Linares repeats WBA title victory over game Crolla.

WBA lightweight champion Jorge Linares (42-3, 27 KOs) scored a repeat twelve round unanimous decision over Anthony Crolla (31-6-3, 13 KOs) in their rematch last night at the Manchester Arena..
Linares once again brought his class to the table, coasting through a large portion of the fight unmoved by anything the local challenger had to offer..  A hugely impressive display of accuracy and power dominated the bout, flooring Crolla with an uppercut  in the seventh. Linares came within an ace of scoring the stoppage, but the defiant former champion showed courage beyond the call of duty..  The popular Crolla would have proved a match for almost any lightweight in the world on the night, but Linares has proved that he is a bit special, winning comfortably by 118-109 unanimously..

In a chief support, Blackpool's rising middleweight star Jack Arnfield scored a landmark unanimous decision victory over friend and former stablemate, Brian Rose in defence of his WBA international title..   Rose, 29-5-1 (8 Ko's) looked in control of the first half of the fight with good assertive attacks, catching the upright champion with straight shots..  However the second half of the fight saw the younger man rally to close the gap, using the jab and effective body punching from close range..  Arnfield, 24-2 (6 Ko's) overcame a cut eye in the 8th while Rose had to endure the trademark cut nose towards the final sessions..  I had Rose slightly ahead going into the 12th, a round that I also had him winning, but a unanimous verdict saw Jack retain his title with scores of 113-115 twice and 112-116..

Lawrence Okolie turns pro on Saturday.

24 year old Lawrence Okolie will dip his toe into the professional ranks this weekend, making his paid debut on the Crolla v Linares card in Manchester..  Okolie who boxed in last years summer Olympic's is a relative novice, but showed extreme maturity in defeat at the hands of Cubas highly experienced Erislandy Savon, in what was Okolie's 26th ever ring appearance..  The Hackney born fighter, of Nigerian descent stands 6ft 5 inches tall and originally stepped into the gym to lose weight, Lawrence was a clinically obese 19 stone (266lbs) but began to quickly excel, soon becoming European amateur heavyweight champion and university champion..   Lawrence steps into the ring on Saturday as a cruiserweight having shed over 70lbs..   Okolie was thrust into controversy last September when news surfaced that he'd dropped IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in sparring, although never confirmed... it was never denied..    Lawrence looks the part and is eager to be let out if the cage..

Rungvisai upsets Chocolatito in NY.

WBC Super Flyweight champion and current pound 4 pound candidate Roman Chocolatito Gonzalez (46-1, 38 KO’s) widely considered to be the best fighter in the world, lost his title, unbeaten record and P4P status on Saturday night on the Madison Square Garden card, when he was dropped, cut and outpointed over 12 by relatively unheralded Srisaket Sor Rungvisai of Thailand in a huge upset..   Chocolatito got off the floor from a body shot in the first, to battle his way back into the fight. A clash of heads opened up a horrendous cut over his eye which left Gonzalez peering through a mask of blood throughout the remainder of the battle..  Both fighters had consecutive successes, in a bout that would have justified a draw..  But it was Rungvisai (42-4-1, 38 Ko's) who was handed the 12-round majority decision by scores of 114-112 (twice) and 113-113.
The announcement of the decision was hugely unpopular, after such an entertaining close fight, it seemed a sorry way for such a highly regarded champion to lose his title..
Following the decision, highly regarded, Hall of fame referee and judge Joe Cortez Stated that he thought the judges got it wrong and made a mistake in awarding Rungvisai the decision..   Cortez scored it in favour of Gonzalez by 6 points, having watched the bout from an elevated position where he saw Chocolatito land far more punches throughout the fight..  offering consolation that even Muhammad Ali lost fights, Gonzales needs to come back and avenge the defeat.

Golovkin unifies in highly disputed decision in NY.

Unified World middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (37-0, 34 KO’s) had his toughest assignment to date on Saturday in New York when he was forced to the wire over 12 for the first time since 2008, winning a debatable unanimous decision victory against WBA regular Champion Danny Jacobs (32-2, 29 KO’s). Most experts had Jacobs written off beforehand and were almost made to eat their words.. Both fighters started cautiously, each respectful of the other, but it was Jacobs who soon settled into a rhythm, cleverly picking his spots using nice movement..  The pattern continued through 3, with Jacobs earning what looked like a healthy lead..  In the fourth, Golovkin finally found his mark, dropping Jacobs on the ropes with a left hook, right hand combination..   Jacobs recovered well but chose to try meet fire with fire, losing much of his early momentum..   Golovkin barely took a backward step but was often on the end of clever counters from the more composed Brooklyn man..  Jacobs appeared to be outboxing Golovkin through the majority of the later rounds, with the Kazakh fighter urgently pressing for another breakthrough, looking strong but predictable.. The bout was difficult to interpret, but many fighters at ringside saw Jacobs the victor after a strong finish..   Golovkin won a surprising decision on scores of 115-112 (twice) and 114-113..   My own scorecard had Jacobs edging it by 114-113.

Shockingly, after four rounds Golovkin was ahead 39-36 on all three cards (Three rounds many ringsiders had Jacobs winning comfortably) while after eight rounds, GGG remained ahead 77-74, 77-74 and 78-73. After Golovkin won the ninth round across the board, Jacobs needed at least a knockdown to draw. Even though Jacobs took the last three rounds on two cards, and two on the third card, it wasn't enough..  Golovkin edged it 114-113 on the cards of Max DeLuca and Don Trella, while Steve Weisfeld had GGG ahead 115-112.

Jacobs, disappointed afterwards vented that he'd clearly won the fight, and insinuated that the decision was political, Golovkins victory smoothing the way for a moneyspinning fight with Saul Alvarez in the summer.

Danny Jacobs misses IBF regulatory, same day weigh in.

WBA world middleweight champion Danny Jacobs opted not to abide by the IBFs regulatory next day weigh in rule today, therefore giving up the opportunity to fight for Gennady Golovkins IBF title later tonight in New York..  5 foot 10 Golovkin did show up for the weight check and came in at 169.6lbs, well weighing the regulated 10 pounds excess limit..   (IBF ruling that fighters cannot weight any more than 10 pounds over the stipulated weight limit.)  With 4 other titles on the line and the biggest opportunity of his life, the IBF regulations will most probably be the furthest thing from Danny's mind, facing a fighter with Golovkins reputation, being comfortable and 100% prepared to perform comes higher up the priority list..  Danny won his title in 2014 against Jarrod Fletcher and has since made 4 successful defences, all by stoppage, including his most impressive showing against Peter Quillin, a man whom he has shared the gym with for the past several weeks as Jacobs accepted a generous offer from Virgil Hunter to use his west coast facility in Oakland to help his preparations..  Golovkin won his first world title (The WBA which Jacobs currently holds) back in 2010, with his most recent win a 5th round stoppage of brave IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook in September over in England..  Danny starts this fight as a huge outsider but many shrewd insiders think he is being hugely overlooked by the sports books..   The 6 foot Jacobs is said to have weighed 178lbs today, very possibly 180 by fight time.

Weights from New York.

Weights from Madison Square Garden, New York.

Gennady Golovkin 159.6   v   Daniel Jacobs 159.8
(WBA, WBC IBF world middleweight titles)

Chocolatito Gonzalez 114.6   v   Srisaket Sor Rungvisai 114

(WBC world super flyweight title)

Carlos Cuadras 115.6   v   David Carmona 115.8

Ryan Martin 134.6   v   Bryant Cruz 135


Tomorrow's card is presented by K2 Promotions..

Available on PPV Tv..

Usyk to defend against Hunter jr, April 8th..

In what looks an interesting bout, Undefeated Oleksandr Usyk 11-0 (10 Ko's) is set to defend his WBO cruiserweight title against unbeaten Michael Hunter jr 12-0 (8 Ko's) on the Lomachenko v Sosa card in Maryland on April 8th..   Hunter, who's late father Mike Bounty Hunter Sr was a colourful heavyweight and cruiserweight contender, boxed in the same 2012 olympics as Usyk, losing his first round bout to current light heavyweight contender Artur Beterbiev, whom himself would lose his quarter final bout to eventual gold medalist Usyk..   Since turning pro Michael has shown huge improvement, in 2015 he impressively beat tough ex contender series fighter Deon Elam and Jason Douglas both inside 4 rounds and more recently scored his best result to date, a 10 round shutout of previously unbeaten Isiah Thomas last May to grab the WBO/NABO title..  
Usyk made history when he became the quickest fighter to capture a version of the world cruiserweight title when he beat Krzysztof Glowacki last September in just his 10th outing, just 2 years 10 months since turning pro. Oleksandr made a first defence in his American debut last December, stopping Thabiso Mchunu in 9 rounds..
It's a huge ask of the 28 year old Californian, but its a nothing to lose opportunity that Hunter can't afford to turn down, Usyk is possibly the most avoided cruiserweight around, and with good reason..   But Fortune favours the brave, it's an intriguing bout.

The April 8th, Sosa v Lomachenko and Usyk v Hunter card will be televised on HBO from the MGM National harbour, Oxon Hill, Maryland..

Lemieux scores sensational knockout over Stevens in NY.

In a highly anticipated fight between hard punching middleweight contenders, David Lemieux 37-3 (33 Ko's) scored a sensational one punch knockout over Curtis Stevens 29-6 (21 Ko's) in the third round last night at Turning Stone Casino Resort in Verona New York..   Both fighters began opening up early, disregarding any proverbial feeling out process, trading huge shots from the off. Stevens found himself in trouble at the end of the first but soon found his mark midway into the second..   With a minute left in the third, Lemieux backed Curtis up into the ropes, landing a straight right hand, that disguised a short left hook that caught Stevens clean..  there was no count..   Time was 1:59.
It took several minutes to bring Stevens around, but he was conscious and coherent when taken from the ring on a stretcher, being kept in the hospital overnight for observation as a precaution.

Andrade WBA champion again, defeats Culcay in Germany.

Unbeaten former super welterweight champion Demetrius Andrade (24-0, 16 KOs) is a world champion once again. Andrade came through some tough moments but convincingly beat current WBA regular champion Jack Culcay (22-2, 11 KOs) by an outrageous split decision tonight at the Friedrich-Ebert Halle in Ludwigshafen, Germany. Andrade used his height and reach advantages to outbox Culcay in spells, but got dragged into a close quarters battle for a period before maintaining his composure to close the show comfortably ahead..  Culcay, who felt aggrieved at an amateur loss to Andrade several years ago proved tougher than expected, finishing with a strong twelfth and final session..   Scores looked acceptable at 116-112, 116-112 Andrade, until an absurd 115-113 Score for Culcay sent the verdict into a split decision..

Hughie Fury will challenge Joseph Parker, May 6th, NZ.

The WBO's heavyweight mandatory, Hughie Fury will now face Joseph Parker in Auckland, New Zealand, on Saturday 6th May, at the Vector centre, almost 5 weeks ahead of the original April 1st date, it was confirmed today.
Fury will undoubtedly start a heavy underdog, travelling into the champions back yard in what will be his first defence, but the undefeated challenger doesn't appear phased by the task, the pressure is completely off him on this occasion..
Fury is looking to equal cousin Tyson’s achievement, in landing the heavyweight title against the odds, in only his 21st Profesional outing..
Hughie is big, mobile and heavy handed, in his last outing the 22 year old did struggle against Fred Kassi, in a WBO intercontinental title fight last year, but has since addressed a health issue that had plagued his career up to that point, but at 22/0 (10 Ko's) in just four years paid, he has to be taken seriously.
Parker became Champion last December on home turf when he beat the previously unbeaten Andy Ruiz Jr for the vacant title in a very close bout, by a razor thin points decision, a verdict that may easily have swung the other way on neutral territory.. The 25 year old is a huge puncher, stopping 18 of his 22 opponents inside the distance in  just a five-year career.
It will be the first time in history that a recognised world heavyweight title has been defended in New Zealand and Parker v Fury is expected to become the biggest boxing event ever held in the country, with an expected viewing audience of over 100 Million.
Mick Hennessy, chief of Hennessy Sports, is certain his man will return home victorious, as the new WBO World Champion, “Hughie is an exceptional talent who has been underestimated in his career. I know that the bigger the fight and the bigger the occasion, Hughie will rise to that challenge and Parker will bring out the very best in him. We’re under no illusions, this is a very hard test for Hughie, but I believe he will shine through.”
Fury is trained by his father Peter Fury, who was having difficulties securing a visa to enter NZ for the April 1st date, due to his criminal past, but it looks very probable that he will be granted entry to be by his sons side on May 6th.

Thurman outworks Garcia in Brooklyn unification clash.

In one of the years biggest fights so far, WBA champion Keith Thurman (28-0, 22 KOs) and WBC champion Danny Garcia (33-0, 19 Ko's) met in a welterweight unification clash between unbeaten champions at the Barclays centre in Brooklyn last night.. Thurman managed to hurt the Philadelphian on numerous occasions, and looked in control of most of the fight. Garcia managed to pull himself into the fight after the half way mark, but never really phased the hard punching Thurman. With what appeared to be a comfortable lead, Thurman coasted the final two sessions keeping Garcia at range..
The announcement of a split verdict appeared somewhat puzzling, with two judges scoring for Thurman (116-112 and 115-113) yet a third judge Kevin Morgan had Garcia up 115-113 ???
The bout was entertaining but lacked the snap that was previously promised by both fighters..  Garcia convinced that he won the fight appeared despondent after the bout, but in the cold light of day, Thurman should have been awarded a unanimous victory and rolls on as arguably the divisions lightning rod..

Fonfara scores 10th round stoppage of Dawson in Brooklyn.

Adopted Chicago light heavyweight Andrzej Fonfara, 29-4, 17 KOs, returned tonight for the first time since his disappointing loss to Joe Smith Jr, to stop former world champion Chad Dawson in the 10th and final round of their bout on the Garcia v Thurman undercard in Brooklyn tonight. Chad Dawson, New Haven, Connecticut (34-5, 19 Ko's) was coming off a 4th round stoppage of Cornelius White almost a year ago and looked a shell of his former self. Fonfara hurt Dawson and had him on the floor in the ninth, managing to finish the job early in the next session.. A hard right hand staggered Chad, encouraging the Colourful Pole to overwhelm Dawson in a neutral corner until referee David Fields was forced to stop the bout.
The time of the stoppage was 38 seconds of the 10th.

Eggington stops Malignaggi in 8.

In tonights Co-main event at the O2 in London, Sam Eggington (20-3, 12 KOs) got the biggest scalp of his career by stopping former two division world champion Paulie Malignaggi (36-8, 7 KOs) in the 8th of a scheduled 12, for the WBC international welterweight title..  At 36 years of age, its possibly the last time we'll see Malignaggi step between the ropes, but it's not the last time we'll see the promising Midlander, taking his first real step up..  Eggington stood his ground from the off, looking almost a weight division higher than Malignaggi, enjoying the size and strength advantages..  It took until the third, before Malignaggi found his groove, finding Eggington with well timed counters on the move..  The fourth saw Eggington turn up the heat, pressuring Paulie with powerful shots advancing...  Malignaggi's began to look subdued, with a swelling appearing on his face going into the sixth. The range became the biggest mountain to climb for Malignaggi, who was now using angles to outwit the taller Eggington, with moments left in the round, Maliganggi rocked Sam badly with a right hand, before following up with at least a half dozen shots, visibly shaking him before the end of the session..  The seventh saw Eggington maintain his composure, dominating Malignaggi, subduing any confidence, he might have drew from the 6th..  Eggington continued to come forward with his physical strength in the eighth hurting Malignaggi frequently, midway through the round a sneaky left hook to the ribs from Eggington, became the straw that broke the camels back for Malignaggi, forcing the Brooklyn man to take the full count.. Malignaggi, who was forced to take similar shots persistently throughout the fight was unable to recover to beat the count in this instance as the referee signalled the end..

Bellew pulls off the upset over Haye in bizarre bout.

In what turned out to be one of the most intriguing and bizarre grudge matches in recent memory, WBC cruiserweight champ Tony Bellew (29-2-1, 19 KOs) scored an eleventh round TKO over an injured former two weight champion David Haye (28-3, 26 KOs) tonight at the O2 Arena in London. Huge underdog Bellew managed to weather the early onslaught before dropping a distressed Haye in round six with a barrage of punches, Haye gamely hung in there limping helplessly on an obviously injured right leg, attempting to lure Bellew onto single shots..  Bellew eventually knocked Haye through the ropes in the eleventh before his corner mercifully threw in the towel, the end came at 2:16.
Both fighters were gracious following the unsavoury buildup, Haye paying generous testimony to Bellews heart, while the current WBC cruiserweight champ declared himself the undisputed champion of misfits..  A rematch was on both men's lips..

Haye v Bellew weight in result.

Former unified Cruiserweight and WBA heavyweight champion David Haye enjoys an 11 pound weight advantage for tomorrow's 12 round heavyweight grudge-match with WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew at the O2 in London..  36 year old Haye looked solid at 224.9 lbs, whilst Tony Bellew looked a chunky 213lbs..  Throughout the buildup to the fight, Bellew has consistently got under Haye's skin, causing the Londoner on more than one occasion to lose his composure, something he can't afford to do come fight night..  Haye maintains that he could end the fight at any moment he desired, causing many, including Bellew to assume that Haye is completely overlooking him..  Bellew and trainer David Coldwell are comfortable with the fact they have prepared for the very best version of David Haye possible, voicing doubts about the 2017 version of Haye's stamina and full fitness...

Tomorrow's boxing is promoted by Hayemaker promotions in association with Matchroom boxing from the O2 in London.