Friday, September 28, 2018 – With another great night of world-class professional boxing at the Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., promoter Kris Lawrence and The Heavyweight Factory returned with “Rumble at the Rock 2.”

In the 10-round main event, Honolulu, Hawaii’s undefeated Logan “The Korican Kid” Yoon 13-0(10 KOs) successfully defended his WBO-NABO Youth Junior Welterweight Title with a hard-earned unanimous decision victory over former WBA Fedecentro Super Lightweight, WBA Fedecaribe Welterweight and WBA Fedecentro Welterweight Champion John “El Emperador” Rentería 16-6-1(12 KOs) of Panama. 19-year-old Yoon worked steadily behind his jab making way for his straight left hand to get inside and was very accurate and busy with short sharp combinations. Renteria found success with his straight right-hand counter defending the constant attack but overall was outworked and outclassed by The Korican Kid in a majority of this entertaining tilt. Yoon’s’ attack was constant to the final bell winning most rounds on all scorecards. The final cards came in at 100-90 99-91 and 98-92

In the co-main event promising undefeated welterweight Livan “Machine Gun Kid” Navarro 9-0(5 KOs), a former heavily decorated amateur living in Miami via Havana Cuba squared off with once-beaten former WBC Latino Welterweight Champion and fellow Cuban Armando “The Gentleman” Alvarez 18-2(12 KOs) of Key West. In a fun, scrappy back and forth engagement, both fighters tested each other’s power, skill, and chin. Navarro came out very aggressive and mean to face the more experienced Alvarez and took an early lead outworking him with punches from every angle. Alvarez exchanged fire and started to get into a rhythm and had some nice middle rounds when Navarro seemed to slow his attack a bit. Midway through round seven The Machine Gun Kid stepped on the gas again and fought hard and more aggressive to the final bell. Navarro remains unbeaten with a unanimous decision victory with the cards reading 98-92 and 97-73 twice.

Undefeated welterweight Puerto Rican power puncher Derrieck Cuevas18-0-1(14KO) put tough Mexican veteran Silverio Ortiz 37-23(18KO) on the canvas at the very end of the third round, a product of a beautiful left hook. It seemed at this point the fight may be over, Ortiz had other plans, he came forward finding a home for his wild overhand right often set up by a big left hook to the body. Cuevas, making his debut for The Heavyweight Factory stayed focused while sharp shooting the hard-charging Mexican. Ortiz threw the overhand right so often he often caught Cuevas behind the head and was charged a valuable point in round 7, which was one of the best rounds of the fight. Cuevas was able to punch between the wild relentless overhand rights and body shots from Ortiz and won by a unanimous decision win with the cards reading 95-93 96-92 and an odd 98-90.

Fighting out of Miami via Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan’s Mussa “Warrior” Tursyngaliyev (8-0, 6 KOs) the WBA International Featherweight Champion, had his hands full with Monteira, Colombia’s Deivi “El Cabo” Bassa (20-6, 12 KOs). The “Warriors” superior footwork and counterpunching shined throughout the bout as he wore El Cabo down, with angels, counterpunching and blistering straight right hands that snuck through the high guard of the Colombian Bassa. A nice technical showing from the Kazakhstani who remains undefeated.

Featherweight Jessy Cruz 14-7-1(6KO) stopped Sergio Aguilar 2-10(2KO) at the end of round three. Often do we see an awkward fight between a southpaw and orthodox fighter, and this fight was no different including an odd ending which had Aquilar staying put on his stool when the bell sounded for round four. Round three saw its only true action of the scheduled six-rounder with a nice assault coming from “Beast Boy” Cruz, who is always in a great fight, at the end of the round. Not sure from this vantage point what made Aguilar quit, punches, heart or injury? Officially a TKO win for Cruz.

Miamian Jorge De Jesus Romero 11-0(9KO) was launching bombs on Jeno Tonte 8-4(7KO) from Budapest Hungary while working hard to keep his hard-hitting reputation intact. It was a constant attack from Romero that broke the Hungarian fighter down fast. Round three Romeros’ pressure had Tonte on a retreat of survival who was finally trapped in a corner by a barrage of punches when referee Sam Burgos stepped in to stop the action at of 2:47 of round 3.

Lightweights Dustin “DGA” Arnold 6-1(2KO) and Raul Chirino 12-10(6KO) gave the crowd a great entertaining clash. Arnold established the early rounds behind a strong jab and right hand. Chirino caught a groove in the late rounds but it was Arnold who was more accurate and landed the more meaningful punches throughout this 6 round lightweight battle. The crowd was alive and on their feet as both Arnold and Chirino fought like warriors to the final bell. The scorecards were 58-56 59-55 twice with the card.

Opening Rumble at the Rock II was Super Middleweight Cuban and former youth Amateur world Champion Irosvani Duvergel improved to 4-0(2KO) with a unanimous decision win over Emmanuel Sanchez 7-10-1(1)KO. Duvergel was hoping to get a KO in his second showing at the Hard Rock Event Center here at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, however, could not catch the fleet-footed Texan Sanchez with anything of true substance. Duvergel chased Sanchez without ever cutting the ring nor landing more than one punch at a time. All three judges scored 40-35

Joshua Greer stopped Giovvani Delgado in round three of their scheduled eight-round super bantamweight bout.

In round three, Greer landed a booming right that hurt Delgado. Greer pounced on Delgado and landed several hard unanswered shots and the bout was stopped at 1:49.

Greer of Chicago is 18-1-1 with 10 knockouts. Delgado of Tacubaya, MEX is 16-8.

Genesis Servania stopped Carlos Carlson in round three of a scheduled eight-round featherweight bout of former world title challengers.

In round three, Servania landed a hard right that sent Carlson to the canvas. Carlson sat on his knee until referee Marcos Rosales counted ten, and Carlson jumped up but it was too late.

Servania, 123 1/2 lbs of Cebu City, PHL is 32-1 with 15 knockouts. Carlson, ,123 1/4 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 22-5.

Former world champion Rico Ramos won an eight-round unanimous decision over Daniel Olea in a featherweight bout.

In round one, Ramos dropped Olea with a left uppercut. Olea was cut from from his lip in round two.

Ramos, 129 1/2 lbs of Pico River, CA won by scores of 8071 on all cards, and is now 30-5. Olea, 123 14/4 lbs is 13-6-2.

Ashkat Ualikhanov won an entertaining six-round unanimous decision over Angel Hernandez in a super middleweight bout.

Ualikhanov, 141 3/4 lbs of Oxnard, CA won by scores of 59-55 and 58-56 twice, and is now 4-1. Hernandez, 146 1/2 lbs of McAllen, TX is 13-11-2.

Janibek Alimkhanuly won a six-round unanimous decision over Carlos Galvan in a super middleweight bout.

Alikkhanuly of Almaty, KAZ won by scores of 60-54 on all cards, and is now 3-0. Galvan of Apartado, COL is 16-8-1.

Callum Smith won the WBA Super Middleweight title as well as the World Boxing Super Series titles with a 7th round stoppage over George Groves in Saudi Arabia.

Smith buckled Groves with a hard right in round three. Smith had some swelling under his right eye in round four.

In round seven, Smith landed a wicked left hook that hurt Groves, who then retreated into the corner. Smith was all over Groves with lefts and rights and put Groves down with a body shot for the ten count at 2:04.

Smith of Liverpool, England is now 25-0 with 18 knockouts. Groves of London is 28-4.

Former world title challenger Chris Eubank, Jr stopped JJ McDonagh after round three of their scheduled ten-round super middleweight bout

In round one, Eubank dropped McDonagh with a left hook to the head. Eubank continued to dominate the bout, and McDonagh did not answer the bell to start round four from what looked like a shoulder injury.

Eubank, 167.9 lbs of Brighton, UK is 27-2 with 21 knockouts. McDonagh, 165.1 lbs of Ireland is 16-5.

Darren Surtees stopped Kane Baker in rouns two of their eight-round super lightweight bout.

Surtees scored two knockdowns, and the fight was stoped.

Surtees, 141.3 lbs of Durham, UK is 9-0 with six knockouts. Baker, 143 lbs of Birmingham, UK is 8-5.

Zuhayr Al Qatani remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Mohammad Mahmoud in a super lightweight bout.

Al Qatani, 139.6 lbs of Saudi Arabia won all cards 39-37. Mahmoud, 141.5 lbs of Plymouth, UK is 0-6.

Mikael Lawal stopped Tommas Kozma in round three of a scheduled eight-round cruiserweight bout.

Lawal dropped Kozma with a right to the top of the head, and the bout was stopped at 2:19.

Lawal, 198.4 lbs of London is 8-0 with six knockouts. Kozma, 188.7 lbs of Hungary is 6-7-3.

Kem Ljungquist stopped Murad Omar after round two of their scheduled eight-round heavyweight bout.

Ljungquist hurt Omar badly in round three, and the bout was stopped.

Ljungquist, 229 lbs of Denmark is 5-0 with three knockouts. Omar, 256.6 lbs of Cairo, EGY is 4-2.

A possible rematch between retired former middleweight champion Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez has been bandied about, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“It’s not true,” Promoter Eddie Hearn told ESPN about a deal being close. “Yes, I have spoken to both fighters regarding the fight, but there is no contract, nothing signed, no deal in place. It’s something that has been discussed, but a deal is not imminent. It’s not at all done.”

“I’m curious about the fight, but honestly I don’t think it has legs, no pun intended,” Hearn said of the fight rumored for Nov. 17 either in Las Vegas or a site in Texas.

WBO Middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders tested positive for banned substance and thus putting into question his July 20th defense against Demetrius Andrade in Boston, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

The test results were returned Wednesday, and VADA president Dr. Margaret Goodman notified the parties involved in a letter obtained by ESPN:

“The results of the analysis are as follows: Adverse. Urine specimen number 4248408: oxilofrine detected. Note the following is also contained on the laboratory report: ‘Opinions: oxilofrine may have resulted from the administration of ephedrine which was also detected but below the decision limit of 11ug/ml. The estimated concentration of ephedrine is 4.6 ug/ml.'”

“Billy Joe will apply for a license in Massachusetts and they will make the decision if he is allowed to box,” promoter Eddie Hearn told ESPN. “The most important thing is that Demetrius Andrade fights for the world title on Oct. 20. If Billy Joe Saunders is ruled out and stripped of the title, we will be looking to make a fight for the vacant world title.”

“If Saunders is stripped, we will do whatever we can to make sure Andrade is fighting for the vacant title on Oct. 20,” Hearn said.

Paco Valcarcel, president of the WBO, whose belt Saunders holds, told ESPN that the sanctioning organization has received the drug test results but would not make any decisions regarding the belt until Massachusetts decides whether it will license Saunders.

“If he doesn’t get licensed, we will strip him,” Valcarcel said. “If he gets licensed, we will still investigate the doping and at that time determine if we will sanction the fight.”

“Mr. Saunders is not in breach of British Boxing Board of Control/United Kingdom Anti-Doping regulations,” Robert Smith, the British Boxing Board of Control general secretary, wrote in a letter to VADA and the promoters, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN. “Please note, in Great Britain in-competition testing is the evening of the contest, anything prior to that is out of competition.

“In addition, Mr. Saunders has been tested a number of times in 2018, all negative, his last out of competition test by UKAD was on 24th September 2018 and I will advise of the result when it is made available.”

Former Saunder opponent David Lemieux was not amused by Saunders test result.

“U dirty cheating scumbag, ur not only a miserable human being but ur also a dirty cheap cheating rotten p—k #billyjoesaunders u should be banned from boxing,” he wrote.

HBO is dropping boxing after 2018, thus ending a 45 year run of being the premier network in the United States.

“Our mission at HBO Sports is to elevate the brand. We look for television projects that are high-profile, high-access, and highly ambitious in the stories they seek to tell and the quality of production in telling them,” HBO Sports said in a statement. “Boxing has been part of our heritage for decades. During that time, the sport has undergone a transformation. It is now widely available on a host of networks and streaming services. There is more boxing than ever being televised and distributed. In some cases, this programming is very good. But from an entertainment point of view, it’s not unique.

“Going forward in 2019, we will be pivoting away from programming live boxing on HBO. As always, we will remain open to looking at events that fit our programming mix. This could include boxing, just not for the foreseeable future. We’re deeply indebted to the many courageous fighters whose careers we were privileged to cover.”

“There have been hundreds of dedicated and remarkably creative men and women who have delivered the best in television production for HBO’s coverage of boxing and we are so grateful for their contributions,” HBO’s statement continued. “It has been a wonderful journey chronicling the careers and back stories of so many spectacularly talented prizefighters.

“We are a storytelling platform. The future will see unscripted series, long-form documentary films, reality programming, sports journalism, event specials and more unique standout content from HBO Sports. We are constantly evaluating our programming to determine what resonates with our subscribers. Our audience research clearly shows the type of programming our subscribers embrace. For HBO Sports, it’s programming that viewers can’t find elsewhere.”

“My 30-year love affair with HBO continues, and I am motivated and prepared to support storytelling initiatives in the sports department,” Blow by blow announcer, Lampley said. “So I will remain in place.”

Former world champion Victor Ortiz was arrested on the accusations of 3 sexual assualts, just days before his fight with John Molins, Jr., according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

His bail was set at $100,000.

Ortiz turned himself in at approximately 3 p.m. PT, and was charged by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office with forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and forcible digital penetration, according to the police report.

According to Dan Rafael, the September 15th rematch featuring Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin did around 1.1 million Pay-Per-View buys.

The fight generated at least $94 million in domestic linear television sales for the HBO PPV telecast, which had a suggested retail price of $84.95 but had a higher price in most markets for those who ordered in high definition.

The live gate figures were released on Monday by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and the fight notched the fourth biggest in boxing and Nevada history. The fight generated $23,473,500 from the sale of 16,732 tickets at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The promoters gave away 1,451 complimentary tickets, according to the commission report.

Former WBC Bantamweight champion Luis Nery will be back in action on October 6th after a suspension for failing to make weight, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Former WBC bantamweight champion Luis Nery has fully complied with the WBC requirements as per the ruling issued by the WBC Board of Governors regarding his weight management problem, which led to him losing his world championship early this year,” the WBC said in announcing the end of Nery’s suspension. “The WBC hereby confirms that Luis Nery suspension ended on Sept. 1 and he is now eligible to compete for a WBC championship.”

Anthony Joshua retained the IBF/WBA/WBO Heavyweight titles with a 7th round stoppage over mandatory challenger Alxander Povetkin in front of 80,000 at Wembley Stadium in London.

Povetkin rocked Joshua at the end of round one with a hard right hand.  Joshua was bleeding from his nose as Povetkin was able to sneak some counter right hands.  In round four, Povetkin was cut over his left eye from a punch.

In round seven, Joshua landed a booming 3 punch combination that sent Povetkin crashing down in his corner.  Povetkin was able to get to his feet, but that only prolonged the inevitable as Joshua pounced on his prey and landed several more flush power shots that had the referee stop the fight as Povetkin fell for a 2nd time at 1:59.

Joshua, 246.5 lbs of Watford, England is now 22-0 with 21 knockouts.  Povetkin, 222 lbs of Russia is 34-2.

Luke Campbell avenged a defeat to Yvan Mendy by turning the tables, and winning a 12-round split decision in a lightweight bout.

Campbell used a nice body attack and moved nicely throughout the 12 round affair.

Campbell, 134.6 lbs of Hull, England won by scores 119-109, 118-111 and 116-112 and is Now 19-2.  Mendy, 134.7 lbs of France is 40-5-1.

In an ugly cruiserweight contest, Lawrence Okolie won a 12-round unanimous decision over Matty Askin.

Okolie was deducted point’s in rounds five for headbutt, in round eight for a low blow, and round 11 for holding.

Okolie, 199.3 lbs of Hackney, England won by scores of 116-110, 114-112 and 114-113 to stay perfect at 10-0.  Askin, 199.8 lbs of Blackpool, England is 22-4-1.

Sergey Kuzmin stopped David Price after round four of their scheduled ten round heavyweight bout.

Price had his moements, but was exhausted after round four, and he pulled the plug on the fight.

Kuzmin, 244.6 lbs of Russia is 13-0 with 10 knockouts.  Price, 265.4 lbs of Liverpool, England is 22-6.

Shakram Giyasov remained undefeated by stopping Julio Laguna in round four of their scheduled eight-round welterweight bout of undefeated fighters.

Giyasov landed a huge flurry that sent Laguna to the canvas, and the bout was stopped at 38 seconds.

Giyasov, 143.2 lbs of Uzbekistan is now 5-0 with five knockouts.  Laguna, 142 lbs of Nicaragua is 14-1.

O’Shaquie Foster won a 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Jon Fernandez in a super featherweight bout at The Firelake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Foster moved, and punched off the ropes that befuddled the power punching Fernandez.

Foster, 129 1/2 lbs of Houston, Texas won by scores of 98-92 on all cards, and is now 14-2. Fernandez,z 129 3/4 lbs of Spain is 16-1.

Foster landed 145 of 407 punches. Fernandez was 102 of 611.

This was the best fight of my career,” said Foster, who was appearing on the ShoBox series for the fourth time. “I knew I had it in me, I just never put it together. I have a new team, I have a new trainer, a new strength and conditioning coach. This was what I dreamed of and we put in the work to make it happen.

“I knew he was a puncher and he’d come forward the whole fight. I knew I had to work off my jab and use my lateral movement. He had a little power, but he never got me clean. We’re going to sit down and look at the drawing board. I can tell you this, we’re not the B-side anymore.”

“His style was frustrating, but we were expecting it,” said the 23-year-old Fernandez, who was widely regarded as one of the top prospects in boxing. “We thought his conditioning would go down and he’d slow down in the later rounds. He didn’t (slow down) and that surprised me.

“I feel like we can still get better and better. We just had a bad game plan for this fight.”

Irvin Gonzalez won an eight-round unanimous decision over Carlos Ramos in a battle of undefeated featherweights.

Gonzalez, 126 lbs of Worcester, MA won by scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74 to raise his mark to 11-0. Ramos, 125 1/2 lbs of Madrid, SPA is 9-1.

Gonzalez landed 72 of 464 punches. Ramos was just 38 of 225.

“It took me a few rounds to figure him out, but once I did he didn’t have anything on me,” said Gonzalez. “He only had the left hand and that was about it. He really didn’t throw any punches.

“This was a big learning experience for me. This was my second eight-rounder and it opened my eyes a little bit. I know I’m conditioned well but I have to go back to work.”

In a fight between undefeated lightweights, Steven Ortiz won an eight-round majority decision over Wesley Ferrer.

Ortiz, 134 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 78-74, 77-75 and 76-76, and is now 9-0. Ferrer, 134 3/4 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 12-1-1.

“I think it was a pretty close fight,” said a disappointed Ferrer. “I thought I was winning the first few rounds, but I know I got out-worked in the last two rounds. At the end of the day, the judges saw something else and he got the win. If I won the last few rounds I would have won the fight.”

“I was coming off a long layoff and wasn’t as sharp as I should have been,” said the 25-year-old Ortiz. “I landed the sharper jabs and landed the harder shots. I think my ring experience and ring generalship was the difference in the fight.

“I want to come back a lot sharper and a lot smarter. At the end of the day, it was a learning experience. I got the win against a tough guy.”

In a battle of undefeated super featherweights, Misael Lopez won a eight-round unanimous decision over James Wilkins.

In round five, Wilkins was deducted a point for a low blow.

Lopez, 128 3/4 lbs of Denver, CO won by scores of 79-72, 77-74 an 76-75 and is now 9-0. Wilkins, 128 1/2 lbs of Staten Island, NY is 5-1.

Lopez landed 249-790 punches. Wilkins was 132-530.

“I think the difference was I was able to make him miss, land the cleaner shots and used my boxing to dictate the pace,” said the 22-year-old Lopez. “I’m looking to keep going and stay on the big stage. Hopefully people and promoters will notice that I’m the real deal.”

“I think I did enough to pull it off,” said Wilkins. “I could see a split decision, maybe, but I dropped him and that wins the fight. That was a 10-8 round. I want to go back to the gym, work hard and get right back. You haven’t seen the last of me.”

The WBA Heavyweight title bout between Manuel Charr and Fres Oquendo is off after Charr tested positve for a banned substance, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“This letter is to advise you that Mr. Manual Charr’s ‘A’ sample urine specimen number 4256987 collected on August 31, 2018 in Cologne, Germany through his participation in the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) program has been analyzed for anabolic agents, diuretics, beta-2 agonists, stimulants, IRMS, EPO, and drugs of abuse. The results of the analysis are as follows: Adverse. Urine specimen number 4256987: epitrenbolone and drostanolone metabolites detected,” VADA said in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN.

“The message came that I tested positive. My manager, Christian Hunter, and my promoter, Bernd Trendelburg, have cancelled the fight without informing me before or contacting me. I am very disappointed in this approach,” Charr said in a statement. “I can’t explain the result, but I will do anything to solve it. I am now waiting for the result of the ‘B’ sample and I have once again undergone an independent and voluntary doping test. The results are expected to be published on Saturday.

“I have always been clean in all the fighting, and I can therefore definitely not explain how this result. I’m in shock myself, dear fans, especially as I’m in the final (stages) of the fight preparation. The defense of the championship has been my life for months. I am preparing for this fight with great discipline. During my (training) I take various supplements. It will be examined whether the food supplements may have influenced the doping sample.”

“The WBA should do the right thing and crown me champion,” Oquendo said in a statement provided to ESPN. “I shouldn’t be punished for something I’m doing right, which is not cheating.”

“We have read reports that Charr’s promoter has canceled the fight following Charr’s positive doping test. Except for the VADA letter, we have not heard anything official,” Square Ring CEO John Wirt, who co-promotes Oquendo with Bobby Hitz, told ESPN. “Obviously, if the fight is canceled it will be another injustice in a long line of huge disappointments in Fres’ path to fight for the WBA (‘regular’) heavyweight title.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, trainer Teddy Atlas will be back in the corner to train Oleksandr Gvozdyk for November 1st title opportunity against Adonis Stevenson on November 1st.

“They’ve been waiting for an answer for a couple of weeks,” said Atlas, a longtime ESPN boxing analyst.

“I wanted to meet him and his family. So I did. I met him, spent two days with him, we watched film, had lunch and dinner on the first day, and then we spent the second day in the gym working together,” Atlas said. “I met his family. He has three young children and a wife, and I trust Egis as a person. I told him that the first prerequisite to even entertaining the thought of coming back to training is if I thought they were good people. If I didn’t think that, I wouldn’t even entertain it.

“That is the first thing — do I want to spend time with this person? And I felt that I would want to be around a person like that. And then the next thing was can I help him and is he conducive to being trained? Will he allow himself to be coached? The answer was yes from what I could see, and they’re asking for my help, so can I help him? I feel I can help him.”

“I had to ask myself, ‘Am I ready to do this again?’ Are you emotionally ready to do this again? I’ve been training fighters since I was a kid, since I was 21 years old training [Hall of Famer] Wilfred Benitez. That took me a couple of weeks to decide,” Atlas said. “It’s not something to decide on in a couple of days. And after all these years training fighters, your neck hurts, your shoulder, the back.”

“Oleksandr was looking to step up and be trained by Teddy,” Klimas told ESPN. “I know Teddy for a long time. He’s not committing just because. He thought about this very deeply. It wasn’t an easy decision for him to make. When he spent time with Oleksandr, with his family and in the gym, it looks like they clicked. Teddy said he would think about it. I spoke to him three or four times after that and he wasn’t sure, but [on Monday] when we spoke, he said he will take the opportunity and that he would try to help Oleksandr as much as he can.”

“I’m already looking at film, and I’ve already got a few pages of notes and things that have to be worked on, things that need to be corrected,” Atlas said. “You’re fighting the second-hardest puncher in boxing [behind heavyweight titlist Deontay Wilder]. You can’t make mistakes with a guy like this. You have to be technically solid, and you have to have a very definitive plan on how to go about winning this fight. We will work on that. There’s no real margin for error.

“[Gvozdyk] behaves like a fighter. He’s got good instincts. From a technical aspect, he just has to take it to the next level, but he has the right ideas. He has to expand on the ideas.”

The father/trainer of Joe Calzaghe, Enzo Calzaghe passed away at age 69, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

No cause of death was announced, but the family said in a statement, “The family are devastated to have to announce the death of our beloved Enzo. Joe and all of the Calzaghe family would like to thank the public for their well wishes and kind thoughts, especially the outpouring of support from within the boxing community.

“Enzo led an incredible life both inside and outside of the boxing gym and his loss is a devastating one for the entire Calzaghe family. We please ask that people respect our privacy at this difficult time.”

Enzo Calzaghe also trained other fighters, including former junior welterweight world titlist Gavin Rees, former cruiserweight titleholder Enzo Maccarinelli and former light heavyweight titlist Nathan Cleverly.

“A teacher, a trainer and a great man,” Cleverly wrote on social media. “He predicted early on in my teen years that I would become a world champion. He taught me so much.”

LAS VEGAS –Forget all the insults, promises and allegations. The wait wasn’t a whole lot of fun. In the end, however, the fight made all of that waiting oh-so-forgettable.

Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin delivered the drama Saturday night before a rocking crowd of 21,965 at T-Mobile Arena throughout 12 pulsating rounds, each of which was hard to score, yet might eventually add up to a trilogy. For now, there’s bound to be controversy.

Canelo won a majority decision in the middleweight rematch of their controversial draw last September.

“That was a great fight’’ Canelo (50-1-2, 34 KOs) said after taking GGG’s championship belts and ending his claim on a record for title defenses in the HBO pay-per-view bout. “But in the end, it was a victory for Mexico. And again, it was an opportunity, and I want to shout out to my opponent, the best in the sport of boxing. I am a great fighter, and I showed it tonight.

“If the people want another round, I’ll do it again. But for right now, I will enjoy time with my family.’’

In boxing, of course, majority only means that not everybody agrees with the 115-113 scorecards turned in by judges Dave Moretti of Nevada and Steve Weisfeld of New Jersey. The third judge, Glenn Feldman of Connecticut, had a different opinion. He scored it, 114-114, a draw that might have been the very hard to accept after last September’s messy result.

On this card, it was 115-113 for Golovkin (38-1-1, 34 KOs). Go ahead and argue. The fight was that close. The good news was that there was no wacky, bird-brain card like the 118-110 number for Canelo turned in by Adelaide Byrd a year ago.

Canelo’s aggressiveness over the first seven to eight rounds might have been enough to get the nod from Moretti and Weisfeld. He moved forward, ever forward. However, he often moved straight into a GGG jab that was as consistent as it was precise. It left him with a huge gash over his left eye.

That GGG jab and a Canelo pursuit that included some terrific body punches appeared to leave the bout even after eight rounds. The next three rounds were just about as even. The guess was that the twelfth would be decisive. At least, GGG trainer Abel Sanchez thought so.

“We had a great fight, the one we expected the first time around,’’ Sanchez said. “I had it close going into the 12^th round. We had good judges who saw it from different angles. I can’t complain about the decision, but it’s close enough to warrant a third fight. Canelo fought a great fight. Congratulations.’’

GGG got cut over his right eye in the 12^th. The blood fell like tears across the multiple bruises on his face as he left the ring. He didn’t stop to speak to the media in the immediate aftermath of the fight.

After arriving in his dressing room, he spoke to a media-relations representative, who relayed his quotes to press row.

“I’m not going to say who won,’’ GGG said. “The victory belongs to Canelo, according to the judges. I thought it was a very good fight for the fans. It was exciting. I thought I fought better than he did.’’

Then, he was asked about a third fight.

“Under the right circumstances,’’ GGG said.

The second fight has already put some those circumstances in place.

Mungia scores quick stoppage, leaving HBO with 90 minutes to fill before the GGG-Canelo rematch 

Jamie Mungia kept himself in the mix for a middleweight title Saturday night with some of the raw power that has marked his emergence from unknown to dangerous.

Mungia (31-0, 26 KOs, of Tijuana,  battered Canadian Brandon Cook (20-2, 13 KOs) around the ring like a young Antonio Margarito for two rounds and then finished him with a couple of rough-and-tumble knockdown in the third. Referee Tony Weeks finally ended at 1:03 of the third in another quick stoppage that left the HBO pay-per-view telecast with about 90 minutes of air time to fill before the Canelo Alavrez-Gennady Golovkin rematch at T-Mobile Arena.

“This was part of my development,” Mungia said.  “I was not as focused in my last fight. But this time I came more relaxed. I was looking for the knockout too much. But now you’ve seen the results of my work. With each fight you will see me getting better. I just want to show that I can get better and that I want to face the best, so I can show that I am the best.”

Lemieux has one-punch answer for Spike O’Sullivan’s trash talk

The Face-offs were contentious. The fight was a blowout.

He entered the T-Mobile Arena’s ring as former pound-for-pound champion. He left it after delivering powerful reminder as to why he was one.

Dallas junior-welterweight Vergil Ortiz (11-0, 11 KOs), one of boxing’s best young prospects, was everything he was supposed to be, delivering speed and power for a second-round demolition of Roberto Ortiz (35-3-2, 26 KOs) of Mexico. In the final bout before the HBO pay-per-view telecast of the Gennady Golovkin-Canelo Alvarez card, Vergil Ortiz dropped Roberto with a right early in the second. Moments later, he landed a blinding succession of punches. Referee Vic Drakulich had seen enough. At 1:03 of the second, he ended it.

Alexis Rocha stays unbeaten with one-sided decision

Alexis Rocha, a super-welterweight from Santa Ana, Calif., did some damage early, then scored some easy points and finished still unbeaten in the third bout on the non- televised portion of the Canelo-GGG card.

First Bell: Canelo-Golovkin card off to an early start and fast finish

It was an early start and a quick finish.

New York welterweight Brian Ceballo (5-0, 3 KOs) wasted little time, finishing an afternoon matinee within two rounds after the first bell Saturday on a card featuring the Gennady Golovkin-Canelo Alvarez rematch at T-Mobile Arena.

Ceballo knocked down David Thomas (6-4-1, 2 KOs) of Orange, Tex., in the first. In the opening seconds of the second, Thomas was defenseless, hands down and a wide-open target for a succession of straight hands from Ceballo. At 34 seconds of the round, referee Jay Nady ended it.

130 lb world champion Gervonta Davis was arrested for Disorderly conduct in Washington, DC, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“The argument escalated when both subjects began fighting mutually by punching each other with a closed fist about the upper body,” according to the police report. “Several unknown subjects attempted to separate [them].”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the issue of Manny Pacquiao not receiving payment from Top Rank for the July 15th fight against Lucas Matthysse for the American Television rights is being solved.

“Congratulations and good luck to Top Rank Boxing and ESPN on your 7-year partnership agreement,” Pacquiao wrote. “I know both of you have been very busy finalizing the deal. However, I have not received the U.S. rights payment for my July 15 fight against Lucas Matthysse that was broadcast on ESPN plus. Therefore, I am initiating legal proceedings against Top Rank and all other parties based on the non-payment and attempt to restrict my future rights. Thank you.”

“We read the Instagram post and [Top Rank attorney] Harrison [Whitman] handled it with Pacquiao’s attorney, and it looks like everything will be resolved,” Top Rank’s Arum told ESPN.

ATLANTIC CITY (September 10, 2018)–DeCarlo Perez and Antowyan Aikens lived up to the pre-fight hype of a knockdown- dragout war that eventually saw Perez eek out an eight-round unanimous decision on Saturday night at The Bourbon Room inside the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City.

The bout between Atlantic City rivals, which gave Perez the New Jersey State Super Middleweight title, headlined an terrific 10-bout card promoted by Rising Star Promotions.

The fight saw Perez push the action early as he buckled Aikens into the ropes in the 2nd round. Not only did Aikens stem the tide, but came back emphatically, as he landed a perfect right that sent Perez to the canvas.

Now with Aikens seemingly in control. Perez came back the very next round to land a perfect left hook that put Aikens on the canvas. It looked like Perez would be able to end the fight, but Aikens came back and stood toe-to-tow with Perez, and gave as good he received.

With a cut over his left eye, Perez was able to box his way down the stretch of the fight, which thrilled the capacity crowd and the Showboat Hotel.

Perez of Atlantic City won by scores of 77-72, 76-74 and 75-74 to improve to 17-6-1. Aikens of Atlantic City is 13-5-1.

“Antowyan surprised me on how he was able to be so consistent. When he did knock me down, I was able to stay calm, and keep my composure. I said to myself was to stay calm, I still have rounds and I tasted his power. I knocked him down, and I knew we were even, and I just wanted to win the last few rounds. He started out the rounds strong, but my pressure not only influenced the judges, but began to break him down. He started punching out of fear instead of skill,” said Perez. “As long as I stayed consistent and kept my pressure, I knew that I would prevail.”

Said Aikens, “It was a good fight. It was an action packed fight. We both landed some good shots. They gave it to him based off of his knockdown,” said Aikens. “After I knocked him down, I should have slowed up and took my time. In the next round, he caught me with a good shot. There were a lot of things said in the build up to this fight, and I fought off of a lot of anger. I will be back. I am a real fighter. All champions don’t win belts.”

In a battle of New Jersey based junior welterweights, John Bauza remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Rashad Bogar

In round three, Bauza dropped Bogar with a straight left hand.

Bauza cruised home with the victory by scores of 60-53 on all cards.

Bauza, 139 lbs of North Bergen, NJ is 11-0. Bogar, 139 lbs of Newark, NJ is 4-8-1.

Omar Salem stopped Mike Anderson at the end of round one of their scheduled four round middleweight bout.

Salem dominated the only frame, and Anderson said he could not continue due to an arm injury.

Salem, 165 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 4-0 with one knockout. Anderson, 165.5 lbs of Philadelphia is 0-3.

Isaiah Hart made a thrilling pro debut with a 2nd round stoppage of Dillon Kasprzak in a middleweight bout.

In round one, Hart knocked Kasprzak with a hard left hook. Hart came out in round two by landing two hard lefts and a flusg right, and the fight was stopped at 16 seconds.

Hart, 160.7 lbs of Atlantic City is 1-0 with one knockout. Kasprzak, 159 lbs of Philadelphia is 0-2.

Nahir Albright pounded out a four-round unanimous decision over Glenford Nickey in a junior welterweight bout.

Albright, 140 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 40-36 twice and 40-35 to raise his record to 4-1. Nickey, 140 lbs of Brooklyn is 4-2.

Jahmal Dyer stopped Marco Lugo in the final round of their scheduled four-round lightweight bout.

In round one, Dyer dropped Lugo with a left hook to the head. Dyer sealed the fight in round four, when he dropped Lugo with a hard right hand. Dyer ended things when he landed a huge right that sent Lugo back that opened up a barrage of hard punches, and the fight was stopped at 1:29.

Dyer, 132.9 lbs of Baltimore is now 6-1 with four knockouts. Lugo, 131 lbs of Vineland, NJ is 0-2.

Ryan Wilczak remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Alberto Delgado in a middleweight fight.

Wilczak, 158 lbs of Scranton, PA won by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 twice and is now 7-0. Delgado, 160.9 lbs of Roanoke, VA is 0-4-3.

Ry’Shine Collins made an emphatic pro debut by stopping Lucky Holt in the 1st round of their scheduled four-round super bantamweight bout.

Collins landed a series of hard body shots that put Holt down, and the fight was stopped at

Collins, 122.3 lbs of Philadelphia is 1-0 with one knockout. Holt, 120.8 lbs of Hannibal, MO is 0-3.

Kashon Hutchinson won a four-round unanimous decision over Steve Moore in a welterweight bout.

Hutchinson, 145.3 lbs of Reading, PA won by scores of 40-36 twice and 39-37 to raise his mark to 4-5. Moore, 144.1 lbs of Orange, NJ is 1-5.

Travis Toledo remained undefeated by stopping Tahlik Taylor in round two of their scheduled four-round light-heavyweight bout.

In round two, Toledo dropped Taylor with a big left hook. Seconds later, it was a body shot that sent Taylor to the canvas, and the fight was halted at 2:02.

Toledo, 172,3 lbs of Baltimore, MD is 2-0 with two knockouts. Taylor, 175.3 lbs of Greensboro, NC is 3-12-1.

Rising Star Promotions would like to thank the following Sponsors:

Rising Star Promotions will be back at The Showboat on Saturday, November 3rd with the return of world ranked Thomas LaManna appearing in the main event. Also announced for the card will be a battle for the New Jersey State Middleweight title as Chris Thomas defends his title against Eddie Edmonds.

BROOKLYN, NY — “Showtime” Shawn Porter earned a hardfought 12 round unanimous decision over Danny “Swift” Garcia to capture the vacant WBC Welterweight World Title in front of 13,058 paid fans at the Barclay’s Center. It was a war of attrition between the two 30 year-old former champions, but it was ultimately Porter’s bulldog style in the ring that proved to be too much for Garcia to handle. At the end of the championship rounds, the judges scorecards read 116-112 and 115-113, twice, in favor of Porter.

In the early goings, Philadelphia’s Garcia, who is trained by his father Angel, continuously popped Porter with solitary shots, keeping the normally over-aggressive Porter at bay. There were certain times over the course of the first 9 minutes of action that it looked as if it were Porter’s strategy to not to rush Garcia, and instead, sit back and force the counter-puncher to come to him. However, as that plan — if it even was his plan — was clearly not working, Porter reverted back to his old aggressive style and began to march forward and take the fight to his counterpart.

From the fourth round on, it became the fight that Porter wanted. Time and time again, each round played out in a similar fashion, with Porter, who is trained by his father Kenny, charging forward, and Garcia doing his best to pepper in counters to fend off the Ohio-native. However, more often than not, Porter landed shots on his way in, and then once inside, attacked the body.

It was workrate, and effective aggression that ultimately carried the day for the new champion, Porter.

Judge Don Ackerman scored the contest 116-112, while judges Julie Lederman and Eric Marlinski had it 115-113, all for Porter. 15rounds.com scored the contest 115-113, Garcia.

The defeat marks the second loss for Garcia, who lost his WBC title to Keith Thurman in March of last year.

This was the third straight win for Porter, all coming at the Barclay’s Center, since also losing to Thurman in 2016. Porter’s only other blemish on his record is a majority decision loss to Kell Brook in 2014.

“I tell people all the time I don’t make predictions. I made a prediction and a hard one to live up to,” Porter said after the contest. “I said I wasn’t leaving New York without this belt and I’m not leaving New York without this belt.

“I knew he was going to be accurate. The game plan for me was to be accurate from the outside and show we could beat him without roughing him up on the ropes.

“He tried to outhustle me, mostly at the end of the rounds. He did a tremendous job.”

Garcia, who also spoke afterward, thought he he deserved the nod. “I thought I did enough to win,” he said. “It was close fight. The judges didn’t give it to me.

“He was throwing a lot. I had my defense tight so it wasn’t effective. I thought I landed the clearer shots. I thought I won this fight.”

During the post-fight Showtime interviews, IBF World Welterweight Champion, Errol Spence, Jr. hopped in the ring and had a few words of his own to say to Porter.

“The same way that you called Danny out, I’m going to call you out,” Spence said.

“I think I’m the best welterweight in the division. I’m the truth and I guarantee you I come home as unified champion. I definitely want that fight against Porter.”

Ugas Has Easy Night Against Barrionuevo

Yordenis Ugas (23-3, 11KO) outclassed Cesar Barrionuevo (34-4-2, 24KO) en route to an easy 12 round unanimous decision victory in a WBC welterweight title eliminator.

In fairness, having to follow the action-packed Kownacki-Martin brawl wouldn’t be easy for any pair of prize fighters, but this particular contest and stylistic matchup made for minimal excitement.

Over the course of twelve rounds, the 32 year-old Cuban was the slicker fighter, keeping his Argentinian counterpart on the outside, seemingly popping and landing shots at will, while also countering nicely with lefts to the body.

The southpaw, Barrionuevo, who was fighting for the first time on US soil, couldn’t seem to solve Ugas and failed to land anything of significance over the course of twelve rounds.

In the end, all three judges scored the contest for the Cuban, with Kevin Morgan and John McKai agreeing on a shutout 120-108, and Tom Schreck seeing it 119-109.

The result hands Barrionuevo his 4th career defeat, all of which have come via the judges’ scorecards.

The win extends Ugas’ win streak to 8, an undefeated run that dates back to 2014, and will slot him in to be the mandatory challenger to face the night’s main event winner, Danny Garcia or Shawn Porter.

“I want the winner of Danny Garcia vs. Shawn Porter,” Ugas said afterward. “I’m here to compete with the top level guys in the sport.

“I have had some difficulties in my life. I’m back and I’m moving forward. I’m ready for whoever comes my way. I’m ready for a title.“

Bombs Away, Kownacki Outslugs Martin, Earns UD

In front of hundreds of his rowdy Polish fans decked out in red and white, Polish-born Brooklyn heavyweight Adam Kownacki (18-0, 14KO) scored the biggest win of his career, earning a narrow unanimous decision over former IBF World Champion “Prince” Charles Martin (25-2-1, 23 KO) in a ruthless ten round slugfest. All three judges scored the fight 96-94 for the 29 year-old Kownacki.

Early on, Kownacki brought nothing but pressure and straight rights, and Martin had no answer for it. The 32 year-old former titlist was unable to slow down the 263-pound freight train that is Kownacki. When Kownacki was in tight, the more chiseled 246-pound southpaw Martin began finding a home for his left hand, throwing them time and again to Kownacki’s soft, exposed midsection. It was a punch that would eventually pay off and show its impact a few rounds later.

In the fourth round, Kownacki turned up the heat, and unleashed a series of rights and lefts that found their unopposed target. Upon receiving the blows, Martin’s head whipped straight back, and left, and right, but he was ultimately able to outlast Kownacki’s barrage, tie up, and reset.

In the fifth, Martin seemed to gain some momentum, and started to land his left with more regularity, both to the head and body.

In the sixth, though, Kownacki came right back, unleashing his missile-like stiff jabs and straight rights from the sound of the bell. Midway through the sixth, the fight witnessed the best exchange of the contest to date when Kownacki landed a monster right hand, that Martin somehow ate, and then moments later, the former champ uncorked what might have been his best left of the night, that Kownacki somehow ate.

As the fight progressed into the late rounds, the better conditioned Martin began to impose himself on Kownacki, who was noticeably tiring. As round 8 drew to a close, Martin landed a monster left to Kownacki’s body, followed by an unobstructed left to the head that left Kownacki dazed. If it wasn’t for the ensuing bell, Kownacki would have been in a ton of trouble.

In the 9th, perhaps feeding off the hometown crowd’s energy, Kownacki again came of his stool firing. Midway through the round, however, he began to tire, and once again Martin was able to do good work, getting the better of the round’s remaining exchanges.

In the 10th and final round, operating on what had to be pure crowd-fueled adrenaline, Kownacki came off his stool and looked he like he did in round 3, rushing forward to meet Martin and unleash those heavy gloved fists. As had become pattern the few previous rounds, Kownacki tired considerably and was hurt badly by a Martin left to the body. The left stopped Kownacki in his tracks and Martin began to tee off. What followed that left to the body was :15 seconds of target practice as Kownacki was unable to defend himself or elude any blows. But seemingly out of nowhere, about :30 seconds after absorbing the best Martin had to offer, Kownacki caught Martin with a straight right that started his own flurry of unblocked blows that had Martin reeling until he was able to clinch and regroup.

The battle continued on to the final bell and in the end all three judges, Carlos Ortiz, John Stewart, and Joseph Pasquale scored it the same, 96-94 for Kownacki.

For Kownacki, who also has a TKO4 over former world title challenger Artur Szpilka on his resume, the win against Martin tonight is undoubtedly his biggest achievement.

Martin, who won the IBF World Championship in 2016 in a bout against Vyacheslav Glazkov who tore his knee in the 3rd round, will wake up tomorrow with regret, but no shame. The Missouri native waited just a round or two too late to get going and fought too many of the early rounds strictly on the defensive.

Martin’s only other defeat came via KO2 at the O2 Arena in England against Anthony Joshua in a heavyweight unifier.

“The Polish fans were awesome tonight,” Kownacki said afterward. “It definitely gave me a boost. It’s a blessing, they’re the best in the world.

“Charles Martin gave it all in the ring tonight. He put up a good fight….I thought I won the decision a little wider than the cards, but Charles came to fight all night. He was in shape and coming forward and I had to dig deep”

Martin also spoke after the bout. “I believed I got the win,” he said. “I did work on the inside and no one saw that. I did really good work on the inside.

“I will get back in the gym. I’ll keep on going. Looks are very deceiving. I put up a hell of a fight and I came up just short.”

Serrano Makes History, Becomes First Female Six Division Champ

Brooklyn’s Amanda Serrano (35-1-1, 26KO) again made history at the Barclay’s Center, becoming the first female fighter to win titles in six divisions, capturing the WBO Junior Welterweight Championship when she scored a controversially wide ten round unanimous decision against Yamila Esther Reynoso (11-5-3, 8KO).

In the first round, it looked like Serrano would outclass her Argentinian counterpart. But after a rough first two minutes in which she tasted some of the best shots Serrano had to offer, Reynoso calmed down and settled in. The tough 22-year old started to fight coming forward, willingly exchanging with her 29 year-old Puerto Rican-born southpaw counterpart. By the third round, the momentum had completely swung in the favor of Reynoso, who ever more confidently was willing to eat one of Serrano’s punches to land one of her own.

But like a veteran former titleist should, Serrano adapted to the punches and the pressure. By the middle rounds, Serrano began timing her opponent and successfully started to slip and counter Reynoso’s offerings. Midway through the contest, both fighter’s faces began to swell, and blood eventually began to trickle from Reynoso’s nostrils.

Serrano continued to be on the receiving end of some of Reynoso’s best shots, but she always able to land her own leather whenever they exchanged.

At the end of ten hard-fought championship rounds, all three judges, Larry Hazard, Joseph Pasquale, and Waleska Roldan scored the contest 99-91 for Serrano. 15rounds.com also scored the contest for Serrano, but had it much closer, 96-94.

The win makes it 21 in a row for Serrano, who was fighting for the first time since stopping Marilyn Hernandez inside 1 round last November.

Serrano’s lone defeat remains a 2012 unanimous decision loss against Frida Walberg in 2012 in Sweden.

The result makes it four losses in her last seven bouts for Reynoso, who was fighting outside Argentina for the just the second time, and making her US debut.

“This means everything to me,” Serrano said after the contest. “I work so hard and I hope this fight shows the fans that girls can fight and we can give it our all just like the men do. We deserve to have this platform and we deserve to be shown.

“She was tough and she came to win. I give her a lot of credit for pushing forward and engaging. I’m hoping to be on SHOWTIME next time. I’m a six-division world champion and I’m ready for anything next.”

Colbert Remains Perfect, Scores Wide UD Over Fassinou

Another Brooklyn-native and Atlas Cops & Kids fighter, Chris “The Golden Child/Lil B-Hopp” Colbert (9-0, 4KO) remained perfect in front of his hometown crowd, scoring a unanimous shutout decision against Maryland’s Fatiou Fassinou (28-11-3, 15KO) in an 8 round featherweight contest. All three judges turned in scores of 80-72. Colbert applied pressure throughout the scrap, forcing Fassinou onto his back foot, making him throw punches going backward. It was effective, and when Colbert, who came to the ring sporting a sombrero and to the tune of the Mexican national anthem, let his hands fly, he did so will ill intent. The 21-year old shined in spurts, but didn’t seem find the final gear to finish of his hard-nosed Ghanaian counterpart. The result makes it 4 straight losses for Fassinou and 7 in his last 8 bouts.

Hitchins Knocks Down Valenzuela En Route To UD Win

In his sixth professional fight, all of which have been fought at the Barclay’s Center, former Haitian Olympian and Brooklyn-native, Richardson Hitchins (6-0, 3KO) cruised to a six round unanimous decision against Mexico’s Cesar Valenzuela (7-3, 2KO). The judges cards at the end of the super lightweight bout read 60-53×2 and 60-52, all for the 20 year-old Mayweather Promotions prospect. Hitchins, who fights out of Atlas Cops & Kids Boxing Gym in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, scored a first round knockdown, which set the tone early in the fight. In the third round, Hitchins continued to batter Valenzuela, who was able to weather the storm and live to see out the remainder of the contest. This is the second straight loss to a blue chip prospect for the 32 year-old Valenzuela. His last defeat came courtesy of TKO via the fists of Golden Boy Promotions prospect, Vergil Ortiz, Jr., on the undercard of Gennady Golovkin-Canelo Alvarez last September.

Price Cruises To UD Win Vs. Enjani

Super flyweight Dylan “The Real Deal” Price (7-0, 5KO) made it 2-for-2 for Philadelphia fighters on the night, earning a wide unanimous decision against Rwandan Mulapi “The African Mexican” Enjani (3-6-2, 1KO). Two judges scored the six round contest a shutout for Price, 60-54, while the third had it 59-55. The fight marked Price’s fourth straight at the Barclay’s Center, where he seems to have found a second home, enjoying vocal support from the early arriving crowd. Coming into the bought, Enjani was looking to build on back to back victories, albeit against foes with combined records of 0-7-1. Price had other plans, adn easily outpointed his counterpart. To his credit, Enjani has still yet to be stopped in any of his defeats.

Wilder Unloads On Williams, Stops Him Inside One

Cruiserweight Marsellos Wilder (2-0, 2KO), the 29 year-old younger brother of WBC World Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder, needed just 2:12 of a scheduled 4 round bout to blast out his opponent, Ryan Williams (0-2), earning his second straight stoppage victory to start his career. Wilder overwhelmed his foe, constantly applying pressure and backing Williams. Eventually, the 6’3” Wilder backed Williams into the red corner, where he unleashed a left to the body, followed by a right that wrapped around the ear. That final combination was enough for referee Michael Griffin to jump between fighters and call a halt to the contest at the 2:34 mark of the first round.

Quarles Earns Hard-Earned SD Over Willis

In an 8 round middleweight scrap, Brandon Quarles (20-4-1, 10KO) earned his 20th professional victory via split decision over fellow veteran Marcus Willis (18-6-2, 5KO). Judges scores read 78-74 for Willis, and 77-75 and 78-74 for the Virginia-native, Quarles. The win makes it two wins in two tries in 2018 for Quarles, while Willis loses for the second time in the calendar year, and for the second time in the last three fights.

Lopez Wins Tough UD Vs. Luna

Colorado featherweight Ricky Lopez improved his record to 20-4, 6KO, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Texas-native Ramsey Luna (14-6, 6KO). Scores for Lopez were 77-75 and 78-74, twice. The result makes it seven wins in a row for the 31 year-old Lopez, while also marking Luna’s fourth defeat in his last seven bouts.

Torres Kicks Off Night With Early TKO Over Valadez

In the opening contest from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, 21 year-old Philadelphian Jeffrey Torres (5-0, 3KO) kept his record spotless and scored a first round stoppage against fellow super lightweight Emmanuel Valadez (5-6, 4KO). The bout, which was scheduled for 4 rounds, marked the first time Torres’ stepped inside the ropes since last September when he stopped Latorie Woodberry. For the 30 year-old Mexican, Valadez, the bout resulted in his sixth professional defeat, all of which have come inside the distance.

Barclays Center in Brooklyn has been named the official East Coast venue for the PBC, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.com.

“Barclays Center is proud to be the official East Coast home of the PBC,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of BSE Global, the company that operates the arena. “As our commitment to the sport expands, boxing has truly become another anchor franchise at the venue. In fact, [this] announcement guarantees a minimum of eight fights annually at Barclays Center, bringing many more unforgettable moments to our ring.”

“Premier Boxing Champions is excited to call Barclays Center its official East Coast home,” said Tim Smith, vice president of communications for Haymon Sports, which oversees PBC. “Barclays Center has become synonymous with superb boxing events and PBC is thrilled to continue its relationship with the arena and add to that growing legacy.”

Hot-prospect Ryan Garcia had to work out to pound out a 10-round majority decision over Carlos Morales in a lightweight bout at The Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California,

In round three, Morales was bleeding from his nose.

Garcia took most of the early rounds, but Morales showed his experience and landed several flush power punches down the stretch. It was too-little, too-late for Morales as Garcia took two cards by 98-92 tallies, while a 3rd card read even at 95-95.

Garcia, 134.4 lbs is now 16-0. Morales, 134.2 lbs of Los Angles is 17-3-3.

“Morales a great fighter, and this fight showed me what I need to work on,” said Ryan Garcia. “I felt it was closer than what the scorecards had. It was a great fight. I felt I could have done more. I got a little winded by the end, but Morales came to fight. I’m young, and time is on my side. I will work on my craft and will be ready for anybody. Much respect goes to Morales. He was a game fighter.”

“He [Garcia] was holding too much,” said Carlos Morales. “Overall I feel I gave a good performance. He was a tough opponent. He’s young and fast. He has some pop, but he doesn’t hit that hard. I felt I won the fight.”

Neeco Macias put on a punching display like none seen before as he overwhelmed Marvin Cabrera, and gained a stoppage after round six of their scheduled eight-round battle of previously undefeated super welterweight.

Macias had several rounds where threw an unheard-of 180-plus punches a round, and just dug his feet in the stand and continued throwing and landing relentlessly until Cabrera had enough after six rounds.

Despite all of the punches, Macias began to swell from his left eye in round five.

Macias, 153.8 lbs of Lancaster, CA is 17-0 with 10 knockouts. Cabrera, 154 lbs of Los Angeles is now 8-1.

Macias landed 315 of a staggering 1119 punches. Cabrera landed 97 of 355.

“I have a great team. I’m was the quintessential underdog, but miracles do happen,” said Neeco Macias. “A big thanks goes to Marvin Cabrera. I had to bring my best because I knew I was fighting him. I was just warming up in there. I took this style from the amateurs but now it’s eight rounds instead of three!”

Patrick Teixeira outworked Nathaniel Gallimore en route to an eight-round unanimous decision in an middleweight bout.

In round four, Teixeira was cut on his forehead from an accidental headbutt. Teixeira suffered and 2nd cut around his left eye.

Teixeira, 155.6 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA won by scores of 78-74 on all cards, and is now 29-1. Gallimore, 155.8 lbs of Evanston, IL is 20-3-2.

“It was a good fight, but I have to get better,” said Patrick Teixeira. “He was a tough opponent. I want a title next. I have to work hard for that. I will stay in Oxnard, California and keep training.”

Teixeira landed 160 of 593 punches. Gallimore was 76-357.

Kevin Ventura won a six-round unanimous decision over Eduardo Reyes in a lightweight bout.

Ventura dominated the bout was his length and boy work. Reyes was deducted a point in round six for low blows.

Ventura, 134.2 lbs of Omaaha, NEB won by scores of 59-54 twice and 58-55, and is now 10-0. Reyes, 135 lbs of Tamauipas, EX is 9-15.

Ventura landed 139 of 436 punches. Reyes was 64 of 331.

“I hurt my right hand in the second round,” said Kevin Ventura. “It hurt too much to throw. I would have easily knocked him out if it weren’t for the injury. He was eating the right hands all night.”

Alex Rincon stopped Osbaldo Gonzalez in round three of their scheduled six-round middleweight contest.

Rincon pounded the body of Gonzalez, and finished him off in round three with a hard left that drove Gonzalez back that was followed by another left and combination. The bout was stopped at 2:23.

Rincon, 1554. lbs of Dallas, TX is 5-0 with all wins coming by stoppage. Gonzalez, 157.8 lbs of Tulsa, OK is 6-3.

“I felt good. I let people see what I’m made of,” said Alex Rincon. “I enjoy picking my shots, and I landed some really clean blows. All the glory goes to God for this victory.”

Thomas Oosthuizen won a 12-round majority decision over Thabiso Mchunu in a cruiserweight bout at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, South Africa.

Oosthuzien, 195.6 lbs won by scores of 115-113 twice and 114-114, to raise his mark to 28-1-2. Mchunu, 197.7 lbs is 19-5.

Ryno Liebenberg stopped Alfonso Tissen in round five of their scheduled 12-round super middleweight bout.

In round five, Liebenger landed a hard right hand that hurt Tissen. With Tissen in trouble, Liebenberg landed a barrage of flush punches that forced the stoppage at 1:48.

Liebenberg, 167.9 lbs is 19-6 with 13 knockouts. Tissen, 167.3 lbs is 12-3-2.

Michael Mokena got off the deck to come back to stop Lusanda Komanisi in round four of their scheduled 10-round lightweight bout.

Komanisi dropped Mokoena in round one with a big uppercut.

In round four, Mokoena landed a booming right and left that sent Koanisi down. Komanisi staggered as he got to his feet, and the bout was stopped at 48 seconds.

Mokoena, 134.9 lbs is 13-2 with eight knockouts. Komanisi, 1332. lbs is 21-5.

Keaton Gomes stops Tshilidzi Mulaudzi in round one of their scheduled four-round cruiserweight bout.

Gomes landed a hard right hand that hurt Mulaudzi. Gomes followed up by landing a barrgae of hard punches, and the bout was stopped at 2:23.

Gomes, 196 lbs is 2-0 with 2-0 two knockouts. Mulaudzi, 194.1 lbs is 0-2.

Coram Ray won a six-round unanimous decision over Jade Karam in a middleweight bout.

Karam, 159.2 lbs won by scores 59-55 and is now 5-0. Karam is 9-9-2.

According to Dan Rafael, the 2nd season of the World Boxing Super Series Cruiserweight tournament has announced it;s field.

The quarterfinal bouts were also announced with the top four fighters being seeded. Fight sites and dates are to be announced.

No. 1 seed Mairis Briedis (24-1,18 KOs), of Latvia, will face Germany’s Noel Mikaelian (23-1, 10 KOs), of Germany; No. 2 Yunier Dorticos (22-1, 21 KOs), a Cuban defector fighting out of Miami, Florida, will meet Mateusz Masternak (41-4, 28 KOs), of Poland; No. 3 Krzysztof Glowacki (30-1, 19 KOs), a former world titlist from Poland, will square off with Maksim Vlasov (42-2, 25 KOs), of Russia; and

No. 4 Ruslan Fayfer (23-0, 16 KOs), of Russia, will take on Floyd Mayweather-promoted Andrew Tabiti (16-0, 13 KOs), a Chicago native fighting out of Las Vegas.

“We have an amazing lineup with eight worthy challengers that rival last season’s sensational quality,” promoter Kalle Sauerland, the chief boxing officer for tournament owner Comosa AG. “Cruiserweight is one of the most exciting divisions. Just look at last season’s unbelievable matchups. So we are looking forward to a new season.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, a cruierweight title bout between undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk and Tony Bellew is close to being finalized.

“Alexander (Krassyuk) and Eddie (Hearn) have been negotiating and I spoke to Alexander and they’re getting very close and most likely it’s going to be completely done (later this week or next week),” Usyk Manager Egis Klimas said. “They’re looking in November.”

“Usyk is a road warrior,” Klimas said. “‘Road Warrior’ Usyk.”

“Bellew made a very good comment,” Klimas said. “He said, ‘Why do I need Usyk in the heavyweight division? He has no name in the heavyweight division. I’d rather come down to the cruiserweight division because there are four titles involved.'”

“(The tournament organizers) hope we will be releasing the titles. We’re not planning to do that,” Klimas said. “We’re going to fight Bellew.”

“(If) Andre Ward wants to come back as a cruiserweight, Andre Ward and Usyk would be a perfect fight. A perfect fight,” Klimas said. “But right now we’re trying to make Usyk and Bellew.”

GLENDALE, Ariz. –Ray Beltran is known for going the distance. Any distance. But this time it was too long. Two rounds too long.

Jose Pedraza ended Beltran’s short reign as the World Boxing Organization’s lightweight champion, scoring a knockdown Saturday night with a left uppercut in the 11^th round and a blitz of undefended punches in an emphatic finish to the bout in the 12^th.

On the scorecards, there was never a doubt. Pedraza was 117-110, 115-112, 117-110 winner over Beltran, the favorite of a lively Gila River Arena crowd of nearly 5,000.

“We did everything that we needed to do to win this fight,’’ said Pedraza (25-2, 12 KOs), a switch-hitting Puerto Rican who cut Beltran (35-8-1, 21 KOs) above the left eye in an early round and endured his brawling power in the later round. “We followed the game plan perfectly. I knew how tough this fight was going to be and at moments it got very difficult, but thanks to the focus and the guidance from my corner, we were able to win round by round and get the win.”

For Pedraza, the victory means a probable date on December 1 against pound-for-pound contender Vasiliy Lomachenko, who has been on the mend from shoulder surgery.

“Now I can talk about the future,’’ Pedraza said.  “I want to unify the division. I want to battle against all the champions. I want the big names. Bring Lomachenko! I have the perfect style to beat him.”

He might, he just might, said Top Rank promoter Bob Arum.

“He beat a very, very tough guy with a very, very cerebral fight,’’ Arum said. “He believes he has the style to beat Lomachenko.’’

For the 37-year-old Beltran, the future was not so certain. However, Arum said the Phoenix lightweight intends to keep on fighting. Anything else would have been surprise. Beltran, a Mexican, has never been the retiring type, not in his career or his ongoing quest of green card.

“As far as the future, it’s too early to tell,’’ said Beltran, who entered the ring with Phoenix Hall of Famer Michael Carbajal. “This fight, I think was tough and very close.

“The knockdown was the difference.’’

Dogboe delivers royal statement, scores first-round stoppage

There’s royalty in the blood and power in the hands.

Phoenix super-bantamweight Carlos Castro has a new deal and the same record. He was unbeaten when he signed with Top Rank. Castro (21-0, 9 KOs) is still unbeaten, winning the deal’s debut — a unanimous decision Mexican Diuhl Olguin (12-12-2, ( KOS) in front of a hometown crowd at Gila River on a card featuring Beltran-Pedraza.

Lozado struggles to a dull draw

Mexican lightweight Antonio Lozada Jr (40-2-1, 34 KOs) couldn’t sustain much of anything long enough over eight rounds in and-up down bout fight with Hector Ambriz (12-7-2, also of Mexico. It was dull. It was also a draw. It’s not clear what’s next for Lozada. Top Ranks hopes to put him in against Teofimo Lopez.

Phoenix featherweight De Vaca wins gutsy decision

Phoenix featherweight Francisco De Vaca (19-0, 6 KOs) had less power, but more resiliency than Mexican Jesus Serrano (17-7-2, 12 KOs) in crowd-pleasing featherweight brawl. De Vaca, who had ex-Oscar De La Hoya trainer Pedro Alcazar in his corner, prevailed, winning a decision that was gritty as it was unanimous.

AZ bantamweight Macias strikes with huge KO punch

It didn’t take long for some Arizona punch to be added to the mix. Breenan Macias (3-0, 2 KOs), a Goodyear, AZ, bantamweight trained by Robert Garcia, delivered it, a right hand that landed, 10 proof, in the final second of the third round.. Philip Adyaka (7-12, 4 KOs), of St Paul, Minn, never recovered. He was dazed and done, officially stopped at 3:00 of the third.

Trevor McCumby wins TKO
Phoenix light-heavyweight Trevor McCumby (24-0-0-1, 18 KOs)continued the AZ theme, overwhelming Jessie Nicklow with punches that fell like rain out of micro-burst storm. With a defenseless NIcklow (27-9-3, 9 KOs), Baltimore, slumping in a neutral corner, the referee stopped it at 40 seconds of the third round.

Beltran-Pedraza card heats up AZ with first bell

An empty, cool arena was a refuge from the desert’s soaring temperatures, but it was no escape for junior-welterweight Sagadat Rakhmankul and Christian Aquirre, who began to heat things up at Gila River Saturday afternoon in the first fight on a card featuring Ray Beltran and Jose Pedraza.

Rakhmankul (3-0, 1 KO), a Kazak managed by Vasiliy Lomachenko manager Egis Klimas, landed repeated uppercuts against the wild swinging Aguirre (7-3, 3 KOs) of West, Valley, Utah. In the Rakhmankul got bloodied and a unanimous decision over Aquirre, who somehow remained upright in spite of a swing-for-the-fences style that left him spinning like a top.

Alvarez stopped Kovalev on August 4th in Atlantic City.

“Yes, he wants to have the rematch. There’s no other fight that he wants and there is no fight as big for him as the rematch,” Kovalev manager Egis Klimas said.

Miguel Berchelt will defend his 130 world title against Mickey Roman on November 3rd, and will streamed on ESPN+, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I have never shied away from him,” Berchelt said. “I fulfilled my previous commitments as a champion. We will simply face him and put Roman in his reality, back to where he should to be.

“Roman has spoken a lot, and it is time to teach him a lesson of humility and respect. We are going to knock him out, to tear off his head. I only hope to meet in the ring, and there he will feel my power.”

By Norm Frauenheim-

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Jose Pedraza looks at Ray Beltran and sees something he recognizes. Call it opportunity. There aren’t many. After nearly two decades, Beltran finally gets his chance to hear himself introduced as the defending champion.

Pedraza has experienced that moment. But it was fleeting. The belt was gone, almost faster than the celebration. But the lesson remains. This time, Pedraza hopes to take a title that will stick around for a while, too.

“I feel very fortunate,” said Pedraza (24-1, 12 KOs), who will attempt to take the World Boxing Organization’s lightweight title from Beltran (35-7-1, 21 KOs) tonight on ESPN at Gila River Arena. “This is a great opportunity and I am going to take full advantage of it. Everything happens at the right time.”

Both fighters made weight Friday. Pedraza was ta 134.4 pounds; Beltran at 134.6

Pedraza, a former junior-lightweight champion, created a mild buzz this week with an impressive public workout at Hall of Famer Michael Carbajal’s 9th Street Gym in downtown Phoenix. He looked agile, athletic and mobile enough to give the 37-year-old Beltran some trouble, especially if the bout goes into the later rounds. Above all, Pedraza has the advantage of youth. He’s 29.

“Another world title would mean a lot to me because not everybody gets the opportunity to be a two-time champion,” said Pedraza, a Puerto Rican who won’t be the favorite of Mexican and Mexican-American fans expected to be in the crowd for Beltran.

Pedraza has won two fights since his lone loss by stoppage to Gervonta Davis in January, 2017. Since then, he’s won two fights and watched his home island struggle to come back from Hurricane Maria.

“For the island, a victory would mean a lot too because we need happiness and positive vibes,’’ he said. “After the first loss, I kept training but the opportunities didn’t come and then Hurricane Maria happened, so that stalled things even more. So, we had to wait to get back in the ring.”

Early signs indicate he can’t wait to step back through those ropes. For the experienced Beltran, that probably means aggressiveness early in an attempt at stoppage before perhaps the eighth. If the bout goes into the final four rounds, Pedraza’s younger legs might carry him to a scorecard victory.

The ESPN telecast includes WBO super-bantamweight champion Isaac Dogboe (19-0, 12 KOs) against Hidenori Otake (31-2-3, 14 KOs) of Japan. At Friday’s weigh-in Dogboe was 121.0 pounds; Otake 121.4. The ESPN telecast is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET).

The undercard will begin at 3:30 p.m. PT. It can be seen on ESPN+.

Jamal James stopped Mahonry Montes in round two of a scheduled ten-round welterweight bout at the Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In round two, James landed a perfect left to the body that had Montes rolling in pain on the canvas and the fight was over at 2:58.

James, 145 lbs of Minneapolis, MN is 24-1 with 11 knockouts. Montes, 147 lbs of Los Mochis, MEX is 35-8-1.

“I came out here to make a statement and I’m even happier to be able to do it right here at home,” said James. “The support in Minnesota is amazing and it gave me the extra motivation to get the job done in spectacular fashion. Everyone knows I attack the body and tonight I was able to use it to get the finish”

“I feel like I’m ready for the elite welterweights and tonight proved it again,” said James. “I’m going to keep working hard and taking down anyone they put in front of me. It’s time for me to make my mark in the division.”

In a battle of former world title challengers, Willie Monroe, Jr. won a 10-round unanimous decision over Javier Maciel.

Monroe, 161 3/4 lbs of Rochester, NY won by scores of 100-90 twice and 99-91 ,and is now 23-3. Maciel, 161 3/4 lbs of Argentina is 33-7.

In one of the weirdest occurrences in boxing, heavyweight Curtis Harper simply walked out of the ring just after the bell sounded for his bout with Efe Ajagba.

When the bell rang, Harper walked out of the ring like it was no big deal, and the official result was a disqualification win for Ajagba after one second.

Ajagba is now 6-0. Harper is 13-6.

Jeison Rosario won a ten-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Jamontay Clrk in a super welterweight bout.

In round three, Rosario landed a big right hand that knocked Clark down and out of the ring. Clark beat the count. Rosario continued to land crush blows that had Clark bleeding from his nose and mouth. Rosario continued to pound away on Clark until the final bell.

Rosario of the Dominican Republic won by scores of 99-90, 98-91 and 97-92 to raise his mark to 16-1-1. Clark of Cincinnati, OH is 13-1.

Eimantas Stanionis won an eight-round unanimous decision over Levan Ghvamichava in a welterweight bout.

Stanionis, 149 lbs of Lithunania won by scores of 80-72 and 79-73 twice, and is now 7-0. Ghvamichva, 149 lbs of the Republic of Georgia is 18-4-1.

Sebastian Fundora stopped Antnio Urista in round four of their scheduled eight-round junior middleweight bou.

In round three, Urista began to bleed from the nose. In round four, the towering 6’6″ Fundora continued continued the beatdown, and the fight was stopped at 2:23.

Fundora, 154 lbs of Cochella, CA is 10-0 with six knockouts. Urista, 155 lbs of Lansing, MI is 10-3.

Leon Lawson III won a six-round unanimous decision over Brandon Adams in a junior middleweight bout.

Lawson, 152 3/4 lbs won by scores of 60-54 on all cards, and is now 8-0. Adams, 151 3/4 lbs of Oakland, CA is 4-7-1.

Efetober Apochi stopped Aaron Chavers in the 1st round of their scheduled six-round cruiserweight bout.

Apochi dominated and battered Chavers all over the ring and the fight wa stopped at 2:24.

Apochi of Houston, TX is 5-0 with five knockouts. Chavers of Oklahoma City is 8-6-1.

Antonio Russell needed just 78 seconds to dispose of Nick Otieno in their scheduled six-round super bantamweight bout.

Russell landed a left hand that sent Otieno down on his back for the ten count.

Russell, 118 1/2 lbs of Washington, DC is 12-0 with 10 knockouts. Otieno, 121 1/2 lbs of Nairobi, Kenya is 31-15.

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Featherweight champion Oscar Valdez Jr., is expected to undergo a physical exam next week to determine if his jaw is strong enough for a comeback fight in December or January, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said Thursday.

Valdez, the World Boxing Organization’s 126-pound champion, suffered a fracture to the jaw in a bloody decision over Scott Quigg on March 10 in the rain at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.

“We’re very optimistic,’’ Arum said after a news conference for Saturday night’s ESP-televised card featuring WBO lightweight champion Ray Beltran-versus-Jose Pedraza at Gila River Arena. “We just want to make sure that Oscar is at 100 percent.’’

Valdez (24-0, 19 KOs), a two-time Mexico Olympian who went to school in Tucson, underwent surgery for the fracture he sustained midway through the brutal 12-round fight.

Ten days ago, Valdez announced that he was leaving trainer Manny Robles for Eddy Reynoso, who trains Canelo Alvarez.

If Valdez is cleared to fight in December or January, he is expected to test the jaw a tune-up. If the jaw holds up, Arum then hopes to have him fight Carl Frampton of Belfast later next year.