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.

According to Dan Rafael, the mega-showdown between heavyweight champions Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua could happen, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Shelly Finkel, one of Wilder’s co-managers, told ESPN on Monday night that he is “optimistic” that a deal can be struck for the world’s top big men to fight this fall and that the location of the fight is not an issue on their side.

Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing has said that Joshua and trainer/manager Rob McCracken want the fight in the United Kingdom. Finkel said it is not an issue.

“I met with Eddie’s father, Barry [Hearn, head of Matchroom], this past Friday in New York and it was a good meeting,” Finkel said. “I’m hopeful that they will get back to me this week and that something can be done to make the fight in the fall. I’m optimistic.

“If [fighting in the United Kingdom] is a condition for us to get the fight, that will not be an impediment on our side. There are still some roads to cross but hopefully it will happen and we’ll see the fight this year. If we’re going to make the fight, the place where it will take place isn’t going to be the problem. We have no problem going to the U.K. It never was a problem. Deontay has never had a problem with that.”

Finkel said they continue to work with Joshua’s side on the split of the revenue.

“We’ve had conversations and I think the gap is close,” he said. “We feel it’s a lot closer.”

Barry Hearn said whatever happens needs to be done soon.

“They’ve got to make a decision realistically in the next few days,” he said. “I think both of them want to fight each other, but there’s obviously hurdles to come over. Is Wembley [Stadium] available? What’s the American pay-per-view situation for American broadcasters on a show in the U.K.? Is it the right time to fight Deontay Wilder? Fight’s only going to get bigger. Fight fans will tell you, ‘We must see it now!’ Of course, they’re not involved in the financials.

“The last word on this is Anthony Joshua’s. Our job is to say, ‘Here is the menu, you pick the main course,’ because Anthony Joshua calls the shots. He’s the financial king in heavyweight boxing and in the world of boxing. There’s no one running close. He makes the call.”

Joshua could also fight Povetkin in a mandatory bout, though it is a dangerous fight and likely worth significantly less than a fight with Wilder. Eddie Hearn and Vadim Kornilov, one of Povetkin’s representatives, are working on a deal though the Povetkin camp is aware that it is the backup plan to Wilder.

“We are finalizing negotiations for Joshua versus Povetkin for September of this year. We are hoping to come to a deal by the end of the month,” Kornilov told ESPN. “Joshua versus Povetkin is the most competitive fight in the heavyweight division today. Wilder versus Joshua has a lot more hype, but in my opinion Povetkin is a much tougher opponent for Joshua and it’s a 50-50 fight.”

“[Joshua] wants to box in the U.K. next. We’ve extended that offer to Wilder. Everything is good in terms of the spirit between the two camps. We’re talking. Povetkin is ready to go, so we have to make our move shortly. I reckon in the next week or two we’ll be looking to make a decision. We need to decide whether it’s Wilder or Povetkin next because the clock is ticking and Joshua is ready to get back in camp and defend his title. An announcement on the next Joshua fight is coming within the next week or two.”

Finkel said he is aware that Povetkin (34-1, 24 KOs), 38, of Russia, is a fallback option for Joshua, but that the Wilder side is not looking at other opponents yet.

“We’re not even thinking about it,” he said. “we’re hopeful to make this fight. This is the fight we’re focusing on only. Our goal is to make the fight with Joshua and that’s all we feel we should focus on.”

The negotiations for the rewatch between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin have stalled and Alvarez has now turned his attention to Daniel Jacobs, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“He’s (Golovkin) stubborn and wanting 50-50, and it’s not going to happen,” Alvarez promoter Oscar De La Hoya told ESPN about Golovkin. “The Canelo train has left the station.”

“So there’s a deal on the table for Daniel Jacobs to fight Sept. 15 against Canelo,” De La Hoya said. “Eddie loves the idea. He loves the fight. Daniel Jacobs loves the fight, and we love the fight as well. So we’re just moving forward and making sure that Canelo has the toughest dance partner possible for Sept. 15.”

“I can tell you that we love the fight,” Jacobs promoter Eddie Hearn said. “It’s a fight that when I signed Daniel Jacobs he told me he believes he beats Canelo every day of the week. We had a brief conversation with Golden Boy about a week ago or so [when Alvarez-Golovkin negotiations were first on the ropes], and it was hard to tell whether it was part of the plan in the negotiations with Canelo-Golovkin or if they really wanted the fight. We confirmed our interest, and today we received an official offer to fight Canelo on Sept. 15.

“I’ve taken the offer to Keith Connolly, Danny’s manager, Danny. We’re extremely interested. Obviously, it’s a huge fight.”

“It’s a first offer, and we are not looking to be difficult, but we know our value in the fight,” Hearn said. “We have a guy in Daniel Jacobs who, in my opinion, beat Gennady Golovkin, but in anybody’s opinion had a wonderful fight with Golovkin which many couldn’t split. In that respect, I see Jacobs as the perfect guy to fight Canelo.

“This is one of the reasons we signed with HBO — to get this fight. Now we’re here. I will push for every dime for my client. At the same time, we realize this is a wonderful opportunity, and we’ll do everything we can to make this fight. This is a major, major, major fight for Danny Jacobs. We know the money involved in the fight. We believe it does big pay-per-view numbers.”

De La Hoya said he hoped to also wrap it up quickly.

“The deadline is going to be middle of this month because we have to start promoting and lock down everything,” he said. “Our sponsors are ready to go, and we want to give the fight fans the best possible fight, and unfortunately GGG didn’t budge from his 50-50, so we’re moving on.”

“Jacobs gave GGG a run for his money. A lot of people thought that he won,” De La Hoya said. “I can’t say he won’t be Canelo’s toughest fight. He might be tougher than GGG.”

“What people are not understanding is I am not going to come off my demands for the rematch,” De La Hoya said. “The fact that GGG is stubborn on a 50-50 split, and it’s ludicrous. It’s never going to happen. He wants 50-50, and it’s never going to happen. We had already come to terms, and they had the contracts a long time, several weeks, and now he wants 50-50?”

“We were willing to budge, but now I’m fed up with this, and I’ve decided to move on. So we are talking to Eddie Hearn about Jacobs,” De La Hoya said. “Let’s make the best deal possible. The deal is on the table for Daniel Jacobs, and hopefully we can get it signed sooner than later so we can start promoting the fight.”

“I spoke to Eric [Monday night], and we were still in discussions, so I think if there’s a way to find a solution, we’ll try to find it, but I didn’t speak to him [on Tuesday],” Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler said. “But 50-50 is the position [Golovkin] has taken. Canelo’s taken his position. It’s our job to figure out if there’s a way to make the fight work. All I can say is that those two guys [Alvarez and Jacobs] are guys GGG already beat last year. Canelo would make more in a GGG fight than he will against Daniel Jacobs, so that goes both ways.”

“If GGG ever comes to his senses, we can fight next year if he wants for Cinco de Mayo,” De La Hoya said. “I tell you one thing — the money he would make for Canelo, he now has to fight five or six opponents to make that kind of money. We’ve moved on.”

2016 Olympic Gold Medalist Daniyar Yeleussinov, (2-0-0, 1 KO), of Kazakhstan won his second professional fight on Wednesday night defeating Hungarian battle-tested veteran Zoltan Szabo, (24-12-0, 10 KO’s), via six-round unanimous decision at the famed and sold-out York Hall in London, England under the banner of his promoter Matchroom Boxing and telecast on Sky Sports.

Boxing brilliantly and displaying his full arsenal, the 27-year-old Yeleussinov defeated the valiant Szabo by a score of 60-54. The fight was part of the latest installment of the acclaimed JDNXTGEN series.

“I’m very happy with my performance, it was great to fight for the first time as a professional in London and the fans were very supportive,” said Yeleussinov. “I can’t wait to fight here again.”

“Daniyar was very impressive tonight and the fans here at York Hall and those watching on Sky Sports got to see him display his vast array of skills,” said Ziya Aliyev of Boxing Stars Management Group, LLC. “We look forward to announcing his next fight with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing and can’t wait to get started.”

Boxing Stars Management Group LLC is headed by Ziya Aliyev and Elvis Crespo.

Despite being dropped twice in round four, Danny Dignum won a decision over Anthony Fox in a six-round super middleweight bout.

Dignum won most the action, but in round four, he was drilled with a perfect right hook to the jaw that sent him to the canvas. He did not get his legs back in the round and his glove touch the canvas for a 2nd knockdown.

Dignum won by a score of 57-56 to remain perfect at 6-0.

Sean McGoldrick won a decision over Craig Derbyshire in a super bantamweight bout.

McGoldrick, 122.8 lbs of Newport, Wales won by a 60-54 score to go to 6-0.

Craig Richards stopped Bosko Misic in a scheduled six-round light heavyweight bout.

Richards dropped Misic with a hard right hand that was followed by a left to the body, and the fight was stopped at 1:15 of round three.

An intriguing heavyweight battle between former champion Joseph Parker and former world title challenger Bryant Jennings will square off on August 18th in Atlantic City, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“They’ve both agreed to the fight and the paperwork has been sent to both camps,” Top Rank’s Carl Moretti said. “It’s an interesting fight between two of the top heavyweights in the world. The winner really is positioning himself to be in a better position.”

Donnie Nietes will take on Aston Palicte for a vacant super flyweight title on August 18th in the Philippines, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“The plan is on Aug. 18 in Cebu City,” said Nietes promoter Michael Aldeguer said. “However, contracts have not been signed yet as there are some clarifications that need to be cleared out. We hope to get things done within the week and when everything is signed we will make a formal announcement.

“Donnie is now in Los Angeles training for the Aug. 18 target date as this will be a new division for him. He will be back in the Philippines on July 2 to continue his training.”

Billy Joe Saunders bowed out of his June 23rd title defense against Martin Murray, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Apologies for any inconvenience, but due to the injury, I had to withdraw from the fight on June 23,” Saunders said. “You have your ups in boxing, but for me, the last three months have been downs. Sorry to Martin and the fans. I’ll be back soon.”

“There’s nothing I can do. I’m obviously gutted,” Murray said. “My management team is working on alternatives, so hopefully I’ll have a new date in the next couple of weeks. Thanks to everyone for their continued support.”

“He’s s— out again. The first time it was his hand, now it’s his hamstring,” Murray said. “We know that he’s trying to make a big money fight with [Gennady] Golovkin or Canelo [Alvarez] and I’m too risky to fight. He just don’t want to fight me, but there’s nothing I can do. This is the second time I’ve took myself away from my family, got my body in this condition — ready to fight — and I get told last minute it’s canceled.”

Promoter Frank Warren said he would announce the status of the card on Monday.

“Due to an injury suffered by Billy Joe Saunders, unfortunately he has had to withdraw from his June 23rd fight with Martin Murray at the O2 Arena. A full statement on the show will be made [Monday],” Warren said. “We apologize for any inconvenience.”

ATLANTIC CITY–Toka Kahn Clary retained the NABA Featherweight championship with a 10-round unanimous decision over Emmanuel Dominguez at Boardwalk Hall.

Clary landed some quick and hard combinations as he pushed the pace throughout the contest.

Cary, 125.4 lbs of Providence, RI won by scores of 98-92 twice and 97-93, and is now 25-1. Dominguez, 125 lbs of Aguascalientes, MEX is 22-7-2.

Despite being cut from a headbutt in the opening round, Poindexter Knight, Jr. remained perfect by winning a four-round unanimous decision over Jean Carlos Sepulveda in a welterweight bout bout.

Knight, 148.8 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 40-36 twice and 39-37 to stay perfect at 4-0. Sepulveda, 143.4 lbs of Bronx, NY is 0-1-1.

Greg Outlaw stopped Dan Murray at 1:41 of round two of of scheduled six-round junior welterweight bout.

Outlaw, 136.8 lbs of Bowie, MD is 5-0-1 with 2 knockouts. Murray, 138.4 lbs of Lanoka Harbor, NJ is 3-2.

Alejandro Jimenez won a four-round unanimous decision over Dallas Holden in a bantamweight bout.

Jimenez dropped Holden hard in round three. Later in round, it was Holden who scored the flash knockdown with a counter. Jimenez dropped Holden in round four with a hard left hook. Jimenez was dominant down the stretch, and won by scores of 40-34 and 39=35 twice.

Jimenez, 117.2 lbs of New Hope, PA is 2-0. Holden of Atlantic City is 1-3.

Alexey Egorov stopped Luther Smith in round of their scheduled 10-round cruiserweight bout.

Egorov dropped Smith once, and finished him off with a barrage of flush power shots at 2:32.

Egorov, 199.8 lbs of Obrinsk, RUS is 5-0 with 4 knockouts. Smith, 199.4 lbs of Bowie, MD is 10-4.

Sacred Downing made a successful pro debut with a four-round unanimous decision over Britain Hart in a super bantamweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 for Downing, 121.6 lbs of Trenton, NJ. Hart, 121 lbs of Bedford, VA is 2-3.

Daiyann Butt made a successful pro debut over Samuel Forjoe with a 4-round unanimous decision in a junior welterweight bout.

Butt, 139 3/4 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 40-36 on all cards. Forjoe, 141 1/4 lbs of Bronx, NY is 0-3.

Vasyl Lomachenko is set for surgery for a torn labrum in his shoulder that he suffered in his bout against Jorge Linares, accrding to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I couldn’t use my right arm to throw my right hook, and it was very uncomfortable to continue my fight,” said Lomachenko, speaking to ESPN immediately following his examination by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache at the Kerlan Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles.

“None of these things are carved in stone,” ElAttrache said. “The most important thing is to protect him and allow this to heal properly. With what I’m seeing now that’s the timetable if things go perfectly.”

“The shoulder popped out and then popped back in so he was able to finish the fight, but when he went back home it was hurting him and so he got an MRI in the Ukraine, and it showed the tear,” promoter Bob Arum said. “He was making arrangements to take care of it over there and that’s when Egis (Klimas) and myself said you have to come here [to Los Angeles] and have Dr. ElAttrache look at you and do the operation.”

“Every once in a while when he would spar, he’d have pain in the shoulder but then he’d ice it and then there’d be no problem,” Arum said. “But this time it was different with the pain he was having in the fight and after the fight. So, obviously, Aug. 25 is out for his next fight and we’re looking at Dec. 8. If the shoulder doesn’t come around in time we’ll have to postpone it, but we’re looking at him being ready to go Dec. 8. But we know there are no guarantees.”

Luis Nery’s June 9th fight against Jetro Pabustan has been cancelled due to pressure from the WBC, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Along with his representatives, Luis Nery attended an audience on March 9 [with WBC representatives],” the organization said in a statement on Monday. “During this hearing, the position of the WBC was to reach a settlement after considering the best way to help the boxer return to the ring and also to eventually contest the world championship of the World Boxing Council. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman put forward two clear options to Luis Nery. The first was for him to accept the conditions of the WBC in order to correct the problems which led him to lose the world title. The second option was for Nery to ignore the body and pursue his career on a different path. Nery clarified that he would follow any regulation imposed by the WBC. We deeply regret the decision of Nery to fight while being suspended by the WBC. Due to this action, it is clear that his decision has changed.”

“Zanfer Promotions informs that former WBC bantamweight world champion Luis ‘Pantera’ Nery will not fight June 9 as announced,” the company said in a statement. “Nery will wait for the resolution of the World Boxing Council. [Nery] will fully comply with the guidelines to which he committed himself to.”

In a bloody battle, Isidro Ochoa won a six-round unanimous decision over Ricardo Arias in a super featherweight bout.

Ochoa, 125.6 lbs of Fresno, CA won by scores of 60-54 twice and 59-55 to remain perfect at 5-0. Arias, 127.2 lbs of Rancho Mirage, CA is 1-4-1.

Bryan Lua stopped Francisco Camacho in round three of a scheduled six-round super featherweight bout.

In round three, Lua landed a left hook to the body that sent Camacho to the canvas. It was another left to the body that dropped Camacho for a 2nd time in the round. Lua finished things with an overhand right in the corner that put Camach down for a 3rd and final time at

Lua, 131.2 lbs of Madera, CA is now 5-0 with 2 knockouts. Camacho, 130.6 lbs of Matamoros, MEX is 5-8-1.

Alexander Besputin remained perfect with a 3rd round stoppage over Saul Corral in a scheduled 10-round welterweight bout.

In round three, Besputin dropped Corral with a left uppercut to the jaw..Moments later, it was a left to the liver that put Corral down, and the fight was stopped at

Besputin, 146.6 lbs of Oxnard, CA is 10-0 with 8 knockouts. Corral, 146 lbs of Monterrey, MEX is 27-12.

Piotr Apostol remained undefeated with a 4-round unanimous decision over Carlos Castillo in a lightweight bout.

Apostol, 137 lbs of Althenia, NJ won by scores of 40-36 twice, and 39-37 and is now 5-0. Castillo, 135.4 lbs of Lindsey, CA is 4-6.

Jose Salinas remained undefeated by scoring a 2nd round stoppage over Carlos Apodaca in a lightweight bout,

In round one, Salinas dropped Apodaca with a left hand. Seconds later, Salinas scored another knockdown off of a flurry of punches. In round two, Salinas was all over Apodaca and floored him with a flurry in the corner, ans the fight was stopped at 32 seconds.

Salinas, 132.4 lbs of Indio, VA is 5-0 with 2 knockouts. Apodaca, 130.8 lbs of San Luis Rio Colorado, MEX is 2-10-2.

WBO Welterweight champion Jeff Horn was involved in a car accident, but it was not serious enough to affect his June 9th defense against Terence Crawford, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“We don’t let little things like car accidents or bruised hands stop us unlike those (expletive) American fighters, who if it was them they would be crying right now they would have to delay the fight,” Duco Events promoter Dean Lonergan, who co-promotes Horn with Top Rank, told ESPN in a text message.

“No one was badly hurt but it stunned me,” Horn told the Australian newspaper the Courier Mail. “Fortunately, I was in the car alone and my wife Jo and baby Isabelle were home. The man in the center of the crash just had his head buried in his hands. He was really upset, really in shock. I jumped out of the car to make sure everyone was OK. The ambulance people came but thankfully there weren’t any serious injuries. It could have been much worse. The accident was a shock but nothing is going to derail me from beating Terence Crawford. I’m very fit. I feel I’m going to peak right at fight time.”

Next up is Crawford, and Carl Moretti, vice president of Top Rank, Crawford’s promoter, was happy to hear that Horn was OK.

“We’re thankful Jeff was not hurt in the accident,” Moretti said. “However, come June 9 he’s gonna run head straight into something that hits like a Mack truck and is as fast as a Lamborghini — ‘Bud’ Crawford.”

Vasyl Lomachenko will vacate his WBO 130 lb championship and keep the WBA Lightweight title, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I am writing you on behalf of Team Lomachenko. As you are well aware on May 12 Vasiliy moved up in weight to challenge WBA lightweight champion Jorge Linares,” Top Rank’s Carl Moretti wrote to WBP President Paco Valcarcel.. “As you saw, he was successful in capturing the lightweight title. Vasiliy wishes to continue to campaign in the lightweight division. Therefore, we respectfully relinquish our WBO junior lightweight title so that an opportunity may be given to the ranked contenders to compete for the vacant belt.

“Paco, we are so grateful to you and the WBO family for affording us the privilege of being a WBO world champion from the start of his career. We hope in the near future we will once again be afforded the chance to fight for another championship with the WBO. As always, we thank you for your continued support and friendship.”

“Lomachenko will not go on Aug. 25, but it’s still possible that his next fight will be a unification with Ray,” Top Rank’s Bob Arum said, adding that after a trip home to Ukraine following the victory against Linares that Lomachenko would return to Southern California on Monday night and will meet with him and manager Egis Klimas next week to discuss his future plans.

“Loma is going to stay at 135 pounds because we believe there are bigger fights and much better competition in that weight class,” Klimas told ESPN. “We’ve been talking about the next fight and maybe unifying with the titles with Beltran but everything is up in the air.”

Naoya Inoue obliterated Jamie McDonnell to win the WBA Bantamweight title at  Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.

Inoue dropped McDonnell in the opening frame with a body shot.  Seconds later, Inoue landed a furious combination that sent McDonnell oto the canvas, and the bout was stopped at 1:50.

Inoue of Japan won a title in his 3rd division, and is now 16-0 with 14 knockouts.  McDonnell of Great Briton is 29-3-1.

Ken Shiro defended the WBA Light Flyweight title with a 2nd round stoppage over Ganigan Lopez.

Shiro landed a perfect right to the body that folded up Lopez to the canvas.  He could not beat the ten-count.

Shiro is 13-0 with seven knockouts.  Lopez is 34-8.

Former light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal will face former minor-league hockey player, and UFC fighter Steve Bosse on June 29th in Montreal.

“I don’t want to have no regrets and that is why I came back,” Pascal said. “I take this fight very seriously. I am already in the gym and I will have a good training camp. I found back the love for my sport.”

“I always wanted to fight a heavyweight. Steve is the perfect opponent to test myself (because) he is a big guy who was 224 pounds in his last fight,” Pascal said.

“But, still, I will put his boxing career where it belongs — on ice.”

“All my life I was an underdog. They said I could not play hockey. I played and was the most popular guy in the league,” said Bosse, who last fought in the UFC in June 2016. “They said I shouldn’t do MMA. I reached the UFC and did pretty good. Now some say I should not box? I will surprise the doubters June 29.

“Remember, I am the puncher here. I can end the fight with one punch. He can’t. I will send him back to retirement.”

“Pascal is saying it is his ambition to test the heavyweight division as it is his longtime dream to fight with the big men,” promoter Yvon Michel said. “(In this fight) you have a former world champion moving up a weight class against a bigger guy, who is also a crowd pleaser. Make sure you don’t blink.”

Epic Sports & Entertainment, headed by former longtime Don King attorney John Wirt, won with a bid of $1,500,111 to easily beat two other bidders. Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, Whyte’s promoter, offered $831,111, while Pulev promoter Team Sauerland bid $801,305.

Pulev is entitled to 75 percent of the winning bid ($1,125,083.25), and Whyte will receive the remaining 25 percent ($375,027.75).