftermath of last weekends shenanigans in Ekaterinburg Russia, many including Don King (the promoter of Bermaine Stiverne) are questioning the integrity of a sport which allows a fighter to fail drug tests on more than one occasion, yet still box in a main event bout and get paid only days later..   King voiced his opinion yesterday, stating that Stiverne should be awarded the WBC interim title, the championship he could have won Saturday had Povetkin not fouled the rules..  Stiverne is the innocent party here, yet more than likely won't receive full payment for what was weeks of training and preparation prior to the event, and its embarrassing for all concerned that the Russian also flagrantly failed a test for Meldonium back in May, before the muted championship bout with Wilder..   King offered praise for the WBC and its clean boxing program along with the stance they took on Saturday by removing all sanctions for the scheduled bout..  Mauricio Sulaiman is to be praised for his dynamic leadership with the way he is bringing his governing body in line with current issues..
Stiverne flew home, the same way Wilder flew home after his wasted journey seven months ago, and I can't blame them, it seems that Povetkin is playing by his own particular rules, without repercussion it seems..

Joe Smith forces Hopkins retirement in 8.

In a huge upset, unheralded Joe Smith Jr (23-1, 19 KOs), scored an 8th round TKO over 51 year old ring legend Bernard Hopkins last night at the Inglewood Forum in Los Angeles, retaining his WBC International light heavyweight title..
Hopkins, (55-8-2, 32 KOs), whose first professional fight occurred when Smith was a toddler, was in the ring for the first time in over two years, and it showed..  fighting at a methodical tempo against his more fresher, stronger opponent.  Regardless, Bernard Hopkins hasn't reigned at the top of his sport for two decades for nothing, and although Smith had all of the physical advantages, Hopkins superior skill and defense to seemed to be serving him well through the early rounds, sneaking in enough right hands in between Smith’s attacks, to legitimately claim two of the first four sessions.. Smith however only fought in spurts, weighing up what was in front of him, allowing Hopkins time to catch breath and control parts of the action.
Smith whom was categorically thrust into this opportunity on the strength of his huge upset knockout of Andrzej Fonfara in June, finally started to pick up the pace in round five, forcing the action and making Hopkins visibly uncomfortable. To his credit, Hopkins made the necessary adjustments in round six, slipping many of Smith’s punches before landing counters of his own..  Smith kept coming forward, growing in confidence and by the eighth round it was clear Hopkins was having trouble keeping Smith at bay..  From out of nowhere, the end came when Smith landed a left, right, left combination as Hopkins was laying along the ropes, the final shot forcing Hopkins through the ropes and onto the ballroom floor..  Hopkins fell approximately three feet to the concrete, taking the majority of the force on his shoulders and head. There was a moment of confusion over whether Hopkins was able to return to the ring, but in a shocked and distressed state he officially retired due to an ankle injury, handing Smith the victory of his career.  Bernard originally made a statement that he was pushed from the ring, but in hindsight the whole incident left Bernard in a confused frame of mind to comment..    The time came at :57 of round 8.

Povetkin knocks out Duhaupas in 6.

WBC number 1 ranked heavyweight (for the time being) Alexander Povetkin (31-1, 23 KOs) scored a sensational sixth round Knockout over replacement opponent, the current WBC silver belt holder Johann Duhaupas (34-4, 21 KOs) at the Ekaterinburg Expo Center in Ekaterinburg, Russia. Povetkin completely outclassed the more predictable Duhaupas throughout the first 3 sessions, punching in flurries, taking an early lead..  Approaching the end of the fourth Povetkin hurt Duhaupas with a fast combination of shots, which looked to signify the Frenchmans fate..  6 minutes later, close to the end of the sixth, Povetkin landed a terrific left hook, knocking Duhaupas out cold just seconds before round ended..
The time was 2:59.
Duhaupas saved the show, by stepping in, following the series of events due to Povetkin failing a drug test and the WBC withdrawing their sanctions as a result.

Stiverne fight off.. Povetkin fails drug test.

Former World Boxing Council Heavyweight Champion Bermane Stiverne has elected not to go ahead with what was originally scheduled to be important WBC eliminator against the number 1 contender Alexander Povetkin tonight after the Russian tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine. The World Boxing Council withdrew their recognition of the fight, therefore Stiverne saw no reason to risk boxing such a high stakes bout without the WBC backing..   It's the second time Stiverne has failed a substance test in only a matter of months. Initially his championship fight with Deontay Wilder was scrapped following a failed test for Meldonium, now this..  The WBC have not yet released any word on how this will effect Povetkins future standings in the governing bodies rankings, but it looks likely that an opportunity or even an eliminator for their championship has now evaporated..   Stiverne is now heading back to the United States with the disappointment of having sacrificed months of work for the chance to fight for his old belt..    Meanwhile the guilty party, Povetkin will still appear in Ekaterinburg, against a substitute opponent in Frenchman Johann Duhaupas who only last year faced Deontay Wilder in a challenge for the WBC title..

Stiverne ready for Povetkin..

Former World Boxing Council Heavyweight Champion Bermane Stiverne (25-2-1, 21 KO’s), assures everyone concerned that he is more than ready for the task that lies ahead of him tomorrow afternoon in Ekaterinburg Russia when he faces former WBA champion Alexander Povetkin (30-1, 22 Ko's) in their WBC final eliminator bout..   Stiverne has spent a full week getting acclimatised to the bitter Russian weather ahead of the fight, but says it's no more icy that when he was based up in Montreal Canada..  Despite his 249 pounds Stiverne isn't concerned, he knows that victory will bring him a step closer to what he has been craving since his defeat to Wilder a year ago.. "I know I can become a two time heavyweight champion, and when I say I'm going to knock Povetkin out, it's not trash talk or disrespect for Alexander, I know I have to do this in his back yard, just like he would have to knock me out in the United States.."  Povetkin weighed in at a svelt 223lbs and looked relaxed at the weigh in..  Povetkin only really fell short at the highest level when he was thrust in over his head against the then champion Wladimir Klitschko, although he did have nightmares against another busy fighter in cruiserweight champion Marco Huck..   If Stiverne turns up with the venom he showed against Arreola in 2014, along with the Povetkin that knocked out Mike Perez in the same year, we'd be in for fireworks..
The bout is not televised live in the US or Europe, but features on the Russian network Vsenabox..   Povetkin v Stiverne will be staged at the Ekaterinburg Expo Center in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Crawford outclasses tough Molina.

WBC and WBO super lightweight champion Terence Crawford, (30-0, 21 KOs) scored an impressive eight round TKO over the outclassed but tough WBO #2 John Molina Jr (29-7, 23 KOs) on Saturday night before 11,270 at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska. The talented Crawford boxed within himself for most of the fight, stepping on the gas in the 8th to save the game Molina from himself..  Referee Mark Nelson stopped the bout at 2:32.
Crawford rarely has the opportunity to display the type of talent that has many knowledgable critics ranking him at the top of the P4P list..   The capable Molina was never allowed into the fight by Crawford who looked levels above

Joshua v Klitschko quotes..

Joshua v Klitschko quotes regarding the announcement of their upcoming unification fight..

Anthony Joshua:
"It is the perfect time for me to move up another step and contest my heavyweight championship belt against one of the legends of our sport. There is no doubt this will be a titanic battle with a huge amount on the line, just like every fight, but when I enter the ring I will be prepared for victory as I have been with all my other fights. The legend against the champ – it’s time to write history.”

Wladimir Klitschko:
"I’m looking forward to this fight of the year, just like boxing fans all around the world. This is the first time in a decade that I’m the challenger again. I will fight against a champion who I consider the best of the young generation. Basically experience will take on youth. This makes this fight that unique. I will be ready for the challenge!”

Joshua dispatches inept Molina and announces big things.

Unbeaten IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs) dispatched Eric Molina (25-4, 19 KOs) in three rounds on Saturday night in his second defence of the title we won from Charles Martin in April at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, UK. Joshua dropped Molina heavily in round three and barely broke sweat to finish the job moments later.. Time was 2:02.

Following the bout, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn took the opportunity to introduce Wladimir Klitschko and his manager Berne Boente into the ring to announce an April 29th unification bout between the two at Londons Wembley stadium.  The Joshua v Klitschko bout looks to have the potential to break box office records and will be for the WBA, IBF and IBO titles..  

Whyte edges Chisora in an epic fight..

In one of the best heavyweight slugfests I've witnessed in the last 10 years , WBC #10 heavyweight Dillian Whyte (20-1, 15 KOs) won a razor thin twelve round split decision over WBC #11, Dereck Chisora (26-7, 18 KOs) on Saturday night at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, UK. Former British, Commonwealth and European champion Chisora started fast, taking the momentum away from the current British champion, pressuring him with perpetual punching..  Whyte regained some control in the middle rounds but was forced to take huge shots from the Finchley fighter..  Whyte began to have success when Chisora started to fade, grabbing rounds through being the slightly more active..  Going into the tenth it looked as if Chisora was ahead, and with both fighters already gassing, Dereck managed to push through and visibly hurt Whyte with clean single shots towards the end of the round..   Chisora allowed Dillian the luxury of the 11th, followed by both men giving a terrific grandstand finish to a highly entertaining fight..     considering the bad blood and high emotions, the fight was surprisingly clean and boxed in good spirits..   I had Chisora winning by a single round, but the scores were 115-114 for Chisora and 115-113, 115-114 for Whyte.
Both fighters embraced in the ring and showed real class by putting previous feelings aside..

Charlo stops Williams, retains IBF 154 title.

IBF super welterweight title holder Jermall Charlo (25-0, 19 KOs) scored a fifth round knockout over Philadelphian Julian Williams (22-1-1, 14 KOs) in his third defence of his championship on Saturday night at the Galen Center on the campus of USC in Los Angeles. Charlo hurt Williams frequently but dropped him in round two and twice in round five..   it's no secret that Charlo is struggling with the weight, and he could easily have passed on this fight to move up to 160, but he felt it necessary to prove a point to the very capable Williams who Charlo should have faced earlier in the year..  The time of the stoppage was 2:06.

NB..  Following the bout, Charlo refused an offer of an handshake from Williams in an ugly moment of bad sportsmanship, Charlo later attempted to approach Williams but was turned away..    Charlo did apologise and later call out Saul Alvarez, the 160 pound title holder..

Joseph Parker becomes the new WBO heavyweight champion.

In what was billed as New Zealand's first world heavyweight championship fight, both unbeaten challengers didn't fail to deliver..  In the early sessions, it looked like Andy Ruiz jr 29/0 (19 Ko's) was on his way to becoming the first Mexican-American heavyweight champion. Out hustling the hometown fighter for the best part of 4 rounds, even stunning the 24-year old Parker in the second..  Ruiz appeared to sit back on his earlier work after the fifth and allow Joseph to dictate behind the jab..  Ruiz had little answer for much of Parkers work in the middle rounds and resorted to loading up for one big shot..  Parker won most of the middle rounds on pure activity, but rarely taking the chances to shoot his trademark right hand..  With many rounds appearing close to the untrained eye, going into the eleventh round it appeared that Both men had everything to play for..  Ruiz pushed to take the 11th with more aggressive work but the final stanza edging towards the busier Parker..   looking back at the fight I'm sure both fighters would agree that they could have took a lot more risks with such high stakes on the line..   The judges scorings were close with on official offering a  114-114 draw..  however both of the other two judges scored the fight for Parker by a score of 115-113. Parker now moves into the mix with Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder as universally recognised beltholders and will more than likely make his first defence against the Uk's Hughie Fury in 2017.. Tony Weeks was the referee.

Featherweight prospect Alejandro Gonzales found dead.

Horrendous news has just emerged that 23 year old featherweight prospect Alejandro Gonzalez Jr  25-3-3 (15 Ko's) has been found dead today in Guadalajara, Mexico. Gonzalez Jr's father, of the same name won a version of the featherweight championship in the 1990s. Gonzalez Jr last boxed in October where he fought a draw with Hector Bobadilla but is best known for putting the IBF super bantamweight champion Carl Frampton on the canvas twice in the first round of their July 2015 meeting in San Antonio, Texas with Frampton eventually winning a decision.

It has been reported that Gonzalez Jr was found in a car with two more unnamed bodies, cause and further details are not known at this time.

WBA purse bid news..

The WBA championship committee headed by George Martinez has announced the purse bid details of two of its highest priority title fights, from the governing bodies HQ in Panama.. The first announcement was at Middleweight, between Super and regular champions Gennady Golovkin and Danny Jacobs..  The minimum purse bid starts at $400.000 with the purses split 75% to 25% in favour of Golovkin..
The second was at Super Bantamweight (122lbs) between Guillermo Rigondeaux and Moises Flores..  The minimum purse bid for this bout starts at $150.000 with the purse split ratio again being 75% to 25% in Rigondeaux's favour..
Bids are to be submitted by December 19th 2016..

Shakur Stevenson turns pro under James Prince and co.

Highly touted amateur star Shakur Stevenson is to enter the paid ranks, under the guidance of James Prince, Andre Ward and Josh Dubin. “It is an honor and a privilege to represent this young man. Andre, Josh and I know we have the next superstar in the sport,” said Prince. “Shakur is not only a gifted fighter, but someone that has the ability to be an icon. Our first goal is to sign him with the right promoter. Then, we will be with him every step of the journey toward greatness.”
Stevenson won a bantamweight silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. He entered the Olympics with a perfect 23-0 international record and is the first American male to win junior and youth world titles, as well as a Youth Olympic Games gold medal.
A native of Newark Nj, Stevenson resides and trains currently in Virginia, carefully coached by Kay Koroma..  Stevenson has his grandfather Wali Moses to thank for introducing him to boxing as a child..
"I want to give a big thank you to my grandfather , big time , for getting me where I want to be as far as boxing and becoming the boxer I am today.
I want to thank Coach Kay for taking me in and coaching me and keeping me in the boxing environment when I moved away from Jersey. I’m excited for this journey ahead of me and my main goal is to be great!"
Stevenson is delighted with his new management team and vows to make them proud by delivering on his potential..

Joshua v Klitschko looks a possible for early 2017.

If IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua comes through Saturdays title defence against tough Eric Molina successfully in Manchester, it looks highly likely that he will face former undisputed champion Wladimir Klitschko on April 29th of 2017..  The date has supposedly been set tentatively for London's Wembley stadium and could potentially draw a record breaking 85,000 plus crowd..  Joshua was willing to meet Wladimir on the uncoming Saturday date, until Wladimir reportedly pulled away from the fight with an injury..  A fight of this magnitude needs time to sell itself, promotions of this size need to gross interest and it was always highly unlikely it would have come to fruition on such short notice..  Joshua's task at hand at the weekend is not exactly a gimme..  Eric Molina comes to fight and proved himself last year in taking Deontay Wilder into the deep rounds of their WBC title bout, Molina since travelled to Poland to achieve the win of his career by upsetting Tomasz Adameck, in his own backyard by knockout, and with such a huge incentive on the line for the winner, Saturday should see a top drawer performance from both men..
interestingly on the undercard Current British heavyweight champion Dillian Whyte meets former British, European and commonwealth champion Derrick Chisora in a huge grudge match..  Dillian failed to impress in a couple of recent outings, yet had a chance to redeem himself against a man who's bad boy image uncannily mirrors his own..  Chisora lost a close decision to Kubrat Pulev last May for the European belt.

Gassiev snatches IBF cruiserweight crown in Moscow.

IBF Number 2 ranked cruiserweight Murat Gassiev (24-0, 17 KOs) relieved IBF/WBA cruiserweight champion Denis Lebedev (29-3, 22 KOs) of one of his titles (IBF) with a hard fought split decision on Saturday night at the MegaSport Arena in Moscow, Russia. The 37 year old champion started well, but allowed the unbeaten Gassiev to get comfortable in the middle rounds, the 23 year old challenger scored a flash knockdown in the fifth with a body shot that momentarily paralysed the champion..  Gassiev faded during some of the closing rounds as the gallant Lebedev rallied to save his championship, but it was the challenger who appeared the more complete fighter on the night, with Denis leaving it far too late to save his belt..  
Scores were 116-112, 116-111 Gassiev, 114-113 Lebedev.
The bout was for the IBF title only...  Lebedev retains the WBA title in any event..

Unbeaten Chicago welterweight Ed Brown dies following shooting.

Unbeaten welterweight boxer Ed Brown, 25, died Yesterday following a shooting incident on Saturday in Chicago, Brown was undefeated in his 20 professional fights, His last fight was a decision victory over Albert Mensah on Nov 11th..
On Saturday, it was reported that an unknown suspect shot Brown and a 19-year-old woman, whilst they were in a stationary vehicle..   Police confirmed Brown was struck multiple times, including shots to the head, while the woman was shot in the left leg and only received minor injuries..
Brown had overcome tragedy before stepping in the ring for his first fight in December 2012. His mother had died during a stampede at a Chicago nightclub in 2003, and his father had began serving a prison sentence roughly a year later. Ed was also the victim in two separate shootings in 2012 and 2013.
Chicago police have yet to arrest a suspect or determine a motive for Saturday's shooting.
It's a sad loss to boxing, Brown was considered a rising star with an extremely bright future..

Pulev retires Peter in 4.. Picks up WBA intercontinental title.

IBF #2 ranked heavyweight contender Kubrat Pulev (24-1, 13 KOs) stopped former WBC heavyweight kingpin Samuel Peter (36-5, 29 KOs) on Saturday night at the Arena Armeec in Sofia, Bulgaria.  Peter at 271 pounds hadn't boxed at world level for nearly 5 years and struggled with the pace, Pulev allowed the heavy handed Nigerian to get his heavy shots out of his system before it became target practice with the jab..  Peter who soon became pedestrian began to bleed from the nose and breath hard from the second..  At the end of a torrid third Peter appeared to hold his right arm over the ropes in distress..  Samuel stood motionless in his corner at the beginning of round four, with no intention of continuing..  Pulev claimed the vacant WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title.

Saunders labours in first WBO defence.

Unbeaten WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders (24-0, 12 KOs) won an laboured twelve round unanimous decision over WBO #10 rated Artur Akavov (16-2, 7 KOs) on Saturday night at the Paisley Lagoon Centre in Glasgow, Scotland.
In what was his first title defense, Saunders struggled to get a foothold, allowing the inspired Akavov to give as good as he got for the first half of the fight. Saunders eventually caught his groove in the last 5 rounds, yet allowed Akavov to closed the fight strongly.
Scores were 116-113, 116-112, 115-113.
After the fight, Saunders addressed the crowd, admitted it was a poor performance, apologising for the sub par show..  “Tonight was really, really flat, on that performance my name shouldn’t be mentioned with Golovkin and Canelo!”
I had the fight much closer than the judges, and many at ringside felt that Akavov could have left the ring as champion..

Izu Ugonoh signs with Al Haymon.

Influential boxing advisor Al Haymon announced today that undefeated heavyweight prospect Izuagbe Ugonoh (17-0, 14 KOs) has signed into an agreement in an advisory capacity with Haymon Sports. Ugonoh’s American debut will take place in early 2017, with the opponent and venue to be announced..  Ugonoh is trained by Kevin Barry, who knows a thing or two about heavyweights, having controlled the career of heavyweight title challengers David Tua and Jo Parker, (who boxes for the WBO title in December) understands that he has a potential ace in Izu..
Ugonoh has been training and fighting out of New Zealand with Barry for the last two years, and plans to join teammate Parker in the near future and relocate to Las Vegas, to become US based..

Ward survives early crisis to outsmart Kovalev in Las Vegas.

In a highly anticipated fight, former super middleweight champion Andre Ward (31-0, 15 KOs) overcame a second round knockdown to outwit unified world light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) by unanimous scores of 114-113 across the board, to snare the Russian’s WBA, WBO, and IBF light heavyweight titles on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Ward, (31-0, 15 KOs) found himself in hot water early in the bout, stunned by the Kovalev jab in the first then sent to the canvas by a quick right hand in the second. Kovalev seemed to shake Ward up frequently up until the third. Ward played a close physical game in the middle rounds, clinching often to nullify Kovalev's obvious power and physical advantages..  Once recovered from the early crisis, Ward started to land clean crisp shots often, while the frustrated Russian struggled to find the target..  Ward surprised Kovalev with a straight left hand in the seventh, and found further success in the next three sessions..   Wards confidence was evident by the tenth, Kovalev having rarely landing anything more than single shots since the fifth was being outsmarted down the stretch..  Both fighters had their successes in the championship rounds, each landing big punches, with Ward just looking the more sharper and boxing with more authority to edge the fight on the final scorecards.  The victory appears a career defining win for Ward, albeit by the slimmest of margins..  split opinions at ringside suggested that the bout could have gone either way.. Kovalev, disappointed in defeat made it clear that he will pursue the rematch, claiming that the fight itself is evidence of the true verdict, although defeated in the eyes of the judges, Kovalev walks away from this fight with his reputation in tact..  The bout lived up to the hype and both fighters emerge as victors after such a scintillating battle..

Bermaine Stiverne fails drug test ahead of Povetkin clash.

Former WBC world heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne has failed a drug test, but still looks set to face Alexander Povetkin in a WBC interim Championship fight on December 17 in Ekaterinburg, Russia.
Last Friday, 11th November, VADA made Stiverne aware that the test taken from his November 4 sample as part the WBCs Clean Boxing Program, had revealed traces of the banned substance Methylhexaneamine, a drug that is better known as Dimethyamylamine..
DMAA as it is commonly known, is widely available as a sports nutritional supplement and is a commonly used as an ingredient in a wide variety of nutritional products. DMAA was temporarily removed from military supply stores across the US, due to its link to reports of serious, life-threatening side effects, a move that looks to have alerted the World Anti-Doping Agency to follow suit, adding DMAA to its prohibited substances list 6 years ago. On the findings of Stiverne’s positive test result, the WBC immediately started an investigation of the circumstances surrounding the adverse finding and a further look into the history and properties of DMAA. The WBC considers those steps necessary to achieve a ruling consistent with their current rules and regulations in accordance to the CPB Protocol.
Stiverne has been open and cooperative since hearing of the results, and even informed the WBC that on the day of the test in question, in order to facilitate urination, he took a supplement by the name of SUPERPHARM in front of the sample collector. He reported the ingestion of that supplement in the Declaration of Medication Use section of the doping form he filled out in accordance to the testing.
Stiverne also reported that he ingested the supplement twice the same day and that he took it because the nutrition staff at EOS Gym in Henderson had recommended it to him. Stiverne was looking for a dietary aid that would help him with post-work out fatigue. Stiverne is fully aware of the enormity of his error, taking an off-the-shelf supplement without doing detailed research into its ingredients. Stiverne understands  he is solely responsible for anything that he ingests..  In hindsight, the former champion realizes his naivety in following a recommendation of an off-the-shelf supplement he was unfamiliar with. The WBC did say that there was no evidence that Stiverne intentionally took the substance with the purpose of enhancing his performance in any fashion..
The bout will go ahead as scheduled.
The WBC shall work with Stiverne to design a program consisting of 40 hours of community or social work in the area of doping prevention education to young athletes, Bermaine will also pay a fine of $75,000 to the WBC..

McDonnell gets out of jail with outrageous decision over Solis.

WBA bantamweight champion Jamie McDonnell (29-2-1, 13 KOs) retained his title with a highly controversial twelve round unanimous decision over Liborio Solis (25-5-1, 11 KOs) tonight at the Salle des Étoiles in Monte Carlo. Solis started fast and dictated the action for most of the first half of the fight, huge right hands bloodied the champions nose from round 3 and opened a cut in round 6. McDonnell did regain  his composure by the 9th where he hurt Solis at the end of the round, but apart from rare glimpses of success, appeared to have fell far too many rounds behind to salvage his title..
Shockingly the judges somehow saw it 116-112, 115-113 and 117-111 for McDonnell..

Former world title challenger Martin Murray (34-4-1, 16 KOs) outpointed previously unbeaten Nuhu Lawal (23-1, 13 KOs) over twelve rounds in a clash for the vacant WBA Continental super middleweight title. Murray overcame the disappointment of two last minute opponent changes but did appear to make tough work of the relentless Nigerian..  
Scores were 116-111, 117-110 and 117-110.

Luis Ortiz fails to impress against a reluctant Malik Scott.

Unbeaten former WBA interim heavyweight champion Luis Ortiz (26-0, 22 KOs) failed to impress tonight as he plodded to a one-sided twelve round unanimous decision over an erratic Malik Scott 38-3-1, 13 KOs) in his European (Matchroom boxing) debut at the Salle des Étoiles in Monte Carlo. Ortiz started purposefully as he cut the ring off for the jittery Scott, who failed to throw a meaningful shot during the first 6 minutes..  Ortiz dropped Scott in round four  from what seemed like a rabbit punch and again early in round five. As the rounds wore on the crafty Philadelphian became comfortable with the pace and found sneaky openings to land single shots on the pedestrian and frustrated Cuban..  Scott was down again in round nine from a huge body shot but managed to go extend the much avoided Ortiz the full twelve. Malik Scott deliberately came to nullify the powerful reputation of the Cuban and succeeded with relative ease, Ortiz appears to impress when he's allowed the luxury of a standing target, but the mobility and unorthodox nature of Scott's performance failed to inspire a higher gear from Ortiz. The Cuban expressed a disappointment in Malik's approach to the contest, but himself must take blame for not applying more pressure to a fighter who at times looked reluctant to be in there..

Scores were 120-105, 120-106, 119-106.

Weights from The Liacouras Centre, Philadelphia pa.

Premier boxing champions card from The Liacouras centre in Philadelphia pa..
Televised on Spike Tv.

Danny Garcia 146.6 vs Samuel Vargas 145.7

Jarrett Hurd 153.1 vs. Jojo Dan 153.1

Javier Fortuna 132.9 vs. Omar Douglas 132.1

Titus Williams 126.3 vs. Antonio Dubose 127.2

Kyrone Davis 158.6 vs. Carlos Gabriel Ozan 155.7

Milton Santiago 137 vs. Claudio Rosendo Tapia 135.8

Christian Carto 118.6 vs. Leonardo Reyes 114.5

Thomas Velasquez 129.9 vs. Raul Chirino 134.2

Jeffrey Torres 137.7 vs. Joseph Serrano 136.9

Weigh in details from Salle des Etoiles, Monte Carlo.

Saturdays show from Monte Carlo will be shown on HBOs boxing after dark, live at 4.00 ET/PT..  also live in the U.K. On Sky..  Hosted by Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo and presented by Matchroom boxing the show is headlined by a heavyweight showdown between the unbeaten Luis Ortiz and Malik Scott, plus two WBA world championship bouts.

Weigh in results..
Luis Ortiz 239.5 vs. Malik Scott 246.4

Jamie McDonnell 118 vs. Liborio Solis 117.7
(WBA bantamweight championship)

Jason Sosa 128.8 vs. Stephen Smith 130
(WBA super featherweight championship)

Martin Murray 167.7 vs. Nuhu Lawal 165.5

Luis Ortiz and Malik Scott meet in Monte Carlo.

Saturday night sees the debut of Cuban heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz as a Matchroom boxing fighter, as he meets the very capable Malik Scott over 12 for the vacant WBA intercontinental title at the classy Salle des Etoils resort in Monte Carlo..  Ortiz 25/0 (22) who recently jumped out of a contractual agreement with Golden Boy Promotions hasn't put a foot wrong since turning pro in 2010, but until 2014 had been flying relatively under the radar of the public eye..  in his 23rd outing Ortiz knocked out the awkward US based Nigerian Lateef Kayode in a round at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, the victory appeared to have earned him the lightly regarded WBA interim world title but it would be short lived as the Cuban would fail a drug test, resulting in the knockout victory being overturned to a No contest..   A year later following a blowout over trailhorse Byron Polley, Ortiz stopped highly regarded Matias Vidondo to once again pick up the interim belt, before pulling off his two more poignant wins, both stoppages, first over the crafty Bryant Jennings, followed more recently by a Tko of another former world title challenger Tony Thompson in what would be his most recent outing in march of this year..  Ortiz showed in both fights that he is more than ready for the next step and is much more advanced in ability that most of his heavyweight counterparts, the only drawback is probably his age, at 37 he needs to be moved fast..    Malik Scott however is a heavyweight from a different era, he turned pro back in 2000 alongside guys like Dominick Guinn and Davarryll Williamson, both of whom have hung up the gloves, yet despite having ten years more professional experience over Ortiz, he still comes into this fight the younger man by a year...  Malik, an accomplished amateur maintained a great start to his career, by 2008 he was undefeated in 32 with 11 knockouts..   but between his 32nd and 33rd outings, points wins over Raphael Butler and Kendrick Releford, Scott took 4 years away from the ring due to injuries..  The inactivity set him back and allowed less experienced fighters to steal ahead of him and receive title shots.. After a year back Scott faced unbeaten Russian Olympian Vyacheslav Glazkov 14/0 in New York..  Scott looked to have done enough in the fight, outjabbing and outmanoeuvring the smaller Glazkov throughout the bout, until a split verdict saw him come away with a draw..  5 months later the Philadelphian would receive his first loss at the hands of Derrick Chisora in London England, Scott looked in control of the fight before being caught with an overhand shot to the temple in the 6th.. Malik took a knee but rose to the referees count of 8, as Scott stood upright referee Phil Edwards waved it off at a 9 count, a decision that outraged Scott and still leaves a bitter taste in his mouth..  in 2014 an opportunity presented itself that couldn't be refused, a fight with the number 1 ranked heavyweight Deontay Wilder who was 30/0 at the time, all knockouts, a victory would almost certainly placed Scott as head of the class.. Malik stepped up and promised plenty, but was knocked out cold inside a round which to this day appears to be his only clear cut loss..   7 months after the loss, in his 40th fight, Scott would travel to Australia, to impressively outpoint the 30/5 Alex Leapai, followed in October of 2015 by a solid points victory over Tony Thompson 40/5, the very fighter to have faced Ortiz in his most recent display of power..  Malik is 38/2/1 (13) and possesses the fitness and natural ability to make life very hard for any heavyweight, he's taller at 6 foot 5, he's heavier and has by far the longer reach, but does however lack power..    it's an intriguing matchup but it's a fight that has the potential to throw the victor right into line for a title shot, something that in his 16 years as a professional has eluded Scott, this could be his final throw of the dice.

Jessie Magdaleno picks up a world title, beating Donaire over 12.

On the Vargas v Pacquiao undercard in Las Vegas, unbeaten Las Vegas super bantamweight Jessie Magdaleno (24-0, 17 KOs) won a twelve round unanimous decision over WBO champion Nonito Donaire (37-4, 24 KOs) on Saturday night at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, to pick up his first world championship..  The bout was action packed from the start with Donaire pressuring the younger Magdaleno, who maintained a busy workrate, holding his own. Magdaleno hurt Donaire in round nine, but was unable to sustain for a stoppage..  Donaire finished the fight impressively with a late surge, stunning Magdaleno in the final seconds, leaving it a little too late to make an impact..  In the end, scores were 116-112, 116-112 and 118-110.

Pacquiao champion again after outclassing Vargas.

37-year-old Manny Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs) is once again a world champion after scoring a resounding twelve round unanimous decision over WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas (27-2, 10 KOs) on Saturday at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas Nv. Pacquiao had the champion on the floor in round two with a solid straight left, which remained the only knockdown of the night. Vargas fought his way back gallantly into the bout, but was constantly playing second best to the razor sharp Pacquiao who on this night turned back the clock despite being 10 years Vargas senior. Vargas was cut over the right eye in round eight, the injury later ruled by the commission as being caused by a punch. Pacquiao closed the fight convincingly and won by scores of 114-113, 118-109 and 118-109.

Corruption in the IBF, a lesson learned..

Federal prosecutors filed charges in 1999 against the IBF and requested a full in depth investigation in an attempt to uncover them as a corrupt boxing organization.
The civil racketeering lawsuit against the governing body came nearly three weeks after prosecutors indicted IBF president Robert Lee Sr on criminal bribery charges. Lee and others in the IBF were indicted on charges they solicited $338,000 in bribes over the past 13 years to fix IBF rankings. They pleaded innocent, and their trial continued into 2000..
IBF ratings committee chairman Doug Beavers knew for a long time how flagrantly they had flaunted with the law..

When the FBI called at Beavers house asking if he could talk to them about bribery within the boxing organisation (The IBF) he invited them into his home with the line "What took you so long?"  Beavers agreed to cooperate with the Feds, on the condition that he would escape prosecution..   Beavers agreed to wear a wire and engage in a close encounter stakeout at a regular meeting.. Federal investigators would film the meeting through a keyhole of an adjacent hotel room. Beavers explained to the FBI, it worked like this..   If promoter 'A' wished to have their fighter shoved up the rankings, I would ensure that Bob Lee gave the go ahead and named a Price..   we'd talk in code, with various major players having pseudonyms..   Fuzzy Wuzzy was a code name for a well publicised Promoter, The Fat man was another (Cedric Kushner) the money that changed hands was known as 'Ginseng' , 'Christmas Turkey'  or 'Christmas Cheer.'  It wasn't a case of how good or accomplished a fighter was to get a ranking with the IBF, it was how connected you were or how much you were willing to pay..  
The prime example of how ruthless Bob Lee sr was came in 1995. Cedric Kushner had kept the IBF sweet with regular cash payments via Bob Lee, offerings that were rewarded with his heavyweight Axel Shultz being awarded a shot at the title held by  Big George Foreman..  Shultz was largely unknown and it was hugely unlikely that he'd trouble the champion. Shultz went on to outwork George but lost via some scandalous scorecards..   The IBF had ordered many rematches in its history, in fights that weren't nearly as badly officiated as this, yet Bob Lee offered no sympathy to Cedric and Shultz..  Beavers knew it wasn't right and questioned Bob Lee on the matter..  Lee agreed to allow a rematch to take place, on the condition that Cedric payed Lee $100.000..  Beavers thought the amount was scandalous and voiced his opinion..  Lee told Beavers, its $100.000 or nothing..  Kushner was told of the offer and under duress made the $100 Grand payment..  assured that they'd rank Shultz #1 for Foremans title..   however a month later George sent word that he'd never face Shultz again..    Lee never repaid Cedric his money..    Kushner said..   "It was as if I'd just bought an ice cream and returned it because I didn't quite like the flavour..".

Astonishingly IBF president Bob Lee was eventually cleared of bribery charges in court, yet found guilty of tax evasion and money laundering, the 67 year old receiving a 22 month jail sentence and a fine of $25.000..

WBA announce.. Browne v Briggs.. for vacant regular title.

In a surprise announcement this week, the WBA have ordered the unbeaten Lucas Browne 24/0 (21 Ko's) to face former WBO champion and two time WBC title challenger Shannon Briggs 60/6/1 (53 Ko's) on or before December 31 of this year for the vacant WBA regular title, on the condition that the winner defends against Fres Oquendo within 120 days..  Browne appeared to have pulled off a fabulous dramatic upset, when he knocked out former champion Ruslan Chagaev in Grozny earlier in the year, but failed a drug test following the victory. Browne has since pleaded his innocence and now has a great opportunity to reseal his grasp on the belt that he came so close to owning..  Shannon Briggs is no pushover, a powerful heavyweight from another era..  in 1996, Briggs looked like the new future force of the division, he had amassed 25 straight knockouts before suffering a damaging loss to Darroll Wilson.. after 5 straight knockout wins, in 1998 Shannon got a shot at the then WBC champion Lennox Lewis, going out on his shield in an epic battle, proving how dangerous he really could be..  however Briggs dragged his feet, and for the next 8 years he'd beat mediocre opposition and drop decisions to Jameel McCline and Cedric Fields, before landing a shot at Serhei Liakhovick and his WBO title..  in a long tedious bout, Serhei looked comfortably ahead, but as the rounds went on, Briggs looked patiently unmoved, and with a final 12th round rally did the unthinkable in stopping the Belarusian in the dying seconds to win the title..  Briggs would lose his first defence to Sultan Ibragimov and literally disappear until his 2010 defeat to Vitali Klitschko in Hamburg..   Briggs never boxed due to a severe depression and lack of opportunity for 4 years until a return in 2014, the product, 9 fights later at the age of 44 is here..   it's an intriguing matchup and a potentially exciting one between two guys with 74 knockouts in 84 victories between them..   Browne is happy to be facing Briggs and has even voiced his distain for David Haye who appeared to duck Briggs after an earlier agreement to meet him in the uk..   No site or official date has been announced..

Anthony Joshua v Eric Molina.. Dec 10.

Anthony Joshua (17-0, 17 KOs) will make the second defence of his IBF World Heavyweight title against Eric Molina (25-3, 19 KOs) at the Manchester Arena on Saturday December 10. The bout will be televised live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and on Showtime in the U.S.
Molina who a year ago challenged WBC champion Deontay Wilder doesn't seem phased in the least.
“When it comes to fighting Joshua, many of his opponents were done long before they stepped into ring..  everyone saying hits harder than Wilder! he’s this, he’s that. They weren’t ready mentally for Joshua or not ready for the event. I’ve never had this kind of problem. I was slugging with Wilder in his home state, in Alabama. I was fighting Adamek in front of 15,000 fans in Poland. I proved my mental strength before, and I will prove it again in Manchester!”
Anthony who was unfortunate to miss out on an impromptu superfight with Wladimir Klitschko on this date, seems content with the selection of Molina, of all of the available ranked opponents, Molina looks to be the most sensible choice..   David Price was muted as a possible opponent several weeks ago, and even halted negotiations of a recent proposed comeback fight, ironically against Molina, But with Molina having the more recent activity at the higher level, including an upset knockout win over Tomasz Adameck in Poland, he appeared the popular choice..
Former Joshua victim and amateur rival Dillian Whyte will face former British, European and Commonwealth Champion Derrick Chisora on the undercard in a fight dubbed as battle of the bad boys, for Whyte's British title.
Also appearing is the dangerous unbeaten Cuban heavyweight Luis Ortiz..

Introducing.. Leland Hardy.. a visionary.

Leland Hardy is not your usual heavyweight fighter, in fact his less than stellar career record of 4 wins 4 losses and a draw doesn't do him justice, he is far more than just that..  Leland's roles vary, from sports agent, stockbroker, translator, and international business advisor. His real story starts in 1993, Hardy was the recipient of Indiana University of Pennsylvanias Distinguished Alumni Award, a fabulous achievement for a man who openly admitted that he didn't fully apply himself in high school.. while at Indiana university Leland committed himself to his study's, earning a bachelors degree in Marketing, while mentoring less than capable students to achieve their own high standards..  Hardy would also steer himself in another direction, the Critical languages program, a system that would pair students with partners native in the students chosen language..  Hardy had realised a flair in acquiring languages back in high school, where he picked up French and Spanish at an advanced level, winning a national Spanish speaking competition and was now studying both Japanese and Chinese..  Whilst at University Hardy accidentally stumbled upon boxing, taking part in an boxing exhibition he found himself quite adept inside the ropes, so much so that in 1983 after training at the Indiana county boxing club, found himself winning the Pennsylvania Golden Gloves heavyweight championship alongside guys like Vincent Bouleware and Jerry Owens. This opened up the opportunity to box for a place on the much heralded 1984 Olympic squad, unfortunately the level of competition was high and Hardy wouldn't qualify, so instead of heading to Los Angeles for the 1984 games, Hardy would enroll in the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The program involved a solid 2 years of course work to earn an MBA and a second master’s degree, requiring fluency in a foreign language and, in Hardy’s case, involved studying at the Beijing Foreign Languages Institute of which he would appear in the programs first graduating class.
Leland Hardy continued to box alongside working at 245 park avenue New York at the Bear Stearns brokerage firm, as was working in finance, he earning himself the colourful nickname as the fighting stockbroker and in 1989 his epic victory over the then unbeaten Ike Padilla, was heralded as the greatest prelim fight in MSG Boxing history..  Despite the scintillating display, the victory would only life Hardys boxing record to 2/2/1, it was obvious that with his many impressive academic attributes , his future lay in more lucrative areas..
Fate struck in 1985, while watching the James Broad v Tim Witherspoon bout, Hardy overheard the commentator announcing the fight mention an upcoming good will tour by Muhammad Ali over in China, then joke about being the tour interpreter, Hardy saw an opportunity and called his friend and boxing journalist Elmer Smith of the Philadelphia daily news and told him of the Ali tour, emphasising that he had to be on that trip..  Smith didn't fully understand why, but after later finding out that Leland was completely fluent in Chinese and himself a proficient heavyweight boxer, pulled some strings to put Hardy in touch with the Ali people..   Hardy would meet Ali at the Chinese embassy in DC and later prove himself invaluable in negotiating visas for Ali and his while entourage..  Leland would act as interpreter for Ali for many years, developing a bond and friendship with the former champion, later accompanying Ali to the funeral of his great rival Joe Frazier in Hardy's hometown of Philadelphia..  Hardy would later work alongside Evander Holyfield and Don King on consecutive visits to China, along with acting as international business interpreter for General Motors in China..
Hardy had flirted with becoming a single player sports agent but was a visionary, always looking one step ahead, and in the mid 1990s he saw meteoric rise of rap music into the main stream and wanted to marry that success with the world of sports.. However when Hardy's conversations with high profile artists LL Cool J and Sean Coombs fizzled out, along came Percy Miller, better known as Master P..   Miller had taken a $10.000 enterprise in his No Limits enterprises to a $400 Million industry which now had 6 divisions, including real estate, movies and now Sports management..  Miller saw Hardy's drive and potential and embraced him as the face of No Limits Sports management ..  Miller knew that Hardy had the raw tools for the job, but realised that to add more leverage to his status, the No Limits branding offered him more weight to negotiate with..   In their first year No Limits secured a contract with Heisman trophy winner Ricky Williams along with several other high profile young NFL standouts..
Leland Hardy's other more prominent sports clients were tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams. Their father, Richard Williams, read about Hardy as a sports agent in a Sports illustrated issue when the girls were just six and seven years old. Impressed by Hardy’s focus on academics in conjunction with his sports and business interests, Williams hired Hardy as the family’s business advisor, a role he kept for close to 16 years while the sisters climbed to the pinnacle of women’s tennis. Hardy's financial background helped him to start to cultivate a system to help prevent vulnerable athletes from being taken advantage of by managers and agents. Hardy referred to Joe Louis and Kareem Jabarr as examples of high profile athletes who ended up broke from poor investment deals despite lucrative careers. Hardy was responsible for launching BICEPS, the Business Institute for Continuing Education in Professional Sports, at the Wharton School in 2002. He developed a curriculum that focused on basic academic fundamentals: reading financial statements, investing in real estate and the stock market, the principles of accounting, saving for retirement, and Understanding yourself as a brand.Another project that engages Hardy's time these days is 'Very Pretty Skin', a line of cosmeceuticals he has created with his long time wife and plastic surgeon Rosetta Garries, along with owning the rights to more than a thousand domain names including his most valuable purchase, the domain name www.newyork.com. He is the original registered owner having purchased the URL in 1994, and has turned down reported multimillion-dollar offers to sell..  Hardy still trains as often as he can as boxing lies close to his heart, he was more recently working with Philadelphia heavyweight Fast Eddie Chambers.  Leland Hardy is that rarest of creatures who is never satisfied with mediocrity, and will more than likely constantly reinvent himself until he can no longer function..  you'd be hard pushed to find a more interesting or engaging man in any walk of life..  Leland Hardy is an incredible character.

Ring legend Aaron Pryor passes aged 61.

Boxing ring legend Aaron “The Hawk” Pryor has sadly passed away in his home town of Cincinnati, Ohio, at the age of 61 due to heart failure. Pryor reigned in the jr welterweight division from 1980 to 1985 and is fondly remembered for his two breathtaking stoppage wins over Alexis Arguello, widely regarded as his finest victories..  In his 14 year ring career, Pryor compiled a record of 39-1, with 35 KOs, his only loss came in 1987 against Bobby Joe Young in a comeback bout..   no one could touch Pryor in his prime..  He was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1996. Aaron Pryor will be sadly missed..