According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Lightweight contender Felix Verdejo will return to the ring following a motorcycle accident earlier this year, on February 3rd in San Juan, Puerto Rico and televised on UniMas.

“Thank God I am 100 percent recovered and well,” Verdejo announced Tuesday. “[I am] pleased to announce that I will return to the ring on Feb. 3.”

“He’s been doing conditioning work. He went for a run over the weekend and a pit bull chased him and almost caught him. He needs to find a new place to run,” Moretti said with a laugh. “But he’s been medically cleared to fight. He’s been doing conditioning for a few weeks and he’ll start sparring in another week or so. He’ll train through the holidays.”

“I think he’s been humbled by the whole situation,” Moretti said. “He’s still young and young people make mistakes. But I think he realizes that when you’re an athlete and have a promising career, you don’t do things like ride motorcycles and jump off cliffs. Overall it was a humbling experience. Forget about losing your career. He almost lost his life and that’s what hits home.

“We think it may be a motivating factor for him. He knows life is short and he has to do everything he can in and out of the ring to achieve his goals.”

2016 Olympic Silver Medal winner Shakur Stevenson signed a managerial contract with James Prince and Andre Ward, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I know I have a great team behind me with J. Prince as the head of it, working with Josh Dubin and Andre Ward,” Stevenson said. “I know that these guys can get me where I want to be, and I feel very comfortable with them behind me. I’m so focused, and I promise to put 110 percent into making sure we become great as a team, and I plan on becoming one of the best boxers on the planet, which is my main goal.

“Now it’s on me to prove to the world that I can be just as great as the legends before me, and trust me, I’m up to the task.”

“It is an honor and a privilege to represent this young man,” Prince said. “Andre, Josh and I know we have the next superstar in the sport. Shakur is not only a gifted fighter but someone that has the ability to be an icon. Our first goal is to sign him with the right promoter. Then, we will be with him every step of the journey toward greatness.”

“I want to give a big thank-you to my grandfather — big time — for getting me where I want to be as far as boxing and becoming the boxer I am today,” Stevenson said. “I want to thank Coach Kay for taking me in and coaching me and keeping me in the boxing environment when I moved away from Jersey. I’m excited for this journey ahead of me, and my main goal is to be great.”

47 year old Roy Jones, Jr. will square off against journeyman, 42 year old Bobby Gunn, on February 17, 2017 at the Chase Center in Wilmington, DE. The fight is being promoted by David Feldman Promotions and will be for the WBF Cruiserweight Championship. While Jones has more knock-outs than Gunn has fights, it could be an entertaining fight as Jones is in the very late stage of his career and Gunn is hungry for that one signature victory on his resume.

Gunn’s most recent fight was in 2013 against Roy Jones conquerer, Glen Smith. Gunn lost a unanimous decision but showed much courage and heart while lasting 12 rounds against a very tough fighter. Gunn is also the current Bare Knuckles Boxing Heavyweight Champion. Jones has won two straight over lower-tiered fighters since suffering a brutal knock-out loss to Enzo Maccarinelli roughly one year ago in Moscow.

The fight is being billed as “Skill vs Will”, Jones versus Gunn, respectively. While the title may be true, the question remains, “How much skill does Roy Jones, Jr. have left?” Father Time defeats all fighters eventually if they stay around too long, and Roy Jones, Superman himself, is no exception to the rule. Will Bobby Gunn’s will and heart are enough to break down and wear down a 2017 version of Roy Jones, Jr.? My gut tells me that this one will bring enough action to make it a fun fight. We’ll find out in February.
Tickets range from $75 – $300 and can be purchased by calling (484) 935-3378

According to Dan Rafael, Top will co-promoted undefeated heavyweight Joseph Parker with Duco Ecents going forward, which includes his WBO title bout this Saturday night with Andy Ruiz in Auckland, New Zealand.

“Listen, having been in this business 50-plus years, I don’t expect anybody to win a fight, particularly when it’s as close on paper as this one is,” Top Rank’s Bob Arum said. “I really think that the winner of this fight probably has the best chance to be the pre-eminent heavyweight, I really believe that.

“Parker has natural skills. He’s so big and he punches so hard, and Andy has the fastest hands that I’ve seen on a heavyweight since Muhammad Ali.”

“But no promoter can make a fighter a star,” Arum said. “A fighter has to make himself a star. A promoter can only help by getting the right fights, getting the right publicity, but the idea that the promoter makes the star, as flattering as that is, is just not the case.

“If Parker does defeat Andy Ruiz then we will, together with Duco, perhaps have Parker fight in the United States, then come back here and then fight in China. Believe me, this [is] just the start.

“We have massive global ambitions for Joseph and for a number of other fighters,” said Duco’s Dean Lonergan, whose company will still control any fights and revenue in New Zealand and Australia. “Just because we come from New Zealand doesn’t mean to say that we can’t do it overseas. In fact, it encourages us to go overseas because our market is so small.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, undefeated welterweight prospect Ed Brown passed away from a Gunshot wound in Chicago over the weekend.

Brown was 20-0 with 16 knockouts.

“He lost his life at 25 years old for nothing.” said Brown’s manager Cameron Dunkin.. “Those people in Chicago shoot you for no reason. It’d be different if he was out there gang banging or running around or dealing drugs. He wasn’t doing any of those things. He was such a quiet kid. He was so bashful. You’d never know how tough he was in the ring talking to him outside the ring.”

“He had a lot of ability, and everybody who was around him who worked with him was amazed how good he was,” Dunkin said. “When I got him a little over a year-and-half ago, I was very excited to sign him. He was ready to go fast and we were moving him fast. Everybody in boxing who knew him liked Ed Brown. All the guys at the gym loved him.

“He was so excited about being 20-0 and so excited about being so close to breaking through. He was excited about what he was going to do. He believed and I believed he was going to be a world champion. It’s just such a shame, just such a waste of a life.”

“I told him he had to get out of Chicago. I begged him to get out of Chicago,” Dunkin said. “And every time I had him ready to go, (trainer) George (Hernandez) would call me and say he’s not going to leave. It’s sad they can’t leave that environment.”

This reporter interviewed Brown just 4 weeks ago.

Joseph Benavidez won a split decision over Henry Cejudo in a battle of former world title challengers.

In round one, Cejudo was docked a point for a low blow.

Benavidez won two cards 30-26 and 29-27 while Cejudo won a card 29-27.

Benavidez, 125.5 lbs of Las Cruces, NM is 25-4. Cejudo, 125.5 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is 10-2.

Jorge Masvidal stopped Jake Ellenberger in the 1st round when Ellenberger’s toe got stuck in the fence and could not defend himself.

The time of the stoppage was 4:05 of round one for Masvidal, 171 lbs of Miami and is now 31-11. Ellenberger, 170.5 lbs of Lake Forrest, CA is 31-12.

Jaren Cannoier won a unanimous decision over Ion Cutelaba in a light heavyweight bout.

In round two, Cannoier landed a right that made Cutelaba’s nose to bleed.

Cannoier, 204 lbs of Anchorage,AK won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 9-1. Cutelaba, 205.5 lbs of Moldivia is 12-3-1.

Sara McMann submitted Alexis Davis in the 2nd round of their bantamweight bout.

McMann was able to get Davis to the ground and make her tap from a arm-trainagle choke at 2:52.

McMann, 135.5 lbs of Gaffney, SC is 10-3. Davis, 135 lbs of San Jose, CA is 17-7.

Brandon Moreno won a split decision over Ryan Benoit in a flyweight bout.

Moreno won two cards 29-28, while Benoit took a card 29-28.

Moreno, 126 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 13-3. Benoit, 125.5 lbs of Dallas, TX is now 9-5.

Ryan Hall won a unanimous decision over Gray Mayanard in a featherweight bout.

Hall, 145 lbs of Falls Church, VA won by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 and is now 6-1.  Maynard, 145.5 lbs of Las Vegas is 13-7-1.

Rob Font stopped Matt Schnell in the 1st round of their bantamweight bout.

Font hurt Schnell with a front kick.  Font landed punched that led to a ground and pound stoppage at 3:47

Font, 135.5 lbs of Woburn. MA is 13-2.  Schnell, 135.5 lbs of Shreveport, LA is 10-3.

Dong Hyun Kim won a unanimous decision over Brendan O’Reilly in a lightweight bout.

Kim, 155.5 lbs of Busan, South Korea won on all cards 29-28 and is now 14-8-3.  O’Reilly, 155 lbs of Brisbane, AUS is 6-3-1.

Jamie Moyle won a unanimous decision over Kailen Curren in a strawweight bout.

Curren was cut over her right eye in round one. Moyle was cut over her left eye in round three from a knee to the head.

Moyle, 115 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 4-1. Curren, 116 lbs of Ewa Beach, HI us 4-4.

Super Middleweight Eduard Gutknecht was moved to a hospital in Germany after falling into a coma following his loss to George Groves on November 18 in London, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“The entire Wiking-Boxteam fights and hopes for Eddy,” the company said in a statement on Saturday. “The condition of Eddy is currently stable. He is in a coma but is no longer in the acute ICU. His family is always at his side in the hospital. Eddy is currently being moved to Germany. Our thoughts are with him and wish him a full recovery.”

Wiking-Boxteam said doctors said Gutknecht’s “organs are working normally.”

“We have to be patient. Forecasts and assumptions can go in all directions,” the statement said. “It is very difficult for the family with this situation. The entire Wiking-Boxteam suffers with Eddy and is affected. But we also know that we are talking about boxing and like all high-performance sports, in addition to the joy of competition and the ceremony at the victory, unfortunately, always the risk of injury is present.

“Eddy has his dream of boxing against George Groves and again to reach for the world champion crown. Now he has to wake up [and have] a full recovery, so he can be there for his family again. Eddy you can do it! Eddy you’re strong!”

“He’s a husband and a father and the money raised will go towards helping his family be with him at this difficult time,” Groves said in a statement.

While Anthony Joshua is in the dressing room on December 10 preparing for his IBF World Heavyweight title defence against Eric Molina, two more British boxers will be dreaming of also becoming a World Champion. British Heavyweight Champion Dillian Whyte defends his belt against former title holder Dereck Chisora with the winner in line for a shot at Deontay Wilder (below).

“Deontay Wilder” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by laytondudley

You wouldn’t excuse Whyte if he looked at the all the hype for Joshua’s second defence of his title with envious eyes. His only professional loss was to Joshua almost exactly a year ago but now he has the chance to further rebuild his career.

Many will rightfully say that Whyte gave Joshua the toughest fight of his career and there were times when it looked as he could have ended the future IBF Champion’s unbeaten record. Since that loss, Whyte has had to dust himself off and start all over again while watching Joshua’s star rise and rise. He’s been extremely vocal about wanting a return bout with Joshua but he still has a few steps up the ladder to climb before it could become a possibility, it all depends how long Joshua has to wait for Wladimir Klitschko to sign a contract.

Whyte waited six months before making his in-ring comeback, by which time Joshua had become World Champion. He returned with an inside the distance win over Ivica Bacurin and a month later outpointed David Allen to become WBC International Heavyweight Champion.

Title Glory
October saw him defeat Ian Lewison in a fight for the vacant British Heavyweight title. The last two holders of that title have gone on to become World Heavyweight Champion, can he make it a hat-trick? It would be easy for him to go down the route of trying to get a rematch with Joshua for the IBF belt and perhaps if he’d had some more high profile wins, he could have been considered to be taking on Joshua for a second December in a row rather than Molina.

Instead, Whyte has his sights set on WBC title holder Deontay Wilder, but first he must get past former British Champion Dereck Chisora at the Manchester Arena. It’s a good test for the current title holder and at the time of writing he’s 4/9 at Betway.be to keep his title. A win over Chisora won’t do his world title hopes any harm at all. Whyte knows how to get his fights in the news and has already stirred up his opponent by calling him a bully.

Last Chance Saloon for Chisora

Chisora last won this title in 2010 and a lot of water and controversy has gone under the bridge since then, that is for sure. It’s two years since he lost a terrible fight against Tyson Fury. He went into that fight as European Champion and the vacant British title (it does get vacated a fair bit, doesn’t it?) was also on the line.

With a poor performance that night, many questioned whether he could get back into world title contention again. He returned seven months later and squeezed in four wins against average opposition before the end of the year to keep his career alive. One more win followed before challenging Kubrat Pulev for the European title he once held and lost a split decision.
He’s not one to give up though is Chisora. The globetrotter headed to Sweden to knock out Drazan Janjan in a couple of rounds and now he has another chance to get back into the world title picture four years after that controversial weekend in Germany when he lost on points to Vitali Klitschko.

Whyte is obviously the boxer on the up even though he still lacks a win over a highly ranked opponent. He showed against Joshua last year that he has got a chance of success against most heavyweights. Whether he can step up to world class and get a title isn’t known yet. Chisora is a decent name to get on his record and perhaps a European title challenge would further boost his hopes of getting Wilder or even Joshua in the ring sometime in 2017.

Source: Wikimedia, photo by Darren Meacher

The action inside the ring may not always be thrilling but that can never be said about the build-up and aftermath of a Dereck Chisora fight. On December 10, he challenges Dillian Whyte for the British Heavyweight title and already the pair are having a battle of words.

Chisora has held the British and European Heavyweight titles in the past and took Vitali Klitschko the distance in a challenge for the World title. But it’s what he gets up to before and after his fights that often makes the headlines. This latest title challenge is already proving controversial and it’s not just Chisora who is being outspoken.

Whyte recently won the British title and knows that the last two holders of the Lonsdale belt, Fury and Joshua, have gone on to win a World Heavyweight title. It was almost a year ago that the British champion lost his unbeaten record to Joshua (as you can see in the video below) and now he’s on the supporting bill to Joshua’s World title defence against Eric Molina, At the time of writing, he’s 11/25 at 32red.com to retain his title and push for a World title shot.

Chisora has been involved in some unsavoury scenes before fights. Only he could spit water in the face of Wladimir Klitschko just minutes before taking on his brother for the World title. Now the British Boxing Board of Control are suggesting that Whyte and Chisora be kept apart from each other in the build-up to this title bout, which is also a WBC eliminator and could lead to a title clash with Deontay Wilder.

“Deontay Wilder” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by laytondudley

Why the concern? Well, the pair traded insults galore when appearing on Sky Sports’ The Gloves Are Off. Security guards had to be called in to separate the two boxers after a series of increasingly insulting comments were traded between the two. All good hype for Sky but not good news for boxing and this kind of behaviour really shouldn’t be tolerated from serial offenders.

Promoter Eddie Hearn still wants another showdown between the two before they meet in the ring and is sorting security out, but should it come to this? Perhaps we’ll see a return of the steel fence that was used to keep Chisora and possible future opponent David Haye apart when they met in 2012.

This could well be last-chance saloon for Dereck Chisora who already has six losses on his record including a European title loss this year. He is 9/5 with 32Red to regain his British title and pump life into a fading career. If Chisora wants to do that though he has to be a lot more positive than when he lost that European title challenge to Kubrat Pulev earlier this summer. It was the same story when he was defeated by Tyson Fury, with fans leaving the arena long before the end of the turgid bout. This could well be another of those fights that promise a lot and fail to deliver on the night.

The champion is promising to “put a stop” to his opponent’s career of after beating him in December. He wants an inside-the-distance win and told reporters that Chisora has been “nicking a living out of boxing and I think a lot of people want to see an end to him now. I’m looking forward to seeing him down on Thursday, collecting the bins in my neighbourhood after I put the beat down on him.”

Of course, Chisora isn’t having any of that or any of Whyte’s claims that he had the upper hand when sparring with him in the past. Always prepared to come out with a headline-catching statement, the former champion has been typically unpleasant in the build-up to this bout. This might just be his last chance to get back into title contention and perhaps get a shot against WBC Champion Deontay Wilder in the new year. Chisora seems convinced he can knock Whyte out and doesn’t feel his opponent has a “power punch”.

Other bookmakers also have Chisora as the underdog in this bout with Betway offering 7/4 and 888sport giving you 9/5 on the former champion causing a big upset. Chisora often disappoints when push comes to shove (excluding pre-match rows) and this card looks like seeing the careers of Joshua and Whyte continuing to blossom while Chisora fades out of title contention.

Vasyl Lomachenko stopped Nicholas Walters after the 7th round to retain the WBO Super Featherweight title at the Cosmopoliton in Las Vegas.

Lomachenko was dominant as he won every round by landing quick cmbinations, showing off his superior boxing skills.  Walters was never hurt, but never seemed to get a rhythm against the ultra talaneted Lomachenko and shockingly decided he did not want to go on after the 7th round.

Lomachenko of Ukraine is now 7-1 with 5 knockouts.  Walters of Jamaica is 26-1-1.

I had my plan. I knew it would take four rounds and then I went to work on him,” said Lomachenko. “Walters said he would do this and that he would do that throughout training camp, and in the end, he just quit. I would like to fight [WBC super featherweight champion] Francisco Vargas next. My goal is to be the No. 1 pound for pound fighter.”

Konstantin Ponomarev remained undefeated by winning an 8-round unanimous decision over Silverio Ortiz in a welterweight bout.

Ponomarev, 148 1/2 lbs of Russia won by scores of 80-72 on all cards and is now 31-0.  Ortiz of Mexico is 35-19.

Trevor McCumby stopped Donovan George in the 1st round of their scheduled 8-round light heavyweight bout.

McCumby dropped George with a hard overhand right to the head. George was hurt but continued, only to eat a barrage of punches and another hard right hand on the ropes dropped George for a 2nd time, and referee Robert Byrd stopped the bout at 1:48.

McCumby, 172 1/4 lbs is now 24-0 with 19 knockouts. George, 175 lbs of Chicago, IL is 25-7-2.

Maxim Dadashev stopped Efrain Cruz in the 2nd round of their scheduled 6-round junior welterweight bout.

Dadashev pounded Cruz around in the 2nd round until a crushg left hook forced referee Kenny Bayless to stop the bout at 1:57 of round two.

Dadashev, 140 1/4 lbs of St. Petursburg, RUS is 5-0 with 5 knockouts. Cruz, 140 1/4 lbs of Puerto Rico is 4-3-1.

Juan Ruiz stopped Fernando Carcamo in the 1st round of their scheduled 8-round welterweight bout.

In round one, Ruiz dropped Carcamo with a hard right hand. Towards the end of the round, Ruiz landed another left-right combination that put Caracamo down again and the fight was stopped at 2:43.

Ruiz, 146 3/4 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 18-0-1 with 11 knockouts. Carcamo, 146 1/2 lbs of Ciudad, MX is 21-8.

Thomas Almeida stopped Albert Moraes in the 1st round of their bantamweight fight.

Almeida landed 15 successive and the bout was stopped at

Almeida, 135 lbs of Sao Paulo, BRA is 22-1. Moraes, 136 lbs of Reseda, CA is 6-1-1.

Claudia Gadelha won a unanimous decision over Cortney Casey in a strawweight fight.

Gadelha, 116 lbs of Rio de Janeiro, BRA won y scores of 30-27 on all cards and is now 14-2. Casey, 116 lbs of Maui, HA is 6-4.

Krysztof Jotko won a unanimous decision over Thales Leites in a middleweight fight.

Jotko, 185 lbs of Oreta, POL won by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-27 and is now 19-1. Leites, 186 lbs of Rio de Janeiro, BRA is 26-7.

Kamru Usman won a three round unanimous decision over Warley Alves in a welterweight bout.

Usman, 169 lbs of Boca Raton, FL won by scores 30-26, 30-27 and 29-27 and is now 9-1. Alves, 171 lbs of Rio de Janeiro is 11-2.

Sergio Moraes won a split decision over Zak Ottow in a welterweight bout.

Moraes, 171 lbs of Cubita, BRA won by scores of 30-27 twice while Ottow took a card 29-28.

Moraes is now 11-3-1. Ottow, 171 lbs of Milwaukee, WI is 14-4.

Cezar Ferreira made Jack Hermansson tap in the 2nd round of their middleweight bout.

Ferrerira made Hermansson tap with a an arm triangle at 2:11 of round two.

Ferrerira, 185 lbs of Miami is 12-5. Hermansson, 186 lbs of Oslo, NOR is 14-3.

Ead Zahmurad Antigulov choked out Marcos Rogerio de Lima.

The time of the front choke was 1:07.

Antigulov, 203 lbs of Russia is 19-4. De Lima of Sao Paulo, BRA is 14-5-1.

Johnny Eduardo stopped Manval Gamburyan in the 2nd round of their bantamweight bout.

Eduardo took control of the fight early, and in round two, he knocked Ganburyan down with a jab, and then jumped on Gamburyan with relenteless punching and the bout was stopped at 46 seconds of round two.

Gamburyan announced his retirement after the fight.

Eduardo, 136 lbs of Rio de Jineiro, BRA is 28-10. Gamburyan, 136 lbs of Hollywood, CA is 18-11-1.

Luis Henrique submitted Christian Colombo in the 3rd round of their heavyweight fight.

Henrique made Colombo tape out from a front choke at 2:12 of round three.

Henrique, 252 lbs of Rio de Jinairo, BRA is 10-2-1. Colombo, 251 lbs of Copenhagen, DEN is 8-2-1.

Pedro Munhoz made Justin Scoggins tap at 1:55 of the 2nd round from a guillotine of their flyweight bout.

LAS VEGAS — Andre Ward delivered. He got stung by punches early. He was down early, on all fours and only canvas looking back up into his dazed eye. But he got up. He adjusted. And, in the end, he did what he has done for just about as long as anybody can recall.

Ward-Kovalev undercard finally ends with a dull draw

A forgettable undercard finally came to an end with a result that summed up everything that came before it.

Gvozdyk punishes Chilemba for a TKO victory

Ukrainian light-heavyweight Oleksandr Gvozdyk calls himself The Nail. It’s an appropriate nickname. At least, it was on HBO’s pay-per-view undercard before the Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward main event.

Stevens retains minor middleweight title with a unanimous decision

Curtis Stevens retained his role as a fringe middleweight contender with a 96-92, 98-90, 96-92 decision over James De La Rosa for a minor 160-pound title in the first pay-per-view bout on a card featuring Kovalev and Ward Saturday.

Claressa Shields wins pro debut

There’s more than Olympic gold in Claressa Shields’ possession. There some pro power, too. Shields, a two-time gold medalist from Flint, Mich. used it repeatedly in a head-rocking debut for a unanimous decision over Franchon Crews, a Baltimore super-middleweight who also was making her debut on the Kovalev-Ward undercard.

A sparse crowd booed. Only Tyler McCreary cheered. The Toledo featherweight had good reason to. McCreary (12-0, 6 KOs) won a controversial majority decision over Vincent Jennings (5-3-1, 4 KOs) of Grand Rapids, Mich., in a dreary eight-rounder in the fourth bout on the pay-per-view card featuring Kovalev-Ward

Toledo junior-welterweight Sonny Frederickson (15-0, 9 KOs) employed quicker hands and superior reach to score a unanimous decision over Gabriel Duluc (11-2, 2 KOs), a Boston fighter who was left with nasty over his left eye midway through an eight-rounder on the non-televised portion of the Kovalev-Ward card.

Rock rock solid in winning one-sided decision

Philadelphia heavyweight Darmani Rock stayed unbeaten (6-0, 4 KOs) with a one-sided decision — a four-round shutout on all three scorecards — over Brice Ritani-Coe of San Pedro, Calif., (4-5-1, 3 KOs) in the last bout before HBO’s pay-per-view telecast of the Kovalev-Ward card.

Russian middleweight scores Kovalev-like stoppage

Russian middleweight Bakhraim Murtazaliev (7-0, 5 KOs) came into the ring wearing trunks with Sergey Kovalev’s last name on the belt line. It didn’t take long for the Robert Garcia-trained Murtazaliev to do what the guy with the familiar name does in the second bout on Kovalev-Ward card. He crushed Bortirsher Obidov (6-1-1, 2 KOs), knocking down the Uzbekistan fighter three times in the second for a stoppage at 2:52 of the round.

First Bell: Kovalev-Ward card underway with middleweights in opening bout
In an empty NHL arena seven hours before the main event, a couple of unknown middleweights opened a card that would end later Saturday night with Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward.

Meiirim Nursulatnov and Henry Beckford stayed upright. Nobody got iced. But heavy-handed Nursulatnov (1-0) of Kazakhstan emerged with an easy victory in his pro debut, winning a unanimous decision with a shutout on all three scorecards over Beckford (5-5, 1 KO) of Hempstead, N.Y

Christopher Diaz remained undefeated by scoring a 8-round unanimous decision over Fernando Vargas at the Osceola Heritage Center in Kissimmee, Florida.

Diaz, 128 1/2 lbs of Barranquitas, PR won by scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75 and is now 19-0. Vargas, 126 lbs of Tijuana, MEX is 31-13-3.

Julian Rodriguez won an 8-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Jerry Belmontes in a super lightweight bout.

In round one, Rodriguez landed a left that that buckled Belmontes into the ropes, which was ruled a knockdown. At the end of round two, Rodriguez dropped Belmontes with a left hook on the ropes.

Rodriguez, 141 1/2 lbs of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ won by scores of 80-70 twice and 78-72 and is now 15-0. Belmontes, 141 1/4 lbs of Corpus Christi, TX is 21-10.

Gadwin Rosa won a 4-round unanimous decision over Jonathan Irizarry in a battle of undefeated junior lightweights.

Scores were 40-36 and 39-37 twice for Rosa, 129 3/4 lbs of Vieques, PR and is now 2-0. Irizarry, 130.5 lbs of Puerto Rico is 3-1.

Despite two point deductions, Pablo Cesar Cano won a 10-round split decision over Mauricio herrera in a an ction filled welterweight bout at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California

In round three, Herrera was cut over his left eye. In round four, Cano was deducted a point for a low blow. Later in the round, Cano started to swell around his right eye.

In round eight, Cano was deducted another point for a low blow.

The fight had a lot of action, especially in round seven, where the two had several heated toe-to-toe exchanges with the younger Cano getting the better of the action.

Cano, 142.6 lbs of Tlainnepantia, MEX won by scores of 97-91 twice while Herrera took a 95-93 card/

Cano is now 30-5-1. Herrera, 143.4 lbs of Riverside, CA is 22-7.

“He had a distinct style that I had to adjust to,” Cano said. “I am satisfied with the result, and this is exactly what we wanted to get the next big fight. My team has been training for years, and we have come together cohesively to pull off this fight.”

“Cano had a length that we were not expecting,” Herrera said. “We had similar fighting styles, and we have a similar career trajectory. I could have done more to get in and break him down, but his reach really prevented me from doing that. He’s a great fighter, and I wish him the best.”

KeAndre Gibson won a 8-round unanimous decision over Mahonri Montes in a welterweight bout.

Gibson, 146.2 lbs of St. Louis, MO won by scores of 79-72, 78-73 and 77-74 and is now 16-0-1. Montes, 146.2 lbs of Los Mochis, MEX is 30-6-1.

“I’ve fought a lot of Mexican fighters in my career, but Montes was the toughest I have faced by far,” Gibson said. “I had to adjust to his head movement, and his way to maneuver through the ring. I felt like my hands were a lot looser, and I felt that my speed with my combinations were doing the work to break him down.”

Morgan Fitch win a 6-round majority decision over Travis Scott in a super middleweight bout.

Scott started to have swelling under his left eye in round four. Later in the round he started to bleed from the nose.

Fitch, 163.6 lbs of Pittsburgh, PA won by scores of 59-55, 58-56 and 57-57 and is now 18-0-1. Scott, 163.6 lbs of Baton Rouge, LA is 19-2.

“It was cool to fight this time around with someone who is from my hometown backwoods in Louisiana,” said Fitch. “I would have come forward as much as I did in my last couple of rounds compared to when I started and I wish I could have had more rounds to fight. Nonetheless, we got what we needed, which was this win.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, The November 5th ppv fight between Manny Pacquiao and Jessie Vargas generated around 300,00 Pay Per View buys.

This week, Bob Arum told ESPN that his decision to have Top Rank produce and distribute the event on its own was successful. The Pacquiao-Vargas fight sold “around 300,000, probably a little more” pay-per-view buys, he said.

“It did about the same as Pacquiao-[Timothy] Bradley,” Arum said of the third fight between the rivals that took place in April and was produced and distributed by HBO.
“So if it did about the same as that fight, why do I need HBO to be involved? Why do I have to pay them a percentage when we can do the same thing on our own?”

Arum said he did not have precise numbers yet for the Pacquiao-Vargas pay-per-view sales because “one thing we can’t do is get a handle on all the numbers as quickly as HBO can. They have that down pat, but we’ll learn. That said, the numbers are still coming in and we’re pleased. We had a good show, we put on some entertaining fights, and we made money, the fighters made money, so that’s good.”

Although Vargas was not a well-known opponent and nobody expected Pacquiao to generate the seven-figure pay-per-view sales he did during his heyday a few years ago, Arum said he thought one reason the fight would wind up doing about 300,000 sales is because consumers knew that without HBO’s involvement that there would be no delayed broadcast on the network a week later. Arum also said he was aware that because fans can easily find live streams on social media, it likely robbed the event of hundreds of thousands of buys.

“It’s always been a problem, but it’s gotten worse,” Arum said. “It’s stealing, and it’s not just a Pacquiao fight. It’s Canelo [Alvarez] fights. It’s UFC pay-per-views. We have our attorneys working on things.”

Caribe Promotions won the purse bid for the right to promote the WBA Cruiserweight title bout between Beibut Shumenov and Yunier Dorticos, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Caribe Promotions won a purse bid Monday at WBA headquarters in Panama City, Panama, to gain promotional rights to the bout. Caribe, which promotes Dorticos, bid $350,001 to beat the bid of $201,000 offered by Tom Brown’s TGB Promotions, which represents Shumenov.

Although the date and site of the bout are not yet set, Caribe Promotions proposed dates and sites as part of its offer. They are Feb. 4 in Houston or Las Vegas or Feb. 11 in Miami. The fight must take place within 90 days of the purse bid.

IBF Junior Lightweight champion Jose Pedraza will defend his title against Gervonta Davis on January 14 in Brooklyn as the co-featured bout to the super middleweight unification bout between Badou Jack and James DeGale.

“I think it’s a helluva fight, very dangerous, but it’s a fight Pedraza wanted,” promoter Lou DiBella said. “Davis has been screaming and yelling that he wanted a big fight, and he got what he wanted.”

“We feel very, very confident that Gervonta is going to win the fight, and we think that he’s going to do it in spectacular fashion,” said Davis promoter Leonard Ellerbe. “It’s a tremendous opportunity, and he’s ready to step up and seize the moment. This is something me and Floyd have been working on for some time.”

Ellerbe initially tried to make a deal for Davis to challenge titleholder Jason Sosa for his version of the title, but that deal fell apart, so they pursued Pedraza.

“We tried to make the Sosa fight, but it didn’t happen for a number of reasons,” Ellerbe said. “We’re excited to work with Lou. We have a tremendous card Jan. 14, and this fight is just part of it. Gervonta is a straight killer. He’s a very good boxer, but he’s also a tremendous puncher. He’ll go into the fight fully prepared, and we expect him to bring that IBF championship home.”

The card will mark the first time that Mayweather Promotions, which also represents Jack, will be promoting in New York, a place Mayweather never fought as an active boxer.

“Floyd has been wanting to bring a big event to New York and invade New York,” Ellerbe said. “Mayweather Promotions invades New York. It’s something we’ve been working on. We’re very confident that everything will be worked out [with regard to the insurance issue]. Lou and his team have worked extremely hard, and Floyd has been very adamant that he wants to do anything in his power to make this happen.”

Badou Jack and James DeGale will meet on January 14 in Brooklyn; pending the show can get an insurance carrier after recent legislation made it pricier to run shows in the Empire State, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

The espn.com article said When mixed martial arts was legalized in New York, the law, which was recently implemented, included new insurance regulations for combat sports that would dramatically increase the premiums promoters must pay to run a boxing card.

Minimum coverage went from $10,000 to $50,000 for general medical coverage per fighter on each card, a change that most promoters had no issue with and that conforms to the norm in many other states. But the law also requires an unprecedented $1 million minimum requirement for each fighter in the event the fighter suffers a traumatic brain injury, a very rare occurrence. New York promoters have complained that the added cost would all but eliminate club-level cards, although bigger cards, such as the Jack-DeGale one, could more easily absorb the additional costs.

However, no insurance policy has yet been approved by New York that would allow boxing events to legally take place in the state, and it remains unclear whether one will be approved by Jan. 14. Promoter Lou DiBella said he knows there is a risk announcing the venue for the event without a guarantee the insurance issue will be settled by then.

“We taking this head on,” DiBella told ESPN. “But we’re moving ahead for 2017 on the expectation that the powers that be in New York state will have a policy available for us for Jan. 14. We’re also optimistic that the bigger issues will be resolved in a way that will allow both big-time boxing and grass-roots boxing to resume in the state of New York. It’s unthinkable that this law was passed when

“There is no policy available yet,” DiBella said. “Promoters continue to have meetings with insurers, but any policy has to be sent to New York for approval. The commission has had talks with insurers and policies were sent, or a policy was sent, to the state, but it was not approved.

“How do you enact a law where there is no legal way for an industry to abide by it? Something incomprehensible went on here.”

“Floyd is out in Vegas, but his attitude is, ‘We’re willing to take a risk to help New York fighters and New York boxing with this card,'” DiBella said. “I give Mayweather Promotions credit for stepping into a situation where they could have just done this fight in Las Vegas and called it a day.”

Zulina Munoz retained the WBC super flyweight title with a 10-round unanimous decision over Carolina Alvarez at Gimnasio Polifuncional Ana Gabriela Guevara in Hermosillio, Mexico.

Munoz won by scores of 99-90 twice and 97-92 and is now 48-1-2. Alvarez is 12-7-4.

Samuel Rodriguez stopped previously undefeated Julio Barraza in round eight of their scheduled 10-round lightweight bout.

In round five, Gonzalez was cut over the left eye. In round eight, Gonzalez dropped Barraza with a left to the body. Moments later, it was a crunching uppercut that sent Barraza down for the 10 count at 1:47.

Rodriguez of Caracas, VEN is 12-4 with 9 knockouts. Barraza of Hermosillio, MX is 15-1-1.

Tim Boetsch stopped Rafael Natal in the 1st round of their middleweight bout.

In round one, Natal was cut over his left eye. Later in the round, Booetsch clocked Natal with a right hand that sent him to the canva, and the finsished him off with a right on the ground at 3:22.

Boetsch, 185.5 lbs of Sunbury, PA is 20-10. Natal, 185.5 lbs of New York, NY is 21-8-1.

Vicente Luque stopped Belal Muhammad in the 1st round of their welterweight bout.

Luque nailed Muhammad with a perfect left hook that dropped him viciously. Luque landed a couple of punches on a prone Muhammad and the fight was stopped at 1:19.

Luque, 170.5 lbs of Brasilia, BRA is 11-5-1. Muhammad, 170 lbs of Chicago is 10-2.

PHILADELPHIA (November 13, 2016) – Undefeated world champion Danny “Swift” Garcia (33-0, 19 KOs) put on a show for fans in his hometown Saturday night as he dropped and stopped Colombia’s Samuel Vargas (25-3-1, 13 KOs) on his way to a seventh round TKO victory in the main event of Premier Boxing Champions on Spike from Temple University’s Liacouras Center in Philadelphia.

The dominant performance by Garcia officially setup a welterweight world championship unification showdown in March against Keith “One Time” Thurman, who was in attendance as part of Spike’s broadcasting crew. The two welterweight world champions met in the middle of the ring after the conclusion of the bout and began to set the stage for their explosive showdown.

“I just had to tell Keith that he’s next,” said Garcia. “I’m going to beat him down. There’s not much more to say. Keith is going to get what he asked for and now he’s going to face a big dog.”

“You have two big punchers meeting on March 4,” said Thurman. “I don’t see how the fight can go 12 rounds. I see myself as the best competition that Danny has ever faced.”

Garcia was sharp offensively and defensively Saturday night, making Vargas miss often and countering with powerful shots. He started slow but late in the second round, Garcia delivered an overhand right hand that sent Vargas tumbling to the canvas.

“I felt a little rusty,” said Garcia. “But I started putting my punches together well and came out with the victory. The overhand right knocked him down. It was just a well-timed shot.”

“I got beat up in there,” said Vargas. “It takes a lot of courage to come to North Philadelphia and fight the champ. It just wasn’t my night.”

Vargas continued to come forward and work, but Garcia was entirely in control, making Vargas swing at air while delivering shots of his own that kept him in command. In the seventh round, Garcia began to unload with a series of big shots that hurt Vargas on the ropes. This eventually prompted referee Gary Rosato to stop the fight 2:17 into the round.

“It was great to give back to my fans in Philadelphia,” said Garcia. “It was a long time coming. I’m just happy I was able to give Philly a great night. I’m a Philly champion and it was great to see guys like Allen Iverson and Meek Mill out here supporting. Most importantly it felt great to give back to those in need in my city.”

“Danny is a great fighter and a great person for his city,” said Vargas.

With the March 4 unification fight now set, boxing fans can look forward to seeing two of the best fighters in the sport put their undefeated records and world titles on the line.

“Danny can talk whatever he wants and Angel Garcia can say whatever he wants,” said Thurman. “They can talk smack all day. Danny is real flat-footed. I believe I’ll be able to be on the outside, see the wide punches and counter punch. They said he wanted the tune-up, now he’s ready to see me.”

“On March 4, fans can expect what they always get from me,” said Garcia. “It’s going to be fireworks. I’m a Philly champion. I have the heart of a champion and I’m coming to win and unify titles.”

The co-main event of the evening saw undefeated rising star Jarrett Hurd (19-0, 13 KOs) stop former title challenger Jo Jo Dan (35-4, 18 KOs) in the sixth-round of their super welterweight battle.

The smaller Dan sought to smother Hurd from the beginning and negate the previously unbeaten fighter’s advantage in reach and height. Hurd was unable to get full power behind his punches, while Dan tried to hit Hurd with short punches, mainly to the body.

“We knew he was a crafty southpaw,” said Hurd. “We wanted to take our time because we didn’t know how he would come out. We felt him out at first.”

“The weight was a big difference,” said Dan. “I took the fight on short notice and I’m a 147-pound fighter. He was too strong for me tonight.”

Things began to open up for Hurd in round two as he began to tee off on the head of Dan, including a thudding left that caused Dan’s nose to bleed. Hurd continued to pummel Dan, mixing in looping shots to the body with his devastating array of hooks and uppercuts.

“My defense was a little off because being prepared for a right hander,” said Hurd. “We fixed that in the last round and got the stoppage.”

The damage continued into the sixth round as Dan kept coming forward but was consistently met with hard shots from Hurd. The fight was finally called at 1:08 into the sixth round, on the advice of Dan’s corner.

“He was wobbly and shaky,” said Hurd. “I probably would have taken him out in the next round. There are a lot of great fighters in this division and whoever I can get in there with next, I’ll be ready for.”

“He’s a tough guy,” said Dan. “I gave him some tough shots and I took some good shots. At the end of the day this is boxing. I couldn’t do enough to get the win.”

The opening bout of the telecast saw former world champion Javier Fortuna (31-1-1, 22 KOs) survive an early knockdown to come back and earn a unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Omar Douglas (17-1, 12 KOs) in their 10-round lightweight match.

Douglas got off to the better start, connecting with a straight left hand late in the first round that buckled the knees of Fortuna and sent him to the canvas.

“He got me cold in the first round,” said Fortuna. “I wasn’t surprised that he came out sharp. I worked very hard to come back.”

“The left hand was there for me so I took it,” said Douglas. “I knocked him down based on reflexes.”

Fortuna recovered nicely however, and used his movement and combination punching to fluster the less experienced Douglas. Fighting primarily out of the southpaw stance, Fortuna used his jab and followed up with flurries that score consistently.

“Every time that I was aggressive, I tried to follow it up with more punches,” said Fortuna.

Douglas tried to be patient and counter, but too often it led to the fighters getting tangled up instead of inflicting damage.

“He was grabbing me, but that’s the game” said Douglas. “That’s the game I signed up for.”

The final round saw Fortuna come out strong in an attempt to close the show with emphasis.

“I knew in the final round that I had to finish it well to make sure there were no questions,” said Fortuna.

The former champion connected at will on Douglas for much of the round, staggering him near the ropes with successive hooks. Douglas stayed on his feet but was unable to mount enough offense as all three judges gave the final round to Fortuna. In the end, the judges scored the bout 96-93 twice and 95-94 for Fortuna.

“I feel like I won the fight. The decision was absurd. He held me the whole fight,” said Douglas.

“I felt like I won just about every round after the first,” said Fortuna. “I want a rematch with Jason Sosa next. That’s a very big fight for me.”

In Off-Television action:

Titus Williams scored a 6-round majority decision over Antonio DuBose in a super featherweight bout.

Williams of Long Island, NY won two cards by tallies of 59-55 and 58-56 while a third card read even at 57-57.

Williams, 126.3 lbs is now 7-0. Dubose, 127.2 lbs of Philadelphia is 8-2-1.

Kyrone Davis stopped Carlos Gabriel Ozan in round three of their scheduled 8-round middleweight bout.

Davis dropped Ozan in round three with a hard barrage of punches. Ozan got to his feet, but stumbled back to the corner and the bout was stopped at 41 seconds.

Davis, 158.6 lbs of Wilmington, DE is 11-1 with 5 knockouts. Ozan, 155.7 lbs of Mendoza, ARG is 12-2.

Milton Santiago won a 8-round unanimous decision over Claudio Rosendo Tapia in a super lightweight bout.

Santiago, 137 lbs of Philadelphia won by scores of 80-72 on all cards and is now 16-0. Tapia, 135.8 lbs of Mendoza, ARG is now 28-17-4.

Thomas Velasquez won a 4-round unanimous decision over Raul Chirino in a super featherweight bout.

Scores were 40-36 on all cards for Velasquez, 129.9 lbs of Philadelphia and he is now 6-0. Chirino, 134.2 lbs of Miami, FL is 7-4.

Jeffrey Torres won a 4-round unanimous decision over Joseph Serrano in a battle of Philadelphia based lightweights.

Torres, 137.7 lbs won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 2-0. Serrano, 136.9 lbs was making his pro debut.

Christian Carto kept his perfect streak going as he stopped Leonard Reyes in a scheduled 4-round bantamweight bout.

Carto registered a knockdown from body shots in round two. Later in the round, Carto continued the domination and the bout was stopped at 2:34.

Carto, 118.6 lbs of Philadelphia is 4-0 with all wins coming early. Reyes, 114.5 lbs of Tijuana, MX is 4-11.

# # #

PBC on Spike was promoted by DSG Promotions and King’s Promotions.

Luis Ortiz scored three knockdowns and remained undefeated by winning a 12-round unanimous decision over Malik Scott in a heavyweight bout in Monte Carlo.

Ortiz dropped Scott in both round’s four and five with left hands. In round nine, Ortiz dropped Scott with a counter left to the body.

”
PHILADELPHIA–World ranked super bantamweight Adam Lopez remained undefeated with a 8th and final round stoppage over Carlos Valcarcel at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia.

The show was promoted by GH3 Promotions and Victory Promotions.

Lopez dominated the action over the crafty veteran and systematically broke down Valcarcel. Lopez, who is coming off a controversial draw with Roman Reynoso in July, won each round and started to really get to Valcarcel in the 6th and landed a huge left to the body that sent Valcarcel down for the 10-count at 1:47.

Lopez, who is ranked number-4 by the WBA is now 16-0-1 with 8 knockouts. Valcarcel of Miami, Florida is 14-9-3.

“It was a tough fight, but I knew what I had to do,” said Lopez.

“I was sick with a virus last week, so it got to me in the later rounds. I knew that I had the power and I just set it up. I knew that I started to hurt him in the last few rounds, and I knew I would be able to get him out of there. My corner knew it to and told me to get him earlier. Right now I will fight anyone my teams tells me to.

Welterweight prospect Ed Brown won a workmanlike 8-round unanimous decision over Albert Mensah in a junior welterweight bout.

Brown of Chicago won two cards 80-72 and 79-73 and is now 20-0. Mensah of Accra, Ghana is 29-6-1.

Jaron Ennis stopped Chrisshawn Alexander after round four of their six round welterweight bout.

Ennis scored a knockdown in round four from a straight left from the southpaw stance. After the round, Alexander could not continue.

Ennis of Philadelphia is 7-0 with six knockouts. Alexander of Norfolk, VA is 4-4.

Kenneth Sims. Jr. won s 6-round unanimous decision over Jonathan Dinong in a junior welterweight bout.got

Sims of Chicago, IL won all card 60-54 and is now 10-0. Dining of Monterey Park, CA is 5-2.

Perennial spoiler Taneal Goyco withstood an early storm from Jerry Odom and came back to stop the big punching Odom at the end of round five of their scheduled eight round super middleweight bout.

Odom rocked Goyco several times over the first two rounds. The bout turned when Goyco started to land hard shots that began to snap the head of odom back. Goyco had Odom in trouble several times and ultimately Odom could not continue after the 5th frame.

Goyco of Philadelphia is now 9-9-1 with 4 knockouts. Odom of Washington, DC is now 14-3-1.

Emmanuel Folly destroyed Tibor Nadori inside of a round of their scheduled 4-round junior featherweight bout.

Folly scores 2 knockdowns and the bout was stopped at 2:02.

Folly of Philadelphia is now 8-0 with 6 knockouts. Nadori of Leeds, England is 9-7-1.

Joshua Jones remained undefeated by winning a 4-round unanimous decision over Corey Edwards in a lightweight bout.

Jones of Philadelphia won by score of 40-36 twice and 39-37 and is now 3-0-1. Edwards of South Carolina is now 2-2.

Derrick Webster stopped Zoltan Sera in round five of a scheduled six round super middleweight bout.

Webster dropped Sera seconds into the fight with a right hook. In round two, Sera was cut over the right eye/. In round four, Webster scored a second knockdown with a hard combination.

In round fove, Webster dropped Sera with a left hand and the fight was stopped at 1:28.

Webster of Glassboro, NJ is now 21-1 with 11 knockouts. Sera of Hungary is 26-11.

Hushiddek Noratov won a 6-round unanimous decision over Lenwood Dozier in a junior middleweight bout.

Noratov of Andijan, Uzbekistan won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 3-0/ Dozier of Suitland, MD is 10-14-2.

LeRoy Davila remained undefeated by scoring a 4-round unanimous decision over Damon Simon in a bantamweight bout.

Davila rocked Simon in round three with a heavy combination.

Davila of New Brunswick, NJ won by scores of 40-35 twice and 40-36 and is now 4-0. Simon of Beaumont, TX is 0-5-1.

Former world champion Juan Manuel Lopez and his trainer Albert Rivera were fined for there actions following Lopez 11th round stoppage over Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. on October 29th, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

But the commission, which went to the television production truck immediately after the fight to secure a video of the incident, was not about to overlook the ugly post-fight fight. They were given nominal fines — $1,000 for Lopez and $500 for Rivera — but they face suspensions at a later date following a commission hearing.

“The commission knows me very well,” Lopez said in a statement given to ESPN. “I have made mistakes in the past but I would not characterize me as a person of unsportsmanlike conduct. On the contrary, I have always defended the values that boxing represents, and I am very active in the community teaching and motivating children with those same principles. Having said that, I sincerely apologize to the commission, to Vazquez’s trainer and to all the fans for my conduct.”

WBC/WBO 140 lb. champion Terence Crawford will fight John Molina on December 10th in Omaha, Nebraska and will broadcasted live on HBO, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Molina is a tough opponent who has been in the ring with the best of the division,” Crawford said. “I can’t wait for Dec. 10 because Molina is really a good puncher and I will be going in there to fight as well.”

“This is another great opportunity for Terence to showcase his pound-for-pound ability,” co-manager Cameron Dunkin said. “John Molina is a very tough contender. It’s a wonderful opportunity for Terence to get back into the ring to make another great statement.”

“For me, fighting in Omaha means so much,” said Crawford, who is friendly with billionaire businessman and Omaha native Warren Buffett. “There is no place like home.”

“I am thankful for the opportunity,” Molina said. “I am training hard for what I know will be a great fight.”

Tom Brown, Molina’s promoter, hopes Molina can continue the momentum from the win against Provodnikov.

“John is coming off a huge victory over Ruslan Provodnikov and is prepared to shock everyone again by beating Crawford on Dec. 10,” Brown said.

The Omaha fans will be packed to the rafters in support of their favorite son Terence Crawford,” Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said. “John Molina will provide a great test for Terence but I think it’s a test Terence will pass with flying colors. A victory on Dec. 10 will make a strong argument for Terence to be named fighter of the year.”

Said Brian McIntyre, Crawford’s trainer and co-manager: “It’s an honor to bring a warrior like Molina to Omaha and to test Terence Crawford at his best.”

Joseph Parker and Andy Ruiz will meet for the WBO Heavyweight title on December 10 on Auckland, New Zealand, according to Dan Rafael of eson.com.

“This is a huge sporting event, which I expect to unite the country in a similar fashion to the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the 2015 Cricket World Cup,” Duco Events CEO Martin Snedden said. “We are only able to host the event in Auckland because of the tremendous support from our sponsors who grasp just how big an occasion this will be for all New Zealanders.” Duco said the fight will be seen in more than 100 countries with a worldwide television audience of more than 100 million people.

Richard Schaefer’s Ringstar Sports signed 2016 U.S. Olympian Carlos Balderas along with his brother Jose, according to Dan Rafael of eson.com.

“Carlos Balderas was one of the most sought-after Olympians coming out of the 2016 Summer Games, and I am so pleased that he, and his brother Jose agreed to join Ringstar Sports,” Schaefer said. “Carlos, Jose and their entire family are the type of people that we want to do business with at our company. I am going to do whatever it takes to make Carlos the face of boxing, and his brother will be right there with him.

“Both of these young men are exceptional fighters with great skills and even better work ethics. Most importantly, they have a desire to be great, and so does Ringstar. I am looking forward to getting started.”

“These are two clean-cut young men who can fight and talk intelligently. We have two young men who have an opportunity to carry the fight scene here in Los Angeles,” Schaefer said. “For me, this is my No. 1 priority, to help them become superstars of the sport.”

“I’m very, very excited for the future for me and my brother,” Carlos said. “I’m thankful to Mr. Schaefer and excited to get the ball rolling and do big things. I was looking to turn pro even before the Olympics. The Olympics was a good experience, but I am more excited for the pros. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to for a while now.”

Said Jose: “[Schaefer] is a very smart man and he has a vision for both of us for what we want to be, which is world champions and superstars.”

“These kids have the skills inside the ring and they carry themselves the right way outside of the ring. The family still has a place in Mexico City and they are bilingual, so my plan is to also have them fight sometimes in Mexico. I am already in discussions with [Mexican television network] Televisa about them.”

Carlos was the target of several promoters, including Top Rank, Golden Boy and Japan’s Teiken Promotions, but Schaefer won the recruiting battle. “I was myself. I think what I accomplished speaks for itself,” he said. “Carlos sparred with a lot of fighters, like Leo Santa Cruz and other guys [I worked with at Golden Boy], and when you ask the fighters what they think about me you get positive feedback. I’m very much pro-fighter. I’m there win or lose. That’s one of my strengths, my relationships. He saw that and liked that as well as my track record.”

Carlos said he and his brother decided to sign with Schaefer because they “liked his honesty.”

“He is a very trustworthy guy, a family man,” Carlos said. “He wanted to be with us from the beginning and he has the power and connections in Los Angeles, where my market is.

“I’m looking forward to working with Richard for a long time. My brother and I chose Ringstar because we immediately felt comfortable with Richard. I’m ready to start my career and grow my fan base. I’m looking to do big things in this sport. It’s not just about a paycheck. I want to win world titles and build a legacy.”

“My dad spoke a lot with these other promoters, Top Rank, Oscar, Mr. [Akihiko] Honda [of Teiken],” Carlos said. “I feel like they wanted to sign us just to sign us and not give us what we deserved. I didn’t even want to have a meeting with them. They are very nice people but not the best decision for us to be with them.”

Said Zenon: “Richard is a very smart man who is going to do amazing things for my sons. I know that my sons will be world champions. The question is, how many times? I believe that Richard has the mind to get us where we need to go.”

Warriors Boxing was amid an all-out party atmosphere at Club Cinema Saturday Night in Pompano Beach, Florida while hosting a great “Night of the Rising Stars” professional boxing event featuring a great night of featured boxing and special guests, including two time Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields, Former 2 time world Champion Paulie Malignaggi and Heavyweight contender Jarrell “Big Baby’ Miller.

In the main event former NABF champion and WBO world titlist Dyah Ali Davis improved to 25-4-1(11KO) with a hard fought unanimous decision win over the strong Brazilian Victor Darocha 7-2-1. Davis dropped Darocha in the second round with a perfectly placed right hand. Darocha who now trains out of Danny Hawks gym in Miami, rose to fight back with purpose. Davis found himself chasing that knockdown with power punches which appeared to have changed the course of his early plan of attack, of staying behind the jab and setting up power shots. To the end Davis was the superior class boxer and earned a unanimous decision win which was his third win since challenging World Champion James DeGale for his WBC Silver Title in 2013. That loss was by far his greatest as Davis lost his Olympic Gold Medalist father Howard Davis Jr in December of 2015 to lung cancer. Davis Jr was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in February of 2015. This and every fight is dedicated to his father and as we spoke after the fight, Davis has plans to jump right back into the ring as early as next month. For 2017 Davis looks to stay very busy and take 2 or 3 more fights before challenging for the top of the division.

In the Co-Main event 19-year-old super featherweight Chasity “The Queen of Pompano Beach” Martin 4-0(1KO) and Ivana Coleman engaged in the fight of the night as the two females boxed and brawled their way to a four round boxing fan fun fest. Martin gave Coleman everything she had and Coleman took it and gave it back. The packed house in Pompano saw their Queen thrown down with Coleman who also competes in MMA. Martin, who had a stellar amateur boxing career and is trained by former Mike Tyson trainer, Stacy McKinley, took the victory with all four cards reading 40-36.

23-year-old southpaw super middleweight Robert Daniels Jr. won his debut with a lopsided annihilation knock out win over Yendris Rodriguez Valdez 1-2-1 Daniels the son of former cruiserweight world champion Robert “Preacherman” Daniels, the only Miami-born fighter to hold a major world title. Daniels Jr. started boxing at 10 years old and went 64-6 as an amateur boxer. Among his many accolades, he won the Sunshine State Games twice, the State title twice, the Platinum Gloves, the Junior Olympic regionals. A boxer/puncher with excellent counter-punching skills, Daniels is trained by former world champion Derik Santos.

Local Davie PAL boxer David Rodriguez 1-0 was successful in his debut with a tough hard fought split decision win over Devin Laney 0-4.

John David Martinez 2-0(1KO) made easy work with a KO of late replacement Harrison Melendez 0-2 at 2:34 of round 1.

30-year-old junior middleweight Anthony Martinez who went 22-3 as an amateur boxer, winning the State Florida Golden Gloves, made his pro debut successful with a unanimous decision victory win over Bruce Lutchmedial 0-3.
Super Featherweight Ivan Jimenez improved to 7-0-1 with a unanimous decision win over Angel Albelo 4-9-3.

Super Lightweight Tobias Green won a close majority decision win over Yasmani Calzadilla 1-3. The cards reported 38-38 and 39-37 twice.

Daniele Scardina kept his perfect KO record intact at 8-0(8KO) once he cornered his fast footed foe Rashad Jones 4-11-3. It was a cat and mouse affair that had the hard charging Italian KO artist on the hunt.

Promoter Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing says he hopes “Night of the Rising Stars” becomes a series of shows in South Florida.

“This area has so much boxing talent. I’m happy to be able to present this show and showcase some of the best new fighters from the area. We hope the boxing fans in South Florida get behind this terrific event, so we can turn it into a series. Looking forward to a terrific night of boxing.”

“We are glad to return to a premier venue in South Florida with an abundance of new talent,” said Luis DeCubas, Warriors Boxing COO.

Diego Sanchez scored a unanimous decision over Marcin Held in a lightweight bout.

Sanchez, 156 lbs of Albuquerque, NM won by scores of 29-28 twice and 29-27 and is now 29-9. Held, 156 lbs of Tychy, POL is 22-5.

Ricardo Lamas scored a 2nd round tapout over Charles Oliveria in a featherweight bout.

Lamas made Oliverira tap with a Guillotine choke at 2:13 of round two.

Lamas, 146 lbs of Chicago is 17-5. Oliverira, 155 lbs of Houston, TX is 21-7-1.

Martin Bravo won the Ultimate Fighter Latin America Lightweight title with a 2nd round stoppage over Claudio Puelles.

Bravo landed a flurry of punches which was capped off with a right to the liver that sent Puellas down and the fight was stopped at 1:55 of round two.

Bravo, 155 lbs of Rosarito, MX is 12-0. Puelles, 156 lbs of Lima, PER is 8-2.

Beneil Dariush won a unanimous decision over Rashid Magomedov in a lightweight bout.

Dariush, 156 lbs of Yorba Linda, CA won by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 and is now 14-2. Magomedov, 156 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL is 19-2.

Alexa Grasso won a unanimous decision over Heather Jo Clark in a strawweight bout.

Clark’s nose was bleeding from the 1st round.

Grasso, 166 lbs of Guadalajara, MX won by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 and is now 9-0. Clark, 116 lbs of Las Vegas is 7-6.

Erik Perez won a split decision over Felipe Arantes in a bantamweight bout.

Perez, 136 lbs of Monterrey, MX won by scores of 29-28 twice and Arantes took a card 29-28-29. Perez is 17-6. Arantes, 138 lbs of Brazil is 18-8-1-2.

Sam Alvey won a unanimous decision over Alex Nicholson.

Joe Soto scored a 1st round tap out over Marco Beltran in a catchweight bout.

Soto made Beltran tap with a heel hook at 1:37.

Soto, 140 lbs of Portersville, CA is 17-5. Beltran 139 lbs of Mexico City is 8-5.

Max Griffin stopped Eric Montono in the 1st round of their welterweight bout.

Griffin landed a right that stunned Montono, and then he pounced on him and pounded him n the ground with Montono’s back facing Griffin and the bout was stopped at 54 seconds.

Griffin, 171 lbs of Sacramento, CA is 13-3. Montono, 170 lbs of Mexico City is 8-5.

Douglas Silva de Andrade scored a spectacular 3rd round stoppage over Henry Briones in a bantamweight bout.

The fight was a back and forth brawl until Andrade landed a spinning backhanded punch right on the buttin that sent Briones to the deck and the fight was stopped at 2:33

Andrade, 133 lbs of Brazil is 24-1-1. Briones, 136 lbs of Tijuana, MX is 19-6-1.

First Blows: Fuentes opens Pacquiao-Vargas card with a decision over Chinese featherweight