CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Their first match in 2017 was close and controversial. Their rematch was closer but less controversial.

Friday at American Bank Center in an entertaining scrap for the WBO super middleweight title televised by ESPN+, Mexican heartthrob “El Zurdo” Gilberto Ramirez (39-0, 25 KOs) remained undefeated by narrowly decisioning North Philly boxer-puncher Jesse “Hollywood” Hart (25-2, 21 KOs) by majority scores of 114-114, 115-113 and 115-113.

The 15rounds.com ringside card also sided with Ramirez, 116-114, scoring rounds 3 and 10 even.

“I hurt my left elbow in round eight,” said Ramirez afterwards in his native Spanish. “It wasn’t worth dick then.”

After a tentative first round, where neither guy wanted to lead but both wanted to counter hardy, Hart began to absorb left uppercuts from Ramirez in the second. By the fourth Ramirez began to piece Hart up, making Hart relent in a mouth-agape retreat, forcing Hart to exert and punch back harder than planned, which made round 5 the best of the match’s opening half.

Both men presented their chins for uppercuts, and both made tasted and served them, but Ramirez, of the two men, committed far more to bodypunching. Ramirez, too, feinted Hart out of position often, making one wonder about Hart’s confidence or conditioning.

“If I hadn’t hurt my elbow, I would have knocked him out,” said Ramirez of his advantage in the fight’s first half.

With Ramirez no longer fit and right in round 8, though, Hart’s improved physicality changed everything. Hart’s leaning on Ramirez revealed El Zurdo to be an immobile and often lazy infighter of limited leverage and creativity in the ninth.

“I pressured him, I boxed him,” said Hart after the match. “I really don’t know.”

For reasons that were unclear, after his two best rounds of the fight, in round 10 Hart returned to Ramirez’s preferred range and lost some advantage before returning to a more favorable, smothering attack in the 11th.

Round 12 was both excellent and brutal, with Ramirez doing what a champion must, seizing the initiative from Hart and retaining his belt despite a final-minute rally by the Philadelphian. If the decision was close, it was also popular, as Friday’s small crowd was passionate and partisan-Mexican.

ARNOLD BARBOZA VS. MANUEL LOPEZ

Friday’s comain featured a good boxer, California super lightweight Arnold Barboza (20-0, 7 KOs), against a decent one, Coloradoan Manuel Lopez (14-3-1, 7 KOs). The better boxer won, by three scores of 100-90, in a fight that served as a proper – by not being overly compelling – appetizer for the main event to follow.

Barboza is very good but also lightfisted. He leverages his punches correctly, and they sound robust when they land, but as evidenced by his knockout ratio, his opponents suffer surprisingly little damage. Ringside and cheering Barboza on, with near-constant suggestions, was the former master of 140 pounds, Terence Crawford.

The delta between Crawford and Barboza is exactly the delta between Barboza and Lopez.

JOSHUA GREER VS. DANIEL LOZANO

Chicagoan Joshua Greer (19-1-1, 11 KOs) looks the part and punches the part, when he connects, which he did often Friday night, and had to, too, in order to chop down stonechinned Floridian Daniel Lozano (10-6, 3 KOs) and secure a WBC Continental Americas title. Wearing a frilly red-and-white outfit with tennis-ball-green boots, Greer used his speed to discourage Lozano early and often.

In the last minute of round 7 Greer then used power he’d not shown in the preceding stanzas, dropping a four- or five-punch combination (fast as it was, could’ve been either number) that finished with a crisp righthand that put Lozano on the seat of his trunks. Lozano beat the count comfortably and made it to round’s end.

But with their man prohibitively far behind on the scorecards, Lozano’s handlers did the compassionate thing, stopping their man from answering one more bell.

UNDERCARD

The evening’s final nontitle match featured California lightweight Gabriel Flores Jr. battering about the ring Maryland designated opponent Edward Kakembo in a contest that comprised but one doubt: Will Flores stretch Kakembo or not? Not won, and so did Flores: 60-52, 60-52, 60-52.

Mexican super bantamweight Jesus “Veneno” Arechiga (7-0, 6 KOs) began Friday’s match having stopped every opponent inside the distance and in round 1 looked primed to waste Mexican David “Choko” Martino (6-6, 4 KOs) quickly, but in a scheduled execution the condemned survived with some grit and some wiles and some decent punching, and the muscular Arechiga’s faded power, too, Martino made it to the final bell of a fight Arechiga nevertheless won easily by three scores of 40-36.

Friday’s first title match, a super featherweight scrap between Los Angeles’ Mikaela Mayer (9-0, 4 KOs) and Colombian Calixta Salgado (17-11-3, 12 KOs) for the NABF title, finished with a wide decision victory for Mayer, 80-72 three times. The rangey Mayer proved herself superior in every category, from physicality to body punching to footwork, putting a comprehensive eight-round beating on her outmatched if rugged opponent.

In the undercard’s third match BoMac-trained New York lightweight Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring (19-2, 10 KOs), a lighthitting southpaw, decisioned Brazil’s Adeilson Dos Santos (19-6, 15 KOs) by three scores of 80-70, after successfully wearing-down Dos Santos late with left uppercuts.

Before that Mexican bantamweight Ruben Vega (11-0-1, 5 KOs) drew over six rounds with Dallas’ Oscar Mojica (11-5-1, 1 KO).

Friday’s first match saw Panamanian welterweight Roberto Duran Jr. (2-0, 2 KOs) use manos-jovenes-de-piedra to make instant work of Brownsville target Leonardo Pena (0-3), finishing the local fighter in under a minute.

Opening bell rang on a cavernous American Bank Center at 5:17 PM local time.

Former world champion Guillermo Rigdondeaux will return to the ring on a Premier Boxing Champions card in January, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

PBC has three cards scheduled in January: a Jan. 13 card on Fox Sports 1 in Los Angeles headlined by Jose Uzcategui’s mandatory super middleweight title defense against Caleb Plant; the Jan. 19 Showtime PPV card headlined by Manny Pacquiao defending his welterweight belt against Adrien Broner; and a Jan. 26 Fox card at Barclays Center headlined by welterweight titlist Keith Thurman against Josesito Lopez.

“Rigo is training and he will be on one of those January shows,” manager ALex Bornote said.

He added that although Rigondeaux fought as a junior lightweight in his last fight, he is returning to the 122-pound junior featherweight division.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the December 1st Deontay Wilder – Tyson Fury fight generated 325,000 Pay-Per-View buys.

Based on 325,000 buys, the pay-per-view grossed around $24 million, though about half that money goes to the cable and satellite providers.

Vasyl Lomachenko will return on April 12th at Staples Center in Los Angeles, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Opponenets could be Ghana’s Richard Commey (27-2, 24 KOs) and Isa Chaniev (13-1, 6 KOs), of Russia, awho re due to meet for a vacant lightweight world title on ESPN in the co-feature of the rematch between light heavyweight world titlist Eleider “Storm” Alvarez and former titleholder Sergey Kovalev on Feb. 2 at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas.

“We think Lomachenko’s brand as a fighter is growing, but he has been predominantly an East Coast fighter, and we want to bring him back to the West Coast and help build his brand even more,” Topp rank President Todd duBoef said.

Vasyl Lomachenko won a 12-round unanimous decision over Jose Pedraza to retain the WBA and win the WBO Lightweight title at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Rounds were competitive over the course of the fight, with Lomachenko landing the more memorable shots throughout.  Pedraza did his best to slip and move while mixing in some offense in an effort to slow Lomachenko.  The Ukranian fighter, who is atop many pound for pound lists just had more in his arsenal.

In round eleven, Loamchenko opened up on Pedraza as he hurt him with a hard left him.  Lomachenko continued to land  hard and flush punches against Pedraza, who was barely punching back.  The result of that onslaught were two knockdowns that came seconds apart.  Lomachenko tried his best to close the show, but Pedraza was game and showed his veteran tactics to hear the final bell.

Lomachenko, 134.4 lbs of Akermann, UKR won by scores 119-107 and 117-109 twice   and is now 12-1.  Pedraza, 134.2 lbs of Cidra, PR is 25-2.

“It was my dream to unify titles,” Lomachenko said. “It was my next goal. I can now focus on my next chapter.

“He’s a veteran. He did a very good job, and I respect Pedraza and his team.”

Said Pedraza: “I am happy with my performance tonight. I went 12 rounds with the best fighter in the world. I knew what we were going up against. I thought it was a close fight until the knockdowns. At the end of the day, I am proud of what I did.”

Emanuel Navarrete won the WBO Super Bantamweight title via 12-round unanimous decision to dethrone Isaac Dogboe.

Although not pretty at times, Navarrete pushed the action as he featured body shots.  Dogboe retreated for most of the bout.  Dogboe suffered swelling over his right eye in round nine, and never got into a rhythm.

Navarrete, 122 lbs of Mexico City won by scores of 116-112 twice and 115-113 to improve to 26-1.  Dogboe, 120.8 lbs of Accra, GHA is now 20-1.

“I thank Dogboe for this opportunity,” Navarrete said. “This world championship represents every day that I was working away from my family. This title represents sacrifice. I injured my right hand early in the fight, but I had the desire to be a champion and I did everything necessary to get the title, and I am very happy and proud to achieve this goal of being the world champion.”

Said Dogboe: “It was a great fight, and Emanuel Navarrete fought like a true Mexican warrior. Champions are supposed to keep going under any circumstance, but I just couldn’t get the victory. The best man won tonight.”

Top prospect Teofimo Lopez blew out Mason Menard in the 1st round of their scheduled ten-round lightweight fight for the USBA/NABA/NAF titles.

Lopez rocked Menard in the opening seconds of the bout, and then uncorked a perfect right to the jaw that had Menard plummet face-first on the canvas, and the fight was immediately stopped at 44 seconds

Lopez, 135 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 11-0 with nine knockouts.  Menard, 135 lbs of Rayne, LA is 34-4.

“I knew he was a tough fighter. I knew he could fight,” Lopez said. “I wanted to test him, and I took a chance early in the fight. I know he trained hard, and he didn’t want it to go that way. But this is ‘The Takeover.’ ‘The Takeover’ has begun.

“In 2019, I will be a world champion. That’s a guarantee.”

Brian Ceballo remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Daniel Calzada in a welterweight bout.

Ceballo, 147.8 lbs of New York won by scores of 40-36 on all cards, and is now 6-0.  Calzada, 147.5 lbs of Denver, CO is 16-20-3.

Alexander Besputin remained perfect by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Juan Carlos Abreu in a welterweight bout.

In round one, Besputin dropped Abreu with a straight left.

Besputin, 146.6 lbs of Oxnard, CA won by scores of 100-88 on all cards, and is now 12-0.  Abreu, 146.8 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR is 21-5-1.

“He fought a very uncomfortable, dirty fight, but I dominated,” Besputin said. “I am ready for a world title fight next.”

Italian Olympian Guido Vianello made a successful pro debut with a 2nd round stoppage over Luke Lyons in a heavyweight bout.

In round one, Vianello dropped Lyons with a hard right hand.  In round two, Vianello dropped Lyons with a combination and the fight was waved off at 29 seconds.

Vianello, 236 lbs of Rome, ITA is 1-0 with one knockout.  Lyons, 239.8 lbs of Ashland, KY is 5-2.

“It was a dream come true to make my professional debut at Madison Square Garden,” Vianello said. “I hope I did Italy proud. I came here tonight to score a knockout, and I delivered.”

Josue Vargas stopped John Renteria in round five of a scheduled eight-round super lightweight bout.

In round two, Vargas dropped Renteria with a left hand. In round four, he sent Renteria down with a right hook to the head.

Vargas, 142.6 lbs of Bronx, NY is 12-1 with eight knockouts. Renteria, 142.8 lbs of Panama City, PAN is 16-6-1.

In round five, Vargas finished off Renteria with a combination that put him on the canvas, and the bout was stopped at 31 seconds

Abdiel Ramirez stopped Michael Perez in the final round of their eight-round super lightweight bout

In round four, Perez dropped Ramirez with a hard uppercut.

Ramirez came back to hurt Perez in the final round with a right hand. He followed that up with two crushing uppercuts that dropped Perez, and the bout was stopped at 54 seconds.

Ramirez, 142.4 lbs of Ciudad Juarez, MEX is 24-3-1 with 22 knockouts. Perez. 142.4 lbs of Newark, NJ is 25-3-2.

Jano Carroll and Guillaume Frenois battled to a 12-round split draw in an IBF Super Featherweight Elimination battle.

In round nine, Carroll began to bleed from around the right eye.

Scores were 115-113 each way, and 114-114.

Carroll, 129.6 lbs of Dublin is 16-0-1. Frenois, 129.5 lbs of France is 46-1-1.

Anthony Fowler remained perfect with a 1st round stoppage over Jose Carlos Paz in a scheduled 10-round super featherweight bout.

Fowler landed a perfect left the body that sent Paz to a knee. He did not beat the count at 1:33.

Fowler, 153.6 lbs of Liverpool is 9-0 with eight knockouts. Paz, 157.2 lbs of Argentina is 23-8-1.

Kid Galahad tuned up for a world title shot with a eight-round decision over Bryan Mairena in a super featherweight bout.

The referee score was 80-72 for Galahad, 132.1 lbs of Sheffield who is now 30-0. Mairena, 130.9 lbs of Nicaragua is 10-5-1.

Former British Olympian, Qais Ashfat stopped Jay Carney in round five of their scheduled six-round super bantamweight fight.

In round one, Ashfaq began to batter Carney, and caused a cut from the side of his nose. Ashfaq continued the beating with hard shots hat caused a cut over the right eye of Carney.

In round five, Ashfat continued to the onslaught on a game Carney. and Carney’s corner threw in the towel at 41 seconds.

Ashfaq, 126.3 lbs of Leeds is 4-0 with two knockouts. Carney, 124.7 lbs of Liverpool is 5-4-2.

Terry Harper stopped Fericge Mashury in round two if a scheduled six-round lightweight contest.

Harper landed an unanswered flurry of punches in round two, and the fight was stopped at 1:25.

Harper, 135.2 lbs of Denaby is now 5-0 with two knockouts. Mashaury, 133.5 lbs of Tanzania is now 6-2.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the WBC has voted for an immediate rematch between heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.

“Wilder and Fury gave boxing one of the best fights in the heavyweight division in a long time, which has created tremendous popular demand from fans to see a rematch,” Mauricio Sulaiman said. “The WBC is happy to confirm that a direct rematch has been approved and will create in a ruling, which will also consider the mandatory status of the division.

“I wish to once again congratulate Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury for their great battle inside the ring and for the exemplary sportsmanship after the bout.”

“I’m willing and ready to give Fury the opportunity ASAP. It’s only right to give Fury a rematch as soon as possible,” Wilder said. “I’m ready whenever he’s ready to do it. I’m ready to give the fans what they want to see and end this talk once and for all [about who won].”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin met with Eddie Hearn as well as John Skipper who is the head of the DAZN streamlining service.

Golovkin has had offers from DAZN and ESPN/Top Rank. He also met with Premier Boxing Champions officials last weekend in Los Angeles around the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury heavyweight world title fight, for which he was ringside, and Golovkin is expected to receive an offer from PBC chief Al Haymon, who has broadcast deals with Showtime and Fox.

DAZN and Hearn would like to make a third fight between Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez, who edged Golovkin by majority decision in their rematch — the year’s biggest fight — on Sept. 15 to win the unified middleweight title.

Former super middleweight world champion Markus Beyer has passed away at the age of 47, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Beyer, who had a brief illness was honored by his former promoter’s, Sauerland Event.

“Our WBC world champ Markus Beyer has passed away. Massive nights against Richie Woodhall and Danny Green that will stay forever. Too young, too soon,” promoters Kalle and Nisse Sauerland, who worked extensively with Beyer during his career, wrote on social media.

“I cannot describe my feelings with words,” Ulli Wegner, Beyer’s former longtime trainer, said, according to Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. “Everybody knows that he was my favorite athlete, and that he had, above all, a human component. Markus Beyer was a thoroughly fine human being. At the moment I feel like someone hit me in the gut.”

Former world champion Amir Khan could be facing WBO Welterweight champion Terence Crawford on March 23rd as part of an HBO Pay-Per-View card in New York’s Madison Square Garden, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“There have been discussions with Team Khan as well as an offer made and hopefully the fight can be put together,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN on Monday.

“We made a proposal to Amir Khan and we will wait to hear back,” Arum said. “I would love to do the fight.”

“Fighting for a pound-for-pound title would be amazing,” Khan told the Daily Mail. “To win it would be even better, so I think I’m in a position where I can get that fight with the pound-for-pound champion at the moment. The Brook fight is always going to be there. It’s for no title, whereas I’m getting offered a world title and the pound-for-pound title. So why not?”

By Bart Barry-

Saturday in Los Angeles two heavyweights battled for a significant part of the world championship and surpassed expectations en route to a split-decision draw likely won by Brit Tyson Fury, “The Gypsy King”, over American Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder. Fury jittered and juked and cuffed and holstered Wilder for all but 25 or 30 seconds of their match, but those seconds were important ones, so important th’t had Fury not landed on his shoulder before his head in round 12 he’d not have afforded sundry pundits a chance to do their misanthropic best while appraising the scorekeepers’ produce.

Boxing won Saturday in the same sense its combatants emerged victorious from their scrum: Both guys to the occasion rose and proved much better than earlier versions of themselves. But these are not great fighters, and while their match was far better than it might have been, to put Fury-Wilder on any fight-of-the-year lists is to consign heavyweights to the soft sizeism of low expectations. Expectations honestly arrived at, albeit.

In his second career championship prizefight Fury was indeed much better than in his first, and if Wilder did not quite finish Fury he at least felled him twice with punches you might in good conscience teach a youngster to throw. As promised the match was often insipid but never unsuspenseful. Both men, too, did their best; they presented great versions of themselves to one another and took honest shots. Neither man awoke Sunday with regrets.

In their ways Tyson and Deontay are evenly matched talents. Were fights still to go till one man got disabled from toeing the line Wilder would win every time, much as Fury’d do were championship prizefights reduced from 12 rounds to 10. Pursuing the feat continually Wilder should expect to knock Fury to the bluemat once every 27 minutes, on average, for the next five years, and Fury should expect to enjoy striking Wilder 60 times flush before his each horizontaling. Conditioning and what pronouncedly variable rates of dissipation affect conditioning being held equal, of course, which it’s safe to imagine they’ll not be; if Wilder looked partially chastened at the closing bell Fury looked elated, vindicated, ready to spend another extended sabbatical traveling and writing.

Whatever the eternally lamenting masses opine of the decision, fact remains in a fight with Tyson Fury, Wilder could win decisively by landing only two punches in any second less than 36 minutes and win controversially by landing just 10 punches in a match settled by official judging. Life is unfair all over but particularly so in prizefighting and magnificently so in heavyweight prizefighting.

If there’s no desire here to play scorekeeper-apologist there’s some desire, indeed, to impart a thought that came along about the time Saturday’s decision did: In a round, such as the first, when combatants land an aggregate of six punches in 180 seconds, a punch every half-minute of threatening the feat, a judge’s position on the mat actually might affect his card honestly. Were you judging three minutes of mutual belligerence you might intuit from what glimpses you caught a general sense of what happened even while being blocked by either of the combatants or the referee or even a camera flash in the background for a few of the decisive moments. But tasked with catching the one punch either man might land every halfminute you might could fail at the sight of a ref’s back obstructing your eyes or the hulking surface area of one of the two giants blocking fully your view of his opponent’s purchasing fist.

Were we more interested in truth than decisiveness we’d petition sanctioners round the world encourage their scorekeepers to mark 10-10 frequently as they mark 10-9, to say, effectively, “I don’t know who won that round so it was even.” What boxing judges I’ve known are decent, average folks empowered disproportionately for a few hours every year. The obviously corrupt ones are not local but imported from jurisdictions renowned for their corruption. If such a person wished to rig his card and withstand subsequent commission scrutiny he might give every early round to his designated man, and in the absence of clean punching cite subjective factors like ring generalship.

Two-point rounds, in this scheme, bring unwanted attention; if gentlemen can agree to disagree about 115-113 tallies, either way, 115-111, to pull an example out of thin air, makes sparkly what probably wishes be occult. (Fortunately for one Las Vegas judge who attempted a similar sort of legerdemain for Pacquiao-Marquez 3, scoring rounds 8-12 geometrically opposite what happened, Pacquiao did not fell Marquez in round 12, for that would’ve made an evidently excusable 116-112 card into an investigatable 117-110.)

But haven’t you written an aficionado should prize knockouts so highly he caren’t a whit who wins a decision, no matter its corruption? Indeed, and that mostly holds, with the conceivable exception of a stylist so negative he mustn’t stutterstep even once along a tightrope spanning 2,160 seconds – for him alone one might justifiably endure the suspense of official scorecards’ unveiling. There’s irony, yes, such a tightroper find himself bequeathed a frame so absurdly imposing as Fury’s. If there’s something aesthetically dissonant about any 200-pound man in flight Fury’s beating a nimble retreat at 6-foot-9 and 257 pounds is ridiculous to the point of beautiful.

In the general range of consciousness prizefighters and aficionados roam nothing worse might be said of a man than others laugh at him. A few bands higher, though, comes this possibility: Causing the world to greet you always with a chuckle and shake of the head, as Tyson Fury does, is a trait wonderful as it is uncommon. Long live the Gypsy King!

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

Former light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson was upgraded to stable condition, but is in a medically induced coma in Quebec City, Canada, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“The state of Adonis has gone from critical towards stable from (Saturday) to (Sunday), which is relatively good news. He is in controlled sedation to facilitate his recuperation,” promoter Yvon Michel wrote on Twitter. “His family, his (fiancée) Simone and Groupe Yvon Michel would like to thank the many people who have taken the time to send comforting messages. New information will be published as we get it. No other comments will be made until then.”

According to promoter Yvon Michel’s Twitter account, former light heavyweight world champion Adonis Stevenson is in critical condition following his title losing stoppage defeat to Olkesandr Gvozdyk in Quebec, Center.

Stevenson was dropped and stopped in the 11th frame.

news about the condition of Adonis
“The family of @ AdonisSuperman and the leaders of Groupe Yvon Michel are currently with Adonis Stevenson. They wish to inform friends and supporters that Adonis is currently in a critical condition in intensive care at the hospital, following his fight against Oleksander Gvozdyk. They appreciate the concern and support of all. There will be no other comments for the moment and they respectfully ask for your understanding in their desire to stay in private,” said Michel on the Twitter account.

LOS ANGELES –Forget Anthony Joshua. Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury still have some unfinished business.

A Wilder-Fury draw in a terrific fight Saturday night at Staples Center made a rematch a lot more likely than a big money date with Joshua for either heavyweight.

Both Fury and Wilder showed great resilience, power and – in the end – guts in a bout that was close most of the time.

In the final three minutes, both fighters fought their way out of trouble and defeat.

Wilder needed at least a knockdown. He got it with a concussive right-left combo. For a fleeting second, it looked as if Fury would not get up. Wilder went to a neutral corner, rolled his shoulders and smiled.

But the celebration was premature. He, like everybody else, had underestimated Fury, who about a year ago was about 150 pounds heavier than he was at opening bell for Showtime pay-per-view bout.

Fury got up, avoided the loss, survived for another day, another shot at Wilder. Judge Alejandro Rochin of Mexico scored it 115-111 for Wilder. Robert Tapper of Canada scored it 114-112 for Fury on a card initially announced at 114-110 and then corrected. The third card announced was from judge Phil Edwards, who scored it 113-113. Edwards is from the UK, Fury’s home country. UK fans filled Staples Center. They probably wanted to give Edwards his Brexit papers. But they, too, probably want a rematch

“Let’s do it,’’ said Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOs), who kept his World Boxing Council belt. “In the UK, wherever. Wherever there’s the most money.’’

If the Staples crowd reaction was any indication, both Fury and Wilder can expect raise. Wilder was guaranteed $4 million, according to the California Commission. Fury collected a $3 million guarantee. The crowd screamed for more, especially through the six final rounds.

In the early going, Fury appeared to be in control. Wilder missed and missed with his big wind-up shots. But in the ninth, Wilder’s feared power touched Fury just enough to knock down the Manchester City fighter for the first of two times.

“With two knockdowns, I thought won the fight,’’ Wilder said.

But the clever Fury made Wilder looked awkward with agile footwork. It often left Wilder looking like a windmill, swinging his arms aimlessly, above and short of Fury. All the while, Fury mocked him.

“Listen, I got knocked down twice,’’ Fury said. “But I got up twice and won the fight.’’

The argument will continue. The only answer rests in a rematch.

Hurd’s body shot ends Welborn’s upset bid

Jarrett Hurd calls himself Swift. Make that Swift To Respond.

Just as it looked as if Hurd (23-0, 16 KOs) might lose his junior-middleweight belts in a significant upset, he rallied, throwing a wicked body shot that finished the UK’s Jason Welborn (24-7, 7 KOs) at 1:55 of the fourth round.

The aggressive Welborn had been rocking Hurd with repeated shots from head to body through three-plus rounds. Then, Hurd, of Accokeek, MD, decided to go to work. He got it done with one punch.

Luis Ortiz ends dull fight with 10th-round stoppage

The Staples crowd booed. But Luis Ortiz didn’t hear their impatience until the end. Finally, however, the Cuban heavyweight did what could have been done five rounds earlier. He stopped Travis Kauffman of Reading, Penn., midway though the 10th and final round with a succession of punches.

Ortiz (29-1, 25 KOs) also knocked down Kauffman (32-3, 23 KOs) in sixth, eighth and earlier in the 10th. For Ortiz, there’s been talk of a rematch with Deontay Wilder, who was waiting in his dressing room waiting to defend his WBC title against Tyson Fury. Wilder got up from a knockdown and stopped Ortiz in the Cuban’s only loss.

UK heavyweight Joe Joyce opens pay-per-view card with first-round stoppage

Joe Joyce opened the Showtime pay-per-view part of the Fury-Wilder card at Staples with a UK accent. Joyce (7-0, 7 KOs) also kept it short and sweet, scoring a first-round stoppage of Newark heavyweight Joe Hanks (23-3, 15 KOs).

Joyce landed a right that forced Hanks to hold on to the ropes. Without those ropes, he would have been on the canvas. It should have been scored a knockdown. It wasn’t, but it didn’t matter. Seconds later, Joyce landed left, dropping Hanks, who was flat on the floor with no chance of continuing in a that ended at 2:25 of the first.

Guerrero wins comeback bout in a swift stoppage

It didn’t take long for Robert Guerrero to start his comeback. To be exact, he got it done within two rounds against overmatched Hungarian Adam Mate (28-13, 21 KOs). In winning a second-round stoppage, the 35-year-old Guerrero (34-6-1, 19 KOs) scored a knockdown in the first and two more in the second, unleashing three reasons to think his comeback has a real chance at succeeding.

Wilder family stays unbeaten with a Marcellos victory

The Wilders kept the 0 in the family midway through a card Saturday that would end with Deontay Wilder’s heavyweight title defense against Tyson Fury in a Showtime -pay-per-view bout.

Marcellos Wilder, Deontay’s little brother and a big cruiserweight, went to 3-0 (2 KOs) with a unanimous decision of David Damore (1-4-3) of Bakersfield, Calif. Marcellus, whose record includes two KOs, flashed some of Deontay’s power, knocking Damore through the ropes in the second round.

Light-flyweight Jessie Rodriquez stays unbeaten, wins unanimous decision

Jessie Rodriquez, a San Antonio light-flyweight trained by Robert Garcia, was quick and accurate, an overwhelming combination in a one-sided decision over Josue Morales (8-9-3) in the second bout on a card featured by the Wilder-Fury heavyweight title fight.

Philadelphia light-middle weight Julian Williams scores quick stoppage

It was never a question of if, just when. The when was early. A stronger Julian Williams (25-2, 16 KOs), a Philadelphia light-middleweight, sent Mexican Francisco Javier Castro (28-9, 23 KOs) crashing into the ropes. Seconds later, Castro was unable to defend himself in a bout stopped at 2:40 of the second round.

First Bell: UK featherweight Isaac Lowe wins fifth-round stoppage in opener to Fury-Wilder card

UK fans were still singing outside Staples Center when a UK fighter struck an opening key that they hope to hear throughout Saturday.

UK featherweight Isaac Lowe (16-0-3, 6 KOs) opened the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder show with a matinee victory, landing undefended strikes to the head and body that floored Argentine Lucas Rafael Baez (33-17-5, 17 KOs) twice in the fifth round. At 2:11 of the fifth, the non-televised bout was over in a stoppage that left a dazed and slumped over on a stool for a couple of minutes before he could leave the ring under his own power.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 3, 2018)–This past Saturday night, Tori Nelson pounded out a 10-round unanimous decision over Sanna Turnunen to retain the UBF Middleweight title in the main event of the first ever fight card at The Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.

The eight-bout card was promoted by Tricky Entertainment and DCFightNight.

Nelson controlled the action against Turunen by out working her. Turunen was gritty in defeat, but Nelson took the fight in shutout fashion to the tune of 100-90 on all cards.

Nelson of Ashburn, Virginia is 19-2-3. Turunen of Finland is 4-2-1.

Tori Nelson talks about win over Sanna Turunen
Tori Nelson talks about win over Sanna Turunen

Sam Crossed was fortunate to gain a split decision over Twon Smith in a cruiserweight bout.

At the end of round two, Smith dropped Crossed with a hard right hand. Crossed came back to land some solid shots, but was rocked again in round four. The fight was a close fight, but some in the crowd showed their disapproval when the scores were read 57-56 twice for Crossed and 57-56 for Smith.

Crossed, 189.6 lbs of Greenbelt, MD is 8-0. Smith, 187.6 lbs of Oklahoma City is 3-2.

Kareem Martin won a six-round unanimous decision over Andrew Rodgers in a welterweight bout.

Scores were 59-55 on all cards for Martin, 148 lbs of Washington, DC, who is now 11-2. Rodgers, 149 lbs of Elkhart, IN is 4-5-1.

Jordan White stopped Ndira Spearman in round one of their scheduled four-round featherweight bout.

White landed a body punch that was followed by a left to the shoulder area, and Spearman went down for the count at 2:02.

White, 128 lbs of Washington, DC is 7-1 with five knockouts. Spearman, 128.2 lbs of Lavergne, TN is 1-4.

In a surprising result, Matt Murphy and undefeated Antonio Magruder battled to an entertaining draw in a welterweight bout.

Murphy rocked Magruder several times in round’s two and three, but Magruder came back to salvage the draw with a strong 4th frame.

Scores were 39-37 Magruder, and 38-38 twice.

Magruder, 147 lbs of Washington, DC is 5-0-1. Murphy 144.8 lbs of St. Louis is 3-30-4.

Alexander Johnson won a six-round unanimous decision over Mengistu Zarzar in a light heavyweight bout.

Johnson, 177.8 lbs of Washington, D.C. won by scores of 59-55 twice and 58-56 and is now 17-4-1. Zarzar, 182.2 lbs of Palmer Park, MD is 6-6-1.

Good looking prospect Kiante Irving stopped George Sheppard in round two of their scheduled four-round super middleweight fight.

In round two, Irving dropped Sheppard with a long right hand. Sheppard staggered to his feet, but the fight was called off at 1:06.

Irving, 163.4 lbs of Beaver Falls, PA is 3-0 with three knockouts. Sheppard, 163.8 lbs of Virginia is 1-5-1.

George Harris remained undefeated by stopping Lamar Lewis in round three of their scheduled four-round heavyweight bout.

In round three, Harris dropped Lewis with a hard combination. Harris finished Lewis off by rocking him several more times, and the bout was stopped at 2:00.

Harris, 218 lbs of Silver Spring, MD is 2-0 with two knockouts. Lewis, 235.2 lbs of Arkansas is 0-4.

Tricky Entertainment has been promoting music, entertainment and lifestyle events in D.C. for the past ten years, and is run by Erwin Pendergrast.

DCFightNight is run by Sean Magruder, and this will be his second boxing show in DC.

The Matchmaker was Chris Middendorf.

Ricardo “Hindo” Espinoza 22-2 (19 KOs) knocked Colombian Yeison Vargas 17-1 (12 KOs) down three times in round two retaining the WBO-NABO strap live on Telemundo. In what was sure to be a slugfest with the hard-hitting Espinoza and undefeated Vargas, the two stayed on script and came out firing at the bell in round one. Hindo pushed forward with conviction while Vargas did all he could not to take a backward step, Hindo won this chess match and landed the heavier shots and started to wear Vargas down early. Hindo knocked Vargas down twice early in round two with two heavy left hooks and then a third and final time at 1:19 of round one. Espinoza went from an unknown fighter to a legitimate world ranked contender overnight. He’s coming off an impressive second-round stoppage of then #3 WBO ranked bantamweight Daniel “El Alacran” Lozano during the Telemundo summer series.

Promoter Kris Lawrence and The Heavyweight Factory, in association with All Star Boxing, returned to the Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla with “Rumble at the Rock III.” and was live on Telemundo with former world champion Abner Mares 31-3-1 (15 KO) calling the action ringside. According to ESPN a matchup between 130-pound titleholder Gervonta Davis and Mares could happen in February on Showtime

In the 10-round welterweight co-main event, Derrieck Cuevas (19-0-1, 14 KOs) knocked Breidis “Khanqueror” Prescott (31-15, 22 KOs) down in round one with a big chopping left hook. Prescott was on unsteady legs, barely made the count and was saved by the bell. Where it looked like it could be an early night for Prescott, the veteran and well-known Miami via Barranquilla, Colombia, he came back strong in the mid rounds with volume head and body punching. Cuevas of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico was sharp with his attack, firing blistering shots down the line and creating a fun technical clean fight. Cuevas is impressive and beats the gatekeeper with a unanimous decision victory.

Light Heavyweight Ulysses Diaz 8-0(7KO) stopped Fabian Valdez 3-5 at :49 of round number two in a fight Valdez was never in. Diaz overpowered Valdez from the opening bell.

Lightweight Manuel Correa 3-0 (2KO) took the unanimous decision win over Dustin Arnold 6-2(1KO) with all the cards reading 40-36.

In the opening bout of the evening heavyweight Hector “Ready for War” Hodge 3-3 (1KO) was too much for Jairus Gladney 1-1 as he put the Philly fighter down twice in round two. Officially a TKO for Hodge at 1:43 of round number two.

Puerto Rican amateur standout featherweight Luis “El Chucho” Melendez 3-1(3KO) destroyed Jonathan Conde 0-1 fighting out of Miami. El Chucho first dropped Conde with a huge left hook, Conde got up, then a devastating right hand, Conde got up, and yet another big right hand, Conde did not get up. Officially TKO 2:13 of round number two.

Super Middleweight Irosvani Duvergel 4-0(3KO) made quick work of Yendris Rodriguez Valdez 2-4(2KO). Duvergal, a Cuban youth Amateur standout, wasted no time and came right after Valdez, knocking him down twice in round one with the final call a TKO win at 1:46 of the first stanza.

Crowd favorite and local brawler Jessy Cruz 15-7-1 (6KO) opened strong against

A fleet-footed Isaias Martin Cardona 25-14(17KO) who did all he could to keep distance from the hard-charging southpaw Cruz, including several Ali Shuffles, which was by far his most effective tactic. A right hand in round three from Cruz dropped Cardona in again in the fourth with Cruz starting to close distance only to be saved by the bell, and saved yet again by referee Frank Gentile who stepped into the corner of the Mexican fighter and waved the fight off, officially a TKO win at :01 of round number five.

In a bizarre matchup between Super Featherweights Hairon Socarras 20-0-3(13KO) and Mike Oliver 26-10(8KO) the end came quickly as Oliver went down twice and visibly unwilling to continue as he was rendered his second count, officially KO win for Socarras at :50 of round one. It was clear Oliver did not want to fight.

In a spirited slugfest Cuban amateur star Livan Navarro “Machine Gun Kid”10-0(7KO) outpunched and dropped Colombian Wilfrido Buelvas 19-11(13KO) twice in round three and twice in round four earning himself a TKO win at :54 of round number four.

Donnie Nietes will take on Kazuto Ioka on December 31st for a vacant super flyweight title in Macau, China, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

ATLANTIC CITY–Dmitry Bivol retained the WBA Light Heavyweight title as he pounded out a 12-round unanimous decision over former champion Jean Pascal at The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City.

Bivol mixed up his combinations as some started at the head while others focused on the body.  Pascal tried to keep Bivol honest by throwing some wild shots from distance.  Bivol was very solid and workmanlike throughout the 12-round affair that saw flashes of the old Pascal as he would occasionally get in with a wild shot.

Bivol, 174,4 lbs of St. Petersburg, RUS won by scores of 119-109 twice and 117-111 to stay unbeaten at 14-0.  Pascal, 174.6 lbs of Montreal, CAn is 33-6-1.

“Every time we shoot for a knockout,” said Bivol. “I try to show my boxing skills also. I hope everyone was happy with the fight, and I thank everyone for coming out to watch.

“(Pascal) used his experience and he was powerful in this fight. I used all of my skills to win this fight,” added Bivol.

“Bivol is a great young champion and I take my hat off to him as the top guy at light heavyweight,” said Pascal following the fight. “I was focused and prepared for this challenge, and I gave it my all, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough for me tonight.

“Now I will go back to Montreal with my head held high, enjoy some time with my family, and then after I take some time off I will sit down with (manager) Greg Leon and the rest of my team to see what’s next.”

What does Bivol’s future hold in one of boxing’s most competitive divisions? He has made no secret of wanting to unify the division. “I’m ready to fight (Eleider) Alvarez, (Sergey) Kovalev, or (Badou) Jack. Let’s make the fight,” said Bivol. But he didn’t limit himself to the champions. “Now I’m ready to fight everyone. Either light heavyweight or super middleweight,” said Bivol, who says he can make the 168 pound limit for the right opponent
Murodjon Akhmadaliev stopped Isaac Zarate in round nine of their scheduled 10-round super bantamweight bout.

Akhmadaliev landed the harder punches throughout.  He began to work the body in the middle rounds in an effort to break Zarate down.  That was  accomplished as he started to land heavy shots to the head.  Finally in round nine, Akhmadaliev landed a hard left that drove Zarate into the ropes, and the fight was stopped by referee Eric Dali after a follow up flurry at 1:17.

Akhmadaliev, 121.2 lbs of Namangan, UZB is 5-0 with four knockouts.  Zarate, 122 lbs of San Pedro, CA is 16-4-3.

“It went almost exactly as we thought it would go,” said Ahkmadaliev. “(Zarate) is a crafty and durable fighter and has a lot of experience. I knew I was to going to go in there and knock him out.

“The game plan was to go to the body and wear him down. I knew I was going to take a lot of punches while doing that and to get the job done. I learned a lot of lessons from Zarate. Now, I only want to fight for belts in the future,” said Ahkmadaliev.

Distinguished prospect Israil Madrimov  made a successful pro debut with a 6th stoppage over Vladimir Hernandez in a scheduled ten round super welterweight bout.

In round two, Madrimov started landing power shots that opened up a cut over the right eye of Hernandez.  In round three. Madrimov landed a bevy hard rights that drove Hernandez to the ropes and eventually to the canvas.

In round six, Madrimov continued the onslaught until referee Harvey Dock stopped the bout at 1:24.

Madrimov, 152.8 lbs of Khiva, UZB is 1-0 with one knockout.  Hernandez, 157.2 lbs of Durango, MX is 10-3.

“It was a debut for the title. The only time it happened in boxing history (before this) was (Vasyl) Lomachenko who fought for a title in his first fight,” said Madrimov. “I’m very pleased. The game plan was to do exactly what I did. I want to make history in boxing, and today was my first step.” Of his opponent Hernandez, Madrimov said, “I wasn’t surprised, we knew he is a very tough guy. When we kill the body, the head will fall.”

Shakhtam Giyasov made short work of Miguel Zamudio with a 1st round stoppage of their scheduled six-round welterweight bout.

Seconds into the fight, Giyasov dropped Zamudio with a hard left hook.  After being dropped from a low, Giyasov scored his 2nd and final knockdown with a hard combination, and the bout was stopped at 2:41.

Giyasov, 141.2 lbs of Bukhara, UZB is 6-0 with five knockouts.  Zamudio, 142.2 lbs of Sinaloa, MEX is 41-12-1.

“We watched the opponent a lot, we knew he was a serious opponent. He has almost 50 professional fights,” said Giyasov. “But we worked on certain things that worked in this fight. I was glad to defeat such a good and experienced opponent. I’m ready for any fight that is given to me, I’m ready for anything in the next fight.”
Sergey Kuzmin remained undefeated with a 6th round stoppage over Laron Mitchell in a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout.

In round three, Kuzmin landed a left hook that put Mitchell down.  Mitchell began to bleed over his left eye.  Kuzmin dropped Mitchell again in round five.

Kuzmin ended things with a 3rd knockdown in round six, and the bout was stopped at 2:37.

Kuzmin, 244.2 lbs of St. Petersburg, RUS is 14-0 with 11 knockouts.  Mitchell, 244.6 lbs of San Francisco, CA is 16-2.

“The fight was great, the fight went very good, as we planned,” said Kuzmin. Kuzmin said of Mitchell, “He was exciting, but he was more surprised by my punches.” Kuzmin says he will rest a little bit, “then get ready for the next fight, go to training camp and train, train, train.”

Logan Yoon remained undefeated by stopping Hamzah Sempewo in round five of their six-round welterweight bout.

Yoon scored two knockdowns in round four, and finished the fight off in round five with a flurry that forced referee Eric Dali to stop the action at 2:39.

Yoon, 143.4 lbs of Honolulu, HA is 14-0 with 11 knockouts,  Sempewo, 141.2 lbs of Mulago, UGA is 12-11.

Despite the stoppage, Yoon was a tough grader. “My performance wasn’t the best, I can always do better. But overall, it was OK. I give it a B-minus,” said Yoon. His plans moving forward: “We’re going back to the gym, training hard, and whatever knowledge we get from God, my manager, and my father, and from inside, that’s what we’ll do.”

Karl Dargan won an eight-round unanimous decision over Moises Delgadillio in a lighteight bout.

Dargan, 134.2 lbs of Philadelphia won on all cards by a 78-73 score, and is now 19-1. Delgadillio, 135 lbs of Guadalajara, MEX is 17-18-1.

Dargan said he’d hoped for a better performance. “My performance, it was OK, but not what I expected. I felt good, but I didn’t perform like I felt. Most important thing, he didn’t win and I did.” Dargan says he will make adjustments for his next fight. “It’s not anything I really have to change. Just things that need to be tuned up,” explained Dargan.

Former Olympic Gold Medal winner Evgeny Tischenko stopped Christian Mariscal in round two of their scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.

In round two, Tischenko dropped Mariscal with a straight left for referee Harvey Dock’s 10-count at 1:38.

Tischenko, 212 lbs of Beigorod, RUS is 3-0 with two knockouts. Mariscal, 246.4 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 11-2.

“I’m very pleased, I’m very happy that I had an opportunity to perform on such a big event on HBO Championship Boxing,” said Tishchenko. “One of the last shows, and I am pleased with my performance. I’m hoping to perform many more times here in the United States.”

Michael Hunter stopped Alexander Ustinov in round nine of their scheduled 12-round heavyweight bout.

In round eight, Hunter, who had been breaking down the 6’9″ Ustinov landed a big right hand to the head that sent Ustinov down. Ustinov got to his feet, bleeding from his forehead and wobbly. In the next frame, Hunter landed a series of punches that sent Ustinov down again, and the fight was stopped at 1:52.

Hunter, 213.8 lbs is now 16-1 with 11 knockouts. Ustinov, 278.8 lbs of Russia is 34-3.

Kal Yafai was fortunate to retain his WBA Super flyweight title with a unanimous decision over Israel Gonzalez.

Gonzalez seemed to have gotten the better of the action as he landed the combinations to Yafai’s one punch at a time. It would not have been an argument if Gonzalez would have received the nod by three or four points, but Yafai won by scores of 117-111 and 116-112 twice.

Yafai, 114.9 lbs of Birmingham, UK is 25-0, Gonzalez, 115 lbs of Mexico is 23-3.

2016 Olympic Gold Medal winner Daniyat Yeleussinov stopped Marco Mojica in round three of their scheduled eight-round welterweight fight.

In round two, Yeleussinov pelted Mojica with left hands until one put him on the canvas. Yeleussinov dropped Mojica to begin round three. Mojica seemed like he did not want to continue, but he stood in there and took a few more vicious shots until he ate a hrd uppercut and the bout was stopped at 1:10.

Yeleussinov, 147.7 lbs of Kazakhstan is 5-0 with three knockouts. Mojica, 145.9 lbs of Managua, NIC is 16-3-2.

Fanlong Meng remained undefeated with a 5th round stoppage over Frank Buglioni due to a cut.

In round five, Buglioni was cut around the right eye. It was a bad cut, and the bout was stopped at 1:58.

Meng, 174.1 lbs of China is 14-0 with nine knockouts. Buglioni, 174 lbs of England is 22-4-1.

A bantamweight title fight between Nordine Oubaali and Rau’Shee Warren has been added to the December 22nd card at Barclay Center in Brooklyn. Also added will be a fight involving former world champion Rances Barthelemy, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

TUCSON – There were hand signals. There were looks. There were cheers and probably a few prayers.

In the end, there were thumbs up, one from Thomas Valdez and another from his trainer and uncle, Oscar Valdez Sr. on a stage overlooking an outdoor ring on a chilly night Saturday at Casino Del Sol.

Thomas Valdez (18-3-2, 7 KOs), a super-featherweight from Nogales, Mexico, and cousin of featherweight champion Oscar Valdez Jr., won a split decision over Luis Coria (9-2, 4 KOs) with his lead trainer, Valdez Sr., unable to work the corner because of the lingering effects from a food-borne virus he caught in 2011.

“I just can’t climb the steps through the ropes between rounds, because I’ve still got some of that sickness in me,’’ Valdez Sr. said of his ongoing comeback from a long-term fight with a virus he caught while with his son at an international tournament in Rio De Janeiro. “I’m here mostly for the strategy and tactics.’’

But it was also clear he was there because Thomas Valdez needed him for a measure of confidence as well as the tactics. After the fourth round, the fight looked even. It was then that Valdez Sr. stood up and gestured to Thomas that he needed to move forward.

He did so with great effect – repeated uppercuts over the second half of the 8-rounder. Those blows might have been enough to give him an edge on the score cards. Two were in his favor, 79-74 and 77-75. On the third card, it was 79-74 for Coria, an Oxnard, Calif., fighter out of trainer Robert Garcia’s Boxing Academy in the final bout on a 10-fight card that promoter Michelle Rosado dedicated to the memory of Don Chargin, a Hall of Fame matchmaker who died a couple of months ago.

In the co-main event, Christopher Gonzalez (3-0-1) and Judas Estrada (1-1-1, 1 KO), both Tucson welterweights, fought through a ferocious four rounder that ended in a majority draw.

On The Undercard

The Best

Look at Sebastian Fundora and you think basketball. He is 6-foot-6, big enough to be more of a small forward than a welterweight. That’s right, he’s a boxer, just a few pounds between welter and super-welter.

He might be taller than anybody in either division.

He also has some big-boy power.

Fondura (11-0, 7 KOs), a Coachella, Calif., fighter promoted by David Benavidez promoter Sampson Lewkowicz, flashed it scary fashion, throwing a right that sent a much shorter Jeremiah Wiggins (10-7-1, 6 KOs) of Newport News, VA, into a long fall onto the canvas 31 seconds after opening bell. Wiggins fell face first and twitched while he laid on the canvas. After a few frightening seconds, he was helped up and into a sitting position on top of an overturned bucket. Eventually, he was able to walk out of the ring under his own power.

A relieved crowd applauded. Wiggins was OK.

Then, Fondura ‘s hand was raised and the time of his knockout victory was announced. The crowd roared. He was sensational.

The Rest

It was close in the beginning. It was gutsy in the end. The guts and victory belonged to Tucson junior-welterweight Alfonso Olvera (11-5-1, 4 KOs), who found energy and punches over the final two rounds of a six-rounder to take a unanimous decision over Virgil Green (11-6, 4 KOs) of Vancouver, Wash.

Tucson super-welterweight Nicholas Rhoads (5-0, 2 KOs) floored Hamilton Ash (0-2) of Guadalupe, Ariz., in the second round. Ash was down, but not out. Rhoads had to hold on in the third. Then, regained his energy and edge in the fourth, scoring a unanimous decision over Ash.

Tucson middleweight Arturo Resendiz (2-0, 2 KOs) threw a body shot for a knockdown in the opening seconds and then quickly finished up some easy work, scoring a first-round TKO of Brandon Trujillo (0-5) of Albuquerque.

Heavyweight Edgar Medina (1-0), a Tucson roofer when he isn’t in the ring, won his debut in front of hometown fans, scoring a unanimous decision over David Samore (1-5-3) of Chandler, Ariz.

It’s called blood sport for a reason and those reasons covered super-flyweights Edrick Rosa (1-0, 1 KO) of Florence, Arizona and Richard Mike Martinez (1-2, 1 KO) of Tucson. Blood was everywhere, mostly from a busted-up nose suffered by Martinez early in his loss by a fourth-round TKO. Martinez’ face was bloody-mask when time was called midway through the fourth. The ringside physicians took one look and ended it.

A night of full early stoppages continued with Phoenix lightweight Emmanuel Nieves (5-0, 2 KOs) storming out of his corner at opening bell with punches he threw and landed at will, knocking down Jose Barrera (2-1, 1 KO), also of Phoenix, and finishing him with a TKO at 1:51 of the first.

Middleweight Emmanuel Gallardo (4-0), an emerging favorite for Tucson fans, won over the crowd and the judges, landing one big right after another for a unanimous decision over Daniel Garcia-Flores (0-2) of Albuquerque.

In a battle of undefeated heavyweights, Jarrell Miller stopped Bpgdan Dinu in round four of their scheduled 12-round heavyweight fight at The Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane, Kansas.

It took Miller a couple round to get going, and then in round four he dropped Dinue twice. The 2nd knockdown was for the 10-count at 2:45.

Miller, 315.4 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 23-0-1 with 20 knockouts. Dinu, 237.4 lbs of Romania is 18-1.

Claressa Shields retained the IBF and WBA as well as claiming the WBC Middleweight titles with a ten-round unanimous decision over Hannah Rankin.

Shields, 159.6 lbs of Flint, MI won by scores of 100-90 on all cards is now 7-0. Rankin, 158.6 lbs of Glasgow, Scotland is 5-3.

Nico Hernandez remained undefeated with a eight-round unanimous decision over Josue Morales in a flyweight bout.

Hernandez, 112.4 lbs of Wichita, KS won by scores of 80-72 twice and 79-73, and is now 6-0. Morales, 113 lbs of Houston is now 8-8-3.

Hernandez landed 120-519 punches. Morales landed 62-293.

Brandon Rios scored a 9th round stoppage over Ramon Alvarez in a junior middleweight war.

The two traded heavy shots in close with Rios seizing control in the 8th round, where Rios hurt Alvarez at the end of the frame. The fight ended with a hard combination on the ropes at 38 seconds.

Rios, 151.4 lbs of Oxnard, CA is now 35-4-1 with 26 knockouts. Alvarez, 151.4 lbs of Guadalajara, MX is 27-7-3.

Luis Arias and Gabriel Rosado fought to a spirited 12-round draw in a middleweight bout.

In round 12, Arias was cut over his right eye.

Each fighter took a card 116-112 and a third card read even at 114-114.

Arias, 159.4 lbs of Milwaukee, WI is 18-1-1. Rosado, 158.2 lbs of Philadelphia is 24-11-1.

Anthony Sims stopped Colby Courter in round two of a scheduled eight-round super middleweight bout.

Sims dropped Courter three times, and the fight was stopped at 40 seconds.

Sims, 170 lbs of Indiana is 17-0 with 16 knockouts. Courter of Misourri is 13-13.

Nikita Ababiy registered his 2nd consecutive 1st round stoppage as he got rid of Javier Rodriguez in their scheduled four-round middleweight bout.

In round one, Ababiy dropped Rodriguez with a hard right hand. Moments later, it was a body shot that was followed by a left that sent Rodriguez down, and the fight was stopped at 1:48.

Ababiy, 159.4 lbs of Brooklyn is 2-0 with two knockouts. Rodriguez, 154 lbs of Nebraska is 3-7-1.

Jeremy Nichols dropped Jeremiah page four times en-route to a first round stoppage in a scheduled six-round super middleweight bout.

In round one, Nichols dropped Page with a body shot. Moments later it was a flurry of punches that sent Page to the canvas. Page was sent down for a third time with a hard over hand right. Seconds later, the fight was finally stopped after a left sent Page down for a 4th a final time at 2:34.

Nichols, 155.4 lbs of Las Vegas is 9-1-1 with three knockouts.

Manny Thompson won a six-round unanimous decision over Leroy Jones in a super middleweight bout.

Jones dropped Thompson in the 1st frame. Jones was deducted a point for a low blow in round three.

Thompson, 173.4 lbs of Wichita, KS won by scores 59-54 twice, and 57-55 to raise his mark to 8-0. Jones of St. Louis, MO is 3-5.

Kerman Lejaarraga stopped former world title challenger Frankie Gavin in round four of their scheduled 12-round bout at Bilbao Exhibition Center in Baraclado, Spain.

In round four, Lejarraga dropped Gavin with a left to the body for the ten-count.

Lejarraga is now 27-0 with 22 knockouts. Gavin of England is 26-4.

Carlos Ramos stopped Ibon Larrinaga in round seven of their scheduled 10-round featherweight bout.

Ramos hurt Larrinaga several times during the fight, and in round ten, Ramos landed hard blows that forced the corner of Ramos to stop the fight.

Ramos is 10-1 with seven knockouts. Larrinaga is 11-3.

Roberto Ramirez won an eight-round unanimous decision over Oscar Amador in a super welterweight bout.

Ramirez of Tijuana, Mexico won by scores of 78-72 twice and 79-73 and is now 19-2-1. Amador is 10-9-1.

In round seven, Amador was cut over his left eye from an accidental headbutt.

Jon Miguez remained undefeated by winning an eight-round unanimous decision over Abdessamad Nechchad in a super welterweight bout.

Miguez won by scores of 78-74 twice and 79-73, and is now 9-0. Nechchad is 8-2-1.

In round five, Nechchad began to swell under his left eye.

Jorge Fortea won a eight-round decision over Rafael Chiruta in a super welterweight bout.

Fortea is 18-1-1. Chiruta is 15-41-1.

David won a four-round unanimous decision over David Calvo in a super welterweight contest.

In round two, Soria dropped Calvo with a left hook.

In round four it was a body shot that sent Calvo to the canvas.

Soria is 4-0. Calvo is 2-1.

A proposed fight between former world champions Amir Khan and Kell Brook has hit some contractual roadblocks, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The biggest issue in finalizing a Khan-Brook deal, however, continues to be the weight and the prospect of a rehydration clause.

“The main problem is the weight,” promoter Eddie Hearn told ESPN. “Amir wants it at 147 and wants a 10-pound rehydration clause.”

“Brook says I’ll do it at 147 but if you make me weigh 147 then I’m not weighing in again,” Hearn said. “That’s fair enough. So we’re negotiating at the moment. The fight could take place in March. It could also take place in May. We could do it in Millennium Stadium in Cardiff (Wales). We could do it in the O2 (in London). If we go in May, there are stadiums we could do it in the outdoors.”

“Kell wants the fight real bad and he’s done the 10-pound thing many times for the IBF, but I do agree with him — if he makes the 147-pound limit, that’s it. Amir says that Brook has done the 10-pound thing before, but this isn’t an IBF title fight.”

On social media Monday, Brook made his feelings clear about the rehydration clause for the proposed fight with Khan.

“I’ll be clear for you,” he wrote to Khan regarding their ringside conversation on Saturday. “I said, ‘There’s no title on the line so no need for a rehydration clause.’ You’ve looked me in the eye now & told the world you want it, so let me take care of business (on Dec. 8) & let’s make the fight.”

IBF Junior Lightweight champion, Tevin Farmer will defend hist title against Francisco Fonseca on the Canelo Alvarez – Rocky Fielding card on December 15th at Madison Square Garden.

“Terms have been agreed to on both sides,” Farmer’s promoter Lou DiBella said.

“Three world title fights in 4½ months — that’s what Tevin wants to be doing and he’s getting the opportunity,” DiBella said. “Beterbiev coming off the card created an opportunity for Tevin. The last fight with Tennyson, he came out with no wear and tear and this is something Tevin wanted to do and an opening was created. I’m thrilled he will get the opportunity to fight at the Garden on the Canelo card, and it’s not too far from home for him so his fans can come out to see him. I think this is a pretty cool situation.”

“Fonseca had a fight canceled and he was already in training so this is a good situation,” DiBella said.

Redemption in Miami promoted by New Champions Promotions rocked Anthony Hall in Miami tonight when Yuriorkis “El Ciclon de Guantánamo” Gamboa 29-2, (17 KOs) and Juan Manuel Lopez each won to set up a long-awaited match.

Gamboa won a one-sided unanimous decision victory over two-time world title challenger Miguel Beltran, Jr. 33-7 (22 KO). The four-time world champion in three weight divisions and Olympic Gold Medalist Gamboa dumped Beltran on the canvas right at the end of round one, in what looked like was the start of the end, but it was just the beginning. Gamboa stalked Beltran throughout the next 9 rounds with flashes of his old self. Sharp counter punching and slick feet, Gamboa had Beltran in trouble a few times and finished strong in a great performance.

Former World Featherweight Champion Puerto Rican Juan Manuel Lopez 36-6, (32 KO) put Cristian Ruben Mino 19-3(17KO) on the canvas four times en route to a unanimous decision victory. In round five Mino rocked JuanMa with a left hook in what looked to be a glimpse of JuanMa’s vulnerability of a weak chin which has plagued his career. Lopez was on the ropes and in trouble, however, he was able to work through and work to a victory, but never flashed the brilliance he once possessed. The final cards reading 97-88 and 96-89 twice.

In 2009 Gamboa and “Juanma” were both world titles and rising pound-for-pound stars on a collision course boxing fans were begging for. Both fighters were promoted by Bob Arums’ Top Rank who chose to let the fight marinate. Instead, Lopez’s career got derailed when got knocked out twice by Orlando Salido. Gamboa went to Omaha and introduced the world to Bud Crawford in a clash of undefeated lightweights. Gamboa has gone on to “win some lose some” highly unnoticed and Lopez has lost more than he has won, going 2-4 in his last 6, stopped all 4 times.

“This is something that has been a long time coming. It is something that I have promised to my fans in Miami, which is the city that has really embraced me when I first got here from Cuba,” states Gamboa.

The Cuban and Puerto Rican are now back on track for a collision course after ten years in the making. Long overdue, for sure, over marinated perhaps, great boxing, absolutely.

The live broadcast of the pay per view event “Redemption in Miami” from Anthony Hall kickstarted with a showcasing of undefeated Cuban Bantamweight Jorge Romero improving to 12-0(9KO) pounding out a shutout performance against tough and relentless Jason Vera 5-6(3KO).

Crowd favorite Harold Calderon 18-0, (11KO) from Miami, put Emiliano “Pacman” Martin Garcia 16-3, (13 KO) of Buenos Aires, Argentina on the canvas three times enroute to a strong TKO victory. To the chant of Harold-Harold-Harold from the start of the match, the crowd favorite did not disappoint. Calderon’s straight left hand dropped Martin in round two in a fight he was never really in. Outpowered, outboxed and outclassed was Martin knocking him down twice in the seventh round and the final knockdown came courtesy of a right hand when referee Sam Burgos called a halt to the bout at 1:11 of round seven.

Welterweights’ Sonny Duversonne 4-0(2KO) and Jesus “Zues” Almonte 4-1(2KO) opened the evening at Arnold Hall in Miami with a slow-brewed chess match that nearly turned into a fight of substance on a few occasions however never erupted into the battle it could have been, instead only a brutal game of tag that the judges scored 58-56, 59-55 and 59-55 for Duversonne, handing the Atlantia boxer his first loss as a pro.

A packed house in Miami at Arnold Hall in anticipation of JuanMa Lopez and Yuriokios Gamboa upcoming matches, including heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz.

If ever a fighter were able to enjoy a homefield advantage despite fighting hailing from the other side of the globe, it would be Krzyzstof Glowacki (30-1) of Poland competing in Chicago.

The heavy Polish contingent generated a pulsating energy from the introductions all the way to the final bell. Russia’s Maksim Vlasov(42-2) however, was not fazed by the environment as he met Glowacki in the center of the ring for a high octane opening to the bout. Both fighters engaged in a game of high speed chess, with Vlasov looking to work his right hand through the southpaw guard of Glowacki.

The third round saw a bit of controversy when Vlasov hit the canvas following a physical exchange. The knockdown was counted, prompting immediate protest from Vlasov who believed he was pushed. The pro Glowacki crowd obviously reveled in the ruling, and chants for the Polish star carried into the following round.

The back and forth action began to take its toll entering the second half of the contest webbanki.ru. Both fighters showed signs of fatigue to close out the sixth round. Glowacki then found another opportunity to build some momentum in the seventh when he landed a crisp left hand power shot that stopped Vlasov in his tracks.

Vlasov carried a low hanging left hand into the 8th round, inviting Glowacki to take a few shots at the loose guard, but the Russian veteran was able to slip the attack and find some offensive success with Glowacki now in the pocket. The high-volume strategy of Vlasov contrasted that of Glowacki, who stayed on the outside like a sniper in the ninth round and fired crisp power shots one at a time.

Both fighters put fatigue on the back burner for the championship rounds, trading sharp combinations to the pleasure of the heavily engaged crowd. Vlasov found a home for a series of one-two combinations in the twelfth, while Glowacki launched heavy right hooks. A mutual respect was evident as the fighters embraced following the final bell.

Scorecards read 118-110, 117-110 115-112 in favor of the crowd favorite Krzysztof Glowacki. Glowacki will now meet Maris Briedis in the Super Series semi-finals.

Briedis outlasts Mikaelian

The first in a pair of World Boxing Super Series quarterfinal match-ups saw Mairis Briedis(23-1) and Noel Mikaelian (23-1) working to find their range for a majority of the contest.

The Latvian, Briedis looked just a bit more comfortable with the fight’s spacing and pace, peppering Mikaelian with jabs and short rights. Mikaelian could never quite establish a rhythm, failing to land with a wide overhand right at several points in the early rounds, until the third when a clubbing shot drew some fan reaction. The crowd-pleasing shot didn’t do much to slow down Briedis, who pressed forward with a clean attack to close out the round.

Mikaelian’s missed right hooks turned into rabbit punches one too many times, resulting in a docked point in the fourth round. Despite the deduction, the German cruiserweight found some success in the middle rounds with a busy work-rate and decent inside positioning.

Briedis found himself on the business end of a point deduction himself in the 10th, when he was penalized for excessive holding. In the midst of the late round clinches Briedis continued to work on establishing an offense, wrapping a right hook around Mikaelian’s turned back in the twelfth round.

Scorecards leaned heavily in favor of the new WBC diamond champion and now Super Series semi-finalist Mairis Breidis with tallies of 116-110, 115-111, 114-112 UD. A result that drew a mixed reaction from the UIC Pavilion crowd.

Boyd UD4 Delgado

Deshawn Boyd of Fort Wayne, IN out-boxed Chicago product Marcos Delgado in a four round lightweight bout. Boyd picked up a victory with scores of 40-35 on all three cards.

Mendez KO4 Harris

Super lightweights Genaro Mendez (12-4-1 6 ko’s) and Tyrone Harris(26-12 16 ko’s) warmed up the Chicago crowd with a competitive affair. Mendez utilized the jab effectively, catching Harris lunging at several points early on. The fighters continued to trade combinations, with Mendez generating the better momentum throughout the bout. The exclamation point came with Mendez landing a picture perfect counter left hook that dropped Harris, prompting a stoppage from referee Mark Nelson.

Saldana KO1 Miller

Local cruiserweight Owen Saldana(debut) brought an abundance of fanfare to the UIC pavilion. Saldana’s cheering section provided a thunderous energy as the fighters were introduced. Saldana did not disappoint his following, making short work of Joe Miller(1-2) of Florida. Saldana worked the jab effectively before connecting on a big straight right hand that sent Miller into the ropes. Saldana showed veteran level killer instinct with a brutal flurry of power shots that prompted a first round stoppage, to the pleasure of his already strong fan base.

Mann UD10 Zubov

Cruiserweights Artur Mann (14-0)and Alexey Zubov(16-1) wasted no time heating things up in their bout.

Sporting Chicago Bull inspired trunks, Mann put Zubov into survival mode early on in the first round, finding a home for a left hook followed up with a rear uppercut that wobbled Zubov. With Zubov vulnerable, Mann opened up the arsenal, scoring a knockdown off of a straight right hand. Mann landed another clean right at the first round’s closing bell that sent Zubov to the canvas once again.

Zubov weathered the storm and was able to string together effective punches in the second round, even wobbling Mann with a right hand of his own.

The tide turned to an extent in the middle rounds, with Zubov keep thing competitive, before eventually eating another straight right hand that resulted in a knockdown in the seventh round. A gritty effort in the closing rounds from Zubov was not enough to close the scorecard gap, as Mann picked up the unanimous decision win.

Oleksandr Usyk retained the undisputed cruiserweight title with an 8th round stoppage over Tony Bellew in Manchester, England.

Bellew took the early ;ead by landing some nice right hands on Usyk, who seemed to be biding his time to figure out Bellew.  Usyk started to come on in the middle rounds and got his vaunted jab working.

Clearly with the momentum in his favor, Usyk continued to break down Bellew until he landed a crushing left that sent Bellew crashing back first over the bottom rope.  Bellew got to his knees, but the fight was waved off at 2:00.

Usyk of Ukraine is 16-0 with 12 knockouts.  Bellew of Liverpool, UK is 30-3-1.

Former world champion Anthony Crolla earned another world title shot with a 12-round unanimous decision over Daud Yordan in a lightweight contest.

Crolla of Manchester won by scores of 116-112 on all cards, and is now 34-6-3.  Yordan of Indonesia is 38-4.

Former three-division world champion, Ricky Burns stopped Scott Cardle in round three of their scheduled 10-round lightweight bout.

In round one, blood started to flow from Cardle’s nose from hard jabs from Burns. In round three, Burns landed a perfect right that sent Cardle to the deck. Cardle got to his feet, but the fight was stopped at 2:06.

Burns, 138 lbs of Scotland is 43-7-1 with 16 knockouts. Cardle, 136 1/2 lbs is now 23-3-1.

Josh Kelly stopped Walter Castillo in round one of their scheduled 10-round welterweight bout.

In round one, Kelly dropped Castillo with a perfect 1-2 combination. Moments later, Kelly landed a hard combination on the ropes, and the fight was stopped at 2:55.

Kelly, 151 lbs of Sunderland, UK is 8-0 with six knockouts. Castillo, 149 1/2 lbs of Argentina is 13-3.

Dave Allen stopped Ariel Bracamonte after round seven of their scheduled 10-round heavyweight fight.

In round seven Bracamonte suffered a cut on the bridge of his nose from a flush right hand from Allen. The fight was halted after that round.

Allen, 257 1/4 lbs of England is 16-4-2 with 13 knockouts. Bracamonte, 256 1/2 lbs of Argentina is 8-2.

Richard Riakporhe stopped Sam Hyde in round eight of their scheduled 10-round cruiserweight bout featuring undefeated cruiserweights.

Riakporhe landed hard shots in round eight, and Hyde’s left eye began to swell in round eight. There was a huge hemotama that shut Hyde’s eight and the towel was thrown in.

Riakporhe, 197.3 lbs of London is 8-0 with seven knockouts. Hyde, 199.5 lbs of Manchester, UK is 13-1-1.

Dymytro Mytrofano and Gino Kanters battled to a four-round draw in a middleweight fight.

In round one, Kanters dropped Mytrofanov just seconds into the fight. Mytronfavov fought back but was only able to muster a draw.

Mytrofanov, who was an Olympian is 2-0-1. Kanters of The Netherlands is 5-2-1. The referee score was 38-38.

PHILADELPHIA–Bantamweight Christian Carto thrilled his throngs of fans by winning a six-round unanimous decision over Antonio Rodriguez at a sold-out Sugarhouse Casino.

The show was promoted by King’s Promotions.

With a rabid fan base cheering him on, Carto landed quick combinations that had the 37 fight veteran Rodriguez befuddled for most of the contest. In round two, Carto sent Rodriguez down with a body punch.

Carto continued to land hard shots, which Rodriguez showed a good chin and would occasionally get in one punch of his own. But it was Carto who was dominant in every round, and he cruised home to the victory by 60-53 scores on all cards.

Carto, 118.4 lbs of Philadelphia is 17-0. Rodriguez, 119 lbs of Durango, MEX is 13-23-2.

Poindexter Knight Jr. destroyed Travis Castellon in the 1st round of their scheduled six-round welterweight contest.

Knight landed a right hook that sent Castellon burrowing into the ropes. Knight was all over Castellon by landing a vicious combination for a knockdown. Castellon wobbled, and the fight was stopped 93 seconds into the contest.

Knight, 147.1 lbs of Philadelphia is 6-0 with three knockouts. Castellon, 149 lbs of Fort Lauderdale, FL is 16-3-1.

James Martin won an entertaining four-round unanimous decision over Denis Okoth in a battle of undefeated welterweights.

Martin dropped Okoth with a left hook in the waning seconds of round one. Okoth started working himself back in the fight, and drew even in the knockdown department in round three when he sent Martin to the deck in round three. Martin took the final frame, and won by scores of 38-36 on all cards.

Martin, 147 lbs of Philadelphia is now 3-0. Okoth, 146.1 lbs of Siaya, KEN is 2-1-1.

Frankie Trader made a successful return to the ring after a four year hiatus by stopping Pablo Capul in round two of their scheduled six-round lightweight bout.

Trader landed hard right hands and then hurt Capul with a right hand that wobbled the San Diego native. A hard flurry on the ropes forced the referee to stop the bout.

Trader, 133 lbs of Philadelphia is 11-2-1 with three knockouts. Capul, 130.2 lbs of San Diego is 10-28.

Maurice Burke made a successful pro debut with a four-round unanimous decision over fellow debuter Brandon Bey in a middleweight contest.

Bey was cut under the left eye in round two from an accidental headbutt.

Burke, 156.9 lbs of Philadelphia won on all cards by 40-36 tallies, and is now 1-0. Bey, 160 lbs of Bronx, NY is 0-1.

Mark Dawson won a six-round unanimous decision over Chukka Willis in a welterweight bout.

Dawson, 149.6 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 60-54 twice, and 59-55 and is now 5-0-1. Willis, 150.5 lbs of Emporia, KS is 3-7.

IBF Light Heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev will not fight Joe Smith on December 15th at Madison Square Garden, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“The week after the Johnson fight, we were told by Beterbiev’s management that he would be ready to fight Joe Smith Jr. after mid-December,” Yvon Michel, who co-promotes Beterbiev with Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, told ESPN on Thursday. “When we confirmed Dec. 15th last week, Artur realized, after being back to the gymnasium, the short delay between the two fights was a concern of not having the optimized conditions to perform at his best. Even if the Johnson fight was short, it was intense, and Artur was floored in the second round. Smith Jr. is also a good puncher and a strong fighter you can’t take lightly.

“Taking everything into consideration, his health and his intention to be champion for long time, he took the decision not to get in the ring Dec. 15. We were very comfortable with his decision. We are looking for a February date for his next title defense.”

“It’s a fight we wanted because we want Joe to fight for a world championship,” said Star Boxing promoter Joe DeGuardia, Smith’s longtime promoter, who made a co-promotional deal with Hearn for them to work together for at least the next three Smith fights on DAZN, where Hearn has an eight-year deal to provide fights. “If you want to increase your stature in the game, which is what Beterbiev has been saying he wants, what better card is there to be on than on a Canelo card in New York at Madison Square Garden?

“You have the opportunity to do that against Joe Smith. To me, you jump on that. But this tells me they’re concerned about Joe as an opponent. It tells me a lot about Joe’s reputation out there. Beterbiev is a good fighter, a skilled fighter and he can fight, so this is disappointing.”

“We want a championship fight for Joe Smith and Beterbiev has one of those titles and we like the fight, but a lot of things can happen before February,” DeGuardia said.

With Beterbiev off the Dec. 15 card, Farmer hopes to replace him on the Golden Boy Promotions card. Hearn promotes Fielding and got two undercard slots on the show as part of the deal with Golden Boy.

“Tevin has made it very clear to Eddie and me that he really wants to fight on that card,” Lou DiBella, who recently made a co-promotional deal with Hearn on Farmer, said. “It would be a third title fight for him in five months and he really wants to do that. He wants to be an active champion. His attitude is very simple – money adds up when you’re active and three fights in five months for a world champion is unheard of. We’re talking to Eddie and we should know something soon, but Tevin is all jacked up to do it. He doesn’t know how to not be in the gym.”

“One of my pet peeves is that champions are not active enough,” DiBella said. “So to win your title and then defend it twice in five months would be big for Tevin. He wants to do it.”