Trevor Bryan meets Daniel Dubois Saturday in Florida for WBA regular strap.

                            

WBA regular champion Trevor Bryan was much more lively than his usual self at the weigh in for his highly anticipated defence against Britains Daniel Dubois where he weighed in 18 pounds heavier than the challenger at 259lbs. Don King promoted Bryan insists that he has been overlooked and is largely unknown by the public but promises to deliver tomorrow evening at what he considers his coming out party against a legitimate threat. Dubois 17-1 (16 Ko’s) appeared much the calmer at the weigh in and played down the brash intimidation tactics from the belt holder understanding that his fists will do the talking on fight night. Bryan referred to Dubois as a glorified amateur and emphasised that his submission against Joyce is an indication of what will happen on Saturday. Dubois and Francis Warren maintained their composure throughout the final presser and weigh in and allowed the American contingent to carry the show with outlandish predictions and highlight grabbing antics (Offering Dubois sanitary towels) whilst conducting a face off. The truth is that it’s balls to the wall for Bryan as his claim to a championship may be nearing its end as Dubois edges the odds as a substantial favourite, Bryan 22-0 (15 Ko’s) made a feeble defence in January over an inept Jonathan Guidry, where he appeared lucky to hold on to his unbeaten run. Bryan has evaded many of the bigger names in the division, often accusing them of turning down lucrative offers to meet him, and has never seemed to bring a fully conditioned polished version of himself to the public eye, even in his biggest win, a 2021 stoppage of a shopworn Bermaine Stiverne he appeared lacklustre and grossly out of shape. Don King and Stacy McKinley moved Trevor away from the distractions of Florida and chose to base training camp in Las Vegas at Clarence Adams gym, bringing former champion Larry Holmes into camp for a morale boost. McKinley, no stranger to quality heavyweights says that they have left no stones unturned and Dubois is in for a big surprise. Dubois, trained by Shane Mcguigan arrived in Florida 14 days ago and seem more than ready to take the opportunity by the horns and thrust onto the colourful title picture ahead of his conqueror Joyce. Bryan v Dubois heads a stacked card promoted by Don King Productions at the Jai Alai events centre in Miami Florida, televised on PPV in the US and BT sports in the Uk. It’s an intriguing matchup with both guys largely untested at world level despite the regular world championships being on the line. 

Haney shuts out Kambosos in Melbourne to become Undisputed.

                                                  

Devin Haney 28-0 (15 KOs) travelled half way across the world to score a lop sided twelve round unanimous points decision over George Kambosos Jr 20-1 (10 KOs) on Sunday morning at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne Australia in front of 40.000 partisan spectators. Haney conducted a boxing clinic throughout the whole fight, measuring Kambosos with a laser precise jab and perfect timing. Haney left no room for dispute and never allowed Kambosos any room to gain any momentum with a busy high work rate. The fight wasn’t easy on the casual viewers eye but served a purpose in crowning a new unified champion. Scoring was 116-112, 116-112, 118-110. 

The official attendance number was revealed at 41,129. This makes this bout second biggest attendance in Australian boxing history. And stands as the largest attended fight ever in the state of Victoria ahead of the Azumah Nelson v Jeff Fenech bout from 1992. 

A gracious Kambosos gave huge praise to Haney after the bout stating that he was the best man on the night but emphasized that this defeat had lit a fire of determination under him and he was looking forward to executing the rematch clause that had been put in place. Haney gave all praises to God and stated that he will fight anyone in the division if it makes good sense.  

Buatsi looks towards a World title shot as he out-hustles game Richards.

On Saturday night at the O2 in Greenwich London, Joshua Buatsi remained on course for a shot at the WBA light heavyweight title by securing a hard earned unanimous points victory over the tough former world title challenger Craig Spider Richards 17-3 (10 Ko’s.) Buatsi, 174lbs got off to the busier start, out working the more conservative Richards with fast flurries behind the jab, Richards managed to land eye catching counters throughout the early rounds but boxed too economically to pinch the rounds. Buatsi and Richards engaged more through the middle rounds as the bout turned far more fan friendly. Buatsi appeared in control by the 7th but was allowing Richards opportunities to slide back in by easing off the gas. Richards capitalised on this in the 8th when he shook Buatsi up with a short uppercut, Joshua weathered the storm and survived the session by closing the distance and smothering Craigs work. Joshua turned the tables in the 10th a hurt Richards on a couple of occasions forcing the underdog to create distance and survive, Buatsi remained reluctant to rush in and opted to land selective shots from range. Buatsi was warned on a couple of occasions for low punching but managed to hurt Richards with legitimate body shots. Both fighters decided to stand and trade in the closing session in what was a last ditch attempt to catch the eyes of the ringside judges after such a lively fight. Buatsi was given the nod by scores of 116-112 (Jan Christiansen) 115-113 (Gustavo Padilla) and 115-113 (Bob Williams) Richards gracious in defeat praised Buatsi for the crafty way he survived when hurt in the 8th and coming back strong towards the closer. Buatsi had equal praise for Richards who still remains an active player after such a game and lively showing. Buatsi made it clear that he is absolutely ready for a world title shot now against whoever it may be. Joshua showed a lot of maturity in this fight and showed how versatile he can be at the highest level. 

Wood overcomes shaky start to stop Conlan at the final hour.

                                 

Nottingham’s WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood 26-2 (16 KOs) came from behind in an extraordinary fight to score a spectacular twelfth round KO over former Irish Olympian Michael Conlan 16-1 (8 KOs) last night on home soil at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England.

Conlan established himself early in the bout scoring a heavy knockdown at the end of the opener, with the title holder being saved by the bell to end the session. Conlan continued to dominate Wood, landing frequently with clever counters and finding his mark with the lead left hook that dropped the champion early. The gritty Wood closed the distance in the middle rounds and found done success at close range, forcing Conlan to fight his fight. Conlan hurt Wood to the body in the late rounds but the champion responded equally to force the challenger onto the back foot. In round 10 Wood appeared to break through with a barrage of hurtful shots, leaving Conlan looking despondent for the first time in the bout, referee Steve Grey unfortunately interfered in the action and allowed Conlan off the hook. The 11th saw Wood score a knockdown which the visiting corner contested was a slip, regardless Conlan appeared to be comfortably leading and just needed to coast the final session. In a remarkable final round Leigh Wood took the initiative to force Conlan back to the ropes and apply constant pressure, as the challenger appeared to slip shots against the ropes Wood clipped him with a cluster of punches, forcing an exhausted Conlan to fall unconscious out of the ring. The time was 1:25.

Wood appeared to be a long way behind throughout the bout, but was surprisingly only a handful of points trailing at the time of stoppage. 104-103, 105-102, 104-103 on the official scoresheets. 

The conclusion of the bout saw Conlan attended to by medics as a precaution and later rushed by ambulance to the hospital.

BBB of C downgrade Ian John Lewis’ officiating status following review.

                              
The British Boxing Board of control have reviewed the recent controversial scoring of the Josh Taylor v Jack Catterall world title bout and called ringside official Ian John Lewis to explain his erratic 114-111 scorecard. Following the review the BBB of C have decided to downgrade John Lewis’s officiating status from A Star Class to A Class official. The board did have issue with the margin of Ian’s scorecard but didn’t think that the scorecard affected the overall result of the contest. The board of control have decided to evaluate the performance of each A star official after every bout in addition to each officials annual review in an attempt to maintain a high standard of consistency amongst British officiated bouts. The board have recommended to each of the governing bodies that Jack Catterall be instated as mandatory challenger for each of their respective titles. 

Michael Marley passes.

                                  

Sad news for the boxing world as former established writer, boxing manager and highly regarded fight sage Michael Marley passed away Wednesday at his Cape Cod home. Marley was an all rounder who before embarking on boxing management made a name for himself, writing first for the Las Vegas Sun, then earning a spot as a columnist for the New York post. Michael boxed briefly as an amateur whilst studying at UNR and loved the sport ever since starting the Cassius clay fan club as a 12 year old boy. Michael moved into boxing management in the early 1990s when he turned a charismatic yet raw young heavyweight called Shannon Briggs into a household name with his own unique style of public relations. Mike would manage several other successful fighters over the next 20 years including Orlin and Terry Norris, Robert Garcia and Nigerian heavyweight King Ipitan before turning his attention to a career as a practicing attorney alongside working as head of public relations for Don King Productions. Michael was a likeable and personable man who adored boxing and boxing personalities of all types. Marley had been privately battling Parkinson’s syndrome and was 72 years of age, his passing is a real loss to our sport.

Shocking scorecards from SSE Hydro in Scotland.

                           
Following a dominant, career best performance Jack Catterall appeared to dominate and drop Unified lightweight champion Josh Taylor in a fight which saw the home fighter also lose a point for unsportsmanlike conduct. Controversial former fighter, referee and judge Ian John Lewis submitted a baffling scorecard which had Taylor ahead by 114 points to 111. To accompany this incompetence, referee and judge Victor Loughlin offered a card which had fellow Scotsman 113-112 ahead. With English Judge Howard Foster having Catterall ahead by a point by 113-112. 

Catterall dominates undisputed champion Taylor but gets robbed by scorecards.

                              

Unified world lightweight champion Josh Taylor 19-0 (13 KOs) escaped with his WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO belts via a scandalous twelve round split decision against mandatory challenger Jack Catterall 26-1 (13 KOs) tonight after being dropped, deducted a point abd outclassed for the majority of the bout. Catterall took the initiative and appeared the find his measure with crafty counters behind an accurate jab. Jack nullified a less than impressive Taylor and never allowed the champion to get a foothold in the action for the first 6 rounds. Catterall lead the fight by a streak on the punch stats throughout the bout and dropped your desperate Taylor in the 8th. Catterall was himself deducted a point in the 10th for holding. Taylor was instructed to be more urgent going into the 11th but again found himself outgunned and outmanoeuvred by the clever challenger. Josh was deducted a point for his conduct at the end of the eleventh but managed to hustle through the 12th in desperation to save his titles. At the conclusion Catterall had a big edge in the punch stats landing 120 punches to 73 throughout the fight, with an 81-57 differential in power shots and a 39 to 16 difference in jabs.  Experienced ex fighters and knowledgable ringsides appeared outraged when 2 of the 3 scorecards were announced with Taylor leading. A star referee and former fighter Ian John Lewis scored the bout as a shocking 114-111 in favour of the home fighter, alongside referee and judge Victor Laughlin who scored the bout 113-112 for fellow Scotsman Taylor, with only English judge Howard Foster cutting closer to the mark with a 113-112 in favour of the challenger. 

A visibly outraged Catterall left the ring immediately whilst numerous ringside critics voiced their shock anger at what many described as the worse decision they have ever witnessed in boxing, former world Cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson described it as embarrassing and disastrous for the sport. 

Khan v Brook undercard summary from Manchester.

                              
A capacity crown packed into the AO arena in Manchester to enjoy the prelude to the long awaited meeting between Kell Brook and Amir Khan which featured the professional debut of highly decorated Olympic medalist Frazer Clarke and a third world title attempt by Liverpools Natasha Jonas along with winning appearances by star amateurs Hassan and Adam Azim. Clarke disposed of late replacement Jake Darnell of Blackpool in a round to enter the paid ranks at the elevated age of 30. Clarke looked patient and briefly impressive but understands that he needs to be moved fast. Natasha Jonas realised a lifelong dream at the third time of asking by stopping tough Chris Namus in 2 rounds to pick up the vacant WBO super welterweight title. Jonas, stepping up 2 weight divisions displayed impressive power by dropping the durable Namus at the end of the opener with a 2 punch combination, Namus fell heavily and struggled to recover during the minute long interval. Jonas identified this and knocked the import down again early into the session to force the referee to stop the bout on the orders of the Namus corner. English super middleweight champion Charlie Schofield lost a unanimous 10 rounds points decision at the hands of the undefeated Germaine Brown. Brown dominated the action throughout and prevented the rangy champion from gaining a foothold in the bout. Social media renowned Viddal Riley made his Uk debut with a 4 round points win over the colourful Willbeforce Shihepo at Cruiserweight. Riley dropped the African import early but was unable to force the stoppage. In a battle of unbeaten middleweights, Bradley Rea knocked out Craig McCarthy in the opener of a scheduled 8. 

Probellum boxing announce first UK fight card.

                                 

Three-weight world champion Ricky Burns (43-8-1, 16 KOs) will return to action for the first time in over two years when he squares off with Argentina’s Emiliano Dominguez Rodriguez 26-9-1 (10 KOs) in a lightweight clash on December 18 at the Rainton Arena in Sunderland. England.

In other action, junior welterweight Lewis Ritson 21-2 (12 KOs) takes on Mexico’s Christian Uruzquieta (20-4-2, 7 KOs) and undefeated super bantamweight Thomas Patrick Ward (30-0-1, 4 KOs) looks to build on his current rankings of #3 with the WBO, #8 with the IBF and #11 with the WBA and move a step closer to a world title shot, taking on Leonardo Padilla 20-3 (14 KOs), who is ranked #5 with the WBA.

Probellum President Richard Schaefer makes it clear that he intends to start as he means to go on with action stacked fight cards featuring the best up and coming fighters in each division, Schaefer aims to put Probellum on the map as a competitive force in world boxing. 

Saul Alvarez dismantles game Plant to become the first unified 168 Champion.

                                     

Mexican multi weight super champion Saul Álvarez 57-1-2 (39 KOs) scored a conclusive eleventh round Knockout over previously undefeated Caleb Plant 21-1 (12 KOs) to become the first WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO undisputed super middleweight champion on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. 

Canelo patiently stalked the mobile Plant in the early sessions, shooting short combinations at the evasive IBF champion. Plant grew in confidence and began letting his hands go in the middle rounds which only allowed Alvarez more opportunity to find crafty counters. Canelo began to close the distance by the sixth and was finding Plant frequently to the body but kept his composure and kept everything controlled. Plant appeared complacent by round 8 and had started to neglect his tight defence, appearing slightly reckless. By the tenth Alvarez was cutting the ring off with pinpoint precision and landing heavier and more accurate shots. Plant looking shopworn and outgunned started to appear vulnerable by the 11th, Alvarez honed in on this dropping him heavily with a left hook, short right hand followed by a crisp left uppercut. Plant rose gamely but Canelo had smelled blood and a series of straight right hands and lethal left hooks forced Russell Mora to step in and save Caleb as he was knocked down a second time to force an 11th round stoppage. 

The victory makes Alvarez the first Mexican boxer to become an undisputed world champion in the four-belt era, and the first unified super middleweight champion since the division was introduced. 

By the Conclusion of the 11th round the scores read. 97-93, 96-94, and 98-92.