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).

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Adrien Broner turned down a lucrative offer from promoter Eddie Hearn and posted the possible deal on Twitter.

“I’m sorry Eddie Hearn you a good guy and all but you tried to give me a worst (sic) deal than Roc Nation offered me,” Broner wrote, adding #ThisS—IsOVA and #SlaveDeal.

Broner posted what he said was the one-year, $6.75 million offer sent to his camp by Hearn that read, “Further to our recent conversations, you may have seen our announcement last week for our new deal for 16 shows per year in the US. I would be very interested to offer Adrien a 3 fight promotional agreement.”

Terms of the deal called for Broner to fight in September for a purse of $2 million, followed by a second fight in March for $2.25 million, with the third fight in September 2019 for $2.5 million — higher than Broner’s previous best official purses.

“This will give AB security and also a concrete schedule to work from. 3 fights in 12 months! I will await your feedback and am here to answer any questions you have,” Hearn wrote.

“We’re definitely open to it and to hearing what he has to say, and me and my twin brother are willing to work something out if it makes sense,” Jermall Charlo said. “Of course, I want to hear what he has to say.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com a big legal war is brewing between Top Rank of Sampson Boxing over the promotional rights to WBC Super Middleweight champion David Benavidez.

“We signed him. We want to give him big fights,” Top Rank’s Arum said. “But I don’t really want to talk about it right now because there’s going to be some litigation. [Lewkowicz] believes he’s still under contract and any further questions please contact our lawyers Dan Petrocelli and David Marroso.”

“Bob Arum, Top Rank, everyone involved in this will have a lawsuit,” Sampson Lewkowicz told ESPN. “People believe I am weak or they believe I am naive. But trust me — I am not naive and I am not weak. I never had a problem with Bob Arum before. We had a good relationship but no more. Arum is trying to steal the work I did. With David, I took him from nothing to world champion. But with money you can destroy any contract. It’s so unspeakable what Arum did. It’s a disgrace for an old man to do something like this. It’s savage. I hope he can sleep at night because what he did was totally wrong.

“We sent a cease and desist letter and now I have three lawyers working on the case, working on a lawsuit.”
“Arum is destroying a young man’s career,” Lewkowicz said. “This is a young man, 21 years old, who he refused to sign at the age of 18. After that I did all the work. I work so hard for this kid. I treat him like my son, like every fighter I have. I believe he made a mistake but I still have confidence he will come back home. I will wait for him. He will come back.”

“In April I sent (Benavidez) $50,000 for training expenses for the July 28 fight against Matt Korobov. He took the money and he never signed the bout contract,” Lewkowicz said. “But he cannot fight for Arum. I have a contract with him. It’s very simple. Arum gave him money to sign. I don’t know how much but it must be a lot of money because Bob Arum tried to buy me out for seven figures and I refused. I never accept. I worked so hard why should I give him the fighter?

“David Benavidez is 21, a young kid who doesn’t understand the consequences of signing two contacts with two promoters. He doesn’t understand the law.”

Jamie McDonnell’s title defense against Naoya Inoue will be streamed on ESPN+ this Friday morning, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“In the short time since its launch [on April 12], ESPN+ is becoming a wonderful platform to see world-class global fighters at all different hours of the day,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef told ESPN. “Friday’s event is another step we are taking toward bringing compelling world-class boxing to the ESPN platforms.”

“I know McDonnell is a strong champion with his good height and good record,” said Inoue, who is 5-foot-5 to McDonnell’s 5-10. “I’d like to prepare well in order to win my third championship.”

“I am in better physical condition with no problem with the weight,” said Lopez, who will be fighting in Japan for the fourth time. “I have been frequently watching the video of my first fight with Ken Shiro. I’m sure that I can do things so much better in the rematch, capitalizing on the opportunity to defeat him in a clearer way.”

WBC Light Heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson retained his title with a majority draw with two-division champion at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada.

Stevenson won most of the early rounds as Jack seemed to be feeling out the 40 year-old champion. Jack got rolling in the middle rounds as he was dividing up his shots between the head and head sanpping right hands. With the momentum seeming swung in his favor, Jack got hit with a body shot in round ten, that was the door opener for Stevenson to get back into the fight. Over the final three frames there was plenty of toe to toe action with not much separating the two combatants.

Jack took a card at 115-113 while two cards were even at 114-114.

Stevenson is 29-1-1. Jack is 22-1-3.

“I went to the body and saw that he was fatigued,” said Stevenson, who moves to 9-0-1 in world title fights. “I had to keep the pressure on him. He’s a slick fighter, a two-time world champion but I felt I won the fight.

“I used both hands. I touched him a lot with the right hand on the body and slowed him down. He tried to come and attack me. I feel like I won the fight but I’ll give him a rematch if he wants it.

“I thought I definitely won the fight,” said Jack, who drew for the fourth time in his career. “No judge had him winning. I have no idea why I can’t get a decision. It could be that they’re jealous of Floyd and don’t like him. I’m one of his top fighters. I can’t do anything about it. I’m not the judge. I have to respect their decision.

“Maybe I started the fight too slow. I gave away those rounds. He didn’t really hit me. I can’t do anything about it, let’s do a rematch in Las Vegas. I came to his backyard, it’s time he comes out to Vegas.”

Gary Russell, Jr. retained the WBC Featherweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Joseph Diaz at the MGM National Harbor in National Harbor, Maryland.

Russell used his jab and handspeed to keep the charging Diaz.  Diaz landed some nice punches early, but it was the ring generalship of Russell that was the difference of the fight.  The landed a similar amount of punches (199-192 in Russell’s favor), but Russell threw 500 more punches, and he won by scores of 117-111 twice and 115-113.

Russell, 125.5 lbs of Washington, DC is 29-1.  Diaz, 126 lbs of South El Monte, CA is 27-2.

“We train to survive those body shots,” said Russell Jr. “We put the work in every day in the ring. We consistently grind and push ourselves to be great and we push ourselves to the limit.

“I was disappointed in my performance because I wasn’t planning on going the distance. I hurt the right hand, but I still had to use it, because he could not get past my jab.”

“The game plan was to break him down with the body shots and start attacking him more in the later rounds,” said the South El Monte, Calif. native. “But I started attacking him too late and didn’t pick it up until the 8th or 9th round. Gary Russell Jr. is a tremendous fighter and he did a great job keeping me at bay.”

“This will just make me a hungrier fighter. I hope I got the respect of a lot of fight fans. I wanted to become champion against the best featherweight fighter in the world. Tonight wasn’t my night but I’m going to bounce back harder and I’ll be champion soon.”

Josh Warrington captured the IBF Featherweight title with a 12-round split decision over Lee Selby in Leeds, England.

Selby was cut around the left eye in round two from a clash of heads.  In round six, it was another accidental headbutt that caused a cut around the right eye of Selby. Warrington contentiously beat Selby to the punch ver the 1st nine rounds. Selby showed a champions heart as he fought through two cuts to make the fight close, but he came up on the wrong end of the cards which read 116-112 and 115-113 for Warrington and 115-113 for Selby.

Warrington is 27-0. Selby is 26-2.

“I can’t put into words how I feel. I got into the ring tonight with the expectation of the city on my shoulders,” said Warrington. “I outboxed the boxer tonight.

“I’m overcome with emotion. We worked on gameplans but that all went out of the window and it was sheer grit and determination and this crowd got me through tonight.”

Romero Duno won a ten-round unanimous decision over Gilberto Gonzalez in a lightweight bout at the Fantsay Springs Resort in Indio, California.

Duno, 134.6 lbs of General Samtos City, PHL won by scores of 98-92 ans 97-93 twice to raise his mark to 17-1. Gonzalez, 134.8 lbs of Uriangato. MEX is 27-5.

Duno outlanded Gonzalez 213-139.

Oscar Duarte won a 10-round unanimous decision over Rey Perez in a lightweight bout.

Duarte registered 2 knockdowns in round eight, and came home with the victory by scores of 99-89 twice, and 98-90.

Duarte, 134.8 lbs of Parral. MEX is 14-0-1. Perez, 134.8 lbs of Sindangan, PHL is 22-10.

Duarte outlanded Perez 157-110.

Francisco Esparza remained perfect by pounding out a eight-round unanimous decision over Edgar Cantu in a featherweight bout.

Esparza, 125.5 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 80-72 on all cards, and is now 8-0-1. Cantu, 125 lbs of Laredo, TX is 7-4-2.

Jaba Khositashvili stopped Fabian Valdez in round two of a scheduled six-round light heavyweight bout.

In round one, Khositashvili dropped Valdez with a combination. In round two, Khositashvili landed a hard combination that dropped Valdez, and the fight was stopped at 26 seconds.

Khositashvili, 169 lbs of Akhaltsikhe, GEO is 3-0 with 2 knockouts. Valdez, 168 lbs of Huatabampo, MEX is 2-3.

Former world champion Jose Pedraza and undefeated featherweight prospect Shakur Stevenson have been added to the June 9th Terence Crawford – Jeff Horn card in Las Vegas, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Pedraza will face Antonio Moran in a 10-round, lightweight fight.

“I am excited because this will be my first fight in Las Vegas, which everyone knows is the fight capital of the world. I am determined to give a great performance,” Pedraza said. “I know Moran is a good fighter and coming to upset my plans, but I have worked very hard to make sure that does not happen. I expect to be victorious on June 9 and will continue to show I am a force at lightweight.”

Stevenson will face Aelio Mesquita (16-1, 14 KOs), 26, of Brazil, in an eight-round bout.

“I’ve gotten the chance to fight at Madison Square, and now I’m ready for my Las Vegas debut at the MGM Grand on June 9,” Stevenson said. “There have been so many historic fights in that arena, and now it’s my turn. It’s always fun to fight on Terence’s undercards. The Crawford family has adopted me, so I’m going to put on a great performance for them and everyone watching at MGM and on ESPN+.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Canelo Alvarez has enrolled in VADA testing in the wake of his positive test for a banned substance that forced the cancellation of his May 5 bout with Gennady Golovkin.

“I want to let you know that I just signed the contract with VADA for year round testing,” Alvarez wrote on Twitter.

“We have received paperwork from Mr. Alvarez’s representatives for year-round testing (24/7/365) through VADA,” Dr. Margaret Goodman, president of VADA, said in an email to ESPN.

“This is good news,” Oscar De La Hoya told ESPN. “This is voluntary and Canelo is paying for the testing out of his own pocket because he wants to prove to his fans that he is a clean fighter. Any time they want to test him he will make himself available. … Canelo is doing this because he is listening to his fans. The criticism will always be there, but he decided to listen and prove to everyone that he is clean.”

“What people don’t know is Canelo is getting randomly tested by the Nevada commission,” De La Hoya said. “He wants to be tested year-round. He wants to do this for his fans and that’s why he’s doing this so they won’t doubt him.”

“We’ve started discussions with Tom. We want to make the fight happen and this is another step in the right direction,” De La Hoya said. “Every top fighter should be tested by VADA on a year-round basis. That’s the only way to clean up the sport.

“Hopefully, we can make the fight. … These guys, Canelo and GGG, sure don’t like each other now. If the fight happens in September it will be that much better of a fight. Now there really is bad blood. It will be a hell of a fight if it happens in September, but regardless Canelo will be fighting in September.

“This is a huge step, a major hurdle we have cleared. There are no excuses whatsoever. GGG wants the fight, Canelo wants this fight, so let’s just get past this and move forward and give the fans the fight they want to see again.”

Said Loeffler: “I think it’s important for Canelo to be enrolled and that was one of the requirements in the discussions we’ve had with Golden Boy for the rematch. They never balked at it. It’s one less hurdle. I’m in continued discussions with (Golden Boy president) Eric (Gomez) and hopefully we have some resolution here in the near future.”

Before the fight with Martirosyan, Golovkin, a strong testing advocate, said he would re-enroll in VADA to continue out-of-competition testing. “I contacted VADA to re-enroll him and continue the testing he was doing for the fight on May 5,” Loeffler said.

“It hasn’t started yet but I’d imagine it will by next week. With regard to Canelo, I was a little bit surprised that for someone proclaiming his innocence so strongly he wasn’t testing. But it’s good to see him enrolled. It helps his image tremendously and this is something GGG and Abel have always wanted to have — a level playing field for both guys.

“We felt both guys should test continuously leading up to the (rematch). For the last fight the testing started three months before the fight and since Gennady is an advocate for this testing he wanted to lead the way for the continued testing. I think a lot of fighters can slip through loopholes by the testing starting too close to the fight and then it doesn’t matter.”

NEW YORK, NY–Vasyl Lomachenko captured the WBA Lightweight title with an exciting 10th round stoppage over Jorge Linares at Madison Square Garden

Lomachenko started to get going in round three, as he handspeed and footwork started to take its course.  The right eye of Linares began to swell in round four.  Lomachenko showed a blistering combination to punctuate the 5th.  In round six, Linares landed a huge counter right that sent Lomachenko on the seat of his pants.

Both guys traded winning rounds with Linares getting through with some solid right hands, while Lomachenko’s quick combination punches were the difference tin the frames for which he took.

In round ten, Lomachenko planted a perfect straight left under the rib-cage of Linares and the champion fell to all fours.  Linares did get o his feet, but he was unable to continue at 2:08.

Lomachenko is now a champion in his 3rd weight class as he raises his mark to 11-1 with 9 knockouts.  Linares is now 44-4.

Carlos Adames remained undefeated by winning a ten-round unanimous decision over Alejandro Barrera in a welterweight bout.

It was a solid action fight that saw Adames push the pace and land the heavier blows.

Adames, 149.8 lbs of Santiago, DR won by scores of 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94, and is now 14-0.  Barrera, 149.4 lbs of Monterrey, MX is 27-5.

Michael Conlan remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Ibon Larriniga in a featherweight bout.

Conlan, 126.8 lbs of Belfast, IRL won by scores of 80-72 on all cards, and is now 7-0.  Larriniga, 126.4 lbs of Bibao, ESP is now 10-2.

Teofimo Lopez needed just 64 seconds to dispose of Vitor Freitas in their scheduled eight-round lightweight bout.

Lopez landed a straight right that buckled and sprawled Freitas under the bottom rope and the fight was called just as Lopez did a standing backflip in the ring.

Lopez, 135.8 lbs of Brooklyn is 9-0 with 7 knockouts.  Freitas, 135.4 lbs of Salvador, BRA is 13-2.

Mikaela Mayer remained undefeated by winning a six-round unanimous decision over Baby Nansen in a lightweight bout.

Mayer, 131.6 lbs of Los Angeles, CA win by shutout scores of 60-54 on all cards, and is now 5-0.  Nansen, 131 lbs of Auckland, NZ is 6-3-1.

Former U.S.  Olympian Jamel Herring stopped Juan Pablo Sanchez in round five of a scheduled eight-round lightweight bout.

Herring battered Sanchez on the ropes until the bout was stopped at 1:28.

Herring, 132.4 lbs of Coram. NY is 19-2 with 10 knockouts.  Sanchez, 133 lbs of Humimagullo, MX is 29-16.

Fazliddin Gaibnazorv stopped Jesus Silveyra in round four of their scheduled eight-round lightweight bout.

Gainnazorv dropped Silveyra twice in round four, and the bout was stopped at 2:05.

Gaibnazorov, 140.6 lbs of Bakabod, UZB is 4-0 with 2 knockouts.  Selveyra, 141.2 lbs of Monterrey, MX is 8-6-2.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, junior welterweight titeholders, Jose Ramirez and Regis Prograis will take separate bouts before they are mandated to fight each other.

On July 7 at the Save Mart Center in his home region of Fresno, California, Ramirez will defend his belt for the first time when he meets Danny O’Connor in the main event of a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card.

One week later, on July 14 at the Lakefront Arena at the University of New Orleans, Prograis (21-0, 18 KOs) will fight in his hometown for the first time in the main event of another Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card. He will face Juan Jose Velasco as long as Velasco wins a fight he has scheduled for Friday night in his home country of Argentina and comes away uninjured.

fter Prograis, 29, won the vacant interim belt by stopping former unified titlist Julius Indongo in the second round on March 9, and Ramirez (22-0, 16 KOs), 25, of Avenal, California, outpointed Amir Imam for the vacant full title on March 17, they were supposed to fight next based on a ruling at last year’s WBC convention ordering the winners of the two bouts to meet on a 50-50 split if the fight went to a purse bid.

However, Ramirez promoter Todd duBoef of Top Rank and Prograis promoter Lou DiBella told ESPN on Thursday that they have agreed to forgo the fight for now with the hope of having it take place perhaps next summer when they believe it can be much bigger commercially.

“It’s a great fight now. We want it to be a great event as well,” duBoef said. “It’s back-to-back weekends, back-to-back hometowns. The scenario we like is two young guys building momentum and using the upcoming fights to showcase themselves and make their fight much bigger. We want it to be more than just a great fight. We want it to be a big fight, which is what the sport needs.”

if Prograis wins his summer fight, he is headed to the World Boxing Super Series eight-man single-elimination tournament, which will begin in September but has not yet been formally announced. If he wins the tournament — and he’ll be favored to do so — he could emerge with two major titles as well as the WBC’s symbolic diamond belt and a date with Ramirez.

“We’re banking on the skill sets of both fighters and the marketability of what we can do behind them to create a bigger match down the road,” duBoef said. “This is collaborative between both sides. We’re not hiding from anybody. Lou communicated his needs, and we communicated our needs, and then we figured out a solution that works for everybody, and that was good collaborative behavior.”

“We know this fight can be built into something,” DiBella said. “There’s an interest in doing the fight right now and we had backing from Showtime (where Prograis has been fighting). We could have gone to purse bid, and the fight could have been delayed. Ramirez isn’t going into the tournament, but Regis wants to be part of it, and he couldn’t have both — the fight right away and then the tournament. So with this scenario, Regis can go into the tournament. The tournament will be over in less than a year. Regis will get exposure in the tournament, and Todd can keep building Ramirez on his ESPN platform. If these kids keep winning the fight won’t be smaller in a year. At that point they’ll be much bigger.”

“It has been my dream to become a world champion. It’s now my duty to defend this belt at home for my city, fans and everything I fight for,” Ramirez said Thursday. “I’m blessed to have this opportunity. I dedicate this fight to the immigrants that contribute to and make our society a better place. I’m pro-immigrant and proud.”

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According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, lightweight champion Mike Garcia is talking to Dana White of the UFC to become a part of a potential Zuffa Boxing Promotion.

“A month ago maybe, before Mikey’s last fight, [White] saw Mikey train a full workout,” Mikey’s trainer/brother Robert Garcia said. “When he left the gym, he said, ‘I want to invite you guys to [Las] Vegas.’ I never went to Vegas, but I think Mikey went, and they had a meeting. He was there, and he said after the fight, ‘I want to invite you guys to Vegas,’ that he wanted to fly us in.”

pects him back in the gym Monday to begin training for his next fight, which is supposed to be a Showtime-televised lightweight title unification bout with Robert Easter Jr. (21-0, 14 KOs) on July 28 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, though the fight has not been formally announced.

“That’s what it looks like, but Mikey hasn’t confirmed the fight yet, but I know he’s training on Monday,” Robert Garcia said. “But I don’t know if Mikey wants to get into a promotional contract. If he does sign with Dana, it’s got to be something that makes a lot of sense for Mikey. What we’ve seen Dana do with UFC, if he’s able to bring something like that to boxing, then it will be huge. I think Mikey would do something [with White] if it was well worth it for him.”

CARSON, Calif. – It was a quick thank you. Gennady Golovkin delivered it efficiently, precisely and exactly as promised.

Vanes Martirosyan never had a chance. He was just there, like a Cinco De May piñata, or perhaps a billboard targeted to carry a message for who was supposed to be there instead, but wasn’t because of two positive PED tests in February.

Was suspended Canelo Alvarez watching? Who knows? If he was, he didn’t have to watch for long. GGG (38-0-1, 34 KOs) didn’t waste much time. It probably took him longer to finish his entrance, which took him around the ring and to his corner in a walk that allowed him to wave to as many of the 7,837 fans at StubHub Center as possible.

It took him less than two rounds to finish Martirosyan, a huge underdog who actually surprised him in the opening round. Martirosyan (36-4-1, 21 KOs) landed early, landed late. On the 15 Rounds card, he was leading, 10-9, after the first three minutes.

The next 113 seconds, however, were a very different story. GGG, awakened and energized, went to work in a fashion as ruthless as it was sudden. A big left hand started it. Then, there were at least three successive jabs. A couple of more lefts followed. Martirosyan was down, his face on the canvas. He tried to get up, but fell forward. Referee Jack Reiss immediately and wisely wave it off. GGG had his 34th knockout and a 20th straight defense of two of middleweight titles, tying a record held by Brnard Hopkins.

“I want everybody,’’ GGG said when asked who he would like to fight next.

Next, of course, begged the inevitable question:

Canelo?

“Absolutely,’’ he said.

But that’s a rich rematch that still has to negotiated and those talks figure to be a lot more difficult than the GGG fight Saturday night was.

But for one night, he had a reason to celebrate and thank his Southern California fan base. Along the way, he also got some appreciation form another one of South California fans. Martirosyan knew he had power. But feeling it was something else.

“It was like being hit by a train,’’ he said. “Not just one punch. All of his punches.’’

In a controversial welterweight fight, women’s champion Cecilia Braekhus (33-0, 9 KOs) survived a knockdown for a unanimous decision over tough Kali Reis (13-7-1, 4 KOs).

Best Of The Undercard

Kazakh junior-welterweight Ruslan Madiyev (12-0, 5 KOs) warmed up the ring for Golovkin, his fellow countryman and stablemate, with a sudden burst of energy and power over the last couple of rounds for a furious finish to a unanimous decision over Jesus Perez (22-1,16 KOs) of Tijuana.

The Rest

Cleveland prospect Ryan Martin (22-0, 12 KOs), looking more comfortable and powerful at 140 pounds, overcame a point penalty for low blows in the fourth and went on to a unanimous decision over Breidis Prescott (31-12, 22 KOs), a one-hit wonder still remembered for knocking out Amir Khan.

New York welterweight Brian Ceballo (2-0, 1 KO) employed patience and precision throughout four one-sided rounds for a unanimous decision over Nam Phan (3-6, 2 KOs) of Grand Garden, Calif.

Los Angeles junior-flyweight Jesse Rodriguez (6-0, 4 KOs) opened the show with a blinding succession of punches, including a head-rocking left for a third-round stoppage of Armando Vasquez (25-22-1, 7 KOs) of Mexicali.

Tony Bellew scored his 2nd knockout over David Haye in the last 14 months as the former star of “Creed” scored a 5th round stoppage in a battle of world champions at the O2 Arena in London.

Haye came out Early and landed a couple of right hands.  After that it was all Bellew in a big way, as in round three, Bellew scored two monstrous knockdowns.  the 1st one came from a huge counter right hand.  Moments later, it was a smashing left hook to the jaw that sent “The Hayemaker” to the canvas.

Bellew continued to dominate, and in round five, Bellew landed another head turning left hook that sent Haye to the deck for a third time.  Bellew ended the fight by landed two hard punches on the ropes, and the bout was stopped at 2:14.

Bellew of Liverpool is now 30-2-1 with 20 knockouts.  Haye of London is 28-4.

John Ryder stopped Jamie Cox in round two of their scheduled twelve-round super middleweight bout.

Ryder landed a right to head that Cox went down after a delayed reaction.  Cox got up just as referee Ian-John Lewis reached the count of 10 and the bout was called at 50 seconds in round 2.

Ryder of Islington is now 26-4 with 14 knockouts.  Cox of Swindon is 25-2.

Emmanuel Rodriguez won the IBF Bantamweight title with a 12 round domination of Paul Butler.

In round one, Rodriguez landed a perfect left hook that deposited Butler on the canvas.  Seconds later it was a flurry of shots to the head that put Butler down again.  In round three, Butler began to bleed from the nose.

Rodriguez coasted home by boxing and moving for which Butler had no answer for the skilled Rodriguez.

Butler was ineligible to win the vacant title as he checked in 3 1/2 pounds over the 118 pound limit.

Rodriguez of Puerto Rico won by scores of 120-106 twice and 118-108, and is now 18-0.  Butler Ellesmere Port is 26-2.

2016 Olympic Silver Medal Winner, Joe Joyce stopped Lenroy Thomas in round 2 of their scheduled 12-round heavyweight bout.

At the end of round one, Joyce landed a left to the body that sent Thomas down at the bell.  In round two, Joyce landed two crushing rights rights that sent Thomas down.  Joyce ended things with a flush left hook to chin that sent Thomas slowly to his knees.  Thomas did not beat the 10 count, and the bout was stopped at 2:36.

Joyce of Putney is 4-0 with 4 knockouts.  Thomas of Jamaica is 22-5-1.

Joshua Buatsi remained perfect by stopping Stephane Cuevas in round five of a scheduled eight-round light heavyweight bout.

Buatsi dominated the fight and then landed a huge combination that hurt Cuevas at 50 seconds of round five.

Buatsi, 178.4 lbs of Croydon is now 6-0 with 4 knockouts.  Cuevas, 175 lbs of Toulouse, France is 8-2-3.

James Tennyson survived a 2nd round knockdown, and came back to defeat previously undefeated Martin J Ward via 5th round stoppage in a terrific action super featherweight bout.

In round two, Ward dropped Tennyson with a crunching left hook to the body.  In round three, Tennyson started to bleed from his nose.

The tide turned in round four when Tennyson hurt Ward, and round five, Tennyson landed a big 3 punch combination that sent Ward to the canvas.  Moments later, Tennyson landed a flush uppercut that sent Ward Sprawling to the canvas, and the bout was stopped at 2:24.

Tennyson of Dublin is now 22-2 with 18 knockouts.  Ward of Brentwood is now 19-1-2.