Arnold Barbosa defeats tough Kenneth Sims in Anaheim.

In a crucial fight which had both combatants looking to rebound from a loss, Arnold Barboza Jr. faced Kenneth Sims Jr. for the WBO Global title in the main event of a Golden Boy card at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Sims opened the fight fighting southpaw before switching to an orthodox stance midway through the first round. The bout marked Barboza’s first appearance at welterweight. Though an inch shorter than Sims, Barboza held the reach advantage and made good use of it, landing sharp jabs and hooks.

Stylistically, the two fighters mirrored each other, frequently throwing the same punches at the same time. The key difference was Sims’ reluctance to close the distance, which allowed Barboza to consistently beat him to the punch.

By the second half of the contest, Barboza’s jab had produced visible swelling beneath Sims’ right eye. Sims, meanwhile, struggled to adjust and appeared stuck in neutral, showing little urgency as the rounds slipped away.

In the eleventh round, both fighters leaned in to throw right hands and collided heads, leaving each man cut. Barboza suffered the worse of it, bleeding heavily from a gash along his hairline, while Sims sustained a smaller cut near his right eye.

The cuts had little impact on the twelfth and final round. Barboza fought with growing confidence, even dropping his hands at times. He did walk into a big right hand from Sims but quickly shook it off. Moments later, Barboza began talking to his opponent, telling him, “I told you there were levels to this.”

The judges scored the fight 117–111, 118–110, and 120–108, all in favor of Barboza. The victory improves his record to 33-1 with 11 knockouts, while Sims falls to 22-4-1 with 8 KOs.

Najee Lopez stops Manuel Gallegos to grab WBA Continental Americas light heavyweight title in Florida.

In a classic light heavyweight war, WBA #7, IBF #13, and WBC #15 contender Najee Lopez stopped the relentless Manuel Gallegos in eight brutal rounds to capture the WBA Continental Americas and WBO Latino Light Heavyweight titles at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida.  Headlining the 10-round main event on ProBoxTV, Lopez (16-0, 13 KOs) of Ellenwood, Georgia, and Gallegos (22-4-1, 19 KOs) of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, engaged in a ferocious back-and-forth battle that delivered nonstop action.  The intensity of the fight was extraordinary, reaching a level rarely seen even in memorable matchups. Despite being knocked down during a wild seventh round, Lopez quickly recovered. Relying on superior conditioning and determination, he mounted a final surge that forced the referee to halt the contest at 2:41 of the eighth round, ending Gallegos’ courageous effort.

“That just shows I’m a true champion and I’m here to stay,” said Lopez afterward. “I’m willing to prove it every time I step in the ring. He was the best version of himself tonight. I fought a true champion. The ring was small and he’s a big guy—I felt his shots and his presence. He came to win, but I showed I was there to win too. It came down to nutrition and willpower. We both had game plans, but I had more will.”

“That’s a tough man right there,” Lopez added. “Once I had him hurt, I wasn’t letting him off the hook. That was a real test, and I feel like I passed it.”

In the co-feature, unbeaten Dominic Valle (13-0, 7 KOs) of Lutz, Florida, earned a controversial unanimous decision over Mexico’s Eduardo “Zurdito” Ramirez (29-6-3, 14 KOs) in a 10-round super featherweight bout.

Ramirez, the more seasoned fighter, controlled the first four rounds by crowding Valle, limiting his space, and landing heavy shots with both hands. In round five, Ramirez staggered Valle with a hook, but the younger fighter responded with his own offense to avoid a stoppage. Later in the round, Valle rocked Ramirez with an uppercut and continued the attack into the sixth.

Valle’s right eye began swelling badly, prompting ringside officials to examine it before round seven, but the fight continued. Valle responded by attacking the body and edging rounds seven and eight. After a close ninth round, Ramirez finished strong in the tenth, unleashing two-handed combinations to the head and body.

Despite the competitive nature of the fight, the judges scored it unanimously for Valle: 96-94 and two wide cards of 98-92.

Earlier in the night, Cleveland’s unbeaten light heavyweight Dante Benjamin (14-0-1, 9 KOs) earned an eight-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Angel Lozano (8-1, 6 KOs) of Pomona, California.

After three competitive rounds, Benjamin took control in the fourth with sharp long-range shots that began to break down Lozano. Benjamin’s jab dominated round five, though Lozano rallied in round six with combinations behind an active jab. Benjamin closed strongly over the final two rounds to secure the decision by scores of 80-72, 77-75, and 78-74.

In an entertaining slugfest between two knockout artists, Delvin McKinley (14-5-1, 13 KOs) of New Orleans scored an upset majority decision over Christian “Il Bambino” Chessa (6-1, 6 KOs) of Lombardia, Italy, over six rounds.

After an even opening round, McKinley hurt Chessa with an uppercut in the second, swelling his left eye and drawing blood from his nose. Chessa boxed well in the third to neutralize McKinley’s power and continued landing sharp counters and body shots in the fourth. However, McKinley surged late, landing eye-catching combinations in rounds five and six as Chessa’s left eye nearly closed.

McKinley ultimately secured the upset with scores of 57-57 and two cards of 58-56.

Opening the broadcast, Lutz, Florida’s Kenyan Valle (3-0, 1 KO) earned a hard-fought six-round unanimous decision over Anel Dudo (4-7-1, 1 KO) of Aurora, Colorado.

Dudo appeared to control the first round with his experience, but Valle found his rhythm in round two, landing combinations upstairs and to the body. Dudo increased the pressure in the third and stunned Valle with an uppercut in a strong fourth round.

Although Dudo remained active in round five, Valle’s accuracy helped neutralize the pressure. Dudo pushed hard in the final round but ran into several clean liver shots from Valle, who finished strong.

The judges scored the bout 59-55, 59-55, and 60-54 for Valle, keeping the young prospect undefeated while giving him valuable ring experience.

Cacace dethrones Dickens, WBA Jr Lightweight Title in Dublin.

James “Jazza” Dickens entered the bout aiming to defend his WBA junior lightweight title against former IBF champion Anthony Cacace of Belfast, while also looking to spoil the St. Patrick’s weekend festivities in Dublin, where the fight took place.

The opening four rounds were closely contested, with momentum shifting back and forth as each man appeared to edge alternate frames. Cacace looked somewhat hesitant early on, often pulling his punches and failing to fully commit. In the fifth round, however, he began to find his rhythm, landing a sharp left hand that knocked Dickens off balance. A follow-up flurry helped Cacace secure the round convincingly.

Cacace experimented with switching stances against the southpaw Dickens, producing mixed results. Still, over the following rounds he seemed to take control, with his height and reach starting to make a noticeable difference. Dickens appeared to take the ninth round after an accidental clash of heads left Cacace visibly frustrated while energizing Dickens, who capitalized by landing several clean shots. Cacace’s usual accuracy and output dipped in the tenth as Dickens pushed for a late surge.

Cacace seemed to edge the eleventh, and Dickens came out with urgency in the final round, pressing forward in desperation. But Cacace managed to neutralize each attack and hold his ground. When the scorecards were read, the judges awarded the hard-fought, technically sharp contest to the new champion, Anthony Cacace, by scores of 115–113, 116–112, and 116–113. Cacace improved to 25–1 with 9 KOs, while Dickens dropped to 36–6 with 15 knockouts.

Top Rank join broadcasting alliance with DAZN.

Following most of the last 8 months in the wilderness without a prominent broadcast partner, Top Rank Boxing—led by promoter Bob Arum—is reportedly close to securing a new platform. Multiple reports say the promotion has finalized a multi-year broadcasting deal with DAZN, ending its brief period without a rights partner following the split with ESPN.

Published details indicate the agreement will include eight to ten live fight cards each year. Top Rank is expected to receive license fees of roughly $1 million to $1.25 million per event, placing the overall value of the deal at around $10 million annually. DAZN will serve as the exclusive global streaming home for the fights included in the package.

While outlets such as The Ring have already reported the basic terms, an official announcement from both sides is anticipated later this week.

The agreement concludes a transitional period that began when Top Rank’s eight-year partnership with ESPN expired in July 2025. In the meantime, the promotion kept its fighters active by staging select events on a free ad-supported streaming (FAST) channel, but the absence of a major broadcast partner left the company searching for a long-term distribution home.

The new arrangement with DAZN represents a smaller package than Top Rank’s previous deal with ESPN, which reportedly paid between $80 million and $90 million per year while featuring more than 30 events annually.

For DAZN, the addition further bolsters its position in the boxing market. The streaming service already partners with several major promotional companies, including Matchroom Boxing, Golden Boy Promotions, and Queensberry Promotions.

Fury v Joshua.. a done deal?

Rumours are circulating that Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have agreed certain terms in steps to make the all British superfight happen in the very near future. Fury is scheduled to return on April 11th against huge Russian Arslan Makhmudov, a fight due to be broadcast exclusively on Netflix, whilst Joshua, coming off a loss to Dubois in 2025 and a token victory over media star Jake Paul in December is muted to be returning within the next 8 weeks and is likely to face former amateur and pro rival Dillian Whyte, before cementing the deal to bring the Fury fight to fruition. Joshua has been sidelined since the tragic car accident in Nigeria where two of his closest team mates lost their lives. 

Sportswriter Gareth A Davies claims that Fury and Joshua have agreed to fight each other in what would be a huge event for British boxing.  Davies told Adam Catterall and Spencer Oliver that the fight is a ‘done deal’ claiming the bout was already signed, stating that he has the background information on good authority. 

Unfortunately, the fight, despite its public popularity is several years behind its sell by date, with both fighters being considered damaged goods since height profile losses to Dubois and Usyk. If Joshua beats Whyte or whoever materialises and Fury moves past Makhmudov it seems that it could be a profitable exercise for all concerned. With the Uk sporting a number of relevant heavyweights, including current WBO champion Fabio Wardley along with former champions Daniel Dubois and Lawrence  it seems that Joshua v Fury may be reduced to a highly publicised Circus act. Wardley meets Dubois in several weeks whilst the current undefeated heir apparent Moses Itauma meets American Jermaine Franklin in 2 weeks. 

Time capsule comparisons.. Proper Heavyweight development..

Every several years a heavyweight comes along that captures the imagination, and it’s interesting to compare the learning curves, timescales of progression and ultimately that moment of truth where they were asked to meet a crisis head on. 

Going back 25 plus years we had the 6 ft 5 adonis, Michael Grant.  Grant turned pro at 22 in 1994 after a very brief run in the amateurs. By 1999 Michael looked like the next big thing, trained by Don Turner, Michael had bagged a deal with HBO network and was 31-0 with 22 knockouts. 

The First time Michael was taken the distance was by 55 fight veteran Danny Wofford in fight  number 9 over 8 rounds, Grant would be forced over the line several times more in the second half of his career so far, more justifiably by capable guys, Jeff Wooden, Ray Anis, Ross Purity and Lou Savarese.  The first prominent name that Grant faced was Mike Dixon in his 14th outing. Mike began to prove himself as a noted puncher, and got rid of some top drawer heavyweights of the period including Corey Sanders, Alfred Cole, Jorge Gonzalez, David Izon, Obed Sullivan and Ahmad Abdin..  in 1994 Michael made 10 ring appearances and in 1996 made 8, quite impressive activity. The first sign of cracks in Michael’s game came in his 31st fight, headlining against the very dangerous Andrew Golota who had twice quit in fights that he appeared to be winning against Riddick Bowe 3 years prior..

Entering the fight Michael was 27 and had never been under any significant pressure..  in round 1 Grant was dropped and forced to climb off the floor twice to avert an imminent crisis. After maintaining some composure Michael steadily pressured Golota and stood his ground in a competitive contest. In round 10 Grant dropped Golota heavily, as the Polish heavyweight climbed to his feet, he turned away from the referee displaying his nature and a frontrunner, handing victory to the surprised Grant. 

What the Golota fight showed us was that Michael had minerals..  but it also exposed some evident flaws especially early in the fight..  

5 months later Michael would challenge for Lennox Lewis's unified titles (2 relevant belts) a fight where he would once again run into hot water early, displaying his lack of fundamentals at the highest level. Michael was dropped 3 times by Lewis in the opener then knocked unconscious in round 2, in an event that appeared far too big for him considering his limited time in the sport. 

Toledo Ohio’s Jared Anderson appeared the 2024 heavyweight in waiting, he turned pro in 2019, aged 19 and by 2024 marked up an impressive run of 17-0 with 14 knockouts. Jared was pushed over the distance on 2 occasions against former IBF champion Charles Martin in his 15th fight and by durable Ryad Merhy in fight 17, the Martin fight being the first real fighter of note that Anderson had faced. In fight number 18 Jared would run into his first crisis, where he was dropped 3 times by the heavy handed Martin Bakole and stopped in round 5. Anderson has since only returned to the ring once to face token opposition. Anderson was averaging between 3 to 4 fights per year until 2024.

The UK’s Moses Itauma appears the current heavyweight of the hour, he turned pro at 18 and at the present time has an impressive record of 13-0 with 11 kos. Despite earning a reputation as a noted world class puncher, Moses was twice forced the 6 round distance as early as his third and fourth fights. Since bout 4, Itauma has got rid of every man he’s faced in double quick fashion, the first notable name being former world title challenger Mariusz Wach who he stopped in 2 rounds in his 10th outing. Since then he dispatched 2 durable once beaten opponents in Dempsey Mckean in 1 and Mike Balogun in 2, before his most significant step up last year when he knocked out the world ranked Dillian Whyte in a single round. As far as activity goes, in his brief 3 and a half years as a pro he boxed 7 times in 2023, 4 times in 2024 and twice last year. Moses is due to take on the durable and tested Jermaine Franklin in a few weeks, in a bout designed to gauge where he is on the large scale. So far Itauma hasn’t encountered anything even close to a crisis situation. 

 

It’s tough between the three comparisons, Jared and Moses moved towards the top of the division in different ways, with Grant boxing far more frequently in comparison to today and against more varied and proven guys. Itauma may prove to be the real thing as his career progresses but it shows that there is indeed a fine line when it comes to the progression and correct development of a young heavyweight prospect, it’s almost a work or art and as we’ve seen in two of these instances, poor timing and bad matchmaking can signal curtains for costly and time consuming exercise. Boxing is a game where the snakes are long and the ladders are extremely short. 

Chief Support and Undercard action from Saturdays Zuffa event in Las Vegas.

In a scheduled 10 round Welterweight chief support, Vlad Panin boxed competently against  Shinard Bunch, steadily building up rounds before forcing referee Allen Huggins to call a halt at 2:30 of the penultimate round to prevent the pointless exercise from reaching the scorecards. Vlad landed an unanswered cluster of shots and was headed to a wide points win. Vlad Panin goes forward to 24-2 (15 KOs) Bunch drops to 22-4-1 (18 KOs).

In a heavyweight 8 rounder, Undefeated Joshua Juarez outscored the equally tough Jardae Anderson in a relatively pedestrian affair. Both fighters routinely letting their hands go for the final 15 seconds of each session. Ringside judges scored the bout 79-73.. 78-74.. 77-75 unanimously for Juarez who continues on his unbeaten run at 15-0 (9 KOs) Anderson drops to his second defeat at 11-2 (9 KOs).

At Featherweight Ethan Ramos and Jaycob Perez engaged in a 6 round bar-burner which saw both men visiting the canvas, Ramos dropped in round 2, then Perez finding himself on the floor a round later.  The closely matched bout was scored at ringside as 57-55 Ramos and 56-56 twice, ruling a majority draw. Perez moves on at 8-0-1 (3 KOs) while Ramos mives to 4-1-1 (1 KO).

At featherweight Emiliano Alvarado dictated Erick Rosado comfortably over 6. Alvarado dropped Rosado in round 2, before controlling the majority of the bout.. Ringside judges scored it unanimously at 59-55. Alvarado moves to 11-0 (6 KOs) whilst Rosado declines to 16-5 (11 KOs).

At Lightweight. Brady Ochoa fought an entertaining and closely matched 6 rounder..   The ringside judges scored the bout 58-56 in favour of Ochoa…. 57-57 twice, ruling a popular majority draw. Serrano remains at 6-0-2 (3 KOs) Ochoa moves to 9-0-1 (2KOs.)

Undefeated heavyweight Teremoana Teremoana takes on Curt Harper on March 21st in Florida.

On 21st March. Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom in association with Boxlab Promotions sees undefeated Australian based knockout artist Teremoana Teremoana 9-0 (9 Ko’s) take on his first notable opponent at the Caribe Royale in Orlando Florida when he takes on the colourful Curtis Harper 19-11 (13 Ko’s) of Jacksonville Florida. Last time out the huge Samoan stopped German Montes in a round last December. Teremoana 28 has boxed 9 times in 5 years as a pro and is looking to develop towards a significant step up fight in the coming months. Harper most known for his viral 2018 financially fuelled walkout prior to his bout with Efe Ajagba has mixed in class, facing names like Cris Arreola, Richard Torrez, Guido Vianello, Bakhodir Jalolov, Zhilei Zhang and Gerald Washington (losing on each occasion) with his last significant victory being a unanimous decision over the previously undefeated Christian Thun in 2022. Harper’s visible condition sometimes belies his ability as his 2015 losing effort to three time world title challenger Cris Arreola proved highly competitive. 

The Chief support bout sees WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adams 24-1-1 (18 Ko’s) take on the challenge of Austin Ammo Williams 20-1 (13 Ko’s) 

Both fighters have faced a common opponent in undefeated Briton Hamza Sheeraz, with Adames being unfortunate to come away with a split draw in 2025, whilst Williams suffered a 11th round Tko in 2024 in what remains his sole loss. 

The show will be broadcast exclusively on DAZN. 

Jai Opetia outguns tough Brandon Glanton in Las Vegas.. Crowned Zuffa World Cruiserweight Champion.

Universally acknowledged World cruiserweight champion Jai Opetia 30-0 (23 KOs) put on a masterclass by outboxing and out-gunning the very durable Brandon Glanton 21-3 (18 KOs) on his way to a lopsided victory at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Sunday night. The rugged southpaw entered the fight steely focussed after a distracting fight week that saw him stripped of his IBF belt only days prior to the landmark promotion. Opetia entered the ring solely as Ring Magazine champion and opted to boxed intelligently throughout the early sessions, offering Glanton a moving target whilst pot shotting behind a jab from range. As the fight entered the middle rounds the champion appeared content to meet Glanton at close quarters, enjoying the better of the exchanges, trading in a fashion more suited to the Atlanta fighter. By round 8 Glanton was displaying physical signs of wear and slowed down to a pace much easier to target and was forced to withstand accurate well timed assaults from Opetia. Entering the championship rounds it became apparent that Glanton was purely surviving the frequent and clinical assaults from the champion who by round 12 had all but vaporised every ounce of ambition that the challenger might have had. Opetia spiteful and well timed punching closed the show assertively, within a whisker of forcing a stoppage by the final bell. 

Hyper vigilant referee Allen Huggins harshly took a point from Glanton in round six for holding and again in the eighth for punches that strayed low. Surprisingly a point was deducted in the penultimate round  for holding.  Ringside Judges Eric Cheek, Patricia Morse Jarman and David Sutherland scored the fight unanimously 119-106, crowning Opetaia as the first official Zuffa world champion. 

Jack Blackburn.. a modern day genius.

Jack Blackburn had an extensive career as a fighter but is honored in the Hall of Fame for his achievements as a trainer, most notably of Joe Louis. Charles Blackburn was Born in Versailles, Kentucky in 1883, the son of a minister.  Blackburn would later settle in Indiana where he first began boxing. Jack would soon move to Pennsylvania first to Pittsburgh and then Philadelphia to further his boxing career. Blackburn had a great Jab, quick reflexes and a powerful left hook, and weighed only 135 pounds, but would often fight much larger opposition.  Jack was competitive against greats like Joe Gans and Sam Langford (who considerably outweighed him ), and gave Philadelphia Jack O'Brien no end of trouble before settling for a no-decision in 1908.

In January 1909, Blackburn's career was halted when out of character he would set off on a furious rampage with a gun in Philly following a dispute...  Blackburn would kill three people, one being his wife..   He was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to ten to fifteen years in the penetentiary. Blackburn proved a model prisoner, gave boxing instructions to the warden and his children and was released on good behavior after four and a half years.

Blackburn returned to the ring, boxing both Ed ("Gunboat") Smith and Harry Greb before retiring from prize fighting in 1923 after losing by knockout to Panama Joe Gans and Ray Pelkey. Blackburn's career record was a stellar 38-3-12 with nearly 50 no-decisions, although claimed to have fought 385 times.

Blackburn would then become a trainer and guide Sammy Mandell to the lightweight title in 1926. Blackburn also trained Bud Taylor, who won the bantamweight title in 1927. Blackburn worked closely for a short time with the great Jersey Joe Walcott.

Blackburn then met Joseph Louis Barrow..  at first Jack was apprehensive about Louis, predicting that a black heavyweight would have limited opportunities. Nevertheless, Blackburn worked tirelessly with Louis, schooling him every step of the way in every aspect of fighting, focus on balance and accuracy. According to Eddie Futch, Blackburn changed Louis from a "box and move" type to a more aggressive fighter. Though Blackburn was tough on Louis, the two grew close and called each other "Chappie." Louis later said, "Chappie made a fighter out of me. He was my closest friend."  Blackburn was a huge disciplinarian, one specific time during a public workout, Blackburn would scowl at the onlooking press and direct Joe to continue with what he'd call "The real pain" behind locked doors, in private..

Blackburn later had issues with drink, along with bouts of arthritis during the time he trained Louis. In 1935, he was indicted for perjury and manslaughter in a case that was later dropped. Soon Blackburn's health would catch up with him and in 1942, he died of a heart attack...  One of the modern day greats...

Jai Opetia stripped of IBF cruiserweight title ahead of his Zuffa title bout with Brandon Glanton in Las Vegas.

In a late revelation, Jai Opetaia is set to be stripped of his IBF cruiserweight title the moment he enters the ring to face challenger Brandon Glanton tonight in Las Vegas.

Opetaia is scheduled to fight Glanton for the inaugural Zuffa Boxing World Cruiserweight title and was originally scheduled with the blessing of the IBF, to defend their belt, however the New Jersey based organisation has withdrawn sanction of the optional defence in a late U turn. 

The IBF stated that they had initially approved the bout as Opetaia's team had told them the Zuffa Boxing fight in Las Vegas would not be a unification bout and that any belt awarded would be characterised as a trophy or token of recognition. 

However, following a review of the final news conference on Friday, it became apparent that the Zuffa World Cruiserweight title would be contested for and announced in the same breath as the established IBF championship. The IBF made it clear that they do not recognise Zuffa Boxing and as far as they were concerned it was now an unsanctioned bout.

It has been universally acknowledged that unification by definition is determined between the holders of the time established and proven governing bodies (WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF) 

An unsanctioned contest in this context is a bout which the IBF has not formally approved for sanction or where sanctioning has been formally withdrawn.

The IBF stated “If a champion participates in an unsanctioned contest within his prescribed weight limit, the title will be declared vacant whether the champion wins or loses the bout."

Australias Opetaia will therefor forfeit his IBF belt but will keep possession of the Ring cruiserweight title which he simultaneously holds. 

Zuffa Boxing is fronted by UFC CEO Dana White and hosted its first flagship event in January and has unveiled ambitious plans to transform professional boxing.

White's goal appears to be to end the current monopoly of the four traditional sanctioning bodies - WBO, WBC, IBF and WBA - and elevate Zuffa's belt as the ultimate prize in boxing in allegiance with the Ring Magazine title, championed and owned by Saudi boxing aficionado Turki Alalshikh.

Apart from having signed Opetaia, Zuffa recently scalped the signature of Britains Conor Benn, who controversially left Matchroom Boxing to jump aboard.