By Norm Frauenheim-

CARSON, Calif. – It was a brutal fight. Not even hours of rain could wash away the evidence on damp canvas. Long after the carnage had ended, it was there, a pool of blood, Oscar Valdez Jr.’s blood.

Valdez won.

He paid, too.

The price for Valdez’ unanimous decision over Scott Quigg Saturday night in front of more puddles than fans at StubHub Center and an ESPN audience was a broken jaw, damaged teeth and a long, nasty cut above one eye.

He was asked to got to the emergency room by paramedics who jumped into the ring almost at the same time as the 117-111, 118-110, 117-111 scorecards were announced. But Valdez, ever stubborn and resilient, said no.

Instead, he celebrated, his trainer Manny Robles said.

“He was laughing,’’ said Robles, who was there at the post-fight to talk for Valdez simply because the WBO’s reigning featherweight fighter just couldn’t.

Laughing at risk and fear.

Laughing at doubts and off the-scale disadvantages. They are there, seemingly always there for Valdez 24-0, 19 KOs). But he faced them and took them down again in a wild ride that for his fans in southern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, have seen and sometimes endured again.

“He’s a warrior, a Mexican warrior,’’ Robles said.

He is and he’ll have the scars to prove it. Quigg (34-2-2, 25 KOs) put them there like nobody else has with power leveraged by about a seven-pound advantage the UK fighter had at opening bell. Quigg surrendered any chance at taking Valdez’ 126-pound title when he failed to make weight Friday. Quigg was 2.8 pounds above the limit. Then, his management said no to a second weigh-in Saturday morning. There was some talk that maybe the fight was off. In the end, however, the only talk that mattered came from Valdez.

“He made the decision,’’ Robles said.

In effect, Valdez was fighting somebody in one weight class heavier than he was. At opening bell, Quigg was a reported to be 142.2 pounds. Valdez was reported to be at 135.6.

The evident difference in size began to tell in the fourth or fifth round. Valdez’ superior quickness was clear early. But a stalking Quigg began to land big rights after the third.

In the fourth or fifth, one those rights broke Valdez’ jaw. For the next seven to eight rounds, blood poured from his mouth, down his chin and onto that spot on the canvas near his corner.

For the rest of the fight, cut man Miguel Diaz would not take out Valdez’ mouthpiece. The corner was afraid it would not be able to put that piece back into his misshapen, twisted jaw.

It was like his teeth had been moved to one side, ‘’ Robles said.

But nothing about his heart was ever out of place. He fought on. And on. He wasn’t the only one who paid in flesh. So, too, did Quigg, who suffered a suspected broken nose, a bad cut over his left eye and was left with a Frankenstein-look to him after it was all over.

Quigg, too, didn’t come to the post-fight news conference. Instead, his promoter Eddie Hearn was there to speak for him.

“The right man won,’’ Hearn said.

No argument there from anybody.

The only debate is about what’s next — who and when — for Valdez. In an interview for ESPN at the center of the ring in the wake of the fight, Valdez talked about fighting Leo Santa Cruz, or Carl Frampton, or Abner Mares.

Top Rank’s Todd DuBoef kept it short when asked what he wanted Valdez to do next.

“Heal,” said. duBoef who said it best.

Best of the Undercard

Anybody up for a rematch? One between super-featherweights Andy Vences (20-0-1, 12 KOs) and Erick De Leon (17-0-1, 10 KOs) looks inevitable after they fought to a hard-fought majority draw.

The Rest

Liver shots paralyze. Junior-welterweight Alex Saucedo (27-0, 17 KOs) threw one that was accurate and lethal, dropping Abner Lopez (26-1,16 KOs) into a paralyzed heap on a damp canvas at 1:18 of the 7th

Los Angeles junior-welterweight Arnold Barboza Jr. (18-0, 6 KOs) relied on his superior reach, carefully kept his distance and scored a unanimous decision over Michael Reed (23-2, 12 KOs of Maryland.

When it rains, first-round KOs pour: Heavyweight Andy Ruiz scored the fourth first-round stoppage in the first four fights, a landing a right for stoppage of Devin Vargas at 1:38 of the first.

By Norm Farauenheim-

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. – If you think it never rains in Southern California and Scott Quigg never misses weight, think again.

Quigg failed to make weight for the first time Friday and showers are expected Saturday night for a featherweight fight against Oscar Valdez Jr. in an outdoor ring at StubHub Center down the freeway in Carson..

Bring an umbrella and leave your assumptions at home. Let’s just say that there is plenty of unpredictability in the forecast. The only sure thing is that Quigg (34-1-1, 25 KOs) won’t be fighting for Valdez’ WBO title. He forfeited that opportunity and $20,000 for being 2.8 pounds heavier than the 126-pound maximum at the weigh-in. Valdez 23-0, 19 KOs), who came in at 125.8, will vacate the WBO title if he loses.

Quigg was not allowed a chance at trying to make weight because of a California rule that prohibits fighters more than two pounds heavier than the limit from returning to the scale.

Quigg apologized to Valdez, his trainer Manny Robles, manager Frank Espinoza and fans jammed into a ballroom for the weigh-in. But it didn’t end with an apology. Robles called the Quigg camp “unprofessional.’’ Then, the Valdez camp asked Quigg to step on the scale for another weigh-in Saturday morning.

Negotiations for the Saturday weigh-in were underway not long after both fighters stepped off the scale for a fight scheduled to be telecast by ESPN (7:35 p.m. PT/10:35 pm ET).

The Valdez corner wanted to be sure that Quigg didn’t add too many pounds through re-hydration during the hours between the formal weigh-in and opening bell. The exact weight under discussion wasn’t clear. However, indications late Friday was that it would be at about 136 pounds.

Further money from Quigg to Valdez was also discussed. But the amount of money under discussion also wasn’t clear.

Immediately after the weigh-in, there were mixed signals whether the Quigg camp would even agree to the morning weigh-in. Quigg promoter Eddie Hearn said it was decided early Friday that the UK featherweight could not cut any more pounds. Hearn said they would go on with the fight, even with out a chance at the belt.

“All the things he usually does, his body wasn’t responding,’’ said Hearn, who said Quigg couldn’t shed the last few pounds during a workout Thursday night. “He would usually lose three or four pounds. He lost one. You have to think about his health. I feel for Scott. He’s devastated. He was in tears. He wanted to challenge for the title. It’s very frustrating.”

Quigg’s failure to make weight would cost him $20,000 penalty. The fine represents 20 percent of the $100,000 contract that was filed with the California Commission. Quigg’ final purse is believed to be much more, perhaps five times as much. It didn’t include UK money, most of which came from a deal with Sky Sports.

The fine, calculated off the number filed with California, will be split two ways — $10,000 for the state and $10,000 for Valdez. It would boost Valdez purse to $430,000 from the $420,000 field with the Commission before Friday’s weigh-in.

“Nothing about this changes anything for what I have to do,’’ said Valdez, a two-time Mexican who went to grade school in Tucson. “I made weight. I did my job in the gym. Now, it’s time fro me to do my job in the ring. I’ll come out with the win. I’m taking that belt back to Mexico with me. ‘’

Regis Prograis won the WBC Interim Super Lightweight title with a spectacular 2nd round stoppage over former world champion Julius Indongo at The Deadwood Mountain Grand in Deadwood, North Dakota.

Prograis dropped Indong at the end of the first round from a jab. Prograis dropped Indongo three more times in the next round with hard left hands, and referee Ian-John Lewis stopped the bout at 2:54.

Prograis, 140 lbs of Houston, TX is 21-0 with 18 knockouts. Indongo, 139.6 lbs of Omaha, NE is 22-2.

“I had to put on a show for SHOWTIME, for Deadwood, and for all my fans in Houston and New Orleans and just the whole division,” said Prograis. “I had to put on a show for everybody. I am now the man at 140.”

“I want the real title now, and I don’t think those two dudes will fight me after tonight,” said Prograis. “Indongo only had one loss to Terrence Crawford, the pound for pound best, and I stopped him a round before Crawford did. I don’t see anybody trying to fight me right now.”

Junior Fa remianed undefeated with an eight-round majority decision over Craig Lewis in a heavyweight bout.

Fa, 256.6 lbs of Papakura, NZ won by scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 76-76, and is now 14-0. Lewis, 247.8 lbs of Detroit, MI is 14-2-1.

“I’m happy I was able to get the decision, but I wasn’t happy with my performance at all,” said Fa. “If I had to give myself a grade, it would be an F. I fought with too much emotion the first few rounds and that threw me off a little bit.

“I was pretty surprised with the one judge who saw it even. I saw him getting tired but I was just flat tonight. I can learn a lot from this fight and where I went wrong and what not to do in my next fight.”

“I needed a little more time to train as my conditioning fell off a bit towards the end,” said the former National Golden Gloves gold medalist Lewis. “But overall, I was happy with my performance, I thought it was probably a draw.”

Ivan Baranchyk stopped former two-time world title challenger Petr Petrov in round eight of their scheduled 12-round IBF Junior Welterweight Elimination bout.

Baranchyk dropped Petrov with the 1st punch of the fight, which was a jab. Baranchyk dropped Petrov in round two from a combination, and at the end of round six with a big right. Baranchyk landed power punches throughout the fight, and the biut was stopped by referee Mark Nelson at 1:18 of round eight.

Baranchyk, 140 lbs of Brooklyn is now 17-0 with 11 knockouts. Petrov, 138.5 lbs of Madrid, Spaid is 39-6-2.

“I thought I fought a more controlled than in the past and something my new coach has been helping me with,” said Baranchyk, who is currently ranked No. 4 in the IBF 140-pound division. “I knew I had to keep punching to the body, punching to the body. And I did that well tonight.

“I was surprised they stopped the fight when they did. I felt like I won every round and controlled the fight. I knew I won the fight. It was a good fight for me.”

Hall of Fame manager Rafael Mendoza passed away at the age of 80, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Mexico’s Mendoza, known as “La Cobra,” was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015 and worked in the sport for more than 50 years. He managed or advised 26 world champions.

Among the fighters Mendoza worked with were Hall of Famers Miguel Canto, Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez, Daniel Zaragoza, Alexis Arguello and Pipino Cuevas. He also worked with other fighters who won world titles, including Gilberto Roman, Oscar Larios, Chango Carmona, Javier Jauregui and Canelo Alvarez before he became a star.

Mendoza also worked with many promoters through the years, including Top Rank, Golden Boy Promotions and Felix “Tutico” Zabala. He also had a close relationship with the WBC, which announced his death Thursday.

“He’s one of those guys that if you went to the average boxing fan they would not know him, but if you went to any boxing professional in the world, everybody knew Rafael Mendoza,” said promoter Lou DiBella, who was working as a vice president of HBO Sports programming the network’s fights when he met and became friends with Mendoza around 30 years ago. “He had an involvement with so many great fighters. He would virtually never have a contract with those guys. He operated with them on loyalty and it lasted years and years.

“He wasn’t a guy who would do 20 pages of legally drafted contracts. He did one-pagers and lived by his word. He was an old-school guy and he was genius at being able to identify boxing talent. He would always be able to give an incredibly intelligent view of how fights would play out. While he wasn’t 100 percent right about the result, he was usually right about the type of fight it would be.”

“When I was working at HBO, he was one of my greatest resources,” DiBella said. “He would come to my office, kick off his shoes and we would talk about boxing for hours. He was one of my resources and became my dear friend, a mentor and like a family member. He was incredibly funny and well spoken and colorful. He was like that last breed of characters. The sport of boxing lost a genius and another great character.”

“He was an amazing storyteller, a brilliant boxing mind and his boxing IQ was one of the highest I ever encountered of anyone,” DiBella said. “He was a legend. He worked with fighters and promoters around the world.”

Manny Pacquiao announced that he will fight on June 24th in Malaysia against possible Lucas Matthysse, but according to Dan Rafael of espn.com, promoter Bob Arum says no deal is in place.

“It’s already final I’m going to fight in Malaysia on June 24,” Pacquiao told the Manila Times. “It is against Matthysse. I’ll be ready for the preparation and it’s going to be 11 weeks.”

“For years we’ve had these proposals from people in the Mideast, whether it’s Abu Dhabi, or the Emirates, or Saudi Arabia, and we’re still waiting for the first deposit for the fight to happen. It didn’t, so now we’ve shifted our attention from the Mideast to the Far East and we’re looking for Malaysian money,” Arum said, laughing, because he has been down this road many times.

Eric Gomez, the president of Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Matthysse, told ESPN that Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz had contacted him about a possible Pacquiao-Matthysse fight but that they have not made a deal yet.

“Michael Koncz reached out to me and all we did was talk and that’s all I can say,” Gomez said. “We’re interested in the fight. It’s very preliminary.”

“If the money comes up then I’ve agreed to sign on,” Arum said. “We would handle the logistics, we would handle the undercard and we would handle the television. All they have to do is say they got the $5 million of the $15 million. That makes it legit. [But] I’m not booking my flight [to Malaysia] yet.”

Arum had offered Pacquiao a fight with faded former junior welterweight titlist Mike Alvarado on April 14 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas in the co-feature position on the card headlined by former undisputed junior welterweight world champion Terence Crawford’s move up to welterweight to challenge Jeff Horn for the title Horn controversially won by decision from Pacquiao in July.

Pacquiao, however, is said to have been stung by the offer of an undercard spot on a card headlined by a fighter most thought he defeated. Beyond that, Pacquiao has deep tax issues despite earning hundreds of millions of dollars that Arum said would keep him from fighting in the United States.

“He’s afraid whatever deal he makes with the IRS they’ll seize all the money so he can’t fight here,” Arum said. “We thought we could work it out with the IRS.”

“I like [Matthysse’s] aggressive fighting style,” Pacquiao said in announcing the fight. “That’s what I want, to entertain the boxing fans. Besides, Matthysse is not a dirty fighter and I highly respect him for that.”

By Norm Frauenheim-

LOS ANGELES — Anthony Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn is confident a Joshua-Deontay Wilder fight for the undisputed heavyweight title can happen in 2018 if Joshua beats challenger Joseph Parker on March 31.

Hearn talked about the Joshua-Wilder possibility Thursday after a news conference with his UK featherweight, Scott Quigg, for Saturday’s ESPN’s bout with WBO champion Oscar Valdez Jr. at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.

“The Wilder fight is the one,’’ Hearn said. “It’s the biggest fight in world boxing.’’

Hearn said there is no uncertainty about whether Joshua-Wilder would happen. He called the fight “inevitable.’’ But there are still questions about when. First, Joshua, the IBF and WBA champion, has to beat Parker, the WBO champ, at the end of this month in Cardiff, Wales.

If Joshua — a prohibitive favorite – wins as expected, Hearn says he then will consider a couple options. Before Wilder retained the WBC version of the heavyweight title with a stoppage of Luis Ortiz Saturday, there had been talk about Joshua making U.S. debut against Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller in August.

“Options are that we go in August against someone and then Deontay Wilder, or straight on to Wilder,’’ said Hearn, who said the Showtime ratings (peak audience 1.2 million/average 1.1) for Wilder-Ortiz were good. “But if we do Wilder, it probably will be October, November December.’’

Felix Verdejo and Jose Pedraza have been added in separate bout to the March 17th event at The Theater at madison Square Garden, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Verdejo (23-0, 15 KOs), a 2012 Olympian and the 2014 ESPN.com prospect of the year, will face Antonio Lozada Jr. (38-2, 32 KOs).

“I’m very happy to return to New York with the task of showing the world that I’m back to retake what is mine,” said Verdejo, 24, whose miserable 2017 included various injuries that knocked him out of a mandatory world title shot against then-lightweight titleholder Terry Flanagan. “I was hardened by the tough times we went through after Hurricane Maria, but like my people, I will rise again stronger than ever. March 17 will be the first step in that direction.”

Pedraza (22-1, 12 KOs), 28, a 2008 Olympian and former junior lightweight world titlist, will face Jose Luis Rodriguez (23-11-1, 13 KOs).

“I feel very happy to be fighting for a promotional company like Top Rank. They want to take my career to the next level, and part of that is fighting in venues like Madison Square Garden,” Pedraza said. “I’m going to give it my all so fans will enjoy my return to the ring. With Top Rank in my corner, I will become world champion once again, and I know that I have the potential to become a superstar.”

BROOKLYN–He had a few very tense moments, but Deontay Wilder showed guts and resolve to retain the WBC Heavyweight title with a 10th round stoppage over Luis Ortiz in front of 14,069 fans at Barclays Center.

After a slow start, Wilder landed a perfect right hand down the middle that rocked and eventually sent Ortiz to the canvas in round five.  After that, Ortiz took over as Wilder was bucked in round six.

In round seven, Wilder was inches away from having his title snatched as Ortiz battered a prone Wilder with hard straight lefts.  Wilder showed a terrific chin by absorbing as many as 10 blows that would have put most heavyweights on the deck.  Clearly tired in round eight, Wilder continued to land straight lefts but Ortiz’ punch output dropped.  In round nine, Wilder had more bounce in his step and got in a good right hand to close the frame.

In round 10, it was Wilder’s vaunted straight right that was planted on the face of Ortiz that dropped the challenger to the canvas.  Ortiz got up only to eat a handful of wicked punches that was capped off by a big right that sent Ortiz to the canvas for a 3rd and final time as referee David Fields stopped the bout at 2:05.

Wilder is now 40-0 with 39 knockouts.  Ortiz loses for the 1st time, and is now 28-1.

DEONTAY WILDER

“’King Kong’ ain’t got nothing on me!

“A true champion always finds a way to come back and that’s what I did tonight. Luis Ortiz is definitely a crafty guy. He put up a great fight. We knew we had to wear him down. I showed everyone I can take a punch.

“When he leaves tonight Ortiz can hold his head high. He gave the fans a hell of a fight.

“He was hitting me with those furious punches but they didn’t have sting on them. He was throwing combos that knocked me off balance. I just had to get my range back and my fundamentals back. And I was able to do that. I showed I was a true champion tonight.

“I just showed that I can punch on the inside as well, too. A lot of people don’t think I can punch on the inside, but I showed them. Now I can say there’s no man that stepped in the ring that I haven’t put on their ass.

“Luis Ortiz was one of those fighters that everyone ducked, even champions ducked him. I wondered why it took so long for him to get a title shot and now we know.

“I’m ready right now. I always said that I want to unify. I’m ready whenever those guys are. I am the baddest man on the planet and I proved that tonight. this solidified my position at the top of the food chain tonight.”

“It was a great fight. I had to earn this win. I knew Ortiz would be a great opponent with the skill set that he has. I wanted to prove to myself and to the world that I am the best.

“This is a fight I took with great risk so that I could prove to the world that I’m the best. We each put on a great performance and I think the fans were happy they were here. I always give the fans in Brooklyn a great fight.

“I wanted to burn him out. When you get a southpaw you know it’s going to take a little time. I didn’t want to rush in. I tried to set him up and it took a little longer than I wanted, but a true champion knows how to adjust.”

LUIS ORTIZ

“I feel fine. I did receive a right hand, but I’m OK.

“I was listening to the directions that my corner was giving me. In this sport, any punch can end a fight.

“In the ring anything can happen.”

“It was a great fight and I performed well. I thought I was up on the scorecard going in to the (tenth) round, but it’s heavyweight boxing and you never know what’s going to happen.

“I almost had him and I think I would’ve if there were a few more seconds in the round.

“I thought I was going to get a rhythm earlier. I thought I was winning the fight. This is heavyweight boxing and he caught me with a great shot. He’s a great champion.

“Wilder was definitely saved by the bell. I thought I had him out on his feet. But you have to give him credit, he weathered the storm.

“I just want to get back in the ring, hopefully earn a rematch and fight for one of the other titles.”

In a rematch, Jose Uzacategui won the Interim IBF Super Middleweight title with a 9th round stoppage over Andre Dirrell.

Uzcategui carried the action as he battered Dirrell with hard rights to the head body shots with both hands.  In round three, one of the body shots made an impression as Dirrell was dropped to his knees, but referee Ricky Gonzalez ruled it came after the bell.  Dirrell would try to mount a comeback, by landing a counter right from time to time, but Uzcategui was undeterred as he continue to mount hard pressure on Dirrell and land power shots.  Dirrell went back to the corner after round eight, and it seemed the fight would be stopped there.  It was just two seconds after the 9th round started before Dirrell had had enough, and the fight was over.

Uzcatergui, 166 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 27-2 with 23 knockouts.  Dirrell, 167.8 lbs of Flint, MI is 26-3.

Patrick Day won a 10-round unanimous decision over Kyrone Davis in a super welterweight bout.

Day, 153.4 lbs of Freeport, NY won by scores of 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94, and is now 15-2-1.  Davis, 153.3 lbs of Wilmington, DE is 13-2.

Alicia Napoleon won the WBA Super Middleweight title with a 10-round unanimous decision over Franke Hermans.

Napoleon, 158.4 lbs of Lindenhurst, NY won by scores of 99-91 and 98-92 twice and is now 9-1. Hermans of Belgium is 6-1.

Gary Antuanne Russell stopped Keanen Freeman in round two of their scheduled six-round super lightweight bout.

In round one, Russell dropped Freeman with a straight left.  In round two, Russell continued to batter Freeman and the fight was stopped at 1:16.

Russell, 138 lbs of Washington, DC is 4-0 with 4 knockouts.  Freeman, 139.6 lbs of Aiken, SC is 4-1.

Sergiy Derevyanchenko battered Dashon Johnson over six round before the bout was halted in their scheduled eight-round middleweight bout.

Derevyanchenko, 164.2 lbs of Brooklyn is 12-0 with ten knockouts. Johnson, 164.8 lbs of Escondido, CA is 22-23-3.

Super Middleweight champion George Groves will seek a 2nd opinion on his injured shoulder to see when he can face Callum Smith in the finals of the World Boxing Super Series, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Comosa AG has advised George Groves that Comosa AG will arrange a second medical opinion — as soon as reasonably possible — to ensure proper evaluation of George’s physical condition. A high level of medical scrutiny is in line with Comosa AG’s corporate policy, to respect the athlete’s health at all times, the World Boxing Super Series tournament rules and the principles of fair competition,” the company said in a statement.

“Comosa AG needs to protect the integrity of the athlete’s long-term health. It also has a responsibility to its partners and boxing fans around the globe to ensure a competitive final for the Muhammad Ali Trophy with two boxers that are fully fit. Once Comosa AG has received the full medical advice in regards to George Groves’ fitness it will then make the decision as to the date and location of the final. Comosa AG wishes George a complete and swift recovery and looks forward to him being able to take his place in the final of the Ali Trophy.”

Bantamweight champion Luis Nery missed weight for his rematch with Shinsuke Yamanaka, and will be stripped of his bantamweight title, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“This championship belt is for my newly born daughter in December, and I have to bring it back to her,” Yamanaka said this week.

IBF Welterweight champion Errol Spence, Jr. will take Carlos Ocampo after a purse bid was cancelled, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Former junior lightweight world champion Jose Pedraza has signed with Top Rank, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com’

“He’s a good fighter and people that we are close to advised us that he was available, that (promoter) Lou DiBella’s contract was running out and we decided to step in and sign him,” Top Rank’s Bob Arum said. “He’s a good, competent fighter and he has a lot of skills. He had one bad fight. He’s looked pretty good in all of his other fights.”

“He had one terrible performance but his body of work is good,” Arum said. “There were other circumstance which we were told about and a lot of distractions going into that fight. He was fighting with Lou at the time and upset about his purse and that kind of stuff, so we chose to believe that his fight (against Davis) was not much of a commentary on his full body of work.”

“I feel very happy signing with such a great promotional company as Top Rank. I want to thank Bob Arum for giving me the opportunity of joining the Top Rank family, and for acknowledging that I have the ability and the potential to become a world champion once again,” Pedraza said. Pedraza (22-1, 12 KOs), 28, known as “The Sniper,” was a 2008 Puerto Rican Olympian though he did not turn pro until 2011.

“After a year of inactivity and a lot of struggles, it feels great to achieve something this big, because I know that good things are coming,” Pedraza said. “Signing with Top Rank means a lot to me because a lot of great Puerto Rican champions have fought under the Top Rank banner. I will be one more. I will become world champion once again, and I will be a champion for this great promotional company. The scope of ‘The Sniper’ is ready!”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com. Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions announced a new series that will start on March.

360 Promotions outlined plans for a regular series at a media breakfast on Friday. The series, dubbed “Hollywood Fight Nights,” will take place on Tuesday nights every other month at the Avalon Hollywood, a theater in Hollywood, California, where Loeffler said he’ll set it up for about 800 fans.

“It’ll be a series like every other month, every two months we’ll do it,” Loeffler said. “Combined with our HBO dates, that will give us enough dates and slots to be able to sign young talent and bring them up to a point where they could get on premium cable television.”

The inaugural card will take place March 27 and will include the professional debut of highly touted amateur Brian Ceballo, a 23-year-old welterweight from Brooklyn, New York, who recently signed with Loeffler and Split-T Management.

Loeffler said that the Klitschko brothers and Golovkin were not interested in their companies signing many fighters because they wanted to focus on their own careers, though K2 Promotions represents unified cruiserweight titlist Oleksandr Usyk and undisputed women’s welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus. But by founding 360 Promotions Loeffler said it “will enable me to sign other fighters now and develop their careers.”

“We’re working on the platform right now,” he said. “It looks like it will be on a streaming platform, but we have had interest [from] broadcast platforms. So we’ll see, naturally, whatever the best platform will be. The first fight card will be streamed.”

Josh Taylor will now face Winston Campos on March 3rd after Humberto Soto had to with draw due to a cut, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“It came as a bit of a shock, but these things happen in boxing,” said Taylor, a 2012 Olympian who did not turn pro until 2015. “I wish Humberto Soto all the best in his recovery, but now I’m 100 percent focused on defending my [regional] title against Winston Campos. I’d like to thank my team for finding a replacement at this late stage, and although Campos represents a different challenge, being a rangy southpaw, I’m very confident that I can put on a career-best performance next weekend at the SSE Hydro.”

“I’m delighted to get this opportunity,” Campos said. “I was in training for another fight when I got the call. I’m coming to Glasgow to shock the world. [Taylor] is talented, no doubt, but I’m cut from a different cloth. I’m from the streets of Managua! I have the style to give him nightmares, and I’m very confident that I can rip that [regional] title from him on March 3.”

PHOENIX – An old neighborhood got some of its punch back Saturday night.

Carlos Castro and Alexis “Beaver” Santiago put it there with a back–and-forth battle at Celebrity Theatre in front of a sellout crowd of 2,650 fans who exchanged chants at a rate that the Phoenix super-bantamweights traded punches.

In the chants — “Carlos, Carlos” then “Beaver, Beaver”, there were echoes of a time when a city’s boxing history was perhaps at its lively best. Neighborhoods would show up like rival tribes to cheer for their own. It happened in 1991 when Phoenix welterweight Cassius Clay Horne beat cross-town rival Eric Hernandez.

Seventeen years later, it happened all over again on a terrific card staged by Iron Boy Promotions. This time, Castro prevailed, winning when Santiago’s corner threw in the towel at 1:50 of the tenth round.

It was a moment to look back.

A moment to look forward.

With the victory, Castro’s record moved to a nice, noteworthy 20-0. That’s hard to ignore and Castro did everything thing he could to make sure that some better-known fighters wouldn’t. For the last couple of years, he has talked about fighting Diego De La Hoya.

“I’m ready for you,’’ a triumphant Castro said as he stood in the middle of the ring and called out De La Hoya. “Send me a contract.’’

It’s not clear whether De La Hoya can even make the weight, 122 pounds, any more. He failed in his last attempt in December. It’s also not clear whether De La Hoya has any real interest in facing Castro.

What was evident, however, is that Castro wants to test his skills and reputation at a level beyond the neighborhood. His promoter, Roberto Vargas, thinks Castro is ready to take that step up in class and attention. If not De La Hoya, then maybe contender Ronny Rios, Vargas said.

Above all, Vargas said, the 23-year-old Castro has begun to improve. To wit: He did to Santiago (21-6-1, 8 KOs) what nobody has done. Castro stopped the Mayweather Promotions fighter, adding a ninth KO to his own resume. Castro did it with versatility, agile footwork in the mid-rounds and some big right hands late.

There was some confusion at the stoppage. Santiago’s trainer stepped on to the ring apron once. He risked a disqualification in doing so. Nobody noticed and no towel was thrown. Seconds later, however, there was the towel, spinning in midair and onto the canvas. Santiago looked surprised, then angry. But the bruises on his face said his corner had done the right thing.

The fight was over and the old neighborhood belonged to Castro.

Best Of The Undercard

Lots of punches. Lots of energy. A whole lot of Phoenix featherweight Francisco De Vaca (18-0, 6 KOs) overwhelmed Christian Esquivel (30-2-1, 23 KOs).

With Oscar De La Hoya first pro trainer Robert Alcazar in his corner, De Vaca unleashed a withering succession of body punches that put Esquivel on to his knees, exhausted and beaten at 1:59 of the sixth round.

The Rest

It was back-and-forth. It was wild. It was bloody. Mostly, it was dramatic. In the end, it belonged Phoenix super-middleweight Eduardo Ayala (2-0), who wound up with a bloody nose and a unanimous division Lenny Correa, also of Phoenix.

Phoenix heavyweight Oswaldo Cortez (2-1) survived bludgeoning blows from 314-pound Dante Stone, a boxing version of the Round Mound of Rebound. Stone, of Chandler, Ariz., bounced off the canvas once, bounced off the ropes repeatedly, yet lost a unanimous decision to the more the more precise Cortez.

Joshua Greer (16-1-1, 7 KOs) of Chicago brought a pillow as prop to his corner and power in his hand to the ring. The power prevailed, stopping Basilio Nieves (15-6, 3 KOs) of southern California in a super-bantamweight bout.

Floridian James McGirt (24-3-1, 14 KOs), son of Buddy McGirt, made quick work of over-matched Mexican Gilberto Rubio (8-7, 6 KOs), putting him onto his knees and finishing him midway through the second round.

After 16 years away from the ring, Phoenix light-heavyweight Fidel Hernandez (18-4, 11 KOs) celebrated his comeback with a bruising unanimous decision over Cesar Barraza (3-1-1), also of Phoenix.

INDIO, CALIF. (Feb. 22, 2018): Joseph “JoJo” Diaz (26-0, 14 KOs) successfully defended his NABF and NABO Featherweight Titles with a dominant third-round knockout victory against former world champion Victor “Vikingo” Terrazas (38-5-2, 21 KOs) in the main event of the Feb. 22 edition of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. After dropping Terrazas twice in the first round, Diaz, Jr. continued punishing Terrazas to the head and body before finishing the fight with a left hook at 3:00 of the third round. Diaz, Jr. maintained his status as the No. 1 contender for the featherweight championship of the world with this impressive victory.

“Gary Russell, Jr.: You’re next,” said Diaz, Jr. “I’m ready to have that world title around my waist. Once I defeat him, I’m going to give the fight fans what they want to see: champions against champions. Victor Terrazas is a tremendous warrior. I thank him for the opportunity because of all the experience he brought to the ring. He’s a strong veteran and I wish him all the best.”

“I’m going to speak with my wife and kids,” said Terrazas. “After all, they’ll be the ones to inform me if I should continue my career or end it tonight. I feel like I’m at the end of my career. It may be time to enjoy my wife and kids and find luck in another profession.”

Good looking prospect Vergil Ortiz, Jr. kept his perfect stoppage streak intact with a 3rd round technical knockout over Jesus Alvarez scheduled eight-round super lightweight.

In round one, Ortiz dropped Alvarez with a right hand. In round three, Ortiz landed a heavy barrage of punches and the bout was stopped at 1:23.

Ortiz, 139.8 lbs of Dallas, Texas is 9-0 with nine knockouts. Alvarez, 145.2 lbs of Sinaloa, MEX is 15-4.

“I feel really good,” said Ortiz, Jr. “I dropped him in the first round with a right hand because he kept pulling straight back. I liked that he got up because he was able to give me more rounds. My dad was telling me to work the body. I really started doing it in the third round and it showed. Now it’s time for me to keep working hard so I can be ready to fight again in a few months.”

In the televised swing fight, Filipino standout Rey “Flash” Perez (22-10, 6 KOs) scored a tough but clear unanimous decision victory against Christian “Chimpa” Gonzalez (18-2, 15 KOs) in a lightweight fight. Perez dominated Gonzalez in every round, landing hard shots easily though Gonzalez’ guard. Perez won with scores of 79-73, 79-73, and 78-74.

“I had an excellent training camp,” said Perez. “The team did something different this time. We thank Coachella Valley Boxing and Luis Espinoza for their hospitality. I don’t know what’s next for me, but I’ll be ready for what comes.”

Genaro “El Conde” Gamez (7-0, 5 KOs) of San Diego, Calif. scored a technical knockout victory against Miguel Mendoza (23-14-2, 11 KOs) of Aguascalientes, Mexico at the end of the fourth round of a scheduled eight-round super lightweight fight.

“I had a lot of fun in there,” said Gamez. “I was just playing with him in there in the ring and wanted to get rid of him by the later rounds. I can’t wait to fight again.”

Super Featherweight prospect Hector “El Finito” Tanajara, Jr. (12-0, 5 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas scored a first-round knockout victory against the Mexican pugilist Eduardo Rivera (10-4-2, 4 KOs). Tanajara, Jr. wasted no time in landing a lead right uppercut that immediately hurt Rivera, which he followed with a flurry that ended matters at 1:58 seconds of the first round.

“I wanted to switch it up because I was throwing the right hand a lot,” said Tanajara, Jr.”So, I threw the lead uppercut and I hurt him. I had to be cautious before going for the finish because some fighters play it off, but either way I got the first-round knockout. I’m going to stay in camp and get ready for the next fight.”

Los Angeles, California’s Manny “Chato” Robles, III (15-0, 7 KOs) scored a fourth-round TKO victory against Martin Cordona (24-11, 16 KOs) of Tucson, Arizona in a featherweight fight originally scheduled for eight rounds. After Robles punished Cordona for several rounds, the fight was stopped at 2:53 by the latter’s corner.

“Even though he wouldn’t go down, I had to keep trying,” said Robles III. “I knew I had to keep working the body and get the knockout. Hopefully I can move to 10-round fights this year. After this, things will just get tougher as I move up the rankings.”

Diaz, Jr. vs. Terrazas was a 10-round fight for the NABF and NABO Featherweight Titles presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The event was sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING” and Hennessy, “Never Stop, Never Settle.” The fights took place on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com and http://www.espn.com/boxing/; follow on Twitter @GoldenBoyBoxing, @OscarDeLaHoya, @ESPN, and @ESPNBoxeo; become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing; and follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing and @OscarDeLaHoya. Follow the conversation using #GBPonESPN.

Photos and videos are available to download by clicking here or copying and pasting link: http://bit.ly/DiazTerrazas into a browser. Credit must be given to Golden Boy Promotions for photos and videos used.

Top Rank has signed featherweight title challenger Geneis Servania to a promotional contract, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

This is a dream come true,” Servania said of the deal. “I am very happy because Top Rank is the No. 1 promoter in the world. It is such an honor to join Top Rank, led by Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, who began his career with ‘The Greatest’ — Muhammad Ali. I am very grateful and excited to be a part of the Top Rank/ESPN team. Especially now with the recent launch of ESPN 5 (sports network) in the Philippines, this is wonderful timing.”

“We used him previously on a show in Macau but his performance in a close but losing effort to Oscar Valdez shows you that he can rumble with anybody,” Moretti said. “Couple that with his ability to campaign at both junior featherweight and featherweight, and that makes him a valuable fighter to add to our stable.”

Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua maybe coming to the United States later this year possibly against Jarrell Miller, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Anthony Joshua would never look past Joseph Parker, but our job is to plan the future,” Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said. “I’ve been talking to [Barclays Center CEO] Brett Yormark about bringing [Joshua] to New York, and August would be an opportunity to do that. While the unification fight [with Deontay] Wilder looks to be unlikely until [Wilder] gets realistic about the split [of the money], we feel a fight in America would be beneficial to us and, in Brooklyn at Barclays Center, Miller would be the guy, provided he get the win. So there’s a lot for Miller to fight for.

“In an ideal world, we’d like to see AJ’s U.S. debut in August or September. We have a strong relationship with the Barclays Center, and a fight with Miller — a kid from Brooklyn — would be an attractive fight. It’s a nice story.”

“Until March 31 happens, we just don’t know. AJ could lose the fight, get injured — anything can happen,” Hearn said. “But New York and America is a focus for us in 2018. It’s one of the territories we want to box in. The Wilder fight, I feel, is inevitable but it’s just a case of when it will happen. It all depends. Wilder has to beat Luis Ortiz [on March 3, also at Barclays Center], and we have Parker and then maybe Miller.

“But we are very serious about America. It’s very important to us and definitely on the agenda for 2018.”

“But anything can happen when you’re in these big unification fights,” Hearn said. “We’ll review everything on April 1.”

“We’re talking about potential U.S. broadcast partners moving forward,” Hearn said. “Showtime were the guys who backed Anthony Joshua when other people weren’t interested, so they get first opportunity as far as I’m concerned. They put the money up and invested in AJ’s career when others didn’t. Over the next few months we’ll be working and talking to different American broadcasters. This is a very important decision. It’s not just the money. It’s about picking the broadcaster who can grow AJ’s brand and make him a star in America.

“I had a meeting with Stephen Espinoza [on Tuesday] to talk about Anthony’s future. I get on very well with HBO. They’re hugely interested in signing Anthony Joshua. I’m sure everyone will want to make an offer. We’ll get the Parker fight sorted and decide what’s next for AJ’s future.”

Former middleweight champion Andy Lee announced his retirement, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I have responsibilities now as a father. To leave my wife and daughter, it would take a big fight to get me to do that and go through all that training,” Lee said. “I took a decision to take some time off, obviously. Then we had a baby that has been the best thing, and that’s my priority right now.”

Danny Garcia scored a 9th round stoppage over Brandon Rios in a scheduled 12-round welterweight bout at The Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

It was a fan-friendly fight with Garcia dominating the action with right hands and body work in the middle of the ring.  Rios kept on coming and landed some good right hands when he was able to trap Garcia on the ropes, but those moments were few and far between.

In round nine, Garcia landed a booming right hand to the jaw that bent Rios over back and falling to the canvas.  Rios got to his feet, but he stumbled toward referee Kenny Bayless, and the fight was stopped at 2:25.

Garcia, 146.5 lbs of Philadelphia is now 34-1 with 20 knockouts.  Rios, 146.5 lbs of Oxnard, CA is 34-4-1.

“I felt the ring rust a little bit in the beginning,” said Garcia, who recorded the 20th knockout of his career. “He’s a good inside fighter and he was giving me some good uppercuts. I felt good, it was a good nine rounds. He came to fight. I came to box, I did that. I came to bang, and I gave the fans what they wanted – a knockout.

“I just noticed when I was getting my punches off he was standing right in front of me and I just let it go. As soon as I got the fight in the middle of the ring where I wanted I landed good shots. I was just letting my hands go and the punch landed.”

“The loss was tough. I have the mindset of a winner,” Garcia said. “I hate losing. I took it like a true champion and I bounced back like a true champion.

“I would love the rematch with Keith Thurman. It’s on him. Whenever he’s ready we’ll fight.”

“I’m mad. I don’t like going out like that,” Rios said. “I’m a warrior, I got back up and I wanted to continue. I guess they stopped it but I’m mad. I’m mad because I got up.

“I was doing good. I got lazy with the jab and he came over with the right hand and he caught me. I’m a warrior. I’m still in the game. I didn’t think he did much to hurt me. I think it was closer than what he thought it was. He just caught me with a lucky punch. I was ready to continue.”

David Benavidez retained the WBC Super Middleweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Ronald Gavril in a rematch of a fight from September, also won by Benavidez.

Benavidez landed hard and crisp shot that backed up Gavril.  Gavril was able to get in a good shot, but he wasbeing out landsed three and four to one in most occurrences. In round four, Benavidez rocked Gavril with a hard right.  In round five, Gavril began to bleed from his nose.

Benavidez had Gavril in trouble in several rounds over the second half of the fight, but Gavril showed an iron chin, and kept in trying until the final bell.

Benavidez, 167 lbs of Phoenix, AZ won by scores of 120-108 twice and 119-109 to remain perfect at 20-0.  Gavril, 167.25 lbs of Las Vegas, NV is now 18-3.

“I knew he was going to come aggressive. He’s a one-trick opponent,” Benavidez said. “I knew I could jab and box him all day. When I saw the opening I took it. I didn’t knock him out though – he’s a tough son of a gun.

“Both my hands hurt but I have that warrior’s mentality so I kept pushing.

“I want to be the best in division. So whoever they put in front of me that’s what I want to do.

“He tried to box me on the outside,” Gavril said. “It was good fight. He was the better man tonight. What can I say? I want to go back in the gym and come back stronger.”

Yordenis Ugas punched his ticket to an eventual title shot scored a 7th round stoppage over Ray Robinson in a schedule 12-round welterweight fight.

In round one, Ugas landed a hard right that dropped Robinson.  At the end of round four, Robinson dropped Ugas, but the punch came after the bell, and Robinson was deducted a point.

In round seven, Ugas landed a perfect right hand that sent Robinson to the canvas.  Robinson was shaken up, and Ugas saw that so the Cuban jumped all over Robinson by landing seven hard right hands in the corner before referee Robert Byrd stopped the bout at

Ugas, 147 lbs of Santiago, CUB is 21-3 with 10 knockouts.  Robinson, 146 lbs of Philadelphia is 24-3.

“I felt like I was the stronger fighter by far and he didn’t hurt me. He lost a point for hitting me after the bell sounded, and knocked me down, but even that didn’t hurt me. He was very awkward and his style threw off my timing.

“Luckily I was able to land body shots that I knew were hurting him. I was able to dictate the pace and we never in trouble.

“I want Errol Spence next. Everyone wants Errol.”

Victor Ortiz and Devon Alexander battle to a 12-round majority draw in a welterweight bout at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.

In round two, Ortiz was cut over his right eye.

Ortiz won a card at 115-113, while two cards read even at 114-114.  Ortiz, 146.4 lbs of Garden City, KS is 33-6-3.  Alexander, 146.6 lbs of St. Louis, MO is 27-4-1.

“I absolutely thought I won the fight,” said Alexander. “The last few rounds I probably gave him, but I thought I out landed him in the 12th. I thought I did enough to win. I gave him three rounds.”

“I thought the decision was a little off and I thought I did enough to win,” said Ortiz. “The first few rounds were a little complicated. He’s a great boxer and he was timing me just right. I wasn’t leaving the line of fire.”

“The eye was tough to overcome,” said Ortiz. “I can’t really see out of it. I really had to listen to my corner. I tried to stay composed as I could, but he’s a really good fighter.”

“My game plan was to be smart,” said Alexander. “Victor always has problems with people that are faster and have more ring IQ. I wanted to put him in the state of mind that he can’t win.”

“I would love a rematch,” said Alexander. “That’s up to my team to see what’s next, but I’ll fight anybody. I’m a real fighter.”

“A rematch would be awesome,” said Ortiz. “If both teams agree and the fans want it, let’s make it happen.”

Caleb Plant won a 12-round unanimous decision over Rogelio Medina in a super middleweight elimination bout.

In round three,  Medina began to bleed from his nose.  Plant landed the superior punches and used a terrific jab to keep the hard charging Medina at bay.  Medina made an effort in the final part of the final, but Plant was never threatened, and by scores of 120-108, 119-108 and 117-111  to raise his perfect mark to 17-0.  Medina, 168.8 lbs of San Luis, MEX is 38-9.

“It was a tough fight tonight against a tough competitor who puts everything on the line,” said Plant. “I’m happy we got the job done tonight.”

“I stuck to the game plan and I did exactly what I said I was going to do,” said Plant. “I boxed his ears off for 12 rounds.”

“He never had me hurt, but I found his style very difficult,” said Medina. “He moves a lot and he’s pretty quick, so that was tough to deal with.”

“I think I felt the struggle to make weight a little bit,” said Medina. “I was a little tired in the later rounds and it probably was due to the drain to make weight. But it is what it is.”

“I want (IBF 168-pound champion) Caleb Truax,” said Plant. “He was calling me out when I was 12-0. I’m on the doorstep knocking now, let’s see if he still wants it. He can either ship me the IBF belt to my doorstep, or I’ll come take it off his waist.”

2016 U.S. Olympian remained undefeated by winning a four-round unanimous decision over Jorge Rojas in a lightweight bout.

Balderas, 133 lbs of Santa maria, CA won b y scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 4-0.  Rojas, 132.6 lbs of Puebla, MEX is now 4-3-1.

“I felt good in there,” said Balderas. “I need to learn to relax a little bit more in the ring. I hurt him in the first round and I could have finished him quickly. My corner reminded me to slow down, but I was still throwing everything with power. I’m going to keep working on my composure in the gym. I can’t kill everyone in the first round.”

“I’m going to keep picking up my opposition this year,” said Balderas. “Rojas had a really good chin. I’m going to stay in great shape so I’m ready whenever the call comes. I’m going to keep working and aiming for that world title shot down the road.”

George Groves retained his WBA Super Middleweight title with a hard fought 12-round unanimous decision over Chris Eubank, Jr. in an entertaining bout and thus Groves advances to the final of the World Boxing Super Series.

The bout took place at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.

In round three, Eubank was cut over the right eye.  The pace picked up as the fight went on with both guys throwing and mostly missing wild shots.  Groves deep pedigree seemed to be the difference as when the fight was fought at distance, it was Groves jab that was the difference in the fight.  Each guy landed several power shots, and the final round was extremely entertaining as both guys stood toe to toe which was much to the delight of the packed house at The Manchester Arena.

Groves won by scores of 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113 and he is now 28-3.  Eubank is 26-2.

“The better man won on the night,” said Groves. “Credit to Junior for getting through 12 rounds, I didn’t think he would. Chris didn’t lie when he said he was going to grit it out. That was a terrific fight for the fans.”

“I couldn’t see out of my right eye for most of the fight but a cut’s a cut and you have to deal with it,” said Eubank Jr.

“George has got the heart of a true champion and did what he had to do. I thought I did enough in the later rounds to win it. But hopefully, we’ll get the rematch on.”

“My shoulder feels pretty sore but I wasn’t going to let anything beat me tonight.”

Ryan Walsh and Isaac Lowe battled to a 12-round split draw in a featherweight contest.

Walsh took a card 116-114, Lowe won a card 115-114 and a 3rd card read 115-115.

Walsh is 22-2-2.  Lowe is now 14-0-3.

Tommy Langford won a 12-round unanimous decision over Jack Arnfield in a middleweight bout.

Langford, 159.2 lbs of Birmingham, UK won by scores of 116-111, 116-113 and 117-111 to raise his record to 20-1. Arnfield, 159.2 lbs of Blackpool, UK is 25-3.

Zach Parker stopped Adasat Rodriguez in round two of their scheduled ten-round super middleweight bout.

Parker dropped Rodriguez in round two from a hard left hook. With just seconds remaining in the round, Parker landed a series of crunching rights that sent Rodriguez down again, and the fight was stopped at 2:59.

Parker, 168 lbs of Woodvail, UK is 15-0 with 11 knockouts. Rodriguez, 168 lbs of Santa Cruz, Spain is 16-7-2.

Luther Clay won a decision over Danny Craven in a six-round middleweight bout.

Clay, 147.7 lbs of Southhampton, UK won by a referee score of 58-57, and is now 7-1. Craven, 154.3 lbs of Warrington, UK is 3-2.

Ray Beltran won the vacant WBO Lightweight title with a tough 12-round unanimous decision over Paulus Moses at the Grand Sierra Hotel in Reno, Nevada.

It was a grueling contest that saw Moses have some success with hard rights and a nice jab that cut Beltran under both eyes.  Beltran swept the latter part of the fight, and that titlted the scores in his favor to the tune of 117-111 twice and 116-112.

Beltran, 134 1/2 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is now 35-7-2.  Moses, 134 lbs of Namibia is now 40-4.

Egis Kavaliauskas remained undefeated and stopped former interim world titlist David Avanesyan in round six of their scheduled ten round welterweight bout.

Kavaliauskas landed a hard right in round six that hurt Avanesyan.  Kavaliauskas jumped on his prey, and landed a hard flurry of power shots and the fight was stopped.

Kavaliauskas, 146 1/2 lbs of Lithuania is now 19-0 with 16 knockouts.  Avanesyan, 147 lbs of Russia is 23-3.

2016 Olympic Silver Medal winner Shakur Stevenson remained undefeated by winning an eight-round unanimous decision over Juan Tapia in a featherweight bout.

Stevenson, 125 1/2 lbs of Alexandria, VA won all cards 80-72 and is now 5-0.  Tapia, 124 1/2 lbs of Brownsville, TX is 8-2.

In a battle of undefeated lightweights, 2016 Olympic Gold Medal winner Robson Conceicao won a six-round unanimous decision over Ignacio Holguin.

Conceicao, 132 1/2 lbs of Bahia, BRA won by scores of 60-52 on two cards and 60-54 and is now 6-0.  Holguin, 132 3/4 lbs of San Antonio, TX is 4-1-1.

Sagadat Rachmankulov made a successful pro debut by stopping Noel Esqueda in round five of their scheduled six-round welterweight bout.

Rachmankulov hammered Esqueda with a hard left hook and a left to the top of the head that had Esqueda buckling, and referee Jay Nady stopped the bout at 1:51.

Rachmankulov, 148 lbs of Kazakhstan is 1-0 with 1 knockout.  Esqueda, 148 lbs of Wichita, KS is 8-5-2.

Former world title challenger Bryant Jennings dropped Akhror Muralimov four times en roue to a 3rd round stoppage in a scheduled eight-round heavyweight bout.

In round one, Jennings scored two knockdowns. In round two, Jennings dropped Muralimov with a right hand. Jennings dropped Muralimov with a hard right in round three. He finished it off with another knockdown, and the fight was stopped at 1:22.

Jennings of Philadelphia is now 22-2. Muralimov is 16-4.

ALexander Besputin stopped Wesley Tucker at 3:00 of round five of their scheduled eight-round welterweight bout.

Besputin is 9-0. Tucker is 14-2.

Willy Hutchinson won a decision over Eric Mokonzo in a six-round cruiserweight bout.

In round four, Mokonzo was deducted a point for holding. In round five, Hutchinson landed a right that was followed up by a left that sent Mokonzo to the canvas.

Hutchinson, 175.5 lbs won by a referee score of 60-52, and is now 3-0. Mokonzo, 186.1 lbs is 2-7.

Linus Udofia won a four-round unanimous decision over William Warburton in a middleweight bout.

Udofia is now 7-0. Warburton is 24-128-1.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that a proposed lightweight title bout between Jorge Linares and Vasyl Lomachenko is not not imminent due to a proposed May 12 day not being right for Linares promoter Golden Boy Promotions.

Top Rank planned to stage the fight as the main event of an ESPN card on May 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York. However, Golden Boy said that date is unacceptable because it has an HBO event that night — the probable return of junior middleweight world titleholder Sadam Ali for his first defense since sending Miguel Cotto into retirement in December, along with the replay of the May 5 pay-per-view rematch between middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez.

According to Top Rank President Todd duBoef, he spoke to Honda and Teiken executive Akemi Irie about the date, and they settled on May 12.

“Akemi said May 12, fine, great,” duBoef said. “I said, ‘Let me know what you need for the fight. Mr. Honda came with a number; I gave him a counteroffer. Then he came back to me and said, ‘Can you do it for this number?’ And I said, ‘For you, yes, I can.’ He said give me [last weekend] to make sure we’re good. He calls me on Monday night, and he says we’re all good, please have somebody from Top Rank call Golden Boy and do the details on travel, tickets, the minutia. The first thing we resolved, before the money, was the date because of the sensitivity to Linares’ health.

“First I heard that there was a problem with May 12 was after [Top Rank vice president] Carl [Moretti] had a conversation about it with [Golden Boy president] Eric Gomez on Tuesday. Mr. Honda called me about it apologizing and very upset. He said they knew May 12 from the beginning, and he was very disappointed.”

“That’s the date held by ESPN, and I’m not going to drag over Jorge Linares,” duBoef said. “Lomachenko is fighting May 12 on ESPN, and we’d like for him to fight Linares. So would Mr. Honda and Linares.”

“Golden Boy has also been talking to us for quite a while about a live fight on May 12,” HBO Sports spokesman Ray Stallone told ESPN in a statement. “HBO has not received any offer on a Linares-Lomachenko fight yet. We look forward to receiving one — since we do have a first/last [contractual option] with Jorge Linares and have interest in the fight. We are not standing in the way of anything.”

“We told Mr. Honda no problem, try to get a deal done, but we can’t do the fight a week before the pay-per-view or the week after because we’re doing an HBO event,” Gomez said. “But I have a solution. If Arum is committed to Madison Square Garden and it has to be May 12, HBO would buy the fight. I spoke to Peter Nelson and he will absolutely buy the fight and based on the numbers Honda gave us, HBO will pay more. Now that’s a solution. We’re flexible. We can do it on HBO. If Arum is committed to ESPN then let’s pick another date.”

“It’s not in consideration for me to go on HBO,” he said. “We have an agreement with Mr. Honda and he was telling Golden Boy that we all believe the best place for this fight is on ESPN, a sports platform with the most amount of homes and the best possible viewership. Coming off nearly 2 million viewers for the Rigondeaux fight we are going to keep the momentum going regardless of if it’s Linares or the winner of Friday night’s fight.”

After being widely rumored to be heading to Madison Square Garden, The proposed Pay-Pew-View card featuring Jeff Horn defending his WBO Welterweight title bout between Jeff Horn and Terence Crawford will be staged at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Although the fight, long in the works, has not been officially announced, Bob Arum said it is now agreed to on both sides. The site, though, will be Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas as the main event of a pay-per-view card Top Rank is putting on in conjunction with ESPN as part of their long-term deal.

“Mandalay Bay is a great venue and we’re happy to put this card on there,” Arum said. “You’ve got a lot of boxing in New York coming up, so it made sense to move the fight to Las Vegas when Mandalay Bay became available.”

Arum said that he is in the process of finalizing the co-feature between Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao, the former eight-division world champion, and former junior welterweight titlist Mike Alvarado (38-4, 26 KOs), 37, of Denver.

Arum said there would also be another world title bout on the card. It will pit junior featherweight world titleholder Jessie Magdaleno (25-0, 18 KOs), 26, of Las Vegas, in his mandatory defense against hard-hitting Isaac Dogboe (18-0, 12 KOs), 23, of Ghana.

Arum said he initially was going to make that fight the main event of his April 28 ESPN card but decided to move it to the April 14 show to beef up the pay-per-view.

“That’s going to be a really good fight,” Arum said. “It’s a 50-50 fight, I think. Both guys can really hit.”

Former lightweight beltholder Omar Figueroa was charged with Drunk Driving, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Figueroa, 28, of Weslaco, Texas, was arrested by the Indian Wells Police Department at 3:14 a.m. on Jan. 29, according to Riverside County’s online records and confirmed to ESPN by the county sheriff’s office.

Figueroa, listed at 5-foot-8, 170 pounds — 30 pounds heavier than the contract weigh for the fight — was booked into the jail at 6:28 a.m. Jan. 29 and released on his own recognizance.

His next court date for the case is scheduled for March 26 at 7:30 a.m. at the Indio Larson Justice Center in Indio, California.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, four-division world champion Adrien Broner has been charged with sexual battery in Atlanta.

According to the jail records, the incident occurred on Monday, and Broner had been released on $2,000 bail by Tuesday afternoon after a morning court appearance.

Broner, 28, of Cincinnati, was accused of groping a woman at Lenox Square, an Atlanta shopping mall, according to TMZ Sports.

“We’re very concerned about the reported behavior and will continue to monitor the situation, as well as potential repercussions for his scheduled fight,” a Showtime spokesman told ESPN in a statement.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the WBA will hold purse bids for two world title bouts.

The teams for secondary heavyweight titlist Manuel Charr and mandatory challenger Fres Oquendo have not been able to reach an agreement, and the same goes for those representing junior lightweight world titleholder Alberto Machado and mandatory challenger Rafael Mensah.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the April 14th card featuring WBO Welterweight champion Jeff Horn defending against Terence Crawford plus an appearance by Manny Pacquiao is close to fruition.

The proposed Pay-Per-View show would take place at Madison Square Garden.

Crawford, during an interview at ringside on Saturday night on ESPN’s telecast of the Gilberto Ramirez-Habib Ahmed super middleweight world title fight in Corpus Christi, Texas, said, “We’re real close. I’d say 90 percent done deal. Right now, my main focus is on Jeff Horn.”

Bob Arum said he was close but then added, “But I don’t do percentages. Close is not there. There is signed contracts. But we’re working hard to get the thing done and, hopefully, we’ll get it done pretty soon.”

Besides working to finish a deal with Crawford, Arum is also working to iron out a deal with Pacquiao. One potential opponent for Pacquiao is the long-faded former junior welterweight titlist Mike Alvarado (38-4, 26 KOs), 37, of Denver.