Amir Imam inks contract with Top Rank..

One time red hot Super lightweight contender Amir Imam 21-2 (18 KOs), has inked a multi year promotional contract with Top Rank.. Imam once Don King Productions hidden Ace was once 18-0 before losing disappointingly to Adrian Granados in 2015.. Imam resurfaced in 2016, putting together 3 successive victories, culminating in a shot at WBC champion Jose Ramirez’ title.. Amir lost his challenge by a unanimous decision more than 17 months ago and hasn’t fought since.. Imam is optimistic that a change will rejuvenate his career with the help of Florida based manager Peter Kahn..

James Kirkland returns, August 24th in Texas.

Texan knockout artist James Kirkland 32-2 (28 KOs) returns to the ring on August 24th after a 4 year hiatus from boxing.. Kirkland last boxed in 2015 losing by knockout to Saul Alvarez, only the second defeat of his 34 fight career.. James will meet tough Colby Courter 13-14 (10 Ko’s) at the Erwin Center in his hometown of Austin Texas.. Kirkland is having what is most probably the last roll of the dice at boxing, this being the 35 year olds 35th appearance in an 18 year career..

The Austin Card features three other quality fighters that appear under the Davies Entertainment promotional umbrella, Middleweight Eddie Ortiz 8-0-2 (4 KOs) who fights Jas Phipps 10-6-2 (5 KOs) in an eight round bout, welterweight Daniel Baiz 13-1 (5 KOs) who meets Marquis Hawthorne 7-11 (1 KO) in another 8 rounder and middleweight Ben Whitaker 11-3 (2 KOs) who matches up against Raymond Guzman 3-2 (2 Ko’s) in a six-rounder.

Spence v Porter, Los Angeles undercard taking shape.

The undercard feature bouts for the upcoming Errol Spence v Shawn Porter Card at the Staples Center on September 28th is slowly taking shape..
Unbeaten Super-lightweight Mario Barrios 24-0 (16 KOs) will meet fellow undefeated Batyr Akhmedov 7-0 (6 KOs) for the WBA title whist in the Co-Main event WBC Super-Middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell will defend against undefeated former title holder David Benavidez.. In an added attraction Josesito Lopez 36-8 (19 KOs) faces John Molina Jr. 30-8 (24 KOs) in a 10 round battle of experienced veterans at welterweight..
Also featuring on FOX as part of the Spence-Porter pay-per-view, former three time world champion Robert Guerrero 35-6-1 (20 KOs) faces Jerry Thomas 14-1-1 (8 KOs) in a 10-round fight made at welterweight, alongside undefeated super welterweight Joey Spencer 8-0 (6 KOs) who makes his 9th pro outing in a six-rounder against an opponent to be selected nearer the event..

Kovalev v Yarde to be streamed live on ESPN+.

A news announcement today revealed that ESPN+ will broadcast the WBO light heavyweight championship bout between Sergey Kovalev and mandatory challenger Anthony Yarde via live stream on August 24 from Traktor Arena in Chelyabinsk, Russia.. The veteran Kovalev 33-3-1 (28 KOs) now 36 years of age has appeared in 15 world title fights and has won the light heavyweight title on three separate occasions. Yarde 18-0 (17 KOs) is an undefeated puncher from the UK taking his first steps into a brave unknown territory..
The broadcast will also feature an interesting Cruiserweight bout between unbeaten contender Aleksei Papin 11-0 (10 KOs) and former world title challenger Ilunga Makabu 25-2 (24 KOs). Makabu boxed Tony Bellew for the WBC championship a couple of years back and is the brother of Uk based heavyweight Martin Bakole..

Joshua v Ruiz rematch unrest.

In light of the upcoming rematch between former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and newly crowned unlikely champion Andy Ruiz jr, much is being made of the recently announced venue, and the hearsay that the California based Ruiz is threatening to try scupper the show if his own personal terms are not met.. The reality of the situation is that Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn had put in place a watertight clause prior to the first fight that covered all bases in the eventuality of the upset.. The upset occurred and the losing party still legally hold the cards concerning the machinations of the return date.. Andy being a newcomer to holding the largest stake in the richest prize in sport is merely attempting to flex his muscles in the face of the situation.. Ruiz will no doubt enjoy the trappings of his achievement, but when vainly comparing his on site purse to that of Joshua’s, he appears obviously to have been put a little out of joint, when he sees the losing former champion lined up to receive more than 3 times than himself regardless of the rolls being reversed second time around. Joshua has every right to host the fight in Cardiff, the initial choice of venue, but in the spirit of equality to help smooth negotiations I think Hearn and those concerned opted for neutral ground ie.. Saudi Arabia... Now it appears that team Ruiz aren’t content with that either.. The December 7th date does seem to be set in stone, although many within the negotiation system seem to think the date and venue is still a provisional measure.. Andy has to agree to the defence and at least agree to the terms signed for upon landing his dream opportunity at some point, or risk losing the hardware that he worked so hard to capture.. The fight will happen, but don’t hold your breath on December 7th and Arabia..

Julio Cesar Chavez jr blasts Evert Bravo inside a round..

Former WBC middleweight belt-holder Julio César Chávez Jr 51-3-1 (32 KOs) returned to action on Saturday evening at the Antonio R. Marquez Stadium in Jalisco, Mexico where he put paid to Evert Bravo 25-11-1 (19 Ko’s) inside a minute and a half of the opener.. Chavez started patiently until the opening presented itself, Jr putting an end to the proceedings with a left hook to the body after trapping the 31 year old Colombian on the ropes.. The victory Julio’s first outing since his loss to Saul Alvarez two years ago..
Following the fight, Chavez made it very clear that he wishes to face Alfred Angulo next, possibly on a date in September.. Interestingly Chavez (Boxing comfortably now at light heavyweight) weighed in at 175.25 for the bout, technically a quarter pound into the cruiserweight division..

Steve Vukosa outhustles Juiseppe Cusamano in Rhode Island.

The Stop and start 18 year pro career of Boston heavyweight Steve Vukosa 11-1 (4 KO’s) reignited last night as he gave away 11 years to Juiseppe Cusamano 18-3 (16 KO’s) before dropping him and earning a popular unanimous decision over 8 rounds at The Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island..
Vukosa, who turned pro in 2001 had been inactive for several spells, including a 12 year layoff before returning to beat Olympian Jason Estrada in 2014.. Following his sole loss to Donovan Dennis in 2015, Steve returned to winning ways earlier this year, before taking on the very popular and capable Cusamano last night..
Vukosa landed the more cleaner punches throughout, maintaining a workrate that isn’t often synonymous with a fighter of his advanced years.. Cusamano suffered a knockdown after walking into a right hand in the third.. The Danville fighter opted a cautious approach following the knockdown, but started to come forward more as the rounds advanced.. There’s no question that the physically imposing Cusamano is possibly the more physically stronger of the two, but couldn’t find the power to subdue the more experienced Vukosa, even as the older fighter began to fade.. With many of the middle rounds close, it was very possible that the scoring could be objective as a tense partisan crowd waited nervously for the scorecards to be announced.. The scores were finally announced as 76-75 (twice) and 77-74, all in favour of Vukosa.

The Event was promoted by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports

Clash on the Dunes heads to Saudi Arabia, Dec 7th.

The long awaited verification of a date and venue for the Anthony Joshua v Andy Ruiz jr rematch has been announced at the dissatisfaction of many boxing insiders.. Word had it that Anthony Joshua had a clause written into the contract of the ill fated first bout, stipulating that in the event of a rematch, that Joshua himself would be allowed the luxury of the final say in where the fight would be held.. Amidst rumours that the bout may end up over in the Uk, possibly in Cardiff, the newly crowned champion Ruiz insinuated that in the shadow of the Dillian Whyte saga, he wouldn’t be willing to come to Britain with the risk of an uneven playing field.. Legally, Joshua’s people would have been within their rights to enforce the event coming to these shores, but in the interest of making the fight happen with amicable and fast negotiations, the decision to take the bout to neutral ground makes sense to a degree.. So.. On Monday in London, Eddie Hearn will hold a presser with Omar Khalil of Skill Challenge Entertainment (The official event partner in Saudi Arabia) to formally announce that Andy Ruiz Jr. vs Anthony Joshua 2, will take place on December 7 in Diriyah, Saudi Ababia.. Saudi isn’t a destination that is synonymous with boxing, that paired with the travelling aspect for loyal fans of both interested parties makes for an uneasy promotion.. The word has it though, that the figures discussed were off the charts... More on the undercard etc. to publish in the coming weeks.

Josh Warrington defends for the 3rd time against Sofiane Takoucht in Leeds.

IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington 29-0 (6 KOs) will defend his title for the 3rd time against Sofiane Takoucht 35-3-1 (13 KOs) on October 12th on home territory at Leeds’ First Direct Arena.. Josh is no stranger to this venue, having appeared 9 times throughout his career, most recently in a tough defence against Kid Galahad in June..
French national Takoucht is a former European champion and is ranked fourth in the current IBF rankings.
Promoter Frank Warren made it very clear that Josh’s primary intentions were to secure the unification fight with Oscar Valdez, but considering that Valdez is relinquishing the WBO title, the bout appeared less attractive as then next alternative, a unification bout with WBA champion Leo Santa Cruz, who doesn’t appear to be enthusiastic about taking the fight.. Looking at the IBF ratings, Takoucht is the best caliber opponent available for the October date, an experienced southpaw who back in 2009 held an unbeaten record of 16-0.. Sofiane has an 8 fight winning streak going back as far as 2014..

Devin Haney meets Zaur Abdullaev, September 13.. MSG.

Promising Lightweight Devin Haney 22-0 (14 KOs) faces fellow undefeated Zaur Abdullaev 11-0 (7 KOs) in a WBC final elimination bout on September 13 at Madison Square Garden’s, Hulu Theater in New York City.. The bout is a feature that will be broadcast live on DAZN in the United States and on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom.. Haney and Abdullaev are ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively in the World Boxing Council rankings.. Remember, Devin is just turned 20 and has been a professional for over 4 years already.. 25 year old Abdullaev has only been a pro for just over 2 years, but is coming off wins over Hank Lundy and Humberto Martinez, despite never having boxed outside of Russia before..

WBA and IBF super bantamweight titleholder Daniel Roman 27-2-1 (10 KOs) meets his WBA mandatory challenger Murodjon Akhmadaliev 6-0 (5 KOs) in the co-main event on the show..

In a special attraction women’s title fight, multi-weight world champion Amanda Serrano 36-1-1 (27 KOs) meets the WBO female featherweight champion Heather Hardy 22-0 (4 KOs) in what promises to be a scintillating battle..

Another important bout in the grand schemes of the underlying heavyweight picture, former world cruiserweight title challenger, now heavyweight Michael Hunter 17-1 (12 KOs) challenges tough Sergey Kuzmin 15-0 (11 KOs) for the WBA Intercontinental title... Michael, son of 80s heavyweight character Mike The Bounty Hunter, has been on a Giant killing mission since jumping to heavyweight, with his 4 previous knockout victims accumulatively outweighing him by 165 pounds.. The very capable Kuzmin made a meal out of the Joey Dawejko fight last March, but has previously beaten the likes of Konstantin Airich, Malcolm Tann, David Price and Amir Mansour.. Victory for Hunter would be a huge step towards a shot at a world championship come 2020..

Carl Frampton forced out of Saturday’s ring return following bizarre non boxing related injury..

Unfortunate news has been released that a freak accident at his hotel has thwarted Carl Frampton’s long awaited return to the ring on Saturday in Philadelphia.. Apparently a large ornamental pillar dropped onto the Belfast fighters hand, breaking two bones and forcing him to pull out of his ring return against Emmanuel Dominguez on just 4 days notice..
Frampton’s fight with Mexican Dominguez, 26-8-2 (18 Ko’s) would have been Carl’s first appearance since his upset championship loss to Josh Warrington 7 months ago.. The 32 year old Frampton 26-2 (15 Ko’s) held titles at both Super Bantamweight and featherweight and had reportedly been looking superb in his preparations for this coming weekends fight.. Ironically Carl found himself of the opposite end of a bizarre last minute fight cancellation back in 2017 when scheduled opponent Andres Gutierrez slipped in the shower only days ahead of their bout forcing a cancellation..
Frampton v Dominguez was scheduled to take place at The Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, hosted by his new promoters Top Rank..