Rashidi Ellis remained undefeated by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Alberto Mosquera in a welterweight bout in Cancun, Mexico.

Mosquera was cut on both sides of his face. In round nine, Mosquera was deducted a point for a low blow.

Ellis, 147 lbs of Boston, MA won by scores of 98-91 twice and 97-92 to raise his mark to 20-0, Osquera, 147 lbs of Panama City, PAN is 25-4-2.

“Thanks to the support of Golden Boy Promotions and Cancun Boxing, I got my 20th victory,” said Rashidi Ellis. “It was an awkward fight, and Mosquera is a tricky fighter who knows how to fight body-to-body. I had no doubts about my victory, and I also credit my speed for getting me the win. Now it’s time to rest and to see the good decisions my promoter has to make regarding my future.”

Francisco Horta won a 8-round unanimous decision over David Reyes in a featherweight bout.

Horta, 122 lbs of Cancun, MEX won by scores of 80-72, 79-72 and 78-73 to go to 17-3-1. Reyes, 122.8 lbs of Ciudad Obregon, MEX is 17-5-1.

Hiram Gallardo upset Eduardo Nunez by pounding out a six-round unanimous decision in a super featherweight bout

In round three, Nunez was deducted a point for low blows.

Gallardo, 125.6 lbs of Chetumal, MEX won by scores of 58-55 and 57-56 twice ans is now 7-2-1. Nunuez, 127.6 lbs of Los Mochis, MEX is 11-0.

Carlos Licona won a split decision over Jose Ramirez in a flyweight bout.

Licona, 110.6 lbs of Westminster, CA is now 13-0. Ramirez, 110.6 lbs of Tlaichapa, MEX is 9-4.

Licona had a little blood on the right eyebrow as the fight finished.

Eric Gamboa won a eight-round unanimous decision over Jose Lopez in a super bantamweight bout.

Gamboa, 118.8 lbs of Cancun. MEX won by scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75 to improve to 15-1. Lopez, 116.2 lbs of Irapuatop, MEX is 9-4-2.

Vldadimir Nikitin signed with Top Rank, which will pave the way for a rematch with amateur rival Michael Conlan, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Nikitin defeated Conlan in the 2016 Olympics which participated Conlan infamously sticking up his middle finger at the judges.

Nikitin, 28, will make his professional debut in a six-round featherweight fight against an opponent to be determined on July 14 at the Lakefront Arena on the campus of the University of New Orleans.

“A showdown with Conlan is eventually going to happen,” Top Rank Vice-President Carl Moretti said. “To put it in New York or Ireland would be incredible because of the history between the two. Nikitin is fully aware that the goal is to get to a Conlan rematch in the pro ranks. It’s probably a year or so away.”

Moretti said Top Rank also signed him because Nikitin “fits in with the other featherweights we have. While the main goal is to fight Conlan, it doesn’t rule out fighting Shakur or anyone else for that matter.”

“I think he’s a very talented and also a very exciting fighter in the ring and we could have signed with other promoters,” manager Egis Klimas said. “But the No. 1 reason we signed with Top Rank was to make sure he can fight Conlan and erase the doubts people have from the Olympics. Let them meet in the professional ranks and bring a big fight for the fans. Both guys want that fight and it will be an easy fight to make.”

According to Dan Rafel of espn.com, talks have hit a roadblock in an effort to make a heavyweight unification mega fight between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.
Wilder took to Twitter early Thursday morning to express frustrations with the Joshua camp’s move to fight Povetkin, calling the British heavyweight boxer “not a stand up guy.”

“We’re disappointed, but we’re not surprised,” said Wilder co-manager Shelly Finkel, who turned 74 on Wednesday, said about the deal falling apart. “Deontay and I thought about this, that they weren’t going to do the fight. We’re disappointed. We wasted a lot of time.”

Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn never responded but then raised the Wilder offer to $15 million. Wilder agreed to the money and to fighting Joshua in the UK. Finkel received a contract late last week that said he would return it to Hearn with comments Friday, which drew Hearn’s ire.

“I immediately thought what a load of bulls—. I spoke to my dad [Matchroom boss Barry Hearn]. He said, ‘They’re playing games.’ When Finkel said, ‘We’ll get it back to you on Friday — six days later — the WBA said enough’s enough. Shelly knew the WBA was calling me every day. Tuesday, I spoke to Joshua and he said, ‘We’re not getting into any purse bids, losing any belts, we’ll fight Povetkin and then Wilder.’ … If you have a so-called manager that received a contract and you want the fight so bad for $15 million and the undisputed title, and you don’t read that within 24 hours and have it back within 48 hours, you’re doing your fighter a disservice.”

“Forget the fact that six days later they haven’t come back with any comments,” Hearn said. “When Finkel sent the email on Sunday he knows the points they want to raise, yet they tell us they’ll send us the comments on Friday. On what planet does that make sense to anybody? Shelly says, ‘They made a bulls— offer and we decided to accept. He didn’t want to do the deal. This deal is not expired, though. This deal is available to sign today, tomorrow, next week, probably in a month. So for all the bulls— about how we’re running, why don’t you call our bluff and sign a contract, and I will sign quicker than your ink will dry [for an April fight].”

Said Finkel: “If he said I have to have it back by Wednesday he would have had it back.”

Hearn said, “I sent a personal email to Deontay and I said to him I’m very disappointed your team did not come back to me with comments on the contract. We hope we can get this fight over the line and we look forward to receiving a signed contract or comments as soon as possible [to fight in April].”

“I said I will give you $5 million to make a defense of your title in America in September or October on DAZN before entering the Joshua fight in April. Therefore, it was a two-fight deal for $20 million,” Hearn said. “But I told him you don’t have to take two fights. You can do your own thing in the fall and then go right into the Joshua fight in April.”

“I have never heard of a rematch clause one way for this kind of fight,” Finkel said. “This is a monster fight and we expected the contract to be like the Klitschko contract [which had mutual rematch considerations]. If Eddie wanted to make the fight he would not have put a one-way rematch clause in there. And to send a contract without a date and site? When I asked on Sunday, he never gave it to us. To me, that’s how you do things if you don’t want to fight. There was no deadline [stated for the Povetkin fight], otherwise we would have gotten back to him sooner.

“I’m not talking about what I said or he said. I have the paperwork, the emails to show what he said. He makes up whatever he wants at the time because he has Joshua and he thinks it gives him credibility and people want to believe him.”

Said Hearn: “Only if Anthony Joshua loses is there a rematch, and it would be in America with a 50-50 split. That was in the written terms.”

Hearn said even though Joshua will be favored, he’s worried about the fight with Povetkin (34-1, 24 KOs), 38, a 2004 Russian Olympic gold medalist. Povetkin, twice caught using performance-enhancing drugs, only lost by decision to Klitschko in 2013.

“Massive danger. I don’t like the fight,” Hearn said. “I think it’s a mad fight to take with the Wilder fight at the door, but that’s AJ. He thinks him and Povetkin is a great fight, a great statement and he’s one of the best heavyweights. He’s not taking easy touches waiting for Wilder. By fighting these guys, Wilder can’t say he’s afraid to fight him.

“It’s in the hands of Deontay Wilder. So every Instagram video he posts saying Joshua doesn’t want the fight, shut up. Come back with the comments on the contract and we’ll work it out [for April].”

Said Finkel: “Eventually, Joshua’s going to have to fight us.”

Former light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal’s bout with former UFC fighter Steve Bosse will now take place on July 20th, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

We have a new partner in Olivier Primeau, owner of the Beachclub. We already talked about doing business together a short while ago when he hosted us and Floyd Mayweather at this venue. We considered it was the perfect occasion to do it,” said promoter Yvon Michel said. “He asked us a little more time to maximize the promotion of the event and we agreed.”

“We are not here to do miracles, but to make sure boxing will be known by more people, to develop a younger crowd and a new clientele,” Primeau said.

IBF Light Heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev will defend his crown against Callum Johnson on October 6th, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Promoter Eddie Hearn said the bout could take place in Chicago.

Beterbiev-Johnson will be on the undercard of a show that Hearn told ESPN will be part of his new series of fights in the United States that will stream on Perform Group’s DAZN sports streaming service, which is due to launch in the U.S. this fall.

Beterbiev will be fighting for the 1st time since losing litigation to get out of his contract with promoter Yvon Michel.

“I have not met with Beterbiev but we are communicating through his management’s team,” Michel told ESPN. “After the court decision I had an excellent and cordial meeting with them. Our contract has been declared valid. We both have obligations and responsibilities and we will continue to honor it. You can expect the IBF light heavyweight champion to be very active defending his title or in unifications.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the World Boxing Super Series added the junior welterweight division for their 2nd season of tournaments.

“We are very delighted to announce [junior welterweight] as our second weight class of the upcoming season,” said promoter Kalle Sauerland, the chief boxing officer for tournament organizer Comosa AG. “[Junior welterweight] is without a doubt one of the most action-packed weight divisions in boxing and we have a sensational lineup to be announced.”

The field for the 140-pound tournament has not yet been announced, but it is an open secret throughout the industry that it is expected to include Regis Prograis (21-0, 18 KOs), 29, a Houston southpaw, as long as he defeats Juan Jose Velasco on July 14 in the main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card; Cleveland contender Ryan Martin (22-0, 12 KOs), 25; world titleholder Kiryl Relikh (22-2, 19 KOs), 28, of Belarus, who likely will take on former titlist and mandatory challenger Eduard Troyanovsky (27-1, 24 KOs), 37, of Russia, in the quarterfinals; and Russia’s Ivan Baranchyk (18-0, 11 KOs), 25, and Anthony Yigit (21-0-1, 7 KOs), 26, of Sweden, who would meet for a vacant world title in another quarterfinal.

Two other fighters who have been prominently mentioned as possible entrants:

• Maurice Hooker (24-0-3, 16 KOs), 28, of Dallas, who won a vacant world title by split decision over Terry Flanagan on June 9. His team told ESPN it is considering an invitation to join the tournament.

• Josh Taylor (13-0, 11 KOs), 27, a southpaw from Scotland, who on Saturday won a hard-fought unanimous decision against former world titleholder Viktor Postol in a title elimination fight.

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai will take on Young Gil Bae in a non-title bout on July 21st in his native Thailand, rather then headline Superfly 3 in September in Los Angeles, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Miguel Berchelt defended the WBC Junior Lightweight title with a 3rd round stoppage over Jonathan Barros in Mexico.

In round two, Berchelt dropped Barros with a left hook to the jaw. In round three, it was an overhand right that put Barros down. Berchelt put Barros down for a 3rd time and Barros’ cornerman walked in the ring and stopped the bout at 1:53.

Berchelt of Meridia, MEX is 34-1 with 30 knockouts. Barros, who was a former featherweight champion from Argentina is now 41-6-1.

Vergil Ortiz, Jr. remained unblemished with a 3rd round stoppage over former two-time world champion Juan Carlos Salgado in a junior welterweight at The Belasco Theater in Los Angeles.

Ortiz battered Salgado and then landed a perfect left to the liver that sent Salgado down, amd the bout was stopped at 1:51.

Ortiz, 139.4 lbs of Dallas, TX is 10-0 with all wins coming by knockout. Salgado, 139.8 lbs of Mexico City is 27-9-1.

“I felt I was posed in there,” said Vergil Ortiz Jr. “Salgado has a lot of experience, and he showed it. He got me a few times, but I learned from this fight, and I’m thankful for the opportunity. I want to continue facing experienced fighters like Salgado. Obviously, I’m not ready for a world title fight yet, but in two years I will be. The left hook to the body is definitely my best punch. I’ve been working on it since I was a kid. It’s not common for an amateur to be dropping his opponents at only nine years old, but that’s what I was doing and what I’m still doing today.”

Hector Tanajara, Jr. won an eight-round unanimous decision over Roger Gutierrez in a lightweight bout.

In round eight, Gutierrez was cut around the left eye.

Tanajara, 135 lbs of San Antonio, TX won by scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74 to raise his mark to 14-0. Gutierrez, 134.2 lbs of Maracaibo, VEN is 18-2-1.

“He came out swinging, so I had to stay composed in there,” said Hector Tanajara Jr. “I had to listen to my corner and stay tight. Every time a round ended, my corner would tell me to not take any risks early in the fight, so I stuck to the game plan in order to win.”

Ferdinand Kerobyan stopped Edgar Garcia in round two of a scheduled six-round super welterweight bout.

Kerobyan landed a hard flurry of punches that sent Garcia to the canvas in round two, and the bout was stopped at 2:48.

Kerobyan, 154 lbs of North Hollywood, CA is 9-0 with 5 knockouts. Garcia, 150.4 lbs of Sonora, MEX is 7-17-1.

“I wanted to show that not only am I powerful, but I’m also very fast,” said Ferdinand Kerobyan. “I never consider any opponent easy, especially since anyone in the ring can hurt you if you’re not careful. I want a world title in the future, and I’m ready to do what’s necessary to get that.”

Martin Murray won a 12-round unanimous decision over Roberto Garcia in a middleweight bout at the O2 Arena in London.

In round two, Garcia was deducted a point for a low blow.

In round nine, Garcia was deducted another point for hitting on top of the head.

Murray, 159.9 lbs won by scores of 118-108, 118-109 and 116-111 t raise his record to 37-4-1. Garcia, 158 lbs is 41-4.

Anthony Yarde remained undefeated by stopping Dariusz Sek in round seven of their scheduled ten-round light heavyweight bout.

Yrade scored a knockdown in round one from a body punch.

In round seven. Yarde was all over Sek, and wobbled him throughout the round, and the bout was stopped at 2:17.

Yarde, 174.7 lbs of Elford, UK is 16-0 with 15 knockouts. Sek, 174.7 lbs of Poland is 27-4-3.

Daniel DuBois remained undefeated by stopping Tom Little in round five of their ten-round heavyweight bout.

In round four, DuBois dropped Little with a perfect left to the body. In found five, DuBois was all over Little, and after a flurry the bout was stopped at 58 seconds.

DuBois, 236.8 lbs of Greenwich, UK is 8-0 with 8 knockouts. Little, 250.3 lbs of Hattfield, UK is 10-6.

Ohara Davies stopped Paul Kamanga in round two of their scheduled 10-round junior welterweight bout.

Davies landed a booming right hand that sent Kamanga down for the ten-count at 2:41 of round two.

Davies, 139.5 lbs of Hackney, UK is 18-1 with 14 knockouts. Kamanga, 139 lbs of Congo is 21-2.

James Branch, Jr. made a successful pro debut with a 4-round decision over Kevin Williams in a light heavyweight bout.

Branch won on the referee scorecard by a 40-36 total. Williams is 0-3.

Umar Sadiq remained undefeated with a 3rd round stoppage over Kamil El Temimi in a super middleweight fight.

In round three, Sadiq landed a perfect left hook to the body and El Temimi fell for the ten-count at 1:07.

Sadiq, 172 lbs of Elford, UK is 3-0 with 1 knockout. El Temimi, 172 lbs of Poland is 1-3-1.

Claressa Shields survived a 1st round knockdown to comeback and win a 10-round unanimous decision over Hanna Gabriels to win the IBF and WBA Middleweight titles at The Masonic Temple in Detroit.

In round one, Gabriels dropped Shields with a counter uppercut.

From there on out, it was all Shields as she wore down Gabriels and cause a cut in the 10th round on the left cheek that was originally caused by a headbutt in the 1st round.

Shields, 159 1/2 lbs of Flint, MI won by scores of 98-91 and 97-92 twice, and is now 6-0. Gabriels, 159 1/2 lbs of Costa Rica is 18-2-1.

After the bout, Christina Hammer entered the ring and a near melee ensued.

“I’m just tired of Hammer disrespecting me all the time,” Shields (6-0, 2 KOs) said. “She comes into the ring after all my rights, talks trash, and then she goes in there and looks like [crap] against Nelson. I’m sick of it. But I let her know I’m more than ready for a fight against her. She wanted me to lose tonight, but I wanted her to win because I want to fight her. We have to unify now.”

“Once I went down, I took a deep breath and I remember thinking to myself, ‘I’m about to whip this girl’ ” Shields said. “I just remember thinking let’s use the jab and be smart.”

“I trained to go the distance but my heart betrayed me, because after that first knock down, I was looking for another one,” said Gabriels, the reigning WBA and WBO champion who was fighting in her 12th straight world title fight since winning the welterweight title in 2009. “I wanted to show everyone I had a warrior’s heart.

“I didn’t feel I had an advantage after the knockdown. I felt I had to work round after round to even have a possibility to win.”

Added Gabriels: “She has a lot of power. It was a great fight and you have to accept the judges’ decision. She’s powerful and for the fans I think it went well.

Shields – in her first fight with new trainer John David Jackson – said she learned something about herself after the fight. “I can get put on my ass, get up and come back and win,” she said. “Tonight was my night and I have to show the world I’m the greatest of all-time. I showed who I am. Now, I’m really dangerous because you can even put me down, and I’ll still come back to win.”

Hammer retained the WBC/WBO Middleweight titles with a 10-round unanimous decision over Tori Nelson.

Hammer, 159 1/2 lbs of Dortlund, GER won by scores of 100-90 and 99-91 twice and is now 23-0-1. Nelson, 157 1/2 lbs of Ashburn, VA is 17-2-3.

“It would have been better to get a KO,” said Hammer, who is 27 years old and from Dortmund, Germany. “I tried everything I could to get the knockout. She was tough. I hope the USA is good with this and I’m still the champ.”

“I’m really looking forward to fighting Claressa. She will try and fight me on the inside but my footwork and my reach will make the difference. The fight with Claressa will be a game-changer. It will be the biggest women’s fight ever. I would like to fight her at a neutral site.”

“I’m very disappointed in my performance tonight,” said an emotional Nelson after the fight. “It’s a loss, of course it’s disappointing. I wasn’t busy enough, I guess.”

In her last fight, Nelson lost a unanimous decision to Shields back in January. “Claressa is better,” Nelson said. “Shields has a jab and uses the ring. Claressa stands there and wants to fight. She has all the punches. Hammer only has one

Umar Salmov stopped Brian Howard in round nine of their scheduled 10-round light heavyweight bout.

In round nine, Salamov landed a right hand that stunned and eventually dropped Howard to a knee for the 10-count at 53 seconds.

Salamov, 174 1/2 lbs of Russia is 21-1 with 16 knockouts. Howard, 174 1/2 lbs of Lambertville, GA is 13-2.

“I was hurt a little bit in the second round from one of his shots, but I didn’t let it bother me because this is my U.S. debut,” said Salamov, a six-year pro who is 24 years old. “I just kept fighting. After I got hit with that punch, I started coming forward and as soon as I did that, the fight changed.”

Salamov said he knew once he connected on the first right that Howard was hurt. “I knew as soon as I landed the punch that he would be very hurt,” he said. “I felt it up to my elbow. I didn’t want to hit him after that because I knew he was finished.”

“I would say I did fair, I did OK,” said Howard, a former minor league football player who lives outside of Atlanta and was making his SHOWTIME debut. “I was fortunate to get the call by Salamov’s team and by SHOWTIME. I’ll be back.

Former middleweight contender Avtandil Khurtsidze was convicted of multiple crimes of racketeering, wire fraud and other charges. He faces up to 40 years in prison, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Khurtsidze was found guilty of one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of wire fraud conspiracy, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

“As a unanimous jury found, Razhden Shulaya and his chief enforcer, Avtandil Khurtsidze, engaged in an array of criminal schemes that included violence, extortion, theft, trafficking in stolen goods and fraud,” said Geoffrey S. Berman, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, whose office prosecuted the case.

“He’s gotten due process. F— him for squandering his championship-caliber skills and career,” said Khurtsidzi’s promoter Lou DiBella. “He let many people down who believed in him, but no one more than himself. Just a waste, and it’s all on him for choosing the dark side.”

Unified junior middleweight world champion Jarrett Hurd is recovering from Rotator Cuff surgery, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Preparing for the Lara fight I had a slightly torn rotator cuff in my left shoulder,” Hurd said. “I was receiving cortisone shots to numb the pain but that was only temporary. Now the issue is taken care of. Thank you to everyone that wished me luck on my procedure (Monday). Be back soon.”

“Obviously, the injury became intolerable and (the surgery) had to be done,” trainer Ernesto Rodriguez said. “He expects to have physical therapy. As of now, no actual date (for his return is known) since (surgery) was just performed (on Monday).”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the IBF has canceled two pursed bids and postponed 2 others.

The sanctioning organization notified its registered promoters that the purse bid scheduled to determine the promotional rights for the vacant junior welterweight title bout between Ivan “The Beast” Baranchyk and Anthony Yigit has been canceled because the sides have come to an agreement.

Another purse bid was also canceled, for the bantamweight final elimination bout between Jason Moloney (17-0, 14 KOs), 27, of Australia, and Kenny Demecillo (14-4-2, 8 KOs), 25, of the Philippines. Their representatives told the IBF that they have reached a deal, but the date and the location of the fight were not announced.

Two other purse bids scheduled for Tuesday were postponed.

One was for the fight between light heavyweight world titleholder Artur Beterbiev and mandatory challenger Callum Johnson. The date for the purse bid, assuming the sides do not make a deal, is June 26 at noon at the IBF offices in Springfield, New Jersey. The camps can still make a deal until 15 minutes before the bids are unsealed.

The other postponed purse bid was for the final junior middleweight title eliminator between Julian “J Rock” Williams (25-1, 15 KOs), 28, of Philadelphia, and Takeshi Inoue (13-0-1, 7 KOs), 28, of Japan.

The sanctioning body notified its registered promoters that it has also been delayed until June 26 at noon, also at the IBF offices. The camps can still make a deal until 15 minutes before the bids are unsealed. The winner will become one of the mandatory challengers for unified 154-pound titlist Jarrett Hurd (22-0, 15 KOs).

Errol Spence Jr. gave his hometown what they wanted.  That was a 1st round stoppage over Carlos Ocampo to retain the IBF Welterweight title at The Ford Center in Frisco, Texas.

Spence landed a perfect left to the body that sent Ocampo down on all-fours, and he did not beat the count at 3:00.

Spence, 146 3/4 lbs of Dallas, TX is 24-0 with 21 knockouts.  Ocampo, 146 3/4 lbs of Ensenada, MEX is 22-1.

“I was a little disappointed. I wanted to give the crowd their money’s worth,” Spence said. “I wanted him to sustain a bit and give him some punishment, but the body shot got him and I dropped him.”

“I knew if I hit him again he would probably drop,” Spence said. “That was my game plan. I’m the body snatcher. If he reacts weirdly, I just keep going to the body and I keep breaking him down.”

After the fight, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined Spence in the ring to congratulate him on the victory.

“This moment is a dream,” Spence said. “I wanted to play for the Dallas Cowboys and now I’m fighting in front of the Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones. Thank you to the whole Dallas Cowboys organization.

“We’ll definitely be back after I unify some titles. We’ll make this an annual thing where I fight here.”

“This room was full of Dallas Cowboys football players supporting you,” Jones said. “They share your passion. I saw a guy in this ring who knew what he wanted. When you knock a guy out by hitting him once on the side of his back, you’re bad to the bone.

“I love his awareness. He had a plan from the beginning. He is exceptionally gifted. He has family that is behind him and our family, the Cowboys, want to be behind him as well.”

“I want to fight the best,” Spence promised. “Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter are fighting each other (for the WBC title) and I definitely want to make that a unifying fight. We both have the same management, we both fight on SHOWTIME. Why not make that happen? I definitely want that fight whenever it’s available.

Danny Roman made the 2nd defense of the WBA Super Bantamweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Moises Flores.

Roman beat down the body of Flores as he focused on the rib area with both hands.  He landed 175 body shots and 174 head shots and was very consistent throughout the bout.

Roman, 121 3/4 lbs of Los Angeles won by scores of 120-108, 118-110 and 116-112 to raise his record to 24-2-1.  Flores who missed the weighed at 123 lbs is now 25-1.

“I was trying to box him. We tried to do a smart fight,” Roman said. “We tried to take him out, but unfortunately we couldn’t.

“I would like to unify. I would like to challenge any of the champions. I’d love to face Rey Vargas or Isaac Dogboe. I don’t mind going back to Japan either.”

“I know I messed up in training,” Flores said. “I didn’t make the weight, but I still wanted to perform and give it everything I have.

“We both hit each other a lot. I hit (Roman) with some good shots, I just couldn’t finish him. I was probably around 60 percent energy-wise. From the fifth round on I had to just fight with pure heart.

“(Roman) put on a great show for the fans, and that’s what makes me feel great. That’s all I wanted was to put on a good fight.”

Javier Fortuna and Adrian Granados fought to a no-contest when Fortuna could not continue in round four of their scheduled 10-round junior welterweight bout.

The fight got ugly in round four when Fortuna was docked points for using his head and holding.  Seconds later, Granados pushed Fortuna out of the ring, and Fortuna’s head smashed into the cameraman post.  Fortuna was immediately put in a neckbrace and taken out on s stretcher.

The bout was ruled a no-contest at 2:50.  Fortuna, 139 3/4 lbs of La Romana, DR is 33-2-1-1.  Granados, 139 3/4 lbs of Chicago, IL is 18-6-2-1.

“I didn’t push him. I think he fell with his own,” Granados said. “I think he was looking for an excuse on his way out. We were both battling, but I knew he could feel I was getting stronger. He caught me with a shot and it just turned me up.

“First and foremost I just want to pray that he’s OK. Let’s do the rematch. I’ve been dying for a fight at 140.”

Mercito Gesta won a 10-round majority decision over Robert Manzanarez in a lightweight bout at The Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California

Manzanarez was cut around the right eye in round five.

Gesta, 134.8 lbs of San Diego, CA win by scores of 96-94 twice and 95-95 to raise his mark to 32-2-2. Manzanarez, 134.8 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is 35-2.

“I feel good, though I’m surprised he moved so much,” said Mercito Gesta. “I was really eager to cut the distance and hit him. My trainer Freddie [Roach] told me I needed to land more combinations, but it’s clear that Manzanarez is tough and can take a punch. I can’t wait for what’s next.”

“I felt I won this fight,” said Roberto Manzanarez. “I dominated more rounds than Gesta. I kept him at a distance and controlled the pace. I kept touching him with long shots. I want the rematch, but I have to check with my team to see what’s next.”
In a battle of undefeated featherweights, Manny Robles III stopped Edgar Valerio in round nine of a scheduled 10-round bout.

In round three, Robles dropped Valerio with a counter left hook. In round four, Robles was cut over his right eye from an inadvertent elbow.

In round seven, Valerio started to swell around his right eye. In round nine, Robles dropped Valerio with a perfect right to the jaw. After Valerio got up, the two had a furious exchange where Robles landed another right that snapped Valerio’s had back and after a short flurry, the bout was stopped at 2:31.

Robles, 125.4 lbs of Paramount, CA is 16-0 with eight knockouts. Valerio, 126 lbs of South Los Angeles, CA is 13-1.

“This was the most important fight of my career and I took care of business,” said Manny Robles III. “[Valerio] hurt me with that right hand because I got careless, but thanks to my conditioning I recovered quickly. I had a great camp. I won this fight because I had a great game plan. As you can see, we had something special up our sleeve. After a couple more fights, I would love a world title shot.”
Luis Feliciano remained undefeated with a 4th round stoppage over over Daniel Montoya in a scheduled eight-round junior welterweight bout.

In round three, Feliciano landed a hard combination that was capped off by a left hook to he body that sent Nontoya to the canvas. In round four, Feliciano dropped Montoya with a right to the body, and the fight was halted at 50 seconds.

Feliciano, 139.8 lbs of Utuado, PR is now 7-0 with 4 knockouts. Montoya, 140 lbs of Tamaulipas, MEX is 11-7.

“I feel great. We’re taking things fight by fight,” said Luis Feliciano. “I’m focused on getting better and better. We work on everything in the gym. That body shot I landed has been something I’ve had since the amateurs. We work on everything so that we have all the bases covered when we get to a championship level.”

According to Fan Rafael of espn.com, Gennady Golovkin accepted terms for a September 15th rematch with Canelo Alvarez a couple hours after the Golden Boy Promotions deadline of noon Pacific Time.

“I’m happy to inform that we have a fight September 15!!!!,” Golden Boy Promotions’ Oscar De La Hoya tweeted.

“It was a dead deal at noon. We were going to proceed with a Billy Joe Saunders fight. We had a deal in place to fight Billy Joe Saunders at the end of August,” Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler told ESPN of a match with world titleholder Saunders. “We definitely had an agreement in place with Billy Joe Saunders. I was up front with them and told them if there’s a way to get the Canelo deal that was a priority, but Gennady had no hesitation fighting Billy Joe Saunders because he felt it was a challenging fight to fight an undefeated champion.”

“Still working on it,” Loeffler texted to ESPN 20 minutes after the deadline as he scrambled to see if Golovkin, who is in Moscow as a guest of one of his sponsors for the World Cup, was interested in the newest proposal.

Golden Boy President Eric Gomez said he was trying to reach De La Hoya during his interview with ESPN and he was frustrated because he wasn’t answering his phone. But ultimately, Gomez said, “We threw a Hail Mary and it was caught. The fight’s done.”

“Gennady stuck to his guns,” Loeffler said. “He always wanted the Canelo rematch, but at the same time, he wanted the respect as the champion, especially with what happened with the May 5 cancellation. We figured out a way to get it done. After the fight was dead, we figured out a way to resuscitate it. They were moving on and we were moving on. I can’t go into the details, but Gennady is satisfied with the deal. Both fighters were stuck and we needed one of our partners to get involved and the MGM did. That’s how the deal was saved. We came up with the solution.

“Gennady is happy he is getting the respect, and I’m happy we’re able to participate in the biggest fight in the sport of boxing. This goes to Gennady’s legacy. It’s a huge fight for both guys. I think it’s going to be a much bigger promotion than first time out.”

When it appeared that the fight was dead on Wednesday afternoon, De La Hoya told ESPN, “We want the fight, Tom Loeffler wants the fight. Clearly, the only person here who doesn’t want the fight is GGG. The fans want the fight. We bent over backwards. GGG says he’s a fighter, not a businessman, and he’s right. He’s no businessman because he doesn’t understand numbers. It’s 100 percent over. We’ve been trying to make the numbers work and Canelo finally said, ‘Screw this guy.’ We’ve come off our 35 percent. We’ve come off our contract that we had signed a couple of months ago and we still moved our percentage to make Golovkin happy, but clearly he doesn’t want the fight.

“Tom and Eric have been on the phone until right now and Eric just told me we have no deal — 100 percent there is no fight. We’ve come up on our offer and there’s no budge from him, so there’s no fight. That’s it. There’s no fight. We’re moving on. We have deadlines.”

Golden Boy Promotions has issued a noon Pacific Time deadline on Wednesday for Gennady Golovkin to sign on for the rematch with Canelo Alvarez, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Golden Boy has offered 42.5 % of the revenue to Golovkin.

“This is final,” Golden Boy President Eric Gomez said. “We’ve been through everything. We’ve been through the hoops, the monkey bars, the slides. No more playing games. He has until noon (PT) to accept or walk away. If he walks away, good luck to him.

“We’ve gone above and beyond to make this fight happen. Canelo really wants to make this fight happen for the fans. (Golden Boy CEO) Oscar (De La Hoya) really wants to make it for the fans and everyone involved and we’re meeting him halfway.”

“Our original deal in May for the rematch was 35 percent to Golovkin. Then they wanted 50-50, which was ridiculous to begin with,” Gomez said. “But in consideration we’re willing to meet them halfway. I got off the phone (on Tuesday afternoon) with Tom Loeffler and told him you have 24 hours to accept or we are fighting Danny Jacobs.”

“Gennady was very clear when he made the concession to come off 50-50. He really feels in his heart it should be an even split,” Loeffler said “He made the concession at 55-45. Gennady is the one who will make the final decision, so I will give him an update on it and see what he wants to do. My opinion is it’s the biggest fight in boxing and both sides should figure out a way to make it work.”

“Tom said he will talk to Gennady and see if we can get him to budge. He’s trying,” Gomez said. “He’s been a gentleman to me through all of this. Basically, it’s an ungodly amount of money being offered to Golovkin that he will never see again if he walks away. He could make maybe 10 times more money for this fight than any other fight he decides to take. (Top Rank chairman) Bob Arum once said, ‘You can’t spend a percentage’ and he is right. Oscar and I have discussed it. He’s discussed it with Canelo and it’s been long enough. We’ve waited since early April to get everything back on track. We’ve had countless conversations. I think Canelo is being very reasonable, above and beyond reasonable, as well as Oscar. You can lead a donkey to water but you can’t make him drink.”

Gomez said he has remained in touch with Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who represents Jacobs, and has kept him up to date on the situation.

“Eddie Hearn is anxious to get the fight done for Jacobs,” Gomez said. “I have made him aware there is a possibility of a Golovkin fight because I don’t want to mislead him. But we’re within striking distance of being able to make the Canelo fight with Jacobs if Golovkin walks away.”

After announcing he had signed with Top Rank, WBC Super Middleweight champion David Benavidez has reverted back to Sampson Boxing, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Benavidez had accepted a check for $250,000 from Top Rank.

“He returned the money, a cashier’s check, with a nice letter saying he wanted to stay with Sampson, so we decided to honor the request even though he signed with us and we wished him good luck,” Top Rank’s Bob Arum said. “The only reason we signed him is because he came up to the office and he said [Lewkowicz and adviser Al Haymon] were doing bad by him and he wanted to sign with us. He said they had breached the contract and he wanted to come with us. He changed his mind. We said fine and he sent us back the $250,000.”

“Look, I say always that he would come home,” Lewkowicz told ESPN. “He is young man who was with no experience, only 21. He was misled by Billy Keane. This Billy Keane tried the same thing with [former middleweight champion] Sergio Martinez several years ago, but Sergio had more experience and he understood the bull—- of a con man like Keane. He took David to Top Rank, he told him that he would make a lot of money, get $250,000 and they make him more famous. He told him that I would still be involved as his co-promoter, and that was a lie. Keane misled Bob Arum, Top Rank and the whole Benavidez family.

“David called me and he apologized, and my lawyers will drop the lawsuit this week. But Billy Keane misled everyone. I will sue him individually and I will teach him a lesson not to steal anymore.”

“At this stage, particularly carrying the ESPN banner with our deal, we are not going resort to litigation when we don’t have to,” Arum said. “We’re not going to bully a kid. He said he made a mistake when he signed with us. You let him go. We don’t need an unhappy kid. David, from what I know, is a lovely kid. He’s a little confused but a lovely kid. He’s not a wise guy. He’s a nice young man who said he made a mistake. OK. We’re not going to hold anything against him. He decided to stay with Sampson and I don’t need the hassle. I don’t hold anything against the kid.”

Lewkowicz said Arum had previously offered him seven figures to bring him in as a co-promoter, but he turned it down only to have Benavidez suddenly sign with Top Rank.

“I turned it down because I believe that finally after 10 years of my company — I gave up Sergio Martinez for many years to Lou DiBella, I give up Manny Pacquiao and Javier Castillejo. I give up Lucas Matthysse to Golden Boy and I finish [with] empty hands,” he said. “Now that I have my own company and I find a superstar in David Benavidez why should I give him away? I am not a poor man. Seven figures doesn’t blind my eyes.

“Now I hope our relationship between Top Rank and Sampson Boxing will work as well as it did before. I have the most respect for Bob Arum.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder accepted terms sent by the team of fellow champion Anthony Joshua for a possible mega-showdown this fall.

“We have agreed to the terms that Eddie has put out to us for a fight in the U.K. Deontay has accepted his terms to fight in the U.K.,” said Wilder adviser Shelly Finkel said. “Deontay sent an email to Joshua [Sunday] night, and I sent one [Monday] to Barry Hearn and Eddie telling them that we officially accept the offer to fight under the terms they gave us and to send us the contract.”

“Now we will see if they live up to it or if they try to go through with the fight with [mandatory challenger Alexander] Povetkin first. Hopefully, we’ll get an answer in the next couple days,” Finkel said. “If they change their mind, the $50 million [against 50 percent of the event] we offered them [to come to the United States] is still on the table. That is still for them if they want it.”

“There’s no [percentage] split, but they’ve offered us a good purse. Not as good as we feel it should be, but we want the fight, and we’re willing to take what they offered,” Finkel said. “We wanted a percentage, but we didn’t think we could get it done in a quick time frame, so we said let’s take what they’ve offered us. Deontay wants this fight.”

Wilder addressed Joshua’s fans on social media on Monday, writing, “The $50M offer for him to fight me next in the U.S. is still available. Today I even agreed to their offer to fight Joshua next in the UK. If he prefers the fight in the UK, the ball is in their court. It’s up to them to choose.”

“The U.S. TV is Eddie’s call,” Finkel said. “We have a preference for Showtime because we’ve been with them.”

According to Dan Rafael of espm.com former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will be back in action on August 18th in Dublin on a card headlined by Carl Frampton.

“It means the world to me. It’s something I’ve dreamed about for a long time(To be fighting in Windsor Park) ,” Frampton said. “I feel it should’ve happened last year, but it’s happening now.

“I’ve loads left. My last performance was the second-best of my career after the first Leo Santa Cruz fight. I feel like I’m enjoying it more, and while I’m still performing, I’ll do it as long as I can. It’s great to have Tyson Fury on the undercard. To have someone of his stature on the undercard is massive, and he’ll be up against a more serious opponent this time, so it’s good for everyone.”

Carlos Vidal stopped Esteban Aquino in round three of a scheduled six-round featherweight bout.

The time of the stoppage was 38 seconds of round three, for Vidal, 125 lbs of San German, PR who is now 13-0 with 12 knockouts.  Aquino, 123.2 lbs of Lo Romana, DR is 12-5.

Frederick Julan stopped Eric Abraham in round two of their scheduled six-round cruiserweight bout.

Julan pounded Abraham until the fight was stopped at 2:29.

Julan, 179.2 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 10-0 with 8 knockouts.  Abraham, 180.8 lbs of Schenedtady, NY is 3-3.

Cesar Francis stopped Victor Manuel Abreu in round two of their scheduled six-round welterweight bout.

Francis, 142.6 lbs of Brooklyn won via a body shot knockout, and is now 5-0 with 4 knockouts.  Abreu, 144.4 lbs of Lo Romana, DR is 9-4.

Orlando Gonzalez stayed perfect by winning a six-round unanimous decision over Rennard Oliver in junior lightweight fight.

Gonzalez, 127.6 lbs of Aguadilla, PR won by scores of 60-54 twice and 59-55 and is now 8-0.  Oliver, 127 lbs of New Orleans, LA is 7-2-2.

Erik Ruiz stopped Mario Diaz in the final round of their eight-round junior featherweight bout.

Ruiz dropped Diaz in round four, and finished him in round eight when Diaz took a knee, and the fight was stopped at 2:38.

Ruiz, 118.8 lbs of Oxnard, CA is 16-8-1.  Diaz, 119.8 lbs of Aguassclientes, MEX is 17-2.

LOS ANGELES–Leo Santa Cruz gained his 2nd victory over crosstown rival Abner Mares with a 12-round unanimous decision to win the WBA Featherweight title in front of 12,505 fans at Staples Center.

The two stood toe to toe for much of the fight which thrilled the fans at Staples Center.  Santa Cruz was throwing and landing more, but Mares was having his moments.

Santa Cruz was cut around the left eyes in the 9th frame.

Santa Cruz, 125 lbs of Los Angles won by scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 to go to 35-1-1.  Mares, 125.8 lbs of Guadalajara, MEX is 31-3-1.

LEO SANTA CRUZ

“It was a great fight. Another war like we said. I had to be smarter. I had to do what I had to do to win the fight.

“I love the crowd. I love to make them happy. Whatever I can do to please them, I do it.

“A cut is a cut, it’s just blood. If anything, it brings more hunger out of me.

“It feels great to get this victory. Abner is a great fighter. He left his heart out there. It was a tough fight but thank God we got the victory.

“Hopefully I am (the best featherweight in the world). But I leave it to the fans to say who is the best. If they say I’m the best, then thank God they say that.

“I want Gary Russell. Let’s unify. I’m not scared of anybody. Whoever I get, let’s go. I’m ready.”

ABNER MARES

“ It was a ‘Fight of the Year’ like I told you guys. We come here, we pleased the crowd. Win or lose, I don’t care. I’m here to please the fans.

“It is what it is. The judges made their decision. I can’t overturn that. It was a close fight. Do you guys want to see a third fight? Let’s do this.

“It’s always a problem getting on the inside. I fought a hard, close fight. I fought my heart out, but at the end of the day I’m pleased with my performance.

“Without a doubt, Leo is the number one featherweight in the world. I say before the fight that the winner of this would be the best in the world. I take my hat off to him.

“This is our town. Leo Santa Cruz an Abner Mares, let’s do number three.”

Jermell Charlo defended the WBC Super Welterweight title with a 12-round majority decision over former champion Austin Trout.

Charlo scored a knockdown in round three, but Trout showed champions courage and was competitive during the fight.

In round nine, the pressure made Trout take a knee.  After the 2nd knock down for Charlo,  Charlo begins to give the pressure. Lands a hard right to the face and Trout tries to evade. Charlo gets Trout against the ropes and lands a left and right body shot.

Charlo, 154 lbs of Houston, TX won on two cards 118-108 and 115-111 while a 3rd card was event at 113-113.  Charlo is now 31-0.  Trout, 154 lbs of Las Cruces, NM is 31-5.

JERMELL CHARLO

“I went to fish, I tried to get some trout but I couldn’t catch him on the hook.  I know they’re used to seeing me knock boys out but at least they saw me take care of business.

“I already knew Trout was going to come in and try to survive.  Trout wasn’t going down like that.  He’s a veteran, he’s a real fighter, but I don’t know what the judges were looking at.  I won that fight.

“Sometimes you knock them out, sometimes you just beat them.”

On a potential unification with Jarret Hurd:

“Trout will tell you who will win that fight.  Trout moved, that’s why he survived 12.  If Hurd sat in front of me and took those shots he’s done.”

AUSTIN TROUT

“Take those knockdowns away I won the fight.  I can’t make any excuses, the better man won with those knockdowns.

“Both Jermall and Jermell are really good.  They are the future.  But I’m not done yet.  I’m not defined by my results.  I’m defined by the risks that I take.  I’ve taken the risks and I’ve stood my ground every time against giants and killers.  And I’m still here.

On a potential fight between Charlo and Hurd:

“That’s a damn good fight.  Charlo can crack and Hurd is resilient.  I know I’ll be tuned in.”

Lina Licona stopped Brittany Horton at 45 seconds of round three of their scheduled 4-round light flyweight bout.

Licona scored a knockdown in the 1st round and finished the fight in round three.

Licona, 108 lbs of Westminster, CA was making her pro debut.  Horton, 109.6 lbs of Belen, NM is 0-2.

Karlos Balderas dropped Alex Silva twice in the 1st frame en route to a stoppage in that opening frame of their lightweight bout.

The fight ended with a left hook to the body at 2:32 for Balderas, 134 lbs of Santa Maria, CA who is now 5-0 with 4 knockouts.  Silva, 133 lbs of Barstow, CA is 3-8.

Jose Balderas won a four-round unanimous decision over Luis Montellano in a super bantamweight bout.

Balderas, 118.8 lbs of Santa Maria, CA won by scores of 40-36 on all cards, and is now 3-0.  Montellano, 117.2 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 0-2-1.

Angel Alejandro won a four-round unanimous decision over Erik Rocha in a super bantamweight bout.

Alejandro, 123 lbs of Dallas, TX win by scores of 40-36 on all cards, and is now 3-0.  Rocha, 122 lbs of Houston, TX is 1-4.

Ivan Redkach won an eight-round unanimous decision over Brian M Jones in a welterweight bout.

Redkach, 142 lbs of Bkovah, UKR is 21-4-1.  Jones, 140.4 lbs of Clarksville, TX is 14-9.

Jose Gomez won a split decision over Ryan Lee Allen in a six-round  junior lightweight bout.

Gomez, 128 lbs of Huntington Beach, CA wony by scores of 59-55 and 58-56 is 11-0.  Allen, 126 lbs of Jacksonville, MI took a card by a 59-55 score and is 4-2-1.

Jerry Perez stopped Josh Ross in round three of their scheduled four round junior lightweight bout.

Perez landed first punch for a knockdown to Ross at the beginning of the first round. Ross gets up after what appeared to be a long 9-count.. Ross knocked down for 2nd time of the match towards end of round 2 but gets back up. Perez lands hard body shot with a hook to bring down Ross for the 3rd time in round 3. Ross calls it quits at 2:02.

Perez, 131 lbs of Oak Hill, CA is 7-0 with 5 knockouts.  Ross, 136.4 lbs of West Monroe, LA is 3-8-4.

Antonio Santa Cruz won a four-round unanimous decision over Jordan B Reyes in a super bantamweight bout.

Santa Cruz, 121.4 lbs of San Gabriel, CA won by scores of 40-36 twice and 39-37 and is 7-4.  Reyes, 122 lbs of Mexicali, MEX is 2-7.

Former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury ended nearly a 3-year layoff as he stopped Sefer Seferi after 4 rounds of their scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout at The Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.

Fury looked flabby, but dominated the action and landed hard shots that forced Seferi to bow out of the fight after 4-rounds.

Fury, 276.7 lbs of Manchester, England is 26-0 with 19 knockouts.  Seferi, 210.2 lbs of Switzerland is now 23-2.

Maurice Hooker won the vacant WBO Junior Welterweight title with a split decision over former lightweight champion Terry Flanagan.

In round seven, Flangan was cut on his forehead from a headbutt that he initiated.

Hooker, 139.4 lbs of Dallas, Texas won by scores of 117-111 and 115-113, while a 3rd judge had it for Flanagan 115-113.

Hooker is 24-0-3.  Flanagan, 139.5 lbs of Manchester, England is 33-1.

By Norm Frauenheim-

LAS VEGAS – Surprises came early for Jeff Horn. There was one on the scale Friday, more than 24 hours before the opening bell Saturday against pound-for-pound contender Terence Crawford.

Horn stepped on the scale once, then twice. First, he was a pound heavier than the welterweight limit at 148.

Off came the shorts and up came a long black curtain. Naked, Horn was back on the scale, but still a half-pound too heavy at 147.5 to defend the World Boxing Organization’s version of the welterweight title at the MGM Grand in an ESPN+ televised bout (6:30 p.m. PT/9:30 p.m. ET).

One more chance awaited. If he missed the weight a third time, however, he was out, an ex-champ before the heavily-favored Crawford would ever have a chance to turn him into one.

But after a warm shower and a trip to the bathroom, Horn was back 45 minutes later. No problem. No penalty. He even kept his shorts, along with his belt, this time, making weight without a digit to spare. The Australian was at 147-even. Crawford was at 146.5 in his first and only trip to the scale for his welterweight debut.

What exactly happened, however, wasn’t clear. The Queenslander from Brisbane didn’t blame the extra weight on a bit too much Vegemite on his morning muffin. He questioned the scale.

`We tested on the official set from Top Rank and my weight was fine,’’ Horn told Australian media moments after making the weight. “I think there was something up their sleeve because Crawford was just under the weight and I was just over. We thought we’d calibrated our scales to the correct weight, but they’ve tricked us. There was a bit of play with the scales.’’

Three fighters on the undercard also missed weight by small margins. The weigh-in drama, intentional or not, didn’t appear to rattle Horn, however. If anything, it emboldened him.

“I could see, face-to-face with Terence, he was a bit rattled,’’ said Horn, who will make a second defense of the belt he took from Manny Pacquiao Down Under in a controversial stunner last July. “He’s shaking. I’m calm. I’m fine. I think they think I’m a bit mentally weaker than I actually am. This stuff’s all part of it, I know it.”

Horn believes there’s a bit of play with the betting odds, too. Horn says he is surprised that Crawford is so heavily favored at minus-950.

“I’m the bigger fighter,’’ said Horn (18-0-1, 12 KOs), whose contract filed with the Nevada Athletic Commission includes a $500,000 purse. Horn’s final check is expected to be $1.25 million.

Crawford’s contract with the Commission lists a $1.75 million check. He’s expected to wind up with $3 million.

The difference in size is said to be Horn’s biggest, perhaps only advantage against the multi-dimensional Crawford (32-0, 23 KOs), a former lightweight and junior-welterweight champion. The weigh-in left a question about whether Horn would try to maximize his advantage in size by adding as much weight as possible in the hours before opening bell.

“I expect to him to be about 70 kilos,’’ Horn trainer Glenn Rushton said.

That’s 154.3 pounds, if you believe the scale.

WBO number-3 ranked light heavyweight contender Mike Lee Broke his rib in the 1st round, but still claimed the NABO Light Heavyweight title with a 10-round unanimous decision over Jose Hernandez at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.

Lee pressed the action as he looked to land power shots early. Hernandez fought gamely, but Lee was consistent with his right and left hands.

Lee showed incredible heart, as in round one, he suffered a broken rib and had trouble breathing throughout the whole ten round fight.

Hernandez was cut from Lee’s work, and the Notre Dame graduate cruised home with the victory by scores of 97-93 on all judges cards.

With the victory, Lee remains perfect with a record of 21-0, and will now look to face any of the world champions in either the light heavyweight or super middleweight divisions.

“I came out wanting the knockout,” said Lee. “I give credit to Jose, he was tough. I got a little excited early, and I was a little sloppy. In the beginning, I was just throwing power shots, I wasn’t double jabbing and using my athletic ability. Every fight is a learning lesson, and tonight I had to bite down and get the win.”

With the win, Lee will now look to challenge any of the champions and big names in and around his weight class.

“Let’s go. I want a shot at the world title. Whether it is at 168 pounds or 175 pounds, I am just waiting on a phone call. We wanted to fight Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., but I don’t know what happened with that. I just want someone with the belt.”

2012 Olympic Bronze Medal winner Tervel Pulev stopped Armando Ancona in round one of their scheduled eight-round heavyweight bout.

Pulev dropped Ancona with a hard left hook. Ancona got to his feet but ate a hard straight right, and the bout was stopped at 2:06.

Pulev, 209.5 lbs of Sofia, BUL is 11-0 with 10 knockouts. Ancona, 209 lbs of Columbus, OH is 8-8-2.

Damar Singeton stopped previously undefeated Tommy Hughes on cuts in the final round of their 6th round super middleweight bout.

In round five, Hughes was cut around the left eye from a straight right hand. The stopped the bout was just 2:30 of round six.

Singleton, 168.5 lb of Toledo, OH is 10-2 with 6 knockouts. Hughes, 168 lbs of Chicago is 6-1.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Gennady Golovkin has been stripped of his IBF title for failing to beat mandatory challenger Sergey Derevyanchenko.

“It comes as a complete shock that the IBF would make a ruling far beyond what the Derevyanchenko side was asking for,” Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler told ESPN. “They weren’t asking for him to be stripped. They were asking to have their shot at the IBF title next, but they never asked for him to be stripped. In light of this ruling, I think the IBF has completely mistreated GGG. It is the worst treatment they have ever shown any unified champion in their history.

“Gennady is disappointed in the ruling.”

“After reviewing the written submissions and hearing the oral arguments of counsel for the parties on May 22, 2018, the panel, composed of three IBF members, all of whom are practicing attorneys, made its recommendations to the [IBF] president, Daryl Peoples, and to the championships committee in accordance with Rule 12.F.,” the IBF ruling said. “The president and the championships committee approved the condition that Golovkin agree to fight the IBF middleweight mandatory opponent by August 3, 2018, in order to avoid the penalty of losing his title under Rule 5.H.”

The IBF ruling further said, “Since Golovkin has not agreed in writing to fight the IBF mandatory opponent by August 3, 2018, a required condition for the grant of the exception, the request for an exception to Rule 5.H. must now be denied. … The penalty for Golovkin having participated in an unsanctioned contest within his weight class under Rule 5.H. is that his IBF middleweight title will be declared vacant.”

“I’ve always respected the IBF for following their rules,” Lou DiBella said. “They made a completely legitimate ruling beforehand, and they did not strip GGG before his fight with Martirosyan, but he wasn’t going to honor the requirement that he fight Derevyanchenko next. They never came to us to try to make the fight. It was clear they weren’t going to try to make the fight, not with the possibility of the Canelo rematch, which looks dead now anyway. So I commend them for doing the right thing.

“I also want to give appropriate kudos to Alex Dombroff, who did a terrific job representing Derevyanchenko. He seriously did an outstanding job and he can be proud of the work he did. Kudos to the young guy who had a career-enhancing moment. He worked really hard.”

DiBella, long a big Golovkin fan, said there are no hard feelings on their side.

“I said this to GGG in person at the hearing — that he’s a great champion and I respect how he’s handled himself, and this does not detract from my respect for him.

“But you can’t have it all ways. I told him I’d be rooting for him if the Canelo fight happens.”

Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin has come off he demands for a 50-50 split for the rematch with Canelo Alvarez, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Gennady has agreed to come off his 50-50 demand,” Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler said, shortly after Golovkin had been stripped of his IBF belt for not facing Sergiy Derevyanchenko, the organization’s mandatory challenger. “Gennady wants the rematch with Canelo regardless of what Oscar says. He always wanted the fight with Canelo.

“He will come down to 55-45, which makes Canelo the A side. It will be Canelo making 55 percent in a rematch against GGG, which will be much bigger than the first fight was for sure. The rematch with GGG is his biggest fight by far and Gennady’s biggest fight. That’s the fight we want.”

“I’m not negotiating with Oscar. I’m negotiating with Eric Gomez,” Loeffler said of the Golden Boy Promotions president, who has been the company’s point person in the discussions. “I spoke to Eric [on Wednesday] and he’s going to go to Oscar and Canelo and see if they can get something done.”

Gomez was traveling Wednesday from Los Angeles to Verona, New York, for Golden Boy’s ESPN2-televised card on Friday night, but when reached during his layover in Chicago, he said he had spoken to Loeffler but did not know whether De La Hoya and Alvarez would be willing to return to the bargaining table.

“I just spoke to Tom a little bit ago,” Gomez said. “I told him I am going to be speaking to Oscar about it, and then we will talk to Canelo. We’ll see what happens.”

Denis Shafikov won an eight-round unanimous decision over Hector Ambriz Suarez in a lightweight bout at The Avalon in Hollywood, California.

In round four, Shafikov was cut on the forehead, between his eyes from an accidental headbutt.

Shafikov, 131.4 lbs of Big Bear, CA won by scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 77-75 to raise his mark to 39-4-1. Suarez, 131.4 lbs of Ensenada, MEX is 12-7-1.

Welterweight Brian Ceballo won a four-round unanimous decision over Adan Ahumada at the Avalon in Hollywood, California.

Ceballo dominated the action, and was in control from the beginning. In the final frame, Ceballo turned up the assault by hurting Ahumada in the final minute. Ceballo landed a big right hand that knocked out the mouthpiece of Ahumada. A follow-up punch buckled Ahumada into the ropes. Ceballo was on the verge of a stoppage, but the bell to end the fight rang.

Ceballo of Brooklyn. New York won by 40-35 scores on all cards, and kept his record perfect at 3-0.

“I feel great. I just wanted to look impressive. At the end when I saw I could stop him, I wanted to stop him, but the time ran out.” said Ceballo. “I want to thank everyone in New York and around the world for watching.”

Serhii Bohachuck stopped Cesar Berumen in round two of a scheduled six-round junior middleweight bout.

Seconds into the fight, Bohachuck landed a big right that sent Berumen to the canvas. Minutes later, it was a left hook that sent Berumen to the deck. In round two, it was a body shot that put Berumen down, and the fight was stopped at

Bohachuck, 153.4 lbs of Big Bear, CA is 9-0 with 9 knockout. Berumen, 152.4 lbs of Mexico, City is 26-38-3.

Jonathan Esquivel stopped Sergio L. Lopez in round three of their scheduled six-round middleweight bout.

In round one, Esquivel landed a big left that sent Gonzalez to the canvas. In round two, it was an accumulation of punches that sent Gonzalez to the canvas. In round three, it was a flurry of punches that sent Gonzalez down for a 3rd time, and the fight was stopped at 1:12.

Esquivel, 159.8 lbs of Anaheim, CA is 6-0 with six knockouts. Gonzalez, 159.4 lbs of Nuevo Laredo, MEX is 6-6.

Louisa Hawtom stopped Elvia Trevino in between rounds three and four of their scheduled six-round flyweight bout.

Hawton, 105.4 lbs of Perth, AUS is 8-1 with 4 knockouts. Trevino, 103,8 lbs of Matamore, MEX is 2-4.

Elvina Hadzic White won a 4-round unanimous decision over Annette Pabello in a super lightweight bout.

White, 140.6 lbs of Los Angeles won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 2-0. Pabello, 136.2 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 0-2.

Luis Rosales won a six-round unanimous decision over Roberto Pucheta in a junior featherweight bout.

Rosales, 122 lbs of S. El Monte, CA won by scores of 59-55 twice, and 58-56 and is now 8-1-1. Puchetam 121.8 lbs of Jalisco, MEX is 10-13-1.

Mario Ramos stopped Guadalupe Arroyo of the 6th final round of their super featherweight bout.

Ramos beat down Arroyo until the fight was stopped at 1:35.

Ramos, 127.2 lbs of San Diego, CA is 5-0 with 5 knockouts. Arroyo, 128.8 lbs of Huntington Beach, CA is 3-12.