Undefeated heavyweights Jermaine Franklin and Otto Wallin feature in Tacoma on July 12th.

On Friday 12th July at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma Washington, undefeated heavyweight Jermaine Franklin 18-0 (13 Ko’s) takes on a decent test in Jerry Forrest of Newport News Va 25-2 (19 Ko’s) over 10 rounds.. Forrest’s two defeats were both 5 years ago against former world title challengers Gerald Washington and Mike Hunter jr.. Since then Jerry has put together an 18 fight winning streak.. Franklin of Saginaw Michigan last boxed the experienced Rydell Booker in an entertaining 10 round points win in April on the Shields v Hammer Card..

In a Co-feature another undefeated heavyweight in Swedish southpaw, Otto Wallin 20-0 (14 Ko’s) takes on former world cruiserweight title challenger, BJ Flores 34-4-1 (21 Ko’s) over 10.. Wallin has an impressive resume on paper, but the only name of note that stood out to me was a 2015 knockout of former amateur standout Alex Mazikin.. Otto too appeared on the April Shields v Hammer Card only to be held to a disappointing NC by Nick Kisner due to a cut sustained by Kisner following an accidental clash of heads in the opening round.. 40 year old Flores has boxed up at heavyweight 3 times since his unsuccessful WBC cruiserweight title challenge in 2016, most recently suffering a knockout loss at the hands of undefeated WBA number 2 ranked Trevor Bryan in August..

The Evenings boxing is Hosted by The Emerald Queen casino in Tacoma Washington
and is Promoted by Dmitriy Salita’s Salita Promotions in association with Brian Halquist’s, Halquist Promotions..
Matchmaker Lina Kurylyuk..
Broadcast by USA Showtime.

WBC place their international welterweight belt on the line for Khan v Dib.

The World Boxing Council has agreed to sanction July 13th’s 12 round bout between former Jr Lightweight champion Amir Khan 33-5 (20 Ko’s) and former world featherweight champion Billy Dib 45-5 (26 Ko’s) for their vacant International welterweight belt.. The Australian Dib was announced as Khans opponent only yesterday following the withdrawal of original scheduled opponent Neeraj Goyat 11-3-2 (2 Ko’s) after it was revealed that the 27 year old Indian was involved in a serious automobile accident..
The Original fight between Khan and Goyat would have been the first time that an Indian fighter and a Pakistani fighter had met in a professional boxing match, coercing the WBC to commission a unique one-off pearl championship belt to commemorate the historic bout.. Unfortunately with the withdrawal of Goyat, President Mauricio Sulaiman has withdrawn the Pearl strap and alternatively given his blessing for the vacant WBC International title to be up for grabs.. Both fighters are former double world champions, and the late replacement makes for a more substantial contest than the original..

The Event and full undercard will take place at The King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Promoted by Bill Dosanjh in association with Super Boxing league.

Dominick Guinn returns this weekend to face Junior Fa in California.

This coming Friday, June 28th, former heavyweight contender Dominick Guinn 37-12-1 (26 Ko’s) returns to the ring to face undefeated New Zealander Junior Fa 17-0 (10 Ko’s) over 10 at the Pechanga Resort in Temecula Ca.. 29 year old Fa is coming off a stoppage of a 16-2 Newfel Ouatah last March in Ohio, and despite his impressive record, has barely ventured out of his home country to face more testing opposition in his 3 years as a pro.. Dominick however is a completely different story, he last boxed one Walter Palacios in February scoring a 2 round blowout, the latest in a recent winning run following points losses to both Artur Szpilka and Hughie Fury in 2018 and 2016 respectively..
It’s over a decade since Dominick was at his peak, when he looked every inch a potential future champion.. in 2003 Guinn was 21-0 and scoring back to back victories over Dangerous punchers Michael Grant and Duncan Dokiwari.. Unfortunately Dominick’s run was broken a year later when he dropped a split decision to Monte Barrett in a high pressure Arkansas homecoming fight.. Dominick returned with sporadic victories over Audley Harrison and Jean Bergeron but with successive losses to Kubrat Pulev, Amir Mansour and Denis Boytsov in 2010, 2011 and 2012, Dominick slipped out of the higher echelons of the division to box more frequently at late notice often against overseas opposition.. The Fa fight is a wonderful opportunity to jump back into relevance.. I’ve known Dominick since his debut and i have never once doubted his dedication or his natural ability.. It would be easy for the 15 year younger Fa to overlook Guinn at a passing glance, but we all know how this story can end, especially with an experienced 50 fight veteran over a frankly very green 17 fight novice who has barely a notable name on his resume..

The Card is headlined by an IBF World lightweight title fight between Richard Commey and Ray Beltran and is promoted by Bob Arums Top Rank Boxing..
Broadcast by USA ESPN..

Joseph Parker returns Saturday in Rhode Island.

Former WBO world heavyweight champion Joseph Parker 25-2 (19 Ko’s) returns to the ring this Saturday when he takes on former world title challenger Alex Leapai 32-7-4 (26 Ko’s) at The Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence Rhode Island.. Parker last boxed in December, knocking out Alexander Flores in 3, having lost back to back fights to Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua in 2018.. Parker incidentally handed the current unified champion Andy Ruiz his first loss in 2016, and more than likely fancies the chance of a potential rematch.. Leapai last boxed in August, scoring a knockout of Roger Izonerati in a rematch of their 2017 technical draw.. The much travelled Samoan will be boxing in his 6th country in 8 years on Saturday, in a career which has seen him face many of the biggest names yet lose to most.. Alex has defeats to Malik Scott, Kevin Johnson, Wladimir Klitschko and Manuel Charr..
Leapai is possibly not the ideal choice of substantial opponent, but appears to be the only live name available for the date..

The bout is promoted by Matchroom USA and will be broadcast by DAZN across the US and on Sky Sports in the Uk..

Shakur Stevenson to face replacement in Franklin Manzanilla.

Olympic silver medalist and rising featherweight sensation Shakur Stevenson 11-0 (6 Ko’s) will have to face a tough replacement in Venezuelan Franklin Manzanilla 18-5 (17 Ko’s) over 10 at Newark’s Prudential Center on July 13th.. Manzanilla is coming off an unsuccessful shot at Rey Vargas’ WBC championship in February and replaces the original scheduled opponent, Hairon Socorras, who dropped out of the promotion, due to reasons not yet released.. 21 year old Stevenson recently escaped an assault charge, and knows that he has too much at stake to allow outside influences to jeopardise.. A victory over a man whom I consider a tougher opponent that the original, would push Stevenson another step closer towards a championship fight.. We recently saw how a late replacement can upset the whole script with Anthony Joshua losing unexpectedly to late substitute Andy Ruiz.. Shakur would be foolish to overlook Manzanilla..

Jermell Charlo and Guillermo Rigondeaux score stoppages in Las Vegas.

Former WBC Super welterweight Champion Jermell Charlo 32-1 (16 KOs) scored a ruthless 3rd round KO over substitute opponent, Jorge Cota 28-4 (25 KOs) on Sunday evening at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Charlo dropped Cota with a sneaky right hand from close range at the beginning of the third, the game Mexican managed to get back onto his feet, but appeared disorientated, holding the ropes whilst referee Jay Nady offered the count, before allowing the fighter to be exposed to a crushing one shot knockout by Jermell seconds later.. Time was 2:14.
Charlo’s was originally scheduled to meet Tony Harrison, the man he lost his unbeaten record to last December.. The Detroit man had to withdraw due to an injury, and unfortunately Jorge Cota was the man to face Charlo’s frustrations.. The fight looked done and dusted after the first knockdown, with the continuation being completely unnecessary due to poor judgement from a referee that I hold in high regard..

Also on the Las Vegas card, former Super Bantamweight world champions Guillermo Rigondeaux 19-1 (13 KOs) and Julio Ceja 32-3 (28 KOs) met in a WBC elimination bout..
The bout was highly entertaining with lots of rugged action, both men had their success and were willing to engage throughout.. In the eighth both men were penalised by referee Russell Mora, for punching south of the border, before the vastly experienced Cuban dropped Ceja with a solid left hand.. The game Mexican beat the count but was saved by Mora.. The time was 2:59 of the 8th..

The Event was hosted by The Mandalay Bay Hotel, Casino in Las Vegas Nv..
Promoted by Tom Browns TGB Promotions in association with Mayweather Promotions..
Broadcast by USA Fox..

Hughie Fury meets Samuel Peter, July 12th in Jeddah.

Former British Heavyweight champion and former world title challenger Hughie Fury 22-2 (12 Ko’s) returns to the ring for only the second time since his loss to Kubrat Pulev, when he takes on former WBC world champion Samuel Peter 38-7 (31 Ko’s) on the 12th July as part of the Khan v Goyat event in Jeddah.. Fury last boxed in May where he scored a 2 round token blowout of the overmatched Chris Norrad..
Samuel Peter, tentatively listed as 38 years of age is making his 4th appearance following a 3 year layoff, in which time the former Olympian boxed only 3 times in 8 years.. Peter suffered an unfortunate slip up last April when he appeared on the Shields v Hammer show, dropping a decision to the portly Mexican Mario Heredia.. Samuel has since scored a single round stoppage of one Alejandro Garduno..
Samuel won the WBC title back in 2008, stopping Oleg Maskaev in Cancun before losing it 7 months later in Kreuzberg Germany to Vitali Klitschko.
In his 24 fight career, I have notably been impressed on two occasions by Hughie Fury.. back in 2015 by his very mature performance against the once beaten Andriy Rudenko, and last year in his ruthless British title winning victory over Sam Sexton.. We have to put into perspective that this man has boxed for a World championship and won a domestic title and is still only 24 years of age.. A win over the ageing Peter may not tell us much, but it may add to the library of experience that Fury is broadening his horizons with..

The Card is hosted by The King Abdullah Sports Center in Jeddah Saudi Arabia.
Promoted by Bill Dosanjh in association with Super Boxing league.

Philadelphia mourns the loss of Willie Monroe.

The Boxing world is mourning 1970s Philadelphia middleweight legend Willie The Worm Monroe, who passed away this morning aged 70.. Monroes most memorable moments was his convincing 1976 victory over Marvin Hagler, only the second defeat on Marvin’s career at the time and one of the only defeats that Hagler legitimately admits to.. Willie also scored substantial victories over Kitten Hayward, Cyclone Hart, Carlos Marks, Felton Marshall and Billy Douglas.. Willie’s professional boxing career spanned for 12 years with a final record of 39-10-1 (26 Ko’s). On the night of the thriller in Manila, moments before Eddie Futch retired Joe Frazier following a damaging round 14, Monroe (a member of Joe Frazier’s entourage) had moved close to Ali’s corner and had overheard an exchange that suggested that Ali was calling for his gloves to be cut off, close to being retired himself, as Willie frantically signalled towards Georgie Benton, it was too late as Joe was retired by a compassionate Futch.. Willie Monroe was inducted into the Pennsylvania boxing hall of fame in 1990, and will forever be remembered as a Philadelphia boxing hero.. RIP Willie Monroe.

Claressa Shields injured, Ivana Habazin fight postponed.

The upcoming WBO female super welterweight bout between unified middleweight champion Claressa Shields 9-0 (2 Ko’s) and former 2 weight champion Ivana Habazin 20-3 (7 Ko’s) has been postponed from the August 17th date, due to a knee injury sustained by Shields last week whilst doing her routine roadwork.. Claressa was aiming to become the fastest fighter to acquire titles at three weight divisions, the fight that was scheduled to be a homecoming showcase at the Dort Federal Event Centre in Shields hometown of Flint Michigan, is more than likely expected to be rescheduled for late September or October..

Prince Charles Martin returns on July 13th in Minneapolis.

Former IBF heavyweight world champion Charles Martin 26-2-1 (23 KOs) returns to the ring on the July 13th FS1 Card from the Armory in Minneapolis, headlined by Jamal James v Antonio DeMarco..
Martin is currently scheduled to face Clarksburg Virginia’s Daniel Martz 18-6-1 (15 Ko’s) over 10.. The St Louis Southpaw is coming off an 8th round DQ victory over the previously unbeaten Greg Corbin in March, having previously taken the highly touted Adam Kownacki to a split decision last September..
The evening also features an interesting heavyweight feature between Finland’s Robert Helenius 28-2 (17 Ko’s) and former world title challenger Gerald Washington 19-3-1 (12 Ko’s) plus a packed undercard featuring Unbeaten 2016 U.S. Olympians, Karlos Balderas 8-0 (7 Ko’s), and Gary Antuanne Russell (9-0, 9 KOs) in scheduled 8 rounders, along with a 10 round Bantamweight feature, between undefeated Antonio Russell (14-0, 11 KOs) and Francisco Pedroza (12-8-2, 6 KOs)

Keith Hunter to face Cameron Krael on June 28th in Las Vegas.

Undefeated Las Vegas Super lightweight Keith (Bounty) Hunter 10-0 (7 Ko’s) faces the highly experienced Cameron Krael 16-14-3 (4 Ko’s) over 10 at Sams Town Resort in Las Vegas on 28th June, with local bragging rights on the line. The Hawaiian born Krael is coming of a run of 3 successive victories since his 2018 split decision loss to Erick Bone, most recently decisioning 15-12 Angel Hernandez in April.. Hunter, the son of the late heavyweight contender Mike The Bounty Hunter and brother of the highly ranked heavyweight of the same name, scored his most impressive win to date when he outpointed the tough Sanjarbek Rakhmanov on a Samstown show also in April.. The fight has generated a lot of interest in Las Vegas, with both popular guys being based in the city and having appeared together on several local shows.. Regardless of having 4 years more professional experience, Krael is actually the younger man at 25.. Keith is currently pencilled in to fight this coming Friday at the Rosecroft Raceway in Ft Washington Maryland, a victory is essential with the June 28th fight scheduled..

June 28th Card at Samstown is Promoted by Leonard Ellerbe of Mayweather Promotions, Matchmaker Kenny Craig..

Yunier Dorticos secures place in WBSS cruiserweight final with 10th round Ko of Andrew Tabiti.

In the first of two World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight semi-finals, Yunier Dorticos 24-1 (22 KOs) scored a stunning tenth round Knockout of previously undefeated Andrew Tabiti 17-0 (13 KOs) to grab both the vacant IBF interim cruiserweight belt and a place in the WBSS final on Saturday night at the Riga Arena in beautiful Riga, Latvia.
Dorticos dictated the majority of the action with the more animated work rate, with Tabiti trying to keep the affair at long range. Neither man forced a breakthrough in the fight until Dorticos found himself the victim of a nasty clash of heads In the 6th, causing a cut over the Cubans right eye.. The late rounds saw the fatigued American too eager to hold Dorticos whenever the fighters drew close, forcing Referee Ed Claudio to deduct a point in what was already a close fight.. Tabiti’s work became increasingly shabby going into the 10th, his reluctance to engage found him missing widely whilst moving backwards away from the increasing Dorticos attacks.. Tabiti in an attempt to make up lost ground took the risk of trading, and with 30 seconds remaining both fighters attempted to land hard right hands, Dorticos got home first, knocking out the brave Las Vegan with a shot he possibly didn’t even see.. The loss will be a bitter pill for the undefeated Tabiti to swallow, Dorticos was every inch the more superior fighter, the knockout merely adding icing to the cake..
Time 2.33.

Promoter Sauerland Events.
Broadcaster Dazn..

Jesse Hart outhustles Sullivan Barrera to score unanimous victory in light heavyweight debut.

Former double super middleweight title challenger Jesse Hart 26-2 (21 KOs) made an impressive statement in his light heavyweight debut by scoring a hard earned unanimous decision victory over former light heavyweight title challenger Sullivan Barrera 22-3 (14 Ko’s) on Saturday night at the MGM in Las Vegas..
Hart started enthusiastically, in an attempt to establish his authority on the Cuban, managing to drop Sullivan with an overzealous low blow in the opener.. Barrera fired back defiantly but appeared to go down again in round 2 from a stiff right hand, and although referee Jay Nady ruled it a slip, Barrera continued on unsteady legs, having to dig deep to survive the session.. Hart maintained his momentum through the third, but became drawn into unnecessary exchanges in the fourth that saw him hurt badly by a couple of right hands at the end of the round.. Jesse stuck to plan through rounds 5 and 6, boxing with authority and not allowing Barrera to close the distance.. Hart bided his time through the 7th before finally finding a breakthrough in the 8th, dropping Barrera with a grazing left hook, catching him slightly unbalanced.. Sullivan rose quickly, found his composure and returned fire.. Jesse, satisfied with the knockdown coasted the remainder of the round and failed to capitalise, assuming the breakthrough was enough to pull away.. Uncharacteristically the Philadelphian looked unwilling to engage through the final two sessions, an move met with a negative response from the otherwise partisan crowd.. A diluted ending to what for the most part was an outstanding Victory..

Scores were 96-93, 97-92, and 99-90.

Tyson Fury lights up Las Vegas with sensational stoppage victory.

In his long awaited Las Vegas debut, Lineal Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury 28-0-1 (20 Ko’s) put on a master class before stopping the undefeated yet overmatched Tom Schwarz 24-0 (16 Ko’s) at 2.54 of the second at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, on Saturday night.. 

Fury, Owned centre stage with a ring entrance to replicate Apollo Creeds fateful, Rocky IV ‘Living in America’ ring-walk along with Star spangled top hat and accompanying Showgirls.. The performance was every bit as impressive, dictating the tempo from the start, effortlessly switching, slipping shots and establishing the jab.. Early in the second, Fury hurt Schwarz with a left hand from a southpaw stance, damaging the Germans nose.. the following flurry dropping the demoralised Schwarz.. The brave challenger beat the count but appeared close to submission, as Fury trapped him in the corner and unleashed an unanswered cluster of damaging shots, forcing referee Kenny Bayless to jump in as the towel was offered by the Germans corner.. The opposition wasn’t an imminent threat to Fury, but the manner of the victory and the versatility of the performance was eye catching.. Tom Schwarz came to fight but unfortunately was found facing possibly the most complete version of Tyson Fury we’ve ever witnessed.. If a fighter was ever designed to make a Las Vegas appearance it was this man..

Promoter Top Rank

Broadcast by ESPN in the US, and BT Sport in the UK.

81 year old Cincinnati Heavyweight Billy Joiner passes..

This week saw the passing of 81 year old former Cincinnati heavyweight contender Billy Joiner, a man who as an outstanding 86-6 light heavyweight amateur faced Cassius Clay twice, and 10 years later as a 9-3-3 professional heavyweight faced the fearsome Sonny Liston twice.. Following success as an AAU and Golden Gloves light heavyweight champion, Joiner turned pro in 1962 and went on to face Zora Folley, Juergen Blin, Alfredo Evangelista, Al Lewis, Mac Foster and Oscar Bonavena.. By 1966 Bill was 9-1 (4 Ko’s) but over the next 15 years would precede to lose 12 of 18 with 3 draws.. In 1969 coming off two successive defeats to Liston, Joiner travelled to Canada and outpointed the highly touted Bob Cleroux in his own home town, a defeat that forced the tough Canadian to retire from the sport.. In December of 1975, Bill would travel to Puerto Rico to face the then 18-0 future heavyweight legend Larry Holmes.. Joiner laced on gloves for the final time in 1981 when he outpointed 13-2 Young Louis over ten rounds in Detroit, wrapping up his extraordinary career at 12-13-3 (5 Ko’s)

Billy was possibly the last of the remaining heavyweight contenders from the Golden era of boxing.. RIP Billy Joiner.

WBSS Cruiserweight Weigh in results from Riga Latvia.

The WBC and WBO Cruiserweight titles stand on the line for the first of Saturday’s WBSS semi finals in Latvia, where Mairis Briedis weighted in at 198 pounds to Krzysztof Glowacki’s slightly lighter 197 pounds..

The IBF Interim championship lies on the line for the second of the evenings WBSS semi finals, where Yunier Dorticos tipped the scales at 199 pounds, a weight matched by American challenger Andrew Tabiti at 199 even..

The Event is hosted by The Arena Riga, in Beautiful Riga, Latvia
and is promoted by Sauerland Events..
The Card will be broadcast by DAZN..

Gerald Washington meets Robert Helenius July 13th in Minnesota.

Former heavyweight title challenger Gerald Washington 19-3-1 (12 Ko’s) meets the highly experienced Robert Helenius 28-2 (17 Ko’s) on Saturday 13th July, tentatively scheduled for The Minneapolis Armoury Arena in Minnesota..
The Finish based Swede appeared destined for the Championship once upon a time, but never did secure a shot at any of the recognised belts.. Since his 2011 rise through the division with wins over Siarhei Liakhovich, Sam Peter and Derek Chisora, Helenius never capitalised on his privileged position, took time away from the ring and since a reluctant 2017 loss to Dillian Whyte, has put together only 3 victories, the latter being an impressive 2018 knockout of Erkan Teper..
Gerald however has lost 3 out of his last 4 outings, albeit at the highest level (Deontay Wilder, Jarrell Miller and Adam Kownacki), only managing to score a victory over one John Wesley Nofire 12 months ago, with the Kownacki loss being his most recent outing..
It appears that those concerned are banking on Helenius travelling with little ambition, as he did with Whyte, although Washington’s desire is equally questionable.. A decent match involving two heavyweights who in all honesty have no place in the current championship climate..
The Card is promoted by PBC and will be broadcast on FS1 and FOX Deportes in the US..

Derek Chisora meets Artur Szpilka on July 20th O2 card.

Former British, European and Commonwealth champion Derek Chisora 30-9 (21 KOs) will face fellow former world title challenger Artur Szpilka 22-3 (15 KOs) at Londons O2 arena on July 20th on a Matchroom card that is headlined by the WBC final eliminator between Dillian Whyte 25-1 (18 KOs) and undefeated Colombian, Oscar Rivas 26-0 (18 KOs) and is supported by a colourful domestic dust up between Dave Allen 17-4-2 (14 KOs) and David Price 24-6 (19 KOs) all broadcast live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK.
The Polish born Szpilka is coming of victories over Dominick Guinn and Mariusz Wach having previously suffered back to back defeats to Adam Kownacki and Deontay Wilder in a WBC title challenge.. Chisora is coming off a tepid victory over Senad Gashi in April following his epic knockout loss to Dillian Whyte in December.. Both guys have a reputation for erratic behaviour and should make for some colourful pre fight pressers..

Murat Gassiev meets tough Joey Dawejko in heavyweight debut.

Former WBA and IBF cruiserweight champion Murat Gassiev faces tough Philadelphian Joey Dawejko in his heavyweight debut on July 29 at The College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
Gassiev has opted to make the move up in weight after fulfilling most of his goals at Cruiserweight, holding versions of the championship for 2 and a half years before running into the exceptional Oleksandr Usyk last July in the final of the WBSS.. Murat won the IBF title in 2016 from tough Denis Lebedev, then grabbed the WBA by stopping Yuniel Dorticos 14 moths later..
The Russian born Gassiev is now based in California and makes the move up after signing co-promotional deals with Matchroom USA, Ural Boxing Promotions and Florida based Warriors Boxing.
The 29 year old Dawejko is no push over, the short deceptive knockout artist will provide decent resistance to the ambitious Russian, having proven himself at a respectable level
having shared the ring with capable names, Charles Martin, Sergey Kuzmin, Bryant Jennings and Amir Mansour..
Joeys name was on the lips of many of the boxing world recently following Anthony Joshua’s upset defeat, having allegedly dropped the former champion in the weeks leading up to the disastrous loss.. The Dawejko fight will be Gassiev’s first appearance in over a year and should see the rugged Russian put in a convincing eye catching performance..

The bout will be broadcast live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

Golovkin stops brave Rolls in 4..

Former unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin 39-1-1 (34 KOs) demolished the previously undefeated Steve Rolls 19-0 (10 KOs) in the fourth of a scheduled 12 rounder at New York’s, Madison Square Garden last night..
Returning for the first time since the Canelo defeat last September, the 37 year old boxed impressively under the tutelage of Jonathan Banks, closing the show with a clinical left hook that put Rolls over and out for the full count with a minute left in the round.. Rolls fought defiantly, and landed his own share of clean punches before succumbing to the former 4 belt champion.. Time of stoppage was 2.09 of the 4th.. Gennady offered great praise to Rolls following the bout, but reaffirmed his intentions of securing a third match with Saul Alvarez.. Golovkin held versions of the middleweight championship from 2010 all the way until last year, many aficionados still hold the opinion that the Kazakh fighter had won both Álvarez fights and was twice the unfortunate victim of Cinco de Mayo Las Vegas judging..

Cletus Seldin stops Zabdiel Judah in Verona.

Cletus Seldin 24-1 (20 KOs) became only the 4th man to stop legendary former undisputed welterweight champion Zab Judah 44-10 (33 KOs) last night when he forced an eleventh round Tko to pick up the vacant NABA title at The Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.
Seldin initiated a solid start, launching an attack to the body of the 41 year old Judah, forcing the Brooklyn man onto the back foot. Seldin made a significant breakthrough at the end of the third, when a right hand visibly shook Judah right at the bell to end the session.. The pattern of the bout remained much the same through the middle rounds, Seldin looking the more comfortable man, landing the more effective punches from close range.. Judah rallied in spurts, but always appeared to fire second best to Seldin who by the 10th was catching a second wind.. The 11th round saw Judah visibly slow from the continual body attacks, whilst the relatively fresh Seldin honed in to overpower the gritty Judah, a cluster of head shots rattled Zab half way through the round, and as Seldin closed in to capitalise on the success, Charlie Fitch jumped in to call a halt on the defiant Judah.. Time of the stoppage was 1:40 of 11.. Seldin now holds the NABA Super lightweight title, leaving Zabdiel looking down the barrel of an uncertain future at this level at least.

Shakur Stevenson meets Hairon Socorras on July 13th.

Troublesome yet undefeated featherweight Shakur Stevenson 11-0 (6 Ko’s) looks likely to appear on a Top Rank promoted card at the Prudential Center in his hometown of Newark NJ, on July 13th.. Stevenson looks likely to meet tough fellow undefeated Hairon Socorras 22-0-3 (14 Ko’s) This is the first time that the former Olympian has had the opportunity to perform in front of his hometown fans, with an extremely testing opponent.. Cuban born Socorras last boxed in May when he scored a 5th round stoppage of Jesus Martinez in Florida.. Top Rank will hold a presser next week to officially announce the Card..

Adam Kownacki faces Chris Arreola, August 3rd.

Colourful Brooklyn based Polish Heavyweight Adam Kownacki 19-0 (15 Ko’s) returns home to the Barclays centre on August 3rd when he faces the very experienced former world title challenger Chris Arreola 38-5-1 (33 Ko’s) in a 12 round Main Event, live on Fox and Fox Deportes.. The deceptively athletic Kownacki is coming off an impressive 2 round knockout of Gerald Washington in January, whilst the Riverside native is coming off a 3rd round stoppage of the previously unbeaten Jean Pierre Augustin in March.. Kownacki is highly ranked and has a huge partisan following, an impressive performance on the 3rd May see him edge closer to a shot at Deontay Wilders WBC title..

The Fox telecast also features former world welterweight champion Andre Berto 32-5 (24 KOs) as he takes on Miguel Cruz 18-1 (12 KOs) in a 10-rounder, whilst undefeated WBA interim Light Heavyweight Champion Marcus Browne 23-0 (16 KOs) meets Canadian former champion Jean Pascal 33-6-1 (20 KOs) in a 12-round bout.

Efe Ajagba faces undefeated Ali Demirezen on July 20th.

Explosive 2016 Olympian Efe Ajagba 10-0 (9 Ko’s) aims to extend his unbeaten run when meets fellow undefeated 2016 Olympian Ali Eren Demirezen 11-0 (10 Ko’s) on July 20 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Ajagba is coming off sensational early stoppages of Michael Wallisch and Amir Mansour in 2019, whilst the German based Turks only victory this year was a 6 round DQ win over tough Adnan Redzovic in April.. Both fighters potentially could have met in the 2016 summer games, but Demirezen, following a first round bye, had the misfortune of meeting Filip Hrgovic of Croatia in the second round stages, losing a wide decision.. The 6 foot 6 Nigerian looks a heavy favourite going into the scheduled 10 rounder having boxed the more accomplished opposition to date..
Ajagba v Demirezen will act as co-feature alongside unbeaten Caleb Plants first defence of his IBF Super-Middleweight title against Mike Lee on the Fox Sports- PBC Card that will be headlined by the PPV Event between Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman.

Tony Harrison injured, Charlo rematch postponed.

The upcoming WBC Super welterweight championship rematch between champion, Tony Harrison and former title holder Jermell Charlo has been postponed due to a nasty ankle injury suffered by the Detroit man only last week.. Tony revealed in more detail that he had an inner and outer sprain to his right ankle, with badly damaged surrounding ligaments.. The reality is that Harrison will be out for at least 10 weeks before he can even consider resuming training of any kind.. Harrison v Charlo will definitely happen, but it’s more than likely that it will now have to wait until the end of the year.. However the PBC card will still go ahead as scheduled on June 23rd at The Mandalay Bay Events Centre in Las Vegas with late replacement Jorge Cota 28-3 (25 Ko’s) jumping in to save the main event.. The respectable Mexican lost a close split decision only weeks ago to Jeison Rosario, but was coming off a run of 3 straight stoppage wins prior to that..
Charlo v Cota will be broadcast live on Fox and Fox Deportes..

Rumours circulate following Saturday’s shocker.

The aftermath of Saturday’s incredible upset in New York has spawned a thousand rumours surrounding Anthony Joshua’s uncharacteristic performance ranging from sparring incidents to last minute panic attack’s.. The majority of the conspiracy theories hatched from an insignificant physical altercation following the fight, between Richard Joshua (Anthony’s father) and Promoter Eddie Hearn, which was quickly diffused by the fighter. Mr Joshua Sr appeared to be pointing a finger angrily at Hearn, whilst launching a verbal assault at the promoter.. Inside sources have revealed that Anthony Joshua was supposed to have suffered an anxiety attack in the dressing room, moments prior to the bout.. Joshua Sr instinctively protective of his son feels that the defeat is a result of Eddie Hearn’s reluctance to pull the distressed fighter out of the fight.. A similar scenario dismisses any talk of anxiety attacks, but leans towards a sparring incident in the days pleading up to the fight, where Joshua was allegedly knocked out, possibly by either European Champion, Agit Kabayel 19-0 (13 Ko’s) or stocky Philadelphian Joey Dawejko 19-7-4 (11 Ko’s) leaving the former champion with a mild concussion, again a far from ideal condition to engage into a tough fight with...

Regardless of hearsay, I have yet to hear any solid verification of either story from a reliable source, and although I’m sure that there may be tiny fragments of truths within many of the rumours, we more than likely won’t ever find out the whole tail and may have to settle for the conclusion that Andy Ruiz jr just happened to expose Anthony Joshua’s evident frailties.. Anthony himself is classy enough to dispel any excuses for his disappointing showing, and explains it as something that comes with the territory.. Ruiz is bound to a contract for a pending rematch with Joshua, but is also advised by Al Haymon, the same man who also controls the man holding the remaining missing piece of the heavyweight puzzle... Andy Ruiz JR’s next steps could alter the whole demographic of the heavyweight picture..

Persoon outguns Taylor in female unification battle, dire scorecards make Taylor champion.

In the most important bout of both girls careers, respective female champions, Katie Taylor 14-0 (6 Ko’s) and Delfine Persoon 43-2 (18 Ko’s) met last night for the unified women’s lightweight title at Madison Sq Garden in New York.. Taylor started the bout the more composed, using angles and meeting the aggressive Belgian walking in.. Persoon soon cut the distance off and started to walk down Taylor causing some panic in the Irish girls corner.. By round 6 Taylor was looking more ragged, from having to physically fight off the relentless Persoon, who was starting to win rounds.. The physical nature of the later rounds saw both girls marked up, most notably Persoons left eye, but it was the Belgian who was landing first with the more significant shots.. By the end of round 9, the commentary team at Sky Sports and DAZN had Persoon comfortably leading, with the gritty WBC champion appearing to edge the final session, however shockingly two of the scorecards favoured Taylor by 2 rounds, with the third even (96-94, 96-94, 95-95) leaving a shocked New York crown unconvinced that Taylor had done enough to be crowned unified champion.. A tearful Persoon left the ring upset at the injustice while an unkempt Taylor tried to convince the DAZN interviewer that she was certain that she had done enough to win.. Paulie Malignaggi at ringside commented that he was literally speechless at the decision.. Eddie Hearn now moves his highest female priority forward to the most viable low risk defence available.. This was shameful judging which has left its mark in one of the biggest fights in female boxing history.

Andy Ruiz Jr, springs huge upset, dethrones Anthony Joshua to become heavyweight champion

In one of the biggest upsets in recent years, late replacement, Andy Ruiz Jr 33-1 (22 KOs) rose to the huge occasion to overwhelm the WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua 22-1 (21 KOs) in seven rounds on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York..
Ruiz, a replacement for original opponent Jarrell Miller came in a deceptive six pounds heavier than he weighed for his victory over Alex Dimitrencko only 6 weeks ago, but demonstrated how you should never judge on appearances, boxing with a patient authority from the start.. The champion broke the momentum in round 3, dropping Ruiz with a quick combination.. but moments later got caught loading up with a hook to the temple which scrambled Joshua’s equilibrium, dropping the Champion for only the second time in his career. With a minute left in the round, Joshua backed up straight into the ropes, being trapped by a cluster of shots from the explosive challenger, landing AJ onto the floor for the second time in the round.. Anthony regrouped through rounds 4 and 5, settling back behind the jab, but began to appear fatigued towards the end of the 6th, allowing the shorter Ruiz to land frequently with single punches.. Between rounds, Joshua was heard asking his trainer Robert McCracken, “Why do I feel like this?” Obviously struggling to process the disastrous situation.. A minute into the seventh, Joshua, stood straight up once again, and got caught with a fast cluster of hooks from Ruiz, unable to maintain his composure Joshua remained straight in the line of fire to take a further bunch of clean shots, dropping him for the third time in the bout.. Rising at 8 with a huge gulp of air, Anthony looked on the cusp of defeat, a short exchange saw the Champion collapse to the floor once again, instantly spitting the mouthpiece whilst struggling to climb upright, AJ walked towards the corner, turning his back on referee Michael Griffin, who looked closely at the fighter.. Joshua didn’t appear in immediate distress but vacantly failed to respond correctly to instructions.. Griffin waved it off to a short protest by a disorganised Joshua.. 1.27 of the round.. Ruiz now hold the largest portion of the richest prize in sports, becoming the first man of Mexican heritage in history to do so.. Ruiz can enjoy a famous Victory but is held to a contractual rematch clause, more than likely in the United Kingdom, later in the year..