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.

Newly minted junior lightweight champion Tevin Farmer will defend his title against James Tennyson on October 20th in Boston, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The fight will be stream on DAZN.

“Tevin wanted to be an active champion and fight as often as possible and the deal we were able to work out with Eddie (Hearn) was very favorable to Tevin’s career,” Farmer promoter Lou DiBella told ESPN. “Tennyson will make for an interesting clash of styles. He’s a big puncher, Tevin is a supreme boxer. It should be a fun fight.”

Benjy Esteves will be the 3rd man in the ring for the Canelo Alvarez – Gennady Golovkin rematch on Seotember 15tth in Las Vegas, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

Originally Tony Weeks was named, but Golovkin’s camp baled at that selection. Both camps agreed on Robert Byrd, but Byrd’s wife Adelaide had a controversial scorecard in the 1st bout, so the Nevada Athletic Commission settled on Esteves.

The judges for the bout will be Steve Weisfeld, Glenn Feldman and Dave Moretti.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler strenuously objected to Weeks as a possible referee for the fight. The reason was because of an issue that Abel Sanchez, Golovkin’s trainer, has with Weeks stemming from his work in a December fight in Las Vegas between junior lightweight Denis Shafikov, whom Sanchez trains, and Rene Alvarado.

“Tony was giving the prefight instructions in the dressing room, and Abel was trying to clarify something,” Loeffler told ESPN following the commission meeting. “The gist of it was Abel didn’t agree with some of the instructions Tony was giving, so he didn’t feel comfortable with Tony in this fight. When Abel voiced that to me last night, I told Eric, and I made it clear to the commission that we have nothing against Weeks. If they want to assign him to a different fight on the show, no problem. It was just the [main event] Abel had a problem with.”

“Benjy is very experienced and fast in the ring,” Loeffler said. “The main objective from both sides is to focus on the fighters, not the officials. We have accomplished that going into the fight. Neither side has an issue with the officials.”

“We’re very pleased,” Golden Boy Promotions Eric Gomez told ESPN. “They are the top guys with the most experience, and that is what we want. We have no issue with Benjy whatsoever. What we want [is for] everyone to be comfortable with the officials. We don’t want any controversy with the officials, and we don’t want any excuses after the fight, and I think we achieved that today. I understand Tom’s position about Weeks. We had the list of potential referees two weeks back and then it got changed [Tuesday] night, so it was of concern.”

Shavkatzhon Rakhimov disposed of Robinson Castellanos in under two-rounds to retain is IBO Super Featherweight title in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Rakhimov dropped Casteallanos in the 1st round with a straight left hand. castellanos could not get out of the way of that punch as it was straight lefts that dropped him three more times in round two and the bout was stopped at 1:39.

Rakhimov, 129.8 lbs of Ekaterinburg, Russia is 13-0 with 10 knockouts. Castellanos, 129.1 lbs of Celaya, Mexico is 24-14.

Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov stopped Victor Alejandro Gonzalez in the 1st round of their scheduled 10-round super featherweight bout.

Yaqubov, 129.6 lbs of Saint Petersburg, Russia is 12-0 with eight knockouts. Gonzalez, 128.7 lbs of Ciudad, Mexico is 18-2.

Magomed Kurbanov won a 10-round unanimous decision over Charles Munyai in a super welterweight bout.

Kurbanov, 156.5 lbs of Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia is now 15-0. Munyi, 155.3 lbs of Masvino, Zimbabwe is 22-4-1.

Eduard Skavynksi won a 10-round unanimous decision over Oleksandr Ivanov in a bloody welterweight bout.

Both guys were cut around the eyes.

In round nine, Skavynskyi dropped Ivanov. Ivanov was awarded a knockdown when Skaavynki’s glove touched the canvas. Ivan was then docked a point for using his head.

Skavynski, 146.2 lbs of Ekaterinburg, Russia is now 9-0. Ivanov, 146.6 lbs of Podolsk, Russia is 15-4.

2016 Olympic Gold Medal winner Evgeny Tischenko won his pro debut by stopping William Ocando in round five of a six round heavyweight bout.

Tischenko battered Ocando on the ropes when the fight was stopped.

Tischenko, 213.4 lbs of Belgrind, Russia is 1-0 with one knockout. Ocando, 201.7 lbs of Caracas, Venezuela is 19-7.

Bryant Jennings got off the deck to come back and stop Alexander Dimitrenko in round nine of the their scheduled 12-round heavyweight bout at The Ocean Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey

In round four, Dimitrenko put Jennings on the canvas with a hard right to the head.

In round eight, Jennings landed a perfect left hook that buckled and eventually put Dimitrenko on the canvas. Jennings ended things in the next round when Jennings landed a booming uppercut that dropped Dimitrenko, and the fight was stopped immediately at 1:56.

Jennings, 225 lbs of Philadelphia is now 24-2 with 14 knockouts. Dimitrenko, 257 lbs of Hamburg, GER is 41-4.

“I was prepared for a tough 12 rounds,” Jennings said. “I did what I had to do. I was in great shape. He’s a big dude. He’s not as slow as I thought. I made adjustments, and I got the job done.”

Said Dimitrenko: “I wanted to continue the fight. I don’t know why the referee stopped it.”

Jesse Hart made his case for a rematch with Gilberto Ramirez with a 3rd round stoppage over Mike Gavronski in a scheduled ten-round super middleweight bout.

In round three, Hart dropped Gavronski with a jab that was followed by a booming right hand. Seconds, later, it was another crushing right that sent Gavronski down, and the fight was stopped at 52 seconds.

Hart, 168 lbs of Philadelphia is 25-1 with 21 knockouts. Gavrnski, 166.5 lbs of Tacoma, WA is 24-3-1.

“When I looked at his eyes after the first knockdown, he got real scared,” Hart said. “He started holding, grabbing. With a guy like that, he got real scared. He was fighting for survival. There’s a difference between fighting to win and fighting for survival.

“{Ramirez is} who I want. Give me a chance to redeem myself. He’s talking about going up to 175. Why? I’m right here! Come on, man. Stop with the excuses. I’m right here in front of you.”

Shakur Stevenson remained undefeated by winning an eight-round unanimous decision over Carlos Ruiz in a featherweight bout.

Stevenson, 127 lbs of Newark, NJ won by scores of 80-72 on all cards, and is now 8-0. Ruiz, 126 lbs of Mexico City, MEX is 16-5-2.

“It was a good performance against a tough guy,” Stevenson said. “I did what I had to do and made it easy. He showed me some things in there. I boxed him and didn’t take any unnecessary chances. We’re looking forward to the next one.”

Christian Carto remained undefeated by winning an eight-round unanimous decision over Javier Gallo in a bantamweight bout.

Carto, 120 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 80-71, 80-72 and 79-73, and is now 16-0. Gallo, 119 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 25-16-1.

“I was looking for {the knockout}, but it didn’t come,” Carto said. “Next time, I need to set shots up instead of loading up on one big one.”

Thomas LaManna won an eight-round unanimous decision over Matthew Strode in a super welterweight bout.

The two waged a war on the inside with each getting in some clean shots.

In round five, LaManna scored a knockdown with a right hand to the top of the head. In round eight, Strode was deducted a point for hitting in the back of the head.

LaManna, 150 lbs of Milville, NJ won by scores of 79-71 on all cards, and is now 26-2-1. Strode, 149.5 lbs of Marion, SC is 25-7.

Joseph Adorno remained perfect by stopping Augustine Mauras in round one of their scheduled six-round lightweight bout.

Adorno dropped Mauras with a hard left that followed by a vicious combination. Mauras was hurt and Adorno jumped on him. Adorno landed about 10 hard shots that forced the referee to step in at 1:39.

Adorno, 133 lbs of Allentown, PA is 9-0 with 9 knockouts. Mauras, 130.5 lbs of Lawrence, MA is 6-5-3.

“I’ve been working for five weeks. We had a great game plan,” Adorno said. “He’s gone the distance with tough fighters, and we knew it would be a tough fight. The hard work showed tonight.”

Oleksandr Teslenko remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Avery Gibson in a heavyweight bout.

In round one, Teslenko dropped Gibson with a right hand.

Teslenko, 216.5 lbs of Toronto, CAN won by scores of 58-55, 59-54 and 60-53, and is now 14-0. Gibson, 247.5 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is 9-9-4.

Former 130-pound champion Jason Sosa (21-3-4, 15 KOs) got back in the win column with a unanimous decision against Reynaldo Blanco (14-5, 8 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Sosa knocked down Blanco twice in the eighth round and prevailed by scores of 78-70, 77-72, and 79-69.

Carl Frampton reatined the WBO Interim Featherweight title with a 9th round stoppage over previously undefeated Luke Jackson at Windsor Park in Dublin, Ireland.

In round two, Frampton began to bleed from his right eye. In round five, Jackson started t bleed from his nose.

In round eight, Frampton dumped Jackson with a left hook to the body. In round nine, Frampton landed another vicious body shot that was followed up by hard right that forced Jackson’s corner to throw in the towel at 1:@1.

Frampton of Dublin is now 26-1 with 15 knockouts. Jackson of Australia is 16-1.

“This was unreal,” Frampton said. “The atmosphere was special, the crowd was fantastic and they made my dream come true. It was unbelievable from start to finish.

Tyson Fury tuned up for a Fall showdown with Deontay Wilder with a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Francisco Pianeta.

The bout turned into not much more than a sparring session as Fury picked Pianeta apart from the outside, and occasionally worked om the inside by featuring an uppercut om the ropes with very little resistance from Pianeta.

Fury of Machester, England won by a 100-90 score, and is now 27-0. Pianeta is 35-5-1

“I think it was a calculated boxing performance, as promised,” said Fury, who was fighting for just the second time in nearly three years. “We were able to get 10 good rounds in with a tough man. I was working on my boxing, trying to slip and slide, use the jab and get the rounds in. I was very happy with the performance.

“It’s no secret I need the rounds. I need to prove that I can go 10 rounds and have plenty left in the tank, and I did that tonight.”

After the fight, Wilder entered the ring to announce that the two undefeated heavyweights have agreed to a 2018 showdown for Wilder’s WBC title. A date and venue for the event, which will be produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV, will be announced shortly.

“We’re ready now,” Wilder said during the post-fight interview. “This fight will happen. It’s on. This fight is official. This is what we’ve been waiting for, the best fighting the best.

“There’s one thing Tyson Fury has never had. He’s won a lot of belts but he’s never had the WBC belt. If he ever even thinks about having this belt he better wake up and apologize to me because it will never happen. I can’t wait to fight you because I am going to knock you out. This I promise you. Every man who has ever stepped in the ring with me, I’ve knocked them out in devastating fashion. You’ve never been knocked out, but you’re going to feel the experience of what it’s like to be hit by the Bronze Bomber.”

The 6-foot-9 Fury, who never lost his titles in the ring, will now face the 6-foot-7 Wilder, who has 39 knockouts in his 40 professional fights.

“We are two men who will fight anybody,” Fury said. “This man has been trying to make a big fight with the other chump, I think we all know who I’m talking about. They called, I answered. I said to send the contract, they sent me the contract. I said yes. And now he gets his chance to fight the linear heavyweight champion of the world.

“My promise is that when we go to Las Vegas, I’m knocking you out.”

Greg Vandetti won a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Yoshihiro Kamegai in a junior middleweight bout.

In round five, Kamegai began to swell under the left eye.

In round six, Kamegai began to bleed from the nose.

Vandetti, 153.2 lbs of Stoneham, MA won by scores of 98-92 twice and 97-93 to go to 20-2-1. Kamegai, 153.4 lbs of Tokyo, JPN is 27-5-2.

Luis Feliciano stopped Jonathan Fortuna in round five of a scheduled eight-round welterweight bout.

Feliciano dropped Fortuna twice in round five with body shots and the fight was stopped at 2:38.

Feliciano, 141.4 lbs of Utuado, PR is 8-0 with five stoppages. Fortuna, 141.2 lbs of Santo Doningo, DR is 6-2.

Anthony Reyes won a four-round unanimous decision over Luis Montellano in a super bantamweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Reyes, 119.8 lbs of Cochella, CA and is now 3-0. Montellano, 119.6 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 0-3-1.

Former Super Bantamweight champion Jessie Magdaleno has re-signed with promoter Top Rank, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Jessie has consistently been in thrilling contests, including against Nonito Donaire and Isaac Dogboe. His style makes him must-watch TV,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef told ESPN on Wednesday. “We believe that there are many compelling matches that will excite the fans as he looks to secure another title shot.”

“We sat down and talked with Top Rank and they gave us a better contract than the last one. We negotiated it and here we are back with Top Rank,” manager Frank Espinoza said. “We weren’t looking to go anywhere else. Top Rank took Jessie to a world championship and I believe he can still be a world champion. Things have been going good with Top Rank. We have a good relationship and we and wanted to re-up, and there was an offer and we took it.”

“He’s going to stay at 122 (pounds),” Espinoza said. “We want to fight Dogboe again. He believes he can beat him. That’s the fight we would like to fight.”

“Jessie has been working out with Salas in Las Vegas. He’s been in the gym,” Espinoza said. “Now it’s time to get ready for a fight and get back what’s his.”

Featherweight champion Oscar Valdez will switch trainers from Manny Robles to Eddy Reynoso, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I want to thank Manny Robles and his whole team for everything they have done for me over the last few years, but like everything in life, changes are sometimes needed to move forward, Valdez said. “I’m very grateful to them for their friendship and all they have taught me.”

Frank Espinoza, Valdez’s career-long manager, echoed his fighter’s sentiments.

“We are very grateful for everything that Manny Robles and his team did for Oscar, but as we move forward to bigger challenges in Oscar’s career, we felt as a team that Eddy Reynoso is better suited for what is ahead,” Espinoza said.

“This is a challenge for me because Oscar Valdez is a great fighter, and one of my goals is to work on what’s necessary to make him a complete fighter,” Reynoso said. “I think Oscar will bring out the best of me as a trainer, while I will bring the best out of him as a world champion and as a representative of Mexico.”

“As a boxer you have to [be] able to develop as much as you can, and I believe that this change to Eddy Reynoso will help me become an even better all-around boxer and fighter,” Valdez said. “I want to be one of the best fighters in the world and leave the best legacy that I can in boxing, and I will always work hard to achieve the greatness that I seek.”

Greg Cohen Promotions won the purse bid to stage the WBA Middleweight title bout between champion Ryota Murata and Rob Brant, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Cohen, who promotes Brant, was the only promoter to show up at the purse bid, which took place at the WBA offices in Panama City, Panama, and he won with an offer of $202,114 — $200,000 was the minimum bid allowed. He cited Oct. 27 as the fight date with locations potentially being New York, Atlantic City, New Jersey or Minneapolis (Brant’s home turf).

Murata won’t participate in the bout, as co-promoters Top Rank and Teiken Boxing declined to bid. They were upset that the WBA granted Brant a 50-50 split of the winning purse bid, which is a highly unusual cut for a challenger. Typically, the split would be 70-30 in favor of the titleholder.

With Murata not going through with the fight against Brant, he likely will either vacate the second-tier 160-pound title — Gennady Golovkin holds the main WBA belt — or be stripped.

Either way, Murata will fight on Oct. 20 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas and headline a Top Rank on ESPN+ card, Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN.

“We elected not to bid on the fight, and neither did Teiken, so Greg Cohen was the only bidder on the fight, but Murata will be fighting Oct. 20. That’s all I can tell you,” Moretti said.

“The 50-50 was agreed to by all parties, and nobody objected at the time,” Cohen told ESPN from Panama City. “I can only control my actions. We’ve been part of this process [since] early 2017. Everybody was aware of the terms. The 50 percent has been out there. We went forward, we won the bid. It’s unfortunate if they don’t want to do the fight, but Rob Brant will be fighting for the WBA title in his next fight. We’d like it to be against Murata, but if it’s not against Murata, it will be against the next-highest-rated available contender.”

PHOENIX – Forgettable belt. Forgettable fight.

On a night when Don King’s arrival was the most memorable moment, Trevor Bryan and BJ Flores stumbled through an abbreviated heavyweight bout Saturday that they won’t want to remember. It was for a throwaway title. Interim is supposed to be temporary. At least, that’s what Webster’s says. Not sure that the World Boxing Association understands that part of the definition.

But whatever the Bryan-Flores bout at Celebrity Theatre was, it wasn’t temporary enough. Four rounds felt like forever.

Flores (34-4-1, 21 KOs) who looked every bit of his 39 years, appeared to be fatigued after the second. Truth is, he was finished. But that would not become official until after the former cruiserweight contender was knocked down six times over the next two rounds. Actually, there could have been a seventh, but it was ruled to have happened within a split second after the bell sounded an end to third. Six? Seven? It could have been 17 for all that it mattered.

Fortunately, it ended in a TKO at 2:56 of the fourth round.

Unfortunately, the show still had way to go.

King got s lively crowd buzzing when he arrived at ringside clutching countless flags, wearing a fading denim jacket with sequins the color of his gray hair and an interim belt for the winner.

King, who sat through one undercard fight, signing autographs and posing for photos with anybody who asked, climbed through the ropes with WBA officials and gave the interim piece of plastic-and-tin to Bryan (20-0, 14 KOs), who is now one of three heavyweights with a WBA title.

For Bryan, interim means stepping stone. He hopes to fight the winner of Fres Oqendo’s challenge of secondary WBA belt holder Manuel Charr on Sept. 29.

“Then, it’s across the pond for AJ,’’ Bryan said of the UK’s Anthony Joshua, the only WBA champion anybody really knows.

For King, the interim belt represented just another move among the many he has made throughout his years among so many of boxing’s greatest names. It’s believed this maneuver cost him $10,000. That’s the guesstimate for the fee he paid the WBA to sanction another made-up belt.

“I love Phoenix,’’ said King, who will turn 87 on August 20. “I’m the people’s promoter. We have a new heavyweight champion.’’

King also said something about a Freedom Foundation and he mentioned the President, presumably Donald Trump, his friend and former business partner.

It was hard to know what he was talking about. Then again, it was hard to know what to make of what had happened within the ropes. Let’s just hope it is as temporary as interim is supposed to be.

Best of the Undercard

They were big, show-biz big with enough power to do it again. In fact, heavyweights Dante Stone (1-1) of Chandler, Ariz., and Waldo Cortez Acosta (2-2, 1 KO) of Phoenix agreed to do it a third time after a slam-bang brawl and some comic-POW in a rematch.

Stone, who might have been the best heavyweight on the card Saturday night, won the sequel, avenging a defeat in the first bout with a couple of knockdowns in the third round. Acosta roared back in the fourth, but the knockdowns were too much to overcome. Stone won a split decision and then celebrated by telling promoter Robert Vargas that he wants trilogy. No argument from Acosta.

The Rest

Trini Ochoa (3-0-1, 1 KO), a junior-welterweight and a crowd favorite from Mesa, withstood some rocky moments while landing rib-rocking body shots for a unanimous decision over Mexican Arturo Izaguirre (1-1).

Super-middleweight Roberto Yong (6-14-2, 4 KOs)survived some late fury from Fidel Hernandez (19-5, 10 KOs), winning majority decision in a battle of Phoenix rivals.

Mesa flyweight Luis Espinoza (9-1, 3 KOs) scored two first-round knockdowns and then held on from a decision – unanimous, yet close — over Mexican Christian Raudry (3-6-1, 3 KOs).

Mesa junior-welterweight Jesus Ibarra (5-0, 3 KOs) calls himself Monsoon. Don’t blink. The Ibarra storm swamped Mexican Enrique Almada (0-2) within second after the opening bell for a quick KO.

El Paso welterweight Isaac Luna (2-0) patiently and deliberately landed most of the punches in. workman-like decision over Erick Montoya of Chandler.

Derrick Webster stopped Les Sherrington in round eight of their scheduled 10-round super middleweight bout at 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

In round eight, Webster turned up by landing a hard combination that was culminated by a right hook that sent Sherrington to the canvas. With Sherrington hurt, Webster jumped on his opponent and a big flurry made referee Gary Rosato stop the bout at 1:32.

Webster of Glassboro, NJ is 27-1 with 14 knockouts. Sherrington of Australia is 37-11.

Brandan Pizarro stopped Hector Merrengo in round two of their six round lightweight fight

In round one, Pizarro landed a hard combination that put Merrengo on the canvas. Merrengo went down in round two, and referee Steve Smoger stopped the bout at 1:32.

Pizarro of Philadelphia is 11-1 with 5 knockouts. Merrengo is 7-13-4.

Samuel Teah stopped Zack Ramsey in the 1st round of their scheduled six-round lightweight bout.

Teah dropped Ramsey with a body punch for referee Gary Rosato’s 10-count at 2:49.

Teah of Philadelphia 14-2-1 with 7 knockouts. Ramsey of Boston is 8-4.

Jeremy Cuevas stopped tough Deo Kizito in round five of their six-round lightweight bout.

Cuevas hit Kizito with everything and had him hurt several times throughout the bout.

The had a furious exchange in round three, where it looked Cuevas was on his way to stopping Kizito, but Kizito came back and with hard combinations of his own.

In round five, Cuevas dropped Kizito with a right hook and referee Steve Smoger stopped the bout at 2:02.

Cuevas of Philadelphia is 10-0 with eight knockout. Kizito of Washington, DC id 3-4.

Gadwin Rosa remained perfect by stopping Angel Albelo in round five of a scheduled six-round super feratherweight bout.

Rosa dropped Albelo in round five with a a left hook to the body. When Albelo reached his feet, he could not continue and the bout was halted at 2:05.

Rpsa of Ocala, FL is 7-0 with 6 knockouts. Albelo of Orlando, FL is 4-10.

Romuel Cruz and Jose Lopez fought to a four-round majority draw in a super bantamweight bout.

Both guys landed some hard shots during the fight. The judges saw the fight 39-37 for Cruz and 38-38 twice.

Cruz of Philadelphia is 2-0-1. Lopez of New York was making his pro debut.

Christian Tapia remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Israel Suarez in a super featherweight bout.

Tapia of Coamo won by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 cards and is now 5-0. Suarez of Luquillo, PR is 4-6-2.

Kenny Cruz won a six-round unanimous decision over Prince Badi Ajamu in a cruiserweight bout.

Cruz of Bayamon, PR won by scores of 59=55 twice, and 58-56 and is now 3-2-1. Ajamu of Camden, NJ is 28-5.

PHILADELPHIA–Tyrone Crawley, Jr. and Ricardo Garcia fought to an eight-round majority draw before a capacity crowd at SugarHouse Casino in a junior welterweight bout.

It seemed that Garcia was leading the action by landing combinations on the ropes. Crawley tried to keep the fight at the center of the ring by trying to lead with his left and flicking out the jab. Garcia dictated the action, but the judges did not see it that way as two of the voters saw the fight even at 76-76 and a 3rd judge had it 79-73 for Garcia.

Garcia, 140.7 lbs of Dominican Republic is 14-3-1. Crawley, Jr., 138.5 lbs of Philadelphia, PA 7-1-1.

Eric Moon won an eight-round unanimous decision over Christopher Brooker in a super middleweight bout.

Moon used quick combination that scored well over the second half of the fight that swelled the left eye of Brooker.

Moon, 167.9 lbs of Marieta, GA won by scores of 78-74 and 77-75 twice to raise his record to 8-1. Brooker, 169 lbs of Philadelphia is now 13-6.

Poindexter Knight remained undefeated by winning a six-round unanimous decision over Gregory Averil Young in a welterweight bout.

Knight was in control of the bout and then in round five with a powerful right hook. Knight landed several more hard shots, but was unable to finish him,.

Knight, 149.9 lbs of Philadelphia won on all cards by 60-53 tallies, and is now 5-0. Young, 147.4 lbs of Hoover, AL is 4-1.

Joshafat Ortiz stopped Javier Oquendo in round three of their scheduled six-round super featherweight bout featuring undefeated fighters.

It was a fast paced bout until Ortiz decked Oquendo with a perfect right hand. Oquendo was hurt, and Ortiz jumped on him, and after a hard flurry, the bout was stopped at 2:06.

Ortiz, 128.6 lbs of Reading, PA is 5-0 with three knockouts. Oquendo, 128.8 lbs of Philadelphia is 3-1.

Rasheed Johnson won a six-round unanimous decision over Tony Morris in a welterweight bout.

Morris was cut badly over his left eye in round three from a clash of heads, while Johnson was also cut but not as much.

Joshnson, 145.5 lbs of Philadelphia wwon by scores of 60-54 on all cards, and is now 4-2. Morris, 149.4 lbs of Jacksonville, FL is 4-2-1.

2016 U.S. Olympic Trials champion Paul Kroll made a successful pro debut by stopping DeAngelo Alcorn in the 1st round of their scheduled four-round welterweight bout.

Kroll scored one knockdown from a hard overhand right, and the bout was stopped at 2:33.

Kroll, 151.5 lbs of Philadelphia is 1-0 with 1 knockout. Alcorn, 150.8 lbs of Searcy, AR is 0-2.

Rasheen Brown looked sharp in his pro debut by winning a four-round unanimous decision over Bryann Perez in a super bantamweight bout.

Brown, 122.9 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 40-36 twice, and 39-37, and is now 1-0. Perez, 127.1 lbs from Dallas, TX is 2-11.

In a nice back and forth brawl, Nicoy Clarke won a majority decision over Jose Nunez in a heavyweight bout.

The fought hard on the inside throughout the bout, but Clarke landed the harder punches.

In round two, Nunez began to bleed from his nose.

Clarke, 209.4 lbs of Jersey City, NJ won by scores of 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38, and is now 2-1. Nunez, 216.2 lbs of Reading, PA was making his pro debut.

Super Middleweight Derrick Webster headlines nine-bout card on Saturday night at 2300 Arena in Philadelphia when he takes on Australian Les Sherington.

Other fighters to appear on the card are former world title challenger Eric Hunter as well as Philly favorites, Brandon Pizarro, Jeremy Cuevas, Samuel Teah and Prince Badi Ajamu.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, a heavyweight title bout is close to coming to fruition between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.

Rafael reported it after Showtime Sports President Stephen Espinoza on his weekly show called the Boxing Beat on ESPN+.

It is very, very close. There isn’t anything signed yet between Tyson and Deontay or their respective promoters, but it’s very, very close,” Espinoza said in an interview on this week’s The Boxing Beat, the weekly ESPN+ boxing news and interview show. “Whether it’s 95 percent or 99 percent, it is very, very close. I think we’ll have paperwork imminently and the plan is for a Showtime Pay-Per-View [card] — pair it with a really interesting fight. We don’t know what it is yet, but something that will definitely communicate that the fans are getting their money’s worth.”

“You have two big personalities like Tyson and Deontay. It’ll be a fun promotion because if there’s one thing those guys can each do it’s talk,” Espinoza said. “They’re two of the most entertaining guys in the entire sport, so I think not only will the fight be interesting but it’ll be a really fun promotion.”

“That was a disappointing one,” he said of Joshua-Wilder falling apart. “I know fans are disappointed as well, but I was pretty optimistic. I thought we were on our way to getting there.”

“That is arguably the biggest heavyweight fight since [Lennox] Lewis-[Mike] Tyson [in 2002] and even at that point it was at the tail end of Tyson’s career,” Espinoza said. “You’d have to go back even farther when you had two physically dominant, popular, charismatic heavyweight champions in their prime fighting each other. That’s one that we’re not going to let go, and I don’t think it’s going to take that much work to put it back together. Yes, there’s going to be some maneuvering to do it, but it can happen.”

115-pound beltholder Srisaket Sor Rungvisai will defend his title against unknown Iran Diaz on October 6th in Thailand, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I am excited to showcase my skills at home in Bangkok. As a world champion boxer, this is a rare opportunity for me to be able to compete in front of my people,” Sor Rungvisai said. “I will do my best to retain my title. I am very deep in preparations right now for one of the most significant bouts of my career.”

“World championship boxing has always been on the radar for One Championship,” said One Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong, whose Singapore-based company promotes various combat sports in Asia. “In Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, we have the perfect athlete to introduce the sport of boxing to the largest martial arts organization in the world.

“Sor Rungvisai embodies the fiery willpower of Thai martial arts. This is going to be the biggest event in Thailand’s history, and with thousands of fans expected to come out and cheer for their hero.”