Mighty Moses continues on the winning track.

In the latest instalment of the rapid rise of heavyweight prodigy Moses Itauma 14-0 (12 Ko’s) saw the Chatham based 21 year old stop the durable and well travelled Jermaine Franklin Jr 24-3 (15 Ko’s) in the 5th round at the Co-op live arena in Manchester Uk. Itauma started fast, pushing the experienced Franklin back with steady pressure, feints and well mounted two phased assaults. Moses made a breakthrough in the third, with 20 seconds left in the round, showing a slick feint before landing a rapid left hook right hand that would leave the American face down. Franklin survived the patient assault with now in complete control. Moses set traps throughout the fourth and appeared to be finding Jermaine’s measure. 

Exactly half way through the fifth, Itauma created a gap to throw a quick left uppercut, the shot stunned Franklin, who slumped forward only to catch a token right hand on his way to the canvas. Referee Steve Grey called off the action at 1.33 of the round. It’s blatantly evident now that Itauma is proving himself as the real deal, revealing an impressive and creative armoury each time out. Franklin was provided to offer tough rounds, yet suffered the same fate of Whyte, Mckean and all else who fell in front of the tenacious young prospect. Itauma is showing the patience and maturity that could cause trouble for anyone in the division, inclusive of Usyk, Fury, Wardley, Joshua. It’s likely that Moses will face WBA regular champion Murat Gassiev next, a victory would put him in immediate line for a shot at the WBA super title, held by Oleksandr Usyk. 

Undercard and cheif support results from Manchester.

Well-travelled Willy Hutchinson delivered a composed and dominant performance to outwork and outclass the previously unbeaten Ezra Taylor over ten rounds, claiming both the WBO Global and WBA Continental light heavyweight titles. Taylor struggled to implement the guidance of trainer Malik Scott, as Hutchinson consistently had the answers, neutralising his opponent’s attacks throughout. The judges scored it 99–91 and 98–92 twice in Hutchinson’s favour, improving his record to 20–2 (14 KOs), while Taylor suffers his first defeat, dropping to 13–1 (9 KOs).

In the co-main event of Itauma vs Franklin Jr., unheralded Gerome Warburton produced a standout upset against Nathan Heaney to capture the WBA Continental middleweight title. After a cautious opening, Warburton found his rhythm, using sharp movement and combination punching to keep Heaney at bay. Heaney was unable to close the distance as Warburton pulled away convincingly, earning scores of 98–92 and 97–93 twice. Warburton advances to 17–2–2 (2 KOs), while Heaney falls to 19–2–1 (6 KOs).

Brad Pauls entered his bout with undefeated Shakiel Thompson as the clear underdog for the IBF International middleweight title—but tore up the script in dramatic fashion. Trailing on the scorecards, Pauls landed a thunderous right hand in the ninth round that badly hurt the taller Thompson. A follow-up attack sent Thompson to the canvas, and although he beat the count, he was unsteady. Pauls surged forward with another barrage, forcing referee Howard Foster to stop the contest at 1:30 of round nine. Pauls claims the title and improves to 21–2–1 (12 KOs), while Thompson suffers his first loss, dropping to 15–1 (11 KOs).

Liam Davies delivered a clinical performance to break down Francesco Grandelli and claim the Italian’s WBO InterContinental featherweight title, along with the vacant European belt. A sharp right-left combination floored Grandelli in the fourth, and after enduring sustained punishment and cuts, he elected not to continue following the sixth round. Davies moves to 18–1 (9 KOs), while Grandelli falls to 21–5–2 (6 KOs).

In a brief but explosive contest, Josh Holmes overcame early trouble to stop Alex Murphy in the opening round. After nearly being dropped himself, Holmes rallied to score two knockdowns in the final 20 seconds. Murphy bravely rose each time, but referee Howard Foster waved it off at 3:09 of round one. Holmes captures the Commonwealth Silver lightweight title and improves to 18–0 (7 KOs), while Murphy drops to 14–3.

Jared Anderson signs Co-promo deal with Queensbury boxing.

The one time highly touted heavyweight Jared Anderson 18-1 (15 Knockouts) has signed a Co-promotional contract with Frank Warrens, Queensbury boxing in association with Bob Arums Top Rank Inc, with his future fights featuring on DAZN and largely on Queensbury’s Uk shows. Anderson gained momentum since turning pro in 2019, but ran into Martin Bakole in 2024, suffering his first and only loss. Since his return he has boxed only once, a unanimous points win over the underwhelming Marios Kollias over a year ago. 

The 26 year old is due to return on British shores when he faces 10-1 Solomon Dacres on the Wardley v Dubois show on May 9th in Manchester. If Anderson is serious about returning to the top level of the division he needs to remain consistent, boxing with the frequency of his early career. Dacres is a credible opponent for his first appearance on Uk soil and a solid showing should make him popular with British fans opening the doors for potential future bouts with guys like David Adeleye, Frazer Clarke and Richard Riakporhe. 

Carlos Adames dominates Ammo Williams, succesfully defends his WBC middleweight crown in Florida.

Austin Ammo Williams finally got his rescheduled shot at WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames on Saturday night at the lavish Caribe Royale in Orlando Florida after the champion withdrew on the eve of their originally arranged January 31st date due to severe hydration. On this occasion the champion comfortably made the weight and brought his A-game. Adames showed his hand as early as the second by dropping Williams towards the end of the round.  Adames continued to control the bout despite some unnecessary toe to toe exchanges in the late rounds. Visibly hurt on a number of occasions, Williams hung in there and fought gamely, exchanging with Adames despite being outclassed and even coming out blazing in the final session, emptying the tank in a last ditch effort to turn the fight around. Adames was deducted a point for a low blow late in the bout but successfully retained with a convincing unanimous verdict.  Ringside judges scored the fight: 118-108 and 117-109.

The very capable Adames moves to 25-1-1 (18 KOs) whilst the gritty and game Williams moves to 20-2 (13 KOs)

Teremoana stuns Harper in Orlando.

In the chief support to Adames v Williams in Orlando Fl, Australian based heavyweight knockout artist Teremoana Teremoana continued his remarkable knockout run by dispatching of the usually durable Curtis Harper at the conclusion of the opening session. Harper made a vain attempt at starting fast but soon found himself fending off the dominant Teremoana. Just as the commentary suggested that Harper might extend Teremoana into the second stanza, the giant Aussie landed a picture perfect right hand that stretched out Harper for the count. Teremoana moves on with a promising 10-0 (10 Ko’s) record whilst the well travelled Harper drops to 19-13 (13 Ko’s) 

Mirageboxing is listed in top 60 boxing blogs 2026 by Feedspot.com.

This week Anuj Agarwal of Feedspot.com alerted us that we featured in the top 60 of the current boxing blogs in their 2026 list, something which I consider an honour as I have ran Mirageboxing myself since 2009. I’d like to thank everyone who supports us and reads our features and will do my best to keep the blog current and informative. Thankyou to Anuj and his people at Feedspot for offering us something to aspire to.. 

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.