Gassiev and Suslenkov victorious in championship bouts in Moscow.

Last weekend 2 fights with a certain amount of significance in the heavyweight picture took place at the VTB Arena in Moscow, Russia. Current holder of the WBC regular championship Murat Gassiev was due to meet former Olympic champion Tony Yoka, but when the Frenchman withdrew with an injury the whole promotion was thrown into uncertainty. Rumours circulated that former Olympian and highly ranked contender Joe Joyce was to replace Yoka (whom he lost to in the 2016 Olympic final) and challenge for the title, despite a poor run of form. Eventually Gassiev was matched with the unranked Peter Kadiru of Germany leaving Joyce to meet his original opponent, the unbeaten Russian Artem Suslenkov in a bout for the WBA continental title. 

Joyce 16-4 (15 Ko’s) entered the co-main event at 289 pounds, and despite his poor form and age, boxed assertively over the first 4 rounds, keeping the smaller fighter on the end of a jab and carefully selected right hands. Gradually Suslenkov 14-0 (9 Ko’s) shortened the distance and began landing the heavier weaponry in quick bursts. Joyce didn’t appear affected by the offensive coming back at him, and maintained his consistent approach to ordered shouted by new trainerJavon Hill. Going into the last quarter of the fight I personally had the fight scored relatively even despite the Russian gaining the heavier momentum, landing cleaner and more damaging shots. Joyce displayed no signs of distress and appeared content to stick to his gameplan and weather the late Suslenkov offensive. In the 11th Suslenkov seemed more marked up facially but appeared the more active of the two with Joyce slowing down to a literal snails pace, landing very deliberate shots but putting himself in imminent danger, unable to avoid the return fire. With a minute left in the 11th, Suslenkov landed with a cluster of shots that landed cleanly on Joyce head, Joe took a couple steps back and made a hand waving gestured to the referee, initially looked like a sign of gamesmanship from Joyce from the shots that had landed, but it soon became evident that the punches manned had affected the former Olympian and he wanted a way out. Suslenkov not fully understanding the situation jumped in to land a further barrage of shots before the referee called a halt to the action. An unusual ending considering the immense punishment Joyce had been able to absorb unmoved throughout his career, surrendering had never appeared in Joyce’s resume, as amateur or pro..  Joyce was a shell of his former self and despite his obvious natural ability, his reflexes to defend himself had deteriorated along with the hand speed that had once served as his best attribute along with his toughness. 

In the main event, the huge Peter Kadiru 23-1 (13 Ko’s) 257 pounds found himself completely out of his depth as the determined and motivated WBA holder Murat Gassiev 33-2 (26 Ko’s) took 6 rounds to outwork and grind down the limited challenger before the Germans corner stopped the action with Kadiru completely outgunned and pinned in his own corner. Gassiev now looks for a significant fight to place him amidst the heavyweights major players. Yoka and Moses Itauma look like very possibly future opponents however Derrick Chisora made his presence felt on the night and proposed a potential showdown with the former cruiserweight world title challenger. 

The show was promoted by IB Challenger promotions in association with Al Siesta, along with Frank Warrens Queensbury promotions and John Wirt and Epic Sports, broadcast internationally by DAZN.

Dishonorable cheque scandal by promoters of Rochester anti violence boxing event.

On Saturday April 25 at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York, a professional Boxing show unfolded into shameless robbery when the events Promoter Derick Gramling and reputed associate Clay Harris bounced a series of checks to the unknowing fighters that were appearing that evening, to the tune of $80,000, in truth, all of the paychecks assigned to the respective fighters were bad. As it appeared, the event failed to be financially productive with ticket sales crashing with an estimated 1,800 tickets sold in a 10,000-seat venue. The disastrous ticket sales left the promoters with over $100.000 of debt. It was later revealed that payments and commission checks to fighters and officials bounced had bounced in bad faith.The headline on the show was  Syracuse's Bryce Mills v Florida based Julio Rosa. Mills, managed by the esteemed Hall of Famer Russell Peltz. Both headline fighters were manipulated out of $45,000 between them.  

The bond, posted by the promoter was the bare minimum allowed under the regulations of the New York State Athletic Commission at $20,000.

The Monroe County District Attorney's office is presently doing their pre-indictment due diligence to charge at least Derick Gamling, & possibly Clay Harris with serious felony criminal charges.

In a shameless twist to this, Gamling & Harris started a public GoFundMe account, released across social media and in the local Rochester tabloids suggesting to the Rochester locals that the blame lay with local people of the area for not supporting the show.

This situation is still ongoing as of May 18, 23 days after the show. 

Zak Chelli springs huge upset over David Morrell in Manchester.

Completely overlooked and unranked Zak Chelli wasn't expected to offer much resistance for the former two-time champ David Morrell, stepping in as a late replacement for original opponent Callum Smith but caused a sensational final round upset, stopping Morrell despite trailing significantly on the scorecards. Morrell dictated the majority of the fight behind his jab, setting up strategic traps. Despite the class  differential Chelli persisted to stubbornly hang around, using unorthodox movement, looking for opportunistic right hands. Opportunity finally arose in the ninth, Chelli hurt Morrell with that very punch, but Morrell managed to get out of the round. Morrell came out cautiously behind the jab in the tenth, leading handily on the scores, looking to grab an uninspiring yet lobsided points win. with 40 seconds left in the round, Chelli landed an optimistic right hand, visibly hurting Morrell followed by another which landed clean. Seizing the rare opportunity Chelli followed up with a barrage of shots trapping Morrell on the ropes, the final right hand causing Morrell to sag lifelessly forcing referee Darren Sarginson to step in and stop the action at 2:24 of the final round. Chelli, a rank outsider raised his record to 17-3-1, 9 KOs. Morrell loses for the second time, falling to 12-2, 9 KOs. Following the victory Chelli made it clear that he was prepared to meet anyone on the world scene inclusive Morrells original opponent Callum Smith in a logical all British battle.

    

Dubois overcomes early crisis to overpower Wardley to regain a portion of the heavyweight crown.

In a battle of epic proportions, Daniel Dubois overcame an early scare and two knockdowns to outlast and batter WBO champion Fabio Wardley into submission in the 11th round of a highly entertaining and brutal war on Saturday night in Manchester.  Dubois was stunned in the opening seconds and forced to climb off the canvas following a wild right hand and had to do the same in the third. To his credit Daniel recomposed himself and settled behind the jab to work his way back into the fight. By round 6 the scars of battle were evident on the face of the champion as Daniel rallied himself into a dominant position leaving Wardley swinging for the fences. As the rounds passed Fabio appeared far more desperate in his attempt to regain a foothold but found himself too easy to hit and despite his resilience was mere target practice from round 7 onwards. Dubois showed great persistance throughout and by round 10 there was a strong case for stopping the action to prevent the relentless punishment that yhe champion was absorbing in an attempt to save his title. Dubois landed a series of right hands early in the 11th leaving referee Howard Foster no option but to save Wardley from himself and award Dubois a famous and well deserved victory..  Dubois has now held both the WBA regular title, along with the IBF and currently WBO titles. its testament to his mental strength following 3 psychologically crushing defeats to return and regain such a valuable portion of the heavyweight championship despite recent critical opinions of the press and public. Dubois improves to 23-3 with 22 KOs, while Wardley suffers the first loss of his career, falling to 20-1-1 with 19 KOs.

Bakhodir Jalolov remains undefeated with stoppage over game Agron Smakici in Manchester.

Undefeated double Olympic Gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov 17-0 (15 Ko's) scored a 7th round retirement victory tonight at the Co-op live arena in Manchester over the spirited and game Agron Smakici 21-4 (19 Ko's) of Zagreb Croatia. The US based Uzbek boxed superbly, controlling the fight from long range behind the jab, forcing the smaller Smakici to take risks and put himself in the danger zone. Smakici rolled the dice and attempted to force the safety first Jalalov to trade in the 7th, causing the huge Usbek to look a little uncomfortable. Jalolov obliged towards the conclusion of the session and opened up with what appeared to be the start of his offensive repertoire.  The bout looked to be catching fire when the Smakici corner alerted referee Darren Sarginson to call the action off at the conclusion of the 7th. Smakici seemed to be out of ideas whilst the huge Jalolov started to come out if his amateur shell and show some authority. if I've any criticism of Jalolov, he appears too comfortable to coast in fights where hes technically dominant and doesn't present himself as the most entertaining heavyweight despite his obvious potential. Smakici who was previously stopped by Agit Kabayel showed huge heart, leaving onlookers rather puzzled at his premature exit in a fight that he was competitive in. Jalolov has showed interest in shooting for a third Olympic medal in the coming games and remains largely a hybrid heavyweight contender. 

Mike Perez returns with an uninspiring points win over Franklin Arinze in Manchester.

Former Cruiserweight world title challenger Mike Perez 32-3-1 (22 ko's) returned to action tonight after 9 months out with a tepid 8 round points win over the undefeated Nigerian Franklin Arinze 10-0 (7 Ko's) on the Wardley v Dubois show at the Co-op live in Manchester.  Perez started slow and took 2 sessions to find his range against the limited Arinze, controlling the majority of the action in quick flurries. Through the middle rounds inactivity appeared to hamper Perez with his timing being noticably off, allowing Arinze back into the fight. The closing rounds were an untidy affair with very few significant attacks from either side. Darren Sarginson scored the underwhelming affair 78-74 in a fight that struggled to catch fire. it was the 40 year old Perez first fight since last August when he had to settle for a No contest in another scrappy affair against Christian Fabian Luis. Unfortunately it seems that the once World class cruiserweight and heavyweight is nearing the end if the line.

Wardley v Dubois Weigh in Results from Manchester.

Fabio Wardley 242lbs v Daniel Dubois 251lbs
WBO Heavyweight Championship.

Jack Rafferty 146lbs v Ekow Essuman 146lbs
Welterweights.

David Morrell 176lbs v Zak Chelli 177lbs
light heavyweights.

Bakhodir Jalolov 254lbs v Agron Smakici 241lbs.
Heavyweights.

Brad Rea 173lbs v Liam Cameron 174lbs
Light Heavyweights.

Khaleel Majid 139lbs v Gavin Gwynne 139lbs.
Super Lightweights.

Main Card, Promoted by Frank Warren in association with Queensbury Boxing.

Hosted by The Co-op Live Arena in Manchester England.

Broadcast Exclusively by DAZN.

Wardley v Dubois show in Manchester features show stealing undercard.

 

Frank Warrens Queensbury boxing parents a fantastic show on Saturday night at the Co-op live arena in Manchester, featuring WBO heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley 20-0-1 (19 Ko’s) making the first defence of the title that was graced to him following former champion Oleksandr Usyk opting to vacate. Wardleys challenger is the former WBA regular and IBF champion Daniel Dubois 22-3 (21 Ko’s) it was may prove to be an epic scrap. Both fighters possess great one punch power with Wardley garnering one of the highest percentage rates in boxing today. Daniel however may have more on the line in this one having suffered 2 consequent defeats by stoppage in championship challenges along with a damaging early career loss to Joe Joyce. Both defeats to Usyk are by no means a disgrace for the Londoner and May prove a catalyst to him becoming a more hardened professional this time around. Fabio turned pro largely under the radar, from a lightly regarded white collar fighter he chose to take a huge leap of faith under the tutelage of Dillian Whyte and along the way has always found a way to win, often against the odds or in fights where he appeared to be trailing on the scorecards. Most recently Fabio has scored damaging knockouts over Frazer Clarke (after a draw) which is the only blemish on his record, a stoppage of Joseph Parker, in a fight that was drifting away from him and a one punch howitzer that stopped Justis Huni in a fight where Wardley was trailing noticeably on points. Dubois has more versatility and proven pedigree from the amateurs, but Wardley appears more battle hardened and willing to take risks. The factor that is repeatedly raised coming into this fight is the nature of a couple of Daniels losses, where sceptics feel that he quit when the going got hot (with Joyce and Usyk) Regardless of opinions, it’s a fantastic heavyweight match that won’t disappoint. 

The show is propped up with some tasty undercard bouts including a light heavyweight feature between former 2 weight champion David Morrell 12-1 (9 Ko’s) who was recently due to meet Callum Smith before Smith suffered an unfortunate injury. Morrell meets tough Zak Chelli 16-3-1 (8 Ko’s) in a light heavyweight 10 rounder.  Former heavyweight contender and Cruiserweight world title challenger Mike Perez 31-3-1 (22 Ko’s) of Ireland via cuba meets undefeated Nigerian Franklin Arinze 10-0 (7 Ko’s) Arinze in untested as of yet and Perez hasn’t tasted defeat since his challenge for Mairis Breidis’s title in the super series 9 years ago. 

Liam Cameron 24-7-1 (10 Ko’s) returns at light heavyweight to meet tough Brad Rea 21-2 (10 Ko’s) in a very spicy match, Rea coming off a closely contested decision loss to Lyndon Arthur and Cameron having only boxed once since his 2 highly publicised fights with the promising Ben Whittaker.

Jack Rafferty 26-0-1 (17 Ko’s) meets the always entertaining Ekow Essuman at welterweights. Essuman last appeared in a losing effort against Jack Catterall, having previously ending the career of Josh Taylor. The undefeated Rafferty coming off a disappointing draw with Mark Chaimberlain last august for the British and commonwealth super lightweight belts. 

Also featuring is undefeated American based Usbek heavyweights Bakhodir Jalolov 16-0 (14 Ko’s) Jalolov meets the underwhelming Agron Smakici 21-3 (19 Ko’s). Jalolov turned pro in 2018, but made the peculiar decision after 6 pro starts, to return to the amateurs and win the 2020 Olympic gold medal at super heavyweight in Tokyo then returned to his professional career, racking up several wins before taking a year off in 2024 to feature in the Paris Olympics, winning yet another super heavyweight gold medal. 

The fights are promoted solely by Frank Warrens Queensbury promotions and will be broadcast globally via DAZN PPV. 

David Benavidez stops Zurdo Ramirez to grab titles up at Cruiserweight.

David Benavidez delivered a shining performance last night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, moving up in weight to arrest the WBA and WBO cruiserweight championships from fellow Mexican Gilberto Zurdo Ramirez. With the victory, Benavidez claimed titles in a third division and solidified his status as one of boxing’s elite.  From the opener, the size difference between the two became evident, Benavidez spent the majority of the round gauging distance and made the initial breakthrough with a crisp combination towards the closing seconds. Ramirez responded in the second by pressing forward and trying to work on the inside, but Benavidez maintained control, creating space and finishing strong once again.Ramirez continued applying pressure in the third and found some success at close range, yet Benavidez consistently had the final say, unleashing quick combinations late in the round. The fourth proved pivotal, as Benavidez’s accuracy and volume began to take a toll. In the closing second, he dropped Ramirez, whose face was already showing signs of damage. Although Ramirez came out aggressively in the fifth, staying close and attempting to disrupt Benavidez’s rhythm, the challenger’s output and precision proved too much. By the sixth round, swelling around Ramirez’s eye had worsened. Benavidez capitalized, landing another decisive combination that sent the champion to the canvas for a second time. Referee Thomas Taylor completed the count at 2:59 of the round, bringing the bout to an end. With the win, Benavidez improves to 32-0 with 26 knockouts and adds another chapter to his unbeaten run. Ramirez, now 48-2 with 30 KOs put up a brave showing but was no match for the self proclaimed Mexican monster but was in no way disgraced in defeat. 

Undefeated Teremoana Teremoana, racks up his 11th stoppage win over overmatched Tupoe in Flemington.

Friday night at the Melbourne Pavillion in Flemington Australia, undefeated heavyweight prospect Teremoana Teremoana 10-0 (10 Ko’s) dispatched tough but faded former contender Bowie Tupoe 29-7 (20 Ko’s) in the opener of a scheduled 8 rounder. Tupoe hasn’t had a significant win in 7 years since he stopped Roger Izonritei in 2019, despite having faced quality opposition like Joseph Parker, Bryant Jennings and Malik Scott over a decade ago. Teremoana found his range early, finding the 287 pound Tupoe a stationary target. Half was into the session Tupoe was stunned by a quick right hand, as he backed into the ropes Teremoana landed a lethal uppercut followed by a straight right that left the 43 year old Tupoe sagging to the canvas. Referee Ignatius Missailidis called a halt immediately at 1:14 of the round, giving Teremoana his 9th first round knockout in 11 starts. The height and dimensions of the mammoth Teremoana, paired with the speed and killer instinct will make him hard to subdue until he stepped into higher level competition. This fight was a chief support to the Skye Nicholson v Mariah Turner show, promoted by Eddie Hearns Matchroomin association with Sam Labrunas SLB Fight night Promotions, broadcast exclusively on DAZN Globally. 

Ramirez and Benavidez make weight in Las Vegas.

Gilberto Ramirez 200lbs vs David Benavidez 196.8lbs
WBO and WBA Cruiserweight World Championships.

Armando Resendiz 167lbs vs Jaime Munguia 167.4lbs

WBA World Super Middleweight Championship 

Oscar Duarte 139.8lbs vs Angel Fierro 143.4lbs
WBC Silver and NABO Super Lightweight Championships.

Jorge Chavez 122lbs vs Jose Tito Sanchez 121.2lbs
WBA Continental Super Bantamweight Championship 

Isaac Lucero 155.6lbs vs Ismael Flores 155.2lbs
Daniel Blancas 166.8lbs vs Raul Salomon 167.4lbs

Juan Carrillo 177.4lbs  vs Juan Delgado 177.6lbs

Dylan Capetillo 136.2lbs vs James Pierce 134.8lbs

The Event is hosted by The  T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Under the auspices of the Nevada Athletic Commission
The Event is Promoted by Tom Brown (TGB Promotions)

Oscar De La Hoya (Golden Boy Promotions)

Sampson Lewkowicz (Sampson Boxing)

The evenings bouts were arranged by Matchmakers, Tom Brown, Whitfield Haydon, Javier Razo and Joseph Rotonda

Broadcast by Amazon Prime Video and DAZN PPV Globally.