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.

Ryan Garcia remained undefeated by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Jayson Velez at StubHub Center in Carson, California.

In round six, Velez began to drip blood down the right side of his face.

Garcia anded 152 of 531 punches, while Velez landed 71 of 405.

Garcia, 129.8 lbs of Victorville, CA won by scores of 99-91 on all cards, and is now 15-0. Velez, 130 lbs of Juncos, PR is 26-5-1.

“I feel good, but I need to learn some things,” said Ryan Garcia. “I need to learn how to handle roughhousing in a tough fight like that. Either way, I’m only 19 years old, so it was a good experience. It taught me a lot. Velez was a durable guy, but I landed a lot of crazy shots as well. I thank Jayson Velez, and I will learn from this experience. I still feel I’m on the fast track to a world-title fight. I beat a guy who fought for a world title.”

“I didn’t think he [Garcia] would last with me, but I was proven wrong,” said Jayson Velez. “He needs a little more experience, but he’s going to be big. He moves well, and was able to keep up with me. He’s a great opponent, and we put on a great show. I’m proud of what we did here.”

Gary O’Sullivan stopped Berlin Abreu after round three of their scheduled 10-round middleweight bout.

O’Sullivan, 158.2 lbs of Cork, IRE is 28-2 with 20 knockouts. Abreu, 159.8 lbs of Rio Pierdas, PR is 14-2.

“Abreu could punch, and he caught me with a couple of good ones,” said Gary O’Sullivan. “I came to do my job, and that was to get the win. This win doesn’t compare to what’s waiting for me – I’m waiting for my next big stage. Who knows? You might see me on the next major Mexican Holiday Weekend.”

Seniesa Estrada stopped Amarilis Adorno in round three of their scheduled six-round flyweight bout.

Adorno was cut above the right eye in round two, and the bout was stopped at 38 seconds of round three.

Estrada, 108 lbs of East Los Angeles, CA is 13-0 with 3 knockouts. Adorno, 108 lbs of Vega Alta, PR is 1-7.

“I knew I was going to knock her out at some point,” said Seniesa Estrada. “I knew the referee stopped the fight because of the cut over her eye. I just kept landing my left hook aiming for her eye knowing she’d give up soon. I hope that the next time I fight, I really get to show my fans what I’m made of. I want my next fight to be a world title. I’m ready.

Marvin Cabrera stopped Wilfrido Buelvas in round three of a scheduled eight-round middleweight bout.

Cabrera landed a right to the side of the head for which Buelvas thought it was a rabbit punch and he took a knee. It was ruled a knockdown by referee Jerry Cantu, and he reached the count of 10 at 1:11 of round three.

Cabrera, 156.6 lbs of Los Angles is now 8-0 with 6 knockouts. Buelvas, 155.6 lbs of Apartado, COL is 18-9.

“I felt I was stronger and that recovered quicker in this fight,” said Marvin Cabrera. “I was more conditioned. He caught me in the first round, but that was it. I’m ready for fighters of a different caliber and with more experience. I think I showed that in this fight.”

Richard Acevedo made quick work of Edward Aceves by scoring a 1st round stoppage in a scheduled four-round super welterweight bout.

Acevedo was all over Aceves until he dropped and the fight was stopped at 59 seconds.

Acevedo, 152.6 lbs of Los Angeles is 2-0 with 2 knockouts. Aceves, 153.4 lbs of Pomona, CA is 0-4.

“I felt great,” said Richard Acevedo. “I did this with the support of my team and my brothers. This win especially was for my mom. What’s next? It’s back to the gym on Monday to keep training.”

WBO Junior Middleweight champion Sadam Ali will now take on Jaime Munguia on May 12th in Verona, New York, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com. Munguia replaces Liam Smith, who had to pull out due to an illness.

“Munguia is in,” Golden Boy Promotions Eric Gomez said. “We’re delighted to save the show. Sadam Ali is willing to fight any and all comers. Munguia is probably more dangerous [than Smith]. He’s undefeated, and he’s a huge puncher.”

PHILADELPHIA–Isaac Dogboe got off the deck from a 1st round knockdown to comeback and score 3 knockdowns of his own and captured the WBO Super Bantamweight title with an 11th round stoppage over Jessie Magdaleno in a battle previously undefeated fighters at The Liacaouras Center.

Magdaleno struck 1st as in round one, he floored Dogboe with big combination that followed a flush straight left.  Dogboe steadied himself and began to win rounds and get back into the fight.  He drew even in round five, when he landed a perfect counter right that sent Magdaleno to the canvas.  Magdaleno took punishment throughout the balance of the round and the momentum was trending towards Dogboe.

The fight was close heading into the championship rounds, but Dogboe made sure no judges were needed as he dropped Magdaleno with a thudding body shot that sent Magdaleno to the canvas.  A left hook to the head ended things as Magdaleno went t the deck for a 3rd and final time, and the bout was waved off at 1:38.

Dogboe, 121.1 kbs of Accra, GHA is now 19-0 with 13 knockouts.  Magdaleno, 122 lbs of Las Vegas is 25-1.

Jesse Hart stopped Demond Nicholson in round seven of their scheduled 10 round super middleweight.

In round three, Hart scored two knockdowns.  The 1st coming from an overhand right.  The 2nd came from a right on top of the head.

In round seven, Hart landed six big punches while sending Nicholson across the ring and eventually on the canvas.  Nicholson argues with referee Shawn Clark.  Nicholson got yo his feet, but clark waved off the bout at 2:26.

Hart, 167.8 lbs of Philadelphia is 24-1 with 20 knockouts.  Nicholson, 167.6 lbs of Laurel, MD is now 18-3-1.

In a battle of Philadelphia based heavyweights, former world title challenger Bryant Jennings won a 10-round unanimous decision over Joey Dawejko.

Jennings, 225.6 lbs won by scores of 98-92 on all cards and is now 23-2.  Dawejko, 233 lbs is 19-5-4.

Shakur Stevenson stopped Patrick Riley in round two of their scheduled eight-round featherweight bout.

Stevenson dropped Riley with a straight left in round two, and then finished him off with a flurry, and the bout was stopped at 1:35.

Stevenson, 125.7 lbs of Newark, NJ is 6-0 with 3 knockouts.  Riley, 124.6 lbs of Dallas, GA is 12-1.

Robson Conceicao won a six-round unanimous decision over Alex Rynn Torres in a super featherweight bout.

Conceicao, 130.5 lbs of Bahia, BRA won by scores of 60-54 on all cards is now 7-0.  Torres, 130.6 lbs of Calgary, CAN is 6-2.

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

Carto, 118.7 lbs of Philadelphia win by scores of 78-74 and 77075 twice, and is now 15-0.  Rodriguez, 118 lbs of Ponce, PR is 8-5-1.

Kent Cruz and Mohamed Rodriguez fought to a split draw in a eight-round junior welterweight bout.

Veruz took a card 78-75.  Rofriguez took a card 77-75, and a 3rd card read event at 76-76.

Cruz, 141.7 lbs of St. Louis is now 14-0-1.  Rodriguez, 143.5 lbs of San Luis Potosi, MX is 11-4-1.

Joseph Adorno took out Jorge Padron in the 1st round of their scheduled six-round super featherweight bout.

Adorno landed a hard right to the body that sent Padron to a knee for the ten-count at 1:11 of round two.

Adorno, 132.6 lbs of Allentown, PA is 7-0 with 7 knockouts.  Padron, 131.8 lbs of Agua Prieta, MX is 3-2.

Marcel Rivers stopped Ronald Logan in the 2nd round of their scheduled four-round junior middleweight bout.

Rivers chased Logan around the ring, and the fighters got tangled.  Logan feel and seem to hurt his foot and he could not continue at 49 seconds.

Rivers, 150.1 lbs of Philadelphia is 5-0 with 4 knockouts.  Logan, 153.5 lbs of New York is 0-3.

The IBF granted Gennady Golovkin an excpetion to defend his two other middleweight title on May 5th against Vanes Martirosyan, but he must face mandatory challenger Sergey Derevyanchenk in 90 days, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“A majority of the directors determined that the exception to regulations should be granted to Gennady Golovkin with the following conditions,” Peoples wrote.

And then he outlined the four terms under which the exception was granted.

Golovkin-Martirosyan must take place on or before May 5, 2018.

Golovkin must agree in writing before the fight that he will next fight the IBF middleweight mandatory within 90 days of the May 5 bout or by Friday, Aug. 3, 2018.

Golovkin must agree in writing before the May 5 fight “to indemnify, hold harmless and otherwise reimburse the IBF for any legal fees or other expenses related to the granting of this exception, including, but not limited to, the cost attendant to any resultant litigation.”

Golovkin must “comply with all of the conditions set forth in the granting of this exception” or formal sanction won’t be issued for the May 5 bout.

“We said all along that we didn’t care if Golovkin walked into the ring with IBF title on May 5. What was at issue was what happens after that,” DiBella told ESPN. “We made it clear that as long as GGG was ordered to fight Derevyanchenko immediately after the May 5 fight that was OK and that is what the IBF ruled.

“Golovkin isn’t defending his IBF belt against Vanes and they’re not sanctioning the fight with Vanes, but they are also not stripping Golovkin either. But GGG has to begin negotiations with us immediately thereafter and then fight Derevyanchenko within 90 days. There are no other exceptions. That’s what we wanted the IBF to say.”

Tom Loeffler said he was not sure what Golovkin would decide to do. “Gennady is training for a fight on May 5, so haven’t spoken to him about this approval of the exception yet,” Loeffler said. “So when I see him in fight week I’ll discuss it with him.”

Canelo Alavrez tested negative for any performance enhancing drugs on a test of his hair, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“From the beginning, Canelo has insisted that he accidentally ingested clenbuterol from eating tainted meat,” Eric Gomez, president of Golden Boy Promotions, Alvarez’s promoter, told ESPN. “The fact this NSAC-required hair follicle test came back entirely negative for any traces of clenbuterol should lay to rest any suspicion that he was intentionally taking a banned substance. Canelo is looking forward to getting back into training and returning to the ring in September. He thanks all of his fans for sticking by him and believes this test proves once and for all that he is a clean fighter.”

“They found traces of clenbuterol in his system and if he was using it (to dope) there would probably still be enough in his system that it would show up in his hair,” Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya told ESPN. “We did the hair test to prove this was accidental. Canelo is telling the truth about the meat contamination and he went far and beyond what he had to do by agreeing to have this hair test done so he can keep on proving that he is an innocent fighter.

“Meat contamination is a problem in Mexico. It happened with the national soccer team and it has happened with several athletes in Mexico. I believe what Canelo wants to do now is keep proving until his career is over, 10 or 15 years from now, that he is a clean fighter and an innocent fighter and that he did not do this purposely whatsoever.”

“We initiated the test to be as comprehensive as possible but knowing it’s very difficult, according to the experts,” Bennett said. “It’s a difficult process to be able to confirm whether there is clenbuterol in the hair follicles, but I talked to (SMRTL president and laboratory director) Dr. (Michael) Eichner and he said they’d run the test even though it is even more difficult to run on light-colored hair. But we sent them the samples and the tests came back negative.”

“He will fight in September and he will continue to test and continue to abide by all the rules and regulations,” De La Hoya said.

“Canelo is ready and willing and able to do whatever the commission asks. We’re waiting to hear back from VADA on when he can start testing again. Canelo is willing to pay for the program. He is willing to do whatever it takes to clear his name, including take a lie detector test. We’re going to do one. He wants to prove he is a clean fighter.

“We first have to see what happens with Golovkin on May 5 and then we’ll take it from there, but Canelo will definitely fight in September,” De La Hoya said. “Golovkin is the priority, but we don’t know what will happen on May 5. But on our side, Canelo will fight in September.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the team of Deontay Wilder offered Anthony Joshua $50 for a Unification bout this fall.

Shelly Finkel, who manages Wilder along with Al Haymon and trainer Jay Deas, said the offer is for $50 million against 50 percent of the event revenue, meaning Joshua would make no less than that figure no matter how much the fight generated. If the fight generated more than $100 million, which Finkel believes it could, Joshua would make even more, and if it lost money, the Wilder side would be on the hook to pay Joshua.

“It’s a giant number,” Finkel said. “But it’s also a giant fight.”

Finkel detailed additional elements of the offer for what would be a pay-per-view fight in the United States; all of Joshua’s title fights have been on pay-per-view in the United Kingdom, his home country. Finkel said the offer calls for the Wilder side to select the location of the fight, but they would look to do it in the United States, probably Las Vegas.

He also said there would be no rematch clause and the fight would have to be next for each man. As for the timing of the bout, Finkel said it would take place between September and the end of the year.

“It has to be the next fight for each of them,” he said. “No rematch clause, and it’s for all the belts. We asked for them to send us an acceptance [by the end of Thursday]. Joshua [previously] asked for $50 million against 50 percent, and we gave it to them. They probably don’t believe it’s this big of an offer, but it’s an unbelievable offer. I hope they accept. Deontay is thrilled and believes Joshua will take it.”

“Anthony, get your man Eddie and [his father] Barry Hearn to check their email. I got something special for you,” Wilder said. “By the way, all the money’s in the bag. So I expect you’ll be a man of your word.”

“To me, this look like a PR move, but it’s something we obviously take seriously,” Hearn said. “I’ll be asking for a contact and also some answers to some important questions, like where is the fight going to be?”

“There’s no second fight in the offer. That’s not the end of the world if the deal is right,” Hearn said. “There are obviously other things that need to be addressed. Joshua has a number of existing broadcast deals in multiple territories [though he is a free agent in the U.S.]. Also the offer comes from Deontay Wilder and, with all due respect, he doesn’t have $50 million, so we need to know where the money is coming from. We want to do the fight in the U.K., but if we get an acceptable and secure offer, we’ll certainly look at it and take it seriously.

“They said we have to accept the fight by [Thursday], which is ridiculous when we have questions that need to be answered,” Hearn said. “But we have a meeting on Friday, and we will go through the offer. I’d like to see a contract and see where the money is coming from, and the location of the fight is important. We don’t have a problem doing it in America, even though we’d like to do it in the U.K.”

Carl Frampton won the WBO Interim Featherweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over former 4-divison champion Nonito Donaire at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Ireland.

Frampton won on all cards 117-111 and is now 25-1.  Donaire is now 38-5.

“I think Jamie deserves a lot of credit because the gameplan was perfect,” said Frampton. “As you saw in the 11th round, Nonito Donaire is a dangerous opponent. I survived the round and stuck to the gameplan. At times, my boxing was beautiful.

“Donaire was a sharp puncher throughout. I was definitely hurt in the 11th round, people could see it. But champions survive and that’s what I did. The only thing on my mind is fighting at Windsor Park. I can’t wait to get there”

EARLY RESULTS FROM THE BELFAST SSE ARENA

Fight # 1 – 16:00 hrs
4 X 3 Minute Rounds International Super-Middleweight Contest
RYAN HATTON TKO2 (1:59) V ATTILA TIBOR NAGY

Fight # 2
4 X 3 Minute Rounds Heavyweight Contest
ALEX DICKINSON KO1 (1:08) V LEE CARTER

Fight # 3
6 X 3 Minute Rounds Middleweight Contest
TROY WILLIAMSON TKO4 (2:41) V CHRISTIAN HOSKIN GOMEZ

Fight # 4
6 X 3 Minute Rounds International Featherweight Contest
TYRONE McCULLAGH TKO3 (2:10) V ELVIS GUILLEN

Fight # 5
6 X 3 Minute Rounds Super-Featherweight Contest
MARCO McCULLOUGH WPTS6 (60-53) V ARNOLD SOLANO

Fight # 6
6 X 3 Minute Rounds International Super-Lightweight Contest
SAM MAXWELL KO1 (0:56) V MICHAEL ISSAC CARRERO

Fight # 7
6 X 3 Minute Rounds International Light-Heavyweight Contest
STEVEN WARD TKO3 (2:48) V MICHAL CIACH

BROOKLYN–  Adrien Broner and Jessie Vargas fought to an entertaining majority draw In front of 13,964 fans at Barclays Center.

The catchweight/welterweight bout saw Te fighters started off slowly, but the action picked up at the end of round two as Vargas started to land his jab.  Vargas seemed to race out to a lead, but Broner started to warm up in the middle rounds which set off several exchanges that thrilled the big crowd assembled at Barclays Center.

When it seemed that Broner was forging ahead, Vargas, who was bleeding from his left eye in round eleven, stormed back and landed some good combinations.

Broner won a card 115-113, while two judges scored the fight even at 114-114.

“I want to thank Jessie Vargas. He’s a two-time world champion for a reason,” said Broner, who was working for the first time with Kevin Cunningham as his head trainer. “He came to fight but at the end of the day, you all know I beat him. Point blank, period.

“I was connecting with rights. I got warmed up in the early portion of the fight. My trainer was a big help tonight. I want to thank Coach Cunningham as well as my original coach, Mike Stafford, for realizing I needed to do something different.

“I would love to fight Vargas again, but let’s go back to my town to do it.”

“I thought I won the fight,” Vargas said. “At the end of the day I can’t argue because I was fighting on the inside of the ring so I don’t know what you saw from the outside. I was landing clean blows. It was a good fight but at the end of the day I can’t dispute the decision.

“It must have been a close fight for the judges to have scored it the way they did. I felt that I won the fight and I was up two rounds. I’m relying on the judges to make the right decision.”

Jermall Charlo won the WBC Interim Middleweight title with a 2nd round destruction of Hugo Centeno.

Charlo landed a booming right that left Centeno open and prone from a nasty left hook that put him down and out at 54 seconds.

Charlo, 160 lbs of Houston, TX is 27-0 with 21 knockouts.  Centeno, 158.5 lbs of Oxnard, CA is 26-2.

“It’s been an amazing journey to get here,” said Charlo, the twin brother of WBC 154-pound champion Jermell Charlo. “I’m a two-time world champion. Bring on ‘GGG.’ I want that fight. I’m 27-0 with 21 knockouts. Everybody sees it. What more can I say?”

“Everybody has always avoided me and from now on, this is how it’s going to be,” said Charlo. “You see what you get.”

Gervonta Davis became a two-time world champion by destroying Jesus Cuellar inside of three rounds to become the WBA Super Featherweight champion.

Davis dropped Cuellar with a vicious body punch in round two.  In round three, Davis dropped Cuellar with a straight left to the body.  Moments later, it was a big barrage of punches that plummeted Cuellar to the canvas at 2:45.

Davis, 129 lbs of Baltimore is now 20-0 with 19 knockouts.  Cuellar, 129.2 lbs of Buenos Aires, ARG is 28-3.

“On the undercard of the Mayweather-McGregor fight, I just wasn’t focused,” Davis said. “It was the second time fighting on Mayweather’s card so it got to my head and it showed. After the fight, I went home and talked to my team and we decided it was time to leave Baltimore. I’m focused and it showed because I’m a champ again.

“There’s always bumps in the road when you want to become successful. It’s all about how you bounce back and tonight I showed that I’m a true champion.”

“The game plan was to box a little bit and open him up with some shots,” Davis said. “When it was time, I went forward and caught him with enough shots to get him out.

“I want the IBF belt back and I’m ready to unify it with whoever wins the [Tevin] Farmer vs. [Billy] Dib fight.”

Former world champion Rau’shee Warren pitched a shutout and won an eight-round unanimous decision over Juan Medina in a bantamweight bout.

Warren, 116.4 lbs of Cincinnati, OH won by scores of 80-72 on all cards, and is now 16-2.  Medina. 114.6 lbs of Lo Romana, MX is 10-3.

Heather Hardy remained undefeated by winning an 8-round unanimous decision over Paola Torres in a featherweight bout.

Hardy, 126.2 lbs of Brooklyn, NY won by scores of 79-73 twice and 78-74 and is now 21-0.  Torres, 126.8 lbs of Monterrey, MX is 10-3.

Fabian Maidana dropped Justin Savi once en route to a stoppage after round three of their scheduled six round super lightweight bout.

Maidana, 141.8 lbs of Buenos Aires, ARG is 15-0 with 11 knockouts.  Savi, 141.2 lbs of Silver Spring, MD is 9-16.

Gary Antuanne Russell remained undefeated by stopping Andrew Rodgers in round two of their scheduled six-round super lightweight bout.

The time of the stoppage was 1:40 for Russell, 139.6 lbs of Washington, DC who kept his perfect knockout streak at 5-0 with 5 knockouts.  Rodgers, 136.4 lbs of Elkhart, IN is 4-3-1.

Shyngyskhan Tazhibay won 4 -round unanimous decision over Isaac Freeman in a welterweight bout.

In round one, Tazhibay dropped Freeman with left.

Tazhibay, 147 lbs of Washington, DC won by scores of 40-35 twice, and 39-36 to go to 6-0,  Freeman, 146.4 lbs of Ypsilanti, MI is 3-7-1.

Richardson Hitchins stopped Alexander Charneco in the first round of their scheduled six round super flyweight bout.

Hitchins dropped Charneco with a body punch and he was counted out at 1:17.

Hitchins, 143.6 lbs of Brooklyn is 5-0 with 3 knockouts.  Charneco 145.6 lbs of Aguada, PR is 4-5.

Dylan Price remained undefeated in winning a six-round unanimous decision over Edson Noria in a super flyweight bout.

In round four, Price dropped Noria with a body shot.

Price, 117 lbs of Sicklerville, NJ won by scores of 60-53 on all cards, and is now 6-0.  Noria, 116.8 lbs of Mexico City is now 2-3.

George Arias won an eight-round unanimous decision over Tyrell Wright in a heavyweight bout.

Arias, 238.2 lbs of Bronx, NY won by scores of 78-74 and 77-75 twice, and  is now 11-0.  Wright, 236 lbs of Jersey City, NJ is 9-2-2.

Amir Khan came back after a two-year hiatus by taking out Phil Lo Greco in the 1st round of their catchweight/junior middleweight bout at The Echo Arena in Liverpool, England.

Khan dropped Lo Greco twice , and the fight was stopped at 40 seconds.

Khan of Bolton, England is 32-4 with 20 knockouts.  Lo Greco of Toronto, Canada is 28-4.

115 pound titlist Khalid Yafai will defend his title against David Carmona oon a card where fellow 115 titleholder Jerwin Ancajas will also defend his title in the United States.

“I have made a deal with Yafai promoter Eddie(Hearn) for the fight and it gives us a nice doubleheader,” Top Rank’s Carl Moretti said. “They are both good fights, and if (Ancajas and Yafai) are successful, we’ll look to match them later this year.”

“Carmona went the distance with Inoue and that says something,” Moretti said. “It should be an entertaining and competitive fight.”

“I think bringing Ancajas back in an all-Filipino matchup should be interesting in and out of the ring and when you couple that with Yafai in another title fight where we hope to match them later in the year if they win makes for a very good show,” Moretti said.

It was thought that Kovalev was going to defend against Marcus Browne, but some legal situations have come up with Browne and the call was made to Alvarez.

“We had been going back and forth for four weeks with the contract and they were asking for changes and it wasn’t easy,” Kovalev promoter Kathy Duva said. “Then in the middle of it we read in the Daily News that he had these two domestic incidents. At that point I’d be committing malpractice if I didn’t find an alternative. You just don’t know if something is going to happen again. He could be sent to prison, there could be another incident. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I do know that when a fight goes down the promoter pays for everything.”

She said she spoke to HBO Sports executive vice president Peter Nelson and “we both agreed it was a good idea to look for Plan B.”

“When I called (Alvarez promoter)Yvon (Michel) last week, he was having problems with the Stevenson-Jack fight because of his situation with Alvarez,” Duva said. “I said, ‘You have a problem, I have a problem’, and he jumped at my offer for Alvarez. We stayed in touch and on Monday he said he was ready to go. We got a contract out to him on Tuesday at 5 p.m., we made one minor change he asked for and when I came into the office at 11 a.m. on Wednesday the contract was signed.

“Yvon is a good promoter and he’s professional so it was an easy fight to make because we were in a position where we needed the other. Alvarez gets his world title fight and Sergey gets to face a good opponent, which is what he really wants. The Browne situation is volatile so we had to do this. My job is to make sure my fighter has a fight. I saw giant red flags waving in my face with the Browne situation. Why put myself through that? It’s an uninsurable risk. So now you have the two guys who can’t get a fight with Stevenson, because he won’t fight them, fighting each other. It’s a good story and a good fight. If people really want to make a fight it gets done pretty easily.”

“We are extremely disappointed that the Kovalev fight was cancelled,” Keith Connolly, Browne’s manager, told ESPN. “I was under the impression that we had the deal with Main Events. That is the only reason Marcus pulled out of the IBF purse bid with Beterbiev. Marcus would have been ready, willing and able to fight this summer.”

Undefeated Lamont Roach and former two-time world title challenger Orlando Cruz fought to a 10-round split draw in a super featherweight fight at Coliseo San Juan in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In round nine, Roach landed a nice left hook that wobbled Cruz. seconds later, Cruz fell from the effects of the punch, but it was ruled a slip.

The ref error proved to be the difference as the scores were 97-93 for Roach, 96-94 for Cruz and 95-95.

Roach, 129.4 lbs of Washington, DC is 16-0-1. Cruz, 129.4 lbs of San Juan, PR is 25-6-1.

“I think I should have won, but I showed that I was a true champ by going into his backyard,” said Lamont Roach, Jr. “We didn’t get the decision we wanted, but that’s boxing. DC would be fine for a rematch, but whenever I get back in the ring with him I’m going to destroy him. The shot I landed in the ninth round should have been a knockdown, but sometimes you get the short end of the stick in the sport of boxing.”

“I thought the fight was going to be ruled a split decision in my favor,” said Orlando Cruz. “Roach is a young, talented fighter, but I made him miss a lot. Either way, I must continue working and training. I definitely want the rematch.
Jose Lopez won a 10-round Unanimous decision over Miguel A. Gonzalez in a super featherweight bout.

In round one, Gonzalez was cut over his left eye.

Lopez, 130 lbs of Carolina, PR won by scores of 99-91, 98-91 and 97-93 and is now 19-2-1. Gonzalez, 130 lbs of Los Mochis, MX is 22-4.

Magdiel Cotto won a six-round majority decision over Ekie Augustama in a middleweight bout.

In round four, Augustama started to swell around his left eye from an accidental headbutt.

Cotto, 159 lbs of Comerio, PR won by scores of 58-56 twice and 57-57 to raise his mark to 9-0. Augustama, 160 lbs of Miami, FL is 6-8.

Bryan Chevalier won a 6-round unanimous decision over Luis Diaz in a lightweight bout.

Chevalier, 131 lbs of Bayamon, PR won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 9-1-1. Diaz, 131 lbs of Coamo, PR is 3-5.

Juan Abreu won a 10-round unanimous decision over Luis Hernandez in a middleweight bout.

In round nine, Abreu was credited with a knockdown when he landed a wild left that drove Hernandez into the ropes.

Abreu, 152 lbs of La Romana, DOM won by scores of 99-90, 98-91 and 97-92 and is now 21-3-1. Hernandez, 156 lbs of Rio Piedras, PR is 16-6.

Jean Rivera made a successful pro debut with a 4-round unanimous decision over Jonathan Delgado in a welterweight bout.

Rivera, 146 lbs of San Juan won on all cards by 40-36 scores and is now 1-0. Delgado, 146 lbs of Mayaguez, PR was also making his pro debut.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Kenichi Ogawa has been suspended and stripped of his IBF Junior Lightweight title due to a failed drug test stemming from his December bout with Tevin Farmer.

With Ogawa facing a suspension, the IBF earlier this month had ordered Farmer, a 27-year-old southpaw from Philadelphia (whose new record is 25-4-1 with 5 knockouts), and former featherweight world titlist Billy Dib (43-4, 24 KOs), 32, of Australia, to fight for the interim title.

With Ogawa set to be stripped, the fight between Farmer and Dib will instead be for the vacant title, Peoples said. They have until May 3 to make a deal or a purse bid will be ordered.

By Norm Frauenheim-

LAS VEGAS — Canelo Alvarez agreed to a six-month suspension and the Nevada Athletic Commission unanimously approved that agreement Wednesday, opening the way for him to fight Gennady Golovkin on Sept. 15 in a rematch that had originally been scheduled for May 5.

The Commission voted 5-0 to accept a signed settlement from Canelo, whose 12-month ban for two positive drug tests was cut in half and will be dated back to the initial test, Feb. 17.

Canelo, who underwent what was reported to be minor knee surgery last week, did not attend the hearing. He was represented on the telephone by attorney Ricardo Cestero.

Canelo, a first-time PED offender, met with Commission Executive Director Bob Bennett and Chairman Anthony A. Marnell a couple of weeks ago in Las Vegas for an hour-and-twenty minutes. Bennett said he answered his questions.

“’He did everything we asked for,’’ Bennett said.

Cooperation from Canelo, who blamed positive tests for Clenbuterol on tainted Mexican beef, allowed the Commission to reduce his ban by 50 percent, according to new rules written by the state regulatory board a year ago.

Golden Boy Promotions, Canelo’s promoter, said it was satisfied with the Commission’s approval of Canelo’s agreement to the reduced ban. Golden Boy’s prepared statement:

“As we have maintained all along, the trace amounts of clenbuterol found in Canelo’s system in February came from meat contamination, and we provided the Nevada State Athletic Commission with a great deal of evidence to support those facts.

“Although most professional sports, international anti-doping agencies and United States boxing commissions treat meat contamination differently from other positive tests, Nevada does not. Canelo and Golden Boy Promotions respect the rules of Nevada and are therefore satisfied with the settlement agreement reached today.

“Canelo looks forward to returning to the ring in September for Mexican Independence Day weekend to represent Mexico and boxing in what will be the sport’s biggest event of the year. He is ready to continue his remarkable record of fighting at the highest level.”

If all goes as planned, Golovkin’s suspension will be over in mid-August and he’ll be able to fight on the weekend celebrating Mexican Independence, presumably at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. That’s where the Cinco de Mayo fight, the rematch of a controversial draw last September, was supposed to happen. Canelo withdrew on April 3.

But a lot has to happen before Canelo and GGG can meet again. First, GGG has to win what now appears to be an interim fight against Vanes Martiroysan on May 5 at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., in what looks like a Cinco de Mayo bout for some of his most ardent fans.

“He has been looking good and he really wants to fight well for the fans who are at the grass roots of his popularity,’’ said GGG trainer Abel Sanchez, who attended Wednesday’s hearing. “You worry a little that some of this might be a distraction. But he knows what he has to do.’’

GGG is a huge favorite against Martiroysan, who hasn’t fought in a couple of years. If GGG wins as expected, the next step is a deal with Canelo. That might be more difficult than it sounds

If the rematch returns to Nevada, the state Commission will subject Canelo to testing. At this point, however, no fight is scheduled. Nevada only has jurisdiction over fights within its own borders. Meanwhile, Canelo is not currently subject to VADA, the agency that does testing for the World Boxing Council.

“I do not have him (Canelo) enrolled at this time,’’ VADA’s Dr. Margaret Goodman said after the hearing.

Golovkin is enrolled.

GGG representative Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions said Canelo would have to join VADA for there to be a deal for a September rematch.

“Absolutely,’’ said Loeffler, who also attended the hearing. “Definitely, that would be a condition.’’

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