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.

Gilbert Burns got the biggest win of his career as he dominated former welterweigh champion Tyron Woodley over five round to rack up an easy unanimous decision at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

In round one, Woodley was dropped and cut above the left eye. Burns landed three-times the amount of strikes and had two take-downs as Woodley seemed faded and was never in the fight.

Burns, 170 1/2 lbs of Brazil, who came in with a number-four ranking, won by scores of 50-45 and 50-44 twice to raise his mark to 19-3. Woodley, 170 1/2 lbs of Saint Louis, MO is 19-5-1.

Augusto Sakai won a split decision over Blagoy Ivanov in a heavyweight bout.

Sakai, 259 1/2 lbs of Brazil won two cards by 29-28 tallies. Ivanov won a card 30-27.

Sakai is 15-1-1. Ivanov, 255 1/2 lbs of Sofia, BUL is 18-4-1.

Billy Quarantillo won a unanimous decision over Spike Carlyle in an action filled 150 lb catchweight bout.

Quarantillo, 149.5 lbs of Tampa, FL won by scores of 29-28 on all cards, and is now 14-2. Carlyle, 150 lbs of Del Mar, CA is 9-2.

Roosevelt Roberts submitted Brok Weaver in round two of their lightweight bout.

Roberts dominated and was able to finish Weaver with a rear-naked choke at 3:26.

Roberts, 156 lbs of San Bernadino, CA is 10-1. Weaver. 157.5 lbs of Micintosh, AL is 15-5.

Mackenzie Dern submitted Hannah Cifers in the 1st round of their strawweight bout.

Cifers landed some punches early, and was even attempting Ground and Pound on Dern when Dern was able to take Cifers down with a leg-lock that made Cifers tap at 2:36.

Dern, 115.5 lbs of Long Beach, CA is 8-1. Cifers, 115.5 lbs of Wake Forest, NC is 10-5.

Kaitlyn Chookagian got revenge, sort of as she beat up and battered Antonina Shevchenko in their flyweight bout.

Chookagian had Shevchenko on the ground and pounded away at her for most of the 15 minutes of the fight.

Chookagian who lost to Shevchenko’s sister, Valentina in a world title clash, got the revenge by scores of 30-25 on all cards.

Chookagian, 126 lbs of Amity Harbor, NY is 14-3. Shevchenko, 125.5 lbs of Kyrgyzstan is 8-2.

Daniel Rodriguez won a unanimous decision over Gabriel Green in a welterweight fight.

Rodriguez, 170 lbs of Alhambra, CA won by scores of 30-27 on all cards, and is now 12-1. Green, 170.5 lbs of San Pedro, CA is 9-3.

Jamahal Hill stopped Klidson Abreu in the opening round of their light heavyweight bout.

Hill dropped Abreu with a vicious knee, and then landed several punches with Abreu on the ground, and the bout was stopped at 1:51,

Hill, 205.5 lbs of Grand Rapids, MI is 8-0. Abreu, 206 lbs of Brazil is 15-5.

Brandon Royval choked out Tim Elliott in round two of their flyweight bout.

Elliott dominated the first round-plus with some solid takedowns, but in round two, Royval was able to turn the tide and get Elliott to tap out from a cArm-Triangle at 3:18.

Royval, 125.5 lbs of Englewood, CO is 11-4. Elliott, 126 lbs of Lee’s Summitt, MO is 15-11-1.

Casey Kenney choked out Louis Smolka in the 1st round of their bantamweight fight.

Kenney dropped Smolka with a left hook and was able to sub,it Smolka with a one-armed Guillotine at 3:03.

Kenney, 136 lbs of Tucson, AZ is 14-2-1. Smolka, 136 lbs of Kapolei, HI is 16-7.

Chris Gutierrez stopped Vince Morales in the 2nd round of their featherweight bout.

In round two, Gutierrez hurt Morales repeatedly with a plethora of leg kicks. Gutierrez continued to land low leg kicks that beat up the legs of Morales until the fight was stopped at 4:27.

Gutierrez, 145.5 lbs of Englewood, CO is 15-3. Morales, 145 lbs of Las Vegas is 9-5.

According to Dan Rafael of boxingscene.com, bouts featuring former world champions Jessie Magdaleno and Jose Pedraza are in the works.

Magdaleno is due to face Yenifel Vicente in a 10-round bout contracted at 128 pounds on June 11 and Pedraza, who has won belts at junior lightweight and lightweight, is slated to meet Mikkel LesPierre in a 10-rounder at 141 pounds on June 18.

Both cards, like all of Top Ranks events, will air on an ESPN platform. It is unclear if the bouts are due to be main events or undercard bouts

When Jessie was going to fight in New York his weight was good and he was excited to fight, so he was very disappointed when the card was called off,” Frank Espinoza, Magdaleno’s manager, told BoxingScene. “Jessie is very anxious to get back in the ring. He wants to start making some noise this year. He’s excited about the fight coming up and hopefully he can fight for a title. He is (ranked) No. 1 (at featherweight) by the WBC.”

“Everyone wants to fight in front of crowds, but crowds or no crowds, my guys are ready to go back to work and ready fight,” Espinoza said. “I think the viewership will be huge because people have been missing boxing.”

Alistair Overeem stopped Walt Harris in round two of their heavyweight main event at the VyStar Memorial Coliseum in Jacksonville, Florida.

In the opening minute, Harris landed some heavy shots that sent Overrem to the ground. A heavy onslaught of Ground and Pound opened up a cut over the left eye of Overeem. Overeem was able to turn the tide as he got the back of Harris. In round two, Overeem sent Harris down with a big right hand. Overeem began to pound Harris on the ground. After about 20 shots the fight was stopped at 3:00.

Overeem, 253.5 lbs of Amsterdam, Netherlands, will celebrate his birthday on Sunday, and now has a record of 46-18-1. Harris, 264.5 lbs om Homewood, AL was making the the 1st appearance since the murder of his stepdaughter, and now has a record of 13-8-1.

Claudia Gadelha won a split decision over Angela Hill in a strawweight bout.

Gadelha fought through a cut over her right eye, took two cards 29-28. Hill took a card 29-28.

Gadelha, 115.5 lbs of Brazil is now 18-4. Hill, 115 lbs of San Diego, CA is 12-8.

Dan Ige won a split decision over Edson Barboza in a featherweight fight.

Barboza had a hemotoma under his left eye and was bleeding. Ige won two cards 29-28. Barboza took a card 29-28.

Ige, 146 lbs of Hawaii is now 14-2. Barboza, 145.5 lbs of Brazil is 20-9.

Krzystof Jotko won a unanimous decision over Eryk Anders in a middleweight bout.

Jotko, 185.5 lbs of Poland won by scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice and is now 22-4. Anders, 186 lbs of Birmingham, AL is 13-5.

In an action packed featherweight bout, Song Yadong won a unanimous decision over Marlon Vera.

Both guys landed good shots with Yadong landing punches, Vera did well with kicks and two takedowns, but Yadong won by scores of 29-28 on all cards.

Yadong, 145.5 lbs of China is 16-4-1-1. Vera, 145.5 lbs of Ecuador is 15-6-1.

Miguel Baeza remained perfect by knocking out Matt Brown in the 2nd round of their welterweight bout.

Both guys were rocked and knocked down in the 1st round. Seconds into the 2nd frame, Baeza landed a left hook that knocked down/ Baeza jumped on Brown and grzed him with a punch and the fight was stopped at 18 seconds.

Baeza, 170.5 lbs of Davie, FL is 9-0. Brown, 171 lbs of Columbus, OH is 24-17.

Kevin Holland needed just 39 seconds to take out Anthony Hernandez in a middleweight fight.

Holland landed a knee to the solar plexes that sent Hernandez down. Holland landed eight unanswered punches on the ground, and the fight was stopped.

Holland, 182.5 lbs of Fort Worth, TX is 17-5. Hernandez, 185.5 lbs of Dunnigan, CA is 7-2-1.

Giga Chikadze won a unanimous decision over Irwin Garcia in a featherweight bout.

Chikadze, 145.5 lbs of The Republic of Georgia won by scores of 30-26 and 30-27 twice and is now 10-2. Rivera, 145.5 lbs of Hudson Valley, NY is 9-5.

Nate Landwehr won a unanimous decision over Darren Elkins in a featherweight bout.

In round one, Elkins was cut around the right eye. In round two, Elkins was bleeding bad from his forehead. The doctor had to check him in the middle of the round.

Landwehr, 146 lbs of Clarksville, TN won by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 to raise his record to 14-3. Elkins, 146 lbs of Portag, IN is 25-9.

Conrtney Casey made Mara Romero Borella in the 1st round of their flyweight bout.

While on her back, Casey was able to sink in an armbar that made Borella tap at 3:36.

Casey, 126 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is 9-7. Borella, 125.5 lbs of Italy is 12-8-2.

Rodrigo Nascimento made Don’Tale Mayes tap in the 2nd round of their heavyweight bout.

Nascimento was able to apply a rear-naked choke that forced Mayes to tap at 2:05 of round two.

Nascimento, 255 lbs of Brazil is 8-0. Mayes, 241 lbs of Louisville, KY is 7-4.

Glover Teixeira beat up, battered and eventually stopped Anthony Smith in the 5th and final round of their light heavyweight bout at the VyStar Memorial Coliseum in Jacksonville, Florida.

In round one, Teixeira was cut over his left eye. Smith continued to land heavy blows in round two that swelled up that eye.

Teixeira landed some vicious shots in the 3rd and had Smith in trouble, and close to being stopped in the 3rd. Teixeira pounded away at a bloody Smith for much of the round while Smith could only cover up on the ground,. Round four was much of the same as Teixeira beat up Smith with much of it being on the ground where Teixeira landed countless blows to the head.

Finally in round five, Teixeira got Smith on the ground and pounded away at a prone Smith, and the fight was mercifully stopped at 1:04. The fight could have been stopped in between rounds, and Smith lost at least one tooth.

Teixeira, 205 1/2 lbs of Danbury, CT is 31-7. Smith, 205 lbs of Omaha, NE is 32-15.

Ben Rothwell won a split decision over Ovince Saint Preux in a heavyweight bout.

In round two, Saint Preux began to bleed from his nose. The fight was a toe to toe brawl at times that had Rothwell winning 29-28 on two cards, and Saint Preux take a card 29-28.

Rothwell, 265 lbs of Kenosha, WI is 38-12. Saint Preux, 240 1/2 lbs of Knoxville, TN is 24-14.

Drew Dober stopped Alexander Hernandez in the 2nd round of their lightweight fight.

After a fairly even 1st round that saw , Hernandez get cut over his left eye from punches landed by Dober, Dober landed some vicious punches that hurt Hernandez several times in the 2nd frame. Hernandez desperately was successful on a couple of takedowns, but he was too hurt to sustain any type of ground advantage. Hernandez got to his feet, but was hurt by a couple of vicious shots, and the fight was stopped at 4:25.

Dober, 156 lbs of Denver, CO is 23-9-1. Hernandez, 155 lbs of San Antonio, TX is 11-3.

Ricky Simon won a split decision over former title challenger Ray Borg in a bantamweight fight.

Simon, 135 lbs of Vancouver, WA won by two scores of 29-28; Borg won a card 29-28.

Simon is now 16-3. Borg, 135 1/2 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 13-5.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski won a unanimous decision over Phillipe Linz in a heavyweight bout.

Arlovski, 238 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL won by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 and is now 29-19-2. Linz, 236 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL is 14-4.

Thiago Moises made Michael Johnson tap in round two of their lightweight bout.

Johnson had a good round one, but Moises came out early in round two to take Johnson down, and eventually get him in a leg lock that made Johnson tap at 25 seconds.

Moises, 155 1/2 lbs of Sao Paulo. BRA is 13-4. Johnson 156 lbs of Boca raton, FL is 20-16.

Sijara Eubanks won a unanimous decision over Sarah Moras in a bantamweight bout.

Eubanks won by scores of 30-27 twice and 30-26, and is now 5-4. Moras is 6-6.

Omar Morales remained undefeated with a unanimous decision over Gabriel Benitez in a lightweight fight.

Morales won by scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice to go to 10-0. Benitez is 21-8.

Brian Kelleher stopped previously undefeated Hunter Azure in round two of their featherweight bout.

Kelleher landed a a booming left hook in round two that dropped Azure hard on his back. Kelleher landed two more crushing blows on a defenseless Azure, and the bout was stopped at 3:40.

Kelleher, 145 1/2 lbs of Seldin, NY is 21-10. Azure, 145 lbs of Phoenix, AZ.

Chase Sherman stopped Ike Villanueva in the 2nd round of their heavyweight bout.

Sherman backed Villanueva back against the cage in round two, and landed a short but vicious elbow to the chin that sent Villanueva down, and the fight was stopped at 49 seconds.

Sherman, 253 lbs of Mississippi is now 15-6. Villanueva, 232 lbs of Houston is 16-10.

Justin Gaethje bloodied and battered top-ranked Tony Ferguson, and gained a 5th round stoppage to win the UFC Interim Lightweight title in front of an empty VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

Gaethje could not miss with power shots and his work started to show as early the 1st round as Ferguson has a bump on his forehead. His face started to swell up in the next round. Gaethje continued to land booming shots that continued to mark up Ferguson’s face. Ferguson had one brief moment in the fight when he landed a perfect uppercut that sent Gaethje down at the bell.

That was basically it for Ferguson as Gaethje continued to land booming shots that would have put lesser men down and out several times over. Ferguson hung in there to take a continuous beating.

In round five, with his face a bloody and swollen mess, Ferguson started having trouble standing due to Gaethje’s leg kicks. Gaethje landed one more hard combination that made Ferguson limp to the cage, and that forced referee Herb Dean stop the bout at 3:39.

Gaethje did not accept the Interim belt when UFC President Dana tried to put the hardware around his waist. Gaethje stated, “I am waiting for the real one.” That was a reference to a potential showdown with champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Gaethje, 155 lbs of Denver is 22-2. Ferguson, 155 lbs of Orange County, CA is 26-4

Henry Cejedo retained the UFC Bantamweight title with a 2nd round stoppage over former champion Dominick Cruz.

Cejudo featured a plethora of leg kicks in he opening frame. In round two, Cejudo was cut on his forehead from an accidental headbutt. Seconds later, Cejudo caught Cruz with a huge knee that sent Cruz to the canvas. Cejudo jumped on Cruz and landed about seven punches and the fight was stopped at 4:58.

Cejudo, 135 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is 16-2. Cruz, 135 lbs of San Diego is now 22-3.

CEJUDO ANNOUNCED HIS RETIREMENT AFTER THE FIGHT

Francis Ngannou annihilated Jairzhino Rozenstruik in just 20 seconds of the heavyweoght bout.

Ngannou landed a wild left hook that sent Rozenstruik plummeting on the cage and the fight was stopped while Ngannou was attempting to land land more punches on a prone Rozenstruik.

Ngannou, 261.5 lbs of Paris, FRA is 15-3. Rozenstruik, 261 lbs of Suriname is 10-1.

Calvin Kattar stopped Jeremy Stevens in the 2nd round of their featherweight bout.

After Stevens had a good 1st round, Kattar landed a vicious right that sent Stevens to the canvas. Kattar jumped on Stevens and the fight was halted after two ground strikes at 2:42

Kattar, 146 lbs of Methuen, MA is 21-4. Stevens, who was 4.5 pounds over the 146 pound weight limit, is now 28-18-1.

Former NFL star Greg Hardy won a unanimous decision over Yorgan De Castro in a heavyweight bout.

Hardy, 265.5 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL won by scores of 30-27 on all cards, ans is now 6-2. De Castro, 262 lbs of Fall River, MA is 6-1.

Anthony Pettis made it two straight against Donald Cerrone as he won a unanimous decision in a welterweight bout.

Pettis, 170 1/2 lbs of Milwaukee, WI won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 23-10, Cerrone, 171 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 36-15-1.

Aleksei Oleinik won a split decision over former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum

Oleinik almost had Werdum out in the first round with punches. Werdum got the fight to the ground in the 2nd and 3rd frames, but Oleinik won by scores of 29-28 twice while Werdum took a card 29-28.

Oleinik, 227.5 lbs of Moscow, RUS is 59-13-1. Werdum, 243 lbs of Los Angeles is 23-9.

Carla Esparza won a split-decision over Michelle Waterson in a flyweight bout.

Esparza, 115.5 lbs of Irvine, CA won by scores of 30-27 and 29-28. Waterson took a card 30-27.

Esparza is now 17-6. Waterson, 115 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 17-8.

Vicente Luque stopped Niko Price in the 3rd round of their welterweight bout.

Price was cut under his right eye in round two. The fight was a war that saw Luque drop Price hard left hook. With blood streaming down the right side of Price’s face, the bout was stopped by the doctor at 3:37.

Luque is 18-7-1. Price is 17-4.

Bryce Mitchell dominated Charles Rosa and won a unanimous decision in a featherweight contest.

Mitchell had Rosa on his back basically the whole fight and almost converted submissions on three different occasions.

Mitchell, 145 lbs of Searcy, AK won by scores of 30-25 twice and 30-24 to raise his mark to 13-1. Rosa, 146 lbs of Boca Raton, FL is 12-4.

Ryan Spann won a unanimous decision over Sam Alvey in a light heavyweight contest.

Spann, 206 lbs of Beaumont, Texas won all three cards by 29-28 scores and is now 18-5. Alevey, 205 lbs of Temecula, CA is 33-14-1.

Washington, DC (April 3, 2020) – When the world of boxing resumes, super featherweight prospect Jordan “Shortdog” White will be primed to ascend into elite status in the 130-pound division.

The 22 year-old native of Washington,DC has a record of 10-1 with eight knockouts.

White began boxing at the age of eight after his cousin, 2000 United States Olympian Clarence Vinson piqued the young White’s interest in the sport.

That led White to a prosperous amateur career that saw him register a record of 145-16, which included nine national championships and win with the Jr. National travel squad, and gaining experience in international competition alongside of teammates Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson,where he competed in the Jr. World Open in Kiev, Ukraine.

White turned professional at the age of 18 and signed with power broker Al Haymon.

After winning his first four bouts, three by knockout, White lost a decision to fellow undefeated foe Adam Lopez.

In that fight, White fought valiantly through a broken hand, but still managed to complete the six-round fight.

“From that point on, I became incredibly focused, and the results have shown,” said White.

“That loss was a big lesson , and I learned a lot in that fight. Since then, every camp has been better then the previous one. It has made me to keep pushing harder, and it has shown me to kick things into an extra gear.”

White, who is coming off a coming off a 7th round stoppage over previously undefeated Ronaldo Solis on February 28th to capture the WBC Youth Intercontinental Super Featherweight title, will not let the layoff that is being caused by the Covid-19 shutdown of events across the country stifle his momentum.

“I can train in my house everyday and that is what I have been doing. The layoff will give me more time to sharpen up my tools and be better for my next fight. I am ready to step up. I am ready for those fights that will make me shine. I am looking for the fights that the money makes the sense.”

At just 22, White feels that his time and recognition are very close, and that he will attract all of the big shot-callers of the boxing business to have White on speed-dial.

“Hopefully by this time next year, I expect to be on a lot of the lists of the top prospects, and have my fights being shown on all the major platforms. I think because of that, I will have the opportunity to sign with a big promoter and guide me towards a world title.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, June’s Hall of Fame induction in Canastota, New York has been postponed until next year due to the Covid-10 Corona Virus.

The Class of 2020 is headlined by Bernard Hopkins, Juan Manuel Marquez and “Sugar” Shane Mosley in the modern boxer category, along with Christy Martin and Lucia Rijker, who were elected in the first year a female boxer category was included on the ballot.

Also set for induction are promoters Lou DiBella, Kathy Duva and Dan Goossen in the non-participant category; journalists Bernard Fernandez and Thomas Hauser in the observer category; Frank Erne and Paddy Ryan in the old-timer category; and Barbara Buttrick in the inaugural women’s trailblazer category.

“By combining the celebrations of the induction classes of 2020 and 2021, the Hall of Fame can honor inductees with all the bells and whistles that the Hall of Fame weekend is known for and provide each inductee with the recognition they each so richly deserve,” said International Boxing Hall of Fame executive director Edward Brophy, who spent much of Sunday calling members of the Class of 2020 to let them know about the change of plans. “By honoring the two classes in a one-of-a-kind induction weekend, the Hall of Fame will be able to put all the winning combinations together for the inductees, fans and the entire sport of boxing.”

Undefeated heavyweight Isaac Munoz Gutierrez is looking to stake his claim right in the middle of the suddenly crowded heavyweight division.

This hard-punching 27 year-old native of Torreon, Mexico recently inked a promotional deal with with powerful American promoter Banner Promotions, is looking to follow in the footsteps of Andy Ruiz Jr, who won the Heavyweight championship of the world on June 1st that made him the 1st fighter of Mexican descent to win that coveted title.

Gutierrez, who sports a professional record of 12-0-1 with 10 knockouts and has stopped his last six opponents, is ready, willing and able to step up the competition in order to throw his hat in the middle of rankings.

“Isaac has tremendous potential. He is just 27, which is young for today’s heavyweights and he can really punch. He was brought to my attention by Don MacDonald, who I have known for a long time. Don, who is a good boxing man, and can judge talent, told me and vouched about Isaac’s potential prowess. Being a heavyweight from Mexico, he has a chance to really make a lot of waves to the many fans all throughout America if he has the type of success we feel that he will have. I am ready to put him in with a solid contender with his first bout with us,” said his new promoter, Artie Pelullo of Banner Promotions.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the 3rd fright between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder will most likely pushed back until to the Fall due to the Coronavirus outbreak around the world.

“Clearly not,” Fury Promoter Bob Arum said of the bout being on July 18. “We don’t even know if the MGM will even be open by then.”

“You could not guarantee the fighters that the event would take place on that date. We couldn’t convince them or ourselves,” Arum said. “Where were they going to train for it? It just made no sense. You just have to take a step back. How are you going to sell tickets? It’s absolutely ridiculous to say the fight is on when the Brits can’t even get there.”

“So everybody has to take a step back. Boxing is not isolated. It’s part of what’s happening in the world,” Arum said. “So possibly the fight will be in early October.”

“Al and his people are in touch with us all the time on this,” Arum said. “We see things the same way. We’ll be very, very cautious moving ahead and pray this will be over at a particular time and we will be able to make smart plans. Nobody has ever experienced anything like this before.”

Rumors abound that Canelo Alvarez will take on Gennady Golovkin for a 3rd time after he fights Billy Joe Saunders, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The World Boxing Super Series Cruiserweight final between Mairis Breidis and Yunier Dorticos set for March 21st has been postponed due to the Coronavirus outbreak, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Local authorities in Latvia have adopted comprehensive measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, events with more than 200 people present have been prohibited until April 14,” the World Boxing Series said in a statement. “In regard to the risk of infection, the local authorities have concluded that the WBSS cruiserweight final is a particularly high-risk event, not only for the athletes themselves but also for all local and foreign staff involved in the organization and conduct of the event.

“For this reason, the WBSS cruiserweight final between Mairis Briedis and Yunier Dorticos cannot take place as planned. The new date planned for the final in Arena Riga is May 16. However, this is, of course, dependent on the current restrictions being lifted. The health of all those involved to stage this historic event is and will always be the primary concern of the WBSS and we will continue to carefully monitor the situation with the authorities and the athlete’s teams.”

“While I was in great shape and looking forward to coming to Latvia to win the Muhammad Ali trophy, I understood the impracticality and therefore l will have to wait until May to win the tournament,” Dorticos said. “I want to thank all my fans for their patience and I ask that everyone be careful and take the necessary steps to stay healthy during these challenging times.”

“We’ve done great work in preparation until the very last planned training, but it is what it is and we will now adapt to the new situation and keep training to wait for the green light,” Briedis said. “Looking forward to fighting in front of my fans when it’s safe. Take care of yourself, people.”

Former super bantamweight world champion Scott Quigg announced his retirement, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I’ve achieved everything my desire, dedication and ability would take me to and I can walk away with my head held high! Thank you to everyone for the tremendous support over the years.

“When all is said and done, as long as you can look yourself in the mirror and know you gave it everything, you can never have any regrets.”

“Well done mate — you are a great example not just to fighters but to us all about hard work ethic, drive and determination,” Hearn wrote. “Now to enjoy your life!”

Right after the fight, Quigg hinted at retirement, saying, “As soon as I got in there, it didn’t feel like it was there. I was just chasing it. I’m a realist and I don’t kid anyone. This was a must-win fight. At my peak I would have won tonight. In my day, he wouldn’t have lived with me. On this performance, I don’t know what’s left. I gave it everything and I want to support everyone who has come out to support me. I couldn’t have achieved anymore. I’ve been world champion and had a great career. And if this is it, thank you, everyone.”

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (March 7, 2020) – Shannon Briggs was on hand for Dada 5000’s BYB Extreme Fighting “Brawl III: Brawl at The Rock” at the brand new Hard Rock Live at the new Hard Rock Guitar Hotel & Casino. Briggs took to the Trigon to tease fans of a possible upcoming fight in BYB Extreme Bare-Knuckle Brawls.

BYB Extreme Fighting Series was established to bring fight fans what they want most, ACTION! BYB Extreme Bare-Knuckle Brawls is designed to leave decisions to the combatants in the cage, not the judges. Close  combat in BYB’s 3-sided Triangle cage, affectionately known as “The Trigon,” just about guarantees that. No other ring or cage in the world has angles of less than 90 degrees. With 60-degree angles, “The Trigon’ guarantees 180-degrees of mayhem. BYB Extreme combatants will work to take the action to the center of the cage versus risking getting caught up in one of ‘The Trigon’s’ tight corners.

“Tonight was epic, I wanted to see all finishes, I practice this when I say nothing in the mighty Trigon is gonna go the distance, I really wanted to hold true to that, you know the main event was an unintentional foul, I expected more, and then we had another one, two unintentional fouls that ruined my prediction,” said big homie Dada 5000.

When asked if we are going to see Shannon the Cannon Briggs in the Trigon, Dada 5000 responded with “Thats the game plan, that’s what we are looking for, to get the Cannon out there and let those guns go off.” 

The main event super heavyweight showdown between Chris Barnett and Matt Kovacs was to be all fireworks, however was highlighted only by Chris “Beast Boy” Barnetts dancing ring walk.  Soon after the opening bell Barnett found him self in one of the 60 degree corners and Kovacs instinctively, from his MMA background, threw a short elbow that connected on Huggybears chin.  Barnett was facedown on the canvas for several minutes and when he stood up was still on very unsteady legs as he fell into the ropes. The fight was officially declared a no contest due to an unintentional blow.

Knockout artist Matt “MFD” Delanoit stopped BYB veteran Mike Trujillo in round one.  Delanoit looked impressive as he knocked Trujillo down three times with the end coming at 1:12 of round one. 

The Jackson/Quinones matchup was filled with drama, confusion and a decent performance by Jackson, just not Brian Jackson who won by DQ.

In an odd bout that was interrupted by a near ankle injury as Jackson entered the Tirgon, Jackson, was brought back to the locker room to have a look, causing a delay. In his absence, a Micheal Jackson look alike performer took the Trigon for a thrilling dance and lip-sync performance of all of Jackson’s hits to keep the fans warm.  

Jackson returned to the Trigon and the bell rang for round number one, within the first minute and a tangle up near the ropes, Jackson slipped down to the canvas and Quinones threw a punch that landed on the back of Jackson’s neck/upper-back. The fight was stopped and Jackson was awarded the win by DQ.

Against Dada 5000 wishes of wanting all finishes, the Rene Rodriguez Robert Brown matchup was the only matchup to go to decision 50-45 going to Rene Rodriguez.

John Michael Escoboa knocked out Leo Pla of Wichita KS, in the second round. Escoboa’s superior experience shined in his win tonight.

Luiz Melo stopped Robert Washington at 1:58 of the third round. Washington was deducted a point for holding the far more active and skilled Melo.

Heavyweight Lorenzo Hood knocked out Justin Grizzard with a barrage of punches with the end coming at 1:06 of the first round.

Christine “Knuckles” Stanley knocked down Sheena Brandenburg twice, finishing her at 50 seconds into the first round.

In the first fight, with the first punch, a jab, Carlos Alexandre Da Costa knocked out Colton Bowen. Bowen went down and was counted out at 23 seconds, including the 10 count. 

“Overall success, this is just the beginning, history in the making we are coming right back here in a couple months” concluded Dada 5000.

ATLANTIC CITY–Gabriel Pham scored the biggest win of his career as he won an eight-round unanimous decision over Derrick Webster in a super middleweight bout that highlighted a six-bout card at Ballys Atlantic City Hotel and Casino

In round one, Pham dropped Webster with a jab. Pham drilled Webster with a perfect straight left in round four that sent him to the canvas.

There was some spirited exchanges down the stretch, but Pham won by scores 78-72 twice and 77-73.

Pham, 164 lbs of Atlantic City is 12-2. Webster, 166 lbs of Glassboro, NJ is 28-3.

Jeremy Cuevas stopped Nestor Paniagua in round three of a scheduled six-round junior welterweight bout.

The time was 2:55 of round three for Cuevas, 140.4 lbs of Philadelphia, who is now 13-1 with 10 knockouts. Paniagua, 137 lbs of Buenos Aries, ARG is 26-10-2.

Christian Tapia stopped Carlos Colon in round five of their scheduled six-round super featherweight bout.

The time of the finish was 2:02 for Tapia 131 lbs of Coamo, PR and is now 11-0 with 10 knockouts. Colon, 129 lbs of Hatillo, PR is 5-3.

Thomas Velasquez stopped Gustavo Molina in round three of a scheduled six-round lightweight bout.

In round three, Velasquez hurt Molina body shots several times. Velasquez backed Molina up in the corner and dropped Molina with another body shot, and the fight was stopped at 2:48.

Velasquez, 133.4 lbs of Philadelphia is 10-0-1 with six knockouts. Molina, 134 lbs of Mexico is 24-22 with nine knockouts.

Isiah Seldon stopped Darryl Bunting in round two of their scheduled six-round super middleweight bout.

Seldon dropped Bunting with a hard right hand to start the second frame. Seldon finished off Bunting with a plethora of hard shots that had referee Eric Dali stop the fight at 34 seconds.

Seldon, 159.4 lbs of Somers Point, NJ is 14-3-1 with five knockouts. Bunting. 162.6 lbs of Asbury Park, NJ is 4-7-2.

Benny Sinakin won a four-round unanimous decision over LeRoy Jones in a light heavyweight bout.

In round three, Jones was deducted a point for holding.

Jones was deducted another point for holding in the final frame.

Sinakin, 173.6 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 4034 on all cards and is now 6-0. Jones, 174.2 lbs of Saint Louis is 3-8.

BROOKLYN, NY — In a crowd-silencing upset, heavyweight stalwart Robert “The Nordic Nightmare” Helenius (30-3, 19KO) stopped previously unbeaten fan favorite Adam “Babyface” Kownacki (21-15KO) in the main event of a PBC on FOX card from the Barclays Center.  

In the opening round, the fight looked like it would be a classic Kownacki display, as the Polish-born Brooklynite immediately greeted Finland’s Helenius with fists of fury from the opening bell.  

But in the second, Helenius fought fire with fire and stood toe-to-toe with Kownacki, trading wild blows.  Kownacki bested Helenius in their exchanges, but proved vulnerable to Helenius’s right hand.

Everything changed midway through the fourth when Kownacki, who had banked all three rounds to that point, exchanged right hands with Helenius.  The 30 year-old Kownacki landed a heavy right cross at the same time the 36 year-old Helenius clipped him with a right hook on the chin, which sent him dazed and to the mat.  Referee David Fields incorrectly ruled a slip, but Kownacki was all out of sorts when the fight resumed. Hazy-eyed and woozy, Kownacki struggled to steady his 265.2lb frame. Helenius continued to batter Kownacki, who displayed zero survival skills, and scored a knockdown with a straight left.  The barrage of punches continued to rein on Kownacki until Fields stepped in to stop the contest at the 1:07 mark of the fourth round, silencing the 8,811 fans in attendance, most of whom were decked out in Polish red and white.

It was as great a night as it could have been for Helenius, who was knocked out cold by Gerald Washington in his only other fight on US soil.  The Finland-native, who holds wins over former world champions Sam Peter and Lamon Brewster, has now won two in a row since the Washington bout.  

Tonight marked Kownacki’s first defeat and tenth fight at the Barclays Center.  It was also the first time he was back in the ring since his historic twelve round brawl against former world title challenger Chris Arreola, a bout that set the CompuBox record for most punches thrown (2,172) and landed (667) in a heavyweight contest.  

“Kownack is a tough fighter,” Helenius said.  “I worked hard in training camp and it paid off.

“I knew that I hit him hard and I knew I just had to continue. I knew he was still hurt after that punch. 

Kownacki also spoke after the fight, stating, “”It wasn’t my night. It’s boxing. It’s a tough sport and things just didn’t go my way tonight. It was a learning experience and I’m going to go back to the drawing board and get back to work.

“He hit me with a good shot. I knew what was going on, but I’m just upset with myself. It is what it is.”

Ajagba Batters Cojanu En Route To 9th Round TKO

Heavyweight prospect Efe Ajagba (13-0, 11KO) battered and broke down Romania’s Razvan Cojanu (17-7, 9KO) en route to a ninth round TKO victory.  

Ajagba, 25, started slow, perhaps a bit gun-shy as this was his first time back in the ring since his fight against Iago Kiladze — a fight in which both men traded early knockdowns before Ajagba landed a fight-ending right in the fifth.  Tonight, the former Nigerian Olympian, needed a few rounds to find a rhythm, and while he slowly eased his way into the contest, his Romanian counterpart was letting his hands fly.  

After enduring a rocky start, one in which Ajagba would likely admit he was on the receiving end of too many clean shots, the Nigerian started to ramp things up in the late-middle rounds.  

By the seventh round, Ajagba was beginning to wear down Cojanu, and every backwards step Cojanu took, Ajagba matched with a step forward.  Roughly two minutes into the eight round Ajagba landed an explosive right cross that halted Cojanu in his tracks. Ajagba, who trains out of Houston, TX with Ronnie Shields, quickly followed up with a flurry of punches that sent the Romanian to the mat.  The Romanian barely beat referee Ron Lipton’s 10-count and convinced him he was fit to continue. 

In the next round, Ajagba would finish off Cojanu for good, punishing him for the majority of the round until the Romanian willingly took a knee near Ajabga’s blue corner.  Lipton stepped in to wave off the bout at the 2:46 mark of round nine.  

“Cojanu has a lot of experience,” Ajagba said post-fight. “When I threw my jab, he used his right hand to block my vision, so I couldn’t throw as many combinations as I wanted. It was a good challenge. 

“Ronnie told me to attack the body behind the jab. It was very effective and it started to slow him down. When he got close to me, I knew to throw more and punish him. 

Frank Sanchez Easily Outpoints Joey Dawejko In Ten Round Clash

In the opening bout of the televised portion of the PBC on FOX card, 27 year-old Cuban heavyweight Frank “The Cuban Flash” Sanchez (15-0, 11KO) turned back the always-game Joey “Tank” Dawejko (20-8-4, 11KO) to earn a ten round unanimous decision (100-90×2, 98-92).

It was a relatively clean performance from the 6’4” 222lbs Sanchez, who didn’t allow for the shorter, stockier Dawejko (5’10”, 247lbs) to get into an offensive rhythm.  The rising heavyweight prospect did well in the early onset to keep Dawejko out of range, employing a weighted mixture of jabs and defensive footwork to muffle any Dawejko offense.  

By the early-middle rounds, Sanchez was scoring regularly with jabs, and more devastatingly with straight rights that were landing without resistance.  By the time the fifth round came to a close, Dawejko was sporting a nasty cut over his left eye.  

After being dominated the previous round, the stout Polish-American dug deep in the sixth though and had his best round of the fight, landing two beautiful lefts – one upstairs, one downstairs – during the frame.  Any minor success was short-lived, however, as the Cuban came back with two big rights to bookend a clear-cut Sanchez seventh round. 

Credit is deserved for the game Philadelphian though, who never stopped trying to close the distance between him and Sanchez.  Dawejko various ways to jumpstart his offense — at times lunging into range while throwing looping left hooks and windmilling rights.  Other times, the 29 year-old Polish-American shuffled into range behind a double jab. Unfortunately, when Dawejko did close the gap, Sanchez punished him for it.  

At the end of ten, all three judges scored the contest wide for Sanchez, 100-90, twice and 98-94.  

“I was well prepared and I thought I fought very well tonight,” Sanchez said afterward. “I dominated the fight. I showed good footwork and movement and did exactly what we worked on.

“I didn’t want to fight Dawejko’s fight, and he realized that and it frustrated him. He might have thought he’s faced guys like me, but there’s no other heavyweight like me.”

Dawejko shared his thoughts post-fight, too, saying, “I knew he was going to fight on the outside and he stayed on the outside. Not much to say, he just did what he had to do. 

“He was scared that’s why he was running around. He kept jumping back and staying away, so I guess he made it easy on the judges.”

Carlos Negron Takes Robert Alfonso’s “O”, Stops Him In One

Puerto Rican heavyweight Carlos Negron (21-3, 16KO) dropped previously unbeaten Cuban Robert Alfonso (19-1-1, 9KO) twice in the first round to score a TKO victory in a contest initially slated for eight rounds.  

Negron, 33, caught Alfonso early with a left hook that the former 2008 Cuban Olympian never recovered from.  The 6’6” Puerto Rican kept the pressure on and battered Alfonso around the ring until Alfonso collapsed to the mat where referee Mark Ortega immediately stopped the contest at the 2:03 mark of the first round.  

The win stops a two-fight skid for Negron, who had been KO’d in both.  

For the 33 year-old Alfonso, tonight marks his first pro defeat.

Steven Torres Knocks Out Ajabor In 2

Heavyweight prospect Steven Torres (3-0, KO) kept his win and KO percentage perfect, stopping previously unbeaten Alex Ajabor (2-1, KO) in the second of a scheduled four round contest. 

Midway through the round’s opening frame, Ajabor landed a clean shot on Torres and got overly excited.  The 34 year-old Ajabor carelessly flung punches at Torres, who countered with a clipping right that dropped Ajabor hard to the mat.  

In the next round, Reading, PA’s Torres emphatically ended the fight with a straight right that landed on the button and turned off Ajabor’s lights.  The referee immediately waved off the fight at the 2:32 mark of the second round.  

The 6’7” Torres, who is trained by Anibal Adorno (father of Top Rank prospects Joseph and Jeremy), has fought all of his pro contests at the Barclays Center.  

Zachary Ochoa Earns Hard-Fought UD Over Angel Sarinana

In his Barclays Center debut, Brooklyn native Zachary “Zungry” Ochoa (21-1, 7KO) scored a hard-earned unanimous decision (77-73×2, 76-74) over fellow junior welterweight Angel “Pescado” Sarinana (10-10-3, 4KO) in a eight round affair. 

It was a back and forth affair that initially saw Ochoa wanting to box on the outside, sticking and moving.  But the Mexican in Sarinana wanted action, and insisted on bringing the fight to Ochoa, constantly walking himself into range where the two were more than happy to eat a shot to a land a few of their own.  

In the seventh round, referee Mike Ortega deducted a point from 27 year-old Sarinana for headbutting.  Early in the following round Ortega evened the score, deducting a point from Ochoa for holding.  

It was only once the fight resumed after the holding deduction did Sarinina throw all caution to the wind, bull-rushing his way towards Ochoa throwing fists from all angles, scoring most notably with left hooks.  Ochoa dealt with Sarinana’s explosive aggression well enough to pepper in his own hooks and crosses that made for electrifying exchanges as the fight came to a close.  

But in the end, it was the 27 year-old Ochoa, who got the nod from all three judges.  The win runs his unbeaten streak to five — all via decision. He was retired by Yves Ulysses, Jr. in 2017, which remains the lone blemish on his record.  

Conversely, the loss drops Sarinana’s record on US soil to 1-6.  His only win in the US came against previously unbeaten Kazakh, Dimash Niyazov at the Barclays Center in 2018.   

Gonzalez Notches First Stoppage Win Over Labby 

In a welterweight contest initially slated for six rounds, New York City’s Arnold Gonzalez (4-0, 1KO) scored a third round TKO over Illinois’ Traye Labby (4-5-4, 3KO). 

It was undoubtedly the most impressive the 25 year-old Gonzalez has looked in his young career.  The Ecuadorean-American found a home for his right hand early and often and strategically applied pressure that Labby struggled to deal with.  Early in the third round, Gonzalez walked a wounded Labby into a neutral corner and unloaded a barrage of shots that whipped a defenseless Labby’s head in every direction until the referee stepped in to stop the contest at the :53 second mark.  

It was the first loss in eight fights for the 24 year-old Labby, who last tasted defeat in April 2017.  

For Gonzalez, who trains with Julian Chua out of the famed Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles, tonight marked the third consecutive fight at the Barclays Center.  

Boston’s Hogan Scores Impressive KO Win In Debut

In his pro debut, Boston’s Francis “The Tank” Hogan (1-0, 1KO) scored a fourth round KO over fellow middleweight southpaw Brent Oren (2-4) to kick off an eight bout fight card from the Barclays Center. 

Hogan, 19, fought a calculated and at times reserved fight, but displayed bursts of offense that left Lynchburg, VA’s Oren with no answers.  

Roughly two-thirds into the fourth round, Hogan planted a meaty left hook to the liver that immediately shut down Oren’s system, leaving him crumpled in a ball near the red corner where he was counted out.  The end officially came at the 2:11 mark of round 4.    

Hogan, who racked up various amateur titles over the last few years, made the decision to turn pro after dropping two close contests at the US Olympic qualifying tournament in December.  He’ll look to go 2-for-2 as a pro on April 9 when he makes his hometown debut in Boston. 

Former light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev will take on Sullivan Barrera on April 25th at The Fantasy Springs Resort in Indio, California. The bout will headline a massive cards that will also feature four world title bouts, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Kovalev wrote on social media on Wednesday that the fight had been signed and later said, “I am happy to get back in the ring and to be on my way back to world championship bouts. Barrera is a Cuban fighter and, even though I never faced any Cuban fighters as a professional, back in amateur days it was always Russian boxers competing with Cuban boxers, so I’m looking forward to remembering my amateur boxing. I’m very glad to be back and to bring my boxing to my fans on April 25.”

Main Events CEO Kathy Duva, Kovalev’s promoter and Barrera’s former promoter, who is working with Golden Boy on the fight, added, “Because Sullivan Barrera spent most of his professional career with Main Events, a fight between Kovalev and Barrera is something that we naturally anticipated would happen for a very long time. And so here we are! This is a really solid fight between two action fighters who have never turned down a challenge.

“This will be the most important fight of my career because I have always pursued a fight with Sergey Kovalev,” Barrera said. “I know that he has to win this fight in order to continue with his career, but the case is the same with me. It is very important to win this fight, which for me would be like becoming a world champion. That’s what it means for me to finally face Kovalev. I also want to thank Golden Boy for believing in me and my team, and for giving us the opportunity that we have always wanted, which is to fight Kovalev.”

Beside the main event, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya said he was excited by the depth of the card.

“For this huge event, we’ll have fighters from four different continents battling it out for world titles from all four sanctioning bodies,” De La Hoya said. “Fans of professional boxing will be treated to a banquet of big fights headlined by Sergey Kovalev versus Sullivan Barrera, along with the returns of world champions such as Patrick Teixeira, Rene and Felix Alvarado, and Chayaphon Moonsri (also known as Wanheng Menayothin).”

In the co-feature, Teixeira (31-1, 22 KOs), 29, a southpaw from Brazil, will make the first defense of his junior middleweight world title against mandatory challenger Brian Castano (16-0-1, 12 KOs), 30, of Argentina.

“I am very happy and excited to defend my world title for the very first time,” said Teixeira, who recently signed a contract extension with Golden Boy. “I worked very hard to become a world champion, and I won’t let anyone take that away from me. I know that Castano, as my mandatory challenger, is tough and experienced, but my team and I are more than ready to go to war and deliver a great performance.”

Junior lightweight world titlist Rene Alvarado (32-8, 21 KOs), 31, of Nicaragua, and twin brother and junior flyweight world titlist Felix Alvarado (35-2, 30 KOs) will defend their titles on the same card. Rene Alvarado knocked out Andrew Cancio in the seventh round in November to win a 130-pound title and will make his first defense against Roger Gutierrez (24-3-1, 20 KOs), 24, of Venezuela, who has won five fights in a row.

Felix Alvarado, who signed with Golden Boy last month, will make the second defense of his 108-pound world title against former strawweight titlist DeeJay Kriel (16-1-1, 8 KOs), 24, of South Africa. Kriel won his strawweight belt in February 2018 by 12th-round knockout of Carlos Licona but never defended, instead vacating in order to move up in weight.

Menayothin (54-0, 18 KOs), 34, of Thailand, who boasts the longest active unbeaten streak in boxing, will defend his strawweight world title for the 13th time when he squares off with Marco John Rementizo (12-3, 9 KOs), 20, of the Philippines. Menayothin signed with Golden Boy late last year and the fight will be his first outside of Thailand.

Also on the card:

• Former junior lightweight world titlist Alberto Machado (22-2, 18 KOs), 29, of Puerto Rico, will face fellow southpaw Cristian Baez (18-1, 17 KOs), 28, of Venezuela, in a 10-round lightweight fight. Machado is seeking his second win in a row since moving up in weight after losing his title by knockout to Cancio and then getting knocked out again in the immediate rematch last June.

• Junior featherweight Diego De La Hoya (22-1, 10 KOs), 25, of Mexico, a first cousin of Oscar De La Hoya, will face Manuel “Tino” Avila (23-2-1, 8 KOs), 27, of Fairfield, California, in a 10-rounder.

• Middleweight Shane Mosley Jr. (15-3, 9 KOs), 29, of Pomona, California, the son of former three-division world champion and 2020 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Shane Mosley Sr., will have his first fight since signing with Golden Boy last month. He will face Abraham Cordero (13-5-2, 7 KOs), 25, of Mexico, in an eight-rounder.

• Junior featherweight Hector Valdez (12-0, 8 KOs), 24, of Dallas, will face an opponent to be determined in an eight-round bout.

Former Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has exercised his rematch clause with Tyson Fury and promoter Bob Arum said July 18th is the working date for the Trilogy in Las Vegas, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Now we will sit down and go through all the details for the fight,” Arum said, adding that the task would fall largely to Top Rank president Todd duBoef and Bruce Binkow of Premier Boxing Champions. Before Wilder made it official, Arum said he was open to shifting the third fight to the fall if that is what Wilder and PBC wanted. But on Sunday, he said the fight would indeed be July 18 and that it again would be a joint pay-per-view between ESPN, Top Rank’s broadcaster, and Fox, one of PBC’s broadcasters.

“We realized that date was the favorite of both ESPN and Fox because it comes at a dead time in sports, which is good for the fight,” Arum said. “It’s after the basketball playoffs, baseball is in the middle of the season and there’s no football. It’s the ideal time. The hotel, MGM Grand, also believes it to be an ideal time.”

“I figured he would do it because I have had enough experience with rematches to know that anything can happen and guys can change their strategy and want the opportunity to [avenge] the loss,” Arum said.

Shelly Finkel, Wilder’s co-manager, confirmed the decision to go forward with the third fight. “We did exercise it,” Finkel told ESPN. “We want to fight Fury next and we wanted to make sure we sent the letter and that it was done.”

Mikey Garcia returned from his 1st professional loss by winning a 12-round unanimous decision over Jessie Vargas at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.

After winning the first four rounds, Vargas was caught by a big right that wobbled him. Garcia followed up with another booming right that put Vargas down in the corner.

Garcia took over and won the next several rounds and gained control of the fight. Vargas tried to make a last stand and landed a couple decent shots in the closing rounds, but was wobbled again in round’s 10 and 12.

Garcia, 145.8 lbs of Oxnard, CA won by scores of 116-111 twice and 114-113 and is now 40-1. Vargas, 147 lbs of Las Vegas is 29-3-2.

Former Pound for Pound King Roman Gonzalez won the WBA Super Flyweight title with a 9th round stoppage over previously undefeated former champion Kal Yafai.

Gonzalez beat up and wore down Yafai and in round eight dropped Yafai with a combination. Gonzalez ended things with a perfect right to the jaw that plummeted Yafai to the canvas and the fight was stopped at 29 seconds of round nine.

Gonzalez, 114 lbs of Managua, NIC is 49-2 with 41 knockouts. Yafai, 114.8 lbs of Birmingham, UK is 26-1.

Julio Cesar Martinez retained the WBC Flyweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Jay Harris.

It was a close fight that saw both men have their way during the encounter.

In round five, Harris started to bleed around his left eye.

In round ten, Martinez dropped Harris with a hard body shot.

Martinez, 111.4 lbs of Mexico won by scores of 118-109, 116-111 and 115-112 and is now 16-1. Harris, 111.6 lbs of Wales is 17-1.

Former heavyweight titlist, Joseph Parker stopped Shawndell Winters in round five of a scheduled 10-round bout.

In round three, Parker dropped Winters with a hard right. In round four, Parker was cut under the right eye. In round five, Parker landed a ripping three punch combination to the head that sent Winters to the canvas. The fight was stopped at 2:40

Parker, 245.4 lbs of New Zealand is 27-2 with 21 knockouts. Winter, 208 lbs of Illinois is 13-3.

Israil Madrimov stopped Charlie Navarro in round six of a scheduled 10-round junior middleweight elimination bout.

Madrimov dominated the action and dropped Navarro twice in round six. The first was a hard left to the body. Navarro looked done, and he was seconds later as Madrimov landed a hard right to the body that sent Navarro down again and the fight was stopped at 2:24

Madrimov, 153.2 lbs of Uzbekistan is 5-0 with five knockouuts. Navarro, 153.2 lbs of Panama is 29-10.

Good looking super middleweight prospect Diego Pacheco won an easy six-round unanimous decision over Oscar Riojas.

Pacheco was dominant with right hand and staggered Riojas in the final moment of the fight.

Pacheco, 167.4 lbs of Los Angeles won by scores of 60-54 and is now 9-0. Riojas, 167.4 lbs of Mexico is 21-13-1.

Alexis Espino won a six-round unanimous decision over Delvecchio Savage in a super middleweight bout.

Savage began to bleed from the nose in the 5th round.

Espino, 165 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 60-54 and 59-55 twice and is now 6-0. Savage, 163.6 lbs of Tuscaloosa, AL is 3-6-1.

Former 115-pound world champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai will return to action on April 4th against former flyweight champion Amnat Ruenroeng  in Rungvisai’s native Bangkok, Thailand.

“For this warm-up fight with Amnat, I want to show my physical ability to Estrada that I still have the thirst for a third fight with him because I want to bring my championship belt back to my home country,” Sor Rungvisai said in translated remarks. “I am counting the days to part 3, but before I get there I have this fight which I know it is not easy, because (Ruenroeng) is a great fighter and a former world champion and I can’t underestimate him. Guarantee that it will be a fun fight for sure.”

Keith Hunter won a 10-round unanimous decision over Sanjarbek Rakhmanov in a junior welterweight rematch at Sam’s Town in Las Vegas.

In round three, Hunter dropped Rakhmanov with a body shot.

Hunter, 141 1/2 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 98-91 twice and 97-92 and is now 12-0. Rakhmanov, 143 lbs of Las Vegas is 12-3-1.

“I really wanted to stop him but the judges saw the effort I put in,” said Hunter. “I gave it my all and even though we didn’t close the show, I think we stole the show. I think I improved from the last fight to this fight and made more of a statement this time.

“The 140-pound division is stacked and I think I put the rest of the division on notice that I’m here. I’m not going anywhere and we’re definitely a threat.”

Richardson Hitchins won a 10-round unanimous decision over Nick DeLomba in a junior welterweight bout.

Hitchins, 141 1/4 lbs of New York, NY won by shutout scores of 100-90 on all cards and is now 11-0. DeLomba, 141 1/2 lbs of Cranston, RI is 16-3.

“I’d rate my performance an 8.5 out of 10,” said Hitchins. “I got hit with little petty shots I could’ve avoided. I thought I could get him out in the second or third round, but I knew he could take a punch.

“He’s fought a couple a big hitters at 147, they knocked him down and he came back up. I knew his game plan was to keep the pressure on me. He was a durable opponent. I wanted to show a different side of my skillset and I think I did that

Genc Pllana scored an upset 10-round majority decision over Kevin Newman II in a super middleweight.

Pllana used his awkward style to thwart Newman and won by close scores of 96-94 on all cards.

Pllana, 168 lbs of Kosovo is 8-1-1. Newman, 167 3/4 lbs of Las Vegas is 11-2-1.

“I’m very happy with my performance but in the fourth round he poked me in my eye,” said the Albanian Pllana, who fights out of Hagerstown, Md., under the tutelage of former two-division world champion Simon Brown. “For the next three rounds, I was seeing three people. In the seventh round, I finally saw one man and started seeing straight again. My style caused big problems for him but if I didn’t get poked in the fourth round it would have been a stoppage.”

“I don’t have anyone to blame but myself,” said Las Vegas’ Newman, who is trained by future Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. and former world champion Bones Adams. “I was in shape and out of focus, period. I beat myself tonight, but I’ll bounce back.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will keep trainer Mark Breland after rumors that Wilder would jettison Breland for throwing in the towel in Wilder’s loss to Tyson Fury.

“I’m a warrior. I feel the same way I felt on fight night — if I have to go out, I want to go out on my shield,” Wilder told ESPN in a statement Friday night. “But I understand that my corner and my team has my best interest at heart. Mark Breland is still a part of Team Wilder and our team looks forward to preparing for the [trilogy fight].”

“For Mark to do it, I was very heartbroken,” Wilder told ESPN earlier this week. “If I say statements like I want to kill a man [in the ring], then I have to abide by those same principles in the ring of him doing the same thing to me. I’d rather die than go out with someone throwing the towel in.

“He knows these things. It’s been premeditated. I’ve said this for many years. I told all my trainers, no matter how it may look on the outside, no matter how you may love me or have that emotional feeling, don’t make an emotional decision and do not ever throw that towel in because my pride is everything. I understand what it looks like but when you have power like me I am never out of a fight, no matter what the circumstances. I’m never out of a fight.”

Unified Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev are close to finalizing a deal that would pit them against each other in June, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Assuming the deal is signed, promoter Eddie Hearn said the fight will take place June 20 at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which opened in 2019 and seats more than 60,000.

“The terms are agreed and we’re papering the deal as we talk,” Hearn told ESPN in Frisco, where he is promoting the Mikey Garcia-Jessie Vargas welterweight fight on Saturday night.

“It’s just been stuff like tickets, officials — because we’ve got to make sure they want neutral officials and we’d have to speak to the [British Board of Boxing Control] about that, and it could take two or three days,” Hearn said. “But everything has been really smooth. It’s really, really minor details. We’re re-drafting and re-drafting and re-drafting [the contract], and every time there’s a re-draft two of the problems disappear. So it’s travel, officials, press conferences, [does Top Rank] get a slot on the undercard. It’s so minor now, it’s just making sure there are no arguments when we get it done.”

Although it is a mandatory fight, Hearn said there is “likely to be a rematch clause because it’s just how it is with AJ fights. It’s the same conversation I had with [Top Rank chairman Bob] Arum when we did [Vasiliy] Lomachenko-Luke Campbell and Lomachenko-Anthony Crolla [last year]. They were both mandatories but both had rematch clauses. If [Pulev] said no rematch clause then we wouldn’t take the fight and they’d lose the biggest payday of their career. They’d fight Charles Martin for [a vacant title] for $500,000. So the fight is nearly done. I just saw another draft. The discussion points are down to silly things.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the recent Coronavirus outbreak has forced the cancellation of boxing events in Japan.

The bouts scheduled in March will be rescheduled but not until the coronavirus situation plays out.

There is a card scheduled for Thursday at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo that will take place as planned.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Deontay Wilder will exercise his rematch clause against Tyson Fury. Wilder also cited that his costume he wore for his ringwalk hindered him and caused him to not have the proper leg balance in the fight.

“We’re definitely going to exercise it,” said Wilder, who fought to a disputed draw with Fury 14 months ago. “We’re looking forward to it. I’m a warrior and a true champion, and I fight like that every bit of the way. We’re definitely going on with it. That’s for sure. By the summertime.”

“There were a lot of things that went wrong leading up to the fight, in the last minutes before the fight, but I accept full responsibility,” Wilder said. “I paid a severe price because my legs were how they were because of my uniform. My uniform was way too heavy. It was 40-plus pounds. We had it on 10 or 15 minutes before we even walked out and then put the helmet on. That was extra weight, then the ring walk, then going up the stairs. It was like a real workout for my legs. When I took it off, I knew immediately that game has changed.”

“I really let the designers freelance with it. It was really their idea,” Wilder said. “By the third round, I had no legs. I was completely done. My legs were gone. I had to step into survival mode very early. But you know me — I’m going out on my shield. I’m a fighter. I’m a warrior. That’s what I do.”

“Well, I don’t know about the legs affecting his performance, but he had to be very, very negligent coming in with that head covering because that choked off his oxygen, and I’m sure that had an effect,” Top Rank and Fury co-promoter Bob Arum said. “Coach [Jon] Gruden [of the Las Vegas Raiders, who was at the fight] said that: ‘What is he, crazy?’ And it wasn’t covering him for two seconds. That was a long [ring] walk.”

Wilder also took um-bridge with referee Kenny Bayless.

“I don’t understand certain things that Bayless was doing because he came in the back room [for the final instructions], and he looked me in my eyes, and he said that he would disqualify me or take two points from me if I threw rabbit punches or punched after the break,” Wilder said. “But I guess that rule only applies to me because my opponent did it all night long. I got knots all on the back of my head down to my neck. [Fury] was elbowing. [Bayless] took a point, but it was too late. At that point, Fury didn’t care about that point being taken. I don’t know what was going on with Bayless. I’m at a loss for words. I thought he was there to protect us.”

“I congratulate Fury on his accomplishment,” Wilder said. “I’m very excited for him, and I am not bitter toward no one.”

Said Fury trainer, Javan “SugarHill” Steward, “I’ve heard a lot of crazy stuff, this doesn’t even rank, this is really nothing to me,” Steward said. “But if that’s what they really believe is true, that’s what they believe is true. Everybody has their own truth, so you start thinking about it, hearing about it and you’ll start believing certain things. That’s the power of the mind, we know that.”

Wilder was upset that co-trainer Mark Breland threw in the towel to stop the fight.

“For Mark to do it, I was very heartbroken,” Wilder said. “If I say statements like I want to kill a man [in the ring], then I have to abide by those same principles in the ring of him doing the same thing to me. I’d rather die than go out with someone throwing the towel in.

“He knows these things. It’s been premeditated. I’ve said this for many years. I told all my trainers, no matter how it may look on the outside, no matter how you may love me or have that emotional feeling, don’t make an emotional decision, and do not ever throw that towel in because my pride is everything. I understand what it looks like, but when you have power like me, I am never out of a fight, no matter what the circumstances. I’m never out of a fight.”

“I still had my thoughts in my mind. I had to lean against the ropes to get support because of my legs. It really hurt me,” Wilder said of Breland’s decision to throw in the towel.

At the postfight news conference, Wilder’s co-trainer Jay Deas said he did not agree with Breland’s decision to end the fight.

“Mark threw the towel. I didn’t think he should have,” Deas said. “Deontay is the kind of the guy that goes out on his shield. He will tell you straight-up: Don’t throw the towel in.”

“We haven’t decided yet. I’m about ready to go to Africa. Once I come home from Africa, we gonna get a group decision on what changes that should or need to be done as far as my camp is concerned,” Wilder said. “No matter what the decision is, I love Mark. The whole team loves Mark dearly. He’s been with me from the start. We haven’t made any type of decision of what we are going to do.

“I’m in great spirits, man. Things happen, and you can always correct them and move forward. I’m an optimistic person. I can correct things, be optimistic and move forward.”

“We may all decide to punt it to the fall, September or October,” Arum said, adding that the third fight would be in the United States, per their agreement, with the new stadium being built in Las Vegas for the NFL’s Raiders a possibility to host.

“We would certainly pick the right date, even if it wasn’t in the window that we have in the contract,” Arum said. “We would look for the best possible date in 2020. Even though we have the champion, we have a partner in PBC, and we would consult with them. We’ve been so collegial. I’m not going to upset the apple cart and shoot off my mouth. I want to hear what PBC has to say before I talk to you about dates and sites. We’ll sit and talk and come to an understanding just like we did when we made [Saturday’s] fight.”

LAS VEGAS–Tyson Fury was spectacular in wearing down, beating down and eventually stopping Deontay Wilder to win the WBC Heavyweight title at the MGM Grand.

Fury was the aggressor and used his 42 pound size advantage to dictate the entire bout that had Wilder showing little resistance.

Fury sent Wilder to the canvas in round three when he landed a cuffing right to the ear. After that, Wilder seemed to lose his energy as the Fury continued to wear Wilder down. The punch the that sent Wilder down also caused bleeding out the right ear of Wilder. In round five, Fury dropped Wilder again, this time it was a body shot. Fury continued to land thudding shots and Wilder kept looking worse with each landed Fury punch.

After looking bad in the corner in between round’s six and seven, Fury came and landed two booming right hand that had referee Kenny Bayless and the corner of Wilder throwing in the towel simultaneously at 1:39.

Fury, 273 lbs of Winslow, UK is now 30-0-1 with 21 knockouts. Wilder, 231 lbs of Tuscaloosa, AL is 42-1-1.

TYSON FURY:

“A big shout out to Deontay Wilder. He came here tonight and he manned up and he really did show the heart of a champion.

“I hit him with a clean right that dropped him and he got back up. He is a warrior. He will be back. He will be champion again.

“But I will say, the king has returned to the top of the throne!”

DEONTAY WILDER:

“I’m doing good. Things like this happen. The best man won tonight, but my corner threw in the towel and I was ready to go out on my shield. I had a lot of things going on heading into this fight. It is what it is, but I make no excuses tonight. I just wish my corner would have let me go out on my shield. I’m a warrior. He had a great performance and we will be back stronger.”

“Even the greatest have lost and came back, that is just part of it. You just take it for what it is. I can make no excuses tonight. I had a lot of complications. But we’ll come back stronger next time around. This is what big-time boxing is all about, the best must fight the best. I appreciate all the fans that came out and supported the show, and I hope that everyone gets home safely.”

Former Heavyweight champion Charles Martin scored a one-punch knockout over former world title challenger challenger in round six of their scheduled 12-round elimination bout.

The bout was void of action until Martin landed a booming left that sent Washington to the canvas. Washington got to his feet, but the fight was stopped at 1:57.

Martin, 254 lbs of Carson, CA is 28-2-1 with 25 knockouts. Washington, 236 1/2 lbs of Vallejo, CA is 20-4-1.

CHARLES MARTIN

“I knew that I had him hurt a few times in the fight. Every round I think I hurt him, but I just couldn’t finish him. I knew that I had to take my time in there. It took me some rounds to catch up with him, because he’s very quick on the retreat.

“This win means a lot. It shows that I’ve been working hard. The people can see it. I was never hurt at any point. This has just given me more confidence in myself. I can take the punches and give the punches.”

GERALD WASHINGTON

“The referee did what he thought was right. He’s a top notch ref so I won’t complain about the stoppage. He put me down and I got up, so I definitely wanted to get back to it.”

Emanuel Navarrete stopped Jeo Santisima in round 11 to retain the WBO Super Bantamweight title.

Navarrete dominated the action and finally was able to get Santisima out there with a brutal 11 punch flurry at 2:20 of round 11.

Navarrete, 122 lbs of Mexico City is 31-1 with 27 knockouts. Santisima, 122 lbs of the Philippines is 19-3.

Sebastian Fundora won a 10-round unanimous decision over Daniel Lewis in a junior middleweight bout.

In round two, Fundora began to bleed from the nose

Fundora, 153 1/2 lbs of Cochella, CA won by scores of 99-91, 98-92 and 97-94 and is now 14-0-1. Lewis, 153 lbs of Sydney, AUS is 6-1.

SEBASTIAN FUNDORA

“I think it was a fair decision and a good fight. There were a lot of hard punches. I knew he would be tough. When they told me I was fighting an Olympian, I knew it would be a tough fight. He probably had more experience than me, but we prepared the right way and got the win.

“I always want to use my height and my physical gifts, but it just depends on the fight. If the situation changes, we have to be ready to adapt.

“Whether we’re fighting on the inside or the outside, I always want to be the busier fighter. The more punches you throw, the more you’re going to land. It’s the way I like to fight.

“I’ll have to talk to my team, but I want to keep facing the best competition possible and continue to grow in the sport.”

Javier Molina won an eight-round unanimous decision over Amir Imam in a junior welterweight bout.

Molina, 141 1/2 lbs of Norwalk, CA won by scores of 79-73 and 78-74 twice and is now 22-2. Imam, 141 1/2 lbs of Albany, NY is 21-3.

Petros Ananyan won an upset 10-round unanimous decision over previosuly undefeated knockout artist Subriel Matias in a junior welterweight bout.

In round seven, Ananyan landed some booming shots that hurt Matias and drove him back to the ropes. Matias seemed out on his feet and for some reason referee Robert Byrd administered an eight-count.

That was the difference in the fight as Matias won by scores of 96-93 and 95-94 twice for Ananyan, 142 lbs of Brooklyn, NY and is now 15-2-2. Matias, 142, Fajardo, PR is 15-1.

Gabriel Flores Jr. remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous over Matt Conway in a junior lightweight bout.

In round one, Flores dropped Conway with an overhand right. In round two, Conway started to swell around his right eye.

Flores, 132 1/2 lbs of Stockton, CA won by scores of 80-71 twice and 79-72, and is now 16-0. Conway, 132 1/2 lbs of Pittsburgh, PA is 17-2.

Vito Mielnicki Jr. remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Corey Champion in a welterweight bout.

In round one, Mielnicki dropped Champion with a flush counter right. In round four, Champion was bleeding from his nose.

Mielnicki, 147 lbs of Roseland, NJ won by scores of 40-35 on all cards and is now 5-0. Champion, 147 lbs of Louisa, VA is 1-3.

In a foul fest 10 featherweight fight, Isaac Lowe won a unanimous decision over Alberto Guevara.

In round four, Guevara was deducted a point for hitting on the break. Low was deducted apoint for hitting on the break and then another one for throwing Guevara down.

In round five, Lowe was deducted a point for hitting behind the head. In round six, Guevara was deducted for hitting on the break. Lowe was deducted another point in the round for hitting on the break. In round eight, Lowe dropped Guevara with a left hook.

Lowe, 125 1/2 lbs of Morecambe, UK won by scores of 96-87 twice and 95-88 and is now 20-0-3. Guevara, 126 lbs of Mazatlan, MEX is 27-6.

Rolando Romero stopped Arturs Ahmetovs in round two of a scheduled eight-round lightweight bout.

Romero dropped Ahmetovs twice and the fight was stopped at 1:22 of round two.

Romero, 137 lbs of Las Vegas is 11-0 with 10 knockouts. Ahmetovs, 136 lbs of Delray Beach, FL is 5-1

By Norm Frauenheim-

Phoenix junior-featherweight Carlos Castro faces a key step in his pursuit of a shot at world title Friday night at Celebrity Theatre.

Castro (24-0, 10 KOs) faces Jesus Estrella Ruiz (41-8-5) for a bout that could win him a mandatory shot at the World Boxing Council’s version of the 122-pound belt.

If not a mandatory, a victory over Ruiz would put him in line for an elimination bout for the mandatory slot, according to Robert Vargas of Iron Boy Promotions. Castro is currently ranked No. 3 by the WBC. Unbeaten Mexican Rey Vargas (34-0, 22 KOs) holds the WBC belt.

Castro, 24, has been pursuing a major title ever since he signed with top Rank a couple of years ago. Vargas said Castro was willing to fight emerging star Emanuel Navarrete (30-1, 26 KOs), the World Boxing Organization champion, on the card featuring the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury heavyweight rematch Saturday night at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

However, Top Rank decided to match Navarrete against Filipino Jeo Satisima ((19-2, 16 KOs) instead.

In Ruiz, Castro faces a fighter with power. He’s from Nogales on the Mexican side of the border with Arizona. He has trained and sparred with former featherweight champion Oscar Valdez Jr, also of Nogales.

Doors open at Celebrity at 5 p.m. (MST).

Caleb Plant thrilled his hometown fans as he stopped Vincent Feigenbutz in round 10 to retain his IBF Super Middleweight title title at The Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennesse.

It was a one-sided affair from the opening bell as Plant was bigger, faster and stronger then Feigenbutz, and Plant emphatically used all of those advantages.

Plant boxed extremely well against a square target that Feigenbutz well. Plant jabbed, ripped to the body and came back with left hooks that the German visitor had no answer for.

In round nine, Feigenbutz started bleeding from the nose and the stoppage was inevitable.

Finally in round 10, Plant landed another blistering combination and the fight was stopped at 2:23.

Plant, 166.8 lbs of Nashville is 20-0 with 12 knockouts. Feigenbutz, 165.2 lbs of Karfarube, GER is 31-2.

“I was super fueled by the crowd tonight,” Plant said. “I could have gone all night. The whole city came out. Nashville stand up!”

“I felt great out there,” said Plant. “I was relaxed and sharp. I told you I was going to stop this before the 12th round. I want to dedicate this to my daughter, to my mother, my grandfather and the whole city of Nashville.”

“Everyone knows I want that unification fight with David Benavidez,” Plant stated. “You know who the best 168-pounder is. If you want that, you’ve got to come see me. I want that fight; I’ve been asking for it and I’m tired of waiting!”

Abel Ramos, down on the cards, scored a last-second stoppage win over Bryant Perrella in a 10-round welterweight bout.

Perrella controlled the bout for most of the 29-plus minutes of the bout. He boxed well and worked the body. That was until he got caught in the last 2o seconds of the bout by an uppercut that sent him to the canvas. Ramos then landed a hard right that sent Perrella for a 2nd time. Perrella got to his feet but wobbled as referee Jack Reiss asked him to walk to his right, and the bout was stopped at 2:59.

Ramos, 145.8 lbs of Casa Grande, AZ is 26-3-2 with 20 knockouts. Perrella, 146.8 lbs of Fort Myers, FL is 17-3.

“I know the fight’s not over until it’s over,” said Ramos. “That’s the game. I’ve been sick for two weeks. But no excuses. I wanted to come here and perform. “I watched the Chavez-Taylor fight like 10 million times and I never thought I’d be in something like that. It just goes to prove that fights are never over till it’s over. You have to fight every single second of every single round.”

“This is boxing. It’s like Meldrick Taylor and Chavez,” said Perrella, agreeing with Ramos’ comments. “These things just happen. I’m not going to take anything away from my opponent. I was winning every round convincingly. What can I say? There was second left in the 10th round. It’s like a needle in the haystack. It is what it is.”

“Perrella’s a tough fighter,” said Ramos. “He’s a strong, strong fighter. I have nothing but respect for him. I expected a tough fight and that’s what happened.”

“Everything was going well, and I was winning the fight, round by round,” said Perrella. “I don’t know. This is boxing. That’s the thing about the sport. It is what it is. There’s nothing I can do about it. I’m not going to make up any excuses or take anything away from my opponent. It’s just an experience that you go through in life and you have to overcome it. Absolutely I’d like to do it again with him. We can get a rematch in for sure.” “I want all the welterweights,” Ramos exclaimed. “I’d like to have another big TV fight and go out there and prove myself.”

Former world title challenger Diego Magdaleno won a 10-round unanimous decision over Austin Dulay in a lightweight bout.

Dulay took the first couple of rounds by boxing. In round four, Magdaleno turned the fight around by starting a nice body attack.

In round seven, Magdaleno dropped Dulay with a body shot. Seconds later, Magdaleno was deducted a point for a low bow. Magdaleno continued to work the body effectively as the fighters came down the stretch.

Magdaleno, 134.4 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 97-91 and 96-92 twice and is now 32-3. Dulay, 134.4 lbs of Nashville is 13-2.

“I knew mentally I could break him down,” said Magdaleno. “If I attacked the body, I knew I could break him down. He’s a young prospect. He’s taller than me so my plan of attack was to get in close and go to the body.”

“Even Diego just told me that he had nothing to do with the decision. He knows. How can they do that to me in my hometown? That’s dirty man.”

“Every round he was hitting me low and, in the back, and on the hips,” said Dulay.
“It was more times than he got called for. I won that fight 100%.”

“Experience has everything going for me. In my previous fight, I lost my head,” said Magdaleno. “This time I took my time. My camp said slow it down. Happy for the victory tonight.”

The New York State Athletic Commission has reduced sanctions against Ivan Redkach for biting Danny Garcia on January 25th in Brooklyn, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Initially, the New York commission announced that it had issued Redkach the maximum fine of $10,000 “for engaging in dangerous, disorderly and unsportsmanlike conduct” and suspended his boxing license for one year. It also said that Redkach should forfeit his entire $300,000 purse from the fight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, even though he had already deposited the check.

“After a final agreement with Mr. Ivan Redkach’s legal team, the New York State Athletic Commission is taking the following disciplinary action against Mr. Redkach for biting Mr. Danny Garcia’s shoulder during the fight that took place on January 25th, 2020,” commission spokeswoman Mercedes Padilla said in an email to ESPN. “Mr. Redkach was issued a maximum fine of $10,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct. Mr. Redkach will be suspended for a period of six months, running from the date of the incident.”

The commission is no longer seeking to have Redkach (23-5-1, 18 KOs), 33, a Ukraine native who fights out of Los Angeles, forfeit his purse

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBA Super Middleweight champion Callum Smith has turned an offer to fight Canelo Alvarez in May.

“He’s an idiot,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Osacr De La Hoya. “Callum Smith is a good fighter and has an amazing shot of beating Canelo and he turns it down?”

“Callum Smith turned down the fight and he would have made three to four times the money he has ever made and he turned it down,” said De La Hoya, who declined to say how much Smith was offered. “I wish him all the best and hopefully he can make the same money somewhere else. But Callum Smith, the most dangerous fighter out there at super middleweight, is out there and he’s bragging how he wants to fight the best and he turns it down? What’s wrong with these fighters? What’s happening with the legacies? It’s all business now.”

“We turned down the initial offer but, of course, it’s the fight that Callum wants next,” Smith’s promoter Eddie Hearn said. “If we feel the offer is right, he will jump at the chance.”

“We have a few opponents that we’re looking at,” De La Hoya said. “We’re going to go down the list. And whoever turns it down, on to the next one. These days I can’t even mention names because they automatically add zeros to the final number (of dollars they want). I commend Billy Joe Saunders because he went on record saying he wants the fight and would fight Canelo for free, but there are several guys out there.

“I don’t want to mention any names from my mouth, but we will work with anybody. We will just keep going down the list. But it’s an idiotic mistake on their part to turn down a chance to fight Canelo, the biggest star in boxing, and to make the most money.”