Talks of 3rd fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin have hit a snag over the site of a proposed fight, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

olovkin has made it clear that after an extremely controversial draw in their first fight in September 2017 and a disputed majority-decision loss in their rematch last September that cost him his belts and ended his reign tied for the division record, with 20 consecutive defenses, he has no desire to return to Las Vegas for a third fight, feeling that he did not get a fair shake in boxing’s capital.

Las Vegas, however, is where Alvarez intends to fight, specifically at T-Mobile Arena, which hosted both bouts with Golovkin and where they generated more than $50 million in ticket sales between the two fights.

Alavrez could look for fights at super middleweight and light heavyweight against champion Callum Smith or Sergey Kovalev.

“Canelo absolutely is serious about fighting Kovalev, and I think it would be a great fight,” Golden Boy’s Eric Gomez told ESPN. “All I can say is that Canelo is serious about making history and fighting him. Canelo always wants to fight the best opponents and the biggest fights. I think Canelo is the best fighter in the world, and I think anywhere between 160 and 175 pounds, he will give anyone a run for their money.”

Main Events CEO Kathy Duva, Kovalev’s promoter, said a fight with Alvarez is certainly one their side is interested in.

“I do believe, based upon what I am hearing, that Canelo really wants to fight Sergey,” Duva said. “It’s a legacy thing. But Golden Boy has not made us any kind of offer. So unless and until they do, there is nothing to talk about. Having said that, you have to really admire Canelo. The guy is truly a throwback fighter, always looking for a bigger challenge. I really admire that about him. And, of course, Sergey would love it too.”

Vladimir Nikitin has pulled out of his August 3rd fight with Michael Conlan due to a shoulder injury, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“He (Manager Egis Klimis) called us and told us that Nikitin is headed back to Russia for surgery,” said Top Rank Vice-President Carl Moretti said. “We are searching for a new opponent for Conlan.”

“We’re not even going to think about rescheduling the fight right now,” Moretti said. “It’s too severe of an injury. And when he does come back we’d probably have to give him another fight first before he could be ready to fight Conlan. It’s a disappointment.”

Lewis benson won a eight-round decision over Renard Garrido in a junior welterweight bout.

Benson, 142 lbs of Edinbergh, SCO won by a 77-75 score and is now 12-2. Garrido, 143 lbs of France is 24-24-3.

Craig Macintyre stopped Chris Adaway in round three of their scheduled six-round welterweight bout.

Macintyre dropped Adaway in round three with a good right hand. Macintyre landed some silid shots that turned Adaway around, and the bout was stopped at 2:58.

Macintyre, 145 lbs of Glasgow, SCO is 11-0-1 with four knockouts. Adaway, 147 lbs of England is 9-57-4.Craig Macintyre stopped Chris Adaway in round three of their scheduled six-round welterweight bout.

Macintyre dropped Adaway in round three with a good right hand. Macintyre landed some silid shots that turned Adaway around, and the bout was stopped at 2:58.

Macintyre, 145 lbs of Glasgow, SCO is 11-0-1 with four knockouts. Adaway, 147 lbs of England is 9-57-4.

Stephen Ward won a close technical unanimous decision over Liam Conroy in a light heavyweight bout.

n round two, Ward was cut badly over the left eye. In round four, Conroy scored a knockdown from a nice flurry of punches.

The cut kept streaming from around the eye of Ward, and the fight was stopped in the eighth round, due to an accidental headbutt.

Ward, 174 lbs of Belfast, Ireland won by scores of 76-75 on all cards and is now 12-0. Conroy, 174.7 lbs of England is 17-5-1.

Tyrone McKenna won a 10-roun unanimous decision over Darragh Foley in a junior welterweight bout.

In round three, McKenna began to bleed over his right eye. A worse cut opened up over his left eye in the 5th round from an accidental headbutt.

In round eight, McKenna scored a knockdown as Foley went down from a couple of non descript shots.

McKenna, 139.1 lbs won by scores of 98-91 twice and 97-93, and is now 20-1-1. Foley, 139 lbs is 17-4-1.

Paddy Gallagher stopped previously undefeated Liam Wells in round three of their scheduled eight-round welterweight bout.

In round three, Gallagher hurt Wells with a hard left hand. Gallagher jumped on Wells, and landed about 10 unanswered punches, and the bout was stopped at 1:15.

Gallagher, 152.2 lbs is 16-5 with 10 knockouts. Wells, 151.4 lbs is 5-1

Lewis Crocker won a six-round decision over Karim Aliliche in a welterweight contest.

Crocker dropped Aliliche in the 1st minute with a left hook to the head.

Crocker, 152.4 lbs won by a 60-53 score, and is now 9-0. Aliliche, 148.2 lbs is 11-9-2.

ATLANTIC CITY– Middleweight’s D’Mitrus Ballard and Elias Espadas battled to a no-contest when Espadas was deemed not able to continue due to a cut over his left eye in round three of their scheduled 10-round bout at The Ocean Casino Resort,

In round three, Espadas was cut badly over the left eye from a headbutt.  There were was a furious exchange where both fighters seemed hurt in the 3rd.  Later in the round, the ringside doctor called a halt to the bout at

Ballard, 159.6 lbs of Temple Hills, MD is 20-0.  Espadas, 159.2 lbs of Merida, Mex is 18-4-1.

D’Mitrius Ballard

 “I felt like the fight could’ve went on. I’m not the judge, I’m not the doctor. He decided to stop the fight, so I just have to live with the decision and move forward.”

“If I don’t fight Espadas in the next fight, I want to do a rematch for a belt. This is my first time fighting at 160 and I feel good and strong. I’m confident in my abilities and there are a lot of great fighters at 160 and I’m here to take my claim in the ring.”

“I respect any man that comes into that ring. We are battling for our lives on that ring. Espada is a tough fighter, he is a good quality opponent and a real quality fighter. I’m sure he will be back after this and I have much respect for him.”

Elias Espadas

“I knew this was a hard and complicated fight, but my team did a great job. I think we are doing things correctly.”

“I would love to get better, continue to train hard and my team will decide if we do a rematch with Ballard.”

Eddie Gomez was explosive in scoring a 2nd round stoppage over Saul Corral in a scheduled 10-round welterweight bout

In round two, Gomez dropped Corral with a hard right.  Seconds later, it was a crush double-left to the body that sent Corral to the canvas.  Corral was hurt and a clipping left sent him down for a 3rd time.  Gomez ended with a devastating flurry of punches that had the referee stop the bout as Corral was falling for a 4th and final time at 1:55.

Gomez, 146. lbs of Bronx, NY is now 23-3 with 13 knockouts.  Corral, 146.4 lbs of Douglas, AZ is 30-14.

“Great fight, great team. I worked hard and it showed tonight. My opponent was a tough fighter, and we knew he was tough coming in. I just knew I had to do my job,” Said Gomez

WBC Super Middleweight champion Franchon Crews Dezurn stopped Kayla Williams in the 5th Round of a scheduled eight-round non-title bout.

The fight featured some wild exchanges, but Crews Dezurn landed the harder shots, and the bout was halted at 1:40 after Crews Dezurn landed several more flush shots.

Crews Dezurn, 167.6 lbs of Norfolk, MD is 5-1 with two knockouts.  Williams, 164.2 lbs of New Iberia, LA is now 0-3-1.

“Thank you so much Golden Boy for letting me fight on this show. I hope the fans enjoyed it. Every time I come I’m going to bring action, and I’m just going to fight because I’m fighting for my dreams. My opponent definitely brought it to the ring and she is a tough cookie; I appreciate her for taking the fight.,” said Crews Dezurn

Gabriel Pham won a six-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Jab Khositashivili in a super middleweight bout.

In round one, Pham was credited with a knockdown when he landed a right hook that made Khositashvili’s knee hit the canvas.  In round four, Khositashvili was bleeding from his nostril.

Pham, 167.8 lbs of Atlantic City won by scores of 60-53 and 59-54 twice and is mow 11-1.  Khositashvili, 167 lbs of Philadelphia is 4-1.

“I boxed well. He was a tough guy and kept coming forward; I just had to use the angles and move around, just like my trainer told me to do. I followed the game plan and came out victorious, so I’m happy,” said Pham

Mike Reed won a eight-round unanimous decision over Angel Hernandez in a welterweight bout.

Reed, 141.4 lbs of Washington, DC won by scores of 79-73 twice and 78-74 twice and is now 25-2.  Hernandez, 141.8 lbs of McAllen, TX is 15-14-2.

“This was a very tough fight, exactly what I needed right now. I’m looking for the world title at 135 or 140. I feel really good,” said Reed.

George Rincon remained undefeated by stopping Greg Young Jr. in round four of their scheduled six-round welterweight bout.

In round one, Rincon dropped Young with a hard left to the body.  After continuously beating down Young, Rincon landed a flurry of shots that was finished with a body shot that sent Young down for the 10-count at 2:01.

Rincon, 139.8 lbs of Dallas, TX is 7-0 with four knockouts.  Young,  141.4 lbs of Hoover, AL is 4-2.

“I started strong and I thought I got him on the first round. I was a little anxious to finish, but it was a great fight. I learn with each fight and I’m ready for the next one,” said Rincon.

Dan Murray won a four-round unanimous decision over Leonardo Kenon in a super lightweight bout.

Murray, 140 lbs of Barnaget, NJ won by scores of 40-36 twice and 39-37 and is now 5-2.  Kenon, 136.6 lbs of Quincy, FL is 3-6.

“It was a good fight. I was thinking too much in there, that’s why I hesitated a lot, but all around I had him a couple of times. It’s a learning experience, this is why we are here. I’m glad for my win, my team, my advisor, my manager. Thank you Golden Boy for this opportunity,” said Murray.

Former world champions Terry Flanagan and Rocky Fielding along with Martin Murray will appear on a July 12th from Liverpool, England and be streamed by ESPN+, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I’m absolutely buzzing to be back. There’s no place like home and the Olympia is really where my career started,” he said. “I won (the) Prizefighter (tournament) there and then the English and British titles there too. It’s great to be back fighting in front of my home fans. I look at the top names in the division and I believe I’m still up there.

“I’m looking forward to training alongside my good mate Martin Murray for this one. The last time we were on a bill together, we both won titles, so it’ll be special for us both.”

“I believe I’m on a different level to him but for a comeback fight, it’s not going to be any kind of walkover. He’s coming to win,” Murray said. “With my skills as a boxer plus my superior physical attributes, I still plan on getting him out of there and look good doing it.”

“The plan is to stay busy to get myself back in contention at lightweight. MTK Global are giving me what I wanted by keeping me active,” said Flanagan, who will be in his first fight since signing with MTK Global. “A lot of times in the past I would have a fight and then not know when I was fighting again for a while, so by having a set out plan I know I’ll be keeping the ball rolling and it always feels more natural and normal when I fight. That’s when I’m at my best and that journey starts on July 12 in Liverpool.

“It’s a big show on ESPN+ with some great names on the bill but I’m sure my fans will be louder than anybody and make lots of noise. I’m looking forward to getting back out there and proving a bit of a point. This will probably be the final chapter of my career under MTK Global, but I feel the best is still yet to come.”

LAS VEGAS — It began with Tyson Fury walking down the hallway toward the ring looking ominous. He was dressed, all 6-foot-9 of him, in funereal back. Then, suddenly, The Grim Reaper transformed into Captain America. The black was gone.

Beneath it, there was an American flag fashioned into a robe and Top Hat that could have been straight out of Apollo Creed’s closet. It ended, with Fury at the center of the ring, singing I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing. It’s an Aerosmith song. But Fury made it sound like Elvis.

Hey, an Elvis impersonation had to be in there. This is Vegas, after all. And that’s what Fury promised. A show. It wasn’t much more than that. Yes, there was a fight – or at least a facsimile of one – for nearly two full rounds between The Grim Reaper-turned-Captain America and Elvis.

But it was a fight that appears hard to judge, at least in terms of what it means to the heavyweight division. Deontay Wilder will have to wait, probably until early next year. There’s still plenty of time to argue and re-argue all of the possibilities in the proposed rematch. Nothing that in Saturday fight figures to change the outlines of what to expect in Fury-Wilder II.

German challenger Tom Schwarz didn’t do anything to make anybody change any minds. He was there as a prop. He vanished like a prop in what could have been another part of the show. Fury was the magician, making Schwarz vanish within two rounds Saturday night of a bout televised by ESPN+.

“Me key tonight was to enjoy myself,’’ Fury (28-0-1, 20 KOs) said after retaining the lineal heavyweight championship and a purse estimated to be $12,5 million. “I hope everybody enjoyed it as much as I did.’’

If the crowd’s enthusiasm was any sign, nearly everybody did, other than probably Schwarz (24-1. 16 KOs) and his trainer. The German corner threw in the towel at 2:54 of the second, not long after a succession of punches dropped Schwarz along the ropes. Schwarz got up. But Fury’s punches kept coming, one after another in a blitz without interruption.

A sure sign of the end was evident in the beginning. Fury immediately began to work his long jab. He developed a rhythm – feint, feint, jab, hook, feint. Then, there was some mocking. Fury stuck out his tongue at Schwarz. He smiled at him. He did just about anything he wanted to.

“What’s next?” said Fury, who then deflected the question to his promoter, Bob Arum.  “Bob will tell you we have September 25 or October 5.

“Then ,next year we are going to hold down Deontay Wilder to give me that green (WBC) belt.’’

Jesse Hart wins at light-heavyweight, beating Barrera

Jesse Hart, a former super-middleweight contender, moved up in weight and discarded the former. He’s still a contender, this time at light-heavyweight. Hart (26-2, 21 KOs) beat top-10 contender Sullivan Barrera (22-3, 14 KOs) knocking him down once in the eighth round en route to 99–90, 96-93, 97-92 victory over the Cuban fighter, now a resident of Miami.

“Watch out, cause I’m on my way,” said Hart, a Philadelphia fighter who continues his lifelong pursuit of a major title. ” I hurt my right hand in the seventh. But I’m OK. I think I need just one more fight at 175 to feel completely comfortable at the weight.”

Mikaela Mayer stays unbeaten

Mikaela Mayer stayed unbeaten and undeterred about her hopes for an eventual  showdown with Irish star Katie Taylor Saturday with a tough, yet convincing decision over Lizbeth Crespo in a 10-round, 130-pound fight.

Mayer (11-0, 4 KOs), an Olympian from Los Angeles, endured some powerful shots in the early rounds from Crespo (13-5, 3 KOs), who learned how to fight because of domestic abuse while growing up in Argentina. But Mayer employed power, precision and a superior reach to gain control over the final few rounds. 

Toledo super-featherweight Albert Bell (15-0, 4 KOs) relied on a three-inch advantage to control distance and tempo in the early rounds, scoring a unanimous decision over Andy Vences (22-1-1, 12 KOs), a San Jose, Calif., fighter whose aggressiveness and power in the later rounds weren’t enough.  

UK featherweight Isaac Lowe wins unanimous decision

UK featherweight Isaac Lowe started the fight. Finished it, too.

Lowe (18-0-3, 6 KOs) shoved Duarn Vue (14-2-2, 4 KOs) during a face-t-face pose fro the camera after a staged weigh-in Friday. Punches might have been thrown then if not for 87-year-old Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who rushed across the stage and pulled Vue to one side. 

The punches would wait, but 24 hours later Love threw and landed most of them, scoring a unanimous decision over Vue.

Abel Sanchez-trained heavyweight scores overwhelming stoppage

He calls himself the Gladiator, an appropriate nickname for a fighter from a city known for its ancient Colosseum. Rome heavyweight Guido Vianello (4-0, 4 KOs) did everything his nickname demands. The Abel Sanchez-trained  scoring three knockdowns of Keenan Hickman (6-4-1, 2 KOs) for a second-round TKO. 

First Bell: German heavyweight opens Fury-Schwarz card with a decision win

In front of a matinee crowd of people trying to escape The Strip’s sole-melting temps, a young German heavyweight did what a fellow German hopes to do on the main event.

Peter Kadiru (4-0, 1 KOs), of Hamburg, won.

The 21-year-old Kadiru opened the show at the MGM Grand, scoring a unanimous decision over Houston’s Juan Torres (3-2-1, 1 KO) in a four rounder on an eight-fight card scheduled to end with German Tom Schwarz in an attempt at an upset of lineal heavyweight champ Tyson Fury. 

Jesus Soler gained the biggest win of his career by winning an eight-round unanimous decision over Miguel Cartagena in a flyweight bout that headlined an entertaining eight-bout card at Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.

It was a terrific action fight that saw Soler out work and out punch the native of Philadelphia. Soler consistently backed up Cartagena and ripped off some furious multi-punch combinations.

Soler of Philadelphia via of Puerto Rico won by scores of 80-72, 79-73 ans 78-74 to raise his mark to 11-1-1, Cartagena of Philadelphia is 15-6-1.

Frank Trader won a eight-round unanimous decision over Jerome Conquest in a lightweight bout.

In round three, Trader was cut over his right eye from an accidental headbutt. Trader constantly landed lead right hands into an oncomimg Conquest. Trader built up a nice lead, when Conquest tried to, and was successful at times making it an ugly dogfight on the inside.

It wasn’t enough as Trader, 133.5 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 79-73 twice and 78-74 to improve to 13-2-1. Conquest, 134.3 lbs of Philadelphia falls to 10-4.

In a stunning upset, Evinci Dixon stopped previously undefeated Marcel Rivers in a scheduled six-round welterweight bout.

Dixon dropped Rivers three times in the 2nd frame, as it was rights to the head that stunned and eventually put Rivers down each time. Referee Benjy Esteves stopped the bout on the 3rd knockdown at 2:11

Dixon, 147.5 lbs of Lancaster, PA is now 8-23-2 with three knockouts. Rivers, 145.1 lbs of Philadelphia is 7-1.

Thyler Williams won a four-round unanimous decision over Tyree Arnold in a bout featuring Philadelphia based junior welterweights.

Williams, 141.9 lbs won by scores of 40-36 on all cards, and is now 3-0. Arnold, 143.1 lbs of 0-2.

Daiyaan Butt remained undefeated by stopping Tivan Young in round three of their scheduled four-round junior welterweight bout.

In round two, Butt scored a knockdown from a flurry of punches that was capped off by a left to the body. In round three, Butt ended thing when he landed several hard left’s to the body that sent Young down in the corner. Young got to his feet at 9 and a half, but referee Benjy Esteves waived the fight off at 1:25

Butt, 141. 7 lbs of Philadelphia is 4-0 with two knockouts. Young, 142.5 lbs of Charlotte, NC is 1-3-1.

Shinard Bunch scored an explosive 2nd round stoppage over Tyrone Lewis in a scheduled four-round welterweight contest.

At the end of the opening frame, Bunch decked Lewis with a perfect left hook. Seconds into round two, Bunch drilled Lewis with a perfect counter right that had Lewis falling to the canvas with his legs tangled, and the bout was immediately called off at 30 seconds.

Bunch, 147.4 lbs of Trenton, NJ is 2-0 with two knockouts. Lewis, 149.6 lbs of Philadelphia was making his pro debut.

Osnel Charles defeated Laquan Lewis for the 3rd time as he pounded out a four-round unanimous decision in a junior welterweight bout.

Charles., 139 lbs of Atlantic City won by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 twice to go to 13-19-1. Lewism 140.5 lbs of Brooklyn is 2-11.

In a four-round heavyweight battle of pro debuting light heavyweights, Jan Czerklewicz pounded out a unanimous decision over Angel Vazquez.

Both landed heavy shots throughout, but Czerklewicz landed more flush and had a greater volume of connects.

Scores were 40-36 twice and 39-37 for Czerklewicz, 174.9 lbs of Houston, Texas. Vazquez, 175.3 lbs of Springfield, MA is 0-1.

Josh Warrington retained the IBF Featherweight title with a 12-round split decision over Kid Galahad at The First District Arena in Warrington’s hometown of Leeds, England.

Warrington of Leeds won by scores of 116-113 and 115-112.  Galahad of England took a card 115-113.

Warrington is now 29-0.  Galahad is 26-1.

Zelfa Barrett won a 12-round unanimous decision over Lyon Woodstock in a super featherweight bout.

Barrett won by scores of 118-110 and 117-111 twice and is now 22-1.  Woodstock is 12-2.

JJ Metcalf stopped former world title challenger Jason Welborn in round eight of their scheduled 12-round super welterweight bout.

In round eight, Metcalf was deducted a point for a low blow. He more than made that point up seconds later as he landed a vicious body shot that sent Welborn down for the count at 2:25.

Metcalf is 20-0 with 12 knockouts. Welborn is 24-8.

Shakiel Thompson won a six-round decision Alistair Warren in a super middleweight fight.

Thompson won by a referee score of 59-55, and is now 4-0. Warren is 11-24-5.

Mairis Briedis stopped  Krzysztof Glowacki  in three rounds to win the WBO Cruiserweight title and advance to the World Boxing Super Series at Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia.

Briedis dropped Glowacki three times and the fight was stopped at 27 seconds of round three.

Briedis of Latvia is 26-1 with 19 knockouts.  Glowacki of Poland is 31-2.

Yuniel Dorticos stopped Andrew Tabiti in round 10 to win the IBF Cruiserweight title and advance the the finals of the World Boxing Super Series

In round six, Doricos was cut over his right eye from an accidental headbutt.  Tabiti was docked a point in the same round for holding.

In round ten, Dorticos landed a booming right that sent crashing on his back and the fight was over at 2:33.

Dorticos is now 24-1 with 22 knockouts.  Tabiti is now 17-1.

Ricards Bolotniks stopped Gason Gassanov in round six of their scheduled eight-round light heavyweight bout.

In round two, Gassanov dropped Bolotniks with a hard counter right.

Bolotniks is 14-5-1 with six knockouts. Gassanov is 16-8-1.

Nkolajs Grisunins won a six-round unanimous decision over Vaclav Pejsar in a cruiserweight bout.

In round two, Pejsar dropped Grisunins with a right hand that was followed by three crunching blows on the ropes. When Grisunins got to his feet he was on unsteady legs and bleeding from his nostrils. In the next round, Grisunins turned the tables as he dropped Pejsar with a body shot. Pejsar was hurt and went down again with a hard combination. Pejsar was all over Grisunins.

Scores were 58-53 on all cards for Grisunins, 201,7 lbs of Latvia and is now 11-1-1. Pejsar, 198.4 lbs of the Czech Republic is 14-8.

Jevgenijs Aleksejevs won a six-round split decision over Siarhei Khamitski in a super middleweight bout.

Aleksejevs, 170.8 lbs of Riga, LAT won two cards 58-57, while Khamitski took a 58-57.

Aleksejevs is 11-0. Khamitski, 166.8 lbs of Belarus is 32-18-3.

Jason Moloney stopped Goodluck Mrema in round two of their scheduled 10-round Bantamweight bout at Seagulls Rugby Club in New South Wales, Australia.

Moloney, 117.7 lbs is now 19-1 with 16 knockouts. Mrema, 117.2 lbs of Tanzania is 23-5.

Reagan Dessaix stopped Mitchell Whitelaw in round seven of their scheduled 10-round light heavyweight bout.

The time of the stoppage was 2:34 for Dessaix, 175 lbs and is now 17-2 with 12 knockouts. Whitelaw, 174.4 lbs is 5-2-1.

Andrew Moloney stopped Selemani Bangaiza in round two of their scheduled 10-round super flyweight bout.

Bangaiza in-explicitly quit after an exchange in round two at 1:57.

Moloney , 114.8 lbs of Australia is 20-0 with 13 knockouts. Bangaiza, 113.4 lbs of Tanzania is 15-6.

Mose Auimatagi stopped Kerry Foley in round six of their scheduled 10-round super middleweight bout.

Auimatagi landed a right to the body that was followed up by a left hook that dropped and stopped Foley at 1:23 of the 6th frame.

Auimatagi is now 13-1-2 with nine knockouts. Foley falls to 19-5-1.

By Norm Frauenheim-

LAS VEGAS – Show Tyson Fury an empty stage and it won’t stay empty for long. He’ll fill it, all 6-foot-9 of him and a charisma for which there is no tape. No tale, either. But that intangible charisma is there, big enough to fill a stage and a room.

Fury did both Friday for his bout Saturday against German challenger Tom Schwarz for the lineal heavyweight title in an ESPN+ televised fight at the MGM Grand.

He took the stage for a weigh-in re-done for ESPN cameras at a prime-time hour. The real weigh-in – one regulated by the Nevada Commission – had already happened in the morning. The weights were documented and filed by the time Fury stepped onto the scale for what was a little bit like lip-synch.

But the show must go on. So, too, must a showman.

Fury was there for, fulfilling his promise to entertain in first fight in a new deal with ESPN and Top Rank.  A small crowd roared. Fury waved one finger at Schwarz. Maybe, it was his way of saying the fight would last one round. Or that one punch would finish Schwarz. Or that Schwarz didn’t have one chance. Fury is a prohibitive favorite. In the UK, Schwarz is a 12-1 longshot.

Oh yeah, Fury (27-0-1, 19 KOs) was 263 pounds, six-and-a-half pounds heavier than he was for his last fight in a controversial draw with Deontay Wilder in December in Los Angeles. Schwarz (24-0, 16 KOs) was at 245.5 pounds.   

Angel Ruiz stopped Miguel Zamudio in the 1st round of their scheduled eight-round welterweight at The Doubletree in Ontario, California.

Ruiz landed a huge left that drove Zamudio to the ropes. Ruiz followed up with four crushing shots that forced the referee to stop the bout at 1:37.

Ruiz, 146.4 lbs of Maywood, CA is 14-0 with 11 knockouts. Zamudio, 147 lbs of Los Mochis, MEX is 43-13-1.

“I did what I came here to do,” said Ruiz, who was born in Mexico, but lives in Los Angeles. “I’m just happy I was able to finish this early and give the fans something to talk about.”

“My jab opens up a lot of angles,” Ruiz said. “I caught him with that left and it was over after that.”

In a battle of undefeated junior middleweights, Richard Brewart Jr. won a six-round unanimous decision over Antonio Duarte.

Brewart, 153 lbs of Rancho Cucamonga, CA won by scores of 60-54 twice and 59-55 to go to 6-0. Duarte, 153.2 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 2-1.

Mario Hernandez won a six-round unanimous decision over Victor Trejo Garcia in a super flyweight bout.

Hernandez had to survive a 5th round knockdown, but still won by scores of 59-54 twice and 57-56.

Hernandez, 116.4 lbs of Santa Ana, CA is now 9-1-1. Garcia, 116.2 lbs of Mexico is 16-12-1.

Despite being dropped in the opening seconds, Oscar Torrez remained undefeated by stopping Allen Ruiz in round three of a scheduled four-round heavyweight fight.

Ruiz scored a stunning knockdown just seconds into the fight as he landed a left hook. In round two, it was a left from Torrez that dropped Ruiz. Moments later it was a left to the body that sent Ruiz down for a 2nd time.

In round three, Torrez landed a hard right that sent Ruiz down for the ten-count at

Torrez , 216,7 lbs is 6-0 with three knockouts. Ruiz, 255 lbs of Baja, California, MEX is 0-2.

Jose Tito Sanchez remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Pedro Melo in a junior lightweight bout.

Sanchez, 131.6 lbs of Indio, CA won on all cards by 40-36 scores and is now 3-0. Melo, 131.4 lbs of Mexico is 17-21-1.

Seniesa Estrada remained perfect by stopping Gretchen Abaniel after four rounds of their scheduled 10-round light flyweight fight at The Avalon Hollywood in Hollywood, California.

Estrada was cut on the forehead in round two from an accidental headbutt. That was the only bump in the road as she dominated the action and Abaniel bowed out of the fight after four rounds.

Estrada, 107 lbs of East Los Angeles, CA is 17-0 with seven knockouts, Abaniel, 108 lbs of Palawan, PHL is 18-11.

“Everyone knows about the rivalry between me and Marlen Esparza,” said Seniesa Estrada. “Eventually, that fight is going to happen. She can get it any time. For now, I want a title shot. I want to face Yesenia Gomez. Let’s make it happen in September.”

Former world title challenger Azat Hovhannisyan stopped Glenn Porras in round four of a scheduled 10-round super bantamweight fight.

It was a toe-to-toe fight that saw Hovhannisyan land some hard shots

In round three, Porras began to swell around his left eye, Hovhannisyan continued the onslaught until the bout was stopped at 2:08.

Hovhannisyan, 121.6 lbs of Los Angeles is 17-3 with 14 knockouts. Porras, 121.2 lbs of Cotabato, PHL is 32-9.

“I had a great preparation,” said Azat Hovhannisyan. “I sparred very hard and everything went well in camp. I’m boxing more in my fights, but I also bring a lot of action. I want T.J. Doheny, and then I want Danny Roman, Rey Vargas [again] and Emanuel Navarrete.”

Carlos Caraballo kept his perfect knockout streak intact by stopping Esteban Aquino in round two of their scheduled six-round super bantamweight bout.

Caraballo landed a little left to the jaw during an exchange that sent Aquino down for the ten count at 1:52.

Caraballo, 119.6 lbs of Guayanilla, PR is 12-0 with 12 knockouts. Aquino, 119.2 lbs of Lo Romana, DR is 12-7.

“That’s what I was trying to do, get a spectacular knockout,” said Carlos Caraballo. “I have the power to do it, and that’s what I trained for at the gym. I noticed he wasn’t really attacking in the second round. We take things round by round, so I saw the opportunity and took it.”

Cesar Valenzuela won a eight-round unanimous decision over Christian Gonzalez in a lightweight fight.

Scores were 79-73 on all cards for Valenzuela, 133.6 lbs of Phoenix who is now 15-6-1. Gonzalez, 134.6 lbs of Buena Park, CA is 19-4.

“We knew he was a hard hitter,” said Cesar Valenzeula. “We knew he would come in throwing wild punches and that he had no defense, footwork or head movement. So, I used my distance, jab, and footwork. I also was able to get him with my straight right hand, which he could not see coming.”

Bektemir Melikuziev made a successful pro debut by stopping Martin Rios in a light heavyweight bout.

Melikuziev dropped Rios with a hard left to the body that sent him down for the 10 count 1:39 for Melikuziev, 173 lbs of Indio, CA who is 1-0 with one knockout. Rios, 166.6 lbs of La Pampa, ARG is 23-20-4.

“What happened is what always happens,” said Bektemir Melikzuiev.“I wanted the toughest challenge out there, and I went in there and took care of business. Now it’s time for me to keep going and stay busy.”

Despite many rumors that Zab Judah was in a coma, he is in fact awake and in a Syracuse area hospital following a brain bleed following his 11th round stoppage loss to Cletus Seldin this past Friday night at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“[Judah is] awake, communicating with his family and doctors and making progress,” Star Boxing promoter Joe DeGuardia told ESPN. “Beyond that his family is requesting privacy at this time about his medical condition.”

DeGuardia said because it had been such a brutal fight “we had Zab go the hospital to get checked. It was a high-volume fight, not a minute to breath kind of fight. Cletus was all over Zab for almost the entire fight. Zab really dug down and showed his champion’s heart.”

“I saw him at about 2:30 in the morning. He was with his family having food at the diner in the hotel and I was with my staff there. I talked to Zab for about 10 or 15 minutes. We talked about the fight, how he had a great career and how it’s time [to retire]. He agreed. He said he had a good career and accomplished a lot and that he was proud of the fight he fought against Cletus. He seemed fine. I went upstairs, but later at the diner he wasn’t good and went back to the hospital.

“We’re all pulling for him. In boxing it’s all a fraternity but with Judah and his father (and trainer Yoel Judah) I go back 30 years with them so it hits home.”

Oscar Valdez dropped Jason Sanchez en-route to a 12-round unanimous decision to retain the WBO Featherweight title at Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Reno, Nevada.

In the opening seconds of round five, Valdez dropped Sanchez with a hard left hook. The two had some nice exchanges that Valdez got the better in most of those skirmishes.

Valdez, 125.4 lbs of Nogales, MEX won by scores of 118-109 twice and 117-110, and is now 26-0. Sanchez, 124.8 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is 14-1.

“I hope {to fight at featherweight again}. I also have to listen to my body. We’re going to see what’s best,” Valdez said. “Sometimes I get tired in there, and I’m not sure if it’s because of the weight loss. We’ll talk about {my next move} as a team and will do what is best. I want to fight everybody at 126, 130. Let’s do it.”

“Sanchez lacked experience, but he showed tremendous guts. Oscar Valdez fought him back and showed his championship heart,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “We’re going to look for a fight later on in the year between Valdez and Carl Frampton if Frampton is successful in his next fight.”

19 Year-Old Gabriel Flores Jr.remained undefeated by winning an eight-round unanimous decision over Salvador Briceno in a light weight bout.

Scores were 79-73 and 78-74 twice for Flores, 132.8 lbs of Stockton, California and is now 14-0. Briceno, 132.2 lbs of Guadalajara, MEX is 15-4.

“I want to fight in the next two, three months. If they want me to fight next month, we can talk about it,” Flores said. “I am only 19, and I am only getting better. I’m staying busy and fighting better opponents. Top Rank is developing me perfectly, and it’s about fighting all different types of fighters to get me ready for the championship level.”

Robson Conceicao won an eight-round unanimous decision over Carlos Ruiz in a super featherweight bout.

Conceicao, 127.8 lbs of Baiha, BRA won by scores of 80-72 twice and 79-73, and is now 13-0. Ruiz, 127.2 lbs of Mexico City is now 16-7-2.

Sergio Vega and Diego Elizondo battled to a unanimous draw in a lightweight contest.

All three judges saw the score 38-38.

Vega, 133.6 lbs of Sacramento, CA is 2-0-1. Elizondo, 1348.8 lbs of Crason City, NV is 2-0-2.

Michael Seals scored a one-punch stoppage of Christopher Brooker in round two of their scheduled 10-round light heavyweight bout.

Seals landed a right hand to the top of the head that put Brooker out and briefly out cold and the fight was stopped at 2:00.

Seals, 175.2 lbs of Atlanta is 23-2 with 17 knockouts. Brooker, 174.6 lbs of Philadelphia is 14-7.

“He’s a tough guy. I did my homework on him,” Seals said. “I knew he was crafty, so I had to take my time. I knew I was going to walk him into something.”

In a battle of pro debuting super lightweights, J.J. Mariano stopped William Flenoy in the final round of their scheduled four-round bout.

Mariano registered a knockdown in round three from a left hook. In the next round, Mariano landed some hard shots, and Flenoy bowed out of the fight citing an injured shoulder.

Mariano, 138.2 lbs of Reno is 1-0 with one knockout. Flenoy, 139.4 lbs of Fresno, CA is 0-1.

Gennady Golovkin stopped previously undefeated Steve Rolls in round four of a scheduled 12-round over the limit middleweight fight at Madison Square Garden.

In round two, Rolls gave as good as he received as he landed a hard left that snapped Golovkin’s head back. Golovkin landed some nice body shots. In round three, Rolls landed a nice counter right. Golovkin came back with hard body work.

In round four, Golovkin landed a chopping hook that sent Rolls back to the ropes. Golovkin landed a head and body shot before landing a flush left to the face that sent Rolls face-first on the canvas, and he was counted out by referee Steve Willis at 2:09

Golovkin of Kazakstan is now 39–1-1 with 35 knockouts. Rolls of Toronto is 19-1.

Super Middleweight Ali Akhmedov stopped Marcus McDaniel in round three of a scheduled 10-round super middleweight bout.

Super Middleweight Ali Akhmedov stopped Marcus McDaniel in round three of a scheduled 10-round super middleweight bout.

In round three, Akhmedov landed a hard combination on the ropes that sent McDaniel to a knee. McDaniel got to his feet, but was unsteady and the fight was stopped by referee Benji Esteves at 1:41.

Akhmedov, 167.4 lbs of Kazakhstan is 15-0 with 11 knockouts. McDaniel, 168 lbs of New Orleans is 15-1.

Five-time New York Golden Gloves winner Brian Ceballo turned in the best performance of his career and took an eight-round unanimous decision of Bakhtiyar Eyubov in welterweight contest.

Ceballo landed hard jabs and string right hands from the opening bell. .  Ceballo was very accurate with his shots.  Ceballo looked very sharp as he landed crisp power shots in between Eyubov’s wild attempts to inflict on the Brooklyn native.  Ceballo continued to land sweet combinations that befuddled Eyubov.  In round eight, Ceballo hurt Eyubov was a nice body shot.  The two battled toe-to-toe down the stretch with Ceballo landing more, quicker and much more fluid combinations that marked up the face of Eyubov.

Ceballo of Brooklyn NY won by scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74 to raise his perfect mark to 9-0. Eyubov of Kazakhstan is 14-1-1.

Israil Madrimov remained undefeated by stopping Norberto Gonzalez in rounds six of their scheduled 10-round junior middleweight contest.

Madrimov was dominant by stalking Gonzalez, and in round six, he turned up the activity by landing a heavy combination that hurt Gonzalez and the fight was stopped at 49 seconds.

Mdrimov, 152 lbs of Uzbekistan is 3-0 with three knockouts. Gonzalez, 152.8 lbs of Monterrey, Mexico us 24-13.

2016 U.S. Olympian Charles Conwell remained perfect with a 10-round unanimous decision over Courtney Pennington to win the USBA Junior Middleweight championship.

In round two, Conwell hurt Pennington with a left hook. In round six, Conwell continued to batter Pennington as he landed a hard combination along the ropes that featured a solid left hook and flush right.  In round eight, Pennington suffered a cut over his right eye from a left-right combination from Conwell.  In round ten, he stunned Pennington again with a right hand.

Conwell, 153.4 lbs of Cleveland won by scores of 97-92 twice and 96-93, and is now 10-0. Pennington, 152 lbs of Brooklyn is 12-4-3.

Nikita Ababiy made quick work of Juan Francsico Lopez Barajas as he scored a one-punch, 41-second knockout in their scheduled four-round middleweight contest.

Ababiy landed a left hook to the liver that sent Barajas down. Barajas was in pain, and tried to get up but fell right back down and the fight was stopped.

Ababiy, 162.6 lbs of Brooklyn is 5-0 with five knockouts. Lopez, 157.2 lbs of Mexico is 5-1.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Former unified Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has exercised the rematch clause that will set up the fight with the man who dethroned him, Andy Ruiz Jr.

“After meetings with AJ, Rob Mc and the management team in NY, we have today triggered the contracted rematch clause with Andy Ruiz Jnr. The fight will take place in Nov/Dec at a venue to be confirmed shortly,” Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn wrote on social media.

“There was no point in waiting,” Hearn told ESPN. “We’ve talked about it and it’s happening. There’s no other fight AJ wants, so there was no point waiting 30 days. Everybody needs clarity. We sat down and it wasn’t even a case of him asking what else is out there. The rematch is the fight we need, and that’s what we’ll be doing.”

“It’s an upset. One shot on top of the dome rattled me quite a bit. Tried to stay in there a few more rounds but the better man won. Respect to Andy and I move forward and look out for the end of the year,” said Joshua, more than two hours after the fight, when he decided to meet the few remaining media members still at the Garden after it had been announced he would not appear because of a concussion. “I never underestimate anyone. He’s a decent puncher, decent fighter. This was his chance, and I always say anyone who comes to box me is 50, 20 percent better than what we’ve seen. These guys are coming to win and he was the better man.”

“It’s a minor setback, if that’s what you want to call it. I feel like this is just part of the journey I’m on, and this is boxing, so what I have to do is evaluate the situation, make it better and we go again,” Joshua said. “I just got beat tonight. On the record it says I got beat, and that’s it. It’s a test of character. I don’t want to say this went wrong, that went wrong. I ain’t dwelling on this. Just move forward, correct it.

“I’ll bounce back and get my hands on those belts again. … I’m gonna beat him up. Tidy up, brush off the cobwebs and fight again. Losing is something we can learn from. Tighten up. Get smart. There’s more to come. Winning is everything, but if you do happen to take an ‘L,’ reset, readjust and bounce back. I do not condone losing. On to the next one. The hunger is always there. I’m ready to go back to work tomorrow.”

“The way I look, the extra flab that I carry — now I want to get in really good shape and look like a Mexican Anthony next time we fight,” Ruiz said with a laugh about why he was so dismissed. “We made it happen. No one can take that from me. Nobody. I just shocked the world. Now I’ve got to work even harder and make a legacy. I’m not going to let these belts go.”

NEW YORK – History and hype. The first was made by Andy Ruiz Jr., the first heavyweight champion of Mexican descent. The second was exposed in Anthony Joshua, whose reign came crashing down Saturday night in front of UK fans who witnessed their chiseled king get undressed by the most unlikely of challengers.

 Ruiz entered Madison Square Garden, perhaps the world’s biggest stage, looking like he had spent more time at the dessert table than the gym. He jiggled, almost from head to foot. The UK crowd dismissed him. Then, booed. Then, sang God Save The Queen.

 But neither God nor the Queen can save Joshua from the ridicule he heard after he was dropped four times, pulled down like a statue from a pedestal by a short- pudgy stand-in. Ruiz knocked down Joshua four times, finishing him in the seventh when his corner said no mas.

At one level, it was pathetic.

 At another level, it was exhilarating.

 At every level, it was historic. It was the biggest heavyweight upset since Buster Douglas upset Mike Tyson on Feb. 11 in 1990.

 “I did this for my people,’’ Ruiz (33-1, 22 KOs) said. “Nobody ever gave me a chance.’’

 You could probably put Douglas and Tyson among those who thought that Ruiz only had a chance to get knocked out. He did get knocked down in the third. But that only seemed to embolden him, unlike Joshua (22-1, 21 KOs), who appeared to be more interested in saying hello to American fans in his U.S. debut.

 Ruiz got up and took the fight to Joshua, who never responded. He waved a jab in front of Ruiz. It looked like the Queen waving her gloved hand at adoring fans from the backseat of her London limo.  Meanwhile, Ruiz knocked down Joshua twice before the third was over. Then came the seventh. Joshua was looking around, seemingly confused and unsure of the speed that powered Ruiz’ hands. The punches came at Joshua like New York cabs racing out of blind corners.

Two more knockdowns in the seventh and suddenly it was over. Joshua’s corner had surrendered. Still, Joshua smiled. But the winning in that smile was gone, at least from the perspective of the once-trusting UK fans. The genuine was gone from the grin. The fans who mocked Ruiz now directed a deeply genuine ire at their fallen hero. They booed and headed toward Joe Louis Plaza, the sidewalk that surrounds the Garden. For them, Joshua could have been just another Bum-of-the-Month that was once part of Louis’ heavyweight reign.

 Does Joshua come back from this? Can he, perhaps in a rematch? Remember all the talk about a showdown with Deontay Wilder? Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn said that the inability to put together Joshua-Wilder was “embarrassing.’’ 

But nothing was more embarrassing than what happened to Joshua in what was supposed to be his hello to a bigger audience.

 For now, it just looks like a goodbye delivered by the fast hands that made history. 

Callum Smith wins in a crushing stoppage

Three rounds. Three knockdowns.

Katie Taylor takes majority decision over Persoon in a women’s all-timer

Katie Taylor and Delfine Persoon did what no woman has since Christy Martin. Martin was the original, an acknowledged pioneer of women’s boxing. Taylor and Persoon took it a step further with 10 punishing rounds fora world lightwweight title.

Hands down. it was Josh Kelly in a majority draw

It’s hard to score points with defense. But there’s a price for not practicing defensive fundamentals, and it looks as if UK welterweight Josh Kelly might have paid it on the Joshua-Ruiz undercard. Kelly (9-0-1, 6 KOs) kept his hands at his side in a Roy Jones-like posture for several rounds. Finally he put them up, but it was too late to save him from his first bout without a victory.

UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi wins stoppage 

Joshua Buatsi had the right first name. He had the right style. He had the right opponent. All of the pieces came together for the UK light-heavyweight on a card featured by Anthony Joshua’s American debut against Andy Ruiz Jr. Marco Antonio Periban, of Mexico, was no match for him.

Chris Algieri (24-3, 9 KOs) was left with darkening welts beneath both eyes. He took punishment. But he took more than that. He took Tommy Coyle’s best shots and countered with even more, forcing Coyle’s corner to end it after eight rounds of a hard-fought junior-welterweight bout.

Algieri, of New York,  scored a knockdown in the fourth. He battered Coyle (25-5, 12 KO) around the ring throughout the eighth. Just when it looked as it was over, however, Coyle, of the UK,  delivered a long counter hook. It might have been Coyle’s way of saying he wanted to continue. But his corner had seen enough, saying no mas to the ringside physician and Coyle.

First Bell: Heavyweight Garden Party opens with Cissokho winning unanimous decision

Souleymane Cissokho, a quick powerful and middleweight from France, added the sound of punches to empty echoes at Madison Square, opening a Garden party featuring Anthony Joshua American debut against Andy Ruiz Jr. Saturday.

Seconds after first bell, there was little doubt that Cissokho (9-0, 6 KOs) was a better fighter than Wladimir Hernandez (10-4, 6KOs). Throughout eight rounds, Cissokho scored repeatedly, winning a unanimous decision.

Houston middleweight Austin Williams calls himself Ammo. He didn’t need much of that in a swing bout on the Joshua-Ruiz undercard. Williams (2-0, 2 KO) blew out Quadeer Jenkins (0-2), of Trenton, N.J., within three minutes, scoring a first-round stoppage at 2:14 of the round.  

Jay Harris won a 12-round unanimous decision over Angel Moreno in a flyweight bout at The Vale Sports Arena in Cardiff, Wales.

Harris, who was cut over the left eye in round two, won by scores of 120-108, 119-109 and 117-111 ands is now 16-0. Moreno, 113.8 lbs of Madrid, Spain is 19-4.

Craig Evans gained his 2nd win over Stephen Ormand via 10-round unanimous decision in a lightweight bout.

Evans, 134.8 lbs of Wales won by scores of 98-92, 97-92 and 95-94 to raise his mark 20-2-1. Ormand of Ireland is 27-6.

Zhankosh Turarov stopped Richmond Djarbeng after round two of their scheduled eight-round welterweight bout.

Turarov of Kazakhstan is 23-0 with 17 knockouts. Djarbeng of Accra, Ghana is 29-4-1.

Sultan Zaurbek remained undefeated by stopping Sergio Gonzalez in the eighth and final round of their lightweight bout.

In round four, Gonzalez was cut over the left eye.

In the final round, Zaurbek wobbled Gonzalez and the fight was stopped due to the cook.

Zaurbek, 132.6 lbs of Kazakhstan is 7-0 with five knockouts. Gonzalez, 132.6 lbs of Spain is 10-16-4.

Jacob Robinson remained undefeated with a six-round decision over Jose Aguilar in a featherweight bout.

Robinson is 7-0. Aguilar is 16-60-5.

WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will defend his title in September in a rematch against Luis Ortiz, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“To all my fans, I want to announce that Luis Ortiz and I have signed for a rematch, with the date and site to be announced shortly. All my controversial fights must get dealt with ASAP,” Wilder wrote on social media, though there was no controversy associated with the first Ortiz fight.

Although the date and site were not announced, the fight is likely to land at Staples Center in Los Angeles, the same site where Wilder fought to an exciting draw with lineal champion Tyson Fury on Dec. 1. The rematch with Ortiz is likely to take place in September and on Fox pay-per-view, a source with knowledge of the plans told ESPN on Tuesday night.

“I expect it to be a hell of a fight again,” Wilder manager Shelly Finkel told ESPN, while declining to get into specifics of the date, location or broadcaster. “This guy is very dangerous. He’s a big puncher.”

“I think that Ortiz was one of the most avoided guys in the division. They called him the bogeyman and Deontay was the only guy who actively sought him out,” Jay Deas, Wilder’s trainer and co-manager, told ESPN. “Ortiz thought he would get a lot of opportunities for a big fight based on his performance against Deontay but he didn’t. He became more avoided. I commend Deontay for once again wanting to fight the guy nobody wants to fight.

“It was a challenge the first time. He’s technically so good and punches very hard and he has a wealth of experience. We got the job done with a less-than-ideal camp. Deontay was under the weather going into the fight. So I feel really good about the rematch. I think it’s a great fight and a great fight for the fans.”

ut it is not the fight with Joshua.

“That’s never been our fault,” Deas said about a fight which both sides have at times tried to make happen. “We offered Joshua $50 million and it was real and they said no and they offered us $15 million and we said yes and they still decided not to do the fight. It’s clear who has wanted the fight. I like to deal with no games. With Ortiz, no games. With Fury, no games. With Breazeale, no games.”

Jamel Herring won the WBA Junior Lightweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Masayuki Ito at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida.

Herring, 129.6 lbs of Coram, NY won by scores of 118-110 twice and 116-112 and is now 20-2. Ito, 129.4 lbs of Tokyo, JAP is 25-2-1.

Former world champion Jose Pedraza stopped Antonio Lozada Jr. in round nine of their scheduled 10-round lightweight bout.

In round nine, Pedraza dropped Lozada with a heavy combination, and seconds later, Pedraza finished off Lozada with a hard combination.

The time was 2:34 for Pedraza, 134.8 lbs of Cidra, PR who is now 26-2 with 13 knockouts. Lozada, 134.4 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 40-3-1.

Chordale Booker won an 10-round unanimous decision over Wale Omotoso in a junior middleweight bout.

Booker, 154 lbs of Stamford, CT won by scores of 100-90 on all cards and is now 15-0. Omotoso, 153 lbs of Lagos, NIG is 27-4.

Ahmed Elbiali stopped Marlos Simoes in round two of a scheduled 10-round light heavyweight bout.

Elbiali dropped Simoes with a hard right hand in the 2nd frame, and Simoes could not beat the count at 1:12.

Elbiali, 176 lbs of Cairo, EGY is 19-1 with 16 knockouts. Simoes, 174.2 lbs of Brazil is 13-2-2.

Efe Apochi stopped Earl Newman in round seven in a scheduled eight-round cruiserweight war

In round two, Apochi hammered Newman with several shots that rocked Newman all over the ring. Apochi hurt Newman several times over the next few rounds. Each time when it looked like the referee would stop the bout, Newman would come back and land some hard power shots of his own.

In round seven, Apochi landed a hard right hand that rocked and dropped Newman and the fight was stopped at 2:12.

Apochi, 198 lbs of Nigeria is 8-0 with all wins coming early. Newman, 202.1 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 10-2-1.

Amon Rashidi kept his perfect knockout streak intact with a final round stoppage in his four-round junior middleweight bout with Juan Jesus Garces.

In the final round, Rashidi landed a shot on the side of the head that sent Garces down for the count at 2:12.

Rashidi, 149.6 lbs of Dallas, TX is 7-0 with seven knockouts. Garces, 153 lbs of Mexico is 19-25.

Habib Ahmed won a eight-round unanimous decision over Juan De Angel in a middleweight bout.

Ahmed, 159.6 lbs of Accra, GHA won by scores of 80-72 on all cards, and is now 27-1-1. De Angel, 162 lbs of Barranquilla, COL is 23-11-1.

Shawn Simpson remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Sergio Quiroz in a bantamweight bout.

Simpson, 118 lbs of Chicago won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 10-0. Quiroz, 117.8 lbs of Los Angeles is 6-2.

Daniel Franco has sued Roc Nation Sports over brain injuries he suffered in 2018, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Franco filed suit Tuesday in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, seeking unspecified damages, claiming that Roc Nation Sports was negligent for booking him in three fights in 79 days despite knowing he was not physically fit to compete in that many bouts in such a short period.

“The actions of Defendants were an extreme departure from what a reasonably careful person or corporation would do in the same situation to prevent harm to its boxers,” said the lawsuit, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN. “Roc Nation and other Defendants recklessly disregarded the health and safety of Franco.”

“Representatives from Roc Nation stated that Franco must go forward with the fight and stated that if Franco pulled out of the fight, Franco would have difficulty securing future fights,” the lawsuit said.

“Less than one month later on June 10, 2017, Roc Nation demanded that Franco fight hard-punching boxer Jose Haro in Sloan, Iowa. … Roc Nation knew, or should have known, that Franco was not in any condition to fight Haro given that this would be the third fight in 79 days,” the lawsuit said. “Roc Nation knew, or should have known, that fighting Haro on June 10, 2017 put Franco at a high risk of harm and danger given the Martin knockout and the high number of fights. Defendants acted wrongfully and negligently when they scheduled and promoted the June 10, 2017 fight so soon after the other two fights, including the Martin knockout. Defendants also did not adequately ensure that Franco received appropriate medical clearance prior to scheduling the June 10, 2017 fight.”

The suit alleges that Franco’s two skull fractures and brain bleed “likely occurred in the two fights before the June 10, 2017 fight. Had an MRI or brain imaging been performed, the fractures and hemorrhage would have been discovered prior to the June 10, 2017 fight, necessitating a cancellation of the June 17, 2017 fight.”

The suit continued, “As a result of the traumatic brain injury, Franco still suffers from devastating neurological and cognitive deficits, including difficulty with speech, motor function, ambulation and balance problems, numbness and weakness throughout the entire right side of Franco’s body, and inability to perform activities of daily living.”

Attorney Dan Hodes, who is representing Franco, told ESPN that he would let a jury decide the damages at trial.

“Daniel’s life as he knew it has been taken from him. Is that life valued at $10 million? Or $50 million? We’ll let our jury decide that,” Hodes said.

WASHINGTON, DC–Alantez Fox scored a 6th round stoppage over Nick Brinson in a super middleweight clash that headlined a seven bout card at The ESA Arena in Washington, D.C.

The card was promoted by Tricky Entertainment and DCFIGHTNIGHT.

Fox got off to a good start as he landed a right hand in the opening frame that sent Brinson to the canvas. After that Fox never ceased control of the encounter as he worked very well behind his jab, and landed good power shots in every round.

By round five, Brinson looked worse for wear as he it seemed like a matter of time before Fox would be able to get the savvy veteran out of the fight. In the next round he did, as Fox landed a heavy barrage of punches that forced the corner of Brinson to get their man out of the fight at 2:46.

Fox of Forrestville, MD is now 25-1-1 with 12 knockouts. Brinson of Geneva, NY falls to 19-5-2.

Washington, DC Police Officer Tiarra Brown stopped Angel Gladney in the 6th round of their scheduled ten-round junior lightweight bout.

Brown dominated the contest as he repeatedly landed flush shots. In round six, she came out and put her foot on the gas pedal, and landed hard flurry of punches and the bout was stopped 34 seconds into the contest.

Brown of Washington, DC is 8-0 with six knockouts. Gladney of South Carolina is 10-15-1.

In an exciting back and forth brawl Jordan White and Christian Esquivel stood toe to toe and fought a war that saw White pound out a six-round unanimous decision in a super featherweight bout.

The pounded away at each other with White landing more and he more significant blows. He had Esquivel in trouble several times, but the former world title challenger would either escape or land some good flush shots on White.

Both guys were cut on the forehead from an accidental headbutt. It was a terrific action fight that had the fans on the edge of their seats throughout the contest.

White, 126 lbs of Washington, DC won by scores of 59-55 and 60-54 twice, and is now 8-1. Esquivel, 129 1/2 lbs of Mexico is 30-18-1.

Patrick Harris remained undefeated via disqualification in round three over Anthony Woods of their scheduled eight-round super lightweight bout.

In round three, Woods was deducted a point for holding. Seconds later, Woods was docked again for holding. Again, it only took a few seconds for Woods to be deducted again, and the bout was stopped at

Harris, 142 lbs is 16-0. Woods, 143 lbs of Nassau, Bahamas is 10-24.

Renaldo Gaines won a four-round unanimous decision over Eduardo Melendez in a super featherweight bout.

Gaines, 130 lbs of Maryland won by scores of 40-37 and 39-37 twice to raise his mark to 10-2. Melendez, 127 1/2 lbs of Puerto Rico falls to 5-26.

George Harris kept his perfect knockout streak alive by taking out Antwaun Taylor in the 2nd round of their scheduled four-round heavyweight fight.

In round one, Harris dropped Taylor with a left hook off the ropes. Later in the round, Harris dumped Taylor again with a harder left hook. Early in round two, it was a flurry of punches that sent Taylor down for a 3rd time, and the bout was stopped at 1:08.

Harris, 214 1/4 lbs of Silver Spring, MD is 4-0 with four knockouts. Taylor, 211 1/4 lbs is 4-11.

Jonathan Conde ruined the pro debut for Taurean Venable by scoring an explosive 1st round stoppage in their scheduled four-round junior welterweight bout. Conde drooped Venable with a hard right hand. Seconds later, Conde landed another booming shot that put Venable on his back, and the bout was stopped at 1:31.

Conde, 137 1/2 lbs of Miami is 1-2 with one knockout. Venable, 142 1/4 lbs of Washington, DC is 0-1;

BROOKLYN, NY — With one hammer of a right hand, Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (41-0-1, 39KO) successfully defended his WBC heavyweight title for the ninth time, scoring a dramatic first round knockout over rival Dominic “Trouble” Breazeale (20-2, 18KO) in the main event of a SHOWTIME Championship Boxing broadcast in front of 13,181 paid fans at the Barclays Center.

It took the Alabama-native Wilder just 2:17 to explode his missile of a right hand on Breazeale’s chin, who immediately crumbled to the mat where he was counted out by referee Harvey Dock despite trying to get back on his feet.

Wilder, 33, never gave Breazeale a chance to get into the fight, as he caught “Trouble” midway through the first with an equilibrium shot that momentarily wobbled the challenger. Cautious not to get caught with another counter right, the 33 year-old Breazeale was reluctant to let his right hand go. Instead, the former US Olympian opted to throw pawing jabs, trying to create openings that would never appear.

The end came suddenly and conclusively when, after a separation by Dock, the 6’7” Wilder uncorked a right from hell that provided a definitive and conclusive ending to a multi-year feud.

It was a particularly contentious lead-up to the fight, as both fighter’s displayed genuine animosity toward each other. On Tuesday Wilder, who is co-trained by Jay Deas and former Olympic Gold Medalist and welterweight world champion Mark Breland, made headlines by suggesting he wouldn’t lose any sleep if he killed Breazeale in the ring. Their dislike stems from a 2017 altercation in an Alabama hotel lobby in which Breazeale claims he was attacked by Wilder and his brother, Marsellus. Breazeale and his then-coach Manny Robles sued Wilder, but had their lawsuit dismissed by a judge a few months later.

Prior to tonight, Wilder’s last fight was in December when he battled lineal heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury (27-0-1, 19KO), to a dramatic draw in a Fight of the Year candidate that saw Wilder send Fury to the mat twice, including once in the final round. Many thought Wilder, who weighed in at 223.¼ lbs for tonight’s fight — 11.¼ more than the Fury fight, would immediately run it back against the big Englishman, but after Fury surprised the boxing world by signing a promotional contract with Top Rank (ESPN+), boxing politics interfered and Wilder moved forward with a fight against his mandatory challenger, Breazeale.

Coming into the contest, the 6’7” Breazeale was riding a three fight TKO win streak since his suffering his only other career defeat, a 2016 loss in London’s O2 Arena to unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (22-0, 21KO).

“Everything just came out of me tonight. I know it’s been a big build up,” Wilder said afterward. “There’s been a lot of animosity and a lot of words that were said and it just came out of me tonight. That’s what makes boxing so great.”

In reference to his pre-fight words, “I just told Breazeale I love him and of course I want to see him go home to his family. I know we say some things, but when you can fight a man and then you can hug him and kiss him, I wish the world was like that. We shake hands and we live to see another day and that’s what it’s all about.”

Breazeale also spoke after the fight, questioning the stoppage. “I think the ref stopped it a little early because I could hear him saying seven and eight, but that’s boxing,” he said. “He did his job and kept us safe for our next fight,” he then conceded.

“This was a situation where he landed the big right hand before I did,” he added. “I thought I was going to come on in the later rounds. I’ll be back and go for the heavyweight title again.”

Russell Stops Martinez In 5 To Retain Featherweight Title

In the co-main event, “Mr.” Gary Russell, Jr. (30-1, 18KO) successfully defended his WBC world featherweight title, scoring a 5th round TKO against former three-time world challenger Kiko Martinez (39-9-2, 28KO).

For a fighter who only fights once per year, Gary Russell Jr. surely doesn’t show any ring rust. The southpaw practitioner dissected the 33 year-old Martinez tonight from the opening bell, scoring at will while hardly tasting any leather himself.

It was clear from the early goings that Russell’s speed was going to be too much for Martinez to handle. Russell, 30, time and again got off first when he wanted to, and countered when he felt like.

In the third round Russell, who fights out of the Russell family-owned Enigma Boxing Gym in Capitol Heights, MD, landed a right that opened a cut of the Spaniard Martinez’s left eye that only worsen over the next round and a half. As the fourth round drew to a close, the gash split wider and blood began to stream down Martinez’s face, prompting referee Ricky Gonzalez to call time to have the ringside physician examine Martinez. After inspecting the cut, the doctor advised Gonzalez to stop the contest, at the 2:52 mark of round 5.

Tonight marked the fourth successful title defense for Russell since winning the belt against Jhonny Gonzalez (66-11, 54KO) in 2015. Russell is often criticized for the long layoffs he takes between fights. He’s defended his title once per year since 2015, but has stated his intention to fight more frequently. Russell’s lone career blemish remains majority decision against current WBA/WBO lightweight champion, Vasiliy Lomachenko (13-1, 10KO) in 2016.

Two of Russell’s younger brothers, Gary Antuanne (9-0, 9KO) and Gary Antonio (14-0, 12KO) also picked up wins on tonight’s undercard.

For Martinez, tonight marked the fourth time in his career that he was stopped inside the distance. His most impressive win remains his 2014 stoppage of former Japanese world champion, Hozumi Hasegawa (36-5, 16KO).

“I did pretty well. We stayed behind the jab and he couldn’t get past it,” Russell said. “We knew that intellect over athleticism would get it done.”

“We want (WBA Featherweight Champion) Leo Santa Cruz,” he added. “We want to make this fight happen.”

Juan Heraldez Argenis Mendez Fight To Draw

Mayweather Promotions prospect Juan Heraldez (16-0-1, 10KO) battled to a ten round majority draw against fellow super lightweight and former IBF world featherweight champion, Argenis Mendez (25-5-3, 12KO) to open the televised portion of the SHOWTIME broadcast.

The fight was slow to take form, but after four rounds of relative inaction, the pace picked up in the fifth when both fights started to let their hands go. Heraldez, a Las Vegas-native found success with combinations and landed a partially blocked right that grabbed the 32 year-old Mendez’s attention. Towards the end of the action-packed fifth and exchange between the fighter’s drew blood from Heraldez’s mouth.

In the seventh, a perfectly timed counter right over a Mendez jab halted the Dominicans momentum. And in the ensuing round, a check left hook from Mendez landed squarely on the chin of Heraldez. Later in the round, though, Heraldez stormed back, knocking Mendez off balance with a strong jab that followed a straight right hand.

For most of the fight Heraldez, who fights out of the Mayweather Boxing Gym under the tutelage of Otis Pimpleton, tried to employ slick defense and counter and pop-shot his way past Mendez. But his best work came when he was the aggressor, popping jabs to set up right hands. Similarly, Mendez’s most successful work came via old fashioned one-twos, which when thrown, did so with conviction.

At the end of ten, judge Julie Lederman turned a scorecard of 97-93 for Mendez, but was overruled by judges John Basile and Kevin Morgan who saw it even, 95-95. 15rounds.com also scored the fight a even.

The result makes it back to back draws for Mendez, who drew against Anthony Peterson (37-1-1, 24KO) in March.

Heavyweights Alfonso and Kiladze Fight To An 8 Round Draw

In tonight’s lesser anticipated battle between two big men, Cuban-born Robert Alfonso (18-0-1, 8KO) battled to an eight round draw against Sachkere, Georgia’s Iago Kiladze (26-4-1, 18KO).

It was a decent bounceback performance from the 33 year-old Kiladze who was coming off three consecutive losses inside the distance to contenders Adam Kownacki (19-0, 15KO), Michael Hunter (16-1, 11KO) and Joe Joyce (8-0, 8KO). Kiladze’s best work came in the fight’s early goings, has he was able to successfully counter Alfonso.

As the fight wore on, however, the larger Alfonso (250lb.) began to impose himself on Kiladze (219lb.) and in the seventh round began to batter his counterpart.

At the end of eight, however, judges scored it 77-75 both ways and 76-76 resulting in a draw. A just result.

Gary Antuanne Russell Stops Marcos Mojica In 4
In tonight’s lesser anticipated battle between two big men, Cuban-born Robert Alfonso (18-0-1, 8KO) battled to an eight round draw against Sachkere, Georgia’s Iago Kiladze (26-4-1, 18KO).

It was a decent bounceback performance from the 33 year-old Kiladze who was coming off three consecutive losses inside the distance to contenders Adam Kownacki (19-0, 15KO), Michael Hunter (16-1, 11KO) and Joe Joyce (8-0, 8KO). Kiladze’s best work came in the fight’s early goings, has he was able to successfully counter Alfonso.

As the fight wore on, however, the larger Alfonso (250lb.) began to impose himself on Kiladze (219lb.) and in the seventh round began to batter his counterpart.

At the end of eight, however, judges scored it 77-75 both ways and 76-76 resulting in a draw. A just result.

Gary Antuanne Russell Stops Marcos Mojica In 4

The second of three Gary Russell’s to step through the PBC-marked ropes tonight, Gary Antuanne Russell (9-0, 9KO), made easy work of fellow lightweight Marcos “Bombardero” Mojica (16-4-2, 12KO), knocking him out in the 4th of their scheduled 8 round clash.

The former 2016 US Olympian, Russell, had his way with from the onset, showcasing a level of power and hand-speed that Mojica couldn’t deal with. Russell, a southpaw, connected at will throughout, but started landing potential fight-ending shots in the latter stages of the third. In the fourth, Russell, who fights out of the Russell family-owned Enigma Boxing Gym in Capitol Heights, MD, sent Mojica crashing hard to the mat courtesy if a vicious right hook. That was the beginning of the end, as the 22 year-old Russell kept the pressure on and ultimately delivered a definitive left hook to the ribs that sent Mojica back to the mat where he was counted out by referee Raul Caiz. The official stoppage came at the 2:13 mark of round 4.

All of Russell’s 9 professional wins have come before the final bell.

For Mojica, the result spoils his US debut. He had only fought outside of Nicaragua on one other occasion, suffering a TKO loss to Daniyar Yeleussinov (6-0, 3KO) in Monaco.

Richardson Hitchins Batters Alejandro Munera En Route To TKO4

Brooklyn’s own Richardson Hitchins (9-0, 5KO) made it three for three on the night for Mayweather Promotions prospects, as he put a beatdown on fellow super lightweight Alejandro Munera (4-2-3, 4KO) scoring a TKO4 in a contest initially scheduled for 8.

Hitchins, a former 2016 Haitian Olympian, dominated from the opening bell, landing at will against his wild-swinging Colombian counterpart. Hitchins, 21, almost ended the fight in the first when he landed a slick left uppercut that clearly hurt the 29 year-old Munera. The fight would last just two more rounds anyway, as Hitchins continued to batter Munera, who was fighting outside of Colombia for the first time, eventually dropping him with a left to the liver toward the end of the third. Before the bell sounded to signal round four, the ringside physician advised the referee to stop the contest to prevent further punishment.

Mayweather Promotions bantamweight prospect Dylan “The Real Dyl” Price (8-0, 6KO) slugged his way to a 5th round TKO against Manuel Salvador Monzo (4-7-2, 2KO) in a bout originally slated for six.

Manzo, 29, took an all or nothing approach from the opening bell, as the Mexican came out of his corner wailing away at a somewhat unsuspecting Price. Price didn’t get rattled or allow himself to be overwhelmed, however. Rather, the patient and calculating 20 year-old, fought fire with fire, trading blows in the early goings, but was conscious to not waste his punches, always throwing with purpose. Conversely, Manzo threw too often, too wide, and too recklessly and by the fourth round was out of gas.

As Manzo tired, his punches lost steam, and his defense opened up. The southpaw Price took full advantage and began to dominate the fight with combination punching, landing at will toward the end the fourth.

In the fifth, a right uppercut wobbled Manzo, and the ensuing punches that landed were enough to prompt the ringside physician to signal to referee Raul Caiz to stop the contest at the 1:34 mark.

The fight snaps a 5-fight unbeaten streak for Manzo who started his career 0-6-1 and hadn’t lost since October 2017.

It was Price’s fifth fight at the Barclays Center and first win inside the distance since January 2018.

Antonio Russell Earns Technical Decision Over Saul Eduardo Hernandez

In the first of three fights to feature a Gary Russell, 26 year-old bantamweight Gary Antonio Russell (14-0, 12KO) earned a six round technical decision (60-54×2, 59-55) in a bout originally scheduled for eight against rugged Mexican Saul Eduardo Hernandez (13-13-1, 8KO). A clash of heads late in 6th sent Hernandez sprawling to the mat in pain, where he remained until the ringside physician examined him and advised the referee to stop the contest.

It was a match fought mostly at close range and saw both boxers willing to eat a punch to land one of their own. Save for two memorable Hernandez rights, however, Russell eluded most of his counterparts’ offense. Russell, who fights out of his family’s Enigma Boxing Gym in Capitol Heights, MD scored with blitzing combinations that eventually wore Hernandez down. If it wasn’t for three initial rounds of headhunting, Russell likely could have put an end to the contest earlier if he’d invested in the body opening rounds

It was Russell’s second consecutive fight at the Barclays Center. He last fought here in March on the undercard of Brian Castano and Erislandy Lara’s junior middleweight title fight.

Kenny Robles Overwhelms Roy McGill, Stops Him In 5

In a contest slated for six, Staten Island’s Kenny Robles upped his record to 6-1, 3KO, scoring 5th round stoppage over fellow super lightweight Roy McGill (6-3, 3KO) to kick off a nine fight card from the Barclays Center which will culminate when Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (40-0-1, 39) makes his tenth defense of his WBC world heavyweight title against mandatory challenger Dominic “Trouble” Breazeale (20-1, 18KO) live on SHOWTIME.

Robles, 28, consistently got off first and took the fight to his 30 year-old counterpart. McGill, a Harrisburg, PA native had no answers for Robles’ volume punching and pressure. After Robles, a former New York Golden Gloves Champion, fired off a lengthy unobstructed combination, referee Shada Murdaugh stepped in to stop the punishment at the 1:43 mark of the fifth round.

Naoya Inoue made his case as one of the top fighters in the world by destroying previously undefeated Emmanuel Rodriguez in two rounds to retain his WBA and win the IBF Bantamweight title. In the process, Inoue advances to the final of the World Boxing Super Series where he will meet Nonito Donaire.

Inoue dropped Rodriguez three times in the 2nd round. The 1st was a booming right, and the final two were body shots. Rodriguez got to his feet, but with a bloody nose, the referee wisely waved off the bout at 1:19.

Inoue of Japan is now 18-0 with 16 knockouts. Rodriguez of Puerto Rico is 19-1.

Former world champion Paul Butler stopped Salvador Hernandez Sanchez in round six of their scheduled eight-round bantamweight bout.

Butler dominated the fight and dropped Sanchez with a left hook to the body in the 6th round that put Hernandez down for the count at 2:52.

Butler of England is now 29-2 with 15 knockouts. Sanchez of Mexico is 14-9-1.

Zach Parker remained undefeated by stopping Steven Cramber in round four of their scheduled eight-round super middleweight bout.

The bout was stopped after a barrage of punches at 2:47 for Parker, who is now 18-0 with 12 knockouts. Crambert of France is 8-5.

Lee McGregor went the distance for the 1st but won an easy decision over Brett Fidoe in a bantamweight bout.

McGregor of Scotland won by 60-54 scores and is now 6-0. Fidoe of England is 13-51-5.

Reece McFadden won a four-round decision over Georgi Georgiev in a super bantamweight fight.

Scores were 40-36 for McFadden who is 3-0. Gerogiev is 7-15-1.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, a 140-pound unification fight between Jose Ramirez and Maurice Hooker is being negotiated.

“We’re in negotiations on that fight with Top Rank and we’ve also been talking to our co-promoter, Roc Nation,” Hooker co-promoter Eddie Hearn said. “It’s a fight both sides want, a fight I think the fans want. It’s a brilliant fight for the division. It would be on DAZN but there’s still a long way to go to getting anything done but the conversations are positive.”

“They want a big fight and they also want to unify titles, just like our side does,” Hearn said, adding that if the fight is made it would take place either in California, where Ramirez is from, or Texas, where Hooker is from.

“I’ve had discussions about the fight with Sir Edward,” Top Rank’s Carl Moretti said. “Hopefully, somehow this fight can be put together. We look forward to further discussions and negotiations.”

Canelo Alavrez has been ordered to defend his middleweight crown against Sergiy Derevyanchenko by the IBF, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Negotiations should commence immediately and be concluded by June 15, 2019,” the IBF wrote. The fight is due by August 4th.

“It’s really surprising and unfortunate that we didn’t get a congratulations letter [from the IBF] like we would in the past,” Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez told ESPN. “We will be meeting with Canelo in the next week or so to see what he would like to do.”

“Now that the IBF has ordered immediate negotiations between the two sides, I will sit down with Sergiy, [adviser] Al Haymon and Lou DiBella next week and talk about the best course of action,” Keith Connolly, Derevyanchenko’s manager, told ESPN.

According to Dan Rafael of espn,com, Gilberto Ramirez vacated the WBO Super Middleweight title.

With the belt vacant, the fight between former middleweight world titleholder Billy Joe Saunders (27-0, 13 KOs), 29, of England, who is moving up to super middleweight, and Shefat Isufi (27-3-2, 20 KOs), 29, of Germany, will be for the title.