Salita Promotions has joined the new normal of professional sports by signing a deal to stage a number of “no spectator” live boxing events at the legendary Kronk Gym in Downtown Detroit.

The fights, with participants and TV networks to be announced, will begin in the coming months and continue until fans can return to attending live events.

Dmitriy Salita, says he’s excited about bringing high-profile events, which will be held in accordance with all State and Michigan Commission virus-safety protocols, to the iconic Detroit boxing gym.

“The Kronk is the heart of boxing in this city and I’m happy to be bringing these high-profile events to the historic gym. Detroit has many great prospects and contenders who can now return to action in a safe virus-free environment. The fans and fighters have waited long enough and I am grateful to the team at Kronk Gym for hosting these upcoming fights.”

Kronk Gym head trainer Javan “SugarHill” Steward says staging live events at the gym was the brainchild of the late, great trainer Emanuel Steward, who would stage amateur fights and world-class sparring sessions at the gym as though they were professional cards.

“To be able to have real competitive live fights here is amazing to me,” said SugarHill. “I am very excited this will be happening. It’s an honor for an event like that to take place at the historic Kronk Gym where so many world champions come from. I picture these fights will be a lot like the classic days of the Blue Horizon. I give thanks to my cousin Sylvia Steward Williams, Emanuel’s daughter. If she hadn’t put this gym together, we wouldn’t be doing this right now. Many thanks to her and all she has done for these events to take place.”

Specific dates will be announced shortly, pending Michigan Commission approval.

CONTACT:
Andre Courtemanche, Salita Promotions: (954) 302-2462

ABOUT SALITA PROMOTIONS
Salita Promotions was founded in 2010 by Dmitriy Salita, a professional boxer and world-title challenger who saw the need for a promotional entity to feature boxing’s best young prospects and established contenders in North America and around the world. Viewers watching fighters on worldwide television networks including Showtime, HBO, ESPN, Spike TV, Universal Sports Network, UFC Fight Pass, DAZN, ESPN+ and MSG have enjoyed Salita Promotions fight action in recent years. We pride ourselves on offering our fighters opportunities inside and outside the ring. Salita Promotions looks forward to continuing to grow and serve the needs of fight fans around the globe.

Evan Korn (Media Relations Director, Top Rank): First off, I want to thank all the media for hopping on this call as we bring back world-class boxing on Top Rank on ESPN. We kick things off Tuesday, June 9, from the MGM Grand Conference Center Grand Ballroom with one of the sport’s most dynamic young stars, WBO featherweight world champion Shakur Stevenson, who is testing the waters in a 10-round super featherweight bout against Puerto Rican contender Felix “La Sombra” Caraballo.

The June 9 and June 11 events —June 11 being headlined by Jessie Magdaleno vs. Yenifel Vicente — will be televised by ESPN and ESPN Deportes starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. It will be a four-hour block of programming both evenings.

Also on the call today with us is the Founder and Chairman of Top Rank, Mr. Bob Arum. It gives me great pleasure to introduce Bob for his opening statement.

Bob Arum: Well, it looks like we’re back, you know. This is a momentous occasion. Boxing is back after a three-month lapse. I’m really proud that Top Rank is the first promoter out of the box. We have a great fight on a great show on June 9, then we continue on {with} virtually two and three boxing events a week. Boxing is going to come back — believe me — bigger and more important than ever. 

And in this two-month period in June or July, where it looks like there won’t be any NBA, any Major League Baseball, the spotlight will be on the sport of boxing, and with bouts that we’ve lined up, I believe that the public will once again be enthused about the competitive level in the sport.
 
Korn: We have Felix Caraballo with us now. So, first, before we get to the questions, Felix, what can you tell us about this opportunity in front of you fighting a world champion like Shakur Stevenson as boxing makes its big return?

Caraballo: Fighting with Shakur is going to be interesting. I can’t let this opportunity go, I’ve trained hard, and I’m going to give it my all, I’m going to give everything. I’m going to do my work and try to get that ‘W.’

Q: Felix, I’ve got two questions for you: First one is, can you just tell me a little bit about your feelings about having your first fight outside of Puerto Rico, and it would be in somewhat unusual circumstances given there wouldn’t be any fans in attendance? 

Caraballo: Well, I feel great, I feel emotional. My last fight was in January and knowing that I’m going to fight now in June with Shakur Stevenson, knowing that he’s one of the best boxers right now, and he’s the {featherweight} champion. I’m a 126, too, but they gave me this opportunity at 130, and I’m going to go and give it my all.

I want to fight, and it’s not going to have the public {in attendance}, but I don’t have no problem with that. I just want to go to that ring and do my job. 

Q: You’ve basically fought your whole career at featherweight, Shakur has done the same. I know you’re excited about the fight, getting back in the ring, but is there any small part that it’s disappointing that you’re getting a chance to fight against the world champion, but yet it’s not going to be for that title?

Caraballo: From a business point, it’s not about that title; I think it’s every boxer’s dream {to earn a title shot}.

So, I’m going to get this great opportunity and I’m going to give it my all, and I know that if we win, we could open all the doors, we could have more fights and better fights.

Q: Bob, can you just briefly explain the process of how went about bringing these fights back? And I sort of get it that these initial bouts are not for titles that you have world champions, but can you just explain the thought behind that? 

Arum: Yes. I mean, this is not an easy job. It seems like it’s easy but my people, {Top Rank COO} Brad Jacobs and {Top Rank President} Todd duBoef, they have all really been working for months on this getting the protocols in shape, the testing, working with the Nevada Commission and its medical staff. I mean, this is something that nobody — at least on our end — had any experience with. So, it’s really been a work in progress, and it continues to be a work in progress.

Imagine guys come into Vegas to get into the bubble, which is a special floor at the MGM. They got to be tested there in the bubble, they’ve got to be escorted to a place to shake out and train, a place to eat. We have a special dining room set up in the convention center. All of this is something that none of us are used to.

Now, we are not starting out with title fights, but we’re going to have them before long, by the third week, start doing some world title fights because there are other issues with the organizations, which we’re working out.

So, it’s one step at a time. It’s not easy and it’s not inexpensive. For example, testing — just the testing — for coronavirus for each event will cost us in excess of $25,000. Just the testing. Plus, the rooms, the special security, the meals in the convention area. This is a very, very large undertaking, but obviously, it has to be done. We’ve got to get boxing started up. We’re going to probably be doing this perhaps for three months, for June, July, definitely, and then in August. And hopefully, by September, we’re going to start getting back to doing events with spectators with a limited capacity. That’s the second phase that we’re working on.

And the third phase, hopefully, by the end of the year, we’ll be doing events with virtually full capacity. But that’s down the line. So, I mean, this is a really big responsibility on our part to start this up, start it up on the right foot. As I said, our protocols, which we’ve been working on for months, are available to all promoters all over the world. There’s no competition here. We want to get everybody to do the right things necessary to get started in boxing as big as possible.

Q: I was wondering if you could tell us what type of fight you expect Caraballo to give Shakur Stevenson and maybe a little bit about Caraballo as a fighter. 

Arum: Well, I’m the wrong guy. I mean, Carl Moretti and our matchmakers are familiar with Caraballo. They think it’s a very competitive fight; that’s good enough for me. I’ve never seen the young man fight, but he comes highly recommended by Moretti and our matchmakers. 

Q:  What are you expecting from Shakur at 130 pounds, Bob? 

Arum: Shakur is — I said it when we did our first fight — a future star in the sport of boxing, a future superstar. I look at him as the southpaw version of Floyd Mayweather, and I think he will exceed the performances by Floyd. I just think he’s a rare, rare talent, and I think that he’s a young man who’s growing in size and so I think 130 pounds will be a brief stop in his career because he’s growing into a welterweight and maybe even a junior middleweight. 

Q: Felix, my first question is obviously, not a lot of people know a lot about you given that there’s not a lot of video and you’ve primarily fought in Puerto Rico. But what does it mean to you to sort of kind of coming into this position, not just an underdog, but someone who the general audience in the United States really has no idea of how you are at the fighter? Is that going to help with motivation or with potentially coming up and surprising everyone?

Caraballo: Well, it’s hard because I know there’s not a lot of videos on me, nobody knows about me a lot. I’ve been {under the radar}, but I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. I think when we get to a fight, we’re just going to do our job. 

Q: Right now, you are 13-1-2 with 9 KOs. Now, the first thing that comes to mind is a fighter by the name of Jeison Rosario, and I’m wondering if you look at how he came to into the fight as an underdog, meaning we really didn’t know who he was and in the situation that you have right now, you’re fighting in an unprecedented time. So, my question is, is there any extra pressure or do you feel that this is what you need or something like this to actually get you to where you’ve always wanted to be in boxing?

Caraballo: Well, actually, I don’t got no pressure. I feel that this moment, I have to give it all, and this is a great opportunity, like I always say. And I’m going to fight, I’m going to give it all on June 9.

And I know that I’m going with a great boxer. He’s got speed, he’s got technique, but I’m going to work. He’s going to make me work and I’m going to make him work. I know it’s going to be a great fight, and I get motivated because I know that this opportunity doesn’t happen twice. 

Q: How is it for you to be featured in the first large-scale boxing event in the US after the whole COVID-19 thing? 

Caraballo: Well, it’s great for me. I never thought I was going to fight this year again because of this whole pandemic. I thought I wasn’t going to fight this year. And when I got the call, well, I was excited, I just got ready and started training harder because I never stopped training. But I got excited, and I started training hard for this fight. I started training more. 

Q: Shakur, I know this is a non-title fight at 130. Is it your intention to go back down to 126 after this fight?

Stevenson: I don’t know yet. I got to see how I feel at 130, at making the 130 weight. That’d be a question I can answer better for you after the fight. So, right now, no, I can’t really give you a spot-on answer.

Q: Shakur, I remember talking to you on that Friday after your fight and your whole card got canceled. What was that weekend like for you? 

Stevenson: It was really bad because of the fact that I trained eight weeks, spent a lot of money on training camp, and then to find out that I wasn’t getting paid, that kind of made me mad. To find out that I wasn’t fighting made me mad because I felt like I put a lot of work in, I felt like I was gonna perform really good. I was mad at that.

So, it wasn’t a good week, but being around my family and friends kind of made it a lot better. 

Q: Bob, I’ve got a question for you. Should Shakur indicate to you that he does have a couple of fights left at 126, would you try to revisit the Josh Warrington situation for him? 

Arum: Absolutely. You know, let’s see what’s happening. Again, we’re in uncertain times… who knows when we’ll be able to do events with spectators? That’s a fight that needs spectators and I know that the promoters over in the UK are working towards that. We’re working towards that, absolutely, whether it’s going to be in the States or in the UK, we want that fight —the Warrington fight — to happen. I promised that to Shakur.

Now, if, on the other hand, he feels that he’s better off going to 130, we’ll go along with that. In other words, I’m not going to force a fighter to fight at a weight which he shouldn’t be fighting at because it takes too much out of them to make the weight. 

So, Shakur has great people with him, great technical people, his corner people, his manager, James Prince. They’ll discuss it with him and discuss it with us. But certainly, if he decides to stay at 126, I’m going to, one way or the other, make the Warrington fight happen. 

Q: Shakur. I was just wondering did you have any familiarity at all with Felix Caraballo before you knew he was your opponent? 

Stevenson: No, I ain’t never heard of him before.

Q: But since you found out he was your opponent —I know there’s not a lot of videos available of him- — what have you been able to find out and how much footage have you been able to find on him to study? 

Stevenson: I watched like one round. I see everything I needed to see in that one round, and I see a lot of holding in his game, so I’m going to expose it.

Q: The one round that you saw — I mean, without giving away your game plan or anything — what did you notice?

Stevenson: I noticed that he’s nowhere near on my level.

Q:  Do you expect him to come forward–like what are you expecting from him?

Stevenson: I expect him to come out loud and try to land a big shot. 

Q: What was it like for you, Shakur, to have the extra four pounds? I know you haven’t made weight yet, of course, but what has it been like for you two to try to make 130 as opposed to 126, how much more comfortable? 

Stevenson: I’d say it’s a little bit more comfortable, but I think that I’m really a 130-pounder, honestly what I’ve been feeling like, for sure. 

Q: The last time you had to make 126 — I know you didn’t get to the scale because the fight got canceled — but how was it for you the last time you were training to make 126? 

Stevenson: It actually was better than I thought it was gonna go, but it’s still work to get there. It’s not easy. I’m a really big 126.  

Q: Obviously, the world is going through a large amount of turmoil with the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd. How have the problems surrounding our country and the world impacted you mentally and emotionally and how have you been dealing with those emotions?

Stevenson: Honestly, I’ve been more focused on my fight. I understand everything that’s going on and I’m with my people in everything that’s going on, but I got a fight coming up so I’ve been in the gym every day, {and then} going home. When I go home, I’m watching boxing. I’ve been in camp so I’m not really too focused on anything that’s going on outside. I’m more locked in on what’s going on the inside as far as boxing.

Q: Talking about the boxing, your last fight was eight months ago. As far as you know, having that kind of distance between fights, do you think that time off will impact you either positively or negatively, and what goals you have to yourself physically and what you hope to see from yourself in this fight?

Stevenson: No, I don’t think time off is going to do anything because I’m a gym rat and I’m always in the gym. So, me being a gym rat and in the gym, I probably got to get off a little rust in the first to two rounds, but other than that, I’m ready to go. I’m in the gym every day, ain’t no way I’m having rust just from being off for eight months and not been sparring. I did a full training camp on March 14 and then got right back in the gym, took like a month off, and then got in the gym. So, I’m a gym rat. I don’t think it’s going to affect me.

Q:  Bob, you’ve been very transparent and very open with how you see things going in the future. Looking at the UFC, what are the large or significant missteps you saw in the way they handled the opening of sporting life combat sports and what have you done, would you say, maybe the one or two things that you’ve done differently than them?

Arum: Oh, we didn’t feel the protocols that the UFC had when they opened up Florida were adequate. But again, you have to understand that they were the first out of the box, and so the fact that they made mistakes, you know that’s understandable. They now have done an event in Nevada and they’re under the same type of protocols that we are, and I think it’s all good because the Nevada Commission has cleared everything, whether it’s a UFC event or a Top Rank event, and their interest in the safety of the participants are the same for us and now for UFC. 

So, I have to commend the State of Nevada, the governor, and the athletic commission in the type of effort and work that they’ve done to enable us to do these events on a basis of as much safety as humanly possible.

Q: Given that you don’t have the WBO featherweight championship and there was talk about you potentially have a reunification match with Josh Warrington, there is one fighter that has said that you are basically the only one that has the courage to step up to him and that’s the WBC champ, Gary Russell Jr. How would you feel about a potential match-up with Gary Russell, Jr.? 

Stevenson: That’d be a hell of a fight with me and Gary. I think we really are the best two featherweights, skill-wise, in the division, so I think that’d be a hell of a fight. 

Right, Gary knows I’m the only one that… I see how he talks about everybody else, he doesn’t respect a lot of the other fighters, but he respects me a lot because he’s been around me, he knows I’m a boxer, he knows what I’m about. So, I understand Gary when he said that.

Q: And how is it like working with the team around you with Andre Ward being by your side and also sometimes working with Terence Crawford? 

Stevenson: It’s good to have them people around me, and I appreciate having them. Andre Ward is a big blessing to me. He helps me out in a lot of ways inside and outside the ring. So, Terence is also like… Terence keeps me competitive, like keeps my mindset competitive because I’m just as competitive as him, but he’s so competitive, it makes me be even more competitive. So, like those guys in my life and in my career, it helps me a lot. 

Q: You’ve mentioned that you’re not sure of what your future is going to be in terms of staying at 130 or going back to 126 after this fight. But is there a part of you that’s kind of already thinking of how you would fare against any of the other champions at 130 in anticipation for what I presume is an eventual move up to 130? 

Stevenson: Of course. Of course, I think that the champions at 130 are all decent fighters. I’ve already pictured myself in the ring with all of them already, so I’ve already been thinking about that. I’ve been thinking about being in the ring with Oscar Valdez, with Russell, {Leo} Santa Cruz, JoJo {Diaz}, even Jamel {Herring}, if I have to. 

Q:  Do you feel that with those potential fights, do you feel that it may be easier to get them done down the road than it is for, say, a fight against Josh Warrington because I know that’s been a fight you’ve been wanting for well over a year now at this point? 

Stevenson: Yeah, I think that’d definitely be an easier fight with Josh Warrington. With Josh Warrington, there comes a lot of business and politics with that like…. as far as the money being made for the fight and stuff like that. So, I think them fights would be a lot easier, because like Valdez and Berchelt and them guys, they’re with Top Rank. JoJo is with Golden Boy. I just fought a Golden Boy fight in my last fight {Joet Gonzalez}, so I think them fights would be lot easier than a Warrington fight. 

LAS VEGAS, NV- Mike Tyson captured the world’s attention recently with a short video clip hitting the pads.  He showed that he still has his trademark power that helped him become a global star in the 80s and 90s.  

The 53 year old former world champion is in tremendous shape and has stated that he is planning on making a comeback to the sweet science with his goal being to raise money for charity.

American Dream Presents, Sterling Promotions and  James Wilent of J3G Global would like to help him achieve his goal and have presented Iron Mike with a substantial offer for  a series of multiple exhibition fights that he is reviewing.

“Mike looks like he is in tremendous shape and has the fire back.  What is better than a motivated Mike Tyson in the ring?  He has always been must see tv and we want to help him reach his goals to raise money for his various causes,” said American Dream  Presents CEO Ron Johnson.

Under the terms of the agreement, Tyson would receive a hefty deposit when his services are secured with the remainder of the purse for the first fight held in escrow. His purses would increase throughout the remainder of his contract.  

If the offer is accepted, all of the entities involved will immediately get to work to bring the, “Baddest Man on the Planet,” back to the forefront of the boxing and sports world in general. More details will be revealed in due time. 

Undefeated Mikaela Mayer has tested positive for Covid-19, and is now removed from Tuesday’s fight with Helen Joseph.

Mayer made the announcement on Sunday on her Instagram Page.

Follow all the action as it happens as Amanda Nunes defends the UFC Featherweight title against Felicia Spencer.  Two big bantamweights featuring former champion Cody Garbrandt fights Raphael Assuncao and Aljamain Sterling battles Cory Sandhagen

The page will update automatically every 60 seconds…NO BROWSER REFRESH NEEDED

Round 1 Right from Nunes..Right..Spencer swelling around right eye..Nunes takes Spencer down…Nunes lands a knee to the body..Elbow..Spencer cut on her forehead..Hard elbow by Nunes..Nunes outlanded Spencer 20-1.

Round 2 Right from Nunes…Jab from Spencer..Low kick from Nunes..Right from Spencer..Nunes takes down Spencer..Big elbows by Nunes..Spinning elbow..High kick from Spencer

Round 3 Knee from Spencer..Right From Nunes…good elbow…hard rights knocks Spencer’s mouthpiece out…Hard right to the body..Head kick..Right hand and uppercut..Front Kick..Low kick..jab ..right hand

Round 4 Hard right from Nunes..Takedown..Lead elbow..Spinningback kick to the body..Leg Kick..2 hard rights..Right hand gets Spencer down..Choke attempt…Spencer with a hematoma on forehead…108-31 strikes for Nunes

Round 5 Left from Nunes

50-44; 50-44 AND 50-45 FOR NUNES

Round 1 Redness on left leg of Assuncao..Straight right from Garbrandt..Counter from Assuncao..Left from Garbrandt

Round 2 Kick to head by Garbrandt..Right from Assuncao..Clean right from Garbrandt

Round 1 Martin gets the back of Magny..Right from Martin..Good low kick by Magny..Jab..Magney outlanded Martin 20-9
Round 2 Good right from Martin..Magny seems a little shaken…Martin takes Magny down..Magny lands a right..Exchanging low kicks…Magney up 47-22 in Strikes
Round 3 Right from Magny..Nice right..Good right..Big right from Martin…87-39 in Strikes for Magny

30-27 twice and 29-28 for Neil Magny

Round 1 O MALLEY LANDS A BOOMING RIGHT TO THE JAW AND WINELAND IS KNOCKED OUT

Amanda Nunes added to her legacy as the greatest Female fighter of all time as she beat up, bloodied and battered Felicia Spencer and won a unanimous decision to retain her featherweight title at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Nunes showed incredible versatility as she landed at will, weather it was right hands, left hands, leg kicks, body kick, front kicks, take downs and even a choke attempt.

Spencer was cut on her forehead as early as round one, and she showed incredible heart, but Nunes continued to wail away on her. In round four, Spencer suffered a big Hematoma on her forehead, and the fight very well could have been stopped anytime in the last seen minutes. With the fight no longer in doubt, Nunes kept Spencer down for most of round five.

Nunes outanded Spencer 127-37 and 6-0 in takedowns.

Nunes, 145 lbs of Bahia, BRA won by scores of 50-44 twice and 50-45, and the current two-division champion is 20-4. Spencer, 144.5 lbs of Orlando, Fla via Montreal is 8-2.

Cody Grabrandt scored an emphatic knockout of Raphael Assuncao just as the 2nd round bell sounded in their bantamweight fight.

It was an even fight before Garbrandt landed a crushing right that sent Assuncao down face-first just as the horn sounded to end the 2nd frame.

Garbrandt, 136 lbs of Sacramento, CA is now 12-3. Assuncao, 136 lbs of Brazil is 27-8.

In a battle of top-4 Bantamweights, Aljamain Sterling made his case for a world title shot by tapping out Cory Sandhagen in the 1st round.

Sterling got Sandhagen down and immediately got his back for a choke. After Sandhagen momentarily got out, Sterling got Sandhagen in another choke that made Sandhagen tap at 1:@4.

Sterling, 136 lbs of Uniondale, NY is 19-3. Sandhagen, 135.5 lbs of Aurora, CO is 12-2.

Neil Magny won a unanimous decision over Anthony Rocco Martin in a welterweight bout.

Magny, 171 lbs of Denver won by scores of 30-27 twice and 28-28 and is now 23-7. Martin, 170.5 lbs of St. Cloud, MN is 17-6.

Sean O’Malley scored a devastating 1st round stoppage over Eddie Wineland in bantamweight out.

O’Malleyt landed a booming right to the jaw that sent Wineland down and out at 1:54.

O’Malley is 12-0. Wineland is 24-14-1.

Alex Caceras won a unanimous decision over previously undefeated Chase Hooper in a featherweight bout.

Caceras, 146 lbs of Miami won by scores of 30-27 on all cards, and is now 16-12-1. Hooper, 145.5 lbs of Washington is 9-1-1.

Ian Heinisch stopped Gerald Meerschaert in the 1st round of their middleweight bout.

Heinisch landed a hard right that dropped Meerschaert. Heinisch jumped on Meerschaert and the fight was stopped at 1:14.

Heinisch, 185.5 lbs of Denver, CO is now 14-3. Meerschaert, 185.5 lbs of Milwaukee, WI is 30-13.

Cody Stamann won a unanimous decision over Brian Kelleher in a featherweight bout.

Stamann, 145.5 lbs of Sparta, MI won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 19-2-1. Kelleher, 146 lbs of Selden, NY is now 21-11.

Maki Pitolo stopped Charles Byrd in the 2nd round of their middleweight bout.

In round two, Pitolo landed a left that hurt Byrd. Pitolo followed up with body shots that led to a takedown. Pitolo landed several hammer shots and the fight was stopped at 1:10.

Pitolo, 185.5 lbs of Mahaka, HI is 14-5. Byrd, 184.5 lbs of Dallas, TX is 10-7.

Alex Perez stopped Jussier Formiga in the 1st round in a battle of top-10 flyweights.

In round one, Formiga started to swell on his left leg sue to some leg kicks from Perez. Also in the round, Formiga was swelling on the right side of his face. Perez continued to hurt Formiga with leg kicks until he landed one more big one that sent Formiga down in pain, and the fight was stopped at 4:06.

Perez, 126 lbs of Lemore, CA is 24-5. Formiga, 126 lbs of Perez is 23-8.

Devin Clark won a unanimous decision over previously undefeated Alonzo Menifield in a light heavyweight bout.

Clark, 205.5 lbs of Sioux Falls, SD won by scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice and is now 12-4. Menifield, 205 lbs of Dallas, TX is 9-1.

Herbert Burns choked out Evan Dunham in the opening round of their catchweight bout.

Burns took Dunham down and got a body triangle which led to a rear naked choke that Dunham tapped at 1:20.

Burns, 149.5 lbs of Brazil is 11-2. Dinham, 149.5 lbs of Las Vegas is 18-9-1.

Hughie Fury says he would be open to a behind closed doors domestic Heavyweight clash withMatchroom stablemate Dave Allen whilst his World Title hopes have been put on hold due to the COVID-19 outbreakas he spoke with Chris Lloyd in the latest episode of Matchroom Boxing’s podcast ‘The Lockdown Tapes’.

Fury (24-3, 14 KOs) stopped the Czech Republic’s Pavel Sour in three rounds to rekindle his World Title ambitions last time out in March, but with international travel disrupted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Mancunian has set his targets closer to home.
THE LOCKDOWN TAPES WITH HUGHIE FURY IS ALSO ON MATCHROOM BOXING’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL NOW!
“Dave Allen keeps mentioning my name saying he wants to fight me and all this,” said Fury. “I’m a fighting man so let’s get it on as soon as possible. It doesn’t bother me. It’s only going to be fights against English opponents at the moment. It will be a good fight between the pair of us, there’s no point in waiting. I have no hard feelings against him but he’s mentioning my name so let’s get it on!”

The only defeats on Fury’s 27 fight slate came at World level – a majority 12 round decision in a close and controversial WBO World Title challenge to New Zealand’s Joseph Parker in 2017, a gallant and gory 12 round points loss to Kubrat Pulev in a IBF Final Eliminator in Sofia and a points loss to Alexander Povetkin last summer.

At 25, Fury believes that his best years are ahead of him and the cousin of WBC Heavyweight World Champion Tyson is confident that there’s still plenty of time left for career-defining fights once the sporting world gets back to normal. 

“I’m 25 and still filling out. One thing I love to do is fight and no one will ever take that away from me, I love these challenges. We have changed a lot although you never got to see too much in the Pavel Sour fight. When I get back in these bigger fights that is when you will see the difference and the changes we’ve made.”

As well as discussing a potential showdown with Allen, Fury disused his losses to Pulev and Povetkin and what he learnt from them, overcoming his struggle with acne conglobata and much more. 

Fans can find Fury’s episode plus previous episodes with Joshua Buatsi, Devin Haney, Joe Cordina, Joseph Parker, Josh Warrington, Daniel Jacobs, Liam Smith, Demetrius Andrade, John Ryder and more here:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-matchroom-boxing-podcast/id1506174562

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5YRAWQS5JXB0OvM8vCqZxq

Matchroom Website: https://www.matchroomboxing.com/lockdown-tapes-podcast/

New York, NY (06/05/20) – DiBella Entertainment has signed heavyweight contender Jerry “Slugger” Forrest (26-3, 20 KOs), a 6-foot-1 southpaw from Newport News, VA, to an exclusive promotional agreement.

Forrest was born in Lafayette, LA, but moved to Virginia as a young child when his father enlisted in the Navy. His boxing aspirations began after a series of high school senior year brawls convinced Forrest that he had the aptitude to compete in the sweet science. Accumulating a 34-5 amateur record, Forrest won gold medals four times at the Virginia State Golden Gloves tournament, four times at the Washington D.C. Regionals tournament, twice at the California Tournament of Champions, and once at the North Carolina Golden Gloves. He also competed in the National Golden Gloves tournament twice and made it to the semi-finals of the 2012 Olympic Qualifiers.

His ring nickname, “Slugger”, was given to him at birth by his grandmother.

“My mother’s bloodstream got poisoned while pregnant with me and she had to have an emergency Caesarean section,” said Forrest. “The doctors told my family that I probably wouldn’t make it through the night. When my grandmother saw me in the incubator, she said, ‘You have to be a fighter, you have to be a slugger. If you die, my daughter will want to die. That can’t happen.’ When she said that, I started to respond and it was the first time that I opened my eyes. From day one, ‘Slugger’ was my nickname.”

Forrest turned pro in 2012, winning seven of his first nine bouts. Those two early career setbacks paved the way for a rededicated Forrest to win his next 18 fights. Following an impressive win against the 19-2 Joshua Tufte, Forrest challenged unbeaten prospect Jermaine Franklin on July 12, 2019, live on SHOWTIME’s “ShoBox” series. After 10 rounds, Forrest felt that he had clearly outboxed his adversary, but would lose a controversial split decision. Many ringside observers believed Forrest deserved the victory, including all three of SHOWTIME’s commentators. Barry Tompkins and Steve Farhood both had Forrest winning seven rounds, while Raul Marquez had him the winner by eight rounds to two. Trained by Anthony Chase and managed by James Hogan, Forrest rebounded from that loss with a second-round knockout of Martez Williamson last September.

While starting his boxing journey, Forrest got married and now has three children. To make ends meet, he had a career as a nuclear electrician, working for Huntington Ingalls Industries on submarines and aircraft carriers for 10 years. Nearing the end of 2019, Forrest made the decision to move on and fully focus on boxing.

He is also heavily involved with charitable causes in his community, helping to steer inner city youth away from crime and street life. Forrest is active in such programs as Gladiator School Boxing, Together Lives Change (TLC) and the Future Actors and Media Makers (F.A.M.M.) Project, all of which provide kids with academic, athletic and vocational training.

“When I watched Jerry’s fight against Franklin, not only did I think he deserved to win, I saw a fighter with a lot of talent and potential. I’m thrilled to add him to the DiBella Entertainment roster,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “With his size, style and strength, Forrest can be a big player in the heavyweight division.”

“Lou called me the day after I lost to Franklin and, from then on, I knew we’d be working together,” said Forrest. “This is an unbelievable moment for me and my family, not simply because I signed with a promoter, but because of who signed me. Lou was the only promoter that I wanted to be with because of his heart and the man that he is. I can’t wait to make my family proud and make Lou proud. The better I look, the better he looks.

“There are a lot of good fighters in the heavyweight division right now, but I believe that I train harder than any of them. I’m an old school gym rat. Like Muhammad Ali said, ‘Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’ I love the craft of boxing and I have a calculated style, but I also have that killer instinct inside of me. I know that I can compete at the top level.”

LOS ANGELES (June 5, 2020) – Bernard Hopkins and Eric Gomez have issued the following statements in response to the WBC’s reinstatement of Franchon Crews-Dezurn as its super middleweight champion:

“First, I’d like to thank the fans for rooting for Franchon [Crews-Dezurn] to get her belt back that she deserves,” said Bernard Hopkins, Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Business Partner. “I would also like to commend Oscar De La Hoya, Golden Boy and myself for fighting behind the scenes to get justice for Franchon. Now let’s move forward and get the best fights she deserves!”

“The WBC made the right choice by reinstating Franchon Crews-Dezurn as its world champion,” said Eric Gomez, President of Golden Boy. “We are thrilled for her. She is a very exciting fighter and a stellar representative of the best that Golden Boy offers. We can’t wait to see ‘The Heavy-Hitting Diva’ back in the ring.”

In another bold expansion move, Salita Promotions has reached an agreement and obtained a license to display the extensive fight-video library of long-time top promoter Gary Shaw on the Salita Promotions YouTube Channel, free of charge.

Shaw’s Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, video library contains some of the most important fights of the last 20 years from the biggest names in the sport, including Mike Tyson, Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley, Diego Corrales, Arturo Gatti, Winky Wright, Timothy Bradley, Rafael Marquéz, Chad Dawson, Nonito Donaire, Vic Darchinyan, Jeff Lacy and Shawn Porter.

Gary Shaw began in boxing in 1971 as an Inspector for the New Jersey State Athletic Control Commission. During his 28-year tenure with the commission, Shaw was promoted to Chief Inspector and eventually to the State’s Regulatory Board. In 1999, he became the Chief Operating Officer of boxing promotional company Main Events and then in 2002, he started his own GSP and promoted or co-promoted many of the biggest grossing boxing events in the sport’s history. Shaw is also credited with developing the initial concept and development of the TV series ShoBox: The New Generation.

“I’m very happy to be working with Dmitriy,” said Gary Shaw. “It’s great to see a former boxer stay in the game and form a worldwide company. I believe the content that his company is putting together will help to make his channel extremely competitive in the marketplace, as well as giving the fans an opportunity to see great fights.”

The GSP video collection joins the esteemed collections of Cedric Kushner’s CKP, Dan Goossen’s America Presents and Leon Margules’ Warriors Boxing Promotions, who have already granted the Salita Promotions YouTube Channel rights to also display their extensive collections.

“I am excited to partner up with Gary Shaw one of the most successful promoters who has an incredible library of fights,” said Dmitriy Salita. “During these challenging times, boxing fans will have a chance to enjoy some of the best fights and biggest names in the sport on our always-growing YouTube Channel.”

Check the Salita Promotions YouTube Channel for regular updates of the modern world’s greatest fighters, contenders and prospects in action.

MIAMI, FLORIDA – Sullivan Barrera thought that right now he would be entertaining offers for another title shot.  The former Cuban amateur standout has a lot of nice wins on his resume with a world championship the only thing missing.

Barrera was scheduled to face former champion Sergey Kovalev at a 180 pound catchweight in a DAZN streamed main event on April 25th but the coronavirus pandemic wiped out those plans as it forced the cancellation of boxing events throughout the globe.

According to Barrera, beating Kovalev was the first step in a two fight plan.  First conquer the former champion then get a crack at another title. After hoisting a belt around his waist, he would be content to ride off into the sunset and focus his time and energy on his family.

“All of my focus was on Kovalev.  After the surgery, I feel like a reborn fighter and I wanted to prove it to the world with a great performance against Kovalev.  I know that win could have led me to a fight against one of the 175 pound champions,” Barrera stated.

What is troubling to Barrera is that he hasn’t heard a word regarding the rescheduling of the fight.  With boxing returning to the airwaves in the United States next week and plans for a DAZN fight card on July 4th, Barrera is perplexed at why he hasn’t heard anything about the Kovalev fight and wonders if there are other issues at hand.

“I am still training, staying in shape for when my manager calls me and says that the fight is back on. So far we don’t hear anything.  What is the problem?  I just hope Kovalev isn’t back on the vodka.  We all know what liquor does to him and I hope that isn’t the reason why our fight isn’t rescheduled.  I really want this fight. I put everything into it. I even agreed to give him an extra 5 pounds so he doesn’t have to train too hard.  What is the problem now, Kovalev?” Barrera stated.

TOP HEAVYWEIGHT PROSPECT Mitchell Barton has officially joined Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, as he prepares to make his professional debut.

The 21-year-old Scotland international, who lives in York and was born in Skipton, was a Scottish and British champion as a youth and also enjoyed success in the seniors where he was a two-time Tri-Nations winner and Scottish champion.

“It is unbelievable and I never thought in a million years I would get to sign with Frank Warren,” said the Henry Wharton-trained heavyweight. “He is one of the biggest names in boxing and it took a couple of days to sink in that I had done it.

“My trainer Henry kept asking if I could believe it and the answer was no. For the first couple of days I couldn’t get excited because it just hadn’t sunk in. It has now and I am over the moon.

“I have never trained as hard in my life and it is just brilliant,” added Barton, who is now based in York after his international exploits in a Scotland vest.

“I was born in Skipton and moved to Scotland when I was younger. I never picked up the accent, but I am just a fighter and it doesn’t matter where you are from, does it?

“I’ve represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games and the Europeans as a youth, also the world championships. 

“I am a bit of everything because I box and fight. You cannot just stick to one style and although I would say I am more of a fighter, I am a smart fighter and pick my punches and look for the right shots.

“If needs be the power is there. I am 6ft 3/4” and I weigh about 17.5st.

“There is a lot of talent popping up now and it is a good time to be a heavyweight.

“The plan is to keep active and not rush into anything. I am still only young and will take small steps to build myself up. I am looking forward to the journey, although I know it will be hard.”