According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, a proposed bout between Manny Pacquiao and Vasyl Loamchenko is not in the near-future cards.

“No, we are not fighting Pacquiao. Manny Pacquiao is calling out Lomachenko, who is three weight classes down the scale from him. Manny Pacquiao is 147 pounds and he’s calling out Lomachenko, who is 130 pounds. That’s insane,” said Lomachenko’s manager Egis Klimas told ESPN.

“There are negotiations now about the No. 1 pound-for-pound, which is Lomachenko,” Pacquiao said in an interview with ABS-CBN. “There are still talks on the weight, reducing the weight.”

“Look, we have our own agenda, our own road and our own plans. That’s where we’re going,” Klimas said. “There’s a lot of champions and good guys at 130 or 135 pounds. That’s where we’re going. Why isn’t Pacquiao calling out [Terence] Crawford? Crawford is moving into Pacquiao’s weight class. Why doesn’t he call out [Mikey] Garcia, who is at 140?”

“The difference is Lomachenko didn’t call out Rigondeaux,” he said. “Rigondeaux was willing and begging for the fight, so Lomachenko fought Rigondeaux. They had two gold medals each, they were both undefeated, and did that take Lomachenko somewhere? For Team Lomachenko, that fight didn’t mean anything. He beat a small guy. Even if he beat Pacquiao, they’d say he beat an old guy who was basically retired. We want to fight active champions dominating their weight classes.”

“We discussed at one point Manny and Lomachenko fighting, but Lomachenko’s father [trainer Anatoly Lomachenko] said he didn’t want him to jump up two divisions even though the fight would be at a catch weight of 140 pounds,” Top Rank’s Bob Arum said. “His father said he wanted him to first go up to 135 pounds and then maybe they’d consider a fight with Pacquiao at 140 pounds later.

“The spring would be too premature, but certainly that’s a fight that might be attractive down the road.”

Top Rank has signed 17 year-old junior middleweight prospect David Kaminsky from Israel, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Bruce Trampler and Brad Goodman have seen him and Egis is a very good judge of talent and he was adamant that this kid could fight,” promoter Bob Arum said. “He handles himself well with these professional fighters and he had a good amateur record. He has all the qualifications and recommendations from the people I rely on. And he’s a nice boy and his father is boxing guy, so I have high hopes for him.”

“Only once in my career did I hear the shofar blown before a fight when Yuri fought Miguel Cotto (at Yankee Stadium in 2010) and I want to hear that again,” Arum said.

“I feel very fortunate to be signed under Top Rank,” said Kaminsky, a southpaw, who moved with his family from Israel to California when he was 3. “This is a big stepping stone in my boxing career. I have worked for this day my entire life and I wouldn’t want to be with any other team. I believe behind every great boxer is a great team, and I am very excited for this journey.

“I can do every different style for every different fighter. Once I step into the ring, I pick up a style right away. We have been working for so many years and we pick up styles from different types of fighters. So if I need to be slick, I can be slick. If I need pressure, I can use pressure. If I need to move on my feet, I move on my feet. But I do have a punch. I like to hit with power.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Cristian Mijares will not fight Miguel Berchelt on February 10 in Mexico.

“I’m confident that the fans are going to have the show that they deserve — a world championship fight and, unfortunately, it will not be against Cristian Mijares, who withdrew at the last minute,” Berchelt said. “But we are working to get a worthy opponent and give them a great fight.”

“I have to change the preparation a bit because Mijares is left-handed. Right now I do not know who they will put in front of me, but I know that the preparation I did with [trainer] Alfredo Caballero will help me to beat anyone,” said Berchelt, adding that after the upcoming defense he would be interested in a unification bout against pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Former U.S. Olympian Jamel Herring has signed with Top Rank, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“We’re happy for him,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN. “Once everything is signed he can restart his career training under ‘Bomac.’ Herring is just one of a plethora of fighters who find themselves in a no-hope position. They’re prizefighters. That’s what they’re supposed to do — fight for a prize and, obviously, that window has been closed for many of them.”

Moretti was referring to the chronic inactivity many of the Premier Boxing Champions fighters face.

Moretti said that Herring’s first fight with Top Rank is not scheduled yet but that it is likely to take place in April and that “he can drop to 130 pounds or continue fighting at 135 pounds. He will fight wherever there are the best opportunities for him.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Former four-division world champion Roman Gonzalez plans to return this Spring following his two losses to Srisaket Sor Rungvisal last year.

“Roman is definitely planning to fight in April or May,” Carlos Blandon, Gonzalez’s manager, told ESPN on Tuesday. Blandon said that Gonzalez plans to remain at junior bantamweight, resisting suggestions from some that he return to the flyweight division.

“Roman wants to keep fighting [at junior bantamweight] until he dominates the division and then maybe we will think of an additional title in the following weight division [bantamweight],” Blandon said. “God will tell. Roman and his new team are ready to kick off the new year.”

Jeremy Stephens scored an explosive 2nd round stoppage over Doohoo Choi in a featherweight bout at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

Stephens dropped Choi in round two, and then landed three hard shots with Choi on the ground, and the bout was stopped at 2:36.

Stephens, 145.5 lbs of San Diego is 27-14. Choi, 146 lbs of Busan, SK is 15-3.

Jessica Rose Calrk won a unanimous decision over fan favorite Paige CanZant in a flyweight bout.

Clark, 125.5 lbs of Innisfal, AUS won by scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice, and is now 9-4-1. VanZant, 125.5 lbs of Portland, OR is now 7-4.

Kamaru Usman won a unanimous decision over Emil meek in a welterweight bout.

Usman was bleeding from the right eye from from short elbows in round one. Meek was cut in the back of his head in round two. Later in the round he was cut on the forehead.

Usman dominated as he out-landed Meek 104-69, and had the control advantage by a 12-minute margin.

Usman, 169.5 lbs of Boca Raton, FL won by scores of 30-27 on all cards, and is now 12-1. Meek, 170.5 lbs of Trondheim, NOR is 9-3-1-1.

This was Usman’s 11th straight win.

Darren Elkins submitted Michael Johnson in round two of their featherweight bout.

Elkins won by rear naked choke at 2:22.

Elkins, 145.5 lbs of Portange, IN is 24-5. Johnson, 146 lbs of Boca Raton, FL is 17-13.

Elkins won his 6th consecutive bout.

WBA/IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will meet WBO Champion Joseph Parker on March 31st in Cardiff, Wales, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I would like to announce the official news that myself and Joseph Parker will be fighting on March 31 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff,” Joshua said on Sunday. “It is a unification heavyweight championship fight. We all know what happened last time I was in a unification heavyweight championship fight. It was grueling, it was interesting and we both left the ring with masses of respect.”

“Anthony Joshua is in for a huge shock,” Parker said. “A couple of months ago I heard him say, ‘Why should I be worried about this little kid from New Zealand?’ Well, now he’s about to find out. And the world is about to find out whether AJ can really take a punch. My entire existence is now devoted to proving what the boxing world already knows.”

“These fights aren’t easy because there is a lot on the line, so respect to Team Parker for taking the challenge,” Joshua said. “And you know me, I love this game. I am looking forward to it. Training camp is underway and before you know it, March 31 will be upon us.”

“I’m delighted to get this fight made — it’s been a long time coming,” Hearn said. “Champions should fight champions and AJ continues to step up to the challenges. It’s the first time in history that two reigning heavyweight world champions have met in Britain, and it’s a classic matchup between two young, fast, undefeated belt holders and it’s going to be an explosive fight. This is another huge unification fight for Anthony as he continues to make history in the quest to become undisputed world heavyweight champion.”

“Eddie has been great to work with from day one,” Higgins said. “I know we ruffled a few feathers along the way but, as Eddie acknowledged, when you come from a small country and people perceive you as a small player, sometimes you’ve got to make a bit of noise. New Zealand might be a tiny country on the other side of the world, but it has a hugely proud sporting tradition — and a particularly strong tradition when it comes to whipping mother England.

“Joseph Parker is the absolute epitome of the Kiwi sporting battler. It has been said that he is punching above his weight, but he didn’t become WBO heavyweight champion by being lucky. He’s never been stopped, never even been wobbled in the ring. He’s consistently fought fighters in the world’s top 10 and he’s beaten them all easily. It certainly won’t be a shock to me when he beats Anthony Joshua and takes his titles back home to New Zealand.”

Two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner Claressa Sheilds retained her IBF/WBC Super Middleweight titles with a ten-round unanimous decision over Tori Nelson at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

Shields, 167 lbs of Flint, MI won by scores of 200-90 on all cards, and is now 5-0. Nelson, 164.75 lbs of Ashburn, VA is now 17-1-3.

“I landed every shot that I thought possible to land,” Shields said. “She was tough, she wasn’t a pushover. She put on a good fight.”

“I have to drop down and see how I feel (first),” Shields said. “I think I could make 160 easy, I’m going to be bigger and stronger than any girl.

“Hammer just wants to scope. I think she’s pretty scared to be honest. She is more worried about me than I am about her. I’m going to kick Hammer’s ass. People think Hammer is more skilled than me so I can’t wait to show her that she’s not.”

“It’s a great combination me and her on the same card,” Hammer said. “I can’t wait to show the fans who Christina Hammer is. That will be the best fight ever. It will be the game-changer for female boxing. It’s our time to shine.

“I’m long-time world champion and I have more experience. I have longer reach, I’m tall, I have good footwork and better technique than her. I feel the energy, and I can’t wait to fight against her.”

“I’m not happy because I didn’t win, but other than that I thought I executed pretty well,” said the 41-year-old Nelson. “I gave her a better fight than she was expecting.

“No disrespect to Claressa, she doesn’t have great power. She has great speed and she overwhelms you with a lot of punches. My movement threw her off like I knew it would but knowing she was the champion, I needed to just push a little bit more.”

Jesse Angel Hernandez won a ten-round split decision over Ernesto Garza in an exciting super bantamweight bout.

he end of round two, Garza was credited with a knockdown as Hernandez hit the deck after walking into a left hand.

Hernandez, 122.5 lbs of Fort Worth, TX won two cards by 97-93 and 95-94 tallies, while Garza won Garza took a card 95-93.

Hernandez is 11-1. Garza, 122.5 lbs of Saiginaw, MI is 9-3.he threw 1019.

Hernandez landed 286-719 punches while Garza also landed 286 punches as

“I think it should have been a unanimous decision,” Hernandez said. “I’ve always been a slow starter and I feel like I lost the first two rounds, especially with the knockdown. But I won pretty much every round after that, I maybe lost three rounds.

“I’m not completely happy with my performance. I have to control my distance and my range a little bit better. I need to go back to the gym and work on those things. Before the summer comes I hope to have another fight and I hope it’s on SHOWTIME.

“I give Garza a lot of credit for getting in the ring and knocking me down. He hung in there for 10 rounds even after I caught him with some good shots. He was able to withstand those shots, but all that said, I still think it should have been a unanimous decision.”

“I thought it was a bogus decision,” Garza said. “I don’t understand that last judge’s card. I was happy with everything that I did. I executed well and did everything I needed to do to win the fight.

“I’m really disappointed with the outcome. I felt that I won. To me, I won a majority of the rounds and I knocked him down. I know knocking your opponent down usually leads to you winning the fight.”

In a battle of undefeated junior welterweights, Shohjahon Ergashev stopped Sonny Fredrickson in round three of a scheduled eight-round bout.

Ergashev rocked Fredrickson with a series of hard lefts. Ergashev continued to stagger and wobble for about 30 seconds until the bout was stopped at 1:58.

Ergashev, 140 lbs of Fergana, UZ is 11-0 with 11 knockouts. Fredrickson, 141 lbs of Toledo, OH, is 18-1.

“The ref saved him,” Ergashev said. “If he let him stay on his feet any longer I would have knocked him out. He couldn’t handle my power.

“At this stage of my career, I am in the best shape of my life and the best I have felt. This is my time right now, especially because I am training with Rick (Phillips) and (Javan) Sugar (Hill Steward). That’s what leads to all of my knockout power.

“I’m ready for whatever comes next. I’m ready for more fights in the U.S., and I want to keep getting more exposure to show off my skills. I’m ready to fight anybody in America.”

Several entertaining fights highlighted the untelevised undercard for two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields defense of her WBC and IBF titles against mandatory challenger Tori Nelson at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York tonight.

In the main supporting bout, Detroit via Kurchaloi, Russia, heavyweight Apti Davtaev had a successful United States fighting debut by scoring a six-round unanimous decision over Philadelphia’s Garrett “The Ultimate Warrior” Wilson.

Wilson didn’t make it easy. Fighting out of a crouch, the heavily muscled, but much shorter Wilson came up with enough wild haymakers to make the entire fight very interesting. Davtaev appears to have a heavy right hand, which he dropped onto the hard head of Wilson often enough to earn the close, but deserved nod. Davtaev warrants credit for going to war whenever one of Wilson’s looping swings connected.

Davtaev (now 14-0-1, 13 KOs) loses his perfect KO percentage, but walks away with a hard-fought victory over a foe who came to win. Wilson is now (18-14-1, 9 KOs).

The scores were 58-56 from all three judges.

An accidental headbutt brought an abbreviated end to the six-round super lightweight return of Aktjubinsk, Kazakhstan’s Bakhtiyar Eyubov.

In against Lynchburg, Virginia’s Maurice Chalmers (14-13-1, 8 KOs), the exciting slugger Eyubov (13-0, 11 KOs) was advancing behind active head movement and a tight shell when his head collided with the retreating Chalmers’. The cut that resulted was ruled too severe and the fight was ruled a No Decision at 1:59 of the opening round.

In a wild women’s light heavyweight brawl featuring fists flying from every direction, wrestling holds and several MMA-style takedowns, Franchon “The Heavy Hitting Diva” Crews-Dezurn won a unanimous six-round decision over Tiffany “The Terminator” Woodard.

Crews-Dezurn, now 3-1, 1 KO, of Baltimore, Maryland, had too many weapons for Wilson, North Carolina’s Woodard (now 4-10-3, 3 KOs), so Woodard tried and succeeded to make things ugly. What followed was a wild punch-out featuring elbows and headlocks and takedowns that left both on the canvas more than once.

Woodard took a lot of hard leather and deserves credit for her toughness. Crews-Dezurn showed class in not taking the bait for most of the fight. She did lose a point in the sixth for a sneaky revenge takedown.

The scores were 59-53, 59-54 and 59-54.

Detroit via Magnitogorsk, Russia’s Alexey Zubov outworked a determined Lamont “Too Smooth” Capers of Hawley, Pennsylvania, on his way to a six-round majority decision.

An entertaining fight between hard-nosed cruiserweights, Zubov was cut over the right eye and took some good punches, but simply outworked the more selective Capers. Zubov showed his often-superior conditioning and worked behind an educated jab, while Capers was content to lay on the ropes and land hard pot shots often enough to keep it interesting.

A score of 57-57 draw was over-ruled by scores 59-56 and 58-56 for the tough Russian. With the victory, Zubov moves his record to 17-1, 9 KOs. Capers falls to 8-11-3.

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About Turning Stone Resort Casino
Host of the January 12 event, Turning Stone Resort Casino is an award-winning destination resort, which continues to distinguish itself as a premier venue for fight-of-the-year level boxing. The January event will mark Turning Stone’s 24th nationally-televised boxing event, cementing the resort as a leading destination for nationally-televised combat sports. Turning Stone features world-class amenities including four hotels, more than 20 signature restaurants and dining options, two spas, an all-new 125,000 square foot Las Vegas style gaming floor, a cabaret-style Showroom, a 5,000-seat arena, five golf courses, several bars, cocktail lounges and nightlife venues with live entertainment every weekend.

Light Heavyweight Eleider Alvarez will not participate in a purse bid for a potential purse bid with Oleksandr Gvozduk, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“The WBC has received official notification from Alvarez in which he has withdrawn from the fight for the WBC interim title, consequently the purse bid scheduled for this Friday is now cancelled,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman wrote to both camps on Wednesday. “The WBC will now take the matter back to the WBC board to review and make a ruling on the division.”

“Obviously, we’re disappointed that once again a fight disappeared for Gvozdyk after being ordered. We know Gvozdyk is a solid fighter, we just didn’t realize we have the second coming of Bob Foster,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti sarcastically told ESPN, referring to the all-time great former light heavyweight world champion and one of the biggest punchers in boxing history.

“He is the No. 1 WBC contender because he has earned it in the ring and we can see no logical reasons to fight a fourth final title eliminator,” Michel told ESPN, though the Gvozdyk fight would be for an interim title, which, with a win, would guarantee Alvarez a higher percentage of the money in the full title fight if it were to go to a purse bid. “His goal is to fight the champion.”

Welterweights Ray Robinson and Yordenis Ugas will meet in a welterweight elimination bout on February 10 in San Antonio as part of the Mikey Garcia – Sergey Lipinets card and will be broadcasted on showtime, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Ugas-Robinson is an intriguing crossroads-type matchup between two talented boxers, each looking to earn his way into the top tier of the welterweight division,” Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports told ESPN. “We are in discussions with Mayweather Promotions to add it as an opening bout on the Showtime telecast.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former cruiserweight title holder Grigory Drozd has retired.

“Dear friends (and) fans of boxing, today I made a very important decision for me,” he said in a statement. “I officially declare the end of my sports career. I want to thank my team, my coach and my promoters. Life does not stop. In sports I reached the top, but you cannot be there forever. I want to thank the people who were with me — my family, my mother, my wife and my children. Together we went through victories and won the WBC green and gold belt.”

“Today in front of me there are many interesting and important tasks such as the development of boxing in the new generations of my country,” Drozd said. “We have achieved a lot, but we still face many more important tasks. Thanks for everything.”

The card is expected to be formally announced on Tuesday, though Alexander confirmed the fight on his social media account later Sunday. “It’s on!!,” he wrote, adding a photo of a poster for the event.

The unification bout between WBA/IBF Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and WBO champion Joseph Parker is close to being finalized, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I’m on my way to London because it looks like we are close enough to board this plane and to go see Eddie Hearn in person so we can fine-tune the details and put the finishing touches on this deal,” Parker co=promoter David Higgins told ESPN on Sunday night — Monday afternoon in his home country of New Zealand — as he waited for his flight to take off.

“In boxing, some camps haggle and argue over trivial stuff, and it gets in the way of fights,” Higgins said. “They have petty arguments. Eddie is more like me in that he’s straightforward, and based on the negotiations that we have had to date, we can close out the final details and get an announcement in about a week. There are just a few minor things, co-promotional stuff that we’re working on. We’re dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.”

“When it comes to the major things in this deal, we are already on the same page,” Higgins said. “Everything is positive, so I am going to London with confidence that we will wrap this up and have a big fight.”

“The discussions for the American television broadcaster are going on right now, but the fight will have a major television outlet in the United States,” Higgins said.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Luis Nery will defend his Bantamweight title against Shinsuke Yamanaka on March 1st in Japan.

On Aug. 15, in Kyoto, Japan, Nery stopped Yamanaka in the fourth round to win the 118-pound world title. However, Nery (25-0, 19 KOs), a 23-year-old southpaw from Mexico, failed a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association-administered drug test as part of the WBC’s Clean Boxing Program.

“I’ll regain my belt from Nery with my utmost motivation and dedication,” Yamanaka said in interpreted comments at the news conference. “This time I’m a challenger and will win back the WBC belt.”

“If I had been effectively knocked out by Luis Nery, with me falling to the canvas, I could have hung my gloves forever, but the result of my defeat in that way does not convince me,” Yamanaka said. “I went into the ring in excellent physical condition. I can not be satisfied with the outcome of that night. I cannot find the reason because I have lost, but I can not think about finishing my career in this way, with a defeat that does not convince me. I am not finished yet. My determination to return to boxing is great, and that is why I will do everything in my power to recover the green-and-gold belt.”

Guillermo Rigondeaux was stripped of his junior featherweight title following his defeat to Vasyl Lomachenko in a junior lightweight title bout on December 9th, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“I think it’s very unfair,” Alex Bornote, Rigondeaux’s manager, told ESPN. “We fought at 130 pounds. What does that have to do with anything at 122 pounds, where Rigo was champion? They just had it in for us. His inactivity has totally screwed him. Rigo has been inactive and when you’re inactive the WBA is not getting any sanctioning fees, so they’ve had it in for us.”

“I didn’t think it would be such a horrible performance,” Bornote said. “It’s another nail in his coffin in his career. It’s the Rigo story. Never have I ever seen such a thing. He has no luck at all.

“He doesn’t feel all that great right now. He didn’t think the weight difference would be such a big deal, but Lomachenko is a very special talent, a great boxer. And Rigo also hurt his hand, so he was at a big disadvantage.”

“It was hard enough for Rigo to get a fight when he had a world title, so now imagine what it’s going to be like without a title. But he’s definitely going back to his weight class at 122 pounds or maybe 126 pounds,” Bornote said. “He’s really a natural 118-pounder, but in this market, with the opponents out there, we might have to also consider fighting at 126 pounds.

“I just don’t know what we’re going to do. Maybe we’ll find something in Europe for him. They liked him when he fought in U.K. [in 2016]. But we’ll try to get him back in the ring and wash that bad taste out of our mouth because that performance with Lomachenko was horrible. He knows it. Lomachenko was just too big, too fast and Rigo hurt his hand. It was a disaster for him. Lomachenko is special. Rigo doesn’t see anyone who is going to beat [Lomachenko] in that weight class. He said Lomachenko is for real.”

A deal for a fight that would pit WBO Featherweight champion Oscar Valdez and former beltholder Scott Quigg for March 10 in Carson, California is close to being finalized according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Shortly after ESPN’s story was initially published, Quigg Promoter Eddie Hearn acknowledged that the deal was close, writing on his Twitter account, “I see the news (is) breaking. Correct — we are close to finalizing a deal for Scott Quigg to face Oscar Valdez for the world title. Hopefully (we will) get it over the line. Will be an unbelievable fight!”

Representatives for junior lightweight Tevin Farmer are appealing the decision that was rendered for his fight against Kenichi Ogawa in an IBF title fight that took place on December 9th in Las Vegas.

“The basis for this request is the objectively inaccurate judging in the bout and the precedent the IBF has set, having granted immediate rematches in similar circumstances in which doing so was in the interest of fairness,” DiBella Entertainment attorney Alex Dombroff wrote. “At its request, the IBF was provided a high definition copy of the Farmer vs. Ogawa bout on December 13.”

“Of course, the damage done to both Mr. Farmer and (DiBella Entertainment) as a result of the poor judging extends well beyond the bout itself,” Dombroff wrote. “HBO had already begun discussions of defenses for Mr. Farmer and discussions of a potential bout between Mr. Farmer and former champion Gervonta Davis (had) gained traction. Those opportunities are presently off the table as a result of the bout. No matter what Mr. Farmer does next, his earning ability has no doubt been negatively impacted due to not being named IBF champion, which he so rightfully earned in the ring.

“DBE is requesting that the IBF rely on the principles of fairness that have before, in similar circumstances, led it to order an immediate rematch. We gently remind the IBF that recently it ordered a rematch of the Milan Melindo vs. Hekkie Budler junior flyweight championship bout, in which bad judging called into question the fairness and correctness of the result.”

According to Dan Rafael former three0division world champion Kazuto Ioka has retired at the age of 28.

“I’m satisfied with myself because I could win (world titles) in three classes, which is also the reason why I started boxing,” Ioka said at the news conference in translated remarks.

Michal Oleksiejczuk won a unanimous decision over Khalil Rountree in a light heavyweight bout.

Both fighters were cut around their right eye’s in round one.

Oleksiejczuk, 203.5 lbs of Leczna, POl won by scores of 30-27 on all cards, and is now 13-2. Rountree, 205 lbs of Las Vegas is 6-3.

Myles Jury won a unanimous decision over Rick Glenn in a featherweight bout.

Jury, 146 lbs of San Diego, CA won by scores of 30-27 on all cards, and is now 17-2. Glenn, 145.5 lbs of Sacramento, CA is 20-5-1.

Marvin Vettori and Omari Akemedov fought to a majority draw in a middleweight bout.

In round two, Akhmedov began to bleed from his nose.

Vettori, 185.5 lbs of Mezzocorona, ITA won on a card 29-28, but that was overruled by two cards that were even at 28-28. Vettori is now 12-3-1. Akhmedov, 185.5 lbs of Mackhackaria, RUS is 17-4-1.

Matheus Nicolau won a unanimous decision over Louis Smolka in a flyweight bout.

In round one, Nicolau dropped Smolka three times with left hooks. Smolka began to bleed heavily over his right eye.

Nicolau, 125.5 lbs of Rio De Janieiro, BRA won by scores of 30-26, 30-26 and 30-25, and is now 13-1-1. Smolka, 126 lbs of Kapolei, HI is now 11-5.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, a unification bout between heavyweight champion’s Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker is close to being finalized.

“The fight has never been closer. We’re a lot closer now to a deal because we’ve had a major breakthrough, which is that the two camps have formally agreed on the split,” Parker’s co-promoter David Higgins told ESPN in a phone interview from his home country of New Zealand. “The Joshua side made a small concession, and the Parker side has made a small concession.”

“It’s between 30 and 35-ish percent for the Parker side,” Higgins said. “I’ll leave it at that for now, but it’s somewhere close to the middle of that. Maybe after Eddie and I talk about it, we will make the figure public.”

“My gut feeling is there will be a deal. We’re only haggling over officials,” he said. “We’ll have to have a discussion with the British Boxing Board of Control [which regulates the sport in the U.K.]. I’m also happy to have the sanctioning bodies nominate a pool of officials. But even with that, we’re very close to a deal.”

“I think that’s fair,” Higgins said of the rematch clause. “Should Parker win, there’d be a rematch, and I think that’s fair because, commercially, Joshua is the A-side of the fight.”

“Eddie and I get on well,” Higgins said. “I found him to be smart, and we have a banter and humor between us. He doesn’t have an ego problem. I like working with people like Eddie Hearn. Both sides have given concessions. We respect them.”

“The goal is to get it done as soon as possible,” Higgins said.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, 115 pound champion Jerwin Ancajas has signed with Top Rank.

Ancajas, who will be making the fourth defense of his 115-pound belt, will face Israel Gonzalez in the co-feature of super middleweight world titleholder Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez defending against Habib “Wild Hurricane” Ahmed on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (10:30 p.m. ET) at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

“He’s a very, very exciting fighter. He’s all action,” Top Rank’s Bob Arum said. “He could really become an attraction. Am I definite about that? No, but there’s potential for him to become a major attraction, at least at the level or even higher of a Nonito Donaire — that type of attraction.”

“So it’s a potential six-fight deal. His fights will either be co-features on our ESPN cards or on big pay-per-view cards as one of the televised fights,” said Arum, who signed Ancajas after he became the first fighter promoted by Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions to win a world title.

Two world title fights are being negotiated for the Spring at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The first card would take place on March 3 and pit heavyweight world titleholder Deontay Wilder against Luis “King Kong” Ortiz, with another penciled in for April 14 — though it could move to another date that month — featuring unified welterweight titleholder Keith Thurman in a defense against former two-division world titlist Jessie Vargas, multiple sources involved in the events told ESPN.

Kovalev promoter Main Events and HBO had hoped to match Kovalev with top contender Sullivan Barrera (21-1, 14 KOs), who is also with Main Events, in the March 3 main event. On the Kovalev-Barrera undercard, Barrera rallied from a first-round knockdown to win a wide unanimous 10-round decision against Felix Valera, to set up the obvious fight.

However, Barrera, 35, a Cuban defector fighting out Miami, is also the mandatory challenger for the light heavyweight belt held by Dmitry Bivol (12-0, 10 KOs), 27, of Russia, and though he was offered the fight with Kovalev, Barrera instead elected to fight Bivol for less money on HBO in the Kovalev-Mikhalkin co-feature, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told ESPN.

“We are very interested in fighting the top fighters in the light heavyweight division. Barrera has been named the mandatory (challenger) for Bivol by the WBA and we would be glad to do that fight next,” Vadim Kornilov, Bivol’s manager, told ESPN recently.

Billy Joe Saunders defended his WBO Middleweight title with an easy 12-round unanimous decision over David Lemeiex in Lemieux’s hometown of Laval, Quebec, Canada

Saunders was masterful with his boxing and defense throughout the fight.  In round seven, Lemieux began to bleed from his nose.  Saunders was never threatened at all down the stretch and cruised home to the victory 120-108, 118-110, and 117-111.

Saunders of England is now 26-0.  Lemieux is 38-4.

Saunders outlanded Lemieux 165-67.

“I knew what sort of fighter David Lemieux is, and I knew what sort of coach he’s got,” said Saunders. “I knew what he was coming for. I look easy to hurt, but you can’t hit me. I like going to somebody’s backyard because I perform better. I’m a whole different animal now. When I hurt David, I wanted to put it on him. I really did, but that’s what I pay my trainer Dominic Ingle to do. I went to put it on him, but he told me to take my time, and that was the best advice.”

“I wasn’t at my best. Hats off to Billy Joe [Saunders],” said Lemieux. “From the second round on, I could not use my left hand the way I wanted, and he was on the run, so I had a hard time throwing my shots. It wasn’t my best night. A lot of this was because of me, because I couldn’t use my left hand the way I wanted to. He was running from the first round to the end, and I guess that’s his strategy to win. If this is the way you want to win, then congratulations.”

Douglas boxed well over the first three rounds but O’Sullivan came back to take the next three rounds with hard right hands.

In round seven, O’Sullivan landed a huge left hook that stopped Douglas on the ropes.  O’Sullivan followed up with five unanswered blows that dropped Douglas.  Douglas got up but the fight was stopped at 1:03.

O’Sullivan is 27-2 with 19 knockouts.  Douglas is 22-2-1.

O’Sullivan Outlanded Douglas 130-108.

“I was sick for 2 weeks with a chest infection, so I was not at 100 percent,” said O’Sullivan. “I thought it was a good opportunity, so I decided to fight anyway. I’m happy with my performance, but I could have done better. Douglas is a tough guy with a good chin, and he had never been knocked out like that.”

Yves Ulysse, Jr dropped Cletus Seldin three times en-route to a 10-round unanimous decision in a junior welterweight fight.

In round one, Ulysse dropped Seldin with a right hand.  In round two, It was deja-vu as another right hand sent Seldin to the canvas.  In round three, It was a left hook that sent Seldin down.  Seldin was cut on his forehead.

Ulysse jabbed and moved and had his way with Seldin, and cruised to the victory by scores of 99-88 on all cards.

Ulysse is now 15-1.  Seldin is 21-1.

Ulysse outlanded Seldin 157-42.

“I was the underdog,” said Ulysse. “Everyone thought that I was in for a beating, and look at what happened. I told you that my moment was coming. Speed kills! The sky is the limit!”

“Yves Ulysse is a good fighter but he is not exciting,” said Seldin. “I was not expecting him to run that much. I thought he would come to fight coming from a decision lost. I showed my thoroughness and tried to finish strong but it was impossible because of all the running.”
 

Former welterweight champion Jessie Vargas won a ten round unanimous decision over Aaron Herrera in Lancaster, California.

In round six, Vargas scored a knockdown from a combination that was culminated by a left hook.

Vargas, 146 lbs of Los Angeles won by scores of 100-89 on all cards and is now 28-2. Herrera, 146 lbs of Valladolid, Mexico is 24-8-1.

“I’m very happy to be back after a long layoff,” said Vargas. “It was a long time off and I felt the ring rust. I stayed patient and tried to stick to my distance. The inconsistencies affected me more than I thought it would and Herrera kept pushing the fight.

“I was setting him up and waiting for him to punch before attacking him. I expect more in my next performance and I’m disappointed I didn’t finish him, but a win is a win. We’ll get back to the drawing board. I showed I have the power with the knockdown, I just have to finish it off next time.”

“I felt relaxed in the ring,” said Vargas. “I was trying finish him with the hook. His head movement threw me off and kept him in the fight. We have to keep improving and look better in the next fight.”

“I’m ready for anyone,” said Vargas. “I’m going to start preparing tomorrow for anyone. I’m looking forward to facing Keith Thurman, the Errol Spence Jr. vs. Lamont Peterson winner, or Danny Garcia. I’m back and I’m ready to stay busy and get back in the ring as soon as possible to reach my goals.”

Jamal James scored the biggest win of his career as he stopped Jamal James in round three of a scheduled ten round junior middleweight bout.

James landed three hard right hands that put Chaves on the defensive, and then landed a left to the body that put Chaves down for the ten count at 2:12.

James, 146.6 lbs of Minneapolis, MN is 22-1 with 10 knockouts. Chaves, 145 lbs of Buenos Aires, ARG is 26-3-1.

John Molina, Jr. stopped Ivan Redkach in round four of their scheduled ten round super lightweight bout.

The fight was a back and forth war with both guys landing hard crushing shots.

It was Redkach who struck first as he landed a hard flurry that sent Molina to canvas in round two. It look like Molina would be stopped seconds later but he turned around the tide and landed some power shots that rocked Redkach at the end of the round. In round three, Molina landed a booming right that sent Redkach to the canvas. Molina continued to pound away on Redkach in round four and finally ended the battle with a right hand that rocked Redkach all over the ring and finally on the canvas and the fight was stopped at

Molina, 140.8 lbs of Los Angles, CA is 30-7 with 24 knockouts. Redkach, 141 lbs of Bkovah, UK is 20-4-1.

“It was a great fight,” said Molina. “I was a little rusty, but it’s not an excuse, Redkach was a really tough guy. We got the job done and never gave up. A fight is a fight, it’s not over until it’s over.”

“You always dig deep with your family watching,” said Molina. “You never want to lose in front of your family. I’m always going to fight until the very end. I had a tough opponent in front of me but I did what I had to to get the victory.”

Wale Omotoso won a ten-round unanimous decision over Freddy Hernandez in a junior middleweight bout.

In round nine, Hernandez was cut around the left eye.

Omotoso, 152.8 lbs of Lagos, NIG won by scores of 100-90, 97-93 and 96-94 and is now 27-3. Hernandez, 154 lbs of Mexico City is 34-9.

The Floyd Mayweather – Conor McGregor Pay Per View bout on August 26 generated 4.3 million buys nd more than $600 million in total revenue, Showtime announced. according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“The pairing of Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor brought together two very significant and distinct global fan bases in one truly unprecedented event,” Espinoza told ESPN. “The remarkable results are all the more impressive considering that the planning, marketing and execution took place across a span of just 72 days from the initial announcement to fight night. Together Showtime and Mayweather have now accounted for the three highest grossing pay-per-view events of all time.”

INDIO, Calif. (Dec. 14, 2017): Carlos “The Solution” Morales (17-2-3, 6 KOs) scored a sixth-round technical unanimous decision victory against Dardan Zenunaj (14-4, 11 KOs) of Los Angeles, Calif. to win the vacant NABA Super Featherweight Title in the scheduled 10-round main event of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. Morales, who also fights out of Los Angeles, suffered a bad cut above his right eye due to an accidental headbutt that forced the fight to be stopped at the third second of the sixth-round. Morales outboxed the rugged Zenunaj enough for all judges to score the fight 59-56 in his favor.

“This was not my decision,” said Morales. “I could not see, and the doctor decided to end the fight. I felt I won the rounds, though [Zenunaj] was fighting dirty and headbutting me. It’s my job to get in there in fight, but the doctor stopped it.”

“Morales wanted this fight to stop,” said Zenunaj. “He was getting really tired, and I was starting to tag him. I often look better at the end of the fight, so it was obvious that he wanted it to stop. When he was getting looked at by the doctor, it seemed as if he wanted out. He was happy after.”

Former Mexican Olympian Raul Curiel stopped Israel Villela in round four of a scheduled four round welterweight bout.

In round two, Villela started to bleed from around his right eye. Curiel dropped Villela in round three from a left to the body. In round four, Curiel dropped Villela with an uppercut and the bout was stopped at 2:23.

Curiel, 146.5 lbs of Tamaulipas, Mex is now 2-0 with one knockout. Villela, 145.2 lbs of Mexico City is 6-8.

“After a few months away, I’m just grateful I can come back and fight before all of my fans and supporters,” said Curiel. “We had a minor setback this year, but hopefully I’ll be back in January. The plan is to start adding more rounds and moving up the division.”

Former US Olympian Marlen Espaerza remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Karla Valenzuela in a super flyweight bout.

Esparza, 111 lbs of Houston, Texas won by scores of 60-54 on all cards to raise her record to 4-0. Valenzuela, 113.8 lbs of Gomez Palcio, MEX is 3-17-3.

“I felt a bit nervous in awkward in there,” said Esparza. “That’s because she would often dip her head, which caused the headbutts when I was trying to land hooks. But I saw it as a perfect opportunity to work on my straight punches. It was also a chance to work on my body shots, which I really liked in there.”

Coachella, Calif.’s Ryan Caballero (4-0, 2 KOs), the younger brother of former IBF Bantamweight World Champion Randy Caballero, scored a first-round knockout victory against Franco Gutierrez (1-1) of Agua Prieta, Mexico in a scheduled four-round featherweight fight.

Wesley Ferrer and Will Madera battled to a eight-round split draw in a lightweight bout that headlined a five bout card at BB King’s Blues club in New York.

Each fighter took a score card by 77-75 tallies and a 3rd card read even at 76-76.

Ferrer, 135.8 lbs of Brooklyn is 12-0-1. Madera, 135.4 lbs of Albany, NY is 11-0-1.

In a battle of undefeated welterweights, Larry Fryers won a six-round unanimous decision over Charles Natal.

Scores were 60-54 twice ad 59-55 for Fryers, 146 lbs of Bronx, NY who is now 6-0. Natal, 144.2 lbs of Guaynabo, PR is 9-1-2.

Former world champion Dejan Zlaticanin stopped Hevinson Herrera in round one of a scheduled eight round junior welterweight bout.

The relentless Zlaticanin landed a hard combination in the corner that sent Herrera down and the fight was over at 1:57.

Zlaticanin, 139.4 lbs of Podgorica, MONT is now 23-1 with 16 knockouts. Herrera, 137 lbs pf Barranquilla, COL is 22-14-1.

In a battle of undefeated junior middleweights, Hurshidbek Normatov took a six-round unanimous decision over Nicklaus Flaz.

Scores were 59-53, 58-54 and 57-55 for Normatov, 153.4 lbs of Brooklyn, NY and is now 5-0. Flaz, 151.6 lbs of Baymon, PR is 5-1.

George Arias remained undefeated by scoring a 2nd round stoppage over Juan Goode in a scheduled six-round heavyweight bout.

In round two, Arias dropped Goode from a pair of left hooks and Goode stayed down for the count at 2:19.

Arias, 240.8 lbs of Bronx, NY is 10-0 with six knockouts. Goode, 260 lbs of Taylor, MI is 8-8.

“I am just an old fighter now,” the 37-year-old Salido said in a heartfelt manner.

“On Saturday night I let my emotions and my frustration get the best of me,” Salido said from his home in Phoenix. “It was a tough fight, and I was not able to do some of [the] things [I’ve] always been able to do in the ring that I attributed to my age and wear and tear on my body from so many wars.

“But after coming home and reviewing my camp and the fight, I realized that my weight issues were also part of the problem on Saturday night. I came into camp at the highest weight ever, and our focus became the weight and the boxing became secondary during training camp.”

“I felt that I left my fight at the scale,” Salido said. “No excuse, but one fight in 18 months did not help me stay in shape, and getting to the weight was the biggest concern for my fight, and while I am happy with the fight that I gave the fans, I truly believe that I can do better, so I am keeping my options open to returning in 2018 at 130 or 135 pounds. Sometime after a fight and in the heat of the moment, things are said that, upon reflection, are not the correct things to say. I want to get back into the ring to give my fans some more thrills as I believe I still have some good boxing left.”

Katie Taylor retained her WBA Lightweight title with a ten round unanimous decision over Jessica McCaskill at York Hall in London.

Taylor won by scores 98-91 and 97-92 twice to raise her perfect mark to 8-0. McCaskill falls to 5-2.

Martin J Ward stopped Juli Giner in round six od their scheduled 12-round European Super Featherweight title bout.

Ward dropped Giner twice in round six, and the bout was stopped at 1:30

Ward, 129.7 lbs is 19-0-2 with nine knockouts. Giner, 129.7 lbs is 21-3-1.

Former Olympian Josh Kelly remained perfect by stopping Jean Michel Hamilcarlo in round six of a scheduled ten round welterweight bout.

Kelly scored three knockdowns in round six, and the bout was stopped at 2:06.

Kelly is now 5-0 with four knockouts. Hamilcarlo of of France is now 25-9-3.

In a terrific and action-packed war, Conor Benn got off the deck teice in round one and won a decision over Cedrick Peynaud in a welterweight bout.

In round one, Benn was decked by a hard right hand. After a wild exchange, Benn was sent to the canvas for a second time from a flurry on the ropes.

In round five, Benn turned the tables and sent Peynaud down with a right hand. In round six, Benn landed a booming right that sent Peynaud down. The two exchanged heavy shots down the stretch.

Benn, 147.2 lbs is 11-0. Peynaud, 148.6 lbs id 5-5-3.

Jake Ball won a ten round unanimous decision over Miles Shinkwin in a light heavyweight bout

Scores were 97-93 and 98-92 twice for Ball, who is now 11-1. Shinkwin is 14-3.

Joe Cordina stopped Lee Connelly in round four of their scheduled eight-round super featherweight bout.

In round three, Connelly began to bleed from around the right eye. Cordina pounded Connelly all over the ring until the bout was stopped at 2:19.

Cordina is 6-0. Connelly is 7-31-3.

Lawrence Okolie remained perfect with a 2nd round stoppage over Antonio Sousa in a scheduled six-round cruiserweight bout.

In round one, Okolie dropped Sousa with a left hook. Seconds later, it was a big right that sent Sousa to the deck. In the first minute of round two, it was a left-right that sent Sousa down for a 3rd time. He got to his fight, but the referee called off the bout at 1:04.

Okolie is now 7-0 with six knockouts. Sousa is 4-7-1.

Ted Cheeseman won an eight-round decision over Tony Dixon in a super welterweight bout.

Cheeseman by an 80-72 scores, and is now 12-0. Dixon is 10-2.

Felix Cash remained undefeated with a 1st round stoppage over Greg O’Neill in a scheduled six round middleweight bout.

Cash scored a knockdown in round one from a body shot. Seconds later it was another body shot that made O’Neill wilt and the fight was stopped.

Cash, 162.4 lbs is now 7-0 with five knockouts. O’Neill is 5-4.

Gamal Yafai scored a 3rd round unanimous decision over Rickey Starkey in a super bantamweight bout.

Starkey went down in round three from an accumulation of body shots and the referee stopped the bout at 1:59.

Yafai is 13-0. Starkey is 2-4-2.