Robeisy Ramirez turns pro under Top Rank banner.

25 year old Robeisy Ramirez, the former talented Cuban amateur who captured Olympic gold in both 2012 and 2016, has signed an exclusive promotional contract with Top Rank and will make his much anticipated pro debut later on this year. Ramirez left the Cuban national team in 2018 while training in Mexico City, defecting to Florida shortly after. The versatile southpaw is now based in Gulfport, Florida, and is training under the tutelage of Rob Mendez.. Ramirez hopes to turn pro as a featherweight, with one eye open on former amateur foes Mike Conlan and Shakur Stevenson..

“The last two-time gold medalist that we signed out of the amateurs, Vasiliy Lomachenko, has become a big star. We anticipate the same from Robesiy. He is truly a special talent, and he has what it takes to get to the top of the featherweight division in short order.”

Said an ecstatic Bob Arum.

Hughie Lewis Fury eliminates unbeaten Chris Norrad in 2.

Former British champion and world heavyweight title challenger Hughie Fury comfortably moved past the previously unbeaten Christopher Norrad 17-0 (8 Ko’s) with a second round Tko at the Victoria warehouse in Manchester UK tonight.. Norrad provided very little resistance to the obviously talented Fury and found himself in above his head from the opening bell.. Fury hurt the Canadian in the first, but patiently boxed within himself looking for openings.. Norrad found himself backed into the ropes a minute in to the second and allowed Fury to land overhand rights, the second of which landing high in the temple, causing the uncomfortable Norrad to take a knee.. Referee Mark Lyson took up the count whilst the dazed Visitor attempted to rise.. Lyson reached a count of 8 but Norrad did little to convince anybody that he was in any position to continue.. Fury now moves to 22-2 (12 Ko’s) exorcising any demons that remained from the Pulev fight..

Weigh in results from Oxon Hill Maryland.

Despite the collapse of the original scheduled main event between Oleksandr Usyk and Carlos Takam, the Oxon Hill show goes ahead as promised with the original co-feature being elevated to Top billing status.. The weigh in today went ahead as usual with the results as follows..

Devin Haney 134 v Antonio Moran 134
Filip Hrgovic 242 v Gregory Corbin 269
Michael Hunter 215 v Fabio Maldonado 241
Jessica McCaskill 138 v Anahi Sanchez 138
Daniar Yalussinov 150 v Juan Norabuena 149
Lorenzo Simpson 165 v Rafael Garcia 169
Mack Allison IV 133 v Luis Eduardo Perez 136

The Event is hosted by The MGM National Harbor Casino in Oxon Hill, Maryland and is promoted by Matchroom Boxing..
The Card will be streamed in the US via DAZN, and broadcast in the UK by Sky Sports.

Miguel Cotto Promotions presents ‘Making a Champion’

On Saturday June 22nd at Cleveland Ohio’s, CSU’s Wolstein Center, Mo Entertainment, Bigger Than Life Entertainment in conjunction with former World Champion Miguel Cotto’s, Miguel Cotto Promotions presents the first part of ‘Making A Champion’ series, featuring new faces along with top prospects in some superbly matched contests.. 

In its debuting televised main event, North Carolina’s Dewayne Beamon 16-1-1 (11 KOs) will meet Filipino world title challenger Froilan Saludar 30-3-1 (21 KOs) over 12, to contest the WBC United States (USNBC) super flyweight title..

The second TV main event, will see super welterweights Cody Crowley 17-0 (9 KOs) and Nav Mansouri 19-2-2 (6 KOs) battle in a 12-rounder in pursuit of the WBC United States (USNBC) title..

In feature match ups.. Cleveland’s Miguel Angel Gonzalez 24-4 (16 KOs) will box Africa’s Albinius Felesianu 18-2-1 (7 KOs) over 8 rounds at lightweight..

A 6 rounder at super lightweight between undefeated prospects sees Montana Love 11-0-1 (5 KOs) take on Tshibangu Kayembe 9-0-3 (3 KOs).

The Six fight festival of world-class boxing will broadcast its main events live on CBS Sports with the sensational undercard being streamed live on www.fite.tv.

IOC make strides towards a more sexually equal and integral games in Tokyo next year..

The Executive Board of the IOC has announced that boxing will remain on the sports program for the 2020 Olympiad in Tokyo Japan, the total athlete quota for the boxing schedule will be 286, however two of the current male weight categories are to be removed, to be replaced by new female divisions..  

There were ten male boxing events and three female in the two previous games in both Rio and London, however Tokyo 2020 is aiming at eight male events and a rise to five female, all in the interests of gender equality in Olympic sports..
The IOC Board also recommended that the recognition of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) be suspended due to a current lack of faith in the bodies integrity, mostly regarding finance, ethics, refereeing and judging..
These changes are due to be addressed at the June 24 IOC forum session in Lausanne, Switzerland.

In addition, the EB created a special task division, headed by IOC member and FIG President, Morinari Watanabe, with the proposals to:

Ensure the delivery of the following boxing competitions, with a goal of increasing sustainable gender equality in all areas of the sport.
The Qualification events for Tokyo Boxing 2020.
The Boxing tournament at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Develop a Tokyo 2020 Qualification System for boxing, including the following details to be confirmed not later than the end of June 2019:
Proper Definition of Men’s and Women’s weight categories;
A thorough Review of quota places allocation across the boxing events, with a goal of increasing gender equality;
To properly Set the criteria for the quota places distribution at the qualification events.

The EB also noted that a qualification system for Tokyo 2020 has not been put in place or confirmed by the IOC for boxing and no events have been confirmed by the IOC as Olympic qualification events. The IOC will develop a new calendar schedule for the Olympic qualifiers, which will take place between January and May 2020.
AIBA’s full status and recognition within the olympics will in principle be reviewed after Tokyo 2020. The evolution of AIBA’s situation and progress towards compliance with the Olympic Charter and the IOC Code of Ethics are monitored through a special committee which consists of the senior members of the former Inquiry Committee.

IOC president, Thomas Bach commented..

The decision was taken in the interest of the athletes and the sport of boxing. We want to ensure that the athletes can live their dream and participate in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 while drawing the necessary consequences for AIBA following the recommendations of the Inquiry Committee. At the same time, we offer a pathway back to lifting the suspension, but there needs to be further fundamental change..

The 134th IOC review Forum that will be formally executing the decision regarding AIBA and the sport of boxing at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is scheduled to commence on the 24th of June, proceeding until the 26th in Lausanne, Switzerland.

BJ Flores returns to face Otto Wallin in Seattle.

Former Cruiserweight title challenger and current Las Vegas based heavyweight BJ Flores 34-4-1 (21 Ko’s) returns to action on July 12th, where he takes on Sweden’s undefeated Otto Wallin 20-0 (13 Ko’s) in Seattle Washington.. Flores, now 40 years of age last boxed in August where he was stopped by the rising Don King promoted, Trevor Bryan in a challenger for the vacant interim WBA title.. The Swedish southpaws last outing unfortunately came to a premature conclusion following a clash of heads with Nick Kisner in April.. The bout was announced as a No Contest and Wallins undefeated record remained in tact.. interestingly Flores will be trained by Ibn Cason, the half brother of world heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman, who has previously worked with former WBC champion Sam Peter and Ranked challenger Kubrat Pulev...

Naoya Inoue instated as Unified champion by WBA.

Following a close revision of the governing bodies regulations, the World Boxing Association (WBA) Championship Committee has recognized Naoya Inoue as the unified bantamweight world champion. The WBA passed the ruling following Inoue’s 2 round knockout of IBF champion Emmanuel Rodriguez last Saturday in Scotland.
The ruling criteria of the WBA clearly states that the position of Inoue as champion remains instate since his May 2018 victory over Jamie McDonnell. Inoue has maintained his 18 fight unblemished resume with 16 of his outings ending via knockout.
The ruling falls under regulation C17, which states that via the Championship Committee under unique circumstances the governing body can recognize a world champion as unified when the individual in question is recognized as the quintessential monarch by one or various sanctioned organizations. The WBA considers that Inoue’s career to this point complies with the criteria..
The unified conditions will not interfere with any of the divisions ongoing activity, and will permit fighters within current rankings to continue with their normal pursuits.. The mandatory defense period is normally 9 months, but under the conditions that Inoue now falls, he will be allowed up to 18 months to make a mandated defense..
It was also determined that any purse bid that Inoue is involved in, the WBA will claim 3% of the gross figure.. Any arising situations that may develop regarding the Japanese fighter will be dealt with by the WBA efficiently..

Hughie Fury returns Saturday in Manchester.

Former British heavyweight champion and former world title challenger Hughie Fury 21-2 (11 KOs) makes his much anticipated return to the ring this Saturday evening when he appears on a Hennessy Sports show at the Victoria Warehouse in Manchester. Hughie is returning from his brave effort last October when he was forced to fight an IBF eliminator against Kubrat Pulev in Sofia, despite suffering a terrible cut only weeks prior to the fight.. Fury dropped a decision, having had to battle much of the twelve rounder with the handicap of the reopened cut.. The opponent on this occasion is Canadian Chris Norrad 17-0 (8 KOs) a former lumberjack who really hasn’t mixing in any kind of company to prepare him for this.. The Colourful press release to promote the fight used Norrads occupation eloquently, stating that Norrad expects to Chop Fury down and holler ‘Timber’ over the Huge brits fallen body.. The realism is much different, Fury is expected to get precious rounds with Norrad, but halt the show pretty much when he feels.. Fury’s father-trainer Peter insists that we still haven’t seen the best of his son.. He’s still a baby and has had a priceless apprenticeship, fighting some of the worlds best heavyweights in such a short time.. The best years are to come.

Deontay Wilder demolishes Dominic Breazeale in 1.

World boxing council heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder 41-0-1 (40 KOs) wasted no time in disposing if mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale 20-2 (18 Ko’s) laying out the huge Californian with a clinical right hand 2 minutes 17 into the opener.. Wilder clipped Breazeale early in the round, but the former Olympian managed to fire back, briefly stunning the champion.. Moments later Dominic allowed Wilder to set him up for an accurately placed right hand that sent Breazeale onto his back.. Initially I was critical of the referees pointless count, as the challenger was obviously stricken, yet Breazeale is claiming that he should have been offered the opportunity to continue having got to his feet at 9.. Wilder was magnanimous following the victory, graciously wishing Dominic and his lovely family the best of health and squashing the pre fight animosity.. Breazeale refused to comment in a post fight interview, obviously disappointed at what looks like his final roll of the dice at world level..
The victory signifies Wilders 9th successful defence of the championship that he won back in 2015.. Wilder made it clear that the fights that the fans deserve (Joshua and Fury) are only a conversation away, and will happen..

Joe Joyce blasts Alex Ustinov in 3.

Unbeaten Olympic Super-Heavyweight Silver medalist Joe Joyce 9-0 (9 KOs) scored a predictable third round stoppage over the huge Alexander Ustinov 34-4 (25 KOs) on the Saunders v Isufi card in Stevenage, UK.. Joyce showed a lot of patience throughout the first couple of rounds, setting up the 42 year old veteran with subtle shots.. Ustinov did land a couple of single right hands, but Joyce was far too driven to be denied by an opponent literally leagues beneath him.. The clumsy Belarusian telegraphed shots throughout and was wide open for the left hook that dropped him in the third.. Coherent and not physically stricken, the giant never seriously attempted to beat the count.. The time was 1:55 of the 3rd.. Joyce wasn’t spectacular, but it’s an important step in the right direction with lucrative fights available at both British and European level.. Ustinov comes off two stoppage losses having be deposed by Olympian Michael Hunter jr a matter of months ago..

Michael Hunter will face Fabio Maldonado on May 25th.

Former world cruiserweight title challenger Michael Hunter 16-1 (11 KOs) will continue on his quest towards the heavyweight championship when step he faces Fabio Maldonado 26-2 (25 KOs) at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland on May 25, live on DAZN in United States and on Sky Sports in the UK.
Hunter jr has racked up four impressive wins at heavyweight since moving up and is already in knocking on the door of some major fights, having already been considered in the mix as a potential Anthony Joshua opponent to replace Jarrell Miller for June 1st.. Maldonado has only lost twice in 28 outings and his only defeats have come in step up fights quite recently..
Regardless, Hunter is adamant that he won’t take anything for granted on May 25th, emphasising that there is too much at stake at this point in his career to be complacent.. He’s here to stay as a heavyweight and has intentions on making some major moves very soon..

Following the collapse of the scheduled Main Event between Oleksandr Usyk and Carlos Takam the new feature event will be between undefeated lightweight star Devin Haney, against Antonio Moran on what will be his DAZN debut. In addition, rising heavyweight Filip Hrgovic takes on what I would consider an overmatched Gregory Corbin in the Croatians US debut while WBC female super lightweight champion Jessica McCaskill looks to unify the division against WBA champion Anahi Sanchez.