Artur Beterbiev scored an emphatic second round stoppage over Joe Smith Jr. to defend his IBF/WBC and add the WBO Light Heavyweight titles at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

At the end of round one, Beterbiev landed a short right to the side of the head that sent Smith down to a knee. In round two, it was another right that put Smith down. Seconds later, Beterbiev landed a hard combination for a third knockdown. Beterbiev finished off the fight when he landed two uppercuts and a right that wobbled Smith to the ropes and the fight was stopped at 2:19

Beterbiev of Montreal, CAN is 18-0 with 18 knockouts. Smith if Long Island, NY is 28-4.

Ramirez Knocks Out Nova in 5

Robeisy Ramirez stopped previously undefeated Abraham Nova in round five of their 10-round featherweight bout.

In round five, Ramirez landed a big left hand that put Nova flat on his back and the fight was over at 2:20.

Ramirez of Ciemfugos, CUB is 10-1 with six knockouts. Nova of Albany, NY is 21-1.

Bruce Carrington stopped Adrian Leyva after round five of their six-round featherweight bout.

Leyva was cut over his left eye in round five, and the bout was just stopped just as the sixth round was about to commence.

Carrington of Brooklyn, NY is 4-0 with three knockouts. Leyva of Guantanamo, CUB is 3-3-1.

Jahi Tucker remained undefeated with fourth round stoppage over D’Andre Smith in a welterweight contest.

The time was 2:27 for Tucker of Deer Park, NY who is now8-0 with five knockouts. Smith of Atlanta, GA is 10-2.

Floyd Diaz remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Danil Plantonovschi in a junior featherweight bout.

Diaz of Las Vegas won by scores of 60-54 twice and 59-55 and is now 5-0. Plantonovschi of Brooklyn is 4-1.

Troy Isley stopped Donte Stubbs in the sixth and final round of their middleweight fight.

At the end of of round four, Isley dropped Stubbs with a perfect right to the jaw. In round six, Isley landed a perfect right that sent Stubbs to the canvas. Stubbs wobbled to his feet and the fight was stopped at

Isley of Alexandria, VA is 6-0 with four knockouts. Stubbs of Riverside, CA is 6-6.

Wendy Toussaint won a eight-round unanimous decision over Asinia Byfield in a junior middleweight fight.

Toussaint of Huntington, NY won by scores of 79-73 on all cards and is now 14-1. Byfield of Reading, ENG is 15-5-1.

Jahyae Brown won a six-round unanimous decision over Keane McMahon in a junior middleweight bout.

Brown of Schenectady, NY won by scores of 60-54 and 58-56 twice and is now 11-0. McMahon of Dyblin, IRE is 7-3.

Weights for Saturday night’s fight card at Meadows Racetrack and Casino

Rosalindo Morales 129.2 – Ron Harrison 128

Johnny Spell 134.8 – Marceloo Williams 132.8

Jordan Zalcki 153.2 – Dean Goodlow 154.6

Joe Turk 212.4 – Dennis Vance 261

Kiante Irving 168.8 – Charron Spain 168.6

Promoter: Integrity Fighter Management

1st Bell: 7 PM ET

Stream: BXNGTV.com

NEW YORK (JUNE 18, 2022)–Undefeated featherweight contender Abraham Nova is ready for the most important fight of his career when he battles two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner Robeisy Ramirez at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden (ESPN 10 PM ET).

The bout will be contested for the USBA and WBO Global Featherweight titles.

Nova of Albany, New York knows that a win will most likely earn him a world title opportunity.

The 28 year-old, who is managed by Split-T Management has a record of 21-0 with 15 knockouts.

Nova has been a professional for six-years and has defeated Weusi Johnson (1-0), Martin Nicolas Matamala (9-2), Andres Bens Zepeda (7-1), Hassan Nourdine (9-2), Sulimain Segawa (11-1), Brian Palaez (8-2), Mario Ezequiel Sayal Lozaano (18-2-1), Luis Leal (20-3), Avery Sparrow (10-1) and his last bout when Nova stopped William Encarnacion (19-1) in eight-rounds on January 15th in Verona, New York.

Nova is promoted by Top Rank, Murphy’s Boxing and 12 Rounds Promotions

Ramirez of Cuba is 9-1 with five knockouts, The 28 year-old captured Olympic Gold by winning the 2012 and 2016 and in the latter contest defeated current world champions Shakur Stevenson Murodjon Akhmadaliev. In the 2012 Olympics, Ramirez defeated world title challengers Tugstsogt Nyambayar and Michael Conlan.

As a pro, has defeated Rafael Morales (3-0), Felix Caraballo (13-2-2), Brandon Valdes (13-1), Orlando Gonzalez (17-0) and his bout when Ramirez stopped Eric Donovan (14-1) on February 26th in Glasgow, Scotland.

At Friday’s weigh-in, Nova was 125.4 lbs. Ramirez was 125.8.

MONTREAL (June 18, 2022) – Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) has announced the signing of Caroline Veyre, a pillar of the Canadian National Boxing Team since 2013, to an exclusive promotional contract.

She was a gold medalist at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, as well as a member of Team Canada at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The 33-year-old Veyre, of Montreal, will make her professional debut on July 29th on the undercard of rising Canadian star Kim Clavel’s World Boxing Council (WBC) Light Flyweight World Championship fight against defending champion Yesenia Gomez at the Cabaret of the Montreal Casino. Veyre trains at the Montreal Boxing Club of the Complexe sportif Claude Robillard, under the supervision of Danielle Bouchard and Stéphane Larouche. She will compete in the female featherweight (126 lbs.) and super featherweight (130 lbs.) divisions.

“We followed Caroline throughout her impressive amateur career and when she showed interest in embarking on a professional career, we did not hesitate for a moment to sign her,” GYM President Yvon Michel said. “We are convinced that Caroline’s talent and skills are elite. Her discipline, determination and the quality of her coaching will bring her to the top.”

Veyre undertakes this new venture with passion and confidence: “After a great experience in amateur boxing,” she commented, “I am happy to start my professional career with a magnificent team. I feel confident alongside Danielle Bouchard, Stéphane Larouche, Yvon Michel and the entire GYM team, guiding me to have success on this new journey.”

Bouchard has nothing but praise for her new protégé, saying: “I am extremely enthusiastic and happy to welcome Caroline Veyre, an Olympian, to my team. Kim in the world championship and Caroline in her pro debut, what stimulating challenges, I see a memorable evening on July 29th.”

During her long career with Canada’s National Team, Caroline participated in numerous international tournaments and faced renowned opponents such as Katie Taylor, the current unified World Lightweight Champion, Olympic gold medalist, reigning International Boxing Organization (IBO) World Champion Estelle Yoka Moseley, and in 2017 she defeated Mikaela Mayer, the present International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) Super Featherweight World Champion, in Mayer’s last amateur fight before she turned pro.

(L-R) – Caroline Veyre and Danielle Bouchard

FACEBOOK: @groupeyvonmichel

INSTAGRAM: @groupeyvonmichel

TWITTER: @yvonmichelGYM

ABOUT THE YVON MICHEL GROUP (GYM): Groupe Yvon Michel is a professional boxing promotion organization, founded in 2004 by Yvon Michel, Alexandra Croft and Bernard Barré, each still active in the company, the most prolific organization in the history of professional boxing in Canada. Since its foundation, GYM has organized 164 events in Quebec, all televised in Quebec on RDS, TVA Sports or Radio-Canada, and participated in 37 international events outside Quebec. Seven GYM boxers became world champions: Joachim Alcine, Jean Pascal, Adonis Stevenson, Artur Beterbiev, Eleider Alvarez, Marie-Eve Dicaire (2 times) and Oscar Rivas. Seventeen boxers from the organization have delivered 51 world championship fights, maintaining an excellent record of 27 wins, 22 setbacks and 2 draws. During this period, the major American television networks were more active than ever to come to Quebec to broadcast the most important GYM events. Major American networks presented 36 GYM events, an exceptional showcase of Quebec knowledge, including HBO (8), Showtime (7), ESPN2 (10), Wealth TV (4), Spike TV (2), ESPN (3), CBS (1) and NBC Sports (1).

Chicago, IL (June 18, 2022)–Weights for TONIGHT’s Hitz Boxing card at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois.

Angel Barrera 134 Lbs.  vs    Daniel Buenaventura 135 Lbs.

(Illinois State Lightweight Title)

Simon Buettner 166.4 Lbs. vs  James Quiter 168 Lbs.

(Illinois State Super Middleweight Title)

Jonathon Hampton 159 Lbs  vs Dawik Bosak 161 Lbs.

Kaltin Lavigne 160 Lbs vs Olivia Curry 159 lbs

Mirady Zola 176.5  vs Abimbola Osundairo 172 Lbs.

Ronny Hale 255 Lbs vs Deontae Pettigrew 293 Lbs. 

Promoter: Hitz Boxing

Venue Parkway Sports Bank Sports Complex

Stream: BXNGTV.com

Doors open 5:00PM  Party starts at 6:00 Central Time

Parkway Bank Sports Complex , Rosemont Illinois .

Tickets Begin at $50 and can be purchased at the following:

Nathan Gorman powered his way to the IBF International Heavyweight Championship as he twice downed his opponent in a punishing first-round stoppage of Tomas Salek at the M&S Bank Arena on Friday June 17, live on Channel 5. Stoppages were the theme of the main card as ‘Pretty Boy’ Josh Kelly reminded everyone of his class and technical ability in a fourth-round TKO victory over the Hungary’s Peter Kramer.

With his name upon the banners, Nathan Gorman did not disappoint the Channel 5 audience and all those in attendance at the M&S Bank Arena on a fantastic Wasserman Boxing fight night. Gorman had a job to do after 15 months out of the ring, but had clearly been working on all the physical and technical aspects of his game to overwhelm is Czech opponent.

The pressure on Gorman intensified as his cousin and WBC Heavyweight king, Tyson Fury, entered the arena in typically flamboyant style. ‘The Gypsy King’ would not be left disappointed, as all of the improvements made by Gorman left Tomas Salek stunned once the first heavy blow had been thrown.

After applying pressure from the first bell, Salek got caught with a heavy shot to meet the canvas a little earlier than planned. The referees count was reluctantly met by the Czech Heavyweight champion, only for Gorman to scythe him down once more with another brutal punch.

“It’s been a fantastic night,” said Gorman. “What a way to come back to the boxing ring.”

“Tomas Salek has only lost to good fighters, but I think I’m the only one to do it in that impressive style. I’m really happy and really pleased with it, live on Channel 5 as well so hopefully there were plenty of happy people watching.”

“It’s now about being active. I’m only 25-years-old, but I want to keep pushing on and hunting for them titles. There’s a hell of a long career ahead of me yet, and there’s big things to come.”

The wait was finally over as the Liverpool crowd stood to cheer Josh Kelly back to the squared circle for the first time in over a year. The fluid and natural boxing that Kelly has been renowned for showed no sign of rust as the Sunderland man looked even more focused and spiteful than he had previously.

His opponent, Peter Kramer, had shown up to become a banana skin and use his durability and experience to spoil the party. This was not the case, as Kelly wore the Hungarian down with a blend of speed, movement and some hard-hitting uppercuts that inevitably saw the referee wave off proceedings in the fourth round.

“Nothing ever replicates fight night – training for it, travelling away to arenas, preparing in the changing rooms. Nothing replicates it,” said Kelly.

“Round after round, I could feel myself getting sharper and I started reading him a lot better. I wanted to put a statement out there with my jab, and it worked well tonight to break him down to the point he started taking a few too many shots.”

“I was saying to Adam (Booth) that I’m going to land a right-uppercut on this guy. When they started landing and doing the job, I thought if he’s going to just sit there and take it then I’m just going to keep giving it to him.”

“He goes the distance with heavier guys normally, like Super-Middleweights. To hurt him, and make him physically shaken, shows what strength and power I carry at 154lbs.”

Chloe Watson avoided any slip-up in her homecoming fight, as the city of Liverpool cheered her on to victory. Watson’s opponent, El Bousairi, had been described as a very game opponent all week and someone to push the young fighter. It was an accomplished performance that saw Watson get over the line with a 59-56 points win.

Elsewhere on the card, it was a successful debut for Aaron Chalmers as he passed the test with a 39-37 points victory over Alexander Zeledon. There were plenty of signs to show the potential of Chalmers and his entry into the sport, with the former Geordie Shore star looking comfortable in heavier gloves having swapped the cage for ropes.

Undercard Results

Mason Cartwright def.  Angel Emilov via points, 80-72

Matty Harris def. Pawel Strykowski via first-round KO

Paddy Lacey def. Ryan Broten via first-round TKO

Tom Farrell def. Olaide Fijabi via points, 58-57

Tom Aitchison def. Ezequiel Gregores via fourth-round TKO

Gadatamen Taylor def. Marcos Molloy via points, 48-47

John Edwardson def. Stefan Nicolae via points, 42-36

NEW YORK (JUNE 18, 2022)–Three Split-T Management Fighters will be on display tonight in Houston

Undefeated IBO world Bantamweight champion bantamweight Melissa Odessa Parker defending against Mikenna Tansley at the Bayou Event Center.

Parker of Spring, Texas has a record of 5-0 with two knockouts. The 35 year-old southpaw is a two year-professional who has wins over two undefeated fighters. In her last outing, Parker won the IBO Bantamweight title with a unanimous decision over Calista Silgado on June 19, 2021 in Miami, Florida.

Tansley of Alberta, Canada is 5-0 with one knockouts and is coming off an eight-round majority decision over previously undefeated Danielle Bennett on September 25th in Davenport, Iowa.

On the same card, Giovanni Marquez will look to make it 2-0, when the former National Golden Gloves champion when he makes his hometown debut when he takes on 53-fight veteran Ariel Vazquez in a four-round welterweight bout.

Marquez turned professional on March 11th with a four-round unanimous decision over undefeated Nelson Morales in a bout that was televised on ShoBox: The New Generation from Deadwood, South Dakota.

Marquez, 21 years-old of Houston, Texas began boxing at the age of 12 as he is the son of former U.S. Olympian, world junior middleweight world champion and current broadcaster Raul Marquez.

Marquez had an amateur record of 75-12, which culminated in winning the National Golden Glove tournament this past August in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was named the Most Outstanding boxer in the tournament.

Marquez, who won the 152-pound National Golden Gloves, will begin his pro career around 145-pounds, with the goal to campaign as a junior welterweight.

Vazquez of Managua, Nicaragua, has a win over Sergio Olivas (12-2) and has fought 17 undefeated opponents including former world champion Jamel Herring as well as former world champion Rene Alvarado.

Also on the card will be the return of undefeated middleweight Andreas Katzourakis. Katzourakis will take on Isiah Jones in a six-round bout.

Katzourakis of Greece is 6-0 with five knockouts. The 25 year-old has been off since December 12, 2020 when he took out Brandon Baue in the third round in Miami, Florida. Katzourakis also has a second round stoppage over Edward Brown (7-1).

Jones of Detroit is 9-5 with three knockouts. Jones won his first eight-bouts which was highlighted by a win over undefeated Antonio Wade. Jones also defeated undefeated Donte Stubbs (6-0). Jones has faced seven undefeated fighters and is coming off a defeat to undefeated to Eugene Hill on December 4th in Houston.

The bouts can be seen live on BXNGTV.com beginning at 7 PM ET / 6 PM PT

Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Sport Chairman:

“We’re live from Brisbane as we look to talk about our first Australian show in September. Just a thrilling fight between the world No.1 at 140lbs Liam Paro and 20-0 Brock Jarvis. As well we have Demsey McKean and Skye Nicolson who is joining us today ahead of our first ever show in Australia. We’re a bit early, we’ve still got work to do but I’m here planning the show and I wanted to get everyone together, and thanks for a great turnout today here in Brisbane.

“As you know, Matchroom have a big global vision for the sport. We’re already in many territories around the world, of course the UK being our prime market, the US as well, Mexico, Italy, Spain, the Middle East. But Australia is a market that we’ve been looking at very closely, it’s a market that’s going to be very important to us. I have been around the world very aggressively, I come in peace to Australia. I come to understand your world.

“This is my first ever time in Australia and I’m having a great time this week. It’s going to be a very important market for us, I’ve been watching the great work that people have been doing in this territory, great promoters, of course one of our partners over here Angelo Di Carlo and Alfie Di Carlo, Main Events, No Limit – all doing great work here. I’m really impressed, not just by the shows, but by the talent pool as well.

“We want to bring something different, we want to bring value for money and we want to bring exposure to Australian boxing. We want to invest in the grass roots of the professional code as well. But more importantly we want to make great fights, from top to bottom on the card. I reckon we’re about a week or two weeks away from giving you all of the details you need to know about September, but one thing I promise you is a tremendous fight card.”

Liam Paro:

“This is a good platform to get more Australian fans before we get that title. But now my mind is strictly on this job and making a statement. I’ve worked my ass off to get to No.1 the hard way. I’m not going to let no kid come here and take it, I can tell you that much. Brock is a good fighter, I respect him. You don’t get to 20-0 for no reason. Like Alfie said before, the competition we have faced, you can’t compare. His 20-0 record is equivalent to my 7-0 so we’ve going to see that in September. I’ve got a statement to make. I want to be a household name in Australia, and this is another guy in my way. This is my destiny so I’m not letting him come here a wreck it – no way. We didn’t have to take this fight. We could have sat pretty at No.1 until that title came. I love to fight; this is what I do. It’s going to be a good show. Let’s get it on, I can’t wait!”

Alfie Di Carlo:

“We’re very confident. I understand that Liam has a target on his back at No.1, don’t get me wrong. It makes sense that people are looking to shortcut their career because we’ve invested a lot of time and Liam’s had a lot of great performances against international opposition and world rated fighters to get to where he is. But everyone is looking for a shortcut and that’s what I see this as, looking for a shortcut to the top. Yes, there is a big history between our families and yes, I have taken that personally because I didn’t chase this fight. But look, at the end of the day business is business, he’ll be 100% ready for this fight and he’s going to make a statement. There are different levels to it, and he’s credentialed. Have a look at the list of opponents Liam has fought compared to Brock. I think it speaks for itself. Brock is a great fighter, don’t get me wrong, but I just think Liam has had the much more experience and I think that there’s levels to it and you’ll see a boxing clinic.”

Brock Jarvis:

“I’m very grateful to get the opportunity. It almost seems unfair that I get a shot at world No.1 without even having competed in the 140lbs division but that’s just the way that it went and I’m very lucky to get the opportunity. I’m going to make the most of it. It’s unbelievable. It opens a lot of doors for me. My main focus right now is just wining the fight. I don’t really care about what comes after it. I haven’t even thought about it. It’s a big fight and it’s a tough fight – that’s all I’m worried about. It was a big fight for me going over to America. It was a great opportunity but a bit of a shaky debut, but it just happened the way it did and I learnt a whole lot from that so I’ll be better off moving forwards.”

Jeff Fenech:

“First of all, total respect to the Di Carlo family, I love them, they are my family. And Liam too, we’ve travelled with Liam, we’ve been a part of trying to help him grow with his career on occasions. This was an opportunity that when I was asked, I thought of all the positives and of course I said yes. Why did I say yes? It’s quite obvious. I said yes because I think that Brock can win.”

Skye Nicolson:

“I’m really excited. I said from the start I really want to bring my pro fights home to Australia. Obviously having that experience, having two fights in the US and two fights in the UK, it’s perfect timing to have that first title fight here on home soil. I feel like one thing that is missing from Australian boxing, we’ve definitely got the talent, but they’re just not fighting each other and I think this main event is a perfect example of what we need to do, we just need to see the best in Australia fight the best in Australia, that’s where we’re going to get those exciting nights. I’m really excited for the extra rounds. I feel like I barely get out of 2^nd gear in six rounders so I think we’ll definitely see more excitement as the rounds go on. I’m very excited for a ten rounder.”

  •  Artur Beterbiev 175 vs. Joe Smith Jr. 174.6
(WBC/IBF/WBO Light Heavyweight World Titles — 12 Rounds)

•   Robeisy Ramirez 125.8 lbs vs. Abraham Nova 125.4 lbs 
(Vacant USBA and WBO Global Featherweight Titles — 10 Rounds)

(ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT)

   •    Bruce Carrington 127.4 lbs vs. Adrian Leyva 127.4 lbs
 (Featherweight— 6 Rounds)

   •    Jahi Tucker 147.8 lbs vs. D’Andre Smith 147.6 lbs
 (Welterweight — 6 Rounds)

   •   Floyd Diaz 121.6 lbs vs. Daniil Platonovschi 122 lbs
 (Junior Featherweight — 6 Rounds)

   •   Troy Isley 158.6 lbs vs. Donte Stubbs 161.6 lbs
 (Middleweight— 6 Rounds)

   •    Wendy Toussaint 152.2 lbs vs. Asinia Byfield 152.8 lbs
 (Junior Middleweight — 8 Rounds)

•    Jahyae Brown 153.2 lbs vs.  Keane McMahon 152.6 lbs
 (Junior Middleweight — 6 Rounds) 

PANAMA CITY, Panama (June 17, 2022): ProBox TV returns tonight as Brazilian slugger Jonhatan “Maximus” Cardoso (14-0, 14 KOs) takes on the toughest test of his career against Panamanian Olympian Juan “El Olimpico” Huertas (15-3-1, 11 KOs) in a 10-round main event for the WBO Latino Lightweight Title at La Doce Sports Center in Panama City, Panama.

In the co-main event, former two-division world champion Luis “Nica” Concepcion (39-9, 28 KOs) will look to shine in front of a hometown crowd against Venezuelan Juan “Pequita” Lopez (15-8-1,14 KOs) in a 10-round bout.

Cardoso-Huertas, which is promoted by ProBox Promotions in association with Master Promotions and All Star Boxing, Inc., headlines a four-fight card of action that will begin streaming on ProBox TV beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.

Tonight’s ProBox TV running order is as follows:

JONHATAN CARDOSO (133 lbs.) vs. JUAN HUERTAS (135 lbs.) – WBO Latino Lightweight Championship

LUIS CONCEPCION (119 lbs.) vs. JUAN LOPEZ (118 lbs.) – 10-Round Fight

GILBERTO PEDROZA (115 lbs.) vs. PEDRO VILLEGAS (109 lbs.) – 8-Round Fight

DARRELLE VALSAINT (165 lbs.) vs. ENCARNACION DIAZ (163 lbs.) – 6-Round Fight

# # #

ABOUT PROBOX TV

ProBox TV is the first and only global sports streaming and media company dedicated exclusively to the sport of professional boxing. Founded by former CEO of Iron Mike Productions Garry Jonas in partnership with the legendary Roy Jones Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez, Antonio Tarver, and Paulie Malignaggi, ProBox TV’s mission is to deliver real boxing fans an improved experience when watching and following the sport—all for the nominal monthly price of $1.99. Download the ProBox TV app or visit www.ProBoxTV.com to learn more. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Reddit. 

Saul Sanchez 118 vs. Eros Correa 118

Loui Lopez 148 vs Jaleik Bogle 147.7

Pedro Valencia 136.6 vs Mario Aguirre 137

Nelson Oliva 155.3 vs. Antonio Duarte 154.9

Anthony John Saldivar 149.9 vs. Genesis Wynn 148.4

“Path To Glory” will take place at the Doubletree Hotel Ontario, CA on Friday June 17, 2022. Doors open at 6:30 pm PT with the first fight starting at 8:00 pm PT. Tickets priced at $50, $75, and $100, are only available at the door. Fight fans will be able to watch all Thompson Boxing fights, weigh-ins, and behind-the-scenes content, via their new Mobile App downloadable on Apple and Google.

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Beto Duran will operate as the blow-by-blow commentator with expert commentary by Doug Fischer. Jessica Rosales will serve as the onsite ringside reporter.

This event is sponsored by Thompson Building Materials, transforming spaces in beautiful places; Omega Products International, the leading stucco manufacturer in the United States; Henry / Fortifiber, moisture system control as easy as 1,2,3, and Makita, rule the outdoors.

For more information, regular updates on our fighters, events, and promotions, please visit ThompsonBoxing.com. You can also follow the conversation on social media, please use #ThompsonBoxing.

Please check our Facebook Page, watch our YouTube channel on Thompson

Boxing TV, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @ThompsonBoxing, as well as our media partner Fightstars.TV.

NEW YORK (June 16, 2022) — Two of the light heavyweight division’s fiercest punchers will put three world title belts at stake in one of the year’s most anticipated showdowns. WBC/IBF world champion Artur Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) — boxing’s only world champion with a 100 percent knockout ratio — will take on Long Island’s WBO champion Joe Smith Jr. (28-3, 22 KOs) Saturday evening at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

In the highly anticipated 10-round featherweight co-feature, two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez (9-1, 5 KOs) steps up against the unbeaten Abraham “El Super” Nova (21-0, 15 KOs). Ramirez has won nine straight bouts since a shocking loss in his pro debut, while Nova has settled in at featherweight after spending the first five-plus years of his career campaigning at junior lightweight

Beterbiev-Smith Jr. and Ramirez-Nova will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.Undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ (6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m PT) and includes the return of featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (3-0, 2 KO), the latest standout to come from Brownsville, Brooklyn. Carrington made his pro debut on the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III undercard last October, signed with Top Rank later that year, and has won two fights thus far in 2022. In March, at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, he scored a highlight-reel knockout over Yeuri Andujar.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing, a limited number of tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.com.

At Thursday’s press conference, this is what the fighters and Top Rank chairman Bob Arum had to say. 

Bob Arum 

“At my age, this fight brings me back so many decades to when Top Rank promoted the leading light heavyweights in the world like Bob Foster, Matthew Saad Muhammad, John Conteh, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, and Marvin Johnson. The light heavyweight division has given people who follow boxing great thrills for as long as I’ve been promoting fights. Now we have this fight, which will go into the annals like all the great light heavyweight fights of the past and may even be the one that is the greatest.”

“Joe Smith is a tremendous fighter. He has a big heart. He has a lot of skills and a lot of punching power. And what can I say about Artur Beterbiev? He really epitomizes the ferocity that light heavyweights have been known for. Tremendous puncher. Big heart. A guy who refuses to lose. Nothing can be better than this. I predict that this fight will be considered the Fight of the Year for 2022.”

Artur Beterbiev

“This is a very important fight for me. With regard to the place, it’s not different for me. I’m more focused on the fight. I’m more focused on my opponent, not on the place. I always ask my boxing coach and my conditioning coach about how I’m doing. I ask them if it’s less than I was doing two years ago. They tell me that I’m doing better than two years ago.”

“If we compare it to the last one, this camp went very well. This camp was better. I want to thank my team, my conditioning coach, my boxing coach, all my team and all my sparring partners who helped me. We had a good camp.”

“We are both ready for this fight. I think it’s going to be a good fight. We will see. I can’t predict the future. I’m just a boxer.”

Joe Smith Jr.

“This is a huge opportunity. Beterbiev is a huge name in boxing. Everyone knows who he is at this point. He has two world titles, and I want those belts. I believe this fight is going to be great. You’ve got two big punchers, and I’m just excited to be in there with him. He’s a great name.”

“I’m fighting at the Garden. Home is not too far from here. All my fans are going to be here to support me or, if not, watch at home. I’m just glad to be here defending my WBO title and unifying two other belts.”

“I believe this guy is in his prime right now. I don’t think age has anything to do with it. I know he’s here at 100 percent and ready to go. I know I’m here fighting one of the best, so I trained at 110 percent. I made this camp a little longer. I made sure that I improved things that I wasn’t doing at my best. I stayed more consistent with my training, so I feel comfortable about this weekend.”

Robeisy Ramirez

“My level increases with the quality of opponent that I have in front of me. So, I think my growth is due to me increasing the level of my opposition and because we’ve been increasing our work, both mentally and physically.”

“We decided to take this fight because it would lead to a title shot. We all know who Abraham is. We all know the kind of record he has. So, a victory would put us one step away from fighting for a title. This was the step we wanted to take and the fight we were looking for. We weren’t looking to make a fight that wasn’t this one.”

“We didn’t make any adjustments. We did the kind of training camp that we would do for any other fight. At the end of the day, he is an opponent who has two arms and will be boxing. So, we just have to be prepared physically and go out there and work.”

Abraham Nova

“I’ve been trying to fight for a world title at 130, but I haven’t gotten the opportunity. I felt like there was a lot of political things going on. So, I decided to go down to 126 and see if I could make a run. I wanted the {Emanuel} Navarrete fight, but I guess he didn’t want the fight, so Robeisy was next in line. I feel like a win over him puts me in line for a title shot.”

“I feel like I’m being overlooked. People haven’t seen the best of me. In fights, I do this and I do that, but I always fix them. You guys are going to see a complete ‘Supernova’ on Saturday night. I promise that.”

“It’s always business as usual. In training camp, I did a lot of adjustments. He’s a lefty. I’m a righty. So, I had to get lefty sparring partners. I had different sparring partners every week. We have a great game plan, and I’m ready to execute it on Saturday night.”

Bruce Carrington

“It feels great to once again be fighting in this historic arena. I’m highly blessed to have back-to-back fights in my hometown as well. This is a great experience for me, and I’m ready to tackle this head-on. As a fighter, you should always get better than your last fight, so giving my folks and fans something new to see is definitely something I plan on doing this Saturday.”

Saturday, June 18

ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+ (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT)

 
Artur Beterbiev vs. Joe Smith Jr., 12 rounds, WBC/IBF/WBO Light Heavyweight World Titles
 
Robeisy Ramirez vs. Abraham Nova, 10 rounds, Vacant USBA & WBO Global Featherweight Titles

 ESPN+ (6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT)

Bruce Carrington vs. Adrian Leyva, 6 rounds, featherweight
 
Jahi Tucker vs. D’Andre Smith, 6 rounds, welterweight

Troy Isley vs. Donte Stubbs, 6 rounds, middleweight

Kieran Molloy vs. Jonathan Ryan Burrs, 4 rounds, junior middleweight

Jahyae Brown vs. Keane McMahon, 6 rounds, junior middleweight